Reformation Report

The Kingdom of God teaches a proper relationship to authority

Principle 5: The Kingdom of God teaches a proper relationship to authority.

We are constantly moving between in authority and under authority in our relationships with people whether they be friendships, work relationships, public or private office. The degree to which we manage these relationships is the degree to which we have success in life.

God himself is involved with various institutions of authority around the world. The first institution of authority is the individual. Individuals who take responsibility for governing themselves under the ruler-ship of God (self control) can change (or reform) the second institution of authority - families. Families who in turn operate under righteous authority influence their churches, and churches impact nations, which must also be under righteous authority.

When authority drifts toward a dictator and away from the rule of law people learn to adapt themselves to the arbitrary whims of those in power. This wreaks devastation both in the psyche and the structure of society and gives way to corruption. When the pendulum swings back to the rule of law, however the law abiding citizens willingly uphold that law. When a nation or a people allow their laws to rule them, rather than the personality of the chiefs, kings or other rulers, it's for the betterment of society. Self-government is always better than institutional government. Both are necessary but nations advance more rapidly according to the degree of self-governance. Believers who studiously attempt to walk according to God's law understand how to be in authority and under authority in any given situation in life. These believers become great citizens, in fact, they become what the Bible describes as salt and light to a tasteless and dark world.   

The Kingdom of God leaves an Inheritance for the future generations.

Principle 4:The Kingdom of God leaves an Inheritance for future generations.

The psalmist said that God’s people "store up wealth for their children.” (Psalm 17:14 NIV) King Solomon said, "A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children." (Proverbs 13:22 NIV)

As citizens of Gods Kingdom our goal should be to leave an inheritance for our children's children - to pass on wealth to the next generation so that they can build on what the previous generation has accomplished. Traditional African culture, on the other hand emphasizes the present and meeting the immediate needs of those alive now. In part this is a response to poverty and urgent needs, but it is also a result of practices that surround ancestral worship, which always takes from the younger to give to the older. Many of these practices have a financial element that benefits not a future generation but the older generation.

This is contrary to biblical principles, which admonish one generation to leave an inheritance for the next (except for widows and orphans who are to be cared for). Basic to the principle of leaving an inheritance for the future generations is the principle of sowing and reaping, which God demonstrates through his word. Seedtime and harvest will never fail as long as the earth remains. To have a harvest we must sow seed into the ground. To expect a harvest with no seed is an attempt to operate God’s principle illegally. We cannot leave a harvest for future generations if we do not plant seeds for it in this generation.

Everything we do at Celebration Ministries International is according to a pattern that others can follow. We record everything in order to leave inheritances for the future. All our messages are taped and all our business meetings are in writing so that our sons and daughters can see our mistakes and our victories.

They can look back and say, “Yes they erred but this is what they were thinking.” This becomes a learning process for the next generation.

Sadly so many visions die with current generation. I may be founder and senior pastor of the church and leader of the ministry but I do not believe in building a vision around myself, it has to be a generational vision, for my children's children and my spiritual children.We will not know if we are successful, until our great grandchildren's generation. If what we have built last's until then, it will be successful.

 

The Kingdom of God is established on a positive attitude of faith towards wealth.

Principle 3: The Kingdom of God is established on a positive attitude of faith towards wealth. A Kingdom or reformation principle believes that wealth consists of what does not yet exist. This is a scriptural reference based on Romans 4:17 " God who gives life to the dead and calls the things that are not as if they were" (NIV). Non-progressive culture on the other hand believes that wealth consists of what exists. That is why in the developing world there is much emphasis on land and what derives from it, while in the developed nations wealth is derived from innovations and investing in the future.

 This principle, or lack of it, also affects the attitude towards competition. The Kingdom of God promotes healthy competition, which is essential for everything from politics to free enterprise. A Kingdom mentality looks not at what already is in the market place with a jealous eye to posses, but rather what can be built in the future to increase market share and bring with it benefits such as wealth creation, jobs and increased prosperity. The word of God says, "With me are riches and honor enduring wealth and prosperity... bestowing wealth on those who love me and making their treasuries full.” (Proverbs 8:18, 21 NIV). When competition is viewed negatively the result is jealousy and all kinds of utopian dreams, bolstered by words such as loyalty, co-operatives, monopolies, cartels, and the like. The only place that real competition is allowed is in sports.

The Kingdom of God exibits value for life

Principle 2. The Kindgom of God exibits value for life. It is often said that life is cheap here in Africa. Life expectancy is less than 60 in more than 28 of the 53 African nations and less than 50 in 18 countries. In Zimbabwe life epectancy is just under 34 years for men and 36 for women. Poverty, of course, is staggering accross the entire continent. The World Bank reports that half of the 600 million people in sub Saharan Africa live in poverty. In 13 countries alone, at least half of the adult population is illiterate. In many countries, 10% of the children die before the age of 5. Yet the population growth rate in sub Saharan Africa is 3% annually almost 4 times that of developed nations and of course the enormity of the Aids pandemic is astonishing.

What one judges as  being valuable in life is based on the principles and values one chooses to uphold. The lower the principle the lower the value. If man is as being viewed as being formed by God and valued by God, and if that life is sacred, then his worth and desirability increases. However if the converse is true, man simply becomes a commodity, a piece on the chess board, willing to be traded for any other piece of relative rank or importance according to whatever set of rules happen to be in place. Values simply revert to the lowest common denominator and man begins to operate by the law of the jungle.

The Kingdom of God is based on transparency and trust.

Principle one: The Kingdom of God is based on transparency and trust. Until this is the basis of our dealings with each other, we will never see reformation.  The very nature of African tribalism is not to trust. Tribalism engenders suspicion fostered by domination and control shrouded in fear.

Lawrence E Harrison and Samuel P Huntington in their book 'Culture Matters' say,

“To trust the individual, to have faith in the individual is one of the elements of a value system that favors development. In contrast mistrust of the individual, reflected in oversight and control, is typical of societies that resist development.  Implicit in the trusting society is the willingness to accept the risk that the individual will make choices contrary to the desires of government. If this risk is not accepted and the individual is subjected to a network of controls, the society loses the essential engine of economic development, namely, the aspiration of each of us to live and think as we wish, to be who we are, to transform ourselves into unique beings. Where there are no individuals, only 'peoples' and 'masses', development does not occur.  What takes place instead is either obedience or uprising.”

Trust inherently relates to a firm belief in the reliability, truth, or strength of a person or thing. It is the state of being relied upon. The basis of the kingdom of God is not only that God can be relied upon, but also those who are His representatives on earth can be relied upon. The foundation of this trust is that God speaks the truth and can be relied upon, and that men who are governed by the principles of God’s Kingdom will do likewise. On this foundation we can transform, not only culture, but nations.