1. Kingdom
Vaccination
Recently my
youngest sister (mid 60s) had to have a bone marrow transplant. Before the new
bone marrow could be implanted the doctors had to completely kill her existing
bone marrow. She received the transplant from a younger woman in UK. One
interesting aspect of the transplant is that her immune system no longer had the
immunity from her childhood vaccinations. Her renewed system now made it
possible for her to have those diseases that she had been immunized for by
childhood vaccination.
Spiritual
Immunization
Unfortunately most
people who have been in church systems for a number of years (that includes most
of us on this mail list) have been indoctrinated with a vaccine against the real
kingdom of God. Of the many problems facing the world, I sincerely believe that
this is the worst of all problems. I believe it is rudimental and causal to most
other problems facing mankind since the first century.
The powerful
loving reality of the restoration of all things which, was purchased at the
cross and potentially implemented at Pentecost by the Spirit of Christ in the
Holy Spirit is the power of God to change the world. The life giving Spirit of
Christ Who came to abide within the people of God is the provision to bring the
entire world into the order of God eliminating all the problems generated by sin
and disobedience.
Religion has been used as a vaccine
to stop or limit the spread of the real kingdom of God. Religious teaching has planted a bit
of the mostly dead gospel into Christians to immunize them against the full
reality of the gospel of the kingdom. For those of us who have had our spiritual
immune system coded by religious teaching; which prevents us from catching
the real kingdom, our spiritual immune system must be wiped clean before we can
hear the 'word of the kingdom'. "We must have a traumatic experience comparable
to a spiritual bone marrow transplant. As in the natural we cannot receive a
spiritual bone marrow transplant until our old spiritual bone marrow is put to
death. Our spiritual immune system was programmed to reject the true gospel of
the kingdom and therefore will resist to the death".
It is a big
mistake to think that we can simply show someone from the Bible that Jesus and
the first century disciple preached and demonstrated the kingdom of God on
earth. We can show them how Jesus taught us to pray to the Father for His
kingdom to come on EARTH as it is in heaven. We can quote Jesus’ words to seek
the kingdom of God first and all these other things will be added. However, all
of that will not get through the vaccination immunity of fallacious doctrines
and half truths we were inoculated with by religious
teachings.Like natural
vaccinations the mostly dead half truths have blocked the real fullness of the
Holy Spirit and the real kingdom of God potential. The power that should have
changed the world is not released and the world is left in bondage and servitude
to the enemy. There is no real kingdom of God within us to flow from us in love
and power to release the full power of the Holy Spirit to transform people and
their lives to bring forth the will of God and His righteousness, peace and joy
on earth as it is in heaven.
Killing Our Bone
Marrow
As long as we feel
that we are doing okay and are reasonably comfortable in our religious system,
we will never seek the greater reality of the kingdom of God. However, when we
finally realize that what we have is not working, we begin to feel there must be
more. When we are loosing our children to the ways of the enemy – when our
marriage is on the rocks – when those we loved the most are taken from us - when
our finances don't work out 'when our things and games no longer satisfy us'
when our religion seems as empty of life as a tomb - we begin to see that
something is wrong and there must be more. Then when we begin to ask questions
and to seek more we are rejected and treated as traitors and outcast by our
religious friends and family that we loved.
Now it is wilderness
time. In our
wilderness experience our very core, the thing that makes our life blood, our
religious bone marrow is about to be killed. We may not have a clue what is
really going on. We may not know that the Holy Spirit is about to transplant in
us the real bone marrow of CHRIST JESUS, the gospel of the kingdom that will
infuse our lives with the life blood of Christ flowing through our bodies
bringing the abundant life of Christ. All the works that He did on earth and
more – the supernatural power, and love along with the wisdom from heaven will
flow through us and out to the world. The KING is alive and well in His full
grown sons forming His glorious Bride in His beautiful kingdom of righteousness,
peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit.
