On 15th of October 2023, our church celebrated our 11th year anniversary. The theme was 'Transforming Lives Everywhere' which is the heart of Hope International Ministries' Vision 2030. From the teaching, we learned how Jesus transforms our faith, our purpose and our lives.
The Miracle of Christ in Me
Transformation is not just an act of our will but a by-product of the work of the Holy Spirit. I believe that any lasting transformation comes from the work of the Holy Spirit. We see in John 16:13-14, on the night before He was betrayed, spoke to disciples, saying this of the Holy Spirit. "..when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth…He will glorify me because it is from me that He will receive what He will make known to you."
When we recall the lives of Jesus’ disciples, we see how the Holy Spirit transformed them. When Jesus was with them, they were arguing among themselves who is the greatest (Luke 22:24). Later on, when they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they grew in faith and wisdom. They went out and spoke boldly of Jesus. They performed miracles in Jesus’ name and many people came to faith. The Holy Spirit transformed the lives of the disciples and through them, transformed the lives of many.
The work of the Holy Spirit is also to glorify God. We can do many great things in our own strength and we seek our own glory in the process. We may have experienced it ourselves when that glory can be self-destructing. But when the Holy Spirit works in us, we rejoice seeing God glorified. When we desire to see lives transformed, it is not to seek our own glory or the glory of our church movement but it is for God’s glory. God desires to restore the hearts of people to Him and we get to be agents of this restoration.
The Holy Spirit transformed the lives of the disciples and through them, transformed the lives of many.
There are many people who have yet to experience the power of the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit is as active today as it was on the day of the Pentecost. As we embrace this Vision 2030 (and beyond), let us seek the Holy Spirit and walk with Him as we invest in the lives of one another. Surely, we will see many lives will be transformed by the Holy Spirit and all glory be to God!
