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For some weeks now I have kept hearing ‘The New Renaissance.” Everywhere I look I am seeing prodigious cultural change assertively disturbing the foundations and forms of current culture. But I am also seeing the white knuckle excitement of potential.

Where this goes, only God knows, and the fact that He knows is a great comfort and a striking opportunity to lean in and discover with Him!

But there is more than “Well God knows.” There is a strong invitational rhythm and supernatural provision for us to be part of shaping this new renaissance and be God’s Cultural Architects!

THE RUMBLE OF THE NEW RENAISSANCE IS BEING FELT.

Gerd Leonhard futurist, keynote speaker and writer for Forbes recently made this claim, “Our world is going to change more in the next 20 years than in the previous 300 years.”1.

We will see. God knows. But I don’t blame you for feeling breathless with the current rate of change!

In the first 2 decades of this new century, two distinctive realms have been in great motion. In the natural realm, economies crashed in USA and Russia, geopolitical tensions presented, war struck again on European soil, and global pandemic found its way onto the landscape and with it governmental intrusion into daily life unseen previously in the Western World. Technology exploded into our private lives with some calling it “a global behemoth” that directs how we communicate and connect, buy and sell, entertain and learn.

While this had happened in the natural realm, these 2 decades have also seen some of the most powerful encounters of God with man and dramatic advances of the Kingdom of God. The spiritual realm has been moving at a pace that is mind-blowing.

Wycliffe Bible Translators, the second largest Mission Agency in the world says 7.14 billion people have access to some of the Bible, while translation happening now in 157 countries is impacting 1.11 billion people.2 The USA is mounting into its 3rd great Spiritual Awakening with fresh new revival spots like Ashbury College in Kentucky, breaking out all over the nation in Universities as we speak. Worship music and the Bible is now available to people on their watches out in the rice fields of the 10/14 window. 

The movement of the Kingdom of God has progressed at lightning speed. 67% of the Southern Hemisphere’s population now claim to be Christian.3. 

RENAISSANCE, REFORMATION AND REVOLUTION SEEM TO GO TOGETHER

The first Renaissance began in the 1400’s in Italy after the world had lost half of its population to the Black Plague. Intriguing isn’t it the similarity of now to then? It is consistent in life that we come into inheritance through crisis.

The word Renaissance is French meaning ‘rebirth’, but was never used during the period itself – it was invented by 19th-century historians. Often we struggle to articulate the moment we are in.

Renaissances seem to have reformation and revolution attached to them. The first Renaissance birthed into an era of dramatic cultural revolution for Russia, Netherlands, France and then an Industrial Revolution.

Not long into the first Renaissance, a cranky little Catholic German Priest called Martin Luther began what would become a Reformation upheaving and propelling Christianity to the masses with the news we are saved by grace not of ourselves.

Colliding with this Johann Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press, enabled books, including the Bible to be printed into multiple languages and mass-produced for the first time in the history of humanity. This was a revolution for up until now the Bible was only in Latin for the elite.

With this invention new writings crafted new cultures. Karl Marx’ Communist Manifesto spread in Russia, Umgang hit Menchen taught Germans how to be German and George Washington’s Rules off Civility, defined what is an American, just to name a few.

The single invention of the Printing Press changed and bought new ways of thinking on unprecedented levels. It impacted politics, trade and economics, the arts, and how we defined ourselves.

The fact that the Renaissance was a transnational movement, touching every country in Europe, is one of the most crucial things about the Renaissance.

Do you see similarities of renaissance playing out right now?

WHAT IS GOD SAYING TO US?

There are 2 key things I believe God urgently wants us to understand and be part of.

  1. Renaissance changes culture – it changes how we think, what we think, what we value, how we act, how we do life. 

Andrew Dickson said this of the first Renaissance, “the impression it left on culture is impossible to mistake.”

The question is being asked of you right now, “What is YOUR culture?” Do you know God’s culture for your home, your business, your faith community? If you are not clear about your culture, this new renaissance will give you one.

God is setting the stage for great opportunities and supernatural provision for us to be architects of culture! Yes you! Every decision for integrity in business, every decision to give a prophetic word to someone or ask to pray for them, every choice to open the Bible and read it as a family is defining your culture.

2. Renaissance comes through those who show up. They showed up in art, literature, politics, the church, with new inventions, new forms for communicating, but they showed up!

Decisions are made by those who show up.

Try that new art medium, attempt that new triathlon, write that little blog on food and health, practice that spiritual gift. Just show up and let God do the impossible which is His speciality!

Already new renaissance architects are writing, painting, making laws, redefining language, norms, identity and humanity itself.

We are in the turbulence of Renaissance rising.

God is birthing in you, yes you, new ideas, new inventions, new manuscripts, new rhetoric, new art, new ways. He is birthing a cultural architect in you because He wants you to be part of shaping this new Renaissance.

Watch your dreams. Write them down. Watch the ideas that come into your mind as you garden, exercise, drive. Write them down. Explore the seed God is giving you.

22 year old Larry Page graduate student at Stanford, had a dream in the 1990’s. He dreamt that somehow he had managed to download the entire Web and just keep links. He immediately grabbed a pen when he awoke and wrote down what became the basis for an algorithm that became the search engine we know today: google.

These words are now being passed to us..

“My servant Moses is dead. Get ready now, you and all the people of Israel, and cross over the Jordan river into the land I am giving you.” (Joshua 1:2)

The first Renaissance is gone. It is dead. The New Renaissance God is giving you. Take possession of it or it will you.

References:

1. 2020 Will Bring A New Renaissance: Humanity Over Technology, G. Leonhard, www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2020/01/05/2020-will-bring-a-new-renaissance-humanity-over-technology/?sh=5c2e85d1dd78 

2.   2022 Global Scripture Access, https://www.wycliffe.net/resources/statistics/

3.   Joshua Project, June Webinar – Christianity Expanding, 2020.       www.Joshuaproject.net