Kingdom teaching | Radical Disciples - A Remnant Revolution

Posts Tagged ‘Kingdom teaching’

UNIVERSAL RECIPROCITY

UNIVERSAL RECIPROCITY

Universal reciprocity can be viewed as The Universal Bank in Heaven. It is the only completely secure bank. All other banks can fail, but our deposits are secure in God’s bank. Just as a natural bank is a place where we deposit our money or treasures until we call for them, so the bank of heaven is a depository for our treasures until we call for them. The enemy would like for us to believe that we cannot make withdrawals from the bank of heaven now, that we must wait until we die and go to heaven to have any use of our account in heaven. That same enemy desires that we believe everything about heaven pertains to only the future, and not now. This would be like a bank forbidding us the use of our checking account. Yes, we are to lay up treasures in heaven, not on earth. But where does Scripture say that we must die and go to heaven to before we can access them?

We are being used of God in the business of ruling and reigning on earth with Him. We are God’s earthly managers bringing forth His will on earth as it is in heaven. God’s universal laws govern the working arrangement between God and His earthly managers (mankind). As good managers of God’s assets we are instructed to lay up treasures in heaven by faithfully and obediently managing our lives and all He has put into our hands. We are clearly instructed not to gather treasures on earth for ourselves.

Matthew 6:19-20: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Meeting needs of mankind and the world around us makes a deposit in our account in the universal bank in heaven. We are God’s possession and all that is in our hands belongs to Him. Our personal accounts in heaven are His riches reserved for us. When we have need, God supplies all our need according to His riches in glory.

Philippians 4:17: Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.

Matthew 19:21: Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

1 Peter 1:4: …to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.

Phil 4:19: And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

SOWING AND REAPING

One of the major banking laws governing business activities of the “Universal Bank in Heaven” is the universal law of sowing and reaping. In the realm of physics, this law may be expressed as the law of cause and effect. Isaac Newton said, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” In the realm of finance, one might refer to it as the law of investment and return. A preacher might express it as giving and receiving. The farmer would speak of planting and harvesting. In any case, the law always involves a costly sowing process. We must take what we have and plant it. We may desire to consume it, but we know there will be no harvest if we do not plant.

Psalm 126:5-6: Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Galatians 6:7-l0: Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

We will reap what we sow, if we do not lose heart. We must patiently wait and remain until harvest time. All sowing requires a period of natural growth before harvest. If we, for any reason, lose heart and leave or quit before the harvest time, we will miss the harvest. It may be wasted or another may gather the harvest we planted. Man does not decide when it is harvest time; the crop does. We must be available and ready to put in the sickle immediately when the harvest time comes.

No one can reap until someone has sown. To look for a harvest without sowing means that we are looking to receive from what someone else has sown. This is like borrowing and must be paid back. The account books will be balanced. To continue to borrow (seeking to reap without sowing) will put us further and further in debt and into the bondage of lack. It’s much the same as if we continued to borrow money from a natural bank, but made no payments. We are given an original inheritance in our account but if we never use it to do good, we make no deposits. Our inheritance will soon be gone and we will have nothing in the universal bank to draw upon.

We are to sow (doing good) to all, but especially to those of the household of faith. The more we can do to really meet the needs of God’s people and all mankind, the more we will reap. Helping to provide food for people by farming, processing, or distributing, is sowing. Using what we have to manufacture and distribute or otherwise provide clothing, clean water, adequate housing, transportation, medical services, and so on are forms of meeting needs. Mankind’s greatest need is to be rightly related to God. Preaching and teaching the Word of God, bringing forth the ministry of Jesus by the Holy Spirit to save, heal and deliver is a major area of meeting human needs. The more we do to establish systems or provide resources to accomplish these things, the more we will reap.

2 Corinthians 9:6-12: But this I say: “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, have an abundance for every good work. As it is written: ‘He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness remains forever.’” Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God.

Hebrews 6:10: For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

Becoming Better Managers

Who can meet more needs for mankind, the skilled or the unskilled, the diligent or the slothful, those with Godly wisdom or the unwise, the one who cares for others or the one who cares only for himself, the one who receives wise counsel or the one who listens only to himself, the one who labors or the one who talks idly? The one who meets more needs is making more deposits and subsequently will reap more from the Universal Bank in Heaven.

It is not necessary that men know the good we do. The return does not depend on men. It depends on God and His accounting and reward system in Heaven. We will be rewarded openly for using that which we have to meet the needs of others in secret. Prayer and fasting makes a deposit in the Bank of Heaven. Anything that meets human need, especially the needs of the brethren, makes a deposit.

Matthew 6:1-4,6,17-18: “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in Heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what you right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” “But you when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”

Giving to a person or an organization that is meeting human needs makes a deposit. Investing in a company that is meeting human needs makes a deposit.

The amount of return is based on the net value produced. It costs something to maintain our life and any system of endeavor. The net product is what is left of the value we added after subtracting the value that we consumed or used.

There is positive and negative sowing. If we do good to one person but take away from another, the value we added to mankind is lessened by the amount of negative we sowed. If we go out to help the world but offend our own children, we may take away as much or more than we deposited. The net value added to mankind is our deposit in the Bank of Heaven. If we have not been giving to God by adding value to mankind but have been consuming all God has placed into our hands, we have been robbing God – robbing the bank of heaven.

Malachi 3:8-9: “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ “In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation.”

Jesus said that when we give to the brethren, we give to Him. We give to God by giving to others. Our gift to an organization is a gift to God only if the organization is meeting people’s needs.

Malachi is a transitional book. It is the last book of the Old Testament and in part speaks into the New Testament. The tithe was God’s instruction in the old covenant law that does not transcend into the kingdom. In the new covenant we, and all that we have in our hands are God’s. We are to administer it according to His instruction. In the time of the old covenant, they did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide and empower their lives. Basic laws and rules and the words of the prophets were the Israelites primary forms of direction. There was no potential for them to all become priests and kings as in the new covenant. Rather, God appointed some to be priests and sent prophets to anoint some as kings.

In the kingdom our lives are about giving and serving God by serving His people. We are to be hearing and obeying God’s desire and direction as to how and where we give or serve. In so doing, our treasures are stored in heaven to be drawn upon as needed to provide for meeting more needs in obedience to God’s direction through the Holy Spirit.

There is no room in the kingdom for greed and covetous practices such as have perverted the ways of people, including many Christians, in past centuries. Failure and depletion of available provision comes from the disobedience of keeping back for ourselves what God has given us to invest in meeting needs, which is the business of kingdom management.

Keep on Pursuing Love
It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

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

THE SECOND GREATEST MYSTERY

Posted: April 22, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, teaching, wilderness
Tags: Christian life, kingdom growth, Kingdom living, Kingdom teaching, radical christianity

Can I really be transformed into a pure and holy kingdom builder? Can I really be a part of bringing forth the kingdom of God to actually change the world? Do I really have a part in this or is God going to do it all without any human involvement while I continue to battle personal needs?

The second greatest mystery of the kingdom is only overshadowed by the first greatest mystery, which is LOVE. The first greatest mystery is the source of the power that causes the kingdom to exist, to be ordered, and to be held together. The second greatest mystery is the means by which the kingdom from heaven is implemented to function and grow into the earth.

If we receive the revelation of this second greatest mystery, we will have the ability to bring forth the fruit (production) of the kingdom of God in our lives and into the world. All things will be possible. We are about to uncover the practical, spiritual kingdom principle that is the spiritual mechanism to bring forth the will and plan of God into our lives and into the world. This principle is man’s part in establishing the kingdom of God from heaven on earth.

For a number of years, I lived a “back to nature” type of lifestyle. I lived in a log cabin, grew vegetables and fruits, and raised chickens, cattle, and hogs for food. I would go out to the garden and gather sweet corn, onions, tomatoes, green beans and dig some potatoes and gather other tasty vegetables. Earlier in the spring I had planted the seeds for these vegetables in the soil of my garden. Before planting the seed, I spread manure on the soil and tilled it. I planted the different kinds of seeds where I wanted them to grow. I chose the seeds and planted them, but I did not grow them. The soil grew them. (Here is the mystery.) I cannot explain how the seed became a growing, producing plant; nor can I explain how the soil grew them. But, I could go into the garden at harvest time and gather the fruit.

Jesus said the kingdom of God is like my garden. He said the heart of man is the soil that can “grow” the kingdom of God seed. Previously, from the parable of the sower, we have seen the heart-soils that could not grow the kingdom seed to fruition–the hard-pressed wayside soil of the wounded and hardened heart, the stony soil of our fixed preconceived convictions, and the thorny soil of caring for the things of this life. Hopefully, we have each dealt with these conditions in our own lives. Now, we must receive the greater hidden light–the revelation of the production of the kingdom of God now on earth through the good heart-soil. This is a very important principle and is the intended focus of this key parable. Understanding this parable is fundamental to understanding all kingdom parables.

Mark 4:13: And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?”

Matthew 13: 8-13, 16-18, 23: “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!”

And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. Therefore hear the parable of the sower: (When anyone hears the word of the kingdom…) But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word (of the kingdom) and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Mark 4:20: “But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold some sixty, and some a hundred.”

The above verses that you just read contain one of the greatest hidden mysteries of all life. This great secret is meant to come to light. All hidden mysteries in the Word are to be revealed. Please give great heed to your hearing at this point. Please do not regard these scriptures lightly. Pray for revelation and meditate these verses. Wait upon God, and do not let the powerful truths get by you.

You must have an ear to hear. Not everyone will hear the great mystery hidden in these parables. Only the good soil, the emptied, healed, purified, humble heart will clearly hear it.

Many great men of God from the past have sought to know and hear these mysteries and could not. The time is now for those who are pure in heart to hear. If there are yet needs and impurities remaining in your heart, the great impact of this revelation will not appear to you. If, however, your once-hardened heart-soil is healed, freed from rocks and thorn bushes, you may hear and continue to hold onto the powerful understanding of the production of the kingdom of heaven on earth. Nothing will be impossible to you.

Mark 4:21-25: And He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

And He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear more will be given. For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

The mystery is revealed only to those who are entering the kingdom.

Luke 8:16-18: “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”

Prophets and angels desired to hear the great mystery of the kingdom in this parable. If you are purifying your heart by the revelation (manifestation) of Jesus Christ within you, through the Holy Spirit, to the sincere love of the brethren and are receiving the incorruptible seed, the Word (rhema) of God, you may hear and understand this great mystery.

Peter 1:10,12,13b,20b: Of this salvation (deliverance) the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,…To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven things which angels desired to look into.

“…rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation (or manifestation) of Jesus Christ… manifest (or revealed) in these last times for you. (“Christ IN YOU the hope of glory.” Col. 1:27) (“…when He comes (or appears), in that day, to be glorified IN His saints…” 2 Thessalonians. 1-10a).

Jesus is the Word of God and the Truth. He is the Seed of God, sown in our heart-soil, producing the life of Christ Jesus in us, ruling and reigning with us now.

1 Peter 1:22-23: Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in the sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.

Jesus Christ is the Word of God, the express image of the Father sent out from God. He was the original mind of creation. It was through Jesus that all creation was made and by Him all creation continues to exist. Jesus, Who is in His saints, has authority over all creation.

John 1:1-4,10: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

Colossians 1:16-17: For by Him (Jesus) all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

Jesus became the seed, the Word from God, sown into the hearts of men and is reproducing His life in the lives of His people through the Holy Spirit. Jesus, living in us now, will produce the plan and rule of God on earth. Jesus in us has all authority over creation. Jesus, planted in the soil of the heart of man, can grow into the abundant, fulfilling, powerful, and peaceful kingdom of God life. Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, can enrich our heart-soil with the supernatural, spiritual nutrition of the powers of creation.

The heart soil of man under Jesus’ control is the creation center for God on Earth. God can bring forth anything He desires on Planet Earth through the Jesus-filled child of God. He need only plant the seed of His desire into the yielded, cleansed, and prepared heart of a man or woman, and the natural growth processes will of themselves grow His plan into the earth.

A seed is a living pattern that grows. Only in recent decades have scientists begun to learn about genetics. It is known that every living organism has something called DNA or genetic coding, an extremely complex series of chemical coding that completely describes and determines the organism. Millions of different genes in different arrangements determine what the organism is, what it will look like, the coloring, potential size, intelligence-level potential, and every characteristic for each individual. A complete living pecan tree is within each pecan. Somehow in the meat of the pecan, which we may choose to crack and eat, is the whole living pecan tree with all its characteristics coded genetically within the seed.

As it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual. A word from God is a spiritually, genetically coded seed. It is living and completely defined within the seed or word. As the life within a natural seed is dormant until the seed is planted in the soil, so also a word from God to us is dormant until planted in the soil of our heart. A word from God is a seed (a living pattern that grows). God furnishes the seed; that’s His part. Man’s part is to plant the seed in good soil. The seed is a word. A word is a vision, picture, thought or an idea for changing creation to conform to God’s desire. A seed is a living design from God for changing the earth and things on the earth.

God speaks (sows) His word into the heart of man through the receiver in man’s heart (the ear to hear). Thus, a word (seed) from the spiritual realm is received into the physical realm. If believed (received and planted) into the heart-soil of man, it can sprout and grow into the physical realm.

THE EARTH EGG

In addition to growing a garden, I also raised chickens. I would gather eggs and select some to put in the incubator. The others were taken to the house and put in the refrigerator to be eaten. When I cracked the eggs to put them in a cake or perhaps to scramble some for breakfast, a shapeless glob of clear matter with a round yellow part in the center would fall out. The glob had no form and, apparently, no life in it. If, however, that same egg had received a seed from a male chicken and had been placed in my incubator or brooded over by the female chicken, it would have taken on form and identity and become a living, breathing, baby chick, with all kinds of intricate systems for life. It would have eyes to see, a little beak to peck with, dainty feet to walk with, tiny toe nails to scratch with, and even a built in peep-peep.

The chick will grow to be like his father who supplied the seed and his mother who supplied the egg. (Male and female he created them). The egg is a mass of raw material waiting for a seed to define it. If the seed came from a large, black rooster, the genetic coding would probably cause the egg to turn into a little, black chick, which would grow into a large black chicken. If the rooster had been a small, red one, the chick would probably become a small, red chicken. The earth and all it contains are like the egg. Without a defining word from God, it is a formless glob. When God speaks a word, a multitude of spiritual, genetic coding is released to bring form and order to the glob of creation. The male part of creation is God’s part (the genetically-coded, spiritual seed); the female (wife) part is our part (the good soil).

The earth was without form and void. It was like an egg. The raw material was there; but it had no specific shape or form and no identification. An egg is just a mass of runny, white stuff and a glob of yellow matter. You may have had one this morning for breakfast splattered out and then fried or scrambled. The earth, like an egg, was brooded over by the Holy Spirit then GOD SAID. The word of God (the seed) came, and the earth took on form and intricate systems of life. Multitudes of spiritual, genetic coding came forth as God spoke forth creation.

Genesis 1:2-3,6,9,11,14,20,24: The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering (or brooding) over the face of the waters. Then GOD SAID, “Let there be light”, and there was light. Then GOD SAID, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” Then GOD SAID, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together in one place, and let the dry land appear.” …Then GOD SAID, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth.” … Then GOD SAID, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night.’” … Then GOD SAID, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind.”

Are you hearing the mystery?

What is planted in the hearts of people is what will come forth in their lives and the world. This is what determines what our lives become in our lifetime. This is why one person may be able to overcome extreme obstacles and achieve great and noble accomplishments. While another man with equal or greater potential cannot seem to accomplish anything of significance in the kingdom. Regardless of how hard he tries, he is unable to overcome and unable to be powerfully used in the kingdom of God.

The answer is not more intelligence, better education, better breaks, noble birth, mere chance, harder work, devious scheming, fate, or any other natural circumstance. Who we are by birth, where we came from, and what breaks we get are not the primary factors that will determine our production in the kingdom. The answer will be found in the revelation of the mystery of the natural growth of a thought (idea, word) in the heart. It is what we hear. What we really listen to and believe will shape our life and affect the world around us. The thoughts (words) that we receive and allow to remain in our hearts will create who we are and what we do, which will determine our ability to overcome and fulfill our God-given destiny in life.

We do not have to know how it works. We do not have to know how it will be done. But, we must listen to, hear and believe what God is saying. Then the goal He has for our life will grow into being. “…for it is God Who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

Who can know how a glob of clear matter in an egg can become a living, breathing being with instincts, intelligence, and personality that can hear, feel, smell, taste, and see? Consider all the tiny organs, nerves, blood vessels, etc., that must be perfectly formed to sustain life. By some miraculous process, the DNA of the seed defines all these things and in only 21 days of brooding, the transformation is complete. How does the tiny heart begin pumping? What turns it on or starts it up? If you will tell me exactly how all of this happens, I will tell you how a word planted in the heart of man can transform the things of earth.

When we speak of a word, obviously we are not just talking about letters arranged together on a page. A word is a thought, an idea, a vision, or picture. A vision or dream may contain a series of pictures with many thoughts and feelings. When God spoke all growing and living things into being, He had to express an immeasurable amount of minute details. Everything was defined in what He said–the spiritual DNA or genetic coding emanating from Him. A word, thought, idea, or vision is a seed. It has the power to define life and grow into the natural world. A word is alive and potentially very powerful if received into the heart. The seed must be planted in the soil or in the egg. The Bible calls this process of receiving and planting “faith”.

After God completed the work of creation and placed all the universal laws that govern it in place, He created man in His image and gave man dominion on earth. Man has the supernatural creative potential to grow whatever seed is planted in his heart-soil into being in the world.

Every work or accomplishment of man begins with a thought, an idea. Every great building in our vast cities of today began with a thought. Every great church, ministry, business, or any other work of man was, at one time, a seed or word. Without a doubt, every invention, scientific discovery, or work of art began as a thought, an idea – a word. When the seed (vision/word/thought) that is planted is from God, the result will be God’s plan growing into the world and the kingdom of God being established in the world. If the seed is from another source, another kingdom will grow into the world.

Jesus, the greatest miracle worker, once said, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do.” Where and how did He see the Father doing things? The Father is Spirit. Jesus was in a natural body. He saw by the Spirit within Him. He heard and saw words, visions, and ideas from the Father by the Spirit.

The second greatest mystery/principle is receiving the seed from God and growing it into our lives and then into the world through the creative power of our heart-soil.

The second greatest mystery/principle is FAITH.

Keep on Pursuing Love

It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

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

UNIVERSAL LAWS

Posted: April 18, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Parents, teaching
Tags: God's love, kingdom growth, Kingdom teaching, radical disciples, Spirit led life, The Kingdom of God, worldly kingdom

GOD HAS ESTABLISHED UNCHANGING LAWS THAT GOVERN ALL OF HIS CREATION.

THE EFFECTS OF THESE LAWS ARE PREDICTABLE, DO NOT VARY, AND ARE THE SAME FOR EVERYONE.

ONLY GOD WHO MADE THE UNIVERSAL LAWS CAN CHANGE OR OVERRULE THEM.

Alignment with God’s Universal Laws causes an easy flow of successful life as we flow with the order and empowerment of God.

Misalignment with God’s Universal Laws causes a stressful, difficult fight as one attempts to succeed while hindered by much disorder and destruction apart from the flow of God.

Moving in the same direction as the flow of God’s universal design produces good life. Moving across or against the lines of God’s flow brings great disorder as strong forces of God’s universal laws attempt to realign us with the direction of His flow of life.

Men study the effects of the universal laws and refer to them as laws of science or nature. Laws less understood by man, and not definable as science or nature may be referred to as mysteries or mystery laws.

Secular education is the study of the effects of the universal laws. We call these studies physics, biology, botany, chemistry, psychology, etc. Men combine and arrange this knowledge into logical systems of study to accomplish specific goals or works. These systems of study may be called engineering, agriculture, medicine, electronics, etc.

If we are to succeed in life and walk in the kingdom of God lifestyle, we must with the universal laws of God. Our every endeavor must be aligned with and in accord with these laws of creation or it will result in failure. Being aligned with universal laws and in accord with God’s plan assures good success in our life experience.

Natural man seeks to achieve success by using his intellect to devise systems for working with the universal laws of God. To the degree that he is able to understand and align with these universal laws, he succeeds. However, because natural man’s understanding of the universal laws is always incomplete, especially the “mystery” laws, he never totally succeeds and is always searching.

The effects of universal laws are obvious; but, the laws, themselves, are spirit and cannot be seen. They originate in God, Who is Spirit, and emanate from Him as spiritual energy. In John 3:8, Jesus compares spiritual things to wind. You can hear and see its effects, but you cannot see the wind or tell where it comes from or where it goes. All true science researched to its deepest origin disappears into the spiritual and can be investigated no further by natural means. It becomes a mystery and can only be understood only by spiritual revelation from God. Things that appear supernatural may be very natural according to the mystery or spiritual laws.

An example of one of these mysteries is the seed. How the living pattern of an oak tree, with all its limbs, life systems, bark and leaf definitions and majestic shape, is stored up in the simple light-brown matter of an acorn, is more than intellect can fathom. Another example is found in the basic function of cell multiplication. A biology textbook might say something like, “The cells decide to divide and do so,” which simply means, “we don’t have the foggiest idea why cells divide and multiply”. Let’s look at the atom as another example. Energy somehow changes form and becomes matter. How does energy get changed into electrons, protons, and neutrons? Where did the energy come from and who gave the command for it to change its form?

Universal laws were spoken forth by and continue to emanate from the Spirit, Almighty God. All creation came into being and continues to exist by the intelligent design and released power of the one Spirit, triune God.

Hebrews 11:3: By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Colossians 1:16-19: For by Him (Jesus) all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He might have preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell.

Hebrews 1:2-3: …has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, Whom He has appointed heir of all things, through Whom also He made the worlds; Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power…

Jesus fully understands the universal laws, including the mystery laws, and has complete power over them. We have potential access to Jesus, His understanding and power through the Holy Spirit. As Jesus lives in us and we are led by His Spirit, we can live as Christ lives in the world. Jesus demonstrated His authority over universal law as He raised the dead, healed the deformed, the sick and the blind with a word or a touch. How many laws of science and nature bowed to the Master as He walked on the churning sea, or with a word quieted the raging storm?

Jesus demonstrated His understanding of all things as He spoke forth fathomless, kingdom wisdom and the unraveling of mysteries in simple stories about ordinary things. The riches and the depths of wisdom are yet being revealed from these simple parables. Unlocking this wisdom and applying it in our lives can be very productive.

God, unlike natural man, has perfect understanding of all His universal laws. In Christ we have the potential to hear and obey the Spirit of God. Walking in the Spirit produces a life fully in alignment with the universal laws.

Universal laws are universal scientific realities of creation. For our understanding, they must be distinguished from the directive, instructional, behavioral laws given to man by the written or spoken Word of God. The instructional rules or laws are given to help us align with the universal laws of creation.

Rules or Instructional Law

If obeyed the instructional law will cause people to be aligned with His universal laws of creation, even if they don’t understand about the universal laws. Specific rules are for people who may not understand the greater principles of the universal laws. In the Old Testament, rules or instructional laws were given, which, if obeyed, caused the people to live more successfully.

For example, the Old Testament people of God were told not to eat the fat of the meat. They knew nothing of cholesterol or any of the other potential health hazards of eating fat. However, if they obeyed the instruction, they prospered. They were also told to rest the land every seventh year, which allowed it to replenish itself. Again, they may not have understood fully about fertilizers, etc. But, if they adhered to the instructional law, they were more prosperous. They were also instructed not to closely intermarry. They did not understand genetics, but God did.

Joshua 1:7: “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.”

The instructions from God are not for the purpose of limiting His children’s fun or to prevent us from gaining wealth. On the contrary, His rules are keys for our success in life. They will bring us into alignment with the universal laws and enable us to really enjoy life. A life of obedience to God is a very exciting and prosperous adventure and is characterized by inner peace, real joy, and the fruits of righteousness.

In the New Testament, Jesus explains the instructions more clearly. He gives more in-depth understanding of the intent of the rules. He teaches principles which, if understood and obeyed, will bring us to real success and prosperity in all areas of life. He speaks of purity and righteousness that exceeds rule keeping, and flows naturally from a power source of inner love for God and man. He speaks clearly of a self-sacrificing lifestyle and a deeper level of commitment, which leads to abundant life. He also speaks clearly specifically commanding us to love one another, love our enemies and love God with all our heart. However, He also speaks plainly of the hatred of the world coming against us. He speaks these things plainly and directly.

Yet, the deep and great mysteries regarding the rule and dominion of earth are spoken figuratively and in parables that can only be received by spiritual revelation. The great understanding of how to flow and work with God’s universal laws, some of the most valuable instructions of the kingdom of God are veiled in symbolic language and appear as foolishness to the natural man.

By the gifts and leadership of the Holy Spirit, the spiritual man can receive the revelation of Christ Jesus and His kingdom principles, which will align him with universal laws and produce good success in his life.

Ephesians 1:17-19: ….that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the workings of His mighty power.

