AUTHORITY AND POWER TO TAKE OVER AND TAKE CHARGE

PART 2119 — KINGDOM ERA

THE TRAGEDY OF USING SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY TO BUILD A MAN-LED RELIGIOUS SYSTEM

“I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.” — Revelation 3:1

One of the greatest tragedies of Christianity in this generation is the emergence of people and religious systems that have a reputation for being alive while being spiritually dead.

They may have churches, ministries, large gatherings, impressive programs, powerful preaching, worship services, conferences, titles, buildings, finances, followers, media platforms, and worldwide recognition. Yet beneath all this outward activity, the life, government, and lordship of Christ may have been progressively displaced.

The most dangerous part is that this can happen through the misuse of genuine spiritual authority that God originally entrusted to His servants.

A man may genuinely be called by God, genuinely gifted, genuinely receive revelation, and genuinely begin a work under the leading of the Holy Spirit. But if he eventually uses what God entrusted to him to establish a system centered on his personality, preferences, traditions, interests, name, and control, what began as God’s work can gradually become man’s work.

What began as Christ’s church becomes “my church.”

What began as God’s people becomes “my people.”

What began as delegated authority becomes personal authority.

What began as Kingdom service becomes religious empire-building.

This is a tragedy the Church must take seriously.

WHO GAVE YOU THE AUTHORITY TO ALTER GOD’S KINGDOM PRINCIPLES?

Who made you God to initiate, modify, reinterpret, replace, traditionalize, or culturalize the Kingdom principles He has already revealed in His Word?

Who gave you authority to change what God has established, add human traditions to it, or remove what you do not want to obey?

The Kingdom of God is not ours to redesign. We are servants under the King, not kings over His Kingdom.

God has given us His Word, and our responsibility is to believe it, obey it, teach it accurately, and live by it.

Jesus commanded:

“Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.” — Matthew 28:20

He did not instruct us to teach people what culture permits, tradition prefers, denominations accept, or crowds find convenient. He commanded obedience to everything He commanded.

Yet people often alter the standards of God’s Kingdom to accommodate crowds whose hearts are far from God. They lower the standard so that people will remain comfortable, stay in their gatherings, increase numbers, or continue supporting their systems.

When the fear of losing the crowd becomes greater than the fear of displeasing God, God’s standard is compromised.

Jesus warned:

“You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” — Mark 7:8

A system can have crowds and still be spiritually dead. It can have buildings, programs, titles, ceremonies, and religious activity while people’s hearts remain far from God.

God is not merely looking for crowds around Him. He is looking for disciples who obey Him.

There is a difference between communicating the Gospel within a culture and changing Kingdom principles to accommodate that culture. The Gospel may be communicated through different languages and cultural settings, but the truth of Christ’s Kingdom is not negotiable.

Scripture gives a sobering warning concerning adding to or taking away from God’s revealed Word:

“If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll… And if anyone takes words away…” — Revelation 22:18–19

This warning specifically concerns the prophecy of Revelation, but it demonstrates the seriousness with which God regards the handling of His revealed Word.

We must therefore ask:

Who gave me the authority to change what God has revealed?

If God did not command it, we cannot make it a commandment of God.

If Christ did not establish it, we must not present it as a principle of His Kingdom.

If it comes from human tradition, culture, denomination, personality, or preference, we must have the humility to distinguish it from God’s Word.

We are not called to improve God’s Kingdom principles. We are called to obey them.

A REPUTATION OF BEING ALIVE IS NOT THE SAME AS HAVING THE LIFE OF CHRIST

Jesus said to the church in Sardis:

“You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.” — Revelation 3:1

They had a name and a reputation, but Jesus, who sees what man cannot see, judged their spiritual condition differently.

Therefore, God does not measure spiritual life by reputation.

A ministry can be famous and still be dying spiritually.

A church can be crowded and still lack discipleship.

A minister can be celebrated while losing the government of Christ.

A movement can have tremendous activity while increasingly operating through human strength.

