A long time friend of mine recently presented the topic of "Presence-based Transformation" to a national group. The Lord, as He loves to do when we are walking in alignment with Him, gave her some wonderful interaction with individuals, but her heart was broken with the realization that the idea of God's manifest presence had no place in their mindsets of reaching their cities.
It is an issue that is not often addressed. How is it that we can desire to function as the "Body of Christ" and yet have no concept of the fact of His manifest presence that actually brings the breakthroughs and the transformation in lives, churches and cities? We live in a day when we are very enamored with our plans, methodologies, and initiatives, but we seldom come to the reality that if these things in themselves could bring what we are looking for, we would have had it a long time ago! Now, understand, please, I am not saying that these initiatives and programs do not do good things. They certainly help to relieve suffering, spruce up neighborhoods, feed and clothe the needy, but that they are a far cry from the powerful transformation that we talk about when we define presence-based transformation.
We invest ourselves into conference after conference sharing ideas and strategies and become content at the incremental changes that we see. Some tell us that this is the churches "finest hour," yet if that were the case should we not be hearing the world saying, as they did in the New Testament, that we are turning the world upside down?
And we have pastors and church leaders who spend more time on "strategies" than they do in seeking the Lord's presence in our cities. The testimony of Scripture, of the history of revivals and of contemporary experiences tell us that transformation does not come through all our programs, but He comes and brings His divine adjustments to a people who are totally sold out, and desperate for His presence above every other desire in life.
Want to pray for transformation in your city? Pray that mindsets of self-effort and strategies be broken, hearts would be broken, and God's people would cry out in total abandoned desperation for His presence. And not give up until He comes.
If we do...He will
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