The Authority to Love

Revival! Reformation! Revolution! Everyone knows there is something wrong with modern Christianity. A wise person once said, “It doesn’t take a spiritual person to see the problems.” Many of those who have been able to recognize and define the problems have presumed that God endowed them with the needed faith and grace to lead the people out of confusion and into the true light. But if it is not truly a movement of God’s Spirit, then it ultimately adds to the confusion and continues to devastate the souls of the sincere who truly want to know Him and do His will.

What does a movement of the Spirit look like? Is it something tangible, or just something that you know in your heart? Many have been deceived into thinking that they had the needed discernment to judge what is truly of the Spirit of God. If you trust your feelings you will surely be led astray. But Jesus said you will know the tree by its fruit.1 So what kind of fruit should we be looking for?

What Kind of Movement did Jesus Lead?

Jesus did not lead a movement to reform or revive the lifeless religious system of Judaism that He was born into. John the Baptist was out in the wilderness calling the sincere in Israel to repent and be washed of any connection with that defunct religion.2 Jesus went out to him and insisted that he baptize Him also. He was going outside the camp3 of the established religion of His day to begin His ministry. John watched the Dove (Spirit) come upon Jesus and heard the voice of God confirm, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”4 With this confirmation from His Father, Jesus was able to go forward with confidence and determination. He knew that His Father was sending Him to accomplish His will.

The life that Jesus shared with His disciples was very real and wonderful. They were together continually, sharing all that they had.5 Jesus diligently passed on the things He heard from His Father to the thirsty disciples. He constantly encouraged them. And He corrected them when they needed it. He was very sensitive to their physical, spiritual, and emotional needs. Jesus was a good shepherd to those who were with Him. He was laying a foundation for what God wanted to build on the Earth.

New Wine

Jesus said that new wine (the Holy Spirit) could never be contained in an old wineskin (Judaism). The Jews had long ago become set in their ways, losing their elasticity — their humility and willingness to hear. You can see that this was true by how the religious leaders hated the sparkling new wine of love and revelation that came forth from Jesus’ life. Instead of recognizing their Messiah, they saw Him as a dangerous cult leader and ultimately found a way to use the government to eliminate Him.

If Jesus were on the earth today, do you think that He would receive any better reception from the well-established Christian institutions of our day? Have they retained the elasticity and freshness of the new wineskin, or have they become old and rigid — resistant to change? Where would God pour out the new wine of His Spirit today and how would you recognize it?

Authority to Love

In John 17:20-23 Jesus prayed His famous prayer for the unity of His believers. He began by saying, “I do not pray on behalf of these (the apostles) alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word.” Faith has a Source (Author) and a channel (authority). In the same way that your body needs to maintain clear pathways for the signals coming from your head, so it is within the one Body of Christ. This is the ministry of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. There is no life in the Body of Christ apart from these gifts being present and functioning according to God’s Spirit.

Few realize that Jesus’ so-called Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20 was addressed specifically to the apostles. Jesus said that He had received all authority (from His Father) and He was delegating that authority to the apostles. He told them to make disciples, teaching them to obey all that He commanded them. In other words, “You do with others, what I did with you.” Love them, teach them, care for them, encourage them — be a shepherd to them.

Before He ascended to heaven, Jesus instructed the apostles to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit would come upon them.6 He would empower them to carry out what He was sending them to do. The word “apostle” actually means “one sent forth; a messenger.” These are the ones who have been given authority from God7 and are able to pass it on to others.8 This is how the Spirit is communicated from one who has faith to one who is willing to do God’s will.9 Paul (the apostle) made it clear in Romans 10:15 that one is not qualified to communicate this faith unless he is sent by someone whose authority had ultimately been given by God.10

It is very important for those who are looking for the movement of God’s Spirit to understand that God works through delegated authority.11 He finds a man who has the right heart to love Him and walk in His ways.12 Then He causes His authority to rest upon that man in order that he could lead others in the same way.13 His ultimate purpose is that He would have a Holy Nation of people who love Him with all of their hearts and walk in His ways and that they would work with Him to bring healing and restoration to all of creation.14