Receiving Jesus’ revelation of the kingdom of God can bring us practical keys of spiritual wisdom. These keys and principles can help us determine every situation in such a way that it will bring us into alignment with universal law that leads to an abundant, victorious, overcoming life. Few men, if any, have fully tapped into the revelation of kingdom living. However, all who have come close discover that all things are becoming possible to them and that victory is their normal way of life. They also become aware that they are misunderstood and misjudged by those who are not yet hearing and applying kingdom wisdom.

We are about to attempt to reach into and touch the ancient wisdom of God, the deeper, hidden mysteries of the kingdom of God. It is the knowledge of this wisdom that makes the difference between the extraordinary and the ordinary. Probably most of us have wondered at some time why some men achieve greater levels of accomplishment than we can even think while others, with equal or perhaps even greater natural ability, struggle desperately for very meager achievements. Not everyone will hear the kingdom wisdom that can transform their lives from the ordinary to the extraordinary and can bring them to levels of life they have not even dreamed of.

“He, who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Keep on Pursuing Love
It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

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

FORGIVENESS & BEYOND

Posted: April 17, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Parents, Prophetic, teaching, wilderness
Tags: broken hearted, discipleship, emotionally wounded, God's love, kingdom growth, Kingdom living, Kingdom teaching, radical christianity

Our source of forgiveness is Jesus. If He had not forgiven us, we would not have the potential to forgive. We have the potential to forgive any and all wrongs no matter how severe or how terrible. We must, for our own good, choose from the heart to forgive. It is a choice, an act of the will, which we can choose over our feelings. Forgiving is a decision. We make the decision to forgive or not to forgive. Making no decision is actually a decision to remain in unforgiveness.

Not only must we forgive every person, but we must also forgive ourselves for anything that we have done to hurt others or ourselves. We must also forgive God for anytime that we feel that He let us down. We also may need to forgive organizations or institutions, as we would a person. The tormentors do not care who or what the unforgiveness is against because any unforgiveness gives them the license to do their deadly, painful work.

Matthew 18: 21-35: Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’

“Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

Matthew 6: 9-15: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Mark 11:22-26: So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea’, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

We may not feel like forgiving. On the contrary, our flesh may be screaming for vengeance. In the heat of the situation, everything in us may desire to do great harm to the offender. Our natural, fleshly drive to destroy the offending person is there for our protection in the natural world. If an offender is attempting to rape or murder my child, I will stop at nothing to prevent that from happening. The fatherly rage that would cause me to do great harm to the offender to stop or prevent the attack is natural. The problem develops after the offense is committed and my rage can do nothing to stop or prevent it. That natural desire now becomes a desire to become like God and do His work by taking vengeance on the offender.

Hebrews 10: 30-31: For we know Him Who said, “Vengeance is Mine: I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

God wants to convert the pain of the offense into love–that wonderful, peaceful “love-flow” of God Himself moving upon our heart. The more painful the offense, the sweeter the love will be that results from the act of forgiveness. Personally, I am not sure we can ever really know the overwhelming, pure, sweet love of God apart from experiencing deep pain and the beautiful love that forgiving produces.

The choice is ours. Because Jesus forgave us while we were yet sinners, we have the potential, by His power, to forgive. Are you ready to be set free from the torment of unforgiveness and forgive no matter what? Jesus said, “Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him”. When you are ready to make the decision to forgive, pray something like the following prayer from your heart.

I repent of all unforgiveness in my life. In the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, as an act of my will, I choose to forgive from my heart anyone and everyone who has ever hurt me or harmed me in any way, in my entire life. I specifically choose to forgive _____________, __________, and _________.

I release them in Jesus’ name. I say it is all right if they never make it right. I hold nothing against them, and, in the name of Jesus, I ask You, Father, to bless them, to meet their needs in all areas of their lives.

Father, I forgive myself for all I have done to hurt or harm myself and others; and, Father, I forgive You for any time I felt that You let me down. I say that You are good, God, and I trust You with my life. Father, I thank You that I am forgiven and that I have forgiven.

In the name of Jesus, I command all powers of darkness, you may never again use any of this unforgiveness to bring torment or stress of any form into my life.

Father, I thank You that I have forgiven and that I am forgiven. Thank You Father, in the name of Jesus.

HEALING THE HEART BEYOND FORGIVING

Painful experiences of our lives are locked into the permanent memory section of our minds. Painful memories, whether conscious or subconscious, have affected our spirit and may have wounded it. These painful memories may also have crushed our will and shattered our emotions. These negative, painful experiences stored in our heart cause us to see and understand life according to our experiences. They serve to control us by affecting our behavior. We are bound into negative patterns by the stored pains of the past. These detrimental patterns must be changed for us to walk in kingdom freedom.

The ministry of Christ Jesus includes healing the brokenhearted. God has provided all that we need in Jesus to heal our wounded spirit and soul. We need only to appropriate the ministry of Jesus to heal our broken heart and to be set free from the bondage of our wounds. When negative experiences stored in our memory are healed, they will no longer cause bitterness to return.

Psalm 25: 17-19: The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Oh, bring me out of my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain, and forgive all my sins. Consider my enemies, for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.

Psalm 147: 9-3: The Lord builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Isaiah 6l: 1-4: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, 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. And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.”

Luke 4:18-1 9a: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed (bruised), to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Next, the heavy hammer smashes the windshield and windows. The car windows are like our emotions; the blows of stressful experiences shatter them. Finally, the big hammer begins to repeatedly smash into the motor, until that which makes the car go is destroyed; just like the repeated blows of negative wounding experiences crush our will. Our inner man becomes a battered and shattered wreck with no power or motivation to drive down the road of life.

cover our dents and broken parts. We must also defend ourselves against any more painful blows; therefore, we often defend ourselves by attacking others.

Not only can our past wounds cause us to have a poor self-image, low self-esteem, lack of confidence, and lack of motivation, they can also cause unreasonable fear that cripples us. This irrational fear causes us to avoid relationships and life situations that God desires for us. Fear can cause us to act and react in such a way that we may miss entering into some of the good things God desires for us.

We may often think we are reacting to circumstances, but we may actually be reacting from an attitude created by our past hurting memories.

The man screamed out in pain and fear. He began running limping and screaming toward his house. In his haste, he tripped and fell headlong onto the rough driveway, injuring his knees and hands. The mail was scattered and left as the man scrambled to his feet again and continued his hysterical run to his house limping and bleeding.

Well, after many months of not going to the mailbox, there came a time when he really needed to go. He was quite sure the check that he was waiting for was in the box, and he needed to get it in the bank. He had gained confidence as he had observed others safely getting their mail; so, he decided to try it. He carried a gun, a big stick and a mace protection device. And, just in case all else might fail, he wore heavy, tall leather boots and two pairs of heavy pants. (Do some of us ever walk around emotionally “armed and ready” to defend ourselves like this man?)

One day, several months later, as the man was getting his mail, a very friendly, little black puppy came toward the man. The puppy was happily bouncing along, wagging his tail, hoping to make a new friend and maybe get a few loving pats.

This man was not reacting to the reality of the situation, but was reacting from past wounds stored in his memory. Hurting memories caused him to be unable to receive affection from the puppy or to be able to give affection. He hurt the little puppy, and may have planted seeds in the puppy that someday could cause it to bite him, just as he feared.

THE PROCESS OF HEALING

The ministry of Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, flowing through other people, can bring

unconditional love, acceptance, mercy, grace, and forgiveness are supplied. However, if something other than these attitudes exist within the people involved, more wounding can occur as we begin to let down our defenses and open ourselves to others.

Only healed people can help heal people. Hurting people always hurt people.

For some of us with severe experiences in our past it may be helpful to pray specifically for healing of our wounded hearts. It may also be very helpful to pray with another godly person.

James 5:16: Confess your trespasses (faults) to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed …

release the memories to God for healing. Holding on to a negative past can hinder a godly future. Attaining the resurrection life of Christ involves forgetting those things, which are behind and reaching forward to those things, which are ahead (Philippians 3:11-14). By an act of our will, we must choose to stop relating to stress from past memories. Although it is our decision, it is Christ who does the work.

James 4:2 KJV, says, “Ye have not because ye ask not”. Asking specifically is an important principle of prayer. If we ask God to heal our hurting memories now, and believe in our heart that we have what we ask, it is done. We must confess with our mouth it is done and thank Him for healing the memory now (Mark 11:23). We must not continue to meditate the memory and pray for God to heal us someday. We are not asking for Jesus to provide healing for us. It is already fully provided. We are coming into agreement with what Jesus has provided and appropriating it into our lives.

Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, I release to You for healing all the wounded, hurting, or negative memories of my entire life, whether conscious or subconscious, from my conception through my birth, the first few years of my life, my childhood, all my adult life, and to this present moment. I specifically release to You for healing the memory of______________, _____________, _____________, and______________—-

I release all these memories to You. Heal me now. Give me release of all the stress. I choose by an act of my will never again to receive stress from these memories. Thank You for healing me. I say that I am healed of all these memories, in Jesus’ name. Thank You, Father, for healing me.

I command all powers of darkness, in the name of Jesus, you may never again use any of these memories to bring stress into my life or affect my life in any negative way, in Jesus’ name.

We must daily walk in the process of repentance, forgiveness, and healing–repentance for every adulterated motive, as we recognize them, forgiveness for every offense as they occur, and healing for every painful experience. If we are wounded during the course of the day, we can be completely healed before bedtime.

peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

(Ephesians 1:17-19).

Keep on Pursuing Love
It Will Never Fail,

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

BEYOND REPENTANCE

Posted: April 16, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Parents
Tags: Bride of Christ, Christian life, kingdom growth, Kingdom teaching, radical christianity, Spirit first

Beauty for ashes. One thing is certain; if you have ashes, you have had a fire. We cannot build anything back from ashes. If the structure had been blown down by a storm, we might have been able to have gathered up some fragments and rebuilt something of the ruins. But when a fire has totally destroyed the building, man cannot rebuild from the pieces. If your life seems to be ablaze and is being destroyed, take hope. God will truly give you beauty for the ashes, if you continue to move toward the kingdom of God life.

Before we turned and started moving, we were not meeting the enemy head on. We unknowingly were going the same way. Now that the turn around is made, we will meet the enemy head on and overcome him in the strength of our Lord, the Victorious One.

Now, he can be successful in preventing them from standing up and fighting. If he can keep Christians focusing all their hopes in heaven someday, he will keep them from fighting now.

God gives the victory, but we must fight the war.

The kingdom of heaven does suffer violence and the violent do take it by force.

Spiritual warfare is fought with faith in God and His Word, hearing and believing the Word of God by the Spirit of God, praying the fulfillment of the Word of God, speaking the Word of God by the Spirit of God, proclaiming what God has said by the power of the indwelling Spirit of Christ Jesus, walking in the Spirit and not in the lust of the flesh, believing what God says above any other word, standing in the Spirit and Word of God, speaking the truth of the Word in love at all times, using the authority of Christ flowing through love by the Holy Spirit within us to rule and reign with Christ, and doing the will of God by the power of the indwelling Spirit of God.

Ephesians 6:12: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:17b-18a: …and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…

APPROPRIATING GOD’S PROVISION
(THE MINISTRY OF JESUS)
Our battle is for faith–knowing and believing the words of God. The ministry of Jesus, the Anointed One, provides complete salvation including redemption of our spirit, soul and body. The ministry of Jesus is for the healing of our broken spirit, mind, will, and emotions; deliverance from spiritual captivity; recovery of spiritual sight to the spiritually blind; liberty from downtrodden bondage of wounding oppression; and the favor or spiritual prosperity of God, if we have faith. The provisions of God are activated in our own life when we believe in our heart and confess with our mouth.

Luke 4:18-19: (And Jesus said), The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed (bruised), to preach the acceptable (favorable) year of the Lord.”

Romans 10:8-10: But what does it say? “The word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.” believe in their heart and confess with their mouth are saved. He has provided kingdom of God freedom for all believers to walk in now.

However, not all believers are walking in kingdom freedom now. The provision of Christ must be appropriated into the individual’s life by believing in the heart and speaking with the mouth.

