The Jesus Movement
Long before Christianity organized into a formal religion, it was a spiritual and social movement, initiated by the person, life, and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus and the apostolic movement of the first century must become our central model and pattern for Christian life.
Jesus was God Himself, come to rescue humanity from sin and darkness and restore relationship between heaven and earth. On the Cross, Jesus was not just forgiving sin and disempowering the spiritual forces of darkness - He was totally and completely reconciling the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). This reconciliation has been fully realized in the anointing of humanity by the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:20,27; 2 Corinthians 1:21). Because Jesus is a representative of all humanity, all men and women have been given the ability to receive the anointing of Christ. This anointing is received through belief in Christ, the adoption of the faith of Jesus. The anointing is the prophetic promised fulfilled (Jeremiah 31:34). It is the very presence of Jesus through His Spirit.
The purpose of the Spirit’s coming is not only intimate, personal relationship with God, but a continuance of His work through the Body of Christ. Jesus’ intent is to continue revealing the Father’s heart for all of humanity - in word and deed. His Body on earth, the New Humanity, is the agent of His ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:11).
The Christian movement of the first century, initiated by Jesus and then assumed by the apostles, lived in the revelation that they were chosen representatives of God, who were to advance His kingdom on earth. It was a social-spiritual movement, empowered by the individual and corporate anointing of the Holy Spirit. Because the Spirit had come, Jesus was no longer limited to one body, time, or place. Whereas Rome emphasized control, subjection, and uniformity, the Jesus movement embraced unity in diversity, personal empowerment, and reliance on God alone. Thus, the early Christian church, chock full of individuals living in the life, power, and freedom of an invisible God, endured heavy persecution from the Roman Empire.
The Lord is breaking the church out of Her religious boxes today, returning it to its social-spiritual roots. Every human being on the planet today has been predestined for a life of good works which reveal and declare the name of Jesus (Ephesians 2:10). One primary purpose of the anointing is to reveal and manifest these works of God on earth. This revelation and subsequent manifestation occur as a natural overflow of our intimate relationship with Jesus by the Holy Spirit. As we grow in Him, He progressively makes us aware of the power and glory of the indwelling Christ working in us and through us.
All are created to manifest the glory of God (Isaiah 43:5-7). We are creative expressions of His imagination, destined to bring heaven to earth. Jesus is using His anointed believers to slowly but surely bring the entire world back into His loving arms. What the unbelieving world needs most is not flashy sermons, pyrotechnic worship, or in-your-face evangelism. It needs to see the power, love, and joy of Christ, made manifest in and through His people. Unbelievers must see Christians who model the very being of Jesus. Christianity isn’t suffering because the essential message (the forgiveness of sins and the coming of the Kingdom) is unattractive. It suffers because Christians have perverted the power and simplicity of its original message - the anointing of all humanity.
Isaiah 29:23-24 (NIV) “When they see among them their children, the work of my hands, they will keep my name holy; they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob, and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding; those who complain will accept instruction.”
The Spirit is drawing us away from formalized religion and into the glorious liberty of the children of light (Romans 8:21). Like ancient times, our temples (churches) will become the academic, artistic, and scientific centers of society. Christians, the anointed ones, will freely receive heavenly knowledge and wisdom pertaining to all areas of life and society. God’s tangible Presence will become magnetic. Unbelievers, aware of the glory working in us and through us, will rush to join the family of God on planet earth (Isaiah 60:3). By returning to our apostolic roots, we will become an end-times Jesus movement, living in the freedom and power offered to us through the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
