Transition Period

On the topic of growth, I want to apologize for the lack of growth of the number of posts on this blog. GrowthResearch.org is undergoing a transition phase and hopes to provide more diverse perspectives. Please keep this ministry in your prayer.

GrowthResearch.org is an effort to share with the world what it means to grow in Christ. In effect the vision of GrowthResearch.org is to present topics pertaining to "Growth" "Renewal" "Sustenance" that God provides to one of the following categories:

1. The individual
2. The family
3. The community
4. The culture

The hope is that this will bring about an honest discussion of God's role in the lives of people at various levels.

Let me clarify ahead of time (with no intention of turning this into a doctrinal statement) that GrowthResearch.org is an effort to understand Christian Theology and Biblical interpretations related to the topics of Growth, Renewal, and Sustenance. At its foundation is the belief in Jesus Christ as a the Savior of humankind, God revealed in the flesh. GrowthResearch.org assumes that God is in pursuit of a holy relationship with all people. My hope and prayer is that you will be blessed, encouraged, and empowered to share God's goodness with those around you.

Being transformed - Part 1

Transformation is a crucial concept to the "Christian life." Transformation in a person is the evidence of the presence of a Change Agent (something or someone that causes the transformation). This Change Agent is the Holy Spirit in the believer. Billy Sunday, an American preacher from the early 1900s had a popular saying, "Going to church don’t make a man a
Christian any more than going to a stable makes a man a horse"

The tragedy of the traditional model of practicing Christian faith is that it becomes a rhythm, going to church, prayer meetings, sunday schools, etc. All those activities are well and good, and they are important for the growth of a Christian community. What is often forgotten is the role of the Change Agent, the Holy Spirit in the Christian, continually transforming him or her.

A common misconception is that once a person becomes a Christian, they have experienced a complete transformation that has already been made perfect. Some assume this when they experience a special touch of God as well, such as the experience Pentecostals refer to as "The baptism of the Holy Spirit."(1) Contrary to this, the transformational work of the Holy Spirit in the believer never ends. It is even debatable to say that the Holy Spirit only starts this transformational work at the point of conversion to Christianity. God's methods of transformation can never be figured out completely, but we can try to understand His methods with what little resources we have.

At the point of conversion, that is, when a person recognizes Christ as their personal Savior, the new Christian embarks on a transformational journey. As long as an individual is willing, the Holy Spirit brings that personal transformation into his or her life.

[Next: Paul the apostle, and Transformation]

(1) The term "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" was actually coined by John Fletcher, the successor of John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit will be discussed further in a later post.

When Revival is Needed...

Quoted from Charles G. Finney...
[info link 1] [info link 2]
Note: The mention of "Religion" below is Finney's way of expressing "Christianity as devotion to God," not as a ritualistic social structure.
Note 2: The word "professor" here means "one who professes," or a person who chooses to "profess" (speak of belief in) something.

1. When there is a want of brotherly love and Christian confidence among professors of religion, then a revival is needed. Then there is a loud call for God to revive his work. When Christians have sunk down into a low and backslidden state, they neither have, nor ought to have, nor is there reason to have, the same love and confidence toward each other, as when they are all alive, and active, and living holy lives...

2. When there are dissensions, and jealousies, and evil speakings among professors of religion, then there is great need of a revival. These things show that Christians have got far from God, and it is time to think earnestly of a revival. Religion cannot prosper with such things in the church, and nothing can put an end to them like a revival.

3. When there is a worldly spirit in the church: it is manifest that the church is sunk down into a low and backslidden state, when you see Christians conform to the world in dress, equipage, parties, seeking worldly amusements, reading novels and other books such as the world reads. It shows that they are far from God, and that there is a great need of a Revival of Religion.

4. When the church finds its members falling into gross and scandalous sins, then it is time for the church to awake and cry to God for a Revival of Religion. When such things are taking place as give enemies of religion an occasion for reproach, it is time for the church to ask God, "What will become of Thy great name?"

5. When there is a spirit of controversy in the church or in the land, a revival is needful. The spirit of religion is not the spirit of controversy. There can be no prosperity in religion, where the spirit of controversy prevails.

6. When the wicked triumph over the church, and revile them, it is time to seek for a Revival of Religion.

7. When sinners are careless and stupid, and sinking into hell unconcerned, it is time the church should bestir themselves. It is as much the duty of the church to awake, as it is for the firemen to awake when a fire breaks out in the night in a great city. The church ought to put out the fires of hell which are laying hold of the wicked. Sleep! Should the firemen sleep, and let the whole city burn down, what would be thought of such firemen? And yet their guilt would not compare with the guilt of Christians who sleep while sinners around them are sinking stupid into the fires of hell.