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Is Your Church A Transformation Agent?P. Vijayan, DBA (Aus)

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 1

The mystery of the gospel once hidden, now made manifest, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27 2 .

********The carnal Christian is the one who has received the Holy Spirit and all the fullness of Christ, yet ignores His presence and struggles to live the Christianlife as though Christ were not there. He is the one who constantly begs and pleads for all that God has already given him, but which he will not take. Heis the one who will not step out by faith upon the glorious fact that Christ ishis life, and therefore his victory. The Christian life is an exchange life !

Major W. Ian Thomas********

Contrary to some rather foolish notions, God is a considerable number of

steps ahead of us, and it is He who is trying to get us into action. We are apt to think that we by our prayers are getting God into action. But He isalready in action and is waiting for us to catch up with Him. Before theycall, I will answer something of a reversal of our sometimes unclear ideas of prayer.

John Whittle*******

How does the branch bear fruit? Not by incessant effort for sunshine and

air, not by vain struggles for those vivifying influences which give beauty tothe blossom, and greenness to the leaf; it simply abides in the vine, in silent and undisturbed union, and blossoms and fruit appear as of spontaneousgrowth. How, then shall a Christian bear fruit? By efforts and struggles to obtainthat which is freely given; by meditations on watchfulness, on prayer, onaction, on temptation, and on dangers? No! Their hope and trust rest solelyon what He is willing and able to do for them ; on nothing that theysuppose themselves able and willing to do for Him.

Harriet Beecher Stowe


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******* I have come to the realization that it was not I who committed myself to Him,but He who committed Himself to me. My spiritual life is dependent upon

His total commitment to me. As long as I think that my walk with God depends upon my decision, my dedication, my commitment to Him, then lifebecomes a never-ending parade of rededication and re-consecration to Him. In reality, however, the Christian life is dependent upon replacement. Hehas become my life, and I rest in Him as He flows forth as rivers of water through me as His vessel.

Christopher Bernard *******

The Apostle Paul tells us that there is a secret which was hidden from agesand from generations (Col. 1:26), which the world was seeking after, and it is now made manifest to his saints. Paul travelled far just to tell it to thosewho were able to receive it. The simple secret is just this, Christ in you,the hope of glory. Ill not tell you this wonderful secret, I will give it toyou if you will take it from Him as I did. Years ago I came to Him filled withguilt and fear, but this simple secret took away all my fear and sin. Years passed on, and I found sin overcoming me again and my temptations weretoo strong. I came to Him a second time and He whispered, Christ in you, and I experienced victory, rest and blessing.

A.B. Simpson*******

In the first turning, a Christian experiences the transformation from anatural person to a spiritual person. But it is only a first step. The work of the Holy Spirit should not stop here but lead to a second turning in which thespiritual person again becomes natural. It is this second turning whichenables Christians to communicate their faith. The second turning makescommunication of faith evangelism something they are unable not to do. It becomes natural . It becomes a way of life. To use a biblical term, it becomes automatic . This term is used only once in the Bible. In Mark 4:28 Jesus tells the parable of the self-growing seed. To describe this process heuses the Greek word automatos . Communication of faith thus becomesautomatic, natural, something which happens even though thecommunicator the sower knows not how.

Walter Trobisch


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INTRODUCTION

This article takes a provocative stance! If you had noticed, the title is aquestion for reasons which will become apparent as you read this article. Does your church just exist or is it a catalyst for transforming you and themarketplace it serves? It is hoped the article stirs discussion amongst theChristian community and reclaim Gods original intent for the Church.

Christian sociologist and research, George Barna in his book on thetransforming nature of Christian spirituality, entitled Revolution 3, said thatalthough churches draw large crowds, but their members are not making any

impact on society. This is mainly because Born Again Christians do not lead alife different from non-Christians. Furthermore, Christian leaders are more worried about the church not growing than the fact that the members are notgrowing spiritually in their daily walk with God. He remarked that the churchhas failed in its role as the transforming agent and this has caused a silent faithrevolution amongst the faithful followers of Christ that is redefining theChurch.

For decades the primary way that Christians have experienced and expressedtheir faith has been through a local church. However, that reality is rapidly changing, what he believes will be the most massive reshaping of the Christiancommunities in more than a century. He claimed there is a new breed of Christ-followers who are more interested in being the Church than in going tochurch. They are more eager to produce fruit for the kingdom of God than to become comfortable with a Christian organization or building.

His research does not suggest that most Christians will leave the church butthat they will be freed from the demands of church life in order to intentionally increase their focus of faith and to relate to God through different means.Examples of changes are the growth of house churches, market placeministries, Internet ministries and the development of alternative unique andintense connections with other people who are deeply committed to theirpursuit of God outside the local church. These people are less interested inattending church than being the church mainly because they want more of thereality of God in their life but which the local church is unable to fulfil.

PERILS OF A SEEKER SENSITIVE CHURCH 4 .

W illow Creek Community Church in Barrington, Illinois, has for decades beendemonstrating how churches can more effectively reach the unchurched. Since


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1975, Willow Creek has avoided conventional church approaches. Instead, ituses its Sunday services to reach the unbelievers through polished music,multimedia and sermons referencing to popular culture and other familiarthemes. The church's leadership believed this approach would attract peoplesearching for answers by bring them into a relationship with Christ.

However, in the summer of 2007, Willow Creek released the findings of amultiple year quality self-study of its ministry. The research was to determine what programs and activities of the church were actually helping peoplemature spiritually. The results were published in a book called, Reveal: Where Are You? The Reveal research surveyed Willow Creek as well as two-dozenchurches in the USA, including two Canadian churches. The Reveal study shows that while Willow has been successfully meeting the spiritual needs of those who describe themselves as "exploring Christianity" or "growing inChrist," it has been less successful at doing so with those who self-report as being "close to Christ" or "Christ-centered." In addition, a quarter of the "closeto Christ" and "Christ -centred Christians described themselves as spiritually "stalled" or "dissatisfied" with the role of the church in their spiritual growth.Even more alarming was that a quarter of the "stalled" segment and 63 percentof the "dissatisfied" segment contemplated leaving the church. The problem was not unique to Willow Creek and extended beyond as other churches havealso copied the Willow Creek model.

