Understanding Authority For Effective Leadership - Buddy Harrison

Understanding Authority
for Effective Leadership

Understanding Authority
for Effective Leadership
by
Buddy Harrison
HARRISON HOUSE
Tusa! O"aho#a
Uness other$ise indicated! a Scripture %uotations are ta"en fro#
the &ing 'a#es (ersion of the Bibe)
Understanding Authority For Effective Leadership
ISBN *+,-./0+.1,+2
3opyright 4 1-,. by Buddy Harrison
5) O) Bo6 78007
Tusa! O"aho#a /0178
5ubished by Harrison House, Inc.
5) O) Bo6 78*78
Tusa! O"aho#a /0178
5rinted in the United States of A#erica)
A rights reserved under Internationa 3opyright La$) 3ontents
and9or cover #ay not be reproduced in $hoe or in part in any for#
$ithout the e6press $ritten consent of the 5ubisher)
:ore$ord
In this excellent book, Understanding Authority For
Effective Leadership, my son-in-law, Buddy Harrison,
reveals the "secrets" of his success in the ministry.
Buddy went from being music youth director in his
home church to holding several ositions in my ministry.
!hen "od romoted him to astoring, evangeli#ing, and
leadershi roles in the Body of $hrist. But it didn%t come
easily.
!hrough the years I have watched Buddy%s struggles
and have rayed for him. He forged ahead through the
difficult years relentlessly, working, weeing, and seeking
"od. Under the direction and ower of the Holy &irit,
Buddy%s mind was renewed by the 'ord of "od and his
life was transformed.
!he rinciles Buddy learned in his years of
rearation for the ministry form a strong foundation for
this book. Buddy oints out, "It re(uires an understanding
of the rinciles of authority in order to understand the
elements of faith. If we misaly authority, we will miss
the elements of faith."
I esecially en)oyed Buddy%s fresh insights into my
*
Understanding Authority for Effective Leadership
favorite ortion of &criture on faith+,ark --./0,/1.
Buddy shows how "od wants men and women to be
free, even though mankind often seems to refer slavery.
He discusses rinciles of authority that aly between
husbands and wives, and ministers and their flocks.
He oints out that it is the resonsibility of laymen "to
analy#e the (uality of leadershi that is before it and
decide whether to accet or re)ect that leadershi." 2nd he
counsels leaders to kee their motives ure.
Buddy%s excellent counsel will do much to disel,
biblically, the erroneous "discileshi" teaching that has
come along in recent years, leading eole off into
needless bondage.
!his is a book to be studied carefully in an age when
authority is being misused and abused.
3
Contents
Foreword 5
Acknowledgment 9
Introduction
- 4estoration of 2uthority -5
/ "od+!he &ureme 2uthority /*
0 6evels of 2uthority Under "od 00
1 6eadershi *7
* &ubmission or 8bedience9 5*
3 4uling 'ith 6iberty :7
!he "inistry of #elps 99
Ac"no$edg#ent
'hen the 6ord soke to my heart concerning the
sovereignty of "od, I started on a search for truth. I found
some on my own, but I received a great deal more from
the teaching of 4alh ,ahoney. 2s I absorbed and
digested the words he soke, they became real to me, and
"od had more revelation to go with it. I will be eternally
grateful to 4alh ,ahoney for the truth he brought to my
life through his taes.
!he basics of this book were derived from his taes,
couled with knowledge which I reviously ossessed,
and more revelation and insight from "od which has
brought us to this oint. !hank "od, this is not the end.
!here is more to come.
7
Introduction
'henever you talk about miracles, you touch the area
of the sovereignty of "od. ;eole automatically identify a
miracle by referring to it as "a sovereign act of "od." But
one time the &irit of "od soke to me, saying, "Have you
ever noticed that the word sovereign is not in the <ew
!estament9" I couldn%t think of a scriture at that moment,
so I began to study it out. !o my surrise, I found it to be
true. !he word sovereign is not used in the <ew
!estament+not even once.
!herefore I reali#ed there needed to be (ualifications
on exactly what we mean when using certain terminology.
'hen seaking about sovereignty, we must begin by
examining the sub)ect of authority= so when this began to
stir inside me, the first thing I did was refer to a
dictionary.
I found three meanings for the word authority$
power to influence% >or instance, a oliceman has the
ower to influence. 'hen he holds u his hand to
oncoming traffic, he has authority over those
drivers. He has the ower to influence them to sto.
If they fail to be influenced, then they will suffer the
--
conse(uences.
ersons in command. 2 erson who has authority is
a erson who has command or resonsibility in a
given situation.
grounds, or convincing force%
A synonym for authority is influence or ower. !he
word ower can be used in the same sense as authority% In
translating the Bible, many times the word ower is used
meaning ability. !herefore, you must rightly divide the
'ord of "od.
In researching the 8ld !estament, I discovered that the
Hebrew only uses one word translated authority, which is
used twice. !he one scriture which alies in this case is
;roverbs /7./ which says, 'hen the righteous are in
authority the people re&oice% !he word for authority in the
Hebrew language means "to increase." !his is (uite
enlightening when you think about the righteous having
authority, or the ability to increase. 2fter all, art of the
blessing of "od causes increase.
In researching the "reek, I found seven different
words in defining authority. >our of them were nouns=
three were verbs. >irst we will look at the meanings as
nouns.
2 noun stands for a erson, lace, or thing. !he
meanings of authority as a noun are.
lawful or li'erty% !he word authority can also mean
liberty, freedom, or that which is lawful.
uon order, or commandment% 'hen someone gives
you a command to do a certain thing, it is because
-/
Introduction
they have authority to give orders.
high place, or e(cellency% "od is high above, and we
are seated with Him in heavenly laces, or in laces
of authority.
power, might, or potentate% 'hen someone has ower,
he has authority.
2 verb has to do with action. !he three definitions of
authority as a verb are.
power, or the authority of "od in force, in oeration,
in manifestation.
to exercise authority at home%
self)working, or dominion% !he &critures teach that
we have dominion. "od has given us dominion on
earth. 'hen someone has dominion, it means he can
act on his own.
It may seem as though many of the definitions are
being reeated, but I want you to get a comlete icture.
!here is more involved here than )ust one meaning= there
are several tyes and levels of authority.
'e need to understand the imortance of authority.
'ithout authority to do certain things, we can get into
trouble. 'ithout the understanding of how to utili#e the
authority we have, we can be hurt. !here are instances in
the Bible where eole have endeavored to exercise
authority when they didn%t have the right to. >or examle.
in 2cts -7.-0--3 the seven sons of &ceva attemted to cast
out an evil sirit by ?the name of@ Aesus whom ;aul
reacheth. <eedless to say, they carried no authority. In
fact, the evil sirit overcame all seven of them, tore off
-0
their clothes, and chased them down the streetB
8n the other hand, there is a erfect examle of
understanding authority in ,atthew, chater :. In verses
:,7 a 4oman centurion says to Aesus.
Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come
under my roof$ 'ut speak the word only, and my servant
shall 'e healed%
For I am a man under authority, having soldiers
under me$ and I say to this man, *o, and he goeth+ and
to another, ,ome, and he cometh+ and to my servant, -o
this, and he doeth it%
Here is what the centurion was imlying to Aesus.
"Cou have authority. !herefore, if Cou seak the word
only, my servant will be healed."
Aesus relied to the centurion in this way. I have not
found so great faith, no, not in Israel .v. 7@. 'hat was so
great about the centurion%s faith9 He understood the
rinciles of authority.
It re(uires an understanding of the rinciles of
authority in order to understand the elements of faith. If
we misaly authority, we will miss the elements of faith.
<o erson will ever receive "od%s best in the realm of
faith until he understands these basic rinciles of
authority, which brings us to the urose of this book. to
resent these basic rinciles in a simle form as "od has
shared in His 'ord. I ray that, as you read, you will
oen your heart and allow the &irit of "od to minister
this truth to you+that you may have a greater
understanding of the connection between the rinciles of
-1
Introduction
authority and the elements of faith.
-*
1
1 Restoration of Authority
Being born on the earth entitles you to certain rights
and rivileges, )ust like being born in the United &tates
automatically makes you a legal citi#en. Cou didn%t have
to sign any aers. Cou didn%t have to do anything. Aust
the fact that you were born in this country makes you a
citi#en.
!here is only one way to obtain authority on earth,
and that is to be born here. Cou have been given a certain
amount of authority as a result of your birth. Birth
becomes your legal entry on this earth. It is necessary to
be born on earth in order to have authority here.
"od created man to fellowshi and work with. 'hen
He created the earth, He gave 2dam dominion to rule and
reign. "od and 2dam walked and talked together in the
"arden. !hey were close friends.
!hey communed with one another. But as a result of
taking heed to the words of the Devil, 2dam committed
high treason. He sold to &atan that which was rightfully
his. &econd $orinthians 1.1 declares &atan as the god of
this world. How did &atan gain this authority9 2dam gave
-5
it to him. Because "od was )ust and fair, He would not
come as a thief and take back what &atan had rightfully
obtained from 2dam. Instead, in order to restore man%s
authority, He made a lan which was uright and legal.
!he only ossible way to bring deliverance to man is
to have legal rights in the earth, so it became necessary for
Aesus to be born of a woman. Aesus became the incarnate
"od+a combination of "od and man. Being born of a
woman gave Aesus legal right to oerate here. !his
introduced "od%s lan to urchase man.
6et%s read the actual account of the concetion of Aesus
in 6uke, chater -, beginning with verse /3.
And in the si(th month the angel *a'riel was sent
from *od unto a city of *alilee, named /a0areth, to a
virgin espoused to a man whose name was 1oseph, of the
house of -avid+ and the virgin2s name was "ary%
And the angel came in unto her, and said, #ail,
thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee$
'lessed art thou among women%
And when she saw him, she was trou'led at his
saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation
this should 'e%
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, "ary$ for
thou hast found favour with *od% And, 'ehold, thou
shalt conceive in thy wom', and 'ring forth a son, and
shalt call his name 1E3U3% #e shall 'e great, and shall
'e called the 3on of the #ighest$ and the Lord *od shall
give unto him the throne of his father -avid$ and he
shall reign over the house of 1aco' for ever+ and of his
-:
4estoration of Authority
kingdom there shall 'e no end%
!hen said "ary unto the angel, #ow shall this 'e,
seeing I know not a man5
!hat was a legitimate (uestion= ,ary had never been
with a man. Cet this angel was giving her a message from
"od. Cou must fully reali#e the fact that this angel was
seaking the 'ord of "od to her. It was not the words of
an angel= it was "od%s 'ord. !he angel was )ust delivering
it. !he 'ord of "od is sirit and life.
3o "ary 6uestioned the angel, saying, #ow shall
this 'e, seeing I know not a man5
And the angel answered and said unto her, !he
#oly *host shall come upon thee, and the power of the
#ighest shall overshadow thee$ therefore also that holy
thing which shall 'e 'orn of thee shall 'e called the 3on
of *od%
And, 'ehold, thy cousin Elisa'eth, she hath also
conceived a son in her old age$ and this is the si(th
month with her, who was called 'arren%
For with *od nothing shall 'e impossi'le%
And "ary said, 7ehold the handmaid of the Lord+
'e it unto me according to thy word% And the angel
departed from her%
;eole have acceted the virgin birth because it is in
the 'ord of "od. Cet they don%t comrehend it. !he mind
cannot understand how a virgin could conceive a child
when she had never known a man. $onse(uently, it has
taken away from the virgin birth. However, if taken away
from that, it will destroy the foundation for everything we
-7
believe.
!here is a very real, simle answer in the 'ord of "od
that has been overlooked for years. "od is a sirit, so
anything He does, He does by means of the sirit. His
words are sirit and life. !herefore when He seaks, His
words create. 2ny word soken by "od will create, even
when delivered by an angel.
Eerse 05 says, >or with *od nothing shall he imossible.
!he 2merican &tandard Eersion says, "<o word of "od
shall be void of ower." !herefore, the words "od soke
to ,ary through the angel contained the ower necessary
to create life within her. 2ll that was needed at that oint
was ,ary%s aroval, her willingness to receive those
creative words of 2lmighty "od. 2nd ,ary said, 7ehold
the handmaid of the Lord+ he it unto me according to thy word%
!here is truth in the saying, "'here there is a will,
there is a way." ,any eole never accomlish "od%s will
in their lives because they have not willed to do so. Unless
you urosely set your will to accomlish a articular
thing, it will never be done. "od set His will to urchase
man%s authority. Aames -.-: says, 8f his own will begat he
us with the word of truth% "od didn%t have to do it. He didn%t
have to send Aesus, but He willed to do it. >or "od so
loved the world, that he gave his only 'egotten 3on ?Aohn
0.-3@. He sent His &on, not to )ust a select few, but to the
entire world+to all of usB
>or years after I was saved I didn%t understand what
had actually haened, but I was glad that it did haen. I
knew my salvation was real, but it sure hels when your
head understands. !hen I found out I needed to renew my
/F
mind to the 'ord of "od. !his is why many theologians
have never figured out the "osel. they can%t understand
it with their minds. !he "osel is not a mental revelation=
it is a siritual revelation, given by the &irit of "od. !he
'ord of "od is owerful enough to make it alive inside
you if you will allow it to. However, most eole won%t
oen themselves to the 'ord of "od.
