“Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?” James 2:20
“And all the crowd sought to touch Him, for power came out from Him and healed them all.” Luke 6:19
“I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 1:18-20
“But as many as received Him, He gave to them authority to be children of God – to those believing in His name.” John 1:12
“And having come to them, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on the earth has been given to Me.” Matthew 28:18
Have you ever wondered how the Lord could use you if you could have the faith of a mustard seed? Think of it: such a small seed with such a great potential. Our God is so powerful and authoritative that He desires to use us in small ways that can make the grandest change in people’s lives. When seeking to make ourselves available to the Lord, we must remember that “It is no longer I that lives but Christ that lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). In our vision of life, we see the smallness of our lives; but in God’s vision, He can see a vast potential of what could be for us. We often think in terms of church growth in the confines of numbers in a building, but God sees so much more.
We need to take another look at the importance of God’s power and authority over the power of our enemy. Understanding the difference helps us understand how God is expanding His kingdom. Power is a gift! Remember, a gift is given without merit, you don’t earn it. The devil, our enemy, has been given power, but he only has authority from what we give him. Miracles in the church are sourced from the power of God. Miracles are when we pray or ask for God to do something where previously there was no substance. An example of this is a person who is missing an eye and is prayed for, and during or right after that, the person instantly receives an eye. Having the power of God is good but it is not enough. The authority of God is stronger and the devil fears His authority. This authority comes from our obedient relationship to God’s purpose and His word. To have an authoritative life, you have to walk closely with the Lord in a personal relationship which will not be shaken by circumstances. Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, and He has made us, who obey and seek His righteousness, to sit in heavenly places. We are then able to walk, having authority in our life, knowing the enemy has no power over us! We can take the things of the devil and rebuke it by the authority of Christ that lives in us.
The body of Christ is the local church and the local church is a family of believers. These family members work privately and publicly in their walk with the Lord to strengthen their faith and authority as believers. Together they move forward with the authority of God to advance the truth of the good news. This good news is simple: we have sinned against God, and Jesus died for us for those sins. People need to know this truth to confess their sins and believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The power of the Holy Spirit will then seal our faith and the authority of Christ will bring salvation.
With authority the church marches to the edge of the abyss to stop as many as possible from falling into the pit of darkness and eternal suffering. Let’s start walking the Word of love and watch the body of Christ, the church, expand the kingdom of God!
Blog Contributed by Kevin Garland
Photo by Rachel McDermott on Unsplash
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