How God Transforms the World

Through These 5 Ways of Beholding Jesus Christ!

This article on how God transforms the world is an introduction to  'Matters of the Heart,' our free eCourse for spiritual growth and emotional transformation.

The Image-Bearing Power of Beholding

The Father is using the power of beholding Jesus to save and transform the world. We have all seen how a person's whole countenance can change when they see someone they love. We have all felt the effect upon us of seeing a beautiful sunset. We certainly know the impact of seeing something ugly.This is the power of beholding. Whatever we focus upon has the power to impact our feelings, working a change upon us from the inside.

There are five main ways that the Father is using the power of beholding to impact our life in Christ!

1) The revealing of Jesus brings us into true spiritual life.

Before the Fall Adam could see God clearly. God is not invisible--we were born spiritually blind! With the entry of saving faith the eye of our heart became enlightened and we now behold Jesus by faith. This one revelation changes everything! In the early stages the feeling of transformation can be so strong that it seems as if we are entirely changed. But don't buy the T-shirt. This is just the beginning.

2) The revealing of Jesus sustains us in the Christian life.

No matter how powerful our conversion might have been, it still needs to be nourished as we go along. God gives us five grace-based ways of strengthening the image of Jesus that we now carry in our renewed hearts. Think about it: when Jesus walked the earth He loved to study the scriptures, pray to God, worship God, fellowship with His close friends, and pour His life out in service to others. He still loves to do these things! And He wants to do them through you. As we learn to look to Jesus by doing these five things, we not only grow closer to Him, He also grows stronger in us. Our part is to seek to do them with Jesus and for Jesus. The Father is the One who makes the growth happen.

3) The revealing of Jesus saves us in every situation of need.

Perhaps our two greatest needs are for forgiveness and help. The real reason that our sins and our problems seem so desperate is because we have not yet learned how fully Jesus is the answer to them. Our great need of His mercy and His help 'forces' us to look to Jesus. Do you need forgiveness? Look to Jesus. Do you need strength against temptation? Look to Jesus. Do you need help with your problems? Look to Jesus. Are you burdened for your loved ones? Look to Jesus. Once we see in Jesus the thing that we need to see in Him in any situation of need, His peace returns to us and the Holy Spirit raises us back into the flow of new life.

4) The revelation of Jesus transforms us.

Nothing else really changes us. You can try to be better, but will power and good intentions don't change anyone for more than a day. The deep work happens only through God as we learn to get our eyes back on Jesus. The moment we see that Jesus is truly covering us we are restored to trust and inner peace. As we start trusting Him again, His Spirit lifts and leads us just as He did in the beginning. There is no improving upon living surrendered and trusting! This is the grace-filled transformation of our life from the inside out. The Spirit of God does it all as we trust Jesus with a willingness to follow whatever He may show us.

5) The revelation of Jesus will complete our transformation in heaven.

John tells us in his first letter that when we see Jesus in heaven we will become just like Him, because we will see Him as He truly is. Once the final veil of time and space is removed and we fully behold the Lord, our own lives will come into fullness. Our ultimate glorification will come through beholding Jesus.

When you consider these five ways that God is saving and transforming us, you cannot help but praise the Father for making it so easy and graceful to become a new person and live the new life in the Spirit. The only truly hard part is learning to get our eyes back on Jesus! That is our work of faith. As soon as you begin to lose the peace, seek to get your focus back on Jesus and see Him as the answer to your present problem.

Beholding Jesus changes everything - that's how God transforms the world!

Interested in Going Deeper?

Consider taking our free eCourse for Healing. We have designed a complete series for personal transformation, 'Matters of the Heart,' to help Christians gain emotional freedom and inner healing. In all there are 24 Main Healing Lessons and 24 Head to Heart Guides to help you bring your heart to God and receive His Great Heart for you in return!