The roadmap to national transformation
Filed in: solutions
There are those who would like us to believe
that a nation can be changed only by introducing
democracy, the rule of law and free market
economy. That everything is up to people and what
they create with their own hands. While this is
generally true and democracy is a must for any
progressive society in the 21st century, the true
transformation of any people has to be
comprehensive. It has to have spiritual and moral
implications on individual level. If we are to
see a true national transformation in any
country, it has to start with the change of man’s
nature. All corruption and injustice in the world
are rooted in the corrupt nature of sinful
humanity, regardless of race and
nationality.
Jesus taught us to
pray like this: “Your Kingdom come, your will be
done on earth as it is in Heaven”. This is a
Universal Principle of Life, which knows no
boundaries when applied in faith. The principles
outlined in Jesus’ teaching on God’s Kingdom show
us how to accept the gift of eternal life, as
well as the wisdom for a better life here on
earth. When accepted and acted upon, these
principles can lead any individual or even a
whole nation to Kingdom transformation.
No, earth will never be Heaven! But we can all pray and work towards building our lives and our nations to become a place which resembles Heaven as much as possible. My dream is to see Bulgaria reformed and transformed into the image God has had in His heart for her from before the foundation of the world.
Join me now as I present to you THE ROADMAP TO NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION
1. Education and restructuring of the Church - Educate the Church (leadership and ordinary believers) of the purpose of God for the Church. Replace theology of defeat with theology of dominion. Defective ecclesiastical structures must be restructured in order for them to accommodate the Reformation purpose of God's Kingdom and serve as incubators of effective leaders, rather than guardians of outdated religious traditions. The message and the style of our presentation must be relevant to people and yet in full integrity with traditional Christian values, principles and substance of spirituality.
2. Education of society - present the case for God, Biblical worldview, Christian philosophy, Christian values, Christian principles of societal organization and very importantly their economic implications. Educate society of the benefits of the implication of Christian principles in public policy. Create Christian Public Relations initiatives and educational outlets, such as web sites and events, which present Christianity - it's spiritual and it's practical implication in society.
3. Integration of the Church - this is the task of integrating the church into society. Educate the church how to get involved in social life so it can be relevant to society (including politically) and also educate societal decision makers and influential leaders how the Church is an asset and not liability to society. This will of course necessitate the definition of the Church. The Church will have to come up with a "united front" and while differentiating itself from “dead” (institutional) Christianity, in the same time to be able to define and agree on:
- common doctrine
- common values
- common principles
- common purpose
It will serve the Church well for her nationally recognized influential leaders to come together and agree on a united strategy for national transformation.
On a political level it will serve the Church well if we created political parties who will have the ability to formulate our vision for national, economic and every other form of societal development. This vision will have to be presented on the political scene by qualified individuals who will strive to advance the Kingdom of God as statesmen in the political and social arena.
4. Evangelism - parallel to all these efforts, the church must continue with the task of Gospel saturation and evangelism. We must agree that without evangelism there is no lasting change in the fabric of society. The different churches, movement and denominations have to choose evangelistic strategies and methods which are in harmony with the overall national strategy of the Church.
5. Generate independent wealth - In the midst of the rising economic tide, Christian entrepreneurs who understand the Reformation purpose of the Kingdom will forge new business structures which will have the capacity to generate independent wealth. Without setting the goal of generating independent wealth, the Church will settle once again for the faulty principle of outside donorship, which is artificial and cripples the Church in her creativity. The national Church must take responsibility in financing God's Reformation purpose. More so, the integration of the Church in different industries provides one of the best avenues for transformation of the fabric of society. The raising of businesses who are successful due to superior creativity and management styles will be yet another demonstration of God's Kingdom in the land. The greatest challenge in the marketplace is lack of experienced entrepreneurs, corruption and poor work ethic.
6. Education - another often overlooked factor in the total strategy for national transformation is education. Corrupt educational systems affect the development of the young Christians and deform them at an early age, primarily by influencing their worldview and behavioral patterns. Educational structures based on Christian values and principles can foster the development of the future leaders of the Church and society in general. The greatest challenge here is the fact that quality education is usually expensive with the results (dividends) not visibly seen for many years.
