Power and Glory

What is Power? Everyone wants power in some form or another. The problem is not everyone can manage the power they are given. Having power demands the authority to exercise that power. Exercising power properly demands accountability. There are many who have power, but are using it to destroy rather than to rebuild, restore or reconcile.

It bothers me when ministers say “If God is on your side, nothing is impossible”. I want to ask them “When did God stop being on my side”? I thought the bible said that He would never leave us nor forsake us. Besides, that’s not what my bible says. It says in Matthew 19:26 – “Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Come on.

They release statements like “God calls those things that be not as though they were”. That is true, but then they add, “When God says it, that’s when it becomes reality or truth”. If you study the scripture in Romans 4:17 in context you’ll realize it’s talking about Abraham, his believing, and we being heirs of Abraham. God has already called life into death. God is done saying anything new. Scripture tells us there is nothing new under heaven.

So, it is no longer what God SAYS. It’s all about what God SAID. We take what God has already said and bring it into the now by speaking it with the power and authority He has given us. I’ll explain that last sentence as I unfold this teaching. Here’s an old testament scripture to start with that will help us to see God’s power and who now has authority to exercise it.

I can already hear someone saying, “that’s old covenant scripture and we’re not under the old covenant. We’re under the new covenant”. True, but just remember the old testament conceals a truth and the new testament reveals it. What is proclaimed in the old testament is explained in the new testament. We must study the old testament through the eyes of grace and not through the eyes of law. So put down your religious rocks and see the Truth. This particular set of scriptures is a prophetic declaration of who the Lord is and how He will utilize and distribute His power in the future.

1 Chronicles 29:11,12

11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.

Here David is declaring an absolute truth about who God is. It’s David telling God He’s God. That is true worship. God’s people telling God He’s God. David is sunbathing in God’s might, power, and goodness. We ought to try this more often. It is powerful.

12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.

I bolded the part of scripture that says “at your discretion people are made great and given strength”. David prophesied that. Now the question becomes did God use His discretion to make people great and give them strength? The answer is found in scripture.

Before we get to the answer asked above, first we realize that Jesus is perfect theology and He said in John 5:19 “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does”. Jesus is our example, so it would stand to reason that we can do nothing apart from Jesus. John 15:5 bears that statement out. Here it is in the NLT “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing”.

Jesus said that, but then went on to make sure we would not be apart from Him or without Him so we could have access to His power and authority. How do I come to that conclusion? Easy. Jesus brought it to fruition in John 17:18, Matt 28:18 and Col 2:9,10.

Matthew 28:18 is Jesus speaking saying “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth”. Other translations use the word authority in place of power, so it would be safe to say all power and authority had been given to Jesus in heaven and earth.

John 17:18 is also Jesus speaking saying “Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world”. Since Jesus spoke both of these scriptures, then it is safe for us to say, without fear of contradiction, that we have been given all power and authority in heaven and in earth.

If Jesus was given all power and authority in heaven and in earth, and He said He was sending us into the world just like He was sent into the world, then the statement above is truth. Still not convinced?

Okay. Let’s add this truth from Colossians 2:9,10. “9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority”. This is Paul writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

The above verse is in the New American Standard translation. I really like the way the King James has these verses. “9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power”.

Now if you’re studying rather than just reading, you will notice the scripture declared “For in HIM dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. Get it? All of the Godhead is in Him. Then verse 10 goes on to declare YE or WE are COMPLETE in HIM. So it’s safe to say, by following indisputable step logic in scripture, that the fulness of the Godhead dwells within us.

These are not truths that need to be accomplished. He already accomplished it all over two thousand years ago when He bore our stripes on His back, shed His blood on the cross, and said It Is Finished. Then He deposited His resurrection power inside every believer. Look at Ephesians 1:19,20.

19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power

Look – It’s the incredible greatness of the power of God. Who is it for? US WHO BELIEVE HIM. What kind of power is it? The next verse tells us. It’s the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead. Now that’s power.

