Transformed And Reborn

It was not easy for me in my path and it took several years of studying, reading, asking questions, and praying! When you have any kind of change in life, it is hard to adjust at times. It may not be what others want for you and expect from you, but change is what God expects.

He commands us to change. In John 3, He commands us to be born again. In Romans 6:4, we are buried with Him in baptism into death, in order for us to walk in newness. We are to make a decision to change and be made new. That is a change in our behavior and actions.

Ephesians 2:5-6 says that we were dead to our trespasses and made live again with Christ, by grace we are saved. Trespasses- that means we are sinners and old enough to know better, not babies whom He says are innocent. We are a new creation and the old ways are of the past in 2 Corinthians 5:17. We put sinning behind us and strive to do better.

One more – John 1:12-13 says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” This is a spiritual decision. Not that we are babies and born, He says, but a birth into His grace. A change from old ways into the new.

I have a suspicion that the eunuch in Acts 8:26 was once in the same boat as I when he was studying and being transformed in his heart. Philip was instructed to take this road the eunuch was on by God Himself. God knows the heart. He hears and sees all things. Phillip was sent to this eunuch. The eunuch was studying! He was touched when Phillip preached what he was studying that he had not understood and immediately had the desire to do what was right and be washed to become new. He didn’t hesitate!

I can relate to that eunuch because that was me. When I switched and heard sermons from Roger at Charlestown Road Church of Christ, my heart was pierced with a desire to do what was right. I didn’t feel this way when I was forced to receive a made-up sacrament of Confirmation. This was a strong urge from God to listen, not a command from those who force their ways on you.

It was easy for me to make the decision to be baptized once I was convicted in my heart, but my husband did not understand. He kept going to the Catholic Church while I and the kids moved on. I consciously could not go back with him knowing the old ways were not God’s path for us.

He missed us going as a family and by himself so he chose to go with us periodically. I saw a change in him as he would see the verses taught and questioned why they didn’t preach that at our old church. I said, “exactly!” He asked more questions and I would show him in the Bible where the answers were. He would hear those sermons from a Roger and be touched with truth. I bought him audiotapes of the Bible and he listened to those back and forth from work.

My husband loves to golf and a group of men from our Church of Christ invited him to golf with them. He went and spent time in conversation about Jesus and the Bible. This Godly group answered many of his own questions and God touched his heart to open his eyes about His Son and His Word.

Not long after we made changes in our lives and accepted Jesus, that is when a certain someone told me it was my fault that we left our family and he wished he’d never helped us get together. But in truth, it was not me, it was Christ’s convictions that opened our eyes and lifted the veil for us to see. People tend to want to blame others, but they are actually blaming God. They just don’t understand yet but that’s ok.

It is important to fellowship with Godly people. The Bible even says in 2 Corinthians 6:14 to not be yoked together with unbelievers…what fellowship can light have with darkness?” I had been praying for my husband to be touched as God touched me, and his heart was touched! When he accepted Jesus and came out of the water of Baptism, that feeling of purity I had washed over him too. I cried with tears of joy!

The story comes up again about the owner of a vineyard (God) hiring workers (us) periodically throughout the day and each receiving the same pay (Heaven) at the end of the day. That is found in Matthew 20: 1-16. My change and conviction was over the course of many years of living and his conviction a little over a year! This parable is so true to our lives. Some find Him sooner than others and that is ok.

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