Be Restored in Your Spiritual Authority- Part II

From part I of this discussion, spiritual authority is the legal ground to exercise spiritual power.  We learnt that spiritual authority is inherent in our restored relationship with the Father through Christ, since all who believe are made Sons of God (John 1:12).  Righteousness is key in exercising spiritual authority and this is attained only in Christ, as believers surrender their lives to life long sanctification.

Also noteworthy from the previous discussion is that Christ commissioned us and gave us the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 16:19; 28:18-20), to open doors for the blind to see, the lame to walk, the oppressed to be liberated and the sick to be healed.  The exercise of authority requires a believer to live by faith, firstly through seeking to know God through the revelation of His Word; moment-by-moment focusing on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; and spending time in the secret place of prayer.

A pertinent example in exercise of spiritual authority is the police man who standing on the road side, is able to flag down cars and the driver stops to listen to authority.  The police man may be the ordinary man in your neighbourhood, perhaps with a physically weaker stature than many people in his hood.  However, whenever he puts on his police uniform and walks out of his house, he is able to exercise the authority conferred to him by his enlisting authority.  Similarly, believers are commanded to clothe themselves with the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 13:14).  This instruction is given in the context of living in the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

Believers are to always be dressed for duty, with the full the Armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).  We are to sleep in the Armour, and go on vacation in the Armour, and to the mall in the Armour, and for work trips in the Armour.  Like the policeman, we are to exercise our authority wherever and whenever God leads us to, in order to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, and to build and plant (Jeremiah 1:10).

Soldiers are trained never to put down or put off their Armour while in the battle field.  My mother, a retired police officer, went for a promotion of rank course in the mid 90s and always came home with exciting and memorable stories.  One of the unforgettable stories that she told me is that when out in the jungle, they used to sleep in their uniform, boots, backpack positioned on their shoulders and each soldier holding on to his/her ammunition.  The body would be so fatigued that all joints and muscles ached, but they were trained not to give in to the lure of comfortable sleep.

On one of those nights when my mum and her fellow soldiers were out in the jungle, the trainers stage managed an attack where they began to fire at the tents where the trainees were sleeping.  Each soldier, as trained, quickly took cover and begun to crawl to his/her designated ditch to take their counter-attack position.  Fire exchanged for a while until they heard the voice of their Commander shouting out for ceasefire.  Each soldier was instructed to stay at their position for inspection and the trainers came by, ditch by ditch, evaluating each soldier.

Sadly, one of the most experienced soldiers in the troop was found to be bare footed.  He had removed his boots at night to take a comfortable nap and when the attack was suddenly staged, he moved out of the tent in haste, not having time to put on his boots.   As harsh as the discipline might seem, the soldier was immediately dismissed from the promotion of rank course.  He was not ready for higher responsibility!

Similarly, believers are in a a 24-7 battle field and we must discipline ourselves to be always clad with the full Armour of God!  Anyone who does otherwise is not fit for exercise of spiritual authority.  Irrespective of number of years in salvation, the principles of God's Word never change.  The command remains: put on the Armour of God!  Like the uniformed traffic policeman on the roadside or the armored soldier on patrol, is your spiritual authority being felt by your family, colleagues, neighbours, and the society at large?

It is without doubt that a soldier's mandate comes with authority.  This authority gives him/her the legal ground to exercise power.  A well trained soldier knows when to exercise certain powers because his/her objective is to accomplish the work entrusted to him/her by the master.   A traffic policeman by the roadside may need a pistol and handcuffs to enforce the law whenever need arises.  A soldier in a banditry stricken land needs more than a pistol to enforce the law in his/her area of jurisdiction; he may need an AK or G3 type of rifle and more sophisticated tools.  Simply, the authority of a soldier is complemented by weapons of power, as circumstances demand.

Spiritual power is endowment of divine strength and ability to a believer by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the Great Commission.  The Gospels are very clear on this Commission, it is not something to be imagined or speculated on, it is expressly articulated in scripture.

Matthew 28:18-20, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Mark 16-15-18, He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” 

Luke 24:45-49, "This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

John 20:21, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 

Following the conferment of authority to the disciples for fulfillment of the Great Commission, Jesus further promised the gift of the Father, the Blessed Holy Spirit.  He sternly instructed the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for divine empowerment (Acts 1:5).  The disciples now fully Commissioned waited in Jerusalem for dunamis (greek word for power used about 120 times in the New Testament).  On the Day of Pentecost (50 days after Passover), the disciples received divine strength and ability to be effective witnesses of Jesus Christ!

