2 Corinthians 5:17 reads: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

Accepting Christ as our Savior and becoming that new creation is commonly referred to as our transformation. However, just because we are a new creation in Christ doesn’t mean that we know how to live as that new creation. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 states: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

As a believer in Christ, as you fellow Christians – especially when speaking to baby Christians – do you instruct from Scripture to transfer information or to transform the individual to someone who lives a life like Jesus? There is a significant difference between transactional learning and transformational learning 

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary here is the defined difference between these two types of learning:

Transactional: “an occurrence in which [something] is passed from one person . . . to another”

Transformational: “a complete or major change in someone’s . . . appearance, form, etc.”

Transactional learning, you see, is one size fits all. Much of today’s instruction involves someone having information and passing it on to another. It is intellectual and isn’t always knowledge that is expected to be acted upon. 

Transformational learning is meant to be life-changing (in this case, literally). When we engage with others with the intent of spiritual growth, we turn those we are mentoring from receivers of information to co-architects of their own spiritual growth. Transformational learning is meant to change how people view, act, and interact in a world seen through the lens of Scripture.

In our society, we tend to mimic our own experiences.

It’s human nature.

When mentoring/instructing others, we fall back to a familiar experience when we don’t have relevant experience in a particular field: in this case, teaching. We teach others the way we remember being taught. Though there is nothing wrong with that on its face, teaching to transfer information is speaking to the head which evaluates what is being received. However, action is not necessarily taken and relevance in real life may or may not be perceived by the receiver.

However, if we share Scripture and are seeking to help new Christians grow spiritually, we must turn away from a model we are familiar with from our school days. We must share with transformation in mind. Transformational teaching is sharing to the heart spiritual best practices which are meant to guide the receiver in how best to use what is being shared as a way to live his/her everyday life.

We have seen this time and again as we have mentored the incarcerated and the men of Freedom Lake. Incarcerated men – like any of us in our everyday lives –  have no use or time for “useless information”. Men need to make good use of their free time.  If they are going to spend a portion of that free time in any activity, it had better be relevant, important, and something they can use. 

When we tell – and then show – how Jesus can make them free while still being incarcerated, well, we have their attention. When Tony shares his personal story from heart to heart, you bet it’s relevant, important, and something they can use. Tony was them once upon a time so these men think “hey, if this guy was like us and accepted this Jesus guy and is where he is today, maybe Jesus can help me too”. Now we have their attention and can begin leading them down a path of transformation. 

The men of Freedom Lake have become those new creations in Christ. However, there is a significant difference between living like Christ while doing time and living like Christ in the free world.

We see a lot of men fall away from what they’ve been taught following their release. We see two reasons for this. The first is that the men who spent a lot of time reading and spending time with the Word and in the 3Thirds studies are not doing that upon release. The second reason men fall away is the lack of structure. Inside, structure is made for them.

Upon release and left to create their own structure, many return to the familiar so they fall back into what they know best. But a new creation cannot live his or her old life! This is why we created Freedom Lake. 

Freedom Lake is committed to the transformational change in guiding their spiritual growth. Freedom Lake is a commitment to a continuation from what they were doing while incarcerated to being men on mission, living a life of obedience-based discipleship in the free world.

The activities they became accustomed to inside are now exactly what they are experiencing in the outside world but without the pressures and influences that may pull them back into their old lives and away from Jesus.   

Transformational teaching is a profound thing to behold because you can literally see the growth in the individuals as they apply what they’ve learned under your watchful eye (but not doing it for them).

Transformational teaching is also critical because it is the epitome of disciple making as Jesus intends.

If we teach the men of Freedom Lake to be transformational teaching disciple makers, that’s the model they’ll use and pass along to those they mentor. Just as Jesus intended all along.

Transformational teaching is obedience-based discipleship and is what God has called us to do since the beginning of time – to obey Him (a call to action). That call has never changed. It is the key to our spiritual growth and to our relationship with God.

As Jesus said, “If you love me, you’ll obey me.” As you go about your everyday lives, approach your disciple-making efforts with transformation in mind, speaking from the heart (giving clear guidance from Scripture with instructions to obey) as Jesus did. Then watch what God does with it.

It will be truly transformational.