Revisit 2 Corinthians 5:17 and you just might Revitalize Your Church
Phil Miglioratti @ The Reimagine.Network
“Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, s/he has become an entirely new person.
All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 TPT
Is it possible our application of this amazing declaration of transformative truth has been insufficient? The result of a limited purview?
What if 2 Corinthians 5:17 should not only be applied to and by each believer, but should also be applied corporately; to and by congregations, across all denominations, and through ministry organizations?
“Now all who are enfolded into Christ have become an entirely new community.
All that is related to the old order has vanished.
Behold a Church where everything is fresh and new.”
Church, recognize the old is gone.
Church, realize the new has come.
In our individual-focused society it is too easy to forget that the Church is the Body of Christ.
Like a human body, it is comprised millions of cells, but yet it is one entity. One spiritual nation but many ethnicities. Multi-generational. Dissimilar geographies. Many different (and differing) tribes, which are led and taught by diverse personalities as they express worship and enjoy fellowship with distinct rituals and practices. No one snowflake exactly alike but one in Christ.
“Just as there are many parts to our human bodies, so it is with Christ’s body.
We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us to make it complete,
for we each have different work to do.
So we belong to each other, and each needs all the others.”
Romans 12:5
Teaching, equipping, discipling, are vital to the life of everyChrist-follower but also to every Christian community (congregation, ministry). We must give more than theological-statement lip-service to this reality. We must recognize the codes and methods differ for each and to employ only one set of formats or styles is ministry malpractice.
Scripture written for the discipleship of each believer also has relevancy for the discipling of each corporate expression (cell) of the Body of Christ. Those who attend small groups or large gatherings should not be perceived as a passive audience (audible; “to hear)” where the teaching and preaching of biblical truth is applied only to the personal life of each individual. Each believer must personally respond to the commands and counsels of Scripture, but so also must each expression of the Church strive to mature, become equipped as well.
“ekklesia” in the Greek New Testament refers to
"an assembly" or "a group of people called together for a purpose.”
In Ephesians 4:13 the writer “says that the equipping work should continue until the church reaches unity and maturity. Interestingly, Paul doesn’t use the plural form ‘mature persons’ but rather uses the singular form ‘mature person.’ He’s referring to the church, saying that the church must ‘attain to a mature person.’ We often think of maturity only in terms of individual believers, but in this passage the emphasis is on the maturity of the church.” (Pastor John Sypert)
“I will build my Church.”
Jesus, quoted in Matthew 16:18
The Church is a company bound together by a world-changing mission statement, given by our Lord and Leader Jesus to a group comprised of devoted followers. Like a coach, the Church is guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit to live-out and take-out the Gospel, across the street and around the world.
“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit
and understand what he is saying to the churches.”
Revelation 2:7 NLT
We must begin to apply 2 Corinthians 5:17 to the ministries of the Church . . .
• Church, “the old is gone” … so, “be not conformed.” (Romans 12:2)
The old that is gone for us today is the two millennia of traditions, rituals, formats, styles, customs that have unavoidably intermingled with our interpretations and applications, creating a Christianized culture. Christianized to a specific time, place, problems, and people. Built upon truth but never the whole truth (humanly impossible regardless of any certainty of our theological positions and policies) and certainly not nothing but the truth (humbly impossible to not make unintended errors of application and discernment). √out "Text, Context, Pretext"
Culture: “the customary beliefs, social forms, set of values,
corporate practices, and traits of a racial, religious, or social group;
the characteristic features of everyday existence shared by people in a place or time.”
Stepping away from old patterns and practices (2 Corinthians 5:17) and becoming unconformed (Romans 12:2) begins with unLearning.
Recognizing that at the time our applications of biblical truth were designed (how we worship, how we make disciples, how we share the Gospel), they were unavoidably influenced and in many cases, infected by, “the behaviors and customs of the world” (Romans 12:2). Like air pollution, one can not help breathing in contaminated air. But, that does not make those ministry formats evil; it makes them embedded into a time and lifestyle that no longer exists or no longer suits our biblical objectives (or maybe they never did). unLearning sees to untangle those accumulated ministry planning and programs from biblical principles and practices.
