I'm thinking a lot today about the Authority we as believers have in Christ. So often in the churchy, sit-in-the-pew-because-it's-Sunday life people skip over the amazing power and authority we have in Christ. We're taught that this gift or that gift were only imparted to the Apostles, and that they weren't given to the body as a whole. Or we're taught that, "that which is perfect" (1 Cor 13:10) has actually come, thus doing away with the gifts of the Spirit, such as tongues or prophecy, etc. But I don't believe it. I don't believe that the church or the world or the universe within time has entered perfection. Jesus hasn't returned yet. The devil is not bound, nor has he been cast into the lake of fire (Rev 20:1-3, 7-10).
The Bride of Christ is not PURE. There are still spots in our love feast (Jude 1:12). Don't agree or believe with me? Have you read about the awful people claiming to be Christians who picket at the funerals of dead soldiers? Have you seen the pictures of people claiming to be Christians holding signs that say "God hates faggots"? Have you heard and seen videos of people claiming to be Christians lined up outside abortion clinics, screaming, yelling, sometimes throwing things at the lost and misguided women who go there for appointments? Does that sound like "THAT WHICH IS PERFECT" to you? God forbid we claim perfection when these atrocities still occur!
What we can claim is this: Our Lord, Jesus Christ, has commissioned us to go out into the world and make disciples. (Matt 28:18-20). Everyone who knows the Lord knows this. But, it doesn't end there. That is not the completion of our commission. Here is the next portion: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My Name, they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." Mark 16:16-18
Now, I don't know if you caught this or not, but Jesus ISN'T talking about the disciples or the apostles doing these things. He's talking about ALL who are saved. Look, he says, "THESE SIGNS WILL FOLLOW THOSE WHO BELIEVE." He doesn't say "these signs will follow you eleven apostles." He doesn't say, "these signs will follow the church for only the first hundred years." Jesus clearly and distinctly says that those signs listed will follow EVERYONE who believes. It's all-inclusive, people. The MOMENT you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, you were enabled to do all the things listed above in bold. You have the ability to cast out demons, to speak in tongues, to lay hands on and heal the sick. You are divinely protected from accidentally taking in poisons and being killed or permanently injured by them. (By the way, that doesn't mean we should go around drinking arsenic or playing with King Cobras for kicks and grins. The Word tells us in Deut 6:16 "Do not to test the Lord, your God .)
If you need further proof, I submit this to you: Jesus is talking to his disciples in John 14:12-14, and He tells them this: "Most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My Name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my Name, I will do it."
Do I need to clarify any further? Jesus is saying, point blank, flat out, that any person who believes in Him will not only perform the same works Jesus performed, but will perform works that surpass those He performed. How can we misinterpret that? After reading that, how can we say that the time for those gifts in in 1Corinthians 12-14 are past? Do we dare contradict our Lord? These are His words. He didn't use a parable here. He wasn't teaching a precept here. He wasn't being vague. He wasn't trying to make a point to the Pharisees or scribes here. He was stating a TRUTH about those who will accept and believe in Him. And Jesus' statement here gives us ALL the power and authority to perform those things stated in Mark 16.
But I'll take this one step beyond that. Jesus prays in John 17:1-2 "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify you, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him." Later in v 20-22, He prays this: "I do not pray for these alone [speaking of the 11 remaining disciples] but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one."
So, if God the Father gave Jesus authority over all flesh, and if by believing in Him, we are ONE WITH HIM, then we, also, have that same authority. This is so simple. By believing in Jesus, we are made sons of God and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:14-17). As such, we are entitled to the same inheritance (eternal life in the presence of the Father) and authority that Jesus has. It is this authority He gives us here in John 17. And if Jesus was able, through the Spirit and authority of God, to heal the sick, cast out demons, restore sight, and perform all the countless miracles he performed, then, because of our adoption into sonship, we are able to do the same!
And yet, we don't live like it. And I'm preaching at myself here. Here we have this amazing gift: power and authority greater than humankind can comprehend. The power of God to do great and mighty things. The authority over the enemy of our souls to BIND him and CAST HIM OUT in the Name of Jesus. We are Kings and Priests (Rev 1:5-6). Kings have the highest authority in the land, and priests have the highest authority in church. He has given us sonship through Jesus, and we received a join inheritance. What is that inheritance? It is title, power, authority. Yahweh, God the Father, is the richest, most powerful, highest authority in existence. He has given His power and authority to Jesus, His Son. And Jesus has given it to ALL WHO BELIEVE.
Now do you see how awesome this is? Now do you understand what we've been given? Now do you realize who you are?
If you believe that we live in a perfect world, where we see clearly and there is no need for prophecy or supernatural healings or tongues, I don't believe you live on the same planet as I do. Because the world I see is riddled with sin and corruption. The world I see is full of heartache and loss and suffering. If you believe that the church as it is now, is pristine and unwrinkled and unspotted, I don't believe you are a member of the same body as I am. Because the church I see is full of judgment and gossip, division and deception and compromise. The church I see is full of false teachers and money-changers.
I'm not saying that every pastor or every local church is full of liars and compromisers. I'm not even saying that there are more false teachers than true ones. But I am saying this: that if there is even ONE pastor or teacher or church member in the ENTIRE world who believes and promotes false doctrine in the body, then we CANNOT be in this time of perfection where the gifts of the Spirit have passed away. Because the only time and place where the body of Christ will be completely perfect is when Satan has been cast into the lake of fire and those of us who are saved are in the presence of the Lord for all eternity.
So, while we live in this time of imperfection, waiting for the Return of our Lord, Jesus Christ, we ought to live, move, and act with the AUTHORITY and POWER the Christ gave us. It is the ONLY hope we have in fulfilling the commission the Lord gave us in Matthew 28. It is the ONLY way the lost will ever be found, or the blind will ever see, or the sick will ever be healed.
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