#295 Kingdom: The Reconstruction of the Church
Exo 25:31 “Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand and its base and its shaft are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its bulbs and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. [32] “And six branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lampstand from its one side, and three branches of the lampstand from its other side.
Exo 25: 40] “And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain.
Rev 1: 20] “As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden Lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven Lampstands are the seven churches.
God commanded the Lampstand to be built [constructed] exactly according to the pattern shown on the mountain and the Lampstand is a picture of the church that Jesus Christ is building. In the Book of Revelations we see Jesus walking among the Lampstands and correcting them, pointing out their defects and giving them a warning and a promise. In other words He is taking direct responsibility for the Lampstand churches and He knows the finest detail of each one and what must be set right..
REV 2:1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: [2] `I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; [3] and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.
The pattern for the Lampstand church is shown to us “on the mountain.” It appears that each generation must be re-awakened to ascend the mountain of God and renew their vision of the pattern. It seems that each generation begins to seek for new ideas from among men about how to “build the church.” If someone is “successful” in assembling a lot of people on Sunday morning, others flock in to learn how they did it and “build after the same pattern” that was “successful” for them. Still, with all man’s effort it is only Jesus Christ that will build HIS CHURCH. At the very least we should be understanding the pattern so we can work with Him instead of against Him.
This title of “The Reconstruction of the Church” after God’s pattern suggests that the pattern has been lost or redesigned and the existing “construction” has deviated from the original pattern. I am not suggesting that we return to the “pattern of the early church” but to the pattern shown on the mountain today for the church in this century. In other words it is not a matter of adding another piece of pure gold to the Lampstand described in Revelation 1-2 and 3 but cooperating with Christ to build the “lampstand church” in this area according to the pattern that He is now showing on His holy mountain. In the Book of Revelation there was a “Lampstand church” in each of the seven areas of Asia. In Solomon’s Temple there were several Lampstands. Some of silver and some of gold. Silver speaks about redemption and gold speaks about perfection.
1 Chron 28:15] and the weight of gold for the golden lampstands and their golden lamps, with the weight of each lampstand and its lamps; and the weight of silver for the silver lampstands, with the weight of each lampstand and its lamps according to the use of each lampstand;
It is my opinion that it is the “gold Lampstand church” that is on the heart of God for each time period. The reason is because there is no mention of His walking among the “silver lampstands” in the Book of Revelation. The “pattern” adopted by most of the “builders” today favor the silver lampstand church because it is easier to find silver than gold.
1 Kings 10:21] And all King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None was of silver; it was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon.
In the eternal Kingdom everyone will be redeemed so “the silver of redemption” will be
quite common. The exception could be in the Millennial Kingdom where there will be those on earth that will not yet be redeemed. Some will even be hostile to Christ and His government.
If our past speculations prove to be correct concerning the transition of the Outer Court Assembly to the Holy Place Priesthood type of Lampstand Church, then a “reconstruction” of the church as we know it must begin on the basis of the Kingdom and not just on the basis of redemption as it is preached today. My opinion is that this will be a traumatic and dramatic change from what is apparent today. The culture of the Kingdom must be infused into the church and a new Christian society must emerge which manifests the government of God as its practical life-style.
I am speculating that there will be no division of life and Christian living between the physical, the mental, the spiritual, the material and the corporate Christian expression, manifested to those outside the Kingdom. All areas of Life will be Christian. ALL that concerns the Christian will concern the Kingdom and ALL that concerns the Kingdom will be the focus and concern of the Holy Place Christian. My opinion is that this “restricted vision” of eternity, that has been normal, will be enlarged within the Holy Place Life and ministry. The things that keep “Christians” apart in the Outer Court will be forbidden in the Holy Place.
False “divisions” (denominations) which have been set up in the Outer Court by man will be soon seen for what they really are in the light of the Lampstand Church. The one piece Lampstand will reveal that “Christ is not divided” but His believers still hold to a false separation which some call “sanctification.”
There is a fringe opinion arising that there should be a Kingdom Church someplace upon the earth. There ought to be a “Kingdom people” on the earth that can be identified. There ought to be the “Kingdom Government of God IN A PEOPLE someplace where the Kingdom is made flesh and dwells among us.
We wonder if there are some people, someplace, that are “teaching the Kingdom.” That means gathering up the values, the requirements, the lessons, sacrifices, the Life, the revelations, the mysteries, the demands and the character of the Kingdom. If there is NOT such a people it seems that there ought to be.