- Begin the process here>>>
- /Research … and invite others into the process (in person and/or social media).
- Review to Reveal the applications that led to the setting of schedules, formats, methods and expectations that shape your worship, discipleship, fellowship, and leadership. Analyze how past choices fit the time and place and people when they were first employed … and begin to think about what has changed since then.
- Reformat? Reboot? or Reset? >>>
• Church, “the new has come”. … so “be transformed…by a new way of thinking” (Romans 12:2)
As times change, so does the inspiring and leading of the Holy Spirit. The “new” is a fresh filling of the Spirit that equips the Church to apply biblical truths to new, contemporary, even unprecedented, situations. Scripture changes not. Living out Scripture does.
“Don’t be under the control of anything that can control your life.
Church, instead you must continually seek to be filled with, under the control of, the Holy Spirit.”
Ephesians 5:18
- Begin the process here>>>
- Read/Research … and invite others into the process (in person and/or social media).
- Reach for Spirit-led, Scripture-fed insights … together … with Asking-Seeking-Knocking prayer>>>
- Reimagine how to “pray without ceasing,” and “make disciples,” as you obey the Great Commission and live out the Great Commandment. Think about this simple template,here>>>
“Now all who are enfolded into Christ have become a new entity; a new community.
All that is related to the old order has vanished, so
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, instead
Let God transform you into something new by changing the way you think, so that
You may proven practice that the plan of God is good, meets all God’s expectations and moves toward the goal of maturity.
Behold a Church where everything is fresh and new!”
2 Corinthians 5:17~Romans 12:2
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DOES THE CHURCH NEED A NEW WINESKIN?
Implementing the Way of Jesus and the Disciples
{At the end of this article I give a real life example of what I’m talking about here.}
Mark 2:22 (NLT) “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.”
It’s time for the Leadership of God’s Church to take the New Wine of the Holy Spirit and put into a New Wineskin of Leadership. Let’s look at the Early Church to see an example of this taking place.
Acts 11:19-26 (NKJV) Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. 20 But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. 22 Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. 23 When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. 24 For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. 25 Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. 26 And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So, it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
So, it was in Antioch that finally a Church grew that was filled with Saved Jews and Gentiles!!! It was here that the fires of reaching the lost began to burn…
The model had changed… They were no longer reaching out to only Jews. They were now going to do things the way Jesus had intended them to do them!
Today and for many years, the role of the Senior Leader in the Church was to be “The Pastor”
And “The Pastor” was the charismatic leader who did it all.
Recently some Churches have even begun to call their leaders “The CEO”.
They have modified the traditional role and styled it after the business models of todays corporations.
But today I believe that The Lord is casting a new vision to His Leaders. The Lord is not interested in “Business Models” in the Church.
He is showing us that “The Way of Jesus and The Apostles” is the best way!
Leaders today must become more of a visionary like Barnabas and not be like the corporate giants of today’s world.
Rather than sitting in Board rooms and running the Church with this modern corporate style they need to be active in the Church finding their Pauls and bringing them alongside of them!
Jesus gave them the example by sending out His Disciples “Two by Two”. The Leaders of the Early Church learned at Antioch that they needed to do the same thing in order to reach the unreachable. They needed to “yoke” Leaders together and create “Ministry Teams”.
Rather than having “The Pastor” be the only person who “Leads the Church” it would be wise to raise up modern day Ministry Teams of Leaders and follow their example of working together. “Leadership Teams” made up of Gifted Servant Leaders could be formed and those in them would work together to “equip the saints for the work of the ministry” in their daily lives.
This is the role I have been trying to fulfill at Living Water Church. I have spent the past 10 years putting together “Ministry Teams” who share the work of “Equipping the Saints”.
That vision has been bearing fruit. There is a shared responsibility in the Ministry Team here. I am no longer the “chief cook and bottle washer”. Today you see in our Church the fruit of my labors… There are others who now work alongside of me sharing the load of ministry.
