Authority

 "Jesus came and told His disciples, 'I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth." Matthew 28:18..."And I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy." Luke 10:19

There are few subjects in the Bible more misused, misinterpreted, or simply not known by the church than the authority of the believer. Where it has been taught, it has often been presented as a means of getting the result we desire in prayer by a means some have called, "name it and claim it." Those who promote this don't seem to ever see the great amount of flesh and selfishness that can be involved in it. It certainly twists the meaning of Christ's words as in context, He meant the authority to be used in the advancing of His Kingdom, and most especially, advancing against the kingdom of darkness. Selfish desire, or even the achieving of good intentioned desire was not the thrust of it.

More than the flawed teaching on authority is the lack of teaching and understanding of the believers authority within the church as a whole. I have not heard many sermons on it, or mention of it in the many prayer gatherings I've been involved in. Perhaps this is due to the lack of teaching and preaching on the subject of hell and the demonic power of the devil. It's not so much because there has been an outright denial of their existence, though some do, but that we have somehow come to believe that their power is not to the degree once thought. In short, they're there, but they're not that great of a threat, and sin is not that great of a problem. We choose to concentrate on the Father, the Son, and sometimes, the Holy Spirit. I say sometimes because in many churches, the Person of the Holy Spirit is rarely mentioned, let alone His ministry to the church. I agree, we can never elevate the activity of the enemy and his ways above the character, activity, and ways of our 3 in 1 God, but it was with wisdom that Peter advised us to not be ignorant of the ways of the enemy. That he constantly seeks ways and means to destroy His church and His people.We need to know and recognize this activity and this spirit, and we need to know the power we have to use against him. We need to know and walk in the authority that we have in Christ. Jesus stated flatly in His trial before Pilate that neither Pilate, or the empire he represented, had any power over Him. Neither has the enemy, and all the various means he uses to come against us, have any power over us. The authority that Christ walked and ministered in has been, by His own words, given to us. Not for the advance of our personal kingdoms and wishes, but for His. Always for His.

Right now, I think much of the church is feeling victimized. We have seen the havoc that has been visited upon our families through things like Covid, political and social turmoil, and the pervasive fear that so many are living in and under. We need to know, to have an awakening to the reality of who we are in Christ. Jesus went on to say in Luke 10 that He has given us authority and power to tread upon snakes and scorpions and not be harmed. The "snakes and scorpions" of the enemy are everywhere in our culture and have invaded our homes, our marriages, our children, our lives. We are not helpless against them. His Word tells us that they have been put under His feet, and as we are His Body, than under ours as well. Satan and His kingdom have been conquered. He may, as a friend of mine said, refuse to admit that, but he is defeated. He fights on, but it is a hopeless fight when he is pitted against a people who know who they are in Him, and the power He has given them....given us. All he can hope for is that we remain ignorant of that, and so leave ourselves open for his attacks.

There is one more point I must make here. If it is not our ignorance that keeps us from living in His authority, then it is very often our own refusal to submit to authority. We are living in a rebellious, lawless culture. There is a growing refusal to submit to any kind of authority. It has permeated the church. The church is filled with "wanderers." These are folks who have become disaffected at one church and left to find another. At root, so often, is a clash with and refusal to submit to the spiritual authorities of their previous church's leadership. Sometimes people do need to leave a church, particularly if it is led by those who abuse their spiritual authority, but I have rarely seen this to be the case. Most often they simply don't like what the leadership is doing because it isn't what they want to be done, whether the rest of the fellowship believes it is or not. For those who rebel against authority in this way, there can be no possibility of them walking in His authority. He doesn't honor rebels.

In what and where do you walk today? In shadowy ignorance, or in the realization of who you are in Him, in the power and authority of Christ and His Holy Spirit? Do you walk and live in submission, not slavish submission, but yielded to the spiritual authorities that are in place over you....or are you in rebellion? God has established a line of authority, and when we live under it, we are powerful in Him. All authority has been given us. Let us walk in it.

Blessings,

Pastor O