Walking in Authority — Sermon by Rev. Lenny Kronschewitz

please pray with me for a moment Come

Holy Spirit Come apply to us the

fullness of what Jesus has accomplished

for

us come and let us see Jesus more

clearly as a result of my

sermon and fill us with your

joy and your peace and your

strength in Christ's name I pray amen

you may be seated

well good morning

everyone it's so good to be here it's so

good to see this church full it's it's

wonderful um it's wonderful literally um

I um as uh Pastor GRE Craig said I am uh

originally from St Augustine which

explains my accent and

um before that I I lived in Germany

which really uh explains it so I'm I'm

from Germany originally and I'm so happy

to be here with you guys today I want to

encourage you if you would like to

follow me a little bit more closely take

your Pew Bible and open it to Page

1,000 which is a really cool page to

open to I believe so when I saw that I

thought everybody needs to have the

Bible open on page 1,000 I'm going to be

highlighting a few aspects of what we

just learned from the gospel of Mark

when it comes to what it means to being

on Mission and living a life of

evangelism you know um I'm originally

like I said from Germany I met my wife

in Europe on the mission field she's

from

Florida which is what gave me legal

access to this country here um I have a

green card and we came here 5 years ago

following God's call to be part of the

gulf Atlantic dicese and plant a new

church we did not have an Anglican

background before that and we did not

want to plant another church but the

Lord thought we needed to become

Anglican and plant an Anglican church so

we said yes sir

um once we arrived here um Co broke out

and the whole world kind of changed and

so we felt kind of from that angle

relieved because we thought if this

doesn't work out at least we can blame

Co um for that but by God's grace we're

still here and we um we are now in our

fifth year as a church plant we have

three little children that are faithful

members of our church um our oldest is

Eli he's 8 years old and we have Micah

who is 4 years old and after we gave our

children um the names of fiery prophets

of the Old Testament and seeing what

that does to them and their temperament

we decided to come up with something

more gentle and sweetly for the third

child that we had who is a sweet little

Kora a little girl Kora stands for Kora

son which means heart and she really has

all of our heart Unfortunately they

can't be here today um my wife is busy

at home with the kids and kind of

maintaining our our Sunday morning uh

experience in in St Augustine but yeah

I'm I'm happy to be here and I'm I'm

here with Elena and Gabriel Roman and

their one of their sons Mato their

church planting residents in our church

for the next three years will be

learning with us as we planned and then

be sent out to plant another church so

as you can tell a lot of what I'm going

to share about today has to do with

being on Mission and being Evangelistic

which is really also the theme that we

as a dases as a network of of churches

are in at the moment last weekend we had

our annual Gathering called Senate where

the main focus of everything we did was

evangelism and Mission and so would like

to look at today's passage from that

angle a little bit and also add a few of

my personal testimonies here and there

just to show how faithful God is no

matter where you are in the world so if

you have opened up your your scriptures

to page 1,000 or follow in your Bible

wherever um you you read from um we

start in Mark uh 6 sorry Mark uh what

was it six yeah starting in verse S and

it says here in the very beginning

and he that is Jesus called the 12

everybody say

called all right Jesus called the 12 not

vice versa the 12 did not get together

one day and had the brilliant idea of

making Jesus their lord and saying Jesus

we decided to follow you no Jesus said

guys I am calling you I have chosen you

you have not chosen me I have chosen you

God always takes the initiative in the

work of redemption God always takes the

initiative in our missionary work in our

Evangelistic Zeal we don't wake up one

day and say I feel like planting a

church

today or I feel like I should become a

missionary or evangelist because we are

so good and generous in our own Hearts

no we're not we want to be on the golf

course on Sunday mornings right we want

to be sleeping in we want to be doing

something else but it is the holy spirit

that stirs in us that calls us to

something to living beyond ourselves to

joining a God that we can't even see

physically to join him on

Mission and to tell other people about

him this is always a work that he

initiates in our lives and so even our

Zeal of being part of something like

that is the sheer grace of God

resonating in our our

hearts so this is how it starts the

Apostle Paul he said the love of Christ

compels

me I can't help but go and preach the

gospel I was 14 years old when that

happened to me and I remember how um how

