The Coming Kingdom Tidal Wave

by Kriston Couchey Sunday, June 7, 2009

THE TIDAL WAVE IS COMING
A tidal wave of God’s kingdom is about to crash on the shore of planet Earth as God is about to release a manifestation of Himself. A fresh, never seen before manifestation of God is going to break all barriers of men’s religious teachings and structure.God is about to do outside the system of men’s structure and doctrine what these could never contain. This wave is going to destroy many works of the flesh that have masqueraded as God’s work. This Kingdom release is a healing and destroying wave that is intended to heal the broken hearted and set the captives free, while at the same time passing judgment on dead works; showing they are not of God.

THIS RELEASE COMES FROM THE COMMUNION (COMMON UNION) OF THE CORPORATE BRIDE AND HER GROOM
The release of this wave is a result of those who have learned to walk in UNION with the heart and purposes of God. Not just obeying Him, but coming into agreement with God and His judgments and heart. COMPLETE Unity with God is our destination in the kingdom. In this new day of the kingdom advancement we will see more and more the union of God with His sons as He purges the earth of its rebellion and pride. As a groom consummates his love for his bride, so the Lord is consummating a oneness with His sons, who have begun to express the very likeness and essence of God’s nature and authority on the earth.

THIS “COMMON UNION” RELEASES GLORY
Communion, community, common unity: these terms describe what those who are being led by the Spirit have in common; unity in the Spirit. The Bride of Christ/the New Jerusalem is in complete agreement and unity concerning the passion and purpose of God’s heart toward creation. This communion (common union) is not based upon a church affiliation or leader, or even location. It is based upon: “…the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

The Glory of God is being released in those who have the common unity of being led by the Holy Spirit. When those who walk with God in union enter fellowship, worship, and mutually encourage on another, you will see an even Greater Glory. This is an outpouring THROUGH those who have “Gathered outside the camp unto Him”. Each one has first individually learned to walk in union with God, and then in communion with their brother.

This unity is NOT found in a church congregations gathered in unity around a “common” doctrine, church structure, or a gifted leader. This is NOT what God is doing in this hour, and it does not have fullness of release. Where there is mixture there is hindrance to the will of God.

THE WAVE IS THE RESULT OF GOD COMNG TO HIS TEMPLE TO DWELL
…and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

He is fitting together a temple made of living stones that is at this present time scattered and coming out of wilderness trials and purification. But they are coming together in this time of earth’s upheaval and turbulence as a wave of refreshing to the earth. God is dwelling in His glory in these, and their common union is that they are partakers of His Spirit and nature. They have learned to be at rest with God IN them and they IN Him. They have learned submission and accountability to God, and have come to maturity that is seen in obedience out of love.

COMMUNION IN COVENANT
There is coming a power and glory pouring forth from those walking in the “common unity” of the Spirit as a result of the One Covenant of The Blood of Jesus. Truly this is the Wedding Covenant of Union with Christ. If you are led by the Spirit, you are His son, and are already in a COMPLETED covenant of unity with everyone else on heaven and earth who is one with God. Mindsets are about to change drastically.

In the One Covenant of “Common union” with God and each other, power will be released so mightily that many people will move beyond their old alliances and allegiances to their own church “communities”, leaders, and organizations. The communion of the saints will be seen in the broader sense in its reality; as what God has deemed in “union” with Him is blessed, and that which is not in union with Him will not endure. You will know those in union with Him by His Heart, His presence, and His power expressed in those He chooses to glorify; for we are the Glory He now chooses to clothe Himself in. He is the Glory we are clothed in.

In Him
Kriston Couchey

http://my.opera.com/Boanerges/blog/

Tags: community, kingdom, relationships

by Milt Rodriguez

“For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” Gal. 1: 11, 12

Paul tells us here that the gospel (good news) which he preached was based upon a revelation he had of Jesus Christ. So here is my question. Is the gospel you have heard based upon a revelation of Jesus Christ? Or is it based upon the evangelical movements of the nineteenth century lead by such men as Dwight L. Moody, Charles Finney, and others?

This is what I call the gospel of the evangelicals and it is very lopsided. It basically says that Jesus died on the cross for your sins so that you could be forgiven and go to heaven. This is what most born-again evangelical Christians believe the gospel to be. However, one cannot read the letters of Paul without seeing that there was much more to it than that.

In fact, I believe that we have altogether missed the very heart of the message. We have missed the center and core of the New Testament proclamation!

My co-workers and I travel all over this country (and others) to speak to groups of believers who are searching for organic church life. Most of them report to us that they have never heard this part of the message. So I would like to outline the main points of the ‘gospel’ that Paul preached that are, for the most part, being ignored today.

I. Christ in you – an indwelling LordPaul said that he received his gospel through a revelation of Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:12). Then, he goes on to tell us that this revelation was of the Son in him and that this Son in him is who he preached (Gal 1: 15, 16).

In other words, Paul preached Christ. (I Cor. 1:23; I Cor. 2:2) But he preached the Christ who lived within him. This “Christ in you” revelation was obviously the core of his message (see Gal. 2:20; Gal. 4:6, 19; Eph. 1:22, 23; Eph 2:22; Eph. 3: 16-19; Col. 1:27; Col. 3:11; I Cor 3:16; I Cor. 6:19; I Cor. 12:27; I Cor. 4:7; Rom. 8: 9-11).

This part of the message is actually the essence of the New Covenant. (Jer. 31:33) In the old covenant everything was external (i.e. – the tablets of stone, an external priesthood, tabernacle, law). In the New Covenant, everything becomes internal – Christ in you, the law and lawgiver comes to live within you. And now you learn to live by the life of Another.

Jesus Christ came to initiate and walk out the New Covenant right in front of his disciples. He lived by the life of his indwelling Father! This changes everything. This means no longer living by an external code of behavior but by the life of another Person. Do you see it?

This is the main element in our following the Lord. This is true discipleship. It’s all about learning to follow an indwelling Lord! But how many books are written about this? How many people are telling us how to live by an indwelling Christ? How many people even tell us that we have an indwelling Christ?

II. The Centrality and Supremacy of Jesus ChristThis is one element that every believer and Christian worker would agree is essential. We must be Christ-centered. But what does that mean? To most, it means that the life (earthly life) and teachings of Jesus must be taught and held in the highest regard. In other words, being Christ-centered means that you adhere to the correct doctrines. It’s mostly a matter of proper theology and teachings.

But Christ is not a teaching. He is a Person. He is both God and Man. This divine Person is to be the preeminent one in all things (Col. 1:18). It is a Person who is to be the Center, the Head, and the Life of all we are, and all we do. Paul said that he preached Christ (I Cor. 1:23) crucified. This means that he preached the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. Have you ever noticed that in Paul’s writings he very rarely refers to the Lord’s earthly life? That’s because Paul was proclaiming an eternal and glorified Christ. He preached the all inclusive, full, ascended, and glorified Christ. He preached a Christ who is the All in all!

III. The Eternal Purpose of God“. . . according to the kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.” Eph. 1: 9, 10

This element of the eternal gospel flows right into our last element of the centrality of Christ.

The gospel that is preached today is mostly man-centered and based upon our western culture which is based upon human need. We live in a society of consumerism. Everything revolves around our own needs. This environment has bled into our “churches” and into our message. The gospel we preached is founded upon the need of humankind. Jesus came to save us, heal us, deliver us, teach us, etc. Man has a need – God came to fill that need. That, in a nutshell, is what most Christians believe is God’s eternal purpose. But that is not what Paul tells us.

The letter to the Ephesians (especially chapters 1 and 3) tell us another story. Paul tells us that God’s purpose is centered in His Son, not in human need. You could even say that God himself has a need. Oh I know, God is all sufficient within himself and has no need within his nature. But God (in a sense) does have a need pertaining to his purpose. Maybe we should call it a passionate desire. He has a great passion, a will, a purpose, a goal. And that goal has to do with his Son. He wants to make his Son the Center of everything! But he has chosen a unique way to do this. He will make his Son the center or sum of all things by expanding or increasing the Son until he fills all things with himself. He increases his Son by making him the firstborn of many brethren (Rom. 8:29) through his death and resurrection. The Son increases through the growth of the Body, his Church (see John 3:30; Eph. 1:23). And Christ becomes the All in all.

