OpenHeaven.com






Home   |   Contact Us   |   About Us



Home


>
Forums



Active Topics



Member List



Search



Register



Log In



Help



News



Free Download
Books & Videos




Articles



Links
Kingdom Revival
House Church
Market Place




Networking



Prayer



Library



Old Reports



Audio/Video
Live Webcasts




Contact Us



About Us




OpenHeaven.com
DIGEST ARCHIVE
by Article Titles
and Date


KINGDOM
GROWTH GUIDES


Ron's Newest Book
END OF THIS AGE
God's Intervention
on Planet Earth
Free Download


VOICE of
PROPHESY
FORUM


Kingdom
Prophetic
ARTICLES by
Ron McGatlin

RON'S KINGDOM
BOOKS
Free Download

PAT BOON'S
Fatherhood
Message and
Communion

Watch This
Powerful 2 min
Video

Baptized With
HOLY SPIRIT
AND FIRE

Holy Spirit
Filling/Baptism

Holy Spirit
Power
 

Deliverance
Ministry

VIDEO
Supernatural
Deliverance
Nick
Griemsmann

Hearing God

Deeper
Spiritual Life

RaisingThe
Dead


Billy Graham's
Message to
America - Video

How I Escaped
the
Mormon Temple



VOICE OF PROPHECY - Prophetic Words
OpenHeaven.com Forum : VOICE OF PROPHECY - Prophetic Words
Subject Topic: SPIRITUAL CHURCH (EKKLESIA) Post Reply Post New Topic
Author
Message
<< Prev Topic | Next Topic >>
Ron McGatlin
Admin Group
Admin Group


Joined: 08/23/2004
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4141
Posted: 07/16/2008 at 8:07am | IP Logged Quote Ron McGatlin

Spiritual Church (Ekklesia)

By Ron McGatlin

We are as explorers moving day by day further into a new land – a land we have never before seen, filled with things we have not yet known. Almost every day of our journey reveals awesome sights about which we may have heard but were unable to understand or even imagine until our eyes feast upon it, and all of our senses are quickened as we examine it with great excitement. Suddenly, what we have only read about and could not fully understand now makes perfect sense as we partake of and experience the reality of that which has previously been only a promise.

The future has come to us now. The glorious reality of God and His kingdom reality is presenting itself more as we reach each new horizon and partake of the previously unseen spiritual reality of God. Truly our eyes are lifted up unto the hills of God far above the darkness of the fallen world unto the heavenly order descending from above. Truly what God has prepared for those that love Him had never entered our natural minds until this blessed day in which the Holy Spirit is revealing it to a new generation of maturing sons of God.

We are more than being revived. We are being made alive in areas where we have never lived before. Our spiritual senses and spiritual lives have been so dulled by centuries of natural living and natural reasoning and understanding that, though we were alive, we were as dead being blind and deaf to supernatural spiritual reality.

The supernatural works of God were foreign and appeared impossible to us. We relegated all current supernatural to only demonic sorcery. The supernatural gifts of the Spirit that should have been part of our daily lives were not functioning. Our natural animal instinctive living led us to look unto our own ways devised by our prideful natural minds to provide for our natural appetites, while the world died spiritually and drifted into a realm of deep darkness far from the light and life of spiritual living in God.

We made church into a human endeavor of natural functions and developed religion in an attempt to reach God with our natural efforts. We took a devious shortcut to life and developed religious forms and ways to eliminate the costly real way of the cross of self denial and acceptance of spiritual reality. In bypassing our personal cross experience, we missed the resurrection life of Jesus that came to move us out of our natural ways and into the supernatural spiritual ways of resurrection life in God.

Praise God we have come to a new horizon, and the brightness of the light of God has appeared. Forerunner scouts have returned to the camp of explorers with glorious reports of real spiritual life of God just ahead, and we are moving out at first daylight to experience the real assembling of God with His people in spiritual gatherings with God.

The Ekklesia church is not a natural thing it is a spiritual reality. The Ekklesia is made up of spiritual beings called out of the natural world and into spiritual reality gathered unto God in the Spirit - a spiritual gathering of living stones – an assembly of Spirit God, Jesus, many angels, and spirits of just men made mature in Jesus. All of our questions about headship, structure, and organization of church are dissolved as the Ekklesia comes together in the Spirit in the heavenly New Jerusalem on earth as it is in heaven.

Heb 12:22-24:  But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. 