The Kingdom today seems to be approached as a big “experiment” rather than as something proven in the lives of believers for 2000 years. When we actually see a real Christian manifesting the Life of Christ today, it may not even occur to us that we are seeing the Kingdom of God in real life. My theory is that there is NO real Christian Life outside the Kingdom Government of God even if we have been told the Kingdom was postponed. When Christ is sitting upon the throne of our life then the Kingdom has come even if we didn’t know there was a Kingdom. Still, if the Kingdom is JUST experimental in our experience we should not despise the experimental stage because the Kingdom will grow in us as we obey the commandments of God. It is good to start into the Kingdom with a blank sheet that doesn’t have a lot of scribbling from the past. The design of the “Consecration Offering” is to produce a blank sheet so we can begin from scratch. As His Laws are written upon our hearts and put into our minds, wider ranges of His Life are encountered. The evidence of this “change” will be a desire to distribute the privileges of the “few in the Kingdom that find them” to the many who haven’t heard.
Some of us have been dealing with the”antithesis of the Kingdom” that is found in Romans 7th chapter. The well intentioned human effort of Romans 7 stands in juxtaposition to “the grace of full surrender” that is the means to success in the Kingdom. Human effort is the antithesis to the Kingdom. This may seem so simple but it is so easy to be deceived into working for the Kingdom rather than laboring to enter into His rest by surrender.
Another “temptation” that confronts us when we look at the existing lukewarmness around is the desire to “destroy” rather than “fulfill.” To violently force our way into the Kingdom without being violent towards those who are unconcerned. is another temptation. Some are just rearranging the dust from the past while our desire is to clean the house and get ready for a new restoration.
The Kingdom attitude might be compared to Jesus who needed no repentance but to be baptized by John into a baptism of repentance and identifying with those who were repentant and needed remission of sins. He identified Himself with sinners who needed a sin bearer.
John’s revelation of the Kingdom is better than many church goers today. He said in effect to give according to your ability and distribute according to the need. Don’t take more than you are supposed to from others..
Luke 3:10] And the multitudes were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” [11] And he would answer and say to them, “Let the man who has two tunics share with him who has none; and let him who has food do likewise.” [12] And some tax-gatherers also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” [13] And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” [14] And some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”
In the Kingdom we reap what Jesus sowed at Calvary. We may receive a down payment but we can only reap the fulness in the Kingdom. In the same way that Israel could not keep the feasts or reap any harvest in the wilderness so we can only really reap what Jesus sowed after we enter into the Kingdom government of God. To speak about “fulness” outside the Kingdom is ignorance. The outward, universal laws of God are relevant for us to keep up until they are fulfilled in us but then they become irrelevant to those living by the higher Laws of God..
We have a very serious commandment which says “Exo 20:4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. Did that commandment ever cure anyone of making a graven image? Not likely because the commandment could not give “life.” The “law” was an unworkable order that God established to prove to man that Romans 7 is experientially true. Therefore, the reconstruction of the church must be elevated above rules, laws, statutes and ordinances. It cannot be by trying harder and must go far beyond the Romans 7 “experiment in Christian living.” The “church experience” must be out of His Life and not regulated by “church ordinances.”
The Charismatic Renewal brought the pundits out of the woodwork that condemned the gifts because they perceived a lack of fruit in those who had the gifts. Of course the fruit was in short supply everywhere we looked, whether Charismatic or not. The “fruit” was identified as good works, charity, hospitality, public assistance, winning souls and giving and whatever was popular at the moment. All that was good but none of those activities conflict with the gifts. It may be time to give that Matra a rest.
I think the “reconstruction” must be based upon the “roots of Christianity” which Is “Christ in us our hope of Glory!” Trying to produce the “Fruits of Christianity” without the “roots of Christianity” will be another Romans 7 disappointment. The “roots of Christianity” produce a character within instead of just an outward “work” that may be judged as just natural ability. If the “Root is not Christ” any “Fruit” is irrelevant because anything eternal must come from the “internal Christ” and not from Adam.
2Cor 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves;
The reconstruction of the church cannot be based upon the “earthen vessels” but upon the treasure within the earthen vessels. The “earthen vessel” can be nothing or produce nothing unless inhabited by the great eternal Treasure and only then it can be fashioned into a vessel of honor. Not because of the “vessel” but because of the Treasure. The “vessel” can never become a pure Gold Lampstand except by the Treasure that inhabits it.
It may be time to stop focusing upon “winning souls to the church” until we can focus upon “winning the church back to Christ and His Kingdom” so the new souls will have a place to fellowship around Christ within the Government of God.. The “reconstruction of the church” cannot be based upon some religion built on some teaching about Christ. Kingdom Christianity is Christ in us, establishing His government and manifesting Himself and the Divine Order through us!!
