This week we have Pastor Dennis Balan , an in-house pastor to deliver the sermon. Off-record: He is the most senior pastor in the FGA church, the longest serving full-time staff in FGAKL. This is his 20th year of service :) While dad is giving a sermon in the main church service, the daughter is giving a sermon in the Youth Church. Very impressive.

As promised, the sermon notes:

Romans 12:1 - 2(New International Version)
1 Therefore I urge you,brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifices , holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world , but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good , pleasing , and perfect will.

These are strong commands :
i)Stop acting like everyone else - love your enemy, forgiving those who are nasty to us.
ii) Be careful with what we eat and watch - whatever is bad for the child is bad for us. E.g : bad words.

Substanciate the above with these....

A)James 4:4 - Friendship of the world:You adulterous people , don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred towards God? Anyone who chooses to be friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
B)James 1:27 - The pure and defiled must keep themselves unstainedReligion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Q : How then do we do so?
There is a dramatic difference between EXTERNAL conformity and INTERNAL transformation.Transformation is like metamorphosis - a lowly , ugly worm turns into a beautiful butterfly. Our spiritual journey takes years. We must be changed from the inside using the Word of God. By renewal of our mind through the blood of Jesus, we can cleansed our thoughts.

Q: What is the renewal of the mind?
It is the cleansing of the mind from all unclean and sinful thoughts.(FireWalker says: *go figure*)

Q: How to renew the mind?Energize it by memorizing the Word. The Holy Spirit can germinate into a new way of thinking. (FireWalker: *If you allow the Bible to work, this 66 books of God will not only be a book of history, or a book of instructions , or a book of stories, or a book of love, but it is a Living Book which transforms lives. Dare you take the challenge?*)

Q: Ok, I agree. So now what do I do?

You can do two things...
1 Peter 2:1 -3 : Therefore , rid yourselves of all the malicve and all deceit , hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies , crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation , now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Job 23:12 : I have not departed from the commands of His lips. I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.

Pretty straight forward isn't it? Sometimes the Bible is a book of answers ; it's a riddle book. You just have to look for the answers at the right places. Blessings!