Ever Growing Kingdom – Never Changing Religion
By Ron McGatlin
Father desires to increase your life in His kingdom today, tomorrow, and forever.
He desires to live His ever-increasing kingdom life in you by His Spirit.
There is no end and no limit to the love and power of God.
The increase of the government of Christ (His kingdom rule) will not end.
Daily in the kingdom there is opportunity to “boldly go where no man has gone.” The frontier is ever increasing before us. While we slept last night, the kingdom increased. More of God, more of His ways, more of His life, more of His kingdom appears before us to be explored and experienced with Him. Fresh new creation is ever before us in which to experience the love and glory of God Almighty, the never ending King of endless life.
Life in God’s everlasting kingdom is never boring and never hopelessly locked into routines or rituals. No two days are exactly the same for those walking in the Spirit in God’s kingdom lifestyle. From day to day no two gatherings of God’s kingdom people are exactly the same. God’s presence brings fresh exciting life in many forms of endless life. The creative ability of God is never exhausted. His spiritual pantry is never bare. To His kingdom there is no end.
No matter how far you may have come in your kingdom walk in the Spirit, there is yet more fresh revelation of God and His kingdom. You may have an abundance of real kingdom understanding and a wealth of kingdom building experience yet there is more fresh revelation and experience just ahead. The kingdom of God and its New Jerusalem ruling patterns are living realities of abundant, everlasting life in the “live giving Spirit” of Christ.
Everlasting life is opposed by death.
The Tension of Two Kingdoms
There is a powerful force at work in the world seeking to stop your progress into the kingdom and prevent the advancement of the kingdom of God into the world.
The independent rule of fallen man fueled by the kingdom of darkness is committed with ultimate resolve to rule the world. The consuming greed and lust of Lucifer to be number one and rule all creation entered the hearts of mankind at the fall. Unredeemed human beings apart from God are driven to carry out the obsession to rule the world. Fear, cunning deceit, and deadly force are used to bring all mankind and all the wealth of the planet under the control of the enemy and his committed followers.
The false kingdom of darkness is diametrically opposed to the kingdom of God and its advancement in the world. The invention of secularism and secular government is a powerful and largely successful attempt to separate God and His kingdom from the governance of man and the world. The formation of a godless secular government places the government into the hands of fallen man and either resists or outlaws all participation of Christ Jesus in the rule of the world’s governance.
The True Church and False Religion
The true church (ekklesia) (the followers of Christ) is the mother of the seed of Christ and His kingdom into the world, and therefore is the instrument of destruction of the kingdom of darkness on earth. The enemy knows that Christ Jesus had defeated him at the cross. He is also aware that Christ Jesus is now present in God’s people to eradicate his defeated rule from the earth. Therefore his top priority of deceit is to stop the realization in the hearts of followers of Christ as to who they are and what power they have over him in this world by Christ Jesus. He can never stand in front of and oppose Christ Jesus and His followers. Cunning deceit is his only effective tool.
Since he could not stand and oppose the church, he and his workers joined into the ranks and eventually formed the Christian religion. His plan was and is to replace the ekklesia with a religious form of godliness without the power and life of Spirit God, a religious structure that he could infiltrate and control with fallen angels of darkness posing as angels of light.
With his cunning deceit he was also able to spawn many other false religions around the world using the implanted greed and lust of men to rule. The false religions bear resemblance to the true but also carry the character and nature of the devil who planted them. Their purpose is to fight against truth and terrorize the world into submitting to the rule of his government. False religions are designed to take over governments with strong satanic religious governance.
The powerful force of religion in all its many forms opposes the real kingdom of God. It replaces real spiritual life with empty form and rituals. It seeks to never change by clinging to and maintaining traditions. It tends to look back to the past for guidance instead of ahead to receive fresh revealed life and truth.
Underneath its empty form of godliness, religion is a man-made and sometimes demonically-inspired, man-centered conglomerate of belief systems arranged to block access to the kingdom of God by establishing a subversive form of worship of man and his many gods. It seeks to take control of the people through many laws and seemingly good principles with underlying hidden evil. Religion pretends obedience to God but at its core is man-centric. Therefore, it is anti-Christ, anti-God, and anti-kingdom often with a deceptive facade of a form of godliness. It is pro rituals, forms, systems, and laws glued together with fallacious doctrines and driven by motivations of control and world dominance by cunning manipulation and force.
In great contrast the glorious kingdom of God is coming forth in Christ through His followers on earth. It is urgent that we lay aside religion and move as God leads us into the next realm or portion of the kingdom before us. His love and power flowing through His Spirit will take us forward into fresh revelation and experience of the New Jerusalem kingdom lifestyle in the Spirit. The government is upon His shoulder, which is a part of His Body. Selah. Christ Jesus is the Head of the church and He empowers His Body by His Spirit.
Isa 9:6-7: For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Father, Let Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
Keep on pursuing love. It never fails and His kingdom never ends.
Ron McGatlin
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