7. Redeeming the culture - the church must accept the fact that our efforts in evangelism and every other form of integration in society may not achieve the goal of national transformation unless we begin to redeem the culture. The creative potential of the Church has to be released to communicate and present the spirit and the message of Christ in every culturally relevant avenue, such as music, film making, television, radio, etc.
George Bakalov
No, earth will never be Heaven! But we can all pray and work towards building our lives and our nations to become a place which resembles Heaven as much as possible. My dream is to see Bulgaria reformed and transformed into the image God has had in His heart for her from before the foundation of the world.
Join me now as I present to you THE ROADMAP TO NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION
1. Education and restructuring of the Church - Educate the Church (leadership and ordinary believers) of the purpose of God for the Church. Replace theology of defeat with theology of dominion. Defective ecclesiastical structures must be restructured in order for them to accommodate the Reformation purpose of God's Kingdom and serve as incubators of effective leaders, rather than guardians of outdated religious traditions. The message and the style of our presentation must be relevant to people and yet in full integrity with traditional Christian values, principles and substance of spirituality.
2. Education of society - present the case for God, Biblical worldview, Christian philosophy, Christian values, Christian principles of societal organization and very importantly their economic implications. Educate society of the benefits of the implication of Christian principles in public policy. Create Christian Public Relations initiatives and educational outlets, such as web sites and events, which present Christianity - it's spiritual and it's practical implication in society.
3. Integration of the Church - this is the task of integrating the church into society. Educate the church how to get involved in social life so it can be relevant to society (including politically) and also educate societal decision makers and influential leaders how the Church is an asset and not liability to society. This will of course necessitate the definition of the Church. The Church will have to come up with a "united front" and while differentiating itself from “dead” (institutional) Christianity, in the same time to be able to define and agree on:
- common doctrine
- common values
- common principles
- common purpose
It will serve the Church well for her nationally recognized influential leaders to come together and agree on a united strategy for national transformation.
On a political level it will serve the Church well if we created political parties who will have the ability to formulate our vision for national, economic and every other form of societal development. This vision will have to be presented on the political scene by qualified individuals who will strive to advance the Kingdom of God as statesmen in the political and social arena.
4. Evangelism - parallel to all these efforts, the church must continue with the task of Gospel saturation and evangelism. We must agree that without evangelism there is no lasting change in the fabric of society. The different churches, movement and denominations have to choose evangelistic strategies and methods which are in harmony with the overall national strategy of the Church.
5. Generate independent wealth - In the midst of the rising economic tide, Christian entrepreneurs who understand the Reformation purpose of the Kingdom will forge new business structures which will have the capacity to generate independent wealth. Without setting the goal of generating independent wealth, the Church will settle once again for the faulty principle of outside donorship, which is artificial and cripples the Church in her creativity. The national Church must take responsibility in financing God's Reformation purpose. More so, the integration of the Church in different industries provides one of the best avenues for transformation of the fabric of society. The raising of businesses who are successful due to superior creativity and management styles will be yet another demonstration of God's Kingdom in the land. The greatest challenge in the marketplace is lack of experienced entrepreneurs, corruption and poor work ethic.
6. Education - another often overlooked factor in the total strategy for national transformation is education. Corrupt educational systems affect the development of the young Christians and deform them at an early age, primarily by influencing their worldview and behavioral patterns. Educational structures based on Christian values and principles can foster the development of the future leaders of the Church and society in general. The greatest challenge here is the fact that quality education is usually expensive with the results (dividends) not visibly seen for many years.
7. Redeeming the culture - the church must accept the fact that our efforts in evangelism and every other form of integration in society may not achieve the goal of national transformation unless we begin to redeem the culture. The creative potential of the Church has to be released to communicate and present the spirit and the message of Christ in every culturally relevant avenue, such as music, film making, television, radio, etc.
George Bakalov