Posts Tagged ‘disciples’

“You might be luke-warm if…………………”

Posted: May 24, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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According to Francis Chan these are the 18 signs of a lukewarm Christian. OUCH!

1. Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe “good Christians” do, so they go. Isaiah 29:13

2. Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so, After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right? 1 Chronicles 21:24, Luke 21:1-4

3. Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives. Luke 6:26, Revelation 3:1, Matthew 23:5-7 4.

4: Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly sorry for it; they’re merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don’t really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one. John 10:10, Romans 6:1-2.

5. Lukewarm people are moved by stories of people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for “extreme” Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call “radical” what Jesus expected of all His followers. James 1:22, James 4:17, Matthew 21:28-31

6. Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion. Matthew 10:32-33

7. Lukewarm people gauge their morality or “goodness” by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren’t as hard-core for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street. Luke 18:11-12

8. Lukewarm people say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives, their money, and their thoughts, but he isn’t allowed to control their lives. Luke 9:57-62

9. Lukewarm people love God, but they do not love Him all their heart, soul, and strength. They would be quick to assure you they try to love God that much, but that sort of total devotion isn’t really possible for the average person; its only for pastors and missionaries and radicals. Matthew 22:37-38

10. Lukewarm people love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love for others is typically focused on those who love them in return, like family, friends, and other people they know and connect with. There is a little love left over for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, who kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable. Their love is highly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached. Matthew 5:43-47, Luke 14:12-14

11. Lukewarm people will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give. Luke 18:21-25

12. Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven. Daily life is mostly focused on today’s to-do list, this week’s schedule, and next month’s vacation. Rarely, if ever do they intently consider the life to come. Philippians 3:18-20

13. Lukewarm people are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor. Matthew 25:34, 40, Isaiah 58:6-7

14. Lukewarm people do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty. They want to do the bare minimum, to be “good enough” without requiring too much of them. 1 Chronicles 29:14, Matthew 13:44-46

15. Lukewarm people are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. This focus on safe living keeps them sacrificing and risking for God. Matthew 10:28

16. Lukewarm people feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age twelve, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America.

17. Luke warm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. They don’t have to trust God if something unexpected happens-they have their savings account. They don’t need God to help them—they have their retirement plan in place. They don’t genuinely seek out what life God would have them live—they have life figured and mapped out. They don’t depend on God on a daily basis-their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives wouldn’t look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God. Luke 12:16-21

18. Lukewarm people probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren’t very different from your typical unbeliever. They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Matthew 23:25-28, Luke 14:34-35

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The Spirit-Led Are the Sons of God

Posted: May 22, 2011 in disciples life, teaching
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“The Spirit-Led Are the Sons of God”
By John Piper

Romans 8:13-17

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs- heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

As we move from verse 13 to verses 14-17, there is a new theme that becomes dominant, and it is one of the most precious themes in the Bible. The theme is our sonship – that Christians are children of God. Nowhere in the book of Romans up till now have we been called sons or children of God. But now the words come thick and heavy and full of freedom and joy and love and hope.

Verse 14: “All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Verse 15: “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” Verse 16: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Verse 17: “If children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs of Christ . . .”

So a theme that had not turned up anywhere before in Romans is now mentioned in every verse of this unit. It’s clearly the new focus, and it’s something that we need to see and savor as part of our glorious salvation. What Paul is doing here is telling us Christians about ourselves and who we are and who God is in relation to us. And he is telling us how we can know this about ourselves and what it implies about our experience.

So let’s simply take this unit one verse at a time and see what Paul has to teach us about the Holy Spirit and our adoption as children of God. We will take three verses and save verse 17, with its emphasis on our inheritance as heirs, for next week as a kind of transition to the next paragraph.
“Killing Sin by the Spirit” Explained by “Being Led by the Spirit”

First then, verse 14. It is given by Paul as the ground or the basis of verse 13. We spent three weeks on verse 13, “If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Kill sin or it will be killing you. And we put a lot of emphasis on the words “by the Spirit.” “If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live.” And you may remember I said at one point “by the Spirit” does not mean that the Spirit is a tool or a weapon that we wield. The Spirit is Person. We are in his hands, not he in ours! So killing sin “by the Spirit” means having a mindset through which the Holy Spirit works to free us from the power of sin. And that mindset is the mindset of faith in the blood-bought promises of God.

Now to confirm that we were on the right track when we said, the Spirit is not an instrument in our hands but we are an instrument in his hands, consider what Paul says in verse 14. He says, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” The “for” means that he is giving the basis and explanation for verse 13. So “put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit” in verse 13 is explained by “led by the Spirit” in verse 14, and “you will live” in verse 13 is explained by “you are the sons of God” in verse 14. Ponder those two pairs with me for a moment.

“If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (14) Because all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Paul restates “putting to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit” with the words, “you are led by the Spirit.” So here is our confirmation that we were on the right track last week: Doing something “by the Spirit” means being “led” to do it by the Spirit. He is not an instrument in our hands. We are an instrument in his hands. We are not leading him. He is leading us. He is not a mere responder to us. We are being moved and led by him.

So then what is it to be led by the Spirit in verse 14 in view of its relation to verse 13? It is to be moved by the Spirit to kill sin by trusting in the superior worth of our Father’s love. When you fight sin by trusting in Christ as superior to what sin offers, you are being led by the Spirit. Don’t take this verse out of its context and make it mean mainly, “If I am led to the right college I am a child of God.” Or: “If I am led to the right spouse, I am a child of God.” Or: “If I am led to the right job, I am a child of God.”

There is a sense in which the children of God will lean on the Spirit for guidance in all those areas. But that is not the focus of this text. This text says, Kill sin by the Spirit, because “all who are [THUS] led by the Spirit are the sons of God.” In other words, the evidence that we are the children of God is that the Holy Spirit confirms his presence by leading us into war with our sin. The children of God hate sin. The children of God have the values and priorities and preferences and tastes of their Father. They are chips off the old block, as it were.

