{"id":789,"date":"2000-05-14T21:36:06","date_gmt":"2000-05-14T21:36:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/?p=789"},"modified":"2020-12-03T00:26:27","modified_gmt":"2020-12-03T00:26:27","slug":"in-jesus-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/in-jesus-name\/","title":{"rendered":"In Jesus\u2019 Name"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Acts 4:1-12<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 14, 2000<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When my parents settled in Irish Boston, they needed help to give their kids English names. One of our closest church friends was Mrs. Mildred Davis. She came around visiting the different homes each week and had a brother named Donald. That\u2019s how I got my name. One time I looked up its meaning: tall dark stranger! Outside of my ability, I\u2019m not tall, hopefully I\u2019m not a stranger, and with this beautiful California sun, I will probably get darker!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up with the name \u201cDonald\u201d wasn\u2019t always easy. It didn\u2019t convey strength like John or Jason. It was more like \u201cDonald Duck!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was also given a Chinese name, Thlick Min. The character \u201cthlick\u201d means shiny tin and the \u201cmin\u201d means person. So I\u2019m the \u201ctin man.\u201d Maybe Robocop! Together the characters mean more like a \u201cleader of the people.\u201d That\u2019s pretty good!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the meaning of your name?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Names in the Bible<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

The power of a name can be seen in the Bible. In Genesis 32<\/a>, Jacob encounters an angel at the ford of the Jabbok. After wrestling with the angel whose touch was strong enough to dislocate Jacob\u2019s thigh, Jacob had him pinned down. The angel said, \u201cLet me go\u201d but Jacob wouldn\u2019t until the angel blessed him. Then the angel asked Jacob for his name. The name \u201cJacob\u201d means \u201ccheater.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The angel said, \u201cYou shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.\u201d The name, \u201dIsrael\u201d means \u201cGod reigns.\u201d With the new name and identity, his future took on a very different turn from what he\u2019s imagined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Jacob asked the angel what his name was, he didn\u2019t tell him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later in Exodus 3<\/a>, God appears to Moses and tells Moses, \u201cI am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.\u201d When Moses asked God for his name so that he might convince the people to leave Egypt, God said to Moses, \u201cI AM who I AM.\u201d I\u2019m sure Moses must have wondered what kind of name is \u201cI AM.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God further said to Moses, \u201cThus you shall say to the Israelites, \u2018I AM has sent me to you.\u2019 The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you: This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To know a name was to possess power over it. When we know someone who is important, we like to drop that name. The name gives us credential to open doors or strength to make things happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter and John<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

At a celebration dinner for retired pastors, the regional minister said, \u201cThank you for each time you have said the name of Jesus. You have served many places, in different places, and with different gifts, but under one Lord and Master. Thank you for all the times you uttered the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The regional minister could have mentioned any number of things (number of baptisms, number of new churches built, the amount of mission money)\u2014so why did the regional minister thank them for saying the name of Jesus? What is so special about a name?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer comes from the book of Acts. To understand the Scripture lesson that was just read, we have to go back to the event that caused Peter and John to be arrested. It was after Pentecost. Peter and John were walking to the temple when a lame beggar asked them for help. He asked them for money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Peter and John told the beggar to fix his attention on them and Peter said,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \u201cI have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            of Nazareth, stand up and walk\u201d (Acts 4:6<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the astonishment of witnesses, the man was instantly healed, and praised God joyously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a crowd gathered, wondering how such a miracle was possible, Peter saw an opportunity to present the gospel. This upset the priests and the Sadducees, so they had Peter and John arrested. Not because the lame man was healed, but for the way they used the name of Jesus Christ. In verse 7, the rulers, elders and scribes with Annas, the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the highly-priestly family said, \u201cBy what power or by what name did you do this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were worried. The name, \u201cJesus\u201d was a common enough one in that day. But claiming the power of the name of Jesus Christ was a direct challenge to the security of the religious establishment. Jesus Christ was the one they crucified, the one whom some people claimed was Messiah, the one they were afraid had indeed risen from the dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You see Peter was identifying signs and wonders with Jesus Christ who had also done these signs and wonders.\u00a0 Peter was claiming that by the name of Jesus Christ comes salvation, forgiveness of sins, healing, and resurrection of the dead. What Peter and John were doing was drawing on power far greater than theirs, and that frightened the religious leaders of that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Name of Jesus Today<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Today we are not frightened to use the name of Jesus because the Roman Empire or the temple priests might arrest us. We are not frightened because we live in a world that tolerates different beliefs and values. We can come to church today with our doors opened for anyone who may want to come to hear the name of Jesus Christ. Claiming something to be truth about Jesus Christ does not threaten our security as it did for those who placed Peter and John on trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But a curious reversal seems to have taken place in the intervening centuries. While most of us here today would claim for ourselves the name Christians, we live out and proclaim a faith that is calculated not to offend anyone. We don\u2019t want to offend the priests and Sadducees we meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On top of this, we are increasingly living in a multicultural, pluralistic society and wanting to be \u201cnice people,\u201d we bend over backward to avoid claiming the power of Jesus\u2019 name. We prefer to talk about anything else about our faith than to hear others talk about Jesus and what he means to them or being asked what Jesus means to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How many times have we abandoned the name of Jesus Christ, and given it over to religious eccentrics and blasphemers? We only think weird people in train stations and Christian channels talk about their faith openly. Although we don\u2019t like the methods used by more extroverted brothers and sisters in the faith, we have none ourselves. What we have now is that we do not have much to say about Jesus, in public witness or in private conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the name of Jesus is conspicuously absent from our lives, we forget how the power of his name can have in our lives and in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is almost like living in the Old Testament times, when it was forbidden to say the name of Yahweh. But back then it was forbidden out of reverence, not out of embarrassment or shame. When Jesus\u2019 name is not proclaimed, his powers to heal and forgive are not experienced by his people. Look again at how the lame beggar was healed by Peter and John by claiming the name of Jesus Christ. The crowds were then filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the main point. It\u2019s not that we are afraid of how exclusive bearing witness to Jesus might be from another person\u2019s standpoints. But rather, we lack the boldness to use the name of Jesus because we may be afraid of that power in our own lives. The prospect of a life-changing encounter with the living Lord is awesome and terrifying, and some of us aren\u2019t ready for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intimacy with Jesus can turn your life upside down. We can see this in how Jesus completely changed Peter\u2019s life\u2014from being a simple fisherman to becoming the rock on which the church is built. When the presence of the resurrected Savior is in your life, you realize that you are with one who knows the dark side of your life as well as your public face. Jesus is one who knows you better than you know yourself. This is true for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Jesus, who knows your failures and weaknesses and anxieties about the future, is the one who can take away the burden you are carrying. Jesus is the one who can give you new life. Jesus is the one who saves and heals. And when you invoke the holy name of Jesus, the powers that would silence you hold no power over you anymore. When you confess the one whose name is Jesus as your Lord, life is transformed. Like Peter, you can be changed from a hot-tempered, two-faced coward into someone radiant, joyful, brave; someone who participates in God\u2019s ongoing work of redemption through the power of Jesus\u2019 name. This is the reason why we conclude our prayer by saying, \u201cIn Jesus\u2019 name, we pray.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Name of Jesus<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