Isaiah rohesied of that which was to come in the
days ahead. In chater 7, verses 3 and 5, he writes.
For unto us a child is 'orn, unto us a son is given$
and the government shall he upon his shoulder$ and his
name shall 'e called 9onderful, ,ounsellor, !he mighty
*od, !he everlasting Father, !he :rince of :eace%
8f the increase of his government and peace there
shall 'e no end, upon the throne of -avid, and upon his
kingdom, to order it, and to esta'lish it with &udgment
and with &ustice from henceforth even for ever% !he 0eal
of the Lord of hosts will perform this%
Isaiah is seaking of Aesus. !his was the beginning of
our restoration. &atan had become god of this world. !he
birth of Aesus marked the beginning of restoration. ,any
eole have never understood their authority= therefore,
they have not entered into it.
<otice verse 3. %%% and the government shall he upon his
shoulder% !he word government got my attention. 'hen
you think of government, you think of the federal
government, the state government, or your local
government. "overnments determine how things are to
function. !hey have the final say as they rule and reign
/-
over their )urisdiction.
!he &irit of "od romted me to look u the word
government, and I discovered that it came from a Hebrew
word which leads to the word emire. 'hen you think of
the word emire, you think of large cororations or an
individual like Howard Hughes, who built an emire
through his wealth. His comanies amassed a fortune. In
other words, when we seak of emire or government, we
think of ower, ability, and money. 2n actual meaning of
the word government is "to revail, or to have ower."
and the government shall 'e upon his shoulder. 2nother
hrase for government is "rincely ower." Aesus is the
;rince of ;eace. <otice verse 5. 8f the increase of his
government and peace there shall 'e no end% 'hether or not
you have reali#ed it, you are art of an emire. Cou are to
carry on, function, and oerate as such. >or years,
$hristians have thought, "I%m )ust an old sinner, saved by
grace. I hoe I make it through the day." But, in reality, a
$hristian is one who has rincely ower, who has
authority.
Aesus has always had authority in heaven. 'hen He
came to live on earth, His authority was obtained through
His birth. 'hen Aesus died and went to hell, He beat
&atan. !he Bible says, % % % he made a shew of them openly,
triumphing over them in it ?$ol. /.-*@. Aesus obtained
authority through the 4esurrection. He rose triumhant,
obtaining the keys of death, hell, and the grave. He
achieved authority in three worlds. heaven, earth, and
under the earth.
2fter His resurrection, Aesus delivered that authority
//
unto us, the Body of $hrist. 'e are not merely saved by
grace= we have rincely owers vested in us. 'e have
authority because we are art of His government. Aesus set
u a siritual kingdom. 2nything that begins in the sirit
realm will manifest itself in the hysical realm. !he
authority we have in the sirit realm will manifest in the
hysical as well.
'hen you ray, the government that is oerating in
the natural realm will have to conform to the 'ord of
"od. 'hen you begin to seak, things begin to change.
!hough you may be bound hysically, you are free in the
siritual realm. 'e have rincely ower+an ability with
"od.
8nce Aesus obtained authority and gave it to us, the
comlete restoration had taken lace. !he entire lan of
"od had been accomlished. Aesus is seated in heaven, at
the right hand of the >ather. ?,ark -3.-7.@ Do you sit
down when there is a )ob to be done9 <oB !hat means
Aesus has comleted His art.
<ow we must do our art. But how do we do it9
&imly by seaking the 'ord, even as ,ary did. 7e it unto
me according to thy word% !his is the thing you must remind
yourself of. Cou must go back and rest in the 'ord of
"od, even as ,ary rested. Cou must say, "Be it done unto
me even as !hou hast said."
8ur authority has been restored. <ow allow the things
that "od has soken to your heart to become dominant
and owerful in your life. !rust and rely on "od. !ake His
'ord, seak it, then rest in it, and "od will have an oen
channel to work in you. He had an oen channel with
/0
,ary in the same manner.
'ho can be against you9 'hat is there to sto you
from doing what "od has called you to do9
Cou say, "But I don%t have the money to do it." !hat
may be true, but you have the authority to change it. How
do you change it9 Gven as ,ary did. receive the 'ord of
"od and declare, "Be it done unto me even as !hou hast
said. !he 'ord of "od declares that my "od shall suly
all my need according to His riches in glory by $hrist
Aesus."
Huit trying to figure it out. Aust receive the 'ord. !hen
the Holy "host will overshadow it and begin to cause it to
exlode inside you. It will erut with life abundant. !he
'ord of "od is not void of ower= it is well able.
/1
.
. ;od<The Supre#e Authority
Let every soul 'e su'&ect unto the higher powers%
For there is no power 'ut of *od$ the powers that he are
ordained of *od%
9hosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth
the ordinance of *od$ and they that resist shall receive
to themselves damnation%
For rulers are not a terror to good works, 'ut to the
evil% 9ilt thou then not he afraid of the power5 do that
which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same$
For he is the minister of *od to thee for good% 7ut if
thou do that which is evil, 'e afraid$ for he 'eareth not
the sword in vain$ for he is the minister of *od, a
revenger to e(ecute wrath upon him that doeth evil%
9herefore ye must needs 'e su'&ect, not only for
wrath, 'ut also for conscience sake% For this cause pay
ye tri'ute also$ for they are *od2s ministers, attending
continually upon this very thing%
4ender therefore to all their dues$ tri'ute to whom
tri'ute is due+ custom to whom custom+ fear to whom
/*
fear+ honour to whom honour%
8we no man any thing, 'ut to love one another$ for
he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law%
4omans ;$)<
4emember, we have established the fact that the
words ower and authority are interchangeable in many
instances. Here ;aul is saying, 6et every soul be sub)ect
?or more literally, stand under@, the higher powers ?the
higher authority@. >or there is no ower ?authority@ but of
*od, the powers ?authorities@ that be are ordained of *od% If
"od ordains all authorities, then He must be sureme
authority. "od is the author of authority= therefore, when
we seak of the 6ord "od, we are seaking of a sovereign
"od. 3overeign means highest, sureme, and absolute.
In looking u the word sovereignty, one thing you will
find is that it carries all of the above-mentioned meanings.
However, in addition to these, the definition includes
"un(ualified." &ome eole say "od has a sureme
authority that is un(ualified. !his is where I cannot agree
with some teachers about the sovereignty of "od. "od is a
sureme being, but His authority is 6ualified% "od has never
done anything un(ualified because He holds Himself in
sub)ection to His own 'ord. He will not ermit certain
things simly because of His 'ord. 'e need to
understand that "od does not run this world in a hit-and-
miss method. !here are laws that "od has given which are
in oeration at all times.
"od is the highest authority, a sureme being, 'ho
holds Himself by a self-imosed law that will not allow
Him to do certain things. >or examle, "od has the ability
/3
*od=!he 3upreme Authority
to lie. He has the authority because He is final and total
authority. However, His 'ord says He cannot lie. ?!itus
-./.@ !herefore, He has (ualified His ability and would not
allow Himself to lie. !he reason for this is that He would
violate some of His other laws.
'e can recogni#e that He is sovereign in the sense that
He is sureme and highest, but He is not un(ualified. He
laced Himself under (ualifications.
He will always work within the guidelines of His
'ord.
!he 6ord ut this definition in my heart. !he
sovereignty of *od is the operation of the laws of *od, 'e they
known or unknown% Cou may or may not know the laws of
"od. !hat which you know you will be resonsible for.
!here will be those that you don%t know.
6aws work. !hey are absolute and will work
regardless of whether or not you want them to. !hey will
work whether or not you believe in them. 6aws will
always work unless they are suerseded by a higher law.
It doesn%t matter whether you believe in the law of
gravity= it is going to work for you when you come in
contact with it. If you )um off the to of a building, you
will soon discover that the law of gravity works. It will
always work because it is a law, an absolute. However, the
law of lift will suersede the law of gravity. !hat doesn%t
mean the law of gravity has been done away with. It has
only been suerseded by another law.
In Ghesians -./F-/0 ;aul rayed for the $hurch,
saying.
/5
%%% 9hich he wrought in ,hrist, when he raised him
from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the
heavenly places, far a'ove all principality, and power,
and might, and dominion, and every name that is
named, not only in this world, 'ut also in that which is
to come$
And hath put all things under his feet, and gave
him to 'e the head over all things to the church, which is
his 'ody, the fulness of him that filleth all in all%
!his scriture establishes "od as the sovereign "od,
the sureme "od, the highest authority there is, far above
all others. 2lso, it makes reference to certain levels of
authority. rincialities, owers, might, and dominion.
'e need to understand the different tyes and levels of
authority. 2s we have already seen, "od is the sureme
and highest authority. !he first chater of Hebrews
includes a series of scritures that adds suort to this
truth.
*od, who at sundry times and in divers manners
spake in time past unto the fathers 'y the prophets, hath
in these last days spoken unto us 'y his 3on, whom he
hath appointed heir of all things, 'y whom also he made
the worlds+
9ho 'eing the 'rightness of his glory, and the
e(press image of his person, and upholding all things 'y
the word of his power, when he had 'y himself purged
our sins, sat down on the right hand of the "a&esty on
high+
7eing made so much 'etter than the angels, as he
/:
hath 'y inheritance o'tained a more e(cellent name than
they%
For unto which of the angels said he at any time,
!hou art my 3on, this day have I 'egotten thee5 And
again, I will 'e to him a Father, and he shall 'e to me a
3on5
And again, when he 'ringeth in the first 'egotten
into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of *od
worship him%
And of the angels he saith, 9ho maketh his angels
spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire%
7ut unto the 3on he saith, !hy throne, 8 *od, is for
ever and ever+ a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of
thy kingdom%
!hou hast loved righteousness, and hated ini6uity+
therefore *od, even thy *od, hath anointed thee with
the oil of gladness a'ove thy fellows%
#e'rews $)9
&ome eole have misinterreted this last verse. %%%
*od, even thy *od, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness
a'ove thy fellows% !hey say this means that the gifts
ministries+those ministries in the Body of $hrist
demonstrating the gifts of the Holy &irit+hold a higher
osition than their fellow believers. "od has not given
authority to any man to usur authority over another. He
has given certain resonsibilities which carry with it
authority, but that does not mean they can rule and reign
over others. 'e are to rule and reign over demons and
evil sirits. If you want to usur authority over someone,
go after the Devil, not other men.
/7
I am endeavoring to show you that Aesus is above men.
'e are the Body of $hrist, and Aesus+the Head of the
$hurch+is above the Body. 'hen you understand this,
you will understand that Aesus is above all other elements.
&ince we are in the Body, that means all other elements are
under our feet as well, which only enhances our
understanding of the different levels of authority
involved.
In seaking of Aesus, 4evelation -7.-0 says, And he was
clothed with a vesture dipped in 'lood$ and his name is called
!he 9ord of *od% Aesus is the 'ord of "od. Eerse -3 says,
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written,
>I/* 8F >I/*3, A/- L84- 8F L84-3% !his indicates
without doubt that He is sureme and sovereign
authority.
Because we are heirs of "od and )oint-heirs with Aesus,
we are in a lan of authority. 'e are to reign as a king.
Aesus is the Iing of kings and the 6ord of lords. 'e are to
rule as lords. Don%t take away from His osition, and don%t
ut yourself in a wrong osition. !ake your osition with
Him and honor Him as the Head.
&ome eole have tried to exalt themselves to an
imortant osition. &ome try to make themselves above
"od, which is the very thing that &atan tried to do. In
Isaiah -1.-0, we read how 6ucifer said, % % % I will e(alt
my throne a'ove the stars of *od% If you study this situation,
you will find that &atan, or 6ucifer, was in a key osition
from the very beginning. However, he was unsatisfied= he
wanted to be above "od. He used the law of "od, only in
the wrong way, so he erverted it. He was confessing it
0F
with his mouth and believing it in his heart, according to
,ark --./0= but because he used it for evil, his lan went
sour.
!here is one thing I want you to understand about
sovereignty. ,any times eole have used the excuse, "It
was a sovereign act of "od," when in reality it was
actually the law of "od in oeration.
Cou see, eole can oerate in the laws of "od and not
even know it. 6aws can be oerative without
understanding. 'hen you understand the oeration of the
laws of "od, you can use them to your benefit.
'hat most sovereignty teaching comes down to is
utting the blame for failure on "od. ;eole don%t want
the resonsibility of their own failure. !hey don%t want
"the monkey on their back."
I hear too many eole saying, "!hings )ust don%t go
right for me. I don%t understand why." !he answer is
simly because they have worked the laws in the wrong
way, in a negative manner.
!he Bible clearly teaches that you can have what you
say. ?,ark --./0,/1.@ 'hen you say, "It doesn%t work for
me," you are actually working that law in its negative
form. Cou have what you say, only the results you are
receiving are not ositive. !oo often an event or
occurrence is blamed on the "sovereignty of "od," when
actually "od has delegated the authority to the eole
involved.
