Utilize the Authority You Have in the Spirit - (Phil. 4:11-13)
Autoarkeo - Self-sufficient. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit we have become sufficient in Christ according to Phil. 4:11-13. Listen to the verse from the amplified Bible:
"I have strength for all things through Christ who empowers me. I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient (auto-arkeo) in Christ’s sufficiency-sustaining power."
Too many Christians are living on a small fraction of the authority and power they possess. It is analogous to driving an eight cylinder car that only has two cylinders functioning. Not only is the car underpowered but it run tentatively and sometimes not at all!
Illustration: Author Jamie Buckingham once visited a dam on the Columbia River. He’d always thought that the water spilling over the top provided the power, not realizing that it was just froth, that deep within turbines and generators transformed the power of tons and tons of water to electricity--quietly, without notice, not like the flashy froth on top. Without the empowering of the Holy Spirit we cannnot be run with Christ’s power, energy or authority.
Source Unknown.
1. The Holy Spirit, as Lord, gives great authority to those who are involved with completing His great commission of Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus said, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8) Ask the Lord to help you appropriate the power given to you for the fulfilling of the Lord’s purpose of enlarging His kingdom and righteousness in every one of the 18,800 ethnic groups of the world.
Illustration: For $30/month anyone can support a full time church planter in China through ChristianAid.org. This enables someone who will we probably never meet to be involved with starting several new house fellowships that add to the present 500,000 new fellowships starting every year in China. It allows us to be obedient to Christ’s command, "When the Holy Spirit has come upon you will receive power. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the utter most parts of the earth." (Acts 1:8)
2. The Holy Spirit gives authority to a plurality of Godly leaders for each church fellowship. Dr. Luke wrote, "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship.... and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles." (Acts 2:42,43)
Application: Ask the Lord to help you assembly a group of Godly elders that can lead many new church fellowships to higher levels of quantitative and qualitative growth in their communities. A fellowship can only grow as mature as their leaders.
Illustration: In order to be a leader a man must have followers. And to have followers, a man must have their confidence. Hence the supreme quality of a leader is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, on a football field, in an army, or in an office. If a man’s associates find him guilty of phoniness, if they find that he lacks forthright integrity, he will fail. His teachings and actions must square with each other. The first great need, therefore, is integrity and high purpose.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bits & Pieces, September 15, 1994, p. 4.
3. The Holy Spirit identifies the root causes of peoples’ rebellion and troubles. The Spirit authoritatively spoke through Paul in pointing out the reasons for Israel’s problems. Dr. Luke wrote, "They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement, "The Holy Spirit when he said through Isaiah the prophet: ‘Go to this people and say, ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.’ For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes... Otherwise, they might see and understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them." (Isaiah 6:9-10)
Application: Ask the Lord to give you greater discernment to authoritatively identify the root causes of peoples’ resistance to the will of God.
Illustration: From the world of business, Robert J. Kriegel offers an observation about being proactive that applies to churches, "Research shows that the overwhelming majority of Americans (85 percent) are reactive and static, not action- or dynamic- or instinct-oriented. They wait and meet, meet and wait. With a ready arsenal of conservative, conventional wisdom at their disposal, they try to control outcomes in an out-of-control world."
H.B. London, Jr. and Neil B. Wiseman, Pastors at Risk, Victor Books, 1993, p. 217.
4. The Holy Spirit makes us authoritatively competent to minister to His people. Paul wrote, "He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant - not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." (2 Cor. 3:6)
Application: Ask the Lord to help you utilize the authority you have to minister through teaching, preaching, and evangelizing for His purposes and results. Do not doubt God’s ability to make you competent to do what He has called you to accomplish.
Illustration: Peter Drucker offers insightful guidance to the church when he calls leadership a peak performance by one who is "the trumpet that sounds a clear sound of the organizations’ goals." His five requirements for this task are amazingly reliable and useful for those who dare to lead churches:
(1) a leader works;
(2) a leader sees his assignment as responsibility rather than rank or privilege;
(3) a leader wants strong, capable, self-assured, independent associates;
(4) a leader creates human energies and vision;
(5) a leader develops followers’ trust by his own consistency and integrity.
H.B. London, Jr. and Neil B. Wiseman, Pastors at Risk, Victor Books, 1993, pp. 227-228.
