HOW YOU CONVERT YOUR ETERNAL MYSTERY
PART 1:
ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
God is in the life-changing business. You know that, right? And he wants to transform
you into being more Christ-like in all areas of your life. The first step occurs when
you place your faith in Christ alone to be your personal Lord and Savior. But accepting
Jesus into your life is still only the first step. It is like getting into your car. Once you're
in, you need to shift the gear from park to drive! You're not supposed to just sit there! It
is important to understand that each one of us is supposed to be an agent of change; a
transformer who not only experiences a life of joy now, but who also makes decisions
that will make our life echo into eternity. This is a basic principle of KingdomNomics:
We use the resources available to us, what
I like to refer to as the "three T's," time,
talent, and treasure, to make a difference
for eternity. And in so doing, we are
Converterlators.
A Converterlator is actively working to
bring about kingdom change. A
Converterlator understands God's
purposes for giving us time, talent, and
treasure to use for him. A Converterlator
sees the big picture, a picture that is bigger than just life here on earth.
When someone becomes a "convert," they profess faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and
Savior. As we read through the New Testament, we discover that there is an expectation
that repentance for sin brings about a desire for holy living for those who profess their
faith in Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, for some professed believers forgiveness of their sin is where it all stops.
They become coasters. Yes, they intellectually believe that Jesus died for their sin and is
the way to a new relationship with God. However, their intellectual belief doesn't
translate into anything meaningful. They live their lives in this way: "I made a decision
for Christ, now I can go on living life for my own pleasure until I die."
Other believers become doers. These people make a decision for Christ and jump into
doing good deeds related to the kingdom, but they spend little or no time in the Word of
God. They have great intentions, but they are not grounded in God's purposes. And
because they know so little about God's Word, they quite often have no understanding of
the work or role or power of the Holy Spirit.
Still another group of believers become observers. Yes, they also have made a decision
for Jesus Christ, and they may even be faithful in going to Bible studies and conferences.
They have a lot of "head knowledge" of the Scripture, but that knowledge fails to move
from their heads into their hearts so it has an impact on their relationship with God and
others.
Finally, there are those who truly are transformed by their relationship with God through
Jesus Christ and who are motivated by their knowledge of the Bible to become change
agents in our world. These are the Converterlators! These people experience a living
relationship with God that makes an impact in our world and for eternity. The Word of
God plays the priority role in the lives of these people. It is impacting how they live and
make decisions. Converterlators have learned how to tap into the power of the Holy Spirit
and they are empowered in their everyday living. They practice living this verse on a
daily basis: "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20, NLT). They are using their time, talent,
and treasure for kingdom purposes. They understand what it means to have the DNA of a
KingdomNomics thinker (for an overview of KingdomNomics DNA, see appendix A on
page 137).
It is important to note here that in all other religions people attempt to reach God through
works of self-effort, trusting in themselves and their own abilities. As Christ-followers,
our "works" do not bring us into a relationship with God; they flow out of our
relationship with him. Only Christ can live through us, because we do not have power in
and of ourselves. When we establish a relationship with God we will find our attitudes
changing. Our worldview changes as we begin to realize we need to think in terms of
converting our resources into treasure for the kingdom in the world to come.
Those early games were great to watch! Some members of the team were on the sidelines
having no interest in what was really happening. Other members were totally invested,
wanting their time to play as soon as possible. Some team members didn't have much
experience and just didn't know what to do. One player even kicked the ball in the wrong
direction! Some of the players simply ran in the direction in which the ball was moving,
but they weren't really watching the ball.
Even though those kids were on the soccer team, there were still many lessons to be
learned. It takes a set of skills and organized teamwork to move the ball across the goal
line to score points. Just running around and kicking the ball on the field will not
accomplish anything. In those early games, my son had a great time, but very few points
were scored.
just as my son had to attend practices, follow the rules of the game, play under the
direction of the coach, wear the team uniform, and play with the team, we need to attend
practices (in whatever form that may be for you such as worship, classes, and Bible
studies), follow the rules of the game (found in the Bible!), play under the direction of the
Ultimate Coach (God), wear the team uniform
(Christian character), and play with the team (other
Christians). Many people refuse to listen to the
"coach" or fail to show up for practice in order to be
properly trained. A sense of purpose and training is
required to be an effective team player on the church team. Each player has a role to play.
Each player is needed to fill a position. Each player has to work with the other players in
order for the points to be scored. We need to understand the game and know our own
position. And so the next question is: What am I doing as a member of this team?
Then there is the matter of being on the "field of play."
How many people do you know who are content to "sit
the bench"? They go to practice, but they never play!
There are others who are totally invested in the team, and are simply waiting for an
opportunity to present itself to them. And then there are those team members who don't
yet have much experience and don't know what to do. It costs something to be a team
player in this game. Yes, just as in the athletic world there is the saying, "Without pain,
there is no gain," the same is true in the "game" we are playing with God … but the
stakes are much higher than a win or loss.
Anything worthwhile costs something. However, the benefits of being a playing member
in this game far outweigh any of the costs involved. After all, we are talking about
scoring eternal points here. Even in this world, the quality of life and benefits for the
active believer far exceed those in the life of the inactive one. And so we come to this
And once you are on the field of play, there is the matter of playing by the rules of the
game. Many Christians today say they know and understand the rules of the game;
however, they rarely or never pick up the playbook, the Bible, and read the instructions
God has given so they will know how to play the game successfully.
Playing in this game is far different than playing in any other game in this world. In fact,
we will find that many of the "rules" for playing in God's game are directly opposite
from the rules followed by the world in achieving the goals highly exalted by man. It is
one thing to know about a truth; it is quite another to actually experience that truth. Only
the Bible can provide us with the answers to our questions about direction and purpose.
This brings us to the next question you must ask yourself: Am I taking time regularly to
delve into the contents of the Bible, so I can know, understand, and experience the life
God wants to impart to me while I am in this world?
Okay, let's assume you meet all the
qualifications and conditions mentioned
above. You are an eligible member of the
team. You understand the rules for playing
the game. You know the position you are
supposed to play, and even how to play it.
You are even on the field of play. The next
key question is: Am I helping to move the
ball in the right direction … from an
eternal perspective?
And that brings us precisely to the contents of this book. We want to make sure we are
strategically using our time, talent, and treasure for God's kingdom while we are in this world.
A Matter Of Focus
There are many good causes and worthwhile objectives. We want to focus on the ones
that have eternal value, on results that will last forever. Everything we do or do not do
has an eternal impact. When it comes to this world, we are just passing through. And so, I
want to enjoy the life God has given to me, and at the same time keep my focus on the
eternal life to come.
The Converterlator wants God's seal of approval on his life more than anything else. He
makes sure his car is in drive and on the move. He wants to make sure he "gets off the
bench," and becomes a high impact player on the field. Life is too short to just be a
spectator. Plus, it is a lot more fun to be playing on the field!
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