2 Kings 5:18-19 “In this matter may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon your servant in this matter. He said to him, “Go in peace.””
Transformation requires surrender. Transformation without surrender is impossible. Everyone would say that they want to see God move in their life. Far fewer are willing to surrender their lives to God in response first. Naaman knew the outcome he wanted and God made him get to that outcome by a path that Naaman did not want to go; he had to surrender his pride and do what the Prophet Elisha instructed. The person that God wants us to be is complete already within us, but God (like a master Sculptor) needs to chisel away the superfluous material. God sees us and knows us from before he created us. He created us for a specific purpose and uses our surrender to chisel away, fashions and forms the areas needing removed in our lives, like pride, bitterness, unforgiveness, immaturity, anger, addiction, arrogance, corruption, envy, lust, greed, covetousness, deceitfulness, dishonesty, hatred, haughtiness, hedonism, hypocrisy, infidelity, impatience, jealousy, lying, laziness, narcissism, pomposity, prejudice, pride, promiscuity, rage, selfishness, spite, thieving, vanity, wrath and such vices. When we surrender ourselves more and more to God in sanctification, we look more and more like the complete person that He envisioned. What is God wanting to chisel out of your life today.
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].”
Transformation is an initial conversion in born-again justification, but also an on-going process of sanctification that begins at our salvation and continues until the day that we die, then glorification in Heaven. Naaman immediately realized that he had a conflict when he returned back to Syria, as they worshipped false gods and he would have to make some serious changes in his life worshipping and obeying the One True God. Did he have to leave his past life behind or could God use him better in his role there as a witness with the people in his sphere of influence in Syria. Elisha said to Naaman, “Go in peace.” God’s Word speaks clearly here on idolatry, but not so “black and white” for Naaman on what to do back in Syria. Sometimes transformation means a tricky dance around the Temples of Rimmon in our lives.
The temples of Rimmon here is a metaphor, because we all deal with situations in this fallen world and aren’t quite sure what transformation lived out is supposed to be. How do you live in a pagan culture and still live for God in the midst of? It would be so much easier to have the Lord tell us what to do. But, God doesn’t always make it that clear or easy for us. It is in moments like these when we have to dig down deep in relationship with God to figure out what He is really saying in context of His Word in our hand and in our heart. Christianity lived out is very messy in a secular society, and transformation is lived out is very tricky. The child of God, Believer and Follower of Jesus Christ has to navigate through this broken-in-sin world and the ungodly issues of this fallen culture. The principles of God and godliness are the same because as Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Be salt and a light in the darkness for the kingdom right where you are. Imitate Christ and share the Gospel to a lost and dying world.
The God-rejecting world has no problem throwing their ideas and ideology around. The world is dying of thirst for Truth and the people of God have living water to dole out freely, which they are in dire need of drinking in. Do not be baited and distracted by peripheral issues, such as culture wars tempting to draw you in and take a stance which divides and captures your attention on some devour, sideroad or rabbit trail. An atheistic secular humanist culture does not know their own sovereign Creator God, nor the standards for morality, holiness and righteousness that He alone has established in His Word for life and living by faith, so they may ask or demand that you see or do things, affirm beliefs or perform actions that do not align with God’s Will, Word or Way. Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
How do you keep your connection with people that you disagree with or do not have a commonality due to obedience of God? It is tricky to maintain relationships in a fallen world and be a light of biblical Gospel truth to this fallen world. This conflict isn’t new. The leader of the Israelites declared in Joshua 24:14-15, “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Peter professed to the High Priest of Israel in Acts 5:29, “We must obey God rather than men.” Where is your kingdom and Who is your King?
Jesus prayed in John 17:14-19, “I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.” The Blessed Redeemer has given us Salvation, the Word and the Spirit, now go live it out in the world and make a difference in transforming hearts for Christ.
In Christ, Brian
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