The Bible tells us that one of the highest and ultimate goals that God has in store for each one of us is our transformation - and this transformation is accomplished by the renewing of our mind. The Bible tells us that God wants to sanctify us and to transform us into the express image of His Son Jesus Christ. He wants to make us into a better and more holy people - both on the inside and the outside.

But transformation is not complete if we do not exercise our holiness with others. We are called also to transform our communities. Faith without action is death. The most sublime expression of action is love. Jesus said that our greatest commandment is love. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, Love your neighbor as yourself…"Do this and you will live." Luke 10:26-28.

If we exchange work for love we can easily conclude also that faith without love is death. The apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

But there is also a condition; "If you love me, you will obey what I command,” said Jesus in John 14:15. The Great Commandment is love and the action of that love is obedience.

Jesus’ first words to the apostles were; "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19). And before ascending to heaven, Jesus gave us the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19: “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all nations...” (My emphasis).  This is Ed Silvoso’s first of Five Paradigms for Nation Transformation: “The Great Commission is about discipling nations, not just people."

Why nations?  Because, as Ed Silvoso explains in his book “Anointed for Business,” if we do not transform the marketplace that is the heart of a nation or city (business, government and education) there won’t be a tangible evidence of transformation.

The 5 Pivotal Paradigms for Nation Transformation

n      Believers are called to disciple nations, not just individuals (Matthew 28:18-20)

n      The marketplace (business, education and government), which is the heart of the nation, has been redeemed but now it must be reclaimed. (Luke 19:10)

n      Every Christian is a minister, and labor is worship.(I Tim. 2:1-8; Col. 3:23)

n      Christians are called to take the kingdom of God to where the kingdom of darkness is still entrenched for people to turn from darkness to light and Jesus will build His Church. (Matt. 16:18; Acts 26:17-18)

n      Nation transformation must be tangible, with the premier social indicator being the elimination of systemic poverty. (1 John 3:8b)

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Ed Silvoso’s fifth and last paradigm is that nation transformation must be tangible and this evidence is the elimination of systemic poverty. The evidence that the economy of God is taking over the economy of the devil.

God so loved the world that He gave His son. Not only He died for us but also for the world (John 3:16) and that includes the redemption of the land; our source of provision. The Spirit of the Lord anointed Jesus to preach good news to the poor. (Luke 4:18)

In St Augustine we have been following these paradigms and implementing the principles of Prayer Evangelism, that Silvoso defines as “Talking to God about your neighbor (coworker, etc), before you talk to you neighbor about God.”

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“The principles of prayer evangelism are taught in several places in the Bible, but the most complete model is found in Luke 10: 5-9. This is the only occasion in the Gospels where Jesus spells out an evangelistic method. Here He calls for us to do the following four things for the lost.”

1.         Bless: Speak Peace to the people and the Marketplace (v. 5)

2.         Fellowship: Listen to the heartfelt needs of the people (v.7)

3.         Minister:  Address the heartfelt needs in the name of the Lord (v. 9)

The plan to change St Augustine for Christ is not a series of steps with strategic components but the acknowledgement of God’s love for the lost in the City and the Church’s commitment to the Biblical Principles of Unity, Holiness and Prayer.

We pray as one Church (Body of Christ) to take the Gospel to every one in the city who still does not know Him, because God wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim 2:4).

This past month during the Transformation Seminar, Ed Silvoso stressed the application of these Scriptural paradigms and Biblical principles

His seminar was not an event but a process that serves as a launching pad and/or an accelerator for transformation.

Pastors intentionally and prayerfully approached marketplace ministers in their congregations to ask them to participate in the seminar because at the very end they were commissioned as ministers in the workplace

Those newly commissioned ministers should be organized in groups to have transformation gatherings taking advantage of existing breaks or lunches in the marketplace using Ed Silvoso’s book Anointed for Business to provide structure and a program. Since it has 13 chapters it could be done a chapter a week in 13 weeks. Using also the 6 minute DVD primer for each chapter that can be played in a personal laptop.”

Even if number of potential participants is low we must prayerfully consider acting in obedience to Luke 10:2. Jesus stated that the harvest is plentiful and even though the workers are few, He did not instruct us to pray for more workers but rather for those workers, whatever their number, to GO (My emphasis) to the harvest since doing so will cause the devil to fall down, demons to submit to them and new workers will be generated in the form of new converts.

For the Pastors this exercise will provide three blessings. First, empathy for the work of pastoring since now members will see how much is required. Second, converts from groups that normally are not easily reached. And thirdly, greater financial contribution to the work of the church because of the increased sense of ownership and buy-in on the part of the newly commissioned ministers. “