A year or two before my childhood decision to accept God’s gift of salvation, I wanted a birthday party prize so badly that I took it home in my pocket. Thankfully, I was caught and made to face the music. If I had ever doubted I was a sinner, stealing and getting caught confirmed how true it was. But God did not leave me there. At age seven, I trusted Christ as my Savior. The miraculous truth described in 2 Corinthians 5:17 became a reality as I admitted my sin and trusted Christ’s provision.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Immediately, my status was updated from lost to found. From condemned to redeemed. However, God’s work in me did not end there. As Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi, God began His good work in me. “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6). His transforming work continues for a lifetime, but it will be completed one day.

Writing to global workers, one ministry leader, Frank Decker, put it this way; “Transparency that reflects an ongoing transformation in the life of the witness is an essential tool in enabling Christ-centered change in the lives of others.” When those we minister to observe God’s continued work of grace in our lives, they will be impacted by Jesus rather than impressed by us.

Sadly, we all know Christian leaders, pastors, and global workers whose focus becomes hiding behind facades, self-promotion, and pride in professional titles. Churches and ministries crumble, destroying families and congregations and often erase a godly testimony in a community where no other gospel witness exists.

May God help us remember that if we are not allowing God to transform us, He will not likely use us to help bring about change in others. Our purpose in ministry and the focus of the message we were sent to declare is transformation in Christ.