IN THE AUTHORITY OF HIS NAME - PART 2

THURSDAY 04 APRIL 2024

As the disciples were talking about whether or not He was truly risen, Jesus Himself appeared and stood among them, saying, "Peace to you!" But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. Jesus said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?" Then He began to convince them it was Him (Luke 24:36-39 ESV).

Beloved, doubt and unbelief are always an enemy of His manifest presence. The wider we open our hearts to embrace the peace of His abiding presence, the farther both doubt and unbelief will be from our hearts - because they cannot survive in His activated presence which anchors the aura of faith and stability of confidence. More below!

Reference: Luke 24:46 New Living Translation (NLT)

And He said, "Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of His name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: 'There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.'"

The victorious Christ Jesus is represented as the fulness of God and He exhibits all the divine attributes, meaning that He possesses in Himself all that is necessary to fill us with grace and truth, and divine authority, as His people. So the ideal of the Christian life, and God's intention for us, is that we should always be filled with the fulness of Christ and keep exerting a full demonstration of His authority, so we can proclaim His name to all the nations.

Jesus came and told His disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20 NLT).

Is that the case with you? Are you aware that Christ has bequeathed His authority to you, meaning that you possess supreme spiritual authority? Are you exercising this authority in His name? Are you handling more of God's authority today than you did in the previous years? The more we exercise His authority, the more God pours Himself into us. We cannot take more of God in, if we are not willing to experience His power by exercising our spiritual authority.

The greatest way to exercise our spiritual authority is by proclaiming the message of repentance that leads to forgiveness of sins - in His name - to the people in our world; hence bringing them to the knowledge of Christ. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, "For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation" (NLT). Beloved, God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him, and as we proclaim His name in our various world, those who believe and accept Jesus Christ as the Saviour receive forgiveness of sins and power to become God's own precious possessions.

The Bible reads, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12 NKJV). Those who receive Him are pardoned without any record of their past, and the very moment their hearts turn to Christ, their faith receives God's righteousness, redemption, newness of life, and continual sanctification by the Spirit, thereby enjoying His peace on earth and going to heaven after the end of this age. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Matthew 28:19; John 14:12; John 17:2; Acts 2:38.

Guided Prayer:

Thank you Lord for the salvation I have received under the light of gospel of grace and truth which came to me in the authority of Jesus' Name. I'm grateful for my progressive communication of your grace through the proclamation of your Word for the transformation of souls in my world, in Jesus' Name, Amen.