Spiritual birth and the maturing process into the kingdom of God lifestyle are taught in the Bible in parables of the natural. Remember, we can receive insight and understanding of spiritual things by looking at natural things. Again, the figurative language of Scripture speaks of natural things to communicate spiritual, kingdom-truth to those who have an ear to hear. We can identify seven stages of development into the maturity of kingdom living by looking into the Word and comparing natural development.
Each of us must go through a process of becoming obedient and holy or growing up in the kingdom walk. It is not enough to be born spiritually, any more than it is enough to be born in the natural. Before ruling as a natural man, one must go through a growth process, being nourished and trained in order to grow from a baby to manhood. Likewise, in the spiritual realm, we cannot rule or even walk in the kingdom of God as babies.
Jesus said we must enter the kingdom as a child. He said that we must be born into the spiritual kingdom as we were born into the natural world.
Matthew 18:3: Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
John 3; 3, 5-6:Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again(or from above), he cannot see the kingdom of God. Most assuredly, I say to 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.
IN THE WOMB STAGE
In the natural, there must be conception before there can be birth. Life does not begin at birth but at conception in the womb of the mother. There must be a mother and a father coming together in intimacy. A seed from the father comes together with an egg in the mother and conception occurs; life begins. Is the new life in the world at this point? Yes, it is in the world. It is in the womb of the mother who is in the world. But it is not yet birthed or released into the world by itself.
When the church is properly related to God, that intimate communion produces spiritual children. We can relate the natural process of conception and birth to the spiritual. The Seed (word) from the Father is planted in the heart soil of a person and if mixed with faith, a living spirit is conceived. God’s people are the mother (church) that is to carry the new life in her womb, the Holy Spirit, until the time of birth into the kingdom.
The seed of the Father is always perfectly holy. We are born with a heritage of the first Adam through our spiritual mother and therefore must grow through a process before becoming holy, mature kingdom of God sons.
Hebrews 4:2: For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
If you received Christ as an adult you may remember a short season after first receiving the Lord in which everything seemed to be perfect. If you remember, the season probably lasted about nine months. You were being formed in the womb of the Holy Spirit.
Life begins when the Word and faith come together, but the new life must be protected and nurtured in the womb because it is unable to sustain itself. It is dependent on the mother (God’s people) to breathe for it, receive and digest food, provide protection from the elements, and flow love, comfort, and acceptance to it. The embryo cannot walk in the kingdom on its own. It can only go where the mother carries it in her womb.
Galatians 4:26: …but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Isaiah 44:2 Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant, and Israel whom I have chosen. Thus says the Lord Who made you and formed you from the womb, Who will help you.
When the Word comes and is received in faith (believed), we repent of the old and are conceived as a new creation. We should then go through a season of being formed and developed in the womb before being birthed into the kingdom. Remember we are talking about walking in the kingdom lifestyle that Jesus taught, not just getting into heaven when we die. In relation to kingdom living, what we may have viewed in the past as being born again may actually be conception.
WITH THE MOTHER STAGE
Birth is that time at which we begin to breathe on our own. Spiritual breathing is spiritual communion, praying to and hearing from God on our own. In natural birth, we are suddenly pressed forth from our warm, protected environment in the womb into the real world. For the first time, we will feel the exhilarating rush of life-sustaining air into our own lungs. We will, for the first time, begin to taste food given to us in our own mouth.
As it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual. We are birthed into the kingdom life when we begin to spiritually breathe on our own, when we can first begin to speak to God and hear God for ourselves. People who cannot yet hear God on their own are not yet birthed into the kingdom. Religion has caused multitudes to not be completely birthed into the true kingdom of God on earth now. Many have been made to believe that they must depend on someone else to hear for them. They have been conceived by receiving the Word in faith but are not living the kingdom of God lifestyle. In a sense they are stuck in the birth canal. Again, we are not speaking about going to heaven; we are speaking in reference to the kingdom of God lifestyle on earth now.
