UNDERSTANDING AUTHORITY 4: YOU CAN GROW IN AUTHORITY

MEMORY VERSE: So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel. 2 Samuel 5:3

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 31-36

Although at the beginning of these series we defined authority, we would like to define it again. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines authority as a “legal or rightful power; a right to command or to act; power exercised by a person in virtue of his office or trust; dominion; jurisdiction; authorization; as, the authority of a prince over subjects, and of parents over children; the authority of a court.” Authority is not shouting. Have you noticed that when Judges pass judgement they don’t shout or scream at the top of their voice? Authority is not bullying or making threats. A man or woman who has authority doesn’t need to do all that. There are several categories of authority. We have authority at home, church, place of work, school, state, nation, etc. In the class room, the teacher has a delegated authority from Christ over his or her students. Parents, Christians and non- Christians, have a delegated authority over their children. Even if your parents are unbelievers, they have a delegated authority from Christ over you. As a wife, whether your husband is a believer or not, he has a delegated authority from Christ over you. This is not negotiable ma. As the head, he can ask you to break your fast because he wants to make love to you and you cannot say no! This is why i encourage our single sisters to pray seriously before accepting any proposal from a man. Pray about the brother, and ask your leaders in church to pray along with you. Whoever you accept his marriage proposal will be the one who will receive the delegated authority from Christ over you. Also, this need to be mentioned: every man or woman with delegated authority from Christ will give account to Christ one day.

As you already know by now (from these series), authority belongs to Jesus. Matthew 28:18 says, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Christ has delegated some of His authority to us – fathers, mothers, leaders, teachers, etc. Proverbs 8:15 says, “By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.” Another point i will like to make concerning authority is that one can grow in authority. An example of a man who grew in authority is David. He started as a shepherd boy who had authority over sheep. Because He was a man after God’s own heart, God increased his authority and he became Saul’s armour bearer. 1 Samuel 16:21 says, “And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armour bearer.” The Lord increased his authority again and he became a captain over a thousand.1 Samuel 18:13 says, “Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.” The Lord continued to increase his authority until he became the king over Judah and then over Israel. 2 Samuel 5:3 says, “So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel.” As long as David obeyed the Lord and behaved wisely, the Lord kept on increasing his authority. The bible is filled with several examples of young men like Daniel and Joseph; young women like Esther and Ruth; ordinary men like Peter, Stephen, Philip, etc, who the Lord increased their authority. To increase in authority one must obey God and live holy. If you obey God's commandments , everything God created will obey you even demons.

NOTE: There are two basic conditions for growing in authority: obey God and obey people in authority. Anyone who is fond of disobeying people in authority will not grow in authority.

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UNDERSTANDING AUTHORITY 5: ONE CAN LOSE HIS AUTHORITY

MEMORY VERSE: The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws. Daniel 4:33

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Colossians 3-4

We have looked at few categories of authorities. We have talked about authority in a Christian home, church, school, etc. At times, authority comes with experience and knowledge. Lawyers, Dentists, Pharmacists, IT guys, and other professionals all have authority although it is only in their respective fields. Pending when your faith grows to the point of living above drugs and enjoying divine health, follow your doctor’s prescription. If you are asked to take two tablets daily, don’t take four. Don’t abuse drugs. Asides obeying God and obeying human authorities, one way to increase your authority is by getting a skill or a degree.

Just as one’s authority can grow, one’s authority can also erode away. Genuine authority comes when one practices what one preaches. Paul, in his epistle to the church in Rome, asked some interesting questions. Romans 2:20 -23 says, “An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?” It does not matter what position one is holding, if one is not practising what he or she is preaching, one’s authority would become eroded. As a youth leader, if you are telling the youths not to fornicate and you are fornicating, your authority will become eroded. If you are telling people to give 100 percent and you are giving only 50 percent, your authority will become eroded. No one will listen to you. Matthew 7:9 says, “For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Jesus taught with authority because He practiced what He preached. He taught about fasting with authority because He fasted almost every day. He taught about praying with authority because prayer was His hobby. At a point He prayed until His sweat were like drops of blood. He could teach on giving with authority because He gave His life. He could teach on mercy because He showed mercy. He could teach on forgiveness because He forgave. As a result, whenever He opened His mouth, people held unto every word He uttered. It was not so with the teachers of law because their authority had become eroded. Matthew 23:4 says, “For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their hands.” A Pharisee will teach other women to submit to their husband, but she won’t submit to hers . If her husband says one word, she will respond with two. A Pharisee will declare 7 days fasting and will not fast.

