Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A golden nugget God has taught me through my different experiences and teaching from varying denominations is that the Holy Spirit follows in-step behind the gospel.

There is an absolute balance to the way in which God moves among His people. He is very organized. The Bible even tells us that God has a place he stores thunder, lightning and snow. When the ark was built, God was very specific and detailed about the way it was to be constructed. Learning from God, there is something to be said about DIYs, calendars and the way we live our lives. God is the ultimate example of organization and stewardship (caring for “everything” you have been blessed with).

As Christ Followers, it is very important that we understand how God works. Otherwise we may be sucked into something that is a counterfeit and before you know it – we are off shore, out of bounds and into a huge mess. We miss the true value and goodness of God because we have missed our steps. Those steps are found in the reading and understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When a Christ Follower receives Christ, we immediately begin to change. We first understood from the gospel that we needed Christ. In 2 Corinthians 18, the Word tells us that we are being transformed: “Beholding the glory of the Lord, we are being transformed from one degree of glory to another.” Piper explains, “Speaking in terms of our transformation in terms of ‘glory’ shows that Christian glorification begins at conversion, not at death or resurrection. In fact, in Paul’s mind, sanctification is the first phase of glorification.” For new Christ Followers, sanctification is being set apart from your old ways and living into God’s ways. The instant we begin to follow Christ, we are moved into an everlasting position of knowing and changing to be like Christ. Without following Christ, we are eternally doomed and cannot be like Christ because we do not respect or believe in him. We absolutely cannot know or understand the total meaning of the word. Simply, there is no Holy Spirit living in those who do not follow Christ. The gospel exposes our wrong behaviors, attitudes and ungodly taste in life. The Holy Spirit takes that gospel understanding and shows us Gods glory and then gives us the power to change by becoming more like Christ.

This week, let us evaluate our lives making sure we take the gospel steps needed to be exposed to Gods’ glory and allow ourselves to be more like Him so that we may reach out and love others, the way he loves us. Now that is Glory.

Yvette Perrin is a columnist for The Charlotte Gazette. She can be reached at theword2yvette@gmail.com.