Change is vital. Progress cannot occur without it and if you’re not progressing you will be regressing. There is no middle ground. That’s the way life is. I want to change. I want to see other people change. My work with a Teen Challenge rehabilitation facility has helped emphasise the prime importance of this topic.
True change can only be assessed over time. I find it amusing when I hear people proclaim great change in an ‘awesome testimony’ only a few days after an inspiring event or conference. It’s like claiming you have a great marriage the second night of the honeymoon. Consistency over time will decide whether that is the case. So what causes permanent change in people’s lives? Is it Teen Challenge programs, motivational speaking, events, miracles, conferences, altar calls?
There are two things that primarily produce permanent change. The first is this: a revelation of sin. This is absolutely foundational. The course of eternity for an individual cannot change without the realisation that they have fallen short of the glory of God; they have sinned (Romans 3:23). It is impossible to appreciate our need for a Saviour without first having a revelation of sin. 2 Samuel 11-12 tells us how King David had avoided responsibility, committed adultery, and planned a murder that was carried out to his precise instruction. David’s heart remained unchanged until the prophet Nathan came (some time later) and through a parable helped David gain a revelation of his sin. That is what caused him to repent and write the well-known Psalm 51. Repentance is God’s favourite topic, not ‘praise and worship’ or ‘prosperity’ or whatever the latest fad is. Why? Because it’s on the basis of repentance Jesus saves a human being from eternal damnation. Repentance is one topic that affects eternity.
Unless people are truly convicted of sin… then it is virtually impossible to show them a need for a savior. — Keith Green, No Compromise
I used to think miracles would change people. If only we had more supernatural stuff happening. But this isn’t necessarily so. I have heard people tell how they were miraculously saved from death during an overdose (confirmed by a doctor) but still refuse to repent and turn their life over to God. I was talking to an atheist once who made the challenge that if God did something supernatural in front of us he would believe. My challenge to him was that even if God did, he would eventually explain it away. Having thought seriously for a minute, he agreed. I’m not saying we shouldn’t desire the supernatural but it doesn’t guarantee repentance and a change of heart. ‘Then He [Jesus] began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent’ (Matthew 11:20).
If realisation of sin leading to repentance is the first thing, what is the second? Surely it’s time to give credit to all the conferences we spend millions on, or the programs that take so much time researching and planning, or the altar calls we plead people to respond to? Here is a quote from a guy in rehab. He had done all the altar-calls, camps, conferences and so on. But when I asked him what was actually bringing about the consistent change in his life he answered, ‘Many small difficult decisions’.
The second thing is this: a resolve to make many small decisions. People who revolutionise their life and live progressive, consistent Christianity have applied that principle. In a shopping centre one day I came across someone who was off to a conference. The expectation was it would change her life so I asked this question: ‘What day did I change into a good musician, what rehearsal or seminar was it?’ I have been to some amazing clinics showcasing some of the best players in the world and just like a ‘life changing’ conference, I was totally inspired. I was shown new techniques, music and applications that blew me away; but I walked out of there with the same amount of skill I walked in with. Nothing had really changed apart from the fact I had new information and I was excited about it. The clinic was an important event, but what actually changed me? When did I become a good musician? It was a culmination of many small decisions to consistently practise and play.
A friend of mine disagreed with the points I have made. To qualify his opinion he emphasised the importance of a particular altar call he responded to. He was right; he made an important decision that night, but no more important than the decision he had to make the next day to continue the one he made the night before. There are significant moments in our lives. Think of a wedding for example. It’s a very significant day in the life of a couple. But if they don’t continue to say ‘I do’ the wedding day will mean nothing as the marriage will fall apart. What makes the wedding day significant in the life of a marriage is saying ‘I do’ for the first time. The same is true for people at salvation altar calls. Saying ‘I will follow’ for the first time is a significant thing. But if they refuse to become disciples and ignore the command of Luke 9:23 to take up their cross daily and follow, the only thing the altar call did was give us feel-good statistics.
What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step. — C.S. Lewis
Change is something we must be committed to. It’s not about one miracle decision or a special event. I have dealt with the problems caused by over-zealous speakers promoting instant life-changing experiences at their conferences and altar calls. I’ve seen people eagerly go out the front hoping for an easy quick-fix only to wake up the next day after the emotion had subsided and find nothing had really changed. When it comes to changing people, it’s all about repentance and many small decisions.