Spirit, Power and Authority (Tuesday, Week 22, Year 2)

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I was told that a magnet attracts iron because of the influence of its magnetic field on the iron. So, when it is brought close to iron, there is an alignment of electrons and subsequent attraction. It is not magic, it is nature. We may use this analogy to understand the point St Paul is trying to make in his first letter to the church in Corinth (cf. 1 Cor. 2:10b-16). His argument is simple: for you to understand the things of God who is Spirit, you must have the Spirit of God in you. The spirit of God in you will help you align yourself in God’s spiritual "magnetic" field for you to understand the gifts of God and the manifestations of His power. Anyone who operates only on the level of human wisdom will not understand. And with the presence of God’s spirit in us, we possess some power and authority: power from the Spirit and authority from God.

Jesus possessed these, and it was very clear to the people of Capernaum (cf. Luke 4:31-37). The people of Nazareth only admired his demonstration of human wisdom but couldn’t see the authority and power which He had. Anyone operating on the level of human wisdom won’t see or understand; that’s why the people of Nazareth sent Jesus out of their town. The people of Capernaum were astonished at his teaching, his demonstration of human wisdom but also perceived that he was a man filled with so much power and authority. And on the basis of this acknowledgement, Jesus, with power and authority, cast out the spirit of an unclean demon from a certain man in their synagogue. Even that spirit was able to recognize that Jesus has so much power and authority.

We have received the Spirit of God: therefore, we have power from the Spirit and authority from God. But evil is still very much prevalent in our time and space. The effects of its presence are very clear to us: division, corruption, anti-life activities, wickedness, and so on. With His power and authority, Jesus confronted evil. What are we doing with the power and authority which we have?


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