When we hear the word kingdom, do
images of courts and castles, kings and jesters fill our minds? Do we think of
the glory of ancient kingdoms, such as Babylon, with its hanging gardens and
majestic gates? Do our thoughts return to the Pharaohs of Egypt and the
architectural wonders of the pyramids?
Do we think of the grandeur of Greece or perhaps the military might of
Rome?
The visible traces of these great empires of antiquity are still seen throughout
the world. They have left their mark on society not only with the ruins of their
civilizations, but the hangovers of their religions and governments that still
permeate our thinking. They have also left their mark upon Christendom and
though we may not know it, they have become the measure for defining the kingdom
of God.
Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus answered,
"The Kingdom of God doesn't come with observation;
neither will they say, 'Look, here!' or, 'Look, there!' for behold, the Kingdom
of God is within you." (Luke 17:20-21)
Hannah Whitall Smith defined the kingdom of God as,
". . .the
place or condition where God rules, and where His will is done. . . an interior
kingdom, not an exterior one. . . its reign is not in outward show, but in
inward power."
The kingdom of God is the area or sphere in which God holds a preeminent
position. The Kingdom of God is His divine nature being revealed in us. This
treasure is in earthen vessels.
Paul defined the Kingdom of God as "righteousness, and peace, and joy in the
Holy Ghost" (Romans 14:17). It is not an earthly regime.
The kingdom of God is a heavenly kingdom, GOVERNED FROM HEAVEN. Hence it is also
called "the kingdom of heaven."
The word for heaven is derived from the Greek
ouranous, referring to
the eternal dwelling place of God, a
dimension existing beyond the natural order of the physical, earthly or mortal
realm. (Matthew 5:16; 12:50, Revelation
3:12, 11:13, 16:11, 20:9). The Son of God descended from heaven to become flesh.
John was referring to Jesus when he said, "He who comes from heaven is above
all" (John 3:31).
After His resurrection and ascension Christ "sat down on
the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens." (Hebrews 8:1, 1
Peter 3:22). Heaven is the place of Christ's present life and Ministry. (Romans
8:34, Hebrews 9:24). Christ is now the high priest of the heavenly sanctuary "of
the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man." (Hebrews 8:2).
Because of His unchangeable priesthood, He ever lives to make intercession for
us (Hebrews 7:25). It was from heaven that Christ sent the Holy Spirit at
Pentecost. Heaven is to be the final dwelling place of the saints. Christ will
descend from heaven, to receive His saints. (1 Thessalonians 4:16, Philippians
3:20, 21).
To walk in the kingdom of God is to live in the
heavens, seated with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians
2:6). It is to live by the power of heaven, for the kingdom of God comes
with power (see Mark 9:1). It is to set our affections on those things that are
above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God (see Colossians 3:1-3).
The kingdom of God is a heavenly kingdom, governed from heaven, as opposed to
the kingdoms of the world, kosmos,
which are governed by the god of this world.
These two kingdoms are pitted against each other, in competition for the highest
prize ever, the souls of mortal men. The kingdom of the Prince of Peace suffers
violence as the vanquished prince of the principalities, powers and world rulers
of the kosmos system vainly seeks to
conqueror the kingdom of heaven by force.
Jesus spoke of this prince in John 14:30. "I don't have much more time to talk to you, because the prince of this world approaches. He has no power over me." (NLT)
SATAN IS THE PRINCE/RULER OF THIS WORLD and it is the prerogative of rulers
(Greek arche) to set up the perimeters
and style of their kingdom as it pleases them. The prince of this world has
ordered his kingdom in a manner that serves his interests "The
course of this world (is)
according to the prince of the powers of the air, the spirit who now works
in the children of disobedience." (See Ephesians 2:2-3)
The word world in these passages is a
translation from the Greek word kosmos,
which means system order or
arrangement. W.E. Vine defines
kosmos as the "present
condition of human affairs, in alienation from and opposition to God." Hence, the
world Jesus was referring to is not the creation of God but the vanity creation
has been subjected to, a system of government that all creation, including
mankind, groans under to this very day (see Romans 8:20-22).
The primary goal of the prince of this world is to get people to reject God's
rule and embrace the
course of this world, which functions according to Satan's governing
principles. The more godless a people are the more likely that they will assume
an abusive, hierarchical, and totalitarian form of government. Where God's
Spirit does not reign, there is tyranny, but where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is freedom. History fails to yield even one exception to this rule. Where
the church has failed to demonstrate this freedom and liberty, it has instead
manifested the governing principle of the antichrist.
Since Nebuchadnezzar, there have been only four world empires (see Daniel
2:31-45), and all of them have been corrupt. If you look at the kings of Israel
you will find that there were only a few, three at most, who did right in the
sight of God. Even David, who had a heart after God, could not withstand the
corrupting influences of the type of government that the people of Israel
bequeathed him. They wanted a king like the kings of the idolatrous pagan
nations around them and rejected the King of the universe to get him (see 1
Samuel 8:5). What they did not know was that the style of government they asked
for was very much a part of that idolatry. Its denial of God and His rightful
reign as the only true and sovereign King is fundamental to its makeup. Because
of Israel's unfortunate choice, Yahweh said to Samuel, ". . . they have not
rejected you, but they have rejected me, that I should not be king over them.
According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought
them up out of Egypt even to this day, in that
they have forsaken me, and served other
gods, so do they also to you" (see 1 Samuel 8:7-8).
The rejection of God's sovereignty is at the heart of all idolatry.
Our warfare is not against flesh and blood, but
against the wiles of the devil, a
wrestling against "the principalities, against the powers, against the
world's rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual hosts of
wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12). Note the language of
hierarchy here. The system described in the passage above is diametrically
opposed to what Jesus came to establish as a lowly, suffering Servant. It
depends on the strength of the arm of the flesh, while the true followers of
Jesus abide in weakness and depend on the strength of God to act through them.
The Greek word for
principalities in the above passage is
arche [746]
meaning "beginning, origin . . .
the person or thing that commences,
the first person or thing in a series, the leader.
. . that by which anything begins
to be, the origin, the active cause.
. . " (Strong)
The word
principalities points to a progenitor or originator/founder, the
prince and architect of this system of government. Satan is truly
the prince of the world.