And the reason they share these traits of God their Father is because they have his Spirit who leads them this way. He gives them the new tastes and new preferences and the new values and the new pleasures and the new sadness. And so the evidence of our sonship is: Do we fight sin in our lives, or do we feel blasé about sin in our lives?
The Promise of Life Is Rooted in Our Being Sons of God

Now notice the way the other pair of ideas in verses 13 and 14 relate. The first pair is “killing sin by the Spirit” explained by “being led by the Spirit.” The second pair is “you will live” in verse 13 and “you are sons of God” in verse 14. “If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (14) For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” What this shows is that the promise of life is rooted in our being sons of God.

You know that you have eternal life because you put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit. That’s verse 13. And you put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit because you are led by the Spirit. That’s the commandment between verses 13 and 14. And being led by the Spirit shows that you are a child of God. That’s verse 14. And so it is your status as a child of God that guarantees your eternal life. That’s the point of verse 17: “If children, then heirs – heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.” Heirs of what? Everlasting life and all the glory it contains.

So what verse 14 does is explain killing sin by the Spirit in terms of being led by the Spirit, and it explains “you will live” in terms being sons of God. And then it makes being led by the Spirit the evidence and demonstration that we are the sons of God. Which means that killing sin by the Spirit is the evidence of our sonship and therefore the path to everlasting life.

And Paul means for you to enjoy this. He is telling us these things for our joy and our triumph over the adversities and fears of life. This becomes really plain in verse 15.
How Does the Spirit of God Relate to Our Sonship?

Verse 15 comes in now to explain more fully how the Spirit of God relates to our sonship. He says, (v. 14) “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (15) For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!'” He is answering the question: Why does the leading of the Spirit prove that you are a son of God? And he is answering the question: How does the Spirit lead?

The reason the leading of the Spirit proves we are children of God is that it is “the Spirit of adoption.” It is the Spirit given to us to confirm a legal transaction carried out by the Father, namely, adoption. Listen to what F. F. Bruce says about this term “adoption as sons” in the Roman world of Paul’s day:

In the Roman world of the first century ad an adopted son was a son deliberately chosen by his adoptive father to perpetuate his name and inherit his estate; he was no whit inferior in status to a son born in the ordinary course of nature, and might well enjoy the father’s affection more fully and reproduce the father’s character more worthily.” (Quoted in John Stott, Romans, InterVarsity Press, 1994, p. 232)

There are dozens of children and young people and adults in this church who have been legally adopted. You are all loved by your parents with a deep, true, unshakable love just as much or more than if you had been born into your family. And that is the way it is with God. This reality of adoption is a massive, firm, legal reality. And it is a deep, strong, full-hearted emotional reality.

When the Holy Spirit is called in verse 15 the “Spirit of adoption” the meaning is the Spirit confirms and makes real to you this great legal transaction of adoption. If you have trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior and Treasure, then you are adopted. John 1:12, “To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” If you receive Christ, you are adopted.
The Spirit Leads by Stirring Up Family Affection

Now to seal this and confirm it and make it experientially real to you, God sends the Spirit into our hearts. Here is the way Paul says it in Galatians 4:5-6, “[Christ] redeemed those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!'” The Spirit is poured out into our hearts to confirm and make real our adoption.

How does he do that according to verse 15? He does it by replacing the fear of a slave toward a master with the love of a son toward a father. “You did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” He is contrasting the fear of a slave with the affection of a son. The work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to change our slavish fears toward God into confident, happy, peaceful affection for God as our father.

Now relate that to the leading of the Spirit in verse 14. This is the other question I said Paul is answering in verse 15: How does the Spirit lead? “All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” How does he lead? How does he move us and enable us to put to death the deeds of the body – to kill sin? Answer: “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons.” The Spirit does not lead by stirring up slavish fear. He leads by stirring up family affection. He does not get you to kill sin by making you a slave who acts out of fear. But by making you a son who acts out of faith and affection.

You can get a lot of external compliance with enslavement and fear. A Vietnamese man just told me last night that this was so. We asked if the people in Vietnam liked Communism. He said no, but then added, “They have the guns.” So if you have the guns you can enslave and create enough fear so that there is a lot of external compliance. But that is not what the Holy Spirit does to get us to kill sin.

How then does he shape our wills and lead us to put to death the deeds of the body? He does it by making real to us the truth of our adoption and the value of our Father in heaven. How does he do that? He does it by working in two directions: one by bringing God’s fatherly love to us, and the other by bringing our childlike affections for God.
The Spirit Leads by Bringing God’s Father Love to Us

We have already seen the first work of the Spirit in Romans 5:5. Recall how Paul said, “Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” This is a real, present experience, not just an idea or a future promise. It is something that happens in Christians: the love of God – that is, God’s love for his children – is poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. This is the Spirit of adoption making real to us the love of our Father. Applying it to us so that we know we are loved. It is an experience of divine love. That’s the first direction the Spirit works to make the truth of our acceptance and the value of our Father real to us. He pours out the love of the Father into our lives.
The Spirit Leads by Awakening Our Childlike Affections for God

The second direction that the Spirit works to lead us is by awakening our own childlike affections for our Father. This is what the last part of verse 15 and verse 16 are referring to. “You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ (16) The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”

The Spirit brings about a response in our hearts to the love of God that cries out, “Abba! Father!” The witness of the Holy Spirit that you are a child of God is not a testimony to a neutral heart with no affection for God’s fatherly love so that your neutral heart can draw the logical conclusion that it is a child of God and then try to muster up some appropriate affections. That is not the picture. No. The witness of the Holy Spirit that you are a child of God is the creation in you of affections for God. The testimony of the Holy Spirit IS the cry, “Abba! Father!”

And the reason Paul uses the word “cry” and the Aramaic word “Abba” is because both of them point to deep, affectionate, personal, authentic experience of God’s fatherly love. He didn’t say that the testimony of the Spirit was that we affirm doctrinally that God is father. The devil knows that doctrine. Doctrinal affirmations, as important as they are, don’t make children. What he said was that the testimony of the Spirit that we are God’s children is that from our hearts there rises an irrepressible cry – a cry, not a mere statement, a cry: “Abba! Father!”

We don’t infer logically the fatherhood of God from the testimony of the Spirit. We enjoy emotionally the Fatherhood of God by the testimony of the Spirit. The testimony of the Spirit is not a premise from which we deduce that we are children of God; it is a power by which we delight in being the children of God.
Don’t Wait for a Whisper – Look to Jesus!