We must never confuse:

activity with life,
growth with maturity,
crowds with disciples,
influence with spiritual authority,
or reputation with God’s approval.

The ultimate evidence of spiritual life is Christ being formed in people.

THE CHURCH BELONGS TO CHRIST, NOT TO THE MAN GOD USES

Jesus said:

“I will build My church.” — Matthew 16:18

Notice the word “My.”

Jesus did not say, “I will build your church.”

The Church belongs to Christ.

The minister is a servant.

The people belong to Christ.

The ministry belongs to Christ.

The gifts belong to Christ.

The authority belongs to Christ.

The resources belong to Christ.

And the glory belongs to Christ.

Whenever a servant begins treating what Christ entrusted to him as though it belongs to him personally, he has crossed the line from stewardship into ownership.

SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY IS DELEGATED, NOT PERSONAL

Jesus declared:

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” — Matthew 28:18

All ultimate authority belongs to Christ. Whatever authority His servants exercise is therefore delegated authority.

Delegated authority must remain under the authority of the One who delegated it.

Christ gives authority to make disciples, equip the saints, build His Body, advance His Kingdom, confront darkness, and bring people into obedience to Him.

It was never given to create personal kingdoms around human personalities.

A servant cannot use the authority of Christ to make himself the center.

THE STEWARD MUST NEVER BECOME THE OWNER

Paul described ministers as:

“Servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” — 1 Corinthians 4:1

A steward manages what belongs to another.

Therefore, the servant of God must continually remember:

I am managing what belongs to Christ.

The people are not mine.

The ministry is not mine.

The calling is not mine.

The grace is not mine.

The authority is not mine.

The glory is not mine.

Everything has been entrusted to me for the Master’s purpose.

When the steward begins thinking like an owner, corruption begins to enter.

He becomes threatened when people leave, jealous when another servant is used by God, offended when his decisions are questioned, and demanding of loyalty to himself rather than obedience to Christ.

He begins protecting the institution more than the truth and preserving his influence rather than advancing Christ’s Kingdom.

Eventually, the servant becomes the center of the system.

THE TEST OF SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY IS WHETHER IT POINTS PEOPLE TO CHRIST

John the Baptist demonstrated the proper use of spiritual influence.

When people could have continued following him, he pointed them to Jesus:

“Behold! The Lamb of God!” — John 1:36

Then he declared:

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” — John 3:30

This should be the heartbeat of every servant entrusted with spiritual authority.

A genuine servant does not need to become indispensable. He does not need people to depend upon his personality, control every decision, answer every question, or remain spiritually helpless without him.

His goal is to bring people into a deeper relationship with Christ.

The greater the authority entrusted to a servant, the more determined he should be to make Christ greater and himself smaller.

DISCIPLESHIP MUST PRODUCE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST, NOT FOLLOWERS OF A MAN

Jesus commanded:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.” — Matthew 28:19

The goal is not to make disciples of a denomination, ministry, apostle, prophet, pastor, bishop, evangelist, or teacher.

We make disciples of Jesus Christ.

Paul understood this. He did not want people permanently attached to Paul. He labored until:

“Christ is formed in you.” — Galatians 4:19

Therefore, whenever disciples become more committed to a leader’s personality than to Christ, the discipleship process has been corrupted.

A healthy ministry should progressively make people more dependent upon Christ and less dependent upon the human vessel God used to help them.

WHEN THE VESSEL REPLACES THE LORD

The truth is that because God has greatly used someone, many people begin to treat that person as though he were God. They confuse the vessel with the One who used the vessel, the gift with the Giver, and the servant with the Lord.

Because God used a man yesterday, people may assume that everything he says today must be God. Because God worked through a particular minister, people can become afraid to question him, examine his teaching by Scripture, or follow the leading of the Holy Spirit for themselves.

Loyalty to the vessel gradually replaces obedience to Christ.

But God has never commanded us to make any human being our God, our mediator, or the absolute authority over our conscience.

