Recording:

Transcript:

Authority in Words – Pastor

The books of Luke and Matthew describe the views of those who heard Jesus speaking on His manner of speaking. The crowds were amazed because His words had authority. Recently, we have been talking about do not gossip and do not complain. Even if you do these things, you still cannot live well. Now I want to teach you what we cannot do and what we must do. What we must do is—speak with authority in our words. Authority is a very important thing. Authority is the foundation of many things; without authority, nothing can be done. Yesterday, the mother of one of our sisters shared many great principles on the stage. She spoke well, but it was all just theory, without authority. Things cannot be accomplished without authority. This is a common problem faced by Chinese people: they like to talk about grand principles but lack spiritual authority.

The Church is God's Army

The strictest use of authority is in the military. Without authority, an army cannot win battles. If the church cannot win battles, the brothers and sisters cannot be blessed, nor can they see God's promises. Recently, many new friends have come among us who may not have heard me speak like this before. The key to building a church is to build the church as an army. Few churches talk about their church being God's army; they all talk about love in the church, saying things you like to hear, which are all superficial. In such a church, you will certainly not see God's blessings and promises because the church is the army of the living God. If you do not build it according to the military, all that remains is useless.

Before Jesus introduced the concept of the church, in the era of the Exodus, God brought the Israelites out of Egypt through Moses. The armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt (see Exodus 12:41). God determined that this group of Israelites who came out of Egypt should be built according to the army, which was God's command. If they were not built according to the army, the Israelites would not receive the promise and would not enter the promised land. When they came out of Egypt, God did not command the Israelites how to love each other, but to build an army. The army is built through killing. All those in Egypt who did not submit to authority died. This is the best way for God to build His army.

Do not read the New Testament and the Old Testament separately. They both record the same God, and God's way of doing things has not changed, except that today we have the grace of Jesus Christ. God has never changed, and His intention to build a mighty army of God has never changed. Those who cannot fight in the church do not count. Thank God that the church God builds constantly reveals through the Old and New Testaments that the church God builds is God's army. In the New Testament, when Jesus preached in the world, He mentioned in the Gospel of Mark that He once again strengthened the concept that the church is an army. He said, “I will give you the authority of heaven. What you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and what you release on earth will be released in heaven.” An army that cannot fight and a church that cannot wage war are of no account. The church is God's army. The statements that the church is a place full of love or that the church is a home are all based on the premise that the church is God's army. The church built according to the Bible should be what the church should be.

In the vision built by Rick Joyner, there are all kinds of churches. What kind of church do you want? In my mind, it is a church full of God's glory. Building an army is key, and the key to building an army lies in authority. Speaking with authority and command is Jesus' way of doing things. Without authority in words, nothing can be done. Back then, the Communist Party's millet plus rifles defeated the Kuomintang's foreign guns and cannons. The key was authority. The external manifestation of authority is organization and discipline. Later, Chiang Kai-shek retreated to Taiwan and reflected that he finally realized that the army needed strict discipline.

Later, everyone in Taiwan, like Singapore, stipulated military service. Those who have served in the military in Taiwan know what kind of training it is, and the discipline is very strict. If you are weak during training, you will not be able to fight at critical moments. In ancient times, there was a military strategist named Sun Bin who trained a group of palace maids. At first, no one could look up to him, thinking that palace maids could not fight. Some palace maids laughed, and Sun Bin picked up his sword and cut off the palace maid's head. When the other palace maids saw that it was real, they all obediently trained and eventually became a strong fighting army. Palace maids can be trained to fight hard battles, and this is because of discipline.

Brothers and sisters, you must know that building an army in the church is building God's army. In Rick Joyner's The Call to the Final Stand, he saw a very bleak scene in his vision. Because the vast majority of people are in the third level of the church, they are completely a mob. The church that God wants to build among us is: distinct banners, neat uniforms, shiny weapons, consistent steps, clear military ranks, close relationships, no teacher, no self, fearless, great and awe-inspiring. The church we want to build today is still far from this standard. A brother was surprised that our church keeps attendance records, and he said that he would never be absent again. When we first started establishing attendance, there was a lot of resistance, and many people were unhappy. It was not until today that it began to be established. If you carefully examine the first type of church that Rick Joyner said, we still have a long way to go. We need to work harder to build such an army.

