We can change in many different ways throughout our lifetime. We may change our hairstyle or favorite food. We may change where we live or our occupation. We may change our political views or our favorite sports team. However, a Christ-like change is entirely different.
Brian Welch gained all that one person could desire as the lead guitarist of the metal band Korn. Then struggles with doing life that included drug addiction, divorce, and being a single parent brought him to rock bottom. Soon after Brian encountered scripture from Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Welch explains: “I was walking one day, just doing my Rock & Roll thing making millions of bucks, you know success and everything, addicted to drugs and then the next day I had Revelation of Christ and I was like, everything changes right now!”
As the adopted grandson of a ruling family, Moses had everything he could ever want. He lived in the palace and had the protection of the most powerful country in the world. Until, one day, acting out of frustration and anger, he kills someone to protect another and must flee the country for fear of the consequences. Moses makes a new life for himself away in Midian hiding from his past. Then Moses encounters the living-God in the wilderness and is changed.
C. S. Lewis lost his mother to cancer when he was only nine years old. With her death, he lost any belief in God and began to cultivate an unyielding atheistic worldview. By his prep school days, his friends would describe him as a riotously amusing atheist. It was an encounter with a different set of friends that would flip his worldview on its head. While at Oxford, Lewis befriended Neville Coghill, Hugo Dyson, and J.R.R. Tolkien. He was drawn to them because of their wit and intelligence. They were kindred spirits and, so it happens, Christians. Over the coming years, conversations with these Christian friends and others brought C. S. Lewis to a belief in God. Then in 1931, at the age of 33, he surrendered himself to Christ and was forever changed.
These lives are three examples of Christ-like change. Brian Welch, once a drug addict rock & roll star; now spends the bulk of his time sharing his testimony and leading mission trips to Africa to build houses. He learns the truth of the Bible and is changed. Moses, who ran from his privileged life to avoid the consequences of murdering someone; went back to face his accusers. He encounters God in the wilderness and becomes the spokesperson for God to Pharoh and leads the people of Israel out of Egypt. C. S. Lewis, once an ardent atheist; later becomes a world-renowned Christian apologist when authentic relationships impact his life. Though they are from different times in history; each of them experienced a Christ-like change.
Christ-like change is a radical shift in an individual’s perspective and direction in life. This is drastic, dramatic and deliberate. It can happen through biblical truth, a wilderness experience, authentic relationships or by some other means. The key to this change is an encounter with the living-God. Once you have been confronted by Jesus Christ and have submitted to His worldview and His plan for your life, a radical transformation occurs; this is a Christ-like change.
-Jeff Mitroff
Photo by Mckenna Watson