The Voice Magazine- Regular Joes Storm Capitol Hil

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THE VOICE

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Advancing Christian Life and Culture

REGULAR JOES STORM CAPITOL HILL Beyond TEA Parties and Town Halls, Citizens Take Congress in 2010 Christ’s Nature: Build, Restore & Govern • Tim Cox: Get out of our house Publisher’s Desk: SAVING A GREAT NATION

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6 Politics

Get Out of Our House

Tim Cox is launching a political revolution, of sorts, with a plan to throw career politicians out of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. Exclusive Interview by Jennifer LeClaire

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THE VOICE

V O I C E

No. 5

®

PUBLISHER’S DESK

Volume VI • Issue 6 November 1, 2009 Edition

__________________________

T H E V O I C E magazine’s mission is to advance Christian life and culture. _______________________

PUBLISHER Jonas Clark EDITOR Jennifer LeClaire MANAGING EDITOR Melanie Madon ART DIRECTOR Brian Burke DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Karen Ledbetter EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Elvera Baker Rhonda Clark C o p y r i g h t © 2 0 0 9 by Jo n a s C l a r k Communications, Inc. All rights reserved, including translation. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations in this magazine are from the King James version of the Bible. EDITORIAL INQUIRY: Have a question? Send your letters to: T H E V O I C E , 27 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd., Hallandale Beach, Fla. 33009 or send e-mail to editor@thevoicemagazine.com. CUSTOMER SERVICE: For a change of address or other customer service issues, call 954.456.6032 or send e-mail to service@thevoicemagazine.com.

S aving A G reat N at ion

T

he

United States

now borrows over

40

percent of each dollar it

spends. Once we were the most prosperous nation on the earth now we are drowning in a sea of debt. Our national debt is over 11.6 trillion, the highest in the world. There is no way our nation can “grow our way out” of such overwhelming debt without cutting the size of government. Will politicians downsize our government and cut spending on their own? “Of course not,” is the right answer. When was the last time you heard anyone in Washington say they would sponsor legislation to cut the size of government and balance the budget?

Many, however, are waking up. It was rightfully reported 1.7 million people

attended the Washington D.C. TEA Party gathering September 12th. The drive-by media reported it at “tens of thousands.” Unfortunately national media refuses to address the real grass roots movement of patriotic citizens that want to take their nation back. They want freedom from Washington fiscal incompetence, excessive taxation, socialism, an unaudited Federal Reserve, Wall Street and Washington corruption. Yes, people are hungry for change. “How will change take place,” you ask? It can only happen when right overpowers wrong. Scripture says, “Righteousness exalteth a nation but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).

The Republic has survived many attacks but the most serious is a turn from

God toward secular humanism. What we are experiencing today is directly related to a great national falling away from the God of the Bible, His wisdom and guidance. Many are well aware of a national move toward progressive secularism that has moved us dangerously close to a socialistic/fascist government. The road of socialism, where the State becomes a ‘benevolent’ god, leads toward fascism. Fascism is a government run economy – whether directly through corporate ownership or indirectly through manipulative regulations, taxes, fines and fees – at the cost of personal liberties and a truly free market economy. It feeds on the hard work of its citizens until finally they are crushed under the weight of debt bondages and high-level corruption of its elitist’s leadership. Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini tried fascism and failed after millions of resistors were slaughtered.

The hope for American is found in the God of America. He is the Christ,

the Son of the living God. When we repent of our sins, turn from our wicked ways then He will hear from heaven and heal our land. We must also dust off that old document called the United States Constitution that has for so long been trodden down by evil deceivers. “Can we do it?” Yes we can. WE THE PEOPLE are well able. Let us go up at once. Your partner, Jonas Clark Visit The Voice magazine online



Get Out of O Tim Cox is launching a political revolution, of sorts, with a plan to throw career politicians out of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. Exclusive Interview by Jennifer LeClaire


Our House! C

a political party. It’s a system that’s designed to allow “we the people” to choose candidates who best represent their district, hold them accountable, replace career politicians, and take the money motivation out of the process.

