We are told in II Corinthians 3:17, "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." This is one of the great distinctions between the kingdom of God and the domain of the devil. The devil seeks increasing control and dominance over his subjects, while the Lord sets His people free. Everywhere that the Word of the Lord goes forth, increasing liberty will always be a result.

Freedom is one of the greatest benefits of the kingdom and must never be taken for granted....

There are many forms of democracy. If there is a form of democracy that takes its place in the kingdom of God, we can expect it to be much more brilliant than any form that we have now. Even so, the basic premise that the Lord wants our participation in His government is right. Now what about communism?

Like democracy, what is called "communism" has many forms, but overall it resulted in probably the most cruel, oppressive, and unworkable form of government ever devised by men. It simply will not work well with fallen mankind, whose nature is...

Last week we discussed briefly the attitude toward authority that the Lord will bless. To a large degree, King David and his extraordinary and unique ability to touch the heart of God was the product of King Saul. It was mostly Saul's persecution and unrighteous treatment of David that helped fashion him into one of such remarkable character and grace.

The same will be true in the lives of those the Lord is preparing for significant authority—they will have significant tests to pass. How they relate to authority is the most basic test and one that must be...

Man exists for God. Government exists for man, and this includes the government of God. Government is the servant, not the master. Because fallen man is basically selfish and self-centered, stronger government is needed to keep order and provide justice in this fallen world. No earthly government has been perfect at this, or will be. Most governments degenerate into using people for their own interests rather than serving the interests of their people, and this includes church governments. This is when governments fall and begin to fail in their basic purpose.

As mankind is restored to the image...

Last week we covered a number of practical issues concerning the kingdom of God, especially how elders or anyone given authority in the church need to be given specific authority, not general authority. Those appointed need to know their sphere of authority and stay within it or there will be an open door for confusion and division.

Even so, the government of God is intended to be both free and flexible. To have specific authority and to be free and flexible may seem like contradictory concepts, but only when we build more on the form than on people....