When the forms of an old paradigm and culture are dying, a new paradigm and culture are created by a few people who are willing to be rejected and misunderstood. Some have called them pioneers. Recently the Father has challenged me to be one. For years I’ve had a desire to see a unified church of love and power, but I could not see how that could be possible under the present circumstances and quagmire in which the church finds itself. Yet God has been long-suffering and not forsaken us.
My heart is full of revelation concerning the glorious church of Jesus Christ. Many of today’s churches in many places are literally lifeless and void of the power of Christ. This has come about over the last 2,000 years because man’s goodness has come directly from eating the fruit of the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Man’s faith has not been developed enough to follow the Lord’s wisdom and be led by His Spirit, so that He can build His ekklesia His way.
Is it Good or God?
This reminds me of a foreign minister who toured all the so-called great churches in America during a lengthy visit. When asked at the end what his thoughts were of the American church, he profoundly replied:
“I’ve learned how much man can do without God.”
Only a spiritual man could make such an observation. He saw that many of our churches are nothing more than religious institutions facing off in competition with one another for market shares in an individualistic consumer-driven market.
Do You Have a Vision for a One-City Church?
Multitudes today have abandoned any vision for a singular local church in each city or region. Many are nowhere close to functioning as a unified Christ-governing, present-day incarnate ekklesia that is preparing God’s people to recognize kingdom culture, live with kingdom purpose and expand kingdom rule through God’s love and power.
Do you think I’m describing some sort of utopian culture and Millennial rule? That’s coming, but be assured that I’m speaking of the here and now. However, this glorious church can never fully emerge without humility and repentance from man’s traditions, and our way of doing things according to control, creature comforts, marketing programs and Western conveniences.
I am convinced that some who are pulling this glorified cart called “church” have not even been genuinely converted to authentic disciples of Jesus and true sons of the Father. The solution for such a divided, denominated and fragmented body must begin with a grand-scale move of repentance and awakening to genuine renewal and consecration to covenant.
During a recent life-threatening illness, I’ve seen the kind of love and humility the Father is looking for in His people, and it’s simply not there right now. Most leaders have no vision beyond their own traditions and understanding of their four walls and a ceiling.
A Vision for a 21st-Century Ekklesia
I see a 21st-century ekklesia that is vastly different from the current popular one. I see an underground church in America that is emerging, albeit very slowly. Without widespread persecution or a crisis that will humble men’s souls, this is a big ship to turn. There are signs on the horizon of this turning because some are realizing that we will never change the world until the church transforms and emerges into the true ekklesia of Jesus Christ, which is “one body with many members” (see 1 Cor. 12). Only a return to genuine fellowship with the Trinity and one another will produce this love and power community of leaders and saints who are governed by qualified and anointed ministry gifts and elders (Eph. 4:11-16, 1 Cor. 12:27-29, Phil. 1:1).
Jesus Christ must be embodied in His people. He must be the chief cornerstone of this building built with lively stones one upon another. We cannot go on to maturity without this focus seen in these verses:
“If there is any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any compassion and mercy, then fulfill my joy and be like-minded, having the same love, being in unity with one mind. Let nothing be done out of strife or conceit, but in humility let each esteem the other better than himself. Let each of you look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Phil. 2:1-4).
The Path to Unity
I see the Lord leading us down a path of discipleship, sonship and covenant relationships so that the church can be unified in cities and regions, so that the earth can be flooded with the glory of God.
When our church traditions, practices and paradigms run contrary to the clear principles of the New Testament and true kingdom leadership and culture, we must not grow uncomfortable and refuse true kingdom alignment. Repentance and teachability are necessary.
Orphaned Children
Many of our pulpits and pews in today’s modern church have left the clear principles of Scripture. We are more concerned about popularity, numbers and bragging rights. We are more occupied with externals than internal maturity and fruit. This has produced a generation of orphaned children tossed to and fro instead of mature sons.
Remember Malachi 4:5-6: “See, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreaded day of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” {eoa}
Bert Farias’ books are forerunners to personal holiness, the move of God and the return of the Lord. They also combat the departure from the faith and turning away from the truth we are seeing in this hour. Bert’s current passion is to promote a culture of the supernatural manifestations and ministries of the Holy Spirit in the church today and to pass it on to the next generation (Passing on the Move of God to the Next Generation). His newest release, now available on Kindle and on paperback, The Supernatural Church of Love and Power, is a simple blueprint for what the Lord Jesus is doing in His church today. Other materials/resources are available on his website, Holy Fire Ministries. You can also follow him personally on YouTube (Holy Fire Ministries), Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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