5. The Holy Spirit authoritatively gives you greater energy, creativity and fruitfulness as you grow in faith. Jesus said, "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." (John 7:38) Allow the Lord to give you greater energy, creativity and fruitfulness as you grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head of the church, even Christ. (Eph. 4:15)
6. The Holy Spirit gives you an authoritative ability to bring healing to peoples’ spirits in the name of Jesus. (James 5:16-18) Some people are unable or unwilling to receive Christ’s forgiveness because they do not understand how forgiveness is possible. They are ignorant of the purpose of the death of Christ on the cross as a substitute for their sins. Other people have never had anyone point out that their pride is hindering them from humbling themselves before God to ask Him for forgiveness through Christ. Still others are blocked from receiving Christ’s forgiveness because they refuse to forgive those who have sinned against them. (Eph. 4:28-32)
Application: People need to learn to forgive immediately and continually until they appreciate the completeness of Christ’s forgiveness. Ask the Lord to allow you to bring healing to people through the ministry of offering the benefits of forgiveness found in Christ.
7. The Holy Spirit gives you authority to resist and drive away evil in Christ’s name. After Jesus sent out the 72 disciples, they returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." (Luke 10:17)
Application: Ask the Lord to help you claim the blood of Christ and power of His Spirit to authoritatively release people from the oppression they are experiencing from the forces of evil.
8. The Holy Spirit gives you the authority to be delivered from all of your problems. Paul said, "I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I can do everything God asks me to do with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power." (Phil. 4:11-13) Ask God for greater confidence in His authoritative promises, power, and presence.
9. The Holy Spirit gives you the authority to be lifted from your sorrow, depression or feelings of hopelessness. Paul prays, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Rom. 15:13-15) Pray for yourself and others to be lifted from any feelings of sadness through the power, hope, love and joy of the Holy Spirit.
Illustration: One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.
Submit to pressure from peers and you move down to their level.
Speak up for your own beliefs and you invite them up to your level.
If you move with the crowd, you’ll get no further than the crowd.
When 40 million people believe in a dumb idea, it’s still a dumb idea.
Simply swimming with the tide leaves you nowhere.
So if you believe in something that’s good, honest and bright- stand up for it. Maybe your peers will get smart and drift your way.
Source Unknown.
Praise God for His Empowering Authority in You:
87. Relief Giver
88. Resolution Giver
89. Resister Helper
90. Renouncer of Evil
91. Repute Giver
92. Reputation Protector
93. Recognizer
94. Resource Giver
95. Reigns Over All
96. Respected One
97. Reconciliation Master
98. Responsibility Giver
99. Releaser
100. Regard and contemplative helper
101. Roll all my cares on you
102. Rights Giver
103. Relinquished your rights
104. Reassesser guide
105. Really loves, empowers, guides & provides
106. Releaser from sin, death, judgment, pain and prison to sin
107. Restrainer from temptation
108. Rejoicer over us with love
109. Relationship expert
110. Reactivator
111. Recorder
112. Reporter
113. Reinventor
114. Recognizer
115. Rebuilder
116. Re-examiner
117. Reviewer
118. Reinforcement expert
119. Rejuvenation expert
120. Remedy for all problems
121. Ruler of all
122. Restrictor or boundary setter
123. Reproducer
124. Redirector
125. Reconsideration expert
126. Recaller of good things, times and resources
127. Re-emphasizer of good, true, honorable, pure & praiseworthy
128. Realigner with Your Spirit, Mind, Word, People & Purpose
129. Remembers all things except the sins of the redeemed
130. Replaces evil with good by His word, Spirit and self-discipline
131. Remembers Jesus Christ and all He did, is doing and will do
132. Realizer of good things
133. Redirector to truth, love, wisdom, power, purpose, priorities and problem-solving
134. Reflector on truth, love and maturity in all aspects in Christ
135. Re-enables us to be sanctified by the Spirit
136. Renews us everyday in everyway
137. Reconfigures what is wrong with what is right
138. Restrains us from wrong
139. Restricts evil for our good
140. Resister of the evil, offensive or unprofitable in all ways
141. Reverent One in all ways
142. Reviewer who evaluates
143. Replaces evil with good
144. Recommits to the word of His grace which builds us up
145. Repeats, reiterates, and reinforces truth, love, faith hope
146. Reforms us by transforming us by the renewing of our mind
147. Restores all that was stolen, lost, or given away
148. Recharges us with hope, love, peace, power and purpose
149. Righteous standard