Christianity Today reported that Bill Hybels humbly confessed we made amistake 5. Spiritual growth does not happen best by becoming dependent onelaborate church programs but through the age old spiritual practices of prayer, bible reading and discipleship. In May 2008, after modeling a seeker-sensitive approach to church growth for three decades, Willow Creek Community Church now plans to gear its weekend services toward mature believers seeking to grow in their faith. It appears that the church hasdiscovered that having a nice professional entertaining service is not of itself conducive to spiritual growth 6.

The author has discovered that this problem is not limited to the USA assimilar problems have been reported within the Australian Charismaticchurches 7. What more changes are in store is not clear for the moment, but itis welcoming to know that churches like Willow Creek and others are willing toself-examine and humble enough to transform. Reveal is currently surveyingfive hundred churches, including more than a dozen denominations andEnglish-speaking international churches. It will be interesting to know whatthis international survey will reveal.


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RECLAIMING GODS ORIGINAL INTENT FOR THE CHURCH 8

Dr. Larry Crabb, a well-known psychologist, conference and seminar speaker,Bible teacher, popular author, and founder/director of New Way Ministriessaid that he was on the brink of giving up, not Christianity, but church. Neitherthe true church nor the community of Jesus followers who journey togethertoward God for His pleasure and for the sake of others, but the organisationthat has replaced the living body. Too often, the whole church event feels likethat of a well orchestrated event more than a throbbing-with-life community.The raw realism of the Bible is too often sugar-coated with cheerily optimisticpromises of financial security and self-fulfilment but never the trials and

tribulation that are Gods way to real blessings.

We are seeing radical changes in the way of doing church worldwide. Variousauthors have rightly argued that the shape some churches have taken over thelast few decades makes them more religious cum social centre than the houseof God. There are those who have argued that even the Asian churches shouldhave its own authentic Asian theology instead of subscribing fully topostmodern Western theology.

Moreover, there are some who see these changes as necessary and have giventhem various names: emergent churches , new paradigm churches and post-denomination churches. Some have even argued that there is a revolution andcommitted believers are foregoing organised Sunday morning church to live a24/7 faith unfettered by the clutter and bureaucracy within the church walls.There are others who describe these changes as the Second Reformation asGod moves His people from the old wineskin to the new wineskin : the old wineskin was church focused , the new wineskin is Kingdom centred . They posit that God does not condemn the old wineskin, but He will not pour Hisnew wine in to it i.e. its season has passed .

What God did in the past was good - so good that it is understandable thatsome might not want the new wine at all and may even resist it. However,God has chosen to pour new wine and we must trust that it is more desirablethan the old wine. Gods ultimate purpose is to transform nations and set upthe Kingdom of God through His transforming agent the Church. But how successful has the church been in creating authentic Christians that impactand transform communities and nations? What is success to an authenticChristian?


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SUCCESS IN GODS ECONOMY 9

Who is the successful prophet Haggai or Jeremiah? Before answering, think about the definition of success. At first glance, Haggai seems more successful - but why? Is it because people listened to Haggai and the people commencedrebuilding the temple? Is it because he accomplished things and achieved hisgoals?

Now think of Jeremiahs success or lack of it. During his ministry, Judahcollapsed and went into exile. When Jeremiah spoke Gods word peoplerefused to obey. He was threatened and imprisoned. In short, he did notaccomplish what he set out to do. In modern terms, his performanceindicators (KRA - Key Results Areas) were not met. All this happened even

though he remained faithful to the Lord.

However, in the economy of God, whatever the situation, we need to discernthat Jeremiahs calling was just as valid as Haggais as God has a differentdefinition of success. So what is success to God? If we are in Jeremiahs shoes -consider three questions

How do we determine success? Should success in ministry be measured interms of attendance, budget, buildings, programs and powerful ministry?

Is the size of the church, budget, membership or programs the real issuemeasure of success?

Whose ministry should be a model of success - Jeremiah or Haggai?

Christianity has to do with authenticity. Whether our ministry is more likeHaggais or Jeremiahs is really the choice of God His calling. People of ourcommunities need to be able to look at our churches and see a model of what itmeans to live under Gods reign. We need to show the world which often

seeks pleasure apart from God that we are willing to suffer and sacrifice for akingdom that cannot be shaken. Success in Gods economy is - doing His will.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD 10

What would it be like if the church stopped thinking of itself but celebrated what God is doing in all the Body of Christ the Universal Church, (capital C)? What would it be like if all the churches in the neighbourhood held combined worship service regularly, perhaps once a quarter or even once a year irrespective of what denomination they belong to? What would it be like forpeople to seek and find Christ because of the living authentic testimony of


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from passion, and love for Christ. Results are not seen in the exterior buildingor the numbers within , but in the courage to follow Christ even underpersecution. The movements progress is not tied to any programs orprocesses, but due to transformed people: individual s trained in the school of suffering by the Master on how to handle faith in difficult circumstances. They have neither mega plans nor churches only mega network of small churchesdecentralised in every neighbourhood and linked with one purpose settingup the Kingdom of God in a society that has alienated itself from the one andonly true God Jehovah.

Discerning leaders are calling for a transformation, which is a combination of the early churchs example in Acts with what is emerging in the EasternChurches. It is in sharp contrast to the Western modal to discipleship, namely,the transfer of information through bible study and adult Sunday school alone . This approach results in educated converts who may grow churches butnot necessarily radically transformed disciples who will change the world. TheEastern modal calls for the believer to converge knowledge illuminated by theHoly Spirit in their daily Bible readings and prayers with their experientialknowledge of God and apply that knowledge in faith to transform individualsand society.

HOW DID WE FALL AWAY FROM THIS TRUTH? 12

History has shown there are two ways of doing church the first is the mucholder way of the apostolic period. The second way, the way of Christendom,is the way most churches operate today.

