MARKED BY LOVE

HIS FOREVER FAMILY IS HOLY

“You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. – Rom. 8:15-17

From God we have received “the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father’” (Rom. 8:15). We are no longer “strangers and aliens” to God’s family, but “members of the household of God” (Eph. 2:19). We have been adopted into God’s family to display His love, message, and manifest reality as committed members of His House called by His name, among all nations of the earth.

God’s family has been chosen to be holy and blameless (Eph. 1:4), to be under the leadership of Christ (Col. 1:18), to be known by love (Jn. 13:35, 1 Jn. 4:20), to display His manifold wisdom (Eph. 3:10), to demonstrate God’s power (1 Cor. 4:20), to love one another (Jn. 15:12) in a generation where the love of many grows cold (Mt. 24:12). We are set apart to be “blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation” (Phil. 2:15).

God’s family is holy. We must not treat what is holy, precious, and purchased with Christ’s own blood, as though it is cheap, expendable, or unneeded in our lives. We must not use the Bride of Christ to exclusively meet our own spiritual needs while neglecting the needs of others (Jam. 2:14-16) within the Body. May we manifest the glorified reality of love-marked Christ exalting families, baptized in love, amongst the nations of the earth to help hasten the day of Christ’s coming. Jesus alone is worthy!

Becoming Part of the Fifth Seal Family of Churches

Becoming part of the family of churches is how we do what has come to be known as “membership” within the Fifth Seal Family of churches. We choose the word “family” because it is a word in the bible that we believe clearly demonstrates the committed relational expectations of God for His people, and His people to one another. In this, you are not becoming a member of an organization, a student in a school, or a participant in a program, but a member of a globally decentralized family of churches who have been called into real relationship with one-another by Him. It is important that those who desire to become part of Fifth Seal have a clear sense of Christ’s call and complete unity amongst your elders or core disciple-makers to become a family member of this Body of Churches.

It is within the family structure of the ekklesia that we walk out the 59 “one-anothers” of the New Covenant. We understand “family” is a loaded word that has been widely misappropriated and spiritually misused within the Body in our generation. Sitting in a theater styled auditorium with people you don’t really know, listening to a pastor who does not personally know you, is not an accurate representation of a biblical church family as presented in the New Covenant. In this contemporary context, people are committed to an organization, its fundamental administration as a corporation, and its primary pastoral voice behind a branded pulpit, rather than to Christ as head, His word, His voice, His order, and finally to one another as the household of God. It is the appropriated blood of Christ, not a membership covenant that adopts us as His, it is the deposited Holy Spirit that guarantees this adoption and binds us together in love.

We greatly desire to help restore the sanctity and supreme value of biblical family. Becoming part of Fifth Seal carries a weighty commitment to Christ and to one another as fellow sons and daughters of the King. When a lead planter, frontier missionary, or house of prayer leader commits to being discipled by our Ephesians 4:11-12 elders and becomes part of the Alliance, they make a relational commitment to walk out the commands of Christ as a committed member of God’s family within our oversight and pastoral care.

A Fifth Seal Family Church is one who commits to move:

• From apathy to action in relationship with Christ, corporate calling, and responsibility to the greater Body
• From spiritually consuming from, to contributing to, and caring for the alliance elders in prayer and financial partnership
• From passive indifference, to intentional stewardship of Christ’s call to establish His church in your city
• From self preserving, to one who is willing to suffer with Christ for the sake of His Body (Rom. 8:15-17)

Our family members are the ones whom our elders are accountable to God for equipping, discipling, and building up in their calling. In return, family members are accountable to the elders for growing in their calling, participating in the building up of His temple of living stones, joyful giving, and advancing the Gospel of the Kingdom . Our family members are the ones the Alliance elders invest the most time in discipling.

Last days wine goes into last days wineskins

A mic-less and stage-less multiplication of new disciples and new testament churches.

Has the Holy Spirit set you apart to plant a Christ exalting community where Jesus is the only rockstar and everyone has a seat at the family table (Acts 20:28)?