God may use a servant, but the servant is not the Lord.
God may speak through a vessel, but the vessel is not the Source.
God may entrust authority to a person, but that person does not become the Owner of the authority.
God may greatly use a minister, but only Christ must receive the glory.

The vessel must always point people back to Christ, not draw them to himself.

The moment people begin to exalt the vessel above Christ, what began as honor for a servant can become personality worship, human dependence, spiritual control, and eventually idolatry.

We must therefore distinguish between God’s servant and God Himself, God’s gift and the Giver, and delegated authority and divine authority.

Christ alone is the Head of the Church.
Christ alone is the Builder.
Christ alone is the Owner.
Christ alone is the Mediator.
Christ alone must have the final place of authority in His Body.

Let every servant remain a servant, every vessel remain a vessel, and let all the glory return to the One who called, gifted, empowered, and used them.

“For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” — Romans 11:36

To be continued……

AUTHORITY AND POWER TO TAKE OVER AND TAKE CHARGE

PART 2118 — KINGDOM ERA

THIS IS THE KINGDOM SEASON — A TIME OF RESTORATION

We are in a specific moment that we are calling the Kingdom Season—a prophetic season in which the Spirit of God is moving to restore His Church to His original order, purpose, design, and pattern.

The Lord is not merely bringing another revival of activities, crowds, programs, or religious excitement. He is restoring His Church to Christ.

He is exposing what has been built according to human wisdom and calling His people back to what was established according to His divine blueprint.

The Spirit is restoring Christ as the Head, the Word as the standard, the Holy Spirit as the Guide, servants as leaders, disciples as functioning members, and the Church as the Body of Christ rather than a platform for human kingdoms.

This is a season of reordering, cleansing, correcting, restoring, and rebuilding.

What has been distorted must be corrected.
What has been misplaced must be restored to its proper place.
What has been built according to human patterns must come back under the government of Christ.
What has exalted man must bow before Christ.
What has become religious tradition must be tested by the Word.
And what belongs to Christ must be returned fully to Christ.

The Spirit of God is bringing His Church back to His original plan and pattern—not man’s improved version of Christianity, but Christ’s Church according to the Father’s eternal purpose.

This is why we must discern the season.

We are not merely entering another season of church activity. We are entering a season of Kingdom restoration.

Those who discern what the Spirit is doing must therefore be willing to surrender every pattern, practice, title, structure, tradition, ambition, and personal kingdom that cannot stand under the authority of Christ and His Word.

This is the Kingdom Season.
This is the season of restoration.
This is the season of divine order.
This is the season of returning to the original pattern.
This is the season in which Christ must have His rightful place in His Church.

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” — John 3:30

CHRIST DESIGNED HIS CHURCH FOR COLLECTIVE FUNCTIONING, NOT ONE-MAN OWNERSHIP

One of the areas the Spirit is restoring is the way Christ’s Church functions.

The Church Christ is building is a corporate Kingdom work, not a one-man show.

A one-man system is not the pattern of Christ’s Kingdom. It is a pattern that develops when one individual begins to occupy a place that belongs to Christ and when what was entrusted to a servant becomes treated as the servant’s personal possession.

The Lord structured His Church so that no individual could rightly claim ownership of it.

The Church was never designed to become the personal possession, platform, or kingdom of one man.

It is Christ’s Church—purchased by His blood, built by Him, and governed under His headship.

Jesus said:

“I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” — Matthew 16:18

He did not say, “I will build your church.”

The Church belongs to Christ.

The people belong to Christ.
The ministry belongs to Christ.
The gifts belong to Christ.
The harvest belongs to Christ.
The glory belongs to Christ.

Therefore, no servant has the right to turn what belongs to Christ into a personal possession.

GOD DESIGNED HIS CHURCH FOR MANY MEMBERS TO FUNCTION TOGETHER

God did not place every gift, responsibility, and function in one individual. He distributed grace throughout the Body.

Paul writes:

“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.” — Ephesians 4:11

And concerning the Body, he says:

“For as the body is one, and hath many members… so also is Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 12:12

The Body has many members but one Head—Christ.

