What does Transformation look like?
For the term "transformed" to be properly applied to a community, we believe that change must be evident not only in the lives of its inhabitants but also in the fabric of its institutions. In the end, it is dramatic social, political, and even ecological renewal that sets these cases apart from common experience.
In short, a transformed community is:
- A neighborhood, city or nation whose values and institutions have been overrun by the grace and presence of God
- A place where divine fire has not merely been summoned, it has fallen
- A society in which natural evolutionary change has been disrupted by invasive supernatural power
- A culture that has been impacted comprehensively and undeniably by the Kingdom of God
- A location where kingdom values are celebrated publicly and passed on to future generations.
- Political leaders publicly acknowledge their sin and dependence on God (II Kings 11:17–18; 23:2; Jonah 3:6–9)
- New laws, curricula, and business practices are put into effect (II Chronicles 19:4–10; Nehemiah 10:31)
- The natural environment is restored to its original life-nurturing state (Leviticus 26:4–5; II Chronicles 7:14; Ezekiel 34:27; 36:29-30)
- Economic conditions improve and lead to a discernible lessening of poverty (II Chronicles 17:3–5; Psalm 144:14; Isaiah 60:5; Amos 9:13)
- There is a marked change in social entertainment and vices as Kingdom values are integrated into the rhythm of daily life (Ezra 10:1–4; Nehemiah 8:10, 16; Ecclesiastes 10:17; Acts 19:17–20)
- Crime and corruption diminish throughout the community (II Kings 12;13–15; Nehemiah 5:6–12; Isaiah 60:17–18)
- Volunteerism increases as Christians recognize their responsibility to heal and undergird the community (Isaiah 58:10–12; 61:1–4)
- Restored hope and joy leads to a decline in divorce, bankruptcy, and suicide (Nehemiah 12:27–28, 43; Isaiah 54:11–14; 61:3,7; Jeremiah 30:17–19; 31:11–13; Hosea 2:15)
- The spiritual nature of the growing socio-political renewal becomes a hot topic in the secular media (II Chronicles 20:29; Nehemiah 6:16; Isaiah 55:5; Ezekiel 36:36; Acts 19:17)
- Overwhelmed by the goodness of God, grateful Christians take the embers of revival into surrounding communities and nations (II Chronicles 17:9; Isaiah 61:6; Acts 11:20–26)
