Luke 9:1 [NASB]
“And He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.” [emphasis mine]
These last weeks we have been diving into the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son [Jesus] and God the Holy Spirit and what that means for God's creation [both Christians and nonbelievers]. If you are not a Christian one of the cool things about getting saved is that you not only become part of God's family, but you become a member of a unique clique. I know, I know, cliques usually have a negative connotation but stick with me!
Good or bad I am sure we all remember cliques in school [and for some maybe unpleasant memories]. Merriam Webster defines a clique as "A small group of people, with shared interests or other features in common, who spend time together and do not readily allow others to join them.” Sound familiar? The Cool kids, the It crowd, the rich kids, the pretty girls, the band geeks, etc. But let's go to this place called New Covenant High where the Principal is God the Father and has the final say over these groups and a couple of BFFs to boot. Check this out. Cool kids like Favor, Righteousness and Glory; Rich kids like Gold, Silver, Bronze and Myrr; Band geeks like Praise, Worship, Adoration and Devotion; Pretty girls like Grace, Mercy, Faith, Joy and Peace; Nerds like Wisdom, Knowledge and Healing; and sadly those evil rebels - The Devil and his offspring Sin --> Pride, Envy, Greed, etc.[who by the way has limited power and is NOT to be obeyed and become your ruler]. But the jocks, the It crowd and the rich kids all rolled into one are who I like to call the Power and Authority [PA] Clique. And if there is ever a clique to be in at New Covenant High or anywhere else it is that of the PA Clique.
So, the PAs run New Covenant High and daily use the loudspeaker [aptly named the Public Announcement/PA System] at the instruction of God, the Principal. God uses these two BFFs to remind us of who we are in Christ. At the ding dong of the PA System: You are greeted, given important notifications, instructions to act and rules all designed to order your steps in obedience to the Principal that ultimately gave them. And you know BFFs; they have been friends so long that they've started to lookalike and get mistaken for each other. People know when they see one, the other is not far behind. However, despite the frequent confusion both are very aware of their important, but complementary differences and love working together, especially for the Kingdom of God. Well, Power and Authority, whose legal guardians are the Holy Spirit and Jesus the Christ respectively, do just that. Firstly, the PAs clarify the ability [Power] to do something versus the right [Authority] to do it! What many fail to remember about worldly cliques is that popularity does not equal power and neither does influence equal authority. With the divine PA Clique, the Name of Jesus releases the Power of God through His Holy Spirit. The Greek roots of power [dunami] and authority [eksousia] boil down to having the legitimate authority to wield delegated power by the use of the Name of Jesus. Jesus states in Matthew 28:18, Luke 10:19 and Luke 9:1 that He has been given all authority and that His Holy Spirit is the power that will partner with this authority to do the things God has planned for us as Believers; great things by the way.
If you want a simple modern-day example, think of a police officer directing traffic. When faced with an 18-wheeler truck, the Police Officer signals the driver to stop by simply raising his hand. He doesn't have physical power to stop the truck, but he does have legitimate authority to stop it, because behind his hand lies the full weight of the police department, which has the right and ability to fine and punish violators of the traffic law. So as a member of the PA clique, when we pray and operate righteously for the Kingdom of God [not the world, the flesh or the Devil] we do so to the Father, in Jesus' Name and led by the power of His Holy Spirit knowing full well that behind our prayers, our words and our actions lie the full weight of the Kingdom of God. And the fun thing about this PA clique are its characteristics. You will be;
Salty: Salt of the earth and light of the world.
Greasy: Anointed by the oil of the Holy Spirit.
Full of Smoke: Holy Spirit lives inside of you.
Fed: Jesus is the Bread of Life and the Well that never runs dry.
Clean and newly clothed: Washed clean of sin, draped in a robe of righteousness and the armor of God and wearing an eventual crown because of salvation through Jesus.
The neat part? Unlike the negative cliques of old that we may be familiar with, this is one clique that you want to get bigger and is open to all! Only one requirement is needed --> to accept Jesus and be saved. How, might you ask?
1. Repent and turn from sin.
2. Accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.
3. Receive the Gift of Holy Spirit.
4.Submit to and obey God.
5.Walk out righteousness daily by being Holy Spirit led.
And finally, no self-respecting clique would be worth its weight in gold without a motto. The PA Clique's motto comes courtesy of Pastor Jerry Flowers of Houston, TX, who I heard say once, “I know I’m not, but I know I AM and whatever He is, I am!” Gloriously stated. So come on PAs, let's get busy expanding our clique. Or are you unsaved, but ready to enroll at New Covenant High? You can do so here.
Takeaways for you to remember:
#1. Jesus gives His followers power and authority through His Name.
#2. New Covenant - Jesus' sacrifice ushered in God's new and personal relationship with Christians.
#3. God desires [and waits] for all to be saved, i.e. the PA Clique gets bigger!
Yours in Christ!
Dr. Quahana
Want to enjoy some of the Scriptures inspiring this entry? [NLT version unless otherwise noted.]
References:
1) Thayer, J. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon. Hendrickson Publishers. 1995.
Comments