Welcome to Word of Life Study Series- The Authority of the Believer! In this third episode we will be diving right into the power and use of the Name of Jesus. Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” The Christian experience begins with calling on the person of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The reality of the power in the Name of Jesus continues to resonate throughout this life and for all eternity.
1. Mankind and Miracles
When reason takes the place of the miraculous, Christianity loses its vitality, fascination and fruitfulness. Christianity is not a religion, it is the very life of God in human beings. The religion of humanism and secularism leaves people empty, confused and hungry for God. The answer to the universal cravings of mankind for the supernatural is found only in the Lord. Specifically, found in the new birth, being baptized with the Holy Spirit and the Name of Jesus. We crave the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
2. How Jesus obtained a more excellent Name
I need to point out that names in the Bible are really significant because they are titles of authority that point to a particular office and represent great achievements or victories- they serve a function. A person’s name represents a person, names have meanings. They shed light as to their character and destiny. When we learn about the Name of Jesus we will come to understand the person of Jesus.
3. The Name of Jesus- what is behind it!
If one is planning to use the Name of Jesus in prayer, praise and power evangelism, one needs to know the power invested in that Name which God esteems above every other name. The Name of Jesus is just as wonderful as Jesus, all His conquests, power and victories are in the Name of Jesus and the Name of Jesus belongs to us, to use in every area of life today!
4. The Great Commission
This concept, “The Power of Attorney” is foundational in understanding the authority of the Believer. Jesus gave us the power of attorney, the legal right to use His Name. Value of the Name of Jesus is based on how much power is backing the Name that it represents. So how much power and authority does Jesus have? We will explore that question in depth together.
5. The Unqualified Use of the Name of Jesus
Authority is delegated power. God Himself is the power behind the authority that was given unto us through the Name of Jesus. Believers that are thoroughly convinced of the divine power that is behind them and of their own authority that has been delegated to them and exercises it, can face the enemy without fear or hesitancy.
6. The Place of Faith in the Use of the Name
Most Christians believe the Name of Jesus belongs to them, but having faith in the Name is not the same. That is why we are not performing the same miracles they had in the early church, because our faith in the Name is not the same. Does not matter what we feel, our strength comes from the Lord and the power of His might- let's get that revelation into our spirit.
7. The Use of the Name
It would behoove us to see in the Scriptures how the Name of Jesus was used as it pertains to the plan of salvation and its relation to the believer in his/her Christian life. Christianity would have a whole new element about it if we taught the people according to the Word what it meant to believe ON the Name as a sinner and then to believe IN the Name as a believer.