The Next Reformation
This past weekend protestant churches all over the world celebrated the 500 year anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. The event, sparked by Martin Luther, that changed the course of the global church brought about sweeping reforms and a revival of Biblical thought on vital Christian truths, most notably, the nature of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.
The result of this reformation was an empowered laity who would (in time) be armed with the Word of God in their own language (no longer was the word restricted to the clergy and highly educated). The impact was revolutionary because the church was equipped like it had not been since the first and second centuries to hear from God and obey in accordance with what they were taught.
Today a new reformation is burgeoning. There is more quality Bible teaching available than ever before. No longer isolated by the quirks and divisive teachings of a given denominational strain of the faith, men and women are freed to seek God's will earnestly in the Word of God and the truths they are being taught are being confirmed and gently corrected by a multitude of wise counsel being preached through not only their own preachers, but through podcasts, published authors, audio books and more. All this seems headed to a breaking down of the evangelical "dividing wall of hostility" and the rebuilding of a unified Church who understands more clearly than ever her mission to know Jesus Christ and make Him known. But the new reformation is not better and unbiased teaching. No, that teaching is helping to fuel this next movement in Christianity.
The next reformation is a methodological overhaul of the churches' understanding of her purpose. No longer fooled by the lesser god of moralism, no longer sedated by an American Dream Christianity, Jesus followers who are hungry for more are finding their purpose by examining and imitating the life of Christ and His disciples. Christians, once again, are choosing to lay down their lives to follow God because they have clearly seen in scripture that to respond to Him in any other is not an option left them by Jesus.
The next reformation is centered on a restoration of Biblical discipleship in the church. Only discipleship - truth and life transference in the context of relationship - produces the fruit that Jesus desires and commanded the church to bear when He gave us the final marching orders, "go and make disciples."
The first reformation placed the Bible back into the hands of the laity, the next reformation places the mission of the Church back into their hands and releases the Church - the entire Church - on mission to make disciples of all nations. The first reformation captured the mind and hearts of the Church, the next reformation will engage the feet of the church and awaken a sleeping giant.
The next reformation is a pruning of the plastic fruit of buildings, butts, and budgets as the metrics of success in Christendom. It is a return to the raising up of the church as an army, rather than an audience. It is the broadcasting of the seed of truth while praying and settling for nothing less than "fourth soil disciples" who once germinated by the Word of God sprout fourth as reproducing fruit trees who bear up to 100 times what was sown in them. (Mark 4:8)
The next reformation will not be as concerned with reaching the masses as it will be with building the men and women to reach the masses. This was Jesus' strategy! Are we really so wise that we have developed a superior way to that of the Master?
The next reformation looks like an army that goes forward only on their knees. A new cadre of disciple makers, church planters, and missionaries who care nothing about making a name for themselves but only desire for the Kingdom to be established in power.
The next reformation will stand on the pillars of truth and life built on the love of God indwelling men by His Holy Spirit and housed under the overarching goal of real relationship. Real relationship with God and real relationship with men.
The next reformation will be recognized by the battle cry "To know Christ and make Him known." This reformation will be a return to church at its purest. It's blueprint will be Acts chapter 2:42-47. It's only aspiration will be the saturation of the whole earth with the knowledge of the glory of God. (Hab. 2:14)
The next reformation is a belief that small is big and slow is fast and multiplication wins every time. A foundational conviction that we are not called to plant churches, to win converts, or to build a mega church, but we are - everyone of us - called to make disciples who will in turn make more disciples and in this way we will see God reach the very ends of the earth with the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.
The next reformation will function on the equation of 2 Timothy 2:2 where Paul says to Timothy, "The things you heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, these things entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." Like the miracle of compound interest in a bull market, this Kingdom math proves to be a wise and multiplying investment that brings a passive and ever increasing return for the one who sowed the original investment - Jesus Christ.
The next reformation will see throughout the Bible a great theme of fruit bearing and multiplication first commanded in the early pages of Genesis. In fact, God's very first command to man was this; "Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it." This mandate is a physical picture of our spiritual reality. We are, by the investing of our faith in the next generation, to be fruitful and multiply the Kingdom of God, man by man, woman by woman, until the spiritual house of the Church is built up to completion. As Israel gave birth to twelve tribes that became a great nation, so Christ through the 12 disciples was the first fruits of a new spiritual nation, a royal priesthood of believers who are ALL equipped and empowered with the Word of God and the Spirit of God to make disciples who make disciples. A house is not built by gathering a pile of bricks but is made as each brick is carefully positioned and cemented in place, one by one. The family of God, also, is not built through mass altar calls, tent revivals, and televangelists, but by spiritual parents who help new babes in Christ mature to fruitful adulthood and do the same for others.
The next reformation will not value mega over movement but will see a return of multiplying house churches and micro churches that meet wherever the Kingdom is expanding, in homes, businesses, coffee shops, parks... wherever God is doing a new work and people are eagerly welcoming His rule and reign in their lives. This reformation will ask, "God, where are YOU at work?" and will then join Him there.
The next reformation will view seminaries and funding as resources to be used wisely in Kingdom expansion but not as prerequisites to the work of God in planting new churches. They will trust that the Word of God at work in the people of God indwell by the Spirit of God is more than enough to do the work of God.
The next reformation, like the first, will not be new in the least. It is instead a fresh revelation, a rediscovery of a foundational truth left to gather dust on the shelf and now all but forgotten. It's a restoration. It's a return to the core identity and mission of Christianity. Jesus, the Word become flesh, just as He was sent to us, has placed the Word in our flesh and sent us to the world to convey truth and life with the goal of lives made new and missionaries raised up to carry on the mission of our Savior.
The next reformation will teach that faith without works is dead and the result of genuine faith is always missionary focus and sacrifice. Spurgeon was right, as Christians we are "either missionaries or imposters." This next reformation will be the move that restores mission to the bride of Christ.
Are you ready for it? Are resisting at any point? Is tradition or structures or comfort or denominational distinction keeping you from considering it? Is a lesser mission of accumulating crowds (one that Jesus never pursued - See John chapter 6) keeping you from imitating Jesus in His primary mission of making disciples equipped to raise up an army?
If you are ready to be a part of ushering in this next reformation here is your first step: Ask God daily for one month, "Father, who have you placed in my life for me to invest truth and life into. Who have you called me to lay down my life in prayer for? Who can I help become an active participant in advancing the Kingdom of God?"
If you pray this prayer, I guarantee God will show you a hungry man or woman who He is already preparing for the journey. So, who is waiting on your obedience? Who is God calling you to invite into the journey, to say "Follow me as I follow Christ."
Jesus said, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Today He has passed that mantle to us, we who were once invited to follow now hold the invitation.
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Father, bring us back to the simple pursuit of knowing Jesus Christ and making Him known to all nations through disciple making. When we build disciples one by one, You will build Your Church. Help us to sow and water and trust the growth to You.
In Jesus' name, Let it be.
