Paul opens his letter to the Thessalonians by pointing out that something significant had happened to them. The Holy Spirit had been impacting them. The Word of God had been instructing them. They were becoming "new" people.

How does positive transformation occur in the lives of normal people? It starts with a "yearning" - a longing - to be more than we are.

Most of us are dissatisifed with out present condition. Many of us wish we were more patient or generous or compassionate. We can find ourselves being more concerned about our "Christian reputation" than the condition of souls or growth of your characters. Far too often we settle for doing the "right" activities (or avoiding the "wrong" ones) instead of becoming the "right kind" of people.

I know that I need that transformation. I'm often amazed at my lack of transformation. I can be judgmental of people without knowing their motives. I can be incredibly petty and demanding with my wife or children; I can be terribly impatient. I can settle for doing something that appears to be sacrificial or generous, but be unconcerned about whether I am in fact a truly generous man. I need help if I'm ever going to be what I believe I was created to be!

This is why Jesus' Message is truly "Good News!" Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:14-15) "The time has come" - This is the time! Today's the day! This is the day the world has been waiting for since the Fall!

If at any time you've ached about the difference between who you are and who you were meant to be, Jesus is announcing that, "This is the moment that you've been waiting for all your life!" He's saying that the kingdom of God is available and it's open to everybody, even people who never thought they could ever get into the kingdom.

But if you are satisfied with your life, then Jesus doesn't have anything that you'd be interested in.

That was the condition of the religious leaders of Jesus' day. They were satisfied with who they were and what they did. But for those who are not satisfied with their lives, what Jesus offers is truly good news.

So the gospel is for people who are not satisfied because at the heart of the gospel is transformation. Transformation means being formed into the image of Christ; becoming more and more like Christ. To be in this type of transformation means we are becoming the "right kind" of people.

The real Son of God is at your side. He is beginning to turn you into the same king of think as Himself. He is beginning, so to speak, to 'inject' His kind of life and throught, His 'Zoe,' into you; beginning to turn the tin sholdier into a live man. The part of you that does not like it is the part that is still tin. [C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity]

God plans to make us new persons. God is determined, as C.S. Lewis says, to make us like him.

What is the means of transformation? You became initators of us and of the Lord (v. 6). Imitators hope they will become like those they imitate. Used in this way, "imitators" is synonymous with "disciples." A "disciple" or "apprentice" is someone who has decided to be with another person in order to become capable of doing what that person does or to become what that person is.

We can find the answer to the question, "What do I want my life to look like," by asking, "Who do I want to be like?" And if you say that you do not have a person as your model, then you probably have a collection of images or slogans or goals that define you.

A disciple of Jesus says, "I look at Jesus and I see a way of living that makes me want to live that way; to be able to live and love with passion, to be free, to experience a real intimate relationship with God and deep connections with people. When called for I want to do the right thing - to take a stand for justice, to help people out of compassion, to speak a word of hope, to make a difference in the world."

When the Thessalonians heard Paul speak of Jesus and life in the kingdom and then they saw a living demonstration of what it could look like in Paul's life, they considered it the best possible choice to embrace Christ (and his life).

Being a disciple means arranging my life around the experiences, exercises, events that can transform me. The practices, tools, methods, exercises I use to become like my teacher will vary in style, frequency, intensity, etc., according to the particular goals and needs during a specific season of growth.

The key to understanding Paul is to know that with all his "weaknesses" and failures and personality deficiencies, he gave himself solely to being like his Lord. He lived and practiced daily the things his Lord taught and practiced. ... Paul followed Jesus by living as he lived. And how did he do that? Through activities and ways of living that would train his whole personality to depend upon the rising Christ as Christ trained himself to depend upon the Father. ... So, if we wish to follow Christ we will have to accept his overall way of life as our way of life totally. [Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines]

But at this point we must be clear that transformation is not the obliteration of the self. It is transformation into the "true me." Becoming new persons will not make us any less ourselves. If anything, we will become more ourselves.

God made us the way we are; so He will not change what we are in the most basic sense. Our personalities, aptitudes, interests are gifts from God to us. He might purify them or break them to rebuild them, but typically, he will not replace them.

We don't need to fear that God will change us so totally that we will not be ourselves anymore. God's plan is to transform us.

"And now Lord, with Your help, I shall become myself." -Kierkegaard

Transformation is about becoming the person God had in mind when He originally created you. This is true personal growth. When transformation happens, it is inevitable that the gospel will spread!

The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia - your faith in God has become known everywhere...They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God (vv. 8-9b)

The Greek word interpreted "rang out" in the text is transliterated "echo" in English. An echo is loud enough to be heard but subtle enough not to assault the hearer. Lives that are being transformed in Christ are impressive in their natural influence. They are beautiful and good. It has been said that the greatest argument for Christianity is Christians (living transformed lives). It has also been said that the greatest argument against Christianity is Christians who are not living transformed lives that reflect Jesus.

How many people are radically and permanently repelled from The Way by Christians who are unfeeling, stiff, unapproachable, boringly lifeless, obsessive and dissatisfied? Yet such Christians are everywhere and what they are missing is the wholesome liveliness springing from a balanced vitality with in the freedom of God's loving rule. [Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines]

It is difficult to be indifferent to a wide-awake Christian, a real live person of God. It is even more difficult to be indifferent to a whole body of Christians like this. You can hate them or you can love them, but one thing is certain. You can't ignore them. There is something about them that won't let you. It isn't so much what they say or what they do. The thing that seems to haunt you is what they are. You can't put them out of your mind any more than you can shake off your shadow. They confront you with an entirely different way of life - a new way of thinking, a changed set of values, a higher standard of living. In short, they face you with the kingdom of God. [Clarence Jones]

"Mabel" (illustration taken from Tom Schmidt's Trying to be Good)

The gospel makes available a life empowered from above, the ability to live in the presence of God. I pray that you will consider God's desire to transform you into your true self, the self that he created you to be and this would become your desire.

"The time has come. The kingdome of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news."

(references: Dallas Willard's The Spirit of the Disciplines, The Divine Conspiracy; Gerald Sittser's The Adventure; John Ortberg's The Life You've Always Wanted; C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity)