Introduction
Church in its present state exists and functions as a ceremonial entity. What exactly do I mean by ‘ceremonial entity’? I mean that what makes church breathe and what makes its presence felt is largely Sunday morning meeting or mid-week programmes. So therefore as a ceremonial entity, church exists largely in the form of meetings and programmes, it does not exist in the form of philosophy, value system, ideology and or as a human existence experience.
The concern then is that the current Apostolic Reformation then runs a risk of being another ceremonial experience that does not define and shape the [human] existence of the saints on the ground. I think we want to clarify that Reformation cannot be a new way of doing church, a mere belief in accurate doctrine (James 2:19), nor can it be new content coming from the pulpit (Matt 23:3). Reformation has, at its core, the issue of reshaping the very nature of [human] existence of the church (firstly) and of the world (secondly) – hence Jesus says, ‘Elijah (who is the icon of Reformation) comes to restore (to reconstitute, to put back into a former state) all things’ (Matt 17:11). The scope of the Reformation is therefore not the ceremonial gatherings of the church, not church organisations but the entire arrangement of human life, meaning that those who profess to be part of such a reformation must see themselves not just as engineers of ceremonies or of church organisations, but as architects of human civilisation.
And so therefore the greatest concern of the heavens is how do you restructure church from being a ceremonial entity into being a civilisation – God is not asking such a question from a position of frustration and helplessness but from a position of absolute sovereign authority (Matt 28:18); meaning that the time has come for the very face of church to be changed significantly – He is giving us a new name (Isa 62:2b). Our ability to give an answer to this question will serve for the fulfillment of our call as a 21st century church generation and will therefore ensure that we do receive ‘a well done my good and faithful servant’ from the Lord at the end of time. Not only so, but our ability to answer this question will serve to significantly move forward the frontiers of the faith, providing a new fresh possibility for the FINISH (Eph 4:13, Eph 5:25-27).
A New Consciousness of the Faith
Reformation is a process of progressively bringing a people to a new consciousness of the faith (until they reach perfection). The very words of John the Baptist were; ‘repent because the kingdom is at hand’ (Matt 3:2). ‘Repent’ – meaning, ‘change your minds’. This changing of minds meant nothing but that people’s concept of God, His kingdom and Purpose had to change. The reformation is therefore a time during which a people are emerging into a new consciousness of the faith. This new consciousness serves to further change the very way the faith is represented, expressed and advanced in the earth, for as a man (church) thinks in his heart, so is he (Prov 23:7).
Understanding this Apostolic Reformation
The Apostolic Reformation is not a Move occurring in a specific time period around a fixed divine experience or around a fixed truth position. The Apostolic Reformation is a philosophy of journeying; it a mechanism for church’s development until we are perfected in Christ (Eph 4:13).
Heb 6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,
The spirit of the Apostolic Reformation is best captured in Heb 6:1 phrase, ‘let us leave…and go on…’ And so within the context of Apostolic Reformation, there is a constant departing from elementary positions of Christ which is coupled by a constant pursuit of the more mature positions of Christ. This suggests nothing but that the Apostolic Reformation cannot be related to as a move in a particular season but as an underlying philosophy that makes it possible for God to progressively shift the church from one position to another. And so therefore within the context of this Apostolic Reformation in which we find ourselves as a 21st century church, there is progressive advance of the church and of the people of God that is motivated by one goal, which is reaching to perfection. There is such a thing as leaving elementary teachings about Christ. These ‘elementary positions’ are not ‘outdated positions’ as such but become a foundation upon which we reach out to more mature dimensions of Christ. So that when we say ‘elementary’, we are not demeaning certain dimensions of Christ but are identifying the need for the whole church to grow, to develop and to advance. The issue is that there is no reaching to perfection without elementary teachings being left behind. The ‘leaving behind’ of elementary teachings is therefore not a idea of man but the design of the Spirit, not to conform to this design is to undermine the very process that God has outlined for us; and it is therefore to frustrate ourselves.
What are some of the examples of elementary positions of Christ?
- The gospel of salvation (this is the entrance point into the kingdom).
- The gospel that is still rooted on individuality – remember that God created one man and later ‘realised’ that it was not good for the man to be alone (Gen 2:18).
- Doctrine that only outlines spiritual truth (without shaping the philosophical-ideological outlook of the saints).
The point therefore is that we cannot call ourselves a Reformation church if we are not really engaged in a process of progressively leaving elementary teachings in order to pursue mature positions of Christ. That is, a reformation generation overcomes the spirit of camping and rigidity.
