THE GREAT GLOBAL RESET

God has pressed the reset button to change everything including the global spiritual profile of His church. Jesus had demonstrated a model for reaching the whole world with the whole gospel through the whole church. The Christians were the only people in the world who had no sacred buildings, professional priest, any set time or place, music, or rituals or even the Scriptures. They also did not have any political, social, or financial muscle power but they had the power of the Holy Spirit, hence multiplied exponentially. They met in the simplicity and intimacy of homes, broke bread from house to house, shared the whole wisdom of God and the Lord added to those being saved daily. God is now rebooting that original pattern by setting up ‘Households of God’ to fulfil his goal of preaching the gospel of the Kingdom to the ends of the earth and gathering all nations, tongues, and tribes from the four winds of the earth. 

To fulfill His agenda of reaching the ends of the earth, God is orchestrating the following shifts:

1. Restoring the Royal priesthood of all believers so that everyone can obey the Great Commission and disciple, baptize, and serve the Lord’s Supper. (1 Pet. 2:9; Matt. 28:19,20)
2. From a mere bench warmer into a dynamic practitioner. (James 1:22)
3. From being a mere follower of Christ into a prolific fisher of men. (Matt. 4:19)
4. From merely praying to the Lord of harvest to a laborer in His harvest field. (Luke 10:2)
5. From a pulpit orator into an equipper of saints for workplace ministry. (Eph. 4:12)

In the 4th century, Emperor Constantine built the first Cathedral, appointed professional priests, started Sunday Service, and became virtual Pope. Later Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, infant baptism, music, the Pulpit, the Altar, the Eucharist, the Cross, rather than the Menorah, the light the sign of the church (Rev. 1:20). Many other things were added, thus corrupting the DNA of the NT Church. 

The church is now divided mainly in two denominations – The Old Wine with corrupted DNA that has no burden for the lost and the New Wine – the “Households of God” that come preloaded for reaching their oikos.

• Now as religious places are being locked down the worshippers have migrated into homes. 

Reason: The moment Jesus died on the cross, the Spirit of God tore through the veil and left the Temple, making it desolate and the priesthood became defunct. We are now the Temples of the living God. “God does not live-in houses made with human hands.” He lives in human hearts, “You are the temple of the living God.” And “Your house is a House of Prayer for all nations” (Acts 7:48,49; 1 Cor. 3:16, Mk 11:17).

• Sunday services are breaking through the bondage of four walls and going global through the internet.

Reason: Sunday Service was started by Emperor Constantine, a hybrid Christian, a sun worshipper. 

The NT church meets frequently in homes or wherever (cyberspace), adds new believers, disciples, and releases them to multiply daily. (Acts 2:46,47; 6:7; 16:5).

• Not music but Sacrifice is central to Worship. Not King David, but Martin Luther, a theologian, and a musician, who centralized the pulpit for his ‘Sola Scriptura’ and added music to Sunday Service.

Reason: All worship in the OT required animal sacrifice while in the NT worship requires offering saved souls as living sacrifice. (2 Chron 7:12; Rom. 12:1; 15:16; James 5:20).

• Rhetoric from the pulpit is being muted. 

Reason:  There was no pulpit or rhetoric (sermon) in the NT church. It was a gift of Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) who wrote a book titled “Rhetoric” about giving a good three-part sermon – Introduction, substance, and summary.

The NT church was dialogical with everyone participating. (1 Cor. 14:26-32)

• Mere men cannot be Right Reverends – (Worthy of reverence):

Reason: Reverend is God’s title, “Holy and Reverend is His name” (KJV Psalm 111:9).

• Padre or Fathers are disenfranchised:

Reason: Jesus forbade, “Do not call anyone your father (Padre) on earth because one is your Father in heaven” (Matt. 23:9).

• Doctors and Ph. D’s disqualified. “Do not call yourself a doctor (teacher)” (Matt. 23:8).

