KEYS TO REESTABLISHING LEGITIMATE AUTHORITY ON EARTH

Romans Chapter 8













Genesis 31:29




It is in the power of my hand H3027 to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.



















POWER







Today we look to the word-POWER-H3027 yad-- strength, power













The Torah testifies...............




Deuteronomy 32:36




For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power H3027 is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.


















The prophets proclaim..................




Nehemiah 1:10




Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. H3027



















The writings bear witness...........................




2 Kings 19:26




Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, H3027 they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.












Today we are walking in: Keys to Reestablishing Legitimate Authority on the Earth







Keys to Reestablishing Legitimate Authority on the Earth




Promoting Corporate Development through Freedom and Accountability




Imagine that you live in a nation ruled by a harsh dictator. The government of your native country has controlled every aspect of your life for as long as you can remember, and you have now been assigned to a forced labor camp. Your soul is crying out for freedom, and, in desperation, you join with several others who have planned an escape from the camp. After successfully escaping, you arrange to be smuggled out of the country. You travel in a small boat across the ocean for weeks with little food and water in search of a better life in a country that gives rights to its citizens and also defends them. Finally, you reach its shores. Now, all you need is someone in a position of authority in that country to grant permission for you to enter and build a better life. You need legal status to live there.

Unexpectedly, you are greeted on the shores of the new country by your older brother! He had traversed the dangerous seas a few years before you, and he had been in contact with those who were smuggling people out of your native country. Knowing you were coming, he had already made arrangements for you to receive asylum in the new land.

Your brother now lives in a community with members of your extended family whom he also enabled to gain freedom, and who now help him free others, as well. You are overjoyed as you enter your new life in the company of a loving, supportive family.

Welcoming People to a New “Country”

Similarly, people across the world who are living under false authority in its various forms are like citizens of an oppressive nation. Yahusha Hamachiach is their “older Brother” who has gone ahead and prepared the way for them to enter a new country, the kingdom of Yah, which is characterized by peace, order, and freedom, and where every person’s value and significance are recognized. “Those Yah foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:29).

When we have gained an understanding of genuine authority and have entered into its freedom, we become a part of our older Brother’s community in the kingdom of Yah on earth and can participate in helping to reestablish legitimate authority in the world. We are responsible for seeking to enable others to enter into a new way of life in which they can be free of the restrictions and abuse of false authority and can exercise their full personal authority in the context of their interactions and interrelationships with others. In this way, we are called to welcome people to a new “country.”

Let us look briefly at the oppressive “nation” that people need to be set free from, and then we will look at twelve keys for helping to release them from false authority.

The Steady Erosion of Authority

The false authority that we experience in the world today is both a long-standing issue—stemming from our first parents’ abandonment of authority—and the result of a slow, steady erosion of authority during the twentieth century.

The principles established by the Creator have been recaptured and implemented in societies, to varying degrees, during periods of human history, and a hundred years ago, people had a much clearer understanding of true authority and a corresponding respect for it.

Nations and cultures were certainly not living according to the Creator’s principles in all aspects of life. There were numerous social ills and injustices in the previous hundred years, as there are today. Authority structures were misused by individuals who operated within them, resulting in forms of oppression and the abuse of human dignity through systems that reduced people to subhuman status, forced people into servitude, and robbed them of their freedom. The twentieth century may have been the bloodiest on record, with its wars, ethnic “cleansing,” and the annihilation of millions by dictators and tyrants.

I stand against any and all misuse of authority that abuses, dehumanizes, and destroys people. The purpose of this book is to help rescue authority from this dark history and from potential future abuses. As I wrote earlier, many people throughout the world have abandoned the concept of authority, partly as a result of these outrages and their consequences. Yet genuine authority is still our only hope for this planet. It therefore needs to be our focus and priority in rebuilding the broken lives and struggling nations of our world.

A Recognition of the Essence of Authority in Former Years

Even with the misuse and abuse of authority in the recent past, there was still among many people in various nations a general understanding and acceptance of the essence of true authority and its supporting structures in society, such as the family, the government, the community, and business. Historically, the established role of authority in these realms was much clearer, and there was therefore more order and harmony. For example, there were certain expectations and boundaries in regard to having children in the context of marriage and an agreement that the marital union should be esteemed and protected. People generally showed more respect for their leaders and coworkers on their jobs. Young people were taught to esteem the elderly, and a value was placed on age and wisdom. There was a respect for sacred institutions. More honor was given to those who contributed their lives to the development of society than to celebrities, those who are often just “famous for being famous.”

