Good News – Part 4
The Gospel That Transforms
I was at the zoo and saw a piece of toast.
It was bread in captivity.
Let that sink in for a second.
The Cinnamon Roll Revelation
A few years ago, I decided I was going to master making cinnamon rolls.
Why? Because I love Cinnabon. And Cinnaholic. And basically any place where sugar meets dough and becomes holy.
So I did the work.
I watched YouTube videos from the pros.
I searched for the perfect recipe.
I studied the process.
Then I gathered my ingredients and got to work.
Here’s the most important thing I learned:
You can’t hurry the rising of yeast.
You can help it. You can create the right environment.
But you cannot rush it.
And that yeast? It’s everything.
It’s what turns simple dough into a warm, pillowy spiral of buttery goodness, swirled with cinnamon sugar and topped with melting cream cheese icing.
Pause for a moment and thank God for cinnamon rolls.
Jesus Talks About Yeast
That slow, steady transformation reminds me of something Jesus said:
Luke 13:20–21
“What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
Sixty pounds of flour?!
That’s not a Costco run. That’s a Costco Business run.
Who is she feeding? That’s not family-sized — that’s village-sized.
This woman is doing something that will bless many. Kneading that much dough would be physically exhausting. This bread is made of flour, water, yeast… and a whole lot of elbow grease and love.
And the yeast?
It works its way through all of it.
It multiplies.
It expands.
It transforms everything it touches.
When Yeast Is Good… and When It’s Not
Jesus sometimes used yeast as a warning — like “the yeast of the Pharisees.” But here, it’s a good illustration.
In the Old Testament sacrificial system, leaven wasn’t burned on the altar. Why? Because leaven represented something living. Sacrifices were dead. Leaven was alive and active.
And now Jesus is on the scene.
A new life force has arrived.
Things are rising.
Something new is being formed.
The Kingdom of God.
Something like what came before — but completely transformed. The leaven from one batch becomes “foreign” to another, yet it changes that dough into something it could never become on its own.
Jesus is saying:
“The Kingdom of God is like that.”
Mustard Seed & Leaven
Jesus often paired parables together to expand our understanding. This one is paired with the mustard seed.
- Mustard Seed – the outward, visible expansion of the Kingdom
- Leavened Bread – the inward, invisible transformation of the person
The Gospel grows outward through the world
and inward in the heart.
Don’t Be Unleavened Christians
Followers of Jesus are not meant to be:
- flat
- stale
- dry
We are meant to be:
- fluffy
- fresh
- full of life
Go ahead — text someone and tell them they’re fluffy. I’ll wait.
The Real Work of Transformation
The Good News of Jesus is the leaven.
Our lives are the dough.
For His work to be accomplished in us, Jesus must permeate all of us.
We call that:
- holiness
- entire sanctification
- Christian perfection
It’s the slow, deep work of transformation from the inside out.
There’s Another “Leaven” Competing for You
We live in a fascinating — and concerning — moment.
In 2026, we’re not just using technology.
Technology is shaping us.
Studies show that algorithm-driven content can shift a person’s core convictions in a single week — something that used to take years of lived experience. These systems feed us content that triggers anger, pride, fear, and outrage. Over time, empathy shrinks. Peace erodes.
That’s a kind of leaven too.
The algorithm is shaping you.
Discipling you.
Producing fruit in you.
But it’s not the fruit of the Spirit.
Some estimates say the average person spends 17 hours a week being formed by digital content. It would take at least that much intentional time with Jesus and His people to counteract it.
Here’s the Good News
We get to choose our leaven.
We choose who disciples us.
We choose what shapes us.
We choose what story we live in.
The algorithm will never make you:
“more and more like Jesus, changed into his glorious image.”
— 2 Corinthians 3:18
Only the Spirit can do that.
The Hot Tub Problem
Imagine cleaning a hot tub.
You scrub the inside. It looks great. Sparkling.
But you ignore the plumbing.
Dirty pipes = dirty water.
You can polish the surface of your life all you want, but if the inner system isn’t transformed, the same old stuff keeps circulating.
Jesus wants to clean the inside system, not just the visible surface.
A Heart & Spirit Evaluation
So here’s an invitation: spend time with Jesus in honest reflection. Not to earn His love — but to receive His grace and His transforming leaven.
1. The Motivation Check
📖 1 Corinthians 13
Question: In my recent conversations or service, was my goal to be right and impressive, or to genuinely seek the other person’s good?
Reflect: Am I becoming “clanging cymbals” by doing right things with a cold heart?
2. The Internal Tug-of-War
📖 Galatians 5:19–21
Question: Which act of the flesh has been loudest in my life lately — jealousy, anger, discord, selfish ambition?
Reflect: Naming the weed helps us pull it.
3. The Harvest Inspection
📖 Galatians 5:22–26
Question: If those closest to me described my “atmosphere,” which fruit of the Spirit would they see most? Which is missing?
Reflect: We can’t force fruit to grow, but we can invite the Spirit to water dry places.
4. The Kingdom Character Test
📖 Matthew 5:1–12
Question: In conflict, do I fight for my rights, or lean into mercy, meekness, and peacemaking?
Reflect: Am I chasing the world’s version of blessing, or Christ’s?
5. The Foundation Survey
📖 Matthew 7:24–27
Question: Am I just hearing God’s Word, or actually building my daily life on it?
Reflect: If a storm hit today, would my peace stand firm — or wash away?
Final Thought
This isn’t an evaluation you turn in to a pastor or a church.
You turn it in to Jesus.
Receive His grace.
Receive His love.
Receive His leaven.
Because the Gospel doesn’t just forgive you.
It transforms you — from the inside out.