Reason: Seminary graduates or the Bible Study group Scholars are like the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God has not chosen them to change the world because they lack discipling skills and hence cannot engage with people of other faiths and preach the gospel where Christ is not named. God has chosen the foolish and despised new believers from other faiths to shame the scholars. They are the ones who are changing the spiritual profile of their nations, as they come loaded with contextualized discipling skill sets and willing to suffer persecution (1 Cor.1:26-29). So do not only feel sorry but do something for them, every time you hear that someone is being persecuted, tortured, or martyred for his name’s sake. Persecution is one of the main pathways for the spread of the gospel and an indicator of church growth and multiplication. Recent spike in persecution confirms this. (Acts 11:19-21)

• No special priesthood within the priesthood of all believers (1 Pet. 2:9).

Reason: Professional priests are not special as every believer is a ‘royal priest,’ made so by the blood of the Lamb (1Peter 2:9; Rev. 5:9,10). Jesus has authorized all believers through the Great Commission to disciple, baptize and make them obedient to all his commandments. This includes serving the Lord’s Supper (breaking bread from house to house), “do this in remembrance of me as often as you meet, until my return” (Matt. 28:18-20; 1 Cor. 11:24-26).

• Sunday Gregorian Order of Worship service is a gift of Pope Gregory I (6th Century) – Liturgy followed by a few songs, followed by a sermon, followed by collection and then dismissal with a blessing. This kind of worship does not glorify God because it gathers no fruit. 

Reason: “God is glorified when you bring abundant fruit” (John 15:8). In the NT they invited and engaged seekers of other faiths, broke bread from house to house and shared their testimonies, revelations, teachings, dreams, prophecies, visions, and new saved souls were added daily (Acts 2:46,47; 1 Cor. 14:24-32). 

• Healing and deliverance crusades cancelled.

Reason: These Jamborees gather decision cards but scatter the new harvest without gathering and discipling them into the Kingdom and therefore bear no lasting fruit. Jesus said that he who gathers is with me and he who scatters is against me.  (Matt.7:21-23; 12:29, 30; John 15:16).

• The Prayer Towers are being replaced by Prayer Walkers:

Reason: Because “God desires that men pray ‘everywhere,’ lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting (1 Tim. 2:8) - for nations (Ps.2:8); for healing of the land (2 Chron. 7:14); for cities (Jer. 29:7); for rulers (1 Tim. 2:1-4); for laborers (Luke 10:2); for one another and the sick (Jam. 5:14-16); for open doors (1 Cor. 16:9); even for the enemy (Matt. 5:44).

• The traditional church is out, and the NT church is in.

Reason: Because the sole purpose of the church is to win souls. The traditional church recycles the same people week after week without ever winning a soul, while the NT church adds new believers everyday (Acts 2:47), multiplies new disciples (Acts 6:7) and plants new churches every day. (Acts 16:5) 

• Church is shifting from a dead organization to a living organism (Bride). 

Reason: The Church is a Household of God where the relational glue of love keeps them united. Gifted Elders, spiritual fathers and mothers, mentor and equip members for work-place ministries, to grow and multiply the Kingdom of God. (Eph. 2:19,20; 4:11,12)

• Tithe redefined. In the OT, Tithe was food, which the Tither ate with the widows, the orphans, the strangers (Gentiles) and the propertyless Levites (Deut. 14:22-29).

Reason: The church is not a holy huddle but holistic gathering, taking care of the physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual needs of the hurting people. Jesus was anointed to preach the good news to the poor (Luke 4:18). What could be good news for the poor than food, water, shelter, clothes, health care etc.? We will not be judged by our religiosity but by whether we took care of the hungry, thirsty, naked, homeless, the sick etc. Hence Offerings are not for church upkeep, but for reaping the harvest by taking care of such people and discipling them into the Kingdom. (Matt. 25:31-46; 2Cor. 9:6,7).

Thank God that the church is changing location and expression, according to the model shown by our Lord, from the sacred buildings into hearts and homes of people, where He belongs (1 Cor. 16:19). The change process will continue until the church resonates with the will of the Father that, “None should perish but come to the knowledge of truth (1 Tim. 2:4)” and finish the task of discipling the nations. Those churches which recalibrate and reboot the pattern shown by the Lord and give up what they cannot keep gaining what they cannot lose, will celebrate in eternity while those who hang on to the extra-biblical man-made baggage will suffer consequences (Gal. 1:8). The end is in sight so choose wisely.