Paul spoke of our warfare against this demonic hierarchy that exalts itself
against the knowledge of the lowly Christ. Paul wrote:
". . .for the weapons of our warfare are not of the
flesh, but mighty before God to the
throwing down of strongholds,
throwing down imaginations and every
high thing that is exalted against
the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience
of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).
Note the
words imaginations and
every high thing. The word
high speaks of imminence and loftiness. How are the kingdoms of the prince
of this world different from the kingdom of God? All that is not Lamb-like and
lowly is a high thing patterned after
the Prince of this world, who seeks to exalt himself above the stars of heaven,
above the mount of the congregation.
The hierarchical governments
of the nations are inspired by this satanic ambition. They are not the creation
of God. While it is true that one day the kingdoms of this world will become the
kingdoms of our God and of His Christ (see Revelation 11:15), this in no way
implies that they proceed from Him or found their origin in Him.
The kingdoms of this world were not founded by the Prince of Peace but by a
different prince. World rulers and their kingdoms are patterned after the image
of a different father/creator. Kingdoms of rulers like Cain and Nimrod spoken of
in Genesis are the earthly, physical personification of the invisible
principalities and powers in heavenly places. For instance, Cain established the
first city government and was responsible for the violence and corruption that
spoiled the antediluvian race. Nimrod was the first emperor whose kingdom,
Babylon, still stands as a symbol of resistance against God and His people.
King David also noted this ongoing enmity of the nations of the world toward God
and His anointed.
"Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a
vain thing? The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take counsel
together, against Yahweh, and against his anointed, saying, 'Let's break their
bonds apart, and cast away their cords from us.'" (Psalms 2:1-3 - WEB)
In order to comprehend the enmity between the kingdoms of this world and the
Kingdom of God, we must understand that they are essentially different and
antagonistically opposed, not just in outward style (kings, princes, legions,
etc) but also in essence. Monarchy (the rule of the dominant one) and democracy
(mob rule) are both spiritually opposed to Theocracy (the direct rule of God),
and, as history bears out, are inclined to yield more than a passive resistance
to the kingdom of God. Although the governments of this world are constantly at
war against each other, they are united in one thing. They stand together in
their efforts, like Scribe and Pharisee, to break the
bonds and cast away the
cords of the kingdom of God and
its Anointed One.
In these last days, the
kingdoms of the world will once again unite in a one-world-government, and true
to their nature, they will seek to systematically cast off the rule of God. They
will rage against it! Look around you! It is already happening even in our
beloved America. Why? This is the nature of worldly governments. Whether we want
to admit it or not, our founding fathers framed the constitution for the express
purpose of protecting the people from the government, making the government
subservient to the people. Recent events have certainly proven that this is no
longer the case.
We know this is hard for many to hear, because, in the civilized world, we are
prone to view the rule of law (Lex Rex -
law is king) as essential to our survival. Sadly we feel that the opposite
is true. We are not alone in this opinion.
After World War II one of the questions psychologists and sociologists asked
was, "How was Hitler able to commit the horrendous crimes that were done daily
in Nazi Germany and throughout their occupied countries, with so little
resistance or public outcry?" What power did he hold over the people of Germany,
that they would not only keep silent but would even take part in the most
unthinkable atrocities? Fear was certainly a factor, but it was only a facet of
the overall problem.
A psychologist named Stanley Milgram came up with an experiment that showed that
people have an amazing tendency toward blind obedience to authority.
You may read his findings in his article titled "The Perils of
Obedience."
Mr. Milgram informed the subjects of his experiment that they would be taking
part in a study on "punishment and learning." In each test case, he brought the
experimental subject, called "the teacher," into a room where another man, the
learner, was strapped into a chair with electrodes attached to his wrists. The
teacher sat in front of a console with 30 switches labeled from 15 volts to 450
volts. The switches were also identified as "Slight Shock, Moderate Shock,
Strong Shock, Very Strong Shock, Intense Shock, Extreme Intensity Shock,
Danger: Severe Shock." The teachers were instructed by the experimenters to
ask the learner a series of questions and to administer a 15-volt shock for the
first wrong answer and then to increase the voltage for each wrong answer after
that. Each teacher was given a 45 volt shock at the beginning to give them some
idea what it felt like.
The teachers were the focus of the
experiment. The learners were hired actors who were only pretending to be
shocked. There was no electricity involved. Regardless of the learners'
theatrical screams of pain and their incessant pleading that the experiment be
stopped, 65% of the teachers administered the maximum shock. In some variations
of the experiment over 90 percent of the teachers administered the maximum shock
at the authority's instructions. Not one subject stopped before reaching 300
volts! The degree of obedience to authority was much higher than anyone
anticipated. This is why many refer to Milgram's experiment as "the
experiment that shocked the world."
These results were completely unexpected, considering that before beginning his
experiment, Milgram interviewed a number of judges and psychiatrists, asking
them to predict the extent of conformity in this situation. They estimated only
two percent!
In 1966 a follow-up experiment was conducted. Twenty-two nurses were ordered by
doctors to administer excessive dosages of medication to patients. Twenty-one
nurses obeyed but were stopped by the experimenters.
Mr. Milgram concluded from his findings that obedience to authority structures
is a danger to human survival. Quoting Milgram,
"The capacity for man to abandon his humanity, indeed the inevitability that he does so, as he merges his unique personality into larger institutional structures. This is a fatal flaw nature has designed into us, and which in the long run gives our species only a modest chance of survival. . .
"Each individual possesses a conscience which to a greater or lesser degree serves to restrain the unimpeded flow of impulses destructive to others. But when he merges his person into an organizational structure, a new creature replaces autonomous man, unhindered by the limitations of individual morality, freed of humane inhibition, mindful only of the sanctions of authority. . .
"The disappearance of a sense of responsibility is
the most far-reaching consequence of submission to authority."
It is interesting that during the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals, almost
all the defendants blamed their actions and atrocities on the authorities above
them who gave them orders.
Authority structures that are fashioned after the kingdoms of this world are
instruments against the Kingdom of God by their very nature. They tend to render
people obedient by the sheer power of their bureaucracy. Bureaucracies
legitimize themselves by their group-think or group consensus. They exert
external pressures that war against the inner leading of God's Spirit and can
even lead people to sin against their own conscience. This creates a climate of
fear rather than love. Fear makes
people deaf to the voice of God or conscience and finally they become perpetual
babies, needing a man to tell them what to do and how to act, what is good and
what is evil.
