So let me ask you a question: If you lived back during the time of the Apostles, would you have been under their authority or not?
No, I would have been under Christ's authority then just as I am now. However, it would have been a moot point because the apostles, Stephen, Paul, Barnabas, Timothy and such were filled by the Holy Spirit - so we would have been of one mind.
. . .
It's about the power of God. I surrender absolutely to God, i.e. to Him alone.
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Dear Angel-Gal, I agree--certainly essentially . . . but I think I want to tease out the authority part a little bit. I might slightly disagree.
I don't have any trouble with God 'ordained' authority in some sense . . . to teach, preach, minister to the widows and orphans etc . . .
BUT NOT TO USURP.
And, it appears that NO EARTHLY AUTHORITY HAS HAD THE POWER TO RESIST USURPING God's authority once the organization gets up and running for any length of time. So, then, God lifts the anointing and usually the authority rather wholesale as well.
I think that's what we've seen with a lot of TV evangelists . . . God granted unusual authority for Holy Spirit to flow through them and bless other people and pretty soon, THEY ACTED AND FELT LIKE *THEY* WERE DOING IT. And the crash came resoundingly. Their flesh and degree of cleansed purity, refiner's fired purity was not up to the task. Their pride scuttled them wholesale. That's been true from the days of the pharisees to this.
The net effect is, I think, your position, A-G. GOD AND GOD ALONE. Holy Spirit was not sent to be our butler; our secretary; our side-kick; our pet. HE'S THE BOSS.
I very strongly agree with you Quix: IOW, when the Holy Spirit is quenched, all that remains is a worthless shell.
After posting last night about authority and unity, it dawned on me that there were a few additional things I should have said.
Truly, I surrender to God alone. That is absolute because I love Him absolutely.
But surrendering to Him also brings me into obedience to His will concerning families, government, etc.
Thus I do submit to my own husband (not to men in general) and I did submit to my parents who are now in heaven. Likewise I submit to government and its law enforcement officers. I also listen attentively to speakers who show all (not just a few) of the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23 and Matthew 7). Nevertheless, I put whatever they say to the Berean test of Scripture which (as I have mentioned before) the indwelling Spirit brings alive in me. In this way, I only receive Truth which is revealed by the Spirit.
If I were a slave, I would submit to my master.
But none of these submissions, commanded by God in the Scriptures substitute for Him as the only one to Whom I surrender.
As Christ said in Matthew 22 - the first and greatest commandment is to love Him absolutely (paraphrased). The distant second is to love our neighbor unconditionally. On these two commandments "hang" all of the law and the prophets.
A good example of what happens when one gets her priorities turned upside down is Ananias' wife Sapphira in Acts 5. She was helping her husband but she was not surrendered to God. Her mortal life was brought to a hasty end.
Likewise, meditating on Revelation - even if the government demanded it, the religious authorities sanctioned it and even if my husband and/or parents demanded it and it were necessary to prevent my husband and children from dying from starvation - I would not accept the mark of the Beast to buy food or anything else.
And adiairton8, in reply to your post 1550: those who experience the indwelling Spirit as described in Romans 8, need no explanation, those who do not would not believe it anyway.