When Real Kingdom Authority and Power Comes This is What Happens

Broken Believers

How do you know when genuine Kingdom authority and power had come on you? Kingdom standard says you'd know it when true meekness reigns. Have you seen in the Gospel how it happened to Jesus? It says Jesus "knew" that authority and power had come from the Father and that he knew who he really was.

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; [John 13]

Just imagine---the Father had put "all things" in his power. All things in the universe and on earth. And yet, how did he look? Did he look anything like it, like how the world understands power and authority? He looked weak and powerless, like a jobless street bam roaming the streets of Jerusalem and remote places in the wilds. 

Real Power and Authority

Pondering on this, you'd understand how real power and authority from the Kingdom looks like. It's power and authority made perfect in weakness. It is radically meek. In John 13, we see more aspects of it. When Jesus was to stress Kingdom power and authority to his disciples, he did this under these circumstances---he washed their feet while the devil had prompted Judas  to betray him. After this, he even announced how "one of you is going to betray me.”

Not a conducive scenario to show your power and authority. Washing their feet and announcing betrayal in his ministry is power and authority?

If we were to impress people with our power and authority today, we'd do it differently, even in church (or especially in church). We'd show off our capabilities, achievements, awards, titles, degrees, intellect and talents. Why? Because we need to prove who we are to people to get their respect.

Not Jesus.

He didn't need to prove who he was. He knew "he had come from God and was returning to God." Deep inside him, he was confident of this. "He knew." That was all that mattered. It didn't bother him what other people may think of him. If you have to keep telling people about your capabilities, credentials and accomplishments, it means you need their approval so much. And it means your power and authority emanates from such approval. Your power and authority are nothing but earthly.

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In fact, genuine Kingdom persons really don't need to prove themselves. And because Jesus knew about these things, he had no trouble humbling himself to perform a menial task for the disciples---washing their feet. 

Well, of course today it's so easy to "wash one another's feet." They have even made it a spectacular and glamorous Sunday church ritual and have people watching how humble they are, washing someone else's feet. It's mostly nothing but a publicity stunt. 

NO Power Tripping

It was different when Jesus did it. There was no audience or cameras (it's amazing how cameras can make people do a lot of silly things these days). And Jesus had proven to the disciples through unmistakable signs and wonders and powerful miracles that he really was the Messiah, God's own Son. Imagine the very Son of God, the King of Kings, bowing in front of you to wash your feet! Even John the baptizer didn't feel worthy to untie Jesus' sandals. What more have the Master wash your feet? Can you see this?

The message was clear---wash one another's feet. Be humble with one another and serve one another. God's Kingdom is not about positions and titles and showing off authority but about meek servitude. Jesus didn't really become their servant or household help in such a way that he obeyed their commands and every whim or cleaned their houses, did their laundry, washed their plates and cooked for them. But he took their place at the cross, dying for them instead of they themselves being nailed to it.

Here's the lesson here---the moment you really realize and have full knowledge of your position in Christ and your place in the Kingdom, that's the same time you begin to know your low position and humble yourself and become meek. If power and authority makes you arrogant and proud and self-centered, it's not from the Kingdom. It's worldly and devilish. 

Ministry Problem

Jesus' display of the nature of his power and authority was also the same time Judas, his own handpicked disciple, decided to betray him. How could this happen? Wasn't this a sign that Jesus had poor leadership? How could he be sure he had power and authority when he could not even control or rebuke someone like Judas?

Remember that Jesus knew about it all---Judas' real heart and what he was up to---and yet never confronted him about it. We would have confronted him if we were Jesus because we don't want ministry bad image wrecking our show of power and authority. But again, this only confirms the insecurity we hide in us, like the way we parade out titles and degrees and position to people to get their respect.

Jesus showed that genuine Kingdom power and authority is not control but faith and trust in God. If you really believe all is in God's hands, you need not control or fix problems yourself. You only have to pray and believe. What more if God was your Father?

I've always pondered on this---why didn't Jesus do anything to discipline Judas? Even while knowing how Judas stole money from the ministry money bag, Jesus still assigned him the task of keeping it. There's a powerful Kingdom principle behind this we should see. 

There were times Jesus rebuked and disciplined the disciples, like when he told Peter, "Get thee behind me, Satan!" But why didn't he do it to Judas who seemed guilty of a worse sin?

Genuine Authority and Power that Comes from God

Here's what I see---the more you hold real Kingdom power and authority, the more you are gracious to worse sinners and the more you allow God leeway to move in your ministry, especially where disciplining rebels and offenders is concerned.

I have seen leaders who became cruel the more they were given authority. You wouldn't believe it how formerly simple people like Hazael [2 Kings 8.11-12] can become a tyrant the moment they get just even a taste of power. I note how they also tend to shame people publicly and seem to enjoy it. There is a strong tendency for mere men to abuse power and flaunt it around. 

Jesus here demonstrated what true Kingdom leadership is. It is not harsh, strict, exacting or cruel. Yet, it is never compromising, especially to men's wishes. It is gracious especially to the worst offenders, And yet, what's scary is how it leaves judgment and punishment in the hands of God. Just see how Judas, in the end (after given so many chances) was unable to repent from his sin though he was so sorry about what he did. Losing the grace for repentance is scary. And see how Paul can simply hand over to Satan an unrepentant offender [1 Corinthians 5.5]. See how Peter left Sapphira's and Ananias' fate to God.

This is the kind of power and authority the church needs today---not arrogant and showing off but gracious, yet deadly in the end. And this can only come if you understand the Kingdom standard of meekness and knowing who you really are in Christ.