Three Keys To The Book Of

Acts
by

T. L. Osborn

Voices from the Healing Revival Series

No. 83

Published by The Revival Library

www.revival-library.org

email: [email protected]
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 Table of Contents
Three Keys To The Book Of Acts
Copyright
Contents
Foreword
Introduction
Part One: That I May Win
Part Two: I Saw No Altar
Part Three: A Greater Premium
Part Four: What A Revolution
The Revival Library
 Contents
Part One: That I May Win
Part Two: I Saw No Altar
Part Three: A Greater Premium
Part Four: What A Revolution
Foreword
Would you enjoy attending a meeting of the early Bible
Christians?

Would you like to hear Peter preach?

Have you ever wondered what you would do if you were

arrested and thrown into jail for your faith in Christ?

What is your mental picture of Paul casting the demon out of a

fortune-teller?

Do you think you would have joined the multitudes in Samaria

to hear Philip preach and do miracles if you had lived there?

How would you feel if Stephen was your own blood brother?
What would you do if they took him out and stoned him to
death?

“Three Keys To The Book Of Acts” will make you feel as if

you were living in the New Testament times again.
Introduction
I had often preached on the need for the miraculous.

I knew miracles were an essential part of the Gospel. But how

to see them performed was a puzzle to me.

I knew Christ is a Healer. I knew if we could see miracles of

healing, we could win the people to Christ.

I read about the lives of those who had been used in the
healing ministry in past generations.

It made me so hungry; but I never knew how to believe.

Faith seemed to be some sort of special magic that some people

were just specially endowed with.

I searched and searched. I could not find sound reasons for

expecting miracles.

I was determined to find the answer.

I fasted and prayed. I read and searched.

Then I truly discovered The Book Of Acts. In its treasures I

found 3 KEYS which unlocked this spiritual quarry of
foundation stones for faith.

There I was: my soul flaming with truths new and vital to me;
three sound reasons for believing; a firm basis for faith which
could not be challenged.

But what was I going to do about it?

Should I study these things for a period of time? Should I ask

others what their opinions were? Should I see if my church
superiors would approve these facts?

Should I try them out cautiously?

No! No! A thousand repulsive “no’s!” resounded from my

soul!

I must not consult with anyone. I must not waste time seeking
more proof. I had found it in abundance. I must not worry
about what others would think! I must not cautiously try them
out.

I must plunge in! I must throw myself on these Scriptures

altogether! I must ACT on these facts immediately! And now
— I share them with you.

Prayer of the Early Church

Grant unto Thy servants that with all boldness they may speak
THY WORD by stretching forth Thine hand to heal; and that
signs and wonders may be done by THE NAME of Thy Holy
Child Jesus.

And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they
were assembled together; and they were all filled with the
HOLY GHOST .

Acts 4:29-31
Part One: That I May Win
There are three keys to the Book of Acts — three facts which
unlock this treasure book of apostolic power.

The Book of Acts is the supreme example for us today.

We may read inspiring accounts of the ministry of Luther,

Whitefield, Moody and scores of other great men of God, but
the Book of Acts is our model.

The Book of Acts is the standard of what it means to be a

Christian, a follower of Christ; it shows how men can be “like-
Christ.”

The Book of Acts reveals the dream of the new creation in

action.

The Book of Acts shows Christ at work in men and women

who yielded themselves to Him.

Before His resurrection, Christ was with the disciples. The

Holy Spirit came upon men, but after the Lord ascended to
heaven and His blood had removed forever our sins, then man
could become a new creature, without a sinful nature; it was
then that Christ could come into the heart of man and live His
life. This is the new creation, full of the Holy Ghost and power,
at work — in action.
The Book of Acts is the ideal of the Holy Spirit at work in men
of faith.

The Book of Acts is the history of the first 33 years after Christ
ascended to the Father’s right hand and began to minister
there for us as our High Priest.

Let us not be content until our church matches the example of

the churches in the Book of Acts; until our evangelistic
ministry compares to that of Philip, Stephen, Peter and others
in the Book of Acts; until our missionary program parallels that
of the great example of our Brother Paul in the Book of Acts.

In the Book of Acts, man is not exalted. No personalities are

haloed as super-sacred. Men who were active in this record
were just common men who yielded all to follow Christ. They
possessed no particular talents, no flashy methods, no
personal magnetism. They were common men of like passion as
you and I.

The Book of Acts does not shield their shortcomings. The

sharp dissension between Paul and Barnabas is plainly
recorded. Sharp differences arose about circumcision, eating
certain meats and other legal technicalities.

The men who were used of God in the Book of Acts were
indeed common men — quite natural men. Their distinction as
instruments of God was not due to their studies or their
background. It was not their eloquence or their schooling.
Paul’s background of education was concentrated (Phil. 3:4-6),
yet he said, “ I count all things but loss for the excellency of
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have
suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung,
that I may win Christ ” (Phil.3:8).

What made the men in the Book of Acts outstanding men for
God?

Every minister, evangelist, missionary and Christian worker

who is consecrated and sincere, longs to follow the example of
the Book of Acts, but somehow tradition has succeeded in
convincing too many today that we are not supposed to be like
those men were then; that we are living in another age.

Tradition claims that those Apostles were establishing the

Church then; and therefore, they had to have the miraculous;
but they tell us that when the Apostles died, miracles ceased
— and they did for those who accept that idea. Yes, the days
of miracles are past — that is, for those who believe that they
are past.

But for those who have faith, Christ’s promise is: “If thou canst
believe, all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mk.
9:23).

The Book of Acts is the example for the Church today. It is

recorded for us to pattern after. God has never changed. The
ministry of the Church has never changed. Jesus Christ has
never changed. The purpose of miracles has never changed.
The world is waiting for the Church to return to the order of the
Book of Acts in its fullness and in its glory.

What made the difference in those men whose ministries fill the
Book of Acts? Why were they used of God? Why were their
ministries so different from those of many modern-day
preachers?

It was not that they were different in character.

It was not that God’s purpose was different then than it is now.

It was not that they were either more educated or more simple.

Did they have a more special calling or a more divine

commission?

Did they possess more talent or authority than we have today?

Were people different then?

Was Christ any more with them than He is with us?

What makes the difference?

Three principles may be observed in their ministries which are

either partly or altogether ignored today.

I. They preached the Word.

II. They were filled and anointed with the Spirit.

III. They knew the authority of, and used the Name.

The Word convicted and convinced.

The Name was their credentials and authority.

The Spirit confirmed and produced the miracles.

Those are the Three Keys to the Book of Acts.

Modern theology has entangled The Word in a web of

traditional complications.

Up-to-date Christendom has limited The Name to a song, an

ending of a faithless prayer or a ceremonial invocation.

Streamlined religion has minimized The Spirit to nothing more

than a philosophical maxim.

Not so in the Book of Acts. These men proclaimed the Word

with boldness until it convicted and convinced men to believe
on the resurrected Christ who is alive to perform the same
miracles and wonders which He wrought before they killed
Him.

Those men preached under such anointing of the Holy Ghost

that cities were shaken, the sick were healed, “multitudes” were
saved and the dead were brought to life again — as Christ did.

Those men wielded an authority by using the Name against

demons, diseases and impossibilities which caused godless
officials to tremble and fear.

