God is in charge!  He rules over the heavens and the earth in absolute sovereignty.  In this post we want to begin examining how He enacts His reign in the lives of His subjects.

In previous posts I have discussed how righteousness, peace, joy, and power are manifested when God is in charge.  The question we now need to ask is how does the Lord extend His reign in the lives of His people so these things can be manifested?  Romans 14:17 provides the answer.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.  ESV (emphasis added)

The Role of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the One who mediates God’s reign in the lives of His loyal subjects.  Dr. Myles Munroe does an excellent job of describing the role of the Holy Spirit in relation to the Kingdom in His book, God’s Big Idea. Dr. Munroe writes:

As Governor of the Kingdom, the Holy Spirit is the official designated representative through whom all information from and about the King and His Kingdom passes to His citizens.  Because He is in Heaven, seated at the right hand of His Father, it is impossible for us to receive an information from Christ, our King, except through the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit is the one who guides us into all truth (see John 16:13), teaches us all things, and reminds us of everything Jesus taught us (see John 14:26).  As long us the Governor is here, the King is here.  As long as the Governor is here, the presence, power, and authority of the King are here.  As long as the Governor is here, the Kingdom of Heaven is present on the Earth. [1]

The Governor General

The nation of Canada, where I live, is a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state.  The Queen, however, does not reside in Canada.  She is across the Pond in Great Britain.  Therefore, an official is appointed to represent her interests here in Canada.  That individual is known as the Governor General.  Having sworn an oath of allegiance to the Queen, the Governor General acts solely on behalf of the Queen, with the full weight of the British Empire behind him or her.  When the Governor General speaks, it is as though the Queen herself has spoken.

The Holy Spirit is the Governor General of the Kingdom of God.  He is here to solely represent the interests of King Jesus.  This is why Jesus said,

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”  John 16:13 ESV

As the Holy Spirit mediates God’s reign in the lives of His loyal subjects, righteousness, peace, joy, and power result.  I will shortly discuss how He does this.  It will be a great help in understanding how to live in the Reign.

M

[1} Myles Munroe, God’s Big Idea, (Shippensburg, Destiny Image Publishers, 2008), 92.