Jesus, the holiest of sons, and Builder of His Church was "CONSUMED WITH ZEAL FOR THE FATHER'S HOUSE". My entire life has been marked by this zeal and holy fire. Those who know Him share this holy zeal with Him. We have no desire to mimic or compete with religious institutions, seeker-friendly, hyper-grace methodology, or progressive, “attraction” churches; or even house church institutions, which is the growing trend now. More about that in a minute. These many modern church institutions have borne some pretty rotten and unbearable fruit yet the Remnant remains. These individualistic models of the Church exist around the world. The Lord has been long suffering with us throughout the centuries. Only among the persecuted do these individualistic manmade models of the Church seem to not have any hold.
Why?
Because they have been freed from the love of this world and the individualistic gospel that is peddled in many churches who continue to flow with the wisdom of this world and embrace its culture. Contrariwise, by its nature, the environment produced among the persecuted saints is completely counter-cultural. They risk it all to love and live for Jesus. They risk their lives, their livelihood, their families, and all they own for the sake of Jesus and His kingdom purposes. Biblically speaking, that is the only kind of Christianity there is. Think of it! What would happen in every local Ekklesia (church) if every believer really became a Biblical disciple and lived like Jesus and as the early apostles taught and demonstrated to us?
“…men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(Acts 15:26)
As I stated, Biblically speaking, that's really the only kind of Christianity there is!
The glorious Church of Jesus Christ ( the Ekklesia) cannot manifest the manifold wisdom of God as long as it embraces the wisdom of the world.
“…To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 3:10-11).
We can only demonstrate this wisdom to principalities as we utterly reject and walk contrary to their wisdom; thus, being freed of their influence.
DOESN’T YOUR HEART OF HEARTS BEAT FOR SOMETHING MORE?
Beloved brothers and sisters, these days my heart is beating for something completely different while still maintaining common sense and balance among the many extremes, excesses, and abuses of what we are seeing today. It seems like everyone’s “brand” of churchism is touted and claimed as the right one.
Even the house church model I am seeing in this day can be so far from the eternal purpose of God. I’ve seen the good in house churches, but I’ve also seen the bad and the ugly. Why? Because we get caught up in the externals of it, and miss the Christ life that is to be manifest within them. It’s not about structure! It’s about love, and life, and Spirit and power!
It doesn’t matter where we meet! In a building. In a house. In a barn. In a tent. Under a tree. If we are filled with love and power; if are filled with the Spirit of the living God I could care less where you meet! The Ekklesia is a temple not made with hands!
This is the reason the word “government(s)” (1 Cor. 12:28) is plural and used in describing the many varied forms across the globe that the Ekklesia can take. She can be governed different ways and take on different forms. The important thing is that she is supernatural with various gift anointings to steer it according to the direction of the Spirit. The ministry of governments is supernatural! The character of it is to be cruciform. We are to preach and live the crucified life so that Christ’s resurrection power can be manifest among us.
I believe the New Testament purposely omitted giving detailed instructions concerning any universal form of Church government. The Church has survived through two millenniums of every kind of tradition, form, structure, government, denomination, sect, etc. During this long period of time conditions and circumstances have greatly changed. A full revelation was given as far as principles are concerned, but definite methods of organization were not specified. Sorry, it’s just not there.
THe HOUSE/COMMUNAL CHURCH
What would be good and appropriate for one generation or one nation or culture might not be best for another. This is clearly seen in the first church in Jerusalem, which quickly became a communal church where the people sold their possessions and had all things in common and met from house to house. Attempts to revive this form of church government have been met with varying degrees of success but failure also. Entire teachings and books have been written about it.
Yes, we can’t deny that it was successful for a period of time and is working wonderfully in some nations today, but at the same time, we have no revelation that it was specifically authorized by God for all peoples for all times.