One of the most glaring cases of this inhumanity of bureaucracy in the church
has been the treatment of accused heretics. The most horrendous imprisonment,
torture and death have been inflicted in the name of Christ and His church while
the faithful stood by in agreement. Church organizations or ecclesiastical
bureaucracies have the same effect as the earthly authority structures. They
also foster irresponsibility, relegating the priesthood of believers to the pew
or to some trite exercise in religion while demanding strict obedience. Most
tragic is the fact that many believers who enter these institutions check their
conscience at the door. In succumbing to the vision and whims of one dominant
leader they are mindful only of the
sanctions of authority. They become entangled in bureaucratic red tape and
can no longer sense the impulses of the Head, Jesus Christ. Loyalty to
denominational bureaucracies always supersedes loyalty to the Spirit of God,
just as loyalty to the traditions of men makes the commandments of God of no
effect.
Regarding this human tendency toward irresponsibility Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote,
"I am ashamed to think how easily we capitulate to
badges and names, to large societies and dead institutions." (Self-Reliance)
The Victory of the Lamb
- "I have overcome the world"
Something new was in the air! The thundering tones of a lone voice echoed
throughout the hills and valleys of the wilderness regions of Judea, "Repent!
For the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" (Matthew 3:1) The appearance of John the
Baptist marked a new era in God's economy. From that time onward the kingdom of
God suffered increasing resistance from violent people. This forerunner of the
King declared the nearness of the kingdom. The King of glory was about to come
to Zion. But not as some supposed. He came to His own but His own did not
receive Him. He was not at all what they expected. They waited for a conquering
Messiah who would come in military might to break the yoke of the Roman
occupation. To their great disappointment, Jesus came as a Lamb who showed
little interest in the conquest of Rome or in the physical salvation of the
nation of Israel. Yes! He came to wage war and deliver captives but few knew the
true nature of that warfare or were even aware of their captivity.
Few knew the battleground where that war would be fought. It was not the
Roman Empire that resisted the coming kingdom of God but another enemy
altogether. Jesus came to lead captivity captive by the strangest means the
world had ever seen. He did not come to conquer and subjugate but to spoil
principalities and set the captives free.
Violent
people resisted Jesus at every turn. When He preached from the scroll of Isaiah
in His own hometown, violent people from the synagogue tried to kill Him. When
He fed the multitudes they tried to make Him their king by
force, but there is no access to the kingdom of God by carnal and
worldly means. They had no power over Jesus. Jesus was rejected of men because
he took power over this fallen world in weakness, refusing to adopt its means of
power. For this reason the world hated Him. For this reason the nations rage.
Jesus was Emanuel, "God with us," God come in the flesh. He came in the flesh to
be tempted (Matthew 4:1, Hebrews 2:18) and overcome sin in the flesh.
Consequently, ". . .we don't have a high priest who can't be touched with the
feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we
are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).
Jesus said, ". . .he (the prince of this
world) has no power over me" (John 14:30). These words deserve our
attention. The New King James Version reads, ". . .and he has nothing in Me."
The prince of this world had no power over Christ because he had nothing he
could effectively tempt Christ with. The martial art of Judo depends on the
forward motion or aggression of the opponent, and so it is with the works of the
devil. Satan had come to Jesus in the wilderness of temptation and could find
nothing IN Him. He could find no lust
IN Christ. For "every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and
enticed" (see James 1:14). It was there, in the heat of this battle, that Satan
presented his greatest prize to Christ in an attempt to throw Him and cause Him
to fall.
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." (Matthew 4:8-9 RSV)
This encounter of heaven and hell reveals the master strategy of Satan. His
greatest allurement is the glitter, glamour and glory of his worldly kingdoms.
By this means he seeks to counter the kingdom of God and tempt its adherents.
Satan found the key to taking
dominion over God's prize creation, mankind, in the temptation in the garden. He
has not changed the formula since. Eve was tempted by the lust of her eyes, the
lust of her flesh and the pride of life (see 1 John 2:16).
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for
food [the lust of her flesh], that it was pleasant to the eyes [the lust of her
eyes], and a tree desirable to make one wise [the pride of her life], she took
of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Genesis
3:6, NKJV).
Satan also tempted Jesus with food, an offering of power and an appeal to act in
pride against the Father. None of these attempts were successful. Anyone who
falls for Satan's deception enters into the domain of corrupt principalities and
powers and can no longer say, "He (Satan) has no power over me." Instead, these
misguided souls find that everything within this worldly kingdom seeks to
glorify the prince of this world. He receives worship in the kingdom he has
fashioned. Even when he is not directly worshiped, he gains worship indirectly
when men worship at the feet of this kosmos (world system) that he has created.
In every way Jesus stands in antithesis to the kingdoms of this world. He is
essentially different; He is otherworldly, from above rather than beneath. And
so it is with HIS kingdom (See John 8:23). Christ's victory was first and
foremost a rejection of the kosmos
system, a stripping of its ambition and control.
The Heavenly Contrast of God's Kingdom among Us
Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, came preaching and modeling the
kingdom of God. From an earthly perspective, His example of leadership was an
anomaly, defying comprehension, and was looked upon with disdain as a result.
Unlike the kings of the earth, Jesus was lowly and meek (see Matthew 11:29). He
did not conquer by might and domination, but instead made himself vulnerable and
was ". . .crucified through weakness" (See 2 Corinthians 13:4).
Christ disarmed principalities
and powers! He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them! How did he
do this? Through the cross!
[Christ] having wiped out the
handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And
He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed
principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over
them in it. (Colossians 2:14-15, NKJV).
The Greek word translated disarmed in
the above verse is [554]
apekduomai. It means to "wholly
put off from one's self. . .
denoting separation from what is put off. . .wholly to strip off for
one's self (for one's own advantage)."
". . . apekduomai is used in the
middle voice in the NT, Col. 2:15, rv,
'having put off from Himself,'" (W.E.Vine). Christ's victory over the
principalities and powers was first realized on a personal level, beginning with
His rejection of the kingdoms of the world. He laid down the very things that
other kings and kingdoms seek to elevate and preserve. He laid down His life,
and in doing so He conquered. Now he is exalted and seated above principalities
and powers at the right hand of God. Christ conquered through weakness, through
lowliness, through meekness, through obedience unto death. He conquered Satan,
the world and the grave without once lifting the temporal sword. He had no
armies, no horses or chariots.
