(by pastor Jean)
I was reading through Luke’s account of the Christmas story. When the angel told Mary that she would give birth to a baby boy, he also told her the baby’s name – Jesus (Luke 1:31). The name of Jesus is so powerful; it means He shall save or Jehovah is salvation (Acts 4:12). We are told in Phil 2:9,10 that this name (Jesus) is above every other name and that, “At the name of Jesus every name should bow” (Phil 2:10; NKJV). That means that at some point in life or after death, whether willingly or not every human being will acknowledge Jesus. Isaiah the prophet foretold the birth of Jesus and said, “His name will be called,”’ “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa 9:6b; NKJV). What a name! The whole character and authority of God is summed up in this name! Not only that but Jesus gave us the authority of His name and told us to use it. In the Great Commission found at the end of Mark’s gospel, some of Jesus’ last words were, “In My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues, they will take up serpents and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:17-18); NKJV). That is how much power and authority there is in the name of Jesus. The disciples put this in to practice (Luke 10:17). In John 14:13,14 and John 16:23,24 Jesus told His disciples that whatever they ask in prayer using the name (and therefore the authority) of Jesus would come to pass. Use the name of Jesus today! Merry Christmas!