On Saturday, November 22, Christian Students on Campus met for a three-part message and dinner. After three semesters of getting into the book of Genesis, these messages concluded the study and provided an overview on the lives of Jacob and Joseph.
Principles of Transformation
The first message focused on principles of transformation as seen in Jacob. As Christians, allowing the Lord to grow in us is a vital part of our experience. In Genesis 31:13, God calls us to live for Him and His purpose of building up the church. This inward process of transformation is for God’s building so that He will receive glory in the church (Ephesians 3:21). It is important to realize that transformation is not an outward adjustment, but a metabolic function of life. 2 Corinthians 3:18 talks about “being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.” In order to reflect the image of Christ, a list of do’s and don’ts will not suffice.
Jacob experienced transformation in struggling with God. Jacob’s sufferings were for the sole purpose turning him to the Lord so that he would be transformed. His experience of being transformed is applicable to our own personal growth in the Lord. In the midst of difficult situations, God is purposefully arranging everything because he wants to impart Himself into us by touching the deepest part of our being. Taking the word in the Bible as spiritual nourishment and reading it daily will allow the Lord to enter into our situations and dispense Himself into us. Another way to stay constituted with Christ as we are being transformed is by coming to the church meetings. Just our physical presence in a meeting positions us to gain the Lord through the renewing of our minds.
Principles of Maturity
The second message of the night focused on principles of maturity as seen in Jacob. To fully express God and represent Him, we need to come to the point of maturity that results from our inward transformation. Despite our own desires and interests, God’s will is to fill us with the divine life. Hebrews 6:1 says, “let us be brought onto maturity.” By allowing the Lord to fill the multiple compartments of our heart, we will be reflecting His nature and virtues rather than our own. To have this experience of maturity, it is essential that we be in the proper condition. Romans 9:23 refers to the believers as “vessels of mercy, which He had before prepared unto glory.” God’s desire is that He becomes the content, which continually fills our vessels to the point of overflow.
Jacob’s life reveals that everything that happens to us is under God’s sovereignty and that nothing is accidental. The process of transforming us through specific arrangements is for the Lord’s purpose to bring us to maturity. The strongest sign of maturity is prophesying with blessing. As we individually mature in the Lord, each one of us can become ministers that serve people Christ as the rich life supply (1 Peter 4:10).
Principles of Reigning in Life
The third message focused on the principles of reigning in life as seen in Joseph. To live in the reality of Genesis 1:26 is to express the image of God and represent God through our dominion. Reigning in life is how we can reflect this view seen in Genesis. To reign in life is to deny ourselves and recognize God’s sovereignty. Through Joseph’s life, we see a person who lived under the ruling of the Spirit. Receiving the gift of grace through Jesus Christ will cause us to reign in life and the overcoming of our own self-interests will be spontaneous. This process of receiving simply involves asking the Lord to enter into us (Matt. 7:8) and eating His word as our necessary food that fills us.
In the midst of our daily circumstances, it can be easy to limit ourselves by our lack of asking. To practically experience reigning in life, we must realize and declare our unchanging position in Christ (Eph. 2:6). Through praying simple prayers and acknowledging the Christ inside of you, the reigning aspect of the mature life can be expressed. Other ways to have the experience of reigning in life include receiving an abundance of grace, living in our spirit, living under authority to the Lord, and depending on the body of Christ.
These vital aspects of the Christian life revealed in the experiences of Jacob and Joseph provide us with a picture of God’s purpose for His people. The members of the church, as the expression of the body of Christ, are being transformed unto maturity so that we are able to reign in life. God’s intention for the believers is seen in these three elements of transformation, maturity, and reigning in life.
By: M. Cannizzo
- A Normal Christian Life - November 11, 2016
- Where do we find our identity? - October 13, 2016
- God’s Purpose Throughout the Ages - September 15, 2016