The Word, The Spirit , and The Name are the secrets — the
keys to their ministries and to the Book of Acts; in fact these
three are the keys to world evangelization in this our
generation.
Part Two: I Saw No Altar
Notice the place the Word holds in the early Church. It unveils
the place the Word must hold in your life and in mine.

“They spake the Word of God with boldness” (Acts4:31).

After the miracle at Pentecost when “they were all filled with
the Holy Ghost” (2:4), “ The multitude came together, and were
confounded . . . and were all amazed and marvelled” (2:6-7),
“saying... What meaneth this?” (2:12). “Peter, standing up with
the eleven, lifted up his voice” (2:14) and preached unto them
Joel’s and David’s prophecies concerning Christ’s coming. The
result: “They that gladly received His Word were baptized: and
the same day there were added unto them about three
thousand souls” (2:41).

They didn’t receive “the doctrine,” “teachings” or “creed” of

Peter; they received the “Word.”

After the miraculous healing of the cripple at the gate of the

temple, “ all the people ran together unto them... and when
Peter saw it, he answered unto the people” (3:11-12) and
preached the most dynamic message to that crowd on the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. He preached from the Word
concerning Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; from Moses and the
prophets. The result: “Many of them which heard the Word
believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand”
(4:4). It wasn’t hearing “the preacher,” “the Apostle” or “the
argument” that caused them to believe; it was when they
“heard the Word” that they believed.

After the revival in Jerusalem, persecution and torture were

focused upon those early Christians. They were beaten,
striped, imprisoned, stoned and beheaded. A move was under
way to organize the care of poor people and the widows. “
Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto
them, and said, It is not reasonable that we should leave the
Word of God, and serve tables ” (6:2). They learned the value
and place of the Word.

Oh, my fellow Christians, I appeal to you: let nothing cause

you to drift from the Word. We have no time nor energy to
devote to other things. We cannot leave serving the Word of
God.

Those men resolved: “We will give ourselves continually to

prayer, and to the ministry of the Word” (6:4).

These were unlearned, untaught, common men; fishermen,

carpenters, etc. But they successfully ministered to their
generation because they gave the Word its rightful place.

The result of their resolution: “The Word of God increased (not

their organization or their reputation, but the Word of God
increased); and the number of the disciples multiplied in
Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were
obedient to the faith” (6:7).
Common men who preached the Word convinced “a great
company of the priests.” These priests had studied for years
but the Word was never given its rightful place in their lives.

During our great campaign in Santiago de Chile, South

America, a scholarly Catholic priest attended. He was awe-
stricken at the simplicity of everything, and was converted. He
said, “ I saw no altar , no candles, no ritual, no ceremony, no
beauty, no eloquence. All I saw was a crude wood platform, a
mass of eager people, a simple uneducated preacher and the
Bible — the Word of God. ” He was saved.

Educated men starve for reality. A highly trained generation is

searching for simplicity.

Paul said: “ I determined not to know anything among you,

save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. And I was with you in
weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech
and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s
wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that
your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the
power of God ” (1Cor.2:2-5).

As a result of the “great persecution against the Church”

(8:1), after “they stoned Stephen, calling upon God” (7:59), and
while “Saul made havoc of the Church, entering into every
house, and haling men and women, (committing) them to
prison” (8:3), “ they that were scattered abroad went
everywhere preaching the Word” (8:4).
“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached
Christ unto them” (8:5). “ The Apostles which were at
Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God”
(8:14). After “ they had testified and preached the Word of the
Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, and preached the Gospel in
many villages of the Samaritans ” (8:25).

The Samaritans were supposed to be unclean outcasts,

heathen unbelievers. But Philip proved that the simple
presentation of the Word, when confirmed by miracles, would
cause even the heathen Samaritans to believe, so from that
inspiring example, Peter and John took courage and repeated
the order in “many villages of the Samaritans” with evident
success.

The results which we have seen by proclaiming the Word to

the heathen peoples of one land have been repeated in our
own lives in over 40 foreign countries. God is in His Word.

God watches over His Word to perform it (Jer.1:12).

God’s Word cannot return unto Him void (Is.55:11).

God sends His Word and heals the sick (Ps.107:20).

God’s Word is quick and powerful (Heb.4:12).

God’s Word is God’s power to salvation (Rom.1:16).

God made and controls the world by His Word (2Pet.3:5-7).

Man partakes of God’s nature by His Word (2Pet.1:4).

We are saved by the Word (Jas.1:21, 1Pet.1:23).

Jesus is called “The Word of God” (Rev.19:13).

We see God through the Word (Jn.1:14).

God’s Word is as creative and as powerful as it was when “God

spoke and it was so.”

God’s Word wields the same power and force as God Himself,
for God is in His Word.

We must give God’s Word the same place we would give God if
we could see Him physically in our midst.

If God said, “I am the Lord that healeth thee” (Ex.15:26) nearly

4,000 years ago, that Word is as much in force today — now, as
His Word by which “the heavens and the earth… are now…
kept in store”— “by the same Word” (2Pet.3:7).

Those men in the Book of Acts gave the Word its rightful
place.

As a result: “ By the hands of the Apostles were many signs

and wonders wrought among the people… and believers were
the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and
women ” (5:12-14).

“They which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that

arose about Stephen travelled... preaching the Word” (11:19).

The result: “And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a
great number believed, and turned unto the Lord” (11:21).
They preached the Word; they were not setting up
organizations. They were busy ministering the Word.

Paul preached during two years in the “school of Tyrannus” ...

“ so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the Word of the
Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks” (19:10).

Evidence abounds that godless men and Christ-hating officials

burned with jealousy over the powerful influence these
common men wielded by only speaking the Word of God.

Determined to equal this influence upon his people, Herod “sat

upon his throne, and made an oration unto them” (12:21). It
worked: “ The people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a
god, and not of a man” (12:22). Then it boomeranged: He was
smitten before God, eaten of worms and died — “But the Word
of God grew and multiplied” (12:24).

Personalities such as Herod, Hitler, Stalin, and innumerable

other God-haters rise and fall, but “The Word of the Lord
endureth forever.”

At the church in Antioch, after fasting and praying, Paul and

Barnabas were sent forth to preach. Passing through the Isle of
Cyprus they were delayed by “ the deputy of the country,
Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and
Saul, and desired to hear the Word of God” (13:7). He was not
interested in hearing about the denomination or fellowship
which Paul represented from Antioch; he “desired to hear the
Word of God.”

A sorcerer “withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy

from the faith” (13:8). After he was smitten with blindness as a
result of his arrogant refusal to obey the Gospel, “the deputy,
when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at
the doctrine of the Lord” (13:12).

The Word of the Lord and the miracles which confirmed it

caused the deputy to believe.

In the synagogue at Antioch, Paul’s message was the Word of

God: “ Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham...
to you is the Word of this salvation sent” (13:26). His burden
was to get the people to realize that salvation is in the Word,
and that the Word is personally sent “to you,” individually.

Paul emphasized “the voices of the prophets” and repeatedly

spoke of fulfilling “all that was written of Him” (13:27-29). He
declared “how that the promise which was made unto the
fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children”
(13:32-33); then he began to quote the “second Psalm” (v. 33)
and “another Psalm” (v. 35). No wonder his message so “
mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, showing by
the Scriptures that Jesus was Christ” (18:28).

