THE AUTHORITY OF THE BELIEVER

It is a wonderful thing ‘to get saved.’ This is the initial experience of yielding to Jesus Christ confessing our sins, repenting of sins, and being baptized in water as an outward confession and example of our faith. This is done as the Holy Spirit draws us and adds us to the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). It is a great miracle.
There is no question that many people rarely go beyond the initial experience of “accepting the Lord”, “going to church”, taking the sacraments, and giving money. Unfortunately, all too many churches teach this as the basic, if not the only, duty of all believers. Often, little is said or taught about the Christ life. That is, the life of service and power, the growing understanding of the Holy Spirit powered witness and ministry, the authority of the believer over darkness and evil, the disciplines, quietness, listening, life of prayer, abandoned worship, and the force of speaking the Name of Jesus over sin and sickness. Rarely is this done. Most do not go on, or cannot go on, because they have not received the Baptism into the Holy Spirit.
“And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Jesus