NEW COVENANT KINGS–KINGDOM AUTHORITY
Pt. 2
Religious people have great power to shut men out of the kingdom of heaven. “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go inyourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in” (Matthew 23:13).
By religious observance and holy disciplines men can damn multitudes by keeping them from Christ and faith: for show they pray, they go everywhere to find a convert and make them a child of hell, they are blind guides, they tithe and promote living by the Law but are themselves guilty of breaking the Law; they are full of murder having little love, mercy, and faith. They clean the outside of their lives. They are beautiful to behold, appearing holy, but they are dead. Ignoring the corruption that lies inside their hearts, they are simply whited sepulchers (Matthew 23:13-14).
Their weapons of manipulation are accusations, gossip, slander, malicious violence, and the wisdom of this world. In the name of God, they destroy people; mishandling the scriptures, they are convinced they are doing God’s will. Their minds are twisted as they are the ministers of the letter, killing multitudes with their pious reasonings (2 Corinthians 3).
Satan seeks an entrance into the Church; he must. If he does not divide the Church, he will be exposed in the generation. His way into the Church is by religion. He can appear as light (Christ-like). He will send his missionaries as well; powerful people with the ability to resist the truth. For our preservation, we must realize that true godliness is not in forms and traditions. The kingdom of God is not revealed by a person’s disciplines, forms of religious piety, and the appearance of holiness. The kingdom of God is in power. The kingdom of God is revealed in those who do not have a form of godliness; rather, they have the power of God inside of them.
Paul said the kingdom of God is not in forms; rather, it is in the Holy Spirit. Those who live in Spirit and serve God by the Spirit are acceptable to God. Furthermore, we are to follow after the things which make for peace, ways in which we can edify one another.
To contrast this, Paul disclosed to Timothy (2 Timothy 3) that the Church in the last days would not be filled with the Spirit; the Church would not edify one another, and it would not be peaceful. The end-times Church would have a form of godliness, but it would deny the power of God.
Denying the power of God is the denial of the Holy Spirit by whom the kingdom of God is manifested on earth. Absent of the Holy Spirit’s power the Church will be filled with debate, slander, and gossip. It will be filled with narcissistic people; people who do not keep their word; people who love pleasure more than they love God – unthankful people. They will resist the truth and defile many.
A FORM OF GODLINESS – THE DEVIL’S EXPLOITATION
The form of godliness is the devil’s exploitation. The Church in the last days will not lack religion; it will lack power. It will not lack holiness; it will lack God! It will appear godly but will not have God’s power. Take away the Spirit of grace and you have taken away the kingdom. What are you left with if you have not the Spirit of Christ? You are left with forms, traditions, and disciplines. Forms of godliness but no real comfort, no power, no authority. You are left to the brains of men and their empty speeches of God – words without power, and men without God!
What is the power of God that the Church will be void of in the end times? To be clear, the power of God is God! Therefore, our power of God is the baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). The Bible is very clear, you shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you. Furthermore, Paul said the gospel is power. “I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation … for therein is the righteousness of God revealed” (Romans 1:16-17). These two powers were never to be separated.
The absurdity of men to think they can challenge a demon-infested humanity with a gospel word. The Holy Ghost is the power of the gospel. Through Him the righteousness of God by faith is revealed, and men are set free from Satan’s grip. Learned men are not the answer. The kings of Jesus are the answer, men and women possessed with God. “Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God … I have fully preached the gospel of Christ” (Romans 15:19). Now that’s a king with power.
Without the Holy Spirit no one can deliver the gospel as intended; grace will not be seen! Without grace, men lack the power to be different, all they can do is practice religion, pretending to holiness. They will mimic religious orders and appear godly, but within they are filled with dead corruption.
Without the baptism in the Holy Ghost, men lack the authority of a king. Without the Holy Spirit one is only armed with intellect and the arm of flesh; he is no king! He is subservient to this world and its demands, bowing to its culture and speech. However, a man full of the Spirit of God reigns. He will never bow to demi-gods.
Without the Holy Spirit there is: no guide, teacher, understanding of truth, comforter, life, conviction, power, peace, worship, witness of Jesus, mind of Christ, communion with God, spiritual life, sonship, light, freedom, and no hope.
Some think God left them here to run everything with the Bible as their instruction manual. This is a delusion. The carnage of innumerable souls is the testimony of unspiritual religious people with a Bible. God left the Holy Spirit here to run things through broken and humble believers. The Holy Spirit is the teacher and without Him we cannot know the thoughts of God. We will simply be modern Pharisees killing the life of Jesus wherever He is manifested.
THE CORRUPTION OF INSTITUTIONS
Religion is an institution. The Church is a living man. The tragedy of the ages is the effort of men to marry these two; an illicit corrupt institution is the only result. A hideous misrepresentation – having an appearance or likeness of Christ but deformed, an illegitimate offspring. Like Ishmael, it must be cast out. But these Ishmael’s cry, “We are the true heirs!” With only a pretend holiness, having no understanding of the power of God, these dry professors, who by their own limited power of self, seek to set the standard for life: holiness and sanctification. They declare themselves the image bearers, “This is what Christ looks like!” they cry. They reject all who do not look like them. They are an abomination and worship the flesh. Their god is their own lusts. Only the Holy Ghost can say, “This is Christ!”
NEW COVENANT KINGS MUST REIGN OVER THIS
This is a desperate hour for the kings of Christ to reign by grace! Why should any suppose that man’s touch can have any place in God’s house when the first Church had to be born of, baptized in, and filled with the Holy Ghost?
These New Covenant kings must rule over the Satanic oppression that seeks to divide the Body. New Covenant kings must destroy what Satan is trying to do to Jesus’ church. We have authority over the enemy. By the power of God, we can protect the Body. Paul sent Timothy to the churches to do this very thing by cutting off the ministers of Satan.
Paul also traveled to Churches to expose the false teachers, for the Kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. Likewise, we have authority to protect the Church. We have authority to cut off the false teachers who try to hurt God’s church. We must exercise our authority over the false apostles of Satan who abuse the Body of Christ.
We shall terrify those who seek to defraud the believer! New Covenant kings will cut off the strongholds false teachers are working from. Those deceitful workers pretending to be the ministers of Christ will not be allowed to pervert the gospel; they must be resisted and cut off. We will fight those who seek to bring the believers back into bondage; it is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
The Lord has given us authority to edify the Body. We are not to exercise our authority to destroy the Body or terrify the people. Our authority is meant to edify the people of God. We have authority to bring peace, righteousness, comfort, faith, and liberty into the Church. We have authority to produce gladness among God’s people, giving them superfluous grace.