As I reflect on the decisions Christians must make in 2025 to stay close to Jesus, the major theme is choice.
Throughout 2022-2024, the Global Church has been in a period of cross-pollination. As the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a new period of global change, the Lord challenged Christians to slow down and receive sonship. Surrender was a necessary part of the process, and many people chose to prioritize depth of intimacy with Jesus rather than building too quickly or in their own strength.
God is beginning to give a greater sense of clarity and specific direction to individuals who made costly choices only to feel lost in the transformation process. From 2025 until 2027, God’s challenge to those people is to stabilize what they have attained by meeting him in uncomfortable places. If individuals and communities respond to the Holy Spirit’s internal searching in 2025, they will build durable, long-term foundations for ministry. By continuing to receive Jesus’ support in humble places, these individuals and communities will be able to withstand greater storms coming in 2027 and into the 2030s.
How will you build in 2025?
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Jesus has demonstrated that Christians cannot “lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:12). In 2025, Jesus is responding to individuals’ prayers for greater personal well-being, healthier communities, and insulated long-term trajectories. However, his invitation to develop these things may look different than we expected.
In 2025, Jesus will present us all with internal dissonance that, if recognized, will provide a pathway to transformation. Through external events and internal dissonance, Jesus stands knocking at the door of the heart. Like a merchant reviewing his wares, he will examine the works we have established so far and refine people’s vision for better outcomes. In his kindness, he will acknowledge the long-term impact of leaving our works as they presently are. And in his wisdom, he will offer us opportunities to exchange lesser materials for better ones. In 2025, this exchange will require meeting God with greater, costly honesty.
If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14
1 Corithians 3:12-14
In 2025, Jesus is inviting individuals and leaders into a strengthening process. While this strengthening process will cause discomfort, it will lead to greater trust in God, less fear, and greater stability for life and leadership. This strengthening process is led by the internal voice of the Holy Spirit, and by timely external, sometimes unexpected events. Through internal and external provocation, Jesus is providing a context for increasing conversations about our insecurities, failures, doubts, fears, and limitations. At no point during this time will he fail to provide clarity, wisdom, and direction so that individuals can pass through their circumstances well. At no time will Jesus knock at more doors than individuals can bear. Nevertheless, his goal is to allow the Holy Spirit to occupy more of our fragile internal places. Jesus cares more about our ability to thrive in the next 5-10 years than he does our immediate comfort. As the Holy Spirit searches individuals and Jesus knocks gently at the heart, discomfort will be a common indication that God is at work. Therefore, discomfort should be acknowledged but not feared.
As individuals leave room for the Holy Spirit to speak, we will become more aware of insecurities, doubts, and fears that are still at work in us. These are the moments when we each must choose what building materials to purchase. We must choose to invite Jesus into the insecurities, the doubts, and the fears rather than pursue business as usual. In moments of fatigue, holy dissonance, and growing discernment, we must acknowledge our limitations and even see them as conduits of God’s grace. By resisting transformation, we guarantee the need to repair or even rebuild our ministries later. Straw, hay, and wood are easily gathered; they aren’t costly. They are externally available and require no deep internal work or mining process.
Yet the Kingdom of God is built only with precious materials. Its construction reflects the costly co-laboring of Christ and the Church, which will be preserved for eternity.
The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia[c] in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits[d] thick.[e] 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.[f] 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.
Revelation 21:15-21
God is kind, and he wants to fulfill each and every one of his promises. Nevertheless, the degree to which we receive Jesus’ transformation in 2025 is up to each person. Jesus stands knocking at the door of the heart, but he will not force himself in. He will stand outside each door of the heart, and wait for individuals to open. In 2025, we will need to be people who move at a thoughtful, self-reflective pace to recognize and respond to Jesus’ knocking.
By opening the door to conversation, we will be transformed by God’s grace and receive gracious outcomes that cannot result from human effort. God must create these precious stones, silver, and gold inside us. Under his hands, even precious and rare materials can line the walls of our hearts. Most importantly, submitting to refinement will make us more like Jesus. In the coming years, the fruit of this transformation process will be made increasingly visible.
His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.
Daniel 10:6
Redemption and Repair
In 2025, God is opening up a pathway for individuals to receive better outcomes in their jobs, families, ministries, and personal lives than in the past. Jesus knows every failure, lapse in judgment, and sin. He has provided a pathway for better outcomes and is extending an arm of friendship. He is asking each of us to acknowledge the straw, hay, or wood in our lives so that he can help us repair what is broken. He will give us new grace to exchange these lesser materials for gold, silver, and precious stones in proportion to our honesty. Through receiving God’s grace in our places of greatest need, we testify to God’s complete acceptance of humanity in Christ Jesus. By responding to discomfort conversationally and receiving new grace, we will receive precious, durable materials for life and ministry. These materials will stabilize our current works and insulate us into the 2030s.
Age of the Unexpected 