Letter from the Founder

Dear Friends of God & Freedom,

  Please take the time to carefully and prayerfully read this letter. In 40 years of ministry, this may be the most important step I have ever taken.

A New Paradigm is Needed
  We are at war. Socialists and Marxists have infiltrated our government and many of our churches. The theft of the 2020 general election was one of the most blatant displays of corruption in our nation’s history. Our republic is looking more like a communist state every day. But even if we saw the election fraud corrected and the rightful winners installed in office, that would not be the ultimate answer to the problem. We got to this point because “We the people” have forgotten the source of our liberty and have not taken responsibility for maintaining it.

  So what do we do? Someone once defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result.” I think it is safe to say that religion and politics as usual are not the answer. A paradigm shift is needed.

A Plan of Action
  We are all tired of just talking about the bad things happening. Yes, we need to be informed and we must continue to spread the truth and expose the evil for the purposes of waking people up. But sometimes it seems that our voices are confined to an echo chamber and don’t impact the culture. We need a proactive plan of action!

  God has always had a plan of action which Jesus described in Matthew, Chapter 16. It sounds simple enough, but because we have missed some key points, the plan has been short-circuited. Understanding how we have missed these points is our exit from the insanity of “doing the same thing and expecting a different result.” Let’s read from the Young’s Literal Translation (YLT).

Matthew 16:18-19 (YLT)
18 `… I will build my assembly, and gates of Hades shall not prevail against it;
19 and I will give to thee the keys of the reign of the heavens, and whatever thou mayest bind upon the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever thou mayest loose upon the earth shall be having been loosed in the heavens.’

  I like the YLT for this passage for a couple of reasons. First, the word ekklesia is translated as assembly, as it should be, instead of church. The word assembly (ekklesia in the original Greek) was a secular term and had governmental implications. It was the term used to describe the democratic assemblies that governed the Greek city states. It should also be noted that the term “gates” in Matthew 16:18 (in this case the gates of hell) is also a governmental term. The governing elders of the cities used to sit in the gates of the city.

  In other words, Jesus was saying, “I will build MY government structure and it will overpower the government structure of hell.” I submit that what we call church today bears little resemblance to what Jesus was describing in Matthew 16:18.

  Another reason I like this translation is how it makes binding and loosing much clearer. Binding and loosing is the governmental function of the Ekklesia. Doing so “in heaven” speaks of the spiritual realm, spiritual authority and spiritual warfare. Binding or loosing “on earth” is a governmental function carried out physically in the natural realm which is made possible because it was first authorized in heaven. What we bind or loose on earth shall be, because it was first done in heaven.

Things That Short-circuit The Plan
  Most Christians fail to realize their spiritual authority. This failure is usually due to lack of knowledge, misinformation, fear or doubt. But many, who do understand something of spiritual authority often fail to understand that spiritual authority translates to authority on earth as well. A functioning Ekklesia has both! After all, didn’t Jesus say: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. [You] Go therefore and make disciples of the nations…” (see Matt 28:18-19 emphasis added).

  From this we can see that the modern idea of separation of church and state is not biblical and has been a big roadblock to a functioning Ekklesia. It was and is a plan of Satan to neutralize the authority of the Ekklesia on earth and keep us from engaging civil government. Even among those of us who recognize it as false, it still affects us to some degree because the “separation mentality” is deeply ingrained in our minds and in the culture.

  Some have disengaged from earthly government simply looking for Jesus to return and end this war Himself. Others are hoping for some element of earthly government to rise up and “fix things.” Both will eventually happen, probably in a way that will surprise us all. But I am quite sure that neither will happen unless we discover God’s plan of action and engage it. Consider these two points:

1. an engaged Ekklesia is God’s method of producing good earthly governments; and
2. an engaged Ekklesia is God’s method of preparing the way for Jesus’ return and establishing His Kingdom Government on earth.

  We must continue to battle the separation mentality with all its residue. Realizing the two-fold role of the Ekklesia (heavenly and earthly authority) is foundational for establishing a new Kingdom paradigm. Much more could be said about these two roles of an engaged Ekklesia, but it should be pointed out that they are not mutually exclusive. They must work together because the former paves the way for the latter. As someone once said: “We can’t do this without God, and God won’t do this without us.”

What Will the Organization Look Like?
  There is no short answer for this question, but a brief explanation of the proposed organization is needed at this point.

Decentralization
  Decentralization is a biblically foundational concept that is good for civil government as well as for the body of Christ. The New Covenant itself is a massive decentralization, which placed the office of the priesthood in the heart of every believer. Therefore Ekklesia Engaged (EE) will be built on a decentralized small group model with a focus on influencing local civic leadership, such as school boards, city councils, and county offices, etc.

Common Vision
  Decentralization is a biblically foundational concept that is good for civil government as well as for the body of Christ. The New Covenant itself is a massive decentralization, which placed the office of the priesthood in the heart of every believer. Therefore Ekklesia Engaged (EE) will be built on a decentralized small group model with a focus on influencing local civic leadership, such as school boards, city councils, and county offices, etc.

  Decentralization and common vision are both essential for a true grassroots movement and that is what we are building. With decentralization and common vision in mind as general concepts, here is an abstract description of Ekklesia Engaged.

A network of like-minded discipleship groups restoring biblical foundations in our nation by engaging civic leadership at the local level.

  From the description above, I want to emphasize “focus on being disciples of Jesus Christ.” Our attempts to be salt and light in the culture, to reform government, etc., is completely futile unless we are walking in the will of God and according to foundational biblical doctrines. We have doctrines that have undermined our foundations and neutralized our mission. Correcting this is a big part of the awakening or paradigm shift that is needed.

  Time for Action
  Many are sensing a stirring and are willing to take action, but don’t know what to do. Ekklesia Engaged will address this lack of direction by providing a template for action that is practical and reproducible. Though all the details of practical implementation are never clear up front, one thing is perfectly clear: We Must Engage! As we engage, we can rest assured that the Ekklesia will be built. This assurance comes directly from the words of Jesus Who said, “I will build My Ekklesia.” He will get it done as we walk by faith.

  This letter is only an introduction, but if it has stirred your interest, I invite you to subscribe to the email list using the contact form on this website and we will keep you updated on developing details. There will be online meetings where we will explain more and begin to build a new paradigm organization on a biblical foundation.

I hope to hear from you soon!

  For the Kingdom,

  Brad Sherman