Treachery
Among Believers?!
By
Ron McGatlin
In prayer early Sunday morning I asked God what was
underlying a situation among some kingdom minded believers of which I had
recently become aware. I was surprised but not shaken when He spoke clearly one
word in my spirit. He said, “Treachery.” Humbly I asked God what he meant by
this one word. He patiently added, “Treachery is involved”.
The use of that word can stir up some very negative
connotations in our minds, and that is a road we do not want to travel
especially without clarity.
It was time to check the dictionary for a definition of
the word treachery:
Treachery: harmful things that are done usually secretly
to a friend, to your own country, etc. – an act of harming someone who trusts
you, disloyal, betrayal, deception, lack of respect, treason, etc.
A quick look at a concordance revealed many episodes of
treachery in the Old Testament that confirmed this definition regarding doing
harm to those of the same family, group, or tribe. Probably the greatest New
Testament example is Judas and other Jewish people who were a part of the
crucifixion of Christ Jesus.
Treachery can be found in the history of traditional
church systems.
Beneath their facade of pleasantries, Christian religious
systems can sometimes be involved with acts of treachery, sometimes by
individuals seeking to climb the hierarchal ladder of success in the system.
Probably much if not most of the time the person seeking to climb the proverbial
ladder does not intend to do harm but rather is simply seeking to do the best
job possible by bringing forth his or her own ideas of management of the
system. Certainly the enemy often gets involved and exploits the situation
causing strife and wounding among people within the system.
The kingdom of God is very different from passing
religious systems.
In a mature kingdom group, Christ Jesus is present within
the group by the Holy Spirit. He is the only system or authority of governance
involved in the group, and competition or treachery cannot exist. However, we
live in a time of transition. The headship of Christ truly leading His kingdom
people is manifesting on earth. While at the same time, the religious systems
are in the process of coming down.
Therefore, there can be a residue of the old system that
is not yet removed in the minds and hearts of the people within developing
kingdom families, groups, and tribes. This residue will always lead to
treachery of various forms and intensities within the group. And as always the
enemy is outside watching for a crack to enter in to exploit the tension and
create disorder and devastation in the kingdom group.
A short time after the Lord had given me the word about
treachery, I asked what to do about the situation and immediately received
another one word answer, “LOVE.” The pure holy love of God in His people and
flowing out to all around them is the order of the kingdom. Christ the Head of
the body abiding within His people produces the love, and the love produces the
order of every aspect of governance in the kingdom of God on earth. Literally
the love of God holds together the kingdom of God and every kingdom cell or
group. Where mature love exists there is no need for rules. All law and
prophecy is fulfilled through love. The kingdom of God functions by love. The
unlimited power of God flows only through love. Faith works by love. The pure
love of God is the one thing that the enemy cannot counterfeit.
Unity among individuals, families, groups, tribes, and
nations is only possible by the pure holy love of God flooding the hearts and
lives with the nature of God in Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit. God is Love.
Christ Jesus is the only Head of the kingdom church.
In religious systems men are set up as HEAD; whether they
are called Father, Priest, Senior Pastor, Vicar, Bishop, or some other title
they assume responsibility for the organization usually through a hierarchy of
offices under their office of headship. Their noble attempt is to vicariously
govern the group for and under God.
Religious systems at the core are a top down-flow of law
and order. That is to say order is maintained be either written, spoken, or
implied rules of behavior that is required to fit under and align with the
hierarchy of rule from the head man down through the ranks.
The kingdom rule of Christ by the Holy Spirit is quite
different. We are beginning to grasp the difference between “Headship” and
“leadership.” In the kingdom the presence of God in Christ is NOT far away in a
distant heavenly realm. There is no need for a man to stand in as head. There
is one Head of the true kingdom church but many leaders. What then is a leader?
The Role of the Leader
All believers have the potential for full one-on-one
connection with Christ within by the Holy Spirit. However, not all believers
are mature enough in the Spirit to experience the full one-on-one connection of
oneness with God through Christ by the Holy Spirit.
Therefore they are not yet able to fully hear or see and
follow the Head. They must by exercise grow into the discernment of the Spirit
of Christ in them by the Holy Spirit. The entire role of the leader is to get
the person to Christ by the Holy Spirit and help them to mature in discerning
Christ who is in them by the Spirit.
In the kingdom, leaders are not in a higher office and DO
NOT rule over individuals or groups. There is only one level for every believer,
and that is a born-again son of God. All believers are on the same journey toward
the same goal. We are all connected to and directed by the same Head. However,
we are not all at the same place on the journey. Some are a bit further up the
road. Leaders are simply more mature than a less mature brother or sister.
Another word for a mature person is an elder, and a term for less mature is
younger. Elder is not an office over others. It is a place of serving God by
serving the “youngers” by leading them into becoming mature or elders. Everyone
in the body of Christ is elder to someone, and everyone is younger to someone.
Even the most mature is younger to Christ Jesus, the only begotten first born
Son of God, our Lord, Savior and King, our Great Apostle, the Spirit of
Prophecy and our Great Shepherd, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Oversight is observing and guiding. Our journey is an
ever maturing spiritual relationship with God on an increasingly higher plain
of love, righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. The more mature are
able to see the next step for the less mature and help guide them on their
journey to maturity in Christ.
For the kingdom of
God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
Spirit.
Love
never fails.
Ron
McGatlin
http://archive.openheaven.com -
mailto:basileia@earthlink.net -
|