In the first 300 years after the death of Christ, Christians were outlawed,persecuted, hunted down and exiled. It was a crime to be a Christian.However, early Christianity was radical and understood that discipleship was anecessary priority within the church. The church was on the right path duringthe period of persecution and suffering.

However, things began to change rather dramatically after the conversion of the Emperor Constantine in A.D. 313. Persecution ceased and Christianity became the official religion and everyone living in the Christian empire wasregarded as a Christian, whether or not they had a personal relationship withGod. Under Christendom, the church lost its sense of mission. As everyone inthe empire was a Christian, mission was relegated to the heathens in theforeign lands.

Although various forces have been chipping away at the foundation stones of Christendom, such as the Reformers of the 16 century, the authority of the


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Word of God and the priesthood of all believers, yet another power in the 18 thcentury ended the Reformation the power of Enlightenment as science andnew discoveries replaced the Bible.

Today, modernism defines humans as free and autonomous individual andconsumerism has become the power of the world. Christian consumers now shop for their church experience and churches have to become corporatemarketers to attract such consumers. By adopting modernism, the church alsoadopted a rational approach to theology and apologetics. Postmodernismmoved us even further away when people no longer accept any overarchingstory to explain reality. Individuals have personal right to believe what they choose to belie ve and that right must be respected and not ridiculed even by God!

WHAT HAS CHANGED?

Leaders have become pragmatists Leaders believe that as long as they couldproduce results, they need not examine the results as long as the churchgrows. They have forgotten that the call to the kingdom is not about leadershipper se. Leadership may use influence to operate, but kingdom leadershipmeans accomplishing something for God that cannot be done alone and without the power of the Holy Spirit. However, todays churches are convinced

that great charismatic leaders coupled with the most advanced audio-visualsystem and music is sufficient and they no longer need to rely on the Holy Spirit.

Congregations have become Consumerist It is reported that a large numberof growing churches appeal to the consumer mindset in terms of what servicesthey provide to meet the congregations needs and how well they areentertained. Worship today is about watching a couple of people preach andsing and lead and no longer what it used to be, the entire body moving inharmony together to touch lives and society through the power of the Holy Spirit. The sermons preached are not merely the passing of information butdelivering the encouragement to the congregation to continue to live out thetruth of the Christian life in all circumstances.

Obsession with mega syndrome Impressive budgets and large buildings hasreplaced efforts to transform the church and the community. There is nothing wrong with mega churches or mega budgets. But the danger is when thechurch (mega or house church) has failed to realise that the true measure of the impact of the gospel in the life of the church is not solely attendance but

how much the church has impacted the community in which God has placed


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them through its congregation. Churches that value their position and focuson performance and production more than on the members character andintegrity will not find the strength to accomplish Gods purposes.

The church has lost its saltiness the churches today practice evangelism without an awakened congregation. The church has failed to learn from history that the surge of evangelism that came in the past was not due to massivecrusades but thorough small, rural churches that touched communities inother word evangelism was the result of an awakened church. Althoughcrusades have their purpose to bring notice and awareness to the mass, but itis the local church that ensures the long-time success of evangelistic crusades.However, todays churches want to shine light without first developing thesaltiness within their people. Evangelism is not a number promotion. Theministry was not come to church event it was a life event. Jesus fed, healedand served the communities whether they followed him or not.

The church has focused on self preservation instead of focusing on the Churchat large (Capital C). The Kingdom of God is bigger than any building, budget orministry. Todays churches are viewed as irrelevant and out of touch with thecommunity. This is mainly because the leaders focus is on style, format andschedule of service instead of substance that is seeing members life-styletransformed by the power of God. The church has ceased to be the guiding

conscience of the culture and society it operates for it has lost its power13

. Weforget that the goal of redemption is holiness and not happiness. Leaders mustlead and not follow the people who prefer a god who is more culturally relevant, user friendly, seeker-sensitive, responsive to their selfish needs,politically correct and contemporary. This is so clearly exemplified in Exodus32:1-35, when less than five months after the redemption of the people of Israel from the Egyptians, they backslided and fall into great sin by creatingthe golden calf making a god based on their image rather than letting Godtransform them into His image! Tragically, Aaron believed his job was toreflect public opinion rather than shape it. We need to discern that God wantsspiritual leaders who are thermostats and not thermometers that rise and fallto reflect public opinion. J. I. Parker 14 warns Christians of the dangers of whathe calls Hot Tub Religion, a form of spirituality that measures all doctrinesand worship styles by their ability to make the congregation happy.

THE KEY TO SUCCESS OF THE EARLY CHURCHES


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The success of the early church was not because they had the latest insight intohow to preach a great sermon or the secrets of faith and prayer to obtain onesselfish desires. In fact the majority could not read. They did not have the Bibleas we have today. As a result, they did not practice discipleship merely basedon information and education. Instead, they practiced discipleship thatradically changed behaviour they just believed what they were taught by their leaders who had personal real life experience of the ways of God. Today,leaders (whose li ves may not be transformed) dish out information to acongregation hungry for information for personal gain but at the expense of the application of it to transform their lives. The modern church wants tomaster information and form the ancient and the suffering Eastern churchesmaster transformation that changed life styles and impacted the community.Jesus appealed to the masses because he was someone who identified withthem, who lived with them and was like them a homeless God and thedisciples practiced and taught these same principles that we now see throughout the suffering churches in other corners of the world.

The second point is the early church people know God they had a personal experience with the living God. This was because of the clear presentation of the gospel and the rationale of faith in God. Perhaps we need to revisit the way the gospel is presented today. Today conversion has lost its meaning.Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, Hudson Taylor or C.T. Studd would not

know what to make of the modern-day church invitation. It would baffle themto see that somebody could walk into church, hear a sermon, come down theaisle, say a prayer (which they may not even understand) and conversion! We fail to realise that a person may claim to be converted - but still remain thesame person.

The journals of John Wesley, Charles Spurgeon, Finney and others remind usthat they never rushed people to conversion as many try today. We need toinstil the truth that evangelism is not just an event where someone prays thesinners prayer it is a transformation (progressive) a change in life styleand thinking otherwise we are no different from any other religion in the world promising self-improvement and enlightenment.