Just consider the “systems invented by men” that we call the church or even Christianity. Some are built wholly upon the principles of a secular society. Like Constantine in the third century who established the government of the church after the government of Rome. [He who has the gold makes the rules.] Today the church is run like a big corporation with leaders who are CEO’s with employees that carry out his wishes. Some of these “systems” are totally foreign to the Spirit of Christ. Could Christ ordain, anoint and stand behind something so opposite of Himself? We just assume He did in the past because of how we measure success. If we judged by how much of His Life is being manifest instead of how many people are “sitting” in the pews we might recognize a mechanical system that cannot demonstrate Kingdom Christianity.
But, Brother, you are so negative. Why not try to find something good to say about the system? To me it is like trying to say something good about the systems of government in Cuba where everything is falling apart. The negative overshadows the positive. In Cuba the majority exist for the few. The government owns the people even though the people are supposed to be the government.
Did God actually design a system that benefits the few that lead? Will any mechanical system ever produce His Life in the church? Will His Life actually produce a mechanical system for the church? I am not saying that the Outer Court systems were wrong but that these mechanical systems will be so foreign to the Holy Place Life and ministry that they will be unacceptable. Still, we stand in the place of transition where we have no idea what to take out and what to bring in or how to redesign for the “reconstruction” of the church.
God has given that responsibility wholly to Christ to build His bride / church in His own likeness. The revelation of what He is doing is only understood by the priesthood of the Holy Place. Since we stand in some lesser dimension of light we can only speculate about these things. However, even in the natural light it seems clear that something is too mechanical to move into the illumination of the Seven Spirits of God.
The questions I am asking myself are these; Is the Christian church really Christian or is it sub-Christian? Can it qualify as an Outer Court Christian Church in its present condition? Is the Christian Church today partially Christian as compared to the Lampstand Church? Is Kingdom Christianity totally different than the secular Christianity that is visible today? Can “earthen vessels” ever become 100% Christian? Does the Consecration Offering remove the Adamic side of the “earthen vessel?”
Through the progression of the Charismatic Movement we saw those that tried to “adapt” to the society they hoped to serve, soon “adopted” the life-style of that society. The “society” affected them more that they affected society.
When I was in the Hospital I noticed that my fellow patients were not asked to treat other patients. They that were sick hoped a Physician could heal them. They that needed no Physician were just visiting. If we present ourselves as “Physicians to the world” we need to escape from the patient mentality and enter into the Kingdom Christian Stage. I am speculating that is the Holy Place Christianity.
The proponents of secularism produce children of secularism that produces a generation of secularists that ignore or despise Christian Values. Many will publicly declare Christian Values must be hidden behind church doors and not be heard in public. Even the Ten Commandments are an abomination to the secularist. In the world that is to be expected but secularism has invaded the visible church.
The secularism in the world is not in tension with the secularism in the visible church because they have dealt effectively with the tension by becoming like the world. However, there will always be an increasing tension between the Kingdom Church and EVERYTHING outside the Kingdom. There is no way to reconcile the conflicts and tension. Those who merge into secular society will soon be submerged by it. For that reason secular society is afraid that if the Kingdom Christianity is not violently resisted that secular society will be submerged by it. That is a very real possibility.
Luke 22: 25] And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called `Benefactors.’ [26] “But not so with you, but let him who is the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as the servant.
Instead of “Love your neighbor as yourself” we adapt it to “Use you neighbor for yourself” and then call yourself “their benefactor.” If you can get your neighbor to serve you then you are qualified to use the name “Benefactor.” Now we have “Pastors” who are “benefactors.” The “benefactors” will have great difficulty making the transition to the next restoration. The reconstruction of the church will be without “benefactors.”
Just changing our “Christian Costumes” from the secular clothes of the Outer Court to new robes of “clergy” and acting out our part in the religious drama is too superficial. Reality and real Love is the doorway of the sanctuary and is called “TRUTH.” The garments of the priests that minister in the Holy Place are Christ. To put on Christ as a garment or to be clothed with Christ places the priesthood ministry within the realm of Christ. When the ministry is functioning under the Government of the Kingdom and Clothed with Christ we could say the Kingdom has come and Holy Place Christianity has reached reality and the manifestation of it is Love.
The most radical concept ever presented upon this earth is that the Kingdom of Heaven can and should be operating on the earth and manifested through God’s people. The Kingdom is its own “secular society” that is not subject to or bound by religious systems. It cannot be modified or reduced in its qualities to include those who are not conformed to its image and surrendered to its demands. Its goal is to modify earth to be like heaven. The purpose of the Kingdom is to replace the unworkable order of earth by the workable and eternal order of heaven. The order established by men must be replaced by the order designed and established by God and administrated by His people.