God’s Voice Must Never Be Confused
With the Voice of an Ecclesiastical Structure

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What It Means To Call Jesus “Christ”

A Complete End Run Past the Structure

It is a complete end run past the Structure. Did the Structure like it?  No, they hated it and they hated Him. Was there a conflict between Jesus and the Structure leaders? Oh, yes, continual conflict. Many of the conflicts are recorded in the gospel of John. Did Jesus persist? Oh, yes. He did not fail or become discouraged.

The Grip of Structure Teaching Meets the New Wine of the Kingdom of God

However, by the time at the end of His ministry, when He gave the sermon on the Bread of Life, the teaching of the Structure which was in conflict with Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom of God took its toll.  When it dawned on the people that the kingdom that Jesus was talking about was a spiritual, inward kingdom of His rule in the heart, the thousands left Him en masse. So powerful was the tide against Him that He turned to His disciples to ask, “Will ye also go away?” Then Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the Living God.” John 6: 67-69.

“They (the masses) would not come into sympathy with His self-sacrificing life. They cared not for the mysterious spiritual kingdom of which He spoke.” DA 391.

The Wonderful, Indescribable World of the Kingdom

However, for those who do surrender to Christ, for those who do submit to Christ’s authority in the soul, these enter the wonderful, indescribable new world of the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven. Souls are won, soul-by-soul.

Infinite Possibilities

All possibilities are now open to these souls. The demons are cast out, the soul is built up in the fear of God by the power of God, the will becomes omnipotent in doing God’s will and service, indescribably wonderful lofty heights of character development lie ahead-a godlike character, a godly character in a soul, in a heart submitted fully in every dimension of Christ, His authority, His control, His wisdom, His glory and peace.

A Most Glorious Calling

What a glorious calling! Supernatural power from God Himself takes possession of the new heart. The soul becomes Christ’s own fortress, held in a revolted world. No authority is to be known in it but His own. This soul, kept in possession by the heavenly agencies is impregnable to the assaults of Satan. What soul power! What majestic authority! What loyalty! What supremacy of power and authority-God’s own power and authority-a fortress impregnable to Satan’s assaults!  Supernatural power! A fortress held by God Himself in a revolted world! What could be greater than this? This soul is invincible. If you could market such power, such character, such loyalty, all the treasure of the world would be utterly contemptible in comparison to the wealth of this out-of-this-world supernatural experience of being a member of the kingdom of God.

Real Sovereignty

This is what Jesus deals with-real control, real victory, real sovereignty. In bypassing the Structure by preaching the kingdom of God, Jesus is truly cutting to the chase, to the nub of the issue-who is going to rule in the human heart. 

This is what we need today. Supernatural power from God Himself which God ruling in full sway and majesty in our hearts alone can give.

In Rejecting Christ the Jewish people Committed the Unpardonable Sin

To reject Christ is to commit the unpardonable sin. It does matter whom we listen to. When we refuse to listen to Christ’s delegated messengers and instead listen to Satan’s agents who draw us away from Christ, we insult Christ and put Him to shame before the synagogue of Satan. A few paragraphs later we read:

“In rejecting Christ the Jewish people committed the unpardonable sin; and by refusing the invitation of mercy, we may commit the same error. We offer insult to the Prince of Life, and put Him to shame before the synagogue of Satan and before the heavenly universe when we refuse to listen to His delegated messengers, and instead listen to the agents of Satan, who would draw the soul away from Christ.  So long as one does this, he can find no hope or pardon, and he will finally lode the desire to be reconciled to God.” DA 324, 325.

Absolutely No Neutral Ground

There is no neutral ground: “however, unless we do yield ourselves to the control of Christ, we shall be dominated by the wicked one. We must inevitably be under the control of the one or the other of the two great powers that are contending for the supremacy of the world.  It is not necessary for us deliberately to choose the service of the kingdom of darkness in order to come under its dominion. We have only to neglect to ally ourselves with the kingdom of light. If we do not co-operate with the heavenly agencies, Satan will take possession of the heart, and will make it his abiding place. The only defense against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heart through faith in His righteousness.” DA 324.

Control of the Human Heart

In preaching the kingdom of God Jesus was addressing the real issue where it really mattered-the control of the human heart by God instead of Satan. Wherever there is a human heart, this is the issue.

The matter of the kingdom is all-important. Anything, even a Structure not fully surrendered to Christ, is on Satan’s side of the battle. The Roman Catholic concept that the church Structure is holy regardless of what it does, regardless of its standing with reference to Christ is a fatal delusion. Of course, Rome believes that the church is always, automatically holy because it fails to make a distinction between God and the Church. However, everything, every one, every entity, every ministry, every church, is on one side of the battle or the other. 

The Datum Point is Christ

The datum point is Christ, not an ecclesiastical Structure. Christ is the only head of His church. His church is not to be controlled by man. “The church is built upon Christ as its foundation; it is to obey Christ as its head. It is not to depend upon man, or be controlled by man.” DA 414.    

Individuals who are true Christians, built upon the Rock Jesus Christ, built upon the kingdom of God, controlled by Christ alone and not controlled by man, will prevail against the gates of Hades. This is why the Pen of Inspiration pictures just small groups surviving at end time in the clefts of the mountains and dungeons.

Only What is Built Upon Christ Will Prevail In What Is About to Come Down on Earth

A Structure that has stepped off the platform of the Petra, off the platform of absolute self-surrender to the Christ, off the platform of the kingdom of God, and has immersed itself in the devil’s program from the Jesuit Spiritual Formation to ecumenism, to cultural relativism to Romanism, to New Theology, to self-esteem, to rock and rap and Celebration and NLP will never prevail in what is about to come down upon the earth, and certainly will never prevail in the judgment, for all judgment has been given to Christ. Only that built upon Him will enter the kingdom and triumph in eternity.   

 

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