In Roman times, prisoners of war were stripped naked and paraded before the
populace behind the conquering general. In the cross Satan and his
kosmos are made an open spectacle and
are fully exposed and wholly striped off from those who are ruled by the kingdom
of God.
Paul uses the same word apekduomai to
describe this stripping.
Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off
[apekduomia] the old man with his
deeds; and have put on the new [man], which is renewed in knowledge after the
image of him that created him. Where there is neither Greek nor Jew,
circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond [nor] free: but
Christ [is] all, and in all. (Colossians 3:9-11,NKJV)
Those who will follow the Lamb
will continue to make an open spectacle of principalities and powers. They will
be tempted, just as their Lord was, to rise up and rule over other men as their
king. They also will be tempted with the glitter, glamour and glory of the
kingdoms of the prince of this world. They also will resist this demonic
hierarchy. These are the true overcomers, for, like their Savior, they too "have
overcome the world."
We all must ask ourselves, do I know such a victory? Has the world been stripped
from me? Does my life make an open spectacle of the prince of this
kosmos? When he comes, does he find
anything IN me?
In Revelation chapter five John saw this conquering Lamb.
But one of the elders said to
me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has
prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals." And I looked, and
behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and
in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb
as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are
the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the
scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Now when He had taken
the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down
before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are
the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to
take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us
to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
(Revelation 5:5-9, NKJV)
Although the elders of heaven see Jesus as a lion, powerful and fearful, the
elder of the church that abides on earth saw Him as a Lamb that had been slain,
meek and lowly. What kind of up-side-down Kingdom is it where lambs conquer and
lead, where strength is perfected in weakness, meekness, lowliness, and death?
(See John 16:33 and Revelation 17:14).
A ruling Lion
is not what Jesus wanted John to see. The elders of the church are not to rule
over the flock of God like the
princes of Ezekiel 22:25, who are
described "as lions [who]
stalk their prey. They devour innocent people, seizing treasures and extorting
wealth."
Instead, elders must follow the example of the Lamb. Mark His
words well.
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45, NKJV)
Those who walk in the footsteps of Christ will be hated by the
kosmos, just as Christ was and become as lambs that have been slain.
"The world hated them"
The prayer of Jesus recorded in John 17 reveals the hostility between the world
and all those whom He has called out of the world.
"I have given them your
word. The world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not
of the world." (John 17:14)
The disciples had been set aside, sanctified, by the Word that Jesus spoke to
them and so the world hated them.
Jesus said to his own family in Nazareth who did not believe in Him, "The world
can't hate you, but it hates me, because I testify about it, that its works are
evil" (John 7:7). These were His own flesh and blood brothers He was speaking
to. Later some of them would believe and to the degree that they had been
separated from the world, they also became a testimony against its evil works
and were hated accordingly. If the
world does not hate us, we should be concerned.
In Luke 6:26 Jesus gave this
warning: "Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their
fathers to the false prophets." If
the world loves you, BEWARE, because the world only recognizes and loves its
own. If the world and its worldly church love us, it means the prince of this
world has come and found kinship IN us. John wrote:
"You
are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is
greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak
as of the world, and the world hears them.
We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is
not of God does not hear us. By this we
know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error." (1 John 4:4-6, NKJV).
The world's hatred for Christ was seen very clearly in the events leading up to
His death on the cross.
After His mock trial by the high priests, Jesus was led to the Praetorium to be
sentenced by Pilate. Pilate asked Christ's accusers, "What accusation do you
bring against this man?" They answered, "If this man weren't an evildoer, we
wouldn't have delivered him up to you." (John 18:29-30) This answer did not
satisfy Pilate. He turned to Jesus and asked, "What have you done?"
To this question Jesus replied, "My kingdom is not of this world (kosmos). If my
kingdom were of this world (kosmos), then my servants would fight, that I
wouldn't be delivered to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here." (John
18:36 WEB)
What was Jesus guilty of? He was guilty of being different and the world hated
Him. They hated Him without a cause just as the law had foretold (See John15:
25, Psalms 35:19, 69: 4, 109:3-5).
He was of the kingdom of God, and those who did not embrace it took counsel
together against God's anointed. Christ's kingdom is not OF or FROM this
kosmos, promoted militaristically by
violent people. The servants of the kings of THIS world take up arms for their
kings, but this is NOT the way of Jesus' kingdom.
In saying that His kingdom was NOT of this world, Christ implied that His
accusers were of the world system and its
prince. They were the religious leaders of Judaism, a system of religion
that had apostatized and taken on the character of the prince of this world. In
every sense of the word, religion is Satan's brainchild. A father is someone who
begets and nurtures. In a
systematic sense, a father is anyone who creates, originates, and founds
something. When Jesus said to the Pharisees "you are of your father the devil,"
He was saying that Satan was the begetter of their power base. Christ's words
and life were a constant witness against them. This explains the underlying
enmity between religion and Christ today. Those who are of the kingdom of God
have been persecuted for the last 2000 years, mostly by organized religions of
men. This persecution continues to this day. Religion is of the
kosmos system and religious people have a perfect hatred for the
children of the kingdom of God who walk in the Spirit of Christ.
Another facet of the kosmos system is
religion. By definition it is a system that concerns itself with form, ceremony
rite and ritual, rather than life. "Holding
a form of godliness but having denied the power thereof" (2 Timothy 3:5).
We find this clearly borne out in the writings of
Paul, who referred to the religion of his fathers as "the
elements of the world" (kosmos),
and to all who ascribe to it as "children. . .in bondage, under guardians
and stewards" (see Galatians 4:1-3).
The Galatian believers were turning back to the old
religious order. Paul asked them, "Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to
be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental
spirits? How can you want to be enslaved to them again?" (Galatians 4:9 RSV)
Paul summed up, "May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, by which the world (kosmos)
has been crucified to me, and I to the world"
(Galatians 6:14).