This is a most glorious purpose! But how often have we heard this preached in any of its many forms and expressions? In the last century there were three men who shared this message by spoken and written means. They were: T. Austin-Sparks, Watchman Nee, and Devern Fromke. But where are the men and women who will take the baton from these brothers and bring this message today?

The three missing elements of the gospel that I have shared in this article all require two things for understanding. Revelation and the work of the cross. These are absolutely necessary for understanding to come. However, this is costly and therefore not very popular in our consumerism society. The work of the cross in the life of the believer takes time. But as consumers, we want things to be done instantly. Revelation happens slowly as one yields and breaks before God. But as consumers, we want to read a book and have the message.

Where are the brothers and sisters who are willing and passionate about allowing God to break their soul lives so that his life can flow out of them? Where, oh where, are the brothers and sisters who are willing to get to know an indwelling Lord, the centrality of Christ, and God’s eternal purpose, and then preach the whole counsel of God?

My prayer is that God will raise up some of these men and women in our generation and the generations to come so that he may have his house, his bride, and his body. And that his Son may be increased and expanded to fill all things with himself.

Written by Milt Rodriguez

The Rebuilders – www.therebuilders.org

Tags: gospel, kingdom

by Milt Rodriquez

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. And which is smaller than all the seeds; but when it has grown, it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree so that the birds of heaven come and roost in its branches.” Matt. 13: 31, 32

There have been many church growth movements, models, ministries, and mentors over the last fifty years or so. They all have their differences and yet most are remarkably similar.

In my opinion, most of these “systems” have been setup from within the institutional mindset and geared toward helping pastors fill their pews.

I guess you could say that I was technically an institutional pastor for two years. During that time, the pastors of the group I was in would get together monthly for a prayer breakfast. There were only two topics of discussion at that meeting. How many people do you have in your church; and how much money are you bringing in? There was one pastor who had been very “successful” and had a large church. Some of the other guys thought that if they preached his sermons (word for word!) they would have the same kind of success!

This is typical of the kind of thinking that permeates leadership in institutional churches. Church growth “specialists” have come up with all kinds of whacky ideas to help multiply congregations in the western world. Many of these are the manipulative, forced, and contained methods of Madison Avenue style marketing. They may get people in the pews, but what is going on here, spiritually?

What is the Goal?

The majority of evangelical Christians today believe the purpose and goal of the Church is to evangelize the world. This is why God saved us and this is the reason we are here. In other words, we are here to multiply, so we had better get to it.

Now I understand that when God created man He told him to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:28). But what did God say before that? First, he created man in His image and used plural pronouns (Gen. 1:26). He said, “let Us make man in Our image.” This shows us two things: He wanted an expression of Himself (image), and He wanted that expression to be corporate. This is why He spoke in the plural pronouns.

God is a community of three persons. Father, Son, and Spirit make up the one God. He wanted a community that would express or display His own corporate life.

Then He said He wanted this corporate image of Himself to have dominion or rule over the earth. So we see a God here who wants an expression of His communal nature that rules for Him on the earth. And He wants that community (or race) to be fruitful and multiply. As you can see, multiplication is only one third of the equation here and it is the last part. This is very significant as we will see.

This all happens in Genesis chapter one before the fall. This is God’s original intention and purpose before and beyond the fall. Of course, God knew the fall was going to happen and so He had an “emergency plan.” This is the plan of redemption in Christ. But that did not change His original intention. He still wanted something for Himself above and beyond human need. He still wanted that visible expression of His divine life and love. But here is the problem:

We have made human need the focus of everything and have forgotten that God wants something for Himself!

We got stuck in the “emergency plan” and have abandoned the original plan. God still wants His house, His body, His bride, His family, and His one new man that can express His divine attributes in a shared-life community. And this is His goal!

Don’t get me wrong. He loves us and cares about our needs. He sent His Son to redeem us, heal us, deliver us, etc. But that was all still a part of the “emergency plan.” The purpose of this “e-plan” was to get us back on track with His eternal purpose. Please see the following: Eph. 1:7-14; Eph. 3:3-12; Eph. 4:11-16; Col. 1:24-28; Col. 3:9-11.

His purpose has everything to do with His Son. Ephesians chapter one makes this very clear. He wants to sum up all things in His Son (Eph. 1:9, 10). He wants His body to express the fullness of His Son (Eph. 1:22, 23). And He wants His Son to fill all things (Eph. 4:10).

Premature Growth

I believe when we have an over emphasis on evangelism and mission we end up with very shallow results. We may have lots of numbers, but they may be all zeros! God is looking for quality much more so than quantity. The Father is looking for the measure of Christ (Eph. 4:13). This is true fruit.

In my view, we should not be focusing on the fruit (a.k.a. numerical growth). We should be focusing on the life. If there is the life of Christ flowing in a group, then the fruit will organically be produced at the right time. There are seasons in the life of the Church and one of those seasons is the harvest time. The key is for each believer to learn how to “tap into” the life supply within them so this divine life can flow into the Body (Col. 1:27). Then, just like a tree, everything will develop in due time.

Timing is a huge part of the equation. A tree does not produce fruit right out of the gate. A seedling is not mature enough to produce fruit. In the same way, a five year old girl cannot give birth. She is not yet mature enough. It is not yet her “season”.

We see this in the early church as well. The apostles spent three years living with Jesus before they performed any significant amount of ministry or evangelism. Except for the apostles, there is no record of anyone else preaching or evangelizing in Jerusalem for at least four or five years. Some scholars believe that it may have been up to eight years before the persecution of Saul of Tarsus and the resulting dispersion.

So let’s be really conservative and say that it was five years between the day of Pentecost and the persecution. What were the believers doing all this time? I believe that they were learning Christ. That is, they were learning how to live by the life of an indwelling Lord. This was their equipping. This was their foundation. So then, when the persecution hit, they went throughout Judea preaching the word and new churches were raised up (Acts 8:4). This was possible because they had spent those years before learning Christ!

To Everything there is a Season

My co-workers and I see this same truth in the field as we work with different groups in organic church planting. Most of the folks come out of institutional churches and a new group is not ready to multiply right away. Of course, it is always encouraged to reach out to others and new people coming to Christ are always a wonderful thing. But by and large, in the beginning, that group needs a solid foundation of Christ as their everything. They need ever deepening revelation of Christ and His Church. They need practical help with learning how to live by His life. And they need time to “detoxify” from the systems and mindsets of religion.

If the life is flowing, then the group will grow when it is ready. We have seen this happen many times. But this growth will be “in season” and will be deep and strong. And the fullness of Christ will be expressed through His Body. (Eph. 1:22-23)

Written by Milt Rodriguez

The Rebuilders – www.therebuilders.org

Tags: church

by Milt Rodriguez

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not be entangled with the yoke of slavery again.” Galatians 5:1

A friend of mine recently told me about a conservation group in Zimbabwe that is taking captive lions and rehabilitating them back into the wild.

This is a difficult, four phase process, but they are having success with it. The rehabilitation process has many snags involved because of the effects of captivity on an African lion. When lions are bred and raised out of their natural habitat, some very abnormal patterns begin to develop. In short, they become domesticated. Yet lions were born to be wild.

In captivity, the lions basically forget that they are lions. The forget how to hunt. They forget how to live in the wild. And they forget how to live in a pride. The “pride” is the name for a community of lions. Lions are by and large social creatures and do not do well as loners.

The Effects of Captivity

You and I were born (again) to be spiritual lions. That’s who we are, but we have forgotten our true nature because of our captivity in the religious system. Captivity has conditioned us to believe things that are just not true. We have become something less than our true calling and destiny because of this conditioning. We have become domesticated.

We have become isolated pew warmers; a mutated race that sits and listens instead of participating and functioning. The clergy/laity system has made us passive and spiritually lazy. In other words, we have sold out our birthrights. Just like Esau we have sold out for the comfort of a bowl of lentil stew, that is, our warm and comfy pews. We no longer wanted to bother with functioning as members of the Body of Christ, so we sold out and instituted the clergy/laity system.

