YOU have been DEPUTIZED! (Understanding the NEW MAN –Part 7)

We’ve talked a fair bit about the VICTORY of the NEW MAN over the old man. How through Jesus, the old man has been crucified and we now live as newly accepted children in the Kingdom of god. We are accepted as sons of the Most High God. WOW… And we have inherited the righteousness of Christ. We no longer have the contaminated sin-nature inherited from Adam, but now have been JUSTIFIED, made righteous through Christ. “Just-as-if-I’d” never sinned.

We’ve talked about how He is now sending us to enforce His victory and EXERCISE the AUTHORITY He’s given us. We’re His delegated representatives and and we’re assigned to reproduce His image by making disciples. Jesus said, “you have not CHOSEN me but I have chosen YOU, and ORDAINED you,  that you should go and bear MUCH fruit –fruit that will last— not converts but DISCIPLES…” (Jn 15:16).

Our commission is to replicate what Jesus did, and to push back the kingdom of satan. Just before ascending into heaven, Jesus assigned us a few jobs: “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation…. (Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned). And these signs (miracles) will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well” (Mark 16:15-19).

  1. Preach the Gospel
  2. Drive out demons
  3. Heal the sick
  4. And make disciples

In Luke 10: 17-19, we read that the 70 returned with joy after they had been DEPUTIZED by the Lord, and they said “even the demons submit to us in your NAME“.  In other words, those demons had to obey those disciples who commanded them to leave in the name of Jesus. Why? Because Jesus gave them HIS authority. This means that we have total authority as his disciples. We’re His representatives and we should not be afraid, because Jesus said “nothing shall in any way harm you”.

In the next part, we’ll touch on that assignment and how we can be FULLY trained as a SWAT team for Christ…