The authority, which we have been given by being
born-again Christians, is a little known subject in the Body of Christ. In the next series of articles, I will be
providing information from the scriptures regarding our authority as
believers. It is a must to know about
it, because it is needed to follow Jesus’ instructions in Mark 16, about these
signs shall follow them that believe.
One of the signs is that we shall cast out demons. If we don’t know about our authority, we
cannot fulfill that work Jesus said we should be doing. That means all of us. It doesn’t say a few chosen people – it says,
“these signs shall follow those who believe….”.
So join me now and learn about your authority as a
believer.
In II
Corinthians 5:19-20, it is said, “It was
God (personally present) in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to
favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against (mankind) their trespasses
(but canceling them), and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of
the restoration to favor). So if you have received Jesus Christ as
your saviour, you have work to do.
SO WE ARE
CHRIST’S AMBASSADORS, God making His appeal as it were through us. We (AS CHRIST’S PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES),
beg you for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor (now offered you) and be
reconciled to God.
I looked up the
definition of an ambassador in the dictionary.
It says, “a minister of high rank sent on a mission by one sovereign or
state to another state or country.”
Since we have
just read in the scripture that we are Christ’s ambassadors, it is of utmost
importance we know what being that ambassador involves.
When someone is
trained as an ambassador to another country, he or she must learn about the
country, the good and bad issues affecting the country, as well as what is
expected of them being in the country.
There is no other way the person will be able to successfully represent
the country that he/she comes from.
It is the very
same way with us as Christians. Paul is
telling us in II Corinthians 5:19 and 20, of our ambassadorship and being
representatives of the
In I Peter 2:9,
we are also told that, “You are a chosen
race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, (God’s) own purchased, special
people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and
perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
Further, in II Peter, 1:2 through 4, we are
told, (speaking of being equipped for the job of being an ambassador), “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and Jesus
our Lord (3) as His divine power has given to us ALL THINGS that pertain to
life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue
by which have been given to us EXCEEDINGLY GREAT and precious promises, that
through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust.
Just as the
country that the ambassador is to represent will supply them with everything
they need, so God in His Word has supplied everything we need to represent Him
in this world today.
He has given
each one of us, as born again Christians, His Holy Spirit to live in us and
guide us. So, when we need to know what
it is He wants us to do, we simply need to spend time quietly with Him and He
will tell us. God says in His Word, in I
Corinthians 2:12, “Now we have
received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we
might KNOW the things that have been freely given to us by God.”
This verse would indicate that there is a
spirit in the world also, besides the Holy Spirit given to us by God. Whenever God by His Holy Spirit tells us
anything, it will always line up with God’s Word. If it doesn’t, then it isn’t of God.
We have further
instruction in the Bible in II Timothy 2:15 to “Study and be
eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved, a workman who has
no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing (rightly
handling and skillfully teaching) the Word of Truth.”
So, it would seem to me that it is just the
same to become a successful ambassador for Christ, as we are instructed to do
in II Corinthians 5:19 and 20, and anyone would have to do to become an
ambassador for any country. THERE IS
WORK TO BE DONE and you and I are going to be accountable for doing or not doing
that work.
I believe it is
time for the Body of Christ to “come out” if you will and represent the
God has also
given us a promise in Philippians
The authority
of the believer is unveiled more fully in the Book of Ephesians. Let me encourage you the read the first 3
chapters over and over again for several days.
There are Spirit-anointed prayers at the end
of the first and third chapters.
However, Paul not only prayed these prayers for the Church at
Look at
Ephesians 1:16-20. (I) cease not to give thanks for
you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation
in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that
you nay know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory
of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his
power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at
his own right hand in the heavenly places…
Ephesians 3:14-19, For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of
whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you,
according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his
Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that
you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all
saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the
love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the
fullness of God.”
I recommend you
put yourself in these prayers and begin to pray them for yourself once or twice
daily.
We must have
this spirit of wisdom and revelation of Christ and His Word if we are to
grow. It is not going to be imparted to
us through our intellect. The Holy
Spirit must unveil it to us.
To be continued…
