The believer’s authority comes from Jesus Christ, Who delegates His power to those who are saved. Understanding this gives the believer power to cast out demons and heal the sick.
By Joelle Pang
CN PHOTO: Tu Jie Rui.
At this past weekend’s services, Kong Hee, senior pastor of City Harvest Church, reminded the congregation of the promise in Acts 13, that when God’s people minister to Him, the Holy Spirit will move in their midst.
The services on Oct. 13-14, the third in a seven-week series culminating in the Arise & Build pledging weekend, marked CHC’s Ministry weekend featured winsome recruitment videos for the church’s various ministries. A key element of CHC’s mission statement is that every member serves as a minister. Kong reminded the members that before they could serve one another, they first had to minister to God.
A BELIEVER’S AUTHORITY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST
Kong started the word with an encounter that faith preacher Kenneth E. Hagin had in the winter of 1948. Hagin was inspired to read Ephesians 1 and 2 over two thousand times, after which he had eight encounters with Jesus Christ. These encounters led him to receive the revelation of the authority that believer has through Christ. Kong led the church in studying the verses that Hagin pondered over.
In Ephesians 1:16-19, the Holy Spirit inspired the apostle Paul to pray a prayer for the believers in Ephesus. “But the Bible is not only applicable to the people that Paul was writing to in that generation, it is still applicable to those who are reading the Word today,” Kong said to the congregation.
The prayer was for believers to have a deeper knowledge of the Holy Spirit; that their eyes of understanding may be opened to see into the realm of the supernatural; for them to be released into their destinies when they move in faith; and for them to understand the authority of God’s exceeding greatness and power in a believer’s life.
Kong cited Ephesians 1:20 and 2:6 as the key verses of the message. These verses state that Jesus was raised from the dead and is seated at God’s “right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion”, and God has “raised us (His believers) up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Jesus Christ”. These two verses reveal the believer’s position of being able to sit together with Jesus on His throne of glory and authority; therefore, he shares in all the authority that Jesus has. Kong added that to move in this authority, a believer has to move in the realm of the unseen, the realm of the Holy Spirit. As the authority is in Christ Jesus, it can only be exercised in the realm of the spiritual. When the Word of God is spoken, the blood of Christ Jesus is applied and this authority is claimed.
AUTHORITY IS DELEGATED POWER
To illustrate this concept, Kong explained the perceived authority, or delegated power, that a traffic police officer has. Just like the traffic police officer, who can make traffic stop by merely raising his hand, a believer has the power delegated to them by the Lord Jesus Christ, which they can exercise.
Kong quoted from Ephesian 6:10 which says, “finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” to encourage the congregation; they ought not be fearful because of the power delegated to them as believers. It is with this power that the church can be bold in casting out demons. Kong went on to share his encounters with demonic powers in his early days of ministry, and how he progressed from being fearful of dealing with them to eventually being victorious in casting them out with the authority of Jesus.
Kong shared with the church four Scriptures where Jesus revealed His power that is delegated to all believers:
1) Matthew 28:18-19
Jesus has been given the authority so that He can delegate it to us.
2) Mark 16:15, 17-18
God has commissioned us to exercise our authority in Jesus’ name to heal the sick, speak with new tongues and heal the sick, because authority has been delegated to us.
3) James 4:7
The authority has been given to a believer when he submits to God; he then has to resist the devil with this authority. Kong said that it does not matter how a believer may be feeling–he has already been given the authority, and when that authority is activated, the devil will recognize it. “We walk by faith and not by our feelings,” said Kong.
4) 1 Peter 5:8-9
A believer’s opponent is not flesh and blood but the devil. Trials and sufferings have happened to all other believers. He urged the church to resist the devil and to be steadfast in faith, as faith in Christ always brings victory.
DOMINION IS THE RIGHT TO COMMAND
Genesis 1:28 tells of God’s blessing given to man to “have dominion” over all of the earth. This was the first instance in which God commissioned humankind. In His sovereignty, He has chosen to assist man, rather than interfere and accomplish things for them.
Dominion and authority is released through the mouths of believers–their tongues and words hold the power of life and of death. Kong therefore urged the church to speak out God’s promises boldly. “The spirit of faith is ‘believing and speaking’, he said. He illustrated this point with a real-life miracle that happened recently. Two members of the church had a baby girl Avril, who was born with brain damage and paralysis. A cell group member went to the hospital and declared healing over the baby’s body, and God did a creative miracle—the baby’s many “problems” were reversed one by one, and today she is a healthy, normal little baby girl.
Luke 10:19 promises that believers have been given authority over satan’s ability to plant fear, doubt, accusation, condemnation in their minds. Kong reminded the congregation to resist satan through prayer, praise, profession and prophesy, not letting him rob the right to command creatively.
In closing, Kong proclaimed that the Lord Jesus Christ has the ultimate authority, and that the key to His exaltation is that He is a servant king. He reminded the church to constantly walk in humility and to be more like Jesus Christ, having the heart of a humble servant, and letting God exalt them in due time.
It was the point about a heart of servanthood that impacted educator Leong Fang Shao, 32, most deeply. “No matter how much we give to the Arise & Build fund to build God’s house, nobody will know about it. But as long as we give generously, with a good attitude and in faith, God will honor it”, he said.
Joseph Sng, 22, a student, was touched by the knowledge that as long as he is steadfast in his faith, he is victorious in Jesus Christ. Brenda Lee, 19, a student and a Connect Group Coordinator in the church, echoed Kong’s message of authority being delegated power, and how she was reminded that to be successful in developing leaders, she must be willing to delegate, and to release members into their ministries and eventually their destinies in Christ.
The congregation left the service encouraged to be steadfast in their faith, and hungry for more of God’s word to be revealed during the Arise & Build campaign.