Do not think that we have already built a lot. It is still far from enough. Why build an army? The church is God's army because an army that does not triumph in the spiritual world cannot bless everyone. Even if you come in with a very selfish idea and say, I want to be blessed! Then you must also enter the army to fight spiritual battles. Do not think that you can accomplish anything by yourself. Some people have wrong theological ideas: solitary cultivation. You cannot see any blessings in him. Even if there is a little good thing, it comes from the devil. That is not God's will. God's will is to put you in God's army and fight in unity. It is difficult not to be blessed in this way.

A brother earned a large commission without doing anything. He only did one thing: he came to a victorious church. A victorious church is the result of building an army, and a victorious church will bless the brothers and sisters. Healing the sick and casting out demons are all trivial matters. If the church does not triumph, you cannot be blessed. You begin to be blessed when you come to church not because of what you have done, but because before you came, the brothers and sisters in the church were already fighting and triumphing. This church is a united church. In the future, brothers and sisters will be blessed when they come to church because this church is blessed by God through fighting and triumphing.

Begin to submit to the authority of the church and build a disciplined church of God. Encourage everyone to go back to the Bible to see what the church should be like, what Jesus is like. Jesus' words have authority, and our words must have authority. Although the Lord Jesus has performed many miracles and wonders that amazed the world through my hands and the hands of our brothers and sisters, our service is still far from that of the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus' service is to serve with authority, so I hope everyone will give me some encouragement and lead everyone to run straight on the road to victory.

And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” And news about him spread through every place in the surrounding region. And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon's house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. (Luke 4:31-41)

One of our sisters was disturbed by a demon last night. She got up and prayed, using authority to rebuke many demons to leave, and she slept soundly that night. Brothers and sisters, you must know that you have authority in your hands, and the use of authority is very important. The reception of the crowd after seeing Jesus ministering is that Jesus' ministry has authority, and His words have authority, and His actions also have authority. And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. (Matthew 7:28-29) How many pastors today are like Jesus? How many pastors are like the scribes? Several years ago, I had a great desire in my heart to desire my service to be more and more like Jesus. Now it is more like Jesus than it was then, and the service in the days to come will be more like Jesus than it is today. Jesus' ministry has authority. When He rebukes demons, the demons leave. The demons also know that Jesus is the Holy One of God and the Son of the living God.

“Service with authority” and “service without authority” are two different kinds of service. “Service without authority” is the service of the scribes, while “service with authority” is the service exemplified by Jesus. Some brothers and sisters think that I am specially chosen by God, so I have such ability, but it is not like that. Everyone is specially chosen by God. A sister came among us for two months. Only after listening to my sermons did she realize that she also had authority within her. When her heart disease and arm numbness symptoms occurred, she began to rebuke the evil spirits behind them and found that these symptoms disappeared. You must believe that you have authority, and you will gain authority. You must have the appearance of possessing authority. If you do not have the appearance of authority, the demons will know that you are insecure.

Authority Must Be Spoken and Acted Out

And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about. (Luke 4:33-37)

I am a person who practices faith. In prayer, I found that having authority and not having authority are completely different. At the beginning of prayer, I felt that the effect was not obvious. Then I returned to the Bible to seek answers, and I started to do it in the way of Jesus, and I began to cast out demons in the name of Jesus, and I found that the effect was particularly good. Then I divided the service into two types. One type of service is: Lord Jesus, please heal, but the effect is not good. The second type is: using authority to serve but found that the effect is particularly good. Everyone who learns such concepts will experience God's wonderful deeds. Before Jesus, there were not many people who could cast out demons. Now Jesus has come, has been nailed to the cross, and has risen from the dead with all authority in heaven and on earth, and has given this authority to you and me. Are you still pretending to serve without authority?

There was a very traditional believer on the Internet who challenged me, saying, do you want to imitate the Lord Jesus and be nailed to the cross at the age of 33? I said that I want to imitate the service of the Lord Jesus, but I am over thirty-three years old and have no chance to be nailed to the cross, but my daily service is with the faith of certain death, with the faith of fighting the devil with all my might. Serving with such faith is very effective. With the service with authority, your reputation will spread because what God does through us will spread.

Yesterday, someone sent me a message saying that they were going to produce a Bible reader and asked if they could put our sermons into the Bible reader to edify more people. After discussing with my wife, I replied to him that the church management disagreed because I knew that what God was doing among us would spread in all directions. I hope that everyone has the concept of authority in their hearts. Next, our church will vigorously promote healing and deliverance. I hope that in Singapore and around the world, we will imitate the Lord Jesus through our network to heal the sick through our hands.

