#315 The Kingdom: The Reconstruction of the Church

Acts 3:18] “But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ should suffer, He has thus fulfilled. [19] “Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; [20] and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, [21] whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.

Some will be offended by the term “reconstruction of the Church” because it assumes that something is not up to the standards that were set for it or what it was when it was new. Some feel that the church is much more advanced today than in any previous time. However, if we evaluate the “the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time, then “reconstruction” to that standard will seem normal and progressive. As surely as what “ALL the prophets spoke” about Christ’s sufferings came to pass, so also, all that the prophets spoke about the “restoration of all things” must also come to pass BEFORE the heavens release Jesus.

In other words the “restoration” is not just to what was evidenced in the early church but the “restoration is to fulfill” ALL that the prophets spoke.

restoration >noun 1 the action of returning something to a former condition, place, or owner. 2 the reinstatement of a previous practice, right, or situation. 3 the return of a monarch to a throne, a head of state to government, or a regime.

reconstruct >verb 1 construct again. 2 form an impression, model, or re-enactment of (something) from evidence.

My thesis is that “The Reconstruction of the Church” and the “restoration of all things spoken by the prophets” is linked together because when Jesus returns it will be to receive His glorious bride, the perfected church! If we could be granted some liberty we could say that “the heavens must retain Jesus until the full growth [perfection] of His bide is completed.”

The “reconstruction of the church” has seemed necessary to a few persons in every generation. This has resulted in various denominations, sects, and church structures. Many existing church structures and church governments were once a “new idea” that has now passed its usefulness. “New idea churches” have a tendency to “gravitate” backward and eventually into secularism. They quickly become an “old garment” to which nothing new can be added. New ideas soon become old ideas and something unworkable. The “new light” has soon dimmed down to a twilight and some have returned to darkness simply because “new light” is no longer welcome to their leaders!

The “new construction” that was began to express the “new light” often ends up with a death grip on the work and restricts any further light. The “secularization” of the church is soon experienced, or at least the “secularization of the work” is seen.

secular >adjective 1 not religious, sacred, or spiritual. 2 (of clergy) not subject to or bound by religious [spiritual] rule. (Secularism soon reverts back to humanism.)

humanism >noun 1 a rationalistic system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters.

It appears that the “visible church” needs a constant critical assessment and words of disapproval just to keep it moving in some direction. A “critique” or a detailed analysis and spiritual assessment of the “visible church” is quickly labeled as “anti-church.” Many who genuinely love the church that Christ is building end up despising the church that men are building. That doesn’t mean they are anti-church. Still, they are accused of tearing down the church of God instead of building it up. It is a nasty work but someone has to do it!

The “new idea church” soon departs from its original purpose simply because it “advances” at cross currents with God’s purpose and then becomes secular. We are using the word “secular” to mean “not spiritual” rather than “worldly” as some use it. We mean “not meeting the existing standards” for the “restoration of all things.” Therefore, the “new idea church” needs constant review and evaluation to keep it focused upon God’s Eternal Purpose.

The result of the “secularization of the church” is seen in a shift to a “secular purpose” that is designed for the temporal blessings and personal advancement, locally. This must be exposed and departed from if we are to lead the “visible church” into the next restoration. The “reconstruction” must advance us from the church that men have built, that has fallen prey, to the Church that He is building that overcomes. Church history confirms that this paradigm shift has been necessary in every generation.

1John 1:5 And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. [6] If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; [7] but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

IF the blood of Jesus cleanses those who are continuously walking in His Light, then we would have to reevaluate our doctrine of the blood. Of course we might assume that every born again child of God is walking in His Light. If the cleansing of the blood and walking in His Light was the condition upon which we base of our fellowship, then we need to reevaluate our doctrine of “fellowship.”

The church that He is building is being built in “His Direct Light” under the watchful eyes of the Seven Spirits of God. Rev 5: 6] And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God. These are also the seven flames of fire that rest upon the Lampstand Church that He is building. The church that men are building in the Outer Court is by natural light and at very best by the moon light. The moon light is not direct light but is reflected light from the sun. Building in His Direct Light is much different than building in the reflected light off of some man. This may be necessary in the Outer Court but that is the wrong light for the “restoration of all things.” Some are trying to build with barely enough Divine Light to keep working. Of course all “visible churches” have an over abundance of natural light but Divine Light is not so common. Churches that are walking in the twilight can’t fellowship very well with other churches.

