Today Neal looked at being transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Main Passages
Ephesians 4 vs 17-32
Romans 12 vs 1-2
2 Corinthians 3 vs 17
Colossians 3 vs 1-3
2 Peter 1 vs 4
John 5 vs 1-11.
Also Bill Johnson “ The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind”.
Neal played the following clip from the film "Yes Man" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEzQiWb9FZk.
Questions?
1. We are familiar with our hearts being “born again” – but what of our minds? – Does the quote from CS Lewis help in our understanding of this?
“The almost impossibly hard thing is to hand over your whole self to Christ. But it is far easier than what we are trying to do instead. For what we are trying to do is remain what we call “ourselves” – our personal happiness centred on money or pleasure or ambition – and hoping, despite this, to behave honestly and chastely and humbly. And that is exactly what Christ warned us you cannot do. If I am a grass field – all the cutting will keep the grass low but will not produce wheat. If I want wheat…I must be ploughed up and re-sown.” In this sense God wants wheat and our minds to be transformed and renewed by the Holy Spirit? Is this a one off experience or a continual one?
2. In John 5 vs 1-11 we looked at the healing of the man by the pool and discussed worldly thinking as opposed to heavenly thinking – Heaven breaks in to earth and the natural ceases and the supernatural takes over – Does this help in our understanding of worldly thinking/heavenly thinking? Bill Johnson says “A renewed mind destroys the works of the devil so that earthly reality matches heavenly reality. It proves the will of God not just in word but in deed. In causes the Kingdom of God to be expressed “on earth as it is in heaven”. That’s normal Christian living!” Is this in our mind set? If not our mind set needs to be transformed!
3. Ephesians 3 vs 20 says “To him who is able to do exceedingly abundant above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” – We would all accept that the power works in Jesus but our experience is that is does not always work in us – Do we need a change in our thinking for this to happen? We want the world to be shaped and changed through us – what do we need to change to make that happen?
4. Can you think of personal examples where you have changed your thinking and acted differently as God has spoken to you?