Psa 84:5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
Psa 84:6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
Psa 84:7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
A people of Reformation are a people of pilgrimage. Our pilgrimage (or journey) is not geographic. We are not having an annual geographic pilgrimage to a particular religious destination but our pilgrimage is internal. We are constantly migrating to new positions internally in terms of our hearts and minds, and this brings about an external change (Matt 23:26). This internal migration is focused on reaching one destination which is Zion – Zion is a Biblical metaphor for perfected humanity. It represents a place where the kingdom of God (the rule of God) expresses itself freely through redeemed humanity (the church). Zion represents a place where God’s architecture of human life (Heb 11:10) is discovered and expressed by redeemed humanity (collectively) and not just by church organisations individually. This therefore is a place of unity of the faith and of knowledge (Eph 4:13).
And so we are saying that this Apostolic Reformation makes us to be a people of pilgrimage; a people who commit to a journey that shall take us to a perfected state (Col 1:28) and eventually to immortality (1 Cor 15:51&52). In this world, we are no longer talking the language of ‘moves’ but we are talking about Apostles and Prophets tracking the process of church’s development that must take us to perfection (Col 1:28). Yes, such a process will have emphases, yes such a process will have seasons, but what we are identifying is that there is only one process to perfection; it is locked up in this principle of Reformation, of Migration, of Change, and of Progressive Advance. Within this world, it is no longer difficult to migrate, to leave elementary positions as we pursue mature positions – this is the essence of the Apostolic Reformation.
The Apostolic Reformation is a philosophy of journeying; the Apostolic Reformation is a mechanism by which church is migrating towards perfection.
Understanding the Reformation: John the Baptist as an Architect of Human Civilisation
In the Bible, Elijah is a Biblical Metaphor for Reformation. He (Elijah) is the voice that cries in the wilderness. This voice cries for restructuring of the foundations upon which humanity exist (Isa 40:3-5) – both redeemed and unredeemed humanity. Elijah comes to establish a new social architecture (reconnecting fathers i.e. older generations with sons i.e. merging of generations; he therefore comes to abolish generational gap), see Mal 4:5&6.
Now that spirit, grace or mantle of Elijah is seen through John the Baptist. John came in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17). That is, through John we see Reformation in action (Luke 3). What did John do?
- He created a new spiritual landscape by proclaiming new truth – the kingdom (Matt 3:2).
- He connected the proclamation of new truth to the issue of philosophy or perspective change – he called for repentance or the changing of minds (Matt 3:2).
- He brought the people to a new spiritual encounter through water baptism (Mark 1:4, John 1:24-26).
- He defined new socio-economic ideological positions for people, that were more compliant to kingdom standards (Luke 3:10&11).
- He defined new foundations upon which systems of governance would operate (Luke 3:12-14).
- He defined a new social architecture and therefore changed the face of society and the very experience of human living (Luke 1:17) and in this the word says, John prepared a people for the Lord.
- John therefore broadened the scope of doctrine from proclamation of spiritual truth to definition of philosophy, ideology and social architecture.
All of this made John not just to be a local church builder but an architect of human civilisation. Such a civilisation was of course premised on the kingdom of God (Matt 3:2) – and so this is the Reformation Mandate, to pioneer a Human Civilisation premised on the kingdom of God.
All of this means that church leaders must see themselves and also function more and more as architects of kingdom civilisation.
The Apostolic Reformation, Progression of the Faith and Progressive Illumination
1Th 3:10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.
2Th 1:3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.
Phi 1:25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,
It is important to continue to establish this truth that God does not change. Heb 13:8 clearly tells us that Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever. If God does not change, then what is the basis of the progression of the faith and or of the changes that are currently taking place inside the church?
2Co 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
According to 2 Cor 3:18, we are changing into the likeness of Christ. The word transformed is the Greek word ‘metamorphoo’ which in English is translated ‘metamorphose’. The word means: to transform, to transfigure, to change one’s form. So God does not change, but we live in a realm of progressive illumination of the image of God, and this makes us to change from one form to another, from one state to another.
What does progressive illumination mean? It means that we do not know everything about God now; it means that there are things we will learn about God (through His Written Word, the Bible) ten years from now that we do not know today. Consider the following scriptures:
1Co 13:9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
1Co 13:10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
1Co 13:11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
1Co 13:12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
1 Cor 13:9 says we know in part and therefore prophesy in part. Verse 10 continues to say we are in a progressive experience of discovery – in the same verse, God establishes a powerful principle, that when perfection comes (i.e. when more mature positions of the faith are revealed to us), we do have an obligation to depart from weak former positions as we establish ourselves in new more mature positions.
Eph 3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles--
Eph 3:2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you,
Eph 3:3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.
Eph 3:4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
Eph 3:5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets.
