Under Construction

You may have noticed that we are currently renovating our stage at the church. I thought that it might be a good time for us to study the way that God does renovations in our lives. In the Hope Church logo, there is a little budding leaf in the O, and it symbolizes growth. We believe that we can grow more and more in the likeness of Jesus Christ. That process has been described by theologians as “sanctification.” 

Tim Keller described it this way, “Sanctification is a process that happens over the course of a Christian's life. It's the gradual process of becoming more like Christ, and it's made possible by the work of the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is a continual process. Sanctification is the power to say "yes" to God and "no" to sin. It is a break from the power of sin, and it's achieved by uniting oneself to Christ.” In other words, it is the process that God uses to make us look and act like Jesus. I love that it is a process that we share with Him. 

One of my favorite verses of all time (Philippians 1:6a) has progressive sanctification as its focus: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion... That simple phrase tells me that God is at work in my life as a believer. He is using His Spirit to transform me. While being “under construction” we have an important role to play as we strive, as Keller put it so beautifully, to say “no” to sin and say “yes” to God! Over the next several weeks in my weekly emails, I plan to share some very practical ways that we can do that. 

As we kick off 2025, what do you believe God is asking you to say “no” to this year? What needs to be let go? What needs to find the proverbial dumpster so that something new and better can take its place? As Christ's followers, we can experience true victory in Jesus. What areas of your life does God want to be victorious in? 

As I considered what sins God wants to work on in my life, I found this response to the inquiry, “Is there a biblical list of sins?” on GotQuestions.org particularly helpful (click here). I think that it is worth checking out with a focus on what areas we are personally tempted in.

We can easily agree that we are all a “work in progress.” Let’s commit together to taking that process seriously and joining God in the good work that He wants to do in and through us today.

Expectantly,

Shawn