Most religious people are good good natured and good-hearted individuals.But despite their outward sincerity, inside they live apart from the truth. If Christ is the truth and he lives in us, should not there be somethingqualitatively different about us other than the goodness quotient? However, when we examine the quality of the disciples the church in producing today, we notice that there is no marked difference. Why? The problem lies in the

consciousness of the Christian. They are not conscious of knowing whathappened at their salvation where the full and complete work of the Cross was


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consummated in the killing off their old nature and bringing them into thenew and resurrected life of the living Christ (Gal. 2:20). Unless we allow theHoly Spirit by faith bring us into a personal experience of this union in Christ, we will forever be defeated Christians. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, inview of Gods mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform anylonger to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what Gods will is hisgood, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12: 1-13) .15

THE CROSS IN THE LIFE OF THE BELIEVER 16

Break up your fallow (uncultivated, unproductive) ground (Jeremiah 4:3) was the message prophet Jeremiah was commissioned to bring to the peopleof Israel. Dark days were settling upon the nation and Israel, trusting on herfalse security, was permitting the enemy to destroy her because she was not willing to turn to the Lord. Instead, they had become comfortable with a falsesense of godliness and had not worked in developing the land God had given tothem. Instead of producing grain and fruit, the land became covered with weeds and thorns and disaster was just around the corner and they did notrealise it. 17

The spiritual applications of this expression are many and profitable, but theone that comes to mind first is that there is no blessing without sacrifice andno harvest without ploughing. Before a thing can be made, something must be broken. Before there can be fruitful harvest, the cutting blade of the ploughmust pulverize the soil. Before they can be transformed life, there must bedeath first. Expect a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it remainsonly a single seed. But, if it dies, it produces many seeds (John 12:24). This isthe law of life in the natural realm and it is the law of life in spiritualtransformation. There can be no real transformation until we present

ourselves as living sacrifice to the Lord and to be at His disposal as He pleases.Just as Christ learnt obedience through suffering, so shall we. There is perhapsno more universal question than the question Why does a loving God allow disappointments, suffering, unanswered prayers and tribulation? It is not aquestion that we face everyday, but it is something that virtually everyone doesface at some point in life. And when the question comes in the midst of apersonal crisis it comes with a sense of urgency and pain that threatens ourfaith in God and His love.

Job said, Man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upwards (Job 5:7). InEcclesiastes 2:22, 23, King Soloman declared, For what hath man of all his


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labour and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under thesun? For all his days are sorrows and his travail grief, yea his heart takes norest in the night.

How than does a church become a transformation agent? To answer thatquestion, one has to recognise what the true church is. Norman Grubb,missionary and author wrote: You are the Church. The Church is theinvincible body everywhere and when a few meet with no structured form orsetup that is the Church made up of totally committed Christians.

What then is a transformed Christian? The answer he gave is uncomfortable toread but yet true. A transformed Christian is one who has ceased to be hisown neither people, possession, nor is life his. All he has is Jesus. And what

kind of person is Jesus? Unconditional lover of others! Lifes occupation, lifesabsorption, is expressing the love of Jesus in our world, in the community Godhas placed us whether in a small village in a rural area, a community withina condominium complex or the workplace. To me to live is Christ (Gal 2:20) all things counted as refuse that I may win Christ not by self effort but by faith that He is what He is in me and that means the life He will live out inme will be a participation in His power, His vicarious sufferings and His deathfor sinner and enemies. That is this life Christ formed in each of us whomake up the Church. 18

The early stages of a Christian life is often performance based and can often becomes little more than a frustrating effort to pray more, read the Bible more, witness more, serve more etc. not very different from the worlds rat-race we were saved from! Only when we get frustrated enough are we ready to admitthe utter inadequacy of our human facilities to deal with the spiritualrequirements loving your enemies, having living faith, to keep on believing when the external evidence shows otherwise. How often we have feltinadequate for the task ahead and given up for it is impossible to live theChristian life by our own strength! Only when we have come to the end of ourselves and realise within our spirit the Christian life is a dependent life inthe Holy Spirit do we experience the exchanged life. Then we will be ready toput aside our limited human minds and accept the mystery of the gospel, which is the union of our spirit with the Spirit of Christ. We are each to know the spirit reality of a personal incarnation Christ living in us, as us.

The Bible constantly speaks of a dimension beyond externals and appearances.Jesus called it the Kingdom of God. In II Cor. 5 Paul called it the faithdimension, in contrast to the sight dimension as shown in the table thatfollows. 19


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SIGHT DIMENSION FAITH DIMENSIONLetter Spirit (3:6)Ministry of death Ministry of the Spirit (3:7, 8)

Ministry of condemnation Ministry of righteousness (3:8, 9)That which fades away That which remains (3:11)Darkness Light (4:6)Outer man Inner man (4:16)Seen Unseen (4:18)Temporal Eternal (4:18)Mortality Life (5:4) Appearance Heart (5:12)Man in Flesh Man in Christ (5:16, 17)

Norman Grubb has recorded many testimonies of men and woman who haveexperienced real life transformation by living in the Faith Dimension andallowing God to take them through the way of the Cross often it meantsuffering, adverse circumstances, tribulation and even being wounded in thehouse of their friends. Yet through the Cross, the Holy Spirit has liberatedthem and transformed them to serve the community.

An example of a testimony relevant for those God has placed in themarketplace is recorded below. It was a letter Norman wrote to Gilbert, anemployee of an organisation who was experiencing a difficult situation in his work place. Gilberts hard work and dedication in his job that should haveearned him a promotion was hijacked by another. Here is Normans spiritualadvice to Gilbert but it could apply to any of us and is a testimony of the way God uses our daily events and circumstances to transform our life.

