Lesson 11- There is Power in the Name of Jesus

Lesson 11

There is POWER in the NAME of JESUS

AMBASSADOR CHRISTIAN COLLEGE‐ Dr. Keith Slough

INTRODUCTION

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WANT TO SHARE SOME PERSONAL THOUGHTS with you in this issue.

The last issue of this publication brought you new revelation that our churches don't teach. This is new understanding of how God will indeed open up the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it!

But I feel more needs to be understood on this profound Biblical teaching. Personally I believe the churches have missed the boat where finances are concerned. Yes it takes money to operate a church. But I have seen church leaders beg, plead, cry, coerce, and even threaten their members with the lake of fire if they didn't give money to their church!

Surely this cannot be right! What all church leaders should understand is that we must help the people to prosper first ‐and then the prosperity of the Work of the church will follow. I believe pastors and evangelists have had it backwards. They have tried to "get" from the people. What ministers should do first is to GIVE to the people the means whereby they can be prospered first, and then through their increased prosperity, the work of the Ministry will naturally prosper.

Therefore my goal is to teach the reader how to have increased prosperity first using Biblical methods. As you begin learning how to prosper supernaturally, how to increase in material wealth "having all sufficiency in all things" as God's will is, and then you will obey God and share that with God's great Work of preaching His true Gospel and other doctrinal truths to the world. And only then does the work of the church have the right to expect prosperity.

Televangelists and other "fund raisers" should realize they cannot "get blood out of a turnip." Rather they should have been trying to prosper the people not themselves. Only by giving to the people do they have a right to receive (I Corinthians 9:11).

We all must learn to give first before we can expect to receive.

That is God's Biblical method of prosperity. Every farmer knows that to reap a harvest he first must SOW SEED into the ground! Therefore before any Ministry can expect to have God's blessing to take the gospel to the world, the first thing true ministers of God should do is to teach the people how to prosper FIRST! After giving this much thought I have decided to spend some more time teaching additional information on this subject until I begin getting letters from readers telling me that God is now prospering them ‐that they are having their needs met supernaturally and are living in the abundance that Christ desires for us to have ‐ if we obey His financial laws!

Let me hear from you!

God Provides for Our Needs

Sometimes we sow seeds into the lives of others and then forget about it. But God doesn't.

And later we reap a harvest of blessings but never connect the cause to the effect. Have you

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ever done that?

In my first year at college in Texas I remember sitting in the dining hall praying silently and thanking God that He had supplied all my needs. I praised Him and thanked Him that each and every need had already been supplied. Imagine that! Have you ever been able to say that? It was so amazing to me that I stopped praying for a few seconds to try to think of something ‐ anything ‐that I needed that God had not already provided.

Suddenly a need did come to mind. I greatly desired an FM radio to listen to after work. I had been listening to my roommate's radio after work which I found very relaxing. But I really desired one for myself so I would not have to bother him. But being so small a need I dismissed it and continued praising God that all needs had been met. I stopped praying again to think if I could think of anything I needed that I didn't already have! And then another need came to my mind. When the college had its socials many of the men wore bow ties but I did not have any to wear. Being in college I did not have the means to buy them at the time. But even without money all my needs had been supplied (except for the bow ties and the FM radio). But these are such minor needs that I immediately dismissed them without another thought and continued to praise God for His blessings and that He had supplied my needs.

The very next day a student whom I barely knew walked up to me and told me that while he was sitting at his desk the day before, he was thinking about his small portable radio which he never used. He said that my name suddenly popped into his mind and so he wondered if I would like to borrow it for the rest of the school year!

Remember now, I had not even prayed for a radio. I had only been thinking about it as a need. When I eventually got to his dormitory he loaned me his radio with AM/FM frequencies and then as I walked out the door he called back to me and said, "Wait a minute! Do you also need any bow ties?" Before I could answer he walked over to his closet and pulled two bow ties off his tie rack and gave them to me.

Sow First, Then Harvest

For years I have given this testimony of how God can meet your needs even before you ask Him, yet I had never connected this event to the sowing of seed. I finally realized that I must have sown into someone's life previous to this and went back in my memory after many years.

