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Posted: 02/21/2012 at 1:24pm
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Back to the Kingdom
By Ron McGatlin
A World Gone Astray
Like Martha the historical church in a broad sense has become busy about many things. Modern western society has carried this busyness involving many things to extreme levels that are probably unprecedented in history.
For the most part the religious and secular driven world has gone far off the track of God’s will and purpose for mankind and Planet Earth. A world in which most people have abandoned their relationship with and guidance from the supreme God that created them is an insane world that is headed toward a violent end.
God in His infinite love has provided a Savior for this world. Religious and secular ideas that are limited and incomplete, if not false, have emasculated the glorious potential of the Savior to save a runaway insane world gone off track. The world-changing words of the gospel of the kingdom have been greatly hindered by the deceitful works of unbelief and lack of truth and love.
The gospel of the kingdom that Jesus and the first century disciples preached was lost after only a couple of centuries. It was replaced with another gospel from the church systems of man-made “worship forms” rituals and orders. The “gospel” of church was proclaimed for centuries. Through the dark ages a hierarchy of man-ordained church rulers held the common people (laity) in bondage of false allegiance to a harlot system that affected their fate in this life and after. This eventually led to the powerless lukewarm church systems of the recent past.
It is my opinion that all through the many centuries of darkness, there were some who saw the kingdom of God. They may not have had a full revelation of the kingdom but were walking in the Spirit realm, hearing and seeing in the Spirit. They were hidden away and largely unseen at the time and mostly unseen in recorded history. They were always persecuted if seen and often martyred. I believe God had a remnant witness of a few spiritual people who heard and saw in the spiritual realm – people who walked in the true intimate reality of becoming one with Spirit God.
Restoration of the Gospel of the Kingdom
In recent centuries God has begun restoring the true gospel of the kingdom on a broader scale through those who have laid down their lives in this world to truly live in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit in this life. Layer by layer, part by part, the whole gospel is being restored through Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit.
Only about five centuries ago the gospel of salvation of man, purchased by the blood of Jesus and received by grace through faith, was restored as an early part of the gospel of the kingdom.
The revelation of the return of Christ Jesus as the Spirit of the Lord in the Holy Spirit at Pentecost began to be restored only slightly over one hundred years ago. For many “Christ in you the hope of glory” is yet being revealed.
Christ returned as He promised His disciples to indwell, empower, and guide the lives of His people in restoring the kingdoms of this earth to the kingdom of our God. The practical reality and the fullness of the kingdom of God on earth is yet being revealed and experienced as it expands in the hearts and lives of an increasing number of maturing sons of God.
A Major Change of Focus
We are leaving behind the many focuses of passing church systems and secular ungodliness rooted in pride and motivated by the lust of mankind. Man turned from the true Spirit reality of His creation and design to be ruled and empowered by his own intellect and spirits of darkness.
We are moving into the one focus of God and His kingdom on earth from heaven. The gospel (good news) of the kingdom is again being proclaimed to those who have ears to hear. The restored spiritual reality of living in the Spirit and walking in the Spirit of God is causing us to move toward becoming one with God for the purpose of bringing forth His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven – to fill the world with His love, righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Anything and everything in our lives that is not leading toward, relating to, or in some way supporting the coming of the kingdom of God in us and then into the world is of no real value and should NOT be a source of busyness in our lives.
"Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." ~ Jesus
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” ~ Jesus
“Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.” ~ Jesus
A NEW ADMINISTRATION AND A NEW ORDER
In our lifetime God has brought and is bringing a new administration and a new order to the true church (the ekklesia). A few decades ago the word began to come forth that church as we had known it was over – God was bringing forth a new administration and a new order. This is certainly not new to God in any way. It is new to us who have been taken off track by religious church systems and godless secularisim for centuries but are now returning to the kingdom of God way of life.
The new administration of the kingdom church is by the Holy Spirit.
