Everything in the Word is simple – children can understand it. The power of God exhibited in the Word is meant to be lived out through us, today. We live in a culture that exalts intellectualism and the mind. It’s good to have a sound mind, and a sound mind can be used of God. But sometimes we reason our way into unbelief. We look at things from so many angles and are so busy analyzing that we talk ourselves out of doing anything. Our enemy is not our weakness; our enemy is unbelief.

As we begin to move into a warrior mindset and understand that the nobility and the high calling to which we’re called, we begin to push back on the limitations caused by unbelief and say, Lord, you can do through me whatever you want. We become soldiers who know their place, their weapons, and are committed to seeing the battle through. 

• How should Christians exercise their spiritual gifts in everyday life? 
• What is the greatest thing any of us can do? 
• How should Christians consider theology in their own walks and input from Christian theologians? 

Pastor Joe answers these questions and more in this week’s episode.

Listen to the episode here.

Additional Resources

The Sovereignty of God – Full Series Audio

Mentioned in this Episode

Ed Silvoso

Full Transcript

In Romans 16:20, he says, “The God of peace will soon bruise Satan under your feet” to the church. We were created to subdue the enemy. Through the fall, we lost our authority. The image of God was marred. Our ability to respond to God was affected. And through the covenant dealings of God, through the history of Israel, we see a people protected from the evil in the world by walking in covenant with God. Other nations were horribly demonized, Israel was protected. Other nations worshipped demons spirits, Israel worshipped the true God. Other nations were in darkness and sin, Israel had forgiveness, and had God dwelling in their midst in the tabernacle. But as we sang tonight, God had a longing in his heart. For more than having his presence in a tabernacle in the midst of the people, he wanted real relationship.

And so the New Covenant came with Jesus coming in His earthly ministry, and then as our substitute, dying and paying the price for our sins and then raised again from the dead, seated at his Father’s right hand, pours out the Holy Spirit brings, forth the church, brings us back into relationship, and then restores our assignment to judge the serpent. It’s called the great commission. Go into all the earth and make disciples of all the nation’s teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. All things that I have commanded you, that’s more than being converted. That’s more than being born again so you can go to heaven. It’s becoming a disciple of the kingdom.

And Jesus said an interesting thing in Luke, I don’t know if you ever noticed this. But he said, “If I”, this is Jesus talking now, “if I, by the Spirit of God, cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” You notice he didn’t say “If I because I’m the son of God and the Messiah, cast out demons, the kingdom has come.” He said, “If I by the Spirit of God, cast out demons, then the kingdom as come.” So the authority of the kingdom is in the anointing of the Holy Spirit. And the ability to bring judgment on Satan’s work is a manifestation of kingdom power through the Holy Spirit’s ministry. What’s revival? More Holy Spirit, more authority, more power, more of the nature of God revealed to the church. Amen. So the war is real, we’re in it, and there are no conscientious objectors. You can run away to Canada, but John and Holly will send you back.

So we wind up having to face the fact that we must become soldiers, who know their place, their weapons, and are committed to seeing the battle through The greatest thing that any of us can do is fulfill what it says about David, in the book of Acts, it says, “He fulfilled the will of God in his generation.” You know what, that’s all you’re called to do is fulfill the will of God in your generation. That’s all you have to do. To enter heaven with a well done good and faithful servant. You do the will of God in your generation. You fulfill the will of God. You seek God to know what his will is for you. Because there’s the general will and purpose of God that we’re all called to, and then there’s this specific working out of that will in your own personal life, having to do with the development of the character of Christ, and the appropriation of the gifts of the Spirit. And every gift of the Spirit that God has given you, or maybe I should put it this way, the gifts of the Spirit that God has given you are to develop into a ministry in the spirit.

Every gift that God wants is deposited. Every gift that he wants to use in and through you. There are certain ones that he has ordained to develop into a particular spiritual ministry through you. You see, a person can prophesy, because the Spirits is in them. The gift of prophecy can operate through them. But if that gift is cultivated, developed, prayed about and sought and God is sought for that gift to develop, it can become a ministry of prophecy in the church. It can become a developed area of ministry that’s recognized by the body as a blessing to the body. Every gift is a potential ministry in the body. Every gift of the Spirit can be cultivated and developed until it blesses, builds up, edifies, strengthens and helps the body and reaches the lost.