Cox is stirring the support of Americans that are tired of career politicians, money-hungry corrupted government officials, and power-brokering political parties. He’s setting out to return control of our government to the people through a group called Get Out of Our House (GOOH). GOOH is not

GOOOH plans to fund a single national campaign to promote the 435 candidates (one from each district) who are selected to run against the party politicians. Cox figures he needs at least 500,000 participants to raise enough money to launch a $50 million national campaign. The time is short and the challenge great, but, again, Cox believes he’s on a mission from God.

ox believes he’s on a mission from God. The computer-scientist-turned-politicalactivist set the wheels in motion to evict what he calls the “435 career politicians” in the U.S. House of Representatives and replace with regular Joes and Janes like you and me.


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The Voice

magazine caught up with

Cox, author of “Revolution! A New Plan for Selecting Representatives,” to find out more about his plan, what types of candidates are rising from the pool of average citizens, and the challenges he faces in sweeping the House clean. Why did you decide to launch GOOOH?

Like most Americans, I’ve been really

disappointed with what’s going on in Washington for many, many years. I was in a bookstore one day and a young lady there insisted I read a book about James Madison and the writing of the U.S. Constitution. I read it and later came up with the idea of how we could fix the U.S. House of Representatives. So I walked away from my job in the high-tech world. I wrote a book and I have been traveling the country promoting GOOOH. It’s my purpose in life. Now we’re looking for the modernday incarnations of Madison, Franklin, and Jefferson to step forward and go to Washington to fix this mess. What kind of candidates do you expect to see rising up to answer the call?

It’s up to the people that participate to choose who will rise to the top. My firm belief is that God has a plan and that the

V O I C E

“When people start to hear that they have a chance to vote against the incumbents, the real politicians, the 400 or so that are bad will lose because they’re bad. The few that are good, they’re going to step aside just as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson stepped aside after two terms as president.” – Tim Cox right people are going to bubble to the top. Every person I see that gets selected has a couple of traits in common. They are very successful people that are articulate. Almost every one of them is a strong believer in the Constitution and, without fail, everybody that I see bubbling to the top has a strong faith and belief in God. I believe a strong majority of people who believe as our Founding Fathers did are going to rise to the top of the system. You talk about a common thread being the belief in God. Do you think that is

going to cause some people not to vote for GOOOH candidates?

There’s about 3 percent or 5 percent

of the population that might vote against people because they believe in God. But that’s a tiny, tiny percentage. I don’t think that it will impact the decision and the outcome one way or the other. Do you expect to get all 435 candidates for the 2010 election?

I honestly believe we’re going to get

all 435. This is a momentum play. When people start to hear that they have a chance to vote against the incumbents, the real politicians, the 400 or so that are bad will lose because they’re bad. The few that are good, they’re going to step aside just as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson stepped aside after two terms as president. What are the obstacles then? What are the perceived challenges to making this vision a reality?

The

biggest obstacle is getting the

500,000 people to participate so we can raise the $50 million to launch a national campaign. Will the grassroots nature of what we’re doing spread far enough and fast enough? The national media today has ignored us. Maybe they just want to see if

PRESENTING THE CAUSE: Boise, Idaho – They came from neighboring towns and states, as far away as 350 miles as Tim Cox explained how “Get Out Of Our House” (GOOOH) works.


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V O I C E

P. 9

make sure the system is up and working and there are people that want to contribute that way. I don’t want and certainly can’t take money personally. But I’ve been blessed to be in the right place at the right time my entire life from a work perspective. My wife and I are funding this. Everything is taken care of. Until we get the 500,000 people, we’re good. Once we get the 500,000 people, that’s when we’ll ask the folks that have signed up to donate $100. We think we’ll raise somewhere close to $50 million within a few weeks. GOOOH CAMPAIGN: 3,000 plus gathered in Capital And how is it going? What Park, Boise, Idaho for the 9-12 Project – TEA Party progress have you made? Patriotic Rally.

we have legs, but we know they’re watching. Mark Twain said, “In the beginning of change, the patriot is a scarce man. When his cause succeeds, the timid will join.”

