"Blow their minds!"

That is what the man called out to me as I left the copy center where I had laminated some materials for a message I was preparing. It was one of those "God moments" when you feel God speaking to you, but don't quite understand what he is saying. The passage which immediately came to mind was Romans 12:2. "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." This passage speaks about our minds, but it doesn't say anything about having our minds blown. Renewed, yes. Blown, no. I decided to look more closely.

The first thing I noted about the Romans 12 passage is that the word translated "be transformed" is the Greek word "metamorphoo" (meta-morph-ah-oh). This is the word from which we get our English word "metamorphosis." It speaks about getting the true identity on the inside of something to the outside where it can be observed. We have an obvious example of this in nature. When a caterpillar goes through metamorphosis, the butterfly DNA which has been hidden inside of the caterpillar emerges in all of its glory. This is also what it means for us to be transformed. We have spiritual DNA (his call, giftings, and glory) which God has placed in us when he came to live in us. Our metamorphosis is intended to get that DNA from the inside of us to the outside of us where it can be observed. That is why we must be transformed, or more literally, metamorphosed.

Just what this transformation is all about becomes apparent when we see how the word metamorphoo is used in other passages of the New Testament. Besides this passage in Romans, it is used in three other places. Two of those occurrences are in parallel passages in the gospels which speak of Jesus' transfiguration. In Matthew 17:2 and in Mark 9:2 the same words are recorded, "There he was transfigured before them" (NIV). In this passage the word "transfigure" is the translation of metamorphoo. The results of this metamorphosis were that his face shown like the sun and his clothes became as white as light. What happened is that the hidden part of Jesus, his divine nature, was metamorphosed to the outside so that it was observable by his disciples. This had a rather deleterious effect on Peter's mental and emotional stability as he witnessed something his mind could not comprehend. The glory of God was clearly evident on Jesus' person.

Since the same Greek word is translated as either "transformed" or "transfigured," we could appropriately substitute the word "transfigure" for "transform" in Romans 12:2. "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transfigured by the renewing of your mind." We are not to look like the pagan world. We are not to look like the religious world. We are to get the glory of God which is on the inside of us to the outside where it can be observed by others. This gives glory to God. I believe Isaiah 60:1-2 is speaking of what will happen when we finally understand what it means to be transfigured by the renewing of our minds. Then the glory of God will appear upon us.

The only other place the word metamorphoo is used, is in 2 Corinthians 3:18. Paul writes, "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." Again it is helpful to substitute the word "transfigure" for the word "transform." Paul sees the glory of the New Covenant in that we are being transfigured into Jesus' likeness. The glory which comes from the Lord is on the inside of us. It is God's intent to transfigure us so that his glory can be seen.

I believe this is exactly what happened with the apostle Peter. In Acts 5:15 we are told, "People brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by." The next verse strongly implies that all of these people were healed. Many students of the Bible have pointed out that the word which is translated "shadow" in this passage means much more than that. The Greek word is episkiazo (ep-ee-skee ahz-oh). This word is not used to describe anyone's shadow in the New Testament. It is used in other ways, though. One way it is used is to describe what the Holy Spirit's power did to Mary. The translations state that the power of the Holy Spirit would "overshadow" Mary. "Overshadow" is the translation of episkiazo. This gives us some idea of what the word means. It has to do with coming into contact with the power of God. This understanding is further validated when we realize that episkiazo is used only three other times in the entire New Testament. It is used in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, all in reference to what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration. In those accounts we are told that the glory cloud "enveloped" the mountain top upon which the disciples and Jesus stood. The power of God overshadowed that mountain. The glory of God was manifest to the disciples.

In this same way the glory of God overshadowed Peter. It was an observable phenomenon which brought people into contact with God's power. Peter demonstrates for us at least part of what it means to be transfigured into Jesus' likeness by the renewing of the mind. It had occurred to such an extent in him that the glory overshadowed him and was able to communicate divine healing to those whom he passed. Peter was not conformed, he was transfigured to release God's glory in such a way that the glory of God was appearing upon him and overshadowing others as he passed by them.

So how did God work this transformation in Peter? How does he work this in us? In Romans 12 Paul tells us that this transfiguration takes place through the renewing of our minds. The idea behind the Greek word translated "renewing" is that of a complete change for the better. Peter's mind was most apparently renewed for the better. Our minds must be renewed in the same way. But the question remains, "How do we get our minds renewed in this way?"

Many Christians, at this point, would begin to explain a variety of regimens to get the Scripture into our minds so that we live, breathe, and sleep Scripture. Others would focus upon other disciplines and ascetic practices which will help in this process. I do not mean to diminish the importance of the traditional disciplines, personal ascetic practices, or of a structured program of biblical study and memorization. These are wonderfully helpful tools in our Christian walk which I believe are appropriate for Christians as we develop in Christ. But their value for renewing our minds for the release of God's glory is questionable. There are many scholars who do not know Christ who can quote major sections of Scripture verbatim in its original languages, and yet they have not been transfigured. There are others who have followed the classic disciplines, who even know Jesus, and yet they have not been transfigured. This is not the way to renew the mind.

When Paul tells us not to be conformed to the patterns of this world in Romans 12:2, I believe he is speaking about more than just living above the base desires of the flesh. I believe he is speaking to just such a use of the disciplines and other Christian practices in an attempt to renew the mind and release God's glory. In Colossians 2:8 he directly addresses this issue. In this passage he states, "See to it that no-one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." He goes on to explain in verse 20 and following that he is describing religious ascetism and its allure to those who are seeking a higher spiritual life. It is tempting to conform to the "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!" principles of Christian living in an attempt to release God's power. But Paul clearly states that this is not the way to the renewal which we so desperately seek. We still stand by grace through faith.

