The transformed church

Renewal in the church has been spoken of, longed for, rarely attained and often ignored.  A number of men and women of God have tried, over the years, to persuade the church of the need to change her ways but with little success. Why?  I believe there are some fundamental principles that need to be understood first, in order to effect this much needed change:

1) Renewal in a country must begin with renewal in its cities.
2) For renewal to happen in the cities, the communities within those cities must undergo a transformation.
3) This must, of necessity, begin within the local churches in those communities.
4) Now for a church to transform from its present condition, and volumes have been written and spoken of the condition of the "church", individuals within that church must begin the work of self-transformation.
5) So we get to the lowest common denominator for renewal - renewed or transformed lives.

This is the key to renewal and is central to the maturity of the church of Jesus Christ.

Romans 12:2
2. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Significant is the contrast between conforming to this world and transforming your life.
Conform means to take on the appearance of, to become like.
Transform means to become something else. The root word is metamorphosis, as a butterfly becomes a totally different creature to the caterpillar from which it originated.
Again, a careful look at scripture gives us keys to how to effect this transformation process. The renewing of the mind is no mystery. It is also not a brain transplant! If a cup is dirty, it gets washed. If clothes are dirty, they get washed. Too simplistic? No. The bible speaks of the washing of the word. In Titus 3:3-7, Paul outlines a recipe for the renewal of lives carried away by this world's attractions. In verse 5, he says, "He (Jesus) saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." So we see that when we are born again and baptised in water, we are washed clean of our former sins and when we are baptised in the Holy Spirit, we are renewed. I believe this is the first gift we get from God when conversion takes place. There is still an on-going process of washing and renewing that takes place throughout a person's life. This happens as we are submitted to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. The cares of this world, unconfessed sin and a poor prayer and word based life lead us into a lukewarm condition, not pleasing to God. Hence the need for the renewing of the mind so that we can discover what the good, acceptable and perfect will of God is for our lives.
I have found a number of key principles that will assist with transformation of the heart. Once these become foundational in a Christian's life, renewal, revival, transformation - call it what you will - can and will take place. It is not enough to hear the word, we must do the word.