20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

Taking these truths we are able to declare that not only have we been sent with all power and authority in heaven and earth, but within us is all the fullness of the Godhead. Now I know that someone is thinking “wow – that’s pretty arrogant”. It is not arrogant for us to receive what Jesus said was ours. It’s arrogance when we refuse His great gift.

It is legal for faith to have an attitude. It is not humility to demean the power and authority God has given to us. We are fully entitled to take what Jesus deserved, because He took what we deserved. He took all the pain, suffering, sickness, disease, sin, and torment for us and made a trade with us for all the joy, peace, love, grace, mercy, and favor that God provided. What a deal. We would be foolish to turn it down.

It is hard for religious legalists to receive this truth. When you get the revelation of this truth, get ready, because “people who are confident of their call and authority will appear arrogant to those who are weak in faith” (Bill Johnson). You will be attacked for the truth you know. These are the same people who “In an attempt to avoid appearing arrogant will embrace stupidity and call it humility” (Bill Johnson).

God has the power to destroy the whole world and all of us. That is true. However, God’s power is connected to His nature and His nature is love. It takes power to renew mercy everyday and that’s what God does. God’s will does not take precedence over His nature. His nature takes precedence over His will. It’s because of love. If God’s will was dominant, then the law would still be in place and we would all have no chance of salvation. What we need to understand is that God’s law establishes the boundaries of His desires, but it does not establish the boundaries of His love.

In the garden of Gethsemane He was not taken because they had power, they were able to take Him because He had power. He said, No man takes my life, I give it up.

Pontius Pilate said don’t you know I have the power to take your life. Jesus said, you would have no power unless my Father gave it to you.

The one who had all power in heaven and earth yielded to those who would crucify Him. He did it for our benefit and called it joy (Hebrews 12:2). But for the joy that was set before Him…..

He used His power not to prevent His crucifixion. He used His power to be able to say that whom the Son sets free is free indeed. God is all powerful, yet He told us to command His power by giving us the authority to use that power and speak it.

God certainly has all power. God certainly gave all power to us. The problem is you cannot receive this power until you believe. To those who believe gave He power to become the Sons of God. Becoming an heir and joint heir with access to inheritance of all that God has is accomplished by simply believing. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness. No performance, just belief. When we believe, we are the offspring of Abraham and are heirs of the Kingdom.

Romans 1:16 says “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek”.

Pentecostals are famous for pointing to the book of Acts and making boisterous statements regarding speaking in tongues. I’m not trying to diminish speaking in other tongues. I consider myself to be pentecostal and probably speak in tongues more than Ye All, as Paul said. However, we don’t want to miss the importance of what Jesus said regarding the promise of the Father. Here’s what scripture says in Acts 1:6-8.

6 So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;

8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall BE My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

Jesus said “you will”. Will what? Receive POWER and BE my witnesses. Now that’s the Lord Jesus speaking the Word to us declaring we will receive power and be witnesses.

Notice in that verse 8 that He did not say you will go and witness. He didn’t say you will DO witnessing. He said you will BE My witnesses. It’s all about being and nothing about doing. Yes, doing comes out of being, but it’s not burdensome when He is doing it in you, through you, and to you.

He’s done His part. Now it is up to us to do ours. We need to take the authority He has given us, and become commanders of His power within us. This is a powerful truth that works, and it’s the catalyst to seeing many miraculous healings. It’s not just praying for the sick. It’s manifesting the present healing in Jesus name.

Finally, you’ll notice that in any passages concerning His power, it doesn’t qualify it by saying you have to obey a set of rules or else? Or that you had to make sure that you had no sin in your life. Another wrong teaching from the “church”. At that same cross where He took care of all our healing, He took care of sin, once for all time. All we have to do is believe.

We have been given the keys to the kingdom. We are His ambassadors here on earth. We have all power and authority in heaven and in earth. (John 17:18 and Matt 28:18). Now just step into that which is yours through inheritance “And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:7,8).

Grace and Peace. Mark Kunerth