Life Capsule for Today Date: 18th April 2024
Theme: Obedience (5)
Memory Verse: 1 Sam 15:22b
22 …. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams KJV
Topic: ObeyingDelegated Authorities
Text: Rom 13:1-2
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. KJV
Words of the Ministry:
As we proceed with our lessons on obedience we now come to the matter of delegated authority. While many believers agree to the authority of God, they seem not to understand Gods delegated authority and how it works. We will be dedicating today’s lesson to that. A delegated authority is someone who represents God’s authority. All authority belongs to God, but God has two ways in which He exercises His authority, the first is direct authority in which case God gives us instructions directly through his words or his spirit and the second is delegated authority, in this case, God uses certain individuals or institutions to exercise his authority. God expects us to be submissive to his delegated authority and to obey according to God’s will. Such delegated authority could be divided into four main categories, 1. Family, 2. Church, 3. Business, 4. Government.
Family: God has placed the father as the head of the family husband, God expects the wife to be obedient and submissive in the Lord (Eph 5.22), the husband and wife are the authority in the home (Col 3.20). Since the Lord has placed the parents as the authority in the home, it is proper to obey them in the Lord. The husband himself is meant to be under God’s authority and radiating love to his spouse and children, not as a dictator but as God’s delegate in the home (Eph 5.25, 6.4).
Church: Concerning the Church, the bible teaches that Christ is the head of the Church, Christ himself also appointed some individual to manage the church affairs on his behalf, we see the elders, deacons and the fivefold ministries (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teachers) Heb 13.17. They are to act on behalf of Christ and should be obeyed within their obedience of Christ. They are not meant to lord over the flock of Christ or serve for monetary gains (1 Pet 5.2-3).
Business: Our obedience to God should also be seen at our place of work. We must learn to be submissive to our bosses and obey them in the Lord, such obedience should not be with eye service as men pleases (Col 3.22). Our work should be done as though we are working for the Lord directly (Col 3.23-24), we need to realize that what we do has a lot to say about our faith in the Lord. Our obedience and diligence should not be anchored on whether our boss is kind or not, we should ensure we have a pure conscience in service (1 Pet 2.18).
Government: The fourth category is government, many believers think government is the enemy of God, not necessarily, God has put them in position to use the laws of the land and force to put those that would rather remain rebellious and wicked to order, this is to ensure we live a peaceful life (1 Tim 2.2). School teachers, police officers, local officials, judges, state and federal officials are all God’s delegated authorities. Since they represent God’s authority, we must obey them (Rom 13.1). Christians must not be known as law breakers in school, road traffic, marketplace or concerning holidays. We are a living epistles and men read us before they read the bible. Please keep in mind our April Editon of Peniel with the theme: The Finger of God. Comes up next week Sunday (28th April), 2024.
Bible in one year: 2 Sam 19-20. For further fellowship send us an email on godmanvideos@gmail.comor visit our youtube channel: @godmanmedia. You can also interact with us by dropping your comments on our facebook page. Our physical meeting, Word feast comes up every Wednesday by 5pm and Prayer Gym every Saturday by 7am while PENIEL comes up once a month, every last Sunday of the month from 4pm to 6.30pm at Suite A10, Ahser Office Complex, beside Living Faith Church, Opposite Hassan Stores, Arab Road, Kubwa Abuja.