Sure enough I remembered "sowing seed" into someone's life only about nine months before when I had met a young man at the beach who was a teenager. His parents had no idea where he was, he told me. Nor had he had the money to eat anything the entire day. I took him into a nearby restaurant and bought him a fine dinner. Of course that was a little thing to me, but to someone who hasn't eaten all day, it can be a real blessing.

Now I am not telling that today "to be seen of men." Don't miss the point. When I did this "aIm" I only did it to supply the need of this young boy who did not have the money to buy a good meal. I did it to help him only and for no other reason. Yet God in heaven had not

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forgotten this "seed" I had sown into someone else' life and when He saw I had a need without the money to purchase what I needed, He simply "added" it.

Matthew 6:33 commands us to seek first the Kingdom of God (which is "as if a man should cast seed into the ground," Mark 4:26 sowing into the lives of others first) and the supply of all our needs will simply be "added" to us!

I have seen that scripture fulfilled in my own life!

Every farmer desires to reap a harvest. But he knows he must sow seed into the ground first. Spiritually it is the same in the Kingdom of God God's way of life. We must sow first into the lives of others before we can reap the harvest for our own needs.

This is the reason why it seems that God sometimes supplies our needs and sometimes He does not. We have not realized that sometimes we have sown seeds and sometimes we didn't.

When we did sow into the lives of others we forgot about it and then was surprised when the harvest came!

But many times we have prayed and prayed and hoped and begged for a harvest to supply our need and the answer never came!

Theologians then wax eloquent about the "sovereignty of God" to do as He pleases when He arbitrarily decides to do something for us. But this is not true. It only seems that God is arbitrary. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8). It is not God who is arbitrary in keeping His promises but it is the Christian who sometimes sows seed into the lives of others and sometimes does not.

We wonder why God supplies the need of one Christian but not another. This has puzzled Christians for generations. Yet the Bible says God is no respecter of persons! (Romans 2:11).

But He is a respecter of seed!

Three Commanded Ways to Sow for the Harvest

Remember there are three ways we are COMMANDED to sow. We are never to place the needs of the poor first. Men are never to be first in our lives. Rather GOD should always be first.

God should receive the "FIRST fruits" of our giving. Notice: "Honour the Eternal with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall BURST OUT with new wine"! (Proverbs 3:9‐ 10).

Abundance and prosperity begin with honoring God with the FIRST fruits of our giving.

1) First, as explained before in past lessons concerning prosperity, we must PAY to God that which is God's ‐the required tithe as Jesus commanded (Luke 20:25, Matthew 23:23).

2) Secondly, we are commanded to GIVE "freewill" offerings to the Work of the Ministry over and above the required duty of ten percent of our increase. (For if all we do is pay the required tithes, then we have not gone over and beyond the minimum requirement. Christ tells us we are therefore unprofitable servants ‐ Luke 17:10).

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So we should then generously give of our own money whatever we choose to give to the Work of God ABOVE His required payment of the tithe.

3) Third, we are to consistently and regularly GIVE to the poor. Isaiah was inspired to write that we should "draw out" ourselves to seek the poor (Isaiah 58:10).

"But I Can't Afford to Give..."

You may feel you "cannot afford" to obey God in these three requirements for the Christian.

You may feel you cannot afford to "sow seed" as the Bible requires. But when you study the promised HARVEST for your obedience which God promises to those who do these three things, then how can we "afford" not to?

Think! Look at the promises contained in the "harvest" for those who sow seed as described here. Can you afford to be without good health? (Isaiah 58:8). Can you afford to be without answered prayer? (verse 9). Can you really afford to be without divine guidance in your life? (verse 11). These are promises from God! We see here the specific "harvest" we will reap if we continue to sow and "faint not" (Galatians 6:9).

Can we afford to be without the promised BLESSING that whatever we put our hand to in all our works will be blessed by God? (Deuteronomy 15:10). Can we really afford to be without the promised blessing for sowing seed, of having ALL our needs SUPPLIED according to God's own riches in glory?! (Philippians 4:19).

If you cannot afford to "sow seed" as God commands, then you apparently CAN afford to live in poverty! Think about it.