Have the Appearance of Gaining Authority

An important concept of having authority and not having authority is that you must look like a person with authority. I learned this lesson from my experience as a teacher. You must have the appearance of a teacher with authority. Some teachers think that it is right to be at the same level with students, but in doing so, you will lose the authority of your teacher. What students need is a teacher who stands on the podium, looking like a teacher. One of our teachers encountered great challenges with students. She came to seek my help. I think believing in Jesus must be real. I told her that, for example, for university entrance exams, praying 24 hours a day without studying is not enough to pass. She did not know how to be a teacher. I encouraged her to start learning how to be a teacher, and she bought books online to study.

One of the books talked about some of the teacher's own experiences. When he started writing on the blackboard, the students below started to be very noisy and chaotic because he did not have the appearance of a teacher and lost the authority of the teacher. At that time, there was another teacher in the class, and the students would quiet down as soon as they heard his name. He summed up a truth that teachers should have the appearance of teachers because students have a judgment about teachers in their minds. If you do not have the appearance of a teacher, students will not respect you. Reading this, I asked myself, what should a pastor look like? If students know whether a teacher has the appearance of a teacher with authority, the devil knows even more so, and so do people.

Christians Must Have the Appearance of Jesus

What is the use of having authority if it is like having no authority? Many Christians have authority in their hearts, but they put on an appearance of having no authority, which is false humility. Therefore, we must carefully read and study the Bible. If you want to live well, you must pick up the authority to resist the devil. I don’t need others to tell me what a pastor should look like. The pastor's appearance is in the Bible, in Jesus Christ. Make the appearance of having authority, and I do not need to be humble. Having or not having authority has nothing to do with being humble. Jesus does not like false humility. What Jesus likes is that you truly make the appearance of having authority, and take up the authority He has given you to fulfill the mission of Jesus Christ upon you and deliver people from oppression and release them.

We have authority because we are clothed with Jesus. Inside is ourselves, but outside is Jesus Christ. Our service is not because we are perfect, but because Jesus Christ is perfect. Although we are not perfect, we are clothed with Jesus and take up the authority of Jesus Christ. Even in what we consider imperfect, we can overcome the devil. We put on Jesus Christ to represent Him in exercising authority, not because of what the inner person is like. We who are clothed with Jesus Christ must also strive to be united in Him. We strive for sanctification, not because we do things to serve God after we are sanctified, but because we are clothed before we are sanctified. When we are clothed with Jesus Christ, we begin to discover the standards of Jesus Christ, which become the standards by which we measure our behavior. We will be self-disciplined and begin to deal with things within ourselves that are not like Jesus Christ.

When we put on Jesus Christ, we must imitate the service of Jesus Christ. We do what Jesus does. When we imitate the service of Jesus Christ, we must first let people receive grace, and those who are willing to stay will stay. After doing so much, Jesus finally had 120 disciples left, but these 120 disciples are real treasures. Whether you want to be a treasure is your own choice. I think our church should expand our vision and enhance our ability to preach the gospel. Although the current situation of our church is already very miraculous for many Christians, I want to say that we will experience even more miraculous things in the future. We must constantly practice and improve our authority according to the appearance of Jesus Christ. We must constantly practice ourselves, putting on Jesus on the outside and imitating Jesus Christ on the inside. If the inside is full of faith, what flows out is authority.

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Becoming children of God means directly sharing His authority with God. Since all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Jesus Christ, it also belongs to you and me. Let us not separate ourselves from Jesus Christ. Jesus said that those who are of little faith, or those who do not believe, do not believe in themselves that they have such authority. Brothers and sisters, we must begin to have faith and begin to yearn to be like Jesus. The Lord Jesus has given us authority, and we are becoming more and more like the Lord Jesus, and our service is becoming more and more like the Lord Jesus. (John 1:12)

Conclusion:

Our words must have authority, and begin to know that God will accomplish what you have declared. In the Bible, God did not let a single word of Samuel and Moses fall to the ground. This is our relationship with God. If we already know for sure that God has given us authority, even if you say that it is not God who personally revealed it to you, if you know God's will, and declare according to God's will, God will also accomplish according to your declaration. What a grace this is! This is what it means to become a person with authority in your hands!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, your words have authority, and we also ask you to give us this authority, so that when we speak, we will also have the authority you have given us, and teach us how to serve like you. Lord Jesus, we know that we are still far from the way you serve, and we also yearn to serve like you in our hearts. We ask you to give us such grace to make our brothers and sisters more and more like you, and to make our service more and more like you, and to make our words have more and more authority. We thank you and praise you. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!