Once,

we get the

500,000,

the next

big challenge will be getting on the ballot in all 50 states. And we have several strategies to make that happen. A few states that might make it difficult. North Carolina and Pennsylvania, for example. Once we get on the ballot, I don’t think there’s any way that anybody could stop this process. Are you concerned about personal attacks against you in the media?

I don’t for a second suspect that the

media is not going to try to turn me into a bad guy at some point. I probably didn’t pay my taxes right or there’s one girlfriend I never knew I had that’s going to say something bad about me. But that’s all completely irrelevant. My wife and I talked about that. We have kids overseas in the military that would jump on a grenade to save people. My role is to push this forward. This thing is so much bigger than me that I’m almost irrelevant. How are you financing this?

We’re clear to point out that we do

not want or need money from anybody at this point in time. We accept donations to

The response is really better

than you could imagine. It’s only a matter of time before it succeeds. I believe we’re going to get to the critical mass in memberships that we need to actually make a run in all 435 seats next year. But in the worse case, if we don’t get there next year we will certainly be there in 2012. I’ll go to any city, anywhere, anytime at my expense to tell the story, to get a group of 50 or 100 on board with us. I was in Idaho and Wisconsin this last weekend. And I’ve been to California and Ohio and New Hampshire and Florida and North Carolina – all over the country telling the story. Everywhere I go, the feedback is positive. People ask me if we can really beat the incumbents. It sounds impossible. But when you see how the process works, it’s simple. You are focusing on the House, but what about the Senate?

The one thing I’ve learned in life is:

Pick a goal. Focus on this goal. Don’t let anything distract you from that goal. We believe, if we can just get to the 500,000 members, that alone is going to put so much pressure on the two political parties that they’re going to have to begin to behave differently. As we move forward, if they do not behave differently in 2012, we will have 435 educated and experienced GOOOH representatives, many of which will become ideal candidates for the Senate. So, one step at a time. Let’s take the House.

More Related Articles Online: Politics


Regular Joes Storm Average citizens aren’t just launching TEA Parties and storming town hall meetings – they are running for Congress in 2010. Will the revolution reach Washington? By Jennifer LeClaire


Capitol Hill J

oe

Wurzelbacher, AKA “Joe the Plumber” – the man who rose to cable news fame by asking a question on the 2008 presidential campaign trail that revealed Barack Obama’s intention to “redistribute

wealth”– isn’t running for political office in 2010. But plenty of other “regular Joes” are gearing up for a hard fight to replace career politicians in the U.S. House of Representatives in the mid-term elections.


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Steve Stanford

is one of them.

The

Tampa business owner just declared his candidacy for the House in District 11. Stanford, owner of Plantz, a plant leasing and landscape business that employs 15 people, is seeking the Republican Party nomination in August 2010. He’ll challenge U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa).

“The pendulum is swinging too far to

the left and our district deserves some spirited dialog about our representation,” Stanford says. “The 2010 mid-term election will be a battle for our children’s futures. If we continue sending traditional politicians to Washington, we will be marginalized in a global economy by their shortsightedness.”

Like Stanford, dozens, if not scores,

of “regular Joes” are entering the political arena from sea to shining sea. From city council to mayor to state Senate and beyond, many average citizens are not content with merely organizing TEA Parties and

V O I C E

Regular Joe : Steve Stanford Steve is not a politician and is an unconventional congressional candidate. His love of country and desire to rein in the ever-expanding federal government have drawn him in to this very challenging race. Core believes: Free markets. His motto: “When in doubt let the free market work it out.” He believes in smaller government, less beauracracy that governs effectively within its means. He also ascribe to the 9/12 project’s 9 principles and 12 values.

attending town hall meetings. Their passion for the Republic is propelling average citizens to set aside personal ambitions and seek elected office. Regular Joes (and Janes) are indeed running for political office, setting out to create change they can really believe in.