The result: “The next sabbath day came almost the whole city
together to hear the Word of God” (13:44), not to hear the
Apostle, or to observe his eloquence, but “to hear the Word.”

How vividly this reveals the hunger of humanity to find reality

and to know God. Man’s faith is built by the Word of God.
Man’s fears, doubts, weaknesses and anxieties melt away
under the power of God’s Word. This is what man searches for;
he longs to find safety and peace; he seeks courage and
freedom from fear. All of this, he discovers automatically, as he
finds a preacher who will preach the Word.

One of the greatest revivals recorded in human history was the

Billy Graham Crusade in Manhattan. Summing it all up,
everyone agrees that it was not the eloquence of the man; not
the depths of his message; nor the attraction of his program.

One thing will always stand out about this great Crusade: It
was the hundreds of times — yea, thousands of times that Billy
Graham said, “ The Bible says...” That was the secret to
Manhattan’s spiritual visitation. God found a man whose one
consuming passion was to tell New York City — “The Bible
says.”

This principle will produce revival anywhere on earth today. I

have stuck close to “Thus saith the Word” in over 40 foreign
countries. Mass revival has been the result every time without
fail. “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my Words shall
not pass away” (Matt.24:35).

In Acts 15, “ certain men... came down from Judea and taught
the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the
manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved” (v. 1). The outcome was
“no small dissension and disputation” (v. 2). Peter (v. 7), Paul
and Barnabas (v. 12), James (v. 13), “the apostles and elders,
with the whole church” (v. 22) all agreed that the salvation of
Christ was for every one regardless of race or practice.

Paul and Barnabas, who had helped deliver this message to all
the churches “continued... teaching and preaching the Word
of the Lord” (15:35).

The next verse reads: “ And some days after Paul said unto
Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city
where we have preached the Word of the Lord ” (15:36).

Is it not amazing to think that in “every city where they

preached the Word” during their first missionary journey, there
were now “ brethren in every city.” They left a church as a
result of God’s Word being proclaimed. How is it that today a
man may preach his theology year after year and still not
produce a church? The difference must be in what is preached.

So often today religious groups impose upon their

representatives the responsibility to create an extension of
their organization in an area, to establish their denomination in
a city, to create a branch of their “fellowship” and so many
other things, instead of simply “preaching the Word.”

There is an endless hunger in the heart of humanity — God’s

offspring, for a true knowledge of God’s Word. That hunger
must be satisfied.

Only the simple declaration of the Word of God will meet that
hunger.

In Acts 16, being guided by the Holy Spirit, Paul and Silas went
to Philippi. After casting out a demon from a woman, these men
were thrown in jail. They “prayed, and sang praises unto God”
at midnight (v. 25) and an earthquake shook the foundations of
the jail so that “ immediately all the doors were opened, and
every one’s bands were loosed” (v. 26).

The keeper of the jail was so scared that he “would have killed
himself” (v. 27), but instead fell down crying: “Sirs, what must I
do to be saved?” (v. 30). Their answer was: “Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved and thy house. And
they spake unto him the Word of the Lord,” and “ all his
house” was saved (vs. 31-34).

An entire home was brought to Christ because men spake “the

Word of the Lord.” A new church was the result.

In Asia where all they that dwelt there “heard the Word of the
Lord Jesus” and “God wrought special miracles” (19:10-11) “
certain... exorcists, took upon them to call over them which
had evil spirits the Name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure
you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth ” (19:13). The result was
extremely embarrassing because the seven men who did so
were overcome by the demons and stripped naked of their
clothes. “ Fear fell on them all… and many that believed
came, and confessed, and showed their deeds” (vs. 17-18).
“Fifty thousand pieces of silver” worth of books and curious
arts were burned — “So mightily grew the Word of God and
prevailed” (vs. 19-20).

Thus we see the place God’s Word was given in the early
Church.

First: “The Word of God increased” (6:7).

Second: “The Word of God grew and multiplied” (12:24).

Third: “The Word of God… prevailed” (19:20).

A. In the life of Christ , “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt
among us” (Jn.1:14). That was the incarnate Word.

B. In the Book of Acts , “they spake the Word of God with

boldness” (4:31). That was the spoken Word.

C. In the New Testament , the Epistles were “written not with

ink, but with the Spirit of the Living God” (2Cor.3:3). That was
the written Word.

1. The Word was preached , lived, acted and demonstrated by

Christ as He went about recreating, saving, blessing, cleansing
and helping humanity. He was the Word in action.

2. The Word was spoken by the Apostles and believers after

the resurrection as they continued doing “all that Jesus began
both to do and teach” (1:1). The Word produced exactly the
same results when believers acted upon it as it had produced
when it “dwelt among us” in Christ — “in the flesh.”

3 .The Word was written by holy men of God, not “by the will
of man; but... as they were moved by the Holy Ghost”
(2Pet.1:21).

That Word, written for us today, is as creative and powerful

when spoken on our lips as it was when it flowed from the lips
of Christ and the Apostles.

“I am the Lord: I will speak, and the Word that I shall speak
shall come to pass” (Ez.12:25). “ And He (God) hath confirmed
His Words, which He spake” (Dan.9:12). “Heaven and earth
shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away”
(Matt.24:35). “The Word of the Lord endureth for ever”
(2Pet.1:25). “The promise (is) sure to all the seed” (Rom.4:16). “
What He (God) promised, He (is) able to perform” (Rom.4:21).
“No Word from God is void of power (ability)” (Lk.1:37 R.V.).

God’s Word must “prevail” over our minds and our thinking.
We must train ourselves to think as God thinks, that is, think
according to His Word.

Whatsoever things are true (God’s Word is true), honest

(God’s Word is honest), just (God is just), pure, lovely, of good
report, virtuous, praiseworthy (God’s Word is all of that),
“think on these things” (Phil.4:8). “ Casting down
imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against
the knowledge (Word) of God” (2Cor.10:5).
God’s Word must “prevail” over diseases, weaknesses, fears
and doubts.

God’s Word says: “I am the Lord that healeth thee” (Ex.15:26).

That is true. Believe it. Affirm and confess it. It will destroy
every disease in your life.

God says: “ Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not

dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will
help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My
righteousness ” (Is.41:10).

This Word must “prevail” over every negative attitude; it must

uphold us and make us as invincible as God is. Praise the
Lord!

We must yield to God’s Word .

We must act on God’s Word ; we must live in it. It must control

our thoughts, and feed our faith; it must be the only reason for
our believing and for every word and act we say and do. Only
then can God work His will in us and only then can He bring
about the fulfilment of every blessing provided by Christ’s
death.
Part Three: A Greater
Premium
The Book of Acts is the great example book in the New
Testament — the example for the Church until Christ’s return.

Beware of any voice which would lead you away from the Book
of Acts; beware of any council or teaching which would entice
you to believe we cannot have such ministries and miracles
today as were commonplace in the Book of Acts.

Beware of the theologian who sceptically labels as “fanatic”

any claim of the miraculous today; who have a “ form of
godliness but (deny) the power thereof” (2Tim.3:5).

The Christian world is at a critical stage. God has responded to

faith around the world during the last few years “ by stretching
forth His hand to heal and (by granting) signs and wonders
to be done in the Name of His holy child Jesus.”

God has placed a divine boldness within the hearts of men, to

wax violent and take the Kingdom by force (Matt.11:12).

