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PART III: THE PRACTICE OF PRAYER
CHAPTER 16
THE AUTHORITY OF THE BELIEVER
Introduction
God has given the believer certain commands. Along with
God's commands, he has delegated authority to the believer to
fulfill his commands. With this authority comes responsibility.
The believer will be held accountable for obeying God's commands
on that day when he stands before the Lord Jesus.
In traditional Christianity, some of God's commands have
been taught to the exclusion of others. Furthermore, the
authority of the believer has not been taught properly.
There are two words in the King James Version that seem to
translated inconsistently. The Greek words EXOUSIA and DUNAMIS
are both sometimes translated "power." It would be more accurate
to translate the word EXOUSIA as "authority," and the word
DUNAMIS as "power." The New American Standard Bible and the New
International Version both translate EXOUSIA as "authority"
whereas the King James Version translates it "power" in the Great
Commission below. (AN EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY OF NEW TESTAMENT
WORDS 1966 ed., s.v. "Authority" and "Power").
The difference between the two can be illustrated by a
common event. The scene is a traffic intersection and a
policeman is directing traffic. The policeman holds up the palm
of his hand, signaling a large semi-truck to stop. The driver
stops the truck. Why? Because the policeman has the power to
stop the big "rig?" No! The trucker knows that he has the POWER
in his control to run over the policeman, but the policeman has
the AUTHORITY to arrest him! Likewise, the believer has been
given authority (EXOUSIA) in several areas where he would
normally be overpowered.
Let us first look at the source of the believer's authority.
God is the Source of All Authority
The Great Commission has been given to all believers. Jesus
states that he has been given all authority:
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying,
All power [authority] is given unto me in
heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you: and,
lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of
the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20).
Jesus has authority over both good and bad angels as well as
human beings. And timewise, his authority extends through this
age and the next age.
Delegation of Authority
Initially, Jesus delegated authority to the twelve. He
commanded them to perform certain tasks and with that commandment
gave them the authority to do it:
Then he called his twelve disciples together,
and gave them power and authority over all
devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent
them to preach the kingdom of God, and to
heal the sick. And he said unto them, Take
nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor
scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither
have two coats apiece. And whatsoever house
ye enter into, there abide, and thence
depart. And whosoever will not receive you,
when ye go out of that city, shake off the
very dust from your feet for a testimony
against them. And they departed, and went
through the towns, preaching the gospel, and
healing every where. (Luke 9:1-6).
As the disciples obeyed, exercising their newly-received
authority, God backed their speech and actions with power!
Secondly, Jesus delegated authority to the seventy disciples
and sent them on a mission:
After these things the LORD appointed other
seventy also, and sent them two and two
before his face into every city and place,
whither he himself would come. Therefore
said he unto them, The harvest truly is
great, but the labourers are few: pray ye
therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he
would send forth labourers into his harvest.
Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as
lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor
scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the
way. And into whatsoever house ye enter,
first say, Peace be to this house. And if
the son of peace be there, your peace shall
rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you
again. And in the same house remain, eating
and drinking such things as they give: for
the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not
from house to house. And into whatsoever
city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such
things as are set before you: And heal the
sick that are therein, and say unto them, The
kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. ....
Behold, I give unto you power [authority] to
tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all
the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by
any means hurt you. (Luke 10:1-9, 19).
Jesus stated that the authority delegated to the seventy was not
withdrawn after their first mission--the general commission and
delegated authority remained.
Thirdly, Jesus transferred authority to believers in a
general sense as stated in the Great Commission above. Closely
associated with Jesus' delegated authority to the believer is the
Father's exaltation of the believer in this life:
Even when we were dead in sins, hath
quickened us together with Christ, (by grace
ye are saved;) And hath raised us up
together, and made us sit together in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (Ephesians
2:5-6).
For if by one man's offence death reigned by
one; much more they which receive abundance
of grace and of the gift of righteousness
shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
(Romans 5:17).
If one is reigning with Christ in this life, he is no longer
dominated by enemies, but rather rules over them. What are some
of the believer's enemies over which Jesus has given him
authority?
Areas of Authority
The devil has been defeated by the Lord Jesus and the
believer is no longer under Satan's lordship:
Who [The Father] hath delivered us from the
power of darkness, and hath translated us
into the kingdom of his dear Son:
(Colossians 1:13).
Not only has Satan been defeated by Jesus, but Jesus has
placed Satan's subordinates (demons) under the believer's
authority:
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every
creature. He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved; but he that believeth not
shall be damned. And these signs shall
follow them that believe; In my name shall
they cast out devils [demons]; they shall
speak with new tongues; They shall take up
serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing,
it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands
on the sick, and they shall recover. (Mark
16:15-18).
