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Christ Jesus, the Trouble Maker
By Ron McGatlin
The current world order is now troubled and is moving into a desperate season of significantly increased trouble. In the first century the whole known world was troubled as Jesus and His apostles brought the fresh message to the world of that day. It was said by some that these men had turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). When much of the secular and especially the religious world saw the people’s devotion to Christ Jesus, fear arose within them because their positions of rule and control were threatened, and they were greatly troubled.
What is so troubling to religious people about Christ Jesus?
And why is it escalating so rapidly in this season of time?
A number of things might be involved in the answers to these questions. However, the one thing that is by far the most troubling to every religion is Jesus’ message. Even the religions that acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God may be offended when they truly come into contact with the core message of Christ Jesus.
Christ Jesus the Son of God left heaven and came to earth with a world changing message for this world.
The message that Christ Jesus, the Son of God, brought from heaven to the people of this world was, “TURN (repent) for the KINGDOM of HEAVEN (the sovereign rule and dominion of God from heaven) is at hand.
Math 3:1-2: In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
Math 4:17: From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Mark 1:14-15: Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came into 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 the gospel.
With those words from God, every structure of authority, every ruler, dominion, every governmental order or kingdom on earth that was not established by God from heaven, was challenged.
The existing ruling authorities soon began to respond violently to the message of the Kingdom of Heaven having come to this world. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ Jesus, was imprisoned and eventually beheaded, and Jesus, the Son of God, was eventually crucified as a trouble maker at the request of the religious authority of that day.
Every earthly governmental order that is not of God is at its deepest root, of another spirit. There are only two sources of spirit that can be at the base of every form of rule and governance in this world. There are two basic kingdoms; one or the other is foundational in every form of governance of the world. There is the kingdom of light/kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness/the principality of the devil.
The Kingdom of Light in Captivity
The rule of the kingdom of God was handed over to the enemy in the Garden of Eden by Adam and Eve. The powers of darkness had much liberty to do their thing without hindrance from the kingdom of light.
Much, if not most, of the governance and rule of this world was rooted in the kingdom of darkness at the time when Christ Jesus came announcing the return of the kingdom of God on earth. This was very troubling to every authority of governance in the world. Therefore, Jesus was seen as a great trouble maker by all the ruling systems that were in place at that time.
The message of Christ Jesus is again troubling the world rulers
Christ Jesus, by the Holy Spirit in His body of maturing sons on earth, is again proclaiming that the kingdom of God is at hand to rule and reign in His people. The gospel of the kingdom is again being proclaimed across the world.
Up to a few decades ago there was very little to no real revelation of the kingdom of God on earth. It is God’s choice and timing that has in this season brought about and is bringing about major transformation through revelation of the reality of Christ in us bringing forth His kingdom on earth. This is not new. It is a restoration of what Jesus and the first century disciples brought forth in the first century. Jesus had one primary focus behind all that he did on earth; He preached, taught, and demonstrated the gospel (good news) of the kingdom of God come to earth to redeem and restore all that was lost in the first Adam.
Revelation Leads to Reformation
About 14 or 15 centuries after the cross, the restoration of truth took a big step forward as salvation by grace through faith came to light and greatly disrupted the religious church systems of that day. Much error was exposed as the freshly revealed light came forth from Christ in His people by the Spirit of God. Imperfect men were given light and moved with it as far as they could in that day while the existing church did all it could to stop the new revelation, because it was causing the existing structures to crumble.
Since that season of over 500 years ago, the uncovering of truth that was previously hidden has continued. From time to time more layers of truth are uncovered by God and revealed to those who are, at that time, given spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear.
One of the most significant uncovering experiences was the revelation and restoration of the Pentecostal reality of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The church systems again responded with vicious and vile attacks upon the restoration of this powerful spiritual reality from God. Again because it was tearing down their existing structures and weakening their control, they strongly resisted the move of God.
The restoration of the Holy Spirit was and is the powerful force of the life of Christ in the people. The Holy Spirit restored the powerful gifts of God in Christ in His people. Soon the restoration of prophets bringing forth the encouraging, empowering, corrective, and directive word of God came forth. This eventually led to the next layer of restoration of the apostolic works of God in Christ by the Holy Spirit in His people. All of this and more has been uncovered, revealed, and restored over the past few centuries and much of it in recent decades.
Why Apostolic Ministry Now
Apostolic ministry flourished in the first century as the kingdom of God was brought to earth and seeded into the earth. Our Great Apostle Jesus and many first century apostles covered the known world with the word (seed) of the kingdom.
The great falling away around the third century steered the church systems off course and caused many centuries of darkness and much error. Now in this time of the recent five centuries or so, the reformation of the real message and work of Jesus is being restored. The prophets and apostles and all the rest of this had to be in place in order to bring forth from the seed Jesus planted into fruitfulness: first the blade, then the stalk, then the ear, and then the fruition of the full grain in the ear – the restoration of the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. The gifting of the kingdom apostles is required to break the mold of the past age and bring forth the new foundation of the kingdom of God on earth to rule and reign.
The revelation continues; the restoration and the reformation continue, and the past systems of religious and secular rule continue to crumble. At the same time the full growth of what Christ Jesus is doing in the world is coming forth – and praise God, we get to be a part of it.
Strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God”, Acts 14:22."
Isaiah 2:17: The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; The Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
Rev 11:15: Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!"
Pursue love, it never fails
and His kingdom never ends.
Ron McGatlin
http://archive.openheaven.com/ -
mailto:basileia@earthlink.net -
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