Topic:
Life in the Gathering
Greetings
Sons:
The
second aspect of building our spirit to lay hold of Zoe life is we must learn
how to associate in a gathering. The gathering has benefits. Some of the benefits is the manifestation of
the glory of the anointing, safety, strength and encouragement to name a
few. But one of the major ways the
spirit is built up in the gathering is by prophecy. Let me show you:
1
Corinthians 14:3: But he that
prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and
comfort.
Prophecy
is crucial in the gathering to build up the spirit to lay hold of eternal
life. It is also in the gathering that
the five-fold elders bring growth to the spirit.
1
Timothy 4:14: Neglect not the gift that
is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands
of the presbytery.
So
in the gathering the five-fold elders can lay hands on a son to commission them
to be released to the work that they have been called to do. In addition, spiritual gifts can be imparted
to sons in the gathering to help build them up.
Finally, gathering brings sons in connection with the
grace of a father. Not I do not
understand the fight against the reality of spiritual fathers. So many in the church see spiritual fathers
as being a Catholic issue and the reality is the Catholics stole the concept
from the first century church. Let me
share three Scriptures that point to this very critical concept:
Church
at Pergamos (Revelation 2:13): I know
thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not
denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who
was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
The
name Antipas means “Like the father”.
Antipas was the spiritual father at Pergamos who was slain and when you
remove the grace of father from the church you remove the defense system that
keeps the enemy from setting up his throne in your city. This is why when the grace of a father is
resident in the gathering there is protection.
Romans
1:10,11: Making request, if by any means
now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unot
you. For I long to see you, that I may
impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established.
Spiritual
fathers impart spiritual gifts unto sons that they maybe established
1
Corinthians 4:14,15: I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved
sons I warn you. For though ye have ten
thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ
Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
When
we read this there is no mistake, Paul is the spiritual father of the church at
Corinth. He calls them his beloved sons
and when he was there covenant relationships were made. It is in the gathering that sons come in
contact with the grace of a father and learn their placement within the Body of
Christ. Let me say, isolation is an
enemy to building up your spirit. If you
think for one moment that you can do it yourself all you need is your ministry,
you are deceived. Now let me say, a
gathering can be two or more but the view the Lord is shifting the Body to is a
corporate view of the Body within the city, the one church within each of the
cities. It is time for us to leave our
ceiled houses (local church) and focus on the Temple within the city. Notice in Scripture, Israel was commanded to
come together as a nation and before the nation the Lord would speak, impart
and display his power. To celebrate the
feast, the children of Israel were to come together, or gather, and celebrate
the feast at the temple. It is time for
us to focus on the corporate body within the city. When the corporate body within the city can
rise and gather there we will see a manifestation of Christ, like never
before. The Scripture says this:
Haggai
2:7: And I will shake all nations and
the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory,
saith the Lord of hosts.
God
is not going to fill the synagogue (local church), he is going to fill the
Temple, the Corporate Body. It is time
to shift our vision from our paneled houses to the Temple within the city. Let us gather and edify the Body of Christ.
Peace
and Grace,
Calvin
Calhoun Jr.
