God desires to execute His government in the universe through the church; the divine government among God’s people is not democracy or autocracy but theocracy, God Himself ruling and reigning through some agents.
This is how God ordained things, and even if we don’t agree with the way God runs things, we cannot but say Amen to His arrangement.
Our God is the One who rules and reigns; He has a government in the universe, and there’s also a government in the church.
When we think about the church, we may not readily think of the government in the church but rather of the grace, life, peace, and love we enjoy together with the Lord and with the saints.
However, God’s system of government goes in parallel with His system of grace, and as we enjoy God’s grace, we are brought under Him as our Lord and God.
Our God is still governing and administrating in this age according to His economy; He governs and administrates in the church, and judgement begins from His own house.
His desire is to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him (Eph. 1:10); for this, we as His people need to take the lead to be headed up in Christ, giving Him the preeminence and taking Him as the Head.
The entire situation on earth and even in the universe is a “universal heap of collapse”, for the rebellion of Satan coupled with the fall of man has brought in a universal collapse and rebellion against God.
But we, those regenerated by the Lord, are taking the lead to not only come back to God and enjoy Him as our life, but also to be headed up in Christ.
The history of the children of Israel shows us how our experience of Christ is today, and the fact that among them there was a situation full of God’s government and administration shows that in the church God has a government and administration.
We should not be afraid to touch this matter and to be before the Lord concerning this; rather, we should be delivered from the degradation of the church and we should be freed from any religious thought concerning “leadership in the church” or “hierarchy in the church” and be brought back to God’s revelation in His word.
God’s intention is to execute His government in this universe through the church; He first heads up a group of people – the church – and then through the church He heads up all things in the universe in Christ.
Seeing that the Divine Government among God’s People is not a Democracy but a Theocracy
In Deut. 1:9-11, right at the beginning of the book, we see that among the children of Israel there was a situation full of God’s government and administration.
Moses realized he can’t bear the burden of judging the people of Israel by himself, so they set men that are wise and made them leaders over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens of people.
This is not a hierarchy but rather, the thought of government is here; the coordination and building in both Exodus and Numbers were under God’s administration and government, and here we see how God governed among His people.
God wants His people to be governed in an orderly and proper way; for this, He set up judges, priests, leaders, and Moses, for judgement is God’s.
There is judgement, because there is government; this is a very important thought.
The divine government among God’s people is not autocracy (which is a form of dictatorship) or democracy (which is the voice of the people and their decision) but theocracy (government by God according to what He is).
The divine government among us today in the church life is a theocracy (Rev. 4:2; 5:6); theocracy means that God governs among us according to what He is (Psa. 89:14).
We don’t have democracy in the church; here we don’t practice “one man – one vote”, neither do we practice democracy – such a thing is Laodicea, where the people’s opinions rule. In the church life God rules!
God’s administration among the children of Israel was a theocracy, which means that God Himself came to govern, to rule, to administrate, the people directly – yet through some agents (Deut. 1:9-18).
These agents were the priests and the elders working together for God’s theocracy.
The priests received the word from God, they had God’s judgements, and they passed these on to the elders to execute that judgement among God’s people; the elders depended on the others to help them accomplish that.
The theocracy among the children of Israel was a government according to God’s constant speaking (as written in the law) and God’s instant speaking (through the breastplate of the high priest by means of the Urim and the Thummim) – see Exo. 28:30; Lev. 8:8; Num. 27:21; Deut. 33:8.
On one hand there was the law, the constitution for the land of Israel, with the ordinances; on the other hand they had God’s speaking through the breastplate of the high priest.
Complicated cases were investigated by the priest (Deut. 17:8-9); first the priest investigated the case by going to God, staying with God, and in God’s presence he would consider God’s holy word.
Then, the Levitical priests had the breastplate with the Urim and the Thummim, which provided instant enlightenment (Deut. 33:8).
In this way, the priests had both the presence of God, the word of God, and the instant speaking of God, and they would gain a clear understanding of the divine judgement and then pass it on to the presiding judge.
The judge would then make a judgement according to what the priest had received of God and passed on to him.
The judgement came through man as the agent, but it was of God and according to God; this is a matter of theocracy.
This is how God ruled and administrated among His people in the Old Testament, and this is how He does it among us in the church life in principle today.
