Isaiah 9:6-7 "The government shall be upon His shoulders and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace, And of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end,"
Notice the order here: first government, then peace.
God is a god of order: “Let all things be done decently and in order.” “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace” (1Cor 14:40,33) The opposite to order is disorder; disarray and confusion.
The function of human government, as instituted by God, is to: protect, punish and promote, for the greater welfare of the community. 1Cor 12:28 “God has set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments...”
When Godly authority becomes visible, it becomes desirable. Organizations with godly rules, principles, and policies create harmony and peace - in the home, the church, and the nation. “But I want you to know that the head of everyman is Christ, the head of the woman is man and the head of Christ is God.” (1 Cor 11:3) Stressing equality and responsibility is the key to mutual submission and working things out. (Eph 5:21)
Parents need to teach their children to obey Gods Word and to honor and respect those in authority. (Eph 6:1-3) Children can become evasive and deceptive if they are not confronted when they misbehave. Some parents protect their children when they should be correcting them. Discipline is essential! Strong judgement came upon Eli’s house, “Because his sons made themselves vile and he did not restrain (discipline) them.” (1Sam 3:13)
God always has a perfect balance between mercy and discipline, between the individual and the community. One rebellious person can infect and affect a family or a whole church. Real love will discipline the one to protect the many.
Paul asked the Corinthians, “What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?” (1 Cor 4:21) In effect Paul was saying, “Your behavior will determine my leadership style.”
The church and society have gone to the extreme on the feminine side of love - mercy and forgiveness; to the exclusion of the demands of a father for discipline - order, peace and productivity.
One of the principles of great faith is the understanding and acceptance of God’s governance. The centurion in Matthew 8 understood authority and expected it to work in a certain way - and it did! Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.”
The bottom line is that the more the government of God increases in our personal lives, our homes, our churches, and throughout our Victory movement – the more the peace of God will reign in our lives!
Yours for the increase of Gods Government and Peace!
Dr George Hill
Apostolic Founder and President of Victory Churches International