This means no apostle, pastor, bishop, elder, prophet, evangelist, teacher, founder, or any other servant can take Christ’s place or claim personal ownership of His Church.

The Kingdom pattern is:

Many servants under one Lord.
Many members under one Head.
Many gifts working together for one purpose.

THE LORD ESTABLISHED ELDERS AND LEADERS IN THE PLURAL

The New Testament repeatedly presents spiritual leadership in the plural.

Paul and Barnabas:

“ordained them elders in every church.” — Acts 14:23

Paul later called:

“the elders of the church.” — Acts 20:17

He then told them:

“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers.” — Acts 20:28

These elders were entrusted with spiritual oversight of God’s flock.

This plurality was not designed to create disorder or competing authorities. It provided a framework for shared responsibility, spiritual oversight, accountability, discernment, and the functioning of different gifts.

The biblical pattern does not eliminate leadership.

It puts leadership in its proper place under Christ.

ELDER AND BISHOP/OVERSEER

The New Testament also shows the close relationship between the terms elder and bishop/overseer.

In Acts 20, Paul first called the leaders elders and then told those same men that the Holy Spirit had made them overseers.

The same pattern appears in Titus 1.

Paul instructed Titus:

“ordain elders in every city…” — Titus 1:5

Then, speaking about that same leadership responsibility, he says:

“For a bishop must be blameless…” — Titus 1:7

Thus, biblical leadership was not designed around personal ownership of the flock by one individual.

The elders were servants entrusted with oversight of what belonged to God.

PETER AND JOHN DEMONSTRATED THE PRINCIPLE

Peter was an apostle personally chosen by Jesus, yet he wrote:

“The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ.” — 1 Peter 5:1

He then instructed them:

“Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof…” — 1 Peter 5:2

Notice the language:

“The flock of God.”

Not Peter’s flock.

Peter understood that he was a servant entrusted with responsibility for what belonged to God.

John likewise identified himself in his letters as:

“The elder…” — 2 John 1:1; 3 John 1:1

These apostles carried tremendous spiritual authority, yet their authority did not make them owners of Christ’s Church.

They were entrusted with the flock; they did not own the flock.

ACTS 15 SHOWS COLLECTIVE SPIRITUAL GOVERNMENT

A serious doctrinal question arose in the early Church concerning circumcision.

How was it handled?

“And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.” — Acts 15:6

Peter spoke.

Paul and Barnabas testified.

James contributed.

And Acts 15:22 says:

“Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church…”

This was neither anarchy nor one-man dictatorship.

It was spiritual leadership functioning together with order, discernment, testimony, and accountability under Christ.

Therefore, rejecting one-man ownership does not mean rejecting godly leadership.

It means restoring leadership to its proper place under Christ.

AUTHORITY IS RESPONSIBILITY, NOT OWNERSHIP

There is a profound difference between saying:

“God has entrusted this responsibility to me”

and:

“This belongs to me.”

A steward receives responsibility without claiming ownership.

An elder oversees God’s flock but does not own it.

A pastor shepherds, but the sheep belong to Christ.

An apostle establishes and equips, but Christ remains the Builder.

A teacher instructs, but Christ remains the Lord of His Church.

Therefore, we must never confuse being entrusted with something with owning it.

PAUL AND APOLLOS — MANY SERVANTS, ONE WORK

Paul gives us the proper Kingdom perspective:

“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” — 1 Corinthians 3:6

Different servants performed different functions, but God alone gave the increase.

Paul therefore said:

“For we are labourers together with God.” — 1 Corinthians 3:9

Labourers together.

The Kingdom advances through cooperation, not competition for ownership.

One may plant.

Another may water.

Another may teach.

Another may shepherd.

Another may evangelize.

Another may disciple.

But God gives the increase.

LEADERSHIP EXISTS TO EQUIP THE BODY

Ephesians 4:11–12 reveals why Christ gave ministry gifts:

“For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”

The purpose of leadership is therefore to equip the saints and build up the Body.