For many centuries the church has been, for the most part, a gathering of natural beings with only occasional visitations of the Spirit touching the spirit within mankind. For the most part, natural effort went into performing religious rituals and praying mostly faithless prayers to a perceived distant God. It became a lukewarm church primarily concerned with social order and well-being. Skilled orators preached from a level of a higher caste than the ordinary laity who sat quietly at weekly meetings. Some received a sense of guilt and need for repentance of their sins, while others day-dreamed or fought to stay awake.

Probably no one even thought or dreamed of a gathering of spiritual beings on earth together with an innumerable company of angels, God the judge of all, Jesus the firstborn, and spirits of just men made perfect. We are so accustomed to living in the natural earthly side of our natural/spiritual being that the concept of the spiritual heavenly Jerusalem gathering on earth is hard for us to even think.

I believe God is speaking to His people today to step out of our natural side into our spiritual being side and look over the next horizon into the gathering of spiritual beings with Christ Jesus, Father God, holy angels, and spirits of others redeemed by the blood and living in the better things of the spiritual realm. The Holy Spirit brings all this to pass. Our spirits come together with the Holy Spirit and the entire God family and multitudes of angels.

Can we see it? Can we allow the reality of the spiritual Ekklesia to enter into our minds? Can we prepare now to come together in our next gathering as spiritual beings and not as natural people?
No longer filled with conversation and considerations of natural things but filled with spiritual things – waiting upon the Spirit, instead of natural planning. This is moving into the next horizon of the reality of walking in the Spirit, abiding in Him and He in us. This is God dwelling with His people. The light of His glory will fill the room, and our hearts will knit together with God and one another.

2 Cor 6:16:  ….. For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people."

Rev 21:3:  And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying,
"Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

Rev 21:23:  The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it,
for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.

Supernatural will become natural in spiritual gatherings. There will be no need for pumping and hype, no need for natural human intervention and control. The Spirit of God will rule as the headship of Christ Jesus becomes fully evident. It is the family of God from heaven and earth coming together, worshiping the One who sits upon the throne in perfect harmony – multitudes of angels blending their voices with the spirits of justified men in heavenly melody rising to high crescendos and flowing as a mountain stream lightly through the valley and suddenly flowing with great strength and joy into a glorious waterfall to again come into deep pools of fresh sweet clear life in perfect peace - heaven and earth in perfect harmony praising God upon the throne.

Mat 18:20:  "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

John 4:23-24:  "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

Keep on pursuing love.
It never fails.

Ron McGatlin

archive.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net



Edited by Ron McGatlin on 06/02/2010 at 5:08pm
Back to Top
View Ron McGatlin's Profile Search for other posts by Ron McGatlin Visit Ron McGatlin's Homepage
Helen Overholt
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 02/15/2005
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1170
Posted: 07/16/2008 at 9:22am | IP Logged Quote Helen Overholt

Ron what a revelation of reality for those who are willing to accept this Truth and begin to now abide within it. There is so much Truth released here that there is no need to add to what has already been spoken, only to receive and to allow the HOLY ONE to write it upon the tablets of our hearts....

__________________
"HE Who Promised Is Faithful; For HE & HIS WORD Are One"







Back to Top
View Helen Overholt's Profile Search for other posts by Helen Overholt
Cindy Glinski
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 07/06/2007
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 393
Posted: 07/16/2008 at 9:30am | IP Logged Quote Cindy Glinski

Ron,

You said,

I believe God is speaking to His people today to step out of our natural side into our spiritual being side and look over the next horizon into the gathering of spiritual beings with Christ Jesus, Father God, holy angels and spirits of others redeemed by the blood and living in the better things of the spiritual realm. The Holy Spirit brings all this to pass. Our spirits come together with the Holy Spirit and the entire God family and multitudes of angels.
Can we see it? Can we allow the reality of the spiritual Ekklesia to enter into our minds? Can we prepare now to come together in our next gathering as spiritual beings and not as natural people? No longer filled with conversation and considerations of natural things but filled with spiritual things – waiting upon the Spirit, instead of natural planning. This is moving into the next horizon of the reality of walking in the Spirit, abiding in Him and He in us. This is God dwelling with His people. The light of His glory will fill the room and our hearts will knit together with God and one another.



Can we see it?

Can we allow the reality of the spiritual Ekklesia to enter into our minds?

Can we prepare now to come together in our next gathering as spiritual beings and not as natural people?

