Getting Your Authority Part I

E∑¡Matthew 28:18-19 "Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..."

In the midst of my study of Christian leadership I began to sense that I needed to help people understand authority in a more comprehensive way. For this reason, I will divide my thoughts on authority into multiple articles with this being Part I.

 While I wasn’t sure how much authority structure I would find in the life of Jesus, I went directly to the gospels to read and observe how Jesus used his authority. I was surprised when I read repeatedly that Jesus was “given” or “granted” his authority. In the sum of several passages, I found the specifics of the authority that was “given” to him. He was granted authority:

1. In heaven and earth – Matthew 28:18 
2. Over every power and authority – Colossians 2:9 
3. To forgive sins - Matthew 9:4 
4. To give eternal life to the ones the Father gave him – John 17:1 
5. Reign with all authority – I Peter 3:22 

Although I believe every word of scripture is important, I feel that when God repeats certain phrases, we should search for a special lesson. In pondering the importance of the Bible’s repetition of the phrase “given him” or “granted him,” I reflected on my own leadership life and remembered the day when being granted authority was so very important to me.

 Being Granted Authority Makes All the Difference

Have you been granted the authority that you take?

At age twenty-two, I received a promotion to plant manager. I was in a growing family business, and I really did work hard and love what I was doing. In my first few years of work, I gained experience in a variety of production positions and helped management with fixing and/or designing a multitude of pneumatic, electrical, and pipe fitting projects. While I felt I demonstrated management potential, I admit that my last name helped me in becoming plant manager of about 50 people.

However, after I was given my promotion, a strange thing happened. My superiors gave me the job but did not tell the employees. They just assumed everyone would fall into place under my young leadership. Guess what? That did not happen the way they expected. There were several employees who had worked for the family for 30 years, and not all of them were ready to follow me so quickly. In fact, one or two of them didn’t submit willingly. At best, it could be described as awkward submission.

Weeks later I, along with one senior supervisor, went to the family owners and described the problem. We told them that they needed to tell all the employees about the change in management. They were surprised, but they did call a company meeting and formally presented me as the employees’ new boss. From that day on, everyone knew that I had been given authority over them, and, immediately, the situation began to improve.

The Importance of Authority for Our Leadership

Friends, it does not matter how skillful you are or how much potential you have as a leader. You will never be able to lead effectively without this thing we call authority. If Jesus did not begin his leadership on earth without it, why should any of us think we can? In addition, authority will serve you well if it is given to you. If you try to “take it” or to use authority you do not have, it will be a thorn in your side.

"Friends, it does not matter how skillful you are or how much potential you have as a leader. You will never be able to lead effectively without this thing we call authority."

What other lesson can we learn from these passages? How about asking for and receiving clear and concise job descriptions that include specific language of who and what we have authority over? I believe the passages above clearly outline what authority the Father gave Jesus. However, many leaders fear job descriptions that are as specific as Jesus’ “job description.” I believe job descriptions need to be very specific about the scope of authority but not minute details of every task. Currently, most job descriptions are weak on authority and heavy on details.

Food for Thought

• How did you begin in your leadership? 
• Are you clear on what authority you have, and better yet, the authority you don’t have? 
• Who are the leaders who follow you? Have you been clear in what authority you have given them? 
• And finally, how about the rest of the followers? Does everyone understand your authority? If you have doubts, might I suggest you get to work?

Photo courtesy of Nick Sarebi.