#507 – Redemption And God’s Creative Purpose.
Redemption Is Not The Creative Purpose Of God!
The Human Thought Process In The Spiritual Dimension
Our Continuing Debate With The Carnal Church System
The Higher Realm Of Christian Perfection; Kingdom Obedience!
January 30, 2012
In God’s Ultimate Economy, everything He does within His “package” of redemption for man is to fulfill and accomplish God’s Predestined and Eternal Purpose. We specify “package” because redemption is much more than forgiveness of sins. Redemption is a complete restructuring of a person to enable man to once again return to the God dimension of Life and obedience! The main issue for the visible Church IS still the Tree of Life.
Some of our continuing controversy with the modern emphasis and man centered gospel revolves around the purpose for redemption from the Kingdom Viewpoint. Since the Kingdom Viewpoint has been nearly totally ignored by the visible church system, the result has been just a man-centered approach to what has been called “salvation” from the earth / visible viewpoint. When we present “salvation” from the Kingdom Viewpoint it looks entirely different from the gospel being publically preached by evangelists, in the churches, in books and tracts and on TV. For that reason much of what we share about the Kingdom is considered strange or deluded. For that reason it is controversial and often rejected.
Is the Gospel of the Kingdom so complicated that it cannot be universally understood? Of course not! This Gospel of the Kingdom is certainly NOT complicated or too deep for the average church service or for Evangelism. Why? Is it because the Kingdom is the strong meat of the word? No! But it is for that reason the common consensus of the misdirected ministry is that we can only share these things in secluded meetings among the mature believers. This is a VERY shallow and ignorant interpretation of the essence and substance of the Kingdom! Why? Because the Kingdom IS the message in EVERY dimension of ministry. How do we know that? Jesus BEGAN His ministry preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom to EVERYBODY on the mountain. Paul went about EVERYWHERE preaching the Kingdom of God. Peter wrote to the whole church about the Kingdom when he taught about the Royal Priesthood and the Kingdom of Priests.
1 Peter1:1-2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
It is obvious that Peter was writing to believers in different locations and certainly to those of different levels of spiritual insight within this one context. Even though this portion of his letter is just an introduction and overview of the Kingdom it is still the Kingdom Message.
1Pet 2:4 And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For this is contained in Scripture: “BEHOLD I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” 7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe. But for those who disbelieve, “THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,” 8 and, “A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed. 9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
The Royal or Kingly Priesthood, which can ONLY be interpreted as the Priesthood after the Order of Melchizedek which is the King / Priest function, is still the Kingdom message with Kingdom requirements. This also refers back to Exodus 19 and the Purpose of God to have a universal and corporate Kingdom of Priests. From this it is an easy interpretation to include the complete Church that He is Building! Peter is writing to those who are chosen but as a A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION. This is certainly a corporate group like those who arrived at Mount Sinai to fulfill something that God had chosen, called, predestined and brought to the critical moment of fulfillment. We know Israel refused to obey the commandment and failed to go up the mountain. Therefore, whatever God had in His Mind for Israel was delayed until He could find ANOTHER corporate group that would obey and fulfill.
2Pet 1:10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
I am boldly declaring that these facts are NOT a periphery issue and a marginal part of the gospel but this Kingdom emphasis is the central issue. Why is this central focus of the scripture and this real Gospel of the Kingdom ignored? This is a complete mystery to me.
In the Book of Revelation there are three direct references to the Kingdom and the corporate Kingdom of Priests being completed and prepared to function in the eternal realm. God WILL have His Kingdom of Priests, a Holy Nation, a CHOSEN RACE ( a NEW SPECIES) and a Corporate People for His OWN POSSESSION. This blessing can be ours!
Rev 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood, 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father; to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Rev 5:9 And they *sang a new song, saying, “Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to break its seals; for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10 “And Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Even the resurrection is related to the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is one of the absolutes in the Bible. This doctrine needs no other confirmation than we see in the fulfillment of these 150 references to the Kingdom that we find in the New Testament. That means; He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father! This confirms that at last His Eternal Purpose, to have a Kingdom of Priests, has finally been fulfilled.
