Concerning doing things in the name of Jesus:
Doing something, such as speaking, in the name of Jesus does not mean doing, or speaking, by authority He has given us, or even by His authority. Worldly preachers have been teaching this to entice the selfishness in men for some time now. But it is untrue; it is the height of arrogance. Jesus spent His entire life walking in obedience to God, and, because of this, He was given all authority in heaven and on earth. And these worldly preachers would have us think that He would just give it to us. This teaching is a product of selfish imaginations that have taken the Word of God out of context, twisting it to tickle the ears of selfish people everywhere. Nowhere does the Bible say we have been given authority.
On the contrary, the Bible tells us that doing, or saying something, ‘in the name of Jesus’ is an act of faith in His name. For after Peter said, “In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—-walk,” to the lame man at the gate of the temple, he explained to the crowd that gathered, “And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all,” Acts 3:16. So when Peter said, ”In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene,” he was acting on his faith in Jesus, not his authority in Jesus.
It is by faith, and faith alone, that we walk in the kingdom of God; and it is by abiding in Jesus that we pray, and speak, in accordance to the will of God, and thereby have faith that our prayers will be answered; for it is not we who live, but Christ who lives in us.
Jon David Banks, God’s most unworthy servant
jondavidbanks.com 