I hear people in the church always talking about transformation. I hear people talking about transforming their cities and their regions, but as I watch the years go by, often transformation has occurred, but our cities have become more distant from God. I hear people in the church talking about transformation in the family, but I watch for years as the divorce rate in the church mirrors that outside the church. And I wonder “why?”
We are promised by God that restoration and transformation is our destiny and our inheritance. “They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.” (Isaiah 61:4, NIV84) Our destiny includes prosperity and joy and honor. “Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs.” (Isaiah 61:7, NIV84)
If this is what God has promised, then why is it that we fail to see the manifestation and the reality of the promise of God transforming our families, our cities and our regions? It is because transformation always requires someone who is willing to be a transformer.
Here is God’s description of the transformer.
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” (Isaiah 61:1–3, NIV84)
The transformer is anointed by God. Not everyone can walk in God’s anointing. Only those who live holy, consecrated lives that are surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ can walk in God’s anointing. If we are to transform a city, then we must first allow God to transform us. Those who condemn evil in others while ignoring the evil in their own hearts will be powerless before God and become tools of the enemy.
The transformer who has a transformed life hears the calling of God and is sent. He is sent to the broken, to the captives, to the darkness, to the prisoner, to the mourning, to the grieving, to the ash heap, and to the despairing. I see very few who are willing to purposely go out to the ones rejected by society. A transformer must be willing to walk out into the discomfort of others if there will ever be an opportunity to change that darkness into light.
A transformer has a message. The message is not one of condemnation but of hope. If you look at the world around you and find your words are critical and judging you will never be God’s transformer. Those who are critical and negative are tools of the enemy to propagate darkness and sin. The transformer’s message is that of Good News in Jesus. The transformer transforms society by proclaiming healing, freedom, light, comfort, beauty, gladness, praise. Those who transform have experienced the goodness and the love of God and want others to walk in that same goodness and love.
A transformer sees people as God sees them. A transformer never sees people as projects but as those who are called by God to a wonderful purpose and plan in God. A transformer sees how God intended the people to be “oaks of righteousness” planted by the Lord to display the glory of God. Therefore a transformer will treat people with honor and respect seeking to empower people to their destiny in Christ.
We must become transformers. As we serve and help the people around us, we get to see the transforming power of God. In fact, it is the people who come from darkness into light that God will use to rebuild our cities for the glory of God. “They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.” (Isaiah 61:4, NIV84)
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