Reigning in Righteousness

Romans 5:21, "So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Considering that grace rules over sin, and we have been overcome by grace, when are we going to begin reigning in righteousness?

Can you believe that we still have at least 11 months before America's next election? I don't know about you, but I'm already tired. A couple of years ago, I stopped posting political stuff because I couldn't take it anymore. The truth of the matter is that kind of stuff can dominate your thinking. And if it dominates your thinking, then you will be focused solely on this world.

Do I believe it matters who is President of the United States? Yes, I do.
Do I believe it makes a difference who sits in the seats of the Senate and Congress? Yes, I do.
Do I believe it is important that we have people serving in our federal, state, and local governments that are moral, upright, and fair? Yes, I do.
However, it's not the MOST important thing. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I have a mandate to make disciples of all nations. I am to cover the earth with the glory of God. Unfortunately, too many Christians in America think this Kingdom rises and falls according to what happens in the United States. Or worse, they think the Kingdom stops at our borders.

Have you ever considered that God isn't waiting for the right people to be in office before He ushers in His kingdom? The advancement of God's kingdom has never been determined by who takes the oath of the President, or the laws passed by Congress. What I do in regards to those things is how I operate as a citizen of the United States. Don't get me wrong...these things do affect my life in America. But that's not what I am talking about. I am more concerned about the Kingdom of God.

Instead of waiting for the right federal government, why don't the church begin reigning in righteousness? Through the grace of God given to us we discover that we are a nation within a nation. God has a kingdom of priests all over the world. As far as the world system is concerned, we will go through times of good leadership and bad leadership. We will see moral and righteous people serve in these positions, and then there will be the other types. But we have an authority that has not been passed down by federal legislation. We have the ability to change the world. We have the opportunity to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven and to be the forerunners of a returning Savior.

Think about it: There are some countries in this world where only criminals can plant churches. There are some places across the globe where following Christ means to sign a death warrant. The governments are anti-Christ, the people are anti-Christ, and the religious systems are anti-Christ (which by the way is the spirit that is at work in the world). However, the followers of Christ are still reigning in righteousness. They are establishing the Kingdom of God. Some places these advancements are faster than others. In some places it is larger than others. But the followers of Christ are not waiting for a pro God government. They are following after a Master that has given them life.

You see, when we begin to reign in righteousness, we discover that the best way to affect the culture is to lead people to Jesus. If we want to see morality on the upswing in America, it's not going to be because we have the right elected official. This happens when people get saved and begin living in the righteousness that Christ died to give them. Don't miss this! The best way to change our nation and the rest of the world is by seeing people set free from sin.

The values of the Kingdom of God far outweigh any earthly value system.
If we want to see equality then we must see the kingdom of God touching the lives of ordinary people.
If we want to see freedom in all the nations, then we must see the Kingdom of God setting those imprisoned by sin.
If we want to see abortion decline, marriages succeed, and economic success, then we must see the hearts of men changed by the Kingdom of God.

It's time to reign. We need to stop waiting for heaven and begin seeing heaven invade earth. While I believe that heaven is better than earth, I don't believe that earth is pitiful. Jesus promised us abundant life while we are here. I just believe that I can see the reign of Heaven upon the earth. And His reign begins when the Bride that is in waiting begins to live in her inheritance upon the earth.