Exodus 19:5 ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”
The Kingdom message is centered 100 % on God and His Predestined Plan. However, the persons that fully participate in their preparation for the Kingdom and in obedience to the Kingdom Government, as we walk in obedience to the inner Kingdom Life, will have the opportunity to participate in the Eternal Kingdom throughout eternity.
Dan 7:21 “I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.
Dan 7:27 ‘Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’
This is clearly referring to the Eternal Purpose of God which is focused upon the Eternal Kingdom but this “gospel” is still God centered and NOT man centered. Even though the “saints” will receive the Kingdom this is NOT about the “saints” but about what God purposed before the foundation of the world. Since this was designed by God, predestined by God and completed by God, the conclusion of all these things MUST be God centered and NOT man centered. I am making this the First Commandment of the Kingdom. (1) You shall turn (repent) from a man/ earth centered focus and cling to a God / Kingdom centered Life and Gospel.
What is the result of preaching a man-centered gospel to the unsaved or half saved or the casual believer? It starts them out into the Christian Experience with a false or distorted concept that “salvation” is all about man’s need for forgiveness of sin so he can go to heaven someday. Of course there is a small measure of truth in that concept but certainly Not the focus. This is probably the source of the entitlement mentality that is rampant in the various groups. This is NOT the primary reason that God has provided “salvation” for mankind through the sacrifice of Calvary. Is it one reason? Yes! But this is because we cannot fulfill God’s Eternal Purpose UNTIL we are fully redeemed. However, “fully redeemed” means much more than forgiveness of sins. Redeemed actually means “to purchase or to buy back for another purpose.”
2Cor 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
1Cor 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
Rom 6:22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
Why do believers quote cliches about being free and the freedom we have in Christ? Why do we always hear about “salvation” as if all that meant was forgiveness of sins? Because that is the “gospel” being preached and the “gospel”they have heard. This “ministry” error has vaccinated them against the real gospel of the Kingdom and has led to this entitlement mentality. This Gospel of the Kingdom is what we call the Gospel of the FULL priced transaction. Then, if we arrive with this gospel of “count the cost and pay the full price” after the gospel of the bargains has been preached and add certain Kingdom demands or mention the Kingdom Requirements they immediately reject it because it sounds wrong to them and not according to the “grace” they have heard. Therefore, we must be teaching “salvation by works.”
Tit 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus;14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
While in so many places that we share, we focus upon the perfection of the New Jerusalem and the awesomeness of Mount Zion and the terrible fire of God’s manifest Presence, none of this may become real in our experience unless we have been fully redeemed. That means “to be repurchased as His Full Possession.” When we have been fully “bought back (re-purchased) into God’s Eternal Purpose” we can say we are “fully redeemed.” When our sins have been forgiven we have taken just one step into the redemptive process. In the Kingdom dimension we try to present a full redemption as a full salvation which results in a full obedience to the inner laws of God which results in doing the full will of God. In other words, being “redeemed from sin” is quite different from being redeemed from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
From this scripture we can discern that having our sins forgiven is much less than being redeemed from every lawless deed and living in full consecration. This means to be redeemed or delivered from living just for ourselves. Redeem means more than just to forgive our sins.
In a meeting a few nights ago we heard that when Jesus died He forgave all past sins, present sins and all future sins. The speaker saw NO difference between sins plural and sin singular because ALL SIN is dealt with by the blood. Of course that is one of the errors that we hear in many evangelical groups. One man, who was a (past tense) pastor told us he could NEVER come to perfection in this life and wouldn’t try.
redeem >verb 1 make up for the faults or bad aspects of. 2 (redeem oneself) make up for one’s poor past performance or behavior. 3 save from sin, error, or evil. 4 fulfill 5 gain or regain possession of, or in exchange for payment. 6 repay or clear (a debt). 8 archaic buy the freedom of. 9 ‘buy back’.
