Kingdom Mindset: Our Spiritual Authority
A major movement among Christians of all backgrounds today centers around grabbing hold of an emphasis on the Kingdom of God. Take a quick scan through the Gospels and you'll see that the Kingdom (of God, of heaven) is a central feature in the life and mission of Jesus, yet I think many readers will relate with my own experience when I say that, for most of my life, I had heard very little about this idea of “the Kingdom.”
So what is it about the Kingdom that has brought such an impactful shift among believers today? I am taking a few blog posts to highlight some themes that are common to what we might call the Kingdom “mindset” that is energizing and inspiring some of the most effective ministry and evangelistic efforts in our time. This is the fourth and final post in the series.
Before diving into the topic of spiritual authority, I want to revisit where we’ve been so far in this Kingdom Mindset series. In the previous post on the goodness of God, we talked about the clear dividing line between what is of God and what is not, how God is not divided in His purpose and does not partner with evil as a means to an end. Very simply, if it’s not good, then it’s not from God. What’s more, Jesus took on our human nature precisely to break the power of evil in this world. His first target was to free humanity from the captivity wrought by sin. But while our redemption was the critical first piece of his mission, he made it clear that his mission extended further still, that it encompassed every part of our human nature, and even all of creation. He would settle for nothing less than “on earth as it is heaven,” and invited his disciples to embrace this standard as their own as well.
Which brings us full circle to our topic for this post. What part do the followers of Jesus have to play in this great drama, this mission of bringing the realities of heaven to earth? To be sure, Jesus does not need any assistance from us, and it will be a sovereign act from him at his Second Coming that will decisively complete the mission he started. But from his ascension until that day, he has given us the privilege and responsibility to continue advancing the mission on his behalf. What's more, he has imparted to us the spiritual authority that we need to do so.
Let’s unpack that a little further.
THE SOURCE OF SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY
The Apostle John said that Jesus came “to destroy the works of Satan” (1 John 3:8). This is what he was doing as he “went around all of Galilee... curing every disease and illness among the people,” (Matthew 4:23) “preaching and driving out demons” (Mark 1:39). His final blow against the kingdom of darkness came when he laid down his life on the cross. St. Paul’s letters help us “peek behind the curtain” at the spiritual reality taking place here. Through his death on the cross, Jesus “despoil[ed] the principalities and the powers” of darkness (Colossians 2:15), breaking the power of sin and destroying the curse of death. But his death was not the end, for God “rais[ed] him from the dead and seat[ed] him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church” (Ephesians 1:20-22).
Having stripped Satan of all power, Jesus could have “called it” and ushered in the full manifestation of his Kingdom right then and there. Instead, he did something surprising: he commissioned his disciples to carry on his mission as his ambassadors (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:20). An ambassador is a term used in secular government referring to someone who has been appointed by a governmental ruler to negotiate with foreign governments. Ambassadors have no authority of their own, but are authorized to speak on behalf of the ruler they represent. Just so, before Jesus ascended to heaven, he said to his disciples, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-19). What we see here is Jesus making some kind of “transfer” of authority to his disciples. But what does that mean? How far does that authority go? And was it just given to the Twelve, or does it extend to every Christian?
Let’s let Paul pull back the curtain for us again. The Ephesians quote we left off with above comes at the very end of Chapter 1. In the first few verses of Chapter 2, we read, “God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ, … raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-6). In case you missed the connection, let me highlight it here:
Ephesians 1:20 — God “raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavens.”
Ephesians 2:6 — God “raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus.”
The connection couldn’t be clearer, and the implication is that we somehow also share in the very authority of Jesus who is “above every principality, authority, power, and dominion.” And we are called to exercise that authority by continuing his mission of destroying the works of darkness and bringing heaven to earth. It is for this reason St. Paul says that “creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God” (Romans 8:19), for in Christ we hold the keys to liberating this world from its bondage to Satan’s kingdom.
To be clear, this is not an addition to the mission of Jesus, but a participation in it, much like the way Jesus invited the Twelve to participate in the miracle of multiplication of loaves as they distributed the loaves that Jesus miraculously multiplied. Our spiritual authority is something we exercise “with” and “in” Jesus.
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
So what does it look like to have a Kingdom mindset that is rooted in an awareness of the spiritual authority we carry in Christ?
The Kingdom mindset knows that the victory over sin and darkness has already been purchased by Jesus on the cross, and our role is to apply that victory to every area of life that is groaning for freedom, restoration, justice, and order. It approaches every situation from the standpoint of victory, with the confident outlook that “the one who is in [me] is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
The Kingdom mindset sees itself as primarily on the offensive, rather than on the defensive. It walks through life looking for opportunities to advance the Kingdom of God by pushing back the powers of darkness and introducing the transformative power of Jesus into every situation.
The Kingdom mindset does not shrink back in the face of opposition or brokenness, or passively accept it as just part of the way the world works. It takes a stand against the injustices it sees, not only on the natural level, but by also addressing the spiritual roots behind those injustices.
The Kingdom mindset believes Jesus’ words that “all things are possible” for one who believes, that there is no person or situation that is beyond the point of redemption, and no form of brokenness that the power of God cannot heal.
The Kingdom mindset prays with bold faith according to the standard of “on earth as in heaven.” It dreams big and asks big. It invites the miraculous in order to demonstrate the love and power of God.
The Kingdom mindset confronts evil with authority. It rebukes storms, casts out demons. It prays with persistence, not in a desperate attempt to convince a reluctant God to act, but to remind the Enemy of the defeat he suffered at the hands of Jesus.
The Kingdom mindset lives from heaven to earth. It takes up its place, “seated in the heavens” with Jesus, and seeks the supernatural wisdom, insight, and strategies available through Christ to bring heaven’s solutions to the problems of this world.
As we move forward in our lives as disciples of Christ, may we carry this mindset and take our place in the transformative work that God is doing on the earth.
You can read the previous posts in this series here: “Kingdom Mindset: On Earth as in Heaven” | “Kingdom Mindset: Culture of Honor” | “Kingdom Mindset: The Goodness of God”
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