Jesus is the “life-changer”. The ministry of Jesus, the Anointed One, by the Holy Spirit can make deep, permanent, inner changes in the person’s life-structure. Jesus will, without discrimination, change anyone who will meet the necessary conditions of believing in the heart and confessing with the mouth the resurrected Christ.
James 5:16: Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

“Pray for one another”

Intercessory prayer may be required to release the anointing of Christ to break through the canopy of spiritual blindness, deception, and delusion of the enemy before the light of God can enter to expose sin. Once the enemy is pushed back and the light enters by the hearing of the Word by the Spirit, the person can and must decide to repent of exposed sin and not continue to justify or defend it. He must agree with God that sin is sin and be willing to turn from it toward Jesus as Lord.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.” appropriated by faith and executed by prayer, can tear down the old life-structure and create a new heart. The work of enemy spirits and negative character qualities can be eliminated and the true victory of overcoming can be established in the life. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

The story in Mark chapter two, of a man carried by others to Jesus can help to kindle or renew hope in the person who feels hopeless because he does not yet have faith to make it to Jesus for his freedom on his own. Jesus did not just look at the faith of the man on the cot. He was perhaps too weak, too far gone to have much faith. But Jesus saw the faith of those letting him down through the roof, as well as the lame man’s faith.

Mark 2:5-12: When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, ‘why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, your sins are forgiven you, or to say, arise, take up your bed and walk? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”— He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go your way to your house.” And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Say in faith, in accordance with the Word of God, particularly with two in agreement, has great impact in the spiritual realm to bring forth the will of God into the natural realm. Principalities and powers of darkness in the spiritual realm must respond to what we believe and say when we speak in the name of Jesus. The conditions and character qualities of our own heart will also respond to the Word of God as we speak to ourselves in the name of Jesus, the Anointed One.

Mark 11:23-24: “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

Matthew 17:20: So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 18:16b: “… by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.”

Proverbs 18:21: Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Matthew 8:8: The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.”

Matthew 8:16: When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick.

Matthew 18:18-20: “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

How do we bind or loose according to the word of God? Binding and loosing might be compared respectively to either tying up a subject with ropes or cutting the ropes and letting that subject go free. We bind or loose with our words. As we ask (speak) in agreement on earth, the power of God in the spiritual realm is activated to restrain or to set free. What we say and pray has a restraining or a releasing effect in the spiritual realm. It is as if our words are the ropes that go out from our mouth and wrap around something to bind it and stop its activity. Conversely, our words are the power that cuts the ropes off the subject and allows it to become active.

When we pray for a person in severe need, we may need to bind the powers of darkness that are keeping the light out. Until their power and work is stopped, the person’s spiritual sight is impaired. Binding is the releasing of spiritual power by prayer that can temporarily stop the enemy’s activity. We may also need to loose spiritual enlightenment, so the Word can flow into the person’s heart leading to repentance, cleansing, and strengthening. When the works of the spirits are bound, the Word of God can and must then be built into the life. Then, Jesus can and must truly become Lord of the life. It is always important to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in effective prayer ministry. The

Holy Spirit can lead an individual or a group in this prayer ministry.

Once the works of the spirits of spiritual blindness, darkness, deception, and delusion are temporarily bound, the person will be able to hear the truth without hindrance. Then the individual must make a decision to receive the word of truth or to reject it. Until the spirits of darkness have been stopped the person may not be able to hear the word of kingdom truth in his heart; and, therefore is not free to make a decision.

(Matthew 6:10-15), He showed us how to pray and taught us to forgive others. According to these Scriptures, forgiving is an important factor in seeking the kingdom of God.

Unforgiveness can be a serious hindrance to the kingdom of God coming on earth in our lives. One of the most important aspects of being restored by Christ to the kingdom of God lifestyle is forgiving.

Keep on Pursuing Love
It Will Never Fail,
Ron McGatlin
http://www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

THE DIVIDED-HEART TREE

Posted: April 15, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, teaching, wilderness
Tags: Kingdom living, kingdom of darkness, Kingdom teaching, radical christianity

The enemy first must capture the hearts and minds of people; then, he can attack and pervert the heavenly family pattern of governance at all levels and replace it with Babylonian patterns.

Through the methods described in the Bad-Heart Tree, the ability to function in the heavenly family pattern is stolen from natural families. Social order and all levels of governance in much of the world have become patterned after Babylon. The need and greed of the self-centered individual perverts the love of the husband for the wife and creates an abusive relationship. The respect for the husband from the wife is turned into competition and disrespect. The honor and obedience of the children becomes rebellious dishonor and disobedience. Babylonian chaos replaces kingdom of God order.

Jesus came to restore the hearts and minds of man to the heavenly family pattern. In Christ, man becomes a new creation and old things pass away. In Christ, the potential is there for husbands to love their wives, wives to respect their husbands, and children to honor and obey their parents. Remember, this pattern is for the family, business, and all forms of governance in the kingdom of God. When God’s people seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first and above all else, the heavenly family pattern rules all areas of their lives.

The Divided-Heart Tree

There is another heart tree that is different from those we have previously considered. It is not the Good-Heart Tree, the purified-bride heart tree. Nor is it the Bad-Heart Tree, the impure-harlot heart tree. It is not the double-minded heart tree, which operates all the way, one way or the other at any given time.

The Divided-Heart Tree is a hybrid, impure-wife heart tree. It is the adulteress heart-tree. This person is married to Jesus. One side of his heart is producing good fruit to Jesus. But, because he is not completely healed, one side of his heart is still affected by the harlotry of Babylon. It is like two streams coming together, one muddy and one pure. It is like a wife riding in the front seat of the car with her husband while reaching back in the back seat to hold hands with her old lover.

Spiritual adultery is both GOD-SEEKING and SELF-SEEKING at the same time. It is a mixture of both GOD-SERVING and SELF-SERVING at the same time.

Psalm 12:2: They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double (divided) heart they speak.

Hosea 10:2: Their heart is divided; now they are held guilty. He will break down their altars; He will ruin their sacred pillars.

2 Chronicles 25:2: And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a loyal heart.

James 3:10-14: Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring can yield both salt water and fresh.

Adultery, both spiritual and natural, is one of the most hideous sins of man. Perhaps no other sin brings as much loss and destruction in life. Adultery in the natural realm can cost a person the intimacy of a pure marriage relationship. Adultery in the spiritual realm will cost the intimacy of a pure relationship with God. Adultery in the natural can cost all a man possesses–all his wealth, every good thing he has accomplished in his life, and perhaps even his very life. Spiritual adultery can wreck a person’s spiritual life in the same way.

Spiritual adultery in God’s called out people is a horrible thing and never goes unnoticed by God. The adulteress, unlike the harlot, sincerely loves, respects, and honors her husband (Jesus) with part of her heart. She really knows Him and obeys Him with part of her heart. But, she only pretends obedience with the rest of her heart. She is still in bondage to some Babylonian harlot ways. While genuinely seeking to serve God, at the same time she is seeking to serve herself and get the position, money, security, fame, or whatever she needs or wants.

The man of God with an adulterated heart will often be among the most highly esteemed within the church. He has double motivation – both a sincere desire to serve God and a desire to accomplish something for himself at the same time. Consequently, he will be among the most zealous, the first to arrive, the last to leave, eager to volunteer, the best at keeping the rules, always willing to help, and is generally very busy. This makes him the most likely to be promoted or ordained in the institutional church or business. Whatever he does will usually grow rapidly; and, suddenly, at some point, it comes crashing down. Spiritual wisdom and discernment are necessary to distinguish between the truly dedicated, totally sold out, dynamic servant of God filled with vision and compassion of the Spirit, from the double motivated, divided heart adulteress.

Some Christians may become very confused when they see only one side of the divided heart person. They observe the godly side and are rightly convinced that this is a man that sincerely desires to serve God. He truly loves God with one side of his heart and life and some good fruit is evident. However, if and when they are exposed to the other side of this person, they may be quite shocked, disappointed, and confused. Much failure may result, and much damage may occur to the Christians. Adulterated men of God bring a curse on the people.

Jeremiah 23:14: “Also I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem: they commit adultery and walk in lies; they also strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns back from his wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to Me, and her inhabitants like Gomorrah.”

Jeremiah 23:10: For the land is full of adulterers; for because of a curse, the land mourns. The pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up. Their course of life is evil, and their might is not right.

We all have been greatly affected by and trained in Babylonian ways. Studying old Babylon and old Jerusalem in the Old Testament provides clear insight into Mystery Babylon and New Jerusalem of today. Most of the world, the church, and each of us individually have been or are now ruled by the patterns of Babylon. In a very real sense, the church and world have been taken captive to Babylon. We’ve all been held captive in Babylon for a long season. We have had to be trained in the ways of Babylon in order to survive while there. We had to learn to live and prosper in Babylon while we were captive there. Now, God is saying, “Your captivity is over; come out of Babylon, my people; come into New Jerusalem.” It is time now for God’s people to fully lay aside the ways of life in Babylon and walk in God’s kingdom ways only.

Jeremiah 29: 4-l5, 28: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters – that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace, you will have peace.”

For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them,” says the Lord.

For thus says the Lord: “After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says the Lord, “thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” says the Lord, “and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,” says the Lord, “and I will bring you to the place from which I caused you to be carried away captive.”

“Because you have said, ‘The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon. For He has sent to us in Babylon, saying, “This captivity is long; build houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit”’.”

Jeremiah 51:44-45, 49-5: “I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring out of his mouth what he has swallowed; and the nations shall not stream to him anymore. Yes, the wall of Babylon shall fall. My people, go out of the midst of her! And let everyone deliver himself from the fierce anger of the Lord. As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon the slain of all the earth shall fall. You who have escaped the sword, get away! Do not stand still! Remember the Lord afar off, and let Jerusalem come to your mind.”

It is time for us to be set free from Babylonian ways that have become ingrained in our lives. Much of the Babylonian thinking has become so much a part of us that it may be difficult to realize we need to be changed. In Babylon, it was commendable to strive to get fame and fortune. Striving to get more and be better than others was normal, good behavior. Getting the most you could get for the least you could get by with giving, was considered good business. If the other guy got the short end of the deal, so what? That was “good horse trading”. After all, if you did not outsmart him and “get him first,” he would get you. We have been infiltrated with this kind of thinking.

But in New Jerusalem, competition has no place in the church or in business. In New Jerusalem, we serve God by serving mankind. A job or business is something we do to serve, not something we do to get. A ministry is no different. It is something we do to serve. Not what we do to get something we need, such as money or position or a sense of well being.

If we stop to really consider why we do what we do, we might find that our motives are mixed with self-seeking, along with our desires to be God-serving. If we examine our methods of relating within our family, business, or church, we may find some practices of Babylon.

God said we would find Him and be delivered from our captivity of Babylonian ways when we seek Him with our whole hearts. We have paid a very great price for our adulterated ways. Our divided hearts have caused us broken lives and broken families. They have split up churches, wrecked relationships, and turned many against the church. Babylonian ways are destroying our nations. The sick and needy are left to suffer and die for lack of power to effectively minister to their needs. The lost wander on in darkness because we are too busy seeking to meet our own needs to effectively minister to their needs.

Proverbs 5:14: I was on the verge of total ruin, in the midst of the congregation and assembly.

Proverbs 6:26, 32-33: For by means of a harlot a man is reduced to a crust of bread; and an adulteress will prey upon his precious life. Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; he who does so, destroys his own soul. Wounds and dishonor he will get, and his reproach will not be wiped away.

Proverbs 7:23, l7-l8: I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; let us delight ourselves with love. Till an arrow struck his liver, as a bird hastens to the snare, he did not know it would take his life.

We must give up seeking our own profit (self-seeking).

Only as the Bride is completely faithful to her Husband can the kingdom of God lifestyle rule our lives, our local churches, our businesses, our nation, and eventually the planet. Our mixture of self-serving and God-serving will never bring forth the kingdom in our lives. We will continue to strive and fail after a season of apparent success. People will continue to needlessly suffer for lack of purified, powerful ministry. Only a pure hearted motivation to serve God, no matter what happens to us will do. Whether we are personally blessed, accepted to a place of leadership, or rejected and stoned by those we serve, we must give our whole heart, our whole life to our Husband Jesus. We must stop trying to defend and profit ourselves while at the same time endeavoring to serve God. First, above all else, we must seek the kingdom of God with our whole heart.

It is time for all of us to come out of Babylon. It is time for us to be released from the spirit of harlotry and all that works with it that has caused us to be spiritual adulterers (self-seeking and God-seeking). The price we are paying for of our adultery is too great.

1 Corinthians 10:33: …just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

Luke 12:29-33: “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.”

Hebrews 13:4-5: Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Let your conduct be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

We must serve only God–no longer serving God mostly and ourselves a little, no longer living according to the old ways. God is our source. He will provide all we need as we seek to serve Him only and follow His guidance.

