Transforming Your Community

Let’s face it! We’re living in a world where the sinfulness of our societies are reaching a gross limit and liberal flags that defy the constitution of God’s Kingdom are applauded by antichrist agents. It was well prophesied that in these last days the world systems would grow darker, but what about the local church? Are we walking in the fulfillment of that prophecy concerning our light being made brighter, shining upon a hill and not under a bushel?

Are we reflecting the image of Jesus Christ in our local communities? Are we being living epistles open for reading before all men? And if so, what are the stories that people digest daily from our lives? In what direction do we point them, to Christ or from Christ? These are very provoking questions which are often superimposed upon by ‘cutting-edge revelations and church pageantry’. Not that I am undermining the need to be established in present truth, for Apostle Peter commends us to always remain current with God’s will for the hour (2 Peter 1:12). But underneath all the icing of church ministry, are we truly being the Church of Jesus Christ, reflecting Him in thought, word and deed?

To Christ Or From Christ

I believe the fruit of any given local church is visualized by the condition of the community or communities within its sphere of impact (usually a 5 mile radius). Though we understand that different ministries possess unique visions that are not confined to the boundaries of a community, state or nation, there should still be a measure of transformation that touches the different peoples within one’s immediate sphere. So take a while to think of your surrounding communities. Are lives being transformed for the glory of God or for the glory of the devil? English philosopher Edmund Burke wisely stated, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Are we doing something to provoke change and establish God’s Kingdom in our communities, or are we making silent alliances with the Kingdom of darkness. One such alliance that is often practiced by some churches is this; ‘Devil you don’t bother me and I won’t bother you.’ You may think this unheard of, but often when we as the people of God just go within our four walls (our local church) but do nothing significant to impact the unsaved outside these walls, we are in fact allowing the enemy to have his way in our surrounding environment.

Why Were You Invented?

So how can we usher in God’s Kingdom and see His assignment for our communities unfold? Initially, I am convinced that there must be an unfolding first of our personal assignment before we can progress towards community transformation. The treasure that God has placed within our earthen vessels must come forth in this dispensation of church history, and there must be an activation of the gifting and abilities that God has placed on the inside of us. As we read the first chapter in Jeremiah, we see God imparting to Jeremiah a revelation of his assignment in the earth. When God released this to Jeremiah, it either created or connected with a passion within his heart and it didn’t just end as a word over his life, but immediately God activated him into his calling (vrs11-19), which correspondingly affected his community. We are living in an hour where God is releasing the revelation of assignments. As He prepares His army, He is releasing a greater clarity and insight in the lives of His saints concerning their positioning and function, for the creator of an invention never invents without a motivating purpose for that which he/she envisions. If we view our lives from such a perspective, we should then inquire of the reason why we, the inventions, were invented. My question to you then is, “Why were you invented?”

Not only does God release revelation of the reason we exist, but also within us He has placed tools that help in the accomplishment of our assignment. In Ephesians 4:11-13, we see Jesus giving gifts to men (apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors, teachers) and then these gifts releasing there particular functioning grace to the saints to do the work of the ministry. Paul also illustrated this factor in addressing the Corinthian local church (1 Cor 12-14). Starting from chapter 12, he takes the reader on a journey of understanding that they were created as part of a body, and as a part one should possess a certain function that benefits the whole. He then details these giftings and shares certain benefits that they impart. I like to call these tools for transformation. Accompanying our assignment, God has giving us tools that He desires to be awakened for the work of the ministry. Just as God touched Jeremiah’s mouth and put His words there, so has God placed in us divine abilities for extraordinary tasks. Whether it is healing, prophecy, the working of miracles or gifts of teaching, God has created and made us well able to fulfill His great commission (Matt 28:18-20). You therefore have no excuse for you have been enabled by God even before your conception to fulfill your role. But how do I find and activate these tools? How do I even know they are there? Well, stick around for the follow up to this article, as we show you how to discover your tools for transformation, thus releasing the power of your assignment.