The Keys Of Authority You Have Been Given

We understand very little about who we are in Jesus. We say we are spiritually minded but in effect we believe what we see. We react to our circumstances, to people, to our environment with little or no thought to the spiritual. It is as if we do not know that the spiritual shapes the physical. If we do not understand this then how can we walk with Jesus and fulfill our mission? You are more than you realize.

As the Spirit gives us revelation, deeper understanding, we are given keys of authority in this understanding. Those keys are meant to unlock doors, situations, circumstances that other people are in so that the Kingdom may grow to envelope such things, expanding the borders, and allowing people to serve Jesus with no barriers. Apostle Peter is an example of this.

In Acts we read of Peter's vision about the animals being lowered in front of him and Yahweh telling him to eat. The lesson for Peter was obedience even in the face of known barriers. It was in preparation for his call to Cornelius' home. Normally Peter would have declined because Cornelius was a gentile and Jews did not enter the homes of gentiles. But Jesus had called for him to go and with the vision still clear in his thoughts and with the Spirit's prompting to go, Peter went, despite the barrier.

It wasn't long after arriving that the Spirit came upon the people of Cornelius' home. Peter and the Jews with him were amazed and Peter understood that salvation was not for the Jews alone but Yahweh's grace was for every person of every nationality. What happens next causes me to appreciate Yahweh's perfect timing.

While this was taking place with Peter there was a great move of the Spirit taking place in Antioch, among the gentiles. It was so great that Barnabas had to seek out Saul to help them. Out of this, Barnabas and Paul ended up being sent out to expand the Kingdom in the hearts of people even further, among more gentiles. Meanwhile, there was a challenge to the gentile ministry as some Jews wanted to force these gentile believers to submit to Moses' law. So Paul and Barnabas were dispatched to make inquiry with the Church Council in Jerusalem.

It was in this meeting that we find Peter to be the first to speak. He drew upon what happened earlier and he used the key of authority given him to unlock the barrier to the gentiles:

God, who knows people’s deepest thoughts and desires, confirmed this by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, but purified their deepest thoughts and desires through faith. Why then are you now challenging God by placing a burden on the shoulders of these disciples that neither we nor our ancestors could bear? On the contrary, we believe that we and they are saved in the same way, by the grace of the Lord Jesus. (Acts 15:8-11) 

Boom! Peter applied the key and knocked the door right off it's hing. It was given to Peter to open the door so that Paul and Barnabas could walk through and complete the work.

Many of us have been given keys of authority to remove barriers so other people can walk through but we must know who we are in Christ and we need to know the authority we have been given. We can't operate by what we see, limiting Jesus in our lives and environment. The Spirit has walked us through situations in our lives, taught us how to overcome, so that we may understand our authority to assist others in similar situations. Like Peter, we are advanced troops, meant to clear the way for others to follow.

It's time to pick yourself up, stop fooling around, and get serious about your responsibilities. Ask the Spirit to give you understanding for the keys you have been given and start stepping out to open those doors for people. Let us see the Kingdom of God expanding in the hearts of people.

After The Barriers Are Gone

It is incredible the number of barriers we put between us and people as well as between us and God. I am thankful that our Father does not respect our barriers and works through them to reach us. We will never be able to use the excuse that God did not try enough to rescue us from our own doom. He reaches through our barriers and presents us with a choice but the decision will always be ours. He offers everyone, despite barriers, sins, opinions, the same choice.

Over the last few days we have examined Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well, a woman he sought out to present her with a choice. She presented him with four barriers to keep him at a distance:

   - social barrier
   - exclusive barrier
   - sin barrier
   - religious barrier

Jesus faced and overcame each of these, showing us how it ought to be done be showing how God does it in us. And after he went through each of the barriers and the woman was presented with the full truth, with everything else stripped away, things changed:

The woman said, “I know that the Messiah will come. He is the one we call Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

“I am that one,” Jesus told her, “and I am speaking to you now.”  (John 4:25-26) 

The woman was so convinced of it that she told her whole town and they came out en mass to see for themselves. God will always break through our barriers but the incredible only happens when we decide to accept what he is offering.