Matthew 4:10: Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”

We are an adulterous generation. We are trying to serve Almighty God with our self-seeking, Babylonian, harlot ways mingled with the purity and power of Holy God. And then we wonder why so little is accomplished. Why so many are wounded and destroyed within their church and family, the very places where they should be built up and protected. The God-seeking side of our heart begins a good work and draws people to trust us; then, our self-seeking side causes painful devastation and mistrust. Eventually, failure will occur and whatever has been gained will be lost.

Then, we seek miracles from God to bail us out of the corruption we have created with our adultery. We pray for miracles to get us out of debt. God did not get us into debt and He probably isn’t going to bail us out if we do not change our self-serving ways. We do not clearly hear the voice of God because we do not want to change. So we search for a miraculous sign to help us.

Matthew 12:39a Amp: “… An evil and adulterous generation [that is, a generation morally unfaithful to God] seeks or demands a sign…”

Matthew 16:3-4,6: “… Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”

We become like the Pharisee who makes a great show of “being a Christian.” Yet our own hearts are mixed with uncleanness. This always causes us, like the Pharisee, to become legally minded as we attempt to justify our self-seeking sin with legal loopholes and focus on the lawbreaking of others. Or, since we are not now experiencing the abundant, spiritual resurrection life of Christ ourselves, we deny that others are experiencing it. Thus, we are like the Sadducees denying resurrection life now as we deny spiritual gifts and experiences. Because we are not experiencing them, we believe others are not as well.

We tend to look at those experiencing the resurrection life of God and judge them from our own heart. They are outspoken and dynamic as they boldly bring forth the Word of God, and we assume they have the same mixed motivations we have and that they are intent on making a name or place for themselves. Consequently, we resist and come against God’s purified people thinking they are extreme self-seekers. Our rejecting those that are experiencing God leads to our dismissing the Word coming through them, which robs us of God’s provision.

We must stop looking at others and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal what is really in our own hearts. Friends, it is not them we must be concerned about. It is us. Am I a minister in part because I need and like the attention and applause of others? Is a position of authority something I need to make me feel better? Am I a Christian to some degree because it is acceptable in the circles I move in? Am I a Christian businessman in part because I desire to meet the wants and needs of my family and those in my own heart? Am I doing what I do for a paycheck? Am I concerned about the amount of the paycheck? Or am I concerned about what the work I am doing does to serve God by serving mankind?

Am I more drawn to minister to the pretty girls, (or handsome guys for the ladies) than to those unattractive needy folks? Is it easier for me to hear the call to minister in Hawaii than Africa? Am I willing to go out of my way to see that the wealthy man is taken care of and minister to him ahead of the poor man? Do I get up and go to work in the morning to get a paycheck to take care of my family and myself? Or do I go to work to serve God with what I do and trust Him to provide for me and my family? Will I leave a field because there is little acceptance but great need, to go to one where they believe like I do and like me better?

Hypocrites! Do we think the preacher should not serve for money but think that we should serve (work) for money? The truth is, when we serve or work for money, we are in harlotry. When we truly serve God with a pure heart, no matter what the pay, we will be abundantly supplied. But, if we serve (do what we do) for money or anything else, we have another god and are serving it. God is not just concerned with what we do, but why we do it. Two men might work side-by-side one working to get money and the other working to serve God by what the job does for mankind. One has pure motivation. The other is a harlot selling him or her self for money. The one serving God will continue to serve as long as he can, even if the paychecks stop. The harlot will usually stop the moment the paychecks stop.

2 Chronicles 25:2: And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a loyal heart.

As we each begin to search our own heart as to why I really do what I do, we all need to recognize that we usually have two reasons for doing anything–one that sounds good to us and to others and one that is true. We must look deeper into our hearts beyond our reasons that sound good and get to the real truth of our heart motivations.

Jesus will forgive our adultery. We are not stuck in bondage to Babylonian ways. Repentance is the key. It is agreeing with God about our sin and turning from it. Jesus has also provided for our deliverance from the spirit of harlotry, which attacks our life. We must repent and allow Jesus to set us free. Then, we must work toward renewing our mind to the New-Jerusalem ways of life.

John 8; 3-4, 10-12: Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.

When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

John 1:12-17,29b: But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’” And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ …

Behold! The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world!

Matthew 18:9: “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire (Gehenna).” Luke 13:3: …but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.

Luke 12:31: But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

We must not continue to deceive ourselves about the reality of our mixed inner motives. The cost for our mixed inner motives is the lack of the kingdom of God lifestyle and its attributes. The benefits and blessings we desire will only be added to us when we no longer desire anything above the kingdom of God. When we turn from our mixed inner motives and seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, the other things, which we will no longer need to be satisfied, will be added to us.

Often people are astonished at the peace and joy they find in the presence of God as they give up their lives to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness with their whole heart. Whatever loss they feel, as a result of laying down their life is dissolved in the beautiful presence of God. Things they had striven so hard for in the past are of little significance. Only intimately experiencing God’s presence really matters.

Understanding the Good-Heart Tree and the New Jerusalem Family Pattern begins to enable us to see normal kingdom of God living. As we contrast kingdom of God living with our current lifestyle, we can recognize that the life we have been living is, at best, a mixture. Knowing we are missing the mark of the kingdom of God lifestyle leads us first to true repentance, which is a decision to stop going the way we have been going and to turn around to pursue another way.

It may be disturbing, even traumatic to realize that much of our life has been far off the mark. In my own experience, it was like a death to realize that most of my life, even as a Christian, was far from the kingdom-of-God life. My motives, though acceptable in the church, were mixed with Babylonian desires. Turning from much of what I believed and stood for was like dying. The thing that made it worthwhile is knowing there really is a wonderful, totally fulfilling, kingdom of God life now that is worth dying for. There is resurrection life now after the pain of death.

We may have until now been convinced that our motives were pure when, in reality, they may yet be mingled with self-seeking desires. We may be like the young man who really thought his reason for choosing a certain Bible college was to prepare for a certain ministry in order to serve God. The fact that the young lady of his dreams had previously chosen the same school and type of ministry was only a bonus and perhaps a confirmation from God.

However, when the young lady fell in love with and married someone else, the young man no longer wanted to go to school, nor to serve God. His secret, self-seeking desire was painfully revealed to him.

If we will now ask God to reveal our secret, self-seeking desires that may be hidden from us, and give them up now, we will avoid the future disappointments and heartaches they will eventually cause.

It is now time to step off the treadmill of our busy life, quiet our self, and be still before God. Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the mixture of our motives. We will not know or experience the wonderful, at hand kingdom of God lifestyle until after we identify the self-seeking desires mixed with our God-seeking motives, repent of them, and put them to death.

Before reading on, please stop and search your heart. Ask God to reveal all self-seeking desires mixed with your God-seeking desires and repent.

“REPENT, FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND.”

Keep on Pursuing Love

It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

http://www.openheaven.com

basileia@earthlink.net

HEAVENLY FAMILY PATTERN

Posted: April 13, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
Tags: Bride of Christ, kingdom growth, Kingdom living, Kingdom teaching, Son ship, Spirit led life

FROM REPLICA TO REALITY

Christ Jesus came to restore the reality of the kingdom of heaven on earth. Since the fall of Adam there had only been a facsimile or picture of the kingdom of God in an institutional structure of patterns to preserve a type of the future kingdom. In the fullness of time, Jesus came bringing with Him the potential restoration of the kingdom to replace the Old Testament order that had foreshadowed it.

A great tragedy occurred shortly after the first few centuries. The work of Jesus and the disciples to restore the reality of the kingdom of God to the world was perverted. The church was deceived into returning to the religious institutional shadow of the past and mixing it with the work of Jesus and the disciples. The original, pure heavenly pattern Jesus brought was perverted and the reality of the heavenly kingdom on earth was altered.

In more recent times, kingdom minded people have understood the governance of the world was to be patterned after the government of Heaven. During the last several centuries since reformation began, there has been an effort to pattern the church after Heaven’s government. This attempt to replicate the heavenly government on earth has been a step in the process but is not the final design of God.

God does not desire to only replicate the government of heaven on earth. He fully intends that the earth be governed with the government from heaven. This is to be direct governance of the church and the world from heaven on earth. The kingdoms of this world will not become like the kingdom of our God. They shall become the kingdom of our God.

Holy Spirit led reformation leading to God’s original patterns of governance on earth has begun. It is yet in the early stages. However, this is a major step toward the reality of the kingdom of God from heaven ruling and reigning on earth.

THE HEAVENLY GOVERNMENT

The government in heaven is entwined with the kingdom government of earth. The government of earth cannot be separated from the government of heaven in God’s pattern.

The government of heaven is a FAMILY RELATIONAL structure. God chose to define Himself to man in terms of family relationships. The great SPIRIT GOD who is beyond description and “omni-everything” chose to be FATHER. In Scripture, heavenly relationships are spoken of in terms of family. FATHER has one first-born SON, who was with the Father from the beginning. The FATHER, SON, and HOLY SPIRIT are all ONE GOD in heaven. If it were possible for you to spiritually stand in the fire of the heart of God, the three would be there. There would be no distinction; the three are truly ONE GOD. The holy angels relate in the heavenly household as God’s holy servants or messengers.

What is missing in this picture? The WIFE of God and many more Sons! Wow! This is getting huge! Are we about to discover why God spoke the earth into being, made mankind in HIS OWN IMAGE, and breathed HIS BREATH into man? Is it not God’s purpose that the earth be an extension of heaven filled with many Sons among whom FATHER DWELLS and from whom His beautiful BRIDE comes forth and becomes the WIFE of God?

The government of God on earth is the government of heaven and earth. In this sense, the heaven on earth is a direct intimate part of the government in heaven. Likewise, the government in heaven is a direct and intimate part of the government on earth. The Bride or Wife/Mother and Sons on earth are an intricate and intimate part of the family of God. (There is no gender distinction here; all can be Bride and all can be Sons.)

Since most all church and world institutions are currently NOT functioning in real kingdom government, coming into kingdom living is a great change. At best they function as replicas as men seek to represent God on earth. In the kingdom reality we do not represent God but become a part of the family of God. We intimately relate in the family and flow the actual work and ways of God into the world by the Holy Spirit.

This is a major shift from the replica or foreshadowing of the government of God that we have lived in to this day. This is a major breakthrough in becoming what God desires us to become and ruling and reigning with Him on earth now. It is God ruling through His heavenly family pattern of government in the world.

With only a facsimile of the kingdom of God, we have not been able to bring down the government of the enemy. He continues to have a great influence on the governments of religion, business, education, entertainment, and nations of the world. However, the enemy kingdom is not a facsimile but the direct work of evil spirits. This has led to the church’s failure to reclaim the world for God. As the transition from replica to reality takes place, the kingdoms ruled by the enemy will begin to fall under the superior strength and power of the true kingdom of heaven.

HEAVEN’S FAMILY PATTERNS

As we continue to move into actually living the kingdom lifestyle, the patterns that govern our lives must become those that govern heaven. This means major adjustments in how believers live in the world. We are not just talking about the adjustment from the worldly, evil patterns of society; we are talking about adjustments regarding believers seeing, understanding and walking in the principles of heaven-style living on earth by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The first principle is that there is only one God and one Head of all. God is Head of all things. There is one authority in heaven, the authority of the Father. The throne of God is the absolute rule of all. The kingdom of God on earth is not separate from the kingdom in heaven. The throne of God is the seat of all governments at all levels in the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. There is no replicated authority.

Secondly, there is no distance and therefore no need for any form of delegated authority. God does not delegate His authority as King of all. Our heavenly Father, through Christ by the Holy Spirit, is potentially available directly to every person on earth at all times. God’s authority flows through others but it always remains His authority. All authority in heaven and on earth is given to the Son.

Through the Holy Spirit, the Son and the Father can indwell mature Sons in the many-membered Body of Christ on earth. Great authority flows through the Body; but it always remains God’s authority. The holy angels are sent with specific authority for specific tasks; however, it is always the authority of God. It is not delegated or given over to them.

The sent servants on earth flow in gifts and authority. The gifts are like tools and may remain as part of the person or may come and go as God wills. However, the authority is never part of the person. It only flows through the person. No one is given delegated authority from God. The gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd and teacher are tools for service–not “offices of authority.” God’s authority can flow through all human beings including those who carry these gifts; but again, it remains only God’s authority.

In the beginning, man was given dominion on earth and the ability to choose to obey or to disobey. But God did not give man the authority to disobey. Disobedience is rebellion to God and obedience to the enemy. Man’s disobedience to God (sin) submits to the enemy as an authority and releases the enemy to have a measure of authority in the world. In disobeying God, man seizes authority he was not given. He makes himself an authority apart from God. Functioning as an authority apart from God is the original sin of Adam.

