Transformation: Is there more? Be transformed

It seems that most things self destruct if left alone. Vehicles, buildings, bodies: Most things need serviced in order to meet their full potential.

Church: the one-stop shop
American’s are often taught that to come to God, all they have to do is say a prayer and they are in. Say the prayer, pay your indulgences, go to church every week and you’re “in like Flynn”. If they are really spiritual they might even attend a six-week membership course.

For many, this seems to be about the end of it. God will often move on someone to be more: But over time. God’s call seems to surrender to creature comfort and the pressures of American life. Spiritual rigamortis, in the form of apathy, then becomes the rule of the day.

It is dreadful that many will find that this is the path to hell rather than Heaven. The spirit of apathy is murderous and it is alive and well in America; even pervasive.

What does the Bible have to say about it?
If there was one, I don’t know the specific moment that God gave me my life verses. I only know that for as long as I can remember I have had three basic verses that have always helped propel me in a certain direction.

One of those Scriptures is Romans 12:1-2: Romans 12:2 says:

“Be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

A mistake that is sometimes made is to interpret this verse as to mean that one is to “think differently”. However, that interpretation is sorely lacking.

The word “transformed” here means a complete metamorphosis and “renew” indicates a “qualitative” renewal; a quality restoration, to make something different than it was in the past.

Together these words tell us that God is encouraging us to undertake a personal and complete restoration process that is of top quality.

In conjunction with that, in this verse, the Greek language behind “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” tells us that the writer is communicating that our life restoration project should be a constant and ongoing process.

To achieve such a complete “makeover” of this nature is to undertake such a change that the new hardly even resembles the old.

An example of complete restoration
I used to live in a jurisdiction that made it very, very difficult to build a new home on a property. The county had such a reputation of making the process of building a new home so unbearable that many just wouldn’t. If possible, people would go to almost any extreme to not build a new home.

However, the county wasn’t too bad to work with when it came to remodels. So, to solve the problem, if people wanted to build a home where there was an existing structure they would tear it all down; all except one lone wall. They would remove the entire structure and preserve just one wall. Even that one wall would be stripped down to the studs. In its new home, it could change from an exterior wall to an interior wall or vise versa. In other words, the home would receive a complete transformation: It would basically be brand new. A 10′ long wall in a 20×30 hunting cabin could find its new place to be a 4,000 square foot fine home. I saw this several times.

Now that is a total makeover. That is a picture of what the phrase “transformed by the renewing of your mind” looks like. It is such a complete makeover that there is no way you could even tell that anybody even lived there before: And for all of us, it is a life long process.

Renewing the spirit of your mind
Although the verse says “renew your mind”, there is no way to accomplish that kind of total makeover without the renewal beginning in your spirit and then working its way into your mind.

Accordingly, Eph. 4:23 says to

Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.

Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. When Romans 12:2 says to “renew your mind”, what it is meaning is what is clearly related in Eph. 4:23: Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.

Change now, for the changes that are upon us
The world has begun massive changes. They are not coming; they are already in process. They have already begun.

Things are going to get pretty rough. The only way to survive is to be renewed in the spirit of your mind in Yeshua.

Today I encourage you to do whatever it takes not be distracted. Do whatever you need to do to stay focused on the things of God.

I don’t mean to go off to the mountains to be a monk. He knows you have a life to live. He knows that there is work to be done, arrangements to make, etc. I am not saying don’t do those things.

What I AM saying is whatever you do, whatever you think, do everything you do as unto God. This is a good place to start.

We live in exciting times. This is your time. This is your opportunity to live in the glory of God in ways that the world has never seen.

Glory to God!

Blessings in Yeshua, 
Parson Rayphe
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