Men who had been shy, doubtful and uneducated became dynamites for Jesus!  God's Dunamis was at work in them and through them for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.  The Book of Acts provides a great historical record of the early church moving in spiritual authority and power.  It was not a "fake it till you make it" gimmick.  No!  The ability to perform signs, wonders and miracles was inherent in them by reason of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  God's power was evident in their daily lives.

The apostles in Acts 5, for example, discerned that Ananias and Sapphira had lied to God in bringing in an incomplete offering.  The discernment of spirits is a gift of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:10). Consequently, they exercised their spiritual authority to pronounce judgement on the couple's disobedience.  In Iconium, Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas were speaking effectively, in the authority of Christ, and many believed.  However, a circumstance arose.  Some Jews incited women and men of influence in the city against the two apostles.  For the advancement of God's work amidst the opposition, God confirmed Paul and Barnabas message through miraculous signs and wonders.   Miraculous power is a spiritual gift (1 Corinthians 12:10).

On another dramatic occurrence, Paul was preaching late in the night at Troas, and a man listening to Paul by the name of Eutychus fell from a window on third storey and died. Paul went to where he was lying, threw himself on the dead young man and wrapped his arms around him.  The young man was resurrected and many comforted by God's doing (Acts 20:7-12).  The power that raised Christ from the dead was at work through Paul's life to raise the dead! 

The apostles had certainly received the Gift of the Father (the Holy Spirit)!  Not earned but given freely!  Theirs had only been to tarry in Jerusalem in obedience to Jesus' instruction and wait with expectation for the infilling of the Spirit.  Consequently, the apostles not only lived and ministered in spiritual authority but they were also empowered by the Holy Spirit and operated in gifts of the Spirit.  Are you baptized with the Holy Spirit?  If not, what are you waiting for?  The blue print to receiving the Holy Spirit is in Scripture: desire; ask; wait in expectation; and receive the gift of the Father.

"Authority comes in the Commission.  Power comes in the encounter," by Bill Johnson

However, I need to caution that believers are called to pursue God and not power.  In God, are inexhaustible blessings and gifts (Acts 1:8; Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11; Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Peter 4:10-11).  Our heart's cry needs to be like that of Paul in Philippians 3:10: "I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death."  As we eagerly desire spiritual gifts, we are to pursue a deeper relationship with God, for in so doing we follow the way of love as commanded in 1 Corinthians 14:1.

The late Dr. Myles Munroe in teaching about spiritual authority and power, highlights that they are three symbols of a Kingdom: crown, sensor and sceptor.  Crown represents power; sensor represents influence/ glory and sceptor represents authority.  Psalms 45:6 states, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom." Additionally, David prophesied about the Anointed One in Psalms 110:2 and said, "The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies."

He who has the sceptor (authority) has the other two, crown (power) and sensor (influence).  However, it is possible to have power but no influence or authority.  In Genesis 49, Jacob is recorded blessing His sons.  Regarding Judah, Jacob prophesied, "The scepter will not depart from Judah".  David and Solomon, descendants of Judah, had the scepter to rule over Israel.  In addition, their power and influence is demonstrated in the accounts of scripture.  For example, other kings would temporarily leave their kingdoms to sit at the feet of Solomon and gain wisdom.  This was great influence!   However, it would be misleading to focus on Solomon's power and influence independent of his authority.  When Solomon allowed worldly affairs, including marrying foreign women and allowing worship of their gods, his authority begun to wane.

The late Dr. Myles notes, it is possible to be anointed but not legal. Simply put, some believers who received the gifts of the Spirit during their earlier days in salvation, have allowed their hearts to be corrupted and to grow cold to God and they have thus walked away from the way of righteousness.  Sadly, they continue to minister in the gifts of the Spirit since the gifts and call of God are irrevocable (Romans 11:29).  However, they have little impact in advancing the Kingdom of God because the devil is not afraid of a believer's power but authority (reflect on the story of the ten plagues by Moses).

The more you meditate on scriptures regarding the matter under discussion, the more you realize that often when we live defeated Christian lives and are ineffective in ministry, it is not because of inadequate power but that our legal ground to exercise power is compromised.    For some believers, sin has compromised their legal ground to exercise power.  For others, unbelief while for others, complacency in seeking God in the secret place.  It is no wonder that on the Day of the Lord, some will be crying out to the Lord saying, "Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?  Did we not cast out demons in your name? Did we not perform many miracles?"  Matthew 7:23 states that Jesus will painly say to them, "I never knew you.  Away from me, you evildoers." 

Are you born again? Are you a Son of God?  You were created to exercise spiritual authority in Christ Jesus for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.   In your service to the Lord, God has provided divine strength and ability through the Spirit's power, and we see the manifestation of this power through various spiritual gifts.  This blessedness is yours in Christ Jesus!  May God help you and I to be restored to a life of spiritual authority and power. Amen.