The Name Above Every Name
It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:10-12
At the start of September at Christ Church we had a week of prayer and fasting to look ahead to the new term and ask for God’s direction and blessing on it. The prayer resources for Wednesday concentrated on healing and wholeness, one of our main focus areas, and also on the truth that Jesus’ name is above every other name.
These two ideas come together in the account of Peter and John in Acts chapters 3 and 4. In chapter 3, we read that the disciples are going to the temple to pray. On the way, a lame man asks them for money. Instead, Peter commands the man to walk in the name of Jesus and he is instantly healed, leading to an opportunity to preach to the people about Jesus. The miracle of healing is all the more astounding because the man is over 40 and has been lame from birth. Peter explains about the true identity of Jesus and the power of His name. Once the priests and other Jewish leaders find out what’s happening, they arrest the disciples and pressure them to never speak again in the name of Jesus. Peter and John have a higher calling though, to obey God – it is through the powerful name of Jesus that the healing has taken place.
The name of Jesus is effective in both healing and salvation, but not as a kind of ‘magic formula’. Its power is in what lies behind the name and what Jesus achieved on the cross – victory over death, sin and the devil.
Let’s thank God for what He’s already doing here at Christ Church, but as we continue with the activities and services of this term, we long to see miracles of healing and wholeness taking place among us through the mighty name of Jesus which is powerful and effective. A group will be formed to review, reflect and then renew our thinking and our actions with regard to healing and wholeness. Let's pray that the people God has in mind step forward, that we don't look for healing and wholeness at the expense of searching for God Himself, but that we would see creative miracles.
Prayer
Thank you Lord for all you are doing amongst us – for the ways in which we are renewed day by day. But Lord we long for more. We want to see the demonstration of your love and your power through creative acts here in our midst. We pray that you would visit us because we need your presence, that you would heal us because we need to be restored, that you would make us whole because we need our fractured and broken work to be made one through the power of your Holy Spirit.
Father thank you for the mighty name of Jesus Christ – the name which is above every name. Jesus, your name has authority and we want to use your name in a way that honours you. Yours in the only name given by which we must be saved. We’re so sorry when we have misused your name, when we have blasphemed your name, when we haven’t cherished your name.
We pray Lord for the ongoing focus of the church on the area of wholeness and healing. We long for this place to be a haven for all, a place of sanctuary and a place of hope. Help us to welcome those who need you, to invite those who need that spark of hope in their lives, to recognise the true value and worth of all human beings because we are made in your image. Keep us from judgement, keep us from belittling others, keep us from writing people off or believing that change is not possible. With you God, all things are possible. We pray in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Liesel Stanbridge
Prayer Co-ordinator