WASH LINE - Spring 2006

By Peggy Harris, W.A.S.H. Board Chair
Women and Men Against Sexual Harassment and Other Abuses
www.tagnet.org/wash

A Transforming God!
By Karen Fettig hopeministry@tctwest.net  W.A.S.H. Board Member

Starting in 1978 the show "The Incredible Hulk" came out on television.  It portrayed the brilliant scientist, Dr. David Banner, a research scientist trying to find a way to tap into the hidden strength that all humans possess.  Then, one night in his laboratory, an experiment goes wrong, causing him to be overexposed to gamma radiation.  Now, whenever angered or distressed, the mild-mannered scientist finds  his body undergoing a transmogrification and he morphs from a normal sized male into 'The Incredible Hulk.'  The Hulk is about seven feet tall, hugely muscular and powerful, with bright green skin.  After destroying whatever threatens Dr. Banner, he morphs back to normal human form with only amnesia and tattered clothing as evidence of what just transpired.  As you can well imagine, this situation is quite troubling for Dr. Banner and causes him no end of problems.

The Hulk is guided by David's personality, dealing with whatever distresses David.  But unfortunately, David has no control over the creature's actions. Nor can he remember what he has done during his Hulkish states.  He travels around the country in search of a cure, while taking various odd jobs under different aliases. During this odyssey, he tries to avoid the pursuit of investigative reporter Jack McGee, who suspects the Hulk of murder, and who is determined to discover the creature's true identity.

Of course this only happens just in the movies; people transforming into likenesses of other beings usually with monster looking features, possessed of super-human strength, usually fighting the battle between good and evil they knock the socks off the bad guys who are always getting stronger and more devious.

Transformation, a figment of our human imagination?

In the study of insects we see several types of transformation which is called Metamorphosis.  Metamorphosis refers to the way that insects develop, grow, and change form. Metamorphosis actually means "change".  There are two types of metamorphosis--incomplete and complete.

Incomplete Metamorphosis

About 12% of all insects go through incomplete metamorphosis.  Incomplete metamorphosis has 3 stages.

• Egg - A female insect lays eggs.  These eggs are often covered by an egg case which protects the eggs and holds them together.

• Nymph - The eggs hatch into nymphs.  Nymphs looks like small adults, but usually don't have wings. Insect nymphs eat the same food that the adult insect eats.  Nymphs shed or molt their exoskeletons (outer casings made up of a hard substance called chitin) and replace them with larger ones several times as they grow.  Most nymphs molt 4-8 times.

• Adult - The insects stop molting when they reach their adult size.  By this time, they have also grown wings.

Complete Metamorphosis

About 88% of all insects go through complete metamorphosis.   Complete metamorphosis has 4 stages:

• Egg - A female insects lays eggs.

• Larva - Larvae hatch from the eggs.  They do not look like adult insects.  They usually have a worm-like shape. Caterpillars, maggots, and grubs are all just the larval stages of insects.  Larvae molt their skin several times and they grow slightly larger.

• Pupa - Larvae make cocoons around themselves.   Larvae don't eat while they're inside their cocoons. Their bodies develop into an adult shape with wings, legs, internal organs, etc.  This change takes anywhere from 4 days to many months.

• Adult - Inside the cocoon, the larvae change into adults.  After a period of time, the adult breaks out of the cocoon. An example of this is life stages of the butterfly. 

We just celebrated the Easter Holiday.  As we traveled home from Cheyenne last night, I pondered the thought of what happened to the God Jesus who resided in heaven, when He became man?  How did a big sized God get into a small human sized egg?  God transforming into human form, it is one of those things that doesn’t make much sense to our human minds.  I suppose that one would have to say that this process of God into human development would be “Incomplete Metamorphosis” as the nymph resembled the adult. Or could we call it “Reverse Incomplete Metamorphosis,” as the seed resembled the true prototype.  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Genesis 1:26-27. 

We now have God leaving His Heavenly God body, uniting with a female human seed; developing in the womb as a human infant, being born in a most humbling situation, growing up in a modest home, working as a common laborer, being baptized and maturing into ministry and then dying on the cross, raised from the dead and ascending into heaven. Unlike the Hulk, He does not turn into a monster using super-human strength; although certain people thought he was a type of monster and sought to kill Him. 

Comparing Jesus to the super humans of today’s media world, we find he had super strength but He chose to use it to heal, to create miracles such as: transforming two fish and five loaves of bread into enough food to feed over five thousand people.  He never used his super-God strength to save Himself from the devils taunts and temptations in the wilderness when He was hungry, thirsty and weak.  He never used His super God power to wipe out His enemies. He could have used His super power to escape the nails of the cross, but He didn’t, Love held Him in place, Love held Him in check.  A love for the salvation of our souls!   A complete Love!

