Authority and Power, Part 4

Matthew 28:18-20
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 alway, even unto the end of the world.
Amen.

In verse 18 the word for power here is authority.

Why did Jesus tell us to go, therefore, right after He said that all authority has been given to Him in heaven and earth? Jesus, with His power and authority, is in us. Therefore, His authority is in us to use as He instructs and guides us by the direction of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is assuring us here as God’s children that we have the backing of His authority in all that we do for Him.

Wherever we go, when we are obeying the Lord, and when we are doing His Kingdom business, going about our daily lives, He is there with His authority, which He has given to us, to use against the devil’s kingdom. We are the ones who are the conquerors and the ones with the authority. For thousands of years, the devil has been bluffing God’s people, telling them lies about their effectiveness. It is time that we rise up to the fullness of the stature of the Lord Jesus Christ Who is in us and declare our freedom and our ability to overcome all the works of the enemy.

We are not to be cowering in some corner somewhere just waiting for the Lord to come back. He is not coming back for a weak, passive bunch of cowards. He is coming back for a victorious, overcoming church, one whose power and authority is made known to the kingdom of darkness. We are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. That’s who we are!