By Pastor Greg
A minister goes into a pet shop to buy himself a parrot. The owner cautions the minister that the only parrot he has once lived in a royal palace in Agrabah, and apparently picked up some mighty foul language from some of the palace guards. Confident that he could change the parrot’s wicked ways, the minister takes him home. It wasn’t too long before the parrot let loose with the foul talk. Patiently the minister reprimands the parrot, thinking things were beginning to change. However, one day when a group of ladies from the church were visiting, the parrot let loose with the “foul, filth, filthy, foul” talk. Embarrassed, the minister douses the parrot with a whole cup of water, silencing it for two whole days. The following week the local pastors gather at his home for their monthly meeting. “How cute, a parrot” says one of the pastors. “Does he talk?” Well that parrot let loose with the “foul, filth, filthy, foul” talk right there in front of the whole group of pastors. Exasperated, the minister grabs the parrot and stuffs him in the freezer, then continues with the meeting. Finally, at the end of the meeting, the minister remembered the bird. When he took him out of the freezer, the bird was shivering and quite cold. Ice sickles were hanging from his beak. But the bird had a completely different demeanor. He says to the minister “So sorry about the language back there. It won’t happen again. Oh, and by the way, what did the chicken do?”
I can think of some people I’d like to throw in the freezer for a while.
For most of this year we have spent time trying to get our minds wrapped around a bigger God. Recently we’ve been looking at what Paul wrote to the Colossian Christians about who Jesus really is. But Christianity is much more than an intellectual pursuit. Christianity is also a heart process as well. And it is this heart process that Paul frequently mentions in most of his letters.
To Paul it was important that believers had a correct understanding of who Jesus is. But equally important was that believers bear the mark of a follower of Christ. And he likened this mark to the Jewish practice of circumcision.
The physical act of circumcision was a cutting of the flesh to signify a man was part of God’s family; that they were children of the promise. But what Paul expects from a believer is that there is also a Spiritual Circumcision and a Behavior Circumcision as well. These changes in Spiritual nature and in behavior become the marks that testify a person has become a Child of the Promise; that they are indeed a follower of Christ. Actually this change in behavior was so important to the early church that not only does Paul mention it in several places (see Galatians 5:22-23 “Fruit of the Spirit”), but the Apostle John (1 John 2:9), and Peter (1 Peter 1:15) mention it as well. This is not an issue that only the Colossian Believers needed to learn. It was important to Christians everywhere.
Look closely at what Paul says in Colossians 3:1-17. Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. 5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming (on all who disobey Him). 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. 12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. [1]
There is an expected behavior change. The old behaviors were to be cut away (or circumcised), and the New Self was to be revealed. This was not an intellectual exercise, and it was more than a heart transformation; this was behaving in a whole new way.
I know it is important to have a correct understanding of who God is and of who Jesus is, but Christianity is more than an intellectual pursuit. It is also changing our behavior. It means that we need to change the things we do with our hands, change the things we watch or change the things we read. It means that we not only change what we say to others but also the way we say it. It means we need to change what we say about others. It means we change the way we think of others. It means that we not only change how we manage our money but what we buy with that money. Do you see what Paul says in verse 17? No matter what we are doing, we should conduct ourselves as representatives of God. And that applies to every day of the week, not just Sunday.
It was the Gospel Message backed by the Apostle’s changed behavior that caught the attention of Jerusalem (Acts 4:13). It was the Gospel Message backed by changed behavior that reformed the European Church (part of the Pietistic Reformation). I truly believe that if there is to be revival in America today then Christians will need to allow the Spirit to convict and change their behavior. Sure, we’ve gained a deeper understanding of God the Father and God the Son. But now we need to allow God the Spirit to work in our lives; circumcising (cutting away) that which does not belong. We must put on our New Self because we are living in a day and age when people don’t believe what we say because of what we do.
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed.) (Col 3:1–17). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
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