The Promise of a Spiritual Makeover

We have the promise of the presence of Jesus Christ in our hearts, and he will remake us in His image, as we submit all that we are, including our thoughts and emotions, to Him. Romans 13 says:
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

God has provided for us a new life in Christ - we have been called new creations or new creatures in Him.  The old has passed away, and He has brought us new life, a life that enables us to put to death the deeds of the flesh, to experience forgiveness for past sins, and to experience a freedom that can only come from Him.  We have immense power available to us, and we can experience the cleansing power of Christ, that can bring a spiritual makeover in our hearts.

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In 1st Corinthians chapter 6, we can read a passage of Scripture that can remind us of our new identity in Christ, and how God desires to give us a spiritual makeover:
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,
10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

Here is some news out of Shoreline, Washington, in the Seattle area, where the Bethany Community Church has taken an old strip club and brought transformation to the property.  According to the Christian Today website, the church has taken the old Sugars strip club and given it a makeover, turning it into a wholesome location where anyone can relax with a cup of coffee, meet with friends and grab a bite to eat.

The church last year made the decision to lease the old building, which was a popular strip club that went up for auction when its owner, adult entertainment mogul Frank Colacurcio Sr. went to prison.

The owners were looking for a new tenant who could turn the place around and opted to go straight to the church to offer the property lease instead of looking for the highest bidder. He said he did not regret his decision.  Property owner Evan Voltsis is quoted as saying, "It was a place where women were exploited. And that's something that we wanted to change."

Pastor Scott Sund admitted that at first, he was not a big fan of the idea. After all, the place was known as one of Shoreline's most notorious establishments, and its business principles could not be more disconnected to the church's teachings.   But, he came around!

The church has torn down the fixtures, and there's this quote in the Christian Today piece:  "For a while we thought we'd be able to re-purpose them... and we just began smashing them. There was something very powerful about just knowing how women were enslaved here."

Prior to the opening of what will be called The Junction, the Church called for volunteers for construction, painting, carpet laying, and clean up, something which the community responded to enthusiastically, bringing the establishment  closer to the people of Shoreline.

Mayor Shari Winstead said the establishment's change of purpose is the best thing to happen in the 28 years she's been living in Shoreline.

The Seattle Times reports that the building will not be a place of worship. Sund said it will house a church-run community center that will offer tutoring, social events and a coffeehouse for the neighborhood.  The pastor says that, "We don’t want to focus on the past," adding, "We hope to fill it now with songs and prayers and joy."

This story can cause us to think about several aspects of the Christian life.  For one thing, the acquisition of this former strip club demonstrates some out-of-the-box thinking applied to ministry. We can rely on the God of creativity to generate ideas on how to be more effective for the Kingdom of God.  Even though the pastor was initially resistant, he was obedient to follow the Spirit's leadership.

I also believe this story contains a powerful image of the way that God will take a life and give it a makeover.  Inside, there was some seriously sinful behavior that was taking place, including the exploitation of women.  But the church went in and has begun to act to transform the place.  We can think how inside our hearts, we are sinners, we possess thoughts and desires that are not consistent with the walk to which God has called us.  But, the Holy Spirit can go inside a heart and transform us, enabling us to put off sinful attitudes and ideas that can cause us to sin against God - He can revolutionize our thinking and bring a transformed life.

Finally, as the pastor says, the church does not want to focus on the past.  As believers, we can turn aside from the sins of the past, strongholds that hold us captive, guilt that can paralyze our Christian life.  But God has given us the resources by His Spirit, energized by His Word, to rearrange our thinking and accept God's wonderful forgiveness.  He has given us a new identity and desires for us to walk in the newness of life that He brings.