Consider these facts:
Selling all their possessions and “distributing to every man as every man had need” was not required for membership in the Early Church. In other words, it was a voluntary arrangement. No one was forced to lay their money at the apostles feet (Acts 5:4).
Secondly, another reason the early saints were selling their houses and lands was because they had been warned by the Lord of the judgment that was coming on Jerusalem. Jesus prophesied and Luke recorded it, that the city would be destroyed and leveled to the ground (Luke 13:34; 18:42-44; 21:29-24).
Thirdly, the Early Church was under great persecution with the apostles being beaten and thrown in prison while some suffered martyrdom. Such persecution unifies the body of Christ.
Fourthly, the apostles were operating under a great anointing of power and authority that no other apostle has ever walked in since, nor ever will. There are different classes of apostles, but those original of the Lamb were in a class by themselves. So much excess and extremes exist today because we fail to understand that simple truth. These early apostles demonstrated great authority in exercising divine discipline, the likes of which we haven’t seen since. Wicked persons who had the potential of destroying the purity and unity of the body of Christ were removed from their midst, and great fear came on them which prevented any infiltration of evil into it (Acts 5:11-14). I have been wowed at this thought from my earliest beginnings and long for this cleansing and purifying to manifest in the Church again. It is the grace my heart beats with and what keeps me out of marketplace platforms, celebrity Christianity, and in the underground Church of America and the nations.
Would to God that the Church and it’s apostles possessed this kind power and authority today! Oh how the landscape of churchism would be radically cleansed and changed! Instead we have plastic hollow men, imposters of sorts who wear their labels and tout their titles, but whose giant-sized egos disqualify them from any power or divine authority. Die oh man, and make yourself of no reputation, and you might have something! I preach that word to myself all the time. The overpowering passion I live with is to DIE DAILY.
Oh little men, who call yourselves great apostles and prophets, come out from behind your little curtains that are hiding you from this great and majestic God we serve! Bow down! Bow down!! Fall on your face right now!!! Let Him, whose eyes are as a flame of fire, strip you of all your pride and arrogance, which is grotesque in His sight.
“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13).
Finally, in the Early Church this communal form of government worked well because the saints were all filled with the Spirit and their hearts were aglow with great divine love. They were eternal and otherworldly, and just didn’t fit into this world’s culture. They are spoken of as those “of whom this world was not worthy.” (Hebrews 11:38) Oh how I long to be known in heaven as one of those!
CONSUMER CULTURE: THE BANE OF WESTERN CHRISTIANITY
You see, most modern churches are no threat to principalities whatsoever, because the people in them have become so idolized that their entire “church” culture is created around their self-centered carnal desires and consumeristic appetites. “Church exists for me” seems to be the bane of Western Christianity. This is the wisdom of the world. And worst yet, is that so many so called “apostles”and “prophets” and pastors feed this awful mess.
Where there is a real equipping of the saints from genuine Ephesians 4:11 ministry gifts, and not these modern day cheap plastic imitations, who’ve paid no price to qualify for such—but authentic fathers and equippers who lead the saints into true maturity, you will find there an assembly of people who have denied themselves and their individualistic desires—and they have been freed to love and submit to God with no limitations. They have learned that assembling together as an an authentic ekklesia becomes a witness of God's manifold wisdom.
Beloved, the manifold wisdom of God is revealed within the many who have become one and whose unified cry as one is this: “Not my will, but Your will be done. Not my kingdom, but Your Kingdom come.”
P. S. I just wrote this this morning. It will go in the book. If your heart is stirred for this, please get the blueprint in The Supernatural Church Of Love And Power, and The Coming Restoration, both written in the crucible of personal suffering. It’s not perfect but given to me by the Lord. First book will be available in two weeks. Second one right behind it.
All books displayed below were a build up to these two new ones. I have no doubts that every disciple of Jesus will greatly benefit from each one. Read the Amazon reviews and see for yourself.
Spread the word. And please share this post to feed the hunger of what many cannot even articulate.
I love you all so very much.
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