My heart is in Guatemala <3
God has been teaching me so much lately. I feel like I’m finally seeing growth come to fruition in me, and it’s crazy and exciting at the same time.
Today I want to share about one of the things I’m learning. To preface: two days a week, we do a “deep dive” with the Adventures in Missions staff after breakfast in the morning. A “deep dive” can be defined as an extremely thorough scripture reading in a group setting, where someone leads and asks prompting questions and everyone can contribute their thoughts and insight. It’s a really cool way of studying scripture, because often many new things will be brought to your attention through the careful examination of verses and the contribution of different people.
We’ve been doing a deep dive on Luke 4 and 5. This week we read through various sections, but the part that stood out to me was in the story of Luke 4:31-37. Two verses in particular –
Luke 4:32 “There, too, the people were amazed at his teaching, for he spoke with authority.”
Luke 4:36 “Amazed, the people exclaimed, “What authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command!”
I highly encourage you to read this whole passage, in order to get the full context. These verses illuminate what the Lord is currently teaching me about authority.
It really struck me how something that set Jesus apart from other rabbis was the authority He carried. One thing we discussed during deep dive time was the reason behind that.
We concluded that Jesus had so much authority because He was continuously acting on behalf of the Father and the Spirit. How crazy is that!
John 5:19 says, “So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.”
This raises an important point about authority. We carry authority when we act on behalf of someone else. When we are in tune with the Spirit and are acting on His behalf, we carry that same authority!
Ephesians 1:19-20 says, “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.”
Romans 8:11 says, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.”
This means we don’t have to be afraid to be obedient to the Lord’s voice! We have the same authority Jesus does, when we are doing what the Father is doing. Not only does the same Spirit dwell in us, but Jesus directly commissions us with His authority!
Luke 10:19 says, “Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.”
2 Corinthians 5:20 says, “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!””
Jesus wouldn’t commission us as His ambassadors if He didn’t approve of us. Therefore, not only do we carry the same authority of Jesus, but we carry God’s full approval, and a promise of the capability of doing even greater things than Jesus did – wow.
John 14:12 says, “‘I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”
Wow, thanks God. Suddenly, I have no excuse to be timid with what God has given me to share. It’s not my burden or weight to carry. I’m only the messenger, and I carry the authority of my Father’s approval because of the Spirit that dwells within me. This is such a profound insight, but the translation into my actions doesn’t happen overnight.
However, I’m trusting the Lord for this growth, even though it’s happening little by little. He is bringing His promises to fruition. Through Him, I can have complete confidence and assurance. My Father approves of me, and has given me the privilege of being His messenger. And exactly the same is true for anyone who is in His Kingdom! How crazy is that!
I challenge you to ponder these scriptures yourself. How does full knowledge and acceptance of your God-given authority change the way you view obedience to Holy Spirit’s promptings?
I think this concept is pretty revolutionary when it comes to banishing fear from our relationship with the Lord. As brothers and sisters in the faith, we’re all on this journey together and we’re not perfect, but I’m grateful every day for a God who so tenderly reveals new aspects of His Word when we seek after Him! And He patiently waits on us as His truth takes root.
On a final note, ministry is going so well! I’m just incredibly grateful for each day I get to spend serving, and the Lord has given me so much joy for it. Our lovely ministry hosts, One Way Community, are so kind, and my only regret is that we won’t have more time with them than we do! If you feel led at all, you should seriously check out their organization – they recently became a nonprofit in the US and they have such a heart for reaching the country of Guatemala!
