Spiritual transformation happens because of fellowship with Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 1:9: "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

Our passage from Sunday (1 Cor. 1:1-9) explains this fellowship. We are "sanctified in Christ Jesus" (2) in a way that brings grace and peace "from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (3). Sin is forgiven and we have peace with God through faith in Christ (Romans 5:1). Grace is given in Christ so that we are enriched in every way (4-5). Specifically, the "testimony about Christ was confirmed in you" (they called on the name of Jesus for salvation) (6) and "you are not lacking in any spiritual gift" (7). We wait for the revealing  of our Lord Jeus Christ (7). Because Christ sustains us "to the end" we will be "blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (8).

The name Jesus Christ our Lord appears 9 times in 9 verses. Could the point be more clear? It's all about fellowship with Jesus.

Sunday is going to be great. Hope to see you all there.

At each service on Sunday I concluded the message by asking how many would raise their hands to acknowledge that they knew exactly what the next step is that God is calling them to do. It was amazing to see how many hands raised -- 5 or 10 in each of the first two services; then like 15 or 20 in the third service. So what is your next step? Here are some of the possibilities I listed. What is God saying to you?

• I believe that God is real and that I can have a personal relationship with Him.
• I acknowledge that I am a sinner and have trusted in Christ alone for my salvation.
• I have been baptized after receiving Christ as a public profession of my faith in Christ and my desire to follow Jesus.
• I intentionally and regularly reflect on God's character and His priorities in my life. 
• I actively participate in services -- praising God, learning about God through His Word, and generously giving to God of my finances.
• I am actively learning to seek God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.
• I can point to a major decision where I did what God said even when I didn't feel like it.
• I am pursuing God through spiritual disciplines like prayer, fasting, and service.
• I train others in the attitudes and disciplines that lead to a fully surrendered life to God.

Spiritual transformation for a lifetime -- that was yesterday's message theme. God "called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:9). This is an ongoing relationship with Christ in which we live by faith (Galatians 2:20) on a daily basis. This daily fellowship with Jesus changes us for a lifetime -- we are "called to be holy" (1 Corinthians 1:2).

And this changes our assumptions. First, spiritual transformation does not end when we "pray the prayer" or complete confirmation. Jesus changes us every day. Second, we can assume that each day and each month and each year we will grow. We will not be the same as we fellowship with Jesus.

So how has the Lord Jesus been working in your life?

I have to say that I'm a bit of a junky when it comes to the Winter Olympics. Did you see Shaun White's second run? When I see such athleticism, creativity, and beauty -- I just have to praise God.

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/assetid=9145d5c5-ca3d-4123-bd38-5fbe4b70c112.html#mens+halfpipe+expert+analysis

Check out this message on suffering and joy. Very insightful and very encouraging. Very good for enduring struggles in life, including in marriage.

The video is over 40 minutes so give yourself some time. Otherwise you can get the manuscript from the link below.

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/ConferenceMessages/ByConference/46/4501_The_Role_of_Suffering_in_Sanctification/

Why does the book of Acts include all the number statements about the growth of the church? Here are my thoughts.

First, we are encouraged by the fact that Jesus builds His church. Jesus said, "I will build My church" (Matthew 16). Jesus said, "All authority is given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus said, "You will be My witnesses . . . to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Get it? We should be encouraged. The Lord is at work! He builds His church!

Second, we are challenged by the example of these early believers. They engaged their communities and world with the good news and with the love of Christ. People want the kind of Jesus that moves people like that! Are you challenged? Are you ready to engage?

Third, we are reminded to tell the story. Luke told the story of the early church multiplication because others (like us) need to be encouraged and challenged. Will you tell your story of what Jesus is doing? Not because you are great but because Jesus is great and does great things through us! So let us not balk at telling the story, recording the numbers, praising the Lord for lives transformed. But let's do it to the glory of Jesus.

How do we describe early church growth? Like field mice. Jesus said in Acts 1:8: "You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem; in all Judea and Samaria; and to the ends of the earth." The book of Acts records what happened.

See Acts 2:41,47; 4:4; 6:7; 9:31; 11:21,24; 12:24; 13:49; 14:1,21; 16:5; 17:4,12,34; 18:8; 19:18-20. These verses are filled with amazing descriptions. "Three thousand were added to their number that day" . . . "the number of men grew to about five thousand" . . . "the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly" . . . "a large number of the priests became obedient to the faith" . . . the church "grew in numbers" . . . "a great number of people believed in the Lord" . . . "the word of God continued to increase and spread" . . . "the word of the Lord spread throughout the whole region" . . . "a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed" . . . they "won a large number of disciples" . . . the churches "grew daily in numbers" . . . "a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women" . . . "Many of the Jews believed as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men" . . . "a few men . . . believed" . . . "many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized" . . . "the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power." 

The early church multiplied--like field mice! Next time, I'll share some thoughts on why the writer of Acts, Luke, thought this was important for us to know. Any thoughts?

So why did the story end in Acts 28 with the apostle Paul under house arrest, awaiting his trial before Caesar, and freely telling others about Jesus Christ and His kingdom? Luke, the writer, could have filled us in on more. Why did God lead Luke to press "pause" there? Well, notice the irony. The greatest kingdom on earth, Rome, was no longer suppressing the message of Christ's kingdom but unwittingly providing Paul the opportunity to witness for Jesus Christ in Rome itself. The simple message is that Christ's kingdom will prevail. The sure progress of Jesus' kingdom was at the heart of the early church's prayers when Peter and John were arrested (Acts 4:23-31; Psalm 2) -- so they exhibited "prevailing prayer." Great human kingdoms and great opposition cannot withstand the advance of the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

My next post will ponder the question, "What factors made the early church multiply like field mice?" I hope you'll join the conversation.

Continue to pray for the people of Haiti. check out this page: http://haiticrisis.cnn.com/