!here is one fact we can be sure of. "od is not our
roblemB
0-
7
7 Leves of Authority Under ;od
In dealing with the sub)ect of authority, many
(uestions arise. How do we recogni#e authority9 How do
we deal with it9 How do we know when and how we are
to submit to the various levels of authority that exist9
!here is a attern that runs throughout every level of
life, both siritual and hysical. 'hen there is a conflict
between ersons in authority, the only solution is for the
eole involved to look to a higher authority. !his higher
authority will resolve the situation. 'e are to move to a
higher authority to settle any issue or conflict that we face
in life, be it natural or siritual.
!o understand authority to its fullest degree, we must
recogni#e and know the various levels of authority that
exist.
The Higher 5o$ers
It is "od%s command that every soul be sub)ect unto
the higher powers ?4om. -0.-@. 'hat are these "higher
owers"9 Basically, there are three. 2s we learned in
00
chater /, the first and the highest ower, or authority, is
"od. He is the sureme authority of all creation. !he other
two ositions of authority in this higher realm are truth
and the conscience of man. <o erson has the right to
violate these three levels of authority.
(eracious Authority<Truth
8ne tye of authority that has been byassed for years
is called veracious authority. Eeracious means truth.
!here is an authority that accomanies truth. $ertain
things roduce authority simly because they are true.
Aesus said, Ce shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
you free ?Aohn :.0/@.
>rom the standoint of mathematics, we can use as an
examle the simle formula. / J / K 1. !his is not arbitrary.
<o matter how hard you try, you cannot make five out of
it because that would not be true. !ruth carries authority.
'hen something is true, authority automatically goes
with it. !he fact that it is true gives it authority.
Aesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life ?Aohn -1.3@.
>rom the moment that you find truth, it will begin to set
you free. But it really is more than )ust seeing the truth=
you must know the truth. !he truth alone will never set
you free= it is knowing the truth that sets you free.
Gveryone has been set free. Aesus aid the rice for all of
humanity= but many don%t know it because they have not
been told.
'hen we say truth, what are we seaking of9 !he
&critures contain truth. !hey contain the words of Aesus,
and we must know the words of Aesus to be set free.
01
Levels of Authority Under *od
!here are certain things that must be (ualified when
saying the &critures are truth. !he rohets of old wrote
when they were moved uon by the Holy &irit.
4emember, the Holy &irit is referred to as the &irit of
!ruth. !herefore, when the Holy &irit moved uon them,
they wrote the truth. !he words Aesus soke were words
of life and words of truth. 'e can simly say that there is
authority because the &critures contain truth.
'hen someone tells a lie against you, it really doesn%t
matter. 'hen the truth comes out, authority will reign.
'hen the truth is known, everything is exonerated=
everything becomes clean and changed. 'hy9 Because
truth carries authority.
!here are a few statements regarding truth that I want
to set out. Cou need to meditate on these.
/othing contrary to 3cripture can he truth%
/othing in addition to 3cripture can 'e 'inding% 2ny lie
the Devil resents to you cannot be binding. 'hen he says
you are sick, you can answer, "<o, I%m notB I%m healed
because the 'ord of "od says so." 'hy9 Because the
'ord of "od is truth.
Gvery believer is resonsible to "od to search the
&critures and find the truth. !his oint is esecially
imortant because so many eole have wrongly tried to
exercise authority over another individual. &ome eole
have been indoctrinated over the years to swallow
whatever is fed to them. It is the resonsibility of every
believer to search the &critures and learn the truth.
;aul made this clear in "alatians -.7. He wrote, As we
0*
said 'efore, so say I now again, if any man preach any other
gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him 'e accursed%
Gven if the greatest angel aears before you, don%t
believe what he says unless it agrees with the 'ord of
"od, regardless of the signs that may accomany him.
It makes no difference who a erson is or how long he
has been in the ministry, if his reaching does not line u
with the 'ord, don%t accet it. >urthermore, if you fail to
check out what he teaches to see if it follows the 'ord,
you are the one who is wrong.
And the 'rethren immediately sent away :aul and
3ilas 'y night unto 7erea$ who coming thither went into
the synagogue of the 1ews%
!hese were more no'le than those in !hessalonica,
in that they received the word with all readiness of
mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those
things were so%
!herefore many of them 'elieved+ also of honoura'le
women which were *reeks, and of men, not a few%
Acts ?$@)A
;aul and &ilas were doing the reaching, yet the
eole who heard them were (uestioning what they
heard. !hey received the 'ord with readiness of mind= or
in other words, they received the 'ord with oenness.
Cet, even when they heard "od%s 'ord from the 2ostle
;aul+a man who had more revelation than anyone+they
still checked him by the &critures. !hey searched the
scritures daily, whether these things were so%
4emember, you must (ualify what is meant by truth.
03
Everything in the Bibe is truy stated! but not
everything in the Bibe is true) !he biblical account of Aob
is a classic examle. In recounting the incident, Aob made
this statement. !he Lord gave and the Lord hath taketh away+
'lessed 'e the name of the Lord ?Aob -./-@. !his statement was
truly recorded+Aob did say those words+however, it is
not a true statement. "od is not the stealer= He is the life-
giver. It was &atan who stole from AobB
!here is truth in "od%s 'ord, but the wisdom of "od
is hidden and must be searched for. 2s ;aul said in his
first eistle to !imothy.
3tudy to shew thyself approved unto *od, a
workman that needeth not to he ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth%
A !imothy A$5
'e need to show ourselves aroved unto "od by
rightly dividing the 'ord of "od. It is our resonsibility,
when we hear the 'ord ministered, to check it out.
8nly when you rove the 'ord in your own heart will
you be established and not tossed about with every wind
of doctrine. ?Gh. 1.-1.@ Become solid, concrete, and
established in what you believe.
Authority of the 3onscience
Let every soul 'e su'&ect unto the higher powers %%%
9herefore ye must needs 'e su'&ect, not only for
wrath, 'ut also for conscience sake%
4omans ;$,5
'hat is meant by the word conscience9 'hen the
05
Bible uses the term conscience, it is referring to the heart.
$onscience can be broken down into two words. co- and
science. ,o- means two and science means knowledge.
,an is a roduct of two kinds of knowledge. a knowledge
which comes from above and a knowledge which comes
from within. !his knowledge from within man is a
roduct of his five hysical senses. 'e receive siritually
in our hearts and mentally in our minds. 2uthority to act
comes according to these two kinds of knowledge.
!his by no means is the only alication for the word
conscience. It is not necessarily a scholarly aroach, but a
basic concet to understand why things are the way they
are.
,any times eole become frustrated because they are
receiving an inut of information from both areas+
siritual and mental. Eery often these two kinds of
information conflict. !his brings them to a oint of
confusion. Until they receive more knowledge, they will
remain at that oint of confusion.
Aesus said, Be shall know the truth, and the truth shall
make you free ?Aohn :.0/@. 8nly by obtaining the truth can
you reach a lace of freedom and be rid of that confusion
and bondage.
&ome eole say they don%t know right from wrong,
but that is not true. 2ny erson whose mind is functioning
normally can know right from wrong. 4ight and wrong
can be measured by how you want to be treated by other
eole. >or examle, if someone steals your car, you know
that erson has done wrong. 'hy9 Because the car
belongs to you, and that erson has no right to take it. If
0:
you know when wrong is done to you, then you know
right from wrong. 'hen something is wrong to you, then
it is wrong for you to do it to others. 'hen eole say
they can%t tell right from wrong, they are either kidding
themselves or lying. "od%s commandments were
established in order to distinguish right from wrong.
'hen a certain act brings damaging effects, it is wrong.
'hen seaking of conscience, or co-knowledge, we
mean knowledge of the heart and knowledge of the head.
,uch of it deends uon our attitude toward situations.
For as many as have sinned without law shall also
perish without law+ and as many as have sinned in the
law shall 'e &udged 'y the law+
CFor not the hearers of the law are &ust 'efore *od,
'ut the doers of the law shall 'e &ustified% For when the
*entiles, which have not the law, do 'y nature the
things contained in the law, these, having not the law,
are a law unto themselves$ which shew the work of the
law written in their hearts, their conscience also 'earing
witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or
else e(cusing one another+D
In the day when *od shall &udge the secrets of men
'y 1esus ,hrist according to my gospel%
4omans A$A)E
!his scriture exlains how eole that have never
heard the "osel are going to be )udged. Eerse -* says, %%%
which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their
conscience also 'earing witness% !hey are going to know by
their conscience and will be )udged according to their
07
conscience. !his means that the conscience must carry
authority.
Cou may ask, "How can the erson who has never
heard the "osel accet Aesus as 6ord and &avior9"
!hey have some knowledge of "od because the very
firmaments declare the glory of "od. !hey have to
recogni#e the existence of a &ureme 2uthority through
the firmaments of the heavens, though they may not know
His name. ;aul addressed the eole at 2thens this way.
For as I passed 'y, and 'eheld your devotions, I found an altar
with this inscription, !8 !#E U/>/89/ *8-% 9hom
therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you ?2cts
-5./0@. !hough these eole had never heard the "lad
!idings+the "ood <ews+they worshied an unknown
"od. ;aul used this unknown "od to make known unto
them Aesus.
!he fact that you have a conscience will (ualify you to
be either accused or excused.
For the kingdom of *od is not meat and drink+ 'ut
righteousness, and peace, and &oy in the #oly *host%
For he that in these things serveth ,hrist is
accepta'le to *od, and approved of men%
Let us therefore follow after the things which make
for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another%
For meat destroy not the work of *od% All things
indeed are pure+ 'ut it is evil for that man who eateth
with offence%
It is good neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine, nor
any thing where'y thy 'rother stum'leth, or is offended,
1F
or is made weak%
#ast thou faith5 have it to thyself 'efore *od%
#appy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing
which he alloweth%
And he that dou'teth is damned if he eat, 'ecause he
eateth not of faith$ for whatsoever is not of faith is sin%
4omans F$?)A;
<otice verse //. #appy is he that condemneth not himself
in that thing which he alloweth% How did he allow it9 He
allowed it in his conscience= his heart and his head agreed.
!he knowledge you receive from your heart and from
your head forms your conscience. !he knowledge of the
'ord of "od suersedes natural knowledge= therefore,
you must act on the 'ord. If you fail to, your heart will
condemn you. 'hen your heart knows to do the 'ord of
"od, but you rebel, your heart will condemn you.
&ome eole argue and debate over which day we are
to worshi. ,ost eole say &unday, but some say
&aturday. Cou can debate all day, but you have been made
free to choose. If you study the Bible, you will find that
actually we are suosed to worshi seven days a week.
If a man believes he is suosed to worshi on
&aturday, but instead worshis on &unday, he will be
condemning his own heart, violating the authority that is
within him. "od has much to say concerning the authority
of the conscience.
,any eole try to dictate to others what they can or
cannot do, even when it is not their lace to do so. Gach
individual is resonsible to rove the 'ord of "od in his
1-
own heart. Declare and do that which you know to do. It
is not your lace to )udge others. Cour conscience will be
the thing that will govern the authority in which you
oerate. If you violate that authority, then it is your
resonsibility to ay the enalty.
Lo$er Leves of Authority
'ithin the confines of lanet earth, there are several
levels of authority. delegated authority, stiulated
authority, functional authority, and authority in custom.
=eegated Authority
8'ey them that have the rule over you, and su'mit
yourselves$ for they watch for your souls, as they that
must give account, that they may do it with &oy, and not
with grief$ for that is unprofita'le for you%
#e'rews ;$?
!his scriture is establishing delegated authority. !he
olice oerate within the realm of delegated authority.
"od has given them the rivilege and resonsibility of
ruling over us according to the laws of the land. !heir
authority has been delegated unto them. However, the
instruction that we are to obey those who have the rule
over us can aly to the siritual realm as well as the
natural.
'e, as believers, have an authority that has been
delegated to us by "od, and there is a resonsibility that
comes with acting on authority.
!he 6ord has delegated certain resonsibilities to the
1/
fivefold ministry gifts+aostle, rohet, evangelist,
astor, and teacher. &ome have tried to resent their
authority in such a fashion that you have to do what they
say, when they say, and how they say. However, "od has
not delegated to any man that tye of authority.
!he word rule in the "reek language simly means "to
give sheherd-like leadershi." !o rule does not mean to
lord it over someone, but to lead like a sheherd would. 2
sheherd cares. He loves. He guides. He would even lay
down his life for the flock.
!he first erson we think of when referring to
sheherd-like leadershi is Aesus for He is the "reat
&heherd. He is the erfect examle of a leader, and He
never ruled or lorded over anyone.
2uthority and resonsibility+these two words go
hand in hand. Authority proceeds ony out of
responsibiity) !hey are on an e(ual level. If you have
been given the authority, it means you have the
resonsibility. If you have the resonsibility, you should
have the authority. It would be un)ust for someone to give
you the resonsibility for a )ob and not give you the
authority to act on it. "od would never do that because
the Bible says "od is )ust. If He gives you the
resonsibility for a articular )ob, He will give you the
authority as well.
