Kingdom Consummated Part 6
At Keys Vineyard Church, we are presenting a series called ‘Kingdom Consummated,’ which we post here on Online Bible Institute.
Last week in our ‘Kingdom Consummated’ series, we spoke about the renewing of our minds and having the mind of Christ. We are going to talk more about that today.
Philippians 3:12-16 (NIV)
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
Paul’s words in Philippians 3 give us a picture of what a renewed mind looks like in motion. He was not claiming perfection, nor did he suggest that spiritual maturity was about reaching a place where no further growth was needed. Instead, he described a life of pursuit, pressing on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus had taken hold of him. Paul knew that God had already done something incredible in him. He was already a new creation. The work of salvation was complete, but the process of transformation was still unfolding.
Paul said he had to forget what was behind and strain toward what was ahead. The renewing of our minds means letting go of the old patterns, memories, and thought systems that used to shape how we saw ourselves and the world. It means moving forward with a new mindset that is shaped by what God has already done. This does not happen in an instant. It is a daily process of being changed from the inside out.
But Paul makes something very clear: this is not a self-help project. You cannot renew your own mind through sheer willpower or discipline. You can fill your mind with Scripture, you can pray, and you can be intentional about your thoughts, all of which are important, but ultimately the power to renew comes from Holy Spirit. He is the one who makes the truths of God alive in us. He takes what we know in our heads and brings it into our hearts, where it begins to shape our desires, emotions, and actions.
When Paul said, “Let us live up to what we have already attained,” he was reminding believers to walk in what God has already done in them. You do not strive to become righteous; you live out the righteousness that has already been given to you in Christ. You do not fight to earn God’s approval; you live from the assurance that you already have it.
The renewed mind, then, is a surrendered mind. It is a mind that yields daily to the Spirit’s transforming work. Our role is to keep pressing forward in faith, allowing the Spirit to make us more and more like Jesus until the way we think, act, and see the world reflects His heart.
This weekend at Keys Vineyard Church, we will discuss all this and more, so be sure to join us in person or online.
Steve Lawes is a pastor at Keys Vineyard Church and also the founder of the Online Bible Institute Network.