Lord Jesus, we acknowledge Your supreme rule and authority in the church. We acknowledge that in the church there’s no democracy or autocracy but theocracy, God governing among us according to what He is. Thank You Lord for being the One who rules and reigns among us through some people whom You have set over us to oversee. Amen, Lord, we want to stay under Your rule, refer everything to You as the supreme authority, and not be presumptuous in our speaking or words. Open our eyes to see God’s government in the church, the divine rule, the theocracy!
God’s Government in the Church is a Theocracy – God Rules based on the Bible and the Holy Spirit
God’s government in the administration of the church is neither autocracy nor democracy but a theocracy (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5).
Autocracy is a kind of dictatorship, for one man rules over all and imposes his own will and desire over the others; democracy is government by the people according to the opinion of the people.
Our country may have a democratic system or an autocratic system, but in the church life as the divine kingdom there’s no place for autocracy or democracy – here we have only theocracy!
So the “agents” used by God to exercise His judgement are very important; in the Old Testament we see the priests and the judges with the elders, and in the New Testament we see the priest and the elders – actually, the elders are priests, and all saints also are priests.
In the church life we honor God’s authority as our government; the government in the church is a theocracy (Eph. 1:10, 22-23; Col. 2:19).
The elders are the leading priests; we all are priests, but some “complicated cases” need to be brought to the elders for their fellowship.
The way God rules and reigns among us in the church life is first by His holy word – the Bible – and second by the Holy Spirit with our spirit.
Today we have the reality of the law – which is the Bible, the written word of God, and the reality of the breastplate – the mingled spirit with Christ and the church.
As we remain in the Lord’s presence with the word and the mingled spirit for the church, we receive an understanding that is according to God’s thought, and we see things clearly.
The elders especially need to remain in the Lord’s presence, be in the word of God and in the mingled spirit, and fellowship with their fellow elders to receive an understanding according to God’s thought; then they can come to a decision, which is a kind of judgement.
This is how the elders should then administrate, according to this divine judgement.
Today God’s rule in the church is based on the Bible outside of us and on the Holy Spirit inside of us (2 Tim. 3:16-17; Rom. 8:5, 14).
On one hand we have the Bible, which needs to be read and prayed over by us to gain an understanding and obtain spiritual wisdom.
On the other hand we have the Holy Spirit within us; we need to exercise our spirit to be one with the Lord as the Spirit, and we need to have the sense of the Spirit in us.
In the New Testament the teaching of the apostles (Acts 2:42) replaces the law in God’s administration, and the elders in the churches (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5) are the direct administrators, who administrate according to the teaching of the apostles (1 Tim. 3:2; 5:17).
Also, we as believers in Christ are all priests to God (1 Pet. 2:5; Rev. 1:6), and we have Christ as the High Priest living within us (Heb. 8:1; Rom. 8:10) and having the Holy Spirit mingled with our regenerated human spirit (Rom. 8:16) to have God’s instant speaking and leading (replacing the Urim and the Thummim).
May we exercise to be in the word of God daily in a living way, and may we exercise our spirit mingled with the divine Spirit to have the Lord’s instant leading and also His judgements, so that we may be ruled by God inwardly and we may recognize His deputy authority in the church.
Thank You Lord Jesus for making us priests to God having Christ as the High Priest living within us and having the Holy Spirit mingled with our regenerated human spirit! Hallelujah, today God rules and governs in the church not in an outward way but inwardly by the Bible – the word of God – and by the inner speaking and leading of the Spirit with our spirit. Lord, we want to abide in Your word to be filled with Your thoughts, desires, intentions, and principles. We want to live in the mingled spirit, one spirit with You, so that we may have the instant leading of the Spirit. Amen, Lord Jesus!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by bro. Minoru Chen for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Deuteronomy, msg. 17 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Deuteronomy, week 11, Aspects of the Church Life under the Government of God.
- Hymns on this topic:
– Upon the throne, the center / Of government divine, / God reigns, and with His purpose / Brings everything in line. / God’s headship and His lordship / He only can maintain / As King within His kingdom, / O’er everything to reign. (Hymns #941)
– I would inhale Thee, Lord, e’en as I breathe, / And eat and drink Thee as my life supply. / A deeper fellowship with Thee bequeath / That Thou express Thyself through me thereby. (Hymns #764)
– Laboring on Jesus this practical way— / Praying His Word in the spirit each day, / Foll’wing His living anointing within, / Built up with others, the church life to win. (Hymns #1168)
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