If you want to know that you are a child of God, you don’t put your ear to the Holy Spirit and wait for a whisper; put your ear to the gospel and your eye to the cross of Christ and you pray that the Holy Spirit would enable you to see it and savor it for what it really is. Romans 5:8, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

The testimony of the Spirit is that when we look at cross we cry, “Jesus, you are my Lord!” (1 Corinthians 12:3), and “God, you are my Father!” So look to Christ! Look to Christ!

A Radical transformation of discipleship needed in our day!

Posted: May 18, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Parents, teaching
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I believe that if we are to truly lead people to Christ and then disciple into maturity, we need to be more Christ-like in our leadership style. In order for this to happen we need to have a radical transformation in the manner for which we disciple new believers in our day!

Too often I find leaders getting depressed when other are not at their same maturity and the depression opens the door to bitterness and the door of bitterness open yet into another room of those classified as cold hearted burnouts. They may still confess that they love the Lord, yet the most important Spiritual fruit in ones life which testifies to having Christ in our hearts is vacant in their lives – the fruit of Love!

I have been in “church” for 30 plus years and involved in ministry for a little over ten years, six of which has been in nursing homes. At first I felt as though everyone should be involved in the nursing home ministry, if you were not you lacked compassion.

It didn’t take long for Holy Ghost to kick that horse of pride out from underneath me. It had gotten to the point where I had even made a comfortable spiritual saddle lined with scriptures to back up my point.

None of which offered much comfort when I fell on my spiritual backside – that fall was just hard enough to jar loose all the religious garbage that I had been feeding myself on.

Holy Ghost then took me on a journey thru the scriptures and pointed out how everyone is not (thankfully) called to the same task. We are each designed in the image of God, yes, and we should all strive to have the character of God within our make up, yes. But there is no way one individual can be like God, yet when we see the Body as a whole, operating in each called gift, we get a glimpse of the very nature of God.

As leaders we can not allow the thought that “everyone needs to be like me and walk in the same calling that I have or else they simply are not a good Christian” take root in our hearts. In fact I know some brothers and sisters who try so hard to walk in the calling of the leaders around them they are actually living in rebellion because they are not walking in the calling of the Father on their lives. I don’t know about anyone else but as for myself I never want to be in a position where I cause another believer to rebel against the Fathers call on their lives.

It is so easy to get caught up in the false religious leadership functioning style that is out there today – which is why we need to stay in the Word and most definitely stay in communion with the Father. Our prayer life should consume the majority of our time. When we are so saturated in the presence of the Father, that His glory is so strong we need not speak but a few words, for just the shadow of His presence on our lives heals the sick, set’s the captives free and raises the dead – then we will know we’ve indeed been in the presence of the Father in quality time, even as was the life of Christ pour Lord!

We need more men and women in leadership today who are motivated by the unction of Holy Ghost and not being stirred by the emotions of their hearts, motivated by the very situations and conditions around them.

We need more preachers in the pulpit who know the Word so intimately that they can teach it to those whom the Lord puts before them not only thru spoken words but thru their life actions being lived out before the people – then we will see the opening of spiritual prison doors and the captives coming out in true freedom!

We need to put an end to cookie cutter ministries who seek to turn out perfect little Christians molded in the image of the doctrinal understanding we have and instead allow Holy Ghost to be able to impart the very gifts and calling of God according to that which the Father desires for each individual.

We need to go back to the basics of true discipleship according to the teachings of Christ that we will see the Johns and Peters, the Nathanael’s and James’s. the Matthew’s and Bartholomew’s. the Thomas’s and Andrew’s and the Simon’s and Philip’s rising up (Not only men but women as well). Each one was called of God, yet each one had a ministry gift that they operated in which was singularly different, yet when brought together made up the whole group’s character.

God’s ultimate goal for each individual’s life on earth is not comfort, but character development. He wants each of us to grow up spiritually. Becoming like Christ does not mean losing ones personality or becoming a mindless clone. God created each of us with an individual uniqueness, so he certainly doesn’t want to destroy it. Christ-likeness is all about transforming our character, not our personality.

We need to stop judging people as to whether they hold up to our calling and instead help them get positioned to where they are exhibiting the fruit of their individual calling. We are called to be Christ like, we were never called to look like and act like one another – other than the true unified display of our love for one another.

If we are to be true leaders in regard to maturing the babes in Christ we need to take a step back from the prideful reflection of ourselves, stepping into the very potion of where we can see with spiritual eyes open, the prophetic reflection of Christ in others lives – not who they are right now in the natural, rather who they are in Christ according to the Father’s calling on their lives.

Until we model the discipleship style that Jesus laid out for us, we will never see those before us maturing into true disciples of Jesus Christ.

If we desire to see radical disciples of Christ sold out radically to live as He has called us to live, then we must radically change the way we do church and the way we disciple, returning back to the style we find rooted in the gospels and the book of Acts.

I will end this with the writing’s of the Apostle Paul:

And he gave some apostles, some prophets, others evangelists, others shepherds and teachers, to the full ending of saints, into the work of ministry, into [the] edification of Christ’s body, till we run all, into unity of faith and of knowing of God’s Son, into a perfect man, after the measure of the age of the plenty of Christ; [till we run all, in unity of faith and of knowing of God’s Son, into a perfect man, into the measure of age of the plenty of Christ;] that we be not now little children, moving as waves, and be not borne about with each wind of teaching [and be borne about with all wind of teaching], in the waywardness of men, in subtle wit, to the deceiving of error.

But do we truth in charity, and wax in him by all things, that is Christ our head; [Forsooth we doing truth in charity, wax in him by all things, that is Christ the head;] of whom all the body set together, and bound together by each jointure of under-serving, by working into the measure of each member [after working into the measure of each member], maketh increasing of the body, into [the] edification of itself in charity.

Therefore I say and witness this thing in the Lord [Therefore this thing I say, and witness in the Lord], that ye walk not now, as heathen men walk, in the vanity of their wit; that have understanding darkened with darknesses [having their understanding darkened], and be aliened from the life of God, by ignorance that is in them, for the blindness of their heart.

Which despairing betook themselves to unchastity, into the working of all uncleanness in covetousness.