While delicate theologians resigned themselves to the routine

of orthodox traditions, humble laymen have arisen to the
challenge of the Holy Scriptures and have shocked our
generation with the results of simple child-like faith.
A wave of Healing Evangelism has swept across this old world
that has brought millions to the faith of Jesus Christ.

So vast is the multitude of witnesses to the miraculous in our

generation that only an irresponsible mind would attempt to
deny the evidence.

Preaching the Gospel with signs, miracles and wonders is the

order of effective Evangelism in our day. The example is laid
down in the Book of Acts. That example is for us — today.

But the reason I say the Christian world is at a critical stage is

that in spite of the hundreds of thousands of miracles which
God has performed in our generation, there seems to be, at
present, a wholesale luke-warmness invading the Church; a
sort of resignation to circumstances; a shying off from rugged
faith or any challenge which would call for the extraordinary —
the miraculous.

This drawing back from the miraculous is blamed on the

extravagances and carelessness of some who have engaged in
the Ministry of Healing. But this is not the real reason. Rather,
this is too often merely the excuse which men use in defending
their own lack of the miraculous.

Many ministers who were fasting and praying a few years ago,
asking God to use them in a more miraculous ministry, have
allowed the devil to convince them that they are not called to
that ministry; they have cooled off.
To fill the vacuum in their souls, they have returned to their
book shelves of dead, traditional theology. As a result, the
flame on their church altars has gone out; now the atmosphere
has settled back into the ritual of “regular” services and
instead of flaming altars, the smouldering embers are hardly
ever stirred; the “dismissal prayer” and the friendly hand-
shake have taken the place of burning altars.

No, this is not true everywhere, but it is true in too many

places.

Multitudes of Christians today have forsaken their prayer

closets.

Many Gospel ministers have so crammed their minds with dead

theology and the doctrines of men who teach that the days of
miracles are past that they sincerely doubt the miraculous
themselves.

There are Bible Schools today where the ministries of men who
preach miracles are curtly depreciated.

Our youth seldom preach, cry, sweat and pray on the street
corners calling drunkards and delinquents to repentance.
Television and church socials have been given the pre-
eminence.

I am very much of the opinion that television has done more to

project the world into the church and to absorb the precious
time which should be given to the family altar, family
counselling, family fellowship and family Bible study in the
home, than any instrument generally approved by Christendom
— it has precipitated a general breakdown of spiritual
standards in the home.

It is a tragedy that luke-warmness and worldliness should be

smothering out the flaming altars of the church and home
today.

One would think that after such mighty miracles as have been
witnessed across our nation, our churches would be in the
midst of flaming revival.

What is the difference in the Church of the Book of Acts and

the Church today?

There are three keys to the success of men in the early

Church:

1. They preached The Word.

2. They were filled and anointed with The Spirit.

3. They knew the authority of and used The Name.

They gave God’s Word its place in their ministries.

They depended on and yielded entirely to the Holy Spirit at

work in their lives.

They wielded an authority by speaking in the Name of Jesus

that caused Roman officials to tremble.

In Part Two of this book, I took you through the Book of Acts
pointing out the Early Church’s regard for the Word; showing
you how the Word filled the lives and ministries of the
Apostles.

Now I call your attention to the operation of the Holy Spirit in

this book of Apostolic example; to the place they gave the
Holy Spirit in their ministries.

Luke wrote two books: (1) His Gospel “of all that Jesus began
to do and teach;” (2) the Acts — and we could say it covers
the subject “ of all that Jesus continued to do and teach”
through the Holy Ghost at work in those whom He appointed.

Here is unveiled one of the three Keys to the Book of Acts;

one of the secrets. It is this:

If men were to “continue” the ministry of Christ which He

“began;” if they were to act representatively in His Name and
continue doing His works, following His example, they must be
anointed with the same Spirit; they must be filled with the same
Holy Ghost He was anointed and filled with.

Jesus said plainly: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because
He hath anointed me” — (then He unveils the purpose and
results of being anointed with the Holy Spirit) — “ to preach
the Gospel to the poor; ...to heal the broken-hearted, to
preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to
the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the
acceptable year of the Lord ” (Lk.4:18).

This vividly sets forth the ministry of deliverance; the healing

ministry; the ministry of proclaiming the Word.

This is the purpose and result of any ministry truly anointed of

the Holy Ghost today.

Look at Acts 10:38: “ God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the

Holy Ghost and with power: Who went about doing good, and
healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with
Him.”

There again is set forth the ministry for which God anoints
anyone with the Holy Ghost.

Thus we note the significance of the first few verses of the

Book of Acts. They set forth the foundation upon which
Apostolic ministries and the Church of Jesus Christ was built:
the foundation of Holy Ghost anointing.

Christ told them: “ Ye shall receive power after that the Holy
Ghost is come upon you: and (then) ye shall be witnesses
(evidence producers) unto Me” all over the world (1:8).

“And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to
speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance”
(2:4).
The result: Unprecedented revival accompanied by shocking
miracles of healing and “multitudes (being) added to the Lord”
(5:14).

Such revival in the Book of Acts is our example today.

Revival under Finney, Wesley and Moody was great, but the
Book of Acts is our pattern.

Paul, who could have waxed eloquent in speech; who could

have enraptured multitudes with skilled oratory, did the
opposite. He said, “ When I came to you, (I) came not with
excellency of speech or of wisdom... my speech and my
preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but
in demonstration of the Spirit and of power ,” (Why?) “That
your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the
power of God” (1Cor.2:1-5).

There is the testimony of a man who had “made havoc of the

Church, entering into every house, and haling men and
women, committed them to prison” (8:3), “breathing out
threatenings, and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord”
(9:1). But he was converted; he saw the Lord and surrendered
his entire life to follow Christ.

“The Lord said (of Paul)... he is a chosen vessel unto Me, to

bear My Name before the Gentiles (heathen), and kings and
the children of Israel” (9:15).

This distinction of being converted through a vision of Jesus

Christ was not enough though. Before Paul could effectively
bear the Name before heathen people, kings and Jews, he must
be filled and anointed with the Holy Spirit, as Jesus Christ
was.

Thus, the Lord spoke to “a certain disciple at Damascus,

named Ananias” (9:10) and told him to go visit the newly
converted Paul.

As Ananias entered the house where Paul was, he said, “

Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus . . . hath sent me, that thou
mightest... be filled with the Holy Ghost” (9:17).

Note: “The Lord, even Jesus” was giving special attention to

see that Paul received the Holy Ghost and was anointed to
minister in His Name.

It is of great concern to the Master that men who “bear His

Name” be “filled with the Holy Ghost.”

When Paul was called “as… one born out of due time”
(1Cor.15:8), he had not heard the command of Jesus to be filled
with the Spirit, so the Lord took a specific step and sent
Ananias to Paul with the positive message: “ The Lord, even
Jesus... hath sent me, that thou mightiest… be filled with the
Holy Ghost” (9:17).

The message is: Men who are to bear His Name, who are to use
His Name and act representatively in His Name as ministers of
the Gospel, must be filled with the Spirit; they must be anointed
with the Holy Ghost.

