It is vital that we understand and use the authority we have in Christ to preach the gospel, heal the sick, and cast out demons. Through the resurrection, God the Father declared Jesus to be the powerful Son of God, the Messiah King of Israel, the Lord of Lords.

and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, Romans 1:4 (ESV) 

He died as the defenseless Lamb of God who willingly submitted himself to a cruel death in order to expiate our sins. He rose again triumphantly from the grave, never to relinquish his rights, authority, and power as God’s divine Son again, except one day to his heavenly Father (1 Corinthians 15:28). In addition to his own authority as the Messianic King, our Lord regained all the authority that Adam had ceded to Satan by rebelling against God in the garden. As the risen God-Man, Jesus has both the authority of God and the regained delegated authority of God that belongs to man. He graciously shares his authority with the church which he has called to rule and reign with him in the kingdom of God (2 Timothy 2:12).

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19  Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20  Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT) 

Adam foolishly relinquished his God-given authority to Satan when he submitted to the serpent’s lie and betrayed God in the garden. Adam and Eve were created to use God’s benevolent authority as rulers over the earth (Genesis 1:28). By relinquishing that authority to Satan, the earth has been filled with all sorts of horrors and aberrations from God’s original intent for creation. The perverted creation awaits Christ’s Second Coming when all things will be restored.

For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20  Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21  the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. Romans 8:19-21 (NLT) 

After Christ’s resurrection, God’s authority was reinstalled upon the earth in a kind of installment plan. It is here already, but not yet completely.

Christ invests his authority in his people, who act as his representatives on earth in kingdom of God matters. The Holy Spirit is God’s Enforcer. We are the spokespeople.

Christ’s delegated authority extends to several different areas. It is important for his followers to understand what this authority is, how it works, and what is our role in the process. I will look at three areas in this article.

Authority to Preach the Gospel

Preaching the gospel is perhaps our greatest responsibility and a wonderful expression of the authority Jesus gave to his followers.

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15 (NKJV)

We are privileged to stand before people and declare to them that by acknowledging that Jesus is Lord and submitting their lives to him and by believing in all he accomplished for them through his death and resurrection, they can be forgiven, restored to a right relationship with God, receive eternal life, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. If the gospel is not the truth, we are guilty of misrepresenting God. If it is the truth, we are co-laborers with God in the grandest enterprise of the ages – bringing men, women, and children to God through our preaching.

All of Christ’s followers are commissioned as preachers who speak with God’s authority.

We may not be eloquent. We may only share with a few individuals during a lifetime, but we represent him nevertheless.

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17  And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. Colossians 3:16-17 (NLT) 

We depend upon God’s Spirit to  reveal to people that the gospel is true.

He is the one who works in people’s hearts to convict them of sin, bring them to repentance, help them to believe, and regenerate them.

Christ’s authority is released in our preaching combined with the regenerative inner work of God’s Spirit. We must do our part, and the Spirit does his.

It is also important to understand the the Spirit also helps us to fulfill our responsibility in this great enterprise. We need his empowering to be effective preachers.

The Spirit also often works through signs and wonders to confirm the truth of the gospel.

This happened frequently in the book of Acts and takes place today as a regular thing among the Hindu peoples who are hearing the gospel. We should always be alert and open to the Holy Spirit using us in this manner to pray for people to be healed, as a proof of the truth of the gospel. Jesus is the same today as he was when he walked the earth, and so is his ministry. (Hebrews 13:8)

How to use our authority to preach the gospel

We declare God's truth that if a person confesses with his mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in his or her heart that God raised him from the dead, he or she will be saved. (Romans 10:9) The gospel should conclude with an invitational command: confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, and you will be saved.

Or we can approach it as Peter did on Pentecost, when the people asked what they needed to do. 

Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39  "For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself." Acts 2:38-39 (NASB)

Notice that in both cases, an invitational command was given, which was a call to an active response by the hearer. Only those who are moved by God's Spirit will respond. The rest either will turn away in indifference or actively resist or persecute the preacher.

 

Authority to Heal

Christ purchased our healing when he endured the cross and everything connected to his passion, especially the beating he received at the hands of the Roman soldiers. Isaiah 53 makes it clear that Jesus took our sicknesses and diseases upon himself at the cross in the same way that he carried our sins and iniquities. (For a detailed explanation of this great truth, consider reading Christ the Healer by Bosworth. I have also written about this. Click here to see that article.)

