“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).

What does it mean to be transformed by the renewing of your mind? How do we go about renewing our mind?

The text makes it clear that having a renewed and renewing mind is to the key to:

• not conform to the pattern of this world
• having the ability to test and approve what God’s will is

The word for conform means to be shaped/molded. Imagine an artist conforming/shaping/molding metal or clay into shape by applying pressure to make a particular image. Paul says that the world is constantly conforming/shaping/molding us into its pattern. The world pressures followers of Jesus to think like, act like, and speak like everyone else in the world.

The Apostle Paul tells us not to be conformed into the pattern of this world. Instead we are to have renewed and renewing minds. So, we are back to the original question: How do we go about renewing our mind? We renew our mind by letting God’s truth revealed through God’s word conform/shape/mold us. We do this by submitting to God’s word.

What does that look like when God’s word conforms/shapes/molds us?

Being shaped by God’s word doesn’t mean that we only think about Christian things. Being shaped by God’s word means that we learn to think about everything from a Christian perspective – we start to see everything through the lens of God’s word.

Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world. Instead, God’s word is to shape and mold us into the pattern of Christ.

“You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:3).

“You show that you are a letter from Christ…”

You are the Bible that an unbeliever will read. Before a non-believer ever picks up the Bible to see what it has to say about God’s love and grace, God’s plan for the world and salvation, about how much God loves sinners that he died for sinner…before anyone ever picks up the Bible to read this for themselves, they are reading Christians.

They look at how we treat others. They are watching how Christians speak about people when they are not present. They are watching Christians interacting with the wait staff at a restaurant. They are watching how we treat our homeless neighbors. They are watching how Christians deal with difficult people.

Our behavior and our interactions, for good or bad, impact the way unbelievers think about Jesus.

Because, before they ever read about Jesus in the Bible, they are reading Christians.

So, what do our letters say about Jesus?

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).

The church of Jesus Christ is an infant. It’s only been weeks, perhaps months, since Jesus ascended into heaven. The Holy Spirit was given to the church at Pentecost and Peter and John continue to preach about the resurrection of Jesus in the Temple to the great consternation of the Jewish leaders. What is even more troubling is that, not only that Peter and John continue to preach about Jesus, but hundreds and thousands are converting!

So the temple leaders arrest John and Peter. The temple leaders interrogate Peter and John about their preaching. And “when they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled ordinary men, they were astonished.”

These weren’t scholars. These weren’t the learned rabbis. These guys weren’t rich, powerful, influential people. These were ordinary fishermen. These were you commoners. But hundreds and thousands were coming to saving faith by the day.

How could this be? The temple leaders were astonished. The only conclusion that they could come to was that “these men must have been with Jesus.”

Isn’t that great?

You know, the way God goes about changing the world and changing eternities hasn’t changed. God continues to use ordinary people doing ordinary things to do extraordinary deeds for the kingdom of God.

So, do the ordinary things:

• serve in the local church
• facilitate a small group
• sing in the choir
• take care of the babies in the nursery
• help out in the office
• serve on a committee
• share God’s word
• pray for people
• love the people God sends your way

And watch how God uses ordinary people doing ordinary things to turn the world upside down.