What made me think of that was a Facebook post from Megan. She is turning 20 and is wanting to start being referred to by her middle name, Montanna. So, Megan is now going to be Montanna. She wants to leave "Megan" behind and I can understand that. This is not about being eccentric, this is about a change that will remind her that she is no longer the person that she was before her 20th birthday. Looking in our bibles we find that she is not alone.
There was a Jew whose name was Saul that we read about in the New Testament. Saul was like a super-Jew if you will. I mean, Saul was completely zealous for the cause of Judaism, he even called himself a "Hebrew of Hebrews". Saul was there when Stephen was stoned to death, and he went on a mission to get rid of the new idea called Christianity. We have heard this story, blinded by the light of God, spoken to on the road to Damascus by God Himself. Three days later, after fasting and prayer, Ananais prayed over him and the scales fell from his eyes and he was baptized. Amazing story of conversion. Later on, we read that this Saul was also called Paul and from then on out, he is known as Paul. He wasn't the only one.
Abram became Abraham, Sarai became Sarah, Jacob became Israel, Simon became Peter. Names changed to reflect a new life or a new direction. God called them and they were changed. We see this point being made in scripture:
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17
A new creation, what we once were is gone. I love the fact that Saul is now Paul. The whole idea that you become a new creation. "Hey, isn't that Saul, the one who persecuted Christians?" "No, that's Paul, he's a new creation." Paul wrote that line through the movement of the Spirit in him. He would know how much of a change occurs, he knows specifically what it would be to be a new creation.
Are you a new creation? We may not change our names, but the glory in that rebirth is still there. What Rob was died and was made over. Unfortunately, I waste alot of time trying to resurrect the old corpse. We talked about this Sunday morning briefly. Living the life we have been called to live. Why would I still be duck-walking when I am no longer a duck? Walk as we are called, live as God wants us to live and flourish in that.
Now, we all struggle with our new creation and all of us have spent or spend some time resurrecting that old way of living. It takes God working in partnership with us to make those changes. I don't want us to be so consumed with our failures that we stop striving to be what He called us to be. One of the beautiful things about Simon is that when he became known as Peter he did not quite fit that name yet. Peter is the translation of Cephas, which means the Rock. How awesome is that?!? Jesus looked at him and said, "I will name you the ROCK!" Of course, that was before the ROCK lied and denied that he even knew Jesus three times, using profanity to emphasize that lie...all of which happened not too long after the ROCK said he would die with Jesus.
IN HIS FACE!
Jesus even once said to the Rock, "Get behind Satan, you are a stumbling block!" Some Rock he was, right? Let's make something clear here. He never ceased being the Rock. He went on to do great things. God saw something in him that he didn't. God sees things in you that you have yet to know. God sees what amazing things He will be doing through you, He sees this amazing new creation you are even if it takes us years to see it. Start living it and see what God will do. Know that you are new, become your new identity. Know who you are, and what you are....God's new creation.
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