But experts say the road to Congress

is rife with challenges. To be sure, experts say it’s almost impossible for an average citizen to occupy a seat of governing authority beyond the city or state level. Incumbents are tough to beat, the financial requirements are steep, the inexperience with politicking puts them

TOWNHALL PROTEST: Concerned citizen forced out of Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter (D) town hall meeting, frustrated for not being able to get his questions answered. (PHOTO: CHRISTINE BAKER, The Patriot-News)


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V O I C E

Dunn points to poor approval ratings for the Democraticcontrolled Congress and declining approval ratings for President Barack Obama as indications that change may be around the corner. at a disadvantage, and the personal attacks can be vicious. Still, many in America are praying for change – and many vessels, like Stanford, are willing to make a run in 2010.

The Impossibilities of Incumbency

There has been study after study completed on how difficult it is to beat an incumbent in a general election. In 1998, 2000, and 2002, over 96 percent of House incumbents who have sought reelection won. The Center for Responsive Politics puts it this way: “Few things in life are more predictable than the chances of an incumbent member of the U.S. House of Representatives winning reelection. With wide name recognition, and usually an insurmountable advantage in campaign cash, House incumbents typically have little trouble holding onto their seats.”

Charles Dunn, Dean, Regent University School of Government.

and 1954,” Dunn says. “People got very upset during Clinton’s first term of office and we saw an effort to put term limits in place. The Republicans swept into office for 12 years. It’s been said that there’s been more turnover in the Soviet Politurbo than the U.S. Congress.”

Although

it’s

“nigh

impossible” to

sweep the House, Dunn says there could nonetheless be sweeping change in 2010. It doesn’t take a full sweep to shift the power in Congress.

Dunn points to poor approval ratings

impossible that Regular Joes will sweep the House clean of career politicians in the 2010 mid-term elections, according to Charles Dunn, Dean of Regent University’s School of Government. Dunn has served as a special assistant to the Minority Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives, deputy director of the Republican Conference in the House, and chief of staff to a United States Senator from New York.

for the Democratic-controlled Congress and declining approval ratings for Obama as indications that change may be around the corner. He also points to the low esteem the public holds for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Dunn further points to the economic crisis as a factor that could spark wholesale change if the U.S. doesn’t see significant improvement before the mid-term elections. If these factors continue to dominate public thinking, Dunn says, it’s possible to see a wholesale shift in the House.

“L et ’ s

A House Divided

From

a human standpoint, it’s nigh

go back to

1994

when the

Republicans took control of the House for the first time since the 83rd congress in 1953

Ivan Kenneally, assistant professor of political science at Rochester Institute of

More Related Articles Online: Culture


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“Professionalization of the legislative branch is not just a departure from the original intent. It’s also a departure from the original check that was built into the system to avoid entrenched corruption and the gravity that comes after spending a long time in a position.” – Ivan Kenneally Technology, says the House is supposed to be the branch of Congress that’s manned by regular Joes while the Senate has traditionally been populated by more educated, wealthier types. That makes it easier for regular Joes

V O I C E

Kenneally

says he’s noticed states

actually encouraging regular Joes to run for the House. Universities and community colleges across the United States are offering continuing adult education classes on how to run for elected office. And the Green Party in Illinois is encouraging out-of-work citizens to run for office.

“T raditionally , A mericans

Ivan Kenneally

to come out of relative obscurity without much professional political experience and win a seat.

“W e

r e c e n t ly c e l e b r at e d

like a

divided government. They find it reassuring. So the idea of one party dominating the executive branch and both chambers of Congress is a little bit discomfiting,” Kenneally said. “It’s likely that the Democrats are going to bleed some seats in 2010, but it’s unlikely that we’ll see a sweep.”

Ted

Kennedy’s long career in the Senate – 47 years. But the legislature is not designed for career politicians,” Kenneally says. “Professionalization of the legislative branch is not just a departure from the original intent. It’s also a departure from the original check that was built into the system to avoid entrenched corruption and the gravity that comes after spending a long time in a position.”

