Radical Authenticity
On October 31, 1517, a monk by the name of Martin Luther radically changed the course of history when he nailed 95 theses on the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. Many diverse streams flowed into what is known as the Protestant Reformation, but this act was a decisive turning point. In terms of Jesus' picture in Luke 5:37, the old wineskin of Roman Catholicism split wide open as the new wine was poured out. It could not and never would be able to contain the new wine of the gospel. The darkness that came into the church was shattered as the light of God's Word began to shine and people who were kept in darkness for lack of knowledge were able to read the Word for themselves in their own language. Many truths, lost and buried for centuries under layers of ungodly traditions, were recovered and new foundations were laid for the church.
As we enter the new millennium, the Third Day of our Lord, there is a new Reformation on the horizon that will shatter every wineskin of the existing church as much and more than the Protestant Reformation. Just like it happened in Luther's day, there are already many streams flowing and no one will stop or contain this flow. The key issue that was never addressed by the Protestant Reformation involves the priesthood of the believer. The church as we know it in the Western world functions on the basis of the Levitical model of the priesthood, but in Jesus this model was abolished and replaced by the order of Melchizedek. As we move into this Third Day, the wineskins of the churches will break, because the order of Melchizedek cannot be contained in the current structures.
Today God is calling ordinary people out of the Levitical order churches through the gate of control into the wilderness of the world to be his church. God is calling a remnant to walk out of the comfort zones of the four walls, away from endless programs that achieve nothing but preserve the status quo. He is calling out those who are tired of the heavy burdens of religious tradition to enter into his Sabbath rest. He is seeking the many who are wandering like sheep without a shepherd, for they have suffered in the four walls of the fold and could not take it anymore. He is calling forth those with an apostolic anointing who are able to see the vision of his heart for his church. He is calling those who are driven to explore the new lands and cross into the unknown. He is seeking those with eyes who can see the desert of life in the world changed as streams of living waters are released by their presence in the workplace. He is calling those who can see the divine Kingdom established in the world through the power of his Spirit in their lives and who do not want to hide their light under a bowl. In a phrase: He is calling out a people who are prepared to live lives with a Radical Authenticity.
