Our Authority Over the Enemy
Jun 11, 2019 17:27:52 #
Our Authority Over the Enemy
By Rob Pue - June 11, 2019
Why does our culture and our world continue to spin deeper and deeper down the drain of sewage and depravity? Everywhere we look, good is called “evil” and evil is called “good.” Everything is backwards from God’s natural order. Everything is a demonic counterfeit of God’s perfect plan and design.
Today, as we read in Romans 1, it seems God has given the world over to depraved, reprobate minds. Vile affections, blood lust, worship of false gods.
“Filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, spiteful, proud, boasters, INVENTORS of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection (even for their own children); undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful.”
Is it any wonder that God has given most people in this world over to reprobate minds?
A dark cloud of judgment has fallen upon our land. And it is our own fault. Why is the church today, so powerless? Or perhaps better stated, why is modern American Christendom — the INSTITUTIONAL so-called “churches” — why are THEY so powerless and effeminate? Outwardly, they practice a FORM of godliness, but they deny the power of GOD. I dare say that MOST professing Christians and church-goers today are just as carnal as the worldly. They may act “holy” during the “worshiptainment” they enjoy at their local “Godmart.” But they really have no idea whatsoever what being a Christ-follower is really all about. Salt that has lost the savor, therefore USELESS — except to be thrown out and trampled under the feet of men. That is, if they ever HAD any “salt” to begin with.
Increasingly, Lucifer and his demons are reigning on this earth. Mind you, it is only because God Almighty allows it, for now. But nevertheless, the demonic realm is very REAL, and very effective at destroying all who will fall for his lies and deceptions. And make no mistake, ALL he offers are lies and deceptions, because he is the father of lies and there is no truth in him. His goal is to lie, deceive and twist as many minds into godless rebellion as possible, leading to the ultimate death and destruction of as many of God’s image-bearers as possible. That means YOU, friend. We are ALL targets, simply because we are made in God’s image, and though our Creator is not willing that any should perish, MOST will, by their own choice.
In the book of Job, we read that:
“One day, the sons of God (the angels) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord asked Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ ‘From roaming through the earth,’ Satan answered Him, ‘and walking around on it.’”
Ezekiel 28 is a two-fold prophecy — regarding the proud, boastful King of Tyre, who thought he was a god. The King’s judgment was pronounced:
“Because you regard your heart as that of a god, I am about to bring strangers against you, ruthless men from the nations. They will draw their swords against your magnificent wisdom and will defile your splendor. They will bring you down to the Pit, and you will die a violent death.”
Such is always the end of those who celebrate “pride.”
The second part of this message in Ezekiel seems to refer to Lucifer, Satan. It reads:
“You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone covered you…You were an anointed guardian cherub, for I had appointed you. You were on the holy mountain of God…From the day you were created, you were blameless in your ways until wickedness was found in you. Through the abundance of your trade (evil), you were filled with violence and you sinned. So I expelled you in disgrace from the mountain of God, and banished you, guardian cherub.”
The Lord goes on:
“Your heart became proud because of your beauty; for the sake of your splendor you corrupted your wisdom. So I threw you down to the earth…”
Yes, Satan is a CREATED being, and was anointed by God and given the position of “guardian.” But he rebelled against the Most High, and was cast down to the earth, where he remains today, as the father of lies, the enemy of our souls. 1 Peter 5 warns us that he now:
“prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
We are therefore warned to be SOBER-MINDED and WATCHFUL, and we have God’s promise that if we resist him, firm in our faith, he will flee from us. You see, he HAS to. Because we — IF we have the Holy Spirit of God within us (and not ALL who claim the name of Christ actually DO) — then WE have the very power and authority of God within us also to trample Satan beneath our feet.
In Matthew 10, we have this:
“Summoning His 12 disciples, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out and to heal every disease and sickness.”
In Matthew 28, starting at verse 18:
“Then Jesus came near and said to them, ‘ALL authority has been given to Me in heaven AND ON EARTH. Go therefore, and make discples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to oberve everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Yes, JESUS is with us — He is IN us — and gives us HIS authority on this earth. And the authority of GOD includes authority over the devil and his demons.
Look also at Luke 10: Jesus commanded the seventy to go out, two by two into ‘every city and place.’ His directives were to:
“heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with diseases and DRIVE OUT DEMONS.”