NOTE: The fact that a person in authority is not doing what he or she preaches is not a reason to disobey him or her. They will answer to God but one must still obey them and respect them. See what Christ had to say to the people about the Pharisees: "all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not." ( Matthew 23:3).

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UNDERSTANDING AUTHORITY 3

MEMORY VERSE: And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire around about Elisha. 1 Samuel 16:7

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 11-12

There are different categories of authority. We briefly looked at authority at home yesterday. Let’s look at authority in the church of God. It is important that you and I remember this at all times: all authority belongs to Christ. Matthew 28:18 says, "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and earth". Whatever authority one has is a delegated authority from Christ. The head of the church is Christ. Colossians 1:18 says, "and he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence". Although He (Jesus) owns all authority over the church, He has delegated some of the authority to some people. The founders, GOs, GSs, Senior Pastors, etc all have a delegated authority from Christ over their congregation or ministry. Their congregation includes pastors, workers, deacons, deaconess, etc. This delegated authority is a spiritual one. As a church leader – senior pastor, founder, GOs, GSs, etc – invested with so much authority from Christ, they can pronounce blessings upon their congregations including the pastors under them, and the Lord will grant it. They can literally ‘move the hand of God’ on your behalf or over your matter if you serve them well. Elisha cried to God on behalf of his servant and the Lord granted his request.2 Kings 6:17 says, “And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” A man or woman, who has the authority to open the windows of heaven, also has the authority to shut it. As such, you must flee things that could cause your church leader to be unhappy with you.

Pastors have a delegated authority from Christ over their deacons, deaconess, assistant pastors, workers, etc – the whole congregation. However, their authority is under the authority of the founder, GO, GSs, Senior Pastors. Pastors too can ask God for things on your behalf and God will grant it- provided you serve them well .The deacons and deaconess, youth leaders, cell group leaders have a delegated authority from Christ over the workers under them. One thing with spiritual authority is that, it is more potent than all other forms of authorities. Whether one has been to bible school or not, the pastor has a delegated authority from Christ over one. One may be more educated than his or her pastor, the pastor still has a delegated authority from Christ over one. One may even be older than his or her pastor, the pastor has a delegated authority from Christ over one. This is why you must not argue or exchange harsh words with your spiritual leader even your youth leader. Whatever you do to them, it is not them that you have done it to, but to God who gave them the authority. Also, when one’s wife speak rudely to the pastor’s wife, it is not the pastor’s wife one has spoken rudely to but the pastor (because they are one). And, it is not the pastor really that one has spoken rudely to but God. This is why as a child of God, you must not threaten your pastor or shout at them. When you walk out on your pastor, it is not your pastor that you have walked out on but God. When people join your church, as a pastor, interview them to know why they left their church. If they left because of a quarrel with their pastor, please send them back to go and make peace and get the blessing of their pastors. It does not matter how gifted a sister is, she must not join the choir until she has made peace with her former pastors. This is discipline in the house of God.

ACTION: If you have ever been rude, openly or in secret, to any man or woman of God, please go and apologize to them and ask God to have mercy.

PRAYER POINT: Father, we come against the spirit of rebellion in the body of Christ.

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UNDERSTANDING AUTHORITY 2

MEMORY VERSE: Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 84-86

There are different categories of authority. For example, let us look at authority in the family or in the home of a believer. The father is the head of the family. He has a delegated authority from Christ over his household. Matthew 28:18 says, "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth". He has a delegated authority over his wife. According to Numbers 30:6-9, if a woman makes a vow to God and her husband says “i cancel it”, it is automatically cancelled. If the woman stubbornly pays the vow to God after the husband has cancelled it, it is a waste because the Lord will not accept it. Before putting any sister into a position in the church, we must seek the consent of her husband. The man has a delegated authority over his children. According to Numbers 30: 3-5, if a child makes a vow to God and the father says, “I cancel it”, it is automatically cancelled. As a father, invested with so much authority from Christ, you can pronounce blessings upon members of your household including your wife, and the Lord will grant it. A man who has the authority to bless also has the authority to curse. So as a child of God, don't do things that will make your husband or father to put a curse on you. However, as a man who has a delegated authority from Christ, you are to love your wife even as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25).

