BREAKING, RULING AND DISCIPLING THE CHURCH 2
(week 36/09)
Olubi Johnson
In our article last week, we saw how God is going to ‘break’ the leadership of the church. This week, we will see how He is going to ‘break’, rule and disciple the rest of the church.
God is going to cut-off (physically and not necessarily spiritually (1 Cor. 3.12-15)) two-thirds of the church who have followed the rebellious leaders, like Saul, who would have been cut-off earlier like we saw last week.
Zechariah 13:8 MKJV: And it shall be in all the land, says Jehovah, two parts in it shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left in it.
This cutting off will not all take place instantly but over a period of time like God did for the rebellious in the wilderness over 40 years (Num. 14.26-35).
While this is going on, God will be birthing new Christians into the church who will be totally submissive to the new ‘David‘ leadership and so be discipled by getting a spiritual education.
The good news in all this is that anyone who has previously followed these rebellious leaders, but after seeing the manifestation of the glory decides, like Enoch did, to walk with God and get a spiritual education, will be given one year to begin to bring forth the fruit of perfection shown in his getting a revelation of love, righteousness and justice and the mystery of the gospel which is the perfection of Christ in us: the hope of glory (Col 1.27-29) by a borrowed anointing under covering. This truth is shown prophetically in the following parable:
Luke 13:6-9 ESV and he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. (7) And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ (8) And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. (9) Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'”
The three years here is symbolic of a period of time, in which God has shown forth His perfect (Lk. 13.32) will to the fig tree (a type of the church: spiritual Israel (Gal. 3.28; Hos. 9.10) and the Christian (Ps. 1.3)) but the fig tree has not yet brought forth fruit, so God the Holy Spirit (the vinedresser Jn. 15.1) asks for one more year for the fig tree to be cultivated with manure (a type of Word and prayer given by the Holy Spirit to give divine nourishment) to enable the tree to bring forth fruit.
However, if after that year the tree does not bring forth this fruit of the revelation (2 Cor. 4.6) of the character (love, righteousness and justice) and purpose (the perfection and fullness of Christ) of God, then the tree will be cut down.
Furthermore, the remaining one-third of the church will be discipled by the fire of refining and purification and so come into total submission to the new ‘David’ leadership:
Zechariah 13:9 MKJV: And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on My name, and I will answer them; I will say, It is My people; and they shall say, Jehovah is my God.
Jeremiah 30:9 ESV: but they shall serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.
Ezekiel 34:23-24 ESV: and I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. (24) And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the LORD; I have spoken.
This purified and refined church will fulfill:
Ephesians 5:26-27 ESV: that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, (27) so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
So, this church that will be ruled and discipled by the new ‘David’ leadership will then break, rule and disciple all the other nations of the earth to bring this age to a close:
Matthew 28:19-20 ESV: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 24:14 MKJV: and this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all nations. And then the end shall come.
