We are now in the "Passion Week" leading up to Easter. Using the resurrection of our Lord as a backdrop, let me explain the difference between revival and reformation. Revival simply means to bring back to its original state. To bring back to conscientiousness that which has swooned. Reformation means resurrection. Something that is in place must die, then be resurrected to its intended purpose. The Church of Jesus Christ, as we now know it and see most of it operate, is in desperate need to die! And in its place have God, by the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, resurrect the Church in the image of His Son, as a Bride "fit" for the Bridegroom!
As of now, especially the Church in the West, we have made the Body of Christ in our "image." God demands that His Church be in "HIS" image! In order for that to happen, what we now have in place must die, and God, by the power of the Holy Ghost, must "resurrect" the Church INTO the image of what He intended it to be. A Bride FIT for the Bridegroom---The King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
This Final Reformation will be the last reformation before the return of the Lord. This reformation will bring about the reform of the Church the Body of Christ, BACK to its original meaning, purpose and power! This coming reformation is a confirmed fact. It is confirmed by 4 means: 1) First and foremost, God's Word. 2) Secondly, the Holy Spirit has confirmed this fact through the Gifts of the Spirit, i.e. Tongues and interpretations and prophecy. 3) Thirdly, the Lord has confirmed this coming reformation by speaking to His people in their hearts through prayer, Bible study and fasting. In fact, even non-Christians "sense" something is about to happen! 4) Fourth, Christians have correctly interpreted the "signs" of the End as mentioned by our Lord in Matthew 24. For example, here is Matthew 24:32-33 in the NLT.
“Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door."
We will continue this discussion on the coming Last Reformation in our next post. Until then, I welcome your comments!
Steve, The challenge for many followers of Christ in this season will be recognizing New Wine in New Wineskins. Biblical truth won't change but delivery methods and the way we position the gospel will in many cases. We use religious words and terminology that we understand but many people that we are trying to reach won't. It can sound like a foreign language to them.
ReplyDeleteI also firmly believe that this reformation will be rooted in us living The Great Commandment as the taproot source for fulfilling the Great Commission. The alignment is in loving God, ourselves, and others in a way that demonstrates the nature of Christ. There is such an external focus on "works" or "fruit" today related to the great commission that the core (roots) are now weak, immature and under developed.
Faith without works is dead but much of the heavy lifting of that work is in how deep our root system goes. If we focus on the roots the fruit will come.
This is what the Lord says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit" (Jeremiah 17:5-8).
Steve Chelette