II. The Authority of The Name

Consider the following:

Acts 3:6-8 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

Acts 3:16 “And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know….”

Acts 4:10-12 “let it be known to you all…that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth… this man stands before you whole”

Acts 4:29-30 “Now Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants…that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

Acts 16:16-18 “…a certain slave girl, possessed with a spirit of divination met us….But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And he came out that very hour.”

How were miracles effected in the early church? Miracles were always done by the authority of Jesus’ name!

There is power in the name of Jesus:

Acts 2:21 “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Romans 10:13 For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

We often use Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13 to speak about initial salvation, but I believe that calling on Jesus’ name is also effective in any situation. Just saying the name “Jesus” out loud is effective prayer!

I have some dear friends who, when seeing that without God they were going to be in a head-on collision, called on Jesus' name. That is the only prayer they had time for. Suddenly, there was a barrier between them and the car that was about to hit them, and that car went from about 70 miles an hour to a dead stop. No one was hurt. The point is that because you belong to Christ you have access to His name, and to the authority of His name.

Call on Jesus’ name. Use the authority of His name. Notice, too, that the name ‘Jesus’ was not used alone in these Scriptures. Jesus is identified completely, as "Jesus Christ of Nazareth," for example.


Prayer

Testimony____________________

There was a time in my Christian walk when I was afraid to pray to the Father, so I prayed to Jesus instead. The Lord started correcting me. Then I came across John 16:23 where Jesus tells us to pray to the Father in His name:

John 16:23 "And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."

I was still too afraid.

This was when my oldest children were still very young. I would get up at night to pray, because the days were too filled!

One night while praying in my children’s room, their little bodies slumbering on either side of me, I heard the Lord say that He was going to show me the Father. Suddenly in a vision I was in the throne room. I was kneeling, way in the back. Before me there was a throne. I could see the Father, that is, I could see Him sitting on the throne. I could see His white robe, His hands and His feet. I could not see His face. There is glory--extremely bright light--which comes out of Him and completely covers His face. I also felt His love cover me and completely encompass me. As I looked at Him still more love came over me like waves. There was no disapproval in that love, no correction. Just love. Just complete unconditional love.

I lost my fear after that. I still am full of the fear of the Lord, that is, reverance for God. But I knew in that moment what it means that God is my Father. Do you understand? He is Lord, Master of the Universe, Creator of all the earth. Yet He is also my Father. He is beloved, holy, excellent in every way--and my Father.

If you have asked Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior He is your Father, too!
____________________


We are told in John 16:23 to pray to the Father in Jesus‘ name. Here is a sample prayer, “Father, I love You. Be with me today. Cleanse me and heal me. Forgive me for all my sins. Help me to bless someone today. I pray this in Jesus' name.“

But what does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name? To get a fuller understanding of what this means, it helps to put several scriptures together:

John 14:12-14 (Jesus speaking) “…whatever you ask in My name I will do….If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

Therefore, to pray in Jesus’ name means to pray using Jesus’ name, and also:

John 14:15, 21, 23 (Jesus speaking) “If you love Me, [you will] keep My commandments….He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me….If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word….”

to keep His commandments, and also:

1 John 5:14 “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us….”

to pray according to His will, and also:

1 John 3:1-3, 10 “Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!….And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure….In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, is nor is he who does not love his brother.

to purify ourselves, that is, to allow the Holy Spirit to correct us, to walk in righteousness, and to love our brother.

So then, putting these Scriptures together, “To pray in Jesus’ name” means to pray using Jesus’ name, to keep His commandments, to pray according to His will, to purify ourselves, to practice righteousness and to love our brother.

If one of these requirements is not met, then our prayer life is weakened.

Moreover, if there is active, ongoing sin in our lives, our prayers will be totally ineffective:

Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.

Always, always ask the Lord to show you your heart and forgive any sin as you go into prayer. Also remember, that the more you live according to the requirements for praying in Jesus' name, the more effective your prayers will be--both for yourself and others. Be blessed!


Diana Clancy
Copyright October 2007