Paul Worked Out on a Treadmill

[HKHaugan]

Transformation is more than just a word. It’s what happens after you are spiritually born. It is the experience of actually moving across from a world conditioned mindset, emotional stronghold and self-chosen behavior to all three being redeemed and unified in and for Jesus. When Paul said he was a ‘slave of Christ’---doulos Christou Yeisou (Rom.1:1)---he was saying that he gave his whole mind, heart and spirit to be reshaped by Jesus. Each had shifted across (trans) from the world into Christ Jesus (to be formed like Jesus).
Now this is very significant.
Paul had been conflicted and his mind, heart and spirit were out of balance in his fiery persecution of those who believed in Jesus. As a loyal and well educated Pharisee His mind was conditioned see to religious experience from a controlled legalistic framework. His heart therefore used that as a stronghold of stubborn and hostile rigidity when it came to any objection to Judaism and its Law. His spirit acted harshly toward any disagreement. He was truly out of balance. Have we ever not ‘blown our gasket’ from time to time over seemingly insignificant things? Paul’s ‘gasket’ was obsessed.

Probably underneath Paul’s hardening shell was the hidden fear of people consumed in something new that seemed to enliven them and no social or physical power seemed able to dent their faith. That presented a real threat to his controlled self-assurance. Add to this his heart hardened and reinforced by his complicity in the murder of Stephen which made him even more self-determined. His behavior was the vent for his heart’s struggle as he increased his persecution of Jesus’ followers hoping to wipe out this cultic scourge. His condition was such that what was needed was not a change of heart like maybe a compromise, a common sense reevaluation to soften his approach. No. He was on a mission, one that needed him to handle it. He was no half way Pharisee. He was ‘all in’ as they say.

What Paul needed was a transformation, a complete makeover from the top of his mind through his heart to his bottomed-out behavior. His mind required a spiritual shift from legal focus to spiritual focus, from a fear-driven heart to a spiritually loving heart and from an emotionally obsessed behavior to a spiritually guided behavior. It would take something he had never really experienced in his life and that was a total personal overhaul. It would take a person stronger in all three dimensions, mind, heart and spirit, to confront him and bring him to his knees.
That’s exactly what happened on the road to Damascus. He got zapped. He met Jesus.
Physically knocked off his horse, blinded, led by the hand, heart shattered, his behavior stalled, he went through a transformation of his whole being. Having risen through the ranks by his own effort he now found himself in need of others, to learn from others, to find his new life through others and to experience faith through others.

He was put together over a period of time by the Holy Spirit from within and discipled from without. His mind, heart and spirit were unified in balance to act as one yet each function for the benefit of the other. He found a new humanity in Jesus that became a personal goal for himself and for his mission to the world. It was a transforming work of the Spirit, an inner drive that resulted in his personal history from Gospel persecutor to Gospel warrior consuming 19 of the 28 chapters of Acts, three Mediterranean missionary journeys and the writing of 13 letters that dominate the New Testament, through his final trip to be a witness for Jesus before the Roman emperor. Again, his mind, heart and spirit acted in balance. That’s transformation.

The story of Paul is an example of someone discovering his true humanity in the reality of Jesus. But we want to be quick to counter any argument that everyone after Paul has to have the same experience as Paul. True, the Lord wants all of us to be transformed, but, ---and this is a big ‘but’---but personally by Him based on the uniqueness we individually have as a result of being born again spiritually. This is God’s intention for each of us. Remember, we are made in the image of a Creator therefore we are to be creative with what we have been given in mind, heart and spirit as the Holy Spirit leads us. Every single moment is a new experience for each of us and how we handle that will be unique to the moment. No one else has that moment in time, space or opportunity. We are personal, individual, unique children of God. We are not to be righteous robots marching in some kind of obligatory formation.
No.
We are called individually by God to a personal relationship with Him that manifests itself in our unique personality in its unique experience of Him. No one before or since has been, or will ever be, the same as us. Each one of us, like all people before us, has a special place in the presence of God. He has given us each the personal prerogative of making free decisions based on the willingness we have to let Him be our Lord. Think of our uniqueness, the blessing it is and the endless potential in it. The only limits are the ones we place on ourselves by sin, its pride, fear, hesitancy and reluctance.

Transformation is experienced when the unique only Son of God, Jesus, becomes the motivation for our unique every next moment.

 

Transformation is salvation on the treadmill,

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed---not only in my presence, but now in my absence--- continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose (Php.2:12-13).”