If you read this verse in context you will find that it is sandwiched between
two verses dealing with the old religious observances of circumcision and
keeping the law. Although Judaism and the law originated with God, in the hands
of the enemy it was perverted and distracted mankind from God's eternal purpose.
This old religious system was abolished in Christ and is now of the
kosmos, weak and beggarly. Paul warned
that returning to the old religious system is rejecting the cross and embracing
the world.
Clearly much of the Christian system today has sunk to the level of mere
religion, no longer producing the fruit of living union with Christ. Religious
man's chief weakness is his singular drive to impose the earthly upon the
heavenly. He presumes to advance
the kingdom of heaven or the rule of heaven by outer, earthly
methods. He mistakes uniformity for unity, and ambitiously seeks to reach this
lofty state of divine concord by imposing a rigid
system of conformity upon the people of God. This is serious
business, because it means rejecting the headship of Christ.
"As (praying other) men's prayers are a disease of
the will, so are their creeds a disease of the intellect. They say with those foolish Israelites, `Let not God speak to
us, lest we die. Speak thou, speak
any man with us, and we will obey.' Everywhere I am hindered of meeting God in
my brother, because he has shut his own temple doors, and recites fables merely
of his brother's, or his brother's brother's God." (Ralph Waldo Emerson,
Self Reliance)
The Religious Kosmos or The Headship of Christ
Paul wrote to the Colossian believers regarding those who were attempting to
lead them back into bondage to the elemental spirits of the world,
". . .and not holding firmly to the Head, from whom
all the body, being supplied and knit together through the joints and ligaments,
grows with God's growth. If you died with Christ from the elements of the world,
why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to ordinances,
"Don't handle, nor taste, nor touch" (all of which perish with use),
according to the precepts and doctrines of men? Which things indeed appear like
wisdom in self-imposed worship, and humility, and severity to the body; but
aren't of any value against the indulgence of the flesh." (Colossians 2:19-23
RSV)
In this passage Paul gives us a classic example of the religious
kosmos that promotes external
religious disciplines in hopes of keeping the flesh in check, but to no avail.
In contrast to this self-imposed worship, Paul sets forth the headship of
Christ. He accused those who promoted
touch not, taste not, handle not religion of refusing to hold firmly to the
Head. In short, any religious institution that is not supplied and knit together
by the HEAD, but instead tries to unite around some other center or source,
cannot rightly be called Christian. If Christ is not the Guiding Agent, or Head
of a body, it is not HIS body. It is a headless cadaver. We know this sounds
rather narrow but it is true nonetheless. We are convinced that the reason so
many gatherings fail is because they do not hold fast to ". . .the Head, from
which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit
together, increases with the increase of God" (Colossians 2:19). No Head means
no ministry, no knitting together, and definitely no increase.
One Head or Many Heads?
Jesus told John that he was being shown "things that must shortly take place"
(Revelation 1:1). As we look at this revelation of things which have been
unfolding, we notice a lot of symbolism. One of the symbols used there is the
head or heads. We start
out reading about the seven candlesticks, the seven spirits and the seven
churches of Asia Jesus is walking among and ministering to as their Head. They
seem to be progressively declining in their holiness and loyalty to Christ as we
read down the list (see Revelation chapters 2 and 3). Jesus is showing each of
them what they have been doing right and what was in error. Mind you, this was
still in the first century, and John was still alive. The great falling away
(apostasy) had already begun.
In these three chapters we see only one Head, Jesus, walking among His church.
By the end of this portion of scripture we see Jesus locked outside the door of
the church, knocking, waiting to be let in. As the next chapter begins, He is
seen behind an open door in the heavens (see Revelation 3:20 to 4:1).
By chapter twelve we see a red dragon with seven heads and a woman giving birth
to a mature child (man child). This dragon is poised to eat the child as it is
born and the woman is offering no resistance and making no attempt to protect
the child. We often see this in certain churches today. Converts are born into
something that kills the God-given life in them and changed into the image of
something other than Christ. The same thing was true among the Jewish leaders of
2000 years ago. Jesus observed of them, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is
won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves."
Further in chapter twelve of Revelation we see that this man-child is caught up
unto God in heaven and the woman runs off into the wilderness. Next in
Revelation 17 we read, "So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness.
And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast [which was] full of names of
blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns." We believe that John is being
shown a progressive revelation in this book. The church, or woman, is being
gradually seduced and changed into something that no longer rests in Christ, but
rather rides around on a beast out of hell with seven heads.
Throughout the scripture, the word head depicts rulers, kings or
leadership. Some teachers deduce that the church is raptured out of the earth by
chapter four of this book because there is no mention of it again. Although
there is no mention of the church as a body with only ONE Head, it is very much
alive and shown in its fallen state, associating with MANY HEADS. We believe
John is seeing the future state of the fallen church with its multiple heads and
what we now know as denominationalism.
Multiple heads, but on one beast! It is all about control, not by God, but by
the antichrist spirit. Where the antichrist spirit is in control, the Holy
Spirit is not. In fact, He will not even be found there! Notice in Revelation
eighteen the following warning is given:
And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come
out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her
plagues.
This same woman who rides the seven-headed beast was drunk upon the blood of all
the saints of God (see Revelation 17:6 and 18:4). She has been bleeding them for
her own pleasure, drunk on power, and yet they abide in her!
Finally, the people of God get the message, for later in Revelation eighteen we
read of this Great Whore, "The light of a lamp (same Greek word as
lampstand in Revelation 2:5) shall not
shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard
in you anymore. . ."(Revelation 18:23, NKJV). Now the judgment of God is seen on
her and her seven-headed monster.
The Mark of the Beast
One of the greatest examples in the scriptures of antichrist control and the
absence of the headship of Christ is in the passage that speaks of "the mark of
the beast."
And he had power to give life unto the image of the
beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as
would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all,
both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their
right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he
that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is
wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is
the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
(Revelation 13:15-18, KJV).
It is all about control. You worship
the image of the beast or you die. You take his mark
in your right hand and in
your forehead or you cannot buy or sell. There has been a lot of speculation
about just who this beast is. We have all heard Bible scholars say that it was
the Pope, Adolph Hitler or even Henry Kissinger. They all have their
interpretations of why this is. Notice that in verse eighteen we read, "Let him
that hath understanding count the
number of the beast. . ."
