#558 – Is There A Solution For The Visible Church?
Can The Visible Church Return To The Power Of The Early Church?
Will The Visible Church Ever Be The Glorious Church?
What Can We Expect From The Church HE Is Building?
November 11, 2013
These Questions are certainly not new and the Answers are certainly not easy. Of course the scriptures give us certain insights into the end results contained within the New Covenant, the Kingdom of God, the Eternal Purpose of God, The Kingdom of Priests, the Tabernacle of God and the World Yet to Come. However, none of these concepts will have much relevance as long as they are just theories or possibilities! We must be able to see and understand that these end results are “ABSOLUTES” and non-negotiable. In other words, what God purposed before the foundation of the world will certainly come to pass exactly as He purposed it. There is NO POSSIBILITY that what He Predestined will not come to pass completely to His total satisfaction and according to His Predetermined and Ultimate Plan. God is absolutely Sovereign over His Purpose. These are some of the Divine Absolutes that can NEVER change!
Therefore, If we could determine what God actually Purposed within His Predestined Plan, we could understand something of His process in achieving that plan. It is one thing to know what God is doing and what He is saying but it is quite another thing to know WHY He is doing and saying it! To comprehend the “WHY” we must understand the “absolutes” related to God’s Eternal Purpose.
For example; Jesus, the Divine Son, will return for a GLORIOUS CHURCH, without spot or wrinkle, holy and blameless. This “Glorious Church” IS the “Perfected Bride who has made herself ready” that we see in Revelation 19.
Therefore, I would like to add “the Glorious Church” to the list of God’s Absolutes! We must also add the “Perfected Bride of Christ” to God’s Absolutes because this is the same thing!
Eph 5:26------Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; 26 that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.
Rev 19:7 “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” 8 And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 And he *said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” And he *said to me, “These are true words of God.”
Within God’s Eternal Purpose there are two distinct groups present in Revelation 19. There will be a great multitude of invited guests, some from each dispensation, which is the far greatest number at the “wedding” and these are the many that are Called, Selected and Invited. Then there will be the “bride company” which make up the “single Corporate Bride” which is the few that are chosen! This is a very limited number of perfected saints who are also the Glorious Church. These are the “few that are the chosen that can function out of His Life.” Why are they chosen? These are those who will provide the Government of the World Yet to Come.
Mat 7:14 “For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.
Mat 22:14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
This Government will be a Kingdom of Priests who are the manifested Sons of God or the Sons, who are fully developed, matured and prepared, that He will bring to Glory.
Heb 2:9 But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. These “many sons brought to glory” is another of the absolutes! Why? Eternity demands it!
All these things, and many more, are relatively easy to find in scripture and to write down as doctrines. However, if we stop at the doctrines but do not go on to the actual experiences, the “total” of which is called “perfection,” we will miss our participation in the predestined plan of God. The great majority of churches that I have visited have been content to stop at the various “doctrines” but have fallen short of the actual experiences. This false concept that “perfect doctrines” are the same as the “perfection of the saints” has ruined the visible church for the purpose of God. By focusing upon going to the present heaven when we die instead of the Future Tabernacle of God, the ministry has corrupted the vision of eternity for the believers. How? By focusing the goal upon “going to heaven” instead of fulfilling the Purpose of God. The fact that the “present heaven” will pass away seems to be ignored.
My theory is that the visible church has developed a “Christian”philosophy that has ruined it for God’s Eternal Purpose! This “philosophy” has been assembled from a few scriptures related to “salvation” but is still ignoring the Final Purpose of God which requires our qualification to participate. My theory is that our great “salvation” is directly related to the Final Purpose of God and that “our present salvation” is the process by which the Holy Spirit is developing us to function within that purpose! Salvation that stops at “forgiveness of sins” is a bogus concept that has ruined the visible church for the purpose of God. If this was just the concept of a few marginal groups it would not be a big problem. However, this short sighted concept is so widespread within the visible church that the total vision of multitudes has been clouded or skewed.
The predestined plan of God and His ultimate purpose was not fully solved at Calvary through the historical cross. The historic cross is redemptive and is focused upon the forgiveness of sins. Calvary solves the problem of Genesis 3 but His Ultimate Purpose was established before Genesis 1. His death, burial and resurrection however, provides much more than forgiveness of sins. These first three personal experiences provides for more than what man has DONE and focuses upon what man HAS BECOME! These experiences focus upon the solution to downward spiral of man following the fall and not just upon the fall itself.
John 16:12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
Following redemption the problem is not with teaching but with the person being taught. These “natural, outward persons” were not equipped to hear or understand any more until some other dimension of reality was experienced. This was NOT because they were ignorant and unlearned fishermen but because every person lacks this ability to hear and understand spiritual things. While most people can hear and understand basic things, we each must experience another dimension before we can understand certain eternal things.
For that reason we must not stop at these first three basic experiences but now focus upon what immediately followed His resurrection. He spent the next 40 days teaching His disciples about the Kingdom of God. However, this information is not effective as a life experience until they and we have received the Holy Spirit. Therefore, He commanded them to NOT leave Jerusalem until they had received Him, the Holy Spirit, in an indwelling and governmental dimension. This was also essential before the New Covenant could become experiential as an inner life reality! This was the combination that would permit them to understand the next dimension of teaching. These three additions, the indwelling Holy Spirit, the New Covenant and the Kingdom of God were essential to make the Historic Cross experiential as an inner life reality! This would enable the disciples to take up the personal cross and follow Him daily.
To repeat my theory; Man needs much more than forgiveness of sins, he must be transformed into a new creation so he can fulfill the Purpose of God. Why? That is because the Adam man is totally incapable of doing anything that is pleasing to God.
Rev 3:15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot. 16 ‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 17 ‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, 18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.
This TRUTH was given to the CHURCH at Laodicea. This Truth is not modified by redemption. Truth like this is very difficult for the average pastor to preach or to even recognize even when this IS the very condition of the people within his responsibility. If the pastor has fallen into this condition himself, there is no possibility that he can help the poor saints under his ministry. However, we should remember that this condemnation was leveled at the Lampstand Church in the Holy Place dimension. Why? Now, this is NOT about redemption or basic preparation but about the Kingdom and God’s Eternal Purpose!
When the “pastor” is blind to the eternal Truth, the church, under his charge, will be ruined for the purpose of God.
I have been an “observer” of this situation, objectively, for over 43 years but I never recognized my own failure during the 30 years my wife and I pastored a group. I was always very sincere about developing the correct doctrines because I assumed that was my responsibility. It is now very clear that correct doctrine is irrelevant if there is no correct experience that leads to the correct Life! The best revelation is that “doctrine” cannot perfect the church. Those under the direct teaching by our Great High Priest in the Holy Place is the key to the final perfection of the church. Those who have achieved to the Holy Place life and intimacy will certainly hear His Voice. However, His Voice in this dimension may not be very pleasant. Why? This is preparation for eternity.
John 10:27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. 29 “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
If we leave out the Primary Truth that “My sheep hear My voice” the rest of the verse makes a wonderful “doctrine” but it may not even apply to those believers who hear nothing but have the assurance of forgiveness of sins. Rather than focusing upon the “eternal security” described in these verses, maybe, it would be better to focus upon FIRST “hearing His Voice!”
Assuming that these “promises” belong to every believer, who hears nothing, is a deception and can be the basic reason why the visible church has been ruined for the purpose of God.
It is for that reason that we have been sharing from the basic preparations concerning the real Christian Life. The basic absolutes are the Indwelling Holy Spirit, New Covenant, the Kingdom of God, the Priesthood after the Order of Melchizedek, God’s Eternal Purpose and the Eternal Tabernacle of God which IS the World Yet to Come.
The KEY to experiencing all these things depends upon the New Covenant promise, which includes the “coming and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit!” He is functioning now in His own dispensation as Lord over the church. For that reason Matthew 12:31 boldly declares that “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32 “And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come.
In all four gospels Jesus referred to the great blessing of the coming of the Holy Spirit and confirmed that this IS the “Promise of the Father”. This “Promise” is repeated several times in the New Testament.
Luke 24:49 “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Act 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 “For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.” 40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
Gal 3:14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
John 14:16 “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you.
This Indwelling Holy Spirit is an integral part of the New Covenant and was announced by the prophets many years before Pentecost.
Eze 36:26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 “And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.
Isa 28:9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: 11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. 12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. 13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. (KJV)
When the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost He came with Stammering Lips and another Tongue (or with Tongues and prophesy) and that has become a stumbling block for the visible church for centuries. Why? Because, this (speaking by the Spirit) was supernatural and very strange to the natural man and still is today. But what IS the purpose of speaking in “tongues” when no one understands what is said. This IS the big stumbling block for multitudes but Isaiah explained it in the same verses. This IS the refreshing that is the essence of ministry to others. The fact that they would not hear is one cause of the pitiful condition in the visible church.
Isa 28:12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. 13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken captive.
THIS IS THE REFRESHING BY WHICH YOU MAY CAUSE THE WEARY TO REST! However, to reject this promise as a New Covenant experience is to suffer disaster and captivity. How easy it is to ignore the warnings both here and in the Book of Hebrews Why? Because, they say “the warnings are NOT for us because we are already saved!”
Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
The fatal result of creating a “doctrine” different from what the scriptures report is that multitudes have been deceived so that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken captive. Why? They have ignored God’s New Covenant Promise of the indwelling Holy Spirit and ALL of the manifestations that arrived with Him. To “accept” the Holy Spirit as a doctrine but reject His manifestations is a common failure in the visible church.
This is very tragic but the sad truth is that even those of us who have received the Holy Spirit, which was confirmed by the speaking in Tongues, have only received Him in a very shallow and limited way. I have fellow shipped with dozens of Charismatic and Pentecostal groups in various parts of the world but I have never visited a “church” that had the fulness of the Holy Spirit in manifestation.
The Tabernacle of Moses was only a copy and shadow of the True Tabernacle in Heaven, which is the Tabernacle of God in its present form, and we have only received the shadow of the full potential of the Holy Spirit that God has provided within the New Covenant. Even if the multitudes that attend church and are called “Christian” have received the Holy Spirit in the dimension that He is WITH THEM, this is still just the Old Covenant provision and certainly NOT the fulness. The Seven Ordained Feasts of the Lord for Israel were just shadows of the true experiences today! Even though these Feasts, which were shadows then, have become the potential reality today, the importance of experiencing all three dimensions of “appearing before the Lord for all three Feasts” are much more important today than then. In the Law this was not an option but was required and today the reality is still required. Even though, too often, a doctrine is created against it, the fact still remains.
Exodus 23:14 “Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me. 15 “You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; (Passover) for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed. 16 “Also you shall observe the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; (Pentecost) also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. (Tabernacles) 17 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.
Exodus 34:22 “And you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, (Pentecost) that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. (Tabernacles) 23 “Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. 24 “For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your God.
Col 2:16 Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-- 17 things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
Of course these Old Covenant feasts were just the shadow of the reality but the New Covenant Feast of Passover (Calvary), was NOT the shadow but the reality. Fifty days later , the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of the Fiftieth Day, was NOT the shadow but the reality called Pentecost which was on the fiftieth Day following the resurrection. The “reality” is that EVERY believer must appear before God for all THREE feasts. That means for (1) “PASSOVER,” for (2) PENTECOST and for (3) the Final Harvest, TABERNACLES. This is NOT optional as is being taught!
Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit IS the Promise of the Father. Since this IS the promise of the Father there can be no possible excuse for NOT receiving HIM in the full reality of the Feast of Pentecost! Every true believer MUST appear for this second Feast as well as the other two Feasts. This might be added to the list of “absolutes.” Why? This is a commandment and is directly related to God’s Eternal Purpose! To imply that salvation (forgiveness of sin) cancels out the next four Feasts is just ignorant.
However, we cannot recommend that you receive Him in the same dimension that we received Him in 1970 or in the degree that the Pentecostal Churches receive Him today. Why? Because this degree is certainly NOT the “fulness” but just in the down payment dimension, a little bit, maybe 10% of “fullness!”
Still, that is where we all must begin but hopefully we will “GO ON TO COMPLETION “ or on to the fulness! Why? These first two Feasts precede the final Harvest which is Tabernacles. When we say “the final harvest” we are certainly imply that this “preparation” must be within our experience and during our lifetime. We are not referring to the final harvest when the angels are the reapers. If we don’t participate in the First Two Feasts we will be unprepared for the Final Harvest of the First fruits and Tabernacles. The “perfected saints” (in this lifetime) will be caught up as the first fruits of the final harvest in the first watch. The Five “Wise” Virgins will only be ready at the midnight hour or in the second watch. This “second watch” will be in the middle of the Great Tribulation and these saints will be included in the main harvest. When the gleanings are resurrected in the third watch, at the end of the Tribulation, the total harvest will be complete.
The First Feast is Passover, Unleavened Bread and First fruits. The Second Feast is Pentecost. The Third Feast is Blowing of Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Tabernacles. The Seven Feasts are called the “Appointed Times of the Lord.”
Lev 23:2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, ‘The LORD ‘s appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations--My appointed times are these:
Attempting to figure out the end times without understanding the “Appointed Times of the Lord” is ridiculous!
Luke 12:35 “Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps alight. 36 “And be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. 37 “Blessed are those slaves whom the master shall find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. 38 “Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. 39 “And be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 40 “You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”
This “second watch” refers to the time applicable to the ten virgins in Mat 25. All of these virgins ( believers) had potential problems with their lamps. This is the time when He returns FROM the wedding feast at the midnight hour. The marriage of the Lamb has already begun and the Bride is already dressed and ready. This is in the second watch which was from 9 PM until the midnight hour. The five “wise virgins” is the main harvest and will be a large group that is resurrected in the middle of the Great Tribulation. This is a resurrection of those that had been killed and these main harvest saints are NOT raptured. That is reserved for the FIRST of the First Fruits.
The “perfected saints” that are caught up, probably at the end of the “first watch,” ( which is from 6 PM until 9 PM), as the first fruits, will be part of the Corporate Bride Company. The “Corporate Bride Company” will include all the perfected saints since Pentecost (the overcomers) who will sit with Him on His Throne. No one, who is from the Old Covenant period, will be included in this group. That also excludes John the Baptist who died as an Old Covenant prophet! The “perfected saints” from the Old Covenant, like John, will stand before the Throne and serve Him day and night in His Temple.
Revelation 7:13 And one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and from where have they come?” 14 And I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 “For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne shall spread His tabernacle over them. 16 “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them to springs of the water of life; and God shall wipe every tear from their eyes.”
Rev 21:4 and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
These saints who come out of the great Tribulation are given a quick but limited view from God’s Viewpoint and are witnessing the fulfillment of God’s Eternal Purpose! At this moment they will fully realize what they missed and will surely be disappointed to the place of weeping. However, it will be too late to meet the stringent requirements - perfection- associated with the New Jerusalem. Nevertheless, there are other lessor places they may fit in the Tabernacle of God and that will certainly be “good news” for them. God shall wipe every tear from their eyes and assign them to a lessor place! That will be “comforting news” indeed! If they have just attained to the perfection of the best of the Old Covenant saints, they may be assigned to a place ‘before the Throne and be qualified to serve Him day and night in His Temple.” Of course, there is no night and no temple in the Most Holy Place because the Lord God Almighty AND the Lamb are the Temple in that dimension!
The reason I included this insight about the end time into this document is to demonstrate why this gospel of the “full priced sale” is essential for the rectification of the church. If “being saved” was all that God purposed there would be no reason to insist that the believers go on to perfection. However, since nothing can be finalized in God’s Purpose until the Glorious Church is caught up to the Throne of God and the Government for the World yet to Come is complete, the goal of the “high calling” must be clearly preached. To miss the eternal experience of dwelling in the Third Heaven and witnessing the full operation of the Kingdom Government of God would be a devastating loss. Violent weeping would be the proper response to comprehending the magnitude of the loss.
Rev 21:5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.
This is a promise that is so grand that it is radically understated, but the offer is such that there can be no excuse to fall short of this goal that will be acceptable!
Immediately following this wonderful promise and vision there comes a very sober warning.
Rev 21:7 “He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. 8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Both the Highest Calling - the Overcomers - and the Lowest Response - the fire walkers - is clearly revealed. This understanding can form the prototype message for the Kingdom of God.
The question we are presenting is this; Can the visible church make the transition from a counterfeit mimic of true Christianity to the Glorious Church? Will it be necessary that we separate from the visible church before we can be accepted into the Church He is Building? Is it possible to have a mixture of the two? It seems reasonable that each person must answer that question personally because this is not a corporate decision. A personal consecration is involved in that decision!
My opinion is that the visible church must be in preparation and experiencing growth in all the foundations BEFORE He - our Great High Priest - can “begin” to build His Church to manifest His power and authority. “His Ministers” have the privilege to cooperate with Him in this work. If this growth and rectification is real then both groups are necessary. The visible church only has relevance in the degree that it is advancing toward the Holy Place life and Ministry. The visible church that has neglected its calling to participate in the Lampstand Church, the one He is Building, is irrelevant in the greater purpose of God. We are not suggesting that they are “not saved.” Unfortunately, it is this category that defines most all of the visible church groups. The visible church that has not met the minimum qualification to participate in the “World Yet to Come” will suffer tremendous loss. However, the visible church that has, at least, met the minimum requirements of “salvation” will be assigned a place somewhere in the Divine Order within the perimeters of the Kingdom of God. Since the Kingdom of God reaches to the outposts of the universe there will be some function for each saved believer.
Luke 20:34 And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage; 36 for neither can they die anymore, for they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
Being considered worthy to attain to the resurrection from the dead may seem like a strange thought, considering today’s shallow church doctrines and agendas.
Eph 4:11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.
The divine calling for the Christ appointed ministries is for the equipping / perfecting /completion of the saints. The goal is that each saint be prepared for ministry or the work of service. The purpose of the ministry is for the building up of the body of Christ until it can function within the purpose of God! The designed goal of that work is that we all “attain” to the unity of the faith. Then we are to grow up into the FULL knowledge of the Son of God. The next goal is that each believer must grow up into a or one mature man. That means to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ. Attaining to the fulness of Christ is the meaning of “ONE MATURE MAN.” The obvious failure of this ministry work is seen when the believers just remain as “babes” or “children” and are easily deceived by deceitful men. The result is that no “body” is fitted together so that the “body” is incapable of building itself up! When this happens, the “believers” just live like the “gentiles” or like the unsaved of the world.
Is there any real hope for the visible church? Yes, there certainly is! However, that “hope” depends upon a vital change in vision, attitudes and function of the current ministries. For that reason, the next “revival” must be a total restoration to the New Covenant Ministry which is NOT of the letter but of the Spirit. This New Covenant Ministry MUST function within the Holy Place dimension where Our Great High Priest is establishing His Kingdom of Priests.
Ministry, functioning under the full illumination of the Seven Spirits of God, will look and function in a much higher order and look NOTHING like the ministry today.
This will not be a return to the Early Church ministry but an upgrade to the end time ministry that is fully prepared to lead the church into the Final Harvest Feasts and to prepare the saints to be part of the First Fruits of the Final Harvest. This will be the final Harvest of the Earth for the dispensation of the Church. The Millenial Reign of Christ then will follow and the next phase of the Kingdom will begin! God will make all things NEW following the Millennial Reign and the Tabernacle of God ( Revelation 21) will begin. By this time EVERYBODY will have been assigned their place in the Eternal Kingdom. However, the greatest majority will be assigned to the New Earth. The End Time Ministries will be very different and focus entirely upon the Perfection of the Saints. Why? To prepare the saints for the New Jerusalem, Mount Zion and as the Government of the World yet to Come.
Since this “functioning group” will be a Kingdom of Priests, the “ministries” that prepare them must first become Priests after the order of Melchizedek. If the “ministers” in the visible church cannot function in that dimension, the Holy Spirit may have to raise up an entirely new and different group of ministers of the New Covenant. My opinion is that the NEW COVENANT and the Kingdom Dimension defines the default ministry of the end time.
2Cor 3:4 And such confidence we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.