Topic: Power vs Authority II (Open Heaven 7 January 2020)
Memorise: “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
Read: Mark 16:17-20 (KJV)
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
Bible in One Year: Job 14-16
According to Acts 1:8, the moment you are baptized with the Holy Ghost, you have received power. But as we learnt yesterday, you need to go beyond the level of power to the level of authority. However, authority will only come when you go out to witness.
That is why in Mark 16:17, Jesus said “And these signs shall follow…..” In other words, if you stay in one place- you won’t exhibit the signs, but if you go out to witness- the signs will follow you. Acts 10:38 says:
“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”
Although Jesus had been anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power, He did not stop there; He “went about” and because He did, He was able to heal all that were oppressed of the devil.
Peter and John were amongst the seventy disciples that Jesus sent out on evangelism in Luke 10. While they had been unable to cast out demons before then, by the time they went out preaching the gospel and returned, the demons had become subject to them (Luke 10:17).
Still they did not understand the secret of this authority they had over demons, so they stopped evangelizing. It was on the resumption of their evangelistic activities, after Jesus had left them, that they were able to make the lame man at the Beautiful Gate walk.
Many Christians pray that they should also be able to heal the sick and raise the dead, but God is wondering why. They don’t go out to witness, not even in their office or to their neighbors, so why do they need signs and wonders?
The signs are for unbelievers to believe (John 4:48) so if you are not ready to witness to them, please forget about signs and wonders. They are reserved strictly for those who witness for Jesus Christ.