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Anarchy or Holy Spirit?
Ron McGatlin
www.openheaven.com
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.... For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
World events and the voice of the Spirit are thundering the earthshaking message of major global governmental changes.
From the lowly "stable manger" of the humble masses of mourning, meek, merciful, hungry, pure in heart, "Christ in you" people, the kingdom of God is emerging. The government of God is not first emerging in the majestic "trees" of mighty noble political or religious leaders and not in the magnificent halls of capital buildings, cathedrals, or palaces. It is coming forth like grass in a field. The seed of Christ is being planted in the hearts of the masses of ordinary people. The rain of the Holy Spirit is watering the dry ground of their hearts. As the brightness of the glory of God is beginning to shines forth, the seeds are sprouting and the small blades are coming forth, eventually the whole field will be covered.
The Kingdom of God is Within
Luke 17:21: For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."
The kingdom of God does not first appear in the natural realm. It does not come from natural sources; it is a spiritual kingdom from the supernatural realm. It is like the wind that you cannot see but you can hear and see the physical results of the wind. (John 3:8)
The supernatural kingdom of God is only in the world by the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit forming the resurrected life of Christ in the hearts of "reborn" sons is the kingdom of God. The King, Christ Jesus, living and reigning on earth in the true many membered Body of Christ is the source of the kingdom of God from heaven on earth. The kingdom is not made with man's hands. It is the supernatural work of God through the HOLY SPIRIT. Though the kingdom is unseen with the natural eye it is to rule the natural world. Like the wind the results of the kingdom will be clearly seen by all the world.
The kingdom of God is a rule of love. God is love. God indwelling His kings and priest by the Holy Spirit of God flows the love of God into every walk, work, and rule of earth. The love of God in His people produces righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Rom 14:17)
Human governments usually function with a person or a small number of people at the top of a hierarchical pyramid. The one or the few at the top delegate authority through layers of organized structure of sub leaders. Armies, businesses, states and almost all institutions are governed by some form of this structure.
The "church" as an institution has evolved into the same governmental structure. The pattern of human government has been fully adopted by the "church" as an institution. Offices were invented to govern the institution of church. Men have sought to vicariously represent Christ and function as heads who delegate authority to lesser offices of authority to rule over the affairs of "God's" work on earth. Whether the head may be called, a Pope, Bishop, Vicar, Senior Pastor, Priest, CEO, President, or whatever the function is basically the same. There is a clear distinction made between those who rule and those who are ruled over. Those in the church hierarchy of rule are called clergy and those who are ruled over are called laity.
Can Christ really directly guide each member?
The possibility of Christ Jesus truly being the head through the Holy Spirit in every believer is foreign to the understanding of most Christians today. It seems to many Christian leaders that the absence of a ruling hierarchy would only lead to anarchy. Every man doing what is right in his own understanding leading to a breakdown of order and function. Their belief is that some human must sound the trumpet or give the orders for the group to move in effective unity. Probably every seasoned leader can recall horror stories of people claiming to hear God but in reality simply moving in rebellion. These leaders can also imagine how destructive it would be for all the people in their group to not have the continuous strong but loving leadership of a hierarchy of leaders to govern them. Much of this is indeed true under the circumstances and in the situations in which the church finds itself today. The immature "laity" are not able to hear and obey the Holy Spirit. They have been trained to hear and follow a human leader. Human leaders may move with their best interpretation of spiritual guidance yet in the perverted governmental systems we have employed they are expected to function in a position prepared only for Christ, the true head of the church.
In the new covenant, it is not God's way for one man or a small group of men to perform priestly duties for the "laity". God's design is that all mature through the Holy Spirit as priests and kings in Christ Jesus, the one true head of the church. God's servant leaders are to build up or mature the saints until they come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. (Eph 4:11-13)
For some, it simply seems to idealistic to imagine that Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit could truly speak to and lead all the people in a group to function as kings and priests in godly order. And truly it is not possible for a group of immature spiritual children to function in such a manner. Children (immature ones) must have fathers (mature ones, elders) to train and guide them until they mature in the Lord by the Holy Spirit. The hierarchical human government structure we have used is designed to do the work of the ministry for those who are not of the "clergy". Therefore, there is little or no possibility for the group ("laity") to mature as priests. In the hierarchical system, a few can become "clergy" if they go through special ministry training usually in a seminary or some special learning institution and are ordained by the existing hierarchy.
