Understanding Celestial Power Part 2 – Exousia

So, now that we’ve taken a good look at the first level of power expressed in the scriptures, we should take some time to look at a few other classes of power vested in us.

One of the many features of what a Christian really is may be characterized best by a solid definition that “A Christian is Christ”.

Many might only wonder why I would be so bold as to make such a remarkable statement and claim that we, Christians, are the supernatural deity that is the being called Christ.

Well firstly, the concept of Christ is an elusive take, and is one that vividly requires a much closer look. Secondly, in Bible days (back before Jesus was born as a man into this world) the word “Christ” wasn’t necessarily a name as we have it present day. The word “Christ” was actually a title used to refer to a being that Old Testament folk were looking forward to who had the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of him.

For instance, there are many accounts in the Old Testament where a select few men were, as so acclaimed, “anointed” with oil. This anointing with oil symbolized the smearing of the presence of the Holy Spirit on a person’s body and that in turn world impact him and everything about him in extraordinary ways.

Needless to say, this was to symbolize that the man had the presence of the Holy Spirit on him and not in him. Now the person of the Christ was a being expected to have been one who had the Holy Spirit dwelling inside him and not on him.

In the past chapter, we proved through a series of verse that we too, as Christians, have this extraordinary honor of hosting the Holy Spirit within us, thus as the title claims, we too are Christ—beings that have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us. Let’s take a look at some brief scripture so as you’re certain that I’m not just saying any of this from my own assumptions:

“Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” – 1 Corinthians 12:27

Here, Paul tells us that all of us individually are the body of Christ. Which means Jesus and I are one body, and thus share the same name, attributes, inheritance, position, authority, etc. Observe another bit of scripture that makes a similar statement when Paul tells us where Jesus has been placed by God the Father:

“Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world but also that which is to come:

And has put all things under his feet, and given him to be the head over all things to the church,

Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all” – Ephesians 1:21-23

What Paul is saying here is that God has placed Jesus far above all known celestial powers; there is not a celestial power or entity that Jesus has not been put far above. Then he adds that Jesus has been made to be the head of his body, the church. Which means both the head and body have the same life, type of life, name, position, authority, power, control, and so on. Notice also how he ends by saying God put all things under his feet, not under the head. Which means all things are under the body i.e. you. Paul is saying you too have been placed far above all known spiritual powers and authorities.

These two scriptures prove definitively that we are Christ (Jesus is the head and we are the body: both and I are one body called Christ).

So what does that suggest concerning our supernatural power and ability? If Jesus was the Christ and performed such mighty and mind-blowing miracles (the man went to hell, flexed so hard on all spiritual entities that opposed him including Satan and Death, and walked out of hell for goodness’ sake), then shouldn’t we too have this sort of ability as Christ?

One level of ability we’ve looked at already is Dunamis in the previous article. Let us now take a quick look at the verse we opened with in the very first article:

“Behold, I give unto you power (Exousia) to tread over serpents and scorpion, and over all the power (Dunamis) of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” – Luke 10:19

As we discussed already in the previous article, there are two different “power” words used in that verse: Dunamis (Dynamic ability to effect changes) and Exousia.

We took a look at a few accounts in scripture where it was confirmed hat Dunamis had been bestowed upon us. However, in this verse the master confers upon us a different level of power and suggests that it is greater than the Dunamis that the enemy has; and this level of authority is coined Exousia.

So then what is Exousia?

WHAT IS EXOUSIA?

In a nutshell, Exousia is delegated authority!

Exousia is quite different from all the other power words used in the scriptures in that it implies a “delegated authority” which means it’s not an ability we possess inherently by virtue of who and what we are.

Now, we’ll jump into portions of scripture in a moment, but I’d like to express Exousia in more practical terms before that.

Take for instance, an organizational hierarchy. Different levels of operation require different levels of power thus, the higher you go up the hierarchy, the more power is observed vested upon fewer and fewer individuals. But the kind of power we are referring to isn’t physical strength or supernatural strength, rather authority.

Authority is the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience!

So the kind of authority the CEO has is exceedingly greater than the authority a clerk may have. That means regardless of the size of the clerk’s body compared to the CEO’s body when the CEO gives orders, the clerk executes them proving that authority is greater than inherent power.

That too, however, is simply a matter of perspective in that it suggests this:

The strength and magnitude of a person’s authority is dependent on who it is that delegates his authority to you. Take our organizational hierarchy analogy for instance: if the senior departmental manager delegated his authority to one clerk and the CEO delegated his authority to another clerk, then the clerk with the greatest authority is obviously the one who received his authority from the man with the highest authority. So when he speaks, everyone in the organization listens as they would when the CEO himself speaks. This example is purely conjectural, however.

DUNAMIS VERSUS EXOUSIA?

So then if one has Dunamis and the other has Exousia and they each have absolute control over their level of power, which one of the two is greater?

An example, and perhaps better suited for this analogy is the timeless example of the traffic police officer:

The traffic police officer that stands in the middle of the road and directs the flow and timing of traffic is perhaps, from my own perspective, by far the best example of delegated authority. Regardless of how small and fragile the man or woman may be, when he or she raises her hand at your car, no mater how fast you were moving you are under obligation to grind to a complete halt until she allows you to pass.

So why would you have to stop at his gesture when he or she clearly doesn’t have the strength and physical ability enough to force your car down to zero velocity from whatever speed you may have been moving at? Why would you have to obey that guy? Well, it’s simply because that little police officer standing in front of you and ordering you around is backed by the power and physical ability to force you into submission, failure to which will undoubtedly lead to serious penalties and consequences that you are given no choice but to obey—even if the penalty is to your eventual death! That little traffic officer has the backing of guns, tanks, nuclear warheads, and other far more deadly ammunition the country’s arsenal (lie rubber gloves and cute puppies for instance, orders of magnitude far more deadly than guns).

So that’s the classic case of which is greater between power and authority.

DO I HAVE EXOUSIA AS A CHRISTIAN?

Emphatically, yes.. again!

And to illustrate this, let us take a look a few verse in scripture that confirm this:

“Behold, I give unto you authority to tread over serpents and scorpions, and over all the inherent ability of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”—Luke 10:19

Yes, that’s the verse we took a look at as our opening scripture in which Jesus gives us authority over any and every level of inherent power that the enemy may have.

And I love how he ends the statement with the assurance that nothing will by any means hurt us.

Having looked at the verse, here’s another major truth I’ve been reserving for quite a while now: It’s going to be a little lengthy but I assure you it is worth it and I advise you read carefully:

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power (Exousia) is given unto me in heaven and in earth”—Matthew 28:18

Here, Jesus reveals that all authority (not just some, but ALL) has been vested upon him in both heaven and earth; meaning all creation is subject to Jesus. With that verse in mind, let’s observe the word in Paul’s prayer concerning the level of authority that Jesus is granted; he starts out praying that we be given Epignosis and moves on to revealing a few other key truths revealed concerning Jesus and how those truths relate to us:

“And what is the exceeding greatness of his (God’s) power (Dunamis) to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power (Kratos),

Which he wrought (demonstrated) in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.

Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

Which is his body, the fullness of him that fillet all in all.” – Ephesians 1:19-23

In case you hadn’t quite gotten it reading through the verses, allow me to break it down for you a little. He reveals that after Jesus was raised from the dead and he ascended into heaven, God set him at his own right side in the heavenly places. Observe he doesn’t say “set him at his own right-hand side.” He isn’t referring to a location where God decided to set Jesus, rather he’s referring to a place of authority (God’s own right hand i.e., the next in authority).

Paul quickly continues following up with emphasis on just how high Jesus has been set:

“far above all principality, and power (Exousia), and might (Dunamis), and dominion…”

These are types and classifications of spiritual beings, by the way. We will take a more detailed look at these specific classes in later articles. Nevertheless, he reveals that regardless of the level of spiritual being, Jesus has been set far above all of them. Not just above them all, but far above!

Observe as well that it’s not just spiritual beings that Jesus has been placed far above of, but also

“every name that is named, not only in this world but also in that which is to come.”

That means that he has also been set far above any title that can be thought or given such as King, emperor, Pharaoh—it doesn’t matter the title because Jesus has been set far above all titles that have ever been created, that exist, and that will ever exist!

His last words are referring to his relationship to the church (the collection of all Christians both as a whole and individually) when he says

“And has put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church: which is his body: the fullness of him…”

Here he reveals that the Jesus is given to be the head and his body to be the church (the Christians). Regardless of how you think about it (whether as a physical body or an organization) the head and body have the same life in them and thus have the same power and authority, and as well the same name—Christ—because they are one body. Meaning if Jesus (the head) was set that high in the heavenly realms, then we too (the church and individual Christians) are at God’s right hand with Jesus with the very same authority that has been conferred on to Jesus.

So just in case you assume I’m merely making this up and simply trying to sugar colt a spiritual truth, observe the very next verse from where we had read last in Paul’s prayer and how it starts with the words:

“And you (meaning us) has he quickened (made alive), who were dead in trespasses and sins (its even more clear here that he is referring to us);

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Among whom also we had our conversation (manner of life) in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of he mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

BUT GOD, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

Even when we were dead in sins, had quickened (made alive) us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” – Ephesians 2:1-6

I doubt that there are any grey areas here. I understand that this may be too great a truth to handle but I assure you it is very real and very true. Believe that, ladies and gentlemen, you have been given that great a magnitude of authority: comparable only to that which God himself has.

With that in mind, would it not be a little embarrassing to fall sick again?

WHAT EXOUSIA DO I HAVE?

Well, over all things without a doubt!

When we talk of authority, we aren’t talking of a form of supernatural ability such as flight and teleportation. Rather an influence enough to subdue other intellectual beings and impose our own interests over them irrespective of how they may feel about it.

So when talking about casting out demons, giving instructions to angels, calling forth blessings (such as wealth, health, etc.), and everything in-between, we aren’t referring to Dunamis (inherent ability), rather Exousia (authority to impose our interests or ideas over those of others and enforce obedience out of them).

This is where many Christians tend to go wrong: they try to use Dunamis when they should be using Exousia and vice versa. And almost all the time that’s the major reason things they try never work and we blame God or others for it.

Note: other times it tends to be our faith that stands as an obstacle to achieving our goals.

We have been given authority over all things; not just some things, but all things are under subjection to us. By that I mean all things that possess a form of intelligence; because, as you would recall, authority can only be practiced and exercised on beings with intelligence; those whose minds can be imposed upon and subdued. That means you have authority over all living things on earth (from the plants to the animals). As well, you have authority over angels and all other spirits (both good and bad; and yes that means Satan too).

So, when you see the negative circumstances of life coming your way (perhaps through symptoms of sickness, failure, or anything that you personally do not like) you simply raise your hand as the traffic officer does and direct them away. And as we’ve discussed concerning authority, they are under obligation to obey.

Just in case any may be wondering, that’s why you would observe ministers casting out devils and healing the sick and sometimes even resurrecting the dead; because they have come to an understanding of the kind of Dunamis and Exousia they possess as Christians (not as ministers of the gospel).

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EXOUSIA

Exousia may sometimes be considered a sign of one as being a true believer. Consider the words of the master Jesus below:

“And these signs shall follow them that believe: in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” – Mark 16:17-18

Many people are under the false assumption that this is an expectation as opposed to a present-day reality. They assume it’s a promise when really, it’s not. When Jesus uttered those words, he wasn’t making a promise that he will have these things manifest concerning us; rather he was simply telling the world about us: how they will know when we (the Christians that have mastered authority) arrive on the scene. He is simply telling us that the signs listed above are symbolic reference to the characteristics we will observe from the true believers, so that when the world sees a man uttering unknown tongues, they should be aware that the believers have arrived on the scene.

HOW TO USE EXOUSIA

The first thing we need to understand about authority is that authority doesn’t beg! Authority doesn’t ask or request; authority commands and expects obedience—nothing less!

When dealing with authority, we talk not of actions nor prayer, but commands! And commands are uttered with words and symbols.

Take these two accounts, for instance:

“Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.

And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;

Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.

And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.

And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something from them.

Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.” – Acts 3:1-7

Notice how commanding Peter’s words and actions were in the account; those weren’t the words and actions of a man that was trying to exercise his unstable faith (which works sometimes and fails sometimes), rather this was a man who moved with the consciousness and mentality that he possessed and authority, supernatural.

Then above all else, consider his words

“in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk”

Observe how it is that he wasn’t asking the man to rise up and walk. He was demanding that the man arose in the name (authority) of the master, Jesus Christ.

As was said earlier: authority isn’t one to beg or request. Authority commands and expects obedience. Peter uttered those words, and upon saying so he took the man by the hand and lifted him. And the verse above clearly states that

“immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength”

So, when exercising authority, there must never be any room for doubt or timidity. Use words and follow them with corresponding actions of faith (based off the evidence you already possess). Don’t just simply go around attempting harmful stunts that are not backed by concrete evidence from the scriptures, otherwise your authority will be contested, and you may end up defeated; not because you didn’t have the authority, but because you didn’t know how to use it.

So that’s pretty much it on Exousia, ladies and gentlemen. We may now move on to other classes of power in the next articles.