GATHERING PLACE WITH GOD – Ron McGatlin
When Moses was passing by and turned aside from his journey to investigate the bush that burned with fire but was not consumed, God spoke to Him to remove His shoes because he stood on holy ground. God, by His presence, caused that spot to be holy ground.
Any place on earth where God’s manifest presence is, whether in a field or a building, and even on the sea, or in the air, is holy ground, so to speak.
A temple, church building, synagogue, or any other religiously revered building or structure is not anything special without the true temple of Christ, a son or daughter of God in whom Christ abides, present within it. Even the streets where Jesus walked and the tomb where He was laid are no more than historical artifacts without the presence of God being there in a child of God.
Yes, I know, God’s presence is everywhere. All creation emanates from Him and continues to exist by His power and design. And of course, He can manifest anywhere, such as in a burning bush or wherever.
However, the tangible manifest presence of God is with us in a special way as He meets with us. And especially in a group of God’s people gathered in His name. Christ Jesus is there with us in a special way of love that consumes our hearts and lives and blesses us abundantly. We are empowered and filled with courage to move in the love and power of God to do exploits in His name.
There is beautiful love and power gathering in His presence at any place we gather in His name. Religious forms do not enhance gatherings; in fact, they can be a serious distraction from true spiritual activity and experience in life.
Whether two or three people, or two or three thousand people, truly gathered in the name of Jesus, God in Christ, by the Holy Spirit, will manifest in love, power, and unity of soul and Spirit, becoming one with God and with one another.
OBSERVING THE AGES
God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. It is mankind that is progressively changing and growing in God toward becoming all that God created us to be. At the same time, the ungodly people have grown more cunning and evil in their darkness.
Jesus came to proclaim the love gift of grace to fully redeem mankind from the fallen position of sin or ungodly life and rule in this world. He came to redeem and restore mankind, and then through man to reestablish the fullness of the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven in this world.
The kingdom of God that Jesus is establishing on earth fully involves every aspect and facet of life. All ruling or governance of life should rest upon the foundation of the rule of God in the kingdom of God.
In this world, the rule of God operates through the Spirit of God in Christ within mankind. It operates or functions with and in accord with all of God’s universal creational laws of nature. All the world is moved toward the harmony of righteousness, peace, and joy in the manifesting of the kingdom of God.
A LOVING CHANGE OF AGES
The church-emphasis age is changing to an age of emphasis on the kingdom of God.
In the church age, the focus or objective was calling out and preparing a people in preparation for ruling in the kingdom. The emphasis was on developing man and not yet on bringing the kingdom of God to the world. There was a separation from the world while God, by His Spirit, was revealing His kingdom word of love in our hearts.
The retraining was necessary because the original kingdom way of God planted by Christ Jesus and His Disciples in the first century was lost to mankind and must be restored. For two millennia, it has been God’s desire to bring mankind and the world back to His kingdom plan and purpose.
In other words, it has been like a training camp of preparation with lots of growing in the fullness of Spirit life with God. But then a falling back again to the ways of man, and eventually the ways of darkness, threatening to take over the land.
The training went through many levels of obedience and sacrifice, keeping feasts, giving offerings, conquering lands, experiencing massive miracles, and hearing Christ Jesus proclaim the kingdom of God and demonstrate its love and power in His life and at the cross and resurrection.
THE GREAT RETURN OF EMPOWERMENT
At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit returned the life of Christ in and empowered His chosen people with love. For the first time, the Holy Spirit came to bring Spirit Christ to live inside His people and complete the works of God in redeeming and restoring mankind and the world.
For a season, the people flourished in the Spirit-led life of Christ in them by the Holy Spirit, which led to gatherings daily in the Temple and from house to house in true worship from city to city. It was not just Sundays for a couple of hours, and maybe Wednesday evenings. The Holy Spirit moved mightily among the people daily.
The presence of God filled their lives continually. Yes, they lived lives and did the things of life, but there were always new people coming to God daily in all walks of life, in homes, in the marketplace, in the Temple, or wherever. The true church, or the called-out ones, continued to flourish under severe persecution by the religious Jews and governing rulers of the land.
Constantine, a Roman emperor in the year 313, officially legalized Christianity, ending state-sponsored persecution of Christians. He further promoted religion by offering tax exemptions to the church and declaring Sunday as an official Roman holiday.
This seemed like a great advance for the true church, the “ekklesia”. However, it was a giant step for the church to become a religious system under the strong influence or rule of the state worldwide.
