There is so much power in the name of Jesus Christ – IF we only use it!! People can be healed in the name of Jesus Christ. We can preach in the name of Jesus Christ. Devil spirits have to obey the name of Jesus Christ. But what does that name mean to us? What’s in a name?

In the eastern culture the idea of doing something in someone’s name had great familiarity. A rich person could go to the gate of the city and see the list of the debts of another person, take it down and fold the paper in half, and just put his name on the outside of the paper. Everyone would know that the debts were taken care of in the name of so and so. That is the same orientalism about the name of Jesus Christ. But what about our culture? Is there anything which compares to this cultural idea of a name having power?

I thought about our business climate today with partnerships and corporations. If I worked for Microsoft Corporation and thus Bill Gates, I would have power because of the name of the company. If I worked in Purchasing, I could call up another company and order “xx” amount of their product. They know that Microsoft would pay the bill. In a sense I am ordering the product in the name of Microsoft. If I worked in the finance department or as Bill Gates personal accountant and I called up my broker and said, “Buy 1000 shares of Intel at $65 a share”, he would immediately place the order because I made the purchase in the name of Bill Gates. Mr. Gates earns about $480 million a day, so the broker would think that was a fairly small purchase.

What about the name of Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ has total authority over sickness and death. Therefore, if I say to a person with cancer, ‘be healed in the name of Jesus Christ,’ it would happen because it is not my own authority or power which would do the healing. My job to do as a “worker” or servant (doulos) of Christ is to put in the request. If I don’t do my job, it is as though I were in the Purchasing Department of Microsoft, but never picked up the phone to place an order.

It is our job to heal, to preach, to cast out devil spirits, to reconcile people back to God, to have dominion over the world. We only need to pick up the phone and call in the order. Our request or demand is backed up by the most powerful “company” that ever was. Now we can read some of the verses about the name of Jesus Christ and understand it in our culture, just like the eastern people understood it in theirs. That is the reason Peter and John and all the apostles did signs, miracles and wonders wherever they went in the book of Acts – they used the name of Jesus Christ!!

Philippians 2:9-10:
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

All things (circumstances, people, conditions) have to bow before the name of Jesus Christ. The first thing that is available is remission of sins and the receipt of the gift of holy spirit.

Acts 2:38:
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Then healing is also available for any kind of physical condition. The following passage is about the man who was lame from his mother’s womb and was laid daily at the gate of the temple.

Acts 3:6, 16:
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.
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.

It was faith in the name which gave the man his healing. At the name of Jesus Christ every situation had to bow. Therefore it only remained for the man to believe and claim his healing in the name of Jesus Christ.

Devil spirits must flee and leave in the name of Jesus Christ. There was a damsel that was possessed with the spirit of divination and was following Paul and crying out, “these men are the servants of the most high God…” She was making a general nuisance of herself, so finally Paul cast out the spirit.

Acts 16:18:And this she did many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

So far we have seen that all of the riches of the gift of holy spirit and the power is available in the name of Jesus Christ. Then also, all manner of healing of body and spirit is available in the name of Jesus Christ. Colossians then tells us that our whole lives are to be lived in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Colossians 3:17:
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Whatever we do should be done in the name of Jesus Christ and the primary thing we should be doing is giving thanks to God by him. What a simple way of life for us!

We have all power and authority because of “working for” the most important man in the world, Jesus Christ. When we order anything to be done, it will come to pass. We don’t have to worry about our own names and how little they stand for, because we have the right to use the name of Jesus Christ. People can have salvation and all manner of healing in the name of Jesus Christ. That brings great thankfulness to God for what He has made available in the name of Jesus Christ!