As it is with individuals so it is
with nations. As
long as a nation is doing reasonably well there will be no turning to the
reality of the Kingdom of God in the Holy Spirit. However, when our cities and
nations are morally crumbling 'when our national economy fails' when our
armies are defeated - when our political leaders cannot make good decisions and
the world turns against us, then we begin to recognize that the 'church' that
should have made a difference is powerless and no different from the rest of the
world. Finally, we can conclude that what we have is NOT working. Here comes
national wilderness time where the bone marrow of existing religious and secular
systems is killed. A nation can become no longer immune to the real kingdom of
God and the army of forerunners prepared to deliver the gospel of the kingdom in
the power and love of the Holy Spirit can preach, teach and demonstrate the real
gospel of the kingdom to the no longer immune nations of the
earth.
It is easier for
the non religious to enter the real kingdom.
People who have
never been religiously trained have not been vaccinated with the inoculation of
the mostly dead half truths and are not as immune. Once they come to Jesus and
are exposed to the Holy Spirit and the true Bible word they can receive the word
of the kingdom more readily without religious debate from a programmed spiritual
immune system. Those who may have never been in church, never attended Sunday
school, Bible College or Seminary may enter the real kingdom of God before
religious people who are highly respected by the Christian
community.
Jesus speaking to
the chief priests and the elders in the temple said, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots
enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of
righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots
believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him"
(Mat 21:31-32).
How could this be? Can it really be true that some
religious systems based on biblical theology that taught us about the savior and
introduced us to the gospel of salvation in Jesus and in some cases even
connected us with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is not entering into the real
kingdom of God lifestyle and is even preventing those who are seeking to enter.
It was true in Jesus's day and is true today. The religious Pharisees in Jesus's
day were the most sincere God seekers on the planet at that time. They were
completely serious in their search of the scripture and their commitment to
carrying out all they learned in every detail. No effort or expense was too
great to know the written word and do what it said to the best of their
knowledge and ability.
And yet Jesus said
to these who diligently studied the written word of that day (Old Testament) –
those who diligently sought to know God and teach others how to serve God –
those of high respect in the temple, “But woe to
you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven
against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are
entering to go in” (Mat 23:13).
A major shift was in process in that
day. The shadows and
types of the old covenant were drawing to a close and the new order of the
kingdom was at hand. Christ the King had come to earth as a human baby and grew
into the sinless anointed One from heaven now on earth. He had begun the 2000+
year process of redeeming mankind and re establishing the real kingdom on earth.
This was more than the well trained religionist could grasp. It was simply to
big a change from the ingrained understanding they had figured out about God.
They had all their lives invested in the traditions handed down to them and
their mental assessment of the written word. However, for the ordinary people
who had little invested in the existing structure it was much easier to receive
the true word of the gospel of the kingdom.
In the glowing
first century, fishermen, tax collectors and other ordinary people were
empowered by the life giving Spirit of Christ through the Holy Spirit and moved
upon the known civilization carrying the gospel of the kingdom and demonstrating
it with signs and wonders. There was great persecution and eventually the
darkness of religion covered the brightness of the kingdom age for many
centuries.
About five hundred
years ago a few people were found that saw the fallacy of the religious system
and began to seek more of God. Layer by layer over the past few hundred years
God has restored to those who could hear pieces of the gospel of the kingdom.
The gospel of salvation by grace through faith was a beginning place. Many other
layers have since been revealed or uncovered to be re instated including the
work of the Holy Spirit to empower and more recently the avenue of intimate
communion with God. The process has been and remains the preparation of a people
to receive the full measure of the kingdom. At each layer there has been
resistance from those invested in the past level of reformation and those yet
tied to different parts of religious darkness.
The major shift of today is the same
one of Jesus’ day. The shift in our day is from the
remaining grips of religion into the early stages of the real kingdom of God
from heaven on earth. As in the day of Jesus this shift is destined to replace
the old system of the past. This is again great loss to those who are heavily
invested in the past. If they could only see the great gain of the kingdom of
God lifestyle, they would know it is well worth the cost.
