Posted: 10/03/2013 at 6:55pm | IP Logged

JESUS’ CHURCH - THE AGENCY FOR CHANGE

By David Drew



What It Is and What It’s Not

As a premise to what is being expressed in the rest of this article it’s important we make a few things clear.

The fact of the matter we are sharing here is this.

Change is on the way - dramatic change.

Jesus’ Church is the last day’s Church and it is destined to usher in God’s final Kingdom purposes in the earth.
(Read Revelation 12)

What we are NOT discussing here are the tens of thousands of denominations and independent
organizations called churches in the world today, with their individual names and branding.

Nothing has changed since Jesus’ shed His blood on the Cross. It’s still a “new and living way” that renders old and outdated ways obsolete and powerless to bring God’s eternal purposes to pass. Our great High Priest is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is the only Way to
glorious change. Hebrews 10:19-21

This is not to say that the old in our era, has not served a significant purpose. What we are saying though is that the old is finished with. It is no longer relevant and it will not be used by God to bring His final Kingdom purposes to pass.

This will be a hard message for many, particularly those who have faithfully served in the existing systems for a long time. However, those of you reading this that come into this category are not disqualified from being a part of this “new thing” God is doing. Isaiah 43: 19

As you will see below in this article, the qualifications for being part of Jesus’ Glorious Church are not impossible or out of reach, provided you are willing the lay down your life, deny yourself, and follow Jesus without equivocation.

By the way, this is not a call to be a part of some new exciting “Christian” fad. It’s a call for God’s sons and daughters, and the Satan “overcomers,” to come and join with Jesus and brothers and sisters, and fulfill their God ordained purpose of completing the work started by Jesus.

He is calling His sons and overcomers now.

1. WHAT JESUS’ CHURCH IS

Jesus’ Church is a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle, holy and without blemish. It’s a perfect fit, for a perfect King.

“That He might present to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:27

“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” Hebrews 2:10

Jesus’ Church has been hidden in God’s heart since before time. Jesus’ Church is so powerful that the gates of hell are unable to withstand it.

“And to make all people see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the Church to the principalities
and powers in heavenly places.” Ephesians 3:9-10
(Emphasis mine)

“… and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades are shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18

Jesus’ Church is His Body. It’s His flesh and bones. He and His Church are one Body.

“For we are members of His body, of His flesh and bones. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church. Ephesians 5:30-32

“And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:22-23

“So that they all may be one just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You sent me.” John 17:21

Jesus’ Church has His name on it because it is His Church. His name is the name above every name. He is the Almighty! There can be no other name on His Church.

“’I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,’” says the Lord, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty,’” Revelation 1:8

“I will build My Church…” Matthew 16:18

“Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11

Jesus’ Church is destined to become a beautiful Bride for Jesus and she will have
made herself ready.

“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”

Jesus’ Church is the “woman clothed with the sun” (Son) who gives birth to a “man child” and “overcomers.” These offspring of Jesus and His Bride, finally overcome Satan, causing him to be cast out of heaven, and a whole new dimension of God’s Kingdom and Christ’s power is activated in the earth.

“Now a great sign appeared in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.

And she bore a male child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And the child was caught up to God and to His throne.

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.’

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” Revelation 12:1, 5, 9-11

Jesus’ Church will become a glorious, holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven, having the glory of God.

“Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. And her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.” Revelation 21:9-11

Jesus’ Church is precious because it’s a purchased possession bought with a great
price. It belongs to God and it’s where He lives.

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Jesus' Church is made up of all those who have surrendered everything to Him,
making Him the Lord and Master of their life.

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.’” Matthew 16:24-25

Jesus' Church consists of those who are in Christ and He is in them. Christ shines out of them. They bear Christ. They have been truly “born again.”

“Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say unto you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.’” John 3: 5-6

Jesus' Church is entered, and built by, a "new and living way," compared to man's
efforts to build His Church which is often attempted using natural human wisdom.

“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh.” Hebrews 10:20

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.'" 1 Corinthians 18-19

Jesus’ Church will rule and reign with Christ for 1000 years (on the earth), and then forever.

“You have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:10

“Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” Revelation 20:6

“And there shall be no night there; they need no lamp or light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign for ever and ever.” Revelation 22:5

Practical Issues Of Jesus’ Church On Earth:

Jesus’ Church is located throughout the earth. It meets when members of the Body of Christ meet. Some meet in homes, some meet in parks, some meet in auditoriums and on occasions, the whole Church in an area, meet in a large gathering.

There is no state, national or international headquarters for Jesus’ Church on earth. Our headquarters are in heaven.

Jesus’ Church takes up special offerings from time to time to meet the financial
needs of saints at home or abroad, just as they did in the early Church.

Jesus’ Church members meet the needs of the saints in the midst, by providing what is needed such as a car, or fridge, or washing machine, or accommodation.

Jesus’ Church appoints Elders who are prepared and set apart by Apostles (Ephesians 4; Acts 14:23; 1 Timothy 5:17; Titus 1:5). Elders are placed in every locality or city to oversee and shepherd the flock.

Apostles are appointed and called by God and have a national and international
fathering ministry. They are not the supreme leaders. Jesus is the Supreme
Leader. They follow Christ wherever He goes.

Jesus’ Church meetings can be 2 or 3 gathered, or 2,000, 3,000 or more. When
they gather in Jesus’ name, He promises to show up. He is the center of every gathering.
We let Him lead and speak. The Holy Spirit moves amongst us to nurture and build up. People are healed because we all know that the Lord is present in every gathering, whether it be large or small. We expect Him to minister whenever we gather.

