Today many people are quite uncomfortable with having or exercising authority. It is commonplace for adults to ask small children to call them by their first names, choosing to be on familiar terms with the very young instead of teaching them to respect their elders. My opinion is this aversion to being in authority is directly related to a refusal to be under proper authority. We seldom wish to be what we despise.
As Christ’s modern day representatives, we have the privilege of continuing Christ’s ministry on the earth. This will be hindered unless we come to terms with exercising our delegated authority in Christ.
The Roman Centurion, who asked Jesus to heal his servant, grasped the nature of the authority Jesus had.
When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, 6 “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.” 7 Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. 9 I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! Matthew 8:5-10 (NLT) Authority and faith are linked. Faith is able to receive and exercise God’s authority; therefore, understanding the nature and extent of delegated authority is crucial.
The centurion understood that Jesus was on mission from God, and, as his representative, had been given the authority to get the job done. The one having authority is not always required to back up that authority personally. It takes power to enforce authority. The Holy Spirit is God’s enforcer. When Jesus spoke in God’s name, the Holy Spirit made what he said happen. The same is true for us today.
The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, Luke 4:18 (NLT)
Jesus was a delegated proclaimer of good news and God’s kingdom. He exercised the authority of that kingdom and was backed up by the Enforcer, the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the One who made Jesus’ words and commands effective when it came to healing, casting out evil spirits, and raising the dead.
But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. Matthew 12:28 (NLT) We would never ask or beg an evil spirit to leave a person and to cease to oppress him or her, just as a police officer does not beg an offender to please give up. A peace officer must be comfortable using the authority given to him or her in order to be effective, and so must we.
Jesus gave his disciples specific authority, and by extension that includes us and all the disciples who would follow him through the centuries.
Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. 20 But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.” Luke 10:19-20 (NLT)
Satan stole the authority God delegated to Adam by deceiving him into submitting to him instead of God. Satan still gives some measure of evil authority to those who serve him, but God’s authority always overrules Satan’s. The evil power released by the exercise of satanic authority is no match for the power of the one true God. (1 John 4:4)
It is our responsibility to release God’s power through exercising the authority we have in Christ.
When Jesus died on the cross and subsequently rose from the dead, he completely defeated Satan and his minions.
In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. Colossians 2:15 (NLT)
After Jesus’ resurrection, all authority in heaven and on earth was given to him. (Matthew 28:18) Our Lord now sits in heaven on God’s throne waiting until all his enemies have been effectively subjugated by his people who operate in his authority, backed up by the Holy Spirit’s power.
God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. 33 Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. 34 For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said, ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand 35 until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”’ 36 “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” Acts 2:32-36 (NLT) The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Romans 16:20 (NLT)
Satan has been defeated and rendered ineffective to exercise dominion over the church. Nevertheless, God left him in place in this fallen world so that the church could learn to exercise Christ’s authority as representatives of the kingdom of God. We are being prepared to rule and reign with Christ for eternity.
Much of our ministry here on earth is an exercise of Christ’s authority. The gospel is an announcement that all who put their faith and allegiance in Christ will be made right with God. Why do we have the right to say such things? God has given us authority to speak in his name. When we cast out evil spirits, we do so in the name or authority of our Lord. The Holy Spirit will enforce our words. Deliverance is never a power struggle between Christ’s followers and evil spirits. It is an authority issue. We have to know where we stand; otherwise, demons will try to bluff their way into continuing to oppress their hosts.
The same is true when it comes to healing. I do not recall our Lord ever begging his Father to heal someone. Instead he usually commanded people to be healed or simply announced that God had healed them, using the authority he had from God. I will leave you the joy of searching out the scriptures to see if this is so. Christ is our example. His ministry is our pattern.
The early disciples exercised their authority to heal, in obedience to our Lord’s command.
Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions... 7 Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received! Matthew 10:5-8 (NLT)
Jesus did not instruct them to “ask me to heal the sick.” He told them to heal and otherwise exercise his authority, which had been given to them.
If we are uncomfortable exercising our God given authority, we will be hindered in representing Christ properly in the healing ministry.
It is a little strange when we first start using our authority, just as I imagine it is somewhat uncomfortable for newly graduated police officers to command offenders to submit to their commands. I remember when I first assumed responsibility as the pastor of the church plant in Burlington. I had never before had people honor me as the pastor by calling me by that title. I had to get used to my new role. Likewise, we must become acclimated to exercising Christ’s authority.
Practically speaking, we must move from merely asking God to heal people to commanding them to be healed.
Does that seem like a stretch? If so, it is because we have not yet understood and embraced the authority we have as Christ’s ambassadors. Why not give it a try? We might be surprised at the results. Let’s be willing to take the risk. Let the Spirit be our guide. Learn from experience. Don’t be afraid of making a mistake. Don’t worry about looking foolish. Get out on a limb where God is able to demonstrate how remarkably powerful he is. If we do these things, we will be able to share some amazing testimonies in days to come of how God used us to bless others and glorify himself.
