Maturity Leading to Corporate Unity

This week, I have been considering two amazing crossing that the no-longer-enslaved nation of Israel made so long ago. They stood before the depths of the Red Sea with an enemy pursing them. They had no great faith of their own, so it was Moses that God used to divide the sea. When that process was complete, they walked across on dry ground. Their enemy was caught in the released waves and was no longer a threat to them.

As they progressed in their journey, God revealed his heart that they would all be priests to serve him in his presence. Sadly, they did not come into agreement with the very heart of God. Then when the time came to occupy their new land which had been prepared by God, they did not have his mind. Their hearts melted in fear and most of them died in that barren land.

When a new generation came of age, they followed Joshua’s leadership into the place that God had planned for their parents to have. This time, there was a difference. The priests walked together and carried the manifest presence of God. As their feet stepped into the Jordan River, God caused the river to stop flowing. The priests stood their ground on that dry ground until all the people had crossed.

There is a maturity that is not God’s best if it does not develop further. It is the maturity of the gifted leader that who represents an intermediate to God and who enters into the presence of God on behalf of other believers who look up to him or her. There is a greater maturity that this that is meant to develop. This type of maturity is described in Ephesians 4. Those called to the fivefold ministry are to work with Heaven’s empowerment to bring us into unity and into a maturity that is marked by an all-encompassing love.

To say that we come into corporate agreement with the manifest presence of God, we are touching on something more powerful than simply having our needs meet or of having a precious encounter with God. We are doing what Israel did when they crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan. They were declaring that they would occupy the place in life that God prepared ahead of time for them to possess!

Paul put forth in the Book of Ephesians that we were created in Christ Jesus for good works which prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. The Book of Revelation tells us that we are kings and priests in the service of Jesus Christ and of God the Father.

Rise up, Church of God! Come forth people of God! You are intended to come into a maturity that leads to corporate unity and Kingdom occupation. Shake off the lies that the world and even the religious system told you about your identity. Enter into the presence of God by the Blood of Jesus. Let God ruin you for this world’s system. Let him declare to you who you are in the same way that God notified Gideon of who he was. It is your destiny as the Bride of Jesus Christ to occupy your place in the spirit realm and to bring Heaven to Earth.

Grace for Division

Everyone loves the idea of unity. There have been many efforts to unite different parts of the US Church. They have been groups that sought to create coalitions between secular organizations and the Church. They has even been some work done to form common ground between Christianity and other world religions. I suspect that very few people in the US Church would feel comfortable hearing or declaring a message of division and disunity.

In the midst of the attempts to create unity, the focus has been on the superficial. We have tried to find the lowest common denominator so that we could build from there. The time is soon coming when the issues will come to the forefront in a way that forces us to focus on the heart of the disagreements. The result will be a season of intense division and disunity. Many hearts will be pierced by the troubles that are coming.

In Matthew 10, Jesus told us that he had not come to bring peace to the Earth but division. He will not allow our affections for him to be watered down. Anything that runs contrary to a Christ-centered walk is non-negotiable. In the conflict that is coming to the Church, neighbor will fight against neighbor because we can only one First Love. There must be division because unity is the joining of two parties. We cannot be both joined to Christ and joined to the things that break his heart. When the fighting has ceased, it will appear at first that it was the work of the flesh. It is easy to believe that anything that causes division and disunity is of the enemy. Once the final tally has been made though, it will be shown that God gave grace for division in order to bring about greater unity between himself and his bride.

Kingdoms Made Manifest

Most people are safe today from being exposed to raving mad, demonized individuals. The ones who have been overwhelmed by the voices of demons are probably largely medicated or institutionalized. Not all, but some of the men and women who wander the streets homeless might also be in their number. There is a day coming to the US when these tormented ones will no longer be hidden away. The kingdom of darkness is coming out of the shadows until it is made manifest in broad daylight.