Dear Gilbert

Many thanks for now making the details of your present situationat your work place clearer. I think the first point of mainimportance is that you make sure that the Cross is in actionfirst of all, according to the II Cor 4: 8-13 passage. We haveto keep our eyes on JESUS ONLY living and walking in us and itis sometimes a strange path. We take it as settled that it wasGod who had taken you through faith to your present executiveposition and has blessed you by enlarging your position in thatcompany. It was His divine purpose that you are placed thereand accept that to mean He has planned for you to stay there.

God so prospers you that you build up the department, have

workers put under you and are all set to head the department.


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Then came this sudden fierce test. Discern that it was God whoallowed Satan to operate through the schemes of this unworthyman and he is now given the position you should hold.

What should you we do? We continue to believe God and declareour faith. But you must be very careful to walk the presentpath in self-emptiness and that means that while God takes youthrough the tunnel of testing, you accept the situation withmeekness and praise. That means that you must take this man assent of God to steal your place from you and you must serveunder him in loyalty, until God shows His victorious way out. Ithink it is essential to underline that point. If you resistthe man God sends to usurp your position, although we may seehim as Satans agent, you resist God. That was the pathway

Joseph had walked successfully with his brethren when they soldhim and subsequently with Potiphar. Jesus had also walkedsuccessfully in His crucifixion. Although Job walked lesssuccessfully, but he did come through in the end.

God will triumph and bring forth your righteousness as light.Presumably He will either stop the man ever taking over, or showup the fraud later; but meanwhile your victory is to walk thethorny path in the rest of faith. That means that you see JESUSONLY in these circumstances and in the coming of this man andtherefore die to inner resistance, confusion, etc. Youdemonstrate this victory within by letting this usurper see thatyou accept him in his legal appointment, while he is allowed tohold the position. Practice what Joseph did when he waswrongfully sold as a slave by his brothers and later imprisonedand yet found favour with Potiphar in his household and withthe keeper of the prison. Your day of deliverance will alsocome.

Affectionately your brother in Christ,

Norman 20

Gilberts case is not unique. The author presents below two local cases toillustrate Gods transformation process in the lives of individuals who are willing to forsake all to expand the Kingdom of God. To protect the identity of the individuals and churches involved, the names have been changed but theprinciples of transformation can be observed.


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Case 1: Pastor Rama

Pastor Rama gave up his secure professional career to become a pastor of achurch in the Klang Valley. His teaching style and giftings made him very popular with the congregation. Nevertheless, in spite of his completededication to the church and his senior pastor, he was not given theopportunity to preach in the church services. It soon became apparent theSenior Pastor feared Pastor Ramas popularity and thus prevented furtherinteraction with the congregation. Yet, Pastor Rama took this suffering as thepath God had caused to happen for His purposes. Rama understood that thesecret of the transformed life is to allow the real inner working of the Crossinto his self life until the redeemed self becomes only the vessel and agent of the Spirit. He saw that the way forward is to completely trust God and tosurrender his ministry into Gods hands. Rees Howells said When you havegiven up your life entirely to the Holy Spirit you have no right to take it back orto resent what He does with it. You have no more claims on your life. And youaccept everything from Him, whether it seems to be for you or against you. You must learn to be quite before the Lord to trust Him to show you Hisplan 21.

Eventually, the Lord delivered Pastor Rama and miraculously opened the doorto enable him to plant his own church. Yet, even this was opposed. Just as

Satan wanted to kill Jesus immediately after his birth, there were those whoopposed to the birth of Pastor Ramas new church. Some Christian leadersobjected because they feared their members may leave and join Pastor Ramasdynamic church. There some who even warned the congregation not to visitthe new born church. However, with God, nothing is impossible. Today, PastorRama operates a dynamic and thriving church in the Klang Valley. Histransformed life has become a blessing to the community he serves as hecontinues to make the Holy Spirit the Senior Pastor.

Case 2: Cell Leaders Lim and Carol

Lim and Carol worshiped in two different churches. After the marriage of Limand Carol, the leadership of Carols church requested the newly wed couple tonurture a dying cell group named Zedek that only had 4 members. Lim gotpermission from his church leaders and went over to help Carols church.Together, the couple teamed up with the 4 cell members and the Lordcommenced the transformation of Zedek. Over the next three years and by thegrace of God, Zedek grew to over 30 active members. Zedeks members weredynamic and hungry for spiritual food. Being dissatisfied with the quality of the standard study guides supplied by the church to the various cell groups,


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Zedeks members requested for additional more interesting material. Lim andCoral discerned that this was the transforming work of the Holy Spirit andcontinued to provide the spiritually hungry cell members the anointedteaching material as guided by the Holy Spirit.

However, in obedience to his church leaders, Lim ensured the official cellmaterial were completed before commencing the message the Holy Spirit hasfreshly provided. The cell group was delighted with the new transformationtaking place in the cell as the Holy Spirited guided each member into variousactivities. The Holy Spirit also anointed the members with various giftings.Some members excelled in community service, event management, out-dooractivities and games. Others were talented in Christian publication and writing. Being faithful to God, the Lord multiplied the cell.

Nevertheless, all was not well. Soon, Lim realised that the church leadership was not in favour of these changes. They felt threatened by the transformationtaking place in Zedek. Eventually, the church summoned Lim and his wife toattend a meeting to discuss the matter. At the meeting all sorts of acquisitions were made and to prevent the situation from turning ugly, Lim and Carolgracefully left it to the church leadership to decide on their fate. The Holy Spirit had taught them the principle of the grace of yielding 22 never to fightfor position but gracefully surrender it to God. God had spoken to Lim through

Heb 11:17-19, that God will complete His work His way and not by manseffort. The church leaders decided that Lim and wife should resign as CellLeaders. They informed Zedek that Lim and his wife were no longer theirleaders and a new leader has been assigned. The members were disappointedand eventually they all scattered bringing an end to the cell group.

But that was not the end of the story. God blessed Lim and Carol beyond theirexpectations. Today; in retrospect, Lim and Carol keep thanking God daily forthe turn of events even for taking away Zedek which they had natured andloved so dearly. When the church closed the doors on Lim and Carol, it was anew dawn for them as the Lord poured streams of blessings upon them. Godhad used this dark episode to teach them the secret of the transformed life inChrist. The mystery all Christians must understand is the principle that lifecan only come from death. The corn of wheat must die before new life canspring forth. The Cross is the path to the transformed life 23 .