Furthermore, the message is: When men are filled and anointed
with the Holy Ghost, they will preach “in demonstration of the
Spirit and of power;” they will preach “deliverance to the
captives;” they will “open the eyes of the blind;” they will “set
at liberty them that are bruised;” they will “heal all oppressed
of the devil;” they will “preach the acceptable year of the
Lord” — that means they will preach that today God’s
promises are good; today is the day our Lord chooses to
confirm His Word; “today is the day of salvation
(deliverance);” today is the “acceptable” time for God to work
miracles, signs and wonders as He confirms His Word.

Why the difference in the Church in general today and the

early apostolic church? Why the difference in ministers of the
Gospel in the Book of Acts, and those in general who fill our
pulpits today?

The Church in Acts placed a greater premium on the power of

the Holy Ghost.

They made no attempt to become skilled in human knowledge;

they prayed and were filled with the Holy Ghost.

They did not rely upon what the human intellect could provide;
they relied upon the power of the Holy Ghost.

When the Early Church needed some men “ to appoint over…

business their choice was to select “men of honest report, full
of the Holy Ghost” (6:3).

They chose such men as “Stephen, a man full of faith and of

the Holy Ghost” (6:5) …who “did great wonders and miracles
among the people” (6:8).

Another member of the committee whom they appointed over

the business (6:3) was Philip, a man who “ went down to the
city of Samaria (a heathen city) and preached Christ unto
them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those
things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles
which he did .”

Think of a church selecting a group of men to “appoint over

the business,” then think of Philip and Stephen being
appointed to serve on that Committee.

There are 45 references to the Holy Ghost in the Book of Acts,

and 12 to the Spirit.

In the Early Church, “they were all filled with the Holy Ghost”
(2:4).

It is God’s will today for all believers to “be filled with the Holy
Ghost,” “ for the promise is unto you, and to your children,
and to all that are afar off (the Heathen), even as many as the
Lord our God shall call” (2:39).

Peter based his first message on the Day of Pentecost on Joel’s

prophecy in which the Spirit promised at least three blessings:
(1) “I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh,” (2) “I will show
wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath,”
and (3) “ whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall
be saved” (2:17-21).

Here the Spirit promises a full ministry for the Church: (1)
Salvation for “whosoever” shall call, (2) The outpouring of the
Holy Ghost for “ all flesh,” and (3) “Signs and wonders.”

All of these blessings were experienced in the Early Church.

In Acts 4:31, “They were all filled with the Holy Ghost.” The
result: “ With great power (they gave) witness (evidence) of
the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” (4:33).

The only convincing “evidence” or “witness” or “proof” of the

resurrection is when the same miracles are performed in His
Name as Jesus performed before He was killed. That evidence
alone will convince the world that He is risen.

The Holy Ghost gives power to produce such evidence.

Men must be filled with the Spirit if the ministry of Christ is to

be continued.

The ministry of Christ must be continued because He said, “

He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also;
and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto
My Father” (Jn. 14:12).
Barnabas “was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of
faith.” The result of his ministry was “ and much people was
added unto the Lord” (11:24).

There is not much about Barnabas, but being full of the Holy
Ghost, he left his testimony of a Spirit-filled ministry... “ much
people was added unto the Lord.”

In the Book of Acts, every man who was full of the Holy Ghost
gave evidence of (1) a miracle-ministry, (2) of a soul-saving
ministry, (3) of a healing ministry. The Early Church had no
other kind of preachers.

Hear me, ministers of the Gospel: “ Take heed therefore unto

yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost
hath made you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which He
hath purchased with His own blood ” (20:28).

It is the Holy Ghost who has set us apart in the ministry. We

must obey and yield to Him. He must be allowed to anoint us,
as He anointed Jesus — to heal the sick, to cast out devils, to
open the eyes of the blind, to deliver captives, to preach the
Gospel (Lk.4:18, Acts10:38).

It was the Holy Ghost who spake by Esaias the prophet “unto
our fathers” (28:25).

It was the Holy Ghost who “by the mouth of David spake”
(1:16).
“Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost” (4:8) preached to those who
persecuted the Early Church.

Stephen said that those who have opposed truth “do always
resist the Holy Ghost” (7:51).

It was the Holy Ghost who said, “Separate me Barnabas and

Saul for the work whereunto I have called them” (13:2).

It was “the Spirit” who bade Peter go to the heathen people at

Cornelius’ house, “doubting nothing” (11:12). In response to
his obedience, he testified: “As I began to speak, the Holy
Ghost fell on them” (11:15).

It was the Holy Ghost by which Paul and Silas were

“forbidden... to preach the Word in Asia” (16:6) but were
directed rather to Macedonia (vs. 9-10) where such hunger
existed for the Gospel. In obedience to the Holy Ghost, they
went “with a straight course” (v. 11) as they had been directed
and those strong churches of Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea,
Athens, Corinth and others in the area of Macedonia were the
result.

“ And it came to pass that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul

having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and
finding certain disciples, he said unto them, Have ye received
the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We
have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost…
And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost
came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied ”
(19:1-2,6).

The early Church was a Holy Ghost-filled Church. Just twelve

people received the Spirit in Ephesus, but it warranted
recording for our example today.

Christian, “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye have

believed?” (19:2).

Minister of the Gospel, are you “full of faith and of the Holy
Ghost, and power?” (6:5, 8).

Deacons and business men, are you doing “great wonders and
miracles among the people” because you are “filled with the
Holy Ghost?” (6:8, 4:8).

Jesus commanded: “Receive ye the Holy Ghost” (Jn. 20:22).

Paul said: “Be filled with the Spirit” (Eph.5:18).

“God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost” (Acts

10:38).

The anointing empowered Him to heal the sick, to cast out

devils, to deliver the captives, to recover sight to the blind, and
to minister to humanity, fulfilling God’s will on earth.

Thank God, He still anoints His called-out ones with the same
anointing.

Paul says: “He which . . . hath anointed us is God” (2Cor.1:21).

John says: “The anointing which ye have received of Him
abideth in you” (1Jn.2:27).

The reason God anoints His people today with the same
anointing with which He “anointed Jesus,” is because it is His
will that we continue doing the same miracles and teaching the
same truths as “Jesus began both to do and teach” (1:1).

The development of human talent in the ministry can never

substitute for the life-giving power and anointing of the “ Holy
Ghost sent down from Heaven” (1Pet.1:12).

The Bible declares: “The yoke shall be destroyed because of

the anointing” (Is.10:27).

Thus we see how one of the significant keys which opens the
Book of Acts is the Holy Spirit.
Part Four: What A
Revolution
One day a preacher was speaking on the subject of the power
of the Name of Jesus Christ. He was using as his text the
Scripture, “ If ye shall ask any thing in my Name, I will do it”
(Jn.14:14).

A lawyer was sitting in his audience. Upon hearing the

preacher’s opening remarks, the lawyer became very interested
in the legal aspect of the message. He interrupted the preacher
with the question: “Do you mean to say that Jesus has given
man His power of attorney to use His Name?”

The preacher wisely returned the question with these words: “

Sir, you are a lawyer — I am a preacher. Let me ask you that
question. Did Jesus give us His power of attorney to use His
Name?”

The lawyer replied, “If language means anything, He did

precisely that.”

Then the preacher asked, “And could you explain just what
that power of attorney actually means?”

The lawyer answered, “That depends upon how much there is

back of the Name; how much authority; how much power that
Name represents.”
When I heard that story, I decided that the most important
thing for me to do was to search out just what is back of Jesus
Christ and His Name.