All very important questions we all better be asking ourselves.

Personally I can see it, and have heard the Father tell me I can have anything I can see through my eyes of faith.

You said,

We are as explorers moving day by day further into a new land – a land we have never before seen filled with things we have not yet known. Almost every day of our journey reveals awesome sights about which we may have heard but were unable to understand or even imagine until our eyes feast upon it and all of our senses are quickened as we examine it with great excitement. Suddenly, what we have only read about and could not fully understand now makes perfect sense as we partake of and experience the reality of that which has previously been only a promise.

I am thrilled to as Joshua and Caleb did see the land of promise. I know that every promise the Father has ever given me IS just on the other side of the horizen.

I have labored in vain for long enough to produce what God desired to give me as an inheritance all along.
I refuse to help him do his job. In my marriage, in my calling, in my family or even in my provision. He is able. I am calling those things that be not as though they are. He looked at darkness and declared light. I look at a dead marriage and speak life, abundant life.
I look at kids who have loved the world and say God's gonna get you with his love. I look at the fact that God told me that I am done physically working at the end of the month. And I will have no natural provision to depend on, and I say, I have obeyed my God, and I would rather loose every thing this world has to offer, including my family and business. He is enough. He really is my all, and He will be responsible for the cost of my obedience.

Thank you for your post Ron, and for a place where I can share my heart, hear at Open Heaven. I have been rejected in every institution I was ever in. But when they begin falling apart, they may desire to hear.

The God of restoration is at the door step. He is raising the low, bringing down the high places, and straitening out the crooked places. And NO ONE will stop Him. All hidden things will be revealed shortly.

But our greatest weapon is always love, for our friends, and our enemies. Love is the only tool Satan does not have in his tool belt, because you can't fake it anymore.

Blessings,

Cindy Glinski
Back to Top
View Cindy Glinski's Profile Search for other posts by Cindy Glinski
Ron McGatlin
Admin Group
Admin Group


Joined: 08/23/2004
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4141
Posted: 07/16/2008 at 3:30pm | IP Logged Quote Ron McGatlin

Cindy wrote:
Quote:
Can we see it?

Can we allow the reality of the spiritual Ekklesia to enter into our minds?

Can we prepare now to come together in our next gathering as spiritual beings and not as natural people?

All very important questions we all better be asking ourselves.

Personally I can see it, and have heard the Father tell me I can have anything I can see through my eyes of faith.
(bold mine)

Praise God Cindy! My prayer is that many will see clearly in the Spirit and move into spiritual church meetings.

Ron



Edited by Ron McGatlin on 07/16/2008 at 3:31pm
Back to Top
View Ron McGatlin's Profile Search for other posts by Ron McGatlin Visit Ron McGatlin's Homepage
Lyn McSweeney
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 03/15/2005
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5934
Posted: 07/16/2008 at 5:23pm | IP Logged Quote Lyn McSweeney

 believe God is speaking to His people today to step out of our natural side into our spiritual being side and look over the next horizon into the gathering of spiritual beings with Christ Jesus, Father God, holy angels, and spirits of others redeemed by the blood and living in the better things of the spiritual realm. The Holy Spirit brings all this to pass. Our spirits come together with the Holy Spirit and the entire God family and multitudes of angels.

YES YES YES




__________________
Love and Blessings!
Back to Top
View Lyn McSweeney's Profile Search for other posts by Lyn McSweeney Visit Lyn McSweeney's Homepage
Tina Strode
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 05/25/2008
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 108
Posted: 07/17/2008 at 12:38am | IP Logged Quote Tina Strode

Amen and Amen!  The Spiritual House is being built by the Father himself with us, His Stones.  And we worship in Spirit and in Truth. 

Glory to God in the Highest Heaven!  The Kingdom of God is within you.....Jesus said we would do greater things than him,  why would we even question that would be impossible?  With Him all things are possible.

Thank you Ron for your love and support to all of us "peculiar people" and your Spirit lead inspiration.  God bless you, dear brother.  This word speaks of what IS coming to pass.

Shalom, Tina

 



__________________
I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand.   Isaiah 42:6
Back to Top
View Tina Strode's Profile Search for other posts by Tina Strode
alicia myers
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 07/14/2008
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 981
Posted: 07/17/2008 at 12:52am | IP Logged Quote alicia myers

Yes, he is!!

AMEN!!!!




