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God has a government in the universe, and there is also a government in the church—Rev. 4:2; 5:6; Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5:
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God desires to execute His government in the universe through the church—Eph. 1:10, 22-23.
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Among the children of Israel there was a situation full of God’s government and administration; the coordination and building in Exodus and Numbers were under God’s administration and government.
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The divine government among God’s people is a theocracy—Rev. 4:2; 5:6:
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Theocracy is government by God according to what He is—Psa. 89:14.
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God’s administration among the children of Israel was a theocracy, meaning that God Himself came to govern, to rule, to administrate, the people directly yet through some agents; the agents were the priests and the elders working together for God’s theocracy—Deut. 1:9-18.
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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—Exo. 28:30; Lev. 8:8; Num. 27:21; Deut. 33:8.
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God’s government in the administration of the church is neither autocracy nor democracy; autocracy is a kind of dictatorship, and democracy is government by the people according to the opinion of the people—Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5:
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In the church life we honor God’s authority as our government; thus, the government in the church is a theocracy—Eph. 1:10, 22-23; Col. 2:19.
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Today God’s rule is based on the Bible outside of us and on the Holy Spirit within us—2 Tim. 3:16-17; Rom. 8:5, 14.
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When the elders follow the Holy Spirit in discussing matters, there is neither an autocracy nor a democracy but a theocracy, the rule of God.
Morning Nourishment
Rev. 4:2 Immediately I was in spirit; and behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and upon the throne there was One sitting.5:6 And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders a Lamb standing as having just been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Because the church has been degraded, whenever the word government or administration is mentioned, some begin to wonder immediately if this is Roman Catholicism. For this reason, among most Protestant Christians, and particularly among the more spiritual ones, there is a common concept that it is better to have no government and no administration than to have one. To them, as long as you understand that the church is the Body of Christ and the house of God, it is good enough….As long as others are helped to have the life of God and to walk before the Lord, everything is all right. To them, there is no need to have anything like government. But, brothers and sisters, we are not more wise than God. In the universe there is such a thing as the government of God and the administration of God. This is something ordained by God, and we cannot neglect it. (CWWL, 1960, vol. 2, “The Elders’ Management of the Church,” pp. 134-135)
Today’s Reading
In the Bible the kingdom is a matter of government. The kingdom of God is the government of God. It is also the administration of God. Today the universe is in disorder because God’s government has not been honored. The elders should not only see that in the universe there is God’s salvation, God’s church, and God’s house; they must further see that in the universe there is God’s government and God’s administration. God is not a God of confusion. He is not a God without principle and rule. God is a God with principles, rules, order, and discipline. For this reason God must establish His administration and government in the universe.Every book of the Bible shows God’s government and administration. Consider the story of the Israelites leaving Egypt to pass through the wilderness to enter Canaan. Whether in the book of Exodus or in Numbers, we can see a very tightly knit coordination and building. This coordination and building is fully under God’s government and administration. Among the Israelites, there was a situation full of God’s government and administration. God did not let one thing get by loosely….Everything great or small was under God’s government and administration. Even minute details concerning the manner in which to wash themselves, the way to wash their clothes, and the way to shave their beards were not left to the choice of the Israelites. This was the Old Testament. Does this mean then that in the church God has no more government and administration? This cannot be true. In the New Testament every aspect of God’s dealing with the church is under His government and administration. When the New Testament mentions the church, on the one hand, there are words full of life and the Spirit. On the other hand, there are also words full of government and administration.
In order to manage a church properly, an elder has to know that God desires to execute His government in the universe through the church. The church is definitely not a place without government and administration….You can read about the government of the church in the book of Romans. You can also read about the government of the church in the Epistles to the Corinthians. You can even read about the government of the church in Ephesians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus. There is hardly a book among the New Testament Epistles that does not touch the government of the church. (CWWL, 1960, vol. 2, “The Elders’ Management of the Church,” pp. 135-136)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1960, vol. 2, “The Elders’ Management of the Church,” ch. 1