The “spirit of the work” soon becomes secular instead of visionary! Then they begin to isolate themselves into little sects and walk in twilight. Mal 4: 2] “But for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. [3] “And you will tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,” says the LORD of hosts.

When the “Sun of Righteousness” rises we can put out the flashlights and the candles. We won’t need flashlights in the Holy Place for Light. Rev 21:23] And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. [24] And the nations shall walk by its light—

Natural light in the New Jerusalem is not needed because the glory of God illumines it.

We won’t need candles or any natural light in the Holy Place because that dimension is illuminated by the Seven Spirits of God. Exo. 25: 37] “Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and they shall mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it.

We can more or less determine where we are in our Christian Life [with respect to the third Veil] by determining by which “light” we are walking in today. My theory is that the “reconstruction of the church” must take place under the illumination of the seven Spirits of God which is the fulness of the Holy Spirit. He will take the things of Jesus and reveal them to us! He will teach us ALL things. This reconstruction will take place in His direct light and not in the reflected light of some ministry.

“The Word became flesh” and dwelt among us! Now, the “flesh”[man] must become “WORD” [as He dwells in us.] If “Christ is formed in us” then the “Word is formed in us.” OR man has become (in some degree) “Word.” True worship” is man becoming “spirit and life worship.” This is more than music.

It is true that “second hand light” (reflected) is better than darkness but that “reflected light” is not sufficient for the next restoration. Everyone who ascends to the New Covenant priesthood and the Holy Place ministry must walk in His Light. We could call this “the Priesthood fellowship” because it is walking in the light as He, Himself is in the Light. This dimension of fellowship requires the blood of Jesus to do a deeper work of removing all sin.

Gen 3:20 Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.

Gal 4:25] Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. [26] But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.

The church (Eve) has served well to bring us to birth but Jesus Christ must become our “Husband.” However, the Jerusalem that is now above that is our mother is NOT the New Jerusalem that we see in Rev 21:1-3 which IS the bride. Still, this New Jerusalem doesn’t appear until 1000 years after the return of the Lord. The Jerusalem above is just reflected light while the New Jerusalem is the source of ALL light.

We can go to many places in the world today and see the “fruits of Christianity.” They are hospitals, schools, food supplies, clothing, disaster relief and various helps in many areas. The work goes on but the original roots that produced the original fruits have long disappeared. Many of these “good works” now have their roots in humanism.

“Revivals” sometimes produce “fruits” but the “reconstruction” must have it roots firmly in Christ and the river of the Holy Spirit so the “fruit” will remain after the revival has passed. The Holy Place Restoration is not about “revival”, it about the Power of an Indestructible Life. Revivals are exciting but it is restoration that has the power to change lives and transform us from what we are to what He is.

Churches are started by “earthen vessels” but if we don’t have the eternal treasure within the earthen vessel, revival is what we can expect. If the power is from the earthen vessel the revival will soon pass away. History often points to the “earthen vessels” that had cracks and defects. They emphasize the “fruit” but often ignore the root that produced the fruit.

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;

We see “documentaries about Jesus Christ” that assumes IF He actually lived, He is no longer with us and has passed into history. If we proclaim a “contemporary Christ” that dwells in us and a “contemporary Government” that rules over us we are considered as brainless. This indwelling “treasure” cannot be seen by natural means. Sometimes we can see the fruit which is then attributed to the “earthen vessel.”

It is much easier to point out what should be removed from the visible church than it is to define what needs to be brought into the visible church to move it into the “reconstruction mode.” The “Church of the Reconstruction” will be 100% for Christ but only 10% for the church. Jesus Christ will become the central issue and the absolute Light of the world. The church will have no light of her own but will reflect the Light of Christ. As Christ did nothing on His own initiative and the Holy Spirit does nothing by His own initiative so the “restoration church” will do nothing of its own initiative. How can that be? Because the “Church of the Reconstruction” will have Jesus Christ as it Head and all the decisions will come from the Head and not from the members of His body.

