INVOLVED IN GOVERNMENT

"' that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God
should be made known '" (v.10)Ephesians 3:1-13.

Today we ask: What does it mean when we say that God is sovereign?
Sovereignty simply means to possess supreme power. What we have to be
careful about when we talk of the sovereignty of God is that we do
not fall for the idea (as some have) that this is God's greatest
attribute; His greatest attribute is love. And because He is love
this means (so I believe) that He delights to have His redeemed
children become involved with Him in bringing His purposes to pass.
Anyone who writes on the subject of revival has to come to a point
where these two great and important truths - the sovereignty of God
and the involvement of man - have to be harmonised. I am at that
point right now. A way of thinking about this issue which has always
satisfied me is to see these two thoughts like two rails that run
from one end of the Scriptures to the other. One rail is the
sovereignty of God and the other, the involvement of man. If you try
to keep to only one rail you finish up being derailed. Those who
focus only on the sovereignty of God inevitably result in minimising
the responsibility of man. And those who focus only on the
responsibility of man end up minimising the sovereignty of God. When
we move along both rails, making sure that we do not place a
disproportionate emphasis on either truth, then we are more likely to
arrive at sound judgements and correct conclusions. God is sovereign
but He is also a loving Sovereign and by virtue of this fact delights
to involve His people in the affairs of government.
PRAYER:
Gracious and loving Father, how can we Your Church sufficiently thank
You for the fact that You love us enough to involve us in Your
government? Help us to see that we are there not because we deserve
it, but because You desire it. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
Acts 12:1-19; Luke 1:10; Acts 1:14; 4:24
1. What was the result of corporate prayer?
2. How did the believers respond to Peter's appearance?