Community and governing institutions were also more respected. This respect for civic and public offices was held not only by citizens and constituents, but also by the ones who held the positions. For example, one didn’t hear as much about mayors, teachers, and other leaders getting into moral or ethical trouble, because they honored the trust they had been given by their positions.

Of course, there were exceptions to this general attitude toward authority by people who flaunted and abused their positions and got away with it because they were never caught or it was never made public. But as a general rule, people valued and respected the role of authority in their lives.

Dismissal of Authority in Contemporary Society

As we have seen, in today’s world, there is a general confusion about and dismissal of authority, and that ignorance about authority has led to disordered lives. For instance, fathers, mothers, and children aren’t incorporating the principles of authority into family life. As a result, many parents are abdicating their roles as the senior authority in the family, many husbands and wives are not sure who is responsible for what, and many children do not esteem their parents. Another outcome is that few parameters are taught to the children, so that children themselves are having children, and the offspring of these unauthorized parents are not prepared to pass along any clear concept of what authority looks like.

In the realm of government, scores of citizens have little respect for their national leaders or esteem for their national symbols. Self-serving “politicians,” rather than statesmen, are prevalent. Many politicians pursue positions of authority not to empower others by serving their constituencies but rather to use their power to secure and preserve personal advantages.

In the realm of the church, some religious leaders have allowed their physical passions to overrule their responsibilities to the point where certain priests and preachers have used their authority to abuse, manipulate, and, in some cases, destroy the lives of the parishioners entrusted to their oversight.

In the realm of business, a pursuit of greed and speculation rather than honest enterprise has led some executives and their corporations into shaky or illegal practices that have sometimes caused the downfall of both executives and institutions. Some labor union leaders have also abused their positions of authority and the trust their members have placed in them to bring about just and equitable working conditions; they have used members’ dues for their own agendas while weakening legitimate companies—in some cases, putting them out of business and their members out of their jobs.

A Rise in Individualism

One of the factors contributing to the dismissal and erosion of authority throughout the world is the increasing popularity of the idea of individualism, which is often promoted through the political system of democracy. A pursuit of democracy has captured the minds of many people in nations around the world, and this has led to life-affirming freedoms and benefits for peoples who have long suffered under the oppression of false authority under communism, dictatorships, and colonialism.

While there have been many positive results from the spread of democracy, people’s concept of this political system often focuses on the idea of individualism to the point where they feel they are not answerable to anyone for anything, and that no one can tell them what to do. The abandonment of false authority was necessary, but it seems that many people have abandoned all authority along with it. An overemphasis on individualism can cripple people’s potential by causing them to seek power alone rather than genuine authority. At its extreme, an attitude of individualism ignores the reality that human beings are meant to live in community, in the various forms we have been discussing, and to contribute their strengths and gifts to one another. Significantly, it can also write off the necessity of personal responsibility and the give-and-take of established authority and submission that allows life to operate smoothly and brings order and peace in a nation.

Also contributing to the erosion of authority in our nations are changes in social mores, which have moved away from the Manufacturer’s original design. Again, an attitude of “I can do anything I want, and you can’t tell me what to do” has superseded a basic understanding of the value of living according to the Creator’s principles and laws. The trend today, allegedly in support of people’s individual rights, seems to be a dedication to eradicating foundational authority. Yet, this is the only thing that can renew and preserve our contemporary society.

For example, such a perspective can infringe on family life in a case where, if your thirteen-year-old daughter becomes pregnant, she has a right to withhold this information from you, and you have no authority in her life in this situation. Instead, the state, through the public school she attends, has the authority and influence over her. In this and other ways, parents have lost their authority to other authorities that are operating under false principles. Under such circumstances, do we wonder why society has continued to disintegrate? The question is, what kind of authority will be promoted in society —a false or a genuine one?

