The Kingdom of God is where Jesus is King. He is the governing influence over his territory impacting it with His personal will, purpose, and intent, producing a culture of values, morals, and lifestyle that reflect Jesus desires for his citizens. He is the sovereign ruler of His kingdom. (Myles Monroe)
The Kingdom of God is a Theocracy.
A Theocracy is a form of government in which a deity of some type is recognized as the supreme ruling authority, giving divine guidance to human intermediaries that manage the day to day affairs of the government.
The Kingdom of God is His government. Jesus came to establish His government on earth. Isaiah 9:6-7 says this about the Messiah:
For to us a Child shall be born, to us a Son shall be given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. There shall be no end to the increase of His government and of peace, [He shall rule] on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from that time forward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:6-7 AMP
Jesus told Peter in Matthew 16:17-19 that He would build His Church on the fact that He is the Christ, the Messiah and that He is the Son of God, therefore He is God.
Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
When Jesus said that on this rock I will build my church, was He saying to go build a building, come to gather, sing songs about Me, and study the scriptures? There is nothing wrong with this, but that’s not what Jesus was saying.
The confusion comes from the improper use of the word church in the translation of the Greek word ecclesia. The Greek word for church is “kuriakos” which means “pertaining to the lord. Something that “pertains to, or belongs to, a lord.
Ecclesia refers to a political assembly much like the cabinet a president appoints. Cabinets are typically the presidents appointed men and women responsible for the day-to-day management of the government and response to sudden events.
Jesus was saying that He was going to put His cabinet in place to manage His Kingdom government on earth. It will be composed of those that have the revelation that He is the Sovereign Lord and are willing to obey His commands, using His authority to advance His kingdom on earth within their sphere of authority. When this happens the gates of hell won’t prevail against His kingdom government.
Discuss and explore the following key aspects:
Using what we learned this morning about God’s kingdom being a Theocracy and your understanding of Kingdom:
- How does the Kingdom relate to the Garden of Eden, God’s initial plan, and the consequences of the disobedience?
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion (to rule, have dominion, dominate, and tread down) over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1: 26-27
- As Jesus followers, what are our roles in the Kingdom on earth today as citizens, business owners, ambassadors, friends, Co-Managers, others.
- Using the definition of a Theocracy, Psalm 8:3-6 and Psalm115:16, identify Key Kingdom Concepts of domain, ownership, rights, wealth, power, and more.
Psalms 8: 3-6
“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet…”
Psalms 115: 16
“The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s;
But the earth He has given to the children of men.”
- What are the responsibilities of business owners in the Kingdom of God that when practiced will enable them to receive the privileges, and benefits, of a Kingdom business?
Matthew 6: 33-34 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
