Do we have all authority?

After Jesus rose from the dead he said he was given back the authority he had before he came to earth.

Matt 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

What about the authority Jesus gave?

Luke 9:1-2: “Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”

Luke 10:19: “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

First- this is NOT ALL AUTHORITY given to them.

2^{nd -}  This is to the apostles – it was training for them, so that when Jesus left they knew how to conduct themselves and how to walk in his nature. They were unable to use this power or authority indiscriminately. They could not cast a particular demon out and asked Jesus about this. He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:28-29). Notice, they were given power over all demons and to heal. This authority was not enough to accomplish every task; they needed more, a reliance on God.

Christ is the head of the church -we have authority by being under His authority. We will have a greater authority than we do today once we are resurrected, immortal and sinless, yet we will still be under Jesus who will be king over the earth.

ONLY Jesus has ALL AUTHORITY. The Church is not put in authority to rule for Christ while He is gone. Our authority is found by being under His ruler-ship and carried out by obeying His Word. We are authorized as servants, and Jesus said a servant is NOT greater than his master.

When we come to the New Testament we do not see the apostles successful in everything. Even Paul was sick, 2 Cor. 12:7, he had a thorn in the flesh that God would NOT remove.

Paul healed many but not all: Paul left Trophimus in Miletus sick; he also told Timothy to take some wine as medicine for his stomach. Divine healing is Biblical but cannot always be summoned by our authority or faith. God’s will determines our success.