The Kingdom of God Pt. 3: The Imperial Spirit

There are three aspects of Imperialism that are, considered together, unique to the British Empire, and that also, I believe illustrate very well the work of the Holy Spirit in the world today.
• Expansion (Campaign/Crusade)— the growth and expansion of the empire across the world (Acts 1:8 “The uttermost parts of the earth”)

• Colonialization — there is a difference between colonialism and colonization. Colonization includes the taking up residency in the country over which the empire rules. (Eph. 3:17 “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love.”)

• Control — it was important to the British Empire to wield authority and influence in the countries over which it ruled.

Everywhere the British Empire reached it left its mark. In nations all across the world, even today, the mark of Britishness is still observable. British industry, British ideals, British parliament (the mother of parliaments)—all of these marks of the Empire still remain.

It is this “imperialism”—the influence or the marks of the empire that I want us to consider this morning. The Holy Spirit is the “advocate of the Empire” the Kingdom of God. It is He who has been commissioned to take the work of Christ into the hearts of those whom God has chosen and for whom Christ has died and to whom then the Holy Spirit is given as a seal of their conversion. He is the One who makes the Kingdom visible to the world, who brings forth the fruit that grows only in the Kingdom (“the fruit of the Spirit” Galatians 5:20)