I cannot "afford" to live in poverty!

Can you? I cannot afford to live without answered prayer. I cannot afford to live without good health and healing when I need it. I cannot afford to live without divine guidance in my life!

(Isaiah 58). I cannot afford to live without my needs being supplied according to God's riches in glory (Philippians 4:19).

Can you? Do you wish to live from paycheck to paycheck the rest of your life? Do you wish to live in debt until you retire?

You don't have to! ‐not with God's promise of adding the supply of your needs to you if you seek first His kingdom by sowing first into His Work and the lives of the poor and needy.

The whole professing Christian church has missed a tremendous blessing! ‐living in the supernatural provision of Almighty God! It was never God's intention that you work for your own living, but rather that you work for "seed money" to bless others, to sow into the lives of others (Ephesians 4:28), so that God can bless your seed with increase and prosper you (II Corinthians 9: 10) so that "all these things [that you need in your life] shall be ADDED to you" by God (Matthew 6:33).

Imagine! Always continually having all your needs met by the supernatural power of God! This is the true "prosperity teaching" of the Holy Bible. If we timidly refuse to obey God

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alleging we "cannot afford" to obey God we will never know the grace (or favor) of God as He intends for us to know. God wants to bless us tremendously for obedience (Read Deuteronomy 28:1‐14). But we must be committed in our obedience. But for how long? For just six months?

No! Absolutely not! We must be COMMITTED to this way of life from this day forward all the days of our lives. Only then will we see the supernatural abundance of God! I know whereof I speak. When a person decides to "try" this for a limited time to see "if' it will work, it doesn't work! And they end up without the intended blessing for their lack of Faith. I have witnessed this tragedy with my own eyes. Remember, we cannot please God without faith in His Word (Hebrews 11:6).

Trust God and obey Him in these Biblically revealed Laws of prosperity. Make a lifelong commitment. And like me, you will begin to notice before long the blessings coming your way.

And as you continue to be a tither and a giver, you will continue to receive the supernatural blessing and provision of God to provide for all your needs!

Good Ground to Sow In

Finally, remember the words of Jesus about how some seeds fall on stony ground and therefore produce no harvest (Mark 4:5). When you sow your first seeds into the Ministry, be sure you are sowing into a Ministry that has blessed you with Truth! This is a command of God (Galatians 6:6‐7+9). We are commanded to sow into His Work ‐not just "turn loose" of money into a "church" to help with a building fund only or to help retire debt (which helps them of course), but we are to sow seed into a Work of God that is preaching God's Truth!

Farmers know that if you sow seed on stony ground you have wasted your seed. Nothing will produce from it. No harvest will come. Rather we must sow into GOOD GROUND to expect a return on our investment. INVEST into the Ministry and Work of God where you are being taught the truth. In so doing you will be sowing into good ground and can expect to reap a bountiful harvest "in due time" that will supply all your needs.

Will you begin obeying your Lord?

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The POWER in the NAME of JESUS There is Mighty POWER in the NAME of Jesus! Through this NAME the sick are healed! Through this NAME demons are cast out! Through this NAME supernatural miracles occur! Through this NAME sinners are converted! Read here how to walk in this.

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he NAME of JESUS! There is power in that Name! You can walk in the supernatural power we are given in the Name of Jesus to heal the sick, cast out demons and perform other miracles. You can even do the same works Jesus Himself did (see John 14:12)!

Does that sound fantastic? Does that sound like false doctrine? It might if you are in a dead church; one that does not teach this truth. But don’t take any man’s word for it. Believe your Bible. Believe the words of Jesus Himself. Read what Jesus said in John 14:12 in your own Bible!

In the Last Days it is prophesied that some will have a form of godliness but will deny the power that God intended to accompany genuine godliness! Notice 2 Timothy3: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come… [for men will be having] a form of godliness [or Religion], but denying the power thereof: from such turn away”! (verse 1, 3).

The Amplified Bible reads: “For although they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny and reject and are strangers to the POWER of it”! The parentheses are in the text of the Amplified Bible. Notice, the “form of godliness” that that people will hold in the last days will be considered a form of TRUE Religion. Yet even if such churches hold the right doctrines and do not know how to walk in the power of God we are commanded by God to "turn away" from that church.

