Transformational Thought on Life as Sacred Essence continued:

We begin to live when we lose the life that we value above all else. Life that is self-centered obscures the life that is revealed through self-denial. The true essence of who we are is discovered only when we willfully surrender the past, present and the future into hands of the Holy Spirit… the holy essence of God. We are continuously being drawn and called away from the interest of the self to the interest of the Holy that operates within us. Conflict lives in our bodies and competes with the Holy urge that draws us away from self-engagement to Christ engagement. The purest essence of life and living is found within the eternal context where God and life are one, and we, the essence of a spiritual confluence. “…If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me.  If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.” (Matthew 16: 24-25 NLT)

~ Bishop Monroe Saunders Jr.

Life as Sacred Essence…

Each life is marked for divine purpose. We are created to reveal the image of God through our lives. God is at work in us to extend his self through us to release his holy will from us, in order to fulfill his plan in the earth. We are human sanctuaries… the Temples of the living God, transporters of sacred essence into an atmosphere, often besieged by the misguided and profane. Let the holy treasure that is in you enrich the lives of those whose primary exposure to God is through you…a mobile, tangible and human sanctuary.   “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself.”  (1Corinthians 6:19 NLT)

 

Bishop Monroe Saunders Jr.

Pastor- Transformation Church of Jesus Christ

Transformational Thought On Three Elements of Life continued

Life is ultimately a journey home…a return to the place of origin. Although we are in the world, we are not of the world. The infusion and the transfusion though essential elements all lead to transition. Transition is the ultimate element of change. Through it we pass from one form to another. In essence, we return to our point of origin…the life from which we were infused, is recycled back to the source. [We inhaled to begin life in human form and we exhale to end it.] Transition concludes the process of giving back to God what was given to us for His Glory! “…You are not your own…therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Corinthians 6: 19b – 20 KJV) 
 

Blessings,
Bishop Monroe R.  Saunders, Jr., D.Min.
Transformation Church of Jesus Christ

Transformational Thought on Three Elements of Life continued:

During the course of life we experience an awakening, an awakening through which we become aware of a transcending source. When one turns to the transcending power of the Holy Spirit they experience a transfusion of divine essence. Transfusion is the element of spiritual transfiguration; it is that element within our lives that reveals the characteristic of “The Holy.” When awakened to the element of this life force, we then bear the responsibility of choice. Transfusion is voluntary; however, there is an “inner void” …an aching place of the soul that informs us of the need to connect to the essential life source of the Spirit. Each unconnected life remains empty until it connects to, and allows the free flow of the spiritual essence that comes from God. “…When one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away…The Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty…and we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory through a transfusion of the Lord’s Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NKJV with Italics for emphasis)

 

Blessings,

 

Bishop Monroe R. Saunders Jr., D.Min.

Transformation Church of Jesus Christ

Transformational Thought – 3 Elements of Life…

Transformational Thought on Three Elements of Life

Our life consists of three important elements: Infusion, Transfusion and Transition. Infusion is the element of initiation, the place where the essential life ingredient of spirit is introduced into a gestational process out of which comes a life in its infant form. A theophanic impression is infused within this human formation and lies latent until a moment of awakening. At the awakening moment a pneumatic transfusion precipitates a transcendent consciousness through which the course of life is guided toward the fulfillment of a divine purpose and destiny. “…The spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. …And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.” (1 Corinthians 15:46,47,49 NKJV) “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee…” (Jeremiah 1:5a KJV)

Making Choices…

To make a righteous choice, Kingdom priorities must be established… that place where  the things of God are placed ahead of personal agenda.  We succumb to divine rulership within a world of choices…a world in which we can choose to yield or choose to resist the rule of God.  There are two life choices or paths…the path of self-fulfillment (flesh) and the path of self-surrender (the Spirit)…Life lived to fulfill the purpose of God in the earth. Seek always to glorify God in and through the choices you make. ”People who are ruled by their desires think only of themselves.  Everyone who is ruled by the Holy Spirit thinks about spiritual things.” Romans 8:5 CEV

Blessings,

Bishop Monroe Saunders, Jr., D.Min.

Transformation Church of Jesus Christ

Question of the week:

What is the greatest challenge to making choices according to the spirit?

Transformational Thought on Change cont…

Transformational Thought on Change continued:

Change is transformational; it enables us to become something or someone different. It is the continuous emerging of “the me,” through a dynamic process of renewal. Mere religious experience does not bring about change nor does it advance the soul or enable transformational development. The in-Christ experience is the only one through which we come to a new identity. This experience transcends feelings, or the sensual aspect of being. In the flow of the Spirit the world changes because we see it from a different perspective. In truth the world has not changed but we have captured a new vision of it. It is through the renewing of our minds that internal change and transformation enables us to see what God sees. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of the world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you…” (Romans 12:2 NLT)

Blessings,

Bishop Monroe Saunders, Jr., D.Min.
Transformation Church of Jesus Christ

Question of the week:

Has your vision of the world changed, to align with where God is taking you?

Change…PartII

Letting go is an essential step toward moving ahead and experiencing the change that leads to advancement and the fulfillment of ultimate life purpose. New discoveries can only be made when we release or pull up our life anchors and move with the prevailing current of the Spirit. Awareness of the moment that we are in is required to position ourselves for the positive movement that change can bring. Note that we can never discover what is, if we continue to bring what was into what is, and what is can never become what is to come when what was dominates the conversation. The distractions of the past and, at times, the present may keep us from advancing in life or staying in the flow of divine intent. This is a time for leaving and reaching ahead into the unknown but prepared course set for our lives. “Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, …I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:13b-14 NLT)

Blessings,

Bishop Monroe Saunders, Jr., D.Min.
Transformation Church of Jesus Christ

Question of the Week:

What challenges do you face, when you have decided to let go of a situation and move into the Flow of the spirit?

Change…

Transformational Thought on Change:

Change has become a prominent theme during the past election and contributed to the successful campaign of President Obama. Under girding any personal development is the necessity of adapting to the forces of change that surround us, and those existent within us. To grow…to advance toward perfection requires change. Change is an adaptation of sorts to the dynamic elements resident in a particular moment in time, which enables extraordinary response to the issues and the problems the moment presents. Rigidity resists the currents upon which we are to navigate and ultimately discover that which is new and vital. The perfecting of the new is a lifelong experience of continuous transitions. To reach a point where we assume arrival at newness is to only position ourselves in that which has already become old. The Spirit is fluid and to flow in the Spirit we must always be in motion. Do not allow yourself to become stuck in a changing environment, the currents of change are leading you somewhere. Let go and flow! “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on what you know. Flow in him and seek his will in all you do, and he will show you what to do and which way to go.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT …Italics MSJ)

Blessings,

Bishop Monroe Saunders, Jr., D.Min.

Question of the week:

What area(s) in your life need to experience the type of change only God can bring about?

Faith Development

Transformational Thought on Faith continued: The path to faith development and potential can often be discouraging.  Trusting God during these moments in our lives requires patience and a determination, not self-determination, which is driven by the self, but a patience and determination to trust in the wisdom of God who knows the course we travel and His plans for fulfilling His purposes  for our life. “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for  disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT)       Blessings, Bishop Monroe Saunders, Jr., D.Min. Transformation Church of Jesus Christ Question of the week: What is the biggest challenge you face as  you continue to develop your faith?