By Having Faith in the Name of Jesus
Acts 3:6
Then Peter said,
“Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you:
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
Acts 16
Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the
son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. He was well spoken of by
the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took
him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his
father was Greek. And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep,
which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened
in the faith, and increased in number daily.
Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy
Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but
the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision
appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying,
“Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the
Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to
Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony.
And we were staying in that city for some days. And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to
the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who
met there. Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of
Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And
when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying,
“If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.”
So she persuaded us.
Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination
met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and
cried out, saying,
“These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.”
And this she did for many days. 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.
But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged
them into the marketplace to the authorities. And they brought them to the magistrates, and said,
“These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; and they teach customs which are not lawful
for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.”
Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and
commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw
them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he
put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were
listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were
shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the
keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners
had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying,
“Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them
out and said,
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
So they said,
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the
same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.
Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having
believed in God with all his household.
And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying,
“Let those men go.”
So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying,
“The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.”
But Paul said to them,
“They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now
do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.”
And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they
were Romans. Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart
from the city. So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen
the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.
John 14:12-14
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also;
and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask
in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything
in My name, I will do it.
Jesus’ Name carries all the authority of Jesus Himself. When Peter spoke in Jesus’ Name, it was
as if Jesus were speaking. He didn’t pray for the man at the Beautiful gate; he spoke words
of faith in Jesus’ Name.
Kenneth Copeland, KCM