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Front Page Article
"The Lenses of Reformation Concerning Kingdom Management by the Ekklesia" by Dr. Patti Amsden Most people, who are familiar with the scriptures, know that Jesus declared He would build a church against which the gates of hell could not be able to stand. That passage is found in Matthew 16:18-19. Jesus' mention of "church" was a little out of the norm for His message. His normal frame of reference was the Kingdom of God. He explained the Kingdom, taught Kingdom principles, manifested Kingdom power, and established the Kingdom by His resurrection and ascension to the throne of God in heaven. This passage on the church is also a passage on the Kingdom, as Jesus told His people He would give them keys of the Kingdom.
Reformation lens #1 – Christ’s church is called and commissioned for the job of Kingdom management. The person with the keys has the authority to lock and unlock, to grant admittance or to deny access, to open the connection between two areas or to keep the two spaces separated. Jesus was proclaiming to His church - those who were called out to be his disciples - that they were being given authority and responsibility to open a pathway whereby heaven could be released into the earth. When heaven's will and heaven's ways are operating in the earth, then the Kingdom of God is being manifested in the earth. Jesus, whose purpose was to establish God's Kingdom, was ensuring that the next earthly managers of the Kingdom were commissioned before He completed His earthly mission. Reformation lens #2 – Heaven came to earth as Jesus established His Kingdom and continues to come to earth as the church operates Kingdom principles. The church, which in the Greek language is Ekklesia, is Christ's called out people who are mandated to align heaven and earth for the advancement of God's Kingdom into every sphere of life. The preaching of the Gospel opens the doors for souls to align with heaven. Works of charity release the compassion and mercy of God into harsh situations in life. All areas of human interaction are potential areas where heaven's wisdom can be applied. What is needed for that to happen? The answer is that those with the keys must open the doors. The church must unlock heaven's mysteries and will into the systems of men. Reformation lens #3 – Christ’s Ekklesia has the responsibility to release Kingdom principles and thereby influence all realms of human interaction. For the systems of men to be influenced by the Kingdom, the Ekklesia must accept the responsibility to assist God in heavenly management of earthly activities. The church must do more than release heaven inside the church gatherings. Earth - all of earth - needs heavenly impact. This occurs as the church functions as keepers of the keys. Reformation lens #4 – The whole earth waits in expectation for Kingdom realities to be released through the Ekklesia (Rom. 8:19-22) As reformers, we must set our focus upon the earth and be prepared to bring a decree of heavenly wisdom into the affairs of culture. We must take responsibility to keep watch in the spirit realm through prayer and declaration into every arena in which we interact – our neighborhoods, our cities, our states, our nation. And, when any of those jurisdictions fall under our management, we must enter into the earthly systems and influence them with Kingdom truth. In addition to praying and laboring for heaven to influence earth, we are called to join with others in our jurisdictional spheres to function as an Ekklesia council. Are you part of a designated Ekklesia? If not, ask the Lord to help you identify those who are like-minded in Kingdom governance to operate the Matthew 16 mandate. |
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