__________________
More of Christ, Less of Me..
Back to Top
View alicia myers's Profile Search for other posts by alicia myers
Lyn McSweeney
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 03/15/2005
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5934
Posted: 07/17/2008 at 2:53pm | IP Logged Quote Lyn McSweeney



__________________
Love and Blessings!
Back to Top
View Lyn McSweeney's Profile Search for other posts by Lyn McSweeney Visit Lyn McSweeney's Homepage
Lyn McSweeney
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 03/15/2005
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5934
Posted: 07/18/2008 at 5:32pm | IP Logged Quote Lyn McSweeney

 This is a must read!!!!!

__________________
Love and Blessings!
Back to Top
View Lyn McSweeney's Profile Search for other posts by Lyn McSweeney Visit Lyn McSweeney's Homepage
Ron McGatlin
Admin Group
Admin Group


Joined: 08/23/2004
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4141
Posted: 07/19/2008 at 6:50am | IP Logged Quote Ron McGatlin

Has anyone noticed there is a divide in Christendom taking place. It seems to be driven by something other than man's initiative. There seems to be a great gulf opening between those who are significantly involved in spiritual relational living with God and those who have a more human or intellectual view of Christianity. The current demonstrations of supernatural activity seems to have been the blow of the axe that started the crack that is opening into a sometimes harsh division. It appears that many who thought they were spiritual are really more intellectually and natural minded than spiritually minded. One big dividing distinction seems to involve whether the individual really is hearing God and walking in the guidance of the Spirit or not.

In recent decades the anti-God attitude of the secular world has increased in America. The anti-Christian despising from religious people has also greatly intensified worldwide. Now we seem to have forces joining together against the godly supernatural spiritual life of walking in the Spirit of God. The secularist and other religions such as Islam and Hinduism have always had a despising in common with much of the fundamental evangelical church against supernatural spiritual expressions of intimately walking with God in the Holy Spirit. Now it appears that a large portion of the so called charismatics have also joined in the despising of supernatural spiritual works and events such as miracles, prophetic visions, personal encounters with angels and much more.

As a person who lives in God's spiritual reality and accepts the supernatural works of God, I feel a bit like we are part of Gideon's army that was pared down to a tiny fraction of the original army. In case you are not familiar, Gideon's tiny army defeated the huge enemy armies with God given strategy. Then much of the big army returned and joined with them to finish the job of pursuing and destroying the enemy armies.

Maybe it's just me but that is how it looks from here.

Ron
Back to Top
View Ron McGatlin's Profile Search for other posts by Ron McGatlin Visit Ron McGatlin's Homepage
Mandy Gay
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 07/18/2008
Location: United Kingdom
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1227
Posted: 07/19/2008 at 7:12am | IP Logged Quote Mandy Gay

Something has struck me through recent events, and that is that there seems to be a common thread flowing through those who are making the biggest noises against what is happening.  Their personal testimonies reveal a disappointment with the Church.  And rightly so, they have been let down by people and wounded.  But their unforgiveness is giving the enemy as an entry point to use them to attack what God is doing.  Whilst perceiving deception in what's happening they in fact are the one's who have been deceived.

Are we meant to be praying for those who can't see, who's eyes are blind?  For their eyes to be opened?  For them to have the courage to ask God to search their hearts?  For their faith to not fail when they discover their true condition?  Do we have the responsibility to carry them to Jesus for him to forgive and heal so they can walk in the Spirit.

Back to Top
View Mandy Gay's Profile Search for other posts by Mandy Gay
Mandy Gay
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 07/18/2008
Location: United Kingdom
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1227
Posted: 07/19/2008 at 9:14am | IP Logged Quote Mandy Gay

Ron,

Could this be the falling away with betrayal and hating of each other that Jesus foretold in Matthew 24:10.  The love of most growing cold?

I've always taken it that they wouldn't come back, but if this is what you're talking about Ron then there is hope for them.  Assuming for a minute that this is the case, do we just carry on knowing that they will come back at some stage, or do we have a role to play in this?  Is it our responsibility to help them back?  If so, how?

Is the story of the four friends helping the paralysed man to Jesus for forgiveness and healing prophetic?  Is his paralysis symbolic of his inability to walk in the Spirit due to his unhealed wounds?

What also comes to mind is the letter to the Church in Ephesus in Revelation 2.  They need to come back to their first love in order to be healed and brought back into the life of the Body.  Again, if this is the case, what is our role/responsibility in this?  Can we hasten their return through our actions?

