Relational authority and the Kingdom of God

“All authority is relational. Period.”

Such is the conclusion my friend Mark over at Made to Praise Him has reached in this article. This has got me thinking. Jesus only did that which He saw His Father do. All of His works were the result of the overflow of intimacy and relationship that Jesus had with Father God, feeling what He felt, His heart beating in unison with the yearnings emanating from God’s heart of love. Intimacy and relationship: the two essential components for Kingdom fruitfulness.

Intimacy before fruitfulness.

In a marriage, intimacy is what produces new life. Such is the case with our relationship with the Lord: All fruitfulness in life and ministry come as a result of intimacy. It is a closeness of relationship with the Father that creates the spiritual realities necessary for His Kingdom to invade. Our all too often lack of authority speaks volumes about how close we are with the Lord. It is time to address this lack of authority by wasting time with the Lord – getting to know Him, enjoying His presence, learning His ways and His heart. For me, this essentially translates to how I am spending my time. What other impostors are stealing my face time with God? What affairs have I got going on in my heart of hearts that take my gaze away from my Beloved?

Friend of God

Abraham was called a friend of God and his life had the fruit to prove it! I mean, when the CEO of the universe is your buddy, you do tend to have some clout yourself…….regardez:

• Abraham and his lovely wife went into Egypt and were noticed by Pharaoh who happened to be the leader of the world’s superpower (link)
• King Abimelech saw the favour on Abraham’s life and decided to pay him a visit and enter into a covenant of peace with him, lest Abraham’s “buddy” smite him on the backside (link). What sort of man was this that he had an audience with a king? Geez, when was the last time I had a king pay me a visit?
• Abraham was a mighty warrior who, along with a couple of tribal chiefs, and his 318 servants, fought against five kings and armies and recovered his nephew and all the spoil that had been taken from the five cities that were under tribute (link)

Such is the influence that a friend of God can expect.

It is our turn now

“No longer do I call you servants….but I have called you friends” – John 15:15

Like Abraham, we are now called friends of God. We can expect to leave in our wake the same history-changing legacies as Abraham who is the Father of the faith. If my friendship with God is a given – it is in the word – then the only other issue that might be uncertain is my level of intimacy with Father God. Again I ask, “What other impostors are stealing my face time with God? What affairs have I got going on in my heart of hearts that take my gaze away from my Beloved?”

Jesus, we have some talking to do – can we have a coffee together later?