Part of our divine commission is for us to turn others from the authority of Satan to God (Acts 26:18); for this, we need first to have a clear sky with the throne of God above it.
We need to read and pray, pray and read much over this verse in the Bible, for in it we see the all-inclusive contents of our divine commission.
On one hand we need to cooperate with the Lord and preach the gospel for others to enter into the kingdom of God, according to our divine commission; on the other hand, we ourselves need to experience every item of the divine commission first.
We ourselves need to have our eyes opened, to be turned from darkness to light and from the authority of Satan to God, so that we may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in the Lord, in the church life.
First of all, we need to have our eyes opened to see God’s salvation, God’s economy, and God’s Christ. Our spiritual eyes need to be opened and enlightened by the Lord through the gospel, and even after our regeneration we need to continue to have our eyes opened.
We need to ask the Lord to give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him, so that we may know Him, His heart’s desire, and His economy.
We need to see more and more of Christ, the Body of Christ, and the divine dispensing for the divine economy. These are not mere doctrines or teachings but visions for us to see from the Lord and with the Lord.
We need to have the Lord’s fresh appearing every day so that we may minister Him and witness Him to others.
If we don’t have the Lord’s appearing, how can we bring others to Him, and how can we bring Him to others? We first need to be enlightened, and then we will shine as luminaries in the world, and bring others into a spiritual seeing of God, Christ, and the economy of God with the Body of Christ.
When we are unveiled to see and when light shines in our being, we can open others eyes and we can turn them from darkness to light.
We need to be people who are full of light, people who have a single heart for the Lord, loving Him and caring for Him uniquely and supremely.
Since light is the presence of God, we need to be in His presence, live in His presence and enjoy Christ as our God-allotted portion in the light. Then, we can tell out the virtues of Him who has called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light.
Today we want to go on to see that we need to turn others from the authority of Satan to God by first ourselves having a clear sky with the throne of God above it.
Maintaining a Clear Sky with the Lord with the Throne of God Above it
For us to accomplish our divine commission to turn others from the authority of Satan to God, we first need to maintain a clear sky with the Lord with the throne of God above it.
We need to have a clear fellowship with Him, having nothing between us but having a crystal clear sky between us and the Lord. This means that we need to keep short accounts with Him, always confessing what His light exposes, and have a conscience pure, void of any offense (Acts 24:16).
When it comes to the sky between us and the Lord, many times a small thing such as our attitude toward our wife or husband can cloud the sky. It may not be an outburst of anger or an evil word, but even our poor attitude toward our spouse can cause us to have clouds in our sky.
It may be that our spouse is wrong, but we are the ones having the clouds in our sky with the Lord, so we need to confess, apologise, and ask for forgiveness. As soon as we do this, the “weather” in our inner being changes, and the sky between us and the Lord clears up. Then, the Lord will be enthroned in our being.
In Ezek. 1:22 we see that above the heads of the living creatures – which represent us – there was the likeness of an expanse, like the sight of awesome crystal, and above it there was the likeness of a throne, and on the throne there was one like the Son of Man.
Whenever we have a clear sky between us and the Lord, the throne of God is there, and on the throne is Christ, the God-man.
In our Christian life and in our church life, whenever we have a clear sky with the Lord, the throne of God will be there, and we are brought under God’s ruling authority.
Actually, the highest step in our spiritual experience as Christians is to have the throne in our clear sky. On our side we need to take care of our sky with the Lord, and on His side, whenever we have a clear sky, He is on the throne.
For us to have the throne of God in us or to arrive at the throne means to allow God to have the highest and most prominent position in our being and in our life.
He must reign in us, and we must be submissive to His authority and administration.
The clearer our sky with the Lord is, the more we are under His throne, the more we are submissive to His authority, and more qualified we are to bring others out of the authority of Satan to God.
We need to check with ourselves in our Christian life we have a clear sky with the throne of God above it.
If we do, we are blessed, for God is on the throne, and we are under His authority, and we are qualified and commissioned to represent Him with His authority before others.
But if our sky is cloudy, we may not have the boldness and authority to bring others out of the kingdom of Satan and into the kingdom of God. We need to ask the Lord,
Lord Jesus, grant us to have a clear sky with You with the throne of God above it. We want to deal with anything that Your light exposes, Lord, so that we may have a clear conscience, void of any offense. Oh Lord, may there be nothing between us but a clear sky, and may You be enthroned in our being. We give You the preeminence, Lord, and we enthrone You in us. Have the first place. Have the supreme authority and the last word. Amen, Lord Jesus, we enthrone You in our being right now!
Having a Clear Sky with the Throne Above it to bring Others under God’s Authority
If we are under a clear sky with the throne of God above it, genuine authority will be with us so that we may bring others under God’s authority (see 2 Cor. 10:4-5, 8; 13:3, 10).
The weapons of our warfare are not fleshly but powerful before God for the overthrowing of strongholds, as we overthrow reasonings and every thigh thing rising up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive all thoughts unto the obedience of Christ.
This has to happen in us first, and when we are under a clear sky with the throne above it, we are qualified to bring others under God’s authority.
Because the Lord Jesus had a clear sky between Him and the Father, He had God’s authority to bring in the kingdom of God and to transfer people from the authority of darkness into God’s kingdom.
Genuine authority doesn’t come by being strong in your will or by being zealous for the Lord; genuine spiritual authority comes from being under a clear sky with God’s throne above it, that is, when we are under God’s throne.
Being under God’s authority causes us to have the authority to bring others out of the authority of Satan to God.
Why does God want to bring us to the throne, first to be under the throne (under His authority) and then to be on the throne with Him (to rule with His authority)?
It is because in this universe there’s a creature, Satan, who rebelled against God’s throne (see Isa. 14). He had so much authority and beauty, but he rebelled against God, wanting to be like God.
But God, who is great, would not deal with this creature in and by Himself; rather, He created man in His image and likeness, and when a group of people have a clear sky with the throne above it, they cause damage to the kingdom of Satan.
The greatest difficulty God faces in the universe is that His throne has been opposed and attacked by rebel forces, and it seems that the enemy is winning battle after battle.
God’s throne is absolute, He has already set Jesus Christ – a God-man – to rule over all things, but Satan still rebels against God and seeks to exalt his throne to be equal with that of God.
Much of what’s happening on earth today is an expression of Satan’s resistance to God’s throne, and many question, Who is actually reigning on earth – is it God, or is it Satan?
We in the church life need to take the lead to have a clear sky with the throne above it, being under the ruling and reigning of God, and we will have God’s authority to deal with the enemy and bring many from under Satan and into God’s kingdom.
We need to love the Lord to the uttermost and enthrone Him in our being, having a clear sky between us and Him with the throne of God above it, and we will be qualified to turn others from the authority of Satan to God.
Our uttermost love for the Lord qualifies, perfects, and equips us to speak for the Lord with His authority (cf. John 21:15, 17).
When we love the Lord to the uttermost, we will spontaneously give Him the first place in our being, and He will be on the throne; this will qualify us, perfect us, and equip us to speak for the Lord with His authority.
Lord Jesus, we give ourselves to love You to the uttermost so that we may be qualified, perfected, and equipped to speak for You with Your authority. We love You, Lord, and we give You the first place in our being and in all the things related to us. Lord, may there be a clear sky between us and You, and may Your throne be set up in the center of our being. Oh Lord, overthrow any strongholds in us, and overthrow our reasonings and anything that rises up against the knowledge of God. May all our thoughts be captive unto the obedience of Christ!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by Ed Marks for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Ezekiel, msgs. 10-12 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Propagating the Resurrected, Ascended, and All-inclusive Christ as the Development of the Kingdom of God (2018 fall ITERO), week 9, The Divine Commission according to the Heavenly Vision for the Continuation of the Book of Acts in the Unique Flow of the Divine Stream.
- Hymns on this topic:
# Nothing between my soul and the Savior, / So that His blessed face may be seen; / Nothing preventing the least of His favor, / Keep the way clear! Let nothing between (Hymns #372)
# Shining One—how clear the sky above me! / Son of Man, I see Thee on the throne! / Holy One, the flames of God consume me, / Till my being glows with Thee alone. (Hymns #1159)
# Today we must learn to submit to His throne, / How to have a strict life and His government own; / His authority then we’ll be able to share, / o’er the nations to rule with God’s Son as the heir. (Hymns #947)
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