As on Laurence Lilleys current thread, I again bring up our responsibilty to take up our authority over every power of the enemy through aggressive love.  By forgiving our enemies, those who've sought to kill us, and pray for them.  For they know not what they do.  Pray for their eye's to be opened to their true condition as Jesus points out in Rev. 2:4 "You've foresaken your first love."  And, like Jesus did with Peter, pray that their faith wont fail when their eyes are opened.

I need to study the Gideon story in order to see if there are any clues in there.

Back to Top
View Mandy Gay's Profile Search for other posts by Mandy Gay
Ron McGatlin
Admin Group
Admin Group


Joined: 08/23/2004
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4141
Posted: 07/19/2008 at 11:09am | IP Logged Quote Ron McGatlin

Hello Mandy, Thanks for your responses. I think that in light of the original post which speaks of a truly spiritual ekklesia church as opposed to the religious church systems that move mostly from each groups interpretation of Bible teachings, it seems to me that this current divide primarily has to do with supernatural verses religious traditions. I do not think this split involves people offended by religious church at all. Rather is more likely people who thought they were not religious but are discovering they have difficulty with the next layer of revelation and movement of God involving real spiritual supernatural reality.

This is not the people leaving the old church system but "charismatics" dividing against other "charismatics" based on their unacceptance of people moving in the supernatural. Really it is more like the "kingdom" people moving on past the charismatic thing. This is only come to light in the past few months. Personally, I think this is a refining process and a separation for purification. Probably this is a work that God is allowing and will be used to produce a pure remnant of holy sons and daughters who have no regard for religion or their self-life but will be consumed in the love of God in His presence. They will obey Him at all cost and will not follow another.

Also, in my opinion, there is opportunity for people to turn and move fully into the spiritual church. Some people are trying to bridge this divide and bring people back together but I am not sure that will happen until there is a unified movement toward the spiritual supernatural kingdom realm. I do not believe that those who are truly walking in the Spirit will ever turn back toward religion and join with the people who are against the movement into the supernatural kingdom realm.

Ron


Edited by Ron McGatlin on 07/19/2008 at 11:12am
Back to Top
View Ron McGatlin's Profile Search for other posts by Ron McGatlin Visit Ron McGatlin's Homepage
Mandy Gay
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 07/18/2008
Location: United Kingdom
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1227
Posted: 07/19/2008 at 11:43am | IP Logged Quote Mandy Gay

Ron,

Yes, I agree.  And I think the battle that the pared down army has to win is over ourselves.  It's a battle to remain in Jesus and follow Him at any cost.  I agree that we will never return, but I'm suspecting that it's our victory over ourselves, which will result in the full measure of the measure of Christ in us, making us true servants to our brethren, which enables the rest to join us.

Back to Top
View Mandy Gay's Profile Search for other posts by Mandy Gay
Ron McGatlin
Admin Group
Admin Group


Joined: 08/23/2004
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4141
Posted: 07/19/2008 at 6:59pm | IP Logged Quote Ron McGatlin

Amen, Mandy.
Back to Top
View Ron McGatlin's Profile Search for other posts by Ron McGatlin Visit Ron McGatlin's Homepage
Lyn McSweeney
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 03/15/2005
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5934
Posted: 07/20/2008 at 4:58pm | IP Logged Quote Lyn McSweeney



__________________
Love and Blessings!
Back to Top
View Lyn McSweeney's Profile Search for other posts by Lyn McSweeney Visit Lyn McSweeney's Homepage
Ron McGatlin
Admin Group
Admin Group


Joined: 08/23/2004
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4141
Posted: 07/20/2008 at 5:37pm | IP Logged Quote Ron McGatlin

The Ekklesia church is not a natural thing it is a spiritual reality. The Ekklesia is made up of spiritual beings called out of the natural world and into spiritual reality gathered unto God in the Spirit - a spiritual gathering of living stones – an assembly of Spirit God, Jesus, many angels, and spirits of just men made mature in Jesus. All of our questions about headship, structure, and organization of church are dissolved as the Ekklesia comes together in the Spirit in the heavenly New Jerusalem on earth as it is in heaven.

Heb 12:22-24:  But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. 

