There are 3 main Greek words which are translated as “time”
in the New Testament:
1. Chronos
2. Kairos
3. Pleroma
Chronos
Chronos appears 53 times in the New Testament. It is taken from the word “chronology”.
The root word of “chronology” is “Chronos” which means time in succession. Chronos refers to seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years in successive segments of time. It
refers to the general process of time or chronological time.
It is sometimes translated as seasons as in Acts 20:18
Acts 20:18 And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,(KJV)
Kairos
Kairos appears 83 times in the Bible. This word denotes an appointed time, opportune time or strategic time in God’s economy.
Examples of Kairos
1. Mark 10:30
“who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time (kairos) — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions — and in the age to come,
eternal life.”
2. Acts 3:19
“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times (kairos) of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,”
3. Gal 6:10
“Therefore, as we have opportunity (kairos), let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
Pleroma
Pleroma, according to Vine’s Expository Dictionary, denotes “fullness”
Pleroma means the end of an appointed season or period.
Examples of Pleroma
1. Gal 4:4-5
“But when the fullness (Pleroma) of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”
2. Eph 1:10
“that in the dispensation of the fullness (Pleroma) of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him”
The Combination of the Seasons
“Chronos” is the season of time preparing for us to enter into “kairos”.
“Kairos” actually is an extension and is born of “chronos”. When we are faithful and obedient in our “chronos” season, God would shift us to the next phase of our lives and ministries. He transforms
the “chronos” season into “kairos” season. Often, our “chronos” can be difficult, mundane and challenging. As we persevere and preserve the right attitude and godly response, God promotes us
to kairos season. Joseph was not bitter in prison when he was falsely accused of moral misconduct.
His chronos time in prison prepared him to experience the kairos when Pharaoh needed someone to interpret his dreams. The divine shift suddenly sprang forth with the arrival of the opportune
season.
Abraham walked by faith for 24 years of chronos season before the appointed time came for Sarah to give birth to Isaac. Chronos and kairos are like baking cake. All the flour, yeast and other ingredients may be distasteful in themselves, but after they all blended together and baked in the oven, the cake is so appetizing.
God is able to take all the distasteful times in our chronos and transform them one day to kairos.
After Moses went through 40 years of chronos at the wilderness, a divine shift came when Moses had the burning bush experience with God. Moses’ kairos began when God spoke to him and commissioned him to deliver his people from the hands of Pharaoh
Breakthrough season
Kairos is not the ultimate destiny but prepares us for the final lap in the race to the finish line. Before the actual breakthrough or the harvest of answered prayers and the fruits of our labour, we
need to transit from kairos to “pleroma”.
When a woman conceives a baby, she enters into 9 months of chronos. She goes into the mundane routine of life with extra care and attention to her diet and exercise. Suddenly, the water bag burst and she enters into labour. She has moved from chronos into kairos stage of her pregnancy. The season of labour and contraction in her womb signal opportunity for birth but no guarantee that mother and baby will be safe and healthy. Finally, the waited sound of the baby’s cry means that the breakthrough has arrived! The fullness of time, the “pleroma” is the fruit – the miracle baby in the arms of the mother! Your “pleroma” is coming. Your breakthrough is on time in God’s timetable. Your miracle is on the way. Your harvest is being monitored and preserved by God to be released to you as you progress from “kairos” to “pleroma”. Be of good cheer, God is faithful to let you experience the manifestation of the fullness of whatever He has in store for you.
Since the day God called me into the full time ministry, I have had this strange yearning to minister in many nations. By the grace of God, we have ministered in almost 40 nations. Recently, the Lord spoke through his choice prophet that He would open doors for us to minister in 100 nations. We believe and we know that our breakthrough would come in the fullness of His time. God promised that He makes everything beautiful in His Time. ‘God is not a man that He should lie!’ As you put your trust in Him, you will neither be disappointed nor ashamed. Amen!
There is a particular church in a foreign country that we used to minister. The church had less than 200 members. For many years, the church could not breakthrough that 200 barrier. One day a man of God received a revelation from God that the associate pastor should be the Senior Pastor. With great humility and obedience, the Senior Pastor relinquished his position and promoted the associate pastor to be the senior man. The former Senior Pastor continued to serve in an assistant’s role. Suddenly the church experienced tremendous growth and breakthrough. Today, the church has more than 10,000 members.
The kairos moment was when there was a change of leadership roles between the 2 key leaders. When the fullness of time came, God moved in that church in amazing ways. The church encountered a net breaking and boat sinking catch like what Peter encountered in Luke 5. (Kindly refer to that chapter in the Bible.)
