The Apostolic Love of Christ

I believe that one of the hidden mysteries of the powers of the age to come is what I call the mantel of Melchizedek. In this chapter I want to look at your role as a royal priest according to the order of Melchizedek. Look at: Revelation 1:5-6: “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

There are a couple of things about this passage of scripture I want to discuss. First, what this is talking about I like to call the Apostolic Love of Christ. And that’s what we need more of in our lives and in the Body of Christ. We need to walk in apostolic love, and we see this kind of love outlined in Revelation chapter 1 where it tells us Jesus shed His blood to make us kings and priests. Secondly, this was not just any kind of priest; He shed His blood to make us a royal priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek. Why? So that we could minister to our God and Father who is in heaven; who is seated on the throne. In other words, we have the right, the privilege, and the authority through the shed blood of Jesus to ascend boldly to the throne of mercy and grace in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

So let’s look at the ministry of Melchizedek and your calling as a royal priest according to the order of Melchizedek. I believe that we are all called to be priests and prophets according to the order of Melchizedek. We could also call this the kingly anointing. The kingly anointing not only gives us authority in the natural realm, but it also gives us spiritual authority. We need both in this day and this hour. Again, these are some of the hidden mysteries of the powers of the age to come, in my opinion.

Let’s look at Psalm 110 beginning in verse 1. This is written by King David, as you will remember, was a foreshadow of a royal priest according to the order of Melchizedek, who walked both in the kingly anointing and also in the anointing of a priest. “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’” If we break down Psalm 110, it gives us a very detailed description about the characteristics and the duties of the royal priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek. So let’s continue to look at this.

In this very first scripture where it says, “Sit at my right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool,” it has a wonderful promise for us. We really need to get the revelation of the magnitude of the invitation that’s given to us here. Of course this was written and spoken about the Lord Jesus Christ under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. However, in the prophetic anointing with which King David was writing, he also spoke and wrote these promises to you and me as joint heirs with Christ. The Scripture is alive and we can grow and mature into the very image of Jesus Christ as we submit to the refining fire of the Holy Spirit.

Remember, David was both a king and a priest, which are two of the most important attributes of the royal priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek. King David carried power and anointing and authority in both the spiritual and the natural realms. And King David had the revelation of this dynamic.

We can walk in this same type of authority today. We can be transformed into a Christlike character. And one of the keys to being transformed into a Christlike character is developing diligence to enter into the very glory of God; to press in behind the veil and wait or rest in God’s presence or God’s glory. I call that transformation glory. This is a type of resting, medative, or diligent prayer.

And we need to understand that the one thing that makes this available to us is the finished work of Jesus—the fact that Jesus Christ is enthroned at the right hand of power (Matthew 26:64). When God invites us to sit at the right hand of power, where Jesus is, He’s really asking us to sit down in unity and in friendship with Him at the right hand of Father God. Now, of course, this is not in the temporal realm but we are invited to sit with Christ in the spiritual realm (Ephesians 1:20). To sit at the “right hand” of God means to sit at His place of power, flexibility, or dexterity. What He is really calling us to do is to sit with Him or to be near Jesus as He sits at the right hand of the throne of Father God.

And as we begin to minister as a royal priest according to the order of Melchizedek, we are going to be discerning the prayers of our Savior as He speaks to Papa God. Jesus prays and intercedes for each of us directly to the Father, and we learn to discern or to understand what He is praying. Then we descend back onto the earthly realm or the temporal realm, and we begin to implement those things we hear Jesus praying. As a result there will be a supernatural acceleration and supernatural manifestations that happen in our sphere of influence. Our lives and ministries can be transformed from the glory realms. Our lives can be transformed from the heavenly revelation that we receive at the right hand of the Father. These dynamics are another of the ways that the power of the age to come can manifest in our lives today.

Spiritual Blessings

We know from Matthew 5:34 that God’s throne is in heaven. We see in Hebrews 12:2 that we can fashion our faith after Christ’s example. Here Paul tells us we should be “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Again, we learned that Jesus Christ is the royal Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, and we know that Jesus is sitting at the right hand of Father God. This scripture confirms that through the finished work of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary He is sitting at the right hand of Father, at the right hand of God’s power and authority just as we saw King David prophesy in Psalm 110.

And we have been given the same freedom to access God’s throne of grace and power through the atonement. As we saw in Revelation 1:5-6, the blood of Jesus makes us righteous and holy to minister our God and Father. We can sit with God in heavenly places today. Let’s study this amazing promise in more detail in the Scripture.

In Ephesians 1:3 we read, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” Now think about that; there are some amazing things available to us in heaven. Here the scripture tells us that Father God has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places.

We see another promise along this line in Ephesians 2:6 which is one of the spiritual blessings we can have in heavenly places: “[God] raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” So if we are made to sit in heavenly places with Christ Jesus and we know that Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father, where are we invited to sit? In Christ at the right hand of Father God. That is amazing!

Now let’s examine the second half of Psalm 100:1, which tells us the fruit of sitting at the right hand of the Father: “Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” This is a beautiful portrait of the royal priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek because God will begin to fight our battles when we rest in Him. When we are diligent to press in behind the veil, and cease from our works, we can learn to sit at the right hand of Father God. When we are luxuriating in the glory of God in Christ at the right hand of our Father a supernatural exchange takes place. We cease from our works and we release God the Father to work on our behalf. This supernatural exchange is another of the hidden mysteries of the powers of the age to come.

Not only that, the Father will place our enemies under our feet! The truth is that our total triumph and victory over our foes has already been purchased; it’s already finished. The enemy of our soul is already defeated; in fact, he is under our feet. We just need to get that revelation We need to have a spiritual epiphany of this fact, and we need to begin to walk it out in the temporal realm or the earthly realm.