One time I (Michael) was
asking the Lord about this mark, because there are so many contrary teachings
about it. The Lord told me to read this sentence again
So I did and then He said,
"Count the number of his name."
So I did. "One six, two sixes,
three sixes."
Then He said, "What does three
stand for?"
I said, "The three persons in
the Godhead. It's your number, Lord."
Then He said, "What does six stand for?"
I said, "Six stands for man in
his fallen state. He was created on the sixth day and has not yet entered into
your rest of the seventh day."
He said, "Good, put it
together." Then the lights came on.
The number of the beast is a symbol of ultimate humanism, man showing himself to
be God. "It is the number of a man" standing in the place of God, in league with
the antichrist spirit in the son of perdition.
He "opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is
worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he
is God." Where does the New Testament say that the temple of God should be? In
the hearts of men. We are living stones being built into a temple fit for His
habitation (see 2 Peter 2:4-6).
Whether there will actually be a physical brand on these men or whether the mark
is in their foreheads--their mind-sets--and in their hands--their carnal
works--either way these have taken
the mark of the beast (see 2 Thessalonians 2:1-13, KJV)
One more thing that should be noted about this mark is that it involves
merchandising. You cannot buy or sell without it. Yet this scarlet woman in
chapters 17 to 19 is doing much marketing and it is so much a part of her that
the merchants of the world mourn and wail over her demise. What was her form of
trade?
"And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn
over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: merchandise of gold and
silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet,
every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object
of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; and cinnamon and incense,
fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and
sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men."
Yes, it is all about CONTROL! She not only bleeds His people, but makes
merchandise of them.
And THROUGH COVETOUSNESS SHALL THEY WITH FEIGNED
WORDS MAKE MERCHANDISE OFYOU: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not,
and their damnation slumbereth not. For if God spared not the angels that
sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness,
to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the
eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world
of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes
condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after
should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation
of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and
hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.)
Be of good cheer dear saints of God. Remember that
The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of
temptations (Gk. peirasmos - an
experiment, trial, proving), and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment
to be punished. (2 Peter 2:9, KJV).
Once you are outside the camp, whether it be the Pentecostal camp, the Methodist
camp, or the Baptist camp, etc. (see Hebrews 13:12-14), it all becomes so easy
to see. The scriptures all fit together like a huge mosaic from the first word
in Genesis to the last one in Revelation. Trying to see it and make sense of it
in the context of the kosmos systems
of men is like the child who is using a hammer to make the puzzle fit together.
A child still inside its mother's womb can't begin to imagine what its mother
looks like or see the kingdom into which it is being born.
Let us consider for a moment what it means to hold fast to the ONE Head. Any
body that is disconnected from its head is dead. The body that does not respond
to the impulses of the head is paralyzed. These two conditions describe the
state of the church today. Satan comes to rob, kill and destroy. He seeks to
separate us from our Head, both physically and spiritually. What function does
the head perform? The head is the center of THOUGHT, SIGHT, DISCERNMENT and
COMMUNICATION. It is the center of wisdom, vision, security and communication.
Once, while talking to an old friend about the body of Christ (Head plus body),
the subject of where the fivefold ministry fits into the body-scheme arose. The
scriptures make it clear there is only one Head. So where do these intermediate
hierarchical ministries fit? To my (George's) surprise my friend said, "They are
the neck which turns the Head. The dictates of the Head are passed on to the
body through them." Although it may sound logical, this theory is not supported
by scientific fact. The head does not say to the neck, "Tell the arm to lift the
hand so it can extend the index finger to scratch that itch behind my ear." The
neck has nothing to do with it whatsoever. The truth is that the brain
communicates directly to each body
part through the peripheral nervous system without the aid of intervening
agencies. The nervous system controls the various organs of the body directly.
The brain also receives information from many organs of the body and sends
signals to these organs to maintain proper functioning.
The head controls all the body's parts
instantly and without intermediary help. The head does not filter its
impulses down through a diminishing chain-of-command. The essential and
determining difference between the body of Christ (Head plus body) and the
religious kosmos is the immediate and
direct control of the HEAD over every member of the body. As Paul put it, " For
[there is] one God and one Mediator between God and men, [the] Man Christ Jesus,
who gave Himself a ransom for all." (I Timothy 2:5-6a, NKJV).
We have attended several small gatherings where the sweet Spirit of Christ was
prevalent at first. He was knitting together and nourishing His body. The
increase was from God. It is the custom of man to despise things that are not
big in an outward and worldly way, and inevitably, someone set his mind to the
task of church growth. Hoping to grow some large work in his own name and image,
he led the group
away captive after
the commandments and doctrines of men.
Soon the supply of the Head was cut off and replaced by the order of men.
Multiple heads soon emerge and what was once a perfect body in the sight of God
becomes a mythical Hydra with multiple heads. Each time one head is cut off; two
take its place, just like the growth of denominationalism.
Whatever is not knit together and orchestrated by the Head,
in whom all things consist, is not the Ekklesia. Many
people attempt to knit an assembly together by organization, and others by
doctrine. Some are knit together around a charismatic leader. Others are knit
together by some special, elitist identifying emphasis that has only an
appearance of wisdom.
In these days of religious complexity, simplicity in Christ is rarely seen. The
programs and promotional methods of the
kosmos system have led today's institutionalized churches to a state of
busyness, shallowness and spiritual bankruptcy. Busyness is not an indicator of
spiritual life. In the days of Noah, the people were busy buying, selling,
planting and building, but that did not make them spiritual (see Luke 17:26-30).
There is only one remedy, and that is the cross of Christ, "whereby the world
(religious or otherwise) is crucified unto me and I unto the world." Yes!
Through the cross we are crucified to the rudiments of the world (religion)
(Galatians 6:14). Only when the cross has done its work can we come together
around the Head. Only then are we broken of our own strength and ingenuity can
there be any sense of unity in His body. Thank God! Where only two or three
crucified ones gather in His name, He is there! Those who gather in His name, in
His character, will know the growth of God.
We are convinced that most religious activities are done to compensate for the
lack of the Divine supply. Certain missionaries of old sought to "civilize the
heathen" by conforming them to the customs of their own western cultures.
Though they learned how to sit at table and which spoon and fork to use
for each course, in their hearts these converts still wanted to eat with their
hands. Regardless of the outer disciplines, their natures remained unchanged.
