2 Corinthians 5:17
It’s funny how God pulled me into serving in youth ministry thirty years ago. As the owner of a 15-passenger van, the youth pastor of the church quickly sought me out. You see, he had planned a New Years Eve scavenger hunt and needed more transportation and more drivers. Next thing I knew, I was driving a dozen students around on a chilly winter’s night as they searched for snowmen, sleighs on rooftops and for bonus points executed silly antics like a quick splash into the icy water at the Drayton Plains Nature Center. Youth ministry is filled with some of the most crazy but passionate servants that you’ll ever meet. Working with the youth is demanding, frustrating, energy zapping but oh so rewarding. What a joy to be part of witnessing students surrender their life to Christ and grow in their faith. One of the highs of youth ministry has always been camp; cabin life, campfires, lake activities, chapel, connecting with nature, unplugging from screens and building new friendships are a few key elements. But my favorite was a sign. Not just a sign, but a truth from God’s word, the hope that the past—including old sins, habits, and identities—is gone, allowing for a fresh start. As students passed through the rec center, this “sign” ushered them into the chapel. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.– 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV” I think that the camp is very appropriately named, New Life. ;) Isn’t that “sign” amazing! Anyone. Let’s read that again, “. . . if ANYONE is in Christ . . .” It doesn’t matter if you’re a wayward teenager, a wealthy businessman, a struggling single parent, or a retiree.
Paul wanted the church at Corinth and us to know that anyone can be a new creation in Christ regardless of status, ethnicity, athletic ability, age or i.q. This inward change is a complete transformation, not just a “better version of self” but a NEW CREATION. The old life is gone and a new life emerges! What a beautiful gift from God. Charles Spurgeon wrote, “So, we must both receive the gift of being a new creation and be challenged to live the life of a new creation.” Spurgeon’s quote reminded me of the immense change in my own life; what I was before and after Christ and of my continual spiritual transformation. I am thankful that God taught me something both beautiful and powerful in 2 Corinthians 5:17. That as a believer I am to view people through a spiritual lens with Godly perspective and not get hung up on the “old”; who they once were and what their past was.
Just as the woman who was caught in adultery had a choice, those teens at summer camp had a choice, we too have the same choice – LEAVE OUR LIFE OF SIN and follow Jesus! That my friend is a game changer, a life changer!
Paul wanted the church at Corinth and us to know that anyone can be a new creation in Christ regardless of status, ethnicity, athletic ability, age or i.q. This inward change is a complete transformation, not just a “better version of self” but a NEW CREATION. The old life is gone and a new life emerges! What a beautiful gift from God. Charles Spurgeon wrote, “So, we must both receive the gift of being a new creation and be challenged to live the life of a new creation.” Spurgeon’s quote reminded me of the immense change in my own life; what I was before and after Christ and of my continual spiritual transformation. I am thankful that God taught me something both beautiful and powerful in 2 Corinthians 5:17. That as a believer I am to view people through a spiritual lens with Godly perspective and not get hung up on the “old”; who they once were and what their past was.
Just as the woman who was caught in adultery had a choice, those teens at summer camp had a choice, we too have the same choice – LEAVE OUR LIFE OF SIN and follow Jesus! That my friend is a game changer, a life changer!
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