A Life Transformed

If you spend a few minutes flipping through your TV channels, it probably won’t’ take long to find a show focusing on some type of home renovation. These types of shows were popularized by Extreme Home Makeover as viewers were invited to watch homes remodeled from various stages of disrepair to a dream state. The transformations were incredible and captured our imaginations when the host would kick off the reveal with the phrase: “Move that bus!”

Peter’s life would easily fill a one-hour extreme makeover show. Throughout his time with Jesus, he is consistently putting his foot in his mouth or seeming to be out of step with what Jesus was doing. On the night of Jesus’ arrest, Peter, seeming to be driven by emotions, goes from fighting with a sword to denying Jesus three times. This was undoubtedly his lowest point in a series of sins and mistakes.

This makes Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 all the more amazing. It isn’t so much that he is speaking since that always came naturally to him. The amazing part is how he did it. As he says in verse 29, Brothers, I may say to you with confidence… Peter isn’t rattling off rash thoughts or emotional outbursts; he is speaking with confidence the truth about Jesus.
 
The book of Acts is filled with stories of similar transformations. God is moving, saving, and transforming people. He is still doing the same work today, but it is easy to miss it in our own lives. Certain sins still hang around and bring us down. We aren’t as far along or as mature as we think we should be. Yet He is working in us more than we probably realize. Often God’s work of transformation is slower than we like as we are waiting for our big “move that bus” reveal. But He is always working. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18: we are being transformed into the image of Jesus from one degree of glory to another through the work of the Spirit.

This means we have probably been changed more than we realize. Look back over your time following Jesus to remind yourself of His transforming work in your life. Where have you seen Him work? And where do you see your ongoing transformation? No matter how slow the bus may seem to be moving, don’t lose heart. Keep trusting Him in your biggest struggles for he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)

By Philip Jones

Philip and his wife, Stacy, have been attending Immanuel since 2015. They are blessed to be raising four kids. His passion in ministry is to help others follow Jesus through teaching, preaching, and personal discipleship.