TRANSFORMATION (Romans 12: 1-2)

 

By: Pastor Greg Tupas, Jr.
Grace Bible (Baptist) Church International
614 Brimley Rd., Scarborough, ON, Canada

 

“ I bessech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, whi ch i s your
reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that is good,
and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12: 1-2)

THERE were two brothers who were imprisoned for steeling sheep. They both served some years for their crime. Both of them were tattooed with the
letters ST on their foreheads which mark means Sheep Thief. One of the brothers after some weeks from their release left their town because he couldn’t stand the mockery of his townspeople, with their marks on the forehead. Wherever he went, he was asked about the ST mark and he could
not be employed. Hopeless of his future, he committed suicide. The other brother did not leave his town, he became a Christian, and the Lord changed him and he was noted as an honest person.

He became a godly person, he helped and gave the needy, he spent his time in sharing the Gospel and won many souls for the Lord Jesus Christ. Because he was shining as light in his town, the word of God manifested in his Christian life, specifically Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” When somebody was asked about the meaning of ST on
his forehead, they would say it means saint (ST).

If we are to be honest to ourselves in rating our spirituality in the scale of 1-10 with 10 as highest, how would you rate yourself? Are you worldly or godly? We are blessed in Canada because we have the freedom to exercise our faith. We have never been persecuted. Let us ask ourselves
this question: If God will allow trials, will I pass the test?

In the military, one looks like everybody else. They wear the same uniform and have the same haircut. They deprogram their lives to be effective soldiers. As Christians, we also need to be deprogrammed to be effective believers. How can we do it? No way! It can only happen as we allow the Holy Spirit for transformation. Transform comes from the word metamorfo where the word metamorphosis is derived. Example, from a caterpillar to a butterfly. Something we allow to be done for us by the Holy Spirit. It is not our own making or our own power. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” (II Cor. 17)

As we have learned from the Parable of the Prodigal Son, we have a loving and gracious Father.
Suggestions:

1. Humble yourselves before God. We cannot change overnight. Ask God to give you a pure heart ( II Tim. 2: 22).
2. Decide to obey God. In the military they are commanded to obey first before they complain even if they don’t understand why. We have to obey the Lord in water baptism after we receive Him as our Lord & Savior. We should obey the Great Commission.
3. Don’t wait for a long time. Do the right thing when you know how to do it, even if you don’t want to. Our flesh is always against our spirit. It’s hard to obey God. We take two steps forward and one step backward. Are you still like the bonsai plant? It takes too long to be molded. Our soul is so valuable. How patient is God on us.

Are you committed that you would stand to Jesus regardless of consequences? Or are you separated, very much away from God? You are the only one who can answer that question. Please God rather than man. If you want to please others, please God first (Gal. 1:10; II Thes. 2:4).