“The Lord is hastening His work in His people in these seven years as a pre-emptive strike against the kingdom of darkness… We will function as His Ekklesia, being led by and moving in the authority and power of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 16:18). (Issue #8)
In September 2019, when the Lord first spoke of the “Divine Upgrade” that He was bringing, we only had a vague notion of what this meant. As the Holy Spirit brought greater revelation and understanding, we now know that a major upgrade He is bringing His people through is an increase in power, authority, and things of the Spirit in our lives as believers, and from there, an upgrade in our partnership with Him in advancing His Kingdom.
Over the next few years, the Lord began to lead us, through connections with others in the Kingdom, into partnering Him at a level of prayer that was beyond what was laid out in 1 Timothy 2:1. While most of us are familiar with prayers, petitions, supplications, and standing in the gap, we began to see and understand that He desires to take His people higher to a level of authority in prayer that was governmental in nature.
This is one of the major positive shifts that God is bringing to His Church in this hour (issue #10)! He is leading us into partnership of a kingly dimension that will shift things in the heavenlies. He is inviting us to prepare and arm ourselves for spiritual warfare. He is summoning us to arise as His Ekklesia!
What is this shift that He is bringing us into?
How does this change the way we understand “church”?
Most importantly, how do we “qualify” to be a part of this?
A Critical Mistranslation
In 2022, God directed our attention to the first few instances in the New Testament where the word “church” appeared. While many Biblical scholars are aware that “church” is a mistranslation of the original Greek word “ekklesia” that has taken root over the centuries of church history, most have accepted it as a benign error that has little effect on believers today.
However, the Holy Spirit was saying something quite different! Not only was this mistranslation not harmless, but it has been robbing God’s people of stepping into what Jesus had intended for our fullness as His “Ekklesia”. In this particular case, understanding what Jesus was trying to convey when He chose this specific word to describe His people is crucial.
If He was the One who first used it in Scripture, we want to pay attention! And if out of all the words that were in existence during His time for assemblies, committees and councils, He chose “ekklesia” — a word of secular origin, then we want to know why and what this means for us!
The “Founding Charter” of Jesus’ Ekklesia
“…and on this rock I will build My ekklesia,
and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
(Matt. 16:18)
In Matthew 16:18–19 and 18:15–19, Jesus was giving clues to our purpose, mission and destiny as a people of God when He named us His “Ekklesia”. In essence, these verses form the “founding charter” of the Ekklesia of Jesus Christ. If we examine them, we would see that they are quite different from our idea of what “church” is today!
At that time, the secular Greek ekklesia had already been in existence for about 500 years. (In fact, we see one in action in Acts 19:32–41, where the “assembly” [ekklesia] of Ephesus gathered in an uproar in the theatre.) Thus, this 500-year history would give Jesus’ disciples a context within which to understand what He was trying to say.
Combining the original cultural context of the ekklesia together with what Jesus was proclaiming in Matthew, we have five insights into the Ekklesia that Jesus said He would build:
1. The Ekklesia is Called Out to Advance God’s Kingdom (Matt. 16:18)
The word “ekklesia” itself gives us clues to what it is. It is made up of:
- “ek” which means “out of”;
- “klesia” which means “called out”.
While believers generally understand that we have been “called out” of the world, we sometimes fail to see the fullness of the purpose for which we are called. Jesus’ Ekklesia is meant to advance God’s Kingdom — His governmental authority and rule — wherever Jesus has called us to. The disciples understood this because this was what the secular Greek ekklesia was for.
Just as secular ekklesias were summoned to make decisions and judgements regarding national issues, Jesus calls out and summons His Ekklesia for governmental purposes. He summons His Ekklesia to receive His order or assignment and then empowers it to execute the order with His authority. In fact, He emphasised that the gates (i.e. place of authority) of Hades shall not prevail against His Ekklesia!
