The "Out There" Realms of Faith

The labels of “Conspiracy Theorist”, “Wacko” and “Nut Job” have been used to describe people whose understanding of reality was way off the grid of what most people considered normal. I am sensing we have entered a time when some of the people who hold controversial positions will no longer be seen as strange and out of touch with reality. Some of their theories may actually prove to be true. This will upend the faith of some revealing a faulty foundation that was not able to stand up under the weight of unusual and unexpected evidence. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was thought to be lunacy until the evidence of the empty tomb was presented and even then, some people refused to believe thinking the resurrection was a well-staged hoax.

When Paul said in Romans 12:2, “be transformed by the renewing of your mind”, he was telling us that our transformation is dependent on our ability to allow our thinking to be renewed. The word used here for transformation is the same word used to describe the transfiguration of Jesus. It is a transformation that reveals a manifestation of glory only seen in heaven unless it is received on Earth by someone with a renewed mind.

Jesus was the only one with a renewed mind that day on the Mount of Transfiguration. Peter, James and John were candidates for a renewed mind if they were willing to believe in something beyond their current reality.

On the day of the transfiguration, the garments Jesus wore “became dazzling white, far whiter than any earthly bleach could make them.” A supernatural out-of-the-box experience just happened and there was no place for Peter, James or John to fit that experience into a mind shackled by the limitations of human logic and reasoning. The evidence was overwhelming to their natural ability to discern what was taking place. I would like to have seen the expressions on their faces as they walked down the mountain with Jesus under the influence of a renewed mind and a transformed worldview.

The next time you are tempted to roll your eyes in disgust at some wild idea or crazy testimony, don’t be the first in the crowd to dismiss what you hear or see. Be careful and be wise. Wait before you make your final judgment. What you heard or saw may actually be part of a process that will lead you to experience a renewed way of thinking. If you embrace that new reality the terms used in the opening line of this article may be assigned to your life. If that happens don’t worry. You are in good company.