But He warned that while the harvest is great, the workers are few. He warned that His disciples would be going out as sheep among wolves. The Christian life is NOT one of ease and comfort, not one of potlucks and ice cream socials and youth group pizza parties. This is serious business. This is our JOB.
When the seventy returned to Jesus, they came with joy saying:
“Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through Thy name!” And Jesus replied, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold… I give you… all power over the enemy, but rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Friends, do you REALIZE — do you UNDERSTAND — that the supernatural spiritual realm is REAL and PRESENT right alongside us? Though we cannot see it in the natural, it is no less real. Demons and angels walk among us on this earth and the spiritual battle rages in the heavenlies and in this world. The “prince of the power of the air” commands legions of demons to do his evil bidding among us every day. But he can only do this if WE allow it, and open the doors to the demonic.
But knowing that God is INFINITELY more powerful than the father of lies, knowing that Jesus Christ Himself was manifested in this world, died, was buried and rose again, that He might destroy the works of the devil, WHY then, is this world descending so rapidly, now, into utter destruction?
1 Timothy 4:
“Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, THROUGH THE HYPOCRISY OF LIARS whose consciences are seared.”
I could do an entire sermon on that verse alone. Today, MANY have departed. MANY are following the deceitful spirits and teachings of demons. And this Scripture TELLS US that these demonic teachings come through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared. Dare I say that many — if not MOST — of our “churches” today have become nothing more than carnal, satanic social clubs, where professing “pastors” NEVER address the topic of spiritual warfare. Hireling “shepherds” that will NEVER talk about the social, cultural, moral and political issues that are twisting our own minds and those of our children, destroying marriages (indeed, even redefining MARRIAGE to include unholy sodomite hedonism), tearing apart families, and dragging millions of souls to hell every day. By their silence, they have given their consent. Sadly, there are now an increasing number of churches CELEBRATING all this wickedness as well. Not just remaining silent — now they are ADVOCATING for and CELEBRATING sodomy, infanticide, Islam, fornication, pornography, socialism, fascism and more.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
“I fear that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be seduced from a complete and pure devotion to Christ. For if a person comes and preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit, which you had not received, or a different gospel, which you had not accepted, you put up with it splendidly!”
Yes, there are MANY false Christs and false gospels and false spirits being preached today, and there are MANY who put up with it splendidly!
God has placed before us a choice, between life and death. Sadly, most have chosen the broad path that leads to destruction. Even MOST who attend church regularly and do all the vain religious rituals, having neglected ENTIRELY the weighter matters. But Paul continued:
“Since we have this ministry because we were shown mercy, we do not give up. Instead, we have renounced shameful secret things, not walking in deceit or distorting God’s message, but commending ourselves to every person’s conscience in God’s sight by an OPEN DISPLAY OF THE TRUTH! But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
What an admonition! We are NOT to walk in deceit or distort God’s message but seek to touch EVERY PERSON’S CONSCIENCE. How? By AN OPEN DISPLAY OF THE TRUTH! We are not to tell the carnal, worldly person “Jesus loves you, brother, just the way you are!” That is a lie from the father of lies himself. UNTIL we come to Christ in humble repentance and faith, we remain under God’s wrath, an enemy of the cross, and Scripture tells us we are of our father the devil, and the deeds of our father we will do. And that is NOT OK! God is not “alright” with that. The wages of sin are death. Instead, as much as we are able, with all our might, through the POWER of the Holy Spirit within us, we are to present to EVERY PERSON’S CONSCIENCE an OPEN DISPLAY OF THE TRUTH! Unashamedly. Boldly, but humbly. For such WERE some of us!
But the world is growing darker, folks. And at an alarming speed. Why is evil getting so bold so quickly? Why are we seeing things coming upon the earth now that we would have never dreamed possible just a few years ago? Because we have opened the doors — we have rolled out the red carpet — we have opened “portals” into the demonic spiritual realm. We have done this by believing lies and by hiding from God’s light. We do this every day through the entertainment we choose, through the sin habits we continue to indulge in, through continuing to allow millions of babies to be slaughtered in the womb. And make no mistake, the devil and his demons FEED on the blood of the innocent. The blood of the innocent is CURRENCY in the demonic spiritual realm. We are under blood guiltiness, but few professing Christians can be bothered to actually DO anything about it, or demand justice.