Thirdly, God and everything in Heaven is completely holy. The kingdom of God in heaven and on earth is altogether holy. Nothing that defiles is allowed to enter the kingdom of God. Every member of the family of God must be completely holy just as He is holy (Rev 21:27).

This is very different from the cheap version of what we have called the “kingdom of God”. Yet this is the reality of God and His kingdom. Most who think they have entered the kingdom of God have only begun a journey of complete cleansing and total death to sin as they become fully alive unto God (Rom 6:11). The kingdom of God cannot rule on earth without a holy people flowing the authority of God to govern the earth.

Fourthly, God is love and His kingdom is established and sustained by love. The love of God is the power that changes the hearts of men and cleanses the earth. Love is the predominant principle and law of the kingdom of God in heaven and on earth. Love permeates heaven and the kingdom on earth. Nothing in the kingdom works without love. Without love there would be no faith, no hope, no redemption, no mercy, no grace, and no life. Love is the glue that holds the kingdom together and is the gold standard of obedience.

The heavenly family is connected by love. The Father loves the Son and the Father’s love reaches toward all mankind. The Son loves us and gave Himself for us at the cross. The Father so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.

We are probably more accustomed to thinking of the love relationship with God in the sense of “agapao” love. Scripture speaks of the “agapao” love in the family (social, moral, ready-to-serve kind of love). It also speaks of “phileo” love in the family (deep, tender affection, cherishing above all else, characterized by consistency).

1 Cor 16:22: If anyone does not love (phileo) the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed….

The heavenly family pattern includes social love and a deep, tender affection flowing from the Heavenly Father and the Son Who becomes the Bridegroom and Husband of the Bride/Wife. The same love also flows to the children. The heavenly family pattern is relationship through love including tender affection. Apparently, according to the above verse there is a curse attached to not having the “phileo” kind of love for the Lord Jesus Christ.

The kingdom of heaven pattern is the Bride/Wife (Bride of Christ) loving her Husband (Jesus) with deep, tender affection to the point of complete submission with worship and adoration. The Husband (Jesus) loves His Wife (Bride of Christ) to the point of giving Himself for her and caring for her with deep and tender affection. The work of the Husband (Jesus) is not complete without the Wife (Bride of Christ).

THE KINGDOM ORDERS AND PROVIDES

The spiritual government from heaven is the absolute, supreme, above all else, authority that provides all life and establishes all order in heaven and on earth. Earthly institutions of life and order or supposed to flow the design and substance of the heavenly spiritual government into all natural life. The heavenly family pattern should be visible in the earthly family institution, business institutions and all governmental institutions.

All aspects of spiritual and practical needs of mankind and the planet are provided for through the heavenly family patterns of government both in heaven and on earth. The Wife of God does the business of the kingdom on earth and brings great honor to her Husband. Proverbs 31:10-31 paints a picture of the government of God carried out by the pure and holy Wife of God. The Lord safely trusts His heart to her and there is no lack of the work of the Lord being done. She never does harm or brings reproach to the Lord. She is industrious in business. She is strong and powerful in the Lord. She provides for the poor and needy of the world. The Lord is known through her and governs the affairs of the world. She is honored and will rejoice in times to come. She speaks wisdom and kindness into the world. She is diligent and not idle. She is blessed and praised by her children. There will be much fruit of her labor, which will not be lost. God’s Wife’s works will praise her and bring glory to God.

Proverbs 31:10-31
“Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband safely trusts her, So he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil All the days of her life.
She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands.
She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar.
She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants.

She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a
vineyard. She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms.
She perceives that her merchandise is good, And her lamp does not go out by night. She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hand holds the spindle.

She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet. She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants. Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness. She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her:

“Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.”
Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.”

The government of God comes from the spiritual but is practical and real. Every aspect of life in the world is dealt with through the provision and work of the Father, the Son, and the Bride/Wife by the Holy Spirit. The heavenly kingdom family pattern governs the natural family, business, and political governments. It is God’s only plan for governing of all matters spiritual and natural, in the kingdom of God.

PATTERNS OF LIFE

New Jerusalem is the great pattern-city of God. The patterns of life are coming down from God to form and shape the Bride of Christ. The other great pattern-city, Babylon, has imposed its patterns of rule upon the earth. The kingdoms of this earth will become the kingdom of our God, as God’s people fall in love with Him and become one with the Lord. Then, New Jerusalem patterns of life will be planted into the hearts of men and then brought forth into the world.

The book of Genesis (the book of beginnings) is filled with patterns of New Jerusalem life. The Garden of Eden with its God-given patterns of life and ruling are New Jerusalem patterns of kingdom order.

God’s rule on earth is governed after the pattern of the Heavenly family.

God made man in the image of God and breathed the life of God into man.
Jesus is the image of God and the Spirit of life is within Him.

Genesis 1:26,28, Amp: God said, “Let Us (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the (tame) beasts, and over all of the earth, and over every thing that creeps upon the earth.” And God blessed them, and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it (with all its vast resources); and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.”

Adam was given dominion on earth. (Notice that Adam was not given dominion over other people.)
All authority in heaven and on earth is given to Christ Jesus.

Mat 28:18: And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”

Adam was created and communed with God before having a wife.
Jesus was with the Father from the beginning and also had no wife.

God formed a wife for Adam from Adam’s body.
God is forming a wife for Christ Jesus from His Body.

God instructed man to leave his original state and be joined to and cleave to his wife.

Christ Jesus left His original state in heaven to be joined to and cleave to His Bride/Wife.

The man and his wife are to be open, transparent and intimate with one another.

Christ Jesus and His Bride/Wife are to be open, transparent and intimate with one another.

The man and his wife are to become one flesh (one with one another).
Christ Jesus and His Bride/Wife are to become one.

Genesis 2:18-25, Amp: Now the Lord God said, “It is not good (sufficient, satisfactory) that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper meet (suitable, adapted, completing) for him.” And out of the ground the Lord God formed every (wild) beast and living creature of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them, and whatever Adam called every living creature, that was its name. And Adam gave names to all livestock, and to the birds of the air, and to every (wild) beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found a helper meet (suitable, adapted, completing) for him.

And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and while he slept He took one of his ribs – a part of his side – and closed up the (place with) flesh instead of it; and the rib or part of his side which the Lord had taken from the man, He built up and made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then Adam said, “This (creature) is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of a man.”

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall become united and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not embarrassed or ashamed in each other’s presence.

The husband is to deeply and tenderly love his wife.
Jesus loves the church (Bride/Wife) and gave himself for her.

The wife is to be subject, submit, and adapt to her husband.
The Bride/Wife of Christ is to be subject to, submit to and adapt to Christ Jesus.

The husband is the head of the wife.
Christ Jesus is the head of the church (Bride/Wife).

Ephesians 5:22-24, Amp: Wives, be subject – be submissive and adapt yourselves to your own husbands as a service to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the Head of the church, Himself the Savior of (His) body. As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands.

The wife is instructed to see that she greatly respects and admires her husband.
The Bride/Wife of Christ has this same respect, reverence and worship for her Husband.

Ephesians 5:33: However, let each man of you (without exception) love his wife as (being in a sense) his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband – that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly.

God’s patterns always work. Nothing else will produce the kingdom life we all desire. Our only choices are to adjust to God’s pattern or try to adjust God’s pattern to us. I think we know which choice will work and which one will not. We can always find the love and grace in God to fulfill our part.

Please note there is a distinction between “man and woman” and “husband and wife.” Man and woman are the same being with no distinction in the spiritual realm. Husband and wife are places of service and, as we have seen, are without gender in the heavenly family pattern. Marriage of man and woman is an earthly replica made from the heavenly family pattern. It is only a type or shadow of the Heavenly Family.

In the spiritual realm there is no male or female, Jew or Gentile, bond or free.

Gal 3:28: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

The heavenly family patterns take precedence over all earthly replicas or types. It is the real from which all life is to be patterned. Earthly replicas are not extended into heaven.

Because people have such great involvement in marriage in this life, it is mistakenly assumed by many that marriage continues in the spiritual realms of heaven. Jesus made this clear to the Sadducees when they brought Him a challenging question regarding whose wife a woman would be in heaven when she had had more than one husband in this life. Please do not be greatly concerned about missing “being married” in heaven. Experiencing the fullness of your heavenly marriage to your husband, Jesus, for one moment will wipe away all of your concern.

Mark 12:24-25: Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.”

In spiritual matters there is no male and female. The more completely we live in the Spirit, the more we experience no male/female difference. The more we live in the earthly realm, the greater we envision male/female differences. There are differences in our earthly experience but not in our spiritual position or functions.

When God took a part of Adam to build up Eve, it seems obvious that He removed much of the emotion from Adam and placed it into Eve and left most of the ego in Adam. This makes male or female more suitable for certain functions in life. This is particularly evident in the rearing of children.

CHILDREN IN THE HEAVENLY FAMILY PATTERN

Natural children possess all the potential of adults. They have gifts, personal qualities and attributes, but they are immature and undeveloped. Years will be required for them to develop natural maturity in order to use their innate abilities. Though some may mature more rapidly in an area than others, to some degree they are all tied to time to produce maturity.

Spiritually, maturity is not as directly tied to time. A child may possess powerful gifts and reach maturity to use them in a short period of time. On the other hand, some fully mature adults may not have developed spiritually at all.

The parents have a major part in the development of children.

In the heavenly family pattern for natural children, the husband/father (like Jesus) and the wife/mother are both corporately involved in the development of their children. The mother is equipped with all the tenderness and attributes needed to nurture the babies and help them develop to maturity. The father/husband has strength and all the power of heaven to provide protection and security for the fledgling child. He also has wisdom and knowledge to train the children.

The children feel extremely secure under the care and protection of their strong, loving father and tender, loving mother. The father’s strength instills feelings of safety in a child. His loving firmness gives them great assurance that firm boundaries exist for their protection. Only the special strength and love of their father can provide the security of discipline and protection they need. Small children are very sensitive to their mother’s feelings and attitudes. Because she feels safe with her Husband, the children feel safe.

Boundaries, rules, discipline and laws are part of the training and development of the immature. The children’s primary response is to obey their parents.

Ephesians 6: 1-3: Children, obey your parents in the Lord (as His representatives), for this is just and right. Honor (esteem and value as precious) your father and your mother; this is the first commandment with a promise: that all may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.

God’s pattern is for the children to be obedient and honor their parents. Children growing up in the heavenly family pattern easily come to know God. They see Him in their parents. They have a clear view of God’s love in the love their father has for their mother. They are trained to reflect God’s love as they see their mother respect and praise her Husband, their father. They understand God’s love and know how to respond to it with loving respect and submission.

I think we can all see that the godly natural family mirrors the heavenly family. The heavenly family pattern translates into the earthly reality of lives and families. We are moving toward the reality of the rule of God through Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit in His people on earth as it is in heaven.

The Heavenly Family Pattern is the same for all types of corporate relationships including all kingdom business and governance.

BUSINESS IN THE HEAVENLY FAMILY PATTERN

God, through Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit is to be the HEAD of all businesses and governments. Some of us have begun to accept the reality that Jesus is the head of the church; but it might be a big step to realize that, in the kingdom of God, Jesus is also the head of each person and all businesses, schools, governments at all levels, and any other corporate work or structure in the world. In the kingdom of God there is nothing that is not under the headship of Christ.

God will flow His authority through mature Sons to carry out management functions. However, He will not delegate His authority. The King is the rightful owner of all the assets of the kingdom. God’s empowerment and direction comes with the call and opportunity to serve in managing a portion of the kingdom. All things are for Him and through Him and nothing in the kingdom is done without Him. Our love relationship and intimate oneness with God provides the happiest, most productive life possible. As the Bride/Wife of God we are overjoyed beyond measure in the glory of our Husband/Father/King.

We saw earlier in the discussion on Proverbs 31 how the Wife serves her husband by meeting the needs of people and the world around her. The purpose of business and all other activity in the kingdom is to glorify God by providing for the needs of people and the world around us. All this is done according to His direction and from a motivation of pure love.

Every part of the heavenly family pattern rules in all forms of business. Employment is as permanent as marriage. Children (newcomers or immature) are loved and trained the same as in the heavenly pattern. Everyone looks to Jesus as Head and follows His leadership flowing through the Holy Spirit in those serving as father/husband, wife/mother and children. Everyone submits to one another and to the other person’s place of service in the kingdom order (family). The focus is always serving by meeting needs and never is the focus on gaining personal wealth to consume upon our lusts or to meet only our needs.

God never intended that business and other “secular” activities become competitive means of personal fulfillment of greedy motives. Competition, greed and other such things are patterned from Babylon and cannot exist in the kingdom of God.