Ignorance of true authority is the father of anarchy. A society without authority is no longer a true society because a society is made up of social relationships, and social relationships need the framework of authority to function in a healthy and effective way.

This is why the principles of genuine authority must be clearly communicated to people in all nations. People need to understand the benefits of personal and corporate authority for their own lives, as well as the lives of others. True authority in a society brings a necessary structure, peace, and fruitfulness to life. Rejection of true authority sacrifices people’s purposes and vision, while adherence to authority protects people’s purposes and produces personal vision and the confidence to fulfill it. When everyone understands his purpose and role in light of the Creator’s purposes, this knowledge creates the smooth functioning of social relationships and the exercise of personal authority.

Without Authority...

Without authority, there is no basis for accountability, and people therefore feel insecure because they don’t know what they can expect from others. “Freedom” without law, or responsibility, eventually becomes chaos.

Without true authority....

• life has no order.







• there can be no confidence.

• purpose has no protection.

• there is no effective functioning.

• destiny is abandoned.







• power is wasted.







• energy is abused.







• potential is miscarried.

The authority that has eroded in our world needs to be reestablished. When true authority is put in place, it renews a sense of security, so that people experience less stress in their lives and reduced tensions in their relationships. This is why restoring true authority will promote national and global security, peace, and growth.

The following are keys for reestablishing legitimate authority in the earth:

Key #1: Acknowledge the Crisis of Authority

To restore legitimate authority, we first need to acknowledge that there is a widespread lack of genuine authority in all the basic realms of society—including our families, local and national governments, communites, and businesses—and that this is a critical problem that needs to be addressed.

Reestablishing legitimate authority will not happen if we think that some unnamed “group” or “the government” will fix things for everyone. It begins with each of us, individually, as we rediscover true authority ourselves and then communicate its truths and principles to others.

Key #2: Redefine Authority, Explaining Its True Nature

In communicating what authority is, we have to clearly define it. Authority has lost its meaning for most people, and they often mistake it for oppression or control. That is why I devoted several chapters in this book to defining and explaining the true nature of authority. The term must be reconceptualized and renewed in people’s minds. Authority is not inherently evil or even a necessary evil but rather a means for good.

You can utilize the principles throughout this book, but especially in part one, to help others understand the true definition and purpose of authority. You can also build on the positive aspects of authority that people recognize from everyday life. For instance, when people attend weddings, they usually hear the clergyman or justice of the peace say something like, “By the authority (or powers) vested in me by the state of _________, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” Or, when a university confers academic degrees on those who have completed their educational requirements, the president or academic dean will say something similar to, “By the power vested in me by the Board of Regents of ___________ University, I confer upon you the degree of __________, along with all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities associated with it.”

These are positive and joyful aspects of authority that establish new families and reward personal effort and achievement rather than oppress and constrict. In addition, personal and corporate authority involve the granting and exercising of rights and privileges from a higher authority.

Key #3: Restore the Foundations of Genuine Authority

All authority must be based on the Absolute Authority, the Creator, or else it will fall apart. Self-authorization is not authority; this is the historic mistake of what we have come to know as “humanism,” which promotes the idea that man is his own measure in life. Since true authority is always delegated, it would seem that the greatest culprit to the erosion of authority in this and previous generations is the elevation of human beings as the ultimate authority. Humans, in themselves, are no authority at all. Instead, people need a solid reference for who Yah is, especially as our Creator, and for our dependence on Him. “O Most High, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand” (Isaiah 64:8).

In our contemporary societies, many people don’t want to accept the idea of absolute authority. Yet, as we saw earlier, the word absolute is defined as “fundamental, ultimate.” Whatever is outside of Yah and His ways is lesser or inferior. Again, true authority must be grounded in an author, and therefore, we must first identify our Author. We must begin with a general acknowledgment of our Creator and of His basic laws as recorded in His Word, the Scriptures.

Yah’s first commandment for His people given through Moses confirmed His absolute authority in their lives: “I am the Most High your Yah, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other Yahs before me” (Exodus 20:2–3). Recognizing and serving Yah as our Creator and Ruler will enable us to rebuild the age-old, sure foundations of society:

The Most High will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. (Isaiah 58:11–12)

The world needs to come back to its senses; we must return to the reality that there are absolutes, which are fundamental, strong, stable, and supportive to both individuals and society as a whole. As we do, we will be called “Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.” Communities will be restored and lives rebuilt.

