The “Great Commission” in which Jesus, just before he ascended to heaven, gives some final instructions to his eleven disciples concerning how they (and, those connected with them by faith – so that includes us) were to, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19,20)
Jesus inserted the word, “Therefore” before the instruction to go, which leads to the continual question about any time the word “therefore” appears in scripture: “What is it there for?” The answer to that lies in the previous verse: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 28:18). The eleven disciples were to “go” – as we are to “go” – because Christ has “All authority in heaven and on earth”, in other words, we can “go” knowing we are doing his work, in a mission field that will recognize who we are and thus be accepting of our message.
In this year’s March 16th edition of the “Seeds of the Kingdom” website, author Richard Griffiths, musing on the authority of a Christian, penned the following:
‘The centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof! Instead, just say the word and my servant will be healed.” (Matthew 8:8, NET) When the centurion told Jesus that He only needed to say the word and his servant would be healed, Jesus saw in him something that amazed Him. This man had a profound understanding of what authority is. As a soldier, he knew all about being in command. He could give orders to those under him and expect total obedience: ‘I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one, “Go!” and he goes, and to another “Come!” and he comes, and to my slave “Do this!” and he does it.’
What was so significant is this: He didn’t say ‘I am a man with authority’ but ‘I am a man under authority’. If he stepped outside the boundaries set by his superiors, he would have no authority. The little word ‘too’ is significant. He recognised that Jesus was also ‘a man under authority’. For that reason, if Jesus commanded healing, healing would follow.
The key to Jesus’ astonishing fruitfulness in everything that He did and said was His unswerving submission to His Father’s will. It was His ‘food’ to do the will of Him who sent Him (John 4:34). He was always under His Father’s authority.
God wants His children to be able to pray with authority, to speak with authority, to live lives that demonstrate that they have authority over the enemy.
Paul says, ‘We are Christ’s ambassadors’ (2 Corinthians 5:20). Ambassadors represent their nations’ governments. They only have authority when what they say and do is within the boundaries set by their governments. We only have authority when what we say and do is obedient to God. This requires that we bring every part of our lives under His lordship. James 4:7 says, ‘Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you’. It’s only when we are submitted to God’s authority in our lives that we can effectively resist the enemy.
It’s a challenging question, isn’t it? Who has the ultimate authority in my life? Can I truly say, “Jesus is Lord – Lord over everything?”’
PRAYER: Lord God, I want to be fruitful for You today. Please show me any part of my life – my behaviour, my attitudes, my thinking, my relationships, my activities – that aren’t under Your authority. Where I struggle to submit to You, would You please help me to bring all that I am and all that I do more into alignment with Your perfect will. I ask this in the name of Jesus, to whom all authority in heaven and earth has been given. Amen.
