I’m guessing that most of us have seen the television show “Extreme Makeover” at least once or twice. Pretty simple formula driving this “reality” TV series. Family enduring hard times cries out to the ABC producers to come and help them get things back on track by rebuilding their home. Super crew shows up one morning . . . family goes on vacation . . . local workforce descends upon the old home . . . demolishes it . . . then builds an “over the top” house in it’s place. Family returns from vacation . . . gets out of the limo . . . and, surrounded by a huge cheering crowd and a mass of media, they stand before a big bus which obscures their view of their new home . . . and then they shout, “Move that bus” and as the large vehicle pulls away . . . voila!!! . . . their new home is revealed . . . life has officially taken a turn for the better . . . or so it goes.

What’s brought this to mind this morning, is a reminder from God’s word that I’m involved in my own “extreme makeover” . . .

“But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7)

I don’t know that you’re going to find many better summaries of the gospel than that. It’s the work of the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit . . . not by our righteousness . . . but according to His mercy and grace . . . justified and heirs . . . possessing the hope of eternal life. And while just chewing on these verses overwhelms me with a fresh sense of gratitude and awe, what really grabbed me was the idea of washing and renewal.

Saved by the washing of regeneration . . . bathed by the new birth . . . cleansed by becoming a new creation in Christ. Old things have passed away, all things have become new (2Cor. 5:17) . . . having the uncleanness of my sins put away as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12) . . . my filthy rags of my own “righteousness” (Isa. 64:6) replaced with garments of salvation, clothing me in His robe of righteousness (Isa. 61:10). And, as someone has said, it’s not just that he put new clothes on this man, but he put a new man in these clothes . . . queue renewal . . . bring on the Holy Spirit . . . abundantly . . . and “Move that bus!”

Regeneration was the tearing down of the old . . . the laying the foundation for the new . . . a point in time event where I passed from darkness to light . . . from death to life . . . and then began the work of “renewing of the Holy Spirit.” The word used for “renewing”, in it’s various forms, is found about a half dozen times in the New Testament. Literally, it has the idea of something being renovated . . . of something being completely changed . . . or, as has been coined by others, an extreme makeover. And it’s the work of the Holy Spirit who has been poured out on the believer abundantly . . . nothing held back . . . no lack of resource available to complete the work which God has begun in us. Tell me that’s not kind of exciting. Painful sometimes? . . . yes . . . worth it . . . infinity yes!

Oh that God would love me so much as to send His Son to save my soul is worthy of eternal worship and praise! But to think that He then, through His Son, infused me with His Sprit, without reserve, to shape me into the person He created me to be and to know life, and life to the full . . . how amazing is that? And what I’ve found is that it’s not about cloning believers into a “one size fits all”, “look all the same, think all the same” mold. Far from it! Instead, just as He has crafted each of us individually in the first birth, He desires is to take our unique attributes, skills, bents, and giftings and, through the second birth – the regeneration, makeover His workmanship so that we might be exactly what He’s intended us to be . . . for our blessing . . . and for His glory.

The only limiting factor in this makeover is me. I can grieve the Holy Spirit . . . I can quench the Holy Spirit . . . I can choose to not listen, not obey, not walk in step with the Holy Spirit. Bad move. Or, by His grace, I can seek to hear His voice . . . determine to submit to His reconstructive work . . . let Him lead . . . and then watch the amazing work He will do in renovating my life. Move that bus!