The same is true with the sodomite agenda. Christians remain silent. PASTORS remain silent on ALL of these things, as thousands upon thousands of our young people and young CHILDREN are indoctrinated into this death-style. Parents even march their little kids in the “pride” parades and take them to “Drag Queen Story Time” at their local libraries. Countless children and young people are lured into the human trafficking market, sold as slaves and prostitutes. Then we celebrate the death-cult of Islam, welcoming demon worshipers into high places in government, education, media and other areas of great influence. I could go on: the plague of Pharmakea; the indoctrination of children in public schools — and the rest of us through constant use of our “screens” — the invasion of our country by hostile foreign enemies. The list is endless.
And we do ALL of this with PRIDE. Yes, we have willingly opened massive portals into the demonic realm, allowing an ever-increasing number of demons to have free reign in every area of our lives and our world. As we invite and welcome and celebrate the arrival of more and more demons, we seal our fate. Only God’s faithful remnant will find eternal life with Him. Yet we must press on, we must boldly proclaim TRUTH at every opportunity and seek and demand righteousness and justice! Most of all, we must remember the words of Moses — and actually DO what we have so woefully failed at. From Deuteronomy 6:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength. These words I am giving you today are to be in your heart. REPEAT THEM to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. BIND THEM as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
This spiritual battle — this spiritual WARFARE — is REAL and it is intense, and the enemy is seeking to devour us all — especially our precious children. We need to step up our game. We need to “amp it up.” We need to be bold WARRIORS for Christ, seeking to be a restraining influence against the enemy. But we can NEVER DO THAT if we never speak up, or never leave the four walls of our local Religious Service Providers. Salt that has lost its savor cannot be made salty again. It’s too late for them. But for the faithful, NOW is the time. TODAY is the day for us to BELIEVE what Jesus said: we have ALL authority over the enemy; Jesus will be with us, even to the end of the age. Christ is IN us — and as His disciples we have the very authority of God to cast these demons OUT, and they have no choice but to OBEY… WHEN we understand and BELIEVE that authority, and come out of our hiding places and begin to exercise it. Just as Jesus commanded.
By Rob Pue - June 11, 2019
Why does our culture and our world continue to spin deeper and deeper down the drain of sewage and depravity? Everywhere we look, good is called “evil” and evil is called “good.” Everything is backwards from God’s natural order. Everything is a demonic counterfeit of God’s perfect plan and design.
Today, as we read in Romans 1, it seems God has given the world over to depraved, reprobate minds. Vile affections, blood lust, worship of false gods.
“Filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, spiteful, proud, boasters, INVENTORS of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection (even for their own children); undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful.”
Is it any wonder that God has given most people in this world over to reprobate minds?
A dark cloud of judgment has fallen upon our land. And it is our own fault. Why is the church today, so powerless? Or perhaps better stated, why is modern American Christendom — the INSTITUTIONAL so-called “churches” — why are THEY so powerless and effeminate? Outwardly, they practice a FORM of godliness, but they deny the power of GOD. I dare say that MOST professing Christians and church-goers today are just as carnal as the worldly. They may act “holy” during the “worshiptainment” they enjoy at their local “Godmart.” But they really have no idea whatsoever what being a Christ-follower is really all about. Salt that has lost the savor, therefore USELESS — except to be thrown out and trampled under the feet of men. That is, if they ever HAD any “salt” to begin with.
Increasingly, Lucifer and his demons are reigning on this earth. Mind you, it is only because God Almighty allows it, for now. But nevertheless, the demonic realm is very REAL, and very effective at destroying all who will fall for his lies and deceptions. And make no mistake, ALL he offers are lies and deceptions, because he is the father of lies and there is no truth in him. His goal is to lie, deceive and twist as many minds into godless rebellion as possible, leading to the ultimate death and destruction of as many of God’s image-bearers as possible. That means YOU, friend. We are ALL targets, simply because we are made in God’s image, and though our Creator is not willing that any should perish, MOST will, by their own choice.
In the book of Job, we read that:
“One day, the sons of God (the angels) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord asked Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ ‘From roaming through the earth,’ Satan answered Him, ‘and walking around on it.’”
Ezekiel 28 is a two-fold prophecy — regarding the proud, boastful King of Tyre, who thought he was a god. The King’s judgment was pronounced:
“Because you regard your heart as that of a god, I am about to bring strangers against you, ruthless men from the nations. They will draw their swords against your magnificent wisdom and will defile your splendor. They will bring you down to the Pit, and you will die a violent death.”
Such is always the end of those who celebrate “pride.”