Ron

Back to Top
View Ron McGatlin's Profile Search for other posts by Ron McGatlin Visit Ron McGatlin's Homepage
Ron McGatlin
Admin Group
Admin Group


Joined: 08/23/2004
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4141
Posted: 07/21/2008 at 1:37pm | IP Logged Quote Ron McGatlin

Tina Strode wrote:
Quote:

Amen and Amen!  The Spiritual House is being built by the Father himself with us, His Stones.  And we worship in Spirit and in Truth. 

Glory to God in the Highest Heaven!  The Kingdom of God is within you.....Jesus said we would do greater things than him,  why would we even question that would be impossible?  With Him all things are possible.

Thank you Ron for your love and support to all of us "peculiar people" and your Spirit lead inspiration.  God bless you, dear brother.  This word speaks of what IS coming to pass.

(bold mine)

Rev 21:19  The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of
precious stones:
 - "peculiar people"

Thanks Tina,

Ron

 



Edited by Ron McGatlin on 07/21/2008 at 1:38pm
Back to Top
View Ron McGatlin's Profile Search for other posts by Ron McGatlin Visit Ron McGatlin's Homepage
mariateresatee
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 02/06/2007
Location: Philippines
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 285
Posted: 07/21/2008 at 8:59pm | IP Logged Quote mariateresatee

"... I do not think this split involves people offended by religious church at all. Rather is more likely people who thought they were not religious but are discovering they have difficulty with the next layer of revelation and movement of God involving real spiritual supernatural reality.

"This is not the people leaving the old church system but "charismatics" dividing against other "charismatics" based on their unacceptance of people moving in the supernatural. Really it is more like the "kingdom" people moving on past the charismatic thing...."


__________________
In Father's love,
Tere
Back to Top
View mariateresatee's Profile Search for other posts by mariateresatee Visit mariateresatee's Homepage
Ron McGatlin
Admin Group
Admin Group


Joined: 08/23/2004
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4141
Posted: 07/22/2008 at 9:02am | IP Logged Quote Ron McGatlin

Hello Jeff, There may be some miscommunication going on here. Your response it to a post by mariateresatee
 who is quoting a portion of a previous reply by me to Mandy Gay discussing the split among charismatic type people over the reality of supernatural. Also my lead article is about Ekklesia which is the Greek word translated church in the new testament and not ecclesiastic which is an English word of a different meaning. Or perhaps I am confused as well . Anyway this is not all fitting together well unless one carefully follows through the whole thread.

Ron


Edited by Ron McGatlin on 07/22/2008 at 9:09am
Back to Top
View Ron McGatlin's Profile Search for other posts by Ron McGatlin Visit Ron McGatlin's Homepage
Ron McGatlin
Admin Group
Admin Group


Joined: 08/23/2004
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4141
Posted: 07/22/2008 at 6:13pm | IP Logged Quote Ron McGatlin

Jeff, I don't know what you wrote. I cannot understand what you are saying or asking. Try again or send me an email. I tried to read some of your post and it just makes my head spin. It does not make sense. What are you saying? What do you want answer about???????

Ron

Back to Top
View Ron McGatlin's Profile Search for other posts by Ron McGatlin Visit Ron McGatlin's Homepage
Mandy Gay
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 07/18/2008
Location: United Kingdom
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1227
Posted: 07/23/2008 at 1:43am | IP Logged Quote Mandy Gay

Ron,

 

Further to your observance of a split happening amongst charismatics as many are unable to deal with the further revelation of the Kingdom that’s happening, I believe God has given me deeper insight.

 

As I was pondering the Kingdom being at hand, in its fullness, right here, right now, the story of the man being healed at the pool at Bethesda came to mind. (John 5:1-9) 

 

In my Bible its got a note at verse 3 saying “and they waited for the moving of the waters. 4 From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease he had.”

 

The insight I got was that they were waiting for the Holy Spirit to move.  This had been the way it had worked for a long time.  When the Spirit moved they were all trying to get to where He was moving in order to get their healing.

 

Then Jesus broke in on the scene.  He brought a new way of doing things.  His message was “Repent, the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

 

Repent = turn around, turn your back on your current way of thinking/doing, look this way

The Kingdom of heaven is at hand = you can touch it, in its fullness, right here, right now

 

The question has been asked, why did Jesus only heal the one man there.  The insight I’m getting is that the others didn’t listen to Him.  They wanted to continue doing it the old way.

 

From what I observe, this is the case with many charismatics.  They’ve become beguiled by the water. 