It will be somewhat common to hear of violent men who beat up strangers for no apparent reason. In the movie Batman Begins, there is a scene in which part of the city is cut off so that a mind warping drug can be dispersed. The affected people are horribly overwhelmed by fearful visions until they mindless hurt anyone who comes into their path. This is a vivid representation of what is coming to the US.

The Kingdom of God will also be made manifest. Through the blood stained cross, Jesus destroyed the enemy’s authority. We will begin to see the kingdom that Jesus established through and in his Church move outside of buildings and onto the sidewalks. The only question will be what kingdom you are actually operating out of.

In Acts 19, the seven sons of Sceva claimed the authority of Jesus as their own in order to deliver a demonized man. The demon was not fooled and used the man to beat the daylights out of them. The name “Sceva” means “disposed, prepared”. These boys grew up in church because their daddy was a chief priest. They considered themselves willing and able to confront the kingdom of darkness. They were wrong about having the right to operate under the authority of Jesus because they were subjects of the kingdom of darkness.

 In the kingdoms that will be made manifest, it will be clear who is of which kingdom. If your authority has been granted to you from having regularly attended church, listening to countless sermons, and having been trained by human experts, you are going to get the tar beat out of you by the enemy! It is going as much a shock to many believers as it was to the sons of Sceva. Now is the time to dig deep in Christ. Find out who you are based on what the Word of God and the Spirit of God has to say about you. Let God taper with your heart so that the idols can be torn down and your inner being filled to the fullest with the kingdom and authority of Jesus Christ.

Feed the Hungry

Pastors,

I believe that Jesus wanders through the masses, the crowds of people. He is saying, "Who will feed the spiritually hungry?". He is not speaking of those who ate a large meal 4 hours ago. He is speaking of the impoverished who live out of garbage cans. Don't get me wrong. They get a little care and concern. After all, they are good for an occasional photo-op, but few actually care for them as a shepherd cares for his sheep.

In my town, there are at least a couple of very nice buffet-style restaurants. They open their doors at a set time on Sundays. People come in their Sunday best and line up around the corner. The restaurant, the chef, and maybe even the owner obtain a place of praise and honor for their work. I am sure that they endure gossip born from jealousy and they receive criticism from the food experts. It is just business though, and it works well for them.

But when Jesus heard it, He replied, Those who are strong and well (healthy) have no need of a physician, but those who are weak and sick. Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy [that is, [readiness to help those in trouble] and not sacrifice and sacrificial victims. For I came not to call and invite [to repentance] the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God), but sinners (the erring ones and all those not free from sin). Matt. 9:12-13 (AMP)

Not all, but many pastors draw a reliable salary. It might not be a great deal of money, but it is basically dependable. They work hard for their people, and they congratulate themselves on the sacrifices that they make. It is true that in some places people work the front lines, but someone has to stay home to keep the lights on, right? It is enough to send money to support the front line work. That is biblical, right?

Pastor, if you are where the Holy Spirit has called you to be, that is great. Listen though, to what the Holy Spirit would speak to your heart. What if he has called you to leave your pastoral position? What if he has called you to move to another city, to work as a janitor, and to go love on the homeless people in the park? What if he has called you to be a "nobody"? Oh, not so you can write a book or go back to your congregation in a month to tell them about the plight of the poor.

What if he has called you to live as a nobody, to love nobody's, and to die a nobody, at least in the eyes of everyone who sees you on this planet? The greatest person to ever walk this planet was, "despised and rejected and forsaken by men, a Man of sorrows and pains, and acquainted with grief and sickness; and like One from Whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or have any esteem for Him". How much do you want to resemble Jesus?

I tell you that what is seen now as "successful church life" is not going to last forever. The foundations of this current church system are ROTTEN all the way to its stone foundation! Even now, the building sways back and forth. In a moment, it will shatter into a billion pieces. Only then will refreshing and cleansing come. All that man built will be washed away in a moment. Be careful that you are building on the foundation with materials that will not be washed away.