As a secular human government this would be a reasonable natural system. It is not the system Jesus brought forth in the New Testament church. The great downfall of it is that the masses never grow up and are forever immature spiritual children dependent upon someone to feed and care for them and rule over them. They are like children forever playing in the market place instead of growing up into the army of God to bring forth the kingdom of God in the world. God desires a nation of priest and kings ruling and reigning with Him.
Returning to the allegory of the kingdom coming forth as grass in a field, before a field can be covered with a fresh new planting of grass there must be a removal by destruction or burning of all that has been previously built or grown in the field. We are now experiencing at least the beginnings of shaking, crumbling and burning of all forms of human governments. Business, state, and religious institutions are now suffering the exposing of their corruption and the weakening of structures. These Babylonian style structures are crashing, crumbling, and burning as natural, and supernatural forces are bringing devastation to the Babylonian systems that are based on greed, lust and pride.
Transitions are not usually smooth.
The crumbling of existing governing authority is creating a vacuum of authority which is providing opportunity for anarchy. The enemy waits to hijack the well meaning but immature believers on their journey from Babylon toward New Jerusalem.
There needs to be a replacement system already working. The immature who cannot yet hear and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit accurately must have Spirit led gifted father types to mother them through the transition into maturity. We are already seeing people coming out of religious structure and authority who quickly get into the flesh and create disorder thinking they are following the Holy Spirit. Some come against almost any authority and become self directed and misguided. In the flesh they may lash out and bitterly oppose and slander existing religious leaders. They may also inadvertently come against the very works and workers God is bringing forth.
The only way for there to ever be a smooth and peaceful transition of governments is for the existing government to release their governing authority and adjust to the ways of the new government. Spiritually mature church leaders who can hear and follow the Spirit are beginning to adjust to the kingdom of God ways and become group elders mothering the immature till they can hear and follow the Spirit. Masses of people must come into an intimate oneness with God through Christ by the Holy Spirit.
Earthly fathers and mothers are only temporary authorities until the child matures. When the child is grown the parents and their grown children relate as brothers and sisters. In the spiritual kingdom this must work the same. Just as it is a perversion for an adult to remain under the authority of parents, so it is for a mature son of God to remain under the authority of an earthly spiritual parent. The relationship becomes one of honoring our spiritual parents rather than obeying them. We must all come into full connection with our true Head Christ Jesus.
God's people saturated in the Holy Spirit will naturally express the kingdom within into their lives, and all they do will be directed (governed) by God. Masses of people doing this expresses the kingdom of God into the natural realm in every avenue an facet of life changing the spirit of government in the world to the kingdom of God and the will of God will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
May God give each of us greater revelation of the reality of His kingdom and may He give each of us and the generations to come the stamina and strength to endure the intense conditions of the tempestuous but glorious transformation from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light reigning on earth.
Pursue Love, It Never Fails,
Lots of Love,
Ron McGatlin
http://www.openheaven.com@@START_COMMENT Message body @@END_COMMENT
Holy Spirit Reformation
Ron McGatlin
www.openheaven.com@@START_COMMENT Message body @@END_COMMENT
.... 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts. (Zech 4:6)
The Spirit that brooded over the formless and void earth to bring forth order to the chaos and cause every living thing to be - the same Spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead is the power source of the paradigm shift that is forming the kingdom of God way. This task not only seems impossible, it is impossible for even the mightiest men and the greatest minds to accomplish. Looking from the natural there seems no way to accomplish this noble venture. Even the most talented revolutionist could not implement a plan to so substantially change the course of church history and eventually the world.
The Spirit of God is brooding over and moving upon the chaos of the world, beginning with the church. Spiritual reformation of the Holy Spirit is creating a reordered ekklesia after the image of God. What could not be done by any form of human effort and earthly wisdom is being done by the creationary power of God flowing through the Holy Spirit. A major shifting is happening in the hearts of men and women transforming them from self based and worldly natured Christians into humble God focused spiritual beings on fire and alive with the love of God - a people so in love with God that nothing else is even a close second priority in their lives - a people fully at peace.