Demons are illegal holders of authority and take advantage of the
believer who does not know the Word of God. (Kenneth E. Hagin,
AUTHORITY OF THE BELIEVER (Tulsa: Kenneth Hagin Ministries,
1979), pp 15-17. This chapter was based largely on this work).
All sinners are under some degree of control of Satan. Not
all are possessed, but most are at least under some form of
delusion:
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in
trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye
walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the
air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience: Among whom also we
all had our conversation in times past in the
lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of
the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature
the children of wrath, even as others.
(Ephesians 2:1-3).
Satan "baits his hook" with the desires of the flesh, mind, eyes
or pride of life (see 1 John 2:16). The person caught by Satan
thinks he is "doing his own thing," when in reality he is snared
by the "...devil, having been held captive to do his [Satan's]
will." (2 Timothy 2:26, New American Standard Bible).
The believer can take authority over evil spirits who hold
sinners in bondage. The sinner will then be able to make a free
choice to accept or reject Christ as Savior. When one sees the
truth he will usually choose Christ. Jesus said that when the
prodigal son "came to senses" he returned home (Luke 15:17, New
American Standard Bible). The believer does not have authority
over human spirits--he cannot force sinners to accept Christ.
However, the believer does have some authority over his own
household. Paul said to the Philippian jailer,
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy
house. (Acts 16:31).
The writer's brother had drifted away from the Lord and was
"running around" and drinking. The writer broke the power of
Satan over him in Jesus' name and asked the Lord to bring him
back. Later, as he was riding to work with a recent convert, the
convert began witnessing to him. That evening, the writer's
"macho" brother "wept like a baby" in tears of repentance while
kneeling by his bed. He later became a Southern Baptist deacon
and teacher.
Concerning the good angels,
But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my
right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are
they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for
them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Hebrews 1:13-14).
Because angels are spirit beings, and one cannot see them,
believers tend to forget them. However, angels played important
roles throughout the Bible and will continue to play an important
role in the end times. The following chart of the Old Testament
term MALAK and its corresponding New Testament term AGGELOS gives
the words the King James translators used to translate them and
their frequency:
MALAK Aggelos
ambassador 4 angel 181
angel 111 messenger 7
messenger 98
_________________ _________________
Old Testament 213 New Testament 188 TOTAL: 401
(Robert Young, YOUNG'S ANALYTICAL CONCORDANCE, Revised by
William B, Stevenson, 22nd ed., "Index-Lexicon to the Old
Testament," s.v., MALAK. "Index-Lexicon to the New
Testament," s.v., AGGELOS).
Biblical References to Angels
Angels are superior to human beings in intelligence and strength.
(A. H. Strong, SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H.
Revell, 1906), p. 445). While the Bible does not tell the exact
number, it is very high. (Ibid., p. 447).
Some Christians believe that they have authority to command
the good angels, as long as the command is in line with God's
Will. The writer believes that the good angels are commanded by
God through their own chain of command. However, they are eager
to help believers as God commands.
The believer has been given authority over disease. For the
believer who has questions concerning his authority over
sickness, it is recommended that he study the scriptures on
healing. Everyone must be convinced in his own heart. One of
the greatest scriptural apologetics for divine healing today is
F. F. Bosworth's book, CHRIST THE HEALER. Bosworth also
experienced healing personally and was used mightily by the Lord
in the healing ministry.
Jesus conquered death, and consequently the believer is no
longer held in bondage to death:
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers
of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise
took part of the same; that through death he
might destroy him that had the power of
death, that is, the devil; And deliver them
who through fear of death were all their
lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2:14-
15).
There are many instances of people being raised from the dead
throughout the Bible. The New Testament records the following
people being raised from the dead by Jesus: (1) the son of the
widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17); (2) Jairus' daughter (Luke 8:40-56;
Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43), and (3) Lazarus (John 11:1-44).
There are other instances of the dead being raised in our
generation. (Mel Tari and Cliff Dudley, LIKE A MIGHTY WIND
(Carol Stream, IL: Creation House, 1971), pp. 66-68. Mel Tari
tells of a decaying man--he had been dead two days in a tropical
country--raised to life in the presence of over one thousand
witnesses. Over 21,000 people came to Christ as a result of this
resurrected man's ministry). However, the New Testament does not
give blanket authority to the believer to raise whomever he
wishes from the dead--there may be some irate believers if they
were pulled from the Lord's presence back to the earth! In the
matter of raising the dead, the Holy Spirit will be the judge in
each case. In conclusion, the message from the Lord is that the
power and fear of death is removed from the believer.