 

In the article “Warriors being tested by Deb” posted by Julie Gilbert, it is noted how the last stage of paring down of the army was to do with how they drank the water.  Those that “bowed down” were not chosen.  Now, I had observed this a couple of years ago as I watched my church dive into “the river” for the first time.  It was like they were worshipping the river.  Worshipping the manifestations of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus was hardly ever mentioned.  The one’s who were chosen drank from the water but only in order to fuel them for the battle.

 

Returning to the Bethesda story, the key point that jumps out at me is that when Jesus broke in on the scene healing took place immediately.  The man didn’t have to wait for Jesus to do anything and he didn’t have to go anywhere else to get it.  I think Jesus did this purposefully to demonstrate the stark contrast between the old way and the way the Kingdom operates.  Jesus’ arrival announced, the Kingdom is at hand, get up and walk.  The man’s healing demonstrated the reality of what He was saying.

 

The charismatics who aren’t getting it are the ones who are looking in the wrong place.   They are still waiting for God to move, or running to hot-spots where movement is happening.  The message of the Kingdom is different.  It is here, you don’t have to wait and you don’t have to run after it anywhere else.  Many haven’t seen Jesus break in on the scene yet and so they need to be told.  Others are simply refusing to repent, they want to continue worshipping the water.

 

We can be sure of this, if we do our job of proclaiming the message that the “Kingdom is at hand”, the Holy Spirit will do His job in confirming it.

Back to Top
View Mandy Gay's Profile Search for other posts by Mandy Gay
Mandy Gay
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 07/18/2008
Location: United Kingdom
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1227
Posted: 07/24/2008 at 2:31am | IP Logged Quote Mandy Gay

Jeff,

Thanks for opening the Bethesda story up more.  I'm taking time to study all you've said.

Mandy 

Back to Top
View Mandy Gay's Profile Search for other posts by Mandy Gay
Mandy Gay
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 07/18/2008
Location: United Kingdom
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1227
Posted: 07/24/2008 at 11:07am | IP Logged Quote Mandy Gay

To sum up my understanding so far (cos its deepening hour by hour), its those who truly know God, who've got the full revelation of His grace (as personified in Jesus), who will be the 'governors' (foundation stones) of the Ekklesia.  Right?

 

Back to Top
View Mandy Gay's Profile Search for other posts by Mandy Gay
Mandy Gay
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 07/18/2008
Location: United Kingdom
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1227
Posted: 07/26/2008 at 3:30am | IP Logged Quote Mandy Gay

Ron you said,

"Praise God we have come to a new horizon, and the brightness of the light of God has appeared. Forerunner scouts have returned to the camp of explorers with glorious reports of real spiritual life of God just ahead, and we are moving out at first daylight to experience the real assembling of God with His people in spiritual gatherings with God."

Praise God, I'm seeing it here.  I'm listening to what the forerunner scouts are reporting.  The paring down you're talking about is to do with this isn't it?  The split is between those who are willing to listen to what's being reported and test it, and those who are not willing to listen, doubting its true because it doesn't fit in the present "mindset".  Right?

Back to Top
View Mandy Gay's Profile Search for other posts by Mandy Gay
Ron McGatlin
Admin Group
Admin Group


Joined: 08/23/2004
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4141
Posted: 10/13/2008 at 10:51am | IP Logged Quote Ron McGatlin

Perhaps it is time to come back to the original post.

Spiritual Church (Ekklesia)

By Ron McGatlin

We are as explorers moving day by day further into a new land – a land we have never before seen, filled with things we have not yet known. Almost every day of our journey reveals awesome sights about which we may have heard but were unable to understand or even imagine until our eyes feast upon it, and all of our senses are quickened as we examine it with great excitement. Suddenly, what we have only read about and could not fully understand now makes perfect sense as we partake of and experience the reality of that which has previously been only a promise.

The future has come to us now. The glorious reality of God and His kingdom reality is presenting itself more as we reach each new horizon and partake of the previously unseen spiritual reality of God. Truly our eyes are lifted up unto the hills of God far above the darkness of the fallen world unto the heavenly order descending from above. Truly what God has prepared for those that love Him had never entered our natural minds until this blessed day in which the Holy Spirit is revealing it to a new generation of maturing sons of God.

We are more than being revived. We are being made alive in areas where we have never lived before. Our spiritual senses and spiritual lives have been so dulled by centuries of natural living and natural reasoning and understanding that, though we were alive, we were as dead being blind and deaf to supernatural spiritual reality.

