Shifting My Thinking

Our current sermon series at church is ShIFt: if we could be the church God intended . . .
(We missed the first Sunday's installment as we were at Beth's family's Christmas last Sunday--if I can find the time, I'll listen to it on the church website soon.)
Pastor Efrem's message centered around how if the church is going to be the church, we need to change. We need to get back to the biblical mandate for the church and how we're to be an agent of change in the world. And obviously, as I think I've reflected on before, we need to change ourselves if we're going to be apart of a church of change.

I've known about how God is a God of transformation, how we need to be changed and how we need to be about changing the world. But for most of my life, I've never really gotten that. At least I've probably more lived life thinking that I've already given myself over to God and it's in His hands to take care of the rest. I've been learning in this past year that change is continual for Christians; God calls us to daily transformation in Him.

Pastor Efrem noted that in order to prepare ourselves to be changed we need to:

• Have intimate experiences with God
• Take time for ecclesiastical reflection (think about what the church is supposed to be doing in the world)
• Embrace eschatology (live with the belief that Jesus can return at any minute)

At the end of the service we were given the question, "What is one area in your life that is in need of change?" It's not an easy question to ask yourself--especially if you intend to follow through with it. I'm still processing it myself, but I know I'm still working on my intimate relationship with God--at least in remembering he is with me all the time and to interact with Him in that way; and to live like Jesus can return at any moment--remembering to keep my priorities strait.