I have been amazed at what I have discovered. God is back of

that Name. All of the Godhead backs up the Name. God’s
person, His integrity, His throne, His existence and all that God
is, is back of the Name which He gave to His Son, Jesus Christ.

“ Wherefore God also hath highly exalted 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 ” (Phil.2:9-11).

What a revolution would take place in the Church if she could

begin an exhaustive study on what is back of the Name Jesus
Christ!

What a revolution would sweep the world if every Bible school

would concentrate their studies on the person and Name of
Jesus Christ.

All that Jesus is, is in His Name.

All that God is, is back of the Name.

One of the keys which unlocks the great Book of Acts is the
regard for and use of that Name.
They cast out devils in the Name.

They wrought miracles by the Name.

They healed the sick in the Name.

They performed signs and wonders through the use of the

Name, astounding multitudes and shocking the Roman Empire
to its foundation.

The Book of Acts is the record of the first 33 years of ministry

after the Lord ascended and sat down at the Father’s right
hand. It is proof that the same ministry which “He began to do
and to teach” in the Gospels was continued both in word and
in action throughout the Book of Acts as men and women
followed His example and used His Name.

Many voices today would have us believe that when Christ

ascended to the Father, miracles ceased. The Book of Acts is
proof to the contrary.

There are many who would have us believe that when the
Apostles died, miracles ceased. This again is not true. Since
that day the ministry of every man or woman who has been
bold enough in faith to follow the example laid down in the
Book of Acts, has been confirmed by signs and wonders
through the power of the Name of Jesus Christ.

There are many voices which would have us believe that

miracles were wrought only to establish the Church. This again
is not true. What good is a Church established by miracles, if it
ceases to perform miracles today?

The blind today are not interested in His power to heal the
blind only in Bible days. They need His healing today.

Let us never depart from the example of the Book of Acts.

The ministry of those men was distinguished, but not because

of their education, their background, their eloquence or their
studies. Their ministries were marked by signs, miracles and
wonders. These effects were the result of their preaching the
Word, of their being filled with the Spirit, and of their regard for
the use of the Name.

Man today has reduced the Word to a theological

interpretation.

Man has diminished the Spirit to a controversial doctrine.

Man has restricted the Name to a beautiful subject for song,

the ending of a prayer or the phrasing of a formal ritual.

Tradition blinds men to the power that is back of that Name.

They do not realize the authority that a believer wields by
invoking that Name above all names. Preachers use that Name
who don’t even believe in miracles today.

The Name of Jesus Christ permeates the whole Book of Acts .

The entire ministry of the Early Church evolved around the
person and Name of Jesus. The Name is one of the very
significant keys to the Book of Acts. The results recorded in
the Book of Acts can be attributed largely to the early
Christians’ regard for that Name.

Did you ever stop to think of the shock it was to the city of
Jerusalem when Peter commanded them to be baptized in the
Name of Jesus? (2:38).

Hardly fifty days after the Lord’s crucifixion, simple men and
women were gathered together in Jerusalem in the upper room.
They all received the Holy Ghost and began to speak with
other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. The crowd
gathered, curiosity soared. Fear settled over them as Peter
preached on the resurrected Christ. They had murdered this
man in public.

As Peter preached, “They were pricked in their heart, and said

unto Peter and the rest of the Apostles, Men and brethren,
what shall we do?” (2:37).

Then Peter said unto them, “ Repent, and be baptized every

one of you in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost ” (v. 38).

This meant a break with Judaism. And thus the Early Church
began her ministry. The Book of Acts is a record of the
constant stream of miracles which flowed from the hands of
those believers who used that Name in the full realization of
the power and authority behind it.
So great was the conviction that gripped the hearts of those
people as Peter preached to them, that it is written, “ They that
gladly received His Word were baptized: and the same day
there were added unto them about three thousand souls”
(2:41).

Then the third chapter of Acts opens with the account of one
of the greatest miracles in the Early Church.

After the meeting in the upper room, those who left that
sanctuary were full of the Holy Ghost. The same Spirit that had
anointed Jesus of Nazareth had now come to fill them. And
they departed and -went everywhere having one main mission
— to testify that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead and that
His ministry was unchanged.

These people remembered the words of the great commission

and were determined to act on them.

“Now Peter and John went up together into the temple” to

attend a prayer meeting (3:1).

En route they passed a crippled man “lame from his mother’s

womb… whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple” (v. 2).

“Peter said, 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” (v. 6).

The man was instantly healed. He rushed into the temple

leaping and praising God.

Finally, he turned and grasped Peter by the hands while the

multitude gathered about them, “ filled with wonder and
amazement at that which had happened unto him” (v. 10).

Peter said to the people, “ Why marvel ye at this? or why look

ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness
we had made this man to walk?” (v.12).

Then Peter’s second sermon followed in which he preached (in

substance.) this message: “ You killed Jesus who was the Son
of God. But the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob raised Him
up from the dead and He is alive now. If He were dead He
could do no miracles. But since God has raised Him up from
the dead, He is doing the same miracles as He did before they
killed Him. He is doing them as we speak in His Name. If He
were dead, His Name would have no power. Since He is alive,
His Name has the same power as He had before He was killed
” (3:12-18).

Peter then makes his application and demands that they repent
of their sin (v. 19). Again it is written, “ Many of them which
heard the Word believed; and the number of the men was
about five thousand” (4:4).

Their arrest followed. Being drawn before the Sanhedrin, the

high priest demanded of them an answer: “ By what power, or
by what Name, have ye done this?” (v.7).
Peter’s third sermon followed. Again it revolved around the
Name of Jesus.

“ Be it known unto you all... that by the Name of Jesus Christ

of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the
dead, even by Him doth this man stand here before you whole
” (4:10).

This time Peter pressed his message further with emphasis on

the Name of Jesus for salvation. “ Neither is there salvation in
any other: for there is none other Name under Heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved” (v.12).

This message pricked the Sanhedrin deeply. The issue was so

obvious that thinking men could not avoid it. The accusation
was straight. They had crucified a good man; a man who
claimed to be the Son of God. God had raised Him from the
dead. Being raised from the dead, His Name was being invoked
by men and women who followed Him. Miracles were taking
place. The Sanhedrin obviously was faced with serious
complications. They had to do something.

They said, “ What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a

notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all
them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it ” (4:16).

How the devil hates a miracle which cannot be denied!

The Sanhedrin well realized that such miracles were a threat to

their religious system. What would be the outcome if these men
continued working miracles in the Name of the man whom
they had crucified? Obviously, multitudes would believe on
Christ and desert Judaism in wholesale lots. After all, at least
8,000 had deserted on just two occasions. It is clear that they
had a very serious problem facing them.

The Sanhedrin had to take action.

This was their decision: They could not deny the miracle, “but
that it spread no further among the people,” they said, “ Let us
straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in
this Name. And they called them, and commanded them not to
speak at all nor teach in the Name of Jesus ” (4:17-18).

They feared the power of that Name, so they charged them not
to teach or preach in that Name and sent them away.

They returned to their company and rehearsed the story.

Following their rehearsal, we have the record of their simple
prayer.

“ And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto

Thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak Thy Word,
by stretching forth Thine hand to heal; and that signs and
wonders may be done by the Name of Thy holy child Jesus ”
(v. 29-30).

