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“THERE’S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT THAT NAME”

ACTS 4:1-13, 23-31 (3:1-4:31)

One of the first things a couple asks when they realize they’re going to have a baby is: “What are we going to name this child?”

Names are important to us. Names are not like social security numbers attached to a person so they can be identified. Names describe a parent’s hope for what their child will be like – their personality, their character, their purpose in life.

And so when my wife and I realized we were pregnant with our first child we got excited about picking a name. We decided we wanted the name to be unique and meaningful.
Some of the evening soap opera dramas like Dynasty and Knot’s Landing certainly had unique names for their characters – but they didn’t exactly meet the meaningful category. And since Elvis, Rush, and Cher had all been taken we decided not to go that route.

We went to the Bible searching for unique and meaningful names that hadn’t been used. We found Amminidab, Zerubabbel, and Sennacherib for the boys (Not exactly names that roll off the tongue). There was Jezebel, Herodias, and Dorcas for the girls (None of which we thought sounded like a good phonetical match with Busic). Not to mention the fact that we knew we couldn’t afford to send our kids to therapy for the rest of their lives. Can you imagine their first day of kindergarten? “Susan Smith? Here. “Jason Jones?” Here. “Dorcas Busic?” Heeeere. We might have been naïve at 21, but we prided ourselves in not being stupid!

Our next step was to go to the library and check out the baby names book. It was there we found the names that described the dreams we prayed for our children:

Megan Christine – Mighty Christian
David Benjamin – Beloved Son of my Right Hand
Madison Grace – Inheritor of God’s Mercy

There’s something about names. Names have power. They describe the essence of a person. In fact, names are so important to God that there are literally dozens of different names in Scripture to describe His character:

Jehovah - Jireh – The Lord will provide
Jehovah - Rapha – The Lord heals
Jehovah - Nissi – The Lord is my banner
Jehovah - Shalom – The Lord is my peace
Jehovah - Ra-ah – The Lord is my shepherd

I read this week about a little boy who asked his mother about God’s name. She explained how God had many names including Father, Lord, and Jehovah. After listening to her long explanation, the little boy finally asked: “Can I just call him Steve?”

There are many names for God! And there are many names for God’s Son. There are 256 names given in the Bible for the Son of God, because as Billy Sunday once said, “He is infinitely beyond what any one name could express.”

But of all the names that are used there is still one that is above every other name. That name is Jesus. There’s just something about that name! It was such an important name that God sent an angel to make sure Joseph got it right: “…You are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins”(Matthew1:21b).

There is something about that name! But it isn’t its uniqueness that makes it special. Jesus was a very ordinary name in that day. There were hundreds of boys named Jesus in the first century world. And it isn’t just its meaning that makes it special. Jesus was simply the Greek version of the Hebrew name “Joshua,” which means “the Lord saves.”
And yet that name became the embodiment for Christian ministry because there was power in Jesus’ name. What made the name of Jesus so powerful was who it represented.

In the ancient world to invoke someone’s name was to represent that person and to carry their authority. In fact, in the Old Testament God’s name was synonymous with his presence. If you wanted to invoke God you simply called his name. And so when the disciples spoke Jesus’ name it wasn’t just that they were representing an absent Jesus, but to speak his name in faith was to call on his very presence, because the power of the person was present and available in the name of the person!
You’ll remember that before Jesus ascended into heaven he gathered his little band of followers together and said: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you”(Acts 1:8a).

The question was: What kind of power?

It would be an intellectual power in that they would be given wisdom and knowledge – knowledge to know what to do and wisdom to know how to do it. It would be an emotional power in that they would be given a deep love for one another and compassion for the people around them. It would be a physical power in that they would be given strength and endurance beyond their human potential and capacity. But most importantly it would be a spiritual power in that they would be given the supernatural faith to believe and perform miraculous signs and wonders in His name.

John goes so far as to tell us that Jesus had said: “Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. They will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. Ask for anything in my name, and I will do it!” (John 14:12-14).
The power was intellectual, it was emotional, it was physical, and it was spiritual. But the driving purpose of it all was to go in the power of Jesus’ name and “be my witnesses.”

The early church certainly understood the power of Jesus’ name. That phrase “the name of Jesus,” or some form thereof, appears 32 times in the book of Acts – nine times in chapters 3-4.

