The Power of Change


One of the perpetual questions I ask is this: “Is true change possible?” 

Scripture asks a similar question and gives an answer that’s not very encouraging: 

"Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard take away its spots? Neither can you start doing good, for you have always done evil." - Jeremiah 13:23

That was written in the Old Testament, before the life-giving change agent, the Holy Spirit, came into the world. Regardless, it hits at the core of our existence, doesn’t it? 

Do you have the capacity to change?
Fatalism/Determinism would say, “Nah - that’s your lot in life. Stinks to be you.”
Cockeyed optimism would say, “Oh yes, people are always changing for the better.”
Realism might say, “Only to the degree the person is willing to put in the effort.”
Someone from Missouri would say, “I have to see it to believe it.”
How do we change? Why do we change? 
For the next minute of your reading time, I want to focus on that last question. While this isn’t a comprehensive answer, it is a partial one: We change due to a change in perspective. 
Let me illustrate:
Let’s say you’re in a situation where it is pitch black and you literally cannot see. Light comes on, suddenly you realize you have been surrounded by all kinds of things that disgust you. 

You thought you were fine. Lights on. Now you’re disgusted. 

What changed? Literally nothing other than exposure and enlightenment. 

The question that remains would be, “Now that the lights came on, do you want to change your location? Will you? Or will you simply adjust to the problems surrounding you?”

The smart move is change! Change location. Change position. Change. Rather than mitigating, change! 

So we see Jesus who says, “I am the light of the world.” His light exposes a lot, wouldn’t you agree? As we come into the light, we have to make a choice: “Do I choose the light or do I choose to stay in the darkness?” “Is Jesus okay with 50 shades of grey?” “I’ve been in the dark so long; I think I might actually prefer the dark.”
We’re in a brand new series called, “I AM Jesus.” This week we are looking at Jesus as the light of the world. We’ll talk about the beautiful light of Jesus. 

A couple of quick announcements: 
1. There will be church-wide information distributed in all three morning services about some of our church metrics from 2017. We’ll have our annual meeting at 1:30 in the lobby for any who would like to ask further questions.

2. I need to keep the 4 services starting March 18 in front of us. We need more workers and servant leaders for each service. Please make it more than a matter of prayer, but also one of action. 

Looking forward to another great worship encounter with you and the Lord this Sunday.