DAY SIX
Do you want some good news today? The kingdom of God is here, now. Jesus rose from the dead to conquer our enemy and to bring us new life, abundant life. Through His death on the cross and resurrection, He took away all the authority of Satan and rightfully restored it those who choose to follow Him. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are seated with Jesus in heaven and have access to the highest authority in the universe. This is good news!
We know that have kingdom authority as children of the king, but how are supposed to wield it? Is it ours to simply name and claim as we please? Or does it flow from the throne in heaven to us here on earth? Is it up to us to decide when to use His authority? Or are we dependent on God for the time and place? As Jesus taught His disciples about the authority of the kingdom of God, He made sure that they understood the chain of command necessary to participate in the building of the kingdom.
In Matthew 28:18-20 says…
18 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 "As you are going, therefore, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
According to Jesus, how much authority does He have? All authority. In other words, there is no authority in heaven or on earth that exists apart from Jesus’ authority. The Father passed that authority on to the Son. Next, where is that authority established? In heaven and earth. In other words, throughout the entire universe. Jesus took back authority on earth and that authority flows from the throne of God to His children, the heirs of the kingdom.
Now that the extent of Jesus authority is settled, why would Jesus mention His authority in the context of sending His disciples out to build the kingdom of God? It is because the authority of the kingdom is not ours to wield as we please, it is under Jesus’ direction. We have His authority when He commands or instructs to do something or to go somewhere. His authority always flows from His command, never without it. This is the chain of command for authority in the kingdom of God.
Think about it this way: If you are in the United States military, when do you have the authority of the United States behind you? You have that authority only when you are carrying out your orders. For example, if you are commanded to take up your post in Boston, and you decide you would like to have a post in France, do you go with any of the authority of the United States behind you. No, you are on your own, you have no authority. In the same way, we only have the authority of the kingdom of God when we receive His instructions and walk in them.
In order to bolster our confidence in this new authority, Jesus continues by stating that He will be with us to the end of the age. If we are following the instructions given to us by Jesus, carrying out His orders, we can be certain that He is with us. And what is the significance of Jesus with us? Jesus carries His authority with Him wherever He goes. Wherever His foot treads, all the authority in heaven and earth goes with Him. He is the guarantee of kingdom authority.
Ephesians 2:10 makes this clear when it says…
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
When we place our trust in Jesus Christ, He brings us to life and makes all things new. Specifically, we become His workmanship, His masterpiece. He fashioned us in the womb and He re-fashions us when our spirit comes to life and gets in alignment with His Spirit. As His masterpiece we are now ready to hear the voice of God and receive instructions from Him.
What instructions do we receive? We receive instructions regarding the good works that God has prepared for us. His desire is that we hear His voice, understand what He is saying, and walk into the special assignments He has for us. When we do that, we do so with the all the authority of the kingdom of God.
For example, my wife, Michelle, and I have received an invitation from God to work with couples. God specifically revealed to me that we are to “…journey together with couples toward the beauty God designed for marriage.” This is a specific invitation to see the kingdom of God come to earth in marriages. Therefore, when we participate in this ministry, we do so with God’s authority.
Within that invitation, God also gives us more specific assignments. One Friday afternoon, my wife and I were up at Revelation Ranch, where we were about to host a marriage retreat. Four couples were making their way up the mountain. At about noon, we received a message that the highway leading to the retreat location had been shut down because of a big snowstorm.
We immediately went to the Father and asked Him if He wanted us to cancel the retreat, or if we should move ahead with it. God said that the retreat was to go ahead and that we were to stand and fight. At that point, we had the authority of the kingdom of God behind us to move forward. But, while we were asking Him, a dark storm covered our entire valley.
So, we stood at the sliding glass doors, raised our hands to heaven and cried out to the King. We asked him to make a way where there was no way, to give wisdom to the couples on their journey up the mountain, and to give them perseverance to make it to the retreat. As we prayed, the dark storm turned to blue skies filling the entire valley where the retreat was to take place.
God had prevailed against the storm. The authority of the kingdom flowed from His throne, through His children, and against the storm that threatened our retreat. As the couples arrived, the first couple explained how they were stopped in traffic when the road ahead of them seemed to open and cars slid off the road ahead of them, making a way for them when there was no way.
A second couple described how they decided to travel south on a route where there was no snow. God had given them wisdom. A third couple arrived at 8:00 PM that night and declared that they were there to fight for their marriage. God had given them the perseverance they needed to continue on the road for 8 hours. All three couples received the answers to prayers that were prayed in the authority of the kingdom because of an instruction from God. God did what He spoke to us.
Of the three couples, one of the couples is now giving away this same teaching in Italy. In fact, they are planting house churches based on the principles we teach in marriage retreats: abiding, agreement, and authority. Another one of the couples is giving the kingdom away in North Africa, strengthening their like-minded friends there and building the kingdom in a place where nothing can happen apart from the authority of God.
Today, the kingdom of God is yours. It is here. It is now. It is within you. All you have to do is seek the Father for His assignments and instructions. Then, when you walk in obedience to His commands, you will do so with all the authority of the kingdom of God.
On the contrary, as you seek God for where He wants to send you, look closely at your current involvements. If there is no power and authority in your ministry today, it is possible that you are actively involved in pursuits that are not ordained by God. Or, you may be pursuing your ministry in a way that is not instructed by God, possibly just following the wisdom of men. If there is no command or instruction from God, there is no power or authority.
During this season of SENT, God is awakening His people to a great work. He is gifting them to be able to carry out His assignments. He is providing the faith they need to see great things happen for His kingdom and His glory. We all have a chance to be a part of this great movement of God. Let’s join together in unleashing this great move of kingdom authority.
WORSHIP: Spend time worshiping God as the head of this great movement where He is bringing heaven to earth. Acknowledge that He is able to do whatever it takes to build the kingdom of God. Take yourself to a place of surrender, so you can receive any assignments or instructions He might have for you.
PRACTICE: Make a list of all your involvements. Then write down each involvement in one of three sections. On the top of the paper write those items where you know God has called you. In the bottom section write the items where you know God has not called you. In the middle section, write those items where you are unsure. Keep processing through the list until everything is at the top or bottom of the page. This may take several days or weeks to get through the list.
MEDITATION: Ask yourself some questions today: What specific instructions or assignments does God have for me? Where am I involved with my time where I do not have a specific assignment from God? For which of my current involvements is there uncertainty regarding God’s calling or invitation?
ABIDING: Go back and read through this teaching one more time. Ask the Father if there is anything in these passages specifically for you. Write down anything you hear from Him. Spend some extra time listening to see if He has anything more to say to you or if there is a deeper teaching for you today. Write down whatever you hear. Ask the Father if there is someone, He wants you to share this with and follow through with His assignment.