Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18.
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 2 Corinthians 4:6-7.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of freedom. The fulness of the presence of the Lord, the Spirit is freedom. Freedom from sin, freedom from the flesh, and freedom from values and beliefs contrary to Christ. Christ came to give us freedom from darkness so that we could live in the light of the glory of God. Here at Oak Grove Church, we never want to treat the Spirit of God with disrespect by minimizing His presence and power in us. He is far more than our conscience; He is Christ in us.
All believers are being transformed by the Holy Spirit into the image of God’s Son. At Oak Grove Church, we do not want legalism or simply conformity – we want transformation. The Spirit of God has this responsibility to transform us into the image of the glory of God in the face of Christ. It is a staggering reality that is, in some ways, incomprehensible to our limited abilities. He is actively working to reshape our inner being to be a closer reflection of Christ. At the core of discipleship is the anticipation of being utterly changed by His Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the presence of the Lord in us. We have a whole new identity in Christ. The one who cultivates and imprints our inner being with the reality of being children of God is the Holy Spirit. He is the one our hearts need to listen to in order to courageously embrace the truth He is prodding us to embrace. When we do respond we discover freedom. Regardless of how “hard” we try and convince people of these truths, only the Holy Spirit can surgically remove the false beliefs embedded in our hearts to transplant a new disposition of His presence.
The treasure is the “light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”. What a magnificent description of discipleship. Our disciple-making is about helping others see the glory of God in the face of Christ. There can be no greater purpose or experience than when He has shone in our hearts this divine knowledge of His person. We think discipleship is teaching information and developing disciplines, and in part we may do those things; the goal is to embrace the glory of God in the face of Christ. Our vision for discipleship is inseparable from this reality in us.
Our lives ought to demonstrate a divine presence and power of God not us. This power is distinct from our power. Many Christians spend their whole life demonstrating what they can do and accomplish. God wants to display His power in us. This calls for living a surrendered life, a humble life that is molded by the Spirit of God and transformed by the power of God in us. This is the evidence of true disciple-making…the Spirit of the living God in us.
In His Grace,
Pastor Brad.