There are people all around us with barriers and we try to get through while maintaining our own barriers. Jesus approached this woman in openness. He was transparent. He assailed each barrier presented and he gave her the truth. It was then up to her what to do with that truth. We have to make sure we are not approaching people with our own agenda and with our barriers still intact.

It is an easy thing to do, approach people with our own agenda. The true work of the Spirit is not going to happen unless we have allowed God to remove our barriers and we are standing in his truth. It is when we allow the Spirit to direct, to give us the words, the knowledge and when we trust he is using us that we are able to see God's power at work in the lives of those hidden behind barriers.

We have to get rid of all our methodology, agendas, schemes, systems and just deal in the raw honesty of the Holy Spirit. We don't need training in evangelism, we need training in the Spirit. People don't want our opinion, they need the Word of God. People don't need to see my success in this world, they need to see Jesus succeed in me. We need to understand the Word when it says that our strength is not found in ourselves or in the tools of this world but in God himself. In Jesus we can be the overcomers of all barriers, of all things, as Jesus proclaimed we are.

No more barriers as we live by the Spirit.

The Barrier Of A Religious Heart

We will come across a lot of barriers in our life but the greatest barrier we will encounter is that of a religious heart. This barrier is even greater than the barrier of unbelief because it is a barrier made as hard as granite. Jesus came to tear down such barriers but as fast as they come down we start rebuilding them. Jesus has something to say to us today.

In examining Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well we have seen Jesus bring down the social, exclusive, and sin barriers. Now he is faced with the barrier of the religious heart:

The woman said, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. My ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say Jerusalem is the only place to worship.” (John 4:19-20)

Obviously our God is very patient with us when faced with such a mindset. Fixed in our traditions, our denominational teaching, our opinions, we have built the trappings of religion, even to this day. But God will have none of that. His desire is for us to learn to live by his Spirit, letting go of everything in which we find security and seeking his face. There is no need for special buildings we call churches, or special liturgies, specific prayers, man made ceremonies, traditions and anything that has not been provoked by the Spirit. We really should pay attention to the response of our King and Saviour to this woman presenting her traditions:

Jesus said to her:

Believe me, the time is coming when you won’t worship the Father either on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans don’t really know the one you worship. But we Jews do know the God we worship, and by using us, God will save the world. (vv. 21-22)

Jesus first addresses the problem that the Samaritans have no real relationship with God. They don't know the Father, they only know of him. This describes many people today who have a form of godliness but no power. They attend church but have no relationship. They follow the traditions but are not possessed by the Spirit. How can they see or understand the Kingdom without the Spirit? How can they leave according to its principles? Instead they live a mix of worldly wisdom and Christian traditions. Jesus continued:

But a time is coming, and it is already here! Even now the true worshipers are being led by the Spirit to worship the Father according to the truth. These are the ones the Father is seeking to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth. (vv. 23-24)

The truth of the gospels, by the power of the Spirit, tears down the barriers of the religious heart. It is not with pandering that we can help the religious heart see the Light again but it is the truth directed by the Spirit that pierces the darkness.

Yet, so many churches are leaving the Spirit to one side. So many churches do not teach of the need of the baptism of the Spirit. So many do not experience the power of God. So many have no understanding of the gifts of the Spirit. So many are lost in a religious heart; saying the words, singing the songs, going through the motions, knowing of the Father without knowing the Father. It's crazy. No wonder we are so quick to follow the decisions of the world, to twist the Word, to desire to attract the masses with entertainment instead of the truth.

"God is Spirit, and those who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth." These are the words of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, our Lord, our King. And what is our response?

I don't know about you but my desire is to be less so Jesus can be more. I want to lose control to the Spirit. I want to give up my opinion, to be possessed by God's truth. I want to be led by the Spirit to live for the glory of our Father according to the truth. Not what I want but what he wants. Not by my wisdom but by God's. Not according to my will but by my Father's will. A complete letting go of this world and its ways to walk by the Spirit in the Kingdom of God, which is here in our hearts now. There is a day that the Kingdom will be physically manifested in this world but until that time I am still governed by it because it possesses my heart. Strike down any religious ways that remain in me.

Have your way Jesus. I worship you.

