All Powerful Name of Jesus

Aggressive Christianity

Ken

“Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5 NKJV). Jesus was the epitome of meekness. He endured all the slander against being an illegitimate child, born out of wedlock by Mary without defending Himself, but when His Father’s House was dishonored by the money changers, He defended His Father by driving them out of the Temple grounds. “Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:12-13). 

How does the meekness of Christ square with His statement about John’s ministry?

“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12). 

Is violence, or the use of physical force, necessary to establish the Kingdom of God? 

No.   

The Zealots and other sects seemed to think so, but that is not what Jesus meant. He was seeking a Spiritual Kingdom now, and an Earthly Kingdom later in the Millennium. “Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone” (John 6:15). 

So, what did Jesus mean with His remark, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12)? From the time of the ministry of John the Baptist until the ministry of Christ, violent opposition came from Herod and those rejecting the baptism of John; also, those who were ready for the King’s advent were straining themselves to the utmost [violence] to enter that kingdom. John the Baptist was the prophesied OT voice crying, “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God” (Isaiah 40:3). If they understood not the prophecy of the King’s herald, then they would reject the herald’s Messiah. “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it” (Luke 16:16). 

What are the aggressive trademarks of the Holy Spirit? 

First, ALIVE. The Holy Spirit is anything but inert. He is everything that God is, and not a lifeless gas. “But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God” (Acts 5:3-4). Likewise, Spirit filled Christians are also not lifeless, but living the life of Christ. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). 

Second, POWERFUL. The Holy Spirit is a brooding power, just as the “Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2) in the beginning. He is the power, wherever God’s power can be found in both the natural and supernatural. “For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power” (1Corinthians 4:20). Likewise, Christians have been promised the energizing power of the Holy Spirit to witness for Christ, primarily to convert the sinner, who witnesses the dynamic Christ powered life being lived in disciples. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). 

Third, OPPORTUNISTIC. The Holy Spirit is that Spirit of Christ, which finds opportunity seeking out ways for the salvation of sinners. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Likewise, Christians make it their business to find ways to reach those around them for Christ. “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). 

Fourth, RELENTLESS. The Spirit of Christ relentlessly seeks to the uttermost His prey, which are the souls of man. “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). Likewise, Paul was also relentless in his delivery of the Gospel message, so much so that large gatherings of even Gentiles sought to stop him. “Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands” (Acts 19:26). 

Fifth, INVASIVE. The Holy Spirit is not a physical agent, such as a gas, which spreads out and dissipates, but He is the agent of God’s power purposely targeting and invading an objective unbeknownst to man. “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” (Acts 16:6-7). Likewise, when Christians have been impressed by God — the LORD told me to do this — who are we to object? [Unless they say they are being ‘directed’ to do something forbidden by Scripture, such as, worshiping someone other than the LORD.] “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” (Acts 16:9-10). 

Sixth, IMPORTUNATE. The Holy Spirit is importunate, demanding, and insistent. He may quietly appear to have given up, without having given up. The definition of importunate is “urgent or persistent in solicitation, sometimes annoyingly so.” In Christ’s parable of the widow and the unjust judge, think of the widow as depicting the importunity of the Holy Spirit, and the Father playing the part of the unjust judge, of course, for dramatic purposes only. 

“1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, 2 saying: There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, Get justice for me from my adversary. 4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 6 Then the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:1-8). 

It is apparent that we are to be importunate as the Holy Spirit is. 

Seventh, VICTORIOUS. The Holy Spirit will always be victorious in the end, as shall we. Even the NT opponents of the disciples of Jesus confessed the foolhardiness of fighting God. “And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God” (Acts 5:38-39). Likewise, the Christian characteristic of “victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1John 5:4), was demonstrated by Stephen, the first Christian martyr, in his last words. “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” (Acts 7:56). 

Father, may we be meek like Jesus. Help us to exhibit the marks of the aggressiveness of a Spirit filled disciple. Cause us not to be confused with the aggression of the world, which promotes not Jesus. Enliven Your people by Your Spirit that we may be used to bring in Your Kingdom. Lord Jesus, return quickly. In Your name, we pray. Amen and amen.