But ye have not so learned Christ, if nevertheless ye heard him, and be taught in him, as is truth in Jesus.

Do ye away by the old living the old man, that is corrupt by the desires of error; [Do ye away after the first living the old man, that is corrupt after the desires of error;] and be ye renewed in the spirit of your soul; and clothe ye the new man, which is made after God in rightwiseness and holiness of truth. [and clothe ye the new man, which after God is made of nought in rightwiseness and holiness of truth.] (Eph 4:11-24 Wycliff New Testament)

The highest calling is that of servant-hood,

Russ Welch

HE HEART-TREE – THE LIFE-STRUCTURE OF MAN

Posted: April 10, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching
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THE LIFE-STRUCTURE OF MAN

Trees are often used in Scripture to symbolize men or the life-structure of a man. In the figurative language of Scripture, the tree, the root, the soil it grows in, and the seed that the tree grew from are all important in understanding God’s plan (kingdom pattern) for the individual and exposing the enemy’s scheme for causing affliction.

Isaiah 55:12: For you shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Isaiah 61:3: To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

In the parable of the sower and other scriptures, the heart of man is referred to as soil.

Our heart is our spirit and soul.

Our spirit is who we are and relates to the spiritual realm.

Our soul is our mind, will, and emotions and relates to the natural realm through the bodies in which we live.

The heart of man, like soil, will grow whatever is planted in it. The soil does not determine the type of tree that will grow. The seed does. The same soil, that will grow a pecan tree when a pecan is planted in it, will grow a peach tree if a peach seed is planted in it. A thorn tree will grow if the soil is planted with the seed of a thorn tree. Our heart-soil does not in itself determine our tree or life-structure. Rather, the seed that is planted will determine the nature of our tree or life-structure. The fruit of the tree (our actions or deeds) will be determined by the nature of tree (life-structure) that grew from the type of seed planted.

Matthew 7:16-20: You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Matthew 12:33-35: Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. A good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, brings forth good things, and an evil man, out of the evil treasure, brings forth evil things.

In the above passages, the Lord speaks of the tree (life-structure) and its fruit (deeds) coming forth from the soil of the heart of man.

The “Heart-Tree” of our life is either good or bad and will bear either good or bad fruit according to the tree. The seed planted determined the type of tree.

As we see in Matthew 13:19, the seed is a word. A word is more than just letters arranged on a page; it is a pattern that is alive and able to grow into a structure of life that bears fruit. It can be a vision, picture, image, an action or a combination or series of these things. A communication in any form is a word or seed.

Since there are two kinds of trees and two kinds of fruit, obviously there are two kinds of seeds, good and bad. Good seeds are good words or living patterns Bad seeds are bad words or living patterns.

All words or seeds ultimately have their origin from either the tree of life or the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which produces death. Every word, seed, action, or communication of any form has its source in either God or the devil.

A child planted with inordinate premature, sexual activity will grow a life-structure of sexual confusion and disorder. A child planted with legalistic rigid harshness will grow a life-structure of frustrated perfectionism. A child planted with violent acts will grow a life-structure of fear and aggression. A child planted with unconditional love and peaceful security will grow a healthy, happy life-structure.

The seed of the kingdom of God is a special, good seed that will grow the life and rule of God.

THE ENEMY’S SCHEME

UNGODLY HERITAGE
(OPEN TO BAD SEED)

Our ungodly heritage causes our heart-soil to be born with an openness to bad seed.

The ungodly heritage of Adam has passed down through the generations. We were each conceived and born with a heritage that goes back to Adam. Sin and the curse of death entered through Adam and spread to all men. Through our forefathers, the sin of Adam reaches to each of us.

Romans 5:19: Therefore just as through one man sin entered the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.

Psalm 51:5: Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.

Though we bear no personal accountability for the sins of our parents and forefathers, each of us are born under the curse of sin and must at some time become personally accountable for our own sin. However, we are directly affected by the inheritance of the iniquity (tendency to sin) of our forefathers.

Exodus 20: 5-6: …. visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Leviticus 26: 39: And those of you who are left shall waste away in their iniquity in your enemies lands; also in their fathers iniquities; which are with them, they shall waste away.

Exodus 34: 7b: … visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.

The sin of Adam, working through our heritage (the iniquity or perversions of our forefathers), serves as a big hammer to drive the wedge of sin into our own heart-soil, causing an opening for bad seed to be planted. Then, in our own experience, the seeds are planted and our life-structure (Heart-Tree) begins to grow. Eventually our lives will bear the fruit of it.

UNGODLY LIFE EXPERIENCE
(CLOSED TO GOOD SEED)

Our ungodly experience causes our heart-soil to be unable to grow the kingdom of God seed (the good seed).

Matthew 13:3-9: Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying; Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

THE WAYSIDE SOIL

Matthew 13:19: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.

Notice that this scripture refers specifically to the word of the kingdom. It does not say the word of “being born again” or some other word from God cannot be received.

The word of the kingdom cannot be received or understood in the hard-pressed soil of our heart. The heavy, wounding footsteps of man and his ox cart’s wheels may have pressed down the soil of our heart and made it hard. These wounding experiences and the hard-press of life have damaged our soil and our ability to receive the good seed that could have produced a kingdom life-structure. Because it cannot penetrate the hardened soil, the enemy easily and quickly steals the word of the kingdom from us. The wayside heart must be plowed to break up the hardened soil, and then healed by the gentle rain of the Holy Spirit before it can receive the good seed.

THE STONY SOIL

Matthew 13:20-21: But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

The word of the kingdom of God cannot be brought to fruition in a stony heart. The stones represent hardened, firm, previous convictions. If we are so convinced that we already know how things are (what the Bible says, what life is like, what people are like, what we ourselves are like, etc.), then we will not grow the new life-structure to maturity. We will let it go when challenged, because negative, hardened, previous beliefs or convictions will prohibit the word of the kingdom of God from taking deep root in our heart. Rocks of earlier, hardened beliefs or convictions must be either thrown out or smashed before the kingdom life comes to fruition

THE THORNY SOIL

Matthew 13:22: Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

The word of the kingdom cannot be brought to fruition in a heart growing thorn bushes of the cares of this life. If feel we must have anything of this life in addition to, or apart from what God desires for us, we have thorn bushes. We must love God above all else and be fully content with Him and his desired provision for us. The thorn bushes must be uprooted and thrown out before the kingdom life can come to fruition.