Matthew confirmed that Jesus’ healing ministry was a fulfillment of Isaiah 53, by referencing part of that chapter as an explanation of Jesus’ ministry.

When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. 17  This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.” Matthew 8:16-17 (NASB)

The Apostle Peter also showed that he understood that Isaiah 53 was a key to understanding Christ’s healing ministry when he wrote the following.

and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 1 Peter 2:24 (NASB) 

This is a quote from Isaiah 53:5.

But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 (NASB) 

The Hebrew word for “healed” is rapha, which is part of a compound name for God revealed to Moses and Israel during their desert wanderings, which was YHWH-rapha – the Lord Our Healer.

And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.” Exodus 15:26 (NASB) 

God heals us inside and out – spiritually, psychologically, emotionally, relationally, and physically. The Bible does not teach us to confine God’s healing work to less than the whole person.

Jesus commissioned his followers to proclaim healing in his name.

And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. 2  And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. Luke 9:1-2 (NASB)  

Three defining signs of the coming of God’s kingdom are the preaching of the gospel, healing of the sick, and deliverance from demons.

Physical healing is analogous to a trumpet calling us to believe the gospel and proclaim allegiance to the lordship of Jesus. It is also an act of God’s mercy extended to hurting people. Healing is love in action. (Matthew 14:14)

How to use our authority to proclaim healing.

Once again, just as with the gospel, it is our responsibility to proclaim healing, and it is the Holy Spirit's responsibility to make our words come to pass. We have Christ's authority to pray and proclaim healing, but only the Spirit has the power to perform it. This takes the pressure off of us. Ours is to obey, get out on a limb, and see what God will do. The rest is up to God.

When ministering healing, keep in mind that we are not begging God to do something outside of his plan and purpose in Christ. We "claim" the benefits of what Christ has already accomplished and ask God's Spirit to make healing an experienced reality for those to whom we minister. The manner, timing, and extent of healing are all in God's hands. We should encourage those for whom we pray to believe God's promises and trust him to fulfill them in his way and time. Ours is to believe and receive by faith. God holds the rest in his hands. Even if we die believing for something we never experience in this life, we still bring glory to God by our faith. (Hebrews 11:13)

Below is an example of how to minister healing.

But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, "Look at us!" 5  And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6  But Peter said, "I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!" 7  And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. Acts 3:4-7 (NASB)

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers and elders of the people, 9  if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, 10  let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. 11  "He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. 12  "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:8-12 (NASB)

Both of these passages refer to the same event. Notice that Peter gave a command - "walk," or, in effect, "be healed." When Peter explained himself before the Jewish authorities, he used the healing as an opportunity to proclaim Christ's lordship and the gospel's offer of salvation. This is our example.

 

Authority to Release the Demon Oppressed

Another sign of the coming of God’s kingdom is when followers of Christ command demons to leave in Christ’s name. Demons oppress people, and Jesus came to put a stop to that. Using Christ’s authority and relying on the power of God’s Spirit, we can command demons to leave people and cease oppressing them. As with the gospel and healing, our authority is not passive. It is aggressive and forceful.

We speak directly to evil spirits and command them to leave in the name and authority of Jesus the risen Son of God. The Holy Spirit will then enforce our spoken word. It’s as simple as that.

I have written extensively on this subject in other articles. Here is a good one which you can access by clicking here.

Putting These Things into Practice

It is one thing to agree that something is true and quite another to act out our faith. Unless we practice our what we believe, we may be deceiving ourselves into thinking we we have faith, when in fact we do not. Using our authority in Christ to preach the gospel, heal the sick, and cast out demons proves our faith and allows us to experience what it is like to be Christ’s representatives on earth.

We will never know what it is like to lead people to Christ, watch him heal, or see him deliver people from oppression, unless we are willing to take the “risk” of using our God-given authority.

We must be willing to have others think we are crazy or to look foolish in their eyes. It is not our responsibility to look good or make things happen, but only to obey. I have never had anyone get angry with me for praying for them, even if the answer did not immediately manifest itself. Usually people are grateful that someone would care enough to make the effort. On the other hand, I have had the privilege of being a part of leading people to faith in Christ, seeing them healed before my eyes, and casting out demons. That is because I was bold enough to use the authority I have in Christ. Let me encourage you to step out in faith and use what God has given to us. We do not want to one day stand before Christ and hear him ask us why we did not use what he put into our hands, do we? We will never be “ready” or “good enough.” We simply must step out in faith.