An important key to this is to realize we access to the heavenly places to obtain God’s revelation, His favor, His power, and His delegated authority. We need to learn to be led by our reborn spirit and not our unregenerated minds. Praise God, we can get our minds renewed by the word of God. So we need to press in and spend time in devotion and reading God’s word. Along this line, I encourage you to meditate upon Hebrews 4:14-16 and Hebrews 5:14 in the Psalm 4 model. Read a few lines of these scriptures and then lay upon your bed and ponder them in your heart. You can also read the book "Unlocking the Hidden Mysteries of the Seer Anointing" for much more teaching about this dynamic of the powers of the age to come.

Now let’s look at verse 2 of Psalm 110 because we can find some more promises and some more attributes of your role as a royal priest according to the order of Melchizedek in this scripture: “The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies!” This is an amazing promise! Personally, I find this scripture fascinating. The Father will send out the rod of Christ’s strength from Zion and the result will be that we will rule over our enemies.

So let’s dissect this scripture a little bit more because in this passage the Hebrew word translated “rod” can also be translated as “scepter.” Think about this; this scepter is the scepter of authority that the Father holds. The scepter represents the delegated authority of the king; the scepter is the instrument that symbolizes a royal king’s authority and rule. The rod, obviously, represents Christ in this passage of scripture; however, it also symbolizes the power and authority of Zion or the church, the Body of Christ, which God is raising up to rule and reign at this hour.

This word translated “rod” can also be translated “tribe.” I believe at this hour the Lord is busy raising up a new order of priests from the tribe of the Lion of Judah. The Lord is raising up a royal priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek that will rule and reign with the power and authority of the Father’s scepter in their hands. I get excited when I begin to meditate upon and ponder these hidden mysteries of the Kingdom of God.

This is a great privilege, a great honor; and the Lord is not going to allow just anyone to operate or minister in this mantle or this anointing. I like to call it the mantle of Melchizedek. Here is an important key that can help you step into this attribute of the royal priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek. This is nonnegotiable; we must walk in holiness. It is an absolute prerequisite to walk in holiness and uprightness before God the Father before He will release the fullness of this type of a mantle or anointing into our lives. Unfortunately, this will disqualify a lot of people, including the majority of Christians. So my question for you is, is failure to walk in holiness going to eliminate you?

Many people are talking about a Joshua generation, a tribe of young people that God is going to raise up. Let me say something that the Lord showed me: yes, there’s going to be a generation of twenty somethings that God is going to use to do great and mighty things; but God is also looking for some Calebs. God is also looking for some overcomers. Some of the ones God will choose are going to be a little older. God will choose some unlikely characters to minister in the power of the age to come. God will pour out His Spirit, His anointing, His grace and this favor upon whosoever will at this hour. Some of us who are going to be called to minister as a royal priest according to the order of Melchizedek are going to be like Caleb; we’re going to say we are well able to take the land. I think that’s awesome!

You can call this the mantle or the anointing of Melchizedek. It’s a precious thing which the Father sent His only Son to establish upon the earth. In essence, what I am saying is that God-ordained moment of time when the Lord will give freely His power to His friends. This is the power discussed in Matthew 26:64. It’s an incredible power that I believe is just being released en masse to whosoever. It’s no longer about the apostle or the prophet or the chosen vessel. There was a season for that, but I believe that God is looking for people who have clean hands and a pure heart whom He can show Himself strong on their behalf.

In Psalm 110 we learn more about the royal priesthood and our role as a royal priest according to the order of Melchizedek. Look at verse 3: “Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power” (NAS). This is talking about, the power that God releases when He extends the right hand of His scepter to His royal priesthood. Are you ready to be a supernatural volunteer to walk and operate in the power of the Father? You can! Because the Blood of Jesus makes you righteous and holy, and empowers, and enables you to step into the hidden mysteries of the powers of the age to come!

Prayer of Impartation Activation

At this moment I bless my God and the Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. And I pray that the God of my Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto me the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. Lord, I ask in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth that the eyes of my spirit might receive supernatural understanding and become enlightened.

I ask, Father, that I may know what is the hope of Your calling upon my life and comprehend what are the riches of the glory of the Lord’s inheritance in me. Lord, reveal to me what is the exceeding greatness of Your power toward me, because I believe. Lord, release to me the revelatory understanding according to the working of Your mighty power which You worked in Christ Jesus as He rose from the dead and You seated Him at Your right hand in the heavenly places.

Father, you placed the Lord Jesus far above every principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. Lord, make known to me all of the fullness and unsearchable riches of Christ. Help me to see and comprehend what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. And I ask You, Lord, that You would grant unto me according to the riches of His glory, that I may be strengthened with might through Your Spirit in my soul and inner man. Lord, I pray that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith; that I will become rooted and grounded in the love of God.

Lord, I ask that I might comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—and to personally know and experience the love of Christ, which passes all knowledge, that I may be filled with all the fullness of God. And I thank You, Lord, who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that I can ask or think, according to the power of Your Spirit that works within me.

Lord, I thank You now that You are releasing to me the spirit of wisdom and revelation of Your Kingdom and the mighty effectual working of your power in my life, spirit, soul, and body. Thank you, Lord, that You are opening the eyes of my heart and helping me to see and discern the fullness of your Kingdom as it manifest in my life. And to You, Lord, be all the glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

This article was taken from Kevin Basconi's New book;

"Unlocking the Hidden Mysteries of the Powers of the Age to Come".

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 This article was written by Kevin Basconi, for King of Glory Ministries International, PO Box 903, Moravian Falls, NC 28654. www.kingofgloryministries.org -336-818-1210.

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