FROM FEAR TO FAITH 24


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If you can identify with people like Pastor Rama, Cell leaders Lim and Caroland Cell Group Zedek, rejoice for God has a purpose in your life and for thecommunity you serve. The Bible makes it plain that God sent both the pleasantand the unpleasant. Since the Fall, all of life is surely pressure. But why doesGod permit His saints to go through these pressures? The answer isredemptive opportunity. What we learn through our sufferings and difficultiesis the means God uses to redeem the world and touch others in theirsufferings. Every negative situation, every need, frustration, catastrophe,difficult people within and without the church, enemies, family problems,office politics etc. is the very place where light will shine out of darkness asGod uses these circumstances to transform the individual to be a blessing toothers. Real transformation can only take place in the crucible of suffering. Itis in the crucible that God refines our faith so that we learn to see-through thenegative circumstances and see the provision God has provided for our needsas well as deliverance from our problems.

Diligent students of the Bible will discern that God in His sovereignty foreordain events. God does not consult us and everything takes placeaccording to the counsel of His own will. His will and its outworking in thelives of the individual are not permissive but determined. We need to seedifficult people, negative circumstances and even Satan as Gods convenientagent to accomplish His purposes. When Jeremiah spoke of Gods coming

judgment on rebellious Israel with the destruction of Jerusalem and thetemple, he said that God had called the heathen king who would destroy themNebuchadnezzar, My servant" (43:10)! God called the Assyrians, "the rod of My anger" (Isa. 10:5). All the destructive plagues of insects that destroyedharvest after harvest in the days of Joel the prophet, "the palmerworm, thelocust, the cankerworm, the caterpillar," God spoke of as "My great army which I sent among you" (See Joel 1:4 and 2:25). There are dozens of suchsayings by the prophets. The prophet Isaiah said plainly (45:6-7), "I am theLord, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness; I make

peace, and create evil [Hebrew ra - adversity, calamity]; I, the Lord, do allthese things." That statement is total enough. But there are plenty more. ToMoses, God said (Ex. 4:11), "Who hath made... the dumb, or deaf, or theseeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?" We all know about Joseph and he went even further. He left no room for us to say that God "permits" evil thingsto happen but does not direct them; for, even though he had suffered thirteen years by being sold as a slave by his brethren and then being thrown intoprison because of the false accusation of Potiphars wife, still he told his brethren, "You thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good" (Gen.50:20). Meant it! To "mean" is not to "permit." It is direct purpose andplanning. Peter, in a startling statement in his speech on the day of Pentecost,


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when referring to the greatest crime in history, told the crowds: "Jesus of Nazareth... Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel andforeknowledge of God, ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified andslain" (Acts 2:22-23). Determinate counsel - there is no possiblepermissiveness there! 25 Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones wrote we need to mature andaccept the unpleasant situations and daily pressures as events ordained by God rather than resisting them even as Jesus accepted Calvary. Paul calls thisalways bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus and beingalways delivered unto death for Jesus sake. Faith is the key for it sees Jesusresolving problems and providing for needs beyond man.

How does one enter into the secret of the transformed life? Examine the menof God through the Bible prophets, apostlesand you will find that they hadthe conscious attitude of the Cross and authoritative faith. The differencestands out clearly with Hezekiah and Isaiah. Hezekiah was a man of prayer.The threats of the enemy came upon him with overwhelming force. He prayed, but he bemoaned weakness. This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strengthto bring forth. Isa. 37:3. Not strength was his emphasis. Then he sent wordof the situation to the Isaiah, the man of faith. Now, hear Isaiahs declaration,a saying unto this mountain. Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the wordsthat thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have

blasphemed me. Behold, I will sent a blast upon him, and he shall . . . returnto his own land. Vs 6,7. Hezekiah prayed in weakness. Isaiah spoke inauthority. One was fully conscious of need, lack and separation from thesupply of power. The other knew union with God, and spoke as Hismouthpiece. What did Jesus do in the storm? Row a boat across the stormy lake, walk on the water or sink beneath them? He had the faith of God, spokethe Word of faith and walked on water! So trust God. 26

Now a final word of warning! Norman Grubb says, I have observed the realdanger arises when we think we must do something to be transformed. No! Donot give a thought about how you should become a transformed Christian andserve your community. Walk with God, not ahead or behind but beside Him!Just run your own life, accept yourself, be yourself, love yourself! He hasmapped out His plan for you even before you were born. So start by appreciating that you are a special person and specially gifted by God. For what purpose? That is not your business. That is Gods business. Do not try torun His business! Get on with your daily occupations and putting all yourheart into them. He knows exactly how He will reach others through you in your special life's situation and with your special giftings, of which you may not even be conscious and probably good that you are not! Be still and know


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that I am God. So be still; have faith in God and enjoy Him until He opens thedoor where you are to serve Him. 27

R.T. Kendall 28 warns of the dangers of drifting from a work of grace to a work of human efforts. This can be seen in many denominations and ministriestoday that were once born of Gods direct anointing in the previous generation, but which bear little resemblance to the former glorious days. He warned wemust never presume that Gods approval upon the leadership of a church yesterday ensures His blessing upon today. Yet, this is the very presumptionthat has allowed some of the present churches to become worldly andindifferent to the need for fresh anointing from on high. Moreover, sadly, even when God raises new transformed leaders and ministries with fresh anointing,the present leadership desires to destroy them out of fear and perhaps even jealously.

APPENDIX


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PASTORS & LEADERS CONSULTATION SURVEY RESULT

The appendix provides graphically the results of a survey conducted at thePastors & Leaders Consultation held on 31, July 2007. Questions 1 to 7 providethe profile of the 120 pastors and leaders who responded to the survey. Therest of the results to questions 01 to 27 are discussed below.

