Revival and Reformation, Part 2
Last Thursday I began discussing the concepts of revival and reformation, and paused the series on Friday to honor Reformation Day. I stated last week that these two phenomena relate to Christ’s great commissions of Mark 16:15-18 and Matthew 28:18-20. I also pointed out that each of these commissions corresponds to one of the two mandates God gave humankind through Adam and Eve, in Genesis 1:26-28. The first of these assignments was to be fruitful and multiply: “Give Me more kids,” God said. The second was to steward, manage, or govern the earth. “You will represent My Kingdom’s government on this outpost of the Kingdom,” He told them. If you did not watch or read Thursday’s post, I strongly recommend that you do so. You can find it here.
Both of these assignments were interrupted at the Fall. God temporarily lost 1) His family and 2) His ambassadors on the earth. Jesus, of course, was sent to recover and restore both. Regarding the first, He said in Matthew 16:18-19, “I will build My Church.” The word “build” is oikodomeo,(1) which means to build a family or household. In choosing this word, Christ was saying, “I’ve come to get the family back!”
He followed this in Matthew 16 by calling this family His “church,” where the concept is mentioned and introduced for the first time in Scripture. “Church” is the word ekklesia, which means “called out from.”(2) It was not a building, worship service, or organization; at that time in history, ekklesia was not even a religious term. It referred to an assembly or group of people “called out” from the overall population in order to govern. Study.com says an ekklesia/ecclesia “played a central role in the political life of the city [Athens]. The Ecclesia had the power to nominate and elect magistrates, who were responsible for administering the city’s affairs and carrying out the decisions of the assembly. The Ecclesia also had the authority to pass laws and to decide on issues related to foreign policy, defense, and the administration of justice.
“In addition to its legislative powers, the Ecclesia also participated in the judicial process in Athens. The Ecclesia members would try cases involving serious crimes, such as murder, and they could impose punishments. This made it an important institution for ensuring justice and upholding their rule of law in the city. The Ecclesia’s powers and importance varied over time, but it remained an important part of the political landscape of Athens throughout the classical period and into the Hellenistic era.”(3)
By choosing this well known secular word, ekklesia, Jesus was saying, “I have come to recover My family and reestablish them as My spiritual government, My ambassadors on earth.” His other comments in this passage amplified and explained this further. Jesus said that this ekklesia would be given the keys (authority) of His Kingdom, through which they would bind and loose (lock and unlock, forbid and allow), and that the gates (government) of hell would not overpower them. (In those times, city councils often met at the gates of their cities because, in their thinking, the gates were a picture of government. Why? Gates determined what could enter the city physically, government did so legally. Jesus was clearly stating that the spiritual authority He would give His family would enable them to ambassadorially represent His Kingdom here on earth (see also 2 Corinthians 5:20), and they would not be overcome by the government of hell.)
The Recommissioning
After reversing the setbacks of the Fall through the Cross and reestablishing God’s two-fold plan, Jesus re-commissioned us in Mark 16:15-18 and Matthew 28:18-20. In Mark’s gospel, He told us to go and preach the good news that people could be restored to God’s family: saved, delivered, healed, and filled with Holy Spirit. In other words, He told them to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28)! When this occurs in mass, we refer to it as a revival.
In Matthew 28, however, Jesus re-commissioned His Ekklesia regarding management of the earth, telling us to “disciple nations” according to His teachings. “As My Ekklesia, You have My authority. In My name, instruct and disciple nations back to the ways of My Kingdom,” He instructed us. When this occurs with groups and nations, it is a reformation.
Obedience to BOTH of these mandates is absolutely essential. I will highlight the differences between them more fully in tomorrow’s post, but here are a few comparisons and differences:l of revival and reformation:
Revival brings people into God’s family; Reformation teaches them His ways.
Revival births them spiritually; Reformation trains them practically.
Revival transforms the human heart (our nature); Reformation transforms the human mind (our thinking).
Revival’s fruit is internal, produced within us; Reformation’s fruit is external, released from us.
Revival is accomplished through “preaching” (Mark 16:15); Reformation takes place through “teaching” (Matthew 28:20).
Revival creates converts; Reformation creates disciples.
Revival restores God’s life to individuals; Reformation restores understanding of His laws, principles, and ways to cities and nations.
Revival produces God’s bride, family, and worshippers; Reformation produces God’s Ekklesia, those who represent His Kingdom authority and rule.
In most revivals, believers have thought primarily of getting people saved/born again, ready for heaven (Mark 16). This, of course, is essential and must be the starting point - birthing obviously precedes training. But if Matthew 28, the reforming and discipling of individuals and nations, doesn’t occur, the long-term fruit will be minimal…and can even be lost!
Pray with me:
Father, You have said that revival and reformation have begun. As Your voices on earth we declare that: all nations will experience outpourings of Holy Spirit. As the waters cover the sea, so shall God’s glory cover the earth. Even as sin abounds, grace and glory will abound more! The Spirit of deliverance will deliver many this year. Entire regions will be delivered and see the light of the gospel. Strongholds will melt under God’s fiery wrath.
Youth will see His light and become volunteers in this day of His power. They will run with endurance, war with strength, speak with prophetic insight, and build with apostolic depth. They will evangelize millions and reform nations. They will wear their passion on their sleeve, manifesting love for God everywhere they go. They will be the Amos 9:13 generation: plowmen will overtake reapers. They will run with fathers and mothers, demonstrate humility, and walk in the fear of the Lord. They will heal the sick, open blind eyes, see extraordinary miracles, set oppressed people free, and raise the dead. They will be fearless, bold, more than conquerors, and not for sale. We declare these things by the inspiration of Holy Spirit and in the authority of Christ! Amen.
And Father, we pray for those who are being impacted by the government shutdown. We know many are not being paid; others aren’t receiving the assistance they need. Please help them get through this situation. Give food banks the needed resources to provide additional meals. Please move upon enough Senators to vote for the reopening. And we ask that You use this closing to further expose the willingness of many in our government to prioritize power and politics over American citizens.
All of this we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Our decree:
We decree that we will experience the rain of revival and the reformation of nations in this season of time.
Click on the link below to watch the full video.
James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. nos. 3618 and 3624.
Ibid., ref. no. 1577.
https://study.com/academy/lesson/ecclesia-ancient-greece-history-facts.html