If there are no such easily patented methods, how do our minds get renewed so that we can be transfigured? Perhaps it will help if we examine Peter's life. When did his mind get renewed? We have a direct reference to this event, or at least to the beginning of this renewal, in Luke 24:45. Jesus had just risen from the dead and has appeared to his rather slow-to-believe disciples. He first explains what had happened according to the Scriptures, then we are told that he "opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures." I believe this is the same event which is described in John 20:22 when he breathed his indwelling Spirit into them. In any case, Jesus does something to the minds of the disciples. Peter, as one of the disciples, also had his mind touched by Jesus in this way. His mind was renewed. It went through a complete change for the better.

What exactly did Jesus do to the disciples? According to the translation, he "opened" their minds. That is a rather calm way to translate the phrase which Luke uses. The Greek word translated "opened" is a word which means to open by dividing or drawing something asunder. It is a phrase which could appropriately be translated, "he ripped their minds asunder so they could understand." This is not an exaggeration. The same Greek word was used in that day to describe what a baby does when it passes from the womb, into the birth canal, and out of the mother. Anyone who has experienced labor, even as a bystander, understands the violence of the action which is being described. Jesus did blow their minds. He also wants to blow our minds so that his glory can be released.

Please note that I am not condoning an anti-intellectual or anti-scholarly approach to how we handle God's truth. It is only through study and other scholarly disciplines that we have the tools to unearth the rich meanings of the original languages of the Bible. It is only through study that we understand the historical context in which Jesus and his disciples lived. We need our minds to dig up the treasures which God has placed in his word. We are clearly encouraged to study to show ourselves approved as workman who correctly handle the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). But we achieve our growth through Spirit and truth, not just a study of the truth. Our minds are quite capable of blocking the flow of God's Spirit through control, false assumptions, fear and false constructs which hinder understanding of God's way of dealing with us. It is this issue which is being addressed.

God gave me an experience which helped me understand the importance of this point. My family and I were vacationing in the Northwest corner of Georgia. The Holy Spirit had let us know that he would be speaking to us clearly during this trip to Georgia. He had given Dawn, my wife, a vision of an intense release of electrical energy just as we were about to leave on this vacation. It didn't take long to find out what that vision meant.

After we arrived at our cabin God fulfilled this vision. Immediately after a particularly powerful time of intercession, a severe thunderstorm hit the mountain upon which we were staying. As we were looking out the cabin's main window, lightning struck a tree immediately outside of the cabin. As I looked out the window I could see what appeared to be sheets of liquid lightning flowing from the tree accompanied by three loud explosions that sounded like artillery. In that instant the cabin filled with electricity, so much so that the smoke alarm even began to sound, though it was not connected to any electrical wiring. This intense electrical discharge instantly knocked out the electricity in our cabin and in surrounding cabins.

It was about six hours before electricity was restored on the mountain top. An electrical transformer had been destroyed by the lightning. Even after our electricity came on, the air conditioning in our cabin did not work. It took a repair crew most of the next day to get it functioning again.

It wasn't until I was on a ministry trip with a friend two weeks later that God spoke to me about the meaning of what had happened. He showed me that an electrical transformer is really a conformer. It takes the high voltage electricity in the power lines and conforms it to the needs of human habitation. When the lightning hit, the transformer/conformer was "torn asunder" and for a brief instant, a surge of high voltage electricity got through the lines before the circuit breakers in the transformer stopped the flow of electricity. In this same way God wants to rip asunder the limitations to his power which are in our minds. The false constructs and the lack of understanding limit his ability to get his glory through us. They act in the same way as an electrical transformer, conforming God's power to fit us rather than allowing his power to transfigure our lives with his glory. God showed me that we need him to blow our minds to get his glory through.

I would not be honest if I did not admit that I was just a little bit annoyed that the lightning had also taken out the air conditioning. I could not understand how this fit into the whole scenario of what he was teaching me. But he spoke to my understanding again. This time I was sure he was saying, "As I take you through this process of opening your minds, I am not all that concerned about your comfort." It almost goes without saying that having our minds torn asunder could include a bit of discomfort. But the Lord graciously made certain I did not miss the point.

How do we get metamorphosed? We need God to blow our minds. Jesus did this for the disciples by breathing the Holy Spirit into them. This is the Holy Spirit's work. He is the anointing which teaches us all things, even how to get the glory out. Thus, we are dependent upon him. Every spiritual experience which he gives us blows our minds a little more. We get a bit more understanding -- a few more milliwatts of resistance to God's power are torn away. As God releases his power through prayers and intercession, our rational constructs begin to fade away and the super-rational understanding of God forcefully enters our minds and opens them to being renewed.

We are on the path to our transfiguration. We are in process. The glory of Isaiah 60:1-2 is coming. The experiences we are having at our conferences, in our congregations, during our intercessory times and worship times, and in our personal times with God are preparing us. Our minds are being opened. Sometimes it feels like they are being ripped asunder as we go beyond our comfort zones. But as God blows our minds, his visible, observable glory is getting closer and closer to the surface. It has been written. It will happen. The glory of the Lord will appear upon us.

-Randal Cutter