The second part of this message in Ezekiel seems to refer to Lucifer, Satan. It reads:
“You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone covered you…You were an anointed guardian cherub, for I had appointed you. You were on the holy mountain of God…From the day you were created, you were blameless in your ways until wickedness was found in you. Through the abundance of your trade (evil), you were filled with violence and you sinned. So I expelled you in disgrace from the mountain of God, and banished you, guardian cherub.”
The Lord goes on:
“Your heart became proud because of your beauty; for the sake of your splendor you corrupted your wisdom. So I threw you down to the earth…”
Yes, Satan is a CREATED being, and was anointed by God and given the position of “guardian.” But he rebelled against the Most High, and was cast down to the earth, where he remains today, as the father of lies, the enemy of our souls. 1 Peter 5 warns us that he now:
“prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
We are therefore warned to be SOBER-MINDED and WATCHFUL, and we have God’s promise that if we resist him, firm in our faith, he will flee from us. You see, he HAS to. Because we — IF we have the Holy Spirit of God within us (and not ALL who claim the name of Christ actually DO) — then WE have the very power and authority of God within us also to trample Satan beneath our feet.
In Matthew 10, we have this:
“Summoning His 12 disciples, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out and to heal every disease and sickness.”
In Matthew 28, starting at verse 18:
“Then Jesus came near and said to them, ‘ALL authority has been given to Me in heaven AND ON EARTH. Go therefore, and make discples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to oberve everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Yes, JESUS is with us — He is IN us — and gives us HIS authority on this earth. And the authority of GOD includes authority over the devil and his demons.
Look also at Luke 10: Jesus commanded the seventy to go out, two by two into ‘every city and place.’ His directives were to:
“heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with diseases and DRIVE OUT DEMONS.”
But He warned that while the harvest is great, the workers are few. He warned that His disciples would be going out as sheep among wolves. The Christian life is NOT one of ease and comfort, not one of potlucks and ice cream socials and youth group pizza parties. This is serious business. This is our JOB.
When the seventy returned to Jesus, they came with joy saying:
“Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through Thy name!” And Jesus replied, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold… I give you… all power over the enemy, but rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Friends, do you REALIZE — do you UNDERSTAND — that the supernatural spiritual realm is REAL and PRESENT right alongside us? Though we cannot see it in the natural, it is no less real. Demons and angels walk among us on this earth and the spiritual battle rages in the heavenlies and in this world. The “prince of the power of the air” commands legions of demons to do his evil bidding among us every day. But he can only do this if WE allow it, and open the doors to the demonic.
But knowing that God is INFINITELY more powerful than the father of lies, knowing that Jesus Christ Himself was manifested in this world, died, was buried and rose again, that He might destroy the works of the devil, WHY then, is this world descending so rapidly, now, into utter destruction?
1 Timothy 4:
“Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, THROUGH THE HYPOCRISY OF LIARS whose consciences are seared.”
I could do an entire sermon on that verse alone. Today, MANY have departed. MANY are following the deceitful spirits and teachings of demons. And this Scripture TELLS US that these demonic teachings come through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared. Dare I say that many — if not MOST — of our “churches” today have become nothing more than carnal, satanic social clubs, where professing “pastors” NEVER address the topic of spiritual warfare. Hireling “shepherds” that will NEVER talk about the social, cultural, moral and political issues that are twisting our own minds and those of our children, destroying marriages (indeed, even redefining MARRIAGE to include unholy sodomite hedonism), tearing apart families, and dragging millions of souls to hell every day. By their silence, they have given their consent. Sadly, there are now an increasing number of churches CELEBRATING all this wickedness as well. Not just remaining silent — now they are ADVOCATING for and CELEBRATING sodomy, infanticide, Islam, fornication, pornography, socialism, fascism and more.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
“I fear that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be seduced from a complete and pure devotion to Christ. For if a person comes and preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit, which you had not received, or a different gospel, which you had not accepted, you put up with it splendidly!”
Yes, there are MANY false Christs and false gospels and false spirits being preached today, and there are MANY who put up with it splendidly!
