Transforming into the Image of Christ

By Adeolu Obatayo

The Bible says that in the last days, people would have a form of godliness but deny its power (2 Timothy 3). The power denied is that required for true conversion, i.e., transformation.
This book is meant to affirm those that profess the Christian faith that when we are justified by Christ in the process of salvation, it comes with the power of the Holy Spirit, who indwells us and seals us; his power leads to a compulsory sanctification as evidence of true salvation because the goal of God in the beginning remains the same, which is to create man in his own image.
Transformation is the mandatory process of the Holy Spirit conforming us into the spiritual and moral likeness of Christ, and it is completed only when we are glorified in heaven.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Dec 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796007794

Adeolu Obatayo

Adeolu Obatayo is a nobody trying to tell everybody about somebody who saved his soul. Though a Nigeria-born Australian married with three children who works as a general practitioner in Western Australia, his most important qualification is being a Christ-redeemed child of the Most High God, indwelled by the Holy Spirit upon whose authority he has written this book.

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Copyright © 2020 by Adeolu Obatayo.

ISBN:                  Hardcover                        978-1-7960-0781-7

                            Softcover                           978-1-7960-0780-0

                            eBook                                978-1-7960-0779-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scriptures marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

Scriptures marked AMP are taken from the Amplified Bible, copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Author Photo Credit: Olalemi Olalekan for Studio1727

Rev. date: 01/21/2019

Xlibris

1-800-455-039

www.Xlibris.com.au

805040

To this generation and generations yet unborn

seeking to know God in Spirit and truth

CONTENTS

Acknowledgement

The Testimony of the Book

The Essence of the Christian Faith

Salvation

Transformation

Fruit of the Spirit (FOTS)

Love

Joy and Peace

Self-Control

Patience and Faithfulness

Kindness, Goodness, and Gentleness

The Three-Dimensional Man

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Many men and women of God were involved in the writing of this book, both laity and teachers of the Word, but one thing common to all of them is that they were used by the Holy Spirit to give me his Word, and if I were to write all their names, I would be writing another book and defeating one of the aims of this book, which is to minimise man and magnify the Holy Spirit.

I acknowledge the Holy Spirit, who inspired and wrote this book, using all involved as his hand and pen.

THE TESTIMONY

OF THE BOOK

At the beginning of the year 2019, the Word for the year at the local assembly where I fellowship was ‘Transformation’, but I felt no connection to it, as I had no affirmation about it in my spirit. Hence, I disregarded it. The Word I got from God for my family and I was ‘Year of thanksgiving and praise’. I have had one for the last five years, and they have all always defined my year and impacted my life significantly.

My wife, who is affiliated to a local church in Nigeria and involved in the women’s ministry branch set up here in Australia, was contacted and informed that the Word for the year 2019 is also ‘Transformation’. I was startled—two different churches in two different countries with no direct connection! I know there is no coincidence in the life of a believer. I felt I was at the verge of missing out on a crucial directive from God. I dug into my Bible and started learning about transformation. I am still learning about it and believe it is an essential revelation after salvation and the substance of true salvation.

In February 2019, we had a call for a three-day fast in my local church; and before this, my wife had been concerned about our excessive use of medications. She suggested we pray for supernatural healing. During the fast, a mother in the Lord sent me a YouTube video about the threefold man by one of the late great teachers of Faith, and I was mesmerised by the message. Additionally, due to my medical background, I could relate to it medically. I listened to it a couple of times as it resonated in my spirit.

What ensued was that I could barely sleep during the three days of fast. My mind kept ruminating on the message and on better ways to teach it. Usually, I would have used a sleep medication or something, but because we believed for supernatural healing, I did not.

I would go to sleep at about 10.30 p.m., but between 1 and 3 a.m., I was awake, and my mind took on a life of its own. It kept going over the message and modifying it in my head. By the third day, I started writing the revelations I got during the night in a jotter.

By the fourth day, I realised what was happening, and I told my wife, ‘I think God wants me to write a book.’ All I was getting during the nights were revelations from God. This went on for about three weeks, but after the initial 3 days of fast, I stopped struggling. Whenever I woke up, I just listened; and when I got up in the morning, I wrote. I would say that I am probably the least qualified to write a book, as even my wife would comment on my common errors when writing as being almost dyslexic (I still struggle with when to use has–as, his–is), but the flow was just unstoppable, and I just kept writing.

When I finished writing about the three-dimensional man, I realised in itself it was incomplete. But the Holy Spirit gave me a flashback to the teachings I had done in church. The first was the essence of Christmas, which ended up being the essence of the Christian faith, and the second was transformation. I ended that teaching on transformation with the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit, i.e. the evidence of transformation. The content for the book was revealed, no prior plans or conception.

After the first three weeks, I would usually wake up very early in the mornings, between 3 and 5 a.m. to write, as it was laid upon my heart to be ready for work by 6.30 a.m. on at least three days of the week. It was like a heavy burden, and I just had to get it down to writing as soon as I got the revelation from the Holy Spirit, who used great preachers, gospel singers, circumstances in my life, and virtually anything to speak to me.

On a particular day, I was listening to the morning news from a local station, and someone quoted a Bible passage during the press conference. It immediately resonated with me in the spirit for a particular chapter I was writing at the time, and I included it.

This is how the book started and took form. It was written over nine months while working fifty-four hours a week. Only in July did I have my annual leave of three weeks.

The book in itself is a miracle and possible only under the inspiration and strength of the Holy Spirit. I am merely a pen in the hand of the author and creator.