Our work is to increase the percentage of Jesus Christ that is active and visible within the church. A 10 fold increase would be good but a 5 fold increase would be acceptable for a start. Everybody is aware that there is a movement in the world AND in the church to “reduce the percentage of Christ” in the church and to secularize the church even more. To the world, the church that has 100% Christ is unacceptable. Maybe 10% would be acceptable! The humanistic churches are rapidly working for a lesser percentage of Christ and a greater percentage of humans.

Even though we may consider 100% Christ in the individual to be unattainable it is certainly the goal of the Christian life. This is man becoming Word and reversing the incarnation when the Word became man. We might be able to accept the bride becoming Word when the two become one. Is it possible that the New Jerusalem is the Word becoming visible as Light to the nations of the New Earth?

Acts 10:40] “God raised Him up on the third day, and granted that He should become visible, [41] not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us, who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.

Eph 5:13] But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. [14] For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”

We can determine that there has been the gradual “secularization the church” but we may not recognize that preceding this there was a “secularization of the Kingdom.” First it was relegated to the future sometime and it was limited to a 1000 year reign on earth. Some say the New Jerusalem will come down to earth and Jesus will rein from there for 1000 years.

The “secularization of the church” assumes that the “secular” controls the “spiritual” and that Christianity” is modified “humanism” because faith has been added. The “secularization of the Kingdom” assumes, without verification or proof, that “doing the will of God on earth” is not for this dispensation but for Israel during the millennium. It accepts the “secular church” as His Kingdom on earth now. This is an abstract kingdom that is ruled over by an absentee king who will one day return., maybe!

Too much of what we call “church” has been established by ego and human desire for position, title, authority and personal recognition. Too much of “church” has become an unworkable order when it tries to function within the Kingdom Government of God. In certain cases there is a drive to succeed, to become rich, to add, to accumulate, to increase in earthly treasures, to have the need of nothing, “to use your neighbor for yourself” and to love yourself supremely. You may assert yourself in authority over others because that is your right! We see the “visible church” being driven by self interests and personal gratification.

We see an emphasis upon adopting the culture of society so we can relate more effectively to society. If we adapt the church to a culture of grunge [untidy, sloppy, dirty, shabby, scruffy, disorderly] we can draw those people to our church. Some adopt the language of the secular society and their music to entice them to join us in the church. Then we call that “evangelism.”

All this has contributed to the “de-sanctification of the church” and redefined its boarders as inclusive and compatible with the world. We are just like you except we believe in Jesus. [We are “hookers” for Jesus and “pimping” the gospel.] There is first the “adaption” and then there is the “adoption” and the “secularized church” becomes more and more pagan. We try to “merge” with the world” and we soon find we have been “submerged by the world.” It is difficult for the church to minister to the world as a physician because we are too close to just being another patient.

The church that is in a same sex relationship with the world can only adopt children.

Isa 4:1 For seven women will take hold of one man in that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach!”

Each generation of secularism has given birth to other generations of secularism so there has been an increase of humanism and a decrease of Christ. This has presented to our youth a picture of unreality and hypocrisy and they are looking for an anchor and not another thing that is phony. They look at the church as a place to go to meet girls or to play games but they recognize the church as a failure in spirituality.

All this is NOT presented as just more criticism and tearing down the church! This is presented as the reason that there must be a “Reconstruction of the Church” on the foundation and within the Government of the Kingdom. Our theory is that this “reconstruction” must begin within the ministries who are supposed to be leading. Our words will be empty until our life advances up to our words. More theories about the Kingdom will produce nothing unless the words are coming from the throne within.

The youth are not looking for more leaders like themselves who talk and act like they do and sing their music and participate in their rebellion. They are smart enough to see all that is hypocrisy. They are looking for examples of something solid and eternal and that speaks of conversion to a higher life.

No one wants to join a church that seems irrelevant. No one wants to attach themselves to something that has no standards or values. There can be no higher standard than Jesus Christ or any more value than His Kingdom. There is no higher order than His Government and there is no greater promise for eternity that to sit with Him on His throne. There is no higher goal than to be a sharer in His Life and to be conformed to His image. In Puerto there is a huge fort called “El Morro” but it guards nothing and is irrelevant except as a historical monument. The church must be “reconstructed” until it is relevant to the time in which we live! We have a responsibility!