I think one of the exciting things that we’re experiencing in these days is that the church is beginning to realize the gifts of the Spirit aren’t just for the church. They’re for the street, they’re for the job, they’re for the marketplace. They’re to be used everywhere. So that people realize there’s a supernatural God at work in the church. We reveal His power and ability by manifesting the gifts. We reveal His love and His nature by manifesting his character. And God would have us manifest both.

Our authority in Christ must be embraced and understood. There’s an amazing teaching in the book of Acts, on the name of Jesus. When the man was raised up, the crippled man was raised up. And they asked Peter about it. Now Peter was an apostle. But when they asked him about it, he said, Well, it wasn’t by our holiness, or our godliness that this man was raised up. But it was the name of Jesus, through faith in his name, that has made this man whole. Yes, the faith that comes through him, as given you, given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. You know what he said? He said, It was the name. Do you know what? You can use the name. Don’t have to be an apostle. Don’t have to be a prophet. Don’t have to be a pastor. Don’t have to be a teacher. Just have to be a believer. And you can use the name. “The works that I do,” Jesus said, “You shall do also and greater works than these because I go to the Father, and whatever you ask, in my name, that will I do, that the father might be glorified in the Son? Whatever you ask in my name, that will I do.” You have the right, the privilege, the authority to use the name of Jesus to destroy the works of darkness. That name is given to you. The Holy Spirit will anoint you to use the name of Jesus to destroy the power of the enemy.

Everything in the word is simple. Children can understand it. We live in a culture that to a large degree exalts intellectualism and the mind. Well, you know, it’s good to have a good mind. It’s good to have a sound mind and a good mind can be used of God. But the thing is, sometimes we reason our way into unbelief. We look at things from so many angles that we talk ourselves out of doing anything. We’re so busy analyzing. And sometimes it’s just put your hand on him and pray or command in the name of Jesus. Or command the enemy’s power to be broken. There’s a simplicity and a boldness that’s more important than our understanding of things. And often times, theologians are the great enemy of living faith. How many who Ed Silvoso is? Yes, South American evangelist that’s seen thousands of people come to the Lord. I have a little quote from him. In my Bible. It says, “Theology exists to explain to us why Jesus isn’t keeping his promises.” I like theology, I study theology, and I enjoy it. But I also recognize that there’s a tendency to get bogged down in the intellectual realm. And that’s not the realm of power. It’s not the realm of authority.

See, I could know everything about the Greek and Hebrew and not know a thing about how to pray. You could know nothing about the Greek and Hebrew and pray with great authority and power. Is it bad to know about the Greek and Hebrew? No, it’s bad to think that’s a substitute for the reality of knowing how to pray. Or to think only those people who’ve studied the original languages or are great theologians have the right to say anything. A person with a Bible experience is never at the mercy of a person with a Bible doctrine. And in the trenches, it isn’t what you learned in Bible school that helps you. It’s what you know of the person of Jesus. And it’s what you know of confidence in the Holy Spirit. These are the things that make the difference. These are the things in the nitty gritty, that really put us over or don’t; is, “Do we know him whom God raised from the dead and are we confident in his Spirit dwelling within us that if we command in the name of Jesus, the devil will flee.”

I was listening to some video teaching by a man who was talking about our authority in Christ. And one of the things he said is, he says, “I don’t know why it is.” but he says, “When I cast out demons,” he said “The demons know, whether I know my authority or not.” You see, somebody could have studied the doctrine of the believers authority, from Genesis to Revelation, be able to expound it brilliantly, but that’s not the same as facing a demonic spirit, and having that spirit obey you, because you know your authority in Christ and your right to use the name of Jesus, and that in Christ, you’re superior over that demonic force, and it has to bow. It has to go. It has to yield. You see. The rubber of Christianity has to meet the road of life. Amen?

So God is sovereign. But that doesn’t mean that he ordains everything that comes down the road. It means we need to discern, and we need to stand in our authority and exercise dominion in the sphere given to us by God. Now, there’s a lot that can be said about that. You have been given a certain sphere of responsibility. And it has to do with other people’s sphere. You don’t have authority over the will of anyone else. You may have responsibility as a parent or in other areas. We can have responsibility for lives. but again, God honors our own personal wills. And we can use our spiritual authority to influence people positively. But ultimately, one of the highest values in the universe to God is the individual’s freedom of choice.

God is sovereign. But you know, there was a group of Israelites who died in the wilderness. It wasn’t God’s will that they die in the wilderness. They died in the wilderness of, they died of a disease called unbelief. It says in the book of Hebrews that they did not mix the word they heard with faith. They heard it, but they never got past their own issues. They never got past their own “Well, I’m just nobody.” And you know, when they came up, and “We’re like grasshoppers, we can’t do anything.” And it angered God that they didn’t believe that God could bring them in. God is able to use us to do His will. God is able to anoint us exceedingly abundantly beyond what we could ask or think, and cause us to do exploits in his name.

