“And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him” (Colossians 3:10).
TEXT — Colosians 3:1-11
Message
Everyone knows that you do not eat bananas until they turn yellow. The internal transformation of the fruit inside the peel is what causes the yellowing effect indicating when the fruit is ripe. Because we are God’s people, the work of Jesus changes our lives from the inside out. His grace transforms our hearts and minds, overflowing to our actions.
As we meditate on today’s passage, we see how Paul called on the brethren in Colosse, by the Spirit of God, to live a life conformed to the image of Christ. Since, as believers, they are risen with Christ, they should maintain a lifestyle different from that of the unregenerate sinners in their community. Fornication, inordinate affection and all forms of outward and inward sins, including covetousness, anger, wrath and malice, among other vices, are to be put away.
The fruit of the new life is unmistakable. A truly born again believer will live above sin, love righteousness and overcome the world and the lusts in it. The world and the Word cannot accommodate each other. The prevalent practices in a corrupt city like Colosse are inconsistent with the risen life.
We should strive to win people in our community to Christ by our transparent lives, rather than join the multitude to do evil. The permissive lifestyle of so-called modern-day Christians cannot hold in the presence of our holy God. As we await Christ’s imminent return, we should endeavour to present our bodies as a living sacrifice and be distinct from the world. That is the only way to convince the world that there is power of transformation and new life in the gospel.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