This is also the case with today's accountability groups that try to inspire
obedience by holding the participants accountable for their performance during
the previous week. Knowing they will have to give an account for their conduct
drives them to try harder. We personally know individuals who attended these
meetings regularly. One was a womanizer and adulterer and remains so unto this
day. Why? Only the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus can raise us above
our natural failings. Only the Spirit of God can subdue the sinful deeds of the
body (See Romans 8:13-14). Anything else is mere worship of your own willpower,
i. e., "will worship" (see Colossians. 2:23, KJV).
The general proclivity of the religious system
(kosmos) is away from the supply of the Head, away from God's growth and
toward the traditions of men, after the principles of the world. "We don't
smoke, and we don't chew, and we don't go with the girls that do!" Although this
system may have the appearance of wisdom, it is powerless against the
indulgences of the flesh because it is self-worship that denies the supply of
the Head. This wisdom is worldly, finding its strength and supply in the flesh.
The world embraces its own, and this beggarly brand of Christianity is loved by
the world because it is of the same ilk. These disciplines are embraced by all
the worlds' religions. Some don't eat pork, but do eat beef; others are
vegetarians. Some forbid marrying; others have multiple wives. Some beat their
bodies, while others indulge in all the worlds' comforts, preaching worldly
prosperity.
Trying to
control the fleshly nature of man by the power of the flesh is like the woman
who did not like her kitchen windows being steamed-up by her pressure-cooker
venting as she cooked ham hocks and beans. She solved the problem by plugging
the vent! It worked for a season
and the windows cleared, but finally that fleshpot blew and the ham hocks and
beans were made fully manifest when the windows blew out. Today we see the
results of such an explosion in the churches. Many people are walking around
with great scars, caused by a foolish cook in control of the kitchen.
The flesh WILL always seek to manifest.
You can cover it up as you will, but in a weak moment it will invariably
show its strength. God has one plan for the flesh and its
kosmos system, and that is death, not some religious straightjacket.
Paul wrote:
"Yes, we had the
sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God
who raises the dead…" (2 Corinthians 1:9)
The word translated sentence, apokrima,
should have been translated answer.
The answer to the problem of
trusting in our flesh is death, the death of the cross working in each of us.
Those who are called out of the world by the sanctifying work of Christ are
essentially different, and so the world hates them just as it hated Jesus. Let
us never forget that it was the religious
kosmos that betrayed Christ unto death. They were religious voices that
cried, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" The religious
kosmos still hates and
crucifies Christ afresh as it holds to a
form of religion while denying the
power His death has purchased for the body to abide in.
Consider these words of Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt.
"We have sought to explain how Christendom is, so
to speak, a secondary world in which Christ is honored as God--although only in
the way the world speaks of God. Thus, as the world speaks of God
without becoming godly, so the secondary world of Christendom speaks of Christ
without following him." (Thy Kingdom Come)
The prophet Jeremiah prophesied of a great shift in
God's dealings with mankind.
"Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the
house of Judah, not like the covenant
which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them
out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was their
husband, says the Lord. But this is the
covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says
the Lord: I will put my law within them,
and I will write it upon their hearts;
and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And
no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother,
saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to
the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will
remember their sin no more."
Jeremiah 31:31-34 (RSV)
The only form of control acceptable in God's kingdom is not really
control at all, but the
leading of His Spirit. The Spirit
leads us by our voluntary yielding of ourselves to Him (see Romans 6:13 and19).
He does this by giving us a new motivator, a new heart that can hear His voice
(see Ezekiel 36:26). "The Kingdom of God is within you," Jesus said. The
influence and reign of God is in the heart. "Christ in you is the hope of
glory." In His high priestly prayer in John 17, Jesus sets forth this new
reality. "I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected into one; that
the world (kosmos) may know that you
sent me, and loved them, even as you loved me" (John 17:23).
The external law is not for righteous men who have received the Spirit of God's
Son and have truth in the inward parts.
It is "for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly
and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers
of mothers, for manslayers. . ."
(1 Timothy 1:9 RSV). In short, the law is for those who do not have the kingdom
of God within them, who have no inner Spirit control, whose fleshly appetites go
unchecked and must be reined in and subdued by the external yokes or rules of
men.
Those who walk by the law of the Spirit within will only find themselves in
conflict with the external legal systems and laws of men (religious or
otherwise) when those laws go against the higher order of God. The Jews were
constantly accusing Jesus and His disciples of breaking their laws, yet He was
without sin. The problem was not in Christ, the spotless Lamb, but with the
legalistic systems of men that were more in tune with the
kosmos of the Wicked One than the heavenly kingdom of God. As Paul
put it,
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
(Galatians 5:22-23, NKJV).
The Yoke of Love Vs. The
Yoke of Bondage
A yoke is an external device of control, used on dumb animals to force them to
do what they normally would not do. Jesus invited the weary and heavy laden to
come unto him and find rest, saying, "For
my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (see Matthew 11:30).
The apostle Paul used the term yoke in
a different sense, to describe religion as an apparatus of external control and
bondage. Paul referred to Judaism, with its emphasis on adherence to the law, as
a yoke of bondage (see Galatians 5:1). All forms of outer control that are not
the easy and
light burden of Christ are instruments of bondage. If taken to its
logical conclusion, the religious and nearly godless notion that the impetus for
change is external rather than internal and that things will go awry without
such external controls legitimizes and excuses even the most meddlesome busybody
or tyrant. Anyone who promotes this kind of bondage does not accurately value
the kingdom of God within believers. If they truly believed in the sovereignty
of God's Spirit they would not treat God's children like babies, needing
constant supervision and restraint.
Placing outer control on God's people is a
violation of their new natures, and
discounts God's work within them. There is only one hope for change and that is
"Christ in you the hope of glory." If
God is not working in us, "both to will
and to do of His good pleasure," there is no
hope of change and no hope of glory.
The freedom of the Spirit is dependent on the unencumbered rule of the Spirit.
Paul wrote, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit"
(Galatians 5:25). From beginning to end, the Christian life is in the Spirit. We
were born anew by
God's Spirit. His Spirit has given us life! Once born of the Spirit, we are
called to walk in the Spirit and that requires the unencumbered freedom to
follow Him.
