Hi all,
When I was a teenager and was left to babysit my little brothers and sister while our mom went to night school to complete her MBA (after dad walked out of our family), my authority was often questioned when I told them mom said bedtime was 8:30 (20:30).
The Parable of the ‘Word of the Mom’
When they got angry with me I told them “Mom said it was 8:30“, meaning my word to them was not my own, but mom’s. My command was the ‘word of the Mom’ coming through me. I was ‘the word of the mom’, so if they wanted to change their bedtime it wasn’t me they needed to ask, I was merely the intermediary, the go-between.
They had to go to mom for requests, not me. I had the authority to carry out mom’s orders, for all authority in house and yard had been given me by mom, but mom was the source of my authority though she’d given it into my hands. But as to the times and seasons of their bedtimes, that was within mom’s authority, not mine. Understand the parable?
“In that day you’ll ask me (Jesus) nothing, but I say to you ask the Father in my name and He will give you all…for the Father loves you…” “All authority is given to me in heaven and earth, therefore go…” “And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with and confirming the Word with signs following.” John 16:23-39, Matthew 28:18, Mark 16:20
(Some versions say ‘the Lord worked with THEM and confirmed the word with signs following, but the Greek says ‘the Lord worked with and confirmed the Word…” BIG difference. He doesn’t work with us, He works with the Word of the Father. We have authority, but the Father has the power. Unless you know the power is immediately available you shouldn’t try to operate in authority.)
The Source of the power of the name of Jesus
That is the grammatical structure and theological understanding when we read ‘The Word of the Lord’ or ‘The Word of God (Father)’. The Person called the Word, is simply that, the Word of the Father God the way my word was the word of mom. He Himself, the Word, derives His power from the Source of that Word – the Father.
“Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave Me (Jesus), so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them I protected them and kept them safe by the name (Jesus) you gave to me.” John 17: 7-8, 11-12
Notice ‘the name which you gave me’, and an editorial comment here – Jesus said His name was given to us so that we might be one. How often His name is used against one another (though He isn’t in that)! Sad.
We use His name against demons, we use His name to lay hands on the sick, but how often have you thought of rallying around that name that we may be one. That is why I have to tell house churches over and over, when you come together you don’t allow discussion about your differences and your different beliefs, you gather to focus on the One, on what and Who you have in common – that is the word ‘fellowship’ or ‘koinonia’, meaning ‘common or all things common’. He is our focus, not your differences.
Angels cannot use the name of Jesus because He didn’t die for them. Even the greatest angel of all, Michael, the one who guards Israel*, had to rebuke the devil saying ‘the Lord rebukes you**’ – angels don’t have the authority to use the name of Jesus, but humans do because Jesus died for us. *Daniel 12:1, **Jude 9
(It is actually an insult to the Lord albeit usually in ignorant disobedience by well meaning believers for a Christian to say ‘the Lord rebukes you’ against a demon. Jesus said we are to cast demons out using His name – to lay that name down is direct disobedience to Jesus, and an insult against the work of the cross to lower oneself as if you don’t have the right to use the name. You’re not an angel, you’re a human, so use the name and tell demons to go! You don’t pray against demons, you command them out!!!)
Hebrews 1:1-3 when speaking of Jesus Christ:
“God has spoken to us in these last days through His Son…He is the impressed image of (God) the Father, the exact representation of His (the Father’s) nature, and upholds all things by the Word of His (the Father’s) power.”
Notice that is not ‘the power of the Word’. Jesus the Word of the Father has no power without the Father. John the Babysitter had no power of his own. The power was within ‘the Mom’, lol. If they had issue with their bedtime I really had no say in the matter, I was merely the word of the mom. Take it up with her.
Jesus is by nature, the Father’s Word to us – herein revealing yet another error we’ve been taught and believed. That error being the Word alone has power, and even the error that the mere ink on paper Word has power in and of itself- wrong. If the ink and paper Word had power in an of itself anyone who read the Bible would be saved, as mentioned earlier in this series. That is not the case.
From that error comes declarations and speaking the word 1,000 times in the hope that maybe 1 of those times it will ‘work’, also included is casting out demons using the name of Jesus dozens of times, also laying hands on people saying, yelling, screaming the name of Jesus over and over, or in prayers over and over…all that demonstrates is the person praying has no power and worse, has no real faith in that most powerful name, nor do they have a clue what the Holy Spirit wants and how He is leading at that moment. If they did, they would know they were moving with the Spirit and 1 mention of that name, 1 command using that name, is all that is required. Sigh.
Many, many Christians are like what Jesus described in Matthew 6: 7: “When you pray don’t use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” His reference to ‘Gentiles’ means the unsaved, those who worship other gods who think the gods will hear them if they talk loud and long enough. Sounds like a normal altar call at any number of charismatic ‘outpourings’.
But if you want to lay aside that error and walk with the Father and Lord you’ll realize Christ is in you, and all you have to do is turn your thoughts to Him and He is there – no shouting required. When you stop thinking God the Father is ‘out there’ and start walking with Him in the truth He is ‘in there’, a whole new world will open to you.
Listen to the prayers of others in your circle of Christian friends, or in media, or draw on memories of altar calls past. See how little faith in the most powerful name they demonstrate. Look at how they place their faith in formulas rather than zeroing in on what the Father wants, and then 1 time speaking and casting the demon out, or commanding healing. And how many ask Jesus for things rather than the Father – which is what Jesus commanded, and what the apostles followed.
The reason they don’t have faith in the name is they lack real revelation of Him, and they lack truly knowing the Father from whom all good things flow. Know the Father, determine His will, know where He wants to direct His power, THEN AND ONLY THEN can you flow in the authority that is yours, to effect the Father’s will in heaven is done on earth. Period.
Jesus by Himself isn’t the power source – He is merely the Word of the Father’s power. So you have to know the Father and what He wants in order to flow with Jesus and use the weapons of our warfare effectively and correctly. You have no power in and of yourself. Know the Father, ascertain where He wants to direct it, step out as the Head of the body directs, and the Spirit will cause the Father’s power to flow into that situation. Until then, shut up. Stay before the Father until you know, until you feel to go in a certain way, until you determine where the peace is, then follow it. Wait. Linger. Don’t be afraid of the silence.
He upholds things by the word of the Father’s power in the same way I kept by brothers and sister in line using the word of our mother. I was the word of mom to them. I had no power, just authority, but power was mom’s and the authority she gave me was first hers. She would only flow with my commands in her name according to how those commands flowed with her will. If I commanded them to stand up until 10pm (22:00) I had no power behind me, therefore no authority, therefore mom’s power didn’t flow to them.
Jesus’s power and authority come from the Father. Again, the power is the Father’s, who has given the Son authority to use the power.
We’ll pick it up there next week…how to balance next week, Blessings,
John Fenn
