Ron McGatlin seems to me to have a big heart for Christ's Kingdom. This article is from Ron's Open Heaven mail out which you can subscribe to at www.openheaven.com. It is of great importance that we find balance in this hour regarding leadership and authority so that we see Christ lifted up as the only head of His body.

Grace and peace,

Bretto 

 

Receiving God's Government

by Ron McGatlin

The current movement toward the governance of God continues at a rapid pace. Adjustments are not always easy. However, there is no alternative for God's people. Turning back is not an option. Life is before us and not behind us. Where we once found life there is now dry brush awaiting a spark and a wind to become a fire storm.

For most of us the old lukewarm Sunday-only religion died a long time ago. Even the awesome outpourings and revivals of the 90s have waned. Today the powerful prophetic and the newer apostolic movements are being invaded with the philosophies of human thinking and natural networking organizational methods.

My spirit grieves as the ways of the fallen world continue to invade even the fresh moves of God. We expect to see corruption in the fallen world, but our hope is brutally attacked when we see the people of God and the ministries of God infiltrated with the values of the fallen world. We are to be the Body of Christ, the temple of God. It is an abomination for the fallen world's ways to stand in the temple of God.

Where is hope?

When we see the abomination of desolation standing in the temple where it ought not be, it is time to run for the hills, the high places of intimate oneness with the High and Lofty One Who dwells in the high and holy place with the humble and contrite ones. Hope is ahead of us and not behind. There is no hope behind us but only a certain dread of awaiting judgment.

Heb 10:26-27:  For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.

Isa 57:15:  For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Glorious hope and great joy are before us in the fulfillment of our lives and purposes in this world. Leaving those things which are behind, we press forward into the reality of knowing Christ as we are known. God's governance begins and consists in the Spirit-to-Spirit living connection of love and life with God in heaven and God in His people.

The great paradox of passing through death unto life while yet remaining a living soul on earth is paramount in receiving the government of God. Each of us will experience the rotting of yesterdays manna as the new fresh reality of God flows from heaven by His Spirit to us and through us to renew the world - to bring forth beauty for the ashes of yesterday's mixtures.

The Governance of God Flows From Heaven

In the first century Jesus and His disciples were an outpouring of life in a dry and barren land of religion and tradition. Like an oasis in a desert land, heavenly life was birthed in Jesus and became a flowing river of life at Pentecost. The life-giving Spirit of Christ became a mighty river transforming the ashes of barren, burned-out lives into humble, redeemed men and women filled to overflowing with the life of God.

As the people in the upper room waited, they grieved for the loss of their beloved leader, Christ Jesus. They faithfully waited as instructed and became the ones to receive the coming of the Holy Spirit to forever change their lives and affect the world.
 
The grieving spirits of today's outcast holy people of God who are longing for righteousness to prevail in the land will spring forth in joy after the harsh winter of judgment has changed the landscape of current humanity. Righteousness of the kingdom of God shall cover the barren land like fresh grass in the springtime bearing sweet blossoms of pure holy life. The hope of spring sustains us through the darkness of winter.

The government of God rest upon the shoulder of Christ.

Jesus, the head, fully joined to His Body, will rule and reign on earth. The shoulder is of the Body upon which the head rests and the government is carried. It is Christ in you that is the hope of the glory of God on earth as it is in heaven. The humble, holy, glorious, power and wisdom of Christ flows from heaven through the Spirit of Christ empowering the Body to flow God's righteous love. Thus, the bright new reality of the government of God rules on earth.

Isa 9:6-7:  For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Receive the sent ones bearing the gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, and teacher.

Receive the governance of Christ flowing through His sent ones as elders, and do not forsake the assembling of ourselves to stir up love and good works by exhorting one another.

Heb 10:23-25:  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Receiving the gifted sent ones and assembling of ourselves does not mean going back to the old way and becoming part of the dry brush of the dry barren land of past religion. It means to assemble ourselves and exhort one another and let the Spirit of Christ flow life among the assembled ones. There are awesome and needed spiritual gifts flowing from Christ in assembling together with even two or three.

And there will be powerful and needful life flowing through the Spirit from group to group as the traveling elders gifted as apostles, prophets, evangelist, and teachers move about under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Holy elders in the groups will know by the Spirit to receive the mobile gifted elders and see to their provision. Traveling elders will help see to the stirring up love and good works by spiritual exhortations.

Receive and bless the apostles (the sent ones) who bring life.

All whom God sends as true spiritual apostles of today bringing the fresh word of the governance of God have paid a great price and are humble servants of the Most High and Holy One. They often have little of the world's riches and have suffered serious rejection and ridicule. The painful treatment they endure breaks down any residue of pride and fills them with pure, holy love and extraordinary faith and wisdom as the Spirit of Christ abides within and fills them with the power and word of God.

These are not the ones who retain their pride and bless themselves with fancy cloths, expensive cars, high powered air planes and such. Neither are they the prideful poor who are always seeking more. They are often the rejected, persecuted, defamed, dishonored, and reviled who are seen as fools for Christ sake.

1 Cor 4:9-13:  For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake… We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.

Paul, who wrote the above, was greatly blessed to spend seasons among God's people from city to city enjoying the love and warm fellowship of the people as He brought them fresh words of life from the broader perspective of what Christ was doing in groups across the world he traveled. His genuine love and care for the children of God made him a true spiritual father type to them as he led them to the Father through Christ Jesus. He probably would not have survived the hardships of being sent if it were not for the seasons of refreshing and blessing with God's people.

Know those who labor among you. Receive and bless the sent ones abundantly. Send them on their journey with provision and blessing. We are their home and family. Be even more diligent as the darkness of spiritual winter approaches.

Keep on pursuing love.
It never fails.

Ron McGatlin

www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 7th, 2008 at 6:18 pm and is filed under Biblical Leadership, Finance, Living Christianity, Reformation/ Revival. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.