In 1927 E.W. Kenyon wrote The Wonderful Name of Jesus (copywrite 1998, Kensington's Gospel Publishing Society). The following is the first paragraph of the book, followed by the fourth chapter,(I have left the punctuation as it was published):
Several years ago I was holding meetings in a city in Tennessee. One afternoon, while giving an address on “The Name of Jesus” a lawyer interrupted me, asking:
“Do you mean to say that Jesus gave us the ʻPower of Attorney ʼ the Legal Right to use His Name?”
I said to him, “Brother, you are a lawyer and I am a layman. Tell me–did Jesus give us the ʻPower of Attorney?ʼ
He said, “If language means anything, then Jesus gave to the church the Power of Attorney.”
Then I asked him, “What is the value of this Power of Attorney?”
He answered, “It depends upon how much there is back of it, how much authority, how much power this Name represents.”
Then I began the search to find how much power and authority Jesus had.
It might be a helpful study for us to notice the Name in the plan of salvation and its relation to the believer in his Christian life.
“And she shall bring forth a Son; and thou shalt call His Name Jesus, for it is He that shall save His people from their sins. Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His Name Immanuel, which is, being interpreted, God with us.” Matt. 1:21, 23.
The Name “Jesus” is inseparably connected with salvation.
The very Name is filled with music to a repentant soul.
“And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.” Acts 4:12.
It is the one Name through which the sinner approaches the Great Father God; it is the one Name that gives him a hearing; it is the one Name that unveils to him the mediatorial ministry of Jesus.
“Baptizing them into the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
“Repent ye and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Not only are we saved by the Name, but the believer is baptized into the Name.
And we find in the same verse that not only are we baptized into the Name, but on the ground of the Name we shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Then Jesus gave us these promises of the use of His Name in prayer.
“Whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in My Name, that will I do. If ye love Me, ye will keep My commandments.” John 14:13-15.
“Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My Name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be made full.” John 16:24.
In Acts 3:1-6 we hear Peter saying, “Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, that give I thee. In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”
Men are baptized into the Name; men pray in the Name; now, in that Name the impotent and helpless are made to walk.
In Acts 16:18 we see the Apostle Paul casting a demon out of a possessed girl, setting her free, and stirring the city of Ephesus to the very foundation.
What power that Name has for the Church today!
“For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the
in the midst of them.” Matt. 18:20.
The assemblies were taught that when they met, they gathered about that Name.
What a strange hush must have come upon the hearts of the disciples when they realized as they gathered in their little meetings that the Name was the center around which everything revolved!
That their prayers were addressed through that Name and in that Name the sick were healed; in that Name the demons were cast out: in that Name the Holy Spirit came upon believers; in that Name they worshipped; in that name–the Name of their absent Lord–all the work of the Early Church was wrought.
In Col. 3:17 they were taught to do all things in that Name.
Eph. 5:20, to give thanks always for all things in that Name.
In 1 Cor. 6:11 they were washed, sanctified, justified in that Name.
Hebrews 13:15, Make confession to His Name.
James 5:14 Anointing the sick in the Name of the Lord.
I John 3:23 “And this is His commandment, that we should believe in the Name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as He gave us commandment.”
The new commandment was that they love one another and believe in the Name.
We can see by this, that the Name of Jesus touched every phase of the Church life, in those early days; that it filled a place in their thought, in their prayer and in their preaching of which we are utterly ignorant today.
May the Lord open the eyes of our hearts that we may know the riches of the glory of God that are hidden in that Name.
Several years ago I was holding meetings in a city in Tennessee. One afternoon, while giving an address on “The Name of Jesus” a lawyer interrupted me, asking:
“Do you mean to say that Jesus gave us the ʻPower of Attorney ʼ the Legal Right to use His Name?”
I said to him, “Brother, you are a lawyer and I am a layman. Tell me–did Jesus give us the ʻPower of Attorney?ʼ
He said, “If language means anything, then Jesus gave to the church the Power of Attorney.”
Then I asked him, “What is the value of this Power of Attorney?”
He answered, “It depends upon how much there is back of it, how much authority, how much power this Name represents.”
Then I began the search to find how much power and authority Jesus had.
It might be a helpful study for us to notice the Name in the plan of salvation and its relation to the believer in his Christian life.
“And she shall bring forth a Son; and thou shalt call His Name Jesus, for it is He that shall save His people from their sins. Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His Name Immanuel, which is, being interpreted, God with us.” Matt. 1:21, 23.
The Name “Jesus” is inseparably connected with salvation.
The very Name is filled with music to a repentant soul.
“And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.” Acts 4:12.
It is the one Name through which the sinner approaches the Great Father God; it is the one Name that gives him a hearing; it is the one Name that unveils to him the mediatorial ministry of Jesus.
“Baptizing them into the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
“Repent ye and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Not only are we saved by the Name, but the believer is baptized into the Name.
And we find in the same verse that not only are we baptized into the Name, but on the ground of the Name we shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Then Jesus gave us these promises of the use of His Name in prayer.
“Whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in My Name, that will I do. If ye love Me, ye will keep My commandments.” John 14:13-15.
“Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My Name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be made full.” John 16:24.
In Acts 3:1-6 we hear Peter saying, “Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, that give I thee. In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”
Men are baptized into the Name; men pray in the Name; now, in that Name the impotent and helpless are made to walk.
In Acts 16:18 we see the Apostle Paul casting a demon out of a possessed girl, setting her free, and stirring the city of Ephesus to the very foundation.
What power that Name has for the Church today!
“For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the
in the midst of them.” Matt. 18:20.
The assemblies were taught that when they met, they gathered about that Name.
What a strange hush must have come upon the hearts of the disciples when they realized as they gathered in their little meetings that the Name was the center around which everything revolved!
That their prayers were addressed through that Name and in that Name the sick were healed; in that Name the demons were cast out: in that Name the Holy Spirit came upon believers; in that Name they worshipped; in that name–the Name of their absent Lord–all the work of the Early Church was wrought.
In Col. 3:17 they were taught to do all things in that Name.
Eph. 5:20, to give thanks always for all things in that Name.
In 1 Cor. 6:11 they were washed, sanctified, justified in that Name.
Hebrews 13:15, Make confession to His Name.
James 5:14 Anointing the sick in the Name of the Lord.
I John 3:23 “And this is His commandment, that we should believe in the Name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as He gave us commandment.”
The new commandment was that they love one another and believe in the Name.
We can see by this, that the Name of Jesus touched every phase of the Church life, in those early days; that it filled a place in their thought, in their prayer and in their preaching of which we are utterly ignorant today.
May the Lord open the eyes of our hearts that we may know the riches of the glory of God that are hidden in that Name.
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