there is ANOTHER KING

Guest Post:

Announcing Another King

by Bill Johnson of Canada

“and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.” Acts17:7

Acts 17:6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;

Paul and Silas, in “turning the world upside down”, by going forth with the gospel were a working power of the Spirit prophesied  in Isaiah 29-16. They were known for being diametrically opposed to  the decrees of the State. . They were “turning the world (system) upside down.” A reflection upon what Jesus told the women at the well in John ch. 4; Man will no longer worship God in temples of organized religion, which lifts up the works of mans hands, but rather God is a Spirit and the true worshiper must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. What was their inflaming message that turned the world upside down? Were they telling the congregations to seek out  a Pastor or Farther and support him; go to church every sabbath day; go along to get along with the world and their system by conforming to it? Could this have been the message that set the city fathers against them in verse 7? I think not! Were they asking people to send their tithes to them so they could build a nice church or develop a Christian youth center to keep the teens off the streets? I think not? What could it have been that made the works of Paul and Silas so contrary by “turning the world system upside down”? The answer is found in verse 7:

“Whom Jason hath received (into his house): and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.”
 
Paul and Silas were announcing ANOTHER KING!  One who’s kingdom IS NOT OF THIS WORLD… They were forming congregational bodies that could meet daily anywhere at any time in the name of the LORD. Assemblies that no longer looked to Caesar as their king.

Contrary to revised history and the false pundits of today, Paul and Silas weren’t the “church builders“ they claimed them to be. They weren’t proselytizing people into a 2 fold child of hell from one church or synagogue to another.  They were establishing freedom in the Spirit to serve their King Jesus. They weren’t building and attending churches! Please understand the foundational ground work for these assemblies in the New Testament bears no resemblance to what we know today as “church”. In fact they were 24/7  sabbath gatherings of God’s people, who were meant to live together by the ecclesia pattern in communities, holding all things common, under the government of God, through His anointed spiritual elders of godly obedience. This is the Acts 2 model of assembly after the Spirit, holding fast the doctrine of Christ, and not after the arm of the flesh holding fast the traditions of men “ie” “the Nicolaitanes”..The early church body were kingdom builders in the Spirit! The members themselves were the church, not the buildings, institutions, and traditions of men and its so-called Christianity. The true Christian ecclesia’s we read about in the New Testament were independent bodies of Christians, when two or more are gathered in His name. Independent from worldly kings and governors, being led by the Spirit of grace, thus being ruled by the authoritative  government of Christ unto obedience to Him, a living movement, modeled after the Sermon on the Mount.. These lowly men were walking in the light of the gospel, and  reigning over the darkness of this world, treading upon serpents and scorpions, by dethroning rulers in the minds of the people, removing the deception,  and alienating them from the mental hold Caesar had upon them through heathenistic central government. They were teaching the principles of Christian government under Christ, the King of a kingdom that is not of this world, by preaching the new way of the gospel> love thy neighbour, do good to those who despise you, be not quick to anger, pray for your enemies, go yet another mile, have no malice, take no oaths, lay down your sword, for those who live by the sword  will perish by the sword, worship the one true God in the name of Christ, and thou will receive treasures exceedingly in the kingdom above..  They were putting forth the call of God to whomever would hear and obey HIS commandments, and of those whose hearts responded to the call became citizens of Christ’s kingdom and joined themselves to the ecclesia’s, or community of believers who walk by faith and not by sight. On the contrary, organized state religion, walks by sight, seeking signs and wonders through the works of man’s hands, a directive of having no faith, “ie” the Cain model of worship. The holy scriptures do not teach us that churches, their masonic buildings, their demonization’s;  and the ways of the Nicolaitanes,  would eventually take the place of His assembling of the saints gathered in His name. Therefore,  Paul and Silas were a threat to the existing establishment  8 And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things.

grace and truth bill