We Have Forgotten How to Hunt

This is definitely one of the most important aspects of a lion’s life. Without the act of hunting, how will you eat?

How will the pride eat?

We have forgotten how to hunt for our own food. Part of our conditioning has been that everyday (or every Sunday!) someone opens our cage and throws us a piece of meat. This bypasses the whole hunting process.

Who is this person that throws in that piece of meat? Where did he get it? Apparently, he went and hunted for it himself. But that is not my prey! And I never had to hunt for it myself.

Hunting is much more than just killing an animal and then eating it. There is the encounter of the hunt itself: finding the right place and time; having the right equipment; getting very quiet; smelling the prey; stalking the prey; taking aim, etc. Sometimes you come up empty handed, but the actual engagement is the thrilling part.

As believers, our food is Jesus Christ Himself! Not just teaching and doctrine about Christ, but the very Person and experience of Christ. You need to hunt for this “food” yourself. Sharing someone else’s food is alright at times. But there is nothing like you going out on your own “hunt” and capturing some new revelation or insight into your Lord. This is exciting. This is discovery. This is how you were born to live!

But then what? What do lions do after they have captured the prey?

They bring it home and share it with the pride.

As I said before, lions are very social creatures and they live in a pride. But in captivity there is no hunt and there is no pride. Lions are thrown their food everyday and they do not live as a pride. They are just individual lions living a mutant life of individualism.

A lion in captivity never has to hunt for his own food. He becomes lazy and complacent. He actually believes that this is normal. He believes that someone else is responsible.

We Have Forgotten How to Live in the Wild

“Because we do not regard the things which are seen but the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” II Cor. 4:18

There are two kinds of realms that exist. There is the unseen realm (or the eternals) and there is the seen realm (or the physicals). Both of these reams exist together at the same time.

One realm is spiritual and unseen. That is, it has no physical substance or what we would call matter. It has no size or dimension, and it exists without time or space. You could say that this spiritual realm is totally “other than” the seen, physical realm.

Of course, we know that the seen physical realm does have matter, energy, space, time, and dimension. Science tells us all about electrons, protons, neutrons, atoms, and molecules. We seem to know a lot about the seen realm. But the scriptures tell us that this realm is only temporary.

It is the unseen realm which is eternal, and yet, we really don’t know much about that realm at all. How do we live in that realm? How do we live in spirit?

The Creature of Two Realms

As lions, we are called to live in two realms at the same time. But we should live mostly in the unseen realm. This is the “wild” for us. And it is mostly unexplored. It really is the “wild.” It is our natural habitat. And we can never be fulfilled with anything less. And yet, because we have forgotten who we are, we have become comfortable in captivity. We have become comfortable in the seen realm. We actually start believing that the physical realm is everything and then we start investing our lives into it.

Yet we have a Lord who is both Lion and Lamb. He is definitely gentle. But make no mistake about it, He is not tame! He is as wild as they come and the wild realm that is our home is inside of Him (Eph. 1:3).

But our natural habitat is not lived alone. This is a place of community. This is the place of the pride.

We Have Forgotten How to Live as a Pride

The “pride” is the social unit for the wild lion. They do not live alone. They interact in small groups know as prides.

Dear believer, a very important part of your natural habitat is the spiritual “pride.” This has been lost to us as well. Lions in captivity don’t live in prides. That is a special feature only found in the wild. When you discover that you are already free and begin living in the other realm, you will see the need of community life. This wild life is a shared life. Shared with your Lord and shared with His people.

But we are not used to sharing our lives with others. We have been isolated (held captive) for so long that we have forgotten that this is just the normal life for wild lions. In a true pride, you all share your food, share your joys, share your sorrows, and share everything in life with one another.

The big question is: how do we get to this place of freedom? How do we remember how to hunt? How do we remember how to live in the wild? How do we remember how to live in a pride?

Our great God has already provided a solution to this situation. And this solution was in force as early as the first century.

God’s Solution: Walking with Lions

As I told you in the beginning of this article, there is a conservationist group in Zimbabwe that is successfully rehabilitating lions back into the wild. But how do they do it?

They take the young cubs for walks everyday in the wild. An experienced lion “handler” (not trainer) will take a cub on long walks everyday to introduce the young lion to life in the wild. Eventually, the lion’s natural instincts will begin to kick in. They will begin to respond to their natural prey and eventually begin to stalk them. Then, one day, they will learn to hunt for themselves. The lion handlers will also introduce them to a pride in the wild so they can be socially integrated.

God does the same thing with His people. He re-introduces His “lions” back into the wild by the use of “handlers.” These are men and women who are called, prepared, and sent by Him for this difficult task. They do not become caretakers of the believers, but their job is to be re-introducers. Then the believers re-discover their spiritual instincts and habitat that has been long forgotten in captivity.

We can see these people at work in the first century. They were sent out by God as itinerant apostolic workers (or church planters) to lay a foundation of Christ for the assemblies of believers. Their job was to work themselves out of a job. Peter, John, Paul, Barnabas, Titus, Silas, Timothy, and others did this work or re-introducing God’s people to the wild. Then they would leave them on their own to live as wild lions! Every one of these workers had already experienced true “pride life” for themselves and knew about the hunt, the wild, and the pride by personal experience.

In the Zimbabwe program, the handlers have less and less contact with the lions. The goal is to completely release them to the wild, not to control them and keep them domesticated.

Christians are leaving the religious institutions in droves. They are seeking more reality, a deeper spirituality, and freedom. They are being set free from the captivity of the religious system and it is a beautiful thing to see. But that creates an altogether different problem.

Now that all of these believers are being set free from captivity, what will happen next? How will they now be re-introduced to the wild? How will they remember how to hunt? How will they be introduced to the “pride” life?

God’s own rehabilitation program must be the answer. We need to pray that God will raise up many “handlers” who have been called, prepared, and sent to walk with the lions.

You are a lion and you have a divine right to be free in the wild with His pride!

Milt Rodriguez, The Rebuilders – www.therebuilders.org

Tags: ekklessia, life, Spirit

Preparation for Kingdom Fullness

I am seeing a time of darkness and light over the earth in which groups of people of the light will come into unity and be prepared to spread the kingdom and restore the wasted land after the dark season has finished its work. In this outpouring there will become a reality on earth of one church, one Body, under the one true Head and King. The one church concept and the apostolic first century-style leadership will be seeded into the isolated groups first and then later spread to all the land after the dark time of troubles is finished.

In spots worldwide one or more sons will now begin to receive this glorious grace and the intense abundant life that will flow from them and shine as light to those around them gathering and reviving a community of light in a dark world. These groups or communities will be as colonies of heaven on earth. They will be a refuge, a holy place of rest and refreshing in a world of filth and strife. These communities will be places of healing and provision. Many of these will be located off the beaten path in rural areas, but others will be in populated areas among abandoned buildings or functioning businesses or in whatever available venue the Lord provides.

The communities will not be recognized by the raging confused people of darkness during these times. The communities will probably just be seen by the people around as groups of people seeking to stay alive and help one another or as business groups working together to get by in the hard times. For this season of time, these groups will not be doing public preaching in the media or on street corners. They will have no public identification such as a church building with a steeple or sign outside inviting people for services. There will be no publicly advertised conferences or meetings. Those who are ready will be drawn to the communities of light from the darkness by the Holy Spirit. Apostles, prophets, and teachers will move discreetly among the groups encouraging them by preaching and demonstrating the gospel of the kingdom.

The communities or groups will begin to function much like the first century church during this time of preparation for kingdom. The glorious grace anointing will permeate the whole group. Great faith will be common among the group, and unity shall reign as all of the people each seek to fulfill their parts in the community, and no one looks out for himself first. The groups will truly become Spirit-governed kingdom communities led by Christ Jesus flowing by the Holy Spirit through every person including elder sons (fathers) to nurse the newborns and guide the immature into spiritual maturity in Christ Jesus.