Jesus is Lord of disease, demons, death and the deep. "The
deep" here means the oceans and includes all creation. An
example of Jesus having authority over creation is the stilling
of the storm:
And the same day, when the even was come, he
saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the
other side. And when they had sent away the
multitude, they took him even as he was in
the ship. And there were also with him other
little ships. And there arose a great storm
of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so
that it was now full. And he was in the
hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow:
and they awake him, and say unto him, Master,
carest thou not that we perish? And he
arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto
the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind
ceased, and there was a great calm. And he
said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is
it that ye have no faith? And they feared
exceedingly, and said one to another, What
manner of man is this, that even the wind and
the sea obey him? (Mark 4:35-41).
Another example is his walking on the water (Matthew 14:22-33;
Mark 6:45-52).
There are modern-day examples of believers controlling
aspects of nature supernaturally, but this is not a common-place
thing in the life of the believer. Mel Tari states that in
Indonesia, God has protected believers form dangerous animals,
countered the effects of poison taken unknowingly, caused them to
walk on water to bring the Gospel to others, multiplied food, and
changed water into wine when they had no wine for communion.
(They had no grapes in Indonesia). (Ibid., pp. 34-43). H. B.
Garlock, a Christian missionary, was transported in the Spirit in
order to minister to fellow missionaries. Reverend Garlock
remembered walking toward a flooded river with no way to cross.
He then remembered being on the other side of the river with the
only dampness in his clothes being from perspiration. (H. B.
Garlock and Ruthanne Garlock, BEFORE WE KILL AND EAT YOU (Dallas:
Christ for the Nations, 1974), pp. 44-46). David J. Du Plessis
was also transported in the Spirit while in Africa. He was
urgently needed for ministry and he and friends started walking
together to their destination. He then found himself at his
destination and was able to minister immediately. Twenty minutes
later his friends arrived. The writer had the privilege of
meeting Reverend Du Plessis in person in Springfield, Missouri
about 1981. (David J. Du Plessis and Bob Slosser, A MAN CALLED
MR. PENTECOST (Plainfield, NJ: Logos, 1977), pp. 84-86).
Jesus is Lord. He possesses all authority and has passed
limited authority to the believer. This is part of the
believer's legal inheritance NOW, but the believer must act on
God's Word by faith for it to become a reality. Kenyon
articulates this point:
Every demon and angel is subject to the Imperial
Name of Jesus and, wonder of wonders, He gave us the
Power of Attorney to use that Name of Might.
All our Authority is based on His Finished Work,
but it is all enwrapped in His name.
By His giving us the Legal use of this name He has
put omnipotence at our disposal in our combat with
Satanic hosts.
......................................................
All hell knows the power of that Name; they know
our Legal Rights and Authority.
So they are fighting to keep us in ignorance of
our Legal Rights; or if we know them, to keep us under
condemnation so we will not dare to use them. (E. W.
Kenyon, THE FATHER AND HIS FAMILY, 10th ed. (Seattle,
WA: Kenyon's Gospel Publishing Society, 1964), pp. 195,
197-198).
After relating how the believers used the delegated authority of
Jesus in the book of Acts, Kenyon then shares his own experience:
The writer has seen hundreds healed, soreness from
sprains leave while prayer was being offered, swelling
reduced instantly, ruptures healed like a flash from
glory, and consumption in last stages healed, all
soreness and coughing leaving at once, broken backs
instantly healed, cancers instantly healed.
Space forbids giving individual cases.
But the authority invested in the Name is as
mighty now as in Paul's day.
We have seen demons cast out, men and women set
free, testimonies restored, power in prayer given.
We have seen the insane set free instantly.
We have seen whole communities put under the
conviction of the Holy Spirit, so that great fear was
in them all.
We have seen other places set free from Satanic
bondage.
We have seen God set many free from fear and
avarice.
We have seen souls in bondage to habits given
liberty in a single instant.
We have seen the drunkard freed from bondage and
arise free while we were praying.
Yes, we have Legal Rights, Legal Authority; let us
live in it. (Ibid, pp 201-202).
Believers need to rediscover their New Testament authority. The
Father longs to minister to us and through us to hurting people!
As a consequence of us rediscovering and using our God-given
authority, we will begin to exercise our newly-discovered
authority in prayer. God will be released to do what he has
wanted to do all along: bring people into a right relationship
with himself and make them whole!
For a more complete treatment of the authority of the
believer, see Chapter 18, " The Authority of the Believer," in my
book, HOW TO RAISE YOUR SELF-ESTEEM USING PROVEN BIBLICAL
PRINCIPLES.
END