Yet the majority of Christians even truly converted saints of God find it difficult to ''turn away" from their own beloved church. They love the fellowship with the people, the choir and the worship, and of course their pastor. Perhaps they love the denomination. "Turn away from such a wonderful church? How could we do that!" they reason.

They also may believe the basic truths taught by that church. Perhaps their church teaches more Bible truth than any they have found. Perhaps in some cases they have even come to believe that their church is a "true" church, because they indeed are teaching the truths of Scripture.

But they do not teach or encourage the people to lay hands on the sick and walk in faith for the power of God to be manifested in their congregation!

Yet here is a plain command of Scripture in n Timothy 3:5. If they do not walk in the power of God, we are to ''turn away" from them. This means we are not supposed to support them

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with God's tithes and offerings! To do so is a direct violation of Scripture!

Why should any of us support a Ministry or church that is not teaching the true doctrines of the Bible? Think about it.

Of course most of you say, "Oh I wouldn't do that. The church I support with my attendance and my tithes and offerings teaches the Bible!"

They argue, "My church has the correct form of godliness ‐the true doctrines of the Bible."

Perhaps they do. But are they walking in the POWER of the Holy Spirit to heal the sick, cast out demons and perform the works of Jesus?

If they are dead to the Power of God, then even if they do hold the true doctrines of the Bible, Christ does not have His hand on them. It is that simple. For where Christ is, the power of God is! Simple, isn't it?

Find a church that not only teaches the true doctrines of the Bible but is walking in the power of God for miracles and healing, and you know CHRIST is with that Ministry or Church.

But if you are in a church that may even teach the Bible almost perfectly, yet if you are not seeing the power to see the sick healed etc. then even though they may be teaching the Bible, they are not truly yielded to the Spirit of God. For the Holy Spirit is the POWER of God (Acts 1:8). The Spirit gives us the power to heal the sick, cast out demons and save the soul! (Mark 16:18).

POWER in His Name!

Your church may indeed be a part of the true spiritual Body of Christ, but if they lack power for the supernatural and the miraculous, or worse ‐deny their members to. Exercise the faith for healing the sick in the mighty Name of Jesus, then TURN AWAY from such a church!

The Word of God teaches that God has highly exalted Jesus and has given Him a name which is above every name! (Philippians 2:9‐10).

Have you highly exalted Him in your own personal life and worship? Do you attend a church that highly exalts Jesus in its corporate worship? Do they sing "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in [their] hearts to the Lord"? (Colossians 3:16). And notice this verse says "singing ... TO the Lord" not just singing about Him. We should be singing praise choruses, for instance, that allow us to sing TO the Lord our praise and our worship of Him. Notice Jesus' own words about the authority in His Name: "And whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in My Name I will do it"!

What was He speaking of! Let's get the context. Read the verse above the ones just quoted: verse 12: "Verily, verily [truly], I say unto you, he that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also"!

We ‐true Believers ‐can do the works that Jesus did! He healed the sick! He cast out demons! We can do the works Jesus did! He said so Himself!

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Do you attend a church where you, as a believer in Christ, are not encouraged to do this? I know of a church that has actually thrown people out of its membership for attempting to obey Christ in this matter. The apostle Paul was not ashamed to imitate Christ and told us to imitate him as he himself imitated Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1, see margin where the word "followers" literally means "imitators" in the Greek language).

Did the apostles take Jesus seriously? Yes they did!

Notice the account where John and Peter healed a lame man. Notice the POWER they exercised in the NAME of Jesus. Peter said to the man, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have given thee: In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk"!

And he did!

And the witnesses stood "greatly wondering" (verse 11).

Peter explained that "His Name through faith in His Name hath made this man strong" (verse 16).

The Power of God is found in the authority we have in the mighty Name of JESUS! As a result of exercising power in this Name to heal the sick, persecution soon followed as it usually does. They immediately came into conflict with the human religious authorities of that day. Peter explained how the miracle was done.

"Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; "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....