Funding the Fight

Beyond beating incumbents, experts say it’s unlikely there will be a sweep of the House because of the financial burden on candidates. It can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to launch a campaign for the House. Still, that’s not stopping regular Joes like Stanford from trying. Although the barrier to entry in running for elected office is nearly insurmountable, sometimes a person does step out of the crowd and win an election, said Brad Gerstam, a partner at Gotham Government Relations in Manhattan.

“Name recognition is very important.

That’s why incumbents win an overwhelming percentage of the time. And without a major party support, a candidate won’t get the grassroots support or the money they need,” Gerstam says. “Unless the individual is extremely well known or very wealthy, it is incredibly hard to raise the many millions of dollars to compete in an election.”

Indeed, Jon Corzine spent $2 million

a week on TV ads when he ran for New Jersey’s Democratic Senate nomination in 1999-2000. In all, the former Wall Street financier invested more than $62 million of his own money in his campaign. Even then, Corzine was elected to the Senate by a 4 percent margin over his Republican opponent, four-term U.S. Congressman Bob Franks.

Corzine’s

plight, though successful,

demonstrates the financial firepower typically More Related Articles Online: Culture


T H E necessary to win an election. And research from the Center for Responsive Politics demonstrates the incumbent’s financial advantage. Incumbents in the House raise an average of $317,359 while their challenger counterparts raise only $68,214. The figures are even more contrasted in the Senate, where incumbents raise an average of $5.1 million and challengers raise, on average, a paltry $210,000.

Running the Race

P. 15

V O I C E

Regular Joe : Scott Radcliffe Until about two years ago, Radcliffe was a West Point graduate and captain in the U.S. Army on his second tour in Iraq. The congressman that nominated him to West Point died suddenly in the fall of 2007, and he decided to run for his vacant seat. He was in Iraq at the time and did not make it back for the special election. He was forced to run in the primary against the newly elected congressman for the full term in the early winter of 2008 and lost, but he feels other regular Joes should get involved.

“Regular Joe” Scott Radcliffe made a run at Congress in 2008 after serving two tours of duty in Iraq. The Westpoint graduate and former platoon commander-turned-public relations executive attempted to unseat a newly-elected Republican in northwest Ohio. Because Radcliffe had just stepped off the battlefield, he didn’t get hit with the personal attacks that plague many candidates – at least not publicly. But behind the scenes he faced intimidation tactics.

tried to scare me,” Radcliffe says. “Party officials actually worked to cut the legs out from under my fundraising efforts, which is the lifeblood of any campaign. It was a very difficult experience but it was also rewarding.”

“People –

Radcliffe didn’t beat the incumbent.

some people

I

knew and

some people I didn’t – started trying to convince me to run for a different position. They tried to stonewall me. They

He got a late start on the campaign trail but he did gain 26 points during his two-month campaign. Once the word got out that he

was running and how he had served his country, he gained great momentum even on a limited budget. If he had campaigned the full course – if he hadn’t been on the battlefield while his opponent was on the campaign trail – he is convinced it would have been a close fight.

R adcliffe

is not counting out a

future run at the House, and he thinks other regular Joes should run, too. So does


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A.J. Segneri, Green Party membership steward and head of the party’s 2010 recruiting effort.

V O I C E

No. 5

Regular Joe : Jeremy Karpen

“It doesn’t matter if your legislator

Jeremy is a Licensed Professional Counselor currently working as a Therapist for troubled youth at a residential treatment center in Chicago. In addition, Jeremy volunteers his time as a Partner Abuse Intervention Facilitator at a local domestic violence agency. He serves as the Treasurer of the Logan Square Green Party, a Local Affiliate to the Illinois Green Party.

is a friendly person, or has held the job for a long time. That doesn’t mean they’re doing a good job,” Segneri said. “Every legislator deserves to have their record scrutinized by voters and the media, but that won’t happen if there is no opposition. Without ordinary citizens on the ballot, many state Representatives and Senators just might go unopposed, and there will continue to be this widespread lack of accountability.”

