of a very dear Friend of mine,” she said. That sufficed. The name of Jesus was not blasphemed there again. His name purges the atmosphere. In the name of Jesus is power to preach with holy boldness. What mir acles of His grace we have seen in our own day! Once bitter enemies of the Lord now preach in the name of Jesus; timorous, “ unpromising” men preach with courage. Saul was a relentless persecutor of the Christians .But Bar nabas, knowing of the transformation of Saul, told them that this man had “ seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus” (Acts 9:27). They were persuaded. Saul of Tarsus be came Paul the disciple. Still greater is the power in His name to live courageously for Him. “ Men . . . have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 15:26). For example, John G. Paton remarked that it made no dif ference to him whether his body be eaten by cannibals or by worms. Like a host of others, Paton lived in a realm of constant horrors—yet surrounded by the power of the name of Jesus. Mis sionaries everywhere testify that the name for which they hazarded their lives has been their defense. Those who know and feel the dark ness of heathen lands appreciate the power of the name of Jesus in defeat ing Satan. Where Satan reigns un challenged, sin abounds. He flees be fore the name of Jesus as the darkness before the night. A woman, possessed with a spirit, followed Paul for many days. “ 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” (Acts 16:18). During the past decade, two young w o m e n missionaries stopped at a heathen village in Africa. They asked to see the chief. They wanted his per mission to hold a gospel meeting. The chief and his men were fiendishly drunk. For a moment, fear gripped their hearts. “ But when I called upon the name of Jesus,” one of them wrote, “ a strange quietness stole over the place. The noise of their wild drunken ness was silenced. From that moment on, we had peace in our hearts and the assurance that God would protect us, and work in that village. And He did.” If we would but launch out upon it, we, too, could know by experience the power of His matchless name, for it is not confined to distant lands or times. Praise God for the glorious truth and expectation of Philippians 2:9-11: “ Wherefore God also hath highly ex alted 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; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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W HAT is in a name? Some names ring like music; some strike dis cords. It is not because of their euphony alone that we cherish certain names. It is because of their connotation. Names are only labels of our concepts. When we know a person who is the embodiment of all we count worth while, one whose piety is in contrast to the trend of human nature, we cherish the very name of that person. How ever, when we think of one whose life has been a mockery of our highest ideals, that name is distasteful to us. For instance, the name of Judas is a synonym of blackest treachery, of vilest sin. But the name of Jesus breathes fragrance to the child of God. Jesus is the human name of our Sav iour, the name that links Him to us, and eloquently speaks of His loving compassion toward sinful men. It was Jesus “ who made himself of no reputa tion, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” Consider the mighty power of His name in the Book of Acts. About five thousand people believed on the risen Lord. A lame man was miraculously healed. The rulers, elders and scribes, fearing the loss of their own prestige because of the “ new movement,” asked Peter and John, “ By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?” (Acts 4 :7). Peter replied, “ 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 Page Twelve
this man stand here before you whole” (Acts 4:10). Plainly, Peter said to the helpless beggar, “ 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” (Acts 3 :6). In the name of Jesus, the lame man was healed. But in His name is ' yet greater power. Peter then declared, “ Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Physical healing is a wonderful miracle of the grace of God, but spiritual healing is still more need ful, more wonderful. Peter exhorted men to be baptized in the name of Jesus, thus making open declaration of their faith in Him. “ Re pent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the re mission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). Those who openly take the name of Jesus upon themselves are marked by the world as His own. New-born be lievers are sometimes troubled about separating from worldly friends, fear ing that old attachments still will re main. But, when allegiance to the name of Jesus is openly avowed in word and deed, the worldly friends fall away as dying leaves from a tree. There is power in the name of Jesus to separate us from the world. Lips of the unsaved blaspheme the name of Jesus. In the lips of the re deemed His name sanctifies. A lone Christian in a group heard the name of Jesus spoken in an oath. “You speak
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