I know another church that continued in prayers every Tuesday at 10 am, 7 pm and 10 pm for more than 20 years. The church was faithfully praying and paying the price during the chronos season not being noticed or recognized. Suddenly God shifted the church from chronos to kairos season. God began to add and later multiply souls in that church.
In the fullness of time, the mother church birthed another church in the same city. The Senior Pastor came out and pioneered a daughter church with 300 members. In about 10 years, the church grew to 30,000 members. Today, there is a church in Surabaya, Indonesia that can accommodate 35,000 people.
What a breakthrough from a humble chronos to a strategic kairos when the Senior Pastor decided to pioneer another church in the same city. Sometimes, we need to come out from our comfort zone and believe God for greater breakthroughs and miracles.
Let us not limit God or limit ourselves or be limited by other people as we allow God to transit us from “kairos” to “pleroma”. With God all things are possible. Only believe and we shall receive!
“Rafflesia” Flower
The largest single flowers in the world are mostly found in the
Borneo, Sumatra, Kalimantan and Philippines in Southeast Asia.
The Rafflesia is a marvel of flowering plants. The flower can
grow up to 3 feet in diameter and weigh up to 11 kilograms (24
lbs). The vile and pungent smell that the flower gives off attracts
many insects.
TIMES & SEASONS • 55 •
The flower grows in the primary rainforests and lacks any
observable leaves, stems or roots. It takes years to mature and
is well camouflaged within the forest floor. The brown bud takes
about 9 months to develop and the flower is filled with white
spots on a brilliant red background. Only its flower gets to take a
peep of the outside world.
The “Rafflesia” flower enters the period of chronos for many
years. Suddenly it goes through the budding phase of kairos.
Nobody seems to notice its existence until the fullness of time,
when the flower blossoms. The manifestation of this magnificent
and awesome flower attracts the attention of the whole world.
Some of you may have a powerful and awesome ministry ahead
of you. God is hiding you under His Wings. As you are pregnant
with the plan and purpose of God during the Kairos season,
God prepares you to be revealed to the world with His manifold
beauty, grace and wisdom.
In the fullness of the season, the whole world may come to know
you and partake of the anointing and fragrance upon your life.
May you be the “Rafflesia” flower in God’s kingdom!
Kairos appears 83 times in the Bible. This word denotes an
appointed time, opportune time or strategic time in God’s
economy.
Examples of Kairos
1. Mark 10:30
“who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time (kairos) —
houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children
and lands, with persecutions — and in the age to come,
eternal life.”
2. Acts 3:19
“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may
be blotted out, so that times (kairos) of refreshing may
come from the presence of the Lord,”
3. Gal 6:10
“Therefore, as we have opportunity (kairos), let us do good
to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
Pleroma
Pleroma, according to Vine’s Expository Dictionary, denotes
“fullness”
Pleroma means the end of an appointed season or period.
Examples of Pleroma
1. Gal 4:4-5
TIMES & SEASONS • 51 •
“But when the fullness (Pleroma) of the time had come,
God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the
law to redeem those who were under the law, that we
might receive the adoption as sons.”
2. Eph 1:10
“that in the dispensation of the fullness (Pleroma) of times
He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both
which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him”
The Combination of the Seasons
“Chronos” is the season of time preparing for us to enter into
“kairos”.
“Kairos” actually is an extension and is born of “chronos”. When
we are faithful and obedient in our “chronos” season, God would
shift us to the next phase of our lives and ministries. He transforms
the “chronos” season into “kairos” season. Often, our “chronos”
can be difficult, mundane and challenging. As we persevere and
preserve the right attitude and godly response, God promotes us
to kairos season. Joseph was not bitter in prison when he was
falsely accused of moral misconduct.
His chronos time in prison prepared him to experience the kairos
when Pharaoh needed someone to interpret his dreams. The
divine shift suddenly sprang forth with the arrival of the opportune
season.
Abraham walked by faith for 24 years of chronos season before
the appointed time came for Sarah to give birth to Isaac.
TIMES & SEASONS • 52 •
Chronos and kairos are like baking cake. All the flour, yeast and
other ingredients may be distasteful in themselves, but after
they all blended together and baked in the oven, the cake is so
appetizing.
God is able to take all the distasteful times in our chronos and
transform them one day to kairos.
After Moses went through 40 years of chronos at the wilderness,
a divine shift came when Moses had the burning bush experience
with God. Moses’ kairos began when God spoke to him and
commissioned him to deliver his people from the hands of
Pharaoh
Breakthrough season
Kairos is not the ultimate destiny but prepares us for the final lap
in the race to the finish line. Before the actual breakthrough or
the harvest of answered prayers and the fruits of our labour, we
need to transit from kairos to “pleroma”.
