Remodeling Your Life- God's Transforming Power

Jim Ayer

Review and Herald Publishing Association

3- Second Chances

King David the murderer, Samson the philanderer, Peter the unconverted Christian, and the list goes on and on.

And examples outside the Bible, Well, there are many there also.

I'm talking about a second chance to board the bus bound for eternity.

You say you're already on it, but are you sure about that?

It's time to join your guide, Jim Ayer, for an exciting 12-episode journey into remodeling your life.

You're going to discover that God's transforming power is real, and He's ready to provide that power to you.

Now here's your guide, Jim Ayer, to take you on the journey of a lifetime, an amazing and dynamic experience with God.

You know, I was a thief, an alcoholic, and a drug dealer when God reached into my heart and spoke to me.

I became a Christian, But then I quit studying and taking time with God, spending quality time with Him.

But our spiritual divorce was not finalized, so I continued to play church for years.

I was sitting in the church pew, listening to the preacher, when a flash of conviction hit me.

I realized that I was eternally lost unless I made a drastic change in my relationship with God.

God asked me if I wanted to join Him on the journey of a lifetime.

God's question really hit me, and I needed to give an answer.

Should I stay where I was or go with God?

Do I continue placing all of my time and energy into amassing money, houses, toys, and success, or do I begin placing God on the top of my priority list?

♪♪ Moses had been going toe-to-toe with the pharaoh of Egypt, and finally Pharaoh said, "'I will let you go so that you may sacrifice to Jehovah, your God, in the wilderness, only you shall not go very far away.'" not go very far away?

That's actually the difference between freedom and bondage.

You can be a slave to the things of this world by holding on to the fancy car, the boat, the motorcycle, and at the same time attempt to reach out and grasp at the heavenly prize.

I'm sure you considered very strange to see an athlete carrying a suitcase all the way around the racetrack trying to win a race, attempting to reach the finish line.

But many Christians are trying to do the same thing in spiritual matters.

Are you trying to keep your feet in both worlds and not travel too far toward God?

The most precious gift in the universe can be ours for the asking, no matter how degenerate we have become.

We merely need to raise our eyes heavenward, focus on the things of eternity, the things that really matter.

Satan is always very happy to let us play church as long as we don't get too serious about it, or especially the God of the church.

Because the word church simply means those called out of the world by God to head in a new direction, to enjoy an unbroken friendship with Him.

You see, the devil says, hey, look, it's okay to look like a Christian and even attend church, But don't go too far.

There's no reason to go overboard with this God thing.

Beside, you don't want anyone thinking you're a radical, do you?

You see, Satan never gets worried when We're always making plans to leave Egypt, but we never actually do it.

Please understand, life begins when we are freed from sin and slavery.

The only way to be free is to point our eyes toward God, to make a commitment to Him and move our feet.

We can't afford to pause for a moment and look back toward the old life in Egypt, the old life of sin, but that's exactly what I did.

You see, God called me out of unbelievable darkness And when he called me from the darkness to light, I mean, I was so excited.

I began spending so much time studying my Bible, so much time in prayer.

I would go out early in the morning under a tree and pray to God maybe for an hour or so.

But then along the way, I began looking at things of the world.

I got into the top 4% of all of Coldwell Banker agents in all of North America.

I was doing everything that people would say, oh wow, you're so successful.

I had my motorcycle, I had all the cars, I had property, real estate, lands.

The congressmen, the senators, I was rubbing shoulders with them on a regular basis.

As the world looks at success, I was very, very successful.

And I was in church, I was dressed nicely.

Matter of fact, I was going to places preaching all the time but you see, something had happened.

There was a real difference because I was preaching without the power of the Holy Spirit.

Matter of fact, my study time was almost non-existent anymore, but I looked the part.

I did everything just the way I was supposed to.

As I traveled to places and I talked about Jesus Christ, like why no 1 would probably know the difference unless you were someone sitting in the pew and you had that converted heart, you had totally left Egypt, you had your own experience with Jesus Christ, and you'd be able to tell.

But I doubt in my own mind that there was a lot of people who could tell, because unfortunately, even today, there are many people who do not have that experience with Jesus Christ, who do not spend that time on their knees in prayer and study with Jesus.

1 day, sitting in the church pew, all of a sudden the Lord said, Jim, the Holy Spirit is going to be poured out all around you.

You're never going to recognize it or receive it, however.

I talked with a friend of mine, orthopedic surgeon.

He was having the same problems that I was having.

We said, well, let's get together on a Friday evening.

He had gotten ahold of a Bible study that we had to commit to spend about 45 minutes every day in prayer and study.

And I looked at that and I thought I'm too important for that.

Everybody else signed, but I didn't sign it.

Toward the end of the evening, they plugged in a video, and I began watching, and that preacher was preaching just to me.

He said, Jim, You've piled up so much stuff in front of your door, if God does call you to go on mission for him, you'll never be able to get to the door to even answer the call.

I hurried up, I wiped my eyes, and they turned the lights on, the video was over, everybody began walking out the door, and I still had in my hand that guide.

And I'm looking at that guide thinking, what do I do, what do I do?

