Changing From Glory to Glory

Posted on 12/27/2011 by goodnewsfromadistantland — Leave a comment

Have things changed since giving your life to Yahushua Messiah [the Hebrew name for Jesus Christ]?

Have others noticed?

Perhaps some have said, “You are doing what with your life?? Oh wait, that is going too far!”

Life changes in a big way for those who become Born-Again Believers in Messiah, the Son of Yahuwah Elohim [the Hebrew name for the LORD God].

When we are in Messiah, we become new creations:

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature [‘creation’]: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2Corinthians 5:17)

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you…. ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. (John 15:16,19)

All things become new for us when we become Born-Again, as these Scriptures teach us! We are chosen out of the world, and now, our life changes dramatically. We have become Disciples, followers of the King of Kings. Therefore, just as He is not of this world, so also we are not of this world.

The first new thing that happens as a new creation is our repentance.

We change our minds, and our actions, about many things. Now, as new creations born of the Spirit, we begin producing “fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:8), as spoken by John the Baptist.

Formerly We Were in Darkness

Many things change when we become children of Light:

For ye were sometimes (formerly in) darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable [pleasing] unto the Lord. (Ephesians 5:8-10)

Formerly, when we were in spiritual darkness, we thought of many things as agreeable and acceptable, but now we’ve changed our mind because we understand how ugly and dark sin really is.

Formerly, we thought of many things in the world as attractive and desirable, but now we see things differently and now we know better.

Formerly, because we were carnal — that is, because we were not subject to the Torah [God’s instructions and guidelines] (Romans 8:7) — we lived by our natural understanding. We ridiculed precious things of the Holy Spirit, and did not receive them. We received not the things of the Holy Spirit, which appeared foolish to us, and so we scorned them (1Corinthians 2:14). But now our understanding has been enlightened!

Formerly, we arrogantly ridiculed and scorned Believers in Yahushua, but now we are ashamed of our treatment of our fellow Brothers and Sisters in Messiah. What we used to think of as enjoyable, now seems repulsive to us.

Now we see things differently!

We have changed our minds and our behavior. We have moved from, we have turned away from, walking in darkness, to walking in the Light — walking in a new and living way. That is repentance!

Our initial repentance is fairly drastic when we first become a Born-Again Believer. There is much that needs changing the moment our spiritual eyes become opened, and we begin to see God’s great Love and Light. Our spiritual understanding begins to greatly increase. Little by little, and sometimes with great strides, the old things pass away, and all things become new for us. These changes are part of our growing up, from one glory to the next.

A Way-of-Life

Repentance is a way-of-life for us, and not a one-time-event. We do not simply repent of a few things at first, and then think that nothing more is needed.

For those who are truly His Disciples — those who are Lovers of Master Yahushua Messiah, repentance is an on-going way-of-life!

Through our daily feeding upon His written Word, and by our growing in the grace and knowledge of our Saviour, we begin to understand our great need for His grace to obey Him. We begin to understand our need to maintain a humble and repentant heart — repenting of things that grieve Father.

One step at a time, the Holy Spirit is changing us, from one level of glory to another:

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2Corinthians 3:18)

Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Yahushua Messiah [Jesus Christ. ](Philippians 1:6)

As the Scriptures teach us, Father has begun a good work in each one of us. He is changing us and He intends to complete the work He started. We need only cooperate with Him.

As we daily seek for His grace and strength to obey Him, He enables us to maintain a willingness to be humble and obedient to His Word.

Transformed

When we are changed from glory to glory, butterfly-1 we are in a process that is progressive — changing from being spiritual babes, to growing up to maturity — growing unto the stature of the fullness of Messiah (Ephesians 4:13).

We become transformed, or transfigured — or as the Greek word indicates in Romans 12:1-2, literally metamorphosed, or changed from one life-form to another.

Like a caterpillar that metamorphoses into a beautiful butterfly, in the same way, we are transformed from the earthly to the heavenly! This metamorphic change is not an easy transformation. There can be many struggles and trials as we are being transformed and renewed (Romans 12:1,2)!

Yet the transformation is from glory to glory! Our path gets brighter, our convictions grow stronger, our hope becomes more concrete! Our desire for purity and acceptance before the Father moves us onward and forward in His purposes for us. This is the way-of-life for all Believers who are growing and maturing in Messiah.

[If we are not being transformed, if we are not moving forward toward the brighter light and understanding of God’s ways and truth, then we should be concerned about this!!]

His On-Going Work of ‘Changing Us’

The changes Father is working in us is according to His loving purposes for us — to conform each one of us into the same image and likeness of His Son! (Romans 8:29). Some of His changes in us are subtle, ‘quiet’ changes. But some are major, very noticeable changes — changes in our practices and behaviour, changes in the way we think about many things. These changes are meant to bring us more in line with Yahuwah’s written Word. Our mind, our whole life, is being renewed.

Many changes that Father desires in us may appear crazy in the eyes of the world. Often the world will scream at us, “Why are you doing that?!” or “Why are you giving that up?” or “You’ve worked so hard and long, and now you’re what?! Why? What a waste!”

However, as His Disciples, our hearts and minds are more and more …

focused on the things that are not seen (2Corinthians 4:18),
focused on humbling of self, emptying ourselves of all that is of ‘self-will’ (Philippians 2:5-8),
focused on the great cloud of witnesses, and
focused on running with patience the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1).
We are focused on loving and pleasing Father first and foremost in all our endeavors (2Corinthians 5:9).

The Prize

We have set our eyes on The Lamb of God, the One who loved us and gave Himself for us. He gave His ALL for us — can we do any less for Him?

This is how the apostle Paul said it:

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Messiah Yahushua [Christ Jesus] my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Messiah [Christ], … I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Messiah Yahushua [Christ Jesus].(Philippians 3:8-14)

We are as the apostle Paul – he counted all his gains, all the glories he achieved in this world, as dung.

Paul was educated, learned, intelligent, cultivated, talented, articulate, unique. He was a ‘Prize’ in the world’s estimation of success!

Yet, he changed!

Paul became consumed with the heavenly prize. He became consumed with the pursuit of Messiah: “That I may win Messiah!“

That is our pursuit as well — to know our precious Saviour, and to follow Him, with surrendered hearts.

Yahushua gave so much for us because He loves us deeply, and cares for us abundantly, and longs to be near us! And now, we endure the world’s rejection, ridicule, persecution, and the agony of loneliness — all because we love Him — all because we want to be ready for His return, ready to go into the Marriage Supper of the Lamb!

“Let us fix the eye of our mind more and more steadfastly on God’s glory displayed in His Word and in the gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ.” — John Wesley

We are changing. And by God’s grace, little by little, we are conforming into His image! We, who are no longer of this world, are being transformed day by day, from glory to glory.

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