The supernatural works of God were foreign and appeared impossible to us. We relegated all current supernatural to only demonic sorcery. The supernatural gifts of the Spirit that should have been part of our daily lives were not functioning. Our natural animal instinctive living led us to look unto our own ways devised by our prideful natural minds to provide for our natural appetites, while the world died spiritually and drifted into a realm of deep darkness far from the light and life of spiritual living in God.

We made church into a human endeavor of natural functions and developed religion in an attempt to reach God with our natural efforts. We took a devious shortcut to life and developed religious forms and ways to eliminate the costly real way of the cross of self denial and acceptance of spiritual reality. In bypassing our personal cross experience, we missed the resurrection life of Jesus that came to move us out of our natural ways and into the supernatural spiritual ways of resurrection life in God.

Praise God we have come to a new horizon, and the brightness of the light of God has appeared. Forerunner scouts have returned to the camp of explorers with glorious reports of real spiritual life of God just ahead, and we are moving out at first daylight to experience the real assembling of God with His people in spiritual gatherings with God.

The Ekklesia church is not a natural thing it is a spiritual reality. The Ekklesia is made up of spiritual beings called out of the natural world and into spiritual reality gathered unto God in the Spirit - a spiritual gathering of living stones – an assembly of Spirit God, Jesus, many angels, and spirits of just men made mature in Jesus. All of our questions about headship, structure, and organization of church are dissolved as the Ekklesia comes together in the Spirit in the heavenly New Jerusalem on earth as it is in heaven.

Heb 12:22-24:  But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. 

For many centuries the church has been, for the most part, a gathering of natural beings with only occasional visitations of the Spirit touching the spirit within mankind. For the most part, natural effort went into performing religious rituals and praying mostly faithless prayers to a perceived distant God. It became a lukewarm church primarily concerned with social order and well-being. Skilled orators preached from a level of a higher caste than the ordinary laity who sat quietly at weekly meetings. Some received a sense of guilt and need for repentance of their sins, while others day-dreamed or fought to stay awake.

Probably no one even thought or dreamed of a gathering of spiritual beings on earth together with an innumerable company of angels, God the judge of all, Jesus the firstborn, and spirits of just men made perfect. We are so accustomed to living in the natural earthly side of our natural/spiritual being that the concept of the spiritual heavenly Jerusalem gathering on earth is hard for us to even think.

I believe God is speaking to His people today to step out of our natural side into our spiritual being side and look over the next horizon into the gathering of spiritual beings with Christ Jesus, Father God, holy angels, and spirits of others redeemed by the blood and living in the better things of the spiritual realm. The Holy Spirit brings all this to pass. Our spirits come together with the Holy Spirit and the entire God family and multitudes of angels.

Can we see it? Can we allow the reality of the spiritual Ekklesia to enter into our minds? Can we prepare now to come together in our next gathering as spiritual beings and not as natural people?
No longer filled with conversation and considerations of natural things but filled with spiritual things – waiting upon the Spirit, instead of natural planning. This is moving into the next horizon of the reality of walking in the Spirit, abiding in Him and He in us. This is God dwelling with His people. The light of His glory will fill the room, and our hearts will knit together with God and one another.

2 Cor 6:16:  ….. For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people."

Rev 21:3:  And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying,
"Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

Rev 21:23:  The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it,
for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.

Supernatural will become natural in spiritual gatherings. There will be no need for pumping and hype, no need for natural human intervention and control. The Spirit of God will rule as the headship of Christ Jesus becomes fully evident. It is the family of God from heaven and earth coming together, worshiping the One who sits upon the throne in perfect harmony – multitudes of angels blending their voices with the spirits of justified men in heavenly melody rising to high crescendos and flowing as a mountain stream lightly through the valley and suddenly flowing with great strength and joy into a glorious waterfall to again come into deep pools of fresh sweet clear life in perfect peace - heaven and earth in perfect harmony praising God upon the throne.

Mat 18:20:  "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

John 4:23-24:  "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

Keep on pursuing love.
It never fails.

Ron McGatlin

archive.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

Back to Top
View Ron McGatlin's Profile Search for other posts by Ron McGatlin Visit Ron McGatlin's Homepage

If you wish to post a reply to this topic you must first login
If you are not already registered you must first register

  Post Reply Post New Topic
Printable version Printable version

Forum Jump
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot create polls in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum