Bringing It Into Alignment
We Have Entered a Whole New Season.
How we function is something that will have a whole different feel to it. And what we are doing now, and what we did last season, — is not going to cut it when you think about where the Lord is leading us.
We need to be moving more inline on how the Lord is wanting to flow through us. We really need to change it up and start doing things more to His liking — and for all of us to be more inclusive with what the Lord has entrusted us with. Unless we come more into an alignment of a working and functioning team — how is He able to entrust us with a powerful gospel that is needed to move His Kingdom forward, in the dynamics that it needs to be. The things that heaven is about to have us engage with is way beyond what we can think or imagine. And really — moving in those levels can only happen if we can be a trusted people. Trusted with a powerful gospel that moves mountains, trusted with the people that He surrounds us with.
The Early Ekklesia
As I tapped deeper into the revelation of Ekklesia as modeled by Jesus, I saw a young group of twelve through a completely different lens. I saw how the original twelve functioned — not only as a group but also individually as they found themselves knitted together for a greater purpose. I saw a gathering as it was meant to be, energized and flexible, continually on the move, ready to believe, to obey, to give, to serve, and if need be, ready to lay their lives down for what they believed.
Lets tap into this motley crew that Jesus weaved together. I see John as this peace, love, Woodstock type guy. Matthew, a government rat, — a taxman despised by his own. Peter, as a Popeye, William Wallace type leader. Simon, the Middle East extremist who's ready to knock a few Roman heads around. Luke, well he was probably the only stable professional one of the bunch, — I can only imagine the fun he had hanging out with this crew. Thomas, who had a tough time figuring it all out, — constantly doubting. And the list goes on as the rest of the twelve dovetailed in to complete the group. Somehow, Jesus was able to glue them all together for a single purpose. And out of the Ekklesia process came a group that changed the world.
This was a young, and in most cases, a happy, transparent, and courageous bunch of men and women, who were winning the world for Jesus through simplicity and single heartedness. I was moved to see a gathering as it was always meant to be, — energized and flexible, ready to believe, to obey, to give, to suffer, and if need be ready to lay their own lives down for what they believed!
Holy Spirit Found What He was Looking For
The Holy Spirit found a fellowship of men and women so united in love and faith that He could work in them, and through them, with a minimum of hindrances. Being of one mind, one heart, united, and moving in one accord. This was not an easy process to become one, but through it all they became a team, a group uniquely designed for the task at hand.
I realized that what they had, — we were missing! With one Spirit led activity after another, these were the ones that Jesus spoke of when He referred to a wind that blows and where it comes and where it goes is all part of a life that is born in the Spirit. These ones accepted Jesus and were ' Followers of the way ' enjoying the deepest possible fellowship ever while the Kingdom of Heaven landed all around them! I cannot help but look at the spiritual power that burned within this young group, expressed not only by healing the body, but also by the many signs and wonders that followed. They were not only friends of God, but all of heaven knew their names! I could only imagine the volume of books that could have been written!
Todays Distortion of the Kingdom of Heaven
The other distortion that I discovered was how the different church ministries out there were defining the Kingdom of Heaven. They were defining a Kingdom that looked very similar to the ones that ancient kings used when ruling the land. A top down administration with an expression that was a whole lot different than how John the Baptist and Jesus were defining it back in the day. The two models are not even on the same page!
As I researched Ekklesia, well that automatically led me to a Kingdom of Heaven understanding as to Gods original intent. Ekklesia and the Kingdom are really one. The coming Kingdom came with a coming government. Prior to Jesus showing up, John the Baptist was shouting, ' The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand '. Then Jesus shows up with the government upon His shoulders and says that, ' The Kingdom has landed '. Then He demonstrates with power of that landed Kingdom!
There's Way More To It
What I realized is that there really is a whole lot more to Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven connection as defined in Ekklesia. As Jesus demonstrates the Kingdom for over three years, He clearly was defining something that we need to pay close attention too, and that maybe the Kingdom that He was demonstrating, needs to be a very real part of our daily life. From the day of our salvation, His intention was that we too demonstrate that Heavenly Kingdom as according to the model that He exemplified. He came to show us what it is that we need to be doing. When you think about where it is that we are going, — the dynamics of the Kingdom, in the realm of Ekklesia, needs to be a very real part of our lives if we plan to go the distance. Jesus is clearly wanting us to partner up with this Kingdom and demonstrate it as He demonstrated it.
Obviously His Fathers Kingdom is way beyond what we could ever think or imagine, — and so Jesus is asking us to walk in that child like faith to believe that He really is the real deal, and that His Fathers Kingdom is the real deal. What we are doing now is not going to cut it when you think about where the Lord is leading us. To process the harvest fields so that no person is left behind is a big reason why we need to realign ourselves with the original Ekklesia model. Being accountable to one another is huge in the Ekklesia model.
Ekklesia and the Kingdom of Heaven go Hand in Hand
What happened during Ekklesia back then is about to happen once again but with greater intensity. Ekklesia and the Kingdom of Heaven go hand in hand and we need to bring it into proper alignment. So what would that look like? Well some of my research led me back to the 72 that Jesus sent out. His instructions were to heal the sick and tell them about the Kingdom. Well this bunch came back with some amazing reports but at this point the crucifiction of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, along with the fire of the Holy Spirit landing in the upper room was still a ways away. Matter of fact there was no mention about His departure nor the laying down of His life. Yet signs, wonders, healing, and deliverances, were taking place, — somehow the Gospel of the Kingdom had the ability to stand on its own. It is this part of the Gospel of the Kingdom that needs to be very real part of our Gospel message today as we walk out Ekklesia.
In the original manuscripts the word “Ekklesia”, was never meant to be something static. It was always meant to be very fluid. The Bride was never meant to be standing still. She was designed to be mobile and move forward in her freedom. Ekklesia was originally designed to be a gathering, a movement, with Kingdom authority, setting the captives free! It was all about moving forward amd taking care of the Fathers business. "Your Kingdom Come! Your Will Be Done!" Ekklesia was to be that team designed to engage in the harvest field moving from place to place like Jesus did with His twelve.
Church Exodus, Ekklesia Transition
The most recent exodus made me realize that church was once again in transition. And from where I was standing, God was once again playing a big part in the transition. What was meant to be a vehicle designed to shepherd the people has somehow disconnected itself from its original design creating a huge distortion. I saw many whom I have honoured, — apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers picking up the pieces of a church model that was collapsing all around them. As I watched these events unfold, I realized that the Five-Fold was not the culprit that caused a movement to go over the cliff. Could it be that the ministry of the Five-Fold was misunderstood and maybe even mishandled? Well that would be my guess!
Ekklesia, Something New or Something Lost
Trying to figure it out caused me to take a deeper look at the overall umbrella, — that church covering that was meant to be a covering for the Five-Fold ministry. What caused the DNA of that covering to crumble so badly? Well one of the many things I discovered was that we had it all backwards! The Five-Fold was to be the covering for the church and not the other way! So if it all started with Jesus releasing Ekklesia, then maybe we’ve gone full circle and we are about to re-engage with an application of Ekklesia as it was always meant to be!
The whole Ekklesia thing is starting to look more like a lost language, — a lost concept, designed for some kind of movement! So if Jesus was the original template for what the five different ministries needed to look like, and if He truly landed with His Father’s Kingdom, and that both the Five-Fold and the Kingdom of Heaven have a zero history when it comes to bloopers, — then my conclusion is that the church recently walked out a season with a model that made it impossible for them to truly finish the race. Obviously this is something that we need to learn from.
If that be true, — then what does the Ekklesia model need to look like for a gathering that is now heading into the last days? This is important to know, because we all fit in the mix somewhere, and it seems that the functionality of it all is in our willingness to interconnect! Holy Spirit is here to redirect us into the fullness of an Ekklesia government that was always meant to be. It's amazing how we have messed up with the Holy Spirit. How badly we have walked out a process that was meant to be so simple.
Make Straight Your Paths
As the Spirit of Elijah came prior to the first arrival of Jesus, so shall the Spirit of Elijah come again prior to His second arrival proclaiming once again that we need to make straight our paths. Having lost more battles than we've actually won, something is definitely out of sync and no doubt there are a ton of things that need straightening out.
Some of the manifestations of making straight our paths: Will direct us in seeing our sons and daughters turn their hearts back towards their moms and dads. Plus we will also see moms and dads turn their hearts towards their sons and daughters. This is probably where it really needs to start, and for a remnant, this will be a big sign that you are on the right track. Plus we will see a more complete model of the true Spirit of Jesus being exemplified, and that will only come if we allow the refining fires of the Holy Spirit to have its way in our desert experiences.
Another identifier is that we will jump on the Great Commandment to Love first instead of pursuing the great commission as a priority. Pursuing that, we will begin to see those manger experiences of small beginnings unfold in our midst, those hidden pockets of people where humility and the willingness to serve one another becomes priority. Pockets of people moving with the angelic as the Kingdom of Heaven starts landing all around, — unity and honoring one another having its way.
It really is a different season, nothing like the one we just came out of. But to walk in the power intended for the new season at hand, — we need to get into alignment. To realign into the Jesus model that has somehow sifted through our hands. The adversary is working overtime to try and distort this very message. If we don’t let go of what we are so familiar with, — history will be repeated.
EkklesiaRising.com / JesusMinistries.ca