I read with great interest Dewitt Lemmond’s recent letter (“Plea for complete gospel,” June 9). I agree with him totally and do not understand why pastors and leaders do not recognize this basic error of not giving people the complete gospel.
It should be obvious to us who work closely with people attending church that we just don’t go deep enough. We give our people a false sense of security – that by accepting Christ as Savior, repenting of sin and saying the prayer, we are “home free.” If this is a sincere salvation experience, then we are indeed “home free,” but Scripture tells us that there should then come a transformation in our lives as we learn more and more about our Savior (“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” Romans 12:2). The Holy Spirit desires to renew, reeducate and redirect our minds until we are truly transformed. Since all of our actions begin in our minds, this is very important and needs to be taught and practiced in our churches.
We were indeed created for fellowship, but I believe God desires to alter, resize, reform and focus us until we fit his pattern. His greatest desire is a relationship with us (salvation), which leads to our becoming like him. To become like him, we have to be transformed into his image. Our minds have to be renewed. You may hear the phrase, “Oh, that’s just the way he is,” when referring to the words or actions of another Christian that do not glorify God; however, if the words or actions do not glorify God, that is not a valid excuse. God wants to change us!
I think many of our pastors and leaders fail to present a transformed image of Christ or teach all that this involves. Transformation is a process, taking place over a long period of time, and involving everything we think, say or do. It is something that should be foremost in our preaching, teaching and application. It takes a lot of practice to consciously make these changes in our minds, thoughts, words and actions. However, if we do not, how can we glorify God?
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