Your Power of Attorney
Your Power of Attorney
Every person in the world wants a good name. People
desire to be well thought of, and rightly so. I want to
have a good name, and I want people to think well of
me.
But many people’s names today are not respected. A
man says to you, “I’ll pay you on such and such a day.”
When that day comes, he does not pay. Someone promises,
“I’ll meet you at such and such a time.” When
that time comes, he is not there but has left you waiting.
Such a person’s name is not respected because he has
not put off lying.*
I know that Christ is in me† and I am in him.‡ No
matter what people may say, no matter what the
world may say, my name is written in the Book of Life.
But, in order for us to be able to help ourselves and others,
we must know more: we must know what power we have.
What is the power of attorney? What is it to have the
power of attorney in your life or in the life of the Church?
Do you know? The power of attorney is the legal right
to use the name of the person who has given you the
power. This power is limited only to the extent of the
resources behind that name. If the Church has been given
the power of attorney, it has only as much power as is
in the name of Jesus Christ. If the name of Jesus Christ
has power, and that name has been given to you, then
you have the power of attorney to execute in that name
whatever resources he has available.
Ephesians 1:17:
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom
and revelation in the knowledge of him.
The purpose that God had in mind in giving His Son's name
to us is set forth in Ephesians.
Ephesians 1:18-23:
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened;
that ye may know what is the hope of his calling,
and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance
in the saints,
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power
to usward who believe, according to the working of
his mighty power,
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him
from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in
the heavenly places,
Far above all principality, and power, and might,
and dominion, and every name that is named, not
only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him
to be the head over all things to the church,
Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all
in all.
All the individuals in the true Church (body of believers)
may claim the power in the name of Jesus Christ.
But before we study the power we have been given, I
want to show you three reasons for the power in his
name.
First of all, Jesus inherited a more excellent name than
any other name in heaven and in earth. He inherited it
because he was the only-begotten of the Father. This
gave him the legal rights of a first-born son. He is greater
than any of the angels or any other individual human
being who has lived or who will ever live. In God’s
presence, next to Jesus Christ stand the believers. Did
you know that?
Romans 8:17:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint–
heirs with Christ. . . .
Jesus said, “I came from the Father,” and another time
He said, “My Father and I are one. He who has seen me
has seen the Father.” Remember? Jesus inherited a wonderful
name.
Secondly, God gave Jesus a name, a name which is
above every name.
Philippians 2:9, 10:
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and
given him a name which is above every name:
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things
under the earth.
In the third place, Jesus acquired for himself a name
above every name.
Ephesians 4:8:
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high,
he led captivity captive. . . .
Colossians 2:15:
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he
made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them
in it.
Jesus achieved these things. He acquired this name
by his conquest of sin, by his conquest of the devil,
hell, sickness and disease. He acquired an exalted name
because of his achievements.
The power which Jesus acquired is the legal right of
every born-again believer. But for a believer to manifest
Christ’s power in his life, he must renew his mind
according to the Word of God.
Romans 12:2:
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect,
will of God.
We must make our minds think as The Word dictates
so we may prove the will of God.
In order to understand the power in the name of Jesus
Christ that is ours, I will take you directly into the Word
of God.
Matthew 1:21:
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call
his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from
their sins.
The prophecy says this child’s name shall be Jesus.
Jesus means “Savior.”
Matthew 1:23:
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring
forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel,
which being interpreted is, God with us.
His name means “He is our Savior,” and God is with
us through Him as you can be with me through your
children.
Acts 4:12:
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is
none other name under heaven given among men,
whereby we must be saved.
There is no other name but Jesus Christ whereby we
can be saved. We cannot be saved by just belonging to
a church or by attending church on Christmas and Easter.
We must be saved by confessing the Lord Jesus Christ
and by believing that God raised Him from the dead.**
Acts 2:38:
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for
the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift
of the Holy Ghost.