Authority never e6ceeds your responsibiity) 'hen
your resonsibility ends, your authority ends. ,any times
eole have made mistakes by trying to take the authority
for things they are not resonsible for. !hey only end u
in trouble.
10
6et me give you an illustration. Do you sank your
neighbor%s children9 Cour answer is robably, "<o." 'hy
not9 Because that is not your resonsibility. 2nd if it is not
your resonsibility, then you have no authority in that
area.
Cou may ask, "But what about teachers who sank
children in school9" !eachers have been given the
resonsibility to teach, to train, and to care for their
students. !hey actually become mother and father to those
children during the day. !hey have become your agents
and are taking your lace= therefore, they have the
authority. Cou gave them that authority when you gave
them the resonsibility to teach and train the children. It
would be ointless to give teachers the resonsibility of
teaching, training, and caring for your children without
giving them the authority to correct them. 'ith
resonsibility comes authority.
/ow then we are am'assadors for ,hrist, as though
*od did 'eseech you 'y us$ we pray you in ,hrist2s
stead, 'e ye reconciled to *od%
A ,orinthians 5$A@
!he authority which "od has given us can be likened
to the authority that is given an ambassador. !he
authority given to an ambassador is delegated to him, and
he can only act to the limits of that authority.
'hen I was working for Brother Ienneth Hagin, I
managed the office while he was on the road. 8ne of the
resonsibilities I had was answering his mail. 'hen the
mail came in, I would call him on the hone and he would
tell me what to write in resonse. !hen he would say,
11
"&ign my name to it." He gave me the authority to sign his
name. !he resonsibility of answering the mail was mine,
and along with it came the authority. I was his
ambassador, his agent, acting on his behalf.
!he same rincile alies in dealing with insurance
comanies and their agents. !he insurance agent is not the
comany= he is merely its reresentative. !he agent acts
on behalf of the comany in its best interest. He has been
delegated the authority to write olicies, to ay claims,
and to handle the routine business involved.
"od has delegated authority to the Body of $hrist. 'e
are His ambassadors. 'hat is the extent of our authority9
'e are to reconcile the world to "od, to give them the
"ood <ews in $hrist%s stead. If Aesus was on earth today,
He would still be reaching, teaching, and laying hands
on the sick. But Aesus is not here= therefore, we have
become His agents, His ambassadors. He has delegated
authority to the $hurch. "od is not going to ask you to
cast out demons without giving you the authority to do so.
!here is nothing to be afraid of+the authority had been
delegated to you.
However, if you don%t act on the resonsibility given
to you, you will never exercise the authority. !he
authority will be there, but it will never be utili#ed. It is
necessary to understand who you are acting for. Cou are
not acting in your name, but in the name of Aesus. It is His
name which carries the authority.
Stipuated Authority
'henever you are acting on the authority that has
1*
been delegated to another erson, you must (ualify that
authority and secify exactly what you are resonsible for.
!his is stiulated authority.
In stiulated authority, both in the natural realm and
in the siritual realm, you enter into a legal contract.
And 1aco' loved 4achel+ and said .to her fatherG, I
will serve thee seven years for 4achel thy younger
daughter%
And La'an said, It is 'etter that I give her to thee,
than that I should give her to another man$ a'ide with
me%
*enesis A9$<,9
Aacob entered into an agreement+a contract, a
covenant+with 6aban, 4achel%s father. However, it was a
stiulative agreement= there was a time limit ut on their
agreement.
And 1aco' served seven years for 4achel+ and they
seemed unto him 'ut a few days, for the love he had to
her%
And 1aco' said unto La'an, *ive me my wife, for
my days are fulfilled that I may go in unto her%
*enesis A9$A@,A
Aacob made a stiulative agreement with 6aban to
work for seven years to win 4achel. 2t the end of that
eriod of time, he came to 6aban and roclaimed the
fulfillment of the contract. He had fulfilled the stiulations
of their agreement.
'henever you have resonsibilities that are
13
stiulated, there are authorities that go with it. !he
authority is limited to the resonsibilities. It is difficult to
understand the different laws that are involved if you
don%t study and aly yourself. >or examle, unless you
aly yourself, you will never understand the laws that
govern flying. Cou must study to understand because
there are many different laws in oeration at all times. !he
law of lift and the law of gravity are oosites, as is the
law of thrust and the law of drag. Before you can learn to
fly, you must first comrehend the laws that are in
oeration.
!hat is where many believers get into trouble with
siritual matters. !hey don%t take the time to study and
comrehend the laws of "od. !hey use oosing laws,
then can%t understand why it doesn%t work for them. 'hen
two different laws come into contact with one another,
they begin to conflict. ,ost eole don%t know how to
handle it. !hey are unable to ut the roer laws into
oeration to get the desired result. !hat is why you must
take the time to study and to show yourself aroved
unto "od. ?/ !im. /.-*.@ Gxamine the laws of "od.
Discover how they oerate. Inow which laws
comlement each other, and which laws are recirocals
?oosites@.
Authority in 3usto#
And La'an gathered together all the men of the
place, and made a feast%
And it came to pass in the evening, that he took
Leah his daughter, and 'rought her to him .1aco'G+ and
15
he went in unto her%
And La'an gave unto his daughter Leah Hilpah his
maid for an handmaid%
And it came to pass, that in the morning, 'ehold, it
was Leah$ and he said to La'an, 9hat is this thou hast
done unto me5 did not I serve with thee for 4achel5
wherefore then hast thou 'eguiled me5
And La'an said, It must not 'e so done in our
country, to give the younger 'eIore the first'orn%
Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for
the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven
other years%
*enesis A9$AA)A?
Aacob had a stiulative agreement with 6aban=
however, another law suerseded. !here was an
additional authority involved. custom.
!here is a certain asect of custom which can be either
good or bad, deending uon how it is used. In this
situation 6aban made it work to his advantage. He
utili#ed a law to work his own way. It may not have been
right or fair, but it was a law.
In the <ew !estament, ;aul deals with the sub)ect of
custom. 7ut if any man seem to 'e contentious, we have no
such custom, neither the churches of *od ?- $or. --.-3@. ;aul is
roving a oint by saying there is no such custom=
therefore, we see authority in custom. 'hen there is a
custom, it carries authority and it must be observed.
>or examle, if you go into a church where the
congregation does not lift their hands and raise "od, you
1:
will feel the influence of their authority when you lift your
hands. !he authority in their custom will affect your
behavior. Cou may want to raise "od, but the custom is
ruling. !radition carries authority.
!hen came to 1esus scri'es and :harisees, which
were of 1erusalem, saying,
9hy do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the
elders5 for they wash not their hands when they eat
'read%
7ut he answered and said unto them, 9hy do ye
also transgress the commandment of *od 'y your
tradition5
For *od commanded, saying, #onour thy father
and mother$ and, #e that curseth father or mother, let
him die the death%
7ut ye say, 9hosoever shall say to his father or his
mother, It is a gift, 'y whatsoever thou mightest 'e
profited 'y me+
And honour not his father or his mother, he shall 'e
free% !hus have ye made the commandment of *od of
none effect 'y your tradition%
Be hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you,
saying,
!his people draweth nigh unto me with their
mouth, and honoureth me with their lips+ 'ut their heart
is far from me%
7ut in vain they do worship me, teaching for
doctrines the commandments of men%
"atthew 5$)9
17
It is accetable to have custom. !here is a custom in
our church that we cla our hands when we receive the
offering, which is suitable as long as it lines u with the
'ord. 'here eole make their mistake is in trying to ut
custom or tradition above the &critures.
:unctiona Authority
!here is authority in the way you function. ,ore
clearly, you have authority according to your abilities, be
it by birth, training, or imartation. &ome eole )ust
naturally have abilities by birth. &ome are born with an
ear for music. ,usician Doyle !ucker is one of these
eole. ,usic with him is a natural thing, though he has
added to it through training. 'hen Doyle sits at the iano,
there is authority that comes through his music.
,athematics is an area that I have always been good
in. I received it from my dad. >iguring ercentages and
adding figures is inherent with me.
Cet I have an authority in other areas that I received by
imartation. >or examle, when "od called me to astor,
He said, ""o back to !ulsa. &tart a family church, a
charismatic teaching center, and reach the world." He told
me to astor suernaturally. I received the ability to
astor through imartation.
!here is authority through imartation by the &irit of
"od. >or examle, &mith 'igglesworth was a great man
of "od who received from "od through imartation. He
was middle-aged when he answered the call of "od uon
his life. He was an uneducated man, who could neither
read nor write, but "od imarted to him the ability to
*F
read one book, the Bible.
!hrough the gift imarted to him by "od,
'igglesworth became an authority concerning "od%s
'ord. 2s a result of his ministry, three men were raised
from the dead and eole were healed throughout the
world. 'igglesworth functioned in an authority that few
men understood, but was definitely of "od.
!here is an account of an incident in the ministry of
&mith 'igglesworth that occurred while he was holding a
three-day crusade. He had instructed the audience, "If I
have ministered to you before, don%t get in the line again."
!he healing ower of "od was at work within them, so
there was no need to be rayed for again.
!he second night a man on crutches decided he would
be rayed for again, so he started u the stair to the
latform. 'hen that man came forward to have hands
laid on him, Brother 'igglesworth said, "Didn%t I minister
to you last night9"
!he man answered, "Ces, but I didn%t get healed."
"Didn%t get healed9 Didn%t get healed9 Ces, you didB
Cou )ust don%t have sense enough to know itB"
'igglesworth turned him around and kicked him in the
seat of the ants and off the latform. He knew the
authority that had been imarted to him, and he oerated
in that authority.
8ne erson in a church received the ability to lay the
iano through imartation. !hough she had never layed
before and had no training, "od suddenly gave her a gift.
It was imarted to her by "od.
*-
;roverbs -:.-3 says it this way. A man2s gift maketh
room for him, and 'ringeth him 'efore great men% If you have a
gift from "od, whether it comes at birth, by training, or by
imartation, that gift will make room for you. If you have
ability in that area, it will show u.
&ome eole have diligently trained and develoed
abilities in a articular area, so they can function with
authority. Because they train and cultivate their abilities,
authority is roduced in their lives.
>or examle, suose there is a traffic accident in
which a woman is in)ured. 8bserving the accident are
three men. a oliceman, a mechanic, and a doctor. 'ho
will render medical aid and assistance to the woman9 'ill
it be the mechanic9 <o. !he oliceman9 <o. It will be the
doctor. Because he has training and ability in that area, he
carries the authority.
!he mechanic will be used according to his training.
He has the authority to get the car in working condition.
!he doctor does not.
Because of the authority which the oliceman carries,
he will be used in still another area. to direct traffic and
see to the official details of the accident. He will act on the
authority he carries.
'hen a erson functions in a articular realm of
authority+whether by birth, by training, or by
imartation+it would be foolish for someone else to try to
function in that osition without the ability. 'hy9 Because
he has no authority.
8nce you know your osition within the Body of
*/
$hrist and understand what you are called to do, there is
no reason to think about doing other things. 2s you train
and develo in each area, you will be able to move on to
higher things. ,any eole have never bothered to train
themselves, so they are une(uied when the time comes
to function.
>or a time when I worked for Brother Ienneth Hagin,
I read one book each day on business management or
some facet of the areas we were involved in. 'hen we
began to roduce cassette taes, I began to study about
cassettes. I could tell you the seventeen most critical oints
in a cassette. Because of the knowledge I obtained, it was
ossible for me to function with authority.
!he same rinciles aly with regard to the home.
'e are to function within our abilities as husband, wife,
arent, or child. ,ost husbands and wives miss it by
trying to do things they are not e(uied or (ualified to
do. >or instance, the one in charge of aying bills should
be the one who has the training and ability to do so. It
does not necessarily have to be the man. If he is not smart
enough, it would be foolish for him to do it. If some men
didn%t have a good wife to handle the finances, they would
have failed a long time ago.
If the husband has abilities in that area, and he takes
the resonsibility, then he carries the authority that goes
with it.
!he imortant thing is to function within the abilities
you have. ,y wife and I have an understanding in this
area. I make the decisions as to which bills we ay and
when= she writes the checks.
*0
9ives, su'mit yourselves unto your own hus'ands, as unto
the Lord ?Gh. *.//@. !he key to this verse is. as unto the
6ord. How are you to submit to the 6ord9 In love. !he
same thing holds true for wives. 2ll of this is done in love,
in order that the husband and wife be a blessing to one
another. !hey are to comliment one another. where one
is weak, the other is strong.
Don%t allow your marriage to become frustrated by
trying to exercise authority when you haven%t taken the
resonsibility. If you are going to take the authority, then
be willing to take the resonsibility that goes with it. 2s a
husband, if you want to function as the head of your
household, you must take on the resonsibility+sirit,
soul, and body.
Ghesians *./- says, 3u'mitting yourselves one to another
in the fear of *od% It is easy to submit yourselves one to
another in the fear of the 6ord when you are full of the
resence and ower of "od.
If you try to submit in a legalistic manner, you are
going to moan and groan all the way. "od never intended
for that to be the case.
