Rev. Dr. Chuck Davis - Authority Encounter: Embracing Gods Mission for You

EMBRACING GODS MISSION FOR YOU

CHUCK DAVIS

FOREWORD BY CHARLES KRAFT

Copyright @ 2013 by Chuck Davis
FIRST EDITION

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To
Ingrid, my best friend, wife, and
partner in spiritual warfare,
and
Linnea, Christian, and Jordan,
my three adult children who
valiantly walked with us into
challenging places for the sake
of the kingdom.
Your partnership has made it easy
for me to lead us under the
Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Satan is scared to death that well find out who we are and start behaving like we should. He cant be happy about this book or the very few others that deal with our authority as Christ followers. Chuck Davis has approached his subject as both a student and a practitioner in discovering what a Christians authority is all about and, in a very readable style, both informed and challenged us to wake up to the privilege and responsibility that is ours to live and minister in Jesuss authority. As he points out, this authority is not simply a spiritual gift that only a few are given but a part of the equipping Jesus gives to all believers. Thank you, Chuck, and with you, I bless all who read this book with the commitment to practice the authority Jesus has given them.

Charles Kraft
January 2013

Vehicles arrive at the crossroads anxious to continue through the intersection. A twenty-ton truck bounces down the hill in the direction of an intersection. A traffic officer standing in the middle of the converging vehicles raises his white-gloved hand: Stop. The truck skids to a halt. Why? The truck is clearly more powerful than the officer. In one wordauthority! It is not the physical power of the officer that changes the circumstance. It is the authority of the badge that he wears and the government sovereignty that ensures the authority behind the badge.

Traffic officers are not common in all areas of the world, but in my town in the suburbs of metro New York, they still govern the main avenue. When I first moved to this town, I was unaware of how much invested authority they held, even for pedestrians. I once stepped into the crosswalk without the officers go-ahead and was met with a bellowing reprimand. I am since very cautious in my movementsthe authority lines are now clear to me.

I also lived in a capital city in West Africa, where traffic officers were positioned on most major corners. I saw a similar scenario played out daily: a massive truck bearing down on the intersection. The police officer would enter the intersection with arms waving and whistles blowing but sometimes with a different outcome. The truck would barrel through without concern. Why? The truck driver was operating from the guiding principle that power was the final word because the authority behind the police officer was suspect. The government could not ensure the authority behind the badge.

I find that the natural and social world mimics or illustrates the spiritual world. Jesus clearly made the connection between natural and spiritual. His teaching is rather simple in its use of metaphor and social nuance, but it is deep in revealed spiritual principle. I have come to realize that one of the key aspects of the journey of being a Christ follower is this notion of authority. We live in a world that is rooted in power. We are daily challenged by powers that seek to interrupt or even trample our success in the journey. If we try to win by out-powering the opposition, we will always face an uncertain future and a lack of peaceful confidence such as that rooted in Christ; we win when we are more powerful but lose when we are less powerful. However, if we embrace the principle that God wants us to live out of His delegated authorityan authority recovered by Jesus and passed on to uswe will live with a greater sense of Gods security in the mysteries of life. This is the Authority of the Believer!

A man battles his fleshly, natural tendencies. He feels caught in the roaring middle of Pauls I do what I dont want to do (Roman 7). He tries white-knuckling it, placing all of his strength into the battle against his desires but without success. Behavioral modification is not the answer. He tries counseling and accountability groups. These help but are not completely effective. He approaches his spiritual leaders for a fresh impartation of the Holy Spirit. This renews his resolve but does not lead to long-term change. Then he hears about his position in Christ and the resulting authority that he carries. When the urges come, he stands in authority and places the temptation squarely underneath his feet. He rejoices to find himself overcoming!

A woman feels a strong presence come over her while sleeping at night. It sits on her chest and chokes her. She cannot speak, even to get out one word: Jesus. It happens every time she makes a decision for renewed commitment to serve God or at transitional points in her life. Each time she feels paralyzed. She is afraid to share her experience with others because a naturalistic worldview has pushed her to bury spiritual realities under a more reasonable explanation. If she told others, people would think her crazy or attribute a psychological reason for the dreams. Then she learns about the authority that she has been given through her relationship with Christ. The next time the attack comes, she does not speak with her own power but with her invested authority. The evil presence flees!

A young couple is perplexed with the nightmares that wake up their two-year-old son every night. The son wakes up screaming in terror and wet with sweat, and will not return to sleep. This repeats for months. They pray, get counsel, try to comfort, everything they can imagine to help their son and bring sanity back to the household. They hear a teaching about their position in Christ, especially their invested authority as gatekeepers for their family. Without the little boys knowledge, they anoint his room with oil and take on their authority. Their son sleeps straight through the night, and peace is the new pattern of the household!

I have tested the principles of spiritual authority in multiple roles and places around the world as a follower of Christ. Through my preaching and teaching ministry I have also observed others taking hold of these principles and the resulting radical changes in their lives. The stories above are true and repeated multiple times in my experience. I want you to see what is at stake. The promise of the Scriptures is that we would be overcomers in Christ. Yet many times we feel far from that reality. At times our apparent failures are because we have not appropriated our authority in Christ.