Kingdom Relationships
By Ron McGatlin
The kingdom of God exists and functions in what can be viewed as two major planes of relationship, vertical and horizontal. Both planes are absolutely necessary for the kingdom of God to rule on earth as in heaven.
The vertical plane is the relationship of God and man. The horizontal plane is the relationship of man with man, and man with the world. Actually, this is God relating through man to man, and to the world. The vertical plane is paramount. It is the source or conduit for all spiritual heavenly life on earth - the kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven on earth.
The goal of the current worldwide kingdom endeavor is to receive and establish the kingdom of God (government of God) with all its nature, characteristics and attributes from heaven on earth.
God's Relational Plan for Transformation
Intimate oneness with Father God through Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit is God's plan for transforming natural mortal human beings into Spirit-living and Spirit-walking sons of God, joint heirs with Christ. Relating to God spirit to Spirit is the real and practical experience of eternal abundant life now and forever. Life of God flows from the realm of heaven into the heart of man, into the earth realm. The life of Christ with His character and nature is formed in His people by the Holy Spirit. As spirit beings who have a soul and live in a body, our spirit being is consumed into the Spirit of Christ, saturating and forever transforming our spirit being into the life of Christ. Thus, Christ Jesus is multiplied in the earth through many sons.
Sons of God live by the Spirit and walk in the Spirit. Our life as sons comes from the Spirit of God. We are led and directed by Christ on the throne at the right hand of God and Christ on the throne of our lives on earth. We are empowered by Christ from the throne of heaven and Christ within us by the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. Sons are raised by His resurrection life within us into the fullness of the stature of Christ by the Holy Spirit.
The Dissolving of the Illusions of False Religion
The kingdom of God is about real spiritual relationship. Religion seeks to replace spiritual relationship with form, ritual, rules and systems of structured relationships that create an illusion of godliness. The Christian religion, as practiced by much of the world, has been infiltrated by spirits of humanism, independence and more. The biblical teaching of Jesus as savior with a focus on heaven after death is often mixed with man-centered, rather than Christ-centered programs.
The true work and power of the Holy Spirit in bringing forth the kingdom of God in this life is often not understood or practiced in this environment. Often the people are driven internally to strive to conform to a code of Bible based ethics instead of being led and empowered by the Spirit of God.
Mixture opens the door for religious spirits of control and manipulation to affect the leadership and the people in the pews. Other degrading spirits will often follow the religious spirits that further disrupt and discredit the godly part of the message and ministry.
God's Spiritual Family Relationships on Earth
In the kingdom, human organization and hierarchical structure are not the order of life as it was in the passing church systems.
The kingdom church is a living spiritual organism functioning collectively as one body of many members, body organs, all connected to the one Head, Christ Jesus, by the Holy Spirit of God. The body is made up of many spirit beings living in human bodies filled with the life of Christ by the Holy Spirit. Every person (spirit being) that is part of the body is connected by the Holy Spirit directly with Christ Jesus who is seated at the throne of God in heaven and at the same time abides in His people. All authority and all power are given to Christ Jesus, the Sovereign King and Lord who is one with the Father.
The Body Relates as Family
The headship of every individual and every gathering in the body is Christ Jesus. In the kingdom there is a recognized distinction between headship and leadership.
The people, in the body, relate to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Biblically, leaders are referred to as elders. Elders are simply the more spiritually mature brothers and sisters. Elders individually lead the younger (less spiritually mature) brothers and sisters. The fruit of the relationship will be the elder leading the younger into a mature relationship with Christ Jesus until the younger can accurately hear and obey God by the Spirit; at which time the younger has become an elder (spiritually mature brother or sister).
Collectively a group of elders can also help steer a group or lead a gathering. Much the same as a family or tribe in the natural realm looks to the more capable and mature for leadership.
The Holy Spirit does all the structuring without any design from human intelligence.
Elders are spiritually recognized and respected by the people who are spiritually led to turn to them for teaching and edification.
The mature character of love and wisdom in the more mature person, expressed in daily family type relating, establishes the elder and younger relationships.
The elder and younger relationship will change at the time the younger can hear and relate to Christ Jesus by the Spirit for himself. Then the relationship becomes a brother-to-brother relationship of edifying one another by the Spirit.
Elders are mature brothers and sisters not lifelong fathers and mothers. Spiritual fathers and mothers are simply mature brothers and sisters (elders) who relate to younger brothers and sisters by nurturing them with the love of Christ and the substance of His life and word by the Holy Spirit. In the kingdom of God, there is only one true spiritual Father of all, our Heavenly Father God Almighty.
Servant Gifts to Edify the Body
God has provided five special servant-gifts to edify (grow up) His people. The Bible refers to these as apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. They are five different types of gifted people to mentor the body. In the kingdom these gifts are not ruling offices. They are all servants. They each provide for God's people, but each in a distinctly different way.
The apostle tends to see the overall larger picture. The prophet is primarily an ear to hear God and a voice to people who do not hear the voice of God clearly. The evangelist loves to plant the word of Jesus in the hearts of those who have never received it. The shepherd is the mentor who sees to the growth and development of the immature as they grow into their gifts and places of service. The teacher is the one who brings spiritually anointed definition to the fine points of spiritual reality.
The Gifts are all from Christ Jesus and are literally His attributes in His people by the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Great Apostle, the Spirit of prophesy, the evangelist, the Great Shepherd, and the Master Teacher.
The spiritual family of God is eternal and is both in heaven and on earth. The heavenly realm and the earthly realm are accessible to God's people by the Holy Spirit. As redeemed spirit beings that live in a body and have a soul, we have access both into the spirit realm and into the earthly realm. We relate in the spirit realm to Spirit God, our Heavenly Father through Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit.
In the heart of God in heaven, Christ Jesus, Holy Spirit and Father are all one. We have one God. Emanating out from the heart of God there are three manifestations of one God that become all things to His people. God in Christ relates to us as our Father, Husband, Lord, Savior, King, Elder Brother, and provider of every provision of life now and forever. We relate to God as His children, sons, bride, brother, servants and more.
The Father is in Christ and Christ is in the Father. The Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) can become one with our spirit filling us with the Spirit of Christ, the life of Christ in us. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the filling of our spirit and saturation of our being with the Spirit of God. Being baptized in the Holy Spirit opens us to greater access into the spirit realm. Our soul (mind, will and emotions) through our natural bodies give us access into the natural earthly realm. We have the unique position of functioning as the interface between the spiritual realm and the earthly natural realm. We have the opportunity to bring the will of God from heaven to earth.
Spiritual kingdom relationships with God and with one another are God's plan for full redemption of mankind and the kingdoms of this world. Christ in us is the hope of the glory of God filling all the earth.
Rev 11:15: Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!"
Keep on pursuing Love. Love never fails
and His kingdom never ends.
Ron McGatlin
www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net