Reponses to questions 01 & 16 elucidate the respondents are aware of theneed to be vigilant of political and social development in the country.Response to question 17 seems to indicate Christians are divided on what isour role and Gods role in current and future events. This is understandableas our response is partly dependent on which theological school wesubscribe to when it comes to Gods sovereignty over providence.

Responses to questions 02, 03, 06, 09, 18, 21 & 28 indicate therespondents are aware of the need for the local church to be an authenticand dynamic witness in the community they serve. In addition, the localchurch model need not necessarily be similar to the Western church modelin structure and form.

Reponses to questions 04, 08, 11 & 15 provide evidence that the leaders areaware of the role laypeople have in touching lives in the communities and

market place they serve. Responses to questions 05, 07, 10 & 12 indicate the necessity to focus on

the marketplace ministry.

Responses to questions 13, 14, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 & 27 indicated there isagreement that there is a genuine need to reappraise the authenticity of thelife styles of Christians in our midst and whether current discipleshipprogrammes are producing the desired results.

Reponses to questions 19 & 20 indicate that respondents are divided as to(i) whether the local church is the only place for the spiritual developmentand ministry of transformed Christians and (ii) whether it can replaceseminaries for developing Christian leaders.


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SURVEY RESULTS: NATIONAL PASTORS & LEADERS CONSULTATION

Q1

Not fulltimeFulltime

P e r c e n t

100

80

60

40

20

0

20

80

Q.2

> 2 5 y r s

2 1 - 2 5 y r s

1 6 - 2 0 y r s

1 1 - 1 5 y r s

6 - 1 0 y r s

1 - 5 y r s

N o r e s p o n s e

P e r c e n t

30

20

10

0

28

8

1414

20

9

7

(i) Number Involved in Fulltime Ministry (ii) Age Range of Respondents

Q.3a

FemaleMale

P e r c e n t

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

27

72

Q3b

Not marriedMarried

P e r c e n t

100

80

60

40

20

0

16

81

(iiia) Gender of Respondents (iiib) Marital Status


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Q.4

P o s t g r a d u a t e D e g r e e

D e g r e e / D i p l o m a B i b l e

P o s t g r a d u a t e / P r o f e s s

D e g r e e / D i p l o m a

S e c o n d a r y

P e r c e n t

30

20

10

0

2426

19

23

5

Q.6

P r e f e r l i s t e n t a p e s

p r a y / r e a d B i b l e

T i m e c o n s u m i n g

B o o k s e x p e n s i v e

B u s y w i t h m i n i s t r y

O t h e r r e a s o n s

P e r c e n t

50

40

30

20

10

05

3

15

47

28

(iv) Education Level of respondents (vi) Factors hindering reading of Christian Literature


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Q01.

Totally AgreeModerately AgreeNot sure

P e r c e n t

100

80

60

40

20

0

Q02.

Totally Agree

Moderately Agree

Not sure

Moderately Disagree

Totally disagree P e r c e n t

30

20

10

0

Q03.

Totally Agree

Moderately Agree

Not sure

Moderately Disagree


60

50

40

30

20

10

0

01) When Nazism was gaining momentum inGermany, the Christians kept silent, until it

02) In terms of services, programmes, buildings, and ceremonies, the local church is

03 There is a growing breed of Christiansfocussing on the Church at large. They are not

6254 57

65

35

64

26

4743

24

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Faith/Prayer Church

Growth/P lanting

Discipleship Devotional Biographies Leadership Post Modernism Cross of Christ Christian

Theology

Others

(v) Types of Christian Literature Read by Respondents


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was too late and Hitler came to power. Ascitizens, we too must learn from history,discern the time and season, and actaccordingly.

neither biblical nor unbiblical , because theBible does not describe or promote such.

interested in a local church that is notaggressively advancing Gods Kingdom.

Q04.

Totally AgreeModerately AgreeNot sureModerately Disagree P e r c e n t

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Q05.


70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Q06.


80

60

40

20

0

04 When the world is transformed for Christ, it would be because we have more laypeoplewho have been transformed and are now transforming their workplaces and society.

05 The church worship and programmes areprimarily designed for SUNDAYS. It is time tomake every day a worship service whether inthe marketplace or at home. Both the secular and the ministry are worship to the Lord.

06 Today, churches measure success by thenumber of people within the four walls. TheKingdom of God measures success through thetransformation happening at home, at work, atplay and in the society.

Q07.


70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Q08.

Totally Agree

Moderately Agree

Not sure

Moderately Disagree P e r c e n t

100

80

60

40

20

0

Q09.

Totally Agree

Moderately Agree

Not sure

Moderately Disagree


50

40

30

20

10

0


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07 It is time for the local church to rethink itsstrategy in expanding Gods Kingdom, i.e.touching the society by providing vocationalschools, orphanages, legal aid, clinic/hospitalsor employment opportunities.

08 It is the transformed life of the Christiandisciples that changes society.

09 The pursuit for an authentic Asian theologyis essential if we want to transform Asiansociety.

Q10.

Totally Agree

Moderately Agree

Not sure

Moderately Disagree


60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Q11.

Totally AgreeModerately AgreeNot sure P e r c e n t

100

80

60

40

20

0

Q12.

Totally Agree

Moderately Agree

Not sure

Moderately Disagree


40

30

20

10

0

10 Evangelism should first flow out of theChristians lifestyle in the marketplace.

11 It is time for the church to influence andpenetrate every level of the society through itslaypeople.

12 God is transforming lives outside thechurchs structure, e.g. home-schooling, house-churches, marketplace ministries and Christiancreative arts activities.

Q13.


50

40

30

20

10

0

Q14.

Totally Agree

Moderately Agree

Not sure

Moderately Disagree


40

30

20

10

0

Q15.

Totally AgreeModerately AgreeNot sure P e r c e n t

60

50

40

30

20

10

0


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13 Although professing to believe in Christianprinciples, many Christians today live in a way that is not much different from their non-Christian peers in the marketplace.

14 We should determine whether the rapidgrowth of a seeker-friendly church is primarily due to conversion of the unbelievers ormigration of members from other churches.

