Discover what it takes to uncover the unity of the faith and spiritual maturity. Learn how to equip and empower the sons and daughters of God to rule and reign with Christ in this lifetime. Spiritual maturity is found in the unity of the faith. The unity of the faith includes your participation in the advancement of the Kingdom of God. Christ knew what it would take to build a church the gates of hell could not prevail against.
This type of church is what I call a governing church. It’s a governing church with a governing people. Said another way, it is a church that equips and empowers the sons of God to rule and reign with Christ in this lifetime.[1] Ruling and reigning includes carrying Christian salt, light, values, virtues, and godly influence into your family, workplace, and society. The Apostle Paul wrote the five-fold ministry ascension gifts were called to perfect the saints for the work of the ministry. He taught us how to identify the completion of the equipping declaring as an important sign, “Till we all come in the unity of the faith.”
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:”(Ephesians 4:11-13)
HOLY GHOST MINISTRY DIRECTIVE
The unity of the faith is a ministry directive to a governing priesthood of kings. Governing is an interesting term that sheds light on the mature Christian’s responsibility. Governing means to bring into conformity with rules and principles (righteousness, virtue and morality all come to mind); to direct or strongly influence behavior (emphasis on the word influence); or to exercise authority over. Notice the strong spiritual and natural implications of the governing definition. There are many Scriptures that testify of the Christians’ responsibility to govern within our definition of the word including teaching all nations to observe the Word of God:
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:18-20).
As you can see the “Great Commission” is more than preaching salvation through the blood of Jesus, it encompasses teaching all nations to observe the “expectations” of our king. Water baptism, for example, is an outward sign to witnesses that a person has submitted themselves under the rule of Christ. It also testifies of becoming a new creature in Christ Jesus old things passed away, behold all things become new. Not only does water baptism testify of a spiritual miracle at salvation (the new birth) but follows an oath of allegiance (the Sinner’s Prayer) to Christ as Savior, King, and Lord. That oath of allegiance is something that is lost in this current generation. This is why you see people confess Christ as savior, but their lifestyles remain unchanged.
A KINGDOM REVOLUTION
Unfortunately, some readers find the spiritual authority and governing influence of the Christian believer a foreign concept. When Christ announced the arrival of the Kingdom of God he was referring to the restoration of the rule of Christ on earth through His body. This I like to call the announcement and launching of a kingdom revolution that turns the world upside down. We can see the pattern for kingdom restoration and governing influence even in the Old Testament. Scripture says, “Then said Samuel to the people, Come, and let us go to Gilgal and renew (restore) the kingdom there. And all the people went to Gilgal and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal” (1 Samuel 11:14-15). Notice Prophet Samuel, operating under a strong prophetic anointing, King Saul, a type and shadow of Christ, and the people with a prophetic directive and assignment, “renew the kingdom there.”
The unity of the faith was demonstrated in Gilgal through a governing people acting in one accord with a specific ministry directive of restoring the kingdom. The Holy Ghost is still decreeing it today, “And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:20-21). The restoration of all things through a unified body of governing believers has been a prophetic ministry directive since the world began. That’s a long time. Kingdom restoration through the sons of God is not part of God’s plan, it is His plan.
Ephesians 4 is loaded with revelation regarding the maturing of the body of Christ. The unity of the faith is not found in methods but unity of purpose. The Methodists, for example, were known for their methods of “doing church.” Unity of methods is not what the Apostle Paul was referring. I have been traveling the nations and working with pastors and leaders for over twenty-five years.
The limits of various denominational leaders end after agreeing that sinners need to repent from sin and accept Christ as savior. These same leaders that are thrilled when hundreds get saved will break fellowship with each other over such things as speaking in other tongues, the method of water baptism, or how often one takes communion. The point is that the unity of the faith is not found in Christian methods of ‘doing church’ but in the purpose of the Church, restoring the Kingdom of God through the body of Christ.
Consider then that the unity of the faith is accomplished in establishing and advancing the Kingdom of God through a governing people. In this, we should agree that the restoration of all things is foundational to the end that Christ rules in this earth through His sons and daughters.
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(c) Apostle Jonas Clark -STAY INFORMED
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[1] “But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” (Mark 10:30)