GOD’S KINGDOM PATTERN

THE GOOD SOIL

Matthew 13:23: But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces; some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

The word of the kingdom of God will be received and grow to fruition in the good heart-soil. The good soil is the heart that is healed of wounds, has had its stones of hardened, previous convictions thrown out, and the thorn bushes of cares of this life pulled up and discarded. This heart can produce the kingdom of God lifestyle. It will be fruitful in producing the kingdom of God on earth. It will not receive the bad seed but is ready to grow the good seed.

We are told in Scripture to be careful what we hear–what we plant in our soil. It is God’s plan for us to receive good seed. If we are filled with the peace of God, our hearts will receive only good seed, which will grow a good tree (life-structure). This will produce good fruit (deeds or actions).

The peace of God guards our hearts from bad seed.

Philippians 4: 7b-9: … and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Proverbs 23: 7a: For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

We will be formed by the thoughts we think–by the words in any form that we receive into our hearts. Our heart-soil grows whatever we allow to be planted in it, whether good or bad. Whether it is a spoken word or some action carried out against us, if we allow it to be planted in our heart-soil, it will determine our life-structure thereby, determining our feelings, self-image, attitude and eventually, our actions whether good or bad. We will live in peace or in turmoil and stress, according to what we decide to allow to be planted in our heart-soil.

What are you allowing to be planted in your soil? What are you watching, listening to, and thinking about?

What did you plant in your heart-soil from the time you were born until you were about six years old? Obviously you had no choice at that young age. Someone else decided what would be planted in your heart-soil at that time. It is a known fact that most of our life-structure was formed in us as small children. Before we developed the ability to choose, the seeds that would determine the majority of our life-structure were already planted. What kind of seed was planted in our soil from the time we were in our mother’s womb until five or six years old?

Unfortunately, not all of us grew up surrounded by the peace of God. Many of us did not have our heart-soil planted with seeds of unconditional love and acceptance. On the contrary, we may have received seeds of a conditional, performance-based kind of love and grew up feeling unaccepted. Or, we may have felt little or no love at all. Anything short of unconditional, affirming love and acceptance becomes a bad seed. If so, then the seeds of unlove and rejection sown into our heart-soil began to grow into our life-structure.

God’s kingdom pattern is that we be planted with good seed and grow a good life-structure (a Good Heart-Tree). If, however, this was not so, then Jesus came to uproot our bad life-structure (the Bad Heart-Tree), heal our heart-soil, and replant it with His good seed to grow His good life-structure (the Good Heart-Tree).

God has given us the ability to take the cover off and see the methods or schemes the enemy has used and is using to afflict individuals and cause them to afflict others. We know his plan is to kill, steal, and destroy. Once we see his plot to kill us, steal all we have including our faith and joy, and to destroy the plan and work of God, we can make the necessary adjustments to appropriate the ministry of Jesus to destroy all the schemes of the enemy and establish God’s kingdom patterns.

Understanding God’s kingdom patterns for individuals, families, businesses, and all aspects of life and planting them in our heart will produce abundant life. Learning to personally appropriate the ministry of Christ will bring about the uprooting of the old and the planting of the new tree. Jesus has provided and is providing everything we need to completely destroy the old work of the enemy and establish the new work of God in our life.

We are absolutely without excuse. The enemy would like to cause us to believe that because it was planted in us, we can do nothing about it. To say, I can’t help it; someone did it to me, is to say, Jesus is not sufficient to meet my need. His blood, resurrection life, and omnipotent power are not enough to fix me.

If we attempt to avert our responsibility by placing the blame on others (the ones that did it to me), then we are deceived. It really does not matter who did it; ultimately, it was the enemy who did it. And the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, has been and is manifest to destroy the work of the enemy. He is no respecter of persons. His freedom-giving ministry is available to all. His ministry begins with our real repentance, not our phony excuses. Our escape and defense mechanisms are designed by the enemy and brought forth in our soul to prevent true repentance.

Keep on Pursuing Love
It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

http://www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

GOD’S JEWELS

Posted: April 5, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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As the Israel of God (the church, “ecclesia”) attains practical obedience and holiness through inner empowerment of the grace of God, the Bride of Christ is prepared. Now is the time for the church to make herself ready and become the perfected Bride and City of God on earth. The religious church for the most part has thought that the kingdom was not for today, and has focused on getting in the gate and hanging on until Jesus comes or until we die and go to heaven. Therefore, we have multitudes of Christians hanging around the gate in the outer court. We’ve expected these neophytes to demonstrate the “Christian life.” It is no wonder most of the church has decided to disregard kingdom teaching as not being for this time since, seemingly, no one has the power to realistically live it. Therefore, we have reasoned, the kingdom must be for heaven when we die or some future day.

Another beautiful, figurative word God uses to describe His mature “sons of the kingdom” is “His jewels.” His children are being perfected into beautiful jewels. It is so amazing that God, who has all the gold and precious stones in the world, considers His kingdom people as jewels, jewels now being perfected, cut and polished to reflect His glory.

Malachi 3:17a: “They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “on the day that I make them My jewels.”

Isaiah 61:10b: For as He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has covered me with robes of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels.

The remnant church is being prepared as precious jewels to reflect the glory of God. The spotless, perfected Bride Church will reflect the glory of God in every facet of life. There must be no internal imperfections or flaws if we are to perfectly reflect His glory. Each facet must be cut to perfect shape and polished to perfection, if we are to become one of the jewels of New Jerusalem one of the adorning stones set on the foundation of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

In God’s pictorial language, the twelve tribes of Israel are the “gates” of entry to the city of God. The purified church (the Israel of God) is the “gateway” as it brings forth the ministry of Jesus in the world. The twelve apostles of the Lamb are the “foundation” of the spiritual city of God.

Revelation 21:12, 14:Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates,and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Revelation 21:18-23: “And the construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the forth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, and the Lamb is its light.

Isaiah 62:1,3, 5b: “For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns. You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.”