A lot of books are coming out about Jesus, such as “CHRIST THE LORD: Out of Egypt,” and the “Da Vinci Code.” Why would we believe anyone who has written about vampires and witches to tell us the truth about the Christ child?  (Unless they have had total Christ changed transformation and their words complement scripture.)  The two do not and cannot go together.  If we believe in the Bible we must not ever even dapple, dwell or invite the thought of anything to do with that kind of devilish work.  How can we know if one is telling the truth, if they are truly led by the Holy Spirit?   This is one way: Their teachings will coincide explicitly with the scriptures!  

The Bible does not tell us much about the childhood life of Jesus but we do know this: that He did not use His super-human-God strength to do miracles until He was baptized with the Holy Spirit, thus starting His Ministry. Yes He was very knowledgeable of the word but He was untainted by the teachers of His day, having received His teaching from His mother who was divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit.  He always did good and would not have even thought of one thing evil or He would have lost the fight for our salvation.  He did not marry, He did not sin! Why must anyone think that we need to make God in our image?   Why do we want a God that is as sick and perverted as we are?  Romans 1:21-25 “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things.  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves:  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”

I for one want to have in my mind the image of a pure and Holy God, a God who can take me through the process of Incomplete Metamorphosis. Jesus is able to take me an evil minded, rotten person and transform me into His image; a process of a lifetime. I started out in this world in the process of:  Complete Metamorphosis. A child who did not resemble the Father, a child who would have liked to be able to turn into the Hulk and whoop up anyone who crossed my path, a child who would have loved to put the spell of witchcraft on those who crossed me.  I was small and picked on quite a bit; life was hard growing up. I hated much. I did not have much resemblance to my Jesus. But little by little I wanted the super Hero Jesus to come into my heart, I wanted to quit hating, I wanted to be rescued out of the pit. You see only the God Jesus can rescue us we can’t. As Dr Banner the “Hulk,” sought to find the source of inner human strength he forgot one thing; we don’t get it from any source but God. We cannot manufacture it ourselves. We don’t know how! The Bible says that every good thing is from God. We can’t even have a good thought by ourselves!  

There is an intense battle going on in our midst each day. You see God is the super-hero battling against the devil and his angels. The devil wants you and me miserable in this life and forever dead! God wants us to choose to be alive forever with Him. The devil wants us to be seduced by the teachings of a “God” who has fallen to mans temptations.  If God is like us we have no hope! We are dead forever, the thought of a good eternal heaven is a lie. The devils bakes us a yummy chocolate cake and puts enough strychnine in to kill us. Is it a real chocolate cake? Yes! Tastes like the real thing? Yes! But there is an added ingredient that will poison our minds and kill us. He is a master of blending truth and lies.  Jesus said even the elect (well studied) could be deceived and lose their eternal life if not careful. We can believe the Bible. We can have salvation if we read no other book, for in it is life and truth. We need to be careful what we read, by beholding we become changed and if we are beholding the wrong god we may be changed into the unchangeable! 

Jesus was an example of “Incomplete Metamorphosis” He always resembled the Father. We too when we let Jesus in our hearts, start the process of “Incomplete Metamorphosis” we become changed into the image and likeness of God.  “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2Peter 1:4 

God is calling His people to a closer relationship with Him right now. The Disciples asked Jesus to tell them the signs of the end of the world.  Jesus said there would be many wars, natural disasters, many claiming to have truth but be far from it. People would be lovers of themselves, perverse; immorality would abound. Jesus said to be ready for He will come when you may not expect it.  

My question is... Are you ready for Jesus to come? If you get in a car crash today; is it well with your soul? Have you asked for the power of a transforming Jesus to come into your life today? Do you believe that He can change your heart into the likeness of His? That what He hates, (sin) you will hate? That what He loves, you will also love? “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”  Romans 12:2 

You see this transforming Jesus loves you with a love that cannot be measured! A love so complete that He was transformed to a human so God would know what it was like to be tempted in all ways as we are but remained sinless!  With His super strength, we can resist every temptation and be changed into His likeness. He has made provision for us, He was our substitute. He died for us so that we can have life. Eternal life is guaranteed for us if we accept Him totally into our hearts!  I am telling you: He has a big mansion in heaven already made with your name on the door plate. It is yours! Will you accept it?  He will forgive every one of your sins all you have to do is ask.

How about doing it right now? There is no time like the present! He is waiting.  Never forget that Jesus thinks you are awesome!

This page last updated on Sunday May 21, 2006 10:21 AM

Disclaimer: We are not a counselling service.  We prepare materials to help church
members and church leaders better understand the problems abuse brings and prevention methods.

Designed and maintained by Megan Field      Space provided by