Any doctrine of Salvation” that ignores the “we have been re-purchased as a slave of God” at Calvary is not Kingdom salvation. We may be a slave involuntarily but we become a Bondservant of God voluntarily because we refuse to take our freedom or to live for ourselves. Therefore, to preach a “salvation” in which the “buy-back” and becoming a slave of God is not included within the “package” can certainly qualify as being counterfeit! This “non-Biblical concept” has not originated in God or in His Word but in man! Why? Man still has a innate desire to live for himself. However, it is THIS carnal concept that is now fully accepted as modern Salvation.
Over several years I have learned why this Gospel of the Kingdom has been ignored by even the most popular ministers. They tell me “Well, brother, we could never build a church with those demands on the people in this life. The people will just not accept these requirements. Therefore, the Kingdom MUST be preached as a future event or during the Millennial Reign of Christ on earth. However, this “demand of the Kingdom” is the exact reason that the gate is straight and narrow and few enter in that way to find the Life of the Kingdom.
I was in a church service recently where the “worship” leader repeated one irrelevant cliche after another that had NO basis in reality but was just parroting something he had heard in church. This foolishness clearly demonstrated the LACK of resurrection life or any revelation of God’s Purpose for the church. These are good people so I attribute this carnality to the neglect of the True Gospel of the Kingdom being preached in that assembly. It presented a false gospel about going to heaven someday so let us sing and dance until that happens. Jesus paid it all so there is nothing more to do but “worship” Him. Of course that is somewhat true but we cannot forget the reality of this truth; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
Col 1:25 Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, 6 that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints, 27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ. 29 And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.
2Tim 1:9 who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
We Repeat; Col 1:28 And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete (perfect) in Christ. 29 And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.
If every believer is already “perfect in Christ” as soon as they believe, it appears Paul was wasting his time trying to perfect those who were already perfect.
The popular but defective gospel has begun its “philosophy of salvation” in Genesis 3 with the fall of man and his need of forgiveness of sins. However, the Gospel of the Kingdom begins BEFORE man was created. Not only that but the Gospel of the Kingdom begins in God’s Absolute Sovereignty and His prerogative to pre-determine and to demand His own requirements! He reserves the total right to establish the precise character and perfection that He will accept for His Eternal Purpose. God is not only “saving men” from sin but at the same time He calls us to His Eternal Purpose that was firmly and Sovereignly established before man was created.
2Ti 1:9 who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, 10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,11 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher.
He also fully intends to “perfect them” so they can fulfill His purpose for creating man in the first place in Genesis 1. Forgiveness of sins is essential but not the primary purpose that God has chosen and pre-destined for man. God’s Eternal Purpose was established even BEFORE man sinned and has NEVER been modified to include these unchanged persons who have had their sins forgiven but just live for themselves.
How do we know that? Because, God’s purpose for the creation of man was AFTER Satan and the angels rebelled against the Absolute Sovereignty of God and the former earth where they ruled was destroyed by water.
2Pe 3:5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. 7 But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
The former heavens were connected to the former earth and ALL were formed long ago when this earth was first created, BEFORE Genesis 1:2. However, when Satan and his angels rebelled against God’s Absolute Sovereignty and Satan attempted to set his throne about the stars of God, the former earth was was destroyed, being flooded with water.
The former or first earth was formed out of water and by water. This earth was already formed in Genesis one but it was sunk into the water. The whole earth was surrounded by water! In Genesis 1 we learn that the waters below and the waters above the earth was removed and this present earth was restored to dry ground.
How do we know Second Peter is NOT speaking about Noah’s flood? Because, the present heavens and earth are the same as the ones in Noah’s time. What was destroyed being flooded with water was the former earth which was under the dominion of angels.
Therefore, in Genesis 1 God separates the waters above from the waters below and the earth, which already existed, was restored to dry ground. This is now the present heavens and earth which by His word are being reserved for fire,
The question we must both ask AND answer is why Satan and his angels were not DESTROYED with the former earth when it was destroyed? The earth over which they had dominion was destroyed and they lost their dominion but there was no Legal (Kingdom- Righteous Governmental) way to eliminate these rebels to God’s Absolute Sovereignty. Since there was no “law” in heaven against what they did in their rebellion, God must raise up an “ekklesia - corporate church” that walks in full obedience to qualify them to judge the angels for their disobedience. The angels obviously had free will so they could choose to disobey BUT they could not choose the consequences of disobedience. These “consequences” are still in effect today but will be solved in the last days. How? By the full OBEDIENCE of a corporate group which we identify as the Church He is Building!
God also created man with free will so man can also obey or disobey BUT he is not free to choose the consequences. When God has a created people who have a free will and will choose to live as bondservants to God, then He can judge the other created beings (angels) for their disobedience. However, God must first find a created people who can live in full obedience. Then He will legally judge the angels for their disobedience. Thank God, Satan has ALREADY been judged because Jesus walked in full obedience! However, now God’s purpose is to judge the angels for their disobedience and THEN the end can come.
Well, brother, how long will that be? As long as it takes to assemble that kind of Kingdom people. But we don’t believe in the Kingdom! Then don’t walk in obedience but do exactly what the angels did but keep proclaiming that “WE ARE SAVED” so none of these consequences apply to us. We choose FREEDOM so don’t try to bring us into the bondage of the Kingdom demands.
It is true that EVERYBODY has been given free will but, of course, NO ONE can choose the consequences of living in disobedience. That is the very sad result of this strange but popular gospel of the half-priced sale.
God has purposed ALL this before man existed, therefore, there are NO exceptions within His Purpose! God’s Eternal Kingdom and the world yet to come has already been predestined. This is irrevocable and unchangeable! God did NOT consult with man to see if this is acceptable to him but still predestined man to fulfill His Eternal Purpose! How could God do that without man’s permission? Because God is Absolutely Sovereign and can do whatever He pleases, to whomever He decides, as often as He wants, for whatever reason that pleases Him.
In all this God does the choosing AND the calling and it is up to man to make these absolutes (election) experiential to God’s satisfaction. Man’s satisfaction has been presented as paramount but this is irrelevant in the Kingdom dimension where ONLY God’s satisfaction has any relevance.
2Pet 1:8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
This partial and defective gospel that has been preached for the last 75 years has set a precedent and standard for what multitudes have now assumed IS the correct gospel. This counterfeit gospel is now considered as orthodox and the Gospel of the Kingdom is thought to be heresy. The “come and get gospel” has completely overshadowed the “come and become a slave and consecrate your life to do the whole will of God” gospel that is basic to the Kingdom dimension.
This is the basis of the continuous controversy I have with the visible church system that has cavalierly reduced the gospel down to believe something about Jesus and be “saved.”
While we are not confined to numbers because that is a time, place and earth issue, we might even speculate that IF there were 144,000 angels that sinned, God MIGHT need 144,000 true Christians, which walk in full obedience, that follow the Lamb wherever He goes to Judge those angels. These numbers may be metaphoric but the principle is the same.
This is the real answer to the question; When will the Lord come? When He has a Bride, overcomers, bondservants, manifested sons, those who are qualified for Mount Zion (all metaphors) who have followed the Lamb where ever He goes, done His will, grown up to ALL the fulness of Christ and who have been conformed to His image. When he has “the number fulfilled” then He will judge the rebels from the former creation and, of course, from the current creation.
Psalm 102:13 Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come. 14 For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof. 15 So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth thy glory. 16 When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.
Rev 14:1 And I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. 3 And they *sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. 4 These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb.5 And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.
There are many interpretations of these 144,000 “Bondservants” who were standing with the Lord. Since they were His purchased possessions by Christ Jesus they could have His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. They had followed the Lord wherever He sent them and now they are standing with Him on Mount Zion. This “number” seems to be complete so we see at this time Zion is built up.
Isa 10:12 So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the pomp of his haughtiness.” 13 For he has said, “By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this, For I have understanding; And I removed the boundaries of the peoples, And plundered their treasures, And like a mighty man I brought down their inhabitants, 14 And my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a nest, And as one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth; And there was not one that flapped its wing or opened its beak or chirped.”
When God has finished ALL His work on Mount Zion and Jerusalem, we will see another watershed moment when MANY things will change. When these two wonderful places within God’s Eternal Purpose, the heavenly Mount Zion and the heavenly (New) Jerusalem are complete then EVERYTHING can be judged. Why? Because these two are in the first order of importance in God’s Eternal Purpose! They have walked in full obedience to God and have become the Priests of God. I am guessing that it is the lack of the perfection of the majority of saints that we are still in this process of redemption after 2000 years. When will the Lord come? When Mount Zion and the New Jerusalem are completed. But what about Israel and the Arabs and the anti-christ? Everything is focused upon the building up of these two principles ( the Mountain and the City) to equip a corporate people to function within God’s eternal purpose. Israel can be ready in a few days AFTER Mount Zion and the New Jerusalem are built up but certainly NOTHING final can happen before!
It is for that final reason (the Mountain of God, Zion, and the City of God, the New Jerusalem) that God has provided REDEMPTION for those whom HE has called to His Eternal Purpose. In other words it is correct to assume that redemption is firmly related to God’s Eternal Purpose and NOT just to the great need of man that originated in Genesis 3. We could say that “forgiveness of sin” is related to Genesis 3 but redemption ( the buy back- slave- Bondservant) is related to God’s Eternal Purpose.
But, brother, wouldn’t that eliminate the casual believer from the Kingdom and God’s Purpose? Yes! However, we must NOT preach that or the casual believer will be offended. Just let him wait for the Judgement Seat of Christ and find out he is rejected from the Kingdom when it is too late. That way we can keep the casual believer coming to our meetings and supporting “the ministry.” This abomination is the basis of my “controversy” and is the exact reason that we must NOT judge these Eternal things by the natural understanding or by our desire to be successful with name, fame and a big carnal assembly! This means;
The Human Thought Process Attempting to Function In The Spiritual Dimension.
Many of the controversial debates arise out of this problem of interpreting spiritual and eternal things with human understanding. The Bible says to lean not unto your own understanding but that is too common in the visible realm! God has designed a New Man, a New species, to be the place of His Habitation and as HIS OWN POSSESSION, the PLACE of His Government!
We must not fail to grasp the significant difference between the interior, spiritual dimension God has designed for understanding eternal things and the faculties that man generally uses to perceive eternal Truth! This is the precise area where most misunderstanding of scripture originates. For example; When any group focuses principally upon the outer functions within an assembly and the mechanics of a church system, they contribute to the real problem. The years of wasted time dealing with who said what to whom and trying to squelch the gossip mentality that is common to the natural man has been the basis of most of the failure of the Visible church system. The ONLY solution to this carnality in the congregation AND the ministry is to refocus upon the Kingdom of God and these eternal demands. Meeting after meeting of preaching, teaching, rebuking, and identifying these carnal defects can NEVER solve the defects by these outward methods. These things are ONLY solved by God’s Own Work in the inner dimensions of man consciousness. He works completely and decisively when we acknowledge and live within His Absolute Sovereignty and seek HIM for the Kingdom transformation.
Every knowledge based ministry is ministering from the wrong tree. Moving to a Life based ministry is the only acceptable New Covenant method of ministering Eternal Truth. The darkness and deadness that is rampant in the visible church system has originated in and developed through the knowledge based ministries.
It is for that reason that we warn the pastors, elders and ALL who assume leadership positions that they will be eliminated from the next restoration unless they repent and begin to get their life and vision adjusted to the Kingdom Order and their ministry focus rectified NOW to meet the requirements and demands of the Kingdom of God and His interior Government. Those who assume they are ALREADY ready for this challenge are ALREADY deceived.