As God is perfecting us the finished jewel may be much smaller than the initial, damaged, rough stone. But when He is finished, there will be no impurities to impede the glorious light of God from flowing out every window or “facet” of our lives. If there are imperfections yet within us which indicate a need for further healing or dying to self, they will block or hinder the flow of God’s glory and keep it from being reflected in one or more of our “facets.”

Another word demonstrating the unimpeded ability to “flow” the glory of God from all the facets of our jewel is freedom. In the natural dimension, a cut diamond that has an impurity in it, such as a carbon deposit, is not free to “flow” the light out of some of its facets. Additionally, if the diamond is not cut properly or has blemishes in its surface, the light flowing through it will be distorted. In the spiritual if we, the children of God, have some spot of impurity remaining in our hearts, we will not be free to “flow” the glory of God in that area of our lives. Also, if we are not yet perfectly cut and polished, we are not free to “flow” His light without distortion. The process of being formed, cut, polished, and purified might be considered very difficult by the diamond that is experiencing the cutting and grinding.

The overcomer will want to locate these imperfections and allow God to deal with them. Jesus came to fix our imperfections and repair the damage inflicted upon us by the devil and by our own foolishness. We can learn to recognize problem areas by the lack of the glory of God flowing through a particular area or facet of our life or daily walk. There are seven easily defined general areas or facets of freedom in each of us.

Zechariah 3:9, Amplified.: “For behold, upon the stone which I have set before Joshua, upon that one stone are seven eyes or facets “ [the all-embracing providence of God and the sevenfold radiations of the Spirit of God]. “Behold,I will carve upon it its inscription,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will remove the iniquity and guilt of this land in a single day.”

Freedom is having all hindrances to receiving and reflecting the light of His glory removed. If freedom in a certain facet does not exist, we will know to look in a corresponding area in the heart for impurities or imperfections to be healed or removed. We must know how to appropriate the ministry of Jesus to heal the brokenhearted and set the captives free. We must allow Him to burn out impurities or cut away a portion of our stone to eliminate the impurity in our jewel. In love He may use the chisel and hammer of traumatic events and abrasive relationships to cut and polish our jewel.

In the natural realm, the facets of a jewel are “windows.” Light flows in through some and out through others. When the jewel is moved, the light shifts from window to window and sparkles brightly as it reflects the light from each facet. The jewel has no light of its own, but does a beautiful job of reflecting available light.

The major facet of our jewel is obedience. Usually the major facet on top of a jewel receives the light in to be reflected out the other smaller facets. We will reflect whatever light we turn our obedience toward. If we turn our obedience toward evil, we will reflect the darkness of evil. If we turn our obedience toward God, we will reflect His glory. Freedom is both freedom from reflecting evil and freedom to reflect good.

SEVEN FACETS OF FREEDOM

Seven facets of freedom are obedience, contentment, prosperity, enjoyment, harmony, health and service. Probably all needed areas of freedom are defined under these seven headings. If we have these freedoms, we can walk in the kingdom of God, New Jerusalem, purified, Bride-of-Christ lifestyle.

Freedom is both freedom from reflecting evil and freedom to reflect good.

OBEDIENCE IS FREEDOM

Freedom from rebellion, stubbornness, self-will, perversion, arrogance, compulsiveness, impulsiveness, pride and impatience.

Freedom to be submissive, yielding, faithful, loyal, humble and repentant.

CONTENTMENT IS FREEDOM

Freedom from want, lust, needs that cause stress, fear, doubt, worry, anxiety, insecurity, suspicion, distrust, hopelessness, nervousness, tension and confusion.

Freedom to be satisfied, thankful, fulfilled, secure, trusting, believing, hopeful, peaceful and stable.

PROSPERITY IS FREEDOM

Freedom from lack, poverty, wastefulness, fruitlessness, loss and not having enough to complete God’s plan.

Freedom to be adequately supplied to complete God’s plan, fruitful, flourishing, receiving, increasing and conserving.

ENJOYMENT IS FREEDOM

Freedom from ungodly pain & sorrow, torment, guilt, boredom, condemnation, depression, self-pity, shame, withdrawal, loneliness and frustration.

Freedom to be experiencing pleasure in God, delighting in the Lord, being joyful.

HARMONY IS FREEDOM

Freedom from strife, contention, jealousy, envy, hostility, discord, rejecting, rejection, resentment, retaliation, criticizing, hate, selfishness, manipulation and gossip.

Freedom to be unified, compatible, in accord, friendly, open, in fellowship, accepted and accepting.

HEALTH IS FREEDOM

Freedom from (physical, emotional, or spiritual) sickness, disease, wounding, disorder, malfunction, malformation, perversion and weakness.

Freedom to be (physically, emotionally, or spiritually) whole, well, healed, strong, in order, sound, able-bodied and hearty.

SERVICE IS FREEDOM

Freedom from unproductiveness, slothfulness, uselessness, incapability, lack of purpose, worthlessness, futility, vanity and hindering.

Freedom to be productive, purposeful, providing, useful, capable, valuable and helpful.

Remember:We must turn our facet of obedience toward the light and away from darkness. We will reflect whatever light we turn our obedience toward. If we turn our obedience toward evil, we will reflect the darkness of evil. If we turn our obedience toward God, we will reflect His glory.

If we have impurities in our jewel, we feel very uncomfortable when we turn fully toward the light. The bright light generates heat within as it contacts impurities and is blocked from flowing out. For comfort’s sake, some will turn their “obedience facet” away from the light, away from focus on closeness with God. They may turn away from intimacy with God and instead turn toward religious forms and rituals.

Romans 6:16-18:Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slave whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

Some will lift up a shield of religion or unbelief and self-deception to keep the light from burning within them. The enemy will provide the shield for us if we will use it. He has a whole suit of armor for those who will obey him.

Luke 11:20-22: “But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when one stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.”

The armor of Satan is the opposite of God’s armor. Those who obey the enemy have their waist girded with lies, a breastplate of unrighteousness, their feet shod with the bad news of conflict. They carry the shield of unbelief and self-deception. They take the helmet of damnation and wield the sword of evil which is words of accusation and condemnation.

