Disrupted Reformation

Inaugural Convocation Message: Oct 2024:

In this message from Presiding Bishop Lyons Jr. focused on the theme of reformation and its relationship to disruption, growth, and restoration. The message challenged believers to embrace the disruptions in their lives as essential tools for spiritual development, while emphasizing Covenant's mission to restore the church to its original, God-ordained form.

Key Themes:

1. Disruption as a Catalyst for Development:

   • Core Message: Bishop Lyons opened by discussing how personal and spiritual growth often begins with disruption. Whether it's a disruption in one's health, finances, or relationships, discomfort and change are necessary for growth.

   • Quote: “Something has to be disrupted in order for development to take place.”

   • Examples of Disruption: He used everyday examples like rising gas prices or unexpected financial hardships to show how disruptions force a shift in patterns, leading to necessary change.

2. Reformation and Its Necessity:

   • What is Reformation: Bishop explained that reformation involves the process of returning something to its original form or intention. He outlined three critical reformational implications:

     1. Recognition of Altered Form: There must be acknowledgment that something in its original form has been altered or lost.

     2. Desire for the Original Form: The original form must be seen as desirable and correct.

     3. Willingness to Change: There must be a readiness to undergo all necessary changes to restore the original form.

   • Reformation in the Church: Bishop stated that the church has strayed from its original purpose and formation. Covenant’s mission is to reform the church by restoring doctrinal integrity, elevating biblical teaching, and rejecting modern trends that dilute the faith. He emphasized that reformation is uncomfortable, as it challenges what has become normalized.

3. Storms as Instruments of Reformation:

   • Purpose of Storms: Bishop introduced the idea that storms (metaphorical for life’s challenges and trials) are God’s tools for reformation. Rather than viewing storms as purely negative, he encouraged the audience to see them as necessary disruptions that bring life and growth, similar to how rain restores dry grass.

   • Perspective Shift: Reformation, he explained, doesn’t change the existence of storms but transforms how we perceive them. Storms remove spiritual impurities and lead to divine development.

   • Quote: “The disruption caused by a storm is an invitation to grow.”

4. Restoring God’s Original Intention:

   • Scriptural Foundation:

5. Genesis 1:26-28: God’s original design for humanity was for them to have dominion, be fruitful, and multiply. Bishop highlighted how this form was disrupted in Genesis 3 through the fall of man.

6. Genesis 3:1-19: The serpent’s manipulation of form led to the degradation of man’s original purpose, which necessitated God’s intervention through reformation.

7. Genesis 6-9 (The Flood): God used the flood as a tool to wipe out everything corrupted by sin, resetting humanity back to its original form. After the flood, God reaffirmed the command to be fruitful and multiply, signaling a reformation and restoration of His original plan.

8. Reformation Restores Original Form: Just as Noah’s flood brought the earth back to its intended state, spiritual reformation restores believers to their God-given form. This process often involves dying to self, much like Noah had to trust in God’s plan for salvation through the ark.

9. Analogy of the Ark: Bishop used the ark as a metaphor for spiritual protection and transformation. The ark represents submission to God’s process, where entering the ark (symbolizing death to self) leads to life and salvation during the storm.

10. God's Promise in Reformation:

    • Genesis 8:16-22: After the flood, God made a covenant with Noah, promising not to curse the ground again and ensuring that the cycle of seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, day and night would continue. Bishop used this promise to show that God's intention is always to bring restoration, not destruction, through reformation.

    • Genesis 9:1: The reaffirmation of the command to "be fruitful and multiply" marked the restoration of God's original design for mankind.

11. Spiritual Application for Believers:

    • Dying to Self for Reformation: Bishop emphasized that spiritual growth and reformation require dying to self, much like entering the ark required complete trust in God’s plan. This willingness to die spiritually allows believers to experience transformation and growth.

    • Reformation Leads to Restoration: He stressed that reformation is not about returning to religious bondage but about being restored to the freedom and purpose that God originally intended for humanity, like walking in the garden in the cool of the day.

Practical Examples:

• Physical Fitness: Just as muscles grow through pain and physical strain, spiritual growth requires enduring trials and discomfort.

• Economic Disruptions: Bishop used real-world examples like fluctuating gas prices and rising costs of living to demonstrate how disruptions force change and growth.

• Camping and Weather: Drawing on an analogy from campers, Bishop explained that those who are dressed for the weather appreciate the beauty of a storm. Similarly, those who are spiritually prepared can endure and even appreciate life's storms.

Conclusion and Call to Action:

• Embrace Reformation: Bishop encouraged the Covenant community to stop resisting the storms and challenges they face. Instead, they should embrace these disruptions as God’s way of preparing them for growth and restoration.

• Dressing for the Season: He urged believers to spiritually “dress” for the season they’re in, emphasizing that with the right preparation and perspective, they can appreciate the beauty of the storm and the reformation it brings.

• Final Prayer: The session closed with a prayer for God to reform every area of life that has been deformed, restoring believers to His original image and purpose.

This message served as a powerful reminder of the necessity of reformation, both personally and in the church. Bishop Lyons challenged the audience to see disruptions as God’s invitation to grow and to trust in His promise to restore His original design for their lives and ministries. The message called for spiritual maturity, discipline, and a readiness to undergo the necessary changes for divine development.