Hymn: “When we walk with the Lord”
CENTRAL THOUGHT
The believer’s daily transformation should prove that he is still a son, beloved of God.
INTRODUCTION:
Human beings grow and maintain their size as a result of
nourishment and God’s sovereign providence. An important
feature of every human being is a definite life cycle consisting of
birth, growth, maturity, old age and death. Sometimes, premature
death cuts off the third and the fourth stages ultimately reducing
the life cycle. There is no growth or life when dead.
To grow is to increase in size by assimilation of nourishment or a
natural process. It is to progress towards maturity; to sprout and
develop; to flourish or thrive. This process of growing is also
called transformation, that is, the act of changing in form or
appearance, nature and/or character of an individual.
As we have already seen, feeding is a prerequisite to growth and
transformation; and feeding must be of nourishing food. For the
physical transformation, nourishing food is what is called
“balanced diet”. And scientists and many other educated persons
can list combinations of foods that would achieve a balanced
diet. However, for spiritual transformation, the meal is different,
yet it must also be balanced. And just as disease can scuttle
growth and development in the physical, there are “diseases” that
affect spiritual growth and development. For whatever reason,
the implication of not growing is that the individual has long
died.
LESSON OBJECTIVES
- To understand what daily transformation means.
- To know how to be transformed daily.
- To study the effects of our little beginnings on our
entire future. - To know the importance of daily transformation.
BIBLE TRUTH
QUESTION 1.) WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE
DAILY TRANSFORMED?
Science has shown that growth is continuous; rather than a
sudden and final event, it is gradual, and in normal cases,
steady process of maturity until death. The child of God
was once dead in sin, a sinner. His name was not in the
book of life. Against him were many offences written, each
of which sentenced him to death in hell fire. He was not
known in heaven as God’s child. The devil had and
controlled him. But one day, the Lord Jesus Christ found
him and opened his eyes to see that He had since paid for
his ransom from the slavery of sin and the devil. He
believed the Lord and asked Him to forgive his sins. The
seed of God germinated in his life and the Lord had given
birth to a new son. Something great had happened in
heaven and there was a loud ovation as he looked up from
his prayers for forgiveness as the God of the Universe
pronounced him “discharged and acquitted”. He asked him
to go and sin no more. Because the seed of God germinated
in the child of God, he must grow on a daily basis (not at once), getting better all the time. He must blossom. He
must mature.
To be transformed daily is summarized as follows: -I was a liar yesterday, today and forever I do not lie again. -I was a thief three days ago, I no more steal. -I was a prostitute before, now my mind is changed against
it and I do not practice it anymore. -I was a murderer, but I have left it behind me. -I was a witch, but the Lord saved me.
Why is this so?
….because the saved soul is given power (John 1:12) to
live for God and he continues to know more and more
about God.
…..because the word of life dwells richly in the individual
…..because he is destined to live, now that he believes.
Daily transformation is only possible in a life that decides
to feed properly. The word of God is like a mirror, the more
he knows himself, and the more he sees himself in the light
of God’s word; the more he is changed for the better.
The principle for daily transformation is read-pray-practice.
The child of God must study the word of God, pray to God
and put to practice what he learns. Practicing the word of
God makes it become a part of the individual. Learning
without practice is the way never to come to the knowledge
of the truth. On a daily basis, the Christian must strive to
live a better and holier life than the day before.
QUESTION 2) DISCUSS THE TRANSFORMATION
OF MOSES. EX.2:1-10; 3:1-22;33:12-23
Moses was an ordinary man, less privileged at birth than
most free human beings. The circumstances surrounding
his early years in life were very clumsy, but he has a little
zeal for God. (Ex.2:11-13, 16-19). Obviously, his mother
had planted God’s seed in him that had germinated and
needed to grow. God saw the young man’s zeal and
decided to use him.
The God of the whole universe arranged a meeting with
Moses. He was going to turn a man who was not eloquent,
who could easily get angry to the point of fighting and
killing somebody, into the meekest human being on earth,
who
would walk and talk with God (Ex.4:10). After the meeting
at the burning bush the transformation process continued.