Self-deception begins with replacing what God has said with human rationalization and self-justification. Rather than repent and change, some will attempt to alleviate uncomfortable feelings of guilt with self-deception by denying their own guilt and blaming others.They accuse and condemn others for their own inner impurities and imperfections. The enemy will assists them with his religious belief systems and doctrines, which will seem to justify one’s faults rather than change them.

Only by directly turning toward the light of God and continuing to move toward the light, can one’s inner-impurities and imperfections be exposed and dealt with. Only by repenting and allowing the power of God to change us will we become purified. Belief and obedience cause man to be conformed to God. Unbelief and self-deception attempt to conform God to man.

If we are to become the jewels of God, there are things in each of our lives that must be overcome. As we journey toward becoming His jewels, the damage previously done to us by the enemy and the resulting negative life patterns must be overcome. We must become overcomers by the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony and not loving our lives to the death.

Rev 12:11: “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.

Keep on Pursuing Love,
It Will Never Fail.

Ron McGatlin

http://www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

ENTERING THE KINGDOM

Posted: March 31, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, teaching, wilderness
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But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, Revelation 21:27

Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Matthew 7:21

Jesus taught much about entering the kingdom and walking or abiding in it. Jesus preached and taught more about what the kingdom of God is like, how it works, and how to enter it, than any other subject. The parables that Jesus taught in the four Gospels are the richest teaching on the kingdom of God in the Bible. However, what the kingdom of God(the ruler/dominion of God) is like and how it works spans the entire Bible, and is the predominant theme of the Word of God.

Jesus was not greatly concerned with teaching us how to live in heaven someday. His great concern was revealing to us how to live on the earth in this life now. God’s plan is the establishment of His kingdom on earth in and through redeemed man.

Many people have great difficulty really understanding the good-news message of the kingdom of God because they must first lay aside their strong convictions (rocks in the heart) that “kingdom” means only heaven someday or a future millennial reign. This mentality leads to a focus on what we refer to as the “salvation” or “born-again” experience, after which, we do the best we can to “hang on” until we die and go to heaven or until Jesus comes to rescue us. In Matthew 13, Jesus referred to these types of strong convictions as “rocks” in the heart-soil that prevent the fruit of the kingdom from coming to completion.

The gospel of the kingdom does not do away with the gospel of being born again. It includes the gospel we have preached in the past, as well as all true Bible doctrines. Jesus focused on preaching the gospel of the kingdom because it encompasses all the parts of revealed doctrines and is the umbrella that covers them. Some doctrinal groups have referred to themselves as “full gospel,” because they received and incorporated into their structure the latest revelation. God is still restoring His message on earth. As each new area is restored, we are tempted to think we now have it all. However, about the time we get comfortable with what we have, He again gives us more. When He provides more light, some of the error we previously believed was accurate and complete begins to melt away.

We must come to grips with the reality that entering the kingdom does not mean only going to heaven when we die. We are not waiting for Jesus to come back to earth to establish His kingdom. Jesus has already returned to earth in the Holy Spirit to indwell and empower the people of God to rule and reign, to overcome, and to retake and possess the land. Yes, He is coming back as Lord of lords and King of kings to receive His prepared Bride. Yes, His bodily return to rule and reign with His purified Bride is the fulfillment of the kingdom. But the establishment time is now! Jesus has already done all that is necessary to defeat the devil and his rule. He now lives in us by the Holy Spirit to empower His purified Bride to overcome. According to Romans 14:17, the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Is it any wonder why there is so much conflict, confusion and controversy about the baptism of the Holy Spirit? It is easy to see why the enemy so fiercely comes against it, when we recognize the role of the Holy Spirit in walking in the kingdom of God potential now. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The potential for experiencing the Bride of Christ life now is in the Holy Spirit.

The kingdom of God potential first returned to earth in Jesus at the time of His baptism. The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus and remained on Him, in an experience of spiritual life of a different dimension that had not been known before. The heavens opened to Him. Jesus saw into the spirit realm, the heavenly realm. The voice of God spoke clearly to Him, affirming Him as His Son, and expressing His pleasure in Him. The kingdom of God age came into the earth. The potential for man to intimately communicate with God returned to the earth into Jesus, in that moment.

The Baptized was to become the Baptizer and baptize many with the Holy Spirit, opening to them the potential to walk in a new level of obedience and power, and enabling them to walk in the glorious Bride lifestyle. John the Baptist, the last great prophet of the captive kingdom, did not experience the greater kingdom life available to us.

Matthew 11:11: “Assuredly. I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

Mark 1:7-8:And he (John the Baptist), preached saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Matthew 3:16-17:Then Jesus, when He had been baptized, came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him, and suddenly a voice from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

John 1:32-34:And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

From this point forward, the kingdom was now on the earth in Jesus. Jesus was empowered to demonstrate the kingdom authority, and His earthly ministry began. When He later left the earth, the kingdom potential went with Him. However, before He left, the King promised His disciples that He would soon return with His kingdom.

Matthew 16:28: “Assuredly, I (Jesus) say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

Luke 9:27: (And Jesus said), “But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”

These verses plainly and emphatically state that some of the people present were going to be alive and see Jesus coming in His kingdom, the kingdom of God. Jesus made it clear that He was going away and coming back quickly, bringing the kingdom with Him. This is a strong statement by the Lord that He was returning to earth, bringing His kingdom with Him, during their lifetime. When did this happen? Or did it not happen as the Lord said it would?

In the past, the only way I could get around this statement was to assume He was speaking of the mount of transfiguration when the disciples caught a glimpse of His glory. It was always a bit of a stretch for me to believe that the brief glimpse of Jesus in His glorified state was what He had in mind when He said they would “see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” The revelation of “kingdom” brings much seemingly difficult scripture into such sweet harmony.

Jesus returned to earth as a “life-giving Spirit” at Pentecost. How many Gods do we have? We have only one God! He manifests Himself in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus made it clear that “if you have Me, you have the Father, and if the Holy Spirit dwells in you, so does the Son and the Father.” Many Christians will quickly tell you that Jesus lives in their heart; yet, they don’t realize He could not be in their heart if He had not returned to earth.

1 Cor 15:45: And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

When Jesus walked on earth as a man, He could be in only one place at one time. He bodily went to the right hand of the Father and then returned as Spirit; now He can be everywhere at once. He can indwell all believers at one time, empowering us to obediently walk in His kingdom lifestyle. Thus, the will of God can be done on earth as it is in heaven. Many are yet looking for Jesus to return to do what He has already done or is now here to do.

