Three Basic Requirements for One Who Represents God’s Authority

 

Three Basic Requirements for One Who Represents God’s Authority

Colossians 1:18 He is also the head of the body of the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn one raised from the dead, so that He may be first in all things;

Ephesians 1:22 He puts all things under His feet and makes Him the head of all things toward the church;

Ephesians 1:23 The church is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all things in all things.

1 Corinthians 12:12 Just as the body is one, yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so also is Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:18 But now God has set each member in the body according to His own will. 

Item	1. Represent Only God’s Authority, Not Yourself	2. Deny the Self and Do Not Exercise Authority by Personal Opinion	3. Maintain Intimate and Substantial Fellowship with God
Meaning	Authority comes entirely from God; man is only a vessel and channel	Denying the self so God’s will is not hindered	Discerning God’s will versus the flesh through fellowship
Reason	God is the only source of authority; no one can establish himself as authority	The self is the greatest enemy of authority	God’s mind is revealed only to those who fellowship with Him
Illustration	The centurion was under authority and therefore had authority	The cross deals with the self	Bringing every opinion to God for negotiation
Way	Knowing God’s will, thought, and intention	Deny the self, take up the cross, refrain from speaking lightly	Pray, wait, examine, and obey
Function	Preserves the purity of God’s authority	Prevents authority from becoming oppression	Gives authority a spiritual source
Explanation	Personal opinions used as authority damage God’s administration	Human opinions are treasured neither by God nor by the saints	Not only communion, but communication
Result	Produces genuine submission and oneness	Brings peace and the supply of life	God gradually imparts His thoughts
Mutual Relationship	The foundation of the other two requirements	Built upon the first requirement	The key to maintaining the first two continuously
Examples	The centurion; Moses acting only according to God’s command	The Lord Jesus did nothing from Himself	The Lord prayed all night before choosing the apostles
Application	Ask before speaking: Is this God’s will or mine?	Do not use “I think” as spiritual authority	Let every opinion pass through God’s light
Burden	Do not replace God’s authority with human disposition or concept	Keep God’s authority from being contaminated by the flesh	Keep authority always before God
Prophesying Guide	I am not authority;  I only represent God	I would rather not speak than speak wrongly for God	I speak only what I receive before God
Conclusion	The substance of authority is the expression of God’s will	The more genuine the authority, the more the self is dealt with	Without fellowship, there is no spiritual authority
Related Scriptures	Matt. 8:9; Rom. 13:1; Num. 16:1–11; 1 Cor. 4:1	Matt. 16:24; John 12:49; Phil. 2:5–8; Gal. 2:20	Psa. 25:14; John 15:7; 1 Cor. 2:16; Heb. 4:16

 

*Intrinsic Relationship:

Representing only God’s authority is the foundation; denying the self is the necessary condition; intimate fellowship with God is the sustaining supply.

*Overall Spiritual Conclusion:

A person who represents God’s authority does not rely on position or ability, but lives under God’s authority, denies the self, and transmits only what comes from God through fellowship.

*One-Sentence Prophesying Summary:

Genuine spiritual authority is not how much one speaks, but how much of what is spoken comes from God, passes through the cross, and is confirmed in fellowship.

 

*Please refer to the 2025 Thanksgiving International Symposium on Christ, the All-Inclusive Christ Revealed in the Gospel of Matthew, Part Six: Christ as One Who Has All Authority in Heaven and on Earth.