Pastor Mike Palompo
March 9, 2008 - W0810

There’s no greater truth that speaks to the credibility of the gospel than a life transformed.

Today’s guest speaker is Mike Palapo, Pastor of New Hope (NH) Mililani, the first church planted by NH Oahu.  NH Mililani is so grateful to NH Oahu for sharing its resources.  Remember that God doesn’t have many churches, but rather just one…united with one spirit.

Easter is coming up in a couple of weeks and we will be joining two billion other people celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  When we show up for church that day, don’t look for perfection but rather for transformation.  What Pastor Elwin said at the beginning of today’s service is absolutely true:  The transformation of our lives is the credibility (or perfection) of the gospel of Christ.

When God enters your life and you surrender your life to Him, there is a change in you…a transformation that others can see.  Those who knew you before, and notice a change in you, will wonder what brought about the change and be curious.  Your transformation (even without words) serves as a witness to the gospel of Christ.  This thought of being a witness for Christ may seem daunting to some so let’s step through it but let’s start with #3. 

Transformation #3:  Eternal goals in life

Instead of living for this world’s goals, we need to set eternal goals for our lives.  Setting our sight on goals beyond this life is necessary for us to have the right perspective.  I remember when this started to make sense to me.  I was reading through my devotions or something and came upon this passage that I had at least a hundred times before:

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19 NLT).

I knew what that passage said.  Yeah, yeah…go out and make disciples of all the nations…I was going to bypass the passage but God urged me to read it again.  I heard Him say, “There’s something in there for you.  Read it again.” It is at that time that I realized something that has had made a significant difference in my life…

When you go to a cemetery, there are two dates you will see on every headstone:  a beginning date when the person was born and an end date that marks their death.  But what we don’t often think about is the dash between those dates.  It is really the dash – the life it represents between those two dates – that matters.

We all have revelations from time-to-time where we realize things and think, “If I only knew then what I know now….”  For example, when I was 25 years old and standing at the wedding altar, I thought back on my younger days as a Filipino playboy and thought, “If I only knew then what I know now [about true love and happiness]…” Or when I was 35 years old and reviewing my savings account after a few years of savings, “If I only knew then what I know now [about the power of compounding interest]…” Or when I was 45 years old and watching the real estate market skyrocket , “If I only know then what I know now [about real estate as an investment opportunity]…”  Have you ever wondered what your lesson you’ll realize when you’re 95 years old and on your death bed?  Well I’ve had the privilege and blessing, as a pastor, to receive the wisdom of people who were on their death bed and no one ever says, “If only I worked more overtime…” or “If only I had bought that 3^rd BMW…”

In that time, everyone wants to be surrounded by family or loved ones.  Just about everyone, if able, will apology for not spending more time with their loved ones or for not having better relationships.  Everyone, in that moment, thinks about God.

But let’s take it a step further.  Let’s go beyond death and look back at life – imagine as you’re standing there in heaven…that, my Brothers and Sisters is the perspective of that passage.  That was the perspective of Jesus Christ when He made that statement, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” having come back from the grave.  That was the last thing Jesus said to His followers before He was lifted up heaven. That revelation hit me like a ton of bricks that morning; take His words as the ultimate “if I only knew then what I know now…” lesson!

Jesus’ last piece of earthly advice was to make disciples of all nations. He encouraged us to pursue goals – Transformation #3 – that would have eternal impact.  So what is Transformation #2?

Transformation #2:  Go from Cat to Dog

So what do I mean by that?  I’m talking about an obedient life.

“Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” (Matt. 28:20a NLT)

Everyone who knows cats knows that you don’t pick the cat, the cat picks you!  Don’t get me wrong, we love cats but let’s examine how dogs and cats differ:

A DOG says:  “You feed me, you bathe me, and you take care of me.  You must be God.”

A CAT says:  “You feed me, you bathe me, and you take care of me.  I must be God.”

Cats will obey if it’s convenient for them.  On the other hand, dogs will obey in obedience of the master.  Many of us are Cat Christians.  That’s okay, Jesus loves cats and He died for cats too but we can’t stay there.  We need to transform, but how do I begin this transformation?

Deal with your most glaring issue.

Most of us know what that issue is, but if you don’t know, just ask your spouse!

“If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.” (Luke 17:3 NASB)

It’s important that we hold each other accountable but nobody can hold someone else accountable 24x7.  You will be able to hide anything for a while but eventually the Lord will bring it into the light.  And when that happens, it feels like your whole world has been burned down to the ground.  So before the Lord has to expose it, do something about it!  Make it your highest priority.

At NH Mililani, we’re practicing mercy but we’re also trying to get to the point of accountability.  In this practice, my words may be something like this:  “I am coming to you under the umbrella of mercy (because I might be wrong) but I believe I’m seeing something that (if true) could be devastating on your ministry”…and in some cases, your relationship or potentially your life.  About 10% of what we say could be intruding. It has the possibility of being a mistake so we need to approach the situation under the umbrella of mercy.  However, about 1% of the time, we will see things that are wrong or dangerous (to your ministry, relationship, or life) that need to be addressed immediately.  In those instances, we should act quickly and firmly with compassion.  Parents understand this.  Parents understand the difference between a child misbehaving and being a little rowdy versus playing with matches.  Sometimes speed and firmness of delivery are critical or potentially life-altering.

Proverbs 27:6 reminds us, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend…”  Friends run the risk of hurting your feelings or your relationship.  Sometimes they risk much to be truthful however it is the loving thing to do when your future (eternity) is at stake.  In turn, many of us repent however we only repent enough to be forgiven, but not to receive the fullness of the Kingdom of God.

Our transformation should result in us setting eternal goals in this life and including our transformation from a Cat Christian to a Dog Christian – practicing obedience starting with dealing with the most glaring issues in our lives – but it all starts from understanding something:  Jesus doesn’t just love you…

 Transformation #1:  Jesus likes you.

“And be sure of this:  I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20b NLT)

When we understand that Jesus not only loves us but that He likes us as well, the rest will follow.  When we take the first step of loving Him and accepting His love for us, there will be a transformation in our lives that will change us from self-serving Cat Christians to obedient Dog Christians.  And when we are obedient to His will, there will be shift in our perspective and transformation of our lives from worldly to eternal.   You will start to set eternal goals from the perspective that Jesus shared when He commanded us to go out and make disciples of all the nations.

SMALL GROUP ‘OHANA QUESTIONS

1. How will you accomplish eternal goals in your life based on the words of Jesus back from the dead?

2. In what ways are you still kind of a “Cat Christian”?  How will you become more of a “Dog Christian”?

3. How can you help one another in the group receive the love of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit into your lives?