Foundations of the Church: Change - June 22nd, 2014 Sermon

By Pastor Greg

In February I was part of a mission team that traveled to Haiti.  Our goal was to be a witness for Jesus, lead many to Christ, and help build a new church building for the Maranatha Church.  To me, the most significant thing that happened was the conversion of Gerald, a former witch doctor who lived close to the church.  The week I was there, we installed the roof on the new church building, and led a few more people to Christ.  People were being changed in that community.  At the end of the week, an impromptu worship service happened inside the new building.  And Gerald was there.  He heard us singing and brought his guitar.

That's a former witch doctor sitting in a church building singing "pass your cares, pass your cares, pass your cares onto the Lord".  The lady in the back wearing the white ball cap was recently freed of a demon.  A few others had accepted Jesus just that week!  It was amazing.

This is the kind of change we think of when we think of people being changed by Christ.  As a matter of fact, the story of Acts is the story of a changed people.  We read about how the Apostles were transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.  We read about the crippled man who was healed by Peter and John.  We read about a magician named Simon who believes and is baptized.  There is the story about the man from Ethiopia who hears about Jesus, believes, and is baptized.  But most notably there is the Pharisee named Saul who traveled around the region seeking to arrest those who belonged to The Way of Christ.

When Saul the Pharisee watched the stoning of Stephen, he was in hearty agreement with putting him to death.  So passionate was Saul about putting an end to this craziness, that he “began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, (then) would put them in prison.” (Acts 8:3).  But one day this man meets Jesus, and the transformation is amazing, absolutely amazing (Read Acts 9:1-9, 19b-22).

This is the kind of transformation we expect.  Someone of the world meets Jesus, and becomes a whole new person.  But what we don’t expect is the change that comes to those who are already Christian; those who already belong to The Way of Christ.  Consider what happens to a disciple named Ananias who lived in Damascus, the very city that was about to face the wrath of Saul (read Acts 9:10–19 (NLT)

¹⁰ Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!”  “Yes, Lord!” he replied. ¹¹ The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. ¹² I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.”  ¹³ “But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! ¹⁴ And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.”

¹⁵ But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

¹⁷ So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. ¹⁹ Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength.  Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days.

What is significant about this is that Ananias “was a godly man, deeply devoted to the law, and well regarded by all the Jews of Damascus.” (Acts 22:12).  He was also obviously a believer; for he was afraid to talk with Saul.  But even though he already belonged to The Way of Christ, this man needed to have his heart changed.  Even he needed to continue growing in his faith.  God had just sent him to a man he would rather avoid.

Ananias was not the only disciple of Jesus who needed to change.  The rest of the disciples living in Jerusalem needed to change as well.  They needed to learn that even their fiercest enemies could be changed by the power of God’s Spirit.  They too needed to have their hearts changed, even though they were already Disciples of Christ (read Acts 9:26–28 (NLT).

²⁶ When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer! ²⁷ Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus. ²⁸ So Saul stayed with the apostles and went all around Jerusalem with them, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.

Even Peter needed his faith to grow and needed to have his heart changed.  Even after walking with Jesus for a couple of years, even after being reborn by the Spirit, even after preaching and leading thousands to Christ, and even after healing others in the name of Jesus, Peter needed to change.  He needed to grow.  God needed to sit him down and show him that they did not share the same attitude about certain people in this world.

I could go on.  But the main point it this, that no matter how long you have been following Christ, the Lord never stops calling you to change.  Sure, He calls people to confess their sins and leave the world behind; to be changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.  But He calls believers to be changed as well; to let go of things in their life that do not belong, and beliefs that are contrary to God’s.  To become Christian is to experience Salvation.  To become more like Jesus is Sanctification.

Christianity is the story about a life changed: from conviction to repentance; from repentance to belief, from belief to baptism; from baptism to discipleship; and from discipleship to sanctification.  Our entire life spent as a Christian involves change.  Knowing this, it’s safe to say that there isn’t a single person here today that doesn’t need to change.  Some need to change and become a Christian.  Some need to change and grow as Christians.  Just because we may have asked Jesus into our hearts years ago does not mean we are now off the hook.  Becoming a Christian through faith in Jesus is just the beginning.  The Lord continually challenges us to let go of things in our life that don’t belong, to change attitudes that do not reflect God’s attitude, and to deepen our level of commitment to our Father and to our Brethren.  It is the mark of a truly mature believer who understands this.  It is a sign that you truly have surrendered your life to Christ when you actually ask God to change your heart; to change you so that you are more like Jesus today than you were yesterday.