Changing times can lead to a change of mind concerning Jesus Christ

 

Were you the same person at the end of 2024 as you were in 2023? 

 

You may or may not like it, but you've changed, now did that change happen by accident, design or because of your circumstances?

Around New Year, we toy with making changes.

 

Maybe using the Christmas journal to note down some resolutions or maybe a bout of jogging after all the extra treats you've had. 

We have all learned it is routine not will power that makes for successful change.

 

Or maybe you're making more drastic changes, like getting married or in our case having a Christmas Day baby.

 

God bless you.

At a macro level, the world is changing around us.

 

Wars, natural disasters, shifting geo-politics, pandemics, economic and food uncertainty, and the explosion of AI all generate a rising certainty that nothing will be the same as it was. 

This seismic change is at least unnerving, if not foundation-shaking for regions, whānau and individuals.
At a personal level, change might be happening outside of your control. 

Perhaps a family member is facing a serious illness, and you're getting used to the idea that this was your last Christmas together, or perhaps it was your first without a loved one.

 

Maybe one party decided they could no longer uphold their side of a relationship, and you're wondering where to from here. 

Or you are celebrating a promotion, or interrogating yourself after a demotion?

These are all profound changes which will no doubt come with a lot of deep emotions and affect the trajectory of your life.

All that said, you are capable of change. You are likely discovering something new about yourself through these changes, perhaps a surprise at your resilience, a maturing of your expectations, or a recognition of a new path you can forge in these new circumstances.

So, if it's possible for you to change, is it time for you to think again about Jesus and following him?

Among the many momentous things that have happened this year, a few caught my attention, one example of the famous atheist couple, Ayaan Hirsi Ali and her historian husband Prof Niall Ferguson, both turned to faith in Jesus.

Similarly, Ayaan's friend and former debate colleague, Richard Dawkins, acknowledged the foundation of Christianity in his world view, declaring himself a cultural Christian. 

Once seemingly intractable, they have embraced change.

Though you may be surprised by their stories, I'm not just speaking of wrestling with faith from an intellectual, or even cultural perspective. I wonder if you would change your mind, concerning Jesus? 

Metanoia is the Greek word often translated as "repentance" in the New Testament.

 

While repentance is necessarily associated with sin, metanoia contains the concept of "changing your mind", and by extension, your being. 

Are you willing to think again? Everyone who has ever become a follower of Jesus has started out with metanoia _ embracing a new understanding of who God is.

The Apostle Peter's first sermon explaining this transformation (Acts chapter 2), grounds the basis for belief in the facts of Jesus' unique life, his public death, and his dramatic resurrection.

 

The implications of these facts are understood to signpost a coming kingdom, God's Kingdom here on the earth.

Here everyone who repents is given a new familial relationship with the Father, through Jesus the King.

 

Here we can experience love, joy, peace, kindness, patience, self-control, wisdom, as well as a touch of the miraculous, today. 

Do you need some hope to hold on to when the world is shaking?

Why turn to Jesus in a time of change? The writer to the Hebrews declares: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). 

This means Jesus is the perfect representation of all that is godly and good; to change would actually diminish His perfection. As God, he is also enduring when everything else is changing.

"At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.

"This phrase, `Yet once more', indicates the removal of things that are shaken, that is, things that have been made, in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain." Hebrews 12:26-27

In response, this change will change your life forever. You can experience a dependable faith, hope and love, when everything around you is uncertain. 

I am inviting you to explore the whole area of spirituality and faith in a fresh way in 2025, to look again, then change your mind and come follow Jesus.

Find out more by starting to read the Bible and finding a Jesus-centred church in Dunedin today.