We don’t know exactly how much time had elapsed between the Day of Pentecost and the beginning of chapter 3. Some believe it could have been a few weeks – others believe it might even have been the same day. The time frame isn’t important. What matters is that Jesus had called his followers to minister in his name and given them the power to do it. But no sooner had the Holy Spirit been given to the church than they were confronted with a human need. The authentic test of Pentecost is what happens in Acts 3-4.

Peter and John were on their way to the temple for a 3:00 prayer meeting. There they met a lame man crippled from birth. He was sitting at the Beautiful Gate. The man hoped for money from them. Peter had something even better. He said: “I don’t have any money for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the NAME of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” (Acts 3:6).

Do you know what Peter was saying? “In behalf of the Jesus who is here, I’m telling you to get up!” Peter took the beggar’s hand and lifted him to his feet. The power was Jesus’ – the hand was Peter’s. And so it is for every Christian filled with the Holy Spirit.
The Bible says in an instant the beggar’s feet and ankles became strong and the man who had never walked stood to his feet and began to run screaming at the top of his lungs! It was the fulfillment of the prophet Isaiah who said that in the age of the Spirit, “the lame will jump like a deer.”

All the leaping and shouting attracted a crowd, and when the people in the temple realized who was doing the jumping they were absolutely dumbfounded, because they knew it was the lame beggar and he was over 40 years old!

A crowd began to gather, and because a preacher is always looking for an opportunity to preach, Peter launched into his second post-Pentecost sermon. He didn’t pull any punches. He made it clear that the power that healed the man was not his power. It was Jesus’ NAME and the faith that comes through him that brought the miracle.
Then he preached a message of repentance and forgiveness to the crowd, which was another way to say if you turn away from your sin and turn toward God, you’ll have a brand new life.

Right in the middle of the altar call the party-poopers showed up looking like the Senate Judiciary Committee – the priests, captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees. They were the religious and political aristocracy who were in charge of all things religious. Needless to say they were a little perturbed by the whole situation. They were more concerned about right theology and maintaining control than they were that a man’s life had been transformed!

They arrested them for disturbing the peace and threw them in jail for the night. The only problem was they were too late! The name of Jesus had already been spoken and another thousand people had become believers!

The next day they arranged for a quick hearing with the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was the single high court of Jerusalem’s religious and political leaders comprised of Sadducees and Pharisees. Their job was to interpret and guard Jewish law and practice, and to discipline those who either didn’t conform to the law or who encouraged others to transgress the law.

Peter and John were ushered into the courtroom with their orange jump suits and handcuffs. Sitting in the front seat was the prosecution’s material witness – the walking, running, jumping lame man! The only thing missing was a lawyer. As it turned out, Peter and John wouldn’t need one.

The Sanhedrin didn’t waste any time. They immediately showed their hand. “By what power or what NAME did you do this?”(Acts 4:7b). They weren’t interested in theology – they were interested in power. It wasn’t resurrection that was bothering them – it was insurrection!

This was the crucial moment for Peter and John, and don’t think it wasn’t tense. This was the same semicircle of scowling faces that had condemned Jesus to death just a few months before. They knew that Jesus’ body was missing and there were rumors of a resurrection. And now they had his followers in custody to try and squeeze some answers out of them. They shoved the microphone in front of Peter’s face and sat up on the edge of their seats. Every eye was glued on Peter in the witness stand.

Some of us might have been tempted to say: “Look guys! This is all just one big misunderstanding. We never intended to hurt anybody. Let’s just shake hands and forget this whole thing ever happened.” But not Peter! At least not the post-Pentecost Peter!

I love what the text says next: “Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered them” (Acts 4:8a). Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit would be with them in critical moments and give them the words to speak when they needed them most. If Peter ever needed an infilling, this was it!

He said: “Rulers and elders of the people, when did we start putting people on trial for being kind to our neighbors? But since you ask, let me be very clear about what this is all about. This man was healed in the NAME and POWER of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the man you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead. The stone you tossed aside as useless, God has chosen to make the foundation to redeem the world! And there is no other name in heaven or earth in which salvation can be found!!”

You could have heard a pin drop! The prisoner on the witness stand had become God’s prosecuting attorney! If the Sanhedrin weren’t impressed, they were certainly confounded. They had all the evidence they needed to lock these two up and throw away the key, and yet they didn’t seem to be afraid. Not only were they courageous, they spoke with authority!

These were ordinary men. They didn’t have any special seminary training. There were no degrees on their wall. Where did their knowledgeable eloquence and extraordinary courage come from? Then it dawned on them – they had seen this before. They thought they had stamped out Jesus, but now his followers were speaking with the same authority and power as he had before.

