Kingdom 103: The Kingdom Mindset of Authority
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Jesus spoke those words to His disciples, His first ambassadors to spread the Good News of the Kingdom. These words were, and still are, words of encouragement from the King.
Now, what is the definition of the word "authority"? It is the power or right to give commands,, enforce obedience and order, to take action and to make final decisions.
While the Lord Jesus was here on earth, He conducted Himself as His Father would want. He had the power and the authority to make it happen. As King, He can give His power and authority to His disciples while He was here on earth. And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts—but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.
Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”
So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them. Again, He called His disciples and gave them power and authority. Dr. Luke recorded it this way: Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.
“Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”
So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
Note, the Lord Jesus didn't send them out without first instructing them as to what they should do and empowering them with His authority and power. And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
If you really want to know why the Lord Jesus had a great relationship with His Father God, take a moment to read what He said: “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” That is the key reason the Lord Jesus had all of that power and authority. He was obedient unto death. If the Lord God was obedient to His Father God, what does that say for us? Shouldn't we embrace the Kingdom message and depart from religious--man made--traditions and customs? Remember the Lord Jesus received this message from His Father and followed through with that message to be spread through all the earth. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Keep in mind, the Lord Jesus didn't come to earth with His own personal message or agenda like many of us. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
When you are obedient to God's Constitution (His Word), He will give to you His gift of the Holy Spirit (the Governor). And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. Have you noticed, out of all of those who followed Him, He only sent first the twelve, and then seventy more? And then He sent them out two by two. To them, He gave authority and power to preach His Kingdom message from His Father. These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.
“Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"
And His Words in Luke, addressing the seventy:
After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.
Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Do you have authority in the Kingdom? Yes, through the Lord Jesus, if you are an ambassador for the Kingdom of God. But these verses show how the Lord Jesus sent His disciples out. Read His instructions before you say God called you to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom.
In my last remarks, I must share with you this thought. In order for you to preach and teach the Kingdom message, you first must realize who the Lord Jesus really is. The Lord made this statement to His disciples:
“I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."
Remember, your greatest asset is your faith in the Lord God's Word.
Matthew 28:18-20 Mark 6:7-13 Luke 9:1-6 John 8:28-29 Matthew 4:23 John 6:38
Matthew 10:1-15 John 6:35-38
~~W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
Jesus spoke those words to His disciples, His first ambassadors to spread the Good News of the Kingdom. These words were, and still are, words of encouragement from the King.
Now, what is the definition of the word "authority"? It is the power or right to give commands,, enforce obedience and order, to take action and to make final decisions.
While the Lord Jesus was here on earth, He conducted Himself as His Father would want. He had the power and the authority to make it happen. As King, He can give His power and authority to His disciples while He was here on earth. And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts—but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.
Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”
So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them. Again, He called His disciples and gave them power and authority. Dr. Luke recorded it this way: Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.
“Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”
So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
Note, the Lord Jesus didn't send them out without first instructing them as to what they should do and empowering them with His authority and power. And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
If you really want to know why the Lord Jesus had a great relationship with His Father God, take a moment to read what He said: “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” That is the key reason the Lord Jesus had all of that power and authority. He was obedient unto death. If the Lord God was obedient to His Father God, what does that say for us? Shouldn't we embrace the Kingdom message and depart from religious--man made--traditions and customs? Remember the Lord Jesus received this message from His Father and followed through with that message to be spread through all the earth. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Keep in mind, the Lord Jesus didn't come to earth with His own personal message or agenda like many of us. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
When you are obedient to God's Constitution (His Word), He will give to you His gift of the Holy Spirit (the Governor). And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. Have you noticed, out of all of those who followed Him, He only sent first the twelve, and then seventy more? And then He sent them out two by two. To them, He gave authority and power to preach His Kingdom message from His Father. These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.
“Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"
And His Words in Luke, addressing the seventy:
After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.
Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Do you have authority in the Kingdom? Yes, through the Lord Jesus, if you are an ambassador for the Kingdom of God. But these verses show how the Lord Jesus sent His disciples out. Read His instructions before you say God called you to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom.
In my last remarks, I must share with you this thought. In order for you to preach and teach the Kingdom message, you first must realize who the Lord Jesus really is. The Lord made this statement to His disciples:
“I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."
Remember, your greatest asset is your faith in the Lord God's Word.
Matthew 28:18-20 Mark 6:7-13 Luke 9:1-6 John 8:28-29 Matthew 4:23 John 6:38
Matthew 10:1-15 John 6:35-38
~~W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you