Kingdom Fullness Outpouring

If I am hearing and seeing correctly, the kingdom fullness outpouring will flow through the multitude of prepared kingdom communities around the world. The light of the glorious New Jerusalem lifestyle will manifest in the holy communities of unified people, and then when the time is right, flow out to cover the earth. By that time, the people remaining in the darkness will have been broken and humbled having seen the end results of the pride and loftiness of man opposing God. The darkness will lift, and those who remain will readily absorb the light of God and be rapidly transformed into faithful subjects of the real kingdom of the living Christ. The glory of God shall cover the earth, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.

Rarely do I quote a portion of another’s writing. However, as I was considering this vision I happened to read the following written by Cleve Sharp in his book “The Church of the New Millennium” written in 2002:

“God is reforming the form in this millennium. He is reshaping the body, (The Church). His determined purpose is to breathe on the multiplied “corporate man” throughout the earth, energizing and miraculously empowering it. Where there is a group of people that will come together relationally, and by love, covenant to work together in unity, the breath of God will come suddenly upon them and there will be a supernatural demonstration of His Sovereignty sweeping millions into the kingdom in a moment.”

More Than A Revival

There may be some more revival spots and some sporadic outpouring of the Spirit. However, this pouring out of God’s glorious grace and all that it brings cannot be compared to the revivals and outpourings of the past. Perhaps due to the worldwide darkness and strife this will be a much more intense season. It is a move of real life and death urgency. One in which all we have and all we have become is on the table, and there is no reserve to fall back on. Everything is at risk and everything is to be gained if God comes through and everything can be lost if He does not show up.

God is now exposing and cleansing us from all that is within us that would hinder the full reality of receiving this fresh new move of God. Some might call it an end-time move and it is an end to a lot of things. However, it seems to me more like a beginning-time move. The beginning of the fullness of kingdom coming forth on earth as it is in heaven.

• First in purified holy sons,
• Then in groups and communities around them,
• Then after the dark season of land-clearing judgments in the world have done their work,
• Spreading to the cities and areas around the groups or communities and finally out to all the land.

Many sons (again not gender specific) are being called to cooperate with complete cleansing of self and laying aside every weight to ascend the hill of the Lord with clean hands and a pure heart. Look up in the face of glory and expect to receive the glorious grace empowerment to fulfill your destiny as sons of the kingdom for such a time as this. It is time to repent even for the good Christian, but not totally pure and holy, lives we have lived and receive the fresh work of God. As glorious grace infusion begins, receive one another and seek to gather with others as the Spirit draws and leads.

In my heart, I believe this is the big one. I don’t know the timing or the duration, but I know the time is now to be cleansed and to be greatly encouraged. The joy of the Lord is our strength, and His grace empowerment is the supernatural substance of the kingdom of heaven now and forever. Amen.

Keep on pursuing love. It never fails
and His kingdom never ends.

Ron McGatlin

www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

Tags: kingdom

by Daryl Wood

The wicked borrows and does not repay,

But the righteous shows mercy and gives (Ps. 37:21, NKJV).”

“Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back (Luke 6:30, NKJV).”

For those who have received God’s Indescribable Gift the real question is not about whether one should give to others. That one’s already been answered. The more pertinent query involves how. With more than a few complexities surrounding this issue the landscape can seem pretty obscured. Here is a sampling of those problems, along with some accompanying perspectives:

Should I give in order to receive?

The notion of “sowing a seed” with a view toward receiving a financial harvest from God is a popular one, and it is not devoid of any biblical basis.

“Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For whatever measure you deal out to others, it will be dealt to you in return (Luke 6:38, NASB).”

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully (2 Cor. 9:6, NASB).”

Still, these verses have been misappropriated by some to promote a concept of “give to get.” While it is true that God will “ . . . supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness (v. 10b),” these and other similar verses hardly have, as their intent, a celestial investment strategy that involves multiplying one’s currency in this world. Giving with a recognition that the Lord is abundantly supplying, even enhancing, my capacity for further sowing (in addition to meeting my own needs) is one thing. Giving from the motivation of reaping a monetary return is quite another. The Pharisees also received a temporal return for their giving—the praise of men (Matt 6:1-4). Since the “reward” for alms giving was wasted on their self-indulgence they missed out on the harvest of righteousness—the open reward that God promises for those who truly give in faith. Is an exercise of “seed sowing” as a means of padding one’s own wallet any different, in principle, from what the Pharisees were doing when they gave alms?

Should I give simply because others are in need?

“For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always (Mk. 14:7, NKJV).”

Jesus spoke these words in response to those who were critical of one who had anointed Him with expensive oil prior to His crucifixion. The verse calls into view three things.

1) “For you have the poor with you always . . .” Poverty is a perpetual human condition. Needs—both financial and otherwise—are endless, yet, the resources that each one possesses are finite. If I assume that another’s need automatically translates into my responsibility to fill it, I usurp God’s provisional role. He is the only one with infinite resources at His disposal. I can do no better than to wisely steward my portion by responding to needs as He graces and directs me.

2) “ . . . and whenever you wish you may do them good;” While all, on occasion, have probably been conscious of God’s explicit direction with respect to giving, the absence of an emphatic sense of His direction has doubtless been their experience in a number of other instances. This is true because God grants us great latitude in the exercise of our faith. If He desired a people who only made their life decisions under the constant tether of clear, audible commands from Him, He would have structured His creation in a way that accommodated that arrangement. He did not. Instead, He chose wills that were yielded to Him over wills that had been annihilated. Obviously, when He considered and planned for the character development of His sons He valued the preservation of their freedom of choice as an essential aspect of the equation. We have been liberated, through God’s love, to love our neighbor! The specifics of how each of us expresses love often vary from individual to individual, as well as differing parameters that God has assigned us for our various situations.

As this relates to the subject at hand, God frequently leaves the choice up to His people as to whom, to when, and how much they should give.

3) “ . . . but Me you do not have always.” Mary was confronted with an issue of priorities. Ultimately, her choice was to lavish her life savings on Jesus. Alternatively, she could have sold the fragrant ointment for three hundred denarii and given the proceeds to the poor. Or, she could have simply continued to keep it. However, making any selection ruled out the other options. At least in this regard, most people face a situation similar to Mary’s scenario from time to time. Giving to one party can mean that there is none left to give to another. Indiscriminate giving can limit one’s ability to contribute to causes that might be considered the most worthwhile. Therefore, giving strictly in response to need, as a strategy, is not only terribly inefficient but also quite futile.

Should I always give to others what they ask of me?

Those who fasten onto the letter of Jesus’ instructions in the Sermon on the Mount will inevitably be drawn to the conclusion that Christians are always responsible to give to others exactly what is requested. Hearing words from the Bible without hearing the heart of God accompanying those words leads to confusion and frustration, at the very least. The letter of the word of God kills, and this case is no exception.

Several years ago, while refueling my vehicle at a convenience mart, I was accosted by a stranger with a “hard luck” story. He claimed to be a Christian, and said that he was recently released from prison. He had to get to work at the adjacent fast food restaurant, and just needed several dollars for a quick meal before his shift began. I offered to go next door with him and purchase his meal, but he would have none of it. His attempted deflections were initially soft, but as I continued to insist that I go with him and buy him the meal he finally became belligerent and walked off, cursing me.

This encounter underscores the fact that reflexively giving others what they request can be counterproductive—both for the giver and the receiver. Both miss a potential blessing, since the giver loses an opportunity to minister Christ and the recipient misses out on a response from the heart of God. Would Jesus minister to a drug addict by handing him a wad of bills so that he could take care of an alleged “financial crisis?” I think not. Giving in a way that is effective and Spirit-led requires that one reach beyond superficialities and assess both the true needs of others and the direction of the Lord in answering those needs. In some instances the real “need” could involve ministering a rebuke and withholding finances or other material resources.

“Give to everyone who asks of you (Luke 6:30b, NKJV).”

Interestingly, the above verse does not read, “Give to everyone what they ask of you.”

Should I give ten percent of my income to God?