THE ESSENCE OF THE

CHRISTIAN FAITH

WHAT DO PEOPLE SAY

CHRISTIANITY IS ABOUT?

In my work as a medical doctor—general practitioner to be specific—I meet a good sample of the general population; and with society becoming more secular by the day, it is essential to know what people think about Christianity so that we know how to bring them into the kingdom of God as he commands us in the Great Commission. (Matthew 28:16–20).

On one particular occasion, I met a middle-aged lady with the appearance of one with the weight of the world on her shoulders. She was greatly distressed and described herself as having the worst life imaginable. Currently at her wits’ end, all she required of me was a prescription of her antidepressant medications to prevent her from ending it all.

I teach the good news of the gospel to some clients of mine, but only when prompted by the Holy Spirit. For this particular individual, I felt a strong spirit of resentment about her.

I asked a couple of questions and tried to stimulate her rational mind into identifying the problem to help formulate a plan which, from my experience, empowers and liberates the client’s feeling of hopelessness.

She was quite defensive, telling me how intelligent she is and all I suggested were things done by her already. She was short of telling me my approach was belittling of her, which assumed she was not intelligent enough to have considered my suggestion.

She went on about how she could not get a job because of being deemed overqualified, and the thought of that as a reason itself was bizarre. As far as she was concerned, the situation was hopeless.

Again, she reiterated that all she wanted was her medications. I felt the consultation was getting a bit tense, so I gave her the prescription as requested, she was neither interested in any other management option, a waste of time she called it.

After I gave the prescription, she sat still, as though she was waiting for me to come up with another suggestion after repeatedly saying all she wanted was the prescription. I felt the Holy Spirit’s prompting, but the sense of rebellion to the Spirit persisted.

I then asked, ‘Do you believe in God?’ She answered yes. The next question was, ‘Which God?’ She said she was a Buddhist. I inquired further, ‘So how does that help you in times like this?’ She said her religion was all about suffering.

I felt this was the moment to talk about Christ, the Prince of Peace. I proceeded to ask if she had ever heard of Jesus? Her answer was, ‘I do not believe in myths.’ I expected resistance to the word of God, but the response was quite underwhelming, to say the least—‘You worship Buddha, but Christ is a myth!’

To her, Christianity is a myth: a well-known story which was made up in the past to explain natural events.

WHAT DO YOU SAY CHRISTIANITY IS ABOUT?

The consultation was meant to last just ten minutes, but by now, we had spent about fifteen minutes.

She told me not to waste my time, and that considering what she had been through, anyone in her shoes would be miserable. Then she paused and said, ‘Well, I don’t know what you have been through.’ Immediately I realised that was my message—my life experience of Christ makes me a witness of his reality.

I told her about how a kid from what could be called a dysfunctional home in a Third World country became a professional and partner of a service providing establishment in a developed country. I highlighted my trials, tribulations, and suffering and how I overcame to become who I had become, possible only through the power of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour.

She was spellbound for forty minutes. I asked her, ‘Do you still think he is a myth?’ She made a face of indifference, and I said, ‘But you are still sitting down. Your consultation was over thirty minutes ago.’ Her response was, ‘Maybe I am just intrigued by your story.’

I told her my intriguing story is the evidence of my Christian faith. I asked if she would like to give her life to Christ, and I offered to pray for her. She sat still, no words, just looking at me. She got up, and as she was about to leave, I told her she could always come back anytime and I would be happy to see her again.

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:8 NKJV)

The encounter gave me insight into propagating the gospel in our present age. You cannot effectively talk to an unbeliever if you have not experienced Christ, for we can only bear witness to what we experience.

The true Christian faith is not a stagnant status; it is an evolving process, a series of actions or steps taken to achieve a particular end, i.e. the likeness and image of Christ (transformation). We need to continually ask, seek, and knock (ASK).

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew 7:7–8 NKJV).

WHAT IS THE ESSENCE OF THE

CHRISTIAN FAITH?

To have a full understating of this, we would need to take a journey through the Old Testament (i.e. Genesis 1–3 AMP), highlighting the significant events, to reference our present time with regards the numerous confusions of this age and then conclude our journey in the new testament.

THE CREATION AND PERFECT ORDER

Then God said, ‘Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26–27 AMP)

7 then the Lord God formed [that is, created the body of] man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being [an individual complete in body and spirit]. (Genesis 2:7 AMP)

Italics added is to emphasize God’s aim in his creation of man and the reference to Genesis 2:7, highlights the creation of flesh from dust and God giving it life from his breath.

God created a three-dimensional man comprising of spirit being (divine entity), soul being or mind (consciousness of man), and physical being (flesh) from the dust of the earth.

Life flowed from God to man’s spirit >> soul >> flesh; and because his spirit was in sync with God by default, man possessed his moral likeness, i.e. the fruit of the Spirit (FOTS). Sin was contrary to his nature because his soul or mind, i.e. mental and emotional faculty, was completely under the authority of the Spirit.

For this reason, a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed or embarrassed. (Genesis 2:24 AMP)

He created them in two sexes, male and female only, with the institution of marriage established between a man and a woman, singular of each sex.

God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good, and He validated it completely. And there was evening, and there was morning, a sixth day. (Genesis 1:31 AMP)

In God’s Word, he validated it all as very good. He also gave man authority over the earth. This would appear to be God’s perfect order for humanity and the earth. (Genesis Chapter 1 and 2).

In reference to the age we live in and the confusion on gender and marriage, we need to go back to how the Creator intended it to be at the beginning, just as a computer device’s factory reset (also known as master reset, which is a software procedure of an electronic device to its original