
Sunday, May 29 2016
Contributor: Leye Olayiwola INTRODUCTION: In our last lesson, we considered taking authority in our families as body of believers. The need to take responsibily, agreeing as a family (a very strong reason why we should not be unequally yoked with unbelievers) and bringing ourselves under God's authority were discussed, among other things. This week, we will be looking at how we can take and remain at the exalted place where Christ is seated. This, as we will see, is very crucial in maintaining our victorious status here on earth, over all the powers of the enemy. SEATED (Ephesians 1:20; 2:5-6) " which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places," [Eph.1:20] "even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,"[Eph.2:5-6] Paul says in his epistle to the Ephesian church that we are already seated with Christ in the heavenly places. What does this mean since we are still on earth? We will consider the spiritual significance of "seating"in order to have a good and proper understanding of our victorious authority. In the old testament, there is no mention of a seat in the holy of holies where the priests usually perform their priestly works of cleansing. Why? Because the priests work of sacrificial cleansing of sins was never done and so he could never sit down and rest in the fact that he was finished for good. "And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." [Heb.10:11-14] Fast forward to the New Covenant (Testament), "So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit." [John 19:30 Emphasis Mine] When Jesus said that "it is finished"it comes from the Greek word "teleo" which means to "bring to an end", it is accomplished, to complete. The greek construct of this sentence essentially means "paid in full." It is an accounting term that was used to say "paid in full". That is why Jesus sat down at the right hand of the father according to Mark 16:19; "So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God" Jesus Christ's redemptive work was done, once and for all according to Hebrew 10:10; "By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Our "High Priest" offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honor at God's right hand. Hallelujah! TAKE YOUR SEAT (Ephesians 2:4-6) "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus," [Ephesians 2:4-6] Take note that the Bible did not say we are seated with Christ, beside Christ or because of Christ. The bible says we are seated "in Christ". The insight here is that wherever Christ is seated, that is our location. Why? Because we are seated "In Him" and not beside Him. That is just the truth. What is the qualification for seating with Him? Our salvation. When a person has repented and placed his trust in Christ, then he's finished all he needs to do to be seated in Christ. The moment we trust in Christ, we are "made alive together with Christ". In contrast to being in Adam where we were all dead, now in Christ we have all been made alive. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive" [1 Cor.15:22] Now that we have been made to "sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" it simply means that our works are done. We are not saved by works but saved for good works. This is why we are as good as in heaven already and we are essentially already seated there with Christ because God sees things that are not yet as though they already are because in His mind, they are. VICTORY IN CHRIST Following on from our discussion, it is absolutely IMPOSSIBLE for you to be IN CHRIST without being seated where Christ is seated. If you are IN CHRIST, you are in this position of Victory because He is in that position. Instead of trying to win any victory, we need to operate from a victory already WON. The battle then, rather than win a victory, is to BELIEVE. Our battle is never to win ground or gain position. Rather, our battle is to believe and HOLD FAST to what Christ has already given us, and to the reality of BEING SEATED IN CHRIST. From a practical standpoint therefore;
CONCLUSION We Christians must learn that we are seated with Christ. We must learn to be exalted to the place where God wants us. We need to meditate upon these divine truths so that our spirits may fully understand them. Once we do, we'll reap rich rewards and give meaning to our Christian lives. When we have this reverent attitude, the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, can lift us into a place where we can see the true meaning of God's revelation. When we understand what belongs to us, we will enjoy the victory Christ has for us. The devil will fight to keep us from getting there, but through stubborn faith in Christ, the victory is ours in Jesus name. Amen Part of this study was culled from The Believers' Authority by Kenneth E. Hagin. Thursday, May 19 2016
Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai INTRODUCTION Last week’s study dealt with the misconception that equates poverty with humility. We learnt that what God requires from us is modesty and not poverty! God wants us to be humble but not poor! He wants us to reign as kings; but the idea of poverty just doesn't go along with kings! In today’s study titled “Exercising Authority in Your Family.” We will be studying how to apply some of what we have learnt so far in exercising authority in our families. It is important we learn to apply this authority in our families because whatever we permit (loose, release, allow) on earth will be permitted in heaven! (Matthew 18:18-19) Acts 16:31 - “So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”” 1. TAKING RESPONSIBILITY 2. AUTHORITY ON EARTH ALSO MEANS AUTHORITY AT HOME! 3. FAMILY AGREEMENT IS A STRONG WEAPON Authority involves steadfast resistance. 1 Peter 5:8-9 says 4. AUTHORITY OPERATES UNDER AND WITHIN AUTHORITY 5. GIVE NO ROOM FOR THE WORKS OF THE FLESH! CONCLUSION Friday, May 13 2016
Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai INTRODUCTION 2 Peter 1:3 “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:” Emphasis mine POVERTY IS NOT A PROOF OF HUMILITY! GOD’S INTENTION FOR BELIEVERS THE PLAN OF THE ENEMY CONCLUSION Parts of this study was culled from The Believers’ Authority by Kenneth E. Hagin. Thursday, May 05 2016
Contributor: Alex Alajiki INTRODUCTION Last week, we discovered from scriptures our authority on earth. We saw that from the beginning, according to Gen.1:26, God gave us authority on earth but Adam gave it up through sin. Jesus came and restored greater authority to man through forgiveness of sins and restoration of Kingdom authority and power in Luke10:19. Jesus delegated His authority over the power of the devil on earth to us (believers). The devil has no power or influence over any circumstances in our lives than the one we have given him. We simply give him this power when we don’t exercise our authority. Today, we shall be studying how to reign as kings on earth through the authority given to us by Christ. “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” “For if by the trespasses of the one, death reigned as king through the one, much more shall they who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign as kings in the realm of life.” Weymouth’s translation. It is true that we’ll reign with Jesus during the Millennium according to Rev.20:6. But our reigning with Christ actually starts from earth. We are to reign in the here-and-now. Notice that Romans 5:17 doesn’t say, “Jesus Christ will reign through you.” No! It says, “…THEY [that’s us] which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” This verse says that you and I will reign. Of course, it’s by, or because of, Jesus Christ that we have this authority, but He has given us the authority to rule and reign!
“For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.).” Romans 5:17 mentions two things we have received: abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness. It’s receiving the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness that enables us to reign. If you don’t know what we received, we’ll be hindered in reigning. Eph.2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Our salvation is by the grace of God and it is a gift from God which we did not work to get. Grace is God's kindness and patience and love given to us when we deserve the opposite. We’ve also received the “gift of righteousness.” What does the “gift of righteousness” mean? First, it’s a gift, which means we didn’t do anything to earn or deserve it. Second, it means we have been made right with God. It means we have right-standing with God.
Unlike the sacrificial blood of animals in the Old Testament, the blood of Jesus Christ does not cover our sins. The blood of Jesus washes away our sins (Rev. 1:5). We’re not a “covered creature”; we’re a new creature! 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” The combination of grace and righteousness also give us the privilege to escape Satan’s condemnation when we sin. If I sin and lose my sense of righteousness, I quickly turn to God and say, “Dear Lord, I’ve sinned. I’ve failed. I didn’t want to, but I missed it. Forgive me.” Then Jesus goes to the Throne Room of God and says, “I took his place. I shed My blood for him.” And, Hallelujah, God sees Jesus instead of me! God sees what Jesus did to wash away sin, and He counts me righteous because of Jesus. First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins . . . .” When I sinned, I lost my sense of righteousness. When I confessed my sin, God forgave me. But if that’s all that God did, I’d still have a “spiritual inferiority complex.” I’d still be ashamed to come into His Presence. I’d still lack boldness in approaching Him. But 1 John 1:9 goes on to say God is “. . . faithful and just to forgive us our sins, AND TO CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.” God cleanses me from all unrighteousness! If I’m cleansed from my unrighteousness, that means I’m righteous. I can start ruling and reigning. 3) What Do We Reign Over? Luke 10:19 We have the authority to rule and reign and have dominion here and now. God's plan for us is that we rule and reign in life as kings: to rule and reign over circumstances, poverty, disease, and everything else that would hinder us. We reign because we have authority. We reign by Jesus Christ. This was the original mandate given to Adam from the beginning in Gen.1:26-28 “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” We are to rule over the sphere of influence God gave us. We should not fold our hands and allow the enemy to keep on doing what is contrary to the will of God for our lives and families. Conclusion. Part of this study is from chapter five of The Believers’ Authority by Kenneth E. Hagin. Tuesday, May 03 2016