God has placed before us a choice, between life and death. Sadly, most have chosen the broad path that leads to destruction. Even MOST who attend church regularly and do all the vain religious rituals, having neglected ENTIRELY the weighter matters. But Paul continued:
“Since we have this ministry because we were shown mercy, we do not give up. Instead, we have renounced shameful secret things, not walking in deceit or distorting God’s message, but commending ourselves to every person’s conscience in God’s sight by an OPEN DISPLAY OF THE TRUTH! But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
What an admonition! We are NOT to walk in deceit or distort God’s message but seek to touch EVERY PERSON’S CONSCIENCE. How? By AN OPEN DISPLAY OF THE TRUTH! We are not to tell the carnal, worldly person “Jesus loves you, brother, just the way you are!” That is a lie from the father of lies himself. UNTIL we come to Christ in humble repentance and faith, we remain under God’s wrath, an enemy of the cross, and Scripture tells us we are of our father the devil, and the deeds of our father we will do. And that is NOT OK! God is not “alright” with that. The wages of sin are death. Instead, as much as we are able, with all our might, through the POWER of the Holy Spirit within us, we are to present to EVERY PERSON’S CONSCIENCE an OPEN DISPLAY OF THE TRUTH! Unashamedly. Boldly, but humbly. For such WERE some of us!
But the world is growing darker, folks. And at an alarming speed. Why is evil getting so bold so quickly? Why are we seeing things coming upon the earth now that we would have never dreamed possible just a few years ago? Because we have opened the doors — we have rolled out the red carpet — we have opened “portals” into the demonic spiritual realm. We have done this by believing lies and by hiding from God’s light. We do this every day through the entertainment we choose, through the sin habits we continue to indulge in, through continuing to allow millions of babies to be slaughtered in the womb. And make no mistake, the devil and his demons FEED on the blood of the innocent. The blood of the innocent is CURRENCY in the demonic spiritual realm. We are under blood guiltiness, but few professing Christians can be bothered to actually DO anything about it, or demand justice.
The same is true with the sodomite agenda. Christians remain silent. PASTORS remain silent on ALL of these things, as thousands upon thousands of our young people and young CHILDREN are indoctrinated into this death-style. Parents even march their little kids in the “pride” parades and take them to “Drag Queen Story Time” at their local libraries. Countless children and young people are lured into the human trafficking market, sold as slaves and prostitutes. Then we celebrate the death-cult of Islam, welcoming demon worshipers into high places in government, education, media and other areas of great influence. I could go on: the plague of Pharmakea; the indoctrination of children in public schools — and the rest of us through constant use of our “screens” — the invasion of our country by hostile foreign enemies. The list is endless.
And we do ALL of this with PRIDE. Yes, we have willingly opened massive portals into the demonic realm, allowing an ever-increasing number of demons to have free reign in every area of our lives and our world. As we invite and welcome and celebrate the arrival of more and more demons, we seal our fate. Only God’s faithful remnant will find eternal life with Him. Yet we must press on, we must boldly proclaim TRUTH at every opportunity and seek and demand righteousness and justice! Most of all, we must remember the words of Moses — and actually DO what we have so woefully failed at. From Deuteronomy 6:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength. These words I am giving you today are to be in your heart. REPEAT THEM to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. BIND THEM as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
This spiritual battle — this spiritual WARFARE — is REAL and it is intense, and the enemy is seeking to devour us all — especially our precious children. We need to step up our game. We need to “amp it up.” We need to be bold WARRIORS for Christ, seeking to be a restraining influence against the enemy. But we can NEVER DO THAT if we never speak up, or never leave the four walls of our local Religious Service Providers. Salt that has lost its savor cannot be made salty again. It’s too late for them. But for the faithful, NOW is the time. TODAY is the day for us to BELIEVE what Jesus said: we have ALL authority over the enemy; Jesus will be with us, even to the end of the age. Christ is IN us — and as His disciples we have the very authority of God to cast these demons OUT, and they have no choice but to OBEY… WHEN we understand and BELIEVE that authority, and come out of our hiding places and begin to exercise it. Just as Jesus commanded.
Jun 12, 2019 04:52:22 #
First and foremost, the believer, rather than being the authority, is under authority. God is the authority. As Jesus reminds us, “You also, when you have done everything you were commanded to do, should say, ‘We are merely servants; we have only done that which it is our duty to do’” (Luke 17:10). Believers should point to God’s authority. The believer’s life is one of total dependence on God, as modeled by the Son of Man (see Luke 22:42 and John 5:30).
It is humility and virtue that this nation's Christians have largely forsaken, NOT their authority. Living humble, virtuous, family oriented lives centered around worship of the Triune God, and obedience to His Commandments as revealed in Holy Scripture was the menu that built this nation into the greatest ever seen on earth. If United States Christians would repent of their worldly addictions and vices, and return to that lifestyle, and elect government representatives who would reflect those same values, God could heal this nation.