In John 14:15-28 and John 16:12-25,Jesus is speaking of the Holy Spirit that is to come after He (Jesus) goes back to heaven. He makes it clear that He will return to His disciples. When He says, “I’m going away and coming back to you”, He does not mean to their descendants thousands of years later.

John 14:18: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”

John 14:20: “At that day you will know that I am in the Father, and you in Me, and I in you.”

John 14:21: “I will love him (those who love the Father) and manifest Myself to him.” (Or “manifest myself in him”)

John 16:14: “We(Jesus and the Father) will come to him and make Our home with him.”

John 14:28: “I’m going away and coming back to you.”

John 16:14: “He (the Holy Spirit) Will take of what is Mine (or Me) and declare to you.”

Jesus finishes up the discussion in John 16:23-24 by saying, “In that day you will ask me nothing … whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give you.” Obviously, the day he is talking about is today, not some future day when He bodily returns.

Jesus came to earth, reclaimed the kingdom, was crucified, resurrected, ascended to the right hand of the Father, returned to earth in the Holy Spirit, and now lives in believers to establish His kingdom on earth. Yet, He is still at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us. Though Jesus possessed the fullness of the kingdom potential after His baptism with the Holy Spirit, He was not omnipresent in His natural body on earth. Now that He has returned to earth in the Holy Spirit, He is omnipresent.

Christ Jesus in us by the Holy Spirit will produce righteous obedience to God. Real holiness which includes true righteousness and perfect obedience is the only way to enter the fullness of the kingdom of God and become the Bride of Christ. Positional righteousness does not in itself cause us to enter or become the purified Bride. Only practical righteousness and practical obedience will enable us to live on earth in the kingdom of God. We enter and walk in the kingdom by obedience to the will of the Father.

Matthew 5:20: “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

Matthew 19:17b: “…But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

Remember, we are not talking about being born again; nor are we talking about going to heaven when we die. Those are “parts”, but what Jesus is talking about in these verses is entering and living in the kingdom of God now. We enter and walk by obedience to the Father. Only Jesus, by the Holy Spirit living in us, will always obey the will of the Father. Because Jesus is seated in heaven, He is available to carry out miraculous works of God through His disciples on earth.

Mark 16:19,70: …He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

Luke 17:20-21: “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed the kingdom of God is within you (or in your midst).”

As Christ Jesus manifests Himself in our being, we truly become the body of Christ, a body for Jesus to live in on earth. Jesus the Christ has returned to earth and lives in His people. We now have the potential to rule and reign over the kingdoms of the earth as His glorious life, His love, His power, His wisdom, His peace, and His faith rule and reign through our being. We can now take dominion over all the earth and over all the powers of darkness. We can reclaim every area of the kingdom. Nothing is impossible to Jesus in us.

When God’s messengers receive the “kingdom of God now” truth in their hearts and proclaim it with their mouths to the world, then the kingdom of God will be established. But as long as it is preached as a “someday kingdom”, it will not be fully established on earth. The other kingdom, the kingdom of darkness, can continue to run the governments, businesses, finance, religion, arts, music, media, sports, educational systems, entertainment industry and all other aspects of our world. Evil can continue to poison the minds of our people, inflicting pain, perverting, killing, and destroying men, women, and children of our land.

Wake up, Christians! Wake up, preachers! The saints who have gone on to heaven are not going to take back the earth, reclaim it and establish the kingdom of God on the earth. Yes, they are cheering us on. Yes, their work is made perfect in us. We are establishing what the great men of faith have begun — building upon the foundational heritage of generations of men of faith. But, only those alive on earth have the opportunity to cleanse their hands and purify their hearts to bring forth the work of Christ. Only then will the Spirit of Christ Jesus can come forth in their lives in glory and power sufficient to overpower the kingdom of darkness and establish the kingdom of light. This new generation has the potential to see the kingdom of God established in hearts today, individually, and then in the earth.

All who have gone before and paid a great price are looking to the people of God on earth today to make perfect their works and sacrifices by bringing forth the kingdom of God on earth.

Hebrews 11:37-40:They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented – of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

1 Corinthians 10:11: Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends (purposes) of the ages have come.

Each of us is in one kingdom or the other. Either the kingdom of darkness or the kingdom of light rules us. We are bringing forth, from our hearts, either one kingdom or the other into the earth.

There is great conflict between the two kingdoms and keen competition for the hearts of men. The propagation of either kingdom depends on the hearts of men. Men must cast the deciding vote as to which kingdom will rule the earth. Only in the heart-soil of man is the potential for ruling the earth. Whichever kingdom rules the hearts of men rules the earth.

Boiling it all down; man has one great continuous “yes and no” decision to make. He must decide “yes” to the kingdom of light and “no” to the kingdom of darkness. Many generations ago, mankind decided “yes” to the kingdom of darkness and “no” to the kingdom of light.Men need make no further decision to remain in the kingdom of darkness. A decision not to come to the light is a decision to remain in darkness.

God will furnish all the power, all the direction, and do all the work to establish His kingdom; but man must decide with his own will. God has given us dominion on earth and has chosen not to overrule our will. What we bind is bound and what we loose is loosed.

Matthew 16:19, “And I give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

The Bride of Christ is prepared by practical obedience and holiness. Now is the time for the church (ecclesia) to make herself ready and become the perfected Bride, the New Jerusalem. Each of us must go through a process of becoming obedient and holy, or “growing up” in the kingdom walk. We must receive true understanding of the kingdom of God by spiritual revelation of the Word of God.

For anyone who might have a tendency toward thinking “this is something I can humanly do,” please be aware that it is all by the grace of God. The grace of God is the empowerment of Christ within the individual to live righteously. The grace of God is not a whitewash covering for our continued disobedience.

Grace is freely given but never forced upon an unwilling individual. Our part is to become willing to lay down our own way, our selfish desires, our religious order, our inner needs, to empty ourselves of ourselves that the Spirit of God may fill us with Christ. God will do it all. The grace of God can even make us willing but we must be willing to be made willing.

Keep on Pursuing Love
It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

http://www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

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