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other NAME under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved"! (Acts 4:8, 10, 12).

Romans 10:13 states also "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." So we see that both healing and salvation come through the authority in the name of Jesus.

Paul said he was not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of God to salvation (Romans 1:16). There is power in the Gospel which includes the preaching of His Name (Luke 24:47).

Notice that anytime God's ministers preached the Kingdom of God they also included the preaching of His Name: "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).

Paul Preached About Jesus

This is also how Paul preached. He "testified the kingdom of God" ‐ how? ‐by "persuading them concerning JESUS" (Acts 28:23 + 31).

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Paul preached in His Name. In fact Christ plainly told us that we must not be ashamed to confess Him before men. Jesus said if we fail to confess Him before men, He will also deny us before God the Father! (Matthew 10:35). This is critically important to every professed believer in Christ.

It is important that we do not deny His Name in our preaching and witnessing to the world.

In the Book of Revelation Jesus sends letters to seven churches. There is one in particular that He did not reprimand but greatly commended: the congregation at Philadelphia. He told them that they had kept His Word and had not denied His Name! (Revelation 3:8). As a result of not denying His Name, He promises this one congregation out of the seven, that they will be worthy to escape the coming Great Tribulation! These seven letters are written prophetically, for the Book of Revelation is a book of prophecy. This is a church that exists in the last days!

Would you like to be in that "Philadelphia" church that will exist in the last days? You can!

For notice Jesus said it will be a church (a body of believers) that has kept His Word and has not denied His Name (Revelation 3:8). Are you in that church?

There are even some who have apostatized in this day who brag that they do not honor the Son, but only the Father. I have actually heard this taught. "The world's churches honor Jesus," they have said, "but we honor only the Father ‐not Christ"!

How tragic and what an utterly false teaching! Notice what Jesus Himself said about this: Jesus said that God had committed all judgment to Him for a very special purpose! "That [for this purpose] all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father"! (John 5:23).

Do you see?

It is God's will that we honor His Son! Do you see that done in your church services? Does your pastor preach many sermons glorifying the PERSON of Jesus Christ? Do they preach about Him and what He means to us personally, what He did for us at the cross? Is JESUS truly glorified in the sermons and the hymns you sing? Is the Name and Person of Jesus lifted up and exalted before the people?

True Christians have the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9). Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit would come, ''He shall glorify ME"! (John 16:14).

Any church that has a weekly service that is not geared or structured toward glorifying JESUS in its praise and worship of Him in their services is not a Holy Spirit‐led service. And that church is also not being led by the Holy Spirit of God! Remember, those who are led by the Holy Spirit of God are the true sons of God! (Romans 8:14). If you are in such a church that is not truly glorifying Jesus, you are commanded to "turn away" from it and find one that is uplifting, exalting, magnifying, worshipping and GLORIFYING the PERSON of Jesus Christ!

Power and Authority in His Name

You will also know that the Name of Jesus is not being glorified by the noticeable lack of POWER in healing the sick, as well as the AUTHORITY for casting out demons, and other miracle

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working power. Paul commands those living in the Last Days who belong to such a church which indeed has perhaps a TRUE form of godliness, nevertheless to "turn away" from it!

After John preaches the Person of Jesus throughout His Gospel, he concludes with this statement as to the purpose of writing his Gospel: "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written [these accounts of the mighty works of Jesus] that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life THROUGH HIS NAME"!

Notice that Matthew records the Great Commission to the church as going into all the world and making disciples among all nations, baptizing them into the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19 correct translation from the Greek). The Greek word mistranslated "in" here is actually eis and means "into."

Here we see we are to baptize converts into the Name of the Godhead, but we baptize in the Name of Jesus (Acts 19:5), meaning by His authority.

Luke records what Jesus includes in the Great Commission to the church; "that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His Name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:47).

Now notice the power and authority that comes with the Name of Jesus available to all believers. Jesus said, "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my Name shall they cast out devils " (Mark 16:17).

Who has the authority to do this? The ministers? The apostles, evangelists, pastors and teachers, the ordained "Elders" of the church only?

