Trusting Jesus is a major change for a new life. He changes our priorities, our thinking, our aspiration, and our understanding of life itself, which will give birth to a brand new life in preparation for God’s kingdom. Jesus alters us from the inside by changing our hearts and our attitudes, which in turn changes the way we function in the world. Change is a part of life; we pass through changes from time to time. Often we don’t mind the changes, but as soon as we are faced with major changes or changes over which we have no control, then we become resentful. At times, some of the changes Jesus brings about in our lives may be disconcerting. But we can be certain of this: He always changes our lives for the better. It is easy to understand why nonbelievers are reluctant to allow Christ to change them. They don’t know Jesus. But why do you think Christians are so resistant to the changes Jesus wants to make in their lives? What does it mean to repent of your sins? Why is it so important that we make changes in our lives in order to follow Jesus?

Nevertheless, you can’t avoid change. Whether you want to or not, you are going to experience some major changes in life, if you want to be a Christian. Christ is preparing Christians for His Kingdom; therefore we must accept those changes that get us ready to enter the Kingdom of God. Christ wants us to be like Him, by adopting a new pattern of life according to His instructions and control. To become like Jesus or to adopt the new life, which Jesus advocate, will involve a tough-minded review of our values and a thorough change in our behavior.

1. THE KINGDOM

What Difference Does It Make?

Whatever else we can say, the kingdom has to do with whatever Christ the King rules. That’s why Jesus began His ministry with a call to repentance. Repentance means to change one’s mind or purpose. In terms of the new life for the kingdom, it involves:

1. A change in one’s allegiance. If Christ is the King, He deserves our honor, loyalty, and obedience. We put ourselves under His authority and power. Whatever He says, we determine to do. That’s the point of the often-repeated lines in the Lord’s Prayer, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). Kingdom people submit their own will to the will of the King.
2. A change in one’s expectations. One of the difficulties people have with the idea of a kingdom is that it doesn’t appear to be in place yet. The world seems to grow farther away from God by the day. As a result, it’s easy to live for the here and now, as if this present life is all that matters. But the hope of the kingdom is that there is far more to life than what we see right now. Jesus made extraordinary promises in regard to a future kingdom, not only for Israel, but also for all that follow Him as King.

1. A change in one’s values. Our culture values achievement, success, independence, and image. Other cultures value other qualities. But the values of the kingdom reflect what matters to the King. Jesus described a number of His values in Matthew 5: 3-10, a section of the Sermon on the Mount known as the Beatitudes (or, as some calls them, the “beautiful attitudes”). Kingdom people adopt the King’s values and make choices that reflect those values.

1. A change in one’s priorities. The real test of people’s values is how they spend their time and money. Jesus spoke directly to that issue in terms of the kingdom (Matt. 6: 24-34). He did not demean the value of work or diminish the need for material goods. But He challenged His followers to bring kingdom values into their day-to-day lives. “Seeking first the kingdom” (Matt. 6:33) puts a Christ-like perspective on one’s work and its outcomes.

1. A change in one’s lifelong mission. Some people are driven to accomplish great tasks with their lives. Others live aimlessly from day to day, lacking purpose or direction. Either way, Jesus affects the outlook of a person’s life. He gives His followers purpose and a mission – to live as subjects of the kingdom and promote kingdom values in everyday life and work. Ultimately, He wants His followers to extend His message to the ends of the earth.

1. Repentance Is More Than Being Sorry

Life with Christ is a whole new kind of living! The ultimate test of true repentance is whether or not one changes. There are those who say they repent, but who do not change their behavior or attitude or language. If a person claims to become a Christian, but experiences no such change, the Scripture gives that person little assurance that he is, in fact, a Christian. Where there is life, there is growth. If there is no growth, there is at least serious disease, and possibly no life. II Corinthians 5: 17 tells us, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new. “This newness must manifest itself in newness of life. The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 6:4 “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. “If we do not see that “newness of life” Scripture tells us to examine ourselves to be sure we’re in the faith, because we may not be (II Corinthians 13: 5). There are those who will stand before God, claiming to be His children, pointing to good works that they have done, and the Lord will say, “Depart from me, I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23). Change is part of the new birth, and if there is no change, there is no reason to be confident that there was new birth.

1. Does Change Threaten You? Luke 5: 36-39

A stubborn allegiance to old habits and traditions can sometimes seriously hinder maturing faith. Every believer should pay attention to that, because new life in Christ inevitably leads to innovation and timely change. Fear of change to the past only because it feels safe and familiar. Jesus understood our human tendency toward predictability and the natural resistance to new things. He also knew that not all changes are good, and He never advocated change for the sake of change. But He warned against making tradition, particularly religious tradition, the standard by which all things should be tested (Luke 5: 36-39). His parable of the wineskins pleads for at least the openness to consider something new. It affirms timely change in matters of growth and new life. Are you resistant to the dynamics of change in your life, work, family, or church? If so, could you be resisting the very work of God or the ongoing dynamic of life itself? Pay attention to Jesus’ image of the wineskins!

Finally, change is a part of life; change is the fundamental of the new life, as the new life is the fundamental of God’s kingdom, each of us changes every day. And often we don’t mind or notice slight changes. But, as soon as we are faced with major changes or those, which we can’t control, then change begins to bug us. Trusting Jesus is a major change. He changes our priorities, our thinking, our aspirations, and our understanding of life itself. Jesus changes us from the inside out by changing our hearts and our attitudes, which in turn changes the way we function in the world. At times, some of the changes Jesus is bringing about in our lives for the better and in preparation to enter His Kingdom. This is because it is impossible for anyone to enter the Kingdom of God without being changed from the old man to a new man. This is the concept of being born again. Jesus gave this warning in John 3: 3”Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”. In fact it is impossible to change someone who is not born again, if one is born again then it will be easy to understand the necessity of change and the concept of the new life, which is in Christ Jesus. Change of life from old (former life) to new one (new life in Christ) is the acid test of being born again. Are you born again? If you are not born again, you will not desire a change of attitude, behavior, language and a pattern of life that is godly. Remember, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God, let alone to enter into the kingdom of our King.