Governing the Affairs of Men

Subject: Governing the Affairs of Men Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:00 pm

Governing the Affairs of Men
By Jonas Clark

Is the Gospel of the Kingdom of God political? What is politics really?

Every born again believer has a governing spiritual nature. That’s because you have the nature of Christ in you. When Jesus ascended into heaven he gave five gifts to His Church. We call these five-fold ascension gifts apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. These gifts were given by the apostle and founder of the Church. Through these gifts the Holy Spirit equips and empowers God’s mighty warriors to invade, occupy and influence the world for Christ. Contrast that to the lukewarm, apathetic and diluted model of withdrawing, avoiding, coping and escaping the world. The nature of the Church of Christ is like its founder: build, restore and govern. These three words provide definition for us and by them we under-stand a measure of our purpose in life and ministry. When Jesus said He would build His Church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it He was speaking of the battle of one government against another or, said another way, the kingdom of darkness battling against the reconstitution of the Kingdom of God on the earth through the Church of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:10). As citizens of the Kingdom of God you and I are part of the restitution of all things and participants of the most profound revolution of all time (2 Corinthians 5:18 ).

At salvation you became a member of Christ’s revolution of righteousness. When you were saved, you repented of your sins, asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior and turned from your wicked ways. You were also supernaturally translated from one government to another. In this new government you will discover a different way of thinking and living. When you were translated out of darkness you were born again and became a new creature in Christ Jesus. Not a saved Adam,
but a new creature in the last Adam, Christ. You were moved out of darkness into the Kingdom of Christ. As a born again believer you are now a citizen of a different government, the Kingdom of Christ. Now things are going to get really exciting for you.

Estimates say there are over two billion living citizens in the Kingdom of God. After salvation and the spiritual change of government, however, please take note that you’re still on the earth. Now it’s time to wake up and understand what you are involved in. Things are going to be quite different than they used to be. You are in the same world but with two different kingdoms battling for dominion. The war for dominion is all around you. It is in every part of life and there is no escaping it. Now, ready or not, you are partakers of the divine nature and agenda of your king. Your king, Jesus the Christ, is the King of a government, His government. That government of the Kingdom is right here on the earth warring against the kingdoms of darkness through His body until all things are become subject under the feet of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:28 ). Scripture confirms “this gospel of the Kingdom (not simply the gospel of the cross) shall be preached in all the world as a witness then the end shall come” (Matthew 24:14). I wrote about this in my book “Kingdom Living.” Another Scripture declares that “the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ and He shall reign for ever and for ever” (Revelation 11:15). All of these scriptures point toward a spiritual warfare for dominion that is not finished. Our opposition is not confined to the spiritual realm alone. This needs to be said again and again. Christians must be proactive in their faith. Some have accused Christians of ineffectiveness because they are only willing to pray and not much more. This is sad indeed because effective prayer should empower you to move forward in faith and action, showing yourself to be disciples of Christ. If this prayer apathy is true then this must be overcome by every believer. Again, the success of spiritual warfare should be visible in the natural. When we win the war of kingdoms, shared Christian values for example, we get involved in governing within the affairs of men. Until our involvement as salt, light and Kingdom’ representatives the wicked will continue to rule over us. Is that what you want for your children and grandchildren?

POLITICS AND THE CHRISTIAN’S GOVERNING NATURE
One day I received and email saying, “Jonas, just preach the Gospel and stay out of politics.” You may receive suggestions like this too from well meaning friends and family. This was an interesting proposal that prompted many questions in my mind. What is politics, for example? Should believers stay out? Let’s examine the e-mailer’s recommendation a bit more.

To essay his suggestion we need to pull together a definition of politics. Politics is not just voting in local or national elections for a particular party candidate whether Democrat or Republican. The definition of politics is this: Governing the affairs of men. Everyone should take a moment to digest that definition.

The word politics is often used interchangeably with Local, State or Federal Governments. That is a mistake because politics is not limited to those arenas. Politics, governing the affairs of men, is practiced in corporations, in the church, family or any organization of men working toward a common purpose. If politics is “governing the affairs of men” then how can a citizen of the Kingdom of God avoid the political realm? The answer is they can not. Politics is integral within the Gospel of Christ. This definition therefore has only one conclusion for the born again citizen of the Kingdom of God. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a political gospel. You cannot separate, for example, the Gospel of Christ from governing within the affairs of men.

Not only is the Gospel a political force, Christ has a Kingdom and a Church. Within that Church resides His government, laws, Spirit and citizen representatives. The Church is the seat of governing authority in the earth (Genesis 28:17). When you attend the right one you can get equipped and empowered to advance the Gospel of the Kingdom. The Church that Christ is building cannot be defeated. Kingdoms have come and gone throughout history but the Church of Christ still remains.

DIVISION OF GOVERNMENT: AUTHORITY AND POWER
In the Republic the United States Constitution divides authority and power through the various branches of government the executive, legislative and judicial. Those elected as political leaders are delegated certain powers and given authority to exercise the rule of law dictated within the Constitution. In the Kingdom of God, however, the Word of God is the rule of law. Unlike the government of the United States the citizens of the Kingdom of Christ cannot elect their leader. Their leader is Christ and he cannot be exchanged for another even by unanimous vote. He is the founder and King. He is also the Sovereign One. As citizens of the Kingdom of God they can, however, share in His delegated political power (governing in the affairs of men) and use His delegated authority as spelled out in His Word. Jesus said, for example, “I give unto you authority…” (Luke 10:19) and “whatever you bind on earth is bound in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).

In free nations the population consents to be governed by their free wills and confidence in their elected officials. Any other way would be through slavery. It’s the same within the Kingdom of Christ. The citizens of the Kingdom of God, those new creatures, must choose to submit to be governed by their free wills. When they do the blessings of the covenant are manifest. If they do not, whether through ignorance in the Word of God or outright rebellion the blessings of the covenant are withheld.

The Gospel of the Kingdom is given, and, by virtue of its design, governs within the affairs of men because it consist of two basic elements, authority and power. The laws of God were given to help guide our lives into righteousness, keep us out of danger and given that we might fulfill God’s mandate to be productive, increase, subdue and have dominion ( Genesis 1:27). Because serving God is voluntary it is possible to break His laws and thus suffer the consequences. When the laws of God are violated, for example, the law is still in play – whether you agree with the Word of God or not – as one reaps what he sows. Therefore the law of God will perform that which it is sent to do. So whether the ruled submit or rebel the law still produces consequences.

Our modern society is experiencing a rise of rebellion against God and His law. The socialistic agenda for instance denies the need of a Savior and believes in the progressive enlightenment through knowledge that creates the utopian man. Ignoring God and His Word does not make His Word of no effect. If we keep His Word, we are blessed. If we break it, we suffer the results. Our nation is reaping the effects of ignoring God’s wisdom as they continue to embrace an agenda of secularization.

All of this leads me to my point. The Gospel of the Kingdom is a political gospel. It governs the affairs of men. There is no escaping it. Our God is the Sovereign. His laws were given for our protection and happiness. When we hear the term “separation of Church and State” that in no way means a lack of involvement by Christians in governing the affairs of men. So when people suggest that you stay out of politics remember that Jehovah has an expectation of His sons and daughters. In fact Scripture declares that the world is waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God. As the world free falls into an abyss of confusion and chaos they will finally turn to God and look for leadership. That leadership will come through Christ’s Church and through His people. In your born again nature is the ability to govern. Get busy influencing your world today.