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As Paul teaches the church in Corinth how to live lives fully surrendered to God, he makes a bold statement. In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul says, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” It is not a statement of arrogance, or a claim of perfection. Paul is expressing a truth that is prevalent in the Bible. God is the source of all that is good and right and true. Jesus is God in the flesh. He showed us how to walk and live with God. Paul is teaching the believers in Corinth that when God transforms His people, they look like Jesus. Paul has experienced transformation. The persecutor of the church is now the apostle to the Gentiles. All that is good, right, and true in Paul’s life comes from his relationship with Jesus. Jesus shines in Paul just as He shines in all His people. We are supposed to be imitators of Christ, just like Paul. Paul invites all who see Him to see Jesus and His influence in those who walk with Him, and then to surrender ourselves to the same transformation. To become imitators of Jesus.

As we continue to embed the Bible this year, we begin reading the book of 1 Corinthians this week. Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth can be a difficult letter to read. Paul has so much to say to this troubled church that sometimes the problems seem overwhelming. Sexual sin, division among those God has called to be family, pride, arrogance, and personal hurts have all left their marks on this group of believers. At times, it sounds like the church is just barely holding together in Corinth. That is why Paul makes it very clear up front that no matter what is going on in Corinth, God is not finished with His people. In 1 Corinthians 1:9 Paul says, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” It is a powerful reminder for the Corinthians and, for us, that God is working. He is faithful to His promises. Promises of forgiveness, mercy, grace, and transformation. God is calling us into a relationship with Jesus. A relationship that works in mighty ways in our lives. No matter what is going on, God is faithful.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” – Romans 12:1–2

As Paul writes about salvation and the life of the disciple, he points us to worship. Spiritual sacrifices in our daily lives, renovation of our thinking, non-conformity to the standards of the world are the transformations that are fueled by worship. When we enter the presence of God, we are given the opportunity to behold His beauty and His majesty. In the light of His glory, we see the shadows that lurk in our souls. Paul tells us that when we worship, we can put our world-marred hearts into the hands of God. We are ushered into forgiveness, mercy, and grace. We are invited to be changed. To have the living God live inside us. Embedding the Bible prepares our hearts and our minds for worship. Embedding the Bible brings to light those things we need to hand over to God.

In Romans 8:26-30, Paul shares an amazing picture with us. He starts out by telling us that the Holy Spirit is moving in the lives of God’s people. Helping us to pray, interceding with God on our behalf, moving to shape and mold us. Paul then tells us that God is working in the lives of His people, “according to his purpose.” God has a plan for you and I. In verse 29, Paul tells us that the movement of God is all about transformation. God is changing us to fit the picture He has for us. God is conforming us into the image of His Son. With these powerful words, we are reminded that God is working in our lives every day. In fact, God is working in every moment to shape our nature and character. He wants us to think and act and reflect the attitude of Jesus. God is working in you and in me to help us look like Jesus. With God at work, what can stand in our way?

In Romans 1:16, Paul boldly proclaims, “I am not ashamed of the gospel.” His writing is a witness for this statement. This week we begin to read the Epistles. The apostle Paul wrote thirteen of these letters to churches. and each one is a call to live in the power of the gospel. For Paul, the gospel is all about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Central to Paul’s writings is the person of Jesus. Paul points to Jesus on every page. The answers to all of life’s questions are found in Jesus. Jesus is the source of life, salvation, peace, and hope. Jesus is the standard for action, thought, feeling, and motivation. Over and over, Paul calls us to live in the presence and the power of Jesus. Paul is not ashamed to be led by Christ, live in relationship with Jesus, and proclaim the love of the Savior for all mankind. Paul shares this message in order for you and I to have Christ embedded on our hearts.

Acts 22 gives us an insight into a difficult time for Paul. Having returned to Jerusalem, the apostle has been arrested. Paul is in hostile territory. The chief priest and the elders, the Sanhedrin and the ruling classes are all lined up against him. In chains, Paul stands up and tells a difficult story. It is a story of a man who sinned. A man who persecuted Jesus and His people. It is a story about a wrecked reputation and a great fear. It is Paul’s story. He tells it without trying to cover up his actions or defend his past. Why does he tell his story here? Because his story is different now than it was then. Jesus has entered Paul’s story and changed his life. Jesus has washed Paul clean and given him purpose and direction. We can experience that same change every time we embed the Bible in our hearts. We are called to see who we were without Jesus, and who we are now that Jesus is in control. Our stories can sometimes be difficult, but Jesus can change everything.

Men search for God in strange places. In Acts 17, Paul is walking the streets of Athens. He sees temples, idols, and places of worship everywhere that he looks. There is even an altar with the inscription, “To an Unknown God.” Evidence that people are looking for answers and direction in life. It is no different today. We all want to know the answers to life’s biggest questions. What is amazing is that we don’t have to look far to find out that God wants us to know the answers to life’s most important questions. The Bible is God’s perfect revelation to mankind. In the pages of the Bible are the answers to life, salvation, eternity, hope, peace, and joy. The Bible is the story of God intersecting the lives of men. The Bible is an invitation to have God live in our hearts and our lives.

“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” – Acts 17:11

Want to be different? Do you want to live in the world in such a way that people see Jesus shining through you? Then watch closely as the Bereans show us how to be changed. They listen eagerly to the story of Jesus. They are intent on knowing who Jesus is and how Jesus works. They listen to the story of love on the edge of their seats. And then they search the Scriptures to see what is true. They carefully examine what God has to say. Not to gain a head knowledge alone of Jesus, but to receive a change in their character. They search to become more than what the world can offer. They seek to be noble. They seek to look like Jesus.

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is found in Acts 11:23. It was a time of great persecution for the church, but also a time of great hope. The stoning of Stephen had scattered people far and wide. As Christians settled in various places, they shared their faith and people believed in Jesus and were changed. News of this change reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to investigate. Upon arriving in Antioch, the Bible says about Barnabas, “When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God…” What does the grace of God look like? How is it evident? In the love that the church has for one another. In the way the church relates to those around them. In the way they study. In the way they talk, act, and feel. The grace of God is evident in all those who are shaped by Him. Embedding the Bible is an open invitation to be shaped by God and to become evidence of His grace.

Acts 8:26-40 records the encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. It is the story of a man who is searching for Jesus. He picks up a copy of the Scriptures and begins to read. When Philip comes alongside him, they read together and Philip uses the passages of Scripture to share the good news of Jesus with him. It is another example of how the Bible is all about Jesus. No matter where you turn, no matter what you read, you can see Jesus shining out of the pages of the Bible, inviting you to walk with Him. From Creation, through the kings of Israel, on into the prophets, and then the New Testament, Jesus calls for us to walk with Him. He calls us to open our hearts and allow Him to embed Himself in our lives. As you read this week, keep an open heart and expect amazing transformation.