Last week we touched on the belief that we are moving into a new era in God’s timeline. That literally means that principles and things that were effective in the last age will not be effective in the new one. We will have to get in tune quickly with what the Spirit is saying and doing so that we can work in concert to accomplish His kingdom work.
We are literally moving from the age of the church into the age of the kingdom. Jesus said this about the danger of traditions in Matthew 15:5-9 (ESV)
“But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” 6 he need not honor his father. ’So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God.7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
8 “‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
Research shows the in contrast to the two commands of Jesus, the Pharisees had developed a system of 613 laws, 365 negative and 248 positive that are found in the Torah, first 5 books of the Bible. Over the next couple of millennia, over 1500 “fence laws”, man-made laws were created, designed to protect the 613 laws in the Torah. Most of them are found in the Talmud.
If you take a closer look, this evolution also began to take place, especially after the church of the first century. This increased with the completion of the Canon of scripture at the end of the 4th Century. Although the “Reformation” of 1517 AD refocused that salvation is by faith alone, it did little to change the institutionalization of the church. If you travel around and given city in America, you will discover 100’s of churches. Many of them began in movements of the Spirit but all eventually died through the institutionalization process. All of them have their distinctive doctrines and dogmas with their “flavor” put on a sign. Even those who call themselves “non-denominational” are that in name but most often follow either a “Evangelical” or “Pentecostal” emphasis. We evangelize to get people “saved” and baptized” to join our church and denomination. We then condition our coverts to our way of belief usually teaching them how to become “successful”, prosperous American Christians. It’s debatable to how many of these individuals ever enter a real and deep relationship with Jesus. We inoculate people with an hour-long service on Sunday but many never get beyond that in their faith. We usually steer them away from difficulty even though suffering is part of our calling in our struggle to spiritual maturity. James 1:2-4 (ESV)
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Much of today’s churches often shun those who experience difficulties because suffering has no part in the life of the modern believer. It shows weakness and not strength. Thus, people are forced to bury their difficulties and put on a “spiritual” face for the church body. Even though there is a growth in Christian counseling and inner healing, the church at large has also done a terrible job ministering to people with disabilities or mental illness. Many feel that medicines “are of the devil” and have no place in the church. However, in reality, the use of medicine is not a lack of faith but often time is necessary in helping the individual become even keeled in their own life.
According to some, many of our mega churches pastors and denominations have been complicit with “child-trafficking” and are about to be exposed. Jesus is about to expose the church and destroy the “culture” that we have created. Why? Because it does not reflect the kingdom of God by any stretch of the imagination. Jesus said this in Matthew 5:13 (ESV).
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.”
What the church has become cannot go into the next “age” of the Kingdom. Are you willing to throw off every aspect of your own old traditions to possess the powers of the age to come? This was the essence of what Jesus was asking Nicodemus in John 3:3-8 (ESV)
“Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?”5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
We are leaving the age of “religious tradition” to the age of being “led by the Spirit”! There is a sense of mystery in the life of the Spirit. When we live by the Spirit, we are led by divine direction. That can only lead to spiritual experience which will bring exponential results as were led by Holy Spirit. Living in the Spirit is living a life not bound by boundary or human limitation.
The language of the Spirit is love, not control or manipulation. When we learn to love unconditionally, it will allow the Spirit of God to accomplish what He desires without human limitation. I believe these are the “love feasts” that Jude speaks of in verses 12-13 (ESV)
“These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted;13 wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.”
He speaks of shepherd who manipulate and use people for their own purpose and gain. I believe that in the age to come, the five-fold ministries will be used for what God intended, to equip the body of Christ to become the image of Jesus. Read Paul’s writing in Ephesians 4:11-16 (ESV))
“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up 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 mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
We will become a company of “Enochs” who learn to walk in both the fear and love of Lord in perfect balance. It will be era of the glorified church who Jesus has prepared through this season without spot or wrinkle. I believe it will during this era the gospel of the kingdom will go to every nation of the earth. Then we will see the fulfillment of Philippians 2:9-11 (ESV)
“Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Then as Jesus said, “The end shall come”. (Matthew 24:14)