As I mentioned in my report at the annual meeting, I am in the process of changing how I think about the church, not just this church but the whole idea of what the church is and how it operates. I mentioned that, for most of my life as a Christian, I’ve viewed the church from an organizational perspective, but in the past few months, it has become painfully obvious that I have been largely mistaken. We are not an organization; we’re not a club; we’re not a company. We are a family, or at the very least, we are a living body. It’s a change of thinking that I must make—and I intend to help all of us make that change.
I’m not much different from the average person: I don’t like change all that much. However, becoming and living as a Christian is all about change. Basically, our lives have been changed because of Jesus’ sacrifice. If we call ourselves Christians, we must change.
Paul wrote in Romans 12:1, 2: “I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” We’re pretty keen on verse 2, because it tells us not to conform to the world, but we often miss the first verse, where it tells us to offer ourselves as sacrifices.
The simple truth is that we cannot offer ourselves as sacrifices if we do not change ourselves. Paul writes that we are changed by the renewing of our minds. Isn’t that where many of us get stuck? It’s not as though we cannot change; more often than not, we choose not to change. I understand that change is often difficult, but Paul tells us that by changing our minds and living as sacrifices, we will be able to know God’s will. As we grow together as the family of God, let us help each other to change our minds so we can learn and live God’s will together.