When referring to a gathering we should say, “The Body of Christ is meeting at Bill
and Shirley Jones place at 7.30 Wednesday night.” Larger gatherings can be organized the same way by saying, “The Body of Christ will be meeting at a certain football stadium at 2.30pm Sunday afternoon.”

When we gather in large or small groups we come expecting to hear from Jesus. He is our Head. We hear from Jesus every time a member of the Body exercises their God given gift. In Jesus’ Church we see that every believer is a “priest.” It’s not just an elite, hierarchical few who lead and minister.

All the gifts come from God. People are not raised up because of natural training or abilities. We honor Christ in each other and give freedom for each one to operate in their gifting. As we honor Christ in each other, so Christ is magnified, not men.

“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all; for to one is given the word of wisdom by the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another the gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (Emphasis mine)

The “5-fold ministry” operates in their respective gifts given by the Holy Spirit for
the edification of the Body. The effect being that the Body comes into the perfection of Christ when these five gifts are free to operate. This is the ONLY way the Body can be perfected and matured. And it will ONLY take place when we gather in our respective localities as Jesus Church with each member free to operate their God-ordained gifts.

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13
(Emphasis mine)

This is what the Lord said to me concerning the above. “We will be found at every meeting whether they are one on one, or thousands. Expect Us to be there as much as you expect the others to turn up. We will be there.”

Ideally, the 5 -fold ministry should be in place in every locality. If they are not we
pray them in as it’s the way to perfection (maturity), the fullness of Christ.

Jesus’ Church is the people in the “Way,” the same as the people in the early Church were. It is God’s Way and our Way together. We are one Body together in the Way,
operating under the influence and the direction of the Holy Spirit.

2. WHAT JESUS’ CHURCH IS NOT

Note: What I’m sharing here are impressions given to me by the Lord. They are by no means complete or orderly. They are a draft of what we are seeing right now. He will lead us all further as we look to Him. And there may be others who can present it in a more orderly fashion. I hope
so. If you don’t immediately agree with what is presented here that’s O.K. Try not to get angry or offended. Pray, and ask the Lord what He thinks.

Here we go:

Jesus’ Church is not another denomination or independent church system like the
34,000-38,000* that are estimated to be in the world today.

Jesus’ Church is not “man centered” apart from THE man, the man Christ Jesus. He is the centre of it all. Jesus’ Church is not going to be built using man's natural abilities. Man’s training, education, qualifications, status, experience, eloquence, or leadership skills. They are of no value in the Kingdom of God, if not surrendered at the Cross. More often than not, if not fully surrendered, they ultimately have a detrimental, tearing down, and separating effect, as history has shown.

“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of this world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things that are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

Jesus’ Church or Jesus’ Glorious Church is not another denominational name or
independent church/ministry name. Jesus Church is made up of Jesus and “born again,” fully surrendered, sons and daughters. If He is not Lord of all in individual lives then He is not Lord at all. People disqualify themselves from being a part of the Body of Christ, if they are not fully committed and born again.

Jesus’ Church is not a registered trading name, incorporated body, or non-profit
organization, and it must never be so. It is not an organization but rather a living
organism.

Any person or organization who has registered the name “Jesus’ Church,” or
“Jesus’ Glorious Church,” should de-register it immediately. HE IS NOT A BRAND NAME. He is God, the creator of everything!

Jesus’ Church needs no bank accounts to be opened in His name.

Jesus’ Church requires no registered legal Constitution. Our Constitution is the Bible, and our direction comes from the Holy Spirit, just as it did in the early Church. To be a part of Jesus’ Church, all ties with “Christian” incorporated bodies should be severed. They are a part of the “Babylonian” system that the coming anti-Christ will associate himself with, and is currently controlling.

“And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive her plagues. For her sins have reached heaven, and God remembered her iniquities… for strong is the Lord God who judges her.” Revelation 18:4-5; 8b

Quote:

“Bureaucratization is nothing new for the Church. The hierarchy of the medieval Church was a rationally organized administrative system modeled on the Roman Empire. The most obvious recent example of our success in spreading bureaucratic structures is the denomination. Watch their day-to-day operation, the hierarchical chains of authority, their external dealings, and what do you see - the “Body of Christ,” or a pale ecclesiastical version of a multi-national corporation?” The Gravedigger File, Os Guinness, p 153

Jesus’ Church is not an employer of wage or salary earners. It does not employ people such as the current denominational and independent ministries do. There are no ministers or administrators being paid a salary.

Jesus’ Church does not own any real estate or have a bank account. It’s Jesus Church, and it’s a Body of people… His Body. His people are collectively not a legal
government entity.

This is all for now. I know it may sound radical, frightening, and challenging. It is however biblical, and it’s what God wants and intends to have. So, the sooner those who are moved by the Holy Spirit respond, the better. It is better to start small, leaning on Jesus and the Holy Spirit
than to not start at all whilst perpetuating “old wineskins.”  The new wine is ready to be poured out but we must now act, forming Jesus’ gatherings in our respective localities.

There are many questions raging, but let’s each listen carefully to what the Lord is saying about what has been raised here. At least have a willing heart to respond to what He says. Gather with others of like mind and discuss and pray about what has been presented here. Be prepared to move as the Holy Spirit moves.

I believe Jesus is ready to start building His Church. Are you ready and willing to be a part of it?

It’s the time of the end of the Church Age and the beginning of the Kingdom Age. We are in a dispensational changeover period. Let’s get ready to move, and “cross over.”

Joshua’s call is ours today. “Who is on the Lord’s side?”

I am the Lord’s,

David Drew

Email: David@JesusChurch.info
Website: www.JesusChurch.info

P.S. Read Isaiah 44. The Lord just gave it to me before finalizing this article.

*An Internet search will show research groups who estimate that there
are between 34,000 and 38,000 Christian denominations, groups and
cults in the world.