Key #4: Identify the Laws of the Creator as Our Reference for Authority

The erosion of and disillusionment about authority within our nations can be traced to people’s movement away from the pillars of authority established by the Creator for the effective and successful functioning of His creation. The Author of all legitimate authority revealed Himself within the context of the biblical text, which clearly established the fundamental laws and principles by which all living things, including humanity, are to operate.

Building on key number three, then, after relaying the general foundation of the authority of the Creator in our lives, we need to identify His laws and principles, which are our reference for everyday living. This is the only way to effect the true restoration of authority.

Almost all nations are built on law because law produces and maintains a functioning and stable society. For healthy national development to take place, the whole nation must agree on what the law, or authority, will be. Many nations have a constitution, which we can define as “the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that determine the powers and duties of the government and guarantee certain rights to the people in it.”

A constitution establishes what has been called the “rule of law,” in which it is ultimately the law that rules the nation, not the president or prime minister, congress or parliament. Although we often repeat the phrase that “no one is above the law,” this principle has to return in practice. When people think they ultimately rule the nation based on their own opinions, then authority is weakened and even cancelled because people’s opinions can be arbitrary and changeable.

Governing through opinion polls might sound fair, until we see how inconsistent people’s attitudes can be from week to week and from month to month, depending on the immediate circumstances of their own lives and the events in the communities and world around them. This is why a solid foundation for governing can be found only in the fixed nature of established laws and principles.

Again, Yah’s authority, which He provides through His Word, is stable; it doesn’t change on a whim. Another definition of absolute that we looked at earlier is “independent of arbitrary standards of measurement.” We also saw that the word ruler refers to a Latin word meaning “to keep straight, direct.” True authority gives us a reference point, a clear direction in which to go.

The reality of the current crisis in our nations and the world is that we need to decide what our fundamental authority is and what direction to go in. To solve our problems, legitimate authority has to be instated, and this will happen only as nations learn to align their laws in keeping with the Creator’s principles.

Where there is no authority, there is no law. When there is a return to a respect for authority, there will be orderly development in a country. For example, if people value the law, crime will decrease because people will respect others’ property, and there will be fewer broken homes because husbands and wives will take seriously their vows to one another.

In other words, society needs to be reintroduced to its bedrock principles.

So this is what the Sovereign Most High says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line.”(Isaiah 28:16–17)

We have to bring back the Creator’s justice and righteousness as our measurement for living. That will be the precious cornerstone of our individual relationships, communities, and nations. We need a cornerstone that has been tested and proven to be immovable—a solid Rock.

An anchor can sometimes be a good analogy for stability, but my experience growing up in the Bahamas has shown me that if a storm comes, an anchor is useless without a rock. Rocks don’t move, but anchors certainly can, and boats may be pulled away from their moorings and into dangerous waters. The Authorized Dealer, who is “the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20), is the One who leads us back to the Creator Yah and our stability as human beings. He said,

Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.(Matthew 7:24–27)

Key #5: Teach that Everyone Must Be Accountable to Authority

The next key is that people must understand that everyone is accountable to authority and that submission is a voluntary surrendering of one’s independence for a greater personal or corporate good. We can never succeed in isolation. Life doesn’t permit that because we were created and designed for relationships.

In fact, if people don’t learn to submit voluntarily, society may make them submit. For example, when a judge sentences someone to prison for violating the law, he is simply taking a lawless person and placing him under authority again. A prisoner is told when to get up, when to go to bed, when to eat, when to bathe, what to wear, what work he can do, when to start working, when to stop working, who can see him and for how long, and so on. His life is subject to a strict authority under which his personal desires are set aside. So, even though the prisoner disregarded authority, he is made to live under it nevertheless.

It is much better to respect authority and receive its benefits than to suffer for ignoring it. Many people suffer from ignoring authority. They may not be in prison, but their lives are disordered, unsettled, and unproductive.