Secular and godly are not opposites. In the past, there has been an inaccurate assumption that there was a division between secular and godly. The kingdom of God encompasses all life. The proper distinction or division is between godly and profane. The world is not inherently evil and is being redeemed and returned to the kingdom of God.

The heavenly family patterns of God’s government for families, businesses, churches, and every aspect of human life are New Jerusalem patterns coming down now from God to form and shape the Bride of Christ. The enemy’s patterns that have ruled in the world are harlot patterns from “Mystery Babylon.”

Keep on Pursuing Love
It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

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

THE HEART-TREE (Continued) DEALING WITH THE BAD TREE

Posted: April 12, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, teaching, wilderness
Tags: God's love, kingdom growth, Kingdom living, Kingdom teaching, radical disciples, worldly kingdom

THE HEART-TREE (Continued)

DEALING WITH THE BAD TREE

Most people in the world today are at some stage of this life-structure. It is the only life-structure available to those without God; and many Christians are, to some degree, in bondage to the bad heart-tree life-structure. We have not known fully the ministry of Jesus to set the captives free, give sight to the blind, proclaim the opening of the prison, set at liberty the bruised, and heal the brokenhearted.

We have tried to deal with bad actions by demanding that individuals simply stop doing the bad deeds. That is like getting a baseball bat and knocking the fruit off the tree. It may help for a while, but not for long. The tree is still there and will soon produce the same fruit again.

Then we became a bit wiser and decided we had to deal with the lust. Getting rid of the lust is like getting out a pruning saw and cutting off the limbs of the tree. It will help a little longer; but, eventually, the limbs will grow back because the trunk of need and rebellion is still standing.

Now, we get out our chain saw and cut down the trunk of the tree. We tell people to stop their rebellion and to control their fear and pride. It takes a little longer this time; but you guessed it. The tree will grow back from the root. Even when we tell them to dig out the root of bitterness by forgiving everyone from the heart, we are leaving them with a damaged heart. The gaping hole and torn soil left after extracting the root is open and fertile for the next seed of rejection that comes along. The seed of rejection will be planted in their heart-soil and will begin the process all over again. Until the soil of the heart is healed, the ministry is not finished. That is why Jesus said, I am come to heal the brokenhearted.

Luke 4:18-22 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable (favorable) year of the Lord Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.

Matthew 3:10: And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Matthew 15:13: But He answered and said, Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.

Isaiah 61:1b: He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound …

The ministry of Jesus to heal the broken heart is brought forth today by the Holy Spirit to heal the inner wounds in our spirits and souls. The soul includes the mind, will, and emotions. Jesus will heal the hurting memories in our mind, our shattered emotions, crushed will, and wounded spirit.
We appropriate the ministry of Jesus through prayer. In sincere prayer we begin to turn from the old life-structure and speak forth its cutting down, rooting out and healing of the heart-soil.

The first work of appropriating the ministry of Jesus by the Holy Spirit is recognition of our bad lifestyle and truly repenting. No longer blaming someone else, we must truly repent and turn from our actions.
Ask Jesus to help you remove the entire heart-tree from the roots to the fruit. In faith, speak the end of the life-structure in the name of Jesus.
Command all the powers of darkness to be gone from you in the name of Jesus.
Forgive everyone who may have had a part in planting the old life-structure.
Ask Jesus by the Holy Spirit to fill your heart with His love. Believe when you pray and you shall have it.

Isaiah 61:3-4: … 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. And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.

We must then replant our heart-soil with the seeds that will produce a kingdom of God life-structure. The good heart-tree will grow as naturally as the bad one and will produce beautiful fruit in your life. All the love and affirmation needed is in the intimate presence of God. Come to Him with empty heart-soil and ask Him to plant His life-structure in your heart-soil.

The seeds of unconditional love, acceptance, mercy, grace, and forgiveness flowing through affirming attitude of God will plant the root system of the love of Jesus with all its beautiful tributary roots filling your heart.

GOD’S KINGDOM PATTERN

THE GOOD TRUNK

Always, without exception, the trunk of the tree that grows upon the root of the love of Jesus is SUBMISSION. A walk of obedience and submission to God and to authorities that He has set in place will naturally flow from hearts filled with the love of Jesus.

Remember that this is not something we can work up by striving within ourselves. It is planted in us and naturally grows from the seed of love. It is an easy yoke of freedom.
The trunk of our life-structure of submission and obedience is characterized by FAITH and HUMILITY. We know that we are loved. We know God loves us and that He is able to control those over us and around us so that His love will eventually flow through them as well. Therefore, since God loves me and those over me and around me love me, all my needs will be met. I don’t have to worry about taking care of myself by myself. It is easy for me to have faith, to trust and believe. So, I feel secure, confident, safe, self-assured, and considerate of others.
I also know that God has supplied my needs, not myself. So, I feel HUMBLE, thankful, and meek. This leads to a gentle, caring, and yielding attitude toward others. The central characteristic of the good heart-tree life-structure is a sense of ABUNDANCE, a feeling of having all we need and more. It doesn’t matter how much or how little we have, we feel no sense of lack, no driving wants or frustrating needs in our heart.

Psalm 23:1: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires (or wants) of your heart.

Philippians 4:19: And my God shall supply all your need (or lack) according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

THE GOOD LIMBS

The limbs of our life-structure grow out of the overflowing abundance of our life. Our desire is no longer to take from others, but to give to others from the overflowing rivers of living water from within. The limbs of our tree on which our life-fruit is to be borne are Desire to Give, Desire to Serve, Desire to Minister, and Desire to Build Others.

THE GOOD FRUIT AND THE SEED

The attitudes, words and actions of our life-structure are GOOD DEEDS and GOOD SEEDS. We are free to do what we want to do according to the desire of our hearts. All we do and say is giving in nature and brings blessing to those around us. Our work becomes fun as we let the love of God flow to others through the things we do.

The seeds we sow in the heart-soil of others around us are exactly the same that were sown into our own heart-soil. Love, acceptance, mercy, grace, and forgiveness are sown through an affirming attitude. The kingdom of God is reproduced in the hearts of our wives, husbands, children, and others.

Remember again that the wonderful life-structure of the good heart-tree is not something we can fake. And it is not something we can make happen by trying to do it. No amount of human effort or sacrifice can enable us to have faith, humility, a sense of abundance, desire to serve and give, intimacy with God, or good actions and deeds.

We must receive the seed of the resurrected life of Jesus the Christ. A tree grows from a seed. Natural growth will occur in our heart-soil when the seed is planted and maintained. There must be cleared, quality soil available in which to plant the seed. If another tree occupies the soil, there is no room for the new tree to grow. The new tree must be watered by the Spirit and fed by the Word.

THE GOOD BIRDS

Certain kinds of birds are attracted to the good fruit of the Good Heart-Tree. They are SPIRITS of enlightenment. Truth, wisdom, understanding and revelation come to dwell in the limbs of our Good Heart-tree. We are open to receive the light of God, which flows readily into our lives. We can hear and obey the direction of God for our lives. We are able to have intimate communication with God. His truth is revealed to us from His Word by His Spirit. We can hear and understand spiritual truth with clarity. Deeper reality from heaven is revealed to our open hearts. We have enlightened ability to discern truth from error.

Isaiah 11:2: The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

Ephesians 1:17-18a: … that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened …

1 John 5:6b, 4:6b: And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

NO WALLS

Not only are we open to the heavens and able to intimately relate to God, we also are able to intimately relate to others. We are open and transparent. There is no need for a wall of defense. We are able to give and receive love from others. Since we are giving and receiving love from others from the side, and relating to God openly from above, our lives are filled with life. There is no opportunity for loneliness, boredom, or depression to overpower and defeat us.

Ephesians 2:14: For He Himself is our peace, Who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of division …

1 Corinthians 13:13: And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

We may suffer persecution and enter into difficult times of darkness. Tests and trials may come, and we may again battle with the enemies of our soul. But, love will never fail. Hope, though it may grow dim, will never go out. And we will emerge from the battle with stronger faith, more filled with the light and life of God, more solidly convinced of His love, more prepared to manifest His glory and rule and reign with Him.
THE DOUBLE HEART TREE
James 1:8 …he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Have you ever felt that your life, since becoming a Christian, was much like a roller-coaster ride? If you haven’t, perhaps you have known someone that was on fire for God for a season and then was lower than dirt for a season. Then, they would get back up to the mountaintop for a while, just to slide back down again into the same old trash only sometimes worse than before. Unfortunately this is a much too common scenario among Christians. It certainly was a picture of my early years as a Christian.
There is a tendency among some Christians to accept this as normal, It is reality for us to meet challenges and sometimes feel less than living on the mountaintop. But it is not needful for Christians to fall back into the pit or the ways of the pit from which Jesus redeemed them. The enemy loves to use our backsliding to beat us with guilt and to punch holes in our faith. He tells us, See, your not saved; you’re a rotten, stinking sinner, a hypocrite; you can’t serve God.
We must be missing something somewhere. The roller-coaster Christians may have received Jesus as savior, committed their life to Him as much as they knew how, and followed the instructions from their church as best they could. In other words, they have planted the good seed in their heart and cared for it as best they could. And their good tree has experienced a good measure of growth. So, what is wrong? Why are they so double-minded and unstable?
The double-minded heart-tree is one in which the good heart-tree has found enough soil to begin to grow, but the bad heart-tree has not been cut down and uprooted.
These Christians may function in one tree for a period of time and then suddenly switch over to the other lifestyle. They may switch to the good tree on Sunday and back to the bad tree on Monday. Or they may live in the good tree Sunday through Friday and switch to the other on Saturday night. They will live all the way, one way or the other depending on which tree they are functioning in. This is not a blended mental condition. It is a sudden change from one set of life patterns to the other, much like changing channels on a TV set.
Sometimes they may be in the good tree for six months, a year, or longer and then suddenly shift back to the old structure and surprising everyone around them, including themselves. Some event or situation may trigger a seemingly automatic shift. The individual may not have made a conscious decision to change. It just happened before they realized what was going on. When they are in one tree, it is like the other one never existed. They may wonder, how in the world could I have thought that way? How could I have ever thought all that wild stuff was fun? Or How could I have thought all that church stuff was so great? They are unstable in all their ways and tossed about.
The answer is to get the bad heart-tree forever cut down, rooted out, and the soil healed in order that the good tree can take over the whole heart and flourish. When the old life-structure is gone, there is great freedom to walk continuously in the good heart-tree life-structure.
Keep on Pursuing Love
It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

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

GOD’S KINGDOM PATTERN

Posted: April 11, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching
Tags: Bride of Christ, discipleship, God's love, Kingdom life, Kingdom living, Kingdom teaching, radical christianity, Spirit first, Spirit led life

THE GOOD SEED

The seed that will produce the good heart-tree when planted in good heart-soil is LOVE. The unconditional God-kind of real love flowing through an affirming attitude is received in the heart as pleasure or comfort.

The heart perceives love primarily as ACCEPTANCE along with mercy, grace, and forgiveness for our shortcomings. We find love, acceptance, mercy, grace, and forgiveness in God through Jesus Christ.

John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Ephesians 2:4-5: But God, Who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved).

Ephesians 1:6-7: …to the praise of the glory of His grace; by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace…

Our hearts must experience the love of Jesus filling our spirits by the Holy Spirit. Our hearts also need to experience the love of Jesus in our souls through the manifest love of Jesus coming through other people. To grow a good life-structure we need to receive the seed of the love and acceptance of Jesus flowing through an affirming attitude from the people in authority over us and from those around us. We never outgrow our need for love.

God’s pattern is for the individual to be formed in a godly environment of love and acceptance; not just a Christian home with clean morals and firm discipline, but a family characterized by unconditional godly love. The seed-pattern of the kingdom of God is the real love from God flowing through godly parents, extended family, and community always affirming the worth of the child while tenderly nurturing and training from conception to maturity.

Ephesians 6:4b: Amp. “… but rear them [tenderly] in the training and discipline and the counsel and admonition of the Lord.”

THE GOOD ROOT

The seed of love sown in the soil of our heart will begin to grow the foundational ROOT system of our life-structure. The taproot is the reality of the LOVE OF JESUS in our heart. The tip of the taproot is abundant life. The main root of the love of Jesus, along with its beautiful secondary roots, will fill our heart-soil with the fullness of God. The secondary roots that branch from the main taproot are both in-working and out-working characteristics, such as peace, approval, devotion, kindness, calmness, blessing, joy, gladness, goodness, satisfaction, hope, cheerfulness, and delight.

