Transformed? How to

5/5/12

I’m stealing this message from Pastor Robert Gelinas of Colorado Community Church in Denver.  I was visiting my brother in Denver and we attended his church.  Robert Gelinas is a gifted speaker/teacher.  His delivery is planned, thoughtful and effective.  Check it out for yourself:

http://robertgelinas.org/ (the message was 4/29/12)

So my take away from his message (what I still remember today, one week later, without notes since he’s such an effective teacher):

We studied Luke 9:28-29 which says “…He took Peter, John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.  As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered and His robe became white and glistening.”  I won’t be able to relay the whole message as well as it was conveyed to me, but here’s what stuck:

Jesus didn’t go up the mountain to be transformed.  He went up the mountain to PRAY.  It was as he was praying that he was transformed.  THM (Take Home Message) #1:  PRAY.  Do it, just go and pray.  Praying is simply talking with God (not at God, but with God). 

His face was altered and His robe became white and glistening.  THM #2:  When you pray, don’t pray that God would transform someone else (your spouse, boss, etc.) but simply pray and He will transform YOU. 

If 2 THMs is enough for you, stop reading, but if you want one more…  How and when should we pray?  Two answers: 

1) it’s only 2 chapters later (in Luke 11) that Jesus teaches His disciples to pray at their request (no wonder they asked after seeing Jesus transformed, they wanted it too!).  “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your Name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”  Try praying that and not being transformed! 

2) we should always be praying (talking with God) see 1 Thess 5:17 “pray without ceasing”

3) go to a quiet place alone to pray.  Jesus often did (See verses below) and instructs us to do the same (Matt 6:6 “when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray”)

Jesus specific:

Morning:  Mark 1:35 “rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place and there he prayed”

Evening:  Matt 14:23 “he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.  When evening came he was there alone”

Other quiet time verses:

James 4:8 “draw near to God and He will draw near to you”

Psalm 1:2 “but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his lay he meditates day and night”

Psalm 119:11 “I have stored up your word in my heart,  that I might not sin against you.”

Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God”