As a self-described clinician-politician, Jeremy believes we need to treat the system, not simply its effects.

In addition to the petitioning period

going on now, which ends Nov. 2, there is a second opportunity for potential candidates to be placed on the ballot following the primary in a process called slating. However pending legislation, House Bill 723, which the Green Party has strongly opposed, may make slating much more difficult. The Green Party is urging regular Joes to launch a campaign now.

Challenging Change

According to a report by Illinois Green Party chair Phil Huckelberry, exactly half of all state legislative seats went unopposed in 2008, and House Bill 723, if enacted will only further limit competition. Huckleberry’s report was submitted to the governor’s office, but Quinn praised the legislation and made only a non-controversial amendment to it.

I don’t think it comes down to policy differences. I think people are upset because they don’t feel their representatives are concerned with what they think and that they are incompetent to carry forward their interests. This is a time that’s ripe for some serious change.” – Ivan Kenneally “This

l e g i s l a tu r e h a s pa ss e d

inadequate spending bills and reckless sales tax hikes, not to mention a major expansion of gambling and privatization deals, and shamefully ignored the plight of working families across the state,” says Jeremy Karpen, Green Party candidate for state representative for the 39th district of Illinois. “And while they were sticking it to rank-and-file workers, these same legislators were taking great pains to ensure their own job security.”

Whether pundits believe regular Joes

can make an impact on career politicians in the house or not, one thing is certain: We are witnessing another episodic wave in American democracy. Many feel that the representatives are not representing the best interests of the citizens of the United States. Dissatisfaction and discontentment are leading to outbursts and backlash – and regular Joes running for office.

“People

are angry, and that anger

can transform into unusual results. The Republicans could pull another coup like we saw in 1994,” Kenneally says. “The town hall meetings have shown us how upset people really are. I don’t think it comes down to policy differences. I think people are upset because they don’t feel their representatives are concerned with what they think and that they are incompetent to carry forward their interests. This is a time that’s ripe for some serious change.” More Related Articles Online: Culture



Build, Restore & Govern By Jonas Clark

The nature of Christ in you is to build, restore and govern.

I

believe that God has made each of us unique and given us gifts for increase. We know that all churches in the New Testament were apostolic in nature. That nature is relevant to understanding your purpose.The nature of the Church is apostolic and can be found in three words: build, restore and govern. These three traits are in every born again believer. Understanding them will empower you to do great things for Christ.



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P. 20

J esus

preached the

G ospel

V O I C E

of the

Kingdom. That’s not all He preached but it is what keeps reoccurring throughout His ministry. When you understand Jesus you will understand His ministry teaching about the Kingdom of God. From the opening announcement of His ministry in Mark 1:16 to His ascension in Acts 1, His ministry dealt with the Kingdom.

When you grasp the nature of Christ’s

ministry, to build, restore and govern, you will grasp the nature of your ministry. Don’t get confused here because you will never be the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. There is only one Lamb. No other sacrifice for sin is needed. However, you are able to continue Christ’s agenda found in His nature to build, restore and govern. We know that Jesus was apostolic (Hebrews 3:1) and a sent one. He was sent (apostello), not only to offer Himself as the Lamb of God, but also to bring reconciliation to the world (2 Corinthians 5:19).

I

remember when

I

was a young man we weren’t taught

about Christ’s ministry to reconcile the world, we were taught about reconciliation of man to God through the atonement of sin. That’s all fine and important except we need to also understand the mission of Christ to establish His Kingdom on the earth. This is God’s will

because Jesus told His followers to pray, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

Again, the only reference I had of Christ’s ministry in my

early years was His ministry as the Lamb of God culminating at the cross of Calvary when He said “It is finished.” It might have been the same for you, too. And because of that I missed Christ’s


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P. 21

V O I C E

First came the revelation of the Christ then came the joining with His mission to build His Church.That Church is still here some two thousand years later. In fact, of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end. ministry of the Kingdom. This is significant. If we focus only on the cross (I’m certainly not discounting that) we miss the teaching about the Kingdom and if we focus only on the Kingdom we miss the cross. Both are important. Both bring definition, balance and help us understand our purpose.