The woman or the wife has a delegated authority from Christ over her children. Although, her authority is under the authority of her husband – her head. Even if she is the founder of a ministry and the husband is just a member, at home, her authority is still under the authority of her husband. Ephesians 5:22 says, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” The father and mother have a delegated authority from Christ over their children. Exodus20:12 says, “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” The first child, boy or girl, has a delegated authority from Christ over his or her siblings. Parents should recognize this and understand that the first child and the last child are not the same. The junior must respect the senior. Do you know the moment a believer gives his or her life to Jesus, He delegates some of His authority to him or her to rule over the kingdom of darkness? Luke 10:19 says, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” As a believer, you have a delegated authority over demons, witches, wizards and all. A girl who won’t submit to her mother is not rebelling against the mother but to God (who delegated authority to her) . So also, a boy who won’t submit to dad or mum. As a child, don't talk to your parents anyhow or shout at them. When you do this, it is not your parents you are disrespecting but God.

PRAYER POINT: Father, we come against the spirit of rebellion in our homes.

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UNDERSTANDING AUTHORITY 1

MEMORY VERSE: And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Matthew 28:18

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Kings 11-15

What is authority? Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines authority as a “legal or rightful power; a right to command or to act; power exercised by a person in virtue of his office or trust; dominion; jurisdiction; authorization; as, the authority of a prince over subjects, and of parents over children; the authority of a court.” There are certain things you need to know about authority. Firstly, authority belongs to God. Psalm 62:11 says, “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.” ‘All’ authority in heaven and on earth have been given to Jesus Christ. Matthew 28:18 says, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” What is the essence of authority? The essence of authority is to ensure order. Imagine a city without the police force or a judicial system. Imagine a world without NATO, UN, and other bodies. Psalm 115:16 says, “The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD'S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.” The Lord gave the earth to mankind to subdue it for Him. Genesis 1:28 says, “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” To help mankind subdue the earth, He gave Adam, the first man, some authority.

Secondly, God has delegated some of His authority to us. For example, He delegated some authority to our parents. Colossians 3:20 says, “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.” Also, He delegated some to our spiritual parents e.g. pastors, bishops, GSs, GOs, and so on. Ephesians 6:1 says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” He delegated some authority to kings, presidents, prime ministers, leaders, managers, team leaders, supervisors, chairmen and chairwomen of organisation, police, armies, navy, etc. Proverbs 8:15 says, “By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.” Romans 13:1 says, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” He delegated some authority to Fathers and husbands. Ephesians 5:23 says, “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.” It is important for those who God has given authority to, to know that they are not the owner of the authority and as such, the authority must not be used for selfish gains. The authority they are wielding is only a 'delegated authority' and they will give account. Mr Vice Chancellor, the authority you have over the university staffs, teaching and non-teaching staffs, is a delegated authority. So also, Mr Police officer/ Manager/ Great man of God , Husband, Father, Leader of establishment your authority is a delegated authority not yours.

NOTE: Because your authority (over your children, wife, people working underneath you, etc )is a delegated authority, you must use it in the best interest of the One who delegated the authority to you. You must not use your authority to bully people or promote people of your own colour or race. Your authority must be used solely for the advancement of the kingdom.

ACTION: Let's pray for our leaders that the Lord will give them wisdom and boldness.

