Bulletin Articles
With Authority
Our daily bible reading takes us all throughout God’s word in the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Psalms and the Proverbs are highlighted along with weeks and months’ worth of Jesus. This schedule has certainly kept me on track, and I know it has kept my dad on track because he gets reminded every day to keep up!
The other day our New Testament passage was Luke chapter 4. Now, when reading I try to highlight at least one verse in every passage that stands out to me and this day was no different. Luke 4:31-32 says, “And He came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee; and He was teaching them on the Sabbath; 32 and they were amazed at His teaching, because His message was delivered with authority”. The part that really caught my eye was the end of verse 32, “with authority”. Other synonyms used for this phrase are with permission, certainty, conviction, power, and confidence.
Jesus was such an incredible teacher, not just because he could relate to the people, but because he taught with such confidence and certainty. His authority was never questioned because he was literally the Word teaching the word. John 1:1 tells us that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”.
I wish every day that I had even half the confidence that Jesus had when preaching and teaching. Just like our mission in life as Christians we are called to be Christ-like, knowing we will never measure up to that perfect goal. The same goes for giving and receiving the word too. We can boldly take the message of Jesus with authority to our friends, family members, and neighbors because we preach and teach straight from the scriptures. So, when we’re praying, do so with authority. When we’re ministering in any way, do so with certainty. When we’re admonishing, do so with conviction. Finally, when we are reading and reflecting, do so with confidence that our Lord has ultimate authority in all things. Matthew 28:18, And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
