I read a story in the book The Unexpected Adventureby Lee Strobel that got me thinking. The story is about a radical transformation. Lee himself was radically transformed, so he loves a good, redeeming story about a change of heart . Once an outspoken atheist, Lee sought truth and found it in the Gospel of Christ. He is now one of the most respected Christian apologists of this generation.
The story Lee tells is of a “ hard –drinking, glue-sniffing, drug-abusing, hate filled urban terrorist who had been in and out off the court system ever since he threw a hammer at someone’s head when he was eight years old. He rose to second in command in the Belaire’s, a vicious street gang that ruled parts of Chicago. And ironically, he became a significant influence in my journey toward Christ.”
It’s kind of obvious at this point that the man Lee described must have turned his life around, so let’s move on to his story.
“Ron Bronski did something that anyone can emulate and that God can powerfully use as we reach out to others…
Ron got into big time trouble when he was twenty-one. A member of a rival street gang brutally assaulted one of Ron’s friends and Ron vowed revenge. Soon he tracked down the assailants brother, whose name was Gary…Ron pointed the gun in the air and pulled the trigger…one of the bullets found its mark, tearing into Gary’s back and lodging next to his liver. He fell face down on the pavement…without an once of compassion or a moment of hesitation, Ron shoved the gun in Gary’s face and pulled the trigger once more…this time the gun was empty.
Ron managed to escape the police, but they issued a warrant for his arrest on a charge of attempted murder. With his previous police record, this would mean twenty years in the penitentiary. To avoid prosecution, Ron and his girlfriend fled Chicago and ended up in Portland, Oregon, where Ron got his first legitimate job, working in a metal shop.
By divine [planning] his coworkers were Christian and through their influence and the work of the Holy Spirit, Ron became a radically committed follower of Jesus Christ.
Over time, Ron’s character and values changed. His girlfriend also became a Christian and they got married. Ron became a model employee, and active church participant, and a well respected member of the community. The Chicago police had stopped looking for him long ago. He was safe to live out the rest of his days in Portland.
Except that his conscience bothered him. Even though he had reconciled with God, he hadn’t reconciled with society. He was living a lie, which as a Christian, he couldn’t tolerate. So after much deliberation and prayer, he decided to take the train to Chicago and face the charges against him.
When Ron appeared in court, I was there working as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune. In contrast to the other defendants, who were always ioffering excuses for their behavior, Ron looked into the judge’s eyes and said, ‘ I’m guilty. I did it. I’m responsible. If I need to go to prison, that’s okay. But I’ve become a Christian and the right thing to do is to admit what I’ve done and to ask for forgiveness. What I did was wrong, plain and simple, and I’m sorry. I really am.’
I was blown away. Even as an atheist, I was so impressed by what Ron did that he didn’t need to approach me to talk about his faith. I asked him about it.
Over a cup of coffee, Ron recounted his entire story as I scribbled notes. Frankly, his tale was so amazing that I needed to corroborate it. I interviewed his coworkers, friends, and pastor in Oregon as well as street-toughened detectives who knew him in Chicago. They were unanimous in saying that something had dramatically transformed him. Ron claimed God was responsible. Though a skeptic, I was thoroughly intrigued.
The judge, deeply impressed by Ron’s changed life, concluded that he wasn’t a threat to society anymore and gave him probation instead.
I had never seen anything like this. I rushed into the hallway to interview Ron. ‘ What’s your reaction to what the judge did,’ I asked.
Ron faced me squarely and looked deep into my eyes. ‘What that judge did was show me grace- sort of like Jesus did. And Lee, can I tell you something? If you let him, God will show you grace too. Don’t forget that.’
I never have. Hearing Ron tell me the story of God’s transforming work in his life helped pry open my heart to God. Without a doubt, Ron Bronski was one of the key influences in my journey toward faith…”
Are you living a transformed life? Is there something about the way you live that attracts people’s attention? Is there an obvious change in the way you used to live your life before you placed your faith in Christ and now?
Here’s what Paul tells us in > Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed any longer to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good, and acceptable, and perfect.”
How can we do this? It seems so impossible to live so drastically different, to overcome the temptations of the world and our past ways. Some of you may be thinking, “It seems unlikely that I can ever change."That’s correct. On our own, it is impossible. But we serve a God who says that we “can do all things through Christ.” When we accept Christ, God’s Holy Spirit gently speaks to us and works on molding us into his image. He’s the potter and we’re the clay. Have patience. God will be faithful to finish what he starts ( Philippians 1:6, 1 Corinthians 1:8, 1 Thessalonians 5:24 ), but He works in His time. And remember, to God a thousand years is like one day ( 2 Peter 3:8 .) This transformation process , no matter how large or how small, it’s part of your testimony. We can’t all be former gang-bangers and drug addicts (and, I don’t know about you, but I’m glad that’s not part of my old self!) but we all have a testimony, and that testimony is meant to be shared and to change the hearts and lives of others. God knows what He is doing. In my life, I have found out perfectly that though I may not have a clue what is going on, God always does, and as Romans 8:28 assures us, He works all things together for His good. Part of transformation is being realistic. It’s not helpful to beat ourselves up over our past mistakes, but it doesn’t help to simply run from it either. Like Ron, we can change our lives, but there comes a point where we must own up to our past in order to truly hand it over to God. If we continue to blame others or overlook our sins entirely, there is no way to honestly place them in God’s loving hands. But k now this, once you’ve accepted responsibility for your life of sin and subsequently turned your life over to Christ , your sins are forgiven. You are justified before a holy God and your transgressions no longer exist . He takes those sins from you and washes you clean ( Pslam 103:12, Hebrews 9:26, Galatians 2:16 )
Here’s the deal. Satan wants nothing more than for you to hold onto any portion of your past so he can control you with it. The Bible tells us that anyone who is in Christ is a new creation ( 2 Corinthains 5:17 ) . Give it all to God. Let Him make you brand new, not just parts of you, but all of you, from the inside out. It’s a wild and crazy process, but one you surely won’t regret. It won’t always be easy. Sometimes it will be painful, but that goes with the territory of growing. Sometimes you’ll have to make really difficult decisions. Leaving the past behind is rarely easy. You’ll be tempted to give up. You’ll struggle with desires for your old life. But in the end, you’ll experience growth. You’ll see that God’s way was so much better than your way. You’ll realize that, though difficult at times, the process of perfecting you and refining you had permanent results. Bear in mind what Romans 5:1-5 tells us, “ that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because God’s love has been poured into us through the Holy Spirit.”
Be mindful that when it comes to God's hand in transforming us, there is always more than meets they eye. Yes, I did just make a Transformers reference.Live with it!
Nobody is beyond redemption. Not Ron the thug, or Lee the atheist. Not your boss who drives you nuts, not that son or daughter who has gone astray, not that ex husband who seemed to only be faithful in being unfaithful, not the bank robber you laughed at on last nights episode of America's Dumbest Criminals, or the drunk driver whose lapse in judgment took you child's life, not the unwed pregnant teen, not the meth dealer in the trailer up the street. No gap we can create in this life is too large to be reconciled to God through faith in Christ. Remember that as you act out your own day-to-day life, and remember that each and every day as you show grace to the world around you- for we once we lost, but now are found, we once were dead but have been made alive again(Luke15:11-32.)
Be blessed and by God’s mercy and grace, be transformed.
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