Renewing of the Mind      

By Billy Sichone 

  

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" Rom 12:1-2 (KJV).  

 

Billy Sichone

When the Apostle Paul wrote to the saints at Rome, he was fully aware of the realities that his message would confront. He would later visit Rome to get a first-hand feel of the great city which was effectively the capital of the known world. There was an abundance of learning, culture, legal studies and religious and philosophical ideas lacing the culture. As a Roman citizen of Jewish background, Paul had experience of both the Hebrew and Hellenistic cultures. He was fully cognizant of the effects of the values, culture, cues and salient features of Rome on individuals. More importantly, the apostle was aware of the powerful effects of the fall in the Garden of Eden which impacted and coloured how human beings perceived the world. Thus, he would demonstrate his mastery at soul analysis with a classic description of the state and nature of the human mind and heart.

 

In the midst of painting an agonizingly dark picture of the universality of sin, Paul offers an effective answer to the world's greatest need in the Gospel of Christ. It is no wonder he would express complete confidence in the divine message he had to communicate at any point on this terrestrial ball as the ultimate solution to the problem of sin. Thus, we hear him assert that he was not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ because the righteousness from God is revealed in it (Rom 1:16-17).

 

Having clearly proved the universality of sin and its devastating consequences, Paul reveals that God not only saves sinners by His grace but transforms them in regeneration (Titus 3:5-7). When a person is pardoned by God of all known sin in justification, the person engages in a lifelong process of being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ in progressive sanctification (Rom 12:2ff). Having been hewn from the rock of the totally depraved nature, the Christian must apply himself or herself to new realities that are available only by the person and work of the Holy Spirit. In regeneration, God monergistically gives spiritual life to a person. But in sanctification, a synergism takes place as the person must intentionally begin to apply the means of grace so that he or she may grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Thus, the Christian will devote himself or herself to fellowship, prayer, Bible reading and the public preaching of God's word (Act 2:42). The Christian will also love to share the gospel and in the process rescue some from the clutches of Satan (Jud 20-24).

 

While progressive sanctification is complex, one thing is clear: God is at work. God is at work while the person is cooperating with Him (Php 2:12-13). Inward changes (or renovations) take place which eventually are expressed in the outward character. Some of the aspects that begin to change and conform one to the image of Christ include changes in the mind, perceptions, attitudes, tastes, preferences, behaviour patterns, attitude toward Scripture, the law, and understanding and interactions with the pagan world. The Christian discovers that adjustments occur in his or her worldview as well as practice of once entrenched habits and preferences. The change is so thorough that Paul asserts that all things become new because the old has gone (2 Cor 5:17). Notice, the most important changes occur in the mind and heart. If a person's emotional and intellectual faculties have been arrested or brought under some influence, then that person is subject to and under the control of that overarching influence. Paul makes the analogy to slavery: either slavery to sin for the unregenerate or slavery to righteousness in Christ for the regenerate.

 

So, when Paul talks about the renewing of the "mind" (and may we say heart) he is talking about a multitude of things. The closing thought to the Christian would be - are you being renewed in your mind? Perhaps you say that you are saved, quite alright, but are you continually, consistently and progressively being renewed? Are your worldview and the way you live demonstrably effected?

 

African Christian University (ACU) seeks to address all of these issues related to worldview and its implications. The goal is to drastically impact one's worldview and thereby to unavoidably affect one's practice as well. Unlike the secularists' claim that intellectual education alone is the ultimate saviour of the world from poverty and its negative vices, ACU will demonstrate that, though education is essential, it is only one component to true transformation. The gospel alone is the power that can transform humans and culture. Through mentoring and discipleship, the undergirding practices of Christianity that have always transformed culture, ACU seeks to lay firm principles, practices and values based on the Holy Scriptures that will have far reaching effects in Africa. This will counter the strong forces of secularism in a postmodern, relativistic world. From lone voices of scattered sanctified saints (i.e. in the first century), the Christian message eventually turned the world upside down. If a critical mass of evangelical believers would submit to the authority of Scripture and live out what they profess in the whole of their lives, a great spiritual foot print will be etched on today's world for Christ.

LBC Mission Conference

By Ray Warwick   

How does the "ordinary" church member partner with missionaries in the work of gospel ministry? That was the question Pastor Conrad Mbewe (Kabwata Baptist Church, Lusaka) explored at the recent Mission Conference at Lusaka Baptist Church. 

Pastor Conrad Mbewe

Mission Conference 

The theme of the conference was "Missions: The Role of an Ordinary Church Member." Pastor Mbewe, preaching four times, chose as his text Philippians 1:1-6, focusing primarily on the words in verses 3-5, "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." What was it that caused the Apostle Paul to remember and pray with such joy for the Philippian church? They were faithful partners with him in the gospel. 

Pastor Mbewe then went on to describe what such a partnership looks like. By drawing on biblical examples and common sense experiences, he unfolded biblically astute and eminently practical principles of missionary partnership on the part of the saints at home. First, the ordinary church member must know and experience the gospel. Beyond fervent prayer, he then laid out practical ways church members ought to partner with their missionaries by: fellowshipping with them, interacting with them, contributing to their work, going and helping them, sending them things they need, writing to them. Paul had joy because he was not alone in the work; he sensed the Philippians were with him. He stressed that missionaries should not feel alone on the field; it is not a one-man job. The messages were enlightening, challenging and convicting; full, I believe, of Spirit-filled unction. 

Reverend Alan Levy

Reverend Alan Levy (Pastors Training International) also preached, focusing on the church members as missionaries at home. From I Thessalonians 1, he challenged the congregation to follow the Thessalonian church's example: being an example to all believers by sounding forth the word of God because they had turned from idols to serve the living God. He concluded his remarks in his second sermon by sounding the call to unceasingly praise the Lord! 

We were also impressed by the presentations of ten church plants and organizations all over the country that LBC supports, including ACU. Then, we were amazed as these missionaries told us about planting other churches! Praise God with me for the remarkable missionary vision of LBC (and Kabwata Baptist, as well), and pray that God would continue to use these churches to spread the gospel and build His Kingdom. Oh that our U.S. churches would share this missionary passion! 

The Scholars Program 

I was privileged to give a brief report on ACU, focusing on our Scholars Program which we plan to initiate in January 2014. 

The accompanying graphic lists the courses of the ACU Scholars Program. The program will have two primary purposes. First, it will introduce a solidly biblical, gospel-saturated worldview as the foundation for all academic studies and practical labor. It cannot be overstated how important one's worldview is to a proper understanding and application of truth. We all live out of our worldview, what we believe is true and important in life. As Christians, we realize that all our knowledge is analogical. Our knowledge is based on the truth expressions of God. But we can't truly understand truth unless we are true knowers of God. Proverbs 9:10 tells us, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight." That is where all scholarship begins, the truth of God as revealed in His word and demonstrated in His creation. 

Second, the Scholars Program will hone and sharpen basic but necessary scholarship skills to ensure excellence at university-level studies and Christian living, ACU is going to be an academically robust tertiary institution. Our students will need to be able to perform at a high level. 

Students who successfully complete the Scholars Program will receive a Certificate of Achievement and will be prepared to move into ACU's degree granting programs. 

The Bible's Grand Narrative will be a comprehensive overview of the entire Bible. This course features the Creation - Fall - Redemption - Consummation framework for understanding the Scriptures, always pointing toward the redeeming work of Christ. It will provide the thematic basis for the rest of the Scholars Program's courses, and the biblical worldview foundation for all future ACU scholarship and labor.