Even while those of the religious ordered churches who are not yet making the shift continue to debate the role of the Holy Spirit, He is changing the hearts of multitudes. The supernatural power of God flowing by the Holy Spirit through changed hearts will impact the world in every area of its existence. And even while the ungodly of the world are sinking into levels of depravity unthinkable less than 50 years ago, the Holy Spirit is forming clean pure hearts washed in the blood of Jesus and the water of the Word by the life giving Holy Spirit.
Out of dead religion and the chaotic depraved world the Holy Spirit is again raising Christ from the dead. The Body of Christ is arising, the dry bones are coming together, the Holy Spirit is breathing the SPIRIT OF CHRIST into a people that are alive from the dead. Death has no hold on them, there is no fear in them, they have already experienced death and by the power of God through the HOLY SPIRIT have overcome it. The love of God is their life. For them to live is Christ and death has no sting and no victory over them. The stones that were rejected by the world and by much of the institutional church have become corner stones of the work of God. They are laid firmly on the foundation of Christ through the Holy Spirit living within them and flowing out of them to those who will receive Him. The Word of God is powerful and alive in their mouths as they are sent to the ends of the earth with the true gospel of the kingdom of God. The love of God is shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit.
The kingdom minded God focused people cannot be restrained by religious form nor held captive by traditions of men and doctrines of demons. They will not be conformed to the ways of the world but are living sacrifices. They have suffered death and now are experiencing resurrection life by the Holy Spirit.
God has sought for a people, a nation of sons. He has sent supernatural spiritual outpourings and powerful awakenings in past centuries and recent decades seeking many sons to rule and reign with Him. These powerful events usually begin with a small group of kingdom minded, God focused, "raised from the dead", Holy Spirit saturated people crying out to God in earnest prayer. Most often the move ends as it becomes institutionalized by religion. What began under the direct headship of Christ through the Holy Spirit fades and dies under the headship of a religious system. A Holy Spirit outpouring will not be sustained in an institutional framework.
Perhaps the most exciting news of this season is the return of the fresh potential of small groups saturated in the Holy Spirit similar to the first century church. Directly connected to the Head through the Holy Spirit without the limitations of the non biblical framework of institutional religious systems, the multitude of small groups have the potential of spawning and sustaining indefinitely a powerful Holy Spirit outpouring.
Spiritual outpourings that begin in small groups under the headship of Christ sustained by the Holy Spirit flowing through the hearts of purified humble people can continue and can spread. If possible, the move will eventually be expressed in large open air gatherings in fields, stadiums and in arenas or any venue available. But the move will only be sustained by multitudes of relationally based groups where Christ is truly head and the Holy Spirit has free reign to move through all the people of God. Perhaps the greatest and surely the largest and most intense continuing move of God in the world is flowing through multitudes of small groups forced underground by persecution in China.
In outpourings of revival in small groups, many gifted servants will come forth among the people to enrich one another with the ministry of Christ flowing by the Holy Spirit. Many untitled apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers will be free and available to flow within and among the multitude of autonomous groups networked by relationship through the Holy Spirit. Resources will be available to support the move instead of making a few high profile ministers or ministries rich.
The prophets are speaking in this season and one of the common threads for 2006 is a supernatural Spirit powered move of God. Some local fellowships are being touched and facing deep internal shifting by the Holy Spirit. Some leaders are being pulled back into some level of isolation for transformation alone with God and seem to have little or no strength to make anything happen. Yet God is moving among His people touching and breaking hearts reducing mental and emotional strength to mush and filling their souls with endless measures of love.
Are the desperate cries of the spiritually starving, wilderness wandering souls for JESUS! ---JESUS! --- JESUS! now being answered? We've cried out for more, more of Him. Is the cry now shifting to "Jesus have more, more of us?"
2 Tim 2:12: If we endure, We shall also reign with Him.
Rev 5:9-10: ....You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth."