,any eole try to exercise the wrong kind of
authority in the wrong situation. ,any times it is over
someone else%s will. In Aohn :.0- Aesus said, If ye continue in
my word, then are ye my disciples indeed% !he key words are.
continue in my word. It did not say that to become a
discile you are to continue in the word of your astor.
Aesus said, J,ontinue in "y 9ord%J
Cou may ask, "2ren%t we suosed to listen to the
astor9" 8nly if he is giving you the 'ord of "od.
*1
And :aul, earnestly 'eholding the council, said,
"en and 'rethren, I have lived in all good conscience
'efore *od until this day%
And the high priest Ananias commanded them that
stood 'y him to smite him on the mouth%
!hen said :aul unto him, *od shall smite thee, thou
whited wall % % % %
Acts A;$);
!he chief aostle didn%t turn the other cheek. !here are
three elements involved. the high riest, the chief aostle,
and the 'ord of "od. 'hat did ;aul become uset over9
He continues in verse 0. %%% for sittest thou to &udge me after
the law, and commandest me to 'e smitten contrary to the law5
'hat was he arguing about9 !he law of "od. He was
struck on the head and he didn%t areciate it. It was
contrary to the law of "od. 'hat authority was he
aealing to9 !he authority of the 'ord, a higher
authority.
And they that stood 'y said, 4evilest thou *od2s
high priest5
!hen said :aul, I wist not, 'rethren, that he was the
high priest$ for it is written, !hou shalt not speak evil of
the ruler of thy people%
Acts A;$F,5
Does this mean that ;aul gave in9 Ces, but not to the
high riest. He gave in to the 'ord of "od. He did not
give in to a man, but to "od%s high riest. !he 'ord of
"od had the higher authority.
**
!hen came to him the mother of He'edee2s children
with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain
thing of him%
And he said unto her, 9hat wilt thou5 3he saith
unto him, *rant that these my two sons may sit, the
one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy
kingdom%
7ut 1esus answered and said, Be know not what ye
ask% Are ye a'le to drink of the cup that I shall drink of,
and to he 'apti0ed with the 'aptism that I am 'apti0ed
with5 !hey say unto him, 9e are a'le%
And he saith unto them, Be shall drink indeed of my
cup, and 'e 'apti0ed with the 'aptism that I am
'apti0ed with$ 'ut to sit on my right hand, and on my
left, is not mine to give, 'ut it shall 'e given to them for
whom it is prepared of my Father%
And when the ten heard it, they were moved with
indignation against the two 'rethren%
"atthew A@$A@)AF
!he audacity of Aames and Aohn to try to elevate
themselves above the othersB !hat is what eole try to
do. &atan tried it as the archangel 6ucifer in heaven, and
you know what haened to himB
>unctional authority is serving eole. !hat is one of
the rules of the Iingdom.
Ghesians /.-7,/F makes this statement.
/ow therefore ye are no more strangers and
foreigners, 'ut fellow citi0ens with the saints, and of the
household of *od+ and are 'uilt upon the foundation of
*3
the apostles and prophets, 1esus ,hrist himself 'eing the
chief corner stone%
'hen you truly examine the family of "od, you will
find that those who are called to be aostles, rohets,
evangelists, astors, and teachers are at the bottom
uholding it, not on to ruling down. !hey are serving the
Body of $hrist.
2ccording to - ;eter *./, the resonsibility of the
fivefold ministry is this.
Feed the flock of *od which is among you, taking
the oversight thereof, not 'y constraint, 'ut willingly+
not for filthy lucre, 'ut of a ready mind+
/either as 'eing lords over *od2s heritage, 'ut
'eing ensamples to the flock%
"od does not intend for the ministry to be lord over
you, but rather to be examles to you, to serve you and
minister to you with the 'ord of "od.
In / $orinthians -./1 the 2ostle ;aul wrote, /ot for
that we have dominion over your faith % % % % &ome eole
mistakenly try to exercise authority over the faith of
others. !hat is not the resonsibility of the ministry. !he
ministry is resonsible only to reare and deliver "od%s
'ord to the Body of $hrist. 8nce that is done, it becomes
your resonsibility to receive that 'ord and act on it.
*5
0
0 Leadership
&iritual leadershi is an awesome thing, carrying
with it both authority and resonsibility within the Body
of $hrist. If not handled roerly, it can bring confusion to
the work of "od in the earth. But there is a resonsibility
within the Body of $hrist to analy#e the (uality of
leadershi that is before it and decide whether to accet or
re)ect that leadershi.
!he prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests 'ear
rule 'y their means+ and my people love to have it so$
and what will ye do in the end thereof5
1eremiah 5$;
!here are times when leaders will take advantage of
their osition and utili#e the authority given them in the
wrong way. <ot only is this the fault of the leaders, it is
also the fault of those being led. By continuing to accet
such leadershi, they are condoning that wrongdoing.
!here is a resonsibility on the art of every member in
the Body of $hrist to )udge whether that which is coming
from their leaders is of "od.
*7
"any pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they
have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my
pleasant portion a desolate wilderness%
!hey have made it desolate, and 'eing desolate it
mourneth unto me+ the whole land is made desolate,
'ecause no man layeth it to heart%
1eremiah A$@,
,any times eole rise and fall with their leadershi.
'hatever the leadershi does will reflect on those under
them. >or that reason, you must closely examine your
leadershi+who they are, what they are doing, and how
they are doing it. 2 leader who is oerating in fear will be
afraid to let you know what he is doing, while one who is
oerating in faith and love will have no fear.
And it shall 'e, as with the people, so with the
priest+ as with the servant, so with his master+ as with
the maid, so with her mistress+ as with the 'uyer, so
with the seller+ as with the lender, so with the 'orrower+
as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to
him%
Isaiah AF$A
!he main oint here is that everyone is resonsible.
!here are leaders and there are followers. !he blame for
error cannot always be laced totally on the leadershi. If
the leaders are involved in error and the followers are
aware of it, then it is the resonsibility of those followers
to do something about it. 2s long as they continue to
follow, then they must accet a share of the blame.
&ome horrible atrocities have occurred, such as the Aim
3F
Leadership
Aones incident in "uyana, &outh 2merica, in which several
hundred eole died at his command. 'e think how
terrible Aim Aones must have been to lead hundreds of
eole to their deaths= but he would not have been able to
lead them if they had not followedB
>ollowers have the resonsibility to follow that which
is correct.
"od re(uires diligence of His eole. In / !imothy
/.-* the 2ostle ;aul wrote,
3tudy to shew thyself approved unto *od, a
workman that needeth not to 'e ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth%
Don%t )ust accet anything and everything that comes
your way. 6ook at your siritual leaders. Gxamine the
words they seak and the deeds of their lives. Cou are not
to )udge their hearts, but you can listen to them and
determine if the words they seak line u with "od%s
'ord.
!here is resonsibility in leadershi. In / !imothy /.3
;aul said, !he hus'andman that la'oureth must 'e first
partaker of the fruits% In other words, the erson who sits in
a lace of leadershi must be a artaker of that which he
says. It is not right to say, "Do as I say, but not as I do." If it
isn%t good enough for the leader to do, it isn%t good enough
for the follower.
!he 6ord told me some time ago that as a astor I was
to be an examle to my flock. He said, "2ny time a ro)ect
comes u needing money, you give the first ten ercent,
regardless of the amount." &hortly after that, we held a
3-
missionary conference in which L1*,FFF was needed for
the outreach+and ten ercent of L1*,FFF is (uite a sum of
money. I decided to round off the figure to an even L*,FFF.
2t the time I needed L*,FFF )ust for myself, much less
giving it in sixty days as an offering to ,exico. It was a big
ste, but my faith was in "od%s 'ord.
I stood u and boldly said, "I will give the first L*,FFF
in sixty days." I knew that by my leading the eole were
confident to follow. ,y mind thought, 7uddy, you are in a
real messB Cet my sirit was confident in "od.
&ix days later I was out of town for a meeting when
my secretary called and said, "I couldn%t wait until you
returned to tell you. 2 letter came in the mail today and
there was a check in it for L0,FFF for you ersonallyB"
""lory to "odB !here is three fifths of my mission
moneyB" !he rest came on time.
"od is going to erform and back His 'ord. !hat
would not have worked had I not followed the attern
"od gave us. I had to take the lead.
Cou rise or fall with your leadershi. !hat is why some
eole have only grown so far and why some churches
don%t grow. !heir leadershi has not gone ast a certain
level, so they can%t either. 2 church can only go as far as its
leadershi.
And the Lord spake unto "oses, saying, 3end thou
men, that they may search the land of ,anaan %%%
And "oses 'y the commandment of the Lord sent
them from the wilderness of :aran$ all those men were
heads of the children of Israel%
3/
Leadership
/um'ers ;$);
,oses sent twelve men to sy out the ;romised 6and.
!hese men were heads of the children of Israel. In other
words, they were the leaders, the men in resonsible
ositions of authority+a leadershi that had been
selected by "od.
And they went and came to "oses %%% And they told
him, and said, 9e came unto the land whither thou
sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey+
and this is the fruit of it%
/evertheless the people 'e strong that dwell in the
land, and the cities are walled, and very great%%%
And ,ale' stilled the people 'efore "oses, and said,
Let us go up at once, and possess it+ for we are well a'le
to overcome it%
7ut the men that went up with him said, 9e 'e not
a'le to go up against the people+ for they are stronger
than we%
And they 'rought up an evil report of the land
which they had searched%
/um'ers ;$AE);A
!here is a very imortant oint about leadershi in
this assage of &criture. Cour leadershi can get you to
your ;romised 6and in a short time, or it can lead you in a
circle for forty years. !his is what haened to the
children of Israel. 2ny erson in decent hysical condition
could have walked to the ;romised 6and within six days=
yet they wandered in the wilderness for forty years. !hey
could not go beyond their leadershi.
30
'here is your leadershi leading you9 'hat direction
are they giving to your life9 2re you getting there (uickly,
or is it taking an eternity9 2re you in the wilderness9
2s a result of the authority vested in the Israelite
leaders, three and a half million eole were led in a circle
for forty years. !hat should imress uon you one thing.
be careful who you are following.
7ecause all those men which have seen my glory,
and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the
wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times,
and have not hearkened to my voice+
3urely they shall not see the land which I sware
unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that
provoked me see it%
/um'ers F$AA,A;
!he leadershi you are under can kee you from
walking in the fullness of what "od has romised.
6eadershi is critical= we cannot treat it carelessly or
haha#ardly. 'henever I share "od%s 'ord, it is not only
from the standoint of a leader, but from your standoint
as a follower. !he resonsibility is uon the followers as
well as the leaders. Cou are )ust as resonsible because
Aesus has made you free. Cou live in libertyB
>uaities of a Leader
'hen a man has the caabilities of leading you astray,
then obviously he is going to hurt you. Cou need to
examine whether leadershi is good or bad. !here must be
(ualities involved that will dictate what is correct and
31
Leadership
what is incorrect.
"od has included guidelines in His 'ord that will
hel you to determine whether you are being led
roerly. 'atch the man who is reaching for authority, he
will hurt you= but hel the man who is reaching for
resonsibility, he will bless you. !he attitude of the erson
wanting ower and authority will get him into trouble,
while the attitude of the erson wanting resonsibility
will only guide him in the right direction. &criture to
back this statement is found in ;hiliians /.-7-//.
7ut I trust in the Lord 1esus to send !imotheus
shortly unto you, that I also may 'e of good comfort,
when I know your state%
For I have no man like)minded, who will naturally
care for your state%
For all seek their own, not the things which are
1esus ,hrist2s%
!hese statements by ;aul are vitally imortant.
!imothy and ;aul had resented themselves in service to
the eole as ministers of the "osel. !imothy had the
same goals in mind that ;aul had. to serve the eole, to
bless them, to aid and assist them. Cet ;aul didn%t have
anyone else who thought like !imothy. !imothy was after
resonsibility, not authority or ower. !he others had a
different motive.
,otives are very imortant. 2 erson can do the right
thing for the wrong motive, and it will be wrong. 6ook at
the motives behind your leadershi.
2 astor%s attitude should be to feed the flock. 2gain, I
3*
(uote - ;eter *./, which says.
Feed the flock of *od which is among you, taking
the oversight thereof, not 'y constraint, 'ut willingly+
not for filthy lucre, 'ut of a ready mind%
!his scriture is dealing with attitude because it says,
Feed the flock %%% not 'y constraint, 'ut willingly % % % % 'hat
other way could it be done9 % % % for filthy lucre .moneyG%%% %
If the motive of a astor is money, he is in error. He
should be of a ready mind and willing to do his )ob
according to the 'ord of "od.
!he next verse says, /either as 'eing lords over *od2s
heritage, 'ut 'eing ensamples to the flock ?v. 0@. 'hose
heritage is it9 "od%s heritage. ,any eole who have
taken their osition in the Body of $hrist as aostle,
rohet, evangelist, astor, or teacher try to dominate
"od%s eole. !hat is wrong.