The notion of tithing into the local spiritual storehouse where one is “fed” as a spiritual duty has long formed the underpinnings that provide the financial backing for most church institutions in America, as well as worldwide. While there is certainly nothing wrong with an individual choosing to observe the practice of tithing, one would be hard pressed to find a New Testament basis for its promotion as rule. Some lamely offer Abraham’s tithing as an example that predates Mosaic Law in an effort to make their case. Yet, there is no biblical evidence that Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek in order to satisfy a requirement of God or that any such presumed “requirement” was to be generalized to all mankind. Furthermore, there is no trail of dots that connects Abraham’s tithing in one singular instance to its current application regarding support for the functional expenses of a local assembly or the salaries of its leaders. This is not to say that such support is not well deserved, or that those who contribute financially to ministries should be discouraged in any way from doing so. To the contrary, such giving ought to be properly encouraged. Rather, the issue is the misuse of the concept of tithing as leverage for maintaining such support. Sadly, this often occurs via guilt manipulation and a propagation of the notion of religious obligation—all of which is contrary to the genuine expression of the New Covenant, as it is to any sound biblical basis.

In actuality, all of my possessions and my income belong to God, not ten percent!

For every beast of the forest is Mine,

And the cattle on a thousand hills (Ps. 50:10, NKJV).

One of the most foundational aspects of discipleship is a recognition that what one “possesses” does not actually belong to him. Rather, each of us merely has the privilege of stewarding things—whether those are relationships, spiritual giftings, time, finances, material goods, and so forth—that ultimately are on loan to us from God.

“So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions (Luke 14:33, NASB).”

A dear sister in India once told me that she and her husband had prayed for the grace to be able to give away thirty percent of their income. The Lord answered that prayer, and allowed them to walk in that marvelous place of blessing. At last report, they were raising the target and seeking Him to grace them to be able to give away ninety percent! This is a wonderful testimony of a couple that has found freedom to give in a way that goes far beyond a “law of tithing.”

Are there some general principles that can be useful in outlining sound biblical practices for giving?

Absolutely. While this subject is not confined by rigid rules, neither is it void of valuable precepts.

1. Keep your heart open and prepared to give, and do so with freedom and with joy.

“Freely you have received, freely give (Matt. 10:8b, NKJV).”

Now 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 (2 Cor. 9:6,7, NASB).”

Command those who are rich in the present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life (1 Tim. 6:17-19, NKJV).”

2. Place particular emphasis in giving to those whom God has directed you to through His written word, and through His Spirit. Here are but several verses that speak of these things:

Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages (1 Tim. 5:17, 18, NKJV).”

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith (Gal. 6:11, NKJV).

They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do (Gal. 11:30, NKJV).

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world (Jas. 1:27, NASB).

3. Realize, as counterintuitive as it may seem, that the one who gives has the greater blessing than the receiver.

“I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts. 20:25, NKJV).’”

When the truth of these principles is embraced by faith one will never lose out on the blessing that He has intended for those who give. As the body of Christ moves past obligatory offerings that are driven by legal constraints, the broad place of freedom that God has intended can finally be enjoyed. It is my guess that, as the Bride discovers her liberty, hearts will open to greater generosity—not less. This is most certainly patterned by the Bridegroom’s example, in how He gave to us.

Tags: giving

By David Ryser & Tim Speer

The preacher held up his Bible and thundered, “You can stand on the Word of God!”
I am blessed, and cursed, with an over-active imagination.
As the preacher dramatically made his point, I could not help but picture myself standing on my Bible. Why would anyone stand on a Bible? I thought it would be an excellent way to ruin a perfectly good Bible.

Actually, there is a great deal of truth in that thought.

The Bible was not written so we could stand on it. This is true spiritually as well as physically. The Bible itself tells us that it is not our foundation. Jesus Himself, and only Jesus, is our foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11).

So how is it we find ourselves standing on a book?

From the earliest times of the Protestant Reformation, the majority of people who identify themselves as Christians have been People of the Book. The Bible is one of Luther’s two pillars of the Christian faith: sole fide, sola scriptura (By faith alone; by scripture alone). A common faith in Jesus and a belief in the Bible as God’s Word were supposed to unify all Christians. A common faith in Jesus certainly unites all Christians.

So why are there over 20,000 Protestant denominations?

Denominationalism is not a new thing. The apostle Paul had to deal with a primitive version of this problem (1 Corinthians 1:12). But we have taken denominationalism to a much higher level. Why are there so many denominations if we all agree that we must place our faith in Jesus and that the Bible is the Word of God?

Because we can’t agree on what the Book says.

If we were standing on Christ, we would be much more unified. We are divided because we are standing on the Bible. And we can’t agree on what the Bible says. Our differences over interpreting the Bible have justified division, in our minds, because we have made the Bible the foundation of our faith.

We have put the Bible in the place of God. We have become bibliolaters.

Setting up idols in the place of God is not a recent development. Biblical examples abound. One such example involves the bronze serpent that Moses was commended to make during a plague of poisonous snakes among the people (Numbers 21:8, 9). The people afflicted with the snake bites were told to look upon the bronze serpent. Those who did so were healed. The bronze serpent was used as a tool by God to bring healing and deliverance to His people.

What a blessing. Or was it?

The people of Israel kept the bronze serpent as a reminder of the healing miracle God had performed in the wilderness. They even had a name for it: Nehushtan. Over time, Nehushtan went beyond being a reminder of what God had done. It was put in the place of God. The people of God began to worship Nehushtan, and it had to be destroyed (2 Kings 18:4).

What God had done came to be equated with God Himself. We can make an idol of anything. Even the Bible.

Too many of us have put the Bible in the place of Jesus. We have become bibliolaters. But what can we do? How can we tear down this idol? We cannot–we must not–destroy the scriptures. The Bible is the living Word of God (Hebrews 4:12). It is His written expression of Himself. It will not pass away until it is fulfilled (Matthew 5:17, 18), and we are living eternally in the presence of Jesus.

We need the Bible. But we must use it lawfully.

We need to understand that the Bible is not Jesus. The Bible is a sign that points the way to God. It tells us where we are going and how to get there.

But it is not our destination.

Imagine you are traveling along the road and come upon a man who is clinging to a road sign. The sign reads: St. Louis 50. You stop to assist the man. You ask him, “Are you ok?” With a big smile, he answers, “Oh, yes! I’m so blessed! I’ve found St. Louis!”

You begin to suspect the man is deranged.

You try to convince him that he has found a road sign pointing to St. Louis, but that he is not yet in the city. An argument ensues. You ask, “But if that’s St. Louis, what does the ‘50’ mean?” He answers, “Maybe it’s his age.”

You get back into your car, lock the doors, and go on your way. But you don’t tear down the sign.

We need to listen to what the Bible says about itself. The apostle Paul tells us that “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). The Bible assists us in finding God, but we must find Him if we are going to receive His life and salvation. We can be people of the Book without being people of the Spirit.

We need to be both.

If we are not careful, we will become like the young lady who is head-over-heels in love with her fiancé. And he loves her. He writes to her every day. She treasures his passionate love letters and never tires of reading them over and over. One day he comes to visit her. She is in another part of the house reading his letters. Try as he might, he cannot coax her out of her room to be with him.

After a time, he leaves.

She has missed out on spending time with the love of her life. Why? (Why couldn’t she have put the letters down for a few minutes and spent time with her fiancé?) Could it be that she has fallen in love with his letters?

There is a time for reading…and there is a time for worship. Both. Each in its time.

We must be careful about what we give ourselves to. We will contend for the thing we love. Are we passionate about a movement or a ministry? Have we given ourselves to a teaching?

What do we love?

We are called to be the Bride of Christ, not the Bride of the Bible. If we are betrothed to Jesus, but give ourselves to anything else, what does that say about us? There are not over 20,000 denominations because we are divided over Jesus. There are over 20,000 denominations because we are divided over the Book.

We are contending passionately for a book. We have given ourselves to a book. What does that make us?

Adulteresses.

The Bible isn’t the problem. The condition of our heart is the problem. We need to tear down the idol in our heart.

Read the Bible. Cherish God’s written Word. Receive its instruction.