God really made it clear to me that he

was calling me to just stop just being

part of

Christendom and actually following him

wholeheartedly I remember I wasn't a in

a Wednesday night or Tuesday night

worship service at the church that my

parents became Believers in it was a

German Assemblies of God

Church my parents were hardcore atheists

until a few years before I was born so I

I was fortunate to grow up in a

Christian home but I didn't really have

a relationship with that Jesus I didn't

really sense his calling and then in

that worship service that night a

preacher from Argentina came and he

preached a fiery sermon about something

that I don't even remember what it was

about but he was being translated into

German and here we are in my hometown

nberg Germany that's that's where I'm

from by the way in nberg famous for the

Nazi trials but also famous for other

good things um but we were there and I

like I said I don't remember anything

except that in the middle of his sermon

the preacher stopped and he said I feel

very strongly by the Holy Spirit there

are two young men here tonight and God

is calling

you I want you to to come to the

front when he said that my heart started

beating like never before I knew exactly

in that moment that God was actually

looking at me but I felt too scared I I

was really really afraid of men fear of

men was a big deal for me afraid of what

other people think so there was no way

that I would get up and walk to the

front and expose myself as somebody who

needs

God Pride fear so I stayed where I was

at 15 minutes later the preacher

interrupted himself again and he said I

really sense by the Holy Spirit there

are two people here that God is calling

today he wants to start new with you he

has a plan for you and this moment even

stronger than before I felt like all the

spots Light Of Heaven were on

me but I I wouldn't go I was too scared

I did not respond to the

call I in fact I started making excuses

I looked around and I saw other young

men my age and I thought that guy I know

he has some issues I'm sure God is

calling him today

right some of us know that kind of

mindset right we always think that the

word we're hearing is really for our

neighbor who we wish would be here

hearing that right

now after the service was over everybody

was invited to go to the front and

receive prayer and I thought well why

not I liked hiding in the crowd so I

went to the front and I just waited for

my Mo my time to come to be prayed for

and that preacher he walked up to me and

from a distance he saw me and he already

smiled he had a very gentle fatherly

smile he walked up to me and he said he

looked me in the eyes and he

said you you were one of the two that

God was calling

tonight and when he said that it blew my

mind and I don't remember anything

really much I I don't remember much more

of what he said all I remember is I I

felt devastated I left the church

building I went outside I walked around

and I thought did I really just miss out

on God did he really just call me and I

I I was too scared of what other people

think and because of that I didn't

respond is that really what just

happened and so I I walked around in

circles outside and after 10 minutes or

so I went right back in I chased down

the preacher and I said sir if there's

any

way that I can that I that I can still

get on the

bus if there's any way

that God accepts my delayed yes

can we please pray for that and we did

and from that moment my my life was

never the same

again God had called me and I didn't

want anything else anymore in life but

follow his

calling and now I'm in Florida which is

amazing every German loves this is not

Florida I know but um It's Not So

Different Here you know like the weather

and everything the architecture is a bit

prettier I think than it's better it's a

little bit better yeah that's right see

um yeah God sends people where they

really need help you know what I mean so

that's why I sent me to

Florida anyway I said yes and I'm so

grateful that he keeps on saying yes in

me and through me that's what it means

to live called God takes the

initiative the second thing we see here

in the story in the gospel is that Jesus

gives them Authority everybody say

authority authority this is something

that I believe we are often not really

well aware enough of I I think this is a

very important aspect of what it means

to be on Mission you know being on

Mission means that we are in

confrontation with the gates of hell but

the authority we have

received actually

overpowers those Gates of H Jesus

Promised and said I will build my church

and the Gates of Hell shall not Prevail

against the church and this is important

to know because I think one of the main

things that holds us back one of the

main things that keeps us from being

missional and and living the life of

adventure that God has for us is fear in

my case I did not respond to God's

initial call because I was

afraid afraid of what other people think

afraid of what if I look like a fool

afraid of what if I you know these kind

of fears right all the things that come

into our mind the moment we think of

ourselves as a missionary or as an

evangelist what if they reject me what

if they don't like me what if I say

something stupid what if what if what if

what

if and we forget that we've been

authorized that we actually have

received power from God to go and do

this

stuff and to be effective in

it I mean imagine a police officer

imagine a police officer that's

authorized by by the state of Georgia or

by the by the city or the sheriff's

department or however your law

enforcement is organized here imagine an

officer having received the authority

but then when he goes out into his

mission field he becomes insecure and

he's like what if people don't like

me which some do right but what if that

would affect his exercising his

authority what if he goes into a crisis

situation with criminals and he walks in

there thinking gosh I wonder what if

those criminals don't like

me what if I what if they reject me

which I guarantee you they

will why because you have authority to

tell them no to put them in

prison you know and in the same way we

have authority in the

spirit but we allow the enemy we allow

the spiritual forces of Darkness to

intimidate us too much and to kind of

keep us sitting in our police cars and

our in our and you know in our Sheriff

stations and just celebrating and

singing about the authority we have but

not actually going out there and

exercising

it I think that's what we unfortunately

um tend to do and I'm here today to

remind all of us including myself that

we have received authority to go on

Mission and to do the good work of the

Kingdom because it is a matter of power

you know that the gospel Proclamation is

a matter of proclaiming the Jesus Christ

is Lord and that Satan is

not it do power struggle but there's no

more power battle the battle has been

won there's an implementation of that

battle into every corner of society and

of this world and that's where we're

called to participate

in honestly that is one of the things

that got me really excited around the

same time when I was 14 when all this

happened to me around the same time I

went to a youth group

meeting I remember there was a

16-year-old and there was a guest

speaker from South

Africa uh an intercessor prayer Warrior

she she taught that day and she started

praying for the Youth and I hope I don't

freak anyone out but one of that one of

the 16-year-olds who had gotten into a

lot of trouble beforehand he started

manifesting some evil Powers he started

shrieking and screaming at the top of

his voice and that lady prayed for him

and whatever was in him was cast out and

this guy's face was changed completely

he was full of joy and love and

happiness afterwards and I witnessed all

of this I remember my my knees shaking

and thinking I I better be on the right

side of

this and I saw that the kingdom of God

is not just a matter of talk but of

power and it requires people that walk

in authority I'm not saying be you know

you know don't exercise you know caution

and don't be careful and all of yes

there is wisdom in all of this I'm not

saying go out there and you know try to

shoot demons everywhere but I think I

think it there is something to be said

about confronting the things that we

know us back and pushing back in the

authority of the name of Jesus and not

allowing these things to hold us back

from being on Mission and

Evangelistic Halloween is around the

corner great opportunity to cast out

some

stuff I want to remind us as Believers

that our job is to cast out demons and

not to decorate our front Lawns with

them

okay yeah

one day in in in Ireland you know

Halloween that the whole Halloween

craziness kind of comes out of Ireland

and one day in Belfast Northern Ireland

we dressed up as

monks and we went around the city

praying for the sick and praying for the

Holy Spirit to encounter people and it

was absolutely amazing um how God showed

up in faithfulness and reached people

that were walking around drunk and in

their weird costumes and all of that and

there's something about getting out out

there by faith and taking the authority

God has given you amen lastly the third

point we see here in this message and by

the way there are more points but we

don't have enough time to look at all of

them but another point we see here is

the importance of serving

others being on Mission really means

serving

others you know when we love God the

Bible says that that does include loving

others you cannot love God and not love

neighbor it it doesn't work like

that being on Mission being called

basically means replacing a Meir

attitude with a God first attitude and

that

means others first attitude remember in

that remarkable judgment scene in

Matthew 25 where at the end of the age

Jesus Will separate the sheep from the

goats maybe you remember that story

where where all the nations appear

before Jesus and Jesus separates the

sheep from the goats and he

says I was in prison and you visited me

I was sick and you took care of me I was

hungry and you fed me and then they will

ask Jesus what when did we do that to

you and Jesus says in response whenever

you did that for one of the least of

these you did it for me in other words

when we serve the least when we sered

when when we serve those that others

overlook look then we're directly

serving Jesus Christ himself in another

passage he says about children whoever

receives one of those little ones

receives me if you want to know where

the presence of Jesus is the presence of

Jesus is with

children and the way we treat children

is the way we treat Jesus so this is how

he identifies with people that's why if

we say we love God and we want to live

for God first it always means

serving other people serving the least

serving those who are in need and that

is

exactly what the disciples were sent out

to do this is why they were given

Authority they were not given authority

to feel good about themselves and to

have business cards that say I'm Apostle

so and so my superpower is this and

that invite me on your radio show invite

me to your TV program

no they were given authority to reach

those in darkness to reach the least to

reach those who were lost in

hopelessness who were under demonic

influence who were

dead that's what the authori is all

about to call people to

repentance and say come on something

better is here than what you

have the kingdom of God is here turn

back turn around change the way you

think get rid of all your junk and

follow

Jesus that's what it means to serve

others and obviously Jesus himself said

I did not come to be served I did not

come with a me first agenda I came to

serve and to give my life for

many being called exercising Authority

serving others these are three beautiful

aspects we find in this short passage

here aspects of what it means to be on

Mission in the kingdom of God they were

they applied to the original disciples

and they still apply to us 2,000 years

later that's why I I do what I do I

believe church planting is is exactly

that you hear God's call you receive the

authority and then you go out there by

faith and you confront the darkness and

by serving other people now maybe you're

wondering

today just as I have and I'm tempted to

wonder that myself all the

time am I really

called did I just make all this

up anyone ever felt like that before

like yeah okay than thank you do I

really have

authority I struggle even when I pray

for a parking spot and I

I don't even seem to have authority to

get a nice parking spot right or like

let alone getting involved in people's

messes and casting out their stuff like

H how can I really

like do I even have enough

faith has anyone ever prayed for

something and it did not

happen really

man or the whole serving question okay

you know H how do we actually

effectively serve other people

without running dry and running empty

and burning out and and where do we even

start I mean we we feel like we we're a

mess ourselves most of the time right so

who who should we serve and how and so

so these are all the questions really

that we often don't have clear answers

to that hinder us from stepping out and

doing the kind of stuff that we read

about here now let me tell you something

as I

as I finish and kind of land This Plane

soon

here our life on Mission our our life of

evangelism will never

work unless it is 100% rooted in Jesus

Christ too many of us exist in a

Christian hamster

wheel where we run and run and run and

run and when we got off the wheel we

have made zero

progress because we try in our own

strength we try to do this we try to do

that when the Christian Life starts with

Just

Surrender and letting the Lord become

everything for

us see how do you know that you're

called Because of

Jesus that was a life Cher for me when I

realized that in Ephesians chapter 1 it

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

says that in Jesus you were chosen

before the beginning of the world he is

the chosen one the father has chosen

Jesus he is the

elect he is the chosen one and the

Chooser at the same time that's the

genius of God he's both God and man in

Christ he's both the Chooser and the

chosen one he's the elector and the

electee in him the Covenant between God

and humanity is perfectly

sustained all the weight is of our

shoulders of trying to maintain Covenant

with God good

news and we who are in Jesus share in

his called and in his chosenness and in

his sunship identity we we can cry ABA

father just like Jesus gets to cry ABA

father why because we're in Jesus

everything that we can claim for

ourselves including our chosenness we

can claim because of his

chosenness you make the cut in Christ

you don't have to wonder am I really or

not the question is not are you or are

not the question is is Jesus and the

answer is

yes he was chosen for you and for me for

me that was really good news when I

first realize

that how do you know that you have

authority because of

Jesus you know 1 John 4 says greater is

he that is in you than he that is in the

World in other words whatever you're

confronting or coming against you have

authority over that not because you're

so smart or you run so hard on your

hamster wheel or there's something so

special about you or you're qualified no

it's because simply because of one fact

and that is that Jesus Christ is in

you you are a nightmare to the

devil you are because of Christ in you

and I love that as anglicans we come to

the table every week and we remind

ourselves physically of the fact that

Jesus is in

us that is the source of our

Authority and lastly how can we now get

involved in serving others well you know

I'm not I'm not here now to give you

specific projects and ideas and all that

of how you can serve I'm sure this

church has plenty of opportunities one

thing I do want to encourage you though

this morning is before you go out and

serve before you go out and try to to

confront the stuff and other people

people's lives I want to encourage you

to allow Jesus to serve you

first this is where true service is

born Because unless we allow him to

serve US unless we allow his love to

cleanse US unless we allow his blood to

wash US unless we allow his power to set

us

free there's really not that much we

have to give and pass on to others we

can only give to others what we have

received ourselves first that's why it

was so crucial for the Apostle Peter the

night before he was cruci before Jesus

was crucified remember Jesus when he

instituted the Lord's Supper the night

before his

crucifixion it says that around that

time Jesus got up from the table he took

off his outer garment he wrapped a towel

around his waist and he started washing

his disciples feet and when he came to

Peter Peter said no way Lord don't serve

me

and Jesus says unless I serve you you

can have no part in me in other words

you need to First receive my

unconditional love you first need to

learn to receive that I came to serve

you to wash away the dirt of your feet

your feet that are that are not willing

to go out there and be part of the

mission let me cleanse your feet let me

wash you let me make you part of me and

then you will be effective in going out

and serving others you you need to serve

from a place of unconditional love not

for a place of unconditional love many

of us we get involved in serving others

because we try to get to earn brownie

points in heaven we try to get a little

bit closer to God that's not the gospel

the gospel is you have everything in

Christ right now and if you allow him to

serve you and minister to you then that

will be the fuel that will really

Empower you to be effective in serving

others otherwise you will just serve

others to gain something for yourself

and that is a selfish means to an end

that God will not allow in his

kingdom it's very subtle but we all tend

to fall into that trap I fall into that

trap when I'm if I'm not careful I

constantly need Jesus to keep on just

washing my feet and and staying in that

place of humility where I realize that

everything I am every breath I take

every moment I get to serve in church

planting is a sheer gift of

grace and the same is true for you

and for me and honestly that takes all

the burden off of being on Mission and

being Evangelistic and all of that

realizing that it's all just his grace

operating through

us being

called Walking In

Authority and living a life of service

that starts with receiving service from

the

Lord that's what I want to encourage you

with today and I want to ask you if you

are ready to put your trust in that

Christ 100% And just more deeply root

yourself in him and ask him today Lord

what is it where are you challenging me

today where do I carry doubt about

whether I'm called or not Lord remove

these doubts and let me

hear what you're saying Lord where do I

struggle to really believe that I have

authority I feel like a victim I feel

overwhelmed maybe that's you ask the

Lord today to make it clear to you that

you already have all you need inside of

your

belly your spiritual

belly Christ has taken residence in

you whether we feel it or not see it or

not it's

true and lastly where do you maybe need

the Lord to serve you today maybe

there's an area where you just

legitimately need serving we all do we

all get wounded and broken in this world

I believe the Lord is here today to

serve

maybe as you come take communion you can

just bring your own Brokenness to the

Lord and say come Lord refresh me again

today and Empower me and send me out on

Mission For Your

Glory let's pray father thank you so

much for reminding us of your word thank

you for reminding us of your

goodness and thank you for reminding us

of the wonderful powerful name of Jesus

and we ask that you would come minister

to all of us minister to your people

today and then send us out to be on

mission for your glory for your name's

sake in Jesus name we pray amen am