The Coalition for Apostolic Reformation (CAR) originated from the revelation that it is our mandate to bring God’s Kingdom into this world. The times we are living in demand an approach in which we as believers boldly take our place in society. We are called to be salt and light wherever we are placed.
CAR focusses on promoting the Kingdom vision and the ‘Seven Mountain Strategy’ in the Netherlands. Both are essential elements in mobilizing people towards bringing transformation in society.
In order for reformation to last, good leadership is important. For that reason, CAR puts a lot of emphasis on developing such leadership. Character development and accountability are indispensable in order to have good leadership. For that reason, CAR is accountable to Christian International Europe (Dr. Sharon Stone).
Our vision
When God created this world, He gave mankind an assignment. He gave them authority over His wonderful creation. This mandate was never revoked by God, not even after the fall, when humans lost this authority. On the contrary, Jesus Christ restored this authority, and as sons and daughters of God we are to make God’s Kingdom manifest in this world.
God’s Kingdom becomes visible when the supernatural manifests in things like healing, deliverance, signs and wonders. It’s also visible when people repent and choose to live with God according to Biblical guidelines. The Kingdom also becomes visible when righteousness and justice prevails in society.
This is a holistic view on the Kingdom of God, in which revival of the Body of Christ leads to visible changes in this world. The Coalition for Apostolic Reformation (CAR) was established to give off this sound. There is a shift happening in the Body of Christ; from church-mindset to Kingdom-mindset. Apostles and prophets are called to lead out in this transition. For that reason, CAR especially gives a platform to apostles and prophets in order for them to equip the Body in her calling to make the Kingdom manifest. CAR does this by means of conferences, seminars, trainings and masterclasses.
When we talk about the role of the apostles, we must go back to when this role was first introduced. Jesus Himself used the word ‘apostle’. Luke 6:13 “When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles.”
He uses the Greek word ‘apostolos’, which means ‘sent one’. This was not a religious term, but rather a military term used for leaders who were sent out by Rome to bring the culture of the Roman Empire to conquered areas. The primary role of apostles is to bring the culture of heaven to earth. They lead out in this. This is why Paul says that the apostle is first in the church, then the prophet, and thirdly the teacher.
The days we are living in demands leadership that has a vision for what is happening outside of church walls. The apostle is called for this, because the apostolic gifts focus on equipping the sons and daughters of God to bring His Kingdom into all spheres of society.
Role of the apostles
Kingdom Vision
From the creation, God gave mankind an assignment: “let them have dominion over the earth”. The idea was that man would expand paradise over the whole earth. When the fall happened, the authority to have dominion was given over to Satan. When he tempted Jesus, he offered Him all the kingdoms of the earth. Jesus never denied that Satan had the power to do that. However, after His death and resurrection, He says in. Matthew 28: “all power on heaven and earth was given to Me”. The authority was restored, and He gave His apostles the commandment to make disciples of all nations.
This commandant includes more than just planting churches or making converts. The commandment is much larger and means to be ‘salt’ in every sphere of society and give it the flavor of the Kingdom, in order to disciple entire nations.
In order to do what Jesus commanded and make all nations His disciples, we need strategy. If a majority of the population in a nation is Christian, you don’t automatically have a Christian nation. To disciple a nation, all spheres of society must be actively influenced in order to make sure every part of it shows forth the characteristics of the Kingdom of God.
Society can be divided into 7 spheres/ mountains:
- Media
- Education
- Government
- Arts and Entertainment
- Family
- Economy/Business
- Religion/Worship
Revelation 17:9 says that the devil sits on 7 mountains: “And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits.”
The mountain of the Lord is exalted above these mountains however, as we read in Micha 4:1 and Isiah 2:2 “In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.”
The strategy for the commandment is to apply Kingdom principles in every mountain, so that heaven becomes visible on earth.
Seven mountains strategy
The board
On the board are:
Dick Westerhof
Arleen Westerhof
Gerard Keizer
Sven Leeuwestein