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Monumental Change
by Major Stephen Court
God has put eternity in our hearts – it’s an internal
inclination to aspire to the optimal.
It plays out in Christianity in different spheres in
predictable ways.
In our personal lives, we seek improvement by applying more
spiritual disciplines and developing new habits, by borrowing
better devotional books and testing different Bible versions.
It is commendable to want to improve our relationship with God
personally in these and similar ways.
Corporately, we look to optimize public gatherings.
Within our local expression of the body of Christ that
can mean tightening up the order of meeting, upgrading the
overhead and sound technology, hiring people to
professionalize the music, cleaning up the kids room…
But for those of us who feel such ‘freedom’, it can mean
shopping for the most entertaining preaching, the most
anointed worship, the most spacious parking lot, the
best-equipped children’s programs, and more.
While the local approach commends itself to a limited extent,
the latter epitomizes a consumer Christianity at odds with the
Biblical version.
This book is going to offer definitions from the Greek
language. Here’s
one to kick us off – “paradigm: a typical example or pattern;
a model; a worldview underlying the theories and methodologies
of a particular subject.”
The worldview implicit in these personal and corporate
approaches to optimizing our Christian experience is the
conventional paradigm.
The conventional paradigm is characterized by incremental
change.
What would happen if we burst out of the conventional
paradigm? What
would happen if we decided to live our lives, fight our
salvation warfare, serve our King of kings within a
revolutionary paradigm, one unbounded by cultural accretions
to the Gospel, one unmoored from human expectations and
limitations?
Monumental change.
Look, the typical Christian paradigms are characterized as
follows:
Conventional – incremental
Revolutionary – monumental
We cannot expect monumental change in our personal lives while
those lives and those changes are sought and wrought within
the conventional paradigm.
The most significant spiritual transformations are
revolutionary in nature.
Our conversion is described as being born
again, transmuting from death to life.
Paul and Timothy put it this way: (2 Corinthians 5:17):
“So, if you are united with Christ, you get a fresh start, new
from nothing.
Neglected, the old life is rendered void.
Focus on the fresh development and opportunities
emerging as you grow in this new realm.[1]”
Our entire sanctification – Holy Spirit
filling us - is just as spiritually cataclysmic.
Paul testifies (in Galatians 2:20): “20 I’m crucified
together with Christ – what was ‘me’ is no longer breathing.
Instead, this life you see is Christ living in me as I
act on my convictions about God the Son, who welcomed me, and
committed Himself to me.[2]
”
Neither can we expect monumental change corporately within the
conventional paradigm.
If we escape the conventional paradigm, if we enter the
revolutionary paradigm together, we can believe for and
experience metamorphic corporate change.
How will it look?
Answer: A lot different than you might expect.
But radical revolutionists aren’t just making this
stuff up. Paul
did, in 1 Corinthians 14:26ff:
So how does it look, then, comrades?
When you gather each contributes your part –a song, a
lesson, a dialect, a disclosure, an explanation – and
everything should be constructive.[3]
27 If you speak in dialects, do it one at
a time, three at most, along with a thorough explanation.[4]
28 If there is no one among ‘the called
out’ to explain, silently communicate with God.[5]
29 Two or three can prophesy, and the
others can weigh what they hear.[6]
30 If someone in the crowd receives
disclosure then the first one should wrap it up.[7]
31 Everyone dynamically
prophesies, one at a time, and everyone gets discipled and
exhorted.[8]
32 Prophets can control their
breath, can wait for the right moment.[9]
33 God is not anarchy; He’s
prosperity. All
‘the called out’, all ‘the sanctified’ can testify.[10]
Compared to the preaching-industrial complex of modern western
Christianity typified by 90 minutes of announcements \ worship
\ Scripture \ preaching on a Sunday morning, we’re talking
about revolution.
We’re exhorting you to leave the conventional paradigm for the
revolutionary paradigm.
We’re inviting you to trade in the incremental for the
monumental. We’re
introducing to you ekklesia.
[1] (all the Scripture references in the foreword are
from the Boundless New Testament and the footnotes
provide the Greek definitions of the words rendered
into English)
oste = so as to, so then, therefore
(so); tis = a certain one, someone, anyone (you); en –
in, by, with (united with); kaine = new fresh;
Strong’s – unused, novel; HELPS – new in quality,
fresh in development or opportunity (fresh… new… fresh
developments and opportunities); ktisis = creation,
the act or the product; HELPS – creation, creature
which is founded from nothing (start… new from
nothing); archaia = original, ancient (); parelthen =
to pass by, to come to; Strong’s – pass out of sight;
rendered void, become vain, neglect, disregard
(Neglected… rendered void); idou = look, behold;
Strong’s – See! Lo! Behold! Look!; HELPS – the
imperitave (Focus); gegonen = to come into being, to
happen, to become; Strong’s – am born; HELPS –
properly, to emerge, transitioning from one point /
realm / condition to another, signifies a change of
condition, state, or place, implying motion, movement,
or growth (emerging as you grow in this new realm)
[2] sunestauromai = crucify together with (crucified
together with); ouketi = no longer (no longer); zo =
to live (breathing); ze = to live (life); zo = live
(living); sarki = flesh (life you see); pistei =
persuasion, moral conviction (acting on convictions);
agapesantos - Strong’s – to welcome, entertain, be
fond of, love dearly (welcomed); paradontos = to hand
over, to give over, deliver over; Strong’s commit,
commend (committed); [‘am crucified’ verb tense
perfect passive indicative]
[3] ti = who, which, what (); + oun = therefore, then,
so + (So how does it look, then); adelphoi – ESV notes
– sibling (comrades); otan = whenever (when);
sunerchersthe = come together (gather); ekastos =
each, every (each); echei = have, hold (contributes);
psalmon = a striking, a psalm, set piece of music
(song); didachen = doctrine, teaching (lesson);
apokalupsin = an uncovering, disclosure, revelation,
manifestation (disclosure); gloassan = the tongue,
language (dialect); ermeneian = interpretation;
Strong’s -
explanation (explanation); oikodomen = building;
Strong’s – constructive, edification (constructive)
[4] glosse = tongue, language (dialect); meros = part,
share, portion (at a time); diermeneueto = explain
thoroughly (thorough explanation)
[5] diermeneutes = an explainer (explanation); sigato
= keep silent, keep secret (silently); ekklesia = a
calling out, assembly (‘the called out’)
[6] prophetai = a prophet (prophesy); laleitosan = to
talk (speak); alloi = other, another (others);
diakrinetosan = to distinguish, to judge, contend,
discern (weigh what they hear)
[7] apokaluphthe = to uncover, reveal, disclosure,
manifestation, revelation (disclosure); allo = other,
another (someone); kathemeno = to be seated (in the
crowd); sigato = keep silent, keep secret (wrap it up)
[8] dunasthe = be able, have power (dynamically);
pantes = all, every (everyone); propheteuein =
foretell, prophesy (prophesy); kath = down, against;
Vine’s – according to one’s own, privately (at a
time); manthanosin = to learn, a disciple (discipled);
parakalontai = call to or for, exhort, encourage
(exhorted)
[9] pneumata = wind, spirit (breath); propheton =
prophet (prophets); upotassetai = place or rank under,
to subject (control… wait for the right moment)
[10] akatastasias = instability; Strong’s – upheaval,
disturbance, anarchy (anarchy); eirenes = peace,
prosperity; Strong’s wholeness, health (prosperity);
ekklesiais = a calling out, assembly (‘the called
out’); agion = sacred, holy (‘the sanctified’)
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