Purpose And Power Of Authority (22 page)

We see this process illustrated in the life of Paul. He was operating under a false authority rather than God’s authority by persecuting God’s own people—the followers of Jesus—in Jerusalem. Then, “still breathing out murderous threats” (Acts 9:1) against Jesus’ disciples, he went to Damascus, under the sanction of the unauthorized religious leadership, to take prisoner any of Jesus’ followers who were there. However, after Paul encountered the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, his entire outlook changed, and he came under the true authority of God. Once he did so, God sent a man named Ananias to him, despite Ananias’s initial fear, because He wanted to encourage Paul in his new assignment in life, his true authority:

“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.”(Acts 9:13–15)

Paul reported later that Jesus had told him during their encounter on the Damascus road, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 26:14). A goad is defined as “something that pains as if by pricking,” such as a thorn, or a “sting” or a “sharp point.” You get the idea. However, in a figurative sense, it can refer to a “divine impulse.” This seems to imply that, deep down, Paul knew he was operating under a false authority and was therefore fighting against the “divine impulse” within him, or the pricks of his conscience, that called him to true authority. This inner conflict was apparently emotionally and mentally painful for Paul. Remember that when you are not operating according to your authority, it takes extra effort to work. It’s not natural. Things end up being twice as difficult, or taking twice as long, or needing twice as much attention because you’re not built for them.

In contrast, as we have seen, when you are authorized to do something, you have also been empowered to perform it. Once Paul understood his true authority and was living according to it, he “grew more and more powerful” (Acts 9:22) in carrying out his life’s assignment.

Whatever your gift is, that’s where your power is. You have the authority to be yourself because you are gifted to be yourself.

Are you who you really want to be in life? If not, then you had better leave who you have been trying to be and start moving toward who you really want to be, because that’s the real you. That’s what you’re supposed to manifest. That’s what other people need to receive from you. That’s being authentic.

When you discover your true self, you will suddenly become distinctive. Not exclusive, just distinctive. Yes, you need other people, but you don’t want to be anybody else. Others will learn from you, but they will never become you, and vice versa.

The Creator is looking for people who will become who He created them to be. What He put in you may be buried under the influence of other people’s counterfeit perspectives, counterfeit lifestyles, or counterfeit ideas and opinions about you, as well as your own uncertainty and misunderstanding about your purpose. As a result, God can’t see the reflection of Himself that He put within you, and He can’t witness the manifestation of His ideas through you.

Will you become all you were created to be? Igniting your personal authority through these seven guidelines will allow you to experience the reality and the power of living according to your personal domain.

Chapter Eleven

Authority is a team effort rather than a solo activity. Although each individual has a personal authority, the nature of authority is such that people’s purposes are interrelated and function interdependently in corporate life. It is a foundational principle that we need each other’s authority to fulfill our own authority.

In chapter 5, we saw that nothing the Creator made can exist without submission to some authority because, by its nature, authority involves both dependence and interdependence. First, everything depends on the Creator to exist because everything in life flows from Him and is maintained by Him. Second, the lives of living things are naturally interwoven for their existence and growth. Third, we all need to submit to the personal authority of others in order to function in life, and we all naturally yield to others’ authority. I used the everyday example of submission in which we trust the dentist’s authority to safely and effectively work on our teeth. There are hundreds of other examples, such as needing to stop at red lights or yield to other cars when we are driving. Much of common courtesy is actually a form of submission to others for their benefit.

Although interdependence is a natural state of life, the give-and-take of genuine authority has often been lacking. Misuse and abuse of authority have given rise to misconceptions about leaders and followers and the characteristics of submission, causing people to steer clear of situations in which they feel they are “taking orders” from others. Compounding this mind-set is the fact that many people have felt overwhelmed by circumstances in their lives that have made them feel powerless.

Again, because many of our parents, teachers, employers, and other authority figures did not understand authority and misused it in relation to us, we are afraid to submit to others and therefore find it difficult to release our own true authority. Consequently, many of us have dreams, goals, and gifts trapped inside us.

Despite their past experiences, those who resist genuine submission and the concept of delegation rob themselves of the benefits and opportunities connected with interdependent relationships. They unfortunately restrict themselves from experiencing God’s purpose and will for their lives by their attitudes about what they perceive as “authority.”

At various times in your life, you will be called upon to delegate to others based on your authority. At other times, you will be called to submit to others based on their authority. This is just a part of life. It is not something you need to be uncomfortable about, whether you are on the giving or receiving side.