And when the chief 3hepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a
crown of glory that fadeth not away ?v. 1@. Aesus is the chief
&heherd and we in the ministry are to act as
undersheherds. However, this does not mean we are to
rule, dominate, and deal harshly with the eole. 'e
must be sure to kee our motives right.
In the !hird Gistle of Aohn there is the illustration of a
man who is reaching for authority and not resonsibility.
Eerse 7 says, I wrote unto the church$ 'ut -iotrephes, who
loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not%
<otice the word reeminence, which means authority or
rule. Diotrehes would not receive Aohn. 'here was his
love9
33
Leadership
In verse -F Aohn wrote, 9herefore, if I come, I will
remem'er his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with
malicious words$ and not content therewith, neither doth he
himself receive the 'rethren, and for'iddeth them that would,
and casteth them out of the church% 2ny time you find a
erson who says, "'e are a select grou, and we only
receive certain ones," look outB Gveryone should be
welcome. 'e are born into the Body of $hrist, not voted inB
'e must always remember that "od loves the world
+not )ust the believers, but the whole worldB Does that
mean "od loves the homosexual, the drunkard, the
rostitute, and the drug addict9 2bsolutelyB 6ove does not
condone what a erson does, but it reaches out to them
and freely offers the 'ord of "od.
Do you think Aohn would say, "6et%s go ahead and love
them, brethren. 'e%ll )ust stay sweet"9 If you think so,
then look at verse --. 7eloved, follow not that which is evil,
'ut that which is good% If your leadershi is guiding you into
evil, or any kind of wrongdoing, have the siritual
intelligence not to follow them. Follow not that which is evil,
'ut that which is good% #e that doeth good is of *od$ 'ut he that
doeth evil hath not seen *od%
However, in verse -/ we find a man who is following
after resonsibility. -emetrius hath good report of all men,
and of the truth itself$ yea, and we also 'ear record+ and ye know
that our record is true% !his man is given to truth, not
reeminence of authority.
Aohn is telling us very distinctly that we are not to
follow after those who are going the wrong way, but to
follow after those who are leading us correctly. 'e are to
35
bless those who feed the flock and stay away from those
who fleece the flock.
"od said, And I will give you pastors according to mine
heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding
?Aer. 0.-*@. !he very heart of "od is to feed the flock.
;astors sent by "od will feed the flock with knowledge
and understanding. If you are not receiving knowledge
and understanding from your siritual leadershi, you are
not being fed roerly.
And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all
countries whither I have driven them, and will 'ring
them again to their folds+ and they shall 'e fruitful and
increase%
And I will set up shepherds over them which shall
feed them$ and they shall fear no more, nor he dismayed,
neither shall they 'e lacking, saith the Lord%
1eremiah A;$;,F
'hen you are fed the 'ord of "od, certain results, or
fruit, will be roduced. !here will be no more fear,
dismay, or lack. !his is how you are to )udge your
leadershi. Cou are not to )udge the leader, but you are to
)udge that which your leader is feeding you.
G#ekiel 01./0,/1 is rohetically seaking of Aesus.
And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he
shall feed them, even my servant -avid+ he shall feed
them, and he shall 'e their shepherd%
And I the Lord will 'e their *od, and my servant
-avid a prince among them+ I the Lord have spoken it%
3:
Leadership
6eadershi is under a divine obligation to feed the
flock. !his 01th chater of G#ekiel begins with these
words.
And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
3on of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel,
prophesy, and say unto them, !hus saith the Lord *od
unto the shepherds+ 9oe 'e to the shepherds of Israel
that do feed themselvesK should not the shepherds feed
the flocks5
Be eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye
kill them that are fed$ 'ut ye feed not the flock .vv% );G%
'hen a sheherd is not feeding the flock, he is not
leasing to "od. Cour resonsibility is not to try to kee
the leader in line with "od= the 'ord will do that.
2gain, verse 0 says, Be eat the fat, and ye clothe you with
the wool% In other words, you either feed the flock because
you love "od, or you fleece the flock. !he sheherds
referred to here fleeced their flocksB 'here do you think
the wool came from9 !hese sheherds took what
belonged to their flocks.
2 sheherd has an obligation to feed his flock, not take
care of himself only. &iritual law declares that when a
sheherd feeds the flock, he will be taken care of= so don%t
go after money+"od will suly your need. 8erating in
the law of action and reaction will roduce the desired
result.
!hey 'uild up Hion with 'lood, and 1erusalem with
ini6uity%
!he heads thereof &udge for reward, and the priests
37
thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for
money$ yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not
the Lord among us5 none evil can come upon us%
"icah ;$@,
!hese men, the leadershi, have the wrong motive, the
wrong uroses in mind. ,inisters have fallen because
they had wrong motives. !hey got ower hungry or
money hungry. ,ore eole have fallen because of those
basic elements than any others.
But "od has a better way. He does not intend for
money to be our motive. 'hen we lead eole, money
should not be our urose. 8ur resonsibility is to be a
blessing to the Body of $hrist.
7ehold, the Lord *od will come with strong hand,
and his arm shall rule for him$ 'ehold, his reward is
with him, and his work 'efore him%
#e shall feed his flock like a shepherd$ he shall
gather the lam's with his arm, and carry them in his
'osom, and shall gently lead those that are with young%
Isaiah F@$@,
!hose who are in ositions of leadershi and
resonsibility should oerate gently. ,uch of the time
eole in resonsible ositions have a tendency to bark
out a statement. 2s !eddy 4oosevelt said, "'alk softly,
but carry a big stick." In other words, you can be gentle,
but still seak in a way that will cause everyone to
recogni#e your authority. !he area that must be dealt with
is attitude.
&ome eole think that a man can%t be gentle. !hey
5F
Leadership
labor under the misconcetion that a man must run his life
like an army. I understand the element involved in
disciline, but it is so much easier to follow the Bible
attern. Do it the Bible way. gently. 8ne of the fruits of the
&irit which are mentioned in "alatians, chater *, is
gentleness. If you want the fruit of the &irit to be
manifested in your life, some things need to be done
gently.
Aesus oerated in a gentle fashion. He took children in
His arms, loved them and ministered to them. He was
gentle, and He was a man. ;eole sometimes look at His
love side and take away from His manly side. If Aesus
wasn%t manly, how did He run the moneychangers out of
the temle9
'hat about Iing David9 He made this statement
about the 6ord in the ;salms. %%% thy gentleness hath made me
great ?;s. -:.0*@. Here was a man who fought and defeated
"oliath, a giant. Iing &aul had won his battles, but David
had won tens of thousands%%%% 3aul hath slain his thousands,
and -avid his ten thousands ?- &am. -:.5@. David had slain
many, yet he was a gentle man.
Don%t mistake gentleness for weakness= they are two
entirely different things. "entleness involves emathi#ing
with eole+not symathi#ing, but gently heling them.
9oe 'e unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the
sheep of my pastureK saith the Lord%
!herefore thus saith the Lord *od of Israel against
the pastors that feed my people+ Be have scattered my
flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them+
'ehold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings,
5-
saith the Lord%
And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all
countries whither I have driven them, and will 'ring
them again to their folds+ and they shall 'e fruitful and
increase%
1eremiah A;$);
Bless those who gather the flock= watch those who
scatter the flock. If the flock is scattering, something is
wrong. ,en who love "od and are in resonsible
ositions will gather the flock, not scatter them. !here is a
great difference between the man who says of the shee,
"!hey are "od%s," and the man who says, "!hey are mine."
;salm -FF.0 says, >now ye that the Lord he is *od$ it is he that
hath made us, and not we ourselves+ we are his people, and the
sheep of his pasture% In the <ew !estament we read, % % % ye
are not your own % % % ye are 'ought with a price ?- $or.
3.-7,/F@.
!he erson who ays for something owns it, and "od
aid for his flock. 'e belong to "od. !he osition of the
astor is as undersheherd. He is to feed, to care for, and
to gently bless their lives. "od has ut astors in the
osition of tenderly caring for His flock. If the astor
scatters the flock, it is wrong.
!he Lord is my shepherd+ I shall not want ?;s. /0.-@. !he
6ord is the &heherd. 4eferring again to the words of
G#ekiel, we read.
And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he
shall feed them, even my servant -avid+ he shall feed
them, and he shall 'e their shepherd%
5/
Leadership
And I the Lord will he their *od, and my servant
-avid a prince among them+ I the Lord have spoken it%
!hus shall they know that I the Lord their *od am
with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are
my people, saith the Lord *od%
And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men,
and I am your *od, saith the Lord *od%
E0ekiel ;F$A;,AF,;@,;
!he shee belong to "od. <o matter which asture
they are in, they are still a art of "od%s flock. >or
centuries men have debated this issue. !he 2ostle ;aul
wrote the $orinthian church.
Be are yet carnal$ for whereas there is among you
envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal,
and walk as men5
For while one saith, I am of :aul+ and another, I am
of Apollos+ are ye not carnal5
,orinthians ;$;,F
'hile these arguments and debates went on in the
Body of $hrist, some did have enough sense to say, "I
belong to $hrist." 'e need to have that same intelligence
today.
In Audges, chater :, after "ideon had won a battle, the
eole came to him. In verses // and /0 we read.
!hen the men of Israel said unto *ideon, 4ule thou
over us, 'oth thou, and thy son, and thy son2s son also$
for thou hast delivered us from the hand of "idian%
And *ideon said unto them, I will not rule over
50
you, neither shall my son rule over you$ the Lord shall
rule over you%
2s "od%s child, you can know His voice.
Cou are to listen to the voice of your astor only as
long as he is teaching the 'ord of "od. ;aul said, 7e ye
followers of me, even as I also am of ,hrist ?- $or. --.-@. Be
very articular about who you follow and what you hear.
51
8
8 Sub#ission or Obedience?
2gain, I (uote from ;aul%s letter to the church at 4ome.
Let every soul 'e su'&ect unto the higher powers%
For there is no power 'ut of *od$ the powers that 'e are
ordained of *od%
9hosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth
the ordinance of *od$ and they that resist shall receive
to themselves damnation%
For rulers are not a terror to good works, 'ut to the
evil% 9ilt thou then not 'e afraid of the power5 do that
which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same%
4omans ;$);
!here is an imortant oint made in verse 0. 'hen
something is good, it is "od= when something is evil, it is
not "od. !his becomes a key or clue in submission. "od
will not imose His will uon you= therefore, no man has
that right. !here are conditions to submission. If it will
roduce good, then you are free to submit yourself in
love.
<otice the hrase in verse 0, For rulers are not a terror to
5*
good works, 'ut to the evil% !he word terror is seaking of
fear. 2nything that roduces terror, or fear, is not from
"od. For *od hath not given us the spirit of fear+ 'ut of power,
and of love, and of a sound mind ?/ !im. -.5@.
!he Bible says that every good and erfect gift is from
above. ?Aames -.-5.@ ,ost of the time we view this
scriture in light of siritual matters= but we should allow
it to carry over into the natural realm, involving the things
of this hysical world. 'e should allow it to direct us in
olitical areas. 'hen a man is roducing good, follow
him. If his works roduce evil+if they kill, steal, or
destroy+he is not from "od. &atan and evil are
synonymous= "od and good are synonymous.
Before you make decisions, ask yourself this (uestion.
"Is it roducing good in my life, for my family and my
nation9"
If submission calls you to death, then something is
wrong. Cou may ask, "But aren%t you suosed to be
willing to lay down your life for "od9" 4emember, the
'ord of "od teaches that we are to lay down the old life
and resent the new life to "od. But if it is a matter of
laying down your life to be taken, it is not "od. 'e are to
live life to its fullest. "od wants us to reign sureme on
the earth+and that does not include getting ourselves
killed.
&ubmission and obedience are not the same.
8bedience is an action= submission is an attitude of the
heart.
!he 'ord of "od says we are to submit ourselves to
one another in love. ?Gh. *./-.@ !his does not mean we
53
3u'mission or 8'edience5
are to obey everything we are told. 'e are not to submit
to some eole simly because they are our elders. !here
is a higher ower and authority that we are to follow.
&ubmission is not un(uestioned obedience to
authority. Cou need to ask (uestions. !here will be times
that you have a check in your sirit, which will be your
conscience. Cou need to recogni#e the level of authority
that is sureme. If you violate your heart, you will be
violating the rinciles of "od. &ubmission is not a blind
resonse to any order.
&ubmission is a willingness to follow leadershi as
long as it does not violate "od%s 'ord. Cou are to follow
your leaders as long as they follow "od. &hould they ever
get off track, you are exected to kee following "od.
!here are illustrations from the 'ord of "od that will
emhasi#e this truth. In Daniel, chater 0, Iing
<ebuchadne##ar had set forth a decree that said all eole
were to worshi a golden image which he had made. His
instructions to the eole were that when they heard the
sound of musical instruments and singing, they were to
bow down and worshi the golden image. However, three
young Hebrew men, who refused to worshi this agan
god, were brought before the king.
