Authority
in the Church.
Our
Position of Authority as Believers
by
Kenneth Copeland
When
you made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, Colossians 1:13 says you were
delivered from the power of darkness. The word power is literally translated
“authority.” You have been delivered from the power, or authority, of darkness
and placed into God’s kingdom. Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore...” (Matthew 28:18-19). That power was
given to you as part of your inheritance in Christ Jesus. You have entered into
this position of authority because you are in Him.
The
Word says that righteousness has come upon all men (Romans 5:18). You may ask,
“Then why don’t all become righteous?” Because in order to receive it, you have
to act on righteousness from the point of authority.
Nov.
2, 1962, I used my authority as a human being and made a choice. I made the
decision to receive Jesus as Lord of my life. At that moment, the righteousness
that had been upon me came inside me. I was made the righteousness of God in
Christ. II Corinthians 5:21 says, “He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew
no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
Jesus
Secured Our Power and Authority
Jesus
succeeded in securing all power by going to the cross, dying a horrible death,
suffering the penalty for sin and defeating Satan in the pit of hell. He came
to earth as a man for one reason: to recapture the authority Satan had stolen
through Adam’s disobedience in the Garden. Jesus was called the last Adam (I
Corinthians 15:45). After securing that power and authority, He freely gave it
over into the hands of those who would believe on Him—you and me.
It
is not enough for us to simply accept Jesus’ work at Calvary. We are held
responsible for much more. Jesus’ words in Mark 16 were not intended for the
early Church alone. His words are just as vital and real today as when they
were first spoken.
Jesus
appeared to His disciples after His resurrection from the dead. His words to
them form the basic foundation for the work of the New Testament Church. It was
at that time He delegated the authority to carry out that work. Beginning in
verse 15, Jesus said: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe;
In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 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” (Mark
16:15-18).
We
Have Authority to Preach the Gospel
“Go
ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Every
born-again believer has the authority and responsibility to preach the gospel
of Jesus Christ in this earth. If you can’t go, you can send someone in your
place.
“And
these signs shall follow them that believe....” Notice who is to do all these
things: them that believe. The signs will follow the believers who act in faith
and boldly speak in Jesus’ Name. They shall cast out devils; they shall speak
with new tongues; they shall lay hands on the sick. Believers are the ones with
the power and authority to do these things.
Verse
20 says, “They went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with
them, and confirming the word with signs following.” God will confirm His Word,
but first it has to be spoken forth. That is where you and I come in. God does
not preach; He has given us the authority to do the preaching. God will not lay
hands on the sick. He will bring the healing, but you and I as believers must
lay hands on the sick by faith, believing God will perform His Word.
We
Have Authority to Stand Against Satan
One
of the most vital areas of the believer’s authority is his power to
successfully stand against Satan. Ephesians 4:27 says, “Neither give place to
the devil.” In Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul describes the armor that we as
believers are to wear in combat against Satan. He explains each piece of that
armor. It is the armor of God. But not once does he say that God will put the
armor on you or that God will fight the devil for you. You is the understood
subject of these verses. He says, “[You] be strong in the Lord…. [You] put on
the whole armour of God, that [you] may be able to stand against the wiles of
the devil. [You] take the whole armour of God, that [you] may be able to
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, [you] stand.” God has given you
the power and the authority to stand against Satan and his destructive works.
He has provided the armor, but it is your responsibility as a believer to put
on that armor and stand against the devil. James 4:7 says, “[You] resist the
devil, and he will flee from you.” The armor and the weapons are at your
disposal. God is there with you to back His Word; but all that is worthless
unless you take your position of authority and assume the responsibility to use
what He has provided. You have the power and the authority to take the Word of
God, the Name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit and run Satan out of
your affairs. Don’t pray and ask God to fight Satan for you. You are the one in
authority. Take your responsibility and speak directly to Satan yourself and
stand your ground firmly. He will flee!
We
Are Seated With Him in High Authority
In
Ephesians 1, Paul prayed a prayer for the body of believers in Ephesus. One
part of that prayer was that they know “the exceeding greatness of his power to
[those] who believe” (Ephesians 1:19). That exceeding great power is the same
power that God used to raise Jesus from the dead and set Him at His own right
hand in the heavenlies. Ephesians 1:21 tells us that Jesus is seated “far above
all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is
named.”