And finally, at the very end, I signed my name.

And I tell you, it was the most exciting second chance.

2- Born Again

Well, we've examined the samples and the lab results are conclusive.

I'm sorry to tell you, but it's bad news.

The infection is going to be fatal unless drastic measures are taken.

You see, there is a cure, but we must act immediately.

You're going to discover that God's transforming power is real, and he's ready to provide that power to you.

You know, many church members believe that they have immunity to the sin gene, that It really doesn't affect them.

They think that simply being a member of a church inoculates them from the consequences of this deadly disease.

We're all infected and there's only 1 cure, the great physician Jesus Christ.

Jesus told 1 patient that the cure was to be born again.

You see, our lives must be completely remodeled, overhauled, changed, transformed.

You see, we must allow the master craftsman entrance into our home to tear down and get rid of the old, rotten, destructive material and replace it with the new heavenly material, God's Word.

But many people have a very different idea.

They wanna hang on to the old wood and rewrite the manual.

They wanna shape and fit Jesus into their own desires and their own perceived needs.

Are you guilty of attempting to shape Jesus into your own image?

You're a homeowner, and you decide the home needs a lot of improvements.

Next, you decide to remodel it on your own.

But you have little to no experience in the building trade.

You do, however, have great pride in your ability to handle it.

You watch them do it all the time on television.

Well, let's put some boards here, let's put some boards there.

We'll do a little texture here, a little tape there, and sure, you can manage it.

Oh, and the marble floors and the granite countertops?

Well, it took longer than you thought now, but you know, the job looks really good.

You've done it and you're so happy with yourself.

It's a pretty good job if you do say so yourself.

Some years later, you decide to sell your home so you can call a real estate agent and you put it on the market.

You don't say a word about your remodeling job and your expertise but you allow them to go through the house take it all in because you've got such pride.

The next day the agent comes back with a price and the listing papers well your expectations are great but he shares the price and man it's not what you thought it was going to be.

And then the agent pauses, and she says, Well, it's very evident that the quality of the workmanship is tacky, and in many areas, it's just really lacking.

Do you know if the home was remodeled by an owner builder?

I've toured many homes over the years, and it's pretty easy to see which jobs work, the non-professional jobs, by simply looking at their works.

If you want the remodeling job to turn out right, you need a craftsman who knows what they're doing.

But that means admitting all your own inadequacies.

Let's transition to the spiritual realm because the dynamics are really the same.

In your own mind you're great and you think everyone should see things the way you do.

Well as a matter of fact that's how it was for James and John, the disciples of Jesus.

In 1 town, they didn't put out the welcome map for the disciples, so they wanted to call fire down from heaven and consume it.

They must be punished for their disrespect to their Lord, they thought.

Note, they were really thinking about their own feelings at that point.

And in their mind, they just knew that Jesus felt the same way.

Jesus had to break the news to them that they were way off base.

See his character was far removed from their idea of who he should be.

I've called myself a Christian for many years and I dressed the part, I acted the part, I even preached the part.

But I was not much different than James and John.

If I was good enough I would no longer infect others.

Yeah, well anybody I came in contact with, at least that's what I thought.

My attitude was that I loved Jesus, and he was a wonderful Lord, but the thing is, I had my own idea what the word Lord meant, and it certainly didn't mean Lord of my life.

No, I envisioned something a little more along the lines of, you know, a general friendship.

I put my money in the offering plate, and he blessed me for doing it.

Well, I got all the benefits of the relationship with no potential downside, like needing to turn over my life decisions to Him and allow Him to fully control me.

Now, that would not have been the God I grew up to know and love.

Imagine giving God complete control of your life, 100% to do exactly what He wants us to do in your life.

In my opinion, many of Christianity, the whole idea to surrender everything just seemed to me and seems probably to many people a little over the top.

David Platt in his book Radical says quote we're starting to redefine Christianity we're giving into the dangerous temptation to take the Jesus of the Bible and twist him into a version of the Jesus we're more comfortable with.

But you and I realize what we're doing at this point, we're molding Jesus into our image.

He's beginning to look a lot like us because after all that is whom we are most comfortable with and the danger now is that when we gather in our church buildings to sing and lift up our hands and worship We may not actually be worshipping the Jesus of the Bible.

Instead, we may be worshipping ourselves." Could this be the reason so many non-Christians look at the church, look at us and say, if that's Christianity, I want nothing to do with it.

When this happens, the devil could not be happy.

Our own actions have destroyed the witness of the gospel long ago.

Maybe it's time to take a look into the mirror and see who's looking back.

Now's your opportunity to purchase Jim Ayers' entire transformation package at 1 low price.

You'll receive the book, the 12-week study guide, and the 12-episode DVD series.

Each item will offer you, your family, and your church the tools to transform a dull, lifeless Christian experience into a vibrant and victorious life.

This will truly be an investment for eternity.

Call today 800-876-7313 or log on to transformationinfo.com.

Jim and Janine Ayer have created a 12-week study guide designed to lead you into a deeper and more meaningful walk with Christ.

If you're a brand new Christian or have been going to church your entire life, this guide is for you.