Our common goal is found in Ephesians 4:11 - 13 (NLT)
“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.”
We are raising up “Full Stature Christians” who are mature! That’s our goal… We minister according to our giftings and we impart to the Members according to their ability. The results are that we are seeing mature Christians who demonstrate New Testament Christianity to everyone they meet.
OUR VISION IS TO TRANSFORM each Church Member into a true Disciple of Jesus and demonstrate the Kingdom of God in our daily lives.
This New Wineskin is very practical. It places the burden and responsibility of our Churches squarely on the shoulders of these Ministry Teams of Spirit Empowered Servant Leaders.
The Team Members use their unique and individual gifts to equip God’s People, nurturing them in the Word of God and building Character and developing the Fruit of the Spirit in their lives.
The Fruit of my Vision was fully demonstrated when I ended up in a hospital for a 10 hour Emergency Open Heart Surgery!
My heart was “blowing up” as it went through what’s called “Aortic Dissection”. Without getting technical the fact is that without immediate surgery by a skilled expert I would have died within a few hours. Aortic Dissection is ALWAYS FATAL without radical Open Heart Surgery usually within about 6-10 hours!
After my surgery I was in ICU for 10 days and then I went home. I was home for over 4 months before I was able to “visit” my Church and share for a little while.
What happened while I was incapacitated? Well, the Team that I had built over the past years did what they were supposed to do and kept the Church running smoothly! Everyone pulled together and worked alongside each other doing what they had been trained to do! Thank God I had the foresight to see we needed a “New Wineskin” in our Church! If not, sadly, it would not have made it. It would have closed.
It did not take this tragic turn of events to get us implement “Ministry Teams”! No, they were already in place! Thank God!
So, let’s pray that The Church leaves the “corporate model” and moves into the New Testament Model of “Ministry Teams” so it will function as it should to “Equip the Saints” and “Reach the Lost”!
GUEST-POST: REVIVAL...RESTORATION...REFORMATION...REVITALIZATION...
What is Revival ?
Lessons from Ezekiel 37
The Hunger for Authentic Faith
In our increasingly fragmented society, many have grown disillusioned with institutional religion. Yet there remains a deep hunger for authentic community and genuine faith. This longing for real connection - with both God and others - sets the stage for profound spiritual renewal. By returning to the core of what it means to follow Jesus, we can rediscover the vibrant, world-changing faith that has always been at the heart of Christianity.
The Timeless Power of Revival
The concept of revival, far from being outdated, offers a timely and powerful solution to the spiritual malaise affecting many individuals and communities today. Drawing inspiration from the vision in Ezekiel 37:1-14, let's explore how revival can breathe new life into the body of Christ, transforming both individuals and faith communities.
Key Principles of Revival
1. Revival Begins with God's Initiative: True revival is not manufactured through human effort alone. It starts with God's desire to breathe new life into His people.
2. Revival Requires Human Cooperation: While God initiates revival, He invites human participation. Our words and actions play a crucial role.
3. Revival is a Process: The restoration in Ezekiel's vision happens in stages, reminding us that revival is often gradual.
4. The Ultimate Goal is to Know God: The deepest purpose of revival is to bring people into a fuller knowledge and experience of God Himself.
With these principles in mind, let's explore how revival impacts the church in three key areas: restoration, reformation, and revitalization.
Restoration: Healing the Broken
One primary effect of revival is the restoration of what has been broken. This includes:
- Healing of personal wounds and traumas
- Reconciliation in relationships
- Restoration of faith for the disillusioned
- Renewed hope for those feeling spiritually dry
Practical steps for fostering restoration include creating safe spaces for sharing struggles and receiving prayer, offering counseling and support groups, teaching on forgiveness and inner healing, and encouraging testimonies of God's restorative work.
Reformation: Reshaping the Church's Structure and Focus
Revival often leads to reformation - reshaping how the church operates and understands its mission. Key areas of reformation might include:
1. Emphasizing the Body of Christ: Fostering greater unity between churches and ministries.
2. Embracing Diverse Ministry Gifts: Returning to the New Testament model of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers working together.