Name of Jesus

Ken

Why do Christians feel the need to quote Scripture, if the underlying truth can be brought out without citing chapter and verse? So those who are not familiar with the source and context of the truth can determine its veracity. “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11 KJV). In this way, we enable our hearers not simply to be one of our followers, but a follower of Jesus. “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1Corinthians 11:1). And, sometimes the context of the truth is so obvious, chapter and verse are unnecessary. “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; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). 

What is so special about the Name of Jesus? We who are so crude we realize not our earthiness in all of its limitations need God’s Spirit to teach us our lowness and His highness. “1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. 2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory. 4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. 6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. 8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:1-8).

The Name of Jesus is not a talisman or good luck charm. It represents the beginning of our understanding of the True God. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). We take great delight in all of Scripture’s representations of Christ being different from but the same as the Father, since this is the Divine Mystery of the Godhead or the Trinity. Stumbling at such enigmas keeps the Kingdom of God from being filled with those who “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2Timothy 3:5). Cults famously misunderstand these things to their own detriment and often to their own damnation. “As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction” (2Peter 3:16). 

What is the significance of the Name of Jesus? 

First, it is the beginning of our relationship to God, because Jesus is the face of God. “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” (Acts 2:38). 

Second, wealth and health are of less importance than the Name of Jesus. “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” (Acts 3:6).

Third, God focuses our need of salvation from sin and sinning by lifting up the Name of Jesus (Greek, Iēsous, Jehovah is salvation) through supernatural means, such as healing. “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” (Acts 4:10). 

A- From sins: “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). 

B- From sinning: “Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee” (John 5:14). 

Third, the Name of Jesus must represent the highest possible challenge to Organized Religion for it to be opposed by the Jews, who were the keepers of the Oracles of God (Scripture). “And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:18). 

Fourth, the Name of Jesus represents the leadership of those who have been accounted worthy to suffer with Jesus, for “if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him” (2Timothy 2:12). “And when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go” (Acts 5:40). 

Fifth, the Name of Jesus represents the greatest threat to the sorceries of the world, and baptism in the Name of Jesus represents the greatest call to loyalty away from the enemy and to the Living God. “But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women” (Acts 8:12). 

Sixth, the Name of Jesus is the authority to cast demons out of those possessed by the devil, when used by those filled by the Spirit of Christ. “And this did she 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” (Acts 16:18). 

Seventh, the Name of Jesus identifies God’s called out assembly the Church, who have been set apart in Christ and called to walk holy as saints. “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours” (1Corinthians 1:2). 

In conclusion, all that we seek to know about God can be found in the Name of Jesus because Jesus is not simply made in the image of God but “is the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15), for “in Him should all fulness dwell” (1:19). Our most potent weapon against the enemy of our souls is Jesus, who has given His Spirit (Acts 2:38) not just for forgiveness of our sins but to inspire us to walk in complete obedience. “And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27). 

“For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart [Pharaoh’s heart], and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like Me in all the earth” (Exodus 9:14). 

“And the angel of the LORD [Pre-Incarnate Christ] said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret [literally, wonderful, incomprehensible]” (Judges 13:18). 

“For unto us a child [Messiah Jesus] is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). 

“Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon Him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered Him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am He. And Judas also, which betrayed Him, stood with them. As soon then as He had said unto them, I am He, they went backward [in other words, knocked to the ground by the Name of Jesus], and fell to the ground” (John 18:4-6).

Father, may the Name of Jesus be lifted up to glorify You. May Your power be witnessed and felt, when the Name of Jesus is used. May lives be transformed and demons flee, when all the power of the Almighty is displayed in the Name of Jesus. Cause us to be taught of Your Spirit that the opposition of the Wicked One may be brought to nothing. Magnify Yourself in an obedient, overcoming people. Grant us the inspiration to obey. Most of all, may there be the revelation of the face of God in the Name of Jesus. Lord Jesus, return quickly. In Your Name, we pray. Amen and amen.