Revolution - Restoration

[Prophetess Jeanie Olinger]

Regardless of one’s doctrinal beliefs, it can be agreed upon that the church is not living up to her full potential. I have yet to hear anyone describe the fullness of what that truly looks like, myself included.

There are some things we do know from scripture. For instance, we know that the Body is to work together as one with each joint supplying its own part. (Eph 4:16) We know we are members of one another as we are one body in Christ. (Rom 12:5) We could go on with an elongated list of who we are and how we are supposed to be functioning. But by using the term the body I am not speaking of your local assembly; I literally mean the entire body of Christ. We do not match the picture of oneness Christ expects.

Will we ever get there? Well, why not? Many things may appear to be impossible, but we know that with God all things are possible.

We use the term restoration sometimes rather loosely, not understanding what it means in its totality. As we begin this revolution (return to origin) the body is going through, restoration will be going on simultaneously. To restore something, many times it must be broken down first.

In this Restoration Revolution, there are nine things that God wants to break down in our common church systems and restore them to what He intended. The nine areas which Holy Spirit showed me:

• The gifts of the Holy Spirit
• Prayerfulness
• Government of God
• Worship
• True honor and respect
• Fellowship
• Selflessness
• Discipline
• Fear of the Lord

There are many aspects to each of the nine topics. I pray Holy Spirit begins to teach us all more thoroughly about each one on individual as well as a corporate level. We cannot go on as His body without them.

Because of excesses in the lives of many leaders, we have thrown some essential things to the wayside. He may have to take some of our modern thoughts, our western thoughts, even our religious thoughts in these fields and break them down so that He can repair each concept. If we are willing, He will bring us back to His intention.

It is time for us to press in to Him more than ever before. We must have a righteousness that is based solely on faith in Christ; it must exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. (Matthew 5:20) They were the religious leaders of their day yet they taught that it was by their prescribed works that one could enter in. Jesus did not follow their religious regime. This greatly frustrated the Pharisees. They asked Jesus why His disciples did not follow their traditions to which Jesus replied that the Pharisees kept their traditions, but not the commandment of God. (Matthew 15:1-9) He repeatedly did things that they deemed illegal to do on the Sabbath.

Please do not get angry with me if I do not follow your religious system. Something has got to change or we will always be the same. Someone said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. It is time for the Body of Christ to be the Body, His church. What we have does not look like Him and until we change we won’t.

I desire to be the first to make changes and break the chains by which religion has had me bound! I will be further exploring these topics and sharing thoughts with you as Holy Spirit expounds each one. I welcome your thoughts and comments, and questions as well.

We must be religion free to find true freedom in Christ! Let us press on toward His goals and toward Him and Him alone through faith! May we through His faith and faith in His work on the cross come to the fruition of the Holy Spirit operating in our lives!

(C) January 23, 2009 Prophetess Jeanie Olinger