Talking about Transformation

Transformation. The term is used in a variety of ways and contexts, with multiple meanings and implications. If we are praying with a vision for transformation, then we need to define the term more clearly and set our hearts to a common vision.

The general concept behind the word transformation comes from the Greek word metamorphosis. At the core definition, it is "as connoting a change of nature" (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) The idea is simply that a thing is changed in its very nature. A good example is the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. Transformation in this context is quite dramatic and noticeable because clearly something has changed. A clear and dramatic change is the benchmark for true transformation that comes from the supernatural hand of God!

This is indeed the case in more than 800 communities, regions, and nations around the world. The Sentinel Group is documenting case after case there the very fabric of society is being changed by the presence of God in the midst of the culture. Some of these societal transformations have been documented in the Transformations videos. These stories have sparked the imaginations and the hope that what is happening elsewhere could indeed happen here.

But confusion can come when claims of transformation or the process of transformation are made, but yet there are no clear indications that truly something has changed. Those who are experiencing genuine transformation know what it looks like, but most of us can only operate in theory. The very real danger then becomes that we settle for a lower standard than what God has in His heart for our communities. We settle for the changes that we can make and call them transformation instead of pressings forward until God truly breaks through in genuine society altering transformation.

Unknown to most of the world, the construction of a small church building has been completed in the small Brazilian community of Algodao de Jandaira. The significance of this small church in the Northern desert regions of Brazil would be lost to most. Yet it stands today as a testimony of the mighty power of God to bring transformation to the most seemingly unknown, and forgotten places in answer to the prayers of just a few. More on this amazing story next time.