You are my God.

Whoever Believes

There are plenty of barriers in life that prevent us from being who we need to be and doing what we need to do, but there is only one barrier that separates us from God; sin. The original sin was an act of rebellion and every form of sin that followed comes from that same root. It is saying to God, "I don't care what you have to say, I'm going to do what I want to do."

Unfortunately sin leads to death. It is what God said at the beginning and it remains true today. It is not a matter of God being an unloving God. If you speed on the highway you will get a ticket. Is it the fault of the judge or the police officer? Of course not; it is our fault for speeding. 

However, just because sin is a barrier for us to get to God does not mean he is unable to get to us. In fact, he paid a tremendous price to reach out to us in our rebellion. The Word of God states that while we were still sinners Jesus died for us. We were not required to change anything for God to reach out to us with the offer of salvation. Jesus also demonstrated this fact while walking this planet.

Going back to the woman at the well, Jesus knew exactly who she was and what she had done. He knew her current state of sin. When she put on airs about wanting to accept his gift of "free water" Jesus went right to the heart of the problem:

"You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true." (John 4:17-18)

This sexually immoral woman stood there and heard the accusation of God against her but God did not run away from her. He was there to offer her the free gift of life. He will never leave anything hidden. He wants all barriers removed.

Often we get it wrong. We try so hard to convince people of their sin that we erect even greater barriers. We make it so that God can't reach those he died to love. Are we crazy? We need to do what Jesus did and make it clear that sin is sin but we don't need to concentrate on the sin. We should never allow sin to become a barrier for us reaching out to those for whom Jesus died. Remember, it was Jesus who sought out this woman, the woman did not come looking for him. And it is the job of the Spirit to convict, it isn't ours to convince.

If we are really determined to reach people for Jesus then we must be willing to stand in the filth of this world and embrace those who are lost. We need to present the other choice they have. After all, it is a choice. We can choose to turn our back on our sinful nature, have Jesus separate us from it, and learn to live in the love of Jesus. We can't run from this world because we have been sent into it. We do not embrace the sin because the sin is disgusting but we embrace the sinner in the same way Jesus did, making opportunity for reconciliation with God.

The current idea of the Church is to call evil good and good evil in order to include the sinner. But how has the condition of the sinner, the rebellious one, the one separated from God, changed? It hasn't. No, we need to stand in the holiness of God while reaching out in love to those who are still enslaved to sin. And let the Holy Spirit work it. He will reveal things to you so you will know how to approach each person. Jesus never dealt with people in the same manner but dealt with them as individuals. No formulas or methods, just Spirit direction.

There are no barriers that can keep the love of God out which means there are no barriers that can keep you out. So don't you go building any of your own. The love of God and the good news of the gospels are for everyone. It belongs to whoever believes.

What Is Going On Here?

I remember at school feeling very much left out of things because I had not yet found a group to which to belong. Everyone always got categorized so you neatly fit into this bizarre society in middle school. It wasn't until I hit High School before I found a group where I felt accepted and included. Once there, I would do anything to defend my friends. It became like family.

Finding a like-minded group to be part of is only natural. Most of our friends will have several things in common with us and being with them is not difficult at all. It is why they are our friends. But, such groups are also hard to break into. This is true of a small group of friends or even a church. People become like family and anyone entering as a stranger can feel they are not part of the group.

Exclusivity happens in all kinds of societies; sports, politics, education, religion. You don`t have to look any further than the Christian Church to see how exclusivity works. We call them denominations and each believes they have the exclusive truth of Jesus. If you can understand this (and many don`t) then you can understand what Jesus was up against while speaking to the woman at the well.