God passed Moses through series of situations that
continually changed him. At a point, Moses could and did
suggest a meeting with God alone. And the Lord honored
it!
Daily transformation turns a filthy rag into God’s
righteousness. From our little zeal for good, if we are
willing, God would turn us into a great army for His use.
He would so purify us that no one would count our past any
longer. The end result is usually not close to the beginning.
QUESTION 3) DISCUSS THE LIFE OF JUDAS
ISCARIOT: MAT 10:4; MT.27:3-5; JHN.12:4-6
The first mention of Judas Iscariot was a disciple of the
Lord Jesus Christ. He was among the called and chosen
twelve. He was sent out with the eleven others by the Lord to preach and do miracles. He saw, partook of and proved
Jesus Christ to be the Son of God.
He even was the treasurer of the group. But he pilfered!
This same seed of evil in him was to germinate into a more
serious crime. God could not be too useful to him because
his mind was divided. He loved money and went for it! He
sold his Master, the Master of the whole universe, for
money. He got the money but he hung himself in
frustration after rejecting the blood money.
Sin does not have different colors or weights before God. A
sinner is a sinner and would not see God. God does not
work with sin. He does not force His way into our lives
either. Rather, he makes us willing to live for Him, and
when we refuse, He lets us have our choice. Judas chose to
go his own way, sin being found in him. He could not be
transformed. He could not pretend for too long. The
process of daily transformation is a sieving process in the
church in which the chaff is sieved out of the seeds.
QUESTION 4) WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF
DAILY TRANSFORMATION?
Observe carefully the difference between the word,
“Transformation” and the phrase, “Daily Transformation”.
Daily Transformation is God’s pattern with His creation
and this manifests even in nature. A field may be sown in a
day, but it does not become a blossoming garden in a day.
In the beginning, God watered the earth, then plants started
growing, they did not just appear. (See Gen.2:4-10). He is
never in a hurry about growth because He owns time. Thus, when a man meets God, while he learns to keep in step
with the Lord, He is patient with him, teaching him every
step of the way. If he continues to learn, he would continue
to grow and mature. If he sets his mind on his own ways
(he turns his back) or on the things of the world, the Lord
would not force him.
Daily Transformation in the life of a believer shows the
presence of the Holy spirit. Just like a dead plant withers in
the heat of the sun, a person without the Holy spirit is dead
in sin. Sometimes, diseases or insects eat up and destroy a
plant by the root underground. It may not be obvious
immediately, but with time it shows that it is dead. It sheds
its leaves and would not bear fruit again. When a Christian
stops flocking with Christians: stop being useful (bearing
fruit) to God and to the Church of God, he is shedding
leaves and drying up, the signs that life has left him. He had
stopped growing. He probably encountered an “insect” (a
sinful union, a sinful distraction, bad company or probably
he was not grounded etc).
Everyone should be able to know whether or not he is
changing for better on a daily basis. Daily Transformation
proves that we are still sons, beloved to God. He will give a
foretaste of paradise on earth. There is nothing as
wonderful as seeing oneself improve. The individual leaves
sin and sinners plus the guilt of sin behind and would not
go back to it again. Without daily transformation, the
individual is spiritually dead.
DAILY LIVING APPLICATION:
Sister Bridget was a very disciplined girl from birth. But
she nursed a curiosity about men. She gave her life to Jesus
Christ but became even more curious
about men and sexuality. Now she sings in the choir but she
is essentially a practicing prostitute.
Discuss the series of events that could have brought this on.
What are the ways to help such people?
MEMORY VERSE
PROVERBS 4:23
“Keep thy heart with diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
Mon: The Lord orders growth. 1 Cor.3:5-9
Tue: How to grow. 2 Pet.3:18; Col.1:10; 2 Thes.1:3
Wed: The part we play in daily transformation. Eph. 4:11
16.
Thu: Evidence of daily transformation. Rom. 12:1-2; 2
Cor.2:7
Fri: Growing in His presence. 2 Cor.3:18
Sat: Growing in praise and worship. Ps.100:1-5