Our enemy is not our weakness, our enemy is our unbelief. Your unbelief, my unbelief, are the things that would limit God in our life. And as we begin to understand that the nobility and the high calling to which we’re called, we begin to take back the, push back the the the limitations and say, “Lord, you can do through me, whatever you want. I gave you permission.” We sang tonight about, our brother was sharing about receiving, the cup being filled. God wants to fill us with His authority, his power, his ability, his nature, so that we are living vessels, that were overflowing with the very life and dominion of Christ. We have to put aside the passivity of traditional thinking, and begin to see ourselves as those capable of being mightily used of God. Amen.

So we want to understand that God is ultimately going to bring things to where he wants it to come. But he’s looking for volunteers in the earth to make themselves vessels of his will. To find their place in his unfolding purpose, and rise to the level of the finished work of Christ. Do you know what? God did a perfect work in Christ. How many believe that? Okay, let me ask you another question. Do you believe that God did a perfect working you when he had you born again? So he did a perfect work in Christ, and he did a perfect work in you, and then he put his Holy Spirit within you and he’s. if I remember my Bible correctly, He’s God. So the perfect father, unfolding, a perfect plan, sent his perfect Son, to provide a perfect redemption, to do a perfect work in you so that you could be indwelled by a perfect being, and then gave you a perfect record and revelation of it in the book. What kind of potential do you have? Does it make you want to say, “Lord, forgive me for limiting what you can do in and through me?”

You and I are predestined to be conformed to the image of God’s Son. And you know what? The only thing that hinders that conformity is unbelief. I used to think if I just didn’t have this particular weakness. How many of you ever mourn your weaknesses? “Oh, God, you could really use me but I have this weakness.” Well, the reality is it’s not your weakness that’s hindering God. Because the Bible says His grace is made perfect in weakness. So your weakness is actually an asset, if you add faith to his grace. Your weakness becomes the arena where his grace is revealed in and through you. Your weakness is the very place you discover the grace of God. So you can begin to praise God for your weaknesses. You ever just kind of “Oh Lord, I just want to thank you that I’m weak and stupid and foolish. And, oh, Lord, I want to thank you for the fact that I just don’t have any patience. So Lord, I just want to thank you.” Just begin to thank God for all your weaknesses. That’s crazy, and actually isn’t. Because your weaknesses are turned to strength, when you appropriate the grace of God. Paul said, “When I’m weak, then I’m strong for the power of Christ rests upon me.”

I’m painting a picture for you tonight of an ideal. It’s a biblical ideal. But you see, if we don’t have a vision of what God can do through us, we’ll be content with what he’s already done through us. But if a perfect God, unfolding a perfect plan, sent is perfect Son to provide a perfect redemption, to bring forth a perfect new creation in you indwelt by a perfect being called the Holy Spirit, and then gave you a book that describes all of the aspects of that perfect plan, and that indwelling presence can teach it to you so you can walk in it, then your potential is unlimited. And God can do great and mighty things through you by His Spirit who dwells in you. That is called good news. That is called something to be excited about. Your potential in Christ, to affect the world. Your potential, to touch lives with the power, the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. You can do that. Believe it. Amen. Hallelujah.

Father, we thank you for being a perfect father, and sending your perfect son. Recreating us, indwelling us, giving us a perfect revelation. Lord, help us to take the lid off, and to cast down the vain imaginations that would limit us to human ability. That would flounder in human limitation. Say “Well, Lord, I I just don’t have this or that or I don’t have education or I don’t have opportunity or I don’t have this.” Forgive us, Lord, for every way we’ve limited our potential through our unbelief. Father, we pray that You would just write upon the fleshly tablets of our heart, the glorious realities of this New Covenant, the glorious realities of our redemption. And, Lord, we want to let you determine what our potential is. We don’t want to figure it out with our own mind. But we want to allow you to stretch the borders of our inheritance, to enlarge our capacity, to be used of you. And to cast down every imagination that would limit us to natural things, natural abilities, natural resources. Take the lid off, Lord. Expand us. Enlarge our hearts, Lord, that we might bring glory to your name in the earth and people might come to know you because we’ve let you live big in us. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus name. Everybody said, Amen. Hallelujah.