FEB 9
MEGAOLOGIES
Our vision at Megamorphic is “Being transformed by being church”.
2 Corinthians 3:18
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:51
Listen, and I will tell you a divine mystery: not all of us will die, but we will all be transformed.
Last week we dealt with the overall Big picture context of our transformation, today I will deal with the “who", next week Shozz will hit the “what”, and Caleb will deal with the “how” to finish this month
So today our WHO is
MEGANAUTS
No, I’m not just talking about our Megamorphic Church young adults group, I am talking about our identity in Christ, who by the way, is the most important WHO of this whole scenario - note it’s His likeness we’re being transformed into!
Gabe Finochio Enneagram story highlight
But what does it all mean, Basil?
It means that there is no personality test, system, religion, fad, diet, pathway to your “best you”, it will all fall short. The only way for humans to achieve glory is through Christ. So with Christ as the ultimate WHO that we look to and live to grow into the stature of, let’s dig into this Meganauts thing.
Mega: Big
Nauts: Voyager, farer, tripper…you could say pilgrim
Psalm 84:5 “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.”
Isaiah 35:8 “A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray.”
Astronauts have trained amazingly, including how to thrive in a totally different environment (in space). Whereas meganauts are a new creation (born again) being that God wants to be trained to deal with beyond space into eternity, the realm of faith, into the supernatural
Romans 8: Handy Link
Meganauts are Holy Spirit-filled new creations
Just like astronauts use the law of aerodynamics to overcome gravity, When we are born-again, the spirit of life in Christ Jesus empowers us to overcome our depravity.
As we “be on being filled” we are empowered to engage with our destiny and the task given to all of us to complete.
Holiness is our metric, our measuring device. We get holy not via our own efforts or our own expelling of energy. We get holy by being friends with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” (John 15:14), in the exact same way, our friendship with the Holy Spirit is based off obedience.
This may sound over the top controlling. But think about it, even in our human friendships, we go to our friends for advice - especially when they have some sort of authority on a given matter. And its one of the most frustrating thing in the world when your friends don’t take your advice. In fact, for me, it’s probably a sign that we’re not going to have a great friendship.
It’s heightened with God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, because unlike human friends, God is the authority on all things, He gives perfect counsel and ignoring him is to say our opinion is better than his perfect one. That is the height of arrogance.
Meganauts are supernatural extravagant worshippers
First of all, God’s presence is the ultimate fact. Because He exists, we do. He is the definer and designer of our current earthly reality, and the definer and designer of the entire spiritual reality (which is in fact, ultimate reality) and at the heart of all of this, is His being, His existence, His presence.
Putting flesh to death:
WE created separation from God’s presence and God showed us at the very first that death was necessary to cover our sins and that sacrifice was part of His instructions for humanity. All of it was inefficient in breaking the divide until Christ. In Christ we must put our flesh to death through repentance - which goes hand in hand with sacrifice.
REPENTANCE ISN’T MERELY THE DECISION TO ACCEPT CHRIST, IT’S THE DECISION TO REJECT SIN (Our previous life of brokenness and rebellion against God)
Christ’s purpose for our lives is to make us transformed into the same person He is - perfect and glorious. Christ’s sacrifice was meant to inspire us to sacrifice in exact same way.
Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Transformation ONLY takes place AFTER we have offered ourselves up to God as a living sacrifice. Christian sacrifice is not something you DO, it’s something that you ARE
Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.””
Galatians 2:19-20 “For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Love in person:
Laying our lives down for others as Christ did, being His hands and feet.
James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Isaiah 58: 6-9
“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
Song of the Lord: (This is a key Megaology)
Psalm 119:54 “Your statutes have become my song in the house of my pilgrimage"
Having a thriving musical praise and worship lifestyle with lots of diversity, including challenges to your comfort zones and understanding, is ESSENTIAL to growing into a mature worshipper and thriving in God’s kingdom. Paul encourages us to use all kinds of prayer and to sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with/to one another. (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16, Ephesians 6:18)
Meganauts are Eternal Family
Adopted / Co-heirs (Romans 8:15)
Cloud of Witnesses (Hebrews 12:1)
2000 years of church history
The Big C Church
The Local Church
Ephesians 4:11-16
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
BID
Ask ourselves.
Is my life actually geared toward and focused on the transformation work Christ is doing?
If not, REPENT