Kathie Costos
July 23, 2023
Why would anyone be offended by the term Christian Witch? The fact is too many are. Is it because they don't understand the Bible they claim to follow? Is it because they avoid what history has to teach them?
It seems that I have offended a lot of people because I am writing things they never heard of in the churches they attend. The problem is, it is all from the same Bible and scriptures not included in the services they attend. After all, reminding people that God did not want a building and Jesus preached outside to a crowd for free doesn't fit the rules they have established for membership in their assembly.
An assembly does not have to be gathered under a roof with a board of directors making all the rules everyone has to abide by. It does not have to include a sum of money everyone must give to the church. It does not have to include a dress code either. It does not ban people they don't like from joining them.
This assembly is open to all. Where the only rules are those laid down by Jesus. This assembly is filled with those filled with gifts from the Holy Spirit to do good in the world. It is based on the assembly Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to along with the famous disciples everyone knows. Few remember that there were 120 men and women gathered together to vote on replacing Judas with Matthias.
It is true that Jesus sent out 12, but He also sent out 72 and they would have been among the 120 but no one knows their names or where they went.
There is what "the people" know and what is unknown to them that becomes the mystery known only to those gifted with the knowledge of such things.
Start with what does Ekklesia mean?
This is from Got Questions:
Kathie Costos author of The Scribe of Salem, The Visionary Of Salem and the 13th Minister Of Salem.
This is from Got Questions:
The word in the New Testament was also used to refer to any assembly of people. In his address to the Sanhedrin, Stephen calls the people of Israel “the assembly [ekklesia] in the wilderness” (Acts 7:38). And in Acts 19:39, ekklesia refers to a convening of citizens to discuss legal matters. However, in most contexts, the word ekklesia is used to refer to the people who comprise the New Testament church.I prefer the Bible Study Tool answer:
It is important that the church today understand the definition of ekklesia. The church needs to see itself as being “called out” by God. If the church wants to make a difference in the world, it must be different from the world. Salt is different from the food it flavors. God has called the church to be separate from sin (1 Peter 1:16), to embrace fellowship with other believers (Acts 2:42), and to be a light to the world (Matthew 5:14). God has graciously called us unto Himself: “‘Come out from them and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you’” (2 Corinthians 6:17).
a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assemblyWhen we hear the word "church" we envision a building but we need to remember that Jesus preached outside. He was not welcomed in the temple because the leaders hated Him. The Pharisees accused Him of working on Satan's side and not God's.
an assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council for the purpose of deliberating the assembly of the Israelites
any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously in a Christian sense
an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting
a company of Christians, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order's sake
those who anywhere, in a city, or village, constitute such a company and are united into one body
the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth
the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven
23 And all the people were amazed and said, “Is not this the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “This fellow doth not cast out devils, except by Beelzebub, the prince of devils.”
25 And Jesus knew their thoughts and said unto them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. (Matthew 12:23-25)
Most of history also points to people using faith and the word Christ or Jesus as a weapon to control the people. The Pharisees did it and so did almost every other "leader" of the faith they claimed to represent. Apparently, the witch trials were just a small manifestation compared to the wars fought, claiming the leaders wanted to spread the "love of Christ" and convert the people they intended to kill before slaughtering them. It made sense to them anyway!
No matter what church people go to, there is so much that is never preached within its walls. The Ministers Of The Mystery Series was my way of preaching what I live.
I chose to make the secret society of the characters Ekklesia Witches because if you know anything about the Bible, the miracle workers were all accused of sorcery and witchcraft. With "proper" Christians claiming that no one can be both Christian and a witch, it appears they have never contemplated the differences between those doing harm and those doing good because of the gifts of their spirit from God.
The funny thing is that my family called me a witch most of my life as a joke. I laughed because part of me agreed with them but they didn't know what I was thinking. Not everyone is "religious" and not everyone attends the same type of church but everyone can be spiritual.
Jesus said "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” Manmade rules have no basis in what was established by the One God sent to teach the people.
If you take those facts, then you'll know why I wrote the Ministers Of The Mystery series. Think about what you know and then wonder what else happened. The Holy Spirit came to the 120 so that they could speak to those they were sent to. We can only imagine where they went and what they did. We can only imagine what the people thought when they encountered these truly spiritually gifted supernatural workers of miracles. We don't have to imagine why people with power over the people feared them and hated them.
Are Ekklesia Witches helping you too? Did you encounter someone you were sure was sent by God to help you after you survived whatever caused #PTSD in you? Please share it to give others hope and a greater understanding of what they need to know so they stop imagining the worst.
