We see in the Bible one example of acting in the name of the Lord. When the archangel Michael argued with the devil over the body of Moses, did he say, “I rebuke you” or “May the Lord rebuke you”? If you add the word may, it becomes a prayer and a wish. No, the archangel said, “The Lord rebuke you”! (Jude 9). This means that for him to rebuke the devil is for the Lord to rebuke him. The archangel Michael applied the Lord’s name. Hence, being in the name of the Lord Jesus does not necessarily mean saying the words “in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Doing things in the name of the Lord Jesus means that we use His name as we use our own name. Here we touch a very important spiritual principle: we can use the Lord’s name as we use our own name. Many people say that they have not exhausted the power in the Lord’s blood. I would say rather that we have not exhausted the power in His name. Paul could say to the Corinthians, “I have no commandment of the Lord, but I give my opinion.” Further on, he said, “I think that I also have the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 7:25, 40). We have to see that this name is a name that we can use. Brothers and sisters, do you realize that here is a name, an authority, and a power that have been placed in the hand of the church? The church can use them. The church should use the Lord’s name in a proper way. We say that the church reigns. But without the name, there would be no way that the church could reign. We say that the church holds the key to the kingdom and is responsible for bringing in the kingdom. But without the name, the gate of the kingdom could not be opened. We say that God’s intention is for the church to bind up death through life and bind up Satan. Yet if we did not have this name or did not know how to use this name, there would be no way for us to accomplish these things. We have to see that the Lord Jesus has given this name to the church.

This is why God charges that a man must be baptized after he has believed in the Lord and is saved. What is baptism? It is coming into the Lord’s name. On the day I was baptized, I began to share this name. From that day on, God committed this name to me. I can use the Lord Jesus’ name as I use my own name. This is why baptism is such a great matter. According to the spiritual reality, I am a dead man and I am also a resurrected man. Since I am standing on the ground of death and resurrection, I can use the Lord’s name. From that day, I became related to His name. He is Christ, and we are the Christians. What is a Christian? What is the church? The church is just a group of people on earth who can use the Lord’s name, and God takes responsibility for their action every time they use that name. In whatever way we use this name, God will take responsibility for it. This is a tremendous thing. Our relationship with the Lord’s name began at the time of baptism. We are baptized into the name. In other words, through baptism we enter into the name.

Here we see that the cross and resurrection are two indispensable things. Only by standing on the ground of baptism can we use the Lord’s name. If we are not standing on the ground of baptism, we cannot use His name, because the cross will not have a free way in us, and the Lord Jesus will not have any effect on us; we cannot use the name. Even if we use the name, God will not take responsibility for it. We must stand on the ground of baptism. The ground of baptism means that we believe in the fact of the cross and believe that the old man is crucified with Christ; we accept the principle of the cross and receive the cross as something that deals with our natural life. Baptism tells us that everything we have must go through death daily. Only that which remains after passing through death has spiritual significance. If something is gone after it passes through death, it will not stand before God. God wants the things that pass through the cross and remain, the things that are not destroyed after death has done its work.

God’s children need to see the fact of the cross. We need God to reveal what we have received in Christ. The day must come when the Lord breaks the backbone of our natural life. Only then will we become useful. The day must come when God sees the mark of the cross in us. In many people, it does not seem as if the cross has done any work. It does not seem as if the cross has done any work in their speech, in the way they work, in their feeling, and particularly in their attitude before God. The day must come when God breaks and destroys such a person by the cross. Only that which remains after the cross is resurrection. Resurrection is that which is not terminated through death; it is that which is not annihilated through death. Resurrection is what remains after a person is smitten by the Lord. Only those who stand on such a ground can exercise the Lord’s authority, and only they can use the Lord’s name. God assumes responsibility for those who stand on this ground, and He is behind them when they use the Lord’s name. Brothers and sisters, this is the greatest commitment in the whole world. God can commit His Son’s name to us and allow us to use this name as our own. This is too great a matter. God has to assume tremendous responsibility in this matter. This is, indeed, not a small matter.

When we do things in the Lord’s name, what result will this name bring? The Bible shows us that there are three results of acting in the Lord’s name. The first relates to man, the second to the devil, and the third to God.
Home | First | Prev | Next