The disciples expected signs and wonders to be done when

they preached in the Name of Jesus.
“ The place was shaken where they were assembled together;
and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake
the Word of God with boldness ” (v. 31).

“And with great power gave the Apostles witness of the

resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them
all” (v. 33).

“ And by the hands of the Apostles were many signs and

wonders wrought among the people… And believers were the
more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women...
There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto
Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed
with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one ” (5:12,
14, 16).

Seeing that they did not obey their orders, the Sanhedrin
ordered their arrest and they were put in jail.

“ But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors,
and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the
temple to the people all the Words of this Life ” (v. 19-20).

In the morning they were apprehended and brought before the

council again.

These were the words of the priest at this trial: “ Did not we
straitly command you that ye should not teach in this Name?
and behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and
intend to bring this man’s blood upon us ” (v. 28).
It is obvious that the Sanhedrin was on the defensive. They
actually realized that they had murdered the Son of God. They
were tormented lest His blood be upon them.

It is easy to understand why they were determined to stop the

mentioning of this Name in Jerusalem.

No one can read the second to fifth chapters of the Book of

Acts without being impressed with the significant place the
Name of Jesus held in the estimation of these disciples of
Christ. They knew what was in the Name. They realized what
was back of that Name.

They wielded an authority by speaking the Name that brought

fear upon all who heard them.

Persecution followed their ministries wherever they exalted the

Name of Jesus. The disciples were beaten and charged again
not to speak in His Name. Then they were let go again.

Having been commanded that they should not speak in the

Name of Jesus, “ they departed from the presence of the
council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer
shame for His Name. And daily in the temple, and in every
house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ (5:41-
42).

Not long afterward, Stephen suffered a martyr’s death at the

hands of cold-blooded men of the council.
After Stephen’s death follows the outstanding record of
Philip’s ministry in Samaria. We observe this significant
statement: “ They believed Philip preaching the things
concerning the kingdom of God, and the Name of Jesus
Christ, they were baptized, both men and women ” (8:12).

Philip not only preached the kingdom, but the power of the
Name of Jesus Christ: “the things concerning the Name of
Jesus.”

He must have preached what was back of that Name; what that
Name represented. He must have understood what it meant to
use the Name of Jesus.

Today modern religionists sing the hymn, “All hail the power
of Jesus’ Name” and then invoke that Name in ritual and
ceremony as though it were just a line in a poem.

It was not so in the Early Church.

The Name of Jesus was the battle-axe in the ministry of the

Early Church.

That Name to those Apostles was what the rod was in the
hand of Moses. If the Egyptians could have stolen that rod,
that would have stripped Moses of his weapon.

If Judaism could have stopped the Church from speaking and

ministering in that Name, they would have robbed the Church
of its supernatural power. And like Samson with his hair cut,
those Apostles would have become common men.

The modern Church, having lost the power of the Name of

Jesus, has been reduced to the position of the shaven Samson.

The Early Church used the Name in connection with the

healing of the sick. It seems they did not particularly pray for
the sick, so much as they commanded them to be healed in His
Name.

In every aspect of the Early Church, the Name of Jesus was

outstanding.

Opposers of those followers of Christ in the Book of Acts

exerted every effort to stamp out the use of that Name.

A vivid example is how the opposer, Saul, had “authority from

the chief priests to bind all that call on Thy Name” (9:14). Paul
himself testified later: “ I verily thought with myself, that I
ought to do many things contrary to the Name of Jesus of
Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of
the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority
from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave
my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every
synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being
exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto
strange cities ” (26:9-11).

When Paul was converted, God sent Ananias to bring him

these words: “ Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto Me,
to bear My Name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the
children of Israel: for I will show him how great things he must
suffer for My Name’s sake ” (9:15-16).

Again, we can see how the Name was the real issue in the
ministry of the Early Church.

Later, Paul “ assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they

were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.
But Barnabas . . . brought him to the Apostles, and declared
unto them how he 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 ” (9:26-27).

Here again we see the significance which they attached to the

Name of Jesus. This was more than a recommendation of just
preaching the Gospel. This was a recommendation that this
man, Paul, knew the authority of the Name of Jesus and was
ministering and speaking boldly in that Name.

It all gives evidence to the fact that the ministries of these men
in the Early Church were distinguished by their regard for and
use of the Name of Jesus.

They mastered the significance of that Name above all names.

They knew what it meant to speak and teach in that Name.
They knew that the power to cast out devils, to raise the dead,
to heal the sick, to bless the poor, to raise the cripples was all
in the Name of Jesus Christ.
Later, in the Book of Acts, referring to the ministry of Barnabas
and Paul, it is written: “Men that have hazarded their lives for
the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (15:26). And again, in Acts
21:13, Paul testified that he was “ ready not to be bound only,
but also to die at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus.”

These words certainly pay tribute to such men as Paul and

Barnabas. It is easy to see why Paul admonished the
Colossians: “ Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the
Name of the Lord Jesus” (Col.3:17).

I shall never forget what took place in my own life the first time
I ever saw the power in the Name of Jesus Christ
demonstrated.

I was sitting in the third balcony of the Civic Auditorium in

Portland, Oregon. Rev. William Branham was preaching. I was a
visiting pastor.

Following his sermon, a long line of people passed before him

for his prayers for healing.

He stopped a deaf and dumb child and, placing his fingers to

her ears, said: “ Thou deaf and dumb spirit, I adjure thee in the
Name of Jesus Christ, leave the child and enter her no more.”

He spoke so calmly, but with such absolute certainty. The child

was perfectly healed.

How those words rang in my soul! “I adjure thee in the Name

of Jesus Christ!”

I had never heard a man pray like that. He had no question. He

spoke softly, yet with such irresistible force. There was
indisputable authority in his voice.

He invoked the Name of Jesus and a demon was compelled to

obey.

I saw the Name of Jesus demonstrated! It changed my life!

Jesus was alive. He was on that platform. I could not see Him
but when Brother Branham invoked His Name, He was there!
He backed up that command.

I saw Jesus in His Name that night!

A thousand voices whirled over my head as I sat there

weeping. They said: “You can do that! You can do that! That’s
the Bible way! That is what Peter and Paul did! That proved
that the Bible is good today! Yes, you can do that!”

“Yes!” I said, “ I can do that! Jesus is alive! He is here! He is

with me! I can use His Name! I can cast out devils! Yes, I can
do that!”

I walked out of that auditorium a new man. Jesus and I were

walking together. I would use His Name and compel devils to
come out and diseases to die. I would speak in His Name. Jesus
would do the miracle. No demon or disease would resist His
authority.

I was in a new world — a child of the Kingdom. I had full

authority. Back of me was Jesus. When I would speak in His
Name, no demon or disease would resist my order because
they would be under His ultimatum when I would use His
Name.

For over two decades, I have proclaimed His Name in over 40

countries. Around the world I have beheld the glory of Jesus
Christ by exalting His Name among the heathen.

In every campaign we have conducted overseas, the Lord Jesus

Christ has appeared at least once, and ofttimes repeatedly.

Demons, diseases and circumstances are all subject to that

Name.

That Name of Jesus is the majestic Name above every name.

The Father has willed it. The Holy Ghost bears witness to it.
And countless miracles give testimony to the dominion of that
Name.

Some years ago, a group of hymnbook publishers selected the

hymn, “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name,” as the Grand
Anthem of the Church.