The doctrine of "the authority of the believer" is being grievously misunderstood and misused today. Teachings of authority that originated among power-hungry/thrill-seeking/neo-pentecostal/charismatic circles who claim divine authority to perform miracles at will, get rich, stay healthy, bind Satan, speak a new job, a new automobile, a new home into existence, slay their washing machine in the spirit, teach their dog to bark in an unknown tongue, or anything else "the believer" chooses to command, have spread to multiple denominations, as they are doctrines that tickle men's ears.
This is a complete perversion of biblical teaching. Too often, Almighty God is being treated as the sugar daddy in the sky, rather than worshiped as the just and righteous Creator of the universe.
Some people use the Great Commission to teach the authority of the believer: “Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore 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’” (Matthew 28:18–20). But the authority in the passage clearly belongs to Jesus. He claims “all authority” and then tells those who fall under His authority what to do.
Based on the Great Commission, the only “authority” believers possess is the authority to go into all the world, the authority to make disciples, the authority to baptize in the name of the Triune God, and the authority to teach Jesus’ commands. In the exercise of this authority, the believer is simply obeying orders.
Besides the authority to share the gospel, the authority of the believer includes the right to be called a child of God (John 1:12) and the authority to “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16). In all things, we remember that Christ is the Lord. “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord” (2 Corinthians 10:17).
Some Christians get mixed up about the authority of the believer because they remove verses from their Biblical context. Matthew 10:1, for example, says, “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” Some people claim authority over demons and sickness today, based on this verse, ignoring the fact that Jesus was speaking to a unique group (“His chosen twelve disciples”) for a particular time during His own ministry while physically upon this earth.
If Christians truly had this gift today of healing "every disease and sickness" upon this "fallen" earth, they could walk into the Critical Care unit of any hospital and have every patient walk out with them, completely healed.
Some people claim authority for the believer based on Old Testament promises to Joshua (Joshua 1:3), Gideon (Judges 6:23), or Israel (Deuteronomy 8:18; Malachi 3:10)—again, taking verses out of context. Others claim authority based on Mark 16:17–18, verses that are a late addition to the book and not found in the oldest manuscripts.
Paul exhorted Titus to teach the Scripture boldly, with authority (Titus 2:15). As believers serve each other and the Lord, they should do so with confidence and the authority that comes with knowing they are doing God’s work: “If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:11).
The authority of the believer comes from God and from God’s Word. As we are God’s ambassadors, we can speak with His authority, when sharing the "good news" of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
God’s power is perfect and unlimited. He created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) and holds power over life and death. God clearly has power over Satan and in the end will cast Satan into eternal punishment in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7–10).
Satan’s power, while no match for God’s, is yet strong. Satan can tempt humans, as he did with Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). He is sometimes given permission from God to inflict pain on people as in the case of Job (Job 1–2).
He was able to tempt Jesus but was unable to cause Him to stumble or sin (Matthew 4:1–11). God warns us that Satan hunts for human victims in the way that a roaring lion prowls for his prey (1 Peter 5:8). Satan’s power is not only limited in effectiveness today, but it is also limited in time. Evil faces an ultimate defeat in the future (see Revelation 12:12 and 20:10).
In appealing to a lost world on behalf of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), we use the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, a mighty weapon forged by God through the New Testament writings of the apostles for our use (Ephesians 6:17).
Satan cannot compete with the Written Word of God, for when Jesus, three times, admonished him, "it is written," Satan fled.
Believers in Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8–9) have God’s Spirit living within them. Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” The same power that created the universe resides within us. As a result, Satan has no true power over believers in Christ. He cannot force us to sin, he cannot possess us, and he knows that we will ultimately have the victory over him.
In addition, James 4:7 tells us of our responsibility to resist Satan: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
We have no authority over Satan in ourselves. God has all authority, and He fights on our behalf. Our response to Satan’s attacks should include submitting our lives to God, living in a holy manner, praying for God’s protection, and resisting sin. When we place ourselves under God’s protection, Satan has no authority over us. He will flee.
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John MacArthur Charismatic Chaos
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It is humility and virtue that this nation's Christians have largely forsaken, NOT their authority. Living humble, virtuous, family oriented lives centered around worship of the Triune God, and obedience to His Commandments as revealed in Holy Scripture was the menu that built this nation into the greatest ever seen on earth. If United States Christians would repent of their worldly addictions and vices, and return to that lifestyle, and elect government representatives who would reflect those same values, God could heal this nation.