It's perfect for individual study or for an entire group.

The greatest gift you can give to your church or your family is Transformation, the 12-week study guide.

Order today by calling 800-876-7313 or log on to transformationinfo.com.

In retrospect, I had to ask myself, what happened?

What was the reason I didn't want to fully give God control of my life?

Well, it was really quite simple, actually.

Oh, I'd certainly had my moments, but over time those moments became fewer and farther between.

Well, with God, it's all about continuity of commitment, a life direction.

It's a little like this pathway I'm walking on today.

When Jesus speaks to you and you decide to answer the call, you turn and you go the opposite direction.

You see, you're no longer walking in the old direction, and you don't run back and forth on the path each day trying to figure out a new path.

1- Celestial Plan

They'd been looking for him for thousands of years.

They talked about him, dreamed about him, why they gave instruction concerning him, studied his life.

But when he stood among them, they didn't recognize him.

Now, here's your guide, Jim Ayer, to take you on the journey of a lifetime, an amazing and dynamic experience with God.

The prophet John understood in the book of Daniel that Jesus was to appear on the prophetic scene very soon, and John had been appointed to proclaim the message.

When the prophetic time clock struck the cosmic hour, Jesus appeared.

John stopped baptizing, rose up out of the water and said, Behold, the Lamb of God.

Church leaders and members were all together on the bank that day.

The very people who should have recognized Jesus, but they did not.

He was the foundation of their religion and no 1 knew him.

Would you recognize him if he walked into your church?

Join me as we discover who Jesus really is and his exciting plans for your life.

Plans that can almost guarantee you you've never heard before.

I have a distant relative by the name of Jim Ayers.

We're confused a lot of times, but he actually tells me that we are related years ago.

You see, I sent him our genealogy and he found back in England in the 1600s, we were all part of 1 big family and we were royalty.

But you know, as great as all this is, there's another book that speaks very plainly of an older genealogy, the genealogy of human history and of royal blood.

Humans were created as the crowning act of God's creation.

Our lineage was a pure stream directly from the heart of the King of the universe.

Just imagine, the sons and daughters of God.

But there was a major glitch in the perfect plan caused by someone else.

Around the time God was going to institute the plans for His new human race, the most powerful created being in the universe started having an eye problem.

No, not an eye problem, but an eye problem.

You see, he started thinking he was so wonderful and beautiful, which he was, that he figured he should run the universe rather than God, his creator.

But Because God built in free will into the genetic pool of the gene pool, a problem arose.

You see, his planning had included free will because his entire celestial makeup exudes love.

And love does not demand obedience or worship, it only yearns for it.

You know, the due date arrived for the creation and birth of the new earthly couple, Adam and Eve.

Why, Adam was fashioned by God's own hand and the couple was made in God's very own image, a reflection of Him, if you will.

The Lord spent a great deal of time with them in the new home He created for their absolute enjoyment.

Think about it, an entire planet of unbelievable beauty just for them.

But then it was time to share the sad story of the devil's rebellion.

The devil was kicked out of heaven in open rebellion and he was on his way to earth with a heart full of treachery And all that treachery was toward the crown.

Father God instructed the pair to stay away from 1 tree.

And they were told that the devil was restricted to that 1 spot.

But you may ask, well, why was Eden restricted to that spot?

Well, remember, Adam and Eve had free will.

The father had built it into the genetic makeup of the Eden pair, and they too had to decide whose leadership was the best, God or the devil.

We don't know how long it was before Eve found herself in conversation with the devil.

But when she did talk with him, she was mesmerized.

His lies sounded so convincing that it made God seem like the liar.

Maybe the father did want to withhold something she thought that was really good for them.

The couple ended up accepting the entire pack of lies, sold themselves into slavery in all posterity.

Our parents were the prince and princess of planet Earth.

And now they were doomed to death for their act of treason against the crown.

But the king of the universe had a different plan.

His love is so powerful that He would buy us back from bondage.

I will earn the right to give you my righteousness, like the covering of the lambskins that now cover your nakedness.

And I will live inside of you to give you a power to once again resist the lies and the temptations of the evil 1.

You can be restored to your royal heritage and more if you accept my free gift and invite me to live in you so that you have power to fight the devil.

♪♪♪ Ever wonder why your life doesn't reflect the powerful change that's supposed to be part of every Christian experience?

Do temptations weigh on you and leave you saying, maybe I'm not trying hard enough, or wondering if God's holding up his end of the deal.

Could there be some secret everyone but you knows?

Back to Menu

All Teachings

3- Second Chances

28m

2- Born Again

28m

1- Celestial Plan

29m

15- Ellen White’s View of Women In Ministry

57m

14- The Present Relevance of 1 Timothy

1h 53m

13- Women’s Ordination and the Jerusalem Council

58m

12- Reply to NAD and Other Pro-Women’s Ordination Arguments

1h

Overcoming Like Jesus

50m

Preparing to Tie the Knot (Part 1)

29m

Overcoming Doubt and Skepticism

44m

Overcoming the Myths of Marriage

32m

He Said He’d Come

29m

Sound Doctrine