They sent Peter and John out and said to each other: “What are we going to do with these guys? They won’t go away! They just keep popping up!” And so they did what authoritarian leadership always does when they’re stumped for an answer – they ordered them to be quiet! They opted for damage control, imposing a gag order, thinking if we can just shut up the source maybe this thing will disappear.

But what the Sanhedrin didn’t realize was that trying to keep Spirit-filled apostles quiet is like trying to hold back a breaking wave. Trying to keep a Pentecost Christian silent is like locking the barn door after the horse has bolted.

And that was exactly what Peter said when they brought him back in: “You be judge. Should we obey you or God? We just can’t stop talking about the Good News of Jesus Christ!”

The Sanhedrin was in a tight spot. All the people had seen the miracle and they were talking about it. The evidence was sitting right in front of them. And to top it all off they were dealing with a growing church that exuded courage and passion and who couldn’t keep still about it!

And so they do the same thing most of us do when we can’t settle an argument in a reasonable way – they threaten them. “Don’t press you’re luck. If we catch you speaking in Jesus’ name again it won’t just be one night in the slammer!” And with that they send them on their way.

Now I don’t know what you’d do after just being threatened by the group of people that only two months before had taken your leader’s life. Maybe you’d write your congressman. Maybe you’d throw a fit about freedom of speech. Maybe you’d go back out to the astonished crowd and try and make them an angry mob!

But Peter and John didn’t do any of that. Do you know what they did? They went back to the power source. They went back to the church! Because they understood that this wasn’t just a political issue – this was a spiritual battle.

Jesus had warned them that there would be serious opposition and this certainly qualified. This was physical, in your face, bodily harm kind of opposition and they knew the Sanhedrin would make good on their threats. They had been abused and interrogated and whipped around and they knew that was only the beginning.

And so they went to the church with the need. And after they’d told the other believers what had happened they did they only thing they knew to do: they prayed. Where do Christians go when there’s trouble? They go to prayer! Where do Christians go when they’re up against a wall? They go to Jesus!

They don’t go to the bank. They don’t go to their boss. God’s people go to God! They raised their voices in unison and they cried out to their heavenly Father. And listen to how they prayed:

Oh Sovereign Lord – You’re in control. None of this has caught you by surprise. You’re the Lord. You have all power.

Consider their threats – You know the need. We don’t have to tell you what happened. We don’t have to tell you what to do. You have the answer.

Enable us to speak your word with boldness.

Stretch out your hand to heal and continue to perform miraculous signs and wonders through the NAME of your holy servant Jesus.

Can you believe their prayer! Unbelievable!

They didn’t pray for protection – they prayed for more power!

They didn’t pray for a way out – they prayed for courage!

They didn’t say, “send someone else.” – they said, “help us to be faithful!

Do you know what they were saying? “Don’t let their manipulation and our fear deter us from the mission!”

And after they had prayed the building where they were meeting literally SHOOK with the power of God, and they were all filled again with the Holy Spirit! They had experienced Pentecost, but they needed a fresh infilling in the hour of their greatest need!

Jim Cymbala, pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle, says that throughout his ministry he has learned an astonishing truth: “God is attracted to weakness. He can’t resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need him. Our weakness, in fact, makes room for his power.”

Do you know what I’m discovering? Many Christians feel more comfortable with the idea that apart from Christ they can do nothing, than they do with the fact that they can do all things through Him who strengthens them.

Do you know why? Because “I can do nothing,” lets me off the hook – “I can do all things” makes me wonder why I’m not doing anything. It’s easier to piddle around wondering whether it’s God’s will that you rent this apartment or that one, or if I ought to keep this job or move on to another, than it is to face up to God’s ultimate will for you: that you be conformed to the image of His Son and be HIS REPRESENTATIVE IN THE WORLD!

When it comes to spiritual matters, you and I will never know our potential under God until we step out and take risks on the front line of battle. We will never see what power and anointing are possible until we launch out in obedience to the ministry God is calling us to.

Gathering up in the safety of a holy huddle and complaining about how bad the world not only won’t save anybody it will do absolutely nothing to unleash the power of God. Do you know why? Because God meets us in the moment of battle! He energizes us when there is an enemy to be pushed back.

When the opposition is the strongest and the persecution is the fiercest that’s where you’ll find the power of God. We will be filled with the Holy Spirit when we dare to do what could never be accomplished in our own strength and insight.

There is power in the name of Jesus!