Most of us know that there is a basic order to a house. Usually there is the living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom/s. These serve the basic needs for shelter, food and safe protected rest. Of course many other things can go on in a home and do. (You can watch HGTV if you want to know more! ha!)
The Body of Christ is also a home. We need to get a Spiritual picture of this. It's not just the church building location where we fill the need for teaching and worship onceor twice a week, but we need to understand the "living quarters" in the Kingdom of God. These are basic things IF we are going to survive!
We are birthed into the Kingdom by being born again.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
We don't want the condemned life, and so we need "a place" in the Kingdom for shelter, food and protected rest and work supplies! It's available! We need to have a mindset of our needs in the Kingdom of God. This includes "a place" and our learning and our duties.
When we get born again, we are no longer attached to the world, but to the Spirit of God. We have a relationship now that is eternal with the Light and Life of God. We are birthed as His life into this world.
We have a place at His table where there is food, a family who should care and share, and a life purpose to bring the Kingdom from Heaven to earth with all the delightful things that go with that. These things need to be protected, so we have to find an order that works for that. We need Bible instruction, that not only teaches knowledge but also how to carry out the Kingdom like Jesus did.
You get these things from being born again!
We need to understand our security in Him and how to apply that, through the alive Spirit word and practicalities. We need to realize that we have relatives, because we are Family!
Because we have failed to see this function, many things are not working as they should. We have failed to understand prayer for we have seen it only as a way to ask for our personal desires, however well intentioned those might be. Prayer is a relationship and there is give and take on both sides. Too many pray and don't hear. It has to be learned! There is a dynamic, spontaneous and life giving flow from spirit to Spirit to spirit that carries and energy and even nutrition.
When we realize that God has a Plan, we will find our own more significant and fulfilling!
We even realize that the bathroom serves the purpose of elimination and in the kitchen, where food is prepared and eaten, we are chefs who work out the best recipes for those who are around us.
In the living room we have a social life, and interchanges of information that keep us prepared for the days ahead. We find out and discern what is necessary and discuss and plan future things that serve Kingdom purposes. This is not about religion but life!
Bedrooms are for rest and quiet times and even for raising up family with intimate times in order to serve. But this applies to the whole Body! There are places where we need the personal ministry of addressing tears and fears and sharing heart to heart with other people. We have our secret chambers (the closet) where we go to God in our personal prayers and devotions.
There are many lost people in the world who believe we are only here to exist and make the best of it, passing the time with only work and entertainment, and while they get good at that, they miss purpose! We don't want them to die without connection to the God who can save, heal and deliver them from every evil thing! He has a Life, a real one, a big one and it means something!
This world is a fallen world, and while people may have some very good times, people really do not want to die or live a life without purpose and meaning. Eternal life is a big thing that should not just be hoped for, come what may. There can be a connection to a loving, life-giving God!
The Bible says in Mark 16:20 that God endorsed and confirmed His words and worked with the disciples - people who met and chose and followed Jesus and wanted to learn. Here are several translations of this that are great to meditate upon:
NKJV - And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
NIV - Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
NLT - And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.
NASB - And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.] [And they promptly reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions. And after that, Jesus Himself sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.]
AMP - And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord kept working with them and confirming the message by the attesting signs and miracles that closely accompanied [it]. Amen (so be it).
MSG - Then the Master Jesus, after briefing them, was taken up to heaven, and he sat down beside God in the place of honor. And the disciples went everywhere preaching, the Master working right with them, validating the Message with indisputable evidence.
We can't lose the fact that God wants to abide with us, co-habit with us, and find a home with us and in us. We are walking function. We are IN Christ. "Christ" is the anointing or power of God that can change things, for the better! We have to continually work at this and as we do, we will find His joy and purpose and full salvation in us.
Transition into the the next realm (upgrade) will be easy then.
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