But love only Him.

By the way, have you ever wondered how Peter, John, Paul, and the other early Christians loved God and did mighty works in the name of Jesus…without the New Testament?

Responses to this article are welcomed. You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com

Tags: idols

Tags: Christ, Spirit

by Frank Viola

I am often asked what I believe about “the gifts of the Spirit.” My typical answer is that I believe in them . . . all of them. However, I believe in and practice them without the classic charismatic packages and Pentecostal wrappings.

A large chunk of my life in the institutional church was spent in charismatic circles. About sixteen years ago, however, I came into an experience of the Spirit’s work and power that looked nothing like what I had seen in any charismatic or Pentecostal church to which I belonged or visited. For me, it was a new experience of the Spirit. One that was less artificial, less contrived, and less centered on the Spirit Himself. Rather, it was an experience that was authentic, pure, and centered on the Lord Jesus Christ.

For this reason, I am neither a cessasionist (those who believe that some spiritual gifts have ceased) nor a charismatic (those who emphasize spiritual gifts). Instead, I consider myself to be a post-charismatic.

I believe John Wimber was the first to use this term. Lee Grady, editor of Charisma magazine, estimated that in 1990 that there were as many as 92 million people who described themselves as post-charismatic. In more recent times, Rob McAlpine has been writing thoughtfully on the subject. I owe parts of my definition of “post-charismatic” to him and Wimber.

When I say that I’m a post-charismatic (or neo-charismatic), I mean the following:

I believe that the authentic gifts of the Holy Spirit are still operative in the church today. Not only do I believe in them, but I’ve experienced them. However, I also believe that the artificial wrappings that have been attached to them should be discarded. For they distract us from Christ.

I believe that being “Spirit-filled” cannot be narrowly defined to refer exclusively to those people who have demonstrated one particular spiritual gift at some particular point in their life. On that score, I had a particular experience with the Holy Spirit in 1983. Some would say that I was “filled with the Spirit” because of it. However, I would argue that I was filled with the Spirit before then as well as many times afterward (see Acts 2:4, 8, 4:31; Acts 9:17; 13:9, 52; Ephesians 5:18-20).

I’ve grown tired of the excesses and abuses that many modern charismatics have fallen prey to in both practice and teaching. These excesses and abuses go way back to when the movement was spawned. It’s one of the birth defects that Pentecostalism was born with.

I’m against humanly-engineered hype and pulpit showmanship and calling it “the moving of the Spirit.” Perhaps you’ve seen this before. You pour in the right prayers, sing the right songs with the right fervor, turn the crank, and “the Spirit’s moving” comes out of the bottom.

I’m leery of “personal prophecies” that justify ridiculous practices, ludicrous decisions, and fly in the face of Spirit-inspired wisdom.

I cast a skeptical eye on the exaggerated and sometimes fabricated stories of the miraculous. That includes the puffing up of numbers when healings or saved souls are calculated. (I’ve discovered that if a Pentecostal/charismatic reports a figure of souls saved or sicknesses healed, you would be wise to cut it in half and divide by two. Typically, that will yield the accurate number.)

I’m against the elitist attitude among some who purport to possess spiritual gifts.

I’m against views of the Spirit that end up dividing believers into the “haves” and the “have nots”—those who have had a particular experience and those who have not.

I’m against forcing the exercise of spiritual gifts on God’s people.

I’m against those doctrines that promote seeking wealth and material prosperity from God at the expense of caring for the poor and relieving the sufferings of the oppressed.

I’m opposed to the idea that spiritual transformation normally takes place in one-time miraculous encounters rather than by a long-term process of being conformed to Christ’s image by the instrument of His cross.

I’m against using the Holy Spirit and His gifts to make human beings the center of the universe.

I’m against promoting an intoxication with the restoration of the gifts of the Spirit. (The only thing worth being intoxicated with is Jesus Christ.)

I’m critical of the legalism that was born into the bloodstream of the Pentecostal movement and later infiltrated the charismatic mind.

I’m skeptical of any activity, natural or supernatural, that claims to be a work of the Holy Spirit if it doesn’t bring attention to the Lord Jesus.

I believe that the real fruit of prayer is not spiritual insight, spiritual revelation, or spiritual encounter, but the transformation of character. To my mind, the product of real prayer is what Ignatius of Loyola called the instrumentum conjunctum cum Deo (an instrument shaped to the contours of the hand of God).

I believe that spiritual maturity is not the ability to see the extraordinary, but the ability to see the ordinary through God’s eyes. Consequently, no matter how wonderful our experience or encounter is with God, the test of it’s worth is in the fruit it bears in our lives and the lives of others.

Consequently, I believe in the operation of the Holy Spirit, but without the classic charismatic and Pentecostal trappings. The reason is simple. To my mind, they are artificial, learned by imitation, and detract us from the reality and centrality of Jesus Christ. So while I’m post-charismatic, I’m certainly not post-Holy Spirit.

If we need a restoration of the Holy Spirit today, it’s a restoration of His pure and undefiled working.

That’s my opinion anyway.

So if I’m against all of the above, what am I for? I’m for the centrality, supremacy, and exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

To my mind, the Holy Spirit has but one job. It’s to reveal, to make known, to magnify, to glorify, to make central and supreme the Lord Jesus Christ.

The following is a revealing quote from Frank Bartleman. Bartleman was part of the Azusa street revival that gave birth to the modern Pentecostal/charismatic movement in the early 1900s. To my mind, his words were prophetic and ahead of their time. He foresaw the dangers of co-opting Jesus Christ by putting the Holy Spirit on the throne. He wrote,

One of the churches I planted taught me a great lesson on this score. Their meetings were completely open, participatory, and indelibly centered on Jesus Christ. They had no building. No clergy. No set order of worship.

Each member would share his or her experience and insight into Christ as a result of seeking Him the week beforehand. That church had a steady flux of visitors. Most of these visitors would remark, “All they talk about is Christ. They seem to have a deep experience of the indwelling of Jesus.”

One particular Sunday, a couple of Pentecostals visited the church. When the meeting was over, they sat with some of the brothers and asked, “How come you guys don’t ever talk about the Holy Spirit? All you talk about is Christ.”

One of the young men who was in his early 20′s answered with wisdom that exceeded his years. He said, “Well, maybe it’s because the Holy Spirit only speaks about one thing—Jesus Christ.”

I was not present for that meeting; the story was rehearsed to me. But it is one I shall never forget.

If you wish to determine if a person is full of the Holy Spirit, listen to his words and watch his life. As far as his words go, he will have but one obsession. It will be Christ. And his life will match his words. He won’t be perfect by any means. Nor will he be above making mistakes. But he will exhibit a spirit of kindness, honesty, and an inclusive openness to all of God’s children . . . the outstanding marks of Christ’s character.

Awhile back a friend of mine was perplexed about a certain minister whom he had sat under for years. He said, “Frank, I don’t understand. This man’s message was Christ-centered. He talked a lot about Christ. But as I got to know him personally, I discovered that he lied constantly, he ridiculed and demeaned others, he was always jealous of other people whom God blessed, he was very sectarian, and he was highly egotistical. He also hurt many people even though he preached against hurting Christians. I don’t understand it.”

My response was simple. A person is not Christ-centered just because they preach the centrality of Christ. If they contradict the nature of Jesus by their character (their consistent, patterned behavior), they are not Christ-centered despite the rhetoric they parade.

Let me pass on a word of advice. If you ever hit a fork in the road with the people with whom you church, there’s one sure way that the Lord will get what He wants. Drop whatever is causing the problem, and let it go into death.

There is nothing that we must cling to except for the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing! So let that other thing that your group is dividing over go into death. Give it up, and watch what the Lord can do.

This is the principle of death and resurrection. Whenever we place something into death, if it was born of Christ to begin with, it will return again. It will come forth out of the ground. But when it comes forth, it will always look different from what it looked like before it went into death.

Everything looks different in resurrection.