The cost of
entering the real kingdom of God can be great. It may cost loss of respect,
positions, family relationships, religious relationships, personal property and
more. The more we have the more the cost will be to depart from the ways of the
fallen world and religion into the spiritual reality of the true kingdom of
Christ. That is why Jesus said to his disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to
enter the kingdom of heaven" (Mat 19:23).
To a seeker who
had led a good religious life of keeping the commandments, Jesus said, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and
distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow
Me” (Luke
18:22).
Though the cost in
natural life can be great the rewards of living in the spiritual kingdom of God
now is far greater. Jesus said a hundred times more.
Mat19:29: "And everyone who has left
houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands,
for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal
life."
Paul
spoke of the comparison of cost and reward like this, "For I consider that
the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory
which shall be revealed in us" (Rom 8:18).
Paul
had made the major shift. He left a high place in religion to know Christ and
experience the resurrection life of Christ flowing in and through Him to the
world of His day. Here is what he had to say about the comparison of the cost
and the reward.
Phil
3:5-8: 'circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of
Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning
zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law,
blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for
Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the
knowing of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all
things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain
Christ'
IN THE REAL KINGDOM OF GOD THERE IS NO
MIXTURE.
Please allow me to
speak plainly and personally. I have been greatly
blessed through the many years in the ministry of the churches where I have been
associated. In recent decades, I especially have been greatly blessed through
the powerful revival ministries that have impacted my life. Through all the
experiences piece by piece parts of the real gospel has been imparted to me.
However, all of these ministries have now been shown to be very incomplete and
mixed with a lot of trash devised from human thinking, man's religious
traditions and doctrines of demons.
I
am not in the least angry or upset by all of that. Folks, this is just where we
have been. We have been digging out from centuries of darkness and receiving
light of the real kingdom piece by piece. Even the best ministries of recent
years are laced with mixture of fallen world human ways and spots of fleshly
weaknesses. This is not a negative critical comment it is the plain reality of
where we are.
Now hear
this. I speak by the
Spirit from the throne. The time of mixture is quickly closing. The decree has
left heaven and will be spoken on the earth and will be carried out without
delay and without exception. Never before on earth has the righteousness of God
been so visibly poured out from heaven on earth. Justice, Justice, Justice Cries
from below the throne. Who shall now stand before Me, says the voice from the
throne. Who shall contaminate the work of my hands with foolishness and live?
Almighty God, we bow deeply before You and we call out do not spare
us, do not spare the rod. We are fallen upon our faces before you. We repent and
put to death the foolishness of our hearts and ways. Let us not arise from this
place until there is no mixture found any longer in us. Nothing but You God –
Nothing of our old ways, pure and holy tried and true let it me unto us.
Father, in your wrath and judgment remember Your mercy but spare us not that we
may live holy as you are holy. No more mixture, take us down Lord strip us and
show us our shame to destroy it from us forever. We cast it from us and offer
our lives as a sacrifice unto your glory"..
For much more on the real Kingdom of God, Go Here: http://www.openheaven.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=11258&PN=1
"But Daniel purposed in his heart that
he would not defile himself... (Daniel 1:8a)."
In our time the Lord is working with a Remnant and is raising up
Overcomers to represent His interests in the earth, a people who are in this
world but not of this world. In spite of a general failure of the Whole, the
Overcomers, as a part of the Whole, are fulfilling God's original intent for the
Church.
The idea of a Remnant is not without its historical examples.
Let us define exactly what a Remnant is. Simply put, a Remnant is this: a person
or persons who fulfill the Lord's Purpose for the Whole when the Whole either
cannot or will not fulfill it. As an example, look at Noah. During a time when
violence and sin filled the whole earth, here is one man who alone is righteous
and pleasing to God. The Lord judges mankind with a flood, but does not make a
full end. He spares Noah and his family and makes a new beginning with them.
Another good example is Elijah. He complained that since he was
the only prophet left, he was better off dead, so he asked God to take his life.