The doctrine of "the authority of the believer" is being grievously misunderstood and misused today. Teachings of authority that originated among power-hungry/thrill-seeking/neo-pentecostal/charismatic circles who claim divine authority to perform miracles at will, get rich, stay healthy, bind Satan, speak a new job, a new automobile, a new home into existence, slay their washing machine in the spirit, teach their dog to bark in an unknown tongue, or anything else "the believer" chooses to command, have spread to multiple denominations, as they are doctrines that tickle men's ears.
This is a complete perversion of biblical teaching. Too often, Almighty God is being treated as the sugar daddy in the sky, rather than worshiped as the just and righteous Creator of the universe.
Some people use the Great Commission to teach the authority of the believer: “Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore 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’” (Matthew 28:18–20). But the authority in the passage clearly belongs to Jesus. He claims “all authority” and then tells those who fall under His authority what to do.
Based on the Great Commission, the only “authority” believers possess is the authority to go into all the world, the authority to make disciples, the authority to baptize in the name of the Triune God, and the authority to teach Jesus’ commands. In the exercise of this authority, the believer is simply obeying orders.
Besides the authority to share the gospel, the authority of the believer includes the right to be called a child of God (John 1:12) and the authority to “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16). In all things, we remember that Christ is the Lord. “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord” (2 Corinthians 10:17).
Some Christians get mixed up about the authority of the believer because they remove verses from their Biblical context. Matthew 10:1, for example, says, “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” Some people claim authority over demons and sickness today, based on this verse, ignoring the fact that Jesus was speaking to a unique group (“His chosen twelve disciples”) for a particular time during His own ministry while physically upon this earth.
If Christians truly had this gift today of healing "every disease and sickness" upon this "fallen" earth, they could walk into the Critical Care unit of any hospital and have every patient walk out with them, completely healed.
Some people claim authority for the believer based on Old Testament promises to Joshua (Joshua 1:3), Gideon (Judges 6:23), or Israel (Deuteronomy 8:18; Malachi 3:10)—again, taking verses out of context. Others claim authority based on Mark 16:17–18, verses that are a late addition to the book and not found in the oldest manuscripts.
Paul exhorted Titus to teach the Scripture boldly, with authority (Titus 2:15). As believers serve each other and the Lord, they should do so with confidence and the authority that comes with knowing they are doing God’s work: “If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:11).
The authority of the believer comes from God and from God’s Word. As we are God’s ambassadors, we can speak with His authority, when sharing the "good news" of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
God’s power is perfect and unlimited. He created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) and holds power over life and death. God clearly has power over Satan and in the end will cast Satan into eternal punishment in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7–10).
Satan’s power, while no match for God’s, is yet strong. Satan can tempt humans, as he did with Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). He is sometimes given permission from God to inflict pain on people as in the case of Job (Job 1–2).
He was able to tempt Jesus but was unable to cause Him to stumble or sin (Matthew 4:1–11). God warns us that Satan hunts for human victims in the way that a roaring lion prowls for his prey (1 Peter 5:8). Satan’s power is not only limited in effectiveness today, but it is also limited in time. Evil faces an ultimate defeat in the future (see Revelation 12:12 and 20:10).
In appealing to a lost world on behalf of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), we use the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, a mighty weapon forged by God through the New Testament writings of the apostles for our use (Ephesians 6:17).
Satan cannot compete with the Written Word of God, for when Jesus, three times, admonished him, "it is written," Satan fled.
Believers in Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8–9) have God’s Spirit living within them. Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” The same power that created the universe resides within us. As a result, Satan has no true power over believers in Christ. He cannot force us to sin, he cannot possess us, and he knows that we will ultimately have the victory over him.
In addition, James 4:7 tells us of our responsibility to resist Satan: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
We have no authority over Satan in ourselves. God has all authority, and He fights on our behalf. Our response to Satan’s attacks should include submitting our lives to God, living in a holy manner, praying for God’s protection, and resisting sin. When we place ourselves under God’s protection, Satan has no authority over us. He will flee.