3. Balancing Inward and Outward Focus: Ensuring churches effectively make disciples who can impact the world.
4. Decentralizing Ministry: Empowering ordinary believers to step into their gifts and callings.
5. Renewing Worship and Prayer: Fostering more dynamic, participatory worship and emphasizing corporate prayer.
Implementing these reforms requires wisdom, patience, and openness to the Holy Spirit's guidance while being mindful of specific contexts and congregational needs.
Revitalization: Infusing New Life and Purpose
The climax of Ezekiel's vision comes when the breath of life enters the reconstructed bodies. This pictures the revitalizing power of the Holy Spirit, which is at the heart of true revival.
Hallmarks of a Revitalized Church
1. Renewed Passion for God: Revival rekindles our first love for Jesus.
2. Empowered Witness: A revitalized church becomes bold in sharing the gospel and demonstrating God's love.
3. Manifestation of Spiritual Gifts: An increase in the operation of spiritual gifts, including healings and prophecy.
4. Accelerated Spiritual Growth: Revival creates an environment where people grow rapidly in faith.
5. Increased Impact on Society: A revitalized church becomes a powerful force for positive change.
6. Generational Awakening: True revival often impacts multiple generations, stirring young people to passionate faith.
Participating in God's Reviving Work
As we reflect on these principles of revival, we're challenged to ask: How can we participate in God's reviving work in our time? Whether our personal faith feels dry, our church seems stagnant, or our community appears spiritually dead, Ezekiel 37 reminds us that nothing is too far gone for God to breathe new life into it.
Are we willing to prophesy life to dead situations? Let's create space in our lives and churches for God to restore, reform, and revitalize. And let's hold onto the hope that as we do, we will see a mighty army rise up - a church fully alive, empowered by the Spirit, and ready to impact the world for Christ.
Thank you for reading Glenn’s Substack. This post is public so feel free to share it.
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A common theme I see in all of this is empowering and equipping disciples (decentralized, like the early Church) rather than attracting and retaining churchgoers (centralized, like the modern Church).
#ReimagineSCRIPTURE...It Will Change You
Bob Perry sent me a message recently, on N.T. Wright’s enthusiasm for the scriptures.
***
N.T. Wright talked about his daily devotions and love for the scriptures.
One thing that amazes him, startles him, is that every day he’ll read something in the gospels, maybe a half a chapter a day in the gospels. Sometimes more, sometimes less. And the book of Acts, the epistles, the book of Revelation.
And of course, he will pray the Psalms every day.
And what comes out of this time is an astonishment: “Whoa! I didn't see that before!”
He said, “I’ve been studying the scriptures for 60 years, ever since I was 13, when I started taking Greek at Oxford. And I was two years behind, because many of the young boys had started at age 11. I started Hebrew at 20.
“But I love reading the scriptures, because I'm changing every day. And what is mind-boggling is when I read the scriptures, they come alive in me. I see the impact on my life that transforms me.
“It creates a prayer in me that's sometimes for me. Sometimes it's for others. Sometimes it's a message for a book or a congregation.”
I thought that was really powerful, that the word of God, from this great scholar, continues to change him.
He said, “I love the change that happens in me as a believer, as a priest, as a bishop, as a Christian.”
***
We know that the scriptures change us! That’s why we pray them!
Come practice praying the scriptures as part of Prayer Mentoring!
One of my favorite innovations that Bob Perry teaches! Simple! Not intimidating!
We start on Tuesday! Yay! Twelve weeks of awesomeness!
Learn more on the landing page here, with the basic details: https://praybig.me/mentoring2024
And join us here: https://actintl.givingfuel.com/prayer-mentoring
Lord, you know I love Psalm 90:17: “And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands” (NKJV).
Let the beauty, the favor, the kindness, the sweetness, the brightness, the pleasantness of the LORD our God be upon us. Yes and amen to all the goodness of God.
To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ,
Amy Joy
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