Recently I have heard several people mention that they believe 2020 is a year when God will reform His church. I believe this to be true.The following are five areas where I sense the Lord challenging and shifting His church:
- The restoration of true biblical standards for Christian leadership
Last week, I dealt with this point in part 1 of this article (read more
here). However, let me add the biblical principle stated in 1 Peter 4:17, that judgement begins first in the house of God. Whether or not this relates to a
chronological application of judgement that involves a cycle of seeing judgment in the church prior to judgment in the world systems, I don't know. That being said, what it definitely means is that the church never gets a pass from the Lord. The Lord promises that He will judge His people (Heb. 10:30). Hence, when we see scandalous sin exposed in church leadership, it is a sign God is still moving and demonstrating His sovereign will.
- The unique role of the church
I believe that 2020 will begin a process when the understanding of the glory and uniqueness of the local church will continue to manifest globally. Also, the fact that Jesus is the head of the
Body, which is the church, will also be unpacked further. Consequently, I like to use the term "Body of Christ" even more than the word "church"—since this illustrates how organically inseparable Jesus is from His people.
Scripture teaches that Jesus is coming back for a "glorious church" (Ephesians 5:27). This has to do with a pattern of the church looking and acting like Jesus—not merely waiting for the phenomena of the glory cloud (or gold dust) to fall in a church gathering (see 1 John 4:17).
- The church's role in culture as Salt and Light
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