If we are yoked to the expectations and manipulations of men we can never be
fully led by the Spirit. External control is rooted in the fear of man, which is
a snare, i. e., bondage. If we "obey the Lord" because we fear man, are we truly
obeying the Lord?
Fear-based obedience is self-serving and self-preserving in nature, done to
avoid unpleasant or embarrassing consequences. If the fear or reverence of man
is our motivation, we are certainly not serving God, nor are we serving man. We
are serving ourselves. A wife who is married to an austere and demanding husband
often serves out of fear, fear of the consequences of not serving. She serves to
avoid unpleasantness. She wants to make him happy so he won't make her
miserable. Is that a healthy relationship? When we serve others because we love
them, we truly serve them. But when we serve others because we fear what they
might say, think or do, we are serving ourselves.
Paul had this to say about the difference.
"For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God?
Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn't be
a servant of Christ." (Galatians 1:10 WEB)
When we impose external
control on our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are working against God's rule
in their lives. By drawing their attention away from the kingdom to a system of
accountability and rules--a system of fear--where their focus is outward rather
than on the inner Christ, we are leading them away captive, making them
accountable to us. Christians will focus on the one(s) they are accountable to,
be it God or man. God wants our eyes to be constantly on Him. He wants us to
serve Him out of reverence and love, directly accountable to him. Anyone who
yields obedience in fear, due to the external expectations, manipulation and
pressure of men, cannot possibly yield and obey through love. Fear of man has
torment. Such people are tormented into compliance, afraid of disgrace or
punishment. We must be free before our service will ever mean anything.
"For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a
slave to all, that I might win the more."
(1 Corinthians 9:19 RSV)
We must be free from all men
if we are to serve them in the love of God. Furthermore, we must set anyone held
in the oppressive grasp of our expectations at liberty. The will must be free
before love can be expressed. Even God himself will not violate the wills of
men; He is set to win them by love. Forced submission is not submission but
subjugation.
Show us one time, while Jesus walked upon the earth, where He insisted that
anyone submit to Him. You will find many times where people did submit because
He won them by His love. Those who bow as servants of fear cower in subjugation.
But those who bow in reciprocating love do so out of respect and gratitude, as
sons.
Seeking the Kingdom or
the church
But seek first God's Kingdom, and his
righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33
WEB)
Jesus instructed His disciples to seek the kingdom of God above all else.
Nowhere did He instruct them to seek the church, or even a perfect expression of
the church. This may sound shocking considering that the central focus of
western Christianity is an institution called the church. Over the centuries the
pursuit of the ideal church or an inordinate devotion to the church system has
been mistaken for the pursuit of God. The fruit of this enterprise has resulted
in the creation of a religious system that is the handiwork of men and not the
workmanship of God. But more, these religious institutions are ordered after the
manner of the kingdoms of the prince of this world. We cannot find any scripture
to justify the current inordinate preoccupation with the church, church growth,
church planting, etc. The true church is a byproduct, a result that occurs when
God's people seek His kingdom as individuals. A perversion results when all our
energies go into seeking the church, making the by-product the supreme goal. The
church systems of our day are the fruit of this imbalance.
Is the church important to God? Yes! Is it central to His purposes? A resounding
yes! Is the church to be our focus? NO! The building of the church is Christ's
responsibility, NOT ours. We are called to seek the kingdom of God, making
Christ the king of our lives, not seek the church.
Contrary to popular opinion, the church is not the kingdom of God. The church (ekklesia)
is the people of God. The kingdom existed long before the New Testament
assembly. The kingdom was given to Israel but was taken away and given to a
"nation" that would bring forth the fruit of it (Matthew 21:43).
Jesus taught His disciples that the kingdom would come in a dimension that,
before that time, had only existed in heaven. His will could only be
accomplished by His Spirit that was poured out at Pentecost. Jesus taught His
disciples to pray, "Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will
be done,
on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:9-10 NRSV) This model prayer clearly
reveals God's kingdom priorities.
It is really a matter of cause and effect. First the cause - God's
kingdom and His
will--then the effect--a glorious church without spot or wrinkle.
Many believers have placed the cart before the horse, prioritizing the effect
over the cause. This obsession is fueled by the misguided belief that if we just
get the church pattern right then the church will experience body life and all
our woes will be over. Consequently, the correct
pattern becomes the supreme goal, the key to life as it were. Not
realizing that they are bypassing the cause and trying to manufacture the
effect, they produce what Alan Richardson called "a third kingdom," neither
fully of the Kingdom of God nor of the world. It is a mixture, somewhere
between--a third kingdom.
The kingdom is God's first priority. "But seek first God's Kingdom, and his
righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well." (Mat
6:33-WEB). We will never see a pure expression of the
ekklesia until God's children seek first His kingdom, not the
church.
God's will cannot be done unless His
kingdom and power come first. First the kingdom, then God's
will. Religion is a classic example of
the cart trying to pull the horse. Religion is man's attempt to do the will of
God without the power of God. The kingdom comes in power. God's
will must be accomplished in the
individual believer before His kingdom and will can be known corporately in the
body of Christ. Our part is to seek the kingdom; the rest is up to Him. He will
build the church! He will give the increase.
Regardless of its noble
appearance, man's preoccupation with building a pure expression of the church is
also religion. God will not commission us nor enable us to usurp the work and
purview of Christ. We are to be kingdom seekers, not church builders. And if we
seek the kingdom the rest will fall into place. All these other things will be
given.
Perhaps you are asking, but didn't Paul and the other
apostles focus on the church? Weren't they "church planters"? The early
believers were Christocentric; centered on Christ, not churchocentric.
Paul planted
(see 1 Corinthians 3:6), but was it churches or individuals one at a time in
Christ? We believe the latter. When Paul was not preaching the gospel to the
lost he was ". . .confirming the souls of
the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many
afflictions we must enter into the
Kingdom of God." (Acts 14:22) Paul planted Christ in the hearts of men and women wherever he
traveled, and Jesus built His church. That is why each area took on a different
flavor in the freedom of the Spirit that Paul encouraged them to walk in. He
refused to clone himself or the church in Antioch that he came from in the
churches in each locale, but instead was passionate that Christ should be formed
in them (Galatians 4:19). As Paul put
it,
Who then is Paul, and who [is] Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So