Some people are as uncomfortable about directing others as they are about taking orders because they don’t want to feel as if they are “bossing others around.” Not wanting to exercise false authority is a commendable attitude, and their concern would be valid if delegating were the same thing as acting like a tyrant or having the “boss spirit.” It is not. Instead, delegation is a natural aspect of legitimate authority. We need to recognize this truth, because the role of directing and mentoring others may be an integral part of fulfilling our own personal authority. Therefore, understanding true delegation and true submission will free all of us to experience the Creator’s purposes and plans for our lives.

As we survey the topics of delegation, mentorship, and submission in this chapter, let us keep in mind the following foundational points:

1. Our Ultimate Authority is God; we are to submit to Him and His purposes for us.

2. We “submit” to or live according to our inherent domains—the authority, dreams, and gifts God has given us—instead of trying to be someone we aren’t or to succeed with improper motivations.

3. We submit to others’ God-given authority in relationship and community.

4. To function properly either in the role of delegator or delegatee, it is vital that we clearly know our own self-worth. We must know that we are of great value to God and that He has given us special gifts and abilities to contribute to corporate life, or we may be overly influenced by other people’s opinions or demands and be unable to fulfill our authority.

Let us now look at what it means to delegate authority and submit to authority, as well as the responsibilities and benefits connected with each role.

We were all created in the image of God, and He Himself is a delegator. He has delegated authority to each of us for our individual purposes and pleasure in life. God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17). Similarly, part of God’s delegation of authority is to give people the ability to release the authority of others through mentorship and the pursuit of common goals.

Human delegation is therefore the transfer of authority. It is taking the permission you have from the Creator to use power and sharing it with someone else. Delegation gives the other person the right to function in that authority.

The following are essential principles for delegated authority.

Authority Is Legitimate Only If It Has Been Delegated

Unless authority has been given to you, you don’t have it. It cannot be seized and still be legitimate. Authority is given for specific reasons and purposes, and these can’t be carried out if someone is unauthorized. This is why all authority must come from God as the Ultimate Authority, and why any authority we administer as human beings must be God-given, as well.

Authority Is Given so that It Can Be Shared

Authority is not given to be kept but to be distributed. The authority you have received from God was bestowed on you to share with others to achieve positive results. While this principle is true for anyone in his personal authority—all gifts and abilities have been given to benefit not only ourselves but also others—it is especially applicable to those who have areas of oversight or power to delegate to others. Delegation of authority is the transfer of legitimate power to enable others to exercise or operate in their authority. Perhaps the highest form of delegation is that which empowers people to empower still others for the benefit of all. Anyone who hoards his authority and refuses to delegate it is violating a natural principle of authority. Like the manna that was hoarded by the Israelites, authority that is not used for its intent becomes corrupt. (See Exodus 16:13–20.)

Jesus Christ perfectly exemplified the principle of shared authority. He always delegated His authority for the purpose of benefiting others. As God’s Son, the Word made flesh, He seems to have progressively received authority from the Father. But whatever authority He received, He always used and delegated in service to others. Here are some examples:

• Jesus’ obedience up to the time of and including His baptism by John brought His Father’s affirmation: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). He was one in purpose with the Father.
  

• After Jesus overcame the temptations of the devil, He “returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit” (Luke 4:14). He was given both authority and power for His ministry.
  

• Jesus manifested that authority and power: “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23).
  

• After Jesus had demonstrated that He had the power and authority of the Father, He delegated it to His disciples: “He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness” (Matthew 10:1).
  

• Jesus delegated authority to still more of His followers: “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go” (Luke 10:1).
  

• Through His obedient life and sacrificial death, Jesus qualified for “all authority.” After His resurrection, He said to His followers, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18–20). Note that in response to all authority being given to Him, He told His disciples, “Therefore go.” He immediately delegated His authority. He didn’t control, hoard, or sell it. He didn’t say, “All authority has been given to Me; therefore, I will use it all Myself.” He distributed it.
  

• Jesus promised additional authority to His followers: “To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations” (Revelation 2:26).
  

Jesus was constantly transferring authority to fulfill His purpose, to release the purposes of others, and to benefit the community and the world at large. We who have been given authority are to do the same.

Authority, whether it is personal or corporate, is always to be used to serve, benefit, or improve others. Paul wrote of “the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than pulling you down” (2 Corinthians 10:8). If someone is a legitimate authority, it shows by how much his authority benefits people’s lives. If someone in a position of
authority doesn’t help others, he is not exercising genuine authority but merely power.

Authority Should Not Be Delegated Based on Favoritism

Delegation of authority should not be motivated by partiality or favoritism. This is in keeping with the nature of our Creator. “God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right” (Acts 10:34–35). Paul wrote to his mentee, Timothy, “Do nothing out of favoritism” (1 Timothy 5:21). And we read in the book of James,

My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?…But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as
lawbreakers.(James 2:1–4, 9)