She was a Samaritan and had exclusive access to this well, which was thought to have belonged to Jacob. This is how groups often act, as if they have exclusive access to something no one else does:

“Sir,” the woman said, “you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. Where are you going to get this life-giving water? Our ancestor Jacob dug this well for us, and his family and animals got water from it. Are you greater than Jacob?” (John 4:11-12)

She had no idea that she was speaking to the Creator of Jacob, the one with whom Jacob had wrestled. But none of this mattered to Jesus. It was plain foolishness. He transcends such trivial matters as traditions and history. What God offers us is greater than anything that man has to offer. His power is greater than any barriers we can erect:

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again. But no one who drinks the water I give will ever be thirsty again. The water I give is like a flowing fountain that gives eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)

There are those lost in sin today who cry out the anthem of freedom. They champion their right to do what they want, no matter the offense against God. Homosexuality is only the latest in a long list of things that we have set our heart on that flies in the face of the love of our Holy God. But getting into these groups is hard, when they have become like family and are strengthened in what they consider to be exclusive to them. It is their sin and no one has the right to come against it.

What Jesus has to offer goes beyond any limited freedom we have in this place. God is not limited by our small vision or understanding. He is not limited by sexual orientation. He is not dragged down to our level. Marriage is only an invention for earth. When we are called home we will be lifted beyond these shadows to stand in the true reality of God. God is not limited by the barriers of exclusivity; he transcends them all. He reaches into all these groups and offers hope, joy, peace, and reconciliation; not by him bowing to our will, but us recognizing that his is the only truth, the only way.

This is not about sexual orientation but about what is and is not acceptable and holy in God`s eyes. It doesn`t matter what the rest of us think; it is God who defines the holy and the common. Our insistence to be exclusive does not create a barrier for our God. He is greater than all of it and he has decided to love. However, his forgiveness and grace remains for those who are willing to let the barriers fall and repent of their sins. Those who remain behind the barriers are lost. It is to the lost, those behind the barriers, to whom we have been sent.

Let`s see those walls fall my brothers and sisters as we fight for, not against, those lost in the darkness of this world.

Everyone Needs Jesus

Christian values are quickly being replaced by immoral values in our society. More than ever before the western society and culture is turning it's back on Jesus and choosing man's wisdom. The lost are not more lost as a result, it's just now the pretending is over and the great divide is more evident. The real danger is what this wide spread acceptance of immorality is doing to our children. It almost seems like an entire generation has been lost to Jesus. I said seems.

The important thing to keep in mind is that the heart of mankind has not changed all that much. Many sins that were hidden are being brought out into the light. What was done in secret is now done on the street corner. Now it is easier to address and should stop Christians from thinking that there isn't much work to do. Instead of feeling despair we should be rolling up our sleeves and getting to work. There is a world going to hell and we know someone wanting to save them.

Do you re-call Jesus with the woman at the well? She was a person completely lost in sin, who was pleased with herself and saw no need to change. Different from many people, she did not go looking for Jesus; he went looking for her. I think there is no story more fitting for us with our society than this encounter.

Jesus was faced with many barriers in dealing with this woman, yet he overcame all of them. He was there to convey the good news to this woman as we are here to convey it to our society and we too have barriers to overcome, according to God's grace and power. Over the next few days I will be looking at the 4 barriers Jesus overcame.

First, there was the social barrier:

"You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (John 4:9)

Jesus had the barrier of acceptable social practices at that time. First, he was a Jew and Jews did not speak to Samaritans, because of tradition. Also he was a man alone and she was a woman alone. They should not be speaking to each other. Jesus made it clear that a relationship with God transcends all social barriers:

"If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." (John 4:10)

I think sometimes we forget that the good news we have to share is far greater than anything else on this planet. Everyone needs to hear it. We can't allow a thing like social barriers to block us. Often these barriers are in our own thinking and attitude. We have to lose that with the reality of a Kingdom perspective.

For us, the sin of a person does not matter, the culture does not matter, either do language or skin colour; the fact that sin separates them from God is all that matters. We can not be frightened by someone's culture, language or traditions. We don't stand on ceremony or traditions. We have one simple task to do and that is share the good news. 

Jesus does not care what our culture is, our skin colour, language, position in life. He doesn't care if we are a stay at home mom or a big business tycoon. All he cares is that we are enslaved to our sin and he wants us to be rescued. He came so that we could be freed from sin so how can we allow social barriers to keep us from those whom he loves. Nothing stopped Jesus from reaching out as there should be nothing stopping us. With the boldness of his love we must push through into their world so we can tell them about Jesus. Rich, poor, male, female, adult, child, whatever sin, language, culture, everyone needs Jesus.