FIRST LOVE MINISTRY : Church History in a Nutshell

I. The Father is preparing a Bride for the Son.

A. Brideship expresses the corporate relationship of overcomers (one bride)

B. Sonship describes the intrinsic individuality of the overcomer's tether to the Father (many sons)

C. Brideship is predicated upon Sonship

Corporate joining is predicated upon individual union with Christ the same way that:

· the first command is foundational to the second

· the vertical beam is foundational to the horizontal

· the masculine is foundational to the feminine

Note: Brideship / Sonship have nothing to do with human gender; only with contrasting the corporate and individual nature of relationship with the Lord. Human gender (human mortal tabernacles) only typifies heavenly nature the same way the Mosaic tabernacle typifies the heavenly tabernacle

D. The nature of Sonship is:

- Coming of age through a circumcised heart, receiving the mature glory of the Father.

- Marked by a clear independent access of the Father in the heart that enables the possibility for mature interdependent relationship by the Spirit.

a) children need to look to "fathers," but men relate as brothers

b) spiritual fathering is with respect to individual mentoring toward circumcision (one on one)

c) spiritual mothering (pastoring) is with respect to corporate shepherding toward circumcision (Ministry to any group)

II. The devil is preparing an anti-bride for himself

A. The anti-bride is the corporate spirit of mankind in any mortal gathering of any size, known as:

fear of man
group spirit
group consciousness
culture
[re]public
media
socialism, etc
democracy / laodicea, etc

thus also:
"the harlot" (unfaithfulness) / "jezebel" (control over men)

B. Wherever 2 or 3 are gathered, this spirit is in their midst

C. This is the "spirit of the world," ie, "worldliness" (not merely sins, vices, etc.)

III. The corporate man spirit has from the beginning specifically targeted the church as its throne

A. This is the corporate [wo]man of sin

1. Hence: harlot (unfaithfulness)

objective: to seduce and turn back saints

2. Hence: jezebel (witchcraft / control over mankind)

objective: to prevent sonship

B. Those that lead churches, if not heart circumcised and not committed to bride-class relationship (ie, relationship primarily committed to foundation of sonship):

1. become the mouthpieces for the corporate spirit

a. govern out of fear and control

b. are governed by fear and control

2. become the points for executing corporate spirit objectives

3. become seat warmers for the anti-lord to appear at the end of the age as the man of sin in the temple

C. This has been realized mainly through the catholic era point-office of priest / pope and the protestant /evangelical era point-office of pastor (shepherding offices)

- equivalent to the OT chief priest and ruler of the synagogue

D. The church has never lived as more than a human sub-culture under domination of the corporate spirit.

IV. The crux of church history has been the conflict between overcomers in their quest for the Father's heart-circumcising love and the world corporate spirit, usually voiced through the shepherding office

V. The strategy of the corporate spirit against overcomers pressing into sonship:

A. suck back into the fold under its covering either by flattery (persuasion) or threat

B failing that, ostracize and isolate

1. prevent possibility of any relationship where sonship class life could provide a foundation

2. pervert the strength of personal grip on the Lord into pride and elitism rooted in bitterness so that the overcomer essentially is converted to become an image of the self-willed anti-lord

VI. Because we have yet to overcome death, each marked point of overcoming has led to separation yielding a new body immediately (though perhaps less) infested by the same corporate spirit—establishing a more refined level of the thing it sought to tear down—creating a newer challenge for a next level of overcoming (usually on a generational basis)—thus an ongoing cycle.

A. As overcomers have led out new bodies in each generation, they have tended to prematurely believe they could gather a pure body around their higher experience or understanding. By this they have become de facto mouthpieces for the same spirit they escaped, leading to a new cycle of conflict with overcomers of the next generation.

B. True overcomers never lose the vision for present relationship even though they know that perfected brideclass relationship cannot be manifest until the veil is broken. They also never lose their ultimate vision for faithfulness to personal relationship with the Father beyond their present situation relative to church relational issues.

C. The gradual cleansing of a bride class people is what is in view through the cycles of overcoming and restoration.

VII. The outpouring of the Spirit (and His increase) is in preparation for the full revelation of brideship.

A. The capability for this outpouring is the result of the effects of cumulative cycles of overcoming

B. The outpourings benefit only overcomers, enabling them to maintain increased avenues of relationship while grounded in sonship reality.

C. For those who do not overcome, the outpouring deludes to the reinforcing of the corporate man spirit, actually leading to the man of sin in the temple, thus:

1. prophetic corporatism

2. charismatic corporatism, etc.

all demonstrating the traits of the corporate spirit in the church at a more highly refined level [elaborated on in The Holy Spirit in the Church of Laodicea]

VIII. At a given point, Christ—in union with the perfected immortalized bride people will once and for all purge the mortal church of the corporate spirit

A. This will ensue with the nearing revelation of Christ

B. It will complete the rescue of the entire church at the same time the union of the anti-lord and [nearly] completed anti-world bride come together, thus for the first time pitting the clearly defined church against the world

C. The great veil-crossing event to enable this dethronement and purging out of the corporate spirit is the next and imminent event of the age.