Dear Concerning The Times Ministry Friends, Occasionally, we will post an article from a guest author, and here is a wonderful piece from a dear friend of mine, Pastor Ian Huxham. I’ll place a brief bio about pastor Ian and ministry links at the end of this article. I trust his timely words will bless you as I was. *This article originally appeared in CMFI’s Time to Awake magazine, Summer 2025 issue.
Authority in the Name of Jesus – Guest article by Pastor Ian Huxham
“..when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.” -Jesus in Mark 13:11
Many will be familiar with the wonderful account provided by Acts 3, of the man, lame from birth, who received a wonderful healing miracle at the Gate Beautiful. Of how, whilst begging, he asked Peter and
John for alms, and of how Peter, fixing his eyes on him, said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” Thereafter, as they helped him to stand, immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength, and he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with Peter and John, walking, leaping, and praising God.
Of course, the lame man’s healing wasn’t the only wonderful thing that happened that day. As Peter saw the crowd that had gathered to witness the miracle, he took the opportunity to preach the gospel. And having done so, the church grew further, for we are informed by Acts 4:4, that many of those who heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. I don’t know about you, but I long to see the church move in the same power and authority today. What is more, I sincerely believe that it can, and that it should. I believe that the same power and the same authority is available to us today, in order that we might reach a lost and dying generation in such desperate need of the gospel. Those that are crippled and blinded by sin. The power is that of the Holy Spirit, and the authority is that
of the name of Jesus.
Preaching in the name of Jesus
As Peter preached that day, he did so fearlessly, with a boldness that could only have come from the Holy Spirit. We are told in John 16:8 that when He (the Holy Spirit) comes, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. And as the large crowd gathered, Peter pulled no punches, as by the Holy Spirit he brought it under conviction, and he told them (I paraphrase), ‘You delivered up Jesus to Pilate and denied Him when Pilate was determined to let Him go. You denied the Holy One and the Just and asked for a murderer to be released in His stead. It was you that killed the Prince of Life.’
Now, just how bold and fearless do you have to be to stand in front of such a large crowd and say such a thing? Then he softens somewhat, as he acknowledges that those things they did, they did from ignorance. He calls them to repentance that they might receive Jesus, that their sins be blotted out, and that they might experience the times of refreshing that come from the presence of the Lord. And many of those who heard the word believed.
And this is where we find increasing relevance for the church today. Because having functioned as true believers should, in the power of the Holy Spirit and with the authority of the name of Jesus, Peter and John were then brought to answer before the Sanhedrin (a council made up of the rulers, the elders and the scribes, as well as the high priest), as if by doing good and healing a lame man, they had somehow committed a crime. However, it wasn’t really the healing miracle that landed them in such trouble. It was that they did so, in the name of Jesus. The very One those same leaders had previously denied and thought dead and buried.
Our modern-day rulers and authorities now find themselves running headlong into the same dilemma. How can an increasingly secular nation that wishes at one end of life to abort pregnancies and kill unborn babies, and at the other euthanise the elderly, the sick, and the infirm, possibly do so, without denying
Jesus, the Prince of Life? Their best hope for doing so is found in the thought that, having denied Jesus, He is now dead and buried, and that true Christianity has long since died with Him. However, just as with Peter, sincere believers know beyond any doubt that this is not the case. As Peter preached under the
unction of the Holy Spirit in Solomon’s Portico, he was sure to point out not only that God had raised Jesus from the dead, but also that he and John were among the witnesses to His resurrection. (Acts 3:15).
Similarly, we too are witnesses to the fact that Jesus lives. Those that are born again, in whom Jesus now dwells and who, as a result, now enjoy new and everlasting life, are well able to testify that we serve a risen Saviour. And more, praise the Lord, He has not left us as orphans but has sent us another Helper – the Holy Spirit. We have the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority of the name of Jesus.
The power of the Holy Spirit
When Peter and John came before the Sanhedrin, it was in being filled with the Holy Spirit that Peter addressed them (Acts 4:8). In fact, I would go so far as to say that it was not Peter at all that spoke to them at that time; it was God the Holy Spirit. And should we ever be led by the Holy Spirit to take such a stