INTRODUCTION

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go…” Matthew 28:18-19a (NIV)

Do we trust in the authority of Jesus? And do we know what it means to act in the world with the authority He gives us in turn?

This week, we lean into the confidence that the Father grants us in Jesus through the Holy Spirit. We are challenged to be conscious of God, His Word, and the victory He has already achieved and will achieve fully in the time to come.

Let us be oppressed by and obsessed with the world no more, but live in the deep knowledge that He has overcome it!

DISCUSSION

Read Acts 16:16-25.

1. What did the spirit of the female slave do? How did the Holy Spirit respond?
   
   a. What were the consequences of following the slave’s spirit vs. the Holy Spirit?
   
   b. Was it worth following the slave’s spirit vs. the Holy Spirit? Why or why not?
   
   
2. What was Paul’s relationship to the Holy Spirit?
   
   a. Would you want a similar relationship? Why or why not?
   
3. Read Luke 10:1-24, focusing on verses 17-20.
   
   What is the purpose of Jesus granting His disciples authority over the spirits?
   
   a. What does Jesus say should be the cause of His disciples’ joy?
   
   
4. Taken together,
   
   Are you working with the authority of the Holy Spirit today? To what end?
   
   a. If you are not, why is stopping you from working with His authority?

AN E1R1 REFLECTION

“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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

Therefore go. Where does God want you to exercise the authority granted to you through Him today? Be at peace. He is with you.