Contributor: Leye Olayiwola INTRODUCTION In our last lesson, we studied how we can stand for baby Christians. The baby Christian stage is the first stage after a believer gives his or her life to Christ. Truth is that every born again Child of God has gone through this phase at one stage of our growth. It therefore follows that we will always have believers who are at this stage, on a regular bases, as more and more people come to the knowledge of Christ. Also in this category are believers, who "By this time ought to be teachers, yet still need someone to sit down with them and go over the basics of God again........" according to the words of Paul in his letter to the Hebrew Christians. We also considered the need for believers to move away from this stage considering the many disadvantages associated with the baby stage. We will be looking at the Believers Authority on Earth. THE MANDATE (Genesis 1:27-28) "So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them [granting them certain authority] and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it [putting it under your power]; and rule over (dominate) the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth.” Emphasis Mine [Genesis 1:27-28 AMP] Man was given authority right from creation. Why? because God, in His infinite wisdom, knows Man will need it to be able to fulfil the mandate of fruitfulness, multiplication, replenishment and dominance over other creations. The fall in the garden of Eden became irrelevant as soon as Jesus declared in Matthew 28:18; "Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me". (Matthew 28:18 AMP) The same Authority was restored back to us. To carry out the same mandate given to Adam in Genesis chapter 1, here on Earth! THE DEVIL IS NO MATCH (Luke 10:19) A major challenge facing the endtime church is in rationalising God's word instead of believeing and accepting it. This is the reason why Jesus, in commending little children, said in Luke 18; • One unique attribute of children is in their willingness and ease at believing whatever they are told even if it seems outrageous. This is how Jesus wants us to receive spiritual things - with faith and humility. Jesus said in Luke 10:19; ".......I have given you authority [that you now possess]...." • Imagine for once how a child will take this and interprete it? Simple. The child believes and acts like he has possess it! That's exactly how God wants us to believe and act. • We can sometimes complicate things when we put too much analysis into it. Jesus is simply saying He has delegated His authority over the power of the devil on earth to us (believers). • It also means the devil has no power or influence over any circumstances in our lives than the one we have given him. We simply give him this power when we do nothing! EXERCISING THIS AUTHORITY (Ephesians 1:19-23) • We have been taught that the value or effectiveness of any Authority is in the Power behind the Authority. This scripture qualifies the Power that is behind the authority we have in Christ. Couldn't have been described or qualified in a better way than with the words immeasurable, unlimited and surpassing greatness. In simple words, this power is LIMITLESS! • Verse 22,23 goes on to say, "And He put all things in subjection under Christ's feet and appointed Him as head over all things in the church,..". The feet are members of the body. John A. MacMillan pointed out, how wonderful to know that the least members of the Body of Christ—those who are the very soles of the feet, the little toenail, or the little toe—are far above the mighty forces we have been considering • We need to arm ourselves with this knowledge and wake up. This will require us to change our ways of praying (if required). We have been given authority to do this. We are sitting (symbol of authority) with Christ at the right hand of power, which relative to where principalities and powers are located, is very FAR. If we are far above them, it therefore follows that we have AUTHORITY over them. • If you'd listen to the average Christian talk or hear some preachers preach, you'd get the impression that the devil is bigger than everybody and that he's running everything. Yes, he is the god of this world, so he's running the world system. But we're in this world, not of this world, the Bible says, so he's not running us. The devil has been walking on us too long. Time to swap function, taking authority over every contrary situation, delivering every captive (howbeit lawful) of the devil and his hosts. • The extent to which we exercise our Authority in Christ is to the extent of the knowledge of His revealed Word in us. Christ shows us an example of how to exercise authority in Matthew 4. He addressed the Devil with the Word of God - "It is written!!!". We can't afford to be negligent in the study of the Word of God and expect to just exercise Authority when we are faced with contrary situations. That will just be like Samson getting up to fight the Philistine hosts after the Holy Spirit has departed from him! Part of this study was culled from The Believers' Authority by Kenneth E. Hagin. |