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INDWELLING AND INFILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

MEMORY VERSE: And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. Luke 24:49

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Luke 21-22

The moment an individual confesses his sins, repents of them, and accepts Jesus as his personal Lord and Saviour, an indwelling of the Holy Spirit takes place i.e. the Holy Spirit comes and dwells inside him. The Holy Spirit is not racist, sexist or tribalist. The bible says,”whoever calls on the name of Jesus shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). It does not matter who the person is or where the person is from, the moment one gives his life to Christ He (Holy Spirit) comes to dwell inside one. Every born again christian in the world has a measure of the Holy Spirit inside them, and the same Holy Spirit that dwelt inside Jesus ,when He was on the earth, is the same Holy Spirit dwelling inside all believers all over the world. The Holy Spirit, dwelling in the believer, assures him that he is a child of God. Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” Also, from the day one gives his life to Christ, his body becomes the temple of the living God. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” 1 Corinthians 3:16 says, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” Only the bodies of ‘believers’ are the temple of the God.

Asides the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, there is an infilling of the Holy Spirit or the enduement of power. Jesus told His disciples, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high”( Luke 24:49). Acts 1:8 says, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” The baptism of the Holy Spirit or infilling of the Holy Spirit or the enduement of power is a totally different experience. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not for unbelievers. John 14:17 says, “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” Speaking in tongues goes hand in hand with the baptism of the Holy Spirit or the infilling of the Holy Spirit. When you go through the scriptures, you will find that whenever a fellow receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit he starts to speak in tongues (Acts 10:45-46). Note this, speaking in tongues is not an evidence of new birth but an evidence of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. This brings us to the question, why must you - if you are yet to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit with an evidence of speaking in tongues - hunger for the infilling of the Holy Spirit? Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the gateway to the supernatural manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the power of God. Power to heal the sick and work miracles does not come until one receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Not until one receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit, one cannot receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

NOTE: The indwelling of the Holy Spirit (which happens at salvation) is basically for fruit bearing. The infilling of the Holy Spirit (which is the baptism of the Holy Spirit) is for service. The entire spirit filled brothers and sisters have in them an account of all the power they will ever need to be over in life. When the Holy Spirit is upon an individual, it means the individual has being filled with the fullness of God, has in him power to put him over in life, power for supernatural praying,etc.

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FREELY YE HAVE RECIEVED, FREELY GIVE

MEMORY VERSE: And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Matthew 10:7-8

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 16-18

READ: Acts 8:17-20

God is not a talkative. He does not speak for the sake of speaking. Someone once said, " some speak because they like the sound of their own voice " in other words they speak and speak without making much sense. The Lord does not speak every minute as some people claim, and when He speaks it is deliberate. It is to achieve something. There are several reasons why this is so, for example, His words carry power. Psalm 33:8- 9 says, “Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” People in position of authority watch their words because with it, they can start a war and with it, they can also put an end to a war.

God does not waste His words. If He says a word, there is a reason for it. Unfortunately, many are beginning to think that some of the things written in the bible are not relevant today. They think they are old school or only relevant to the people that lived during the days of Jesus. Some have even argued that some of what Paul taught was for a particular denomination not the entire body of Christ. This is not so. Whatever you find in the bible has been deliberately included by the Holy Spirit for a reason and it is “is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” ( 2 Timothy 3:16) . In Matthew 10, Jesus sent out His 12 disciples with a charge. Verse 7-8 says, “And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” Why did Jesus include this, “freely ye have received, freely give”, in the charge? It is because man has a tendency to make merchandise of the grace of God upon his life or the anointing of God upon his life. Today, we hear stories of people charging for prophesy. We receive phone alerts encouraging us to subscribe for daily prayers and prophecy. Some of us have even paid for prayers. They tell you, "bro, you need special prayers and fasting" and they charge you for it. All these are not scriptural. We hear of people selling anointed handkerchiefs, apples, bottles of water, etc. All these are not scriptural and if you have ever bought any of these, you have wasted your hard earned money. The anointing of God or healing is not for sale. Gehazi tried to sell healing and received a curse from God ( 2 Kings 5). The grace of God or the gifts of the Holy Spirit is not for sale. In our bible reading, we see Simon being severely reprimanded for offering to buy the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Don’t go to people’s houses and pray a long prayer because you want them to give you a gift. Don’t give visions because you want people to give you money. You don’t have to tell people that you prayed for them over night all in the name getting something in return.

NOTE: The Lord will not tolerate anyone who is making merchandise of His grace. He will not tolerate anyone who is using the death of Christ on the cross for their own selfish and negative ambition.

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