Christ Jesus administers as the Spirit of the Lord – the Spirit of God – the Holy Spirit in His people.
The new order is the love of God.
The love of God fulfills all the law and prophets bringing divine order to God’s kingdom on earth in and through His called-out ones (ekklesia) (Mat 22:37-40).
Christ Jesus is the ONLY Head of His kingdom church. (Col 1:18)
The headquarters are simultaneously in heaven, at the throne, and in His temple - His people on earth.
The result of the reality of becoming one with God in Christ by the Spirit is that Christ rules in His people. There is no need for any man to stand to vicariously represent Christ Jesus ruling the kingdom church. Christ is fully available in every spiritually mature person through the Holy Spirit to rule and reign on earth now: first in our emptied vessels as one Spirit with our spirit and subsequently flowing His attributes of life as rivers of living water (Spirit life) into the world around us. Christ always remains the ruling authority. It is His authority in us.
Desire Spiritual Gifts (1 Cor 14:1)
Gifts are of Christ. Christ Jesus is the great Apostle, the Spirit of Prophesy, the great Evangelist, our great Shepherd, and Master Teacher. To desire Spirit gifts is to desire Christ who is the giver of the gift. To despise these gifts is to despise that which emanates from Christ. It is the essence and substance of God deposited in those who are becoming one with Him.
Yes, eventually as we collectively become truly one body – His Body, His life, His love; then these edifying gifts will simply evaporate into the oneness of all things in Christ Jesus, King, and Lord of all. In this kingdom establishment time, the gifts are desperately needed and of great significance and value.
Gifts are not of themselves offices of rule in the kingdom. Apostles, prophets, evangelist, shepherds, and teachers are not ruling officers of the kingdom. Christ is the only Head of His kingdom church. Overseers are people who are emptied of self and in whom the Spirit of the Lord abides. Overseers and leaders are mature ones who have traded their self-lives for the all-consuming fire of the life of God. A biblical word for mature is elder. Elder leaders and overseers may be gifted as apostles, prophets, evangelist, shepherds, teachers, or some other gifting or combinations of these.
Through every part of the kingdom church (ekklesia), Christ is the Head abiding in His people by the Holy Spirit according to the degree that place is given to Him by each individual. Elders (mature ones) are those who have given Christ full reign in their lives and are therefore overseers and leaders for those who are less mature and have not yet made full room for Christ to live in them by the Spirit.
The gifts of apostle, prophets, evangelist, shepherds, and teachers may have been given when the person was formed in the womb as a potential in their spiritual DNA. However, they will not be fully released or manifested until there is full redemption and the fullness of Christ dwelling in them by the Holy Spirit.
None of this is structured by “church system offices” or any other human organization or man-made structure. It is all by the Spirit of the Lord, Christ Jesus ruling and reigning on earth in and through His people.
Walking now in the Kingdom of God
The kingdom of God is a spiritual realm or walk. It is a lifestyle, sovereignly ruled by the basic foundational power of God through which God’s ruler/dominion is established on earth.
The kingdom walk or lifestyle is produced by the appearing or manifesting of Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit within God’s people.
The kingdom of God that Jesus taught about is the rule of God on earth now. It is available to us now. Its righteousness, peace, joy, abundance, and presence of God are available to us now in the Holy Spirit. The kingdom of God lifestyle is for us today to establish the kingdom on earth and many are missing it. That’s why Jesus preached, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven (the ruler/dominion of God, from heaven) is at hand.” Repent means to change our minds. A renewing of the mind is required to turn from our past ways to the awesome reality of the kingdom of God in us and through us.
(Matt 12:28, Matt 9:35, Matt.10:7-8, Luke 10:9-11, Mark 16:15)
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt 4:17)
Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15)
Keep on pursuing Love. Love never fails
and His kingdom never ends.
Ron McGatlin
archive.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net
Edited by Ron McGatlin on 02/25/2012 at 7:20am
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Topic: BACK TO THE KINGDOM