15 We must be careful how we critique anotherpersons spiritual journey , although his pathmay be different from church traditions,cultural expectations or our personal comfortzone.

Q16.


80

60

40

20

0

Q17.

Totally Agree

Moderately Agree

Not sure

Moderately Disagree


30

20

10

0

Q18.

Totally Agree

Moderately Agree

Not sure

Moderately Disagree


40

30

20

10

0

16 Preaching and living out the Kingdom of God include social and politicaltransformation.

17 God has intentionally left many things up toour decision. What we do determines thefuture. If we fail, Gods plans are thwarted.

18 A church reformed by Scripture alone is achurch that ensures the right preaching of theGospel and the right administration of thesacraments.

Q19.

Totally Agree

Moderately Agree

Not sure

Moderately Disagree


40

30

20

10

0

Q20.

Totally Agree

Moderately Agree

Not sure

Moderately Disagree


40

30

20

10

0

Q21.


60

50

40

30

20

10

0

19 Transformed Christians have begun to 20 Experience, maturity and character are 21 A church should survey the local


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recognise that local church is not and neednot be the centre of their spiritualadventure.

more important than formal education. Thecongregation now takes the place of theseminaries in developing church leaders.

community, discover its felt needs, andshape the church and message to meet itsneeds.

Q22.

Totally Agree

Moderately Agree

Not sure

Moderately Disagree


60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Q23.

Totally AgreeModerately AgreeNot sureModerately Disagree

P e r c e n t

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Q24.

Totally Agree

Moderately Agree

Not sure

Moderately Disagree


60

50

40

30

20

10

0

22 Transformed Christians would rather giveto a worthy cause (e.g. helping the widows,the orphans and the poor) than to donate toman-made monument that marks the leadersown achievements .

23 Any presentation of the gospel that doesnot challenge the unbeliever for radicalchange in thinking and attitude towards Godand salvation is not the Gospel of the New Testament.

24 We are not producing worshippers; rather, we are producing a generation of spectatorsand religious onlookers lacking memory of adivine encounter with God.


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Q25.

Totally Agree

Moderately Agree

Not sure

Moderately Disagree


40

30

20

10

0

Q26.


P e r c e n t

80

60

40

20

0

Q27.


P e r c e n t

50

40

30

20

10

0

25 Times have changed. What worked in theprevious generations cannot work today. Theexperience of the act of the Holy Spirit isinsufficient and we need new methodology totouch mens heart.

26 We need to return to biblical preachingrather than allowing the whims of the crowd with itching ears (2Tim.4: 3-4) to dictate thecontent of a sermon.

27 Regardless of the techniques used to draw crowd to church (e.g. interesting & practicalpreaching, seeker-sensitive, entertainment worship, etc); what matters is the response of the crowd to the full Gospel & salvation .

Q28.

Total lyAgree

Moderat ely Agree

Not sur e

Moderat ely Disagree

Totall ydisagree

P e r c e n t

50

40

30

20

10

0

28 A new paradigm church must embrace all these: (1) inward journey of faith and personal spiritual growth , (2) ecclesiastical-liturgical tradition, (3) relevance to contemporary setting in terms of worship style and social ministry, and (4) living out apostolic tradition venturinginto unreached people groups.


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References


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1 Daily Thoughts from www.christasus.com .

2 Notes from Norman: www.normangrubb.com

3 George Barna, Revolution, Tyndale House, 2005.

4 Editorial, What Reveal Reveals , Christianity Today, March 28, 2008

5 Editorial, Willow Creek Repents? Why the most influential church in America now says We made a mistake, Christianity Today, October 18, 2007.

6 Matt Branaugh, Willow Creeks Huge Shift , Christianity Today, May 28, 2008.

7 Tanya Levin, People in Glass House , Black Inc.

8 Ed Silvoso, Transformation - Change the Marketplace & You change the World , Regal, 2007.

9 Wes Roberts & Glenn Marshall, Reclaiming Gods Original Intent for the Church , Navpress, 2004.

10 Eddie Gibbs & Ian Coffey, Church Next , Inter-Varsity Press, Illinois, 2005

11 Bob Roberts, Glocalization , Zondervan, 2007

12 Bob Roberts, Transformation , Zondervan, 2006

13 Donald Miller, Reinventing American Protestantism , University of California press, 1997.

14 J. I. Parker, Hot Tub Religion , Tyndale House Publication, 1987.

15 Lyle Schaller, 21 Bridges to the 21 st Century , Abingdon Press, 1994.

16 L.E. Maxmell, Born Crucified the Cross in the Life of a Believer , Moody Press, 1945

17 M.R. DeHaan, Broken Things Why we suffer , Zondervan, 1948.

18 Norman Grubb, The Law of Faith , Lutterworth Press, 1947.

19 Bill Volkman, The Wink of Faith , Union Life Ministry, 1996.

20

Dee Dee Winter (Editor), The Knight of Faith, The Letters of Norman Grubb, Volumes 1 and 2, Author House, 2006.21 Norman Grubb, Rees Howells, Intercessor , The Lutterworth Press, 2003.

22 Derek Prince, The Grace of Yielding , Derek Prince Ministry, Fort Lauderdale, 1986

23 Doris Ruscoe, The Intercession of Rees Howells , The Lutterworth Press, 1997.

24 Martyn Lloyd-Jones, From Fear to Faith , Inter-Varsity Press, 1997.

25 Norman Grubb, Yes I Am, Christian Literature Crusade, 1984.

26 Martyn Lloyd Jones, The Christian Warfare , Baker House Books, 1989

27 Norman Grubb, Who I Am, Christian Literature Crusade, 1974

28 R.T. Kendall, Believing God: Studies on Faith in Hebrews 11 , Morning Star Publication, 1999.

Acknowledgement.

I would like to thank Dee Dee Winter (www.normangrubb.com), Linda Bunting (www.christasus.com) and Bill Volkman forpermission to use extracts from their websites and books as detailed in the Reference above. I would also like to thank my wife, Vivien Chan, for preparing the statistics presented in the Appendix.

necf church transformation1[1]

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