Power to Minister in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth
And Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.Mark 16:15-20.
It is of enormous importance that in our lives as believers, it is so essential that we progress from authority received to authority exercised in ministering the proclamation of the gospel, administering healing, deliverance, and all other works that Jesus commissioned His followers to do.
Peter’s words outside the temple are among the most profound demonstrations of divine authority in the early church. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. Peter spoke in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth; as the word was released, there was an immediate reaction in the life of this impotent man. The crippled man’s body responded immediately, because the name of Jesus Christ carries the full weight of His authority.
The miracle was not the result of Peter’s holiness or eloquence, but the living power attached to the name that he invoked. As believers, when we act in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, we are exercising faith in the One who holds power over sickness, sin, and death. The name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth bridges heaven’s authority with every earthly need.
Peter explains the source of the miracle: it is never going to be wrought through our human merit, not our moral excellence, but always through faith released in and through the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Peter boldly declared: And His name, through faith in His name, hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know. Yea, the faith which is by Him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. Therefore we are to understand that to believe in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth is to believe in all that it represents:
Jesus’s authority to forgive sins.
Jesus’s power to heal.
Jesus’s power to restore, and to make whole.
Herein is an important revelation that we must gain the understanding that this miracle was not credited to Peter’s faith level, but to the all-sufficiency of the authority of the name of Jesus. Every act of healing ministered in the name of Jesus is a reminder that His resurrection was not an isolated event; it is a living force that should be continuously working through our lives as believers.
Peter continued to say: Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. Peter’s bold testimony before the Sanhedrin transforms a public enquiry into a proclamation of the gospel. The miracle is not merely proof of divine power; it is proof of the resurrection. Whom ye crucified, whom God raised.
The authority of the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rests on the victory of the cross. Because death could not hold Jesus, we are to understand that His name cannot fail, and His power cannot be diminished. The man stood whole as living evidence that the same Jesus rejected by men has been vindicated by Almighty God. This pattern continues through the centuries.