Ishmaels and Isaacs

Ishmael was a son. He was not, however, the promised son. Saul was a king. He was not, however, the promised king. The church is a gathering of the people of Jesus. It is not, however, the promised gathering.

The house of Saul was at war with the house of David for a long time, with the house of Saul growing weaker and weaker, and the house of David growing stronger (2 Samuel 3:1). Similarly, the battle between religious usurpers of the authority of Jesus as a King, led by Constantine and then popes and then James 1 of England has been battling for centuries against the ekklesia Jesus is building. Also, they have been growing weaker and weaker, though believers who are pursuing the Kingdom of Heaven at the expense of the church have been growing in number, in depth of revelation, and in effects they are having on governments, communication media, businesses, economies, and educational systems.

In Matthew 16, Jesus is recorded as having taken His disciples north of Israel’s border, to Caesarea Philippi. There, at the foot of Mount Herman, there is a flow of water from a rock face called the “rock of the gods” through a cave opening that was called then and now a “gate of hades.” The water from the flow ends up in the Dead Sea. I find it difficult to believe that Jesus was talking about it without showing it to the disciples. It is covered with carved-out spaces to stand idols in, and when they were there, was the location of two large temples and a sacrificial area. It is still a tourist attraction.

In that context, Jesus stated to His disciples that He was going to build His ekklesia, and that the gates of Hades would not be able to prevail against it. He was teaching them about His Kingdom with almost everything He said. That day was no different. An ekklesia in that time referred to a gathering of people out of a larger group, having a purpose, an assignment they were given authority to do something about. Luke said that the town clerk called the riot in Ephesus in chapter 19 of his records of the Acts of the Apostles an illegal ekklesia. Deduce, then, that ekklesia is not just the correct name for what we have built and called church.

We can still gather with the church if there seems to be a call from the Spirit to be in a certain group, but more importantly, we need to be gathering as His ekklesia, and doing His business and being prepared for governing His universes. Ask Him about it. Be awesome!