Sometimes we tell someone, “Go and tell a certain brother what to do. If he asks you who said it, just tell him that I said it.” This is being in the name of someone. Being in someone’s name is to use that name. If you commit your name to someone and he uses your name, you have to bear the responsibility of his use of your name. This is what it means by being in the name.

The last night the Lord Jesus was on earth, He told the disciples, “Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14). This means that the Lord Jesus committed a great thing to the disciples; He gave the disciples His name. His name is authority, and there is nothing that He can give that is greater than this. Suppose that after the Lord Jesus committed His name to our hand, we used it irresponsibly. What would happen? A man who occupies an important position needs only to put his seal to his order, and the order is executed. If he gives his seal to someone, he will have to be responsible every time the seal is used to issue an order. Do you think he can commit his seal to anyone easily? Of course he cannot. But the Lord Jesus has committed His name to us. The Lord’s name is a name that is above every name. He is willing to commit this name to you and me and allow us to use this name. Do we see the responsibility in committing His name to us? God trusts us and commits the Lord Jesus’ name to us. Whatever we do in His name, God will take responsibility for it. Brothers and sisters, what a tremendous thing this is! God will take responsibility for whatever we do in the name of the Lord Jesus!

One characteristic of this age is that the Lord Jesus does not do anything directly. He does not speak directly on earth; rather, He speaks through the church. He does not perform any miracles directly; rather, He performs them through the church. He does not save men directly; rather, He saves them through the church. Today the Lord accomplishes His work through the church rather than directly by Himself. This is why He has committed His name to the church. But what a great responsibility He has to bear. It is easy to take responsibility for what you do directly. All you have to do is be responsible for what you do personally; you do not have to take responsibility for what others do. If your seal is in your hand, you will take responsibility only for what you do yourself. But if your seal is in someone else’s hand, you will have to be responsible for what they do with your seal. If the Lord Jesus was in the world today, working the same way as He did before by doing everything Himself, He would not have to take responsibility for what we do. But today the Lord’s work is not done by Himself alone. He has committed His work to the church. All the works of the Lord Jesus today are in the church. Today the church’s work is the Lord’s work. Hence, He has to take responsibility for everything the church does with His name. In committing a task to someone, we have to find a reliable person. If a person is not reliable, it is hard to commit anything to him. But today the Lord Jesus is obligated to commit Himself to the church. Now is not the time for the Son of God to appear in the flesh. Now is the time when the Son of God appears in the Spirit and in the church. Since this is so, He has to commit Himself to the church. Otherwise, He could not do anything. Today He has ascended to the heavens and is sitting on the right hand of the Father, waiting for the enemy to be His footstool. He is there as the High Priest, and He is praying there. This is His job. As to His work on earth, He has committed it to the church. Therefore, the church has the authority to use His name today. Consequently, the Lord has to take responsibility for the church’s use of His name.

On earth the church has no greater authority than the authority of doing things in the Lord Jesus’ name. The Lord has committed His name to the church. This is the greatest commitment because this name denotes Himself. Whatever you speak in the name of the Lord Jesus becomes what the Lord Himself speaks. Whatever you ask in the name of the Lord Jesus becomes what He asks. Whatever you decide in the name of the Lord Jesus becomes what the Lord decides. The church has the authority to speak in the name of the Lord. What a commitment God has given to the church!
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