/e'uchadne00ar spake and said unto them, Is it
true, 8 3hadrach, "eshach, and A'ednego, do not ye
serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I
have set up5
% % % if ye worship not, ye shall 'e cast the same
hour into the midst of a 'urning fiery furnace+ and who
is that *od that shall deliver you out of my hands5
55
3hadrach, "eshach, and A'ednego, answered and
said to the king, 8 /e'uchadne00ar, we are not careful
to answer thee in this matter%
If it 'e so, our *od whom we serve is a'le to deliver
us from the 'urning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us
out of thine hand, 8 king%
7ut i f not, 'e it known unto thee, 8 king, that we
will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image
which thou hast set up%
-aniel ;$F)<
!he king%s order for everyone to worshi his god was
a violation of the rinciles in the 'ord of "od. !hese
three men had a choice to make. !hey could submit to this
decree and be in total oosition to "od%s 'ord, or they
could stand before the king, unwilling to bow. !his was
not rebellion by &hadrach, ,eshach, and 2bednego. !hey
were willing to obey and serve <ebuchadne##ar as king,
but they could not submit themselves in worshi of his
god. In making this choice, they reali#ed that it could
mean their lives= but they never considered any other
alternative.
!hen was /e'uchadne00ar full o f fury, and the
form o f his visage was changed a ga i ns t 3ha dr a c h,
"e s ha c h, a nd A'ednego+ therefore he spake, and
commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven
times more than it was wont to 'e heated%
And he commanded the most mighty men that were
in his army to 'ind 3hadrach, "eshach, and A'ednego,
and to cast them into the 'urning fiery furnace %%%
5:
And these three men, 3hadrach, "eshach, and
A'ednego, fell down 'ound into the midst o f the
'urning fiery furnace%
-aniel ;$9)A;
!hen <ebuchadne##ar looked into the furnace and
said.
%%% -id not we cast three men 'ound into the midst
o f the fire5 %%% Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the
midst o f the fire, and they have no hurt+ and the form
o f the fourth is like the 3on o f *od%
-aniel ;$AF,A5
!hese three Hebrew men chose to serve "od rather
than worshi an idol, and Aesus delivered themB !he
fourth man that the king saw in the midst of the fire was
AesusB
'hen you are obedient to "od and His 'ord, He will
deliver you+no matter what kind of situation you may be
in or how drastic it may seem. "od will deliver youB
And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and
the captain o f the temple, and the 3adducees, came
upon them,
7eing grieved that they taught the people, and
preached through 1esus the resurrection from the dead%
And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold
unto the ne(t day$ for it was now eventide%
Acts F$);
!hese disciles were thrown in )ail for reaching the
"osel. !hen the next day they were brought before the
57
high riest and elders.
And they called them, and commanded them not to
speak at all nor teach in the name o f 1esus%
7ut :eter and 1ohn answered and said unto them,
9hether it 'e right in the sight of *od to hearken unto
you more than unto *od, &udge ye% For we cannot 'ut
speak the things which we have seen and heard%
3o when they had further threatened them, they let
them go, finding nothing how they might punish them,
'ecause of the people$ for all men glorified *od for that
which was done%
Acts F$<)A
!he elders threatened these disciles and warned
them never to seak again in the name of Aesus, but that
didn%t scare the disciles.
And 'eing let go, they went to their own company,
and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said
unto them%
And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice
to *od with one accord %%% Lord, 'ehold their
threatenings$ and grant unto thy servants, that with all
'oldness they may speak thy word,
7y stretching forth thine hand to heal+ and that
signs and wonders may 'e done 'y the name o f thy holy
child 1esus%
Acts F$A;);@
!hey were ket in )ail for only one day= then they
returned to reaching the "osel, even though it was
:F
against the orders of the high riest. !he men in authority
said they could do anything excet use the name of Aesus.
But there was a higher authority than those men. Aesus
had already issued a higher order.
*o ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to
every creature%
#e that 'elieveth and is 'apti0ed shall 'e saved+ 'ut
he that 'elieveth not shall 'e damned%
And these signs shall follow them that 'elieve+ In
my name shall they cast out devils+ they shall speak
with new tongues+
!hey shall take up serpents+ and i f they drink any
deadly thing, it shall not hurt them+ they shall lay hands
on the sick, and they shall recover%
"ark E$5)<
And 'y the hands o f the apostles were many signs
and wonders wrought among the people %%%
Insomuch that they 'rought forth the sick into the
streets, and laid them on 'eds and couches, that at the
least the shadow of :eter passing 'y might overshadow
some of them%
!here came also a multitude out o f the cities round
a'out unto 1erusalem, 'ringing sick folks, and them
which were ve(ed with unclean spirits$ and they were
healed every one%
!hen the high priest rose up, and all they that were
with him, .which is the sect o f the 3adducees,G and were
filled with indignation,
And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them
:-
in the common prison%
7ut the angel of the Lord 'y night opened the prison
doors, and 'rought them forth, and said,
*o, stand and speak in the temple to the people all
the words of this life%
Acts 5$A)A@
!he angel of "od is a reresentative of "od. !he
words an angel seaks carry the same authority as "od%s
'ord. It was "od%s messenger who instructed the aostles
to reach the "osel, regardless of what the high riest
had told them= and that higher authority revailed. !he
angel told the aostles to go to the temle and reach, so
the next morning they entered the temle and taught.
%%% 7ut the high priest came, and they that were with
him, and called the council together, and all the senate
of the children o f Israel, and sent to the prison to have
them 'rought%
7ut when the officers came, and found them not in
the prison, they returned, and told, saying, !he prison
truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers
standing without 'efore the doors$ 'ut when we had
opened, we found no man within %%%
!hen came one and told them, saying, 7ehold, the
men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple,
and teaching the people%
!hen went the captain with the officers, and
'rought them %%% And when they had 'rought them, they
set them 'efore the council$ and the high priest asked
them, saying, -id not we straitly command you that ye
:/
should not teach in this name5 and, 'ehold, ye have
filled 1erusalem with your doctrine, and intend to 'ring
this man2s 'lood upon us%
!hen :eter and the other apostles answered and
said, 9e ought to o'ey *od rather than men%
Acts 5$A)A9
It is a Bible rincile that we are to obey "od as the
sureme authority. !hen we are to obey and submit to
man as long as he is following "od.
!he Book of Aoshua, chater /, describes how a harlot
named 4ahab was honored for giving aid to the Israelite
sies. 4ahab chose to believe "od%s 'ord, even though it
was in violation of the laws of the land. &he chose to
submit to the higher authority. &he hid the sies from the
king%s men, then hung a scarlet roe over the wall,
allowing the Israelites to escae. !he fact that it was a
scarlet roe is significant because red reresents the blood
of $hrist, and we have been redeemed by His blood.
!hrough it, we obtain escae, deliverance, and rotection.
And the Lord said unto 3amuel, #ow long wilt
thou mourn for 3aul, seeing I have re&ected him from
reigning over Israel5 fill thine horn with oil, and go, I
will send thee to 1esse the 7ethlehemite$ for I have
provided me a king among his sons%
And 3amuel said, #ow can I go5 if 3aul hear it, he
will kill me%
3amuel E$,A
2s far as "od is concerned, &aul is no longer the king
over Israel= so "od tells &amuel to go and anoint a
:0
sheherd boy named David as king. But &aul is still kingB
$an you imagine the dilemma that &amuel was in9 He has
been given a command by "od, but his fleshly man is not
wanting to obey. If he anoints David and &aul finds out
about it, &amuel could be killed.
'hich authority must &amuel consider as sureme9
!here is no choice. "od is the higher authority, and
&amuel knows that. He must be willing to act as "od has
instructed him and go in faith, regardless of how the
circumstances may look. But "od makes a way by which
&amuel can be obedient to Him and not lose his life. 2nd
the 6ord said, !ake an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to
sacrifice to the Lord ?v. /@.
In - &amuel, chater -7, we find &aul%s son Aonathan in
the same kind of dilemma. And 3aul spake to 1onathan his
son, and to all his servants, that they should kill -avid ?v. -@.
!here is a double roblem here. not only is Aonathan
&aul%s son, he is also David%s best friend. He has been
commanded by his father to kill his best friend. 'hat is he
to do9 &ome would reason that, regardless of what he was
told to do, Aonathan ought to obey his father.
!he only way to make a decision is to establish who
has the higher authority. 'ill the end result be good or
evil9 Aonathan has a command from his father, but the law
of "od says he is not to take another man%s life. 'hich law
has the sureme authority9 !he answer is very simle.
that which roduces good.
In order for it to oerate correctly, authority must be
held in the roer sense. 'e are to exercise authority over
our children, but not harm them.
:1
If you follow after a leader that is roducing evil or
wrong, sto following him. "od does not exect you to
submit your life to eole )ust so they can kill you. Gven
though they may have authority in this life, there is a
higher authority involved. 'e can see this in the examle
of ;aul ?then known as &aul@ in the <ew !estament.
And after that many days were fulfilled, the 1ews
took counsel to kill him$
7ut their laying await was known o f 3aul% And
they watched the gates day and night to kill him%
!hen the disciples took him 'y night, and let him
down 'y the wall in a 'asket%
Acts 9$A;)A5
!he following assage contains another examle of
obeying the higher of the two authorities. ;aul and
Barnabas obeyed "od rather than the Aewish leaders.
And it came to pass in Iconium, that they .:aul and
7arna'asG went 'oth together into the synagogue o f the
1ews, and so spake, that a great multitude 'oth o f the
1ews and also o f the *reeks 'elieved%
7ut the un'elieving 1ews stirred up the *entiles,
and made their minds evil affected against the 'rethren%
Long time therefore a'ode they speaking 'oldly in
the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word o f his
grace, and granted signs and wonders to 'e done 'y
their hands%
7ut the multitude o f the city was divided$ and part
held with the 1ews, and part with the apostles%
:*
And when there was an assault made 'oth o f the
*entiles, and also o f the 1ews with their rulers, to use
them despitefully, and to stone them,
!hey were ware o f it, and fled unto Lystra and
-er'e, cities o f Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth
round a'out$
And there they preached the gospel%
Acts F$)?
!hese Aewish leaders were roducing wrong. !he key
is to be led to good.
7ut the 1ews which 'elieved not, moved with envy,
took unto them certain lewd fellows o f the 'aser sort,
and gathered a company, and set all the city on an
uproar, and assaulted the house o f 1ason, and sought to
'ring them out to the people%
And when they found them not, they drew 1ason
and certain 'rethren unto the rulers o f the city, crying,
!hese that have turned the world upside down are come
hither also%
9hom 1ason hath received$ and these all do contrary
to the decrees o f ,aesar, saying that there is another
king, one 1esus%
Acts ?$5)?
2gain we see the issue. 'ho has the higher authority,
$aesar or Aesus9
'ithout knowledge of the higher authority, the
natural human mind will say that we are to worshi the
king. 'e do have an allegiance to the ;resident of the
United &tates and to our nation. 2merica is the greatest
:3
land that has ever been, and we are to serve it fully and
wholeheartedly. But if it comes to making a decision
between your country and "od, there is no (uestion about
which you are to follow.
'e have read about men who have faced
confrontations and decisions in regard to authority. <ow I
want to oint to some women who faced the same tye of
situation.
And the Egyptians made the children o f Israel to
serve with rigour%
And they made their lives 'itter with hard 'ondage,
in mortar, and in 'rick, and in all manner o f service in
the field$ all their service, wherein they made them
serve, was with rigour%
E(odus $;,F
!he Ggytians had total control over Israel at this time,
and they worked them )ust as hard as they could. !hey
ruled and reigned over the children of Israel without
mercy.
!here is nothing wrong with submitting yourself to
someone to work for him when it is done in love.
However, leaders are not to be hard and merciless. "od
does not have a leader in mind that will rule with force,
threat, or terror.
And the king o f Egypt spake to the #e'rew
midwives, o f which the name o f the one was 3hiphrah,
and the name o f the other :uah$
And he said, 9hen ye do the office o f a midwife to
the #e'rew women, and see them upon the stools+ i f it
:5
'e a son, then ye shall kill him$ 'ut i f it 'e a daughter,
then she shall live%
7ut the midwives feared *od, and did not as the
king o f Egypt commanded them, 'ut saved the men
children alive%
E(odus $5)?
!hese Hebrew midwives were not in rebellion, but
were acknowledging the law of the higher authority. 'e
must always obey the 'ord of "od above any order we
receive.
And the midwives said unto :haraoh, 7ecause the
#e'rew women are not as the Egyptian women+ for they
are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in
unto them%
!herefore *od dealt well with the midwives$ and the
people multiplied, and wa(ed very mighty%
And it came to pass, 'ecause the midwives feared
*od, that he made them houses%
E(odus $9)A
It ays to be obedient to "od. Gven though it may look
as if it will cost you, you will always get results when you
follow after the higher authority.
