The meeting of Grace Christian Church. We meet in person and stream services every Sunday at 10:30 AM EST in Manalapan, New Jersey.
Lesson Four: Being Transformed to Become Like Christ
Overview: Lesson Four focuses on the transformation into Christ-likeness, guided by 2 Corinthians 3:18, which describes believers being transformed into Christ’s likeness through the Holy Spirit. The lesson introduces “The Line” analogy to contrast living in Christ-likeness (above the line) with living in negative feelings, fleshly behaviors, or strongholds (below the line). It emphasizes practical steps of faith to move above the line and experience Christ’s characteristics in various life areas.
Key Concepts:
1. Transformation into Christ-Likeness:
• Definition: Transformation is a supernatural change into a completely different person, reflecting Christ’s characteristics like unconditional love, peace, forgiveness, selflessness, and more.
• Impact: Living from these characteristics can transform spiritual life, marriage, parenting, work, and how one handles adversity by fostering love, acceptance, courage, and peace instead of judgment, fear, or control.
• Outcomes: Examples include loving others without judgment, accepting others without taking rejection personally, living courageously, and finding peace amidst challenges.
2. The Line Analogy:
• Above the Line (Christ-Likeness): Represents living from Christ’s attributes, resulting in “life” (Romans 8:6).
• Below the Line (Experience): Encompasses negative feelings (e.g., rejection, anxiety), fleshly behaviors (e.g., anger, manipulation), and strongholds (e.g., chronic condemnation, judgmental attitudes).
• Negative Feelings: Initial feelings like rejection or anger are not sinful, but they become sinful when they control us (Ephesians 4:26).
• Fleshly Behaviors: Self-centered actions stemming from an attitude of independence from God.
• Strongholds: Reinforced feelings or behaviors that control and enslave over time.
• Choice: Christians can choose to live above the line through faith, experiencing Christ’s life, or below the line, resulting in spiritual “death.”
3. Steps of Faith to Live Above the Line:
• Faith = Power: Faith releases God’s supernatural power, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead (Ephesians 1:19-20), to transform believers (1 Corinthians 2:5, 2 Thessalonians 1:11).
• God’s Power: Continuously works to renew minds, free from sin, heal wounds, grant victory, and deepen relationship with God (Ephesians 3:20).
• Entrusting vs. Holding Onto: Believers can hold onto negative feelings/behaviors (causing harm) or entrust them to God for transformation.
• Examples:
• Acceptance: Entrust feelings of rejection to God to live from Christ’s acceptance, rather than rejecting others back.
• Forgiveness: Entrust unforgiveness to God, seeking His forgiveness to replace bitterness, even if initially unwilling.
• Unconditional Love (Marriage): Trust Christ to meet the need for love, allowing His love to flow through to the spouse.
• Selflessness (Marriage): Entrust selfishness to God to live from Christ’s selflessness, prioritizing spouse’s needs.
• Rest (Workplace): Entrust job stress to God to experience Christ’s rest.
• Control (Workplace): Entrust feelings of being out of control (e.g., job loss) to God, trusting His control.
• Patience (Parenting): Seek Christ’s patience to avoid frustration or anger with children.
• Wisdom (Circumstances): Seek Christ’s wisdom for decisions (e.g., finances) instead of relying on limited human wisdom.
• Peace (Circumstances): Entrust fears about serious diagnoses to God to experience His peace.
4. Application:
• Exercises: Identify negative feelings, fleshly behaviors, or strongholds in personal life, marriage, work, parenting, or circumstances, and choose Christ-like characteristics to pursue through steps of faith.
• Engaging God: Pray for deeper belief in God’s power and willingness to transform, entrusting struggles to Him.
• Challenge: Take steps of faith repeatedly (e.g., 30 days for unconditional love in marriage) to observe supernatural changes.
5. Discussion Questions:
• Reflect on impactful truths, consequences of staying below the line, desired changes in various life areas, feelings about holding onto negative behaviors, and specific Christ-like characteristics to pursue.
Core Message: Transformation into Christ-likeness is a supernatural process driven by faith, enabling believers to live above the line in Christ’s attributes. By entrusting negative feelings, behaviors, and strongholds to God, believers can experience His power to renew, heal, and grant victory, impacting every area of life.
