I have the burden that we would realize what our ground is to preach the gospel. It is not merely the ground that we love sinners or that we feel that there is the need for materials for the building up of the church. All these are good, but they are not adequate. We have to take the ground that Christ has ascended to the heavens. He has been enthroned, and all authority both in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. He is the Head, and He is the Lord. We are under His headship and under His lordship. Moreover, we are the members of His Body. It is on this ground that we are sent out. In actuality we do not take the initiative; we are the sent ones. The Lord said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore.” We simply take the order. We are the policemen sent by the government. If we realize this, then when we go out to touch people by our preaching, we will have the assurance, the confidence, that the authority is with us.
Recently there has been a real flow and a burden among us for the gospel, and some people already have been saved. However, I sense that we are still short of something. We are short of the realization that we have to take the ground of authority. Satan is the illegal usurper. We have to announce this, and we have to proclaim this. We have to tell the whole universe that Jesus is the proper Lord, the legal owner of this universe. Today Jesus is on the throne. He is legally entitled by God as the Lord. He has received an authority that is absolutely unique both in heaven and on earth, and He has passed this authority on to us because we are His members, we are identified with Him, and we are one with Him as the Head. It is on this standing, in such a position, and taking such a ground that we go out. This is something different from mere power. When a policeman comes to us, he does not come only with power; he comes with authority. There is something great behind him. We cannot go against him because he has the authority. If our realization is to such an extent, we will have the faith and assurance that a person will be saved, and he will be spoiled out of the hand of the enemy. Let us learn this.
Recently the brothers and sisters have learned how to take the standing that they have been baptized with the power from on high. We have this standing because we are the members of the Body, and the Body already has been baptized. This is a reality among us in these days. However, I would point out to you something more. We have to realize that the Body of Christ has not only been baptized with the power but also entitled with the authority of Christ. We have the authority. All these matters require us to exercise our faith to realize that they are items in the will, the testament. Now we are simply discovering what the items of the will are. We have had this will for many years, yet so many items are still not clear to us. Now we are discovering all the items. In this will we have not only an item telling us that power is ours but also an item telling us that authority is ours. When we go out, we need to have this assurance, this realization. We are sent from the heavenly government, which is much greater than Washington, D.C. We are sent ones, sent from the heavenly Jerusalem. The Lord’s headship is much greater than the headship of the President of the United States. In the past have you ever had such a realization when going out to contact people? We all have to realize that this is not a doctrine. We have to receive this by believing.
Now we have heard that in this will, this testament, there is an item which says that Christ the Head, the Lord, has been entitled with the authority both in heaven and earth, and He has passed on this authority to His Body. It is on this standing with such a realization that we go out, not merely to preach the gospel but to pass on orders. This is the order of the heavenly Washington, D.C. We have to give this order not only to humans but to the demons and to the strong man, saying, “I come here in the name not only of Jesus but of the Lord Jesus. He is the Lord today. Satan, you have to take the order!” This is different from merely exercising power. This changes darkness into light and night into day. This even changes hell into heaven. There is no need for us to speak too much. We simply pass on the order. For a policeman to give a ticket does not require much work; he simply writes the ticket, and people have to take it and pay the fine. We must learn to exercise our faith as the “policemen” acting with authority.
We must learn these matters from the very beginning of our preaching of the gospel. If the Lord is willing, we will advance step by step. This is why I am speaking these things. I am truly burdened for this. I have the burden to pass on as much as I can, as much as I have learned about all the matters of the Lord’s service. In our preaching there is the need that we all realize that we can exercise authority. I know what I am speaking about. Twenty years ago I did much preaching. Whenever I preached, I took the standing that I was a sent one, sent not only by the “lowly Jesus” but by the Lord Jesus. I could say, “I am a sent one in this universe, and I come with authority. Maybe you do not know this, but the devil who is in you knows. He knows that now here is one with the authority to deal with him.” I could say to the devil, “Yes, I am your authority. You have to take my order. Leave this man and get out.”
This makes a difference. Many times when I stood up on the platform I dared not to stand up in the realization that I could speak something. Rather, I stood in the realization that I am a sent one passing on the orders. Learn to exercise your faith in this way. Do not pay attention to feelings or to manifestations. To pay our attention to feelings and manifestations proves that we have an evil heart of unbelief. We have the will, the testament. Is this not good enough? If this is good enough, then there is no need to have a feeling, and there is no need to seek the manifestations. Simply take it and believe. The manifestations are in the hand of the Lord. We will see many wonderful things, but we should never pay attention to those things. The more we pay attention to those things, the more we will frustrate and be frustrated. As I pointed out in the previous message, the people sojourning in the outer court had many signs as manifestations, but those who served in the Holy of Holies had no signs. Rather, they had the Shekinah glory of the Lord. That was a matter of faith. Always keep the principle of working, walking, and doing things in faith not by sight. Take the item in the will that Christ has been entitled and that we are authorized. Now we go out on this standing.
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