Ephesians 3:17-19: …that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

THE ENEMY’S SCHEME

THE BAD SEED

The bad seed is UNLOVE. Unlove is perceived in our hearts primarily as REJECTION, and is felt in the heart as PAIN. Seeds of rejection, accusation, condemnation, and unforgiveness flowing through a judgmental or critical attitude are the seeds the enemy uses to plant a bad life-structure. Unlove is the absence of the unconditional God-kind of love.

Rejection may come in many forms and from many sources. Usually the rejection that produces the most severe pain comes from those closest to us–from those who should love us. Rejection is often communicated in subtle ways. The child that is severely abused, abandoned, or that suffered the trauma of parental divorce may not be the only child who feels the pain of rejection. If our parents were just too busy with their own situations to really be there for us when we needed them, we experienced rejection, too. Apathy can be the worst kind of unlove.

Psalm 109: 2-4a, 22-23: For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful have opened against me; they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, and fought against me without a cause. In return for my love they are my accusers. I am poor and needy and my heart is wounded within me. I am gone like a shadow when it lengthens; I am shaken like a locust.

Romans 2:1a, Amp.: Therefore you have no excuse of defense or justification, O man, whoever you are who judges and condemns another.

Ephesians 6:4a, Amp.: Fathers, do not irritate and provoke your children to anger; do not exasperate them to resentment…

There is no more painful seed which can be planted in our heart than being judged and condemned by someone we love, especially those who have some measure of authority in our lives. We are particularly open to parents, pastors, teachers, coaches, mates, older siblings, and close friends. The enemy knows this and will seek to cause unforgiveness, condemnation and accusations from those who should love us. He wants us to feel the devastating pain of rejection and react to it with resentment.

THE BAD ROOT

The pain in our heart begins to grow the foundational ROOT structure of our life. The painful seed of rejection begins to produce anger, resentment, and bitterness. Left to its natural course, the seed of rejection will always produce a root of BITTERNESS. The tip of the taproot of bitterness is death. The secondary roots are both out-working and in-working characteristics. The out-working characteristics are things like anger, resentment, hatred, wrath, retaliation, rage, and an attitude of murder. The in-working characteristics are things like grief, sorrow, guilt, remorse, hopelessness, depression, despair, and an attitude of suicide.

Remember, the heart did not want these things. They are the natural result of the seed of unlove planted in the heart soil. The soil will grow whatever is planted.

Hebrews 12:14-17: Pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking diligently lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any ROOT OF BITTERNESS springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.

The Greek word translated “bitterness” also carries the meanings of “piercing, sharp, pungent, and poison.” The life-structure becomes poisoned with bitterness, as the taproot of bitterness with all of its ugly subsidiary or secondary roots grows and entwines to permeate the entire heart-soil.

Acts 8:21-23: You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.

THE BAD TRUNK

The root of bitterness will spring up, cause trouble, and defile many. The trunk of our life-tree that springs forth from the root of bitterness is always, without exception—REBELLION. Rebellion (a disobedient attitude) is the natural outworking of bitterness, which is the natural result of inner pain from rejection. Rebellion is not usually something we plan or even desire for our lives. We didn’t want it. It was planted in our heart-soil, often before we were old enough to choose. Feelings of being rejected by parents, teachers, siblings, relatives, and peers plant the seeds that will produce the structure of our life, a trunk of rebellion.

FEAR and PRIDE characterize the trunk of rebellion. The rebellion turns into fear as we feel unloved and subconsciously reasons something like this: “The authorities over me, or those around me, do not love me as much as they love themselves. Therefore, they are going to take care of themselves first and not me. And I don’t feel God loves me because I’m in rebellion against Him. Therefore, He’s not going to take care of me either. No one is going to take care of me, so I must take care of myself.” We are now self-focused, self-centered and have a poor self-image.

Then, we take a look at ourselves and a look at the big mean world and reason something like this, “Wow! I’m not very big and the world is so big. I don’t think I can do it. I can’t take care of myself.” FEAR, insecurity, inferiority, and anxiety enter at this point.

Eventually, we may look around and see others successfully taking care of themselves. We reason something like this, “If they can do it, I can too. So I’ll take hold of my boot straps, double up my fist, set my jaw and start getting tough.” When we begin to succeed at taking care of ourselves, get that good job, new car, etc., we are PROUD. Why not? I did it all myself. God didn’t do it. The authority over me or those around me didn’t do it. I did it.” Now we are filled with PRIDE, and we become stubborn, haughty, arrogant, self-willed, and unthankful.

When we are winning, pride reigns, but when things don’t go so well, fear rules. We will flip back and forth between fear and pride depending upon our evaluation of our performance. We have become performance-oriented. We find our self-worth only in our performance. Only perfection, which we never seem to achieve, will satisfy us.

The central characteristic of our entire life-structure has become NEED. It does not matter how much we have; it is not enough. There is always a sense of lack, not being good enough, not doing enough or having enough. This continuous feeling of need or lack becomes the primary motivational force in our life-structure.

THE BAD LIMBS

The limbs of the bad heart-tree do not grow from a trunk of well-being and abundance, but rather from a driving sense of intense need–a feeling that “I will not make it if I don’t have more.” From this strong sense of need, the limbs or branches of the life-structure come forth. The natural product of great need is a strong desire to have in order to attempt to satisfy the strong sense of need. This powerful desire to have is LUST. We are not talking about a spurious want type of desire. We’re talking about what seems to some people to be a life-or-death situation.

We subconsciously reason something like, “I must provide for myself or I might not make it. If I’m going to provide for myself, I must have money–money that is mine, that I control.” Lust for money and greed come forth in the life-structure. “If I’m going to get and keep money, I must have power and position.” A lust for power, control, position and fame develops into the life-structure.

The greatest need we all have, what we are really searching for, is love—to be able to receive and give real love. But, the person with this life-structure does not even know what real love is. The bad heart-tree has never fully experienced real love, the unconditional God-kind of love. However, this type of individual does know the good feelings of romance and sex. So, lust for romance or sex comes forth and promises to meet their deep, inner need.

Remember, we did not decide to be this way. It got planted in us a long time ago as painful rejection—unlove.

The major limbs of the bad heart-tree life-structure are lust for money, lust for power, lust for position, and lust for romance or sex. On these limbs the fruit of the life is borne.

THE BAD FRUIT AND SEED

The fruit that will always come forth on these limbs is BAD DEEDS. The attitudes and actions will be selfish and involve taking rather than giving. This type of individual may really wish in his heart that he actually cared about others. He may even convince himself he does care some. But, deep in his inner being, when he really gets honest, he does not care about others like he cares for himself. Some of the attitudes causing his actions and words to offend and wound others are aggression, competition, striving, high achievement, defensiveness, inconsideration, and hostility. Wounding others sets up his own rejection from those he offends. When he offends and wounds others, he causes them to reject him. This plants more pain in his heart and starts the cycle all over again.

These offensive and wounding bad deeds are the fruit. Most fruit has a seed inside. Inside this fruit is the SEED of unlove—rejection. The seeds produced by this person’s life are exactly the same as the seeds that were planted in his own heart-soil. The individual is helplessly unable to control his judgmental and critical attitude toward those he should love. Rejection, accusation, condemnation, and unforgiveness are sown from the person into the heart-soil of others, especially the wife or husband and children. And thereby the kingdom of darkness is reproduced in the hearts of others, producing the same life-structure all over again. In a real and practical way, the sins of the fathers are passed on to the next generation. The situation tends to grow worse to the third and fourth generations. (Exodus 34:7).

THE BAD BIRDS

Certain kinds of birds are attracted to the bad fruit of the Bad Heart-Tree. The birds are BAD SPIRITS. The Bible calls these bad spirits demons. Demon spirits of darkness, blindness, deception, and delusion will come with all their filthiness and torment to lodge in the limbs of the bad-heart tree. These spirits will shut out the light. The truth of God cannot get through to the heart, but lies, deceptions, and delusion will flow readily into it.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4a: But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded…

1 John 2:11: But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

2 Thessalonians 1:9b-11: …according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie.

This type of individual is now ready to receive occult interest and involvement. He seems powerless against the enticing drawing of the lying promises of the occult to meet the needs of the life-structure. Promises of excitement, power, control, peace of mind, and riches turn into hopeless bondages and addictions that imprison him and steal all hope and, eventually, his very life.

Anyone deeply involved in occult, witchcraft, or other demonic activities has the bad heart-tree as his life-structure. It is the only way to great deception. Occult activities can range from overt satanic worship and witchcraft to church members who are deceived into practices of spirit-power that look like God. Some have called this Christian witchcraft. The bad heart-tree, mixed with religion, produces false prophets.

Remember, this individual did not plan it this way. He did not want this at all. It was planted in him as rejection, which caused pain that grew into bitterness, and then into rebellion, with fear and pride. Then his need became lust, which produced bad deeds and bad seeds, which invited evil spirits to lock him into bondage and torment, unable to hear God or His truth. In addition, if the enemy can cause the heart to be closed off to godly people as well, this individual is locked into bondage.

THE WALL

This bad tree an its fruit is not pretty. The individual soon learns his behavior is not acceptable and it causes him to be rejected and to suffer more pain again and again. He observes that every person who gets close to him eventually hurts him. He also recognizes that every person that gets close to him is hurt as well. As a result of this, he begins to build a WALL OF DEFENSE. This wall is designed to hide what actually is in the heart-tree. It is created to prevent closeness with people and stop the wounds caused by painful rejection. The wall is constructed of things used by the individual to attempt to make him feel better by venting on others.

Proverbs 18:19: A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a castle.

The person with a wall of defense is saying, “No one is ever going to get close enough to me to hurt me again.” He builds a wall as strong and as tall as necessary to keep anyone from seeing what is really in his heart and to keep anyone from ever really getting close enough to hurt him. He usually begins building his wall with contention and contrariness. Next are unaffection, withdrawal, and so on. If these characteristics fail to keep everyone away, the wall is built higher with more serious resistance.

Recall that the wall is supposed to hide the pain, bitterness, rebellion, fear, pride, lust, bad fruit, and spiritual darkness of the heart-tree that has grown from the seed of unlove planted in the heart-soil. One problem the person runs into is that the wall itself becomes very ugly. In order to cover its ugliness, one might whitewash the outside of the wall. However, this mask is only temporary, It may last long enough for a person to make it in the presence of others, such as at work or church, etc. Another problem is that the limbs keep growing over the wall. The person will continue adding more bricks to make the wall higher and stronger.

Acts 23:3: Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?”

In the upper portion of the wall of defense, blame and slander are used to create separation. A major tool for creating emotional and eventually physical distance is the abuse of alcohol and drugs. If these big tools don’t create enough distance to keep others away, the individual becomes abusive, immoral and violent. In painful desperation and frustration, if he is unable to keep others out any other way, he will murder them.

Now that the wall is strong enough and high enough to keep people out from the side, and the spirits of darkness are keeping the light of God out from above, the helpless individual has become an island. He cannot give or receive love. The person is now isolated from other people and from God. Feelings of loneliness and hopelessness overwhelm him. The angry, hostile attitudes that had been focused outwardly on others begin to be focused inwardly on himself. Self-rejection now plants its painful seeds in his own heart-soil producing a deadly cycle of depression and self-hate.

The person now must attempt to build a wall to separate himself from himself. He becomes as two people in one body–one rejecting the other. He is actually dying for love and is unable to receive it or give it. Finally, he realizes it won’t do any good to just murder the one who rejects him; he’s must kill the one that is hurting him from the inside. So, he stacks the last brick on the wall. Suicide makes this statement, “You will never touch me now; you will never hurt me again; and I will never hurt me again.”

Remember again, this person did not want it to be this way. It just happened. It was planted in him. The work of Satan is complete when he can cause people to reject each other long enough to grow the seed of unlove to its final maturity—death and separation from God and His kind of life.

Keep on Pursuing Love
It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

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

HE HEART-TREE – THE LIFE-STRUCTURE OF MAN

Posted: April 10, 2011 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching
Tags: Bride of Christ, disciples, Kingdom living, Kingdom of God, Kingdom teaching

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

Radical Disciples – A Remnant Revolution

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Posts Tagged ‘Kingdom teaching’

UNIVERSAL RECIPROCITY

THE SECOND GREATEST MYSTERY

UNIVERSAL LAWS

FORGIVENESS & BEYOND

BEYOND REPENTANCE

THE DIVIDED-HEART TREE

HEAVENLY FAMILY PATTERN

THE HEART-TREE (Continued) DEALING WITH THE BAD TREE

GOD’S KINGDOM PATTERN

HE HEART-TREE – THE LIFE-STRUCTURE OF MAN