::
2
2 Ruing @ith Liberty
3tand fast therefore in the li'erty wherewith ,hrist
hath made us free, and 'e not entangled again with the
yoke o f 'ondage%
*alatians 5$
!here are eole who have been born of the &irit of
"od, receiving the liberty of Aesus, but then returned unto
bondage. 'hen eole say you must do certain things in
order to conform, don%t believe it unless you find it in
"od%s 'ord. !he eole in the "alatian church were
being told that they had to be circumcised to be saved, so
the 2ostle ;aul wrote them and boldly stated, 7e not
entangled again with the yoke o f 'ondage%
2s a $hristian, you have been made free in Aesus
$hrist. Don%t go back into bondage through the 6aw. In
Aohn :.03 Aesus said, If the 3on therefore shall make you free,
ye shall 'e free indeed% !hat settles itB Aesus has made you
free. !o ut yourself back under the 6aw is to commit
siritual adultery+to take yourself from beneath the
marriage relationshi that you had with $hrist and ut
:7
yourself under that old relationshi.
It seems to be a very easy thing for eole to return to
bondage. !he rincile of slavery has always existed, both
in sirit and in body. It is easier to be a slave than to be a
leader.
In verse -0 of "alatians * ;aul addresses the other side
of this issue.
For, 'rethren, ye have 'een called unto li'erty+ only
use not li'erty for an occasion to the flesh, 'ut 'y love
serve one another%
Don%t allow your liberty to cause you to oerate in the
flesh. 'hen some eole find out they are free, they think
they are free to float with the bree#e, )ust going wherever
they want, when they want. !hey )um from one extreme
to the other, from total bondage to total "freedom."
6et%s look at a arable in the ninth chater of Audges.
!he trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over
them+ and they said unto the olive tree, 4eign thou over
us%
7ut the olive tree said unto them, 3hould I leave my
fatness, wherewith 'y me they honour *od and man,
and go to 'e promoted over the trees5
1udges 9$<,9
!he olive tree bears olives, and olives roduce an oil
which is a tye of anointing. 'hen the trees say to the
olive tree, "$ome, rule and reign over us," the olive tree
answers, "&hould I give u my anointing9 &hould I (uit
roducing where I am in order to rule over you9"
7F
4uling 9ith Li'erty
It is a divine law of "od which says that when you
don%t bear fruit, you will be cut off. In the natural world, if
you don%t roduce on the )ob, you will get fired.
And the trees said to the fig tree, ,ome thou, and
reign over us%
7ut the fig tree said unto them, 3hould I forsake my
sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to 'e promoted
over the trees5
1udges 9$@,
!he fig reresents the sweetness of life. &hould the fig
tree (uit roducing in order to rule and reign9
!he answer has to be no. Cou have to oerate and
function in the anointing that is uon you.
!hen said the trees unto the vine, ,ome thou, and
reign over us%
And the vine said unto them, 3hould I leave my
wine, which cheereth *od and man, and go to 'e
promoted over the trees5
1udges 9$A,;
!he vine roduces )oy, cheer. &hould it sto roducing
)oy in order to rule9 <o.
!hen said all the trees unto the 'ram'le, ,ome thou,
and reign over us%
And the 'ram'le said unto the trees, If in truth ye
anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust
in my shadow$ and if not, let fire come out of the
'ram'le, and devour the cedars of Le'anon%
1udges 9$F,5
7-
'hat does a bramble roduce9 !horns and thistles.
'hen you are always looking for someone to rule over
you, you will eventually end u with the wrong erson.
<otice the bramble said, ,ome and put your trust in my
shadow% !hat ought to tell you something, because there
are no shadows with "od. *od is light, and in him is no
darkness at all ?- Aohn -.*@.
In Aohn -* Aesus says to His disciles.
I am the true vine, and my Father is the
hus'andman%
Every 'ranch in me that 'eareth not fruit he taketh
away$ and every 'ranch that 'eareth fruit, he purgeth it,
that it may 'ring forth more fruit%
% % % As the 'ranch cannot 'ear fruit o f itself,
e(cept it a'ide in the vine+ no more can ye, e(cept ye
a'ide in me%
I am the vine, ye are the 'ranches$ #e that a'ideth
in me, and I in him, the same 'ringeth forth much fruit$
for without me ye can do nothing%
1ohn 5$)5
!here is a rogression in these verses. >irst, the branch
bears fruit. !hen a urging comes which brings forth more
fruit. >inally, Aesus seaks of the imortance of abiding in
Him, which will bring forth much fruit. It is not enough
)ust to bear fruit.
!his is the word that came unto 1eremiah from the
Lord, after that the king Hedekiah had made a covenant
with all the people which were at 1erusalem, to proclaim
li'erty unto them+
7/
4uling 9ith Li'erty
!hat every man should let his manservant, and
every man his maidservant, 'eing an #e'rew or an
#e'rewess, go free+ that none should serve himself of
them to wit, of a 1ew his 'rother%
1eremiah ;F$<,9
Cou must understand that "od is still working today
according to these same rinciles. His methods may have
changed, but His rinciles remain the same. "od wants
liberty= He wants eole set free. He makes no distinction
regarding how they got into bondage. 2ll He cares about
is seeing them set free.
!he only bondage we should have is to love. 'e are to
submit to one another in love. 6ove should be the
controlling and motivating factor in all that we do.
!he love of "od is likened to the mortar that holds
bricks together. !hat love will cause a bond and a strength
in the lace you are functioning.
2gain, I (uote from Aeremiah, chater 01.
7ut afterward they turned, and caused the servants
and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to
return, and 'rought them into su'&ection for servants
and for handmaids%
!herefore the word o f the Lord came to 1eremiah
from the Lord, saying,
!hus saith the Lord, the *od o f Israel+ I made a
covenant with your fathers in the day that I 'rought
them forth out o f the land o f Egypt, out o f the house
o f 'ondmen, saying,
At the end o f seven years let ye go every man his
70
'rother an #e'rew, which hath 'een sold unto thee+ and
when he hath served thee si( years, thou shalt let him go
free from thee$ 'ut your fathers hearkened not unto me,
neither inclined their ear%
And ye were now turned, and had done right in my
sight, in proclaiming li'erty every man to his
neigh'our+ and ye had made a covenant 'efore me in the
house which is called 'y my name$
7ut ye turned and polluted my name, and caused
every man his servant, and every man his handmaid,
whom he had set at li'erty at their pleasure, to return,
and 'rought them into su'&ection, to 'e unto you for
servants and for handmaids%
1eremiah ;F$)E
!he dangerous art occurs when a erson or grou
uts someone back into bondage without the authority to
do so.
!herefore thus saith the Lord+ Be have not
hearkened unto me, in proclaiming li'erty, every one to
his 'rother, and every man to his neigh'our$ 'ehold, I
proclaim a li'erty for you, saith the Lord, to the sword,
to the pestilence, and to the famine+ and I will make you
to 'e removed into all the kingdoms o f the earth%
1eremiah ;F$?
If any erson tries to exercise authority over you and
ut you into bondage, that erson will be ulled down
and his osition brought to naught. He will destroy
himself if he fails to do what the &irit of the 6ord tells
him.
71
4uling 9ith Li'erty
'hen we don%t walk in liberty, the glory of the 6ord
will deart. 6iving in this nation roves that. 'e fight for
liberty.
A 3haenge )))
2s I mentioned earlier in this book, authority comes
three ways. by birth, by training, and by imartation.
,inisters have said to me that they would love to be
where I am in the Iingdom of "od, that they esteem me
and my osition. ?!his is their attitude, not necessarily
mine.@
,en have said to me, "How did you get where you are
and how do you carry the authority that you have9" I want
to tell the secret now. >irst, I started with the authority
that I received by birth, which was the ability to hear
music. I couldn%t read it, but I could sing the different
arts with time and rhythm, leading others in it. Using
that authority, I became choir director in my home church.
!hen I took a full-time osition in ,inneaolis,
,innesota, as music youth director. Gven when I couldn%t
read music, I had musical ability that was laced in me at
birth by "od. ,y granddad could sing, my daddy could
sing, and I could sing.
By study and training I cultivated my ability further.
!hat authority carried me from there to a osition with
Brother Hagin. I worked as latform man in his meetings
and office manager at home. !he second thrust of
authority came by training to run Brother Hagin%s office.
>or a eriod of time I read one book each day on
management. I learned how to manage eole, time, and
7*
money.
2s I discilined myself, the level of authority
intensified and was recogni#ed. 2s I was faithful in the
authority given by birth, and diligent in the authority
obtained through training, there came a third thrust of
authority. !his level came by imartation. In <ovember,
-755, "od called me to astor. 2t that moment it was as
though He cut me oen and droed down inside me the
ability to astor. By His &irit, "od imarted to me
authority to lead His eole.
In <ovember, -7:-, I entered into another realm of
authority, not by my intention or design, but by "od%s. He
has told me to serve as astor to astors and ministers. I
am a leader of leaders.
,any of you can do the same this day. I challenge you
to arise and start with the authority that you were given
by birth. By disciline and training, you will receive more
authority. By being faithful and obedient, "od will imart
even more, and you will fulfill the leadershi osition that
"od has called you to.
I challenge you to move out. !here is work to be done
for the Iingdom.
!hen the men o f Israel said unto *ideon, 4ule thou
over us, 'oth thou, and thy son, and thy son2s son also$
for thou hast delivered us from the hand o f "idian%
And *ideon said unto them, I will not rule over
you, neither shall my son rule over you$ the Lord shall
rule over you%
1udges <$AA,A;
73
Buddy Harrison is a man of love
with a vision for the suernatural
$hurch. He and his wife ;at move in
the gifts of the &irit with sensitivity
and understanding.
2s a small boy, Buddy was healed
of araly#ing olio. 8ver -: years ago
he answered the call of "od on his life
and entered the ministry in the office of hels and as a
singer of salms and siritual songs. He served Ienneth
Hagin ,inistries for ten years as office manager and
ioneered many areas as an administrator.
In -755 the &irit of the 6ord instructed Buddy to start
>aith $hristian >ellowshi+a family church, teaching
center, and world outreach in !ulsa, 8klahoma. !here are
now over 7F >aith $hristian >ellowshi affiliate churches
sanning the U.&., $anada, Aamaica, and Guroe= -F U.&.
Bible schools= 3 international Bible schools= and over :FF
ordained and licensed ministers with >$>.
Buddy is an excellent teacher of the 'ord of "od with
the ability to communicate the rinciles from the 'ord
with a <ew !estament love. He attributes any success he
has to being obedient to the &irit of "od and living the
'ord, whatever the cost.
He is currently ;astor of >aith $hristian >ellowshi,
;ublisherM>ounder of Harrison House, and ;resident of
International $onvention of >aith $hurches and ,inisters,
Inc.+an organi#ation established to serve faith ministers
and churches.
Buddy and ;at have raised two daughters, $ookie and
$andy, and now reside in !ulsa with their son Damon.
The Ministry of Helps
And *od hath set some in the church, first apostles,
secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that
miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments,
diversities of tongues%
,orinthians A$A<
And no man taketh this honour unto himself, 'ut he
that is called of *od % % % %
#e'rews 5$F
3peaking the truth in love, may grow up into him
in all things, which is the head, even ,hrist$ from whom
the whole 'ody fitly &oined together and compacted 'y
that which every &oint supplieth, according to the
effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh
increase of the 'ody unto the edifying of itself in love%
Ephesians F$5,E
77
Dear ,inister >riend,
!hroughout my lifetime, "od has led me in a
rogression of stes that were monumental to me= and yet
to others, I am sure, they were seemingly insignificant.
"od led me to ,innesota as music and youth director of a
church, even when I couldn%t read music. He led me to
)oin with Ienneth Hagin and run his office when I had no
exerience whatsoever+I couldn%t even tyeB He later led
me to start Harrison House when everyone said that a
ublishing comany would not make money, articularly
with the standards we were setting. "od then called me to
astor when I had never run a church before.
<ow, He has given me another assignment and He has
been very clear and emhatic about it. !he 6ord has
instructed me to be a blessing to youB He told me I am to
serve as astor to astors and ministers. 8nce again, I am
faced with the dilemma. seemingly no exerience or
(ualifications. But the 'ord says in 4omans :.0F that
those whom He has called, He has (ualified.
In 2ugust, -7:-, Ienneth $oeland called me out
during his &outhwest Believers $onvention and
ministered to me confirming the things that "od was
dealing with me about. 8ne hrase struck my heart. that
eole would not understand, but that I was to go with it
)ust like I always had and that "od would be faithful. I am
doing so now.
&ome things remain the same. I am astor of >aith
$hristian >ellowshi in !ulsa and will be until Aesus
comes or tells me to do otherwise. !he ma)or change is
that now all my efforts are directed toward ministers.
2s a astor to astors, I want to hel you siritually
and in the natural. &cores of ministers have received
blessings as "od has instructed me to act.
I am not seeking a osition, but simly endeavoring to
be obedient. I can only be what you allow me to be by
receiving me and that which "od has given me to share
with you.
I have urosed in my heart to give you my all,
everything I have. love, wisdom, knowledge, and all the
time available that does not take away from my family.
In #is Love,
Ho$ can I hep you?
If you would like more information on the ministry of
hels, or if you desire to obtain ersonal taed messages
of encouragement, write today to.
7uddy #arrison
:% 8% 7o( ;5FF;
!ulsa, 8> ?F;5

Understanding Authority For Effective Leadership - Buddy Harrison

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