Seven years ago, a significant change happened in my understanding of the Church and God’s Kingdom. I had previously believed if I just preached enough good sermons and lived a life of integrity that would be enough. At the time I did not realize I needed to include in my understanding of the Church and God’s Kingdom an understanding of reformation.

All significant revivals with the Church will produce a reformation of a culture. A reformation will influence the thinking of a culture and affect the affairs of government. That influence is an act of spiritual sabotage.

God’s sabotage is never accomplished by forced compliance. It happens one person at a time as people’s thinking is influenced by the behavior of believers to the extent that people begin to choose to abandon deceit and manipulation and make choices based on truth. All the change that comes in a reformation is a Spirit-led sabotage of people’s thinking.

The word sabotage can have a negative connotation. That is true when its definition is based on a natural interpretation where manipulation and force are the tools of change. It becomes a positive influence as God’s saboteurs influence the surrounding culture by living a witness of godly principles within their unique sphere of influence. Kingdom saboteurs will hamper evil goals by expressing God’s goodness in contrast to an attempt to control people’s behavior. As a result of that increasing influence, a reformation begins to shift the way people think and act.

Kingdom saboteurs have two allies that will work with them to bring about change. The first ally is truth. Truth is the primary ally of a saboteur. It disrupts a process of deception and inhibits a full expression of evil. Time is the other ally. Some change only happens over time as God’s Kingdom expands its influence one person at a time adding increasing numbers of adherents. 

The Lord told Jeremiah, “You must influence them, do not let them influence you” (Jeremiah 15:19). Our influence upon the world will not be always met with acceptance. Jesus prayed to the Father, “I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to this world, just as I do not belong to the world” (John 17:14). Knowing to whom we belong will shift our focus, our goals, and the kind of influence we exhibit to the world. That shift is the beginning of a reformation.