We must communicate to others that true authority and submission are for the purpose of giving and receiving what is good for our lives. Just as we submit to the oxygen that the plants produce, we keep one another thriving by respecting others’ authority and receiving what they are authorized to give. If you know what your authority is and what it is not, then you can respect other people’s authority as they provide you with what you need but do not have. We are not to control others but to use our authority to serve them, and we are accountable for the service that we use it for. Let us encourage people to trust others’ authority, respect it, and allow them to exercise their inherent gifts, as we exercise ours.

Key #6: Hold Authority Accountable to Its Authority

In the various realms of life, we have the right to hold someone in authority accountable to whoever is his higher authority, whoever has delegated power to him. This is essential for restoring legitimate authority to the earth. No one can be above authority, or he will misuse and abuse others. Parents, politicians, teachers and priests, and business leaders are in positions to either help or hurt others by their attitudes and behavior in their positions of authority.

For example, what contributed to the economic crisis that began in the first decade of the twenty-first century was that corporations were not held to responsible business practices. A reinstatement of authority in the form of safeguards and regulations is helping to address this problem. This type of reinstatement of sound principles is at the heart of restoring a culture.

Key #7: Teach the Benefits of Authority

People must especially understand the benefits of true authority if it is to be reestablished in the world. We have been taught the dangers of false authority for so long that we often don’t know that it is a distortion of something that is positive and life affirming. When people understand the true nature of authority and submission, it will become clear that there are more advantages to submission than to rebellion.

The benefits of personal authority have been highlighted throughout this book, but particularly in chapter 8: originality, awareness of intrinsic value, personal fulfillment, confidence, no competition, no comparison, no jealousy, no fear, internal

motivation and passion, and authenticity. The primary purposes of authority, outlined in chapter 6, are also advantages to authority that address the crisis in our world today. True authority brings order, maximum production, preservation, representation through validity and defense, safety, promotion, freedom, identity, and reality.

In effect, living in one’s authority leads to a clear and uncluttered life: When you understand authority, you know who you are, what you are meant to do, and whom you can appeal to when a problem or need arises. Thus, authority is the source of order and peace. It is the substance of simplicity.

Key #8: Discover Your Personal Authority so that You Can Delegate Authority

Of course, another essential key is to make sure we discover our own personal authority so that we will be qualified and equipped to delegate true authority to others. We can’t help to restore others if we haven’t been restored ourselves.

Make it a priority to ask the Creator to clarify your personal authority, and answer the questions in the Personal Authority Profile section at the back of this book. In this way, you will not only experience personal fulfillment but be able to show others how to enter into their true authority, as well.

Key #9: Allow People to Pursue Their Areas of Authority

A ninth key to reestablishing legitimate authority is to allow people to pursue their areas of authority and to encourage others to do the same.

Authority gives us total freedom within the boundaries of our personal domain and therefore lets us be who we were created to be without limitation. What are the boundaries? We are not to infringe on others or their authority, or we will be trespassing. If we have a clear idea of our authority—as in key eight, above—then we will know when we are overstepping another person’s boundary. Again, we must acknowledge that everybody is a leader as he carries out his Yah-given authority on the earth, and that we are an authority only in the area of our personal purpose.

We can also enable others to pursue their gifting by creating environments for them to find and release their personal authority. Parents can make a special contribution in this regard. If a child discovers early in his life what his personal authority is and what his position and role in the family is, and if he is taught what his position and role will be when he is an adult, then he will have clear guidance in how to live his life.

As people discover and start to exercise their personal gifting, the whole structure of interdependent authority will begin to be put back into place.

Key #10: Recognize that We Are Accountable to the Source of All Authority

Key number ten brings us full circle to an acknowledgment of Yah as our Author. We cannot just recognize the Source of our authority and not be answerable to Him. In the end, He is the one to whom we will give a report of our lives and how we have used the authority He has given us. Paul said, “It is written: ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Most High, every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to Yah.’ So then, each of us will give an account of himself to Yah” (Romans 14:11–12).

Reestablishing legitimate authority in the world will naturally include responsibility and accountability, and these qualities should begin with us. We therefore must be conscious of the fact that we will be judged and made to give an account for our lives before our Creator. And, as we discover, enjoy, and fulfill our personal authority, we can remember that...

Yah is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. (Hebrews 6:10–11)