2. The Ekklesia Advances God’s Kingdom Especially Through Prayer (Matt. 16:19)
Unlike an earthly government and kingdom that seeks to rule oftentimes by force or advance its rule via military conquests and diplomatic treaties, Jesus calls His Ekklesia to do so primarily through prayer. He has promised us the “keys of the Kingdom of heaven” to bind and loose on earth whatever has already been bound or loosed in heaven.
3. The Ekklesia Exercises God’s Spiritual Governmental Authority on Earth (Matt. 18:15–20)
Just like secular ekklesias carry the authority of the state when they meet and make decisions that are binding upon the nation, so too does Jesus’ Ekklesia. Whenever God summons His people to gather as an ekklesia for a specific assignment or judgement, the entire authority of God’s Kingdom is brought to bear on the task and situation. Surely this is authority that we do not want to take lightly!
4. The Ekklesia Functions in Groups (Matt. 18:19–20)
Jesus has determined that no one believer is meant to function in silo when it comes to the level of spiritual warfare that the Ekklesia is called to wage. He has done this out of His heart to protect His people. Indeed, the warfare is real! This is something we cannot be flippant about! This type of spiritual warfare is not to be undertaken alone but in groups of at least two to three.
Another reason why the Ekklesia functions in groups is this — the leadership of the Spirit to Christ’s Body requires us to hear what He is saying and discern that it is He who is speaking. Often, each of us only sees and hears in part, and we need one another to discern corporately and correctly (1 Cor. 12:7–11; 13:9). There is safety and wisdom in a multitude of counsellors and this process requires great humility, love and mutual submission from all (Prov. 11:14; 15:22).
5. All Are Invited but Only Some Qualify
Last but not least, while the whole Body of Christ is invited to arise as Jesus’ Ekklesia, not all will “qualify”. Just like how the secular ekklesia did not discriminate between social class, political connections, or family background and was open to all male citizens (unlike other councils that were in existence), Jesus is no respecter of persons and invites every believer to be part of His Ekklesia.
However, a Greek male citizen had to be above the age of 18 before he could be part of the ekklesia. In the same manner, only believers who are of a certain maturity will qualify to be summoned as Jesus’ Ekklesia, as maturity is required for partnership with our God in carrying out the assignments to advance His Kingdom (issues #22 & #23).
Putting all of the above together, the Ekklesia of Jesus Christ therefore refers to an assembly of believers of a certain maturity who are summoned to advance His Kingdom through executing a God-given assignment, especially through prayer (decrees, declarations, and proclamations), with the spiritual governmental authority of God’s Kingdom given to them by Jesus the King.
Can you see how different this is from our current understanding of what “church” looks like?
Thus, the fundamental role and purpose of what we have been calling the “church” all along is meant to be primarily governmental. This is the divine shift that God is bringing to our understanding and expression of “church”!
The Requirement to Prepare Unto Being Summoned
While being called to partner with Jesus in kingly intercession and spiritual warfare is a glorious privilege, it is something we need to prepare for. There are real repercussions if we are not ready! In fact, Jesus is so zealous that He broke in earlier this year and spoke about the need to prepare. (This was recounted in issue #15.)
His exhortation was to be diligent and intentional to prepare ourselves to become the Daniel 11:32–33 people (issues #15 & #21).
Ultimately, it is Jesus who builds His Ekklesia. He is doing so today in every stratum of society and sphere of influence.
As people of God, our part is to grow up into the mature sons of God, make ourselves ready as the equally yoked Bride of Christ, and prepare ourselves as the John 17 Generation.
As we do so, Jesus Himself will build His Ekklesia!
And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against us!
Journey with Us | Build the Fire on the Altar
In this Isaiah 60:1–3 hour of escalating darkness and increasing glory, we are calling singers, musicians, worship leaders and intercessors to give a season of their lives to build the House of God and grow into becoming the Daniel 11:32–33 people.
We invite you to journey with us for 12 months to strengthen and establish an altar of worship and intercession in Singapore for the worthiness of Jesus and for the urgency of the hour. The hour has never been more urgent for the continuous fire of intercession to arise before His throne. It is the only answer for what is to come and more than that, this is the key that will usher in God’s fullness for His people and the nations at the End of the Age.