A group of Christians that I was a part of did this very thing with respect to our initial differences about the Holy Spirit. The result: the gifts of the Spirit operated in a very natural, unassuming way. There was no grandstanding or bluster. It was truly organic—out of life. We had learned the lesson of stripping down to Christ alone. Somehow I believe that’s what the Lord desires when it comes to the work of His Spirit in the earth today.

Tags: Christ, gifts, kingdom, Spirit

By Wayne Jacobsen

Since I first wrote The Naked Church twenty years ago now, I have searched for a definition of the church that encompasses her majesty and yet explains in simplicity who she is and how she functions in the world. At first I thought that could be answered in structural ways as I moved from the mechanics of large institutions into more relational structures, like cell groups, home groups, and house churches.

But it didn’t work out that way, for which I am incredibly grateful. Defining the church structurally has two problems. First, the life of the church is found in the affection and cooperation of people who are living in Christ. No structure guarantees that reality. In fact, smaller groups who practice performance-based religion are even more dangerous than larger ones who do. Second, these definitions were inherently divisive—excluding brothers and sisters who met in different structures and inculcating a false sense of superiority in those who think they have finally recaptured ‘the secret’ of New Testament church life.

All the while, my relationships never reflected the reality of the definition for which I groped. I had close fellowship with brothers and sisters who gathered in a variety of expressions, all the way from large institutional gatherings to those who just live relationally alongside others. I wanted a definition that transcends all the structural ways we tend to see church.

This summer, however, I stumbled upon a definition that expresses the life of the church better than any I’ve yet run across. It crystallized in my thinking at a worldwide gathering of believers this summer and it has grown on me more ever since. Its application to a variety of settings seems to bear witness to its clarity as well as practicality. What is that definition? Simply I am coming to see the beauty of the church of Jesus Christ emerge in this day as “friends, and friends of friends.”

Now, I realize that needs a bit of explanation, so let me try.

An Example In Ireland

Those who read my blog or listen to The God Journey know I was part of an incredible gathering of believers this past June in Ireland. It was hosted by a number of people who have been living relationally around Dublin for almost 30 years. They were in the midst of forming a congregation in the 80s when God made it clear he hadn’t asked them to do so. They stopped meeting regularly, but continued to share the life of Jesus together as friends living alongside each other. They rarely all get together for a meeting, though it would also be rare if on any given day a number of them weren’t together in one way or another—sharing their journeys and helping each other.

This summer God brought together people from all over the world who are learning to live relationally in his family for a week of sharing life. People came from 10 different countries including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the United States and other countries in Europe. Most of those who came did not know each other beforehand, and many had never even been to Ireland before.

We spent the week together, beginning with a picnic on a Sunday in a field and ended in the same field the following Saturday with a barbecue. Nothing was planned beyond the meal for both of those occasions and the rest of the week we did not gather as a large group except to take a bus tour of that part of Ireland. But throughout the week in various homes and other venues pockets of people got together for meals, recreation, and conversation. By the end of the week we were blown away by all Father had accomplished without planning or scheduling any ‘ministry’ times. Friendships blossomed, deep issues discussed, insights shared and questions answered. We prayed together, cried together, and laughed together all the while watching Jesus emerge among us. Significant time was spent helping individuals through rough spots on the road through prayer and counsel. Friends and friends of friends could be together for a week and Jesus could accomplish all he wanted through that simple reality.

Most of those who gathered during this week, I had previously met in my travels. Watching friends of mine meet and enjoy other friends of mine was an absolute delight. I was blessed at how simply a web of connections expanded to encompass other people and how so many reported that they had time with were just the people they needed to know and could already see ways God might connect them in the future.

At one level, none of this surprised me. Most of my life is spent with friends and friends of friends that the Spirit is knitting together. I had similar times this summer in smaller groups whether it was on the beach at Lake Tahoe, in an old fellowship hall in Stratford, Ontario, or in a home in Naarden in the Netherlands. So many of the tasks Jesus asks me to do these days couldn’t be done without a network of other people, each supplying their part. My life has become an endless sea of relationships, some long-term, others just for a season. But I am convinced that the environment of growing friendships is where family flourishes, not in the rigid routine of an institution.

What amazed me in Ireland was that these same dynamics were visible on a larger scale with such diverse people. This is where I have been told it cannot work. People say friendships are fine for getting together locally, but it will not allow the body of Christ to function on a global scale. They are wrong. I’m convinced it’s the only way it can function globally. Institutions constantly fight over control, doctrine and money. But where Jesus builds friendships there is no end to the assets and resources he can bring together to accomplish his purpose. Nothing is wasted in political struggles or maintaining machinery. All the dynamics of body life in the New Testament apply better in growing friendships than they do in all our attempts at group building.

Jesus-Style Friendships

I know of no managed system large or small that can guarantee real community will emerge when it is implemented. Body life does not grow out of any management system, but out of the quality of a growing friendship with Jesus, linked together by people sharing that friendship with others. Even if you are part of a large institution, your quality of life in it will be found far more in the friendships you cultivate and how they stimulate you to live more deeply in Christ, than anything the corporate meeting alone can produce.
Read the Gospels again and you will see just how much of Jesus’ mission was fulfilled in simple friendships, whether he was befriending weary fishermen returning in an empty boat, a greedy tax collector over lunch, or Mary, Martha and Lazarus in Bethany. He was persistently accused of being the friend of sinners, and enjoying their company. At the end of his life, he clearly stated to those early disciples that what he wanted from them was not the obedience of slaves, but the affection of friends (John 15:15).

Perhaps friendships may sound like too casual a word to describe the wonder of our connections to him and to each other, but that’s only because we look at friendship in human terms. Most friendships are built on a delicate balance of mutual benefit. As long as people provide something for us, we consider them friends. When they no longer do so, we move on. Because of that most of us have only known very shallow friendships that can be as fickle as the weather. And too many of us have tasted the bitter pain of betrayal when a good friend decides they have more to gain by leaving us out.

Thus, many of us shy away from deep friendships thinking we can protect ourselves from future disappointments. That is why we find it easier to trust the managed relationships of institutions than to risk the spontaneity of real and growing friendships. But that is to our loss.

Friendships as Jesus viewed them were not the what-can-I-get-out-of-you style of relationship, but the willingness to lay down our life for someone else. Until you know how he does that for you, you will never know how to do it for others. But once you’ve tasted it in him, you can’t wait to give it away.

That’s why real friendships don’t grow out of institutional rules and guidelines, but out of people connecting in a real way with Jesus and then with others. As we grow in the freedom of not needing to exploit others or be exploited by them we can begin to taste what real friendships are all about. These friendships are the building blocks of the New Testament community.

This is the kind of friendship I have shared with those who gathered in Ireland and the friendship that grew between others that week. I am convinced that this is how the bride takes shape in the world as the Spirit connects the body through affectionate and caring friendships. Friends and friends of friends, living, sharing and tasking alongside each other as each contributes what the Lord gives them. This is our engagement with the Body of Christ and will open the door to all the ways in which Jesus wants us to share his life together.

Growing Friendships

Obviously joining a group and becoming part of a growing circle of friends are two very different things. Most of us only know the former and the latter can seem threatening at first because there isn’t any place you can go to sign up for a real friendship. We can’t orchestrate them. They emerge as we recognize and invest time in those Father is asking us to walk alongside in a given season. Thus they begin the only place they can begin, not with others but with him!

First, learn to be friends with Jesus. He is the only source of life. Body life is the fruit of our walk with him not the means to gain it. Let your relationship with him grow. If you don’t know others with a similar passion, just lean in close to him and keep your eyes open. He may want you to himself for a time so that you will only be dependent on him. Eventually he will connect you with others.

Second, pursue friendships with those God puts in your path. The building blocks of body life are not found in groups, believe it or not. Jesus specifically pointed to the value of twos and threes coming together in him. Small conversations are where we truly get to know each other and recognize the life of Jesus in one other. Sitting in a meeting won’t do that. I’ve even been to home groups that have been meeting for prayer and Bible study for over 20 years who are not friends. They claimed to be the church, but there was no affection among them and no understanding of what it means to share life together. They were just committed to their weekly meetings.