There is a season of growth after we are birthed and can hear God on our own when we continue to need nurturing and training by the mother. We are not yet mature enough to live on our own. We are eating on our own but could make some bad decisions regarding what to eat. We yet need the wisdom of our mother and our Father. This season of learning to accurately hear the Father and obey Him more perfectly with the help of our mother, is a time of rapid growth and a time of receiving further instruction.
Isaiah 46:3: …all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been upheld by Me from birth, who have been carried from the womb.
Genesis 49:25b: Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
Isaiah 66:8b-11: For as soon as Zion travailed, She gave birth to her children. Shall I bring to the time of birth and not cause delivery says the Lord. Shall I Who cause delivery shut up the womb? says your God. Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad with her, all you who love her; rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her that you may feed and be satisfied with the consolation of her breasts, that you may drink deeply and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.
Remember, we are on a journey to the holy place, the City of God. We are moving through the process of maturity and holiness that will lead to the establishment of the kingdom (ruler/dominion) of God in our lives and then in the world.
THE INDEPENDENT STAGE
Well, we’ve finally made it! We’re ready to move out and begin to minister on our own. We can leave the close confines of the mother. Our intense training period is over. We’re ready to go out to save all the lost and conquer the world or make our fortune. Our life is filled with the excitement of doing and building. Our goals are clear and our ambitions and confidence are high. We know beyond any doubt that we can do all things through Christ Who strengthens us.
We are really doing great. We have the respect of everyone — those we minister to, our peers, and our authority. Everyone seems to want us on his or her team. We’re really cruising. Almost all our ideas work. We think to ourselves, This kingdom life is great. I’ve got to remember to try to be humble, and to be kind to all the little people.
We flex our spiritual muscles and with firmness let the world know that we have arrived. Our convictions are even more firm than our muscles. If there is anything we don’t know, it probably isn’t worth knowing anyway. Our doctrinal position is so rigid and complete that nothing can be changed or added. It is inconceivable that anyone would be dumb enough to have a different position. Surely, part of our calling must be to correct all those older, fuzzy-minded men that seem to border on being foolish. We know we have it right. After all, haven’t we accomplished more in the one year we’ve been working than they have in their thirty-plus years of service?
Sadly, we are blind to the fact that our harshness and lack of real love may be tearing down as much of the kingdom as our wonderful preaching or intense labor is building. While we are out pounding people with our Bible, the wife and kids are trying to get over the wounds of neglect and rigid authority we’ve harshly administered to them. What does it profit a man to save the whole world or make a great fortune and lose his own family? Our empire will surely crumble. Thank God He does use us some even in spite of ourselves.
Praise God for His mercy. No one could tell us the truth, that we’ve not even entered the real kingdom of God walk yet and that our real training is about to begin. Oh, yes, we’ve heard those sermons on suffering and the testimonies of enduring hardship; but we surmise that in some way those guys must not have things quite right. Quickly we learn to deal with backbiters and to kick the devil off our heels. So we think we are overcoming warriors, mighty men of valor!
THE SUFFERING STAGE
Acts 14:22: We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.
It seems so strange! It doesn’t make sense! I was doing everything right! My desire was to serve God! I thought they would like me!
Suddenly, we are cut to pieces and run through the stomach with a sword – not through the back, but right to our face — from those close to us — those we’ve helped and even loved. Then, the big rocks begin to smash us even from above. The authority that was so pleased with us suddenly does not seem to understand us any more. We are accused and abused from every direction. We are chewed to pieces with razor-sharp teeth of steel. And the more we do, the more we say to try to let them know that they are making a mistake — that we really didn’t do anything wrong, the worse it gets.