Read this verse carefully. Jesus said "These signs shall follow THEM THAT BELIEVE; In my Name shall they [the believers] cast out devils; They [the believers] shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover"! (verses 17‐18).

The authority to lay hands on the sick and to walk in such power to see the sick "recover" is given to every believer ‐every lay person in the church. Notice also Jesus did not say this authority was granted only to ministers or men believers. So this includes women believers as well! If a woman is a "believer" in Jesus Christ, then Christ Himself gives her the same authority to lay hands on the sick or cast out demons as He does even the ordained ministers! This plain truth cannot be denied. Anyone who can read can see this plainly taught by the true Head of the church, Jesus Christ.

Any pastor or church leader that denies you as a believer in the Body of Christ, the right to lay hands on the sick in Jesus' Name is DENYING that Name!!!

Remember His Name is more than a mere word. A "name" is a word that identifies someone. When we speak of the "name of the law" we are referring to the authority of the law.

If a policeman in England arrests someone by saying, "Stop in the name of the Queen!" he is arresting that person by the authority of the queen. The same is true in the Name of Jesus. It is the authority He has given us ‐ baptized believers ‐ to heal the sick and cast out demons. So to do something in His Name means to do it by His express permission and authority. Any minister

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or any denomination or church organization that denies you this right is DENYING HIS NAME ‐ His authority that He has given you to lay hands on the sick and expect them to recover!

Any such church leader who denies that you have Jesus' Name ‐His authority ‐to lay hands on the sick, etc. awaits an awful judgment from Almighty God! For he is indeed denying the very Name of Jesus Christ where such power is concerned.

Why then do some churches deny the authority that Christ gave the laity to pray for one another by "laying hands on the sick"? (James 5:16 Mark 16:17‐18). Yet in some churches they not only deny them this right but have even been known to disfellowship believers for obeying Jesus Christ in His command to those that believe on Him to walk in this mighty power!

Who prayed for Paul's healing when he was struck blind on the road to Damascus? The name of this church member was Ananias. The Bible does not call this man an "Elder" in the church (an ordained clergyman) but rather addresses Ananias as merely "a certain disciple" (Acts 9:10, 17‐18).

However God honored his prayer for he was certainly a "believer." And Jesus not only permits but COMMANDS believers to lay hands on the sick and even to cast out demons. ALL believers have this authority. We all have the right ‐and the obligation ‐to walk in the POWER in the Name of Jesus!

If the church you belong to teaches true doctrine, has a genuine form of godliness, yet denies you your God‐given right to lay hands on the sick and in faith expect God to answer your prayers for their healing, "turn away" from that church!!

This is a command from Almighty God! Of course Paul worked in the synagogues to reach the Jews with the truth of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, concerning His death on the cross for our sins (1 Corinthians 2:2 and 15:1‐4). He did not go there merely to fellowship, but to share with these people Truth they did not have. While the Jews claimed to have God's true Religion, they did not know the true Gospel ‐ that Jesus is the Messiah who died for their sins to open the way for them to be forgiven through God's grace and have Salvation.

That is the true Gospel Paul preached. Paul did not "join" the local synagogue for fellowship, for he himself said we should "turn away" from those that deny the power of God which we have seen is in the Name of Jesus Christ. Paul went there to share the truth with them.

Otherwise he would not have been there. Why do you support the church you do? If they have a doctrine that denies your right and privilege to walk in the power of God to pray for the sick, cast out demons, etc. then TURN AWAY from them! This is not a mere "suggestion" in Scripture. Rather it is a COMMANDMENT of Almighty God in His Bible! (2 Timothy 3:5).

It is a hard commandment to obey when our friends and family belong to a certain church organization. It is hard to obey when our family has traditionally belonged to a particular denomination perhaps for generations. The truth is that most churches do not walk in this power. In neglecting to live by "the faith of God" they effectively deny the Name of Jesus.

"From such, turn away." Will you obey God? You might ask, "But where do I go?" Believe it or not there are indeed some that God is using today, that Christ is with, to heal the sick, to cast out demons to preach His true Gospel. You

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are to seek and search for those who preach the true Faith once delivered (Jude 3). You are to find those who operate in the power of God and support that Work. For that is where you will truly find Jesus Christ!

