Richard Monyer’s Reviews > Turn the World Upside Down: Discipling the Nations with the Seven Mountain Strategy > Status Update

Almost all the Church understands “out,” but we have failed to grasp “in.” However, redemption is a two -part process—out and in. We have mistakenly thought redemption was only coming out of bondage to sin, satan, and the curse of the law. We failed to understand that in addition to coming out, we are to go into the promises and power of His glorious Kingdom.

Our lives are ultimately defined by the quality and quantity of change we allow God to bring into them. God wants to use everyone but He does not; He can only use those who have allowed themselves to be prepared.

Those on assignment to the kingdoms of culture “preach” God’s Kingdom with their presence, their actions, and sometimes even with their words. They are preaching and impacting their mountain by merely taking the fruit of the Spirit and gifts of the Spirit to their coworkers as they respond to opportunities to love, heal, show mercy, raise the dead, share joy, and deliver from bondages.

For decades, and even millennia, the Church has preached a different Gospel from the one Jesus preached. Although the truth of salvation is vitally important as the foundation of the Gospel of the Kingdom and the most important chapter in God’s love story for humankind, it is not the full story. God coauthored the chapter of salvation with Christ, but in His next chapter, God wants to coauthor with you and me.

If we can connect with the understanding that God is after the mountains of society—He wants the mountains of family, education, government, entertainment, business, and media—we will have the courage David showed when facing his giant. God is looking for Davids, for warriors He can dispatch to represent His interests who will take back what is rightfully His.

Jesus did not suffer and die to build churches on street corners. He came as part of God’s strategic plan to restore humanity, the earth, and every living thing in it to Himself. Although He could have used other means to carry out His purpose, He chose us, the Body of Christ, to restore His Kingdom to every nation through the mountains of society, including the mountain of government.

To align yourself to this new season, you must master greed; you must put God first in your life! God wants to bless you, but He cannot give you more while you are still carrying around the little green monster of greed. You may also need a change of attitude about your job so you begin to see it as your calling. Some will need to stop being secret agents and become bold ambassadors for Christ in their workplaces.

When the Church forsakes its real purpose (see above) and creates another reason to exist—sometimes called religion—it loses its influence and relevance and is no longer important to the culture. God, however, does not invest His presence, power, and blessing into plans and projects that diverge from His original intention for the Church to train and equip ecclesiasts.

God had not saved the Israelites to live their lives in the seclusion of the wilderness. Neither has He saved us to settle for being apathetic Christians living isolated lives with a few hours a week of relief from the world in a church service. No! God saved us to be world-transforming agents for His Kingdom.

We are not to condemn or try to destroy the mountains of culture because of their present wickedness, corruption, greediness, and evil influence on our world. Instead, we are called to restructure and return them to be the influence on society that was God’s intention when He originated them. In other words, God wants to reshape their glory.