We can all “hail the power of Jesus’ Name,” because it is

through His Name that we have (1) Salvation for our souls, (2)
Healing for our bodies, (3) Victory over the forces of Satan,
and (4) Access to the Father in prayer.

It is the one Name through which the sinner approaches the

great Father God; it is the one Name that gives him a hearing; it
is the one Name that unveils the mediatorial ministry of Jesus.

Multitudes have received the new birth by simply calling on

this Name, for “Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the
Lord shall be saved ” (Rom.10:13).

It is the healing Name. Thousands of times I have seen the

power of the living Christ manifested in miracles as I have
commanded diseases to die and demons to come out in that
Name of Jesus Christ.

What a blessed sight it is to watch cripples rise and walk, to

see lepers rejoice as new life comes to their flesh, to see the
blind receive sight, the deaf hear and the demon-possessed
delivered! I have watched these miracles take place before my
own eyes around the world for over 13 years. How blessed it
is!

A very great example of the power in the Name of Jesus is set

forth in the 16th chapter of Acts when a certain damsel
possessed with a spirit of divination followed Paul and Silas,
“and cried saying, These men are the servants of the most high
God, which show unto us the way of salvation” (v. 16-17).

After several days of this annoyance, “ 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 ” (v. 18).

The girl was delivered and the Apostles were arrested. Then
came the mighty miracle of the opening of the jail at Philippi
when the jailer fell at the feet of Paul crying, “Sirs, what must I
do to be saved?” (v.30).

Paul answered: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou

shall be saved, and thy house” (v.31).

This same Name that had liberated the girl from the power of
demons in the afternoon, now had enabled this man to be
saved.

The Name of Jesus is inseparable from salvation .

The angel said to Joseph concerning Mary: “ She shall bring

forth a son, and thou shalt call His Name Jesus for He shall
save His people from their sins” (Matt.1:21).

Peter, preaching on the day of Pentecost, affirmed “that

whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved”
(2:21).

Again Peter announced the significance of that Name in regard

to salvation when he said: “Neither is there salvation in any
other: for there is none other Name under Heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved” (4:12).
Again Peter expounded the power of this Name in reference to
salvation when he was preaching at the house of Cornelius: “
Through His Name, whosoever believeth in Him shall receive
remission of sins” (10:43).

No wonder the song writer wrote, “Precious Name, oh how

sweet, hope of earth and joy of Heaven.”

Paul’s use of the Name in casting out devils evidently stood

out with great prominence. Because when the seven envious
sons of Sceva, moved with jealousy, undertook to imitate his
ministry, they scrupulously copied his prayer with the words:
“We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth” (19:13).

Being unconsecrated vessels, the attempt backfired on these

evil men when “ the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on
them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that
they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this was
known to all the Jews and Greeks… and fear fell on them all,
and the Name of the Lord Jesus was magnified ” (19:16-17).

So we see that the Name of Jesus meant more to the Early

Church than it seems to mean to the Church today . It had a
place in their ministry that the Church today has failed to give
it.

Have we anything to take its place?

They tell us that education will take its place; that the Church
no longer needs the supernatural power of God. The reason:
we are supposed to have outgrown the teaching of the Holy
Spirit. The wisdom of man is supposed to have taken the place
of the power in the Name of Christ. That Name has
consequently been stripped of its power because men today,
through their great intellectual accomplishments, have thought
themselves to have graduated from needing God. They can
today perform their mental miracles so great that God’s miracles
are not supposed to be necessary.

My friends, nothing but the supernatural God, nothing but

faith in the supernatural Name of Jesus Christ will ever bring
deliverance to this needy generation.

Vain is the preaching and empty is the teaching that is void of

the power in the Name of Jesus.

One mighty miracle in the Name of Jesus is of greater value

than a lifetime of the modernistic theories being preached
today.

Have we a record anywhere of God telling us that the Name of

Jesus is no longer necessary to work signs and wonders?

It is time that believers are led in an all-out, concentrated

investigation of the power that lies in the Name of Jesus Christ.

If we were to draw a conclusion from the use and place of the

Name of Jesus Christ in the Book of Acts, what would we say?

The Name of Jesus actually took the place of the ascended

Lord . Everywhere that Jesus would have been glorified by His
personal presence, His Name took His place.

That Name has not lost any of its authority, none of its power.

The Name of Jesus belongs to us now.

It is our legal right. We have been given the power of attorney

to use that Name as we minister to our generation, acting
representatively in that Name.

In these words I have tried to alert you to the significance of

the Name of Jesus in the Book of Acts.

That Name is one of the indispensable keys to this book of

apostolic example today.

Those men gave that Name the place Jesus intended that it be
given.

“ Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the

works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these
shall he do; because I go to my Father. And whatsoever ye
shall ask in my Name, that will I do, that the Father may be
glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my Name, I
will do it ” (Jn.14:12-14).

AMEN !
The Revival Library
The Revival Library is a British-based collection of revival and
Pentecostal source materials. Tony Cauchi, the Librarian, says
‘Our intention is to promote passion and prayer for authentic
revival by making accessible, at affordable prices, biographies,
histories and teachings about great moves of the Spirit across
the centuries.’

The Revival Library has produced over twenty CD’s and

DVD’s which which hold collections of original books,
periodicals and related teaching materials for worldwide
distribution. They include materials on Evangelical Revivals
and more recent Pentecostal and Healing outpourings.

Many of these books can be found on Amazon and many more

will be added in due course. Any of the materials we publish on
Amazon or elsewhere can be easily found by searching for
"Revival Library" (exclude inverted commas) in your ebook
providers website.

Alternatively, we have lots of other materials which are in other

formats such as Word.doc and .pdf, as well as collections of
books and magazines on CD's or DVD's at shop.revival-
library.org or via the main website at www.revival-library.org
The Pentecostal Pioneers Series
This series includes materials by or about Maria Woodworth-
Etter, John Alexander Dowie, Frank Bartleman, The Azusa
Street Revival, Aimee Semple McPherson, John G. Lake, Smith
Wigglesworth, Alexander Boddy, Thomas Ball Barratt, George
and Stephen Jeffreys, and a host of other lesser-known, but
equally courageous and effective pioneers of this great
worldwide movement of God. We plan to include biographies
and teachings that will educate and inspire a new generation of
pioneers in our day.
The Evangelical Revival Series
These are a host of materials from church history, particularly
covering the six major waves of Worldwide Revival that broke
on the shores of this world from the Reformation to the Welsh
Revival. At the moment these materials number over 80 and we
will add more to them as time proceeds. They include
biographies, teachings, methodology, theology, overviews and
everything revival-related.
Voices From The Healing Revival Series
This Revival which occurred in the 1940-50's was the most
powerful and fruitful move of God in the entire history of
Christendom. Despite extreme criticism and controversy
Pentecostalism was revitalised, new evangelistic initiatives
circled the globe and the multifaceted charismatic movement
was brought to birth.

Today the worldwide Pentecostal/charismatic community

numbers over 550 million members and is the fastest growing
branch of the Christian church across the nations.

We pay tribute to the pioneers who paid such a great price to

return the church to its New Testament foundations and who
presented Jesus Christ as the same yesterday, today and
forever!

We have included biographies and teachings by William

Branham, Jack Coe, A. A. Allen, W. V. Grant, Gordon Lindsay
and others.