The church under the strong influence of state rule grew in number, but lost the life and power of the Holy Spirit as it had been in the first century.
The kingdom of God was squelched for around two thousand years. The church became a lukewarm mixture and was “boxed up” or limited to a time and a place, and separated from life and rule in the world. Multiple religions formed and, without the fullness of Christ in the Holy Spirit in their lives, became like the world.
REVIVALS AND MOVES OF GOD
There were many revivals and moves of God here and there as God continued to seek a people and continued to move them forward through or out of the disorder that mankind had created in the world.
Church systems have tried to change their system into the likeness of the first-century church. While the idea is great, the manmade system can never replicate or even compare to the reality of the true system of the love rule of God on earth as it is in heaven.
THE CHANGE OF THE AGES
The AGE OF THE KINGDOM is now replacing the age of the Church systems. This is not the end of the local body or the worldwide evangelism. It is the end of religious form that is being replaced with Spirit life and pure holy love guiding our every action.
Love fills our hearts and brings peace and order to the world. Laws and law enforcement are eventually no longer needed, as perfect love fulfills the law.
Every home and every business place is a gathering place for ministry, worship, prayer, and praise as God leads. Any rented or otherwise provided warehouse or building is a gathering place for larger groups to worship, pray, and praise God. An open field or under some trees is a place for praise and worship.
Stadiums become praise, prayer, and worship places with true manifest sons of God bringing forth the messages from God to advance the kingdom.
Organizing groups of any size for practical work projects of any sort is easy and always Holy Spirit-led.
God fills our hearts and lives all the time as we do the daily necessary things of life. We share divine love for one another and are always there when needed for one another. Miracles are as needed, and provision is there when needed.
Spiritual leaders arise in every needed group situation by the selection of the Holy Spirit. There are father or mother type leaders, as well as other true elders, within the groups. Elders are just a brother or sister who is ahead of someone else on the road of life.
These are just a few things about the new kingdom of God order in our world. I sure do not know how long before the fullness of the kingdom is fully manifested.
But I do know that there is a place now available for us to rest in the reality of the kingdom now. A place of pure holy rest in the reality of God’s presence with us.
IN HIS PRESENCE
The sweetness of perfect peace in His manifest presence is fulfillment beyond description. As we are consumed in His love, we are at perfect peace. There is nothing that troubles or causes concern.
Our hearts melt as we are one with Him. It is from this place that supernatural becomes as natural. We can become one with Spirit Christ and experience supernatural miracles of every form described in the Bible.
In this special spiritual place of His presence, we have no strong desire or need to experience supernatural miracles. There is already nothing lacking in our lives, and we have no need of anything. Truly, all things are possible with God, and nothing is impossible according to His wise and loving knowledge of all things.
It really does not matter if the mountain moves into the sea or not. Only the heart’s desire of God matters. God will move it or not as He desires, using our body and words or some other person’s. We are complete and no longer lacking in any good thing. There are no battles or lack in His presence.
While in His presence and one with Him, we are finally at the goal. We have arrived at our destination and have already won any battle of any type the enemy may seek to engage us with. There is really no engagement with the enemy on our part. The victory is the Lord’s, and the evil does not come near us in His presence.
Our part is to become one with God in His presence as He abides within us. All the issues of this world that we strive against and are concerned about cannot be changed by our concern, worry, or striving to fix them.
Our part is first to love God with our whole heart and life. Find the treasure of His kingdom presence in and with us always. The treasure is hidden in the field of His presence. Sell all to secure the field of this hidden treasure. In His presence is the most valuable treasure to be found on earth.
Stop striving! Get into His presence, fall in love with Him, and enjoy the ride through supernatural Spirit reality of perfect peace without measure and joy unspeakable and full of glory.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU!
EXPERIENCING EDIFIES – KNOWLEDGE PUFFS UP
Ron McGatlin
https://openheaven.com
basileia@openheaven.com
A SUGGESTED MOTTO FOR A COMMUNITY GATHERING PLACE OF PRAISE, WORSHIP, AND PRAYER TO WELCOME ALL PEOPLE SEEKING MORE OF GOD (POST THE TIME), BUT NOT ON SUNDAY MORNINGS.
A GATHERING PLACE
WE AREN’T A CHURCH
BUT WE BELIEVE GOD
HAS CALLED US TO BE
A GATHERING PLACE OF
PRAISING & WORSHIPING
GOD IN HIS LOVE
AND POWER