In 1984, I directed a national youth conference in Providence, Rhode Island on the campus of Brown University. There were almost 2000 American Baptist youth from across the country. As in any college town, once the college students have gone home for the summer, the local youth residents take back their streets and local hangouts. So just imagine what 2000 wide-eyed Baptist youth could do for a week in Providence!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We started to receive reports that there were incidents of local young people approaching our youth conferees. On one night, I was standing on the street corner watching and trying to monitor what was going on. Suddenly a car pulls up and out comes some young people I didn\u2019t recognize. One of the requirements we made to identify our youth conferees was to always wear a name badge. These kids didn\u2019t have any on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conversations seemed innocent until I saw one of our youth started to get into the car. I stepped forward and said to the conferee, \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d Before she could speak, one of the local youth said, \u201cWhat\u2019s your business?\u201d I said that I was responsible for her as well as for all of these kids here in Providence this week. The local youth asked the girl, \u201cIs this true?\u201d And she said, \u201cYes.\u201d He wouldn\u2019t believe her. He said, \u201cWhat authority do you have?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I turned to him and looked firmly in his face and said, \u201cThe authority that I have is that I am a Baptist minister!\u201d Immediately, he said, \u201cHey, I don\u2019t want any trouble from a Baptist minister.\u201d He and his friends got into their car and left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is in the name of Jesus that I had the authority to be a Baptist minister. It is the name of Jesus that confronted both the local youth and the youth conferee from doing things that they might have regretted. It is the name of Jesus that I had the courage to stand up with my faith to take care of a potentially troubling situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wear the Name Out<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Growing up with the name \u201cDon Ng\u201d was not easy in the East Coast. There were hardly any other persons with similar unusual names to seek sympathy from. One time, I can remember a camp counselor saying, \u201cThe sun is \u201cdon ng\u201d in the east this morning.\u201d I was embarrassed in being singled out like that. As a defensive ploy, I responded by saying, \u201cThat\u2019s cute, but don\u2019t wear it out!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Christians today, we can invoke the name of Jesus all the time and not have the fear of wearing it out. We can never overuse it thinking that we will need to find a replacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The name of Jesus has withstood the test of time, all the debates of authenticity, and misuse only to continue to be the name that can cast out demons, heal the lame, confront danger, and give us new life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowing that we can never wear out the name of Jesus when we use it every day, we are also called to wear the name of Jesus out into the highways and byways of life. When we dare to utter his name, we open people to the ongoing power of Christ\u2019s Spirit in the world. When the rulers and the high priest ordered Peter and John not to speak the name of Jesus anymore, they said, \u201cFor we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We see it in the book of Acts and we may see it in the world around us. There is joy and happiness when we witness to what God has done and continues to do in our lives. What a privilege it is to bear the name of Christ, and become a vehicle like Peter and John for that saving and healing power. Thanks be to God for those who have the name of Jesus on their lips and in their hearts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us pray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear Lord Jesus, we give praise and glory to the power of your name in our lives and in the world. Grant us the courage to wear out your name in use and in witness as your disciples bringing healing and transformation to others. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Acts 4:1-12 May 14, 2000 Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco. When my parents settled in Irish Boston, they needed helpContinue readingIn Jesus\u2019 Name<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[20,11],"class_list":["post-789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-donald-ng-sermons","tag-acts","tag-fcbc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=789"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/789\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2527,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/789\/revisions\/2527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}