Seeing Christ for Who He is

Let’s look more at the apostolic nature of the Christian. Jesus asked His disciples, “who do men say that I the Son of Man am?” Only one responded that Jesus was the Christ, Peter. Jesus said that insight was given to Peter by direct revelation. Revelation is important to all because revelation always brings increase. The revelation of the Christ came from the Father. That same revelation of Christ is vital to us today. The greater your revelation of Christ the more likely you are to be successful in life and ministry.

All of us are challenged in this area because we all have

various images of Christ. When Christ is mentioned there are many varying images in the minds of believers. To some, for example, Christ is the lamb, others a humble man surrounded by children, still others see him as a revolutionary warrior. How we see Christ determines what we do with our lives. When we see Him for who He is, then we will also partake in His apostolic nature.

Many

believe that Jesus was the revolutionary

Lamb

of

God. Not only did He offer himself as a sacrifice but He was determined to build a Church, His Church that would reconstitute His Kingdom on the earth. To accomplish that goal God would have many sons and daughters working with him to turn the world upside down. Scripture even says the kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ.

Revelation for Purpose

To accomplish this, however, requires revelation of Christ. It was the same with all the apostles of old. First came the revelation of the Christ then came the joining with His mission to build His Church. That Church is still here some 2,000 years later. In fact, of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end.

Jesus said that man should not live by bread alone but by every Word of God. In the Greek there are two words for the More Related Articles Online: Christian Living


P. 22

T H E

V O I C E

No. 5

English word – Word. The first is logos. Logos means the written word of God. The second is rhema. Rhema is the life giving word. It is the revealed word or revelatory word. Therefore, Jesus was saying man shall not live by bread alone but by every revelation, revealed Word of God. Revelation brings enlargement. By revelation Jesus said He would build His Church. And by revelation He will build your life.

For us to accomplish our purpose

in this life we must believe for revelation of Christ. To understand Him is to understand our calling. When we do, we’ll understand what He meant when He said “I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Unstoppable Believers

As Christians you and I are involved in a spiritual war for dominion.The devil doesn’t want to give up this world without a fight. Nevertheless, at the name of Jesus every knee must bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. James said to submit yourself to God, resist the devil and he would flee.

Notice He uses the phrase “build my Church.” Part of the apostolic nature of Jesus was to build. Not just build any old thing but to build His Church and to build it by revelation. Then He continues with the declaration “and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” The gates of hell refer to spiritual opposition by demonic government. As Christians you and I are involved in a spiritual war for dominion. The devil doesn’t want to give up this world without a fight. Nevertheless, at the name of Jesus every knee must bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. James said to submit yourself to God, resist the devil and he would flee.

As a member of the body of Christ you are unstoppable.

You are part of a royal priesthood of kings that Christ gave authority to rule on His behalf. The Apostle Paul called these opposing spiritual forces principalities and powers. All natural and spiritual warfare battle is over who is going to govern.

Renew your Thinking

When Jesus launched His ministry He said the time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent ye and believe the Gospel. In this we discover Christ’s announcement. He was declaring the beginning of the greatest revolution of all time. I wrote about this in detail in my book “Kingdom Living.” He was referring to the reconstitution of His Kingdom on the earth. When He said repent He wasn’t referring to repenting of one’s sins but of changing how you think. If you want to change your life you must change the way you think.

Changing

how we think can be problematic.

Years

of

religious teaching can build strongholds within our mind and we struggle to see Christ for who He really is. He is not only the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world He is also God Almighty.

The Apostle Paul

understood the need for spiritual

revelation of Christ. He wrote “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the Church” (Ephesians 1:18-21).

We

need to agree with

Paul’s

prayer.

We

need that

revelation. When we see Christ for whom he really is, Christ the King, we will grasp His apostolic nature, to build, restore and govern.

More Related Articles Online: Christian Living


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