|
In
rediscovering the gospel of
salvation by faith and grace alone,
Luther started to reform the Church
through a reformation of theology.
However, his was not a reformation
of "the Church" but of the theology
of the Church. What the Church of
the 21st Century has inherited is a
strong mixture of human religion,
biblical theology and vain and even
corrupt "traditions of men." What is
needed is a purging of the old and
an embracing of the new. The old
wineskin cannot contain the New Wine
that God is bringing to the earth in
this hour. We must - we absolutely
must forsake the old wineskin and
adopt the New Wineskin which is
actually more than 2,000 years old.
In
the 18th century through movements
such as the Moravians there was a
recovery of a new intimacy with God,
which led to a reformation of
spirituality, the Second
Reformation. Now God is
touching the wineskins themselves,
initiating a Third Reformation, a
reformation of structure. Wolfgang
Simpson,
15 Theses
"There are
some who would suggest
it's a reformation of ecclesiology
parallel in significance to the
reformation in theology in the 1500s
and the reformation in mission in
the 1800s, and this is a third
component of necessary reformation,"
he says. "I think that is true." Murry
Moerman, director of church
planting, Outreach Canada, Delta,
B.C.
Read the
article
". . . a minority group
presently not even noticed by many
will become the mainstream
of North American Christianity in
only two decades.
(From
Revolution).
The net now forming . . .
At this very moment in history God
is beginning to cover the world with
a network of interlocking
relationships between groups of
believers in every place. Although
the net is in a very early stage of
development, it is forming at a
rapid pace. Initially, God is
joining key individuals and groups
together, making critical personal
and geographical connections for His
future purposes. But His intention
is to involve everyone who is
willing to be a part of this net.
Phil Townend, The Bridge.
The New or "Next Reformation" is
happening now.
Literally millions of Christians
- born again followers of Jesus are
walking out of the old institution
of the church - our understanding of
what church was, and walking into an
unknown, uncharted expression of
church which is closer to the
original pattern of the Book of Acts
than anything our generation has
ever known.
This departure from the old and
an embracing of the new is frightening
to some and blasphemous to others.
Indeed, some cannot make the shift
and will continue to worship as they
have for all of their lives. We
simply say "God bless you" to those
who do not see the Reformation
unfolding before our eyes. We have
not been called to argue or to press
anyone into our understandings, but to
point the way, encourage those who
are reaching for a more accurate
representation of the Body of Christ
in the earth and provide support,
resource and fellowship for those
now embarking on
this exciting journey.
If you are sensing this "Next
Reformation," we encourage you to
follow God, launch out into the
deep, come home to a Harbor and live
out your Christianity in full view
of your neighborhood, your world of
work and your home.
|
