- Chapters:[[Acts 3]] # Names have power - Consider [[Napolean Bonaparte]] -- the [[Bonaparte]] name was not recognized until his rise, in which case it became an extremely powerful name worthwhile of raising armies and inspiring fear - Consider now Jean-Christoff Bonaparte, who is 39 and works in finance in [[London]] -- the name no longer has the same power in the centuries since - The story today is about the power of [[Jesus]]' name # The Name of [[Jesus]] [[Christ]] of [[Nazareth]] - See v. 6 and v. 16 "in the/by the name of [[Jesus]]" - The name itself has power - 2000 years ago, the name of [[Jesus]] was certainly powerful, enough to send people in mission - One may think it was easier then -- there were all sorts of people who saw his miracles, and his execution was still raw - But now, it can feel perhaps like the name [[Bonaparte]] today. The name [[Jesus]] is more commonly heard as a swear word than anything else - The story here in [[Acts 3]] can tell us otherwise ## Power to take an outsider inside - v. 1-8 - The gate known as "Beautiful" were really big, and behind it was a really grand temple - Temple represents [[God]]'s present, and gates represent entrypoint to worshipping [[God]] - The beggar is always outside, and doesn't go in - The lame represent human brokenness, and begging represents spiritual poverty - We are all this man, living in a broken world and in spiritual poverty - We are unable to work our way towards [[God]] of our own accord, and depend on someone else ([[Jesus]]) - After the command to "walk", he jumps and walks into the temple, filling passerbys with wonder - See [[Isaiah 35]]:6 "Then will the lame leap like a dear" - Who formerly was a needy outsider is now on the inside of the temple, praising [[God]] - This healing miracle is a sign of a future age that [[Jesus]] will bring in a new creation - The name of [[Jesus]] is the one who can take spiritually needy and broken outsiders like us, into [[God]]'s presence ## The unsurprising power of [[Jesus]]' name - v.9-16 - Are surprise birthday parties ever a surprise? Often not - [[Peter]] asks why the healing act surprised the audience, and said they should have expected it to happen based on [[Isaiah]] - v. 15: "You killed the author ([source]) of life, but [[God]] raised him from the dead" - Next week's sermon ([[2025-11-02]]) we'll talk more about the guilt and conviction of the audience's role in killing [[Jesus]] - [[Peter]] reiterates that it is not his own power, but [[Jesus]]': v. 16 "It is [[Jesus]]' name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him" - On [[2025-10-19 All Souls 1130 -- Total Mission]] we heard that the fastest growing church is in [[Iran]], and there is a resurgence in young people going to churches and buying [[Bible]]s -- can be surprising (not too long ago seemed like [[New Atheism]] would take over everything) - But also not surprising -- the name has power! - See [[Simon Dickson]]'s experience in [[Christianity Explored]], seeing in realtime skeptics understanding [[Jesus]] better and converting