Can The World See Your Change?
Many people profess Christianity today but their lives do not model the transformation that comes in Christ. Later in his life, the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to Timothy where he gave his young disciple clear instructions on what true Christianity looked like.
The Gospel Leads to Change
The main theme of Timothy is the idea that the gospel leads to a practical and viable change in the lives of the believers. In the sermon series “Parallels” Pastor Mike Signorelli teaches from the book of I Timothy 5. In the book of Timothy, the apostle instructed Timothy to leave Ephesus because false teachers were infiltrating the Christian church in that region. Chapter 5 is a clear guide for followers of Christ on how to mature in Christian leadership with practical directions.
Being a Christian is not just a title, it's a visible change. Pastor Mike instructs his congregation that transformation is not staying stuck in your sinful vices such as smoking, drinking, cursing, and fornication but breaking free from addictions and bad behaviors. Christianity graduates the believers from relying on those for comfort to seeking God for comfort instead.
“Religion deletes but relationship replaces” Pastor Mike declared. A religious order will make giving up sin feel forced but a relationship with Christ would cause a person to voluntarily give up everything because of the love they have for God.
It Takes Courage to Be a Leader
Perfect love casts out all fear as 1 John 4 says. When the love of God is truly embraced, sons and daughters are not afraid of being ridiculed for looking and acting differently. The gospel creates a visual change in the one who surrenders to Christ. If the world and those around you don't see the change then that could mean it may not be happening!
Examine yourself. Are you still doing the things you were doing before accepting Jesus?
Oftentimes God makes someone a leader because they are most willing to say and do the hard things. The most courageous are those called to leadership. The apostle affirms that and tells Timothy that he will need to have courage. It takes great courage to stand up to the evils of this world. As Jesus did, you will have to fight racism, sexism, ageism…etc
The church has a structure on how to care for individuals. Yes, Paul says to care for the widows but he also says not all widows are sincere, rather some are self-indulgent (1 Timothy 5:13-16). Also, followers of Christ need to treat women like mothers and sisters and men like fathers and brothers. Perversion has no place in Christendom. Believers must also be an example in speech. Do not allow your mouth to enter into a contract with Satan, do not give place to the devil.
Live a Life that Counts for Eternity
In revelation, God spoke to each individual church. Many people today are church-hopping but in revelation, Jesus spoke to those rooted in a church, not the floaters. The number 1 is too small a number to achieve greatness. We must submit to God and connect with the family of God. The DNA of the kingdom of God is the believer saying: “inconvenience me, God.”
When a believer kills their motive, God's dream comes alive in them and there will be testimonies. Greatness is not determined by what you give, it's by what you give up. If we are modeling Christ, we see He gave it all to fulfill God’s plan for Him. Only what is done for God is what will matter at the end.
The Lord is not asking His followers whether they identify as a Christian, but rather are they living a life for eternity. Examine yourself today, are you living for eternity?
About the Author
Jeannie Ortega Law is a chart-topping singer, evangelist, media personality and author from New York City. She can be reached on social media: @JeannieOrtega or emailed at Info@JeannieO.com
At V1 Church we believe in teaching Bible-based relationship principles so that you can your family can be strengthened. Connect with us using one of the links below – we’d love to see you and help you walk through the process of reconciliation.