God replied, "I have reserved for Myself seven thousand people who have not
bowed down to Baal or kissed him (I Kings 19:18)." What an awesome Lord! The
entire nation belonged to the Lord. Technically speaking, they were His chosen
people. But in fact, only seven thousand of them were truly faithful to the
Lord's Thought and Purpose for them. They had not worshipped any idols. It is a
comparatively small number, but certainly more than Elijah thought.
The Remnant Principle is found not only among the righteous. You
remember that when Abraham made intercession for Sodom he was able to convince
God to spare the entire city if ten righteous people could be found.
Unfortunately for Sodom there was no Remnant, not even a little handful of
people standing in agreement with God's Purpose, and so the city was destroyed.
Remnants can make a difference between life and death, between salvation and
destruction.
Anyone could have had the place in God that Noah had. God did
not have a quota for the faithful in Israel that stopped at seven thousand
people. The Remnant is not a closed group. I heard someone say this many years
ago: anyone can, everyone won't, but somebody will. That is the gist of it, you
see. There is a whole doctrine called Remnant Theology, but that is not what we
have in mind here at all. Let us be clear: a Remnant is not an exclusive,
elitist circle of super-spiritual saints. Not at all. The promises are made to
the "whosoevers". Anyone can be a friend of God! Anyone can overcome! But we
know that everyone will not. Why won't they? I wish I knew why, I wish I could
explain it, but I cannot explain it, and I just know it is a fact that everyone
will not go on with God. We know it from history, we know it from looking around
us right now. Everyone is not going to press into God, everyone is not going to
seek His Kingdom, everyone is not going to lay down their life and follow Jesus.
Not that they CANNOT, but they WILL NOT. There is nothing set in stone that says
you are destined to be an overcomer, but these other people are not. No,
everyone is destined for it, but how many will actually go after it? Anyone can,
everyone won't (in fact, a large majority will not), but SOMEBODY will. That
group of "somebodys" who will is the Remnant.
The Remnant surfaces again in the Book of Revelation, and they
are called Overcomers. The Lord addresses seven churches, and makes a special
invitation to "he that overcomes". Six of the seven had serious spiritual issues
that needed immediate correction; Philadelphia, the one exception, was
undergoing tremendous persecution. But if we read through these messages we see
clearly that the Lord is calling for a Remnant to overcome. Then the individual
identities of these seven churches seem to fade away from that point forward and
from there all we hear about is the Overcomers.
This is only an introduction to a major five part teaching. For the
full article, Go Here: http://www.openheaven.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=22856&PN=1
3. True Repentance in a Nation - MarketplaceLeaders - Os Hillman and Angie Hillman (Part 1)
True Repentance in a Nation
Os Hillman
When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes. - 2 Chronicles 34:19Josiah was a godly king in Israel. However, before he came to power, the nation had fallen into all kinds of evil. One man, Manasseh, had brought the nation to a condition of inexorable evil. God finally had enough.
Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down (2 Kings 21:12-13).
Josiah came into power just before this judgment. He began to clean up the evil by burning all the idolatrous temples, ridding prostitution and homosexuality from the streets, and destroying occult shrines. He did this without the benefit of even reading God's Word, but through the Holy Spirit working in his heart. Then one day the ancient Scriptures were discovered in the temple that had lain dormant for years. They had a profound impact on King Josiah.
When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes. He gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king's attendant: "Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord's anger that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book" (2 Chronicles 34:19-21).
Josiah was broken. He tore his robes in repentance. He fell to his knees and repented for the wickedness of his nation. He stood in the gap, and God honored Josiah; however, it wasn't enough. God still had to judge the nation for its previous wickedness under the reign of Manasseh.
"Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what He spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before Me and tore your robes and wept in My presence, I have heard you, declares the Lord. Now I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place and on those who live here." ... (2 Chronicles 34:27-28).
God spared Josiah during his reign, but after he died judgment came upon the nation.
No nation is immune from God's judgment. Pray for your nation today. Pray that your nation will have a repentant heart among the leaders and the people.
Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. - Acts 9:8a
By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them.... - Exodus 13:21
The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. - Exodus 20:21
[copy by powerdad with permission]