Think for a moment. If God commands you to "turn away" from a powerless church, will not Christ Himself do likewise in turning away from them?

Yes, He loves them. He died for them. But where Jesus is and where He is working, the power of the Holy Spirit will be manifested. Where the Spirit of God is, Jesus will be glorified (John 16:14).

What It Means to Deny His Name

Years ago I fellowshipped with a church whose entire hymnal only contained just one hymn that even mentioned the name of Jesus! Believe it or not. Many years later I was visiting one of their church conventions at Jekyll Island, Georgia where thousands of their members had gathered. I primarily attended for social reasons as I knew they did not exalt the person of Jesus in their services nor did they exalt His Name. A number of friends I knew would be there.

There I met a man who needed a miracle. I have prayed for many sick and seen them healed miraculously even of incurable and terminal illnesses. So I told him that Jesus would heal him if he would believe and offered to pray for him. I only offered once. He declined. I didn't know it was contrary to their doctrine at the time and this man reported me.

When his pastor learned I had merely asked to pray for him he became IRATE! I have seen few men get this angry! He told me their church did not believe that way and that I should not visit their church ever again. He and two other men actually escorted me to the front door and put ushers (guards?) at the door to keep me from attempting to get back into the worship service. Not wishing to cause offense I never went back. To this day not one of their ministers has ever called to invite me back to their church.

What a horrible doctrine that some churches have that says that believers cannot pray for one another (compare James 5:16). Jesus COMMANDS believers to lay hands on the sick and the sick will recover!!! (Mark 16:17‐18).

If your church refuses to encourage you to walk in the power of God by laying hands on the sick, then obey God by finding another church!

Find a church that not only encourages you to lay hands on the sick and pray for them, but teaches the believers how to walk in the power of God. Find a church that teaches believers how to walk in ''the faith of God" as Jesus commanded. Find a church that teaches their members how to cast out demons, heal the sick, and live in the supernatural power of God. I am not saying that the church must be perfect. But if it is not teaching the believers who attend there these things, it is denying the power in Jesus' Name. "From such, TURN AWAY"!

Will you obey the Word of God?

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You CAN Walk in the Power of God

Years ago I pondered this question. I was in a "commandment keeping" church that had much truth. Yet they were clearly not preaching the Name of Jesus as they should and were powerless; In fact their sermons were dry, dull, and boring. The singing lacked any real qualities of "worship" (in the congregation as a whole). The songs were only psalms from the Old Testa‐ ment and only a few contained any mention of Jesus. Real worship for Jesus was lacking in their songs. There were no hymns that praised and exalted the person of Jesus. No wonder the church lacked power! Jesus said HE is the "Life" (John 14:6). Without a focus on Him as a person we are spiritually lifeless.

This church was bone dry and spiritually dead. I knew I could not depend upon the churches of men to teach me what I needed to learn so I began to study the Power of God for myself.

Even before my ordination into Christ's Ministry I began praying for the sick and saw the power of God manifested! This has now occurred literally countless times for I cannot remember how many, many times I have seen the sick healed.

I have actually seen the miraculous over and over including miracles other than healings by speaking it forth in the Name of Jesus! Christ commanded the wind and the waves. We can do the same! Christ commanded demons to leave. We can do the same.

When will professing Christians begin believing the Bible? When will we take Jesus at His Word? When will YOU begin walking in the power that is available to every believer?

Your Next Step

Will you begin reading the New Testament now and really believe it? Will you begin studying the Name of Jesus and the authority that every believer has to walk in the POWER of God in the last days? Or will you be one of those who were prophesied to deny the power that goes with God's Religion in the last days?

The next step for each of us is to begin taking Jesus at His Word. Forget organized "Churchianity" and the doctrines of men that deny you your right to walk in the power of God in laying hands on the sick expecting them to recover. Find a church that not only allows you to pray for the sick in this manner but encourages you continually to do so! Find a church that teaches the "Faith of God" and teaches their members how to have it! Find a church that will teach you how to walk in this mighty power Jesus died to make available to each believer!

The decision is now yours.

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