“Those troublemakers who have turned the world upside down have come here to our city.” Acts 17:6b (TPT)
Why is it that churches can have a season where God moves, lives are changed, healings happen, but there is no lasting transformation of their city? It requires more than personal revival to turn our city upside down. For revival to be sustained, systems must also be transformed. Revival has to do with changed lives, whereas reformation has to do with changed systems! Both are necessary for sustained long term transformative change!
For example, in a dysfunctional home, a person may need to come out and spend time getting healed. But as soon as they step back into the home they almost instantly feel the pressure to conform to their old ways, and ultimately revert back to their dysfunctional patterns. Since the family system seeks balance it cannot tolerate the newly healed person to upset the balance. If the person is strong enough to endure the barrage and pressure to conform to what’s expected, the family system is forced to adjust elsewhere, and a new balance is established. The family system must be reformed if lasting change is to occur.
The same is true in our city, but even more complex! For us to see lastly revival, that revival must penetrate the various spheres of our city. These are often referred to as the seven mountains of culture. These include government, arts & entertainment, economy, family, religion, education and media. And the way these seven mountains are reformed is by the Holy Spirit filled church infiltrating them and establishing the kingdom of God at the top of each one.
Please begin praying that God would awaken reformers in the churches across our city. These are spirit-filled, Jesus loving believers who will intentionally seek to infiltrate each of the mountains. Ask God to begin stirring you as to where you can establish the kingdom of God. Ask Him to show your pastor and leadership how your church can be more intentionally involved in infiltrating these spheres of culture. Begin declaring that Athens will be saved, revived and reformed! Pray that God’s plan and purpose for our city would come back into heavenly alignment in our generation. Thank Him that you are alive in such a day as this!