Now we are really about to enter the kingdom walk. Remember, we enter and walk in the kingdom by obedience. And though we are sons, we must learn obedience by the things we suffer. We will never really know the love of Christ until we’ve learned to love those who persecute us. This is our great opportunity to really die to self and see the love of Jesus manifest within us. The love, the great blessing, the presence of God in our lives that will come through this experience is the manifestation of the glory of God.
Luke 24:26: Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?
Hebrews 5:7-9:…Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.
1 Peter 4:12-14: Beloved do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you: but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
Matthew 5:10-12: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10: My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
1 Thessalonians 1:4b-5: …for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulation that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which you also suffer.
1 Peter 2:19-23: For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer for it, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps; Who committed no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth, Who when He was reviled did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.
Romans 8:18: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
In the suffering stage, our motives are further purified. If we are serving God for comfort, fleshly benefit, or out of a guilt motivation, we will not endure this stage except our motives be changed. If there remains a need for healing from the past in our hearts, we will experience bitterness being formed from the pain we are suffering. If we are not dead to self in any area, we will react or revile in return when the pain becomes severe.
We may not be able to stay on top of things and remain up in our spirit or emotions during severe suffering. We may wish to die and despair of our lives, but let patience have her perfect work. Endure suffering as a good soldier. When the Man Jesus suffered to the limit, He cried out, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? (Matthew 27:46).
In 2 Corinthians 1:8, Paul said, For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia; that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.
Elijah, in 1 Kings 19:4: prayed that he might die, and said, It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life.
After we are broken, through the endurance of suffering, and have no further kingdoms of our own to build, we are ready to be used by Him to build His kingdom. All our independent desires and inner needs must die. His desires must replace those that drove us during the independent stage. When it does not matter to us whether men respect us or not, when we really are completely fulfilled in knowing that the Lord is pleased with us, then we are free to follow the Lord and are not moved by men. Man, the world, or the devil has no place in us to hang their hook of control. When there is no fear in us except the fear of disappointing our loving heavenly Father, we are very dangerous to the kingdom of darkness. If we fear men, we do not yet fear God. If we truly fear God, we have no fear of anything else.
THE OBEDIENT STAGE
When our motives are right and our hearts are being healed, the pain we feel is converted into love and not bitterness. There is no other way to have and know that we have the perfected love of Jesus manifested in our everyday life. Being persecuted, suffering wrongfully, being wronged, and patiently enduring and forgiving, is the method by which we have love. Pain plus forgiveness equals love. Pain plus resentment equals bitterness. When we really love our enemies, God’s love is perfected in us. This perfected love causes us to obey the commandments of Jesus and to do the will of the Father thereby entering by obedience into the kingdom of God walk.
John 15:12: This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
1 John 2:5: But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
1 John 5:3-4a: For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.
Galatians 5:14: For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Our obedience and pure motives make us worthy or trustworthy to receive the kingdom of God. We can be trusted with the riches and power of God. He can safely release to us secrets of how to rule in the earth. We will use all He gives us to serve Him according to His directions. The enemy will be unable to tempt us to use the power of God to provide for our own needs or wants. Our love for Him and our desire to please Him will so outweigh any other wants or needs in our lives that we would sacrifice everything, even our own lives, to obey Him.
Love is the greatest law of the kingdom. Every other law or principle is held together by love and works by love. It is the strongest force in creation. By love, one can be motivated to pay the supreme sacrifice and do what one would not do for all the riches in the world. The kingdom of God is characterized and held together by His love. We can truly thank God and call it all joy when persecutions and suffering come to break us down to love.
THE SERVANT STAGE
Now we are ready to really accomplish something in the kingdom, not from our own zealousness, as in the independent stage, but from a love motive to serve. We serve Jesus by serving His people. We really become humble servants serving from the heart, producing heartily and reaping great blessings as a result. We no longer are trying to build our dream or do our thing. As He pours out His grace to empower us and His wisdom to guide us, we are more humbled.
Matthew 25:34-40: Then the King will say to those on His right hand, Come you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry and fed You, or thirsty and gave You drink?… And the King will answer and say to them, Assuredly, I say to you,inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.