ESV Study Bible
John MacArthur Charismatic Chaos
Got Questions?
bahmer wrote:
Our Authority Over the Enemy br By Rob Pue - June ... (show quote)
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Jun 12, 2019 10:00:01 #
Zemirah wrote:
b First and foremost, the believer, rather than b... (show quote)
Amen and Amen very good as always Zemirah but what I was posting and what I got out of that post was the effeminate churches of today are opening the doors to these sins by having homosexual pastors or lesbian pastors preaching and teaching in their churches. These churches have left the gospel of Christ and are following after a gospel that is of this world. Also many churches are trying to follow in the footsteps of the mega churches here in America and have lost the gospel and are preaching feel good services to draw large numbers of people into their sanctuaries but they are not feeding them the bread of life from the bible. I have had this debate with my brother in law who is a pastor and was trying to emulate the large mega churches like Willowbrook near Chicago and Saddleback in California. He has since left the church ministry and has taken a different ministry where he is now a counselor for various businesses in the community in which they now live. Anyway for what it is worth that is what I got out of the original article Zemirah. Have a great day.
Jun 12, 2019 15:32:00 #
I completely agree with you, Bruce, regarding the weak ineffective pastors and church leaders all across America, who are running social clubs, rather than teaching God's written Word and Commandments to their congregations.
Our churches, rather than providing godly leadership to our youth, and counteracting their slide into the abyss, have aided and abetted the trend toward ancient evil behaviors and fallen values.
Our youth are being taught perversion under the guise of diversity in both their schools and their churches.
We are addressing two sides of the same coin. I was primarily addressing the individual Christians, while you were addressing the hierarchy that has allowed and even condoned the complete apostasy now found in most of the nation's "mainline" ( now dead) denominations.
With few exceptions, there are no Jonathon Edwards in our pulpits today. Franklin Graham is the only nationally known figure who is addressing the fallen condition of our churches, politics and government. He is speaking the truth in love, for which he was not allowed in the White House during the eight years Obama was the president.
Whenever a Christian ekklesia/assembly selects a homosexual or lesbian leader, it is no longer the house of God, but of sinful men. The Holy Spirit effectively removes that local church body's "lampstand," - as Jesus removes His presence.
Revelation 2:5:
"Therefore, remember from what high state you have fallen and repent! Do the deeds you did at the first; if not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place--that is, if you do not repent."
I agree with your reaction to the nation's appalling loss of morality and the abandonment of providing any positive guidance or protection for the nation's children; my response was to the sometimes selfish, self-centered arrogance bordering on "name it and claim it" prose from the author of the editorial you posted... who should be encouraging humility and repentance, not claiming authority that belongs to God.
Our nation's most godless denominations, as well as individual Christians have drifted so far from the sanctity and righteousness of the churches that prayed our way through World War II, if we are struck again, and we will be, where will God find five righteous men?
Our churches, rather than providing godly leadership to our youth, and counteracting their slide into the abyss, have aided and abetted the trend toward ancient evil behaviors and fallen values.
Our youth are being taught perversion under the guise of diversity in both their schools and their churches.
We are addressing two sides of the same coin. I was primarily addressing the individual Christians, while you were addressing the hierarchy that has allowed and even condoned the complete apostasy now found in most of the nation's "mainline" ( now dead) denominations.
With few exceptions, there are no Jonathon Edwards in our pulpits today. Franklin Graham is the only nationally known figure who is addressing the fallen condition of our churches, politics and government. He is speaking the truth in love, for which he was not allowed in the White House during the eight years Obama was the president.
Whenever a Christian ekklesia/assembly selects a homosexual or lesbian leader, it is no longer the house of God, but of sinful men. The Holy Spirit effectively removes that local church body's "lampstand," - as Jesus removes His presence.
Revelation 2:5:
"Therefore, remember from what high state you have fallen and repent! Do the deeds you did at the first; if not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place--that is, if you do not repent."
I agree with your reaction to the nation's appalling loss of morality and the abandonment of providing any positive guidance or protection for the nation's children; my response was to the sometimes selfish, self-centered arrogance bordering on "name it and claim it" prose from the author of the editorial you posted... who should be encouraging humility and repentance, not claiming authority that belongs to God.
Our nation's most godless denominations, as well as individual Christians have drifted so far from the sanctity and righteousness of the churches that prayed our way through World War II, if we are struck again, and we will be, where will God find five righteous men?
bahmer wrote:
Amen and Amen very good as always Zemirah but what... (show quote)
Jun 12, 2019 15:52:07 #
Jun 16, 2019 07:16:55 #
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