Paul continues to establish the principle in Eph 3:5 that revelation is progressive – Paul indicates for us that an entire generation can die before God releases more information about Himself, His Kingdom and His purpose. It is in this context that spiritual rigidity that sometimes characterizes denominationalism is one of the serious structural forms of disobedience that God has had to deal with. Denominationalism, in its attempt to provide spiritual loyalty against certain truths and certain spiritual experiences – has produced worse form of rebellion against the progression of the faith.
Heb 6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,
Heb 6:1 seals this whole discussion on the progression of the faith – firstly, that there is such a thing as the progression of the faith, represented in this statement: ‘let us leave elementary teachings…and go on to maturity…not laying again the foundation’. The principle here is that:
- One cannot take hold of new mature positions of the faith until one departs from former weak positions.
- Departing from former positions of the faith does not constitute a neglecting of former truths, but these former positions become the foundation upon which we thrust forward.
The Reformation in a Ceremonial Wineskin
Mar 2:22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins."
It is important that we continue to establish a proper understanding of the Reformation. The emphasis of the Reformation is not church service or Sunday morning or any ceremonial encounter of the church – although in the early days of this Apostolic Reformation, this may have seemed so. The emphasis of the Reformation is not in the change of the conduct of church service or of the way the ceremony is held. The emphasis of the Reformation is on changing the very nature of human existence of the saints. As we see through John the Baptist (in Luke 3), we cannot talk of the Reformation if the saints are not brought to:
- New Speaking of God (Matt 3:2).
- New spiritual encounter (water baptism).
- Philosophical Migration (Matt 3:2).
- New ideological framework that shapes their existence within the world system (Luke 3:10&11).
What has tended to frustrate the Apostolic Reformation is the Ceremonial Wineskin – where too much emphasis is put on changing the conduct of the church service, names of churches, songs, style of ministry (preaching, prayer etc.), sermons etc. Now it is true that some of these things have had to be changed, in the same way that Jesus introduced His disciples to new prayer approaches (Matt 6:5-9, Luke 11:1). But we have to understand that a new ceremonial profile does not constitute the Reformation; but rather we see Reformation in the nature of human existence of the saints. It is therefore important that we break free from the ceremonial box and create a new broader framework within which we must advance the Reformation.
The Apostolic Reformation and the Return of Christ
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
Eph 5:26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
Eph 5:27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
Eph 5:25-27 tells us that Christ is progressively bringing the church to a state of blamelessness, a state of virginity.
Rev 21:2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
Church’s perfected state is again captured in the phrase, ‘prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for husband’.
2Co 11:2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.
This in fact became the ministry of Paul and is the pulse of every true apostle or of the Apostolic Dimension. Remember that we talk of this Reformation as the Apostolic Reformation (you may also read Col 1:28).
Heb 6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity (or perfection), not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,
Now, this perfected state of church is the very pursuit of the Reformation. The reason we have to leave the elementary dimensions of Christ is so that we can take a hold of perfection. This Reformation is therefore taking all of us (as Christ’s Church) through a journey to perfection.
Mat 17:9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
Mat 17:10 The disciples asked him, "Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"
Mat 17:11 Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things.
Now, looking at the same discussion from a point of view of Elijah – remember Elijah is the icon of the Reformation (Mal 4:5&6, Isa 40:3-5, John 1:23) – in taking this Elijah perspective, we realise that the Reformation has at its core, this issue of restoration of all things. The word ‘restore’ means: to reconstitute, to put back into a former state, to restore, to reform etc.
Act 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
Act 3:20 and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus.
Act 3:21 He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.
Peter then says in Acts 3:21, the time must come for God to restore everything and that it is only when this time comes that we can then talk of the Return of Christ. The word ‘restitution’ (of all things) is the same word used in Matt 17:11. What does this tell us? It tells us that:
- The Reformation has at its core, the issue of restitution or restoration of all things.
- The time of restoration of all things constitutes the Age of the Reformation.
- This restoration of all things activates the return of Christ.
- So therefore the subject of the Return of Christ can only be spoken of, within the context of Reformation – remember that Elijah is the forerunner of Christ (Elijah comes first).
A Conclusion
Heb 6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,
We therefore emphasize that the reformation generation does not get emotionally attached to a certain divine experience or truth position but evolves and morphs (2 Cor 3:18) as the Spirit of God releases new emphases that have not been known in the past (Eph 3:5). This makes reformation to be an experience of pilgrimage, of journeying, of advancing with the moving kingdom of God (Matt 11:12) until immortality consumes us. Reformation therefore presents a rare platform for God to be able to truly effect change and progress inside the church, eventually taking us to a perfected human position.