A mature leader does not seek to make everyone permanently dependent upon him. He raises disciples who can mature, serve, exercise their gifts, and help others grow.

Paul told Timothy:

“The same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” — 2 Timothy 2:2

This is Kingdom multiplication:

Paul → Timothy → faithful men → others.

The goal is not to build dependence upon one man but to multiply faithful servants of Christ.

THE ONE-MAN MINDSET RESTRICTS THE BODY

When everything must pass through one individual, the functioning of other members can be unnecessarily restricted.

One person can gradually become the preacher, teacher, decision-maker, representative, visionary, administrator, and final voice, while everyone else becomes a spectator.

But Christ has given different gifts to different members.

The Church must therefore make room for the Body to function.

The greatness of one person’s gift should never become a reason to suppress another person’s gift.

The strength of one leader should never become a reason to make everyone else unnecessary.

The Church is not strengthened by making one man indispensable. It is strengthened when every member functions faithfully under Christ.

A MATURE LEADER REJOICES WHEN OTHERS RISE

John the Baptist demonstrated the proper heart of a servant when he said:

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” — John 3:30

A true servant does not compete when Christ raises another servant.

He rejoices when disciples mature.

He rejoices when other ministers become fruitful.

He rejoices when other members discover and exercise their gifts.

He rejoices because he understands:

I am a steward, not the owner.

EVEN MOSES LEARNED TO SHARE RESPONSIBILITY

Jethro observed Moses carrying the entire burden alone and told him:

“The thing that thou doest is not good.” — Exodus 18:17

He instructed Moses to share responsibility with capable men.

The principle is simple:

God’s work is often too great for one person to carry alone.

No individual has every gift, every capacity, or every reach.

God designed His people to work together.

CHRIST ALONE IS THE HEAD

Paul declares:

“And he is the head of the body, the church.” — Colossians 1:18

Therefore:

The elder is not the Head.

The bishop is not the Head.

The pastor is not the Head.

The apostle is not the Head.

The founder is not the Head.

The denomination is not the Head.

Christ is the Head.

Every legitimate ministry must therefore function under Him, serve Him, and direct people to Him.

KINGDOM ERA DECLARATION

This Kingdom Season is calling the Church back to the New Testament pattern of collective functioning, faithful stewardship, spiritual oversight, mutual service, and complete submission to the headship of Christ.

Let the one-man mindset give way to the Body principle.

Let ownership give way to stewardship.

Let leaders equip the saints.

Let elders provide godly oversight.

Let every ministry gift function.

Let disciples mature.

Let servants multiply.

Let ministers become co-labourers rather than competitors.

For:

“We are labourers together with God.” — 1 Corinthians 3:9

The Church is not a personal enterprise.

The flock is not a personal possession.

The ministry is not a personal kingdom.

The Body belongs to Christ.

Therefore:

ONE HEAD — CHRIST.

ONE BODY — THE CHURCH.

MANY MEMBERS — FUNCTIONING ACCORDING TO GOD-GIVEN GRACE.

PLURAL ELDERS — PROVIDING SPIRITUAL OVERSIGHT.

MANY SERVANTS — LABOURING TOGETHER.

ONE KINGDOM — CHRIST’S KINGDOM.

ONE PURPOSE — THAT THE BODY MAY MATURE, CHRIST MAY BE FORMED IN HIS PEOPLE, AND HIS KINGDOM MAY ADVANCE THROUGHOUT THE EARTH.

Christ alone is the Head.
Christ alone is the Owner.
We are servants and stewards of what belongs to Him.

This is the Kingdom Season.

This is the season in which the Spirit is restoring His Church to Christ’s original order, purpose, design, and pattern.

May everything that has taken the place of Christ come down, and may Christ alone take His rightful place in His Church.

To be continued…

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Greetings to all in this family.
As you begin this sixth month of the year, let this be the month of unpredictable experience and expression of the life of Christ Jesus in you for His glory and your blessings - 2 Cor.3:18