Many of you will know that governmental leadership, or administration, is a subject which I frequently teach. I am convinced that we need this gift more than ever before. It has been an aspect of life which is viewed as less spiritual but that doesn’t mean that it cannot be infused with Kingdom purpose, empowered by supernatural thinking, and used to bring heaven to earth and sustain the impact.
Three themes come together in my thinking as I consider the gift of administration in the context of an apostolic move of God: the awareness of God’s power, the experience of God’s presence, and the importance of sonship.
Firstly, it is the need for an awareness of the power of God. A move of God must sustain its dependency on the supernatural power of God. An administrator that does not understand and access the power of God will reduce the move of God to what man can do without God. This is the routinization of revival. So many themes are connected here, including mystery, divine order, tension and the realization that there is always more. You can find out more about these and other subjects in my teaching series ‘Mastering Kingdom Administration.’
Secondly, it is the experience of the presence of God. It is in the presence that we can often gain an understanding of the value which God has for the work of our hands. I draw great encouragement from Moses here. He experienced the presence and from that place was commissioned to build a house for God. The tabernacle didn’t come about by Moses holding his staff and commanding it, but it was through the selection of skilled men and women who used their talents and resources. If an administrator does not experience the presence of God, they will not understand the value that God has for their work.
Finally, it is the experience of sonship. An administrator, manager, CEO or church leader who does not live in the identity of a healthy son of God will eventually turn the empowered culture of an apostolic organisation back to one of control. The son secure in their identity will continually empower their team and workers knowing that only in the culture of freedom and empowerment is their potential for ongoing increase.
The gift of administration is also needed to hold together the fivefold offices. Each of the fivefold offices are like five fingers on a hand – all joined, all connected, and all dependent on one other, connected by the gift of government or administration. They are able to work together and work individually. At other times, I see the gift of administration more like the Commander-in-Chief in the USA. This title is embraced in times of war when the President moves into the command suite and works with the top military representatives. The president is not the expert but is more like the hand, ensuring that each finger plays their part and is connected together for a greater purpose. This is the language of Ephesians 4:16.
We must also see the gift of administration at the highest level in every organisation and move of God. It is not the gift of helps, which is different entirely and would entail clerical tasks often called ‘administrative’. It is a servant gift but a leadership gift too – needed by high-level leaders, managers and directors. Administrators steward the vision and grow the culture. In fact, the highest level of leadership in a nation would be the one who sets the vision, representing the nation as father or mother and recruiting the team to get the nation to the destined vision. This is government, also known as administration.
The apostolic & the gift of government are inseparable. The government of God (Isaiah 9:6-7) is on the shoulders of a son, and he is the truly apostolic one.