John 14:13, 14:
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name [There is
that wonderful name again.], that will I do, that the
Father may be glorified in the Son.
If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
The blessing of using the name of Jesus Christ belongs
to us because we belong to the Body of Christ, the
Church. Paul said, “I pray that God may open your understanding
so that you will see some of the riches of the
inheritance of the saints in the precious name—Jesus.” ††
In Acts 3 again we note the mighty name of Jesus
Christ on the day Peter and John came to the temple
and spoke to the man at the gate who was begging for
alms. Did Peter and John go down on their knees and
plead with God for an hour to heal the man? No. What
does the record say?
Acts 3:6, 7:
Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but
such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him
up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received
strength.
In the name of Jesus Christ there is power. Acts says
that the man stood up and walked as the disciple took
him by the hand.
Acts 3:16:
And his name through faith in his name. . .hath given
him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
Paul used the mighty name of Jesus as recorded in
Acts 16 to deliver another enslaved person.
Acts 16:16-18:
And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain
damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us,
which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying,
These men are the servants of the most high God,
which shew unto us the way of salvation.
And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved,
turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the
name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he
came out the same hour.
What power the Church has today in the name of Jesus
Christ! We need to claim that power. Today’s Church
has never used the power of His name to any great extent;
and without using it, the Church can never manifest
power. In the name of Jesus Christ the sick are healed.
In the name of Jesus Christ devils are cast out. In the
name of Jesus Christ people are freed from mental bondage.
What a wonderful privilege and power the Church
has.
Philippians 3:10:
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection. . .
What a joy it is to belong to the Church. When we
belong to the Church, we belong to the greatest and most
powerful body in the world; there is nothing like the
Church anywhere. The Church has such great power
that even the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. That
is why the devil cannot harm the people of the Church
when they know the name of Jesus Christ and use that
name, believing in it. Can you see why our prayers must
be answered when we believe that Christ is in us? We
can receive anything from God that He has promised in
The Word if we only know and believe it. Everything
that has been revealed in The Word we can thank God
for, and, if we believe, it will come to pass.
Colossians 3:17:
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in
the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God
and the Father by him.
Ephesians 5:20:
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and
the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks always.
Philippians 4:19:
But my God shall supply all your need according to
his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
In other words, all your needs are guaranteed to be
supplied by Christ Jesus.
I Corinthians 6:11:
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but
ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of
the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
You have been washed and sanctified, and you have
been justified in His name; but you must receive it before
you will manifest it. Isn’t that wonderful! We have all
power in that name. We have the power of attorney that
when we use the name of Jesus Christ, powerful, positive
things must happen.
Hebrews 13:15:
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise
to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving
thanks to his name.
James 5:14, 15:
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders
of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord:
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the
Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed
sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Do elders in the Church have power? Elders have power
to move the very gates of hell! The Word says so.
I John 3:23:
And this is his commandment, That we should believe
on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love
one another, as he gave us commandment.
We should love one another because of the name of
Jesus Christ.
The Church has the power of attorney, the right to use
the name of Jesus Christ. I have shown you the Scriptural
passages teaching of the name of Jesus Christ, showing
the power that is behind that name.
Ask yourself honestly, “Do I have the power of attorney?”
You do have the right, the God-given authority,
to use the name of Jesus Christ and see things come to
pass. Yet for years and years people inside the fellowship
of believers have seen but few positive results.
Why? Just to say the name of Jesus Christ is not all that
is necessary; you must believe that when you are saying
it things will come to pass. All power is energized by
believing and it is up to you to operate believing. Believing
is action. You must know what the Word of God
says, and then act upon that Word. As you hear The Word
and act upon it, God will answer your requests.
Now that you know you have the power of attorney,
use it! What value is it to you to have money in the bank
if you do not know you have it? It is the same situation
as when we have all the power in the name of Jesus Christ
and we do not realize it. We have Christ in us, so we
have the power of attorney. In the name of Jesus Christ
activate that power and live the more abundant life.