The Gift of Government

I. LABORING FOR THE LORD

A. Our labor for the Lord is not in vain for He will reward us for the work that we do, not for the

results (1 Corinthians 15:58).

B. Giving ourselves to God as a living sacrifice is the smartest thing we can do, because the

Christian life is rich and fulfilling and God rewards us for faithful service at the end.

C. I cannot do the work of God with carnal methods. I must present my body to God for His use and yield to the Holy Spirit's guidance and my labor will not be in vain.

II. GIFT OF GOVERNMENT

https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/smith_chuck/studyguides_spirit/spirit.cfm 18/21

2/22/2019 Study Guide for Holy Spirit by Chuck Smith

A. God anoints and enables individuals to help in the administration and government of the Church (1 Corinthians 12:28, Romans 12:8 "he that ruleth").

B. In many churches the men on the board are not the most spiritual men in the church. When they strive for power, two things happen to them:

1. They seek to perpetuate themselves in power.

2. They seek to extend their power.

C. We must remember that Jesus is the head of the Church. He governs over all and makes the decisions. We are always to be in subservience to Him, even if we are in governing positions.

3. When we rule, people should always know that God is ruling through us.

4. We should be wary of our flesh because it wants to rule over people.

5. Spirit-governed leadership constantly inquires of the Lord and is diligent in its duties.

D. There are always areas where government is necessary in the Church. In the early Church when the apostles needed administrators, they looked for "men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom" (Acts 6:1-6).

E. Natural capacities or education are not as important in Church leaders as is a yielded attitude to the Spirit. An uneducated Spirit filled man can govern better than a man with a doctorate that is not Spirit-filled.

F. We should never shy away from the work God calls us to do (Moses, Jonah, and Jeremiah did for a time) because our ability doesn't count. God just wants people to work through and He can only use us if we allow Him free access to every part of ourselves.