Business in the kingdom of God is serving.It is serving God by serving His people. The more profitably we serve, the more we rule. Through the love of Jesus made perfect in us by suffering, we become obedient, which causes us to become profitable servants to God as we do only His will. The Father can specifically direct our lives through the Holy Spirit when our self-desires are dead and Christ is formed in us. Then, we are able to hear His voice and receive direction that will cause us to align with His desires and become prosperous servants in the kingdom.
THE SEATED STAGE
Matthew 8:11: And I say to you that many will come from the east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of Heaven.
We shall not be seated until we have entered the “king-dome” where we will be seated at the table of the Lord. We will sit in His presence and have suppertime communication with the Lord. The goal of the entire journey has been to be spiritually seated at His table in His kingdom — to sit down and cease from our own labor. Our soul is to be completely at rest while His life flows through us. Our goal is to be intimately present with the Lord and to faithfully carry out His will, to rule and reign with Him.
The seated-in-the-kingdom stage is the mature-son stage, the time of entering into the rest of God. It is the time for ruling in the kingdom on earth from that special spiritual place of closeness to the throne of God. It is leading the people of God and interceding for them before God.
Galatians 4:6-7:And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts … Therefore you are no longer a servant but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Romans 8:14: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are (full grown) sons of God.
Romans 8: 18-19: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the (mature) sons of God.
The world is groaning and waiting for us to become the holy, purified, obedient, mature sons who will release the power of God to restore the kingdom of God on earth. It is waiting for us to heal and deliver our planet from the rule of darkness and oppression — to forever break Satan’s cruel bondage from the earth and to establish the reign of righteousness, peace and joy, the kingdom of God. Thus, we, as the mature sons, are to extend the king-dome and its light to the world (Romans 8:21-22).
The seated stage is a time of resting in closeness with God. We are no longer in the outer court or cast into outer darkness. We now serve as a pillar in the temple of God. We have a quiet, confident assurance as the power and love of God effortlessly flow through us to heal the brokenhearted, set the captives free, and rebuild the ruined cities.
Hebrews 3:18:And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey?
Hebrews 4: 6b, 9-11: …those to whom it was preached did not enter because of disobedience. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.
In the seated stage, faithful servants become rulers in God’s kingdom. We serve by ruling after having faithfully served in obedience to God in smaller matters.
Matthew 25:21: His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.
Luke 19:17: And he said to him, Well done, good servant: because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.
Luke 12:44: Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.
Luke 22: 26b-30: …he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I (Jesus) am among you as the One Who serves. But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
The highest order of ruling is intercession. Those who are seated at the table of the Lord have the opportunity and the responsibility to make intercession; to serve as an advocate for the Israel of God. It is bringing the people of God with their needs to Jesus, and bringing ministry from the Lord to His people that they may also be brought to the table of the Lord. As seated, mature sons, we reign with Jesus Christ on earth.
Romans 5:17b: … those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 2:12: If we endure, we shall also reign with Him.
Revelation 5: 9b-l0: … and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.
Jesus has provided and is providing full redemption and restoration.It is more than spending eternity with Him in heaven and missing hell, though certainly this would be more than sufficient reason to endure. But the Word says that by His abundance of grace and gift of righteousness we will reign in life with Him if we endure (overcome). Jesus has provided and is providing all we need to reign as kings and priest on the earth as He ever lives to make intercession for us. He is bringing many sons to glory (Hebrews 7:25).
Hebrews 2:10: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.
Seeing the goal of ruling and reigning with Him in this life encourages us to continue during the difficult life purification and reformation processes. Though we are sons on our way to the seated stage, we may encounter experiences of what the Bible refers to as outer darkness.
Keep on Pursuing Love
It Will Never Fail,
Ron McGatlin
http://www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net
Radical Disciples - A Remnant Revolution 