When a woman conceives a baby, she enters into 9 months of
chronos. She goes into the mundane routine of life with extra
care and attention to her diet and exercise. Suddenly, the water
bag burst and she enters into labour. She has moved from
chronos into kairos stage of her pregnancy. The season of labour
and contraction in her womb signal opportunity for birth but no
guarantee that mother and baby will be safe and healthy. Finally,
the waited sound of the baby’s cry means that the breakthrough
has arrived! The fullness of time, the “pleroma” is the fruit – the
miracle baby in the arms of the mother!
TIMES & SEASONS • 53 •
Your “pleroma” is coming. Your breakthrough is on time in God’s
timetable. Your miracle is on the way. Your harvest is being
monitored and preserved by God to be released to you as you
progress from “kairos” to “pleroma”. Be of good cheer, God is
faithful to let you experience the manifestation of the fullness of
whatever He has in store for you.
Since the day God called me into the full time ministry, I have had
this strange yearning to minister in many nations. By the grace
of God, we have ministered in almost 40 nations. Recently, the
Lord spoke through his choice prophet that He would open doors
for us to minister in 100 nations. We believe and we know that
our breakthrough would come in the fullness of His time. God
promised that He makes everything beautiful in His Time. ‘God
is not a man that He should lie!’ As you put your trust in Him, you
will neither be disappointed nor ashamed. Amen!
There is a particular church in a foreign country that we used
to minister. The church had less than 200 members. For many
years, the church could not breakthrough that 200 barrier. One
day a man of God received a revelation from God that the
associate pastor should be the Senior Pastor. With great humility
and obedience, the Senior Pastor relinquished his position and
promoted the associate pastor to be the senior man. The former
Senior Pastor continued to serve in an assistant’s role. Suddenly
the church experienced tremendous growth and breakthrough.
Today, the church has more than 10,000 members.
The kairos moment was when there was a change of leadership
roles between the 2 key leaders. When the fullness of time
came, God moved in that church in amazing ways. The church
encountered a net breaking and boat sinking catch like what
TIMES & SEASONS • 54 •
Peter encountered in Luke 5. (Kindly refer to that chapter in the
Bible.)
I know another church that continued in prayers every Tuesday
at 10 am, 7 pm and 10 pm for more than 20 years. The church
was faithfully praying and paying the price during the chronos
season not being noticed or recognized. Suddenly God shifted
the church from chronos to kairos season. God began to add
and later multiply souls in that church.
In the fullness of time, the mother church birthed another church
in the same city. The Senior Pastor came out and pioneered
a daughter church with 300 members. In about 10 years, the
church grew to 30,000 members. Today, there is a church in
Surabaya, Indonesia that can accommodate 35,000 people.
What a breakthrough from a humble chronos to a strategic kairos
when the Senior Pastor decided to pioneer another church in the
same city. Sometimes, we need to come out from our comfort
zone and believe God for greater breakthroughs and miracles.
Let us not limit God or limit ourselves or be limited by other people
as we allow God to transit us from “kairos” to “pleroma”. With
God all things are possible. Only believe and we shall receive!
“Rafflesia” Flower
The largest single flowers in the world are mostly found in the Borneo, Sumatra, Kalimantan and Philippines in Southeast Asia. The Rafflesia is a marvel of flowering plants. The flower can grow up to 3 feet in diameter and weigh up to 11 kilograms (24 lbs). The vile and pungent smell that the flower gives off attracts many insects. The flower grows in the primary rainforests and lacks any
observable leaves, stems or roots. It takes years to mature and is well camouflaged within the forest floor. The brown bud takes about 9 months to develop and the flower is filled with white spots on a brilliant red background. Only its flower gets to take a peep of the outside world.
The “Rafflesia” flower enters the period of chronos for many years. Suddenly it goes through the budding phase of kairos. Nobody seems to notice its existence until the fullness of time, when the flower blossoms. The manifestation of this magnificent and awesome flower attracts the attention of the whole world. Some of you may have a powerful and awesome ministry ahead of you. God is hiding you under His Wings. As you are pregnant with the plan and purpose of God during the Kairos season, God prepares you to be revealed to the world with His manifold beauty, grace and wisdom.
In the fullness of the season, the whole world may come to know you and partake of the anointing and fragrance upon your life. May you be the “Rafflesia” flower in God’s kingdom!