The
work God did in Jesus was supreme. He raised Jesus from the dead and set Him
far above all other authority—not only in this world, but also in the heavenly
world. Then verses 22-23 say that God has put all things under His feet and
made Him head over the Church which is His body. Where are the feet? They are
in the body. As believers, we are part of His body and we are seated with Him
in that highly exalted place of authority. Praise God! Look at Ephesians 2:
“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. Even when we
were dead in sins, [God] hath quickened us together with Christ, and hath
raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus” (verses 1, 5-6).
We
are seated together with Him. Where? Far above all principality and power and
might and dominion. As a believer, you have accepted the substitutionary
sacrifice of Jesus at Calvary. Therefore, you are part of His body and are
seated with Him in that heavenly place, equipped with the same power, the same authority
that He has.
The
great power that God worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead is the
same creative power of God that worked in you to make you alive when you were
dead in your trespasses and sins. The moment you made Jesus Christ the Lord of
your life, that same power was exercised on your dead, unregenerate spirit,
causing it to be reborn in the likeness of God Himself. Any man who is in
Christ Jesus is a new creation: old things have passed away, all things are
new, and all things are of God (II Corinthians 5:17-18).
We
Have the Power of God’s Word to Exercise Our Authority
And
the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto
the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even
as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And
there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it
was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow:
and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And
the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye
so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? (Mark 4:35-40).
Jesus
spoke the words, “Let us pass over unto the other side,” and there was enough
power and authority in those words to accomplish the job. One thing I want you
to notice is that Jesus did not take command of the ship to see that His words
were carried out. He walked to the back of the boat and went to sleep. Jesus
delegated the authority to His disciples and they accepted it. But when the
storm came, they were filled with fear that the boat would sink. Jesus had to
carry out the responsibility of authority, which He had delegated to them, by
rebuking the wind and the sea.
Do
you see the parallel here? You are the captain of your ship. You have control
over your own life—your spirit, your soul and your body. Jesus has delegated
power, or authority, over Satan to you as a believer. You are to give him no
place in your life. You are born of the Spirit of God. You are filled with the
Spirit of God. You have been given the Word of God. Those three elements are
enough for you to carry out your spiritual authority here in the earth. You
don’t need any more power. You have all the power necessary. You simply have to
exercise your authority. Jesus has already done everything necessary to secure
the authority and power over sin, sickness, demons and fear. You have to employ
the faith action to receive that authority and join forces with Him in this
earth. You are the one to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
We
Have Authority to Act as New Creations
Hebrews
2:14 says, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he
also himself likewise took part of the same.” Jesus partook of flesh and blood,
so that you could partake of spirit and life. For you to partake of that spirit
and life, you must take the responsibility of standing in the place of
authority as the new creation in Christ Jesus that you are. You are born again,
not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God (I Peter
1:23). It was the Word of Almighty God that was injected into your spirit man
to bring about the new birth in your life. When the Church was first beginning,
Acts 12:24 described it as the Word growing and multiplying. The Word is in
you, but you are the one who must be willing to allow it to work in you.
Ephesians
4:21-24 says, “If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as
the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the
old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in
the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is
created in righteousness and true holiness.”
You
are the one in authority. It is your responsibility to put off the old man—the
unregenerate man that you were before you accepted Jesus. The Holy Spirit does
the actual work in you, but you must make the decision to allow Him to do it.
God has never forced His will on any person. You put off the old man. You use
the Word of God to renew your mind. You put on the new man, which is created in
righteousness and true holiness.
We
Can Minister and Walk From a Point of Authority
God’s
power is in His Word. He is “upholding all things by the word of his power”
(Hebrews 1:3). You need to learn to minister and walk from a point of
authority. In His earthly ministry, Jesus said such things as “Be thou made
whole.” “Take up your bed and walk.” Then Peter said to a lame man, “In the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6). He too
ministered and spoke from a point of authority.
It’s
time for you as a believer to begin to act that way. You have obtained an
inheritance, and in that inheritance you have been given all authority. The God
of the universe lives inside you! He lives and walks in you. Become
God-inside-minded and you will begin to walk in this point of authority.
Keep
right on building yourself up in your inheritance. You live in a world that is
full of evil influences. Satan would like you to forget the reality of being
born again and never realize your place of authority in Christ Jesus, because
if you do, that power you walk in makes you absolutely dangerous to him. He has
no defense against you when you walk in the power of God’s Word.
When
you see in the Word that you are in Christ Jesus, that you are in Him, then
confess it with all your heart. Then you will be strong, standing in a point of
authority and operating in your inheritance in Him. As you do this, the power
of God will always be available to work in your behalf. Praise God!