Find ways to share a meal, an evening or an outing together. When you cross paths in a store don’t rush on with your day. Hang back if only for a moment and enjoy each other’s company. Relationships grow best in small conversations. Trying to form groups is a poor substitute for that, and often a structured way of trying to build friendships unwittingly subverts the process itself. Friendships flourish only in real conversations where people are growing to know and care about each other under Father’s love.

Now, watch the connections grow. Out of these twos and threes a marvelous network of friendships will emerge. As some of my friends get to know other of my friends the body takes shape around me. This web of interconnected friendships offers unlimited possibilities as to the ways the Spirit might connect us and show them how to cooperate together in doing what he asks. Gatherings of various groups will take shape, not because they are trying to have a New Testament meeting, but because they want to learn together, work together or in some other way express God’s work in the world. People who live like this learn to value every connection God gives them.

Those who played a part in facilitating what happened in Ireland and other places I go are those who have invested years in growing friendships. They aren’t trying to manage groups or form structured networks, but have simply let Jesus connect them to others and made time for those friendships to grow. And they have generously shared those friendships with their other friends.

That’s how the church takes shape locally, regionally and globally. I love seeing some of my dear friends become friends themselves. When I was in the U.K. this summer, I met a young couple that had just immigrated to the UK from South Africa. They knew a couple I’d spent some time with when I was there, who in turn knew an elderly couple living near them outside London. That couple connected them with some friends hosting my visit this summer. They came down to join us the weekend I was there. A week later I found myself sitting in Ireland with the couple from South Africa who started it all and the couple from London that passed it on. What a fun family— friends and friends of friends finding fellowship and life together, helping each other on the journey.

Do you hear the clicking of the Spirit’s needles as he knits the family together?

The Wider Family

What a joy it is to watch the church take shape not as the result of the vision of some man, or group of people scheming to create an organization to contain it, but seeing it as a reality than transcends all of our attempts to control it. Thus the church takes expression through millions of simple acts of friendship in response to Jesus’ leading and the wonderful fruit that flows from doing so. No human could ever control it and in the end there is no all-encompassing institution to be managed, financed, fought over or divided.

Expressions of the wider family are in his hands alone as we respond to him. That’s the church he is building. It permeates everything and ever place and no matter how we gather in groups with other believers, those moments of twos and threes, and eight and tens are the most important. It is where relationships grow, where people truly share their journey, and where we’ll find ways to do together what he might ask of us

As I sat in Ireland I couldn’t help but wonder how many other pools of interconnected friendships fill our globe. How easy it is for the Spirit to connect them when he is ready. Only two people have to cross paths for separate bits of the family to find each other. It is such joy to meet people who have no desire to manage God’s working—to pressure others with their pet doctrines or need to organize them for any desired outcome (or income). Living loved and sharing that love is really more than enough to give expression to this incredible family. Isn’t that what Jesus told us? (John 13:34-35)

A Fruitful Life Together

Seeing the family as an ever-expanding fellowship of friends, and friends of friends helps see the church as she really is. It also allows us to appreciate the organic growth that happens through friendship, rather than the imposition of any structured model that forces people into friendships that haven’t grown naturally and most likely won’t grow in that environment either. This view fulfills so much of what the New Testament teaches and demonstrates about the life of the church.

It keeps the focus on relationship. Instead of trying to build a corporate life on doctrine, programs, rituals or structures, people are focused on their friendship with Jesus and finding others who share that same friendship. The more your friendships grow the more involvement you have in the family. And those that have a hard time connecting relationally, can be befriended and helped by those who have found freedom to do so.

It is not meeting-focused, but relationally lived. Sharing life in the body of Christ does not happen by attending a meeting, but by growing in friendship with Jesus and our spiritual siblings. Of course the body will get together in a variety of ways as it celebrates those friendships. But it will do so as people want to be together with a specific purpose in mind, not just to follow an artificial routine. Until then our focus can be where Jesus put it—on connections of twos and threes as our friendships grow. And when our gatherings happen out of friendship they won’t be a static program put on by a few to entertain the others. lsbl.sept

It answers the dilemma of how much structure we need. We won’t want structures to attempt to manage friendships, because that will only prevent people from dealing with their differences and growing in the process. The structures we can embrace are those that facilitate what God is doing among a specific group for a specific season. We won’t need to start ministries or perpetuate groups for their own sake, but simply learn how to care about each other, stimulate each other to grow in him and do together whatever he asks us to do.

It resolves conflict without the appeal to power. Institutions have to provide clear decision-making authority, creating an environment based on who holds the power to make decisions others have to follow. Friends sort out conflicts not by deciding who is in charge, but through honesty and openness looking for God’s highest good and no one assuming they will know that for others. But a connection of relationships in agreement will have far more meaningful impact on others than any council making rules.

It can give proper place to the weaker believer. One of the Scriptures that always bothered me as a manager of an institution was Romans 14-15 where Paul talks about the stronger giving way to the weaker. There is absolutely no application of that in an institutional setting. Instead the stronger must take control over the weaker or chaos will result. In a family of relationships, however, those weaker in faith can be loved, extended the grace to be where they are in the journey and encouraged to move on to greater freedom, all in the context of friendship.

It allows leaders to truly be servants, helping others to grow rather than maintaining machinery. It also prevents those who are immature from aspiring to false leadership while hiding behind their personal charisma, eloquence or intellectual knowledge as a way to lord over others. True elders will simply be those a bit further down the road helping others find friendships as well.

It allows for wider connections, both in meeting new people and cooperating together in various efforts. When we think of the church as a specific institution who share a specific location, ritual or doctrine, we cut ourselves off from other relationships that God might want to arrange for interconnecting his family or touching the world.

The Power of Connections

I’ve been blessed over the last few years to be part of some amazing connections with individuals and networks of friends that God brought together for a specific season. The Ireland gathering was like that. It was a specific event whose ongoing fruit will only be measued by the friendships it produced. Almost everything I do now brings together friends in Christ each doing their part and results in something far more wonderful than any of us could accomplish alone. Perhaps the most amazing has been my experience with a new book a friend of mine wrote.

After unsuccessfully approaching on his behalf a number of publishers to print The Shack, we finally concluded that this was something God wanted us to do together. When we started pursing that direction we had so many missing pieces. But over the days and weeks, through friends and friends of friends we connected with people who could help us put it together.

Our biggest concern was how to get it out as broadly as we thought God wanted. Imagine our shock at selling out the first printing of 11,000 copies within four months of putting it on a web site, and talking to our friends about it. As friends passed it on to their friends the book just took off. Without one advertisement and without being in any bookstore, it spread like wildfire. Today some influential members of the national media have it in hand and the stories of how it has touched lives—especially those who have suffered great tragedy—continue to melt our hearts. We have been contacted by major book chains and distributors that we had no access to when we began. And we have turned down two top-tier Christian publishers who had rejected the book a year ago and now wanted to take it over.

I could tell you so many more stories of the simple joy and fruitfulness of people connecting with each other. Almost every where I travel now one of the great results is people who live in the same area who didn’t know each other before, get to meet each other. I get email long after I’ve returned home of the friendships that have grown and how people can now walk alongside some others as Jesus directs.

I could tell you of people in foreign countries living a life of expanding friendships that is giving great testimony to the reality of Jesus in the most brutal circumstances by simply loving and forgiving as they have found it in him. I do believe this is what he meant when he said the world would come to know him by the love we share one for another.

If you want to be part of that, just remember, the joy of living as friends, and friends of friends, does not come out of a desperate attempt to find friends for yourself, but by simply being a friend to whomever Father allows to cross your path. No, you cannot befriend everyone, but you can take the time to invest in those Jesus asks you to, whether they be a believer yet or not. And when you take the risk to cultivate that friendship, you’ll never know where it might lead.

—-

BodyLife is published periodically by Lifestream Ministries and is sent free of charge to anyone who requests it. For those with email we recommend our web-based version so that we can hold down costs and get it to you much more quickly. This is especially important for international subscribers.

© Copyright Lifestream Ministries
Permission is herby granted to anyone wishing to make copies for free distribution.

Tags: friends, kingdom, life