The powerful name of Jesus


By Traci Rabenstein, director of Mission Advancement

“When Peter saw [how they responded to the man being healed], he addressed the people, ‘You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, … but you rejected the Holy and Righteous One. . . . Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out’” (Acts 3:12-19).

What a commotion there was when Peter and John visited the temple in Jerusalem. The people were filled with disbelief when Peter healed the lame man by simply declaring the name of Jesus. We know that the Holy Spirit had just descended on the believers at Pentecost, giving them the ability to perform miracles like Jesus. However, it seems that many of the people at the temple hadn’t gotten the memo and wondered, “How can this be?”

Peter seemed caught off guard by their reaction and questioned why they were marveling at him and John when it was the name of Jesus and the power of God that had healed the man. Through faith in Christ, the disciples received the Holy Spirit, and because of that same faith, the lame man was healed.

Despite clear explanations in life, just like the one that Peter gave, don’t we still ask, “How can this be?” Our Lord Jesus Christ gave selflessly of himself, suffered and died, and was raised. Do we believe in the powerful name of Jesus and are we open to receive the healing that it brings? Do we fully embrace the protection and the comfort that believing in the risen Savior gives to us?

There are moments when our faith holds strong and we believe whole-heartedly that the Holy Spirit of God is active in our lives and in our world. On those days, we walk taller and with confidence in the name of Jesus. However, we also have moments and days when we are plagued with doubt. When things go wrong, when we can’t see a way out, or when it seems like things couldn’t possibly get any better, we sit in disbelief at what is happening around us.

I sit in disbelief because it has been five years since the girls of Chibok were kidnapped. While we rejoice for those who have been restored, we are still saddened by those who haven’t. I sit in disbelief that it has been nearly 10 years since the first insurgency of Boko Haram occurred against the Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, Church of the Brethren). I sit in disbelief that people take pride in our nation because it started with influence from the Christian faith but they also struggle to be kind and loving to others.

Despite everything that prompts disbelief, we can stand with hopeful expectation of when Christ will return to usher in the next phase of God’s plan for all of creation. Peter reminded the people of why Christ entered the world, and even though some who were sitting in the temple that day were part of the crowd who sentenced Jesus to death, they still had the opportunity to repent and accept the healing and transformative power of God. With Christ’s death and resurrection, our sins were wiped away, and, through believing in Jesus, we are healed.

It is wonderful to trust in the name of Jesus. It is exciting to serve in a church where we show the world another way of living. It is empowering to know that the same Spirit that resided in the risen Savior resides in you and me. The question and challenge we have is: what will we do with this power?! Will we sit and do nothing? Or will we evoke the name of Jesus and continue his work?

May God give us strength and wisdom to persevere through disbelief, and may the Holy Spirit open our eyes and hearts to do mighty works in the powerful name of Jesus.

The ministries of the Church of the Brethren are carried out in the name of Jesus. Learn more about them at www.brethren.org or support them today at www.brethren.org/give.

(Read this issue of eBrethren.)

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