July 30, 2014
Not that it appears to be easy.  But Jesus said, "My 
yoke is easy and my burden is light" Matt 11:30   The Kingdom is easy 
because of the love of the Father, the perfect work of the Son Jesus 
Christ and the overwhelming grace, encouragement, encounter and loving 
kindness of the Spirit.  The resources of heaven are beyond understanding
 and they are richly poured out in support of assignments and throne 
room plans directed by the Spirit. 
This Sunday as the first notes of worship were struck I
 saw a vision in my mind of buildings and structures falling down and 
crumbling to the ground.  Massive structures simply collapsing and 
blowing down.  What was exciting is that Dave McRae, my friend and 
cohort in the Fivefold ministry saw the same thing.  He shared about it 
right after worship. 
Then this morning I thought I heard the Lord say,
Right now.  This season requires...."Let go of your/the
 interpretations of your horizons that you are holding so clearly set in
 your mind, heart and interpretation.   Set down all the pieces and wait
 on the Spirit in promise."   It is critical that wisdom and love 
fashion what we are building under the direction of the Holy Spirit.  He
 is toppling structures that don't witness to the sound of his heart.
So, in all this I am in transition along with everyone
 else as we daily follow the Spirit in the hope of a Harvest of new 
Christ followers through the Holy Spirit that changes the landscape of 
America and the Nations.  In the midst of this I realized my view of the
 Kingdom is changing.   My understanding of church and churches is 
changing.  My understanding of being a church in a city is changing.  So
 much is changing.  I've come to discover that my mindsets and teachings
 of the past are simply not powerful in this time.  They need new energy
 and power in the Spirit.  What is awesome is that the Spirit is 
bringing new understanding and opening up the Scriptures in an awesome 
way.  New questions lead to new connections and understanding.  The ways
 of God are so beautiful. 
I am moving from a church mindset to a Kingdom and Apostolic mindset.   
This is not new for some but is for me.  I have served
 in and worked in and been blessed over many years by the church.  The 
local church.  The unit or family that may or may not be connected to a 
denominational affiliation or identity.   My concepts of the Kingdom 
flowed out of my church understanding.   You know 1000's of churches all
 attempting to be a whole picture of health, power, organization 
etc....  But as I look at the words of Jesus in Revelation (considering 
he did not have many in that book, I believe they are critical to 
success in the establishing of his ekklesia.  Which he is establishing 
by the way) I see 1) city wide expressions of Kingdom identity 2) Large 
emphasis on spiritual discernment  3) Lots of open doors to heaven 4) 
Revelation of Jesus taking the primary root and place int he whole 
book.   In short, I see a different set of criteria for evaluating, 
envisioning and empowering an ekklesia (regional assembly of believers 
in many expressions of their assignments and identities).    Jesus is 
front and center and revelation of wisdom and understanding appear to be
 the plumb line of righteousness in a given region. 
The perspective I have been growing in and coming to 
understand more deeply is Kingdom based.   This is not a new concept, 
having served the Lord as a Vineyard pastor for 13 years.  John Wimber 
brought a clear and fresh vision for the Kingdom of God and highlighted 
Ladd's influence on him.   But I have moved on in years and in 
understanding since those Wimber years and feel the Lord has added to 
the structure new levels of understanding for me.   
Here are a couple thoughts:
1) The city expression of the church (ekklesia) does 
not fall into denominational or family cultural lines.  There is One 
Lord, One Faith, One Baptism.  The overall expression of Christ Jesus, 
the revelation of his love to the eyes of the heart of a whole city, is 
encapsulated in each and every fellowship and gives witness across all 
those families of the reality and depth of knowledge of assignments and mission in the Kingdom.   Jesus clearly marked love as the true witness 
of the Fathers heart in a people.  Love between churches and those 
Christians in a given city is a critical watermark of the true and real 
expression of the Kingdom.  
2) The region and certainly each city comprised of 
churches of all kinds is a divinely appointed expression of the glory 
and majesty of Christ Jesus and is intended to impact the wider 
geography with compelling witness for the Kingdom of God.
3) Generosity, love and service toward one another 
(churches in the ekklesia) is the true call of the Kingdom.  Each part 
doing its work sharing in and through the blessings and inheritance of 
Christ develops maturity and power in their given assignment and 
identity and pours that out freely on the other fellowships throughout 
the city.  
Ok.  So this is happening.  But the prevailing economy
 between churches, the mindset of stand alone expressions of the Kingdom
 without connection or even love for the rest of the Body, and the 
judgement leveled against each other do not promote love.  
It is my understanding that not only is the Spirit 
bringing a dynamic witness of righteousness as the Kingdom advances, he 
is at the same time tearing down mindsets that simply cannot support the 
new structures of the Kingdom he is revealing.  
There is much more to look into on this topic.  
Exciting times.  But with all the excitement, Jesus is the One desire I 
have focused on.  His love is ever expanding and growing in my heart. 
 Comments?  Ideas?  
Please forward your comments and ideas.  There is a so much to learn from each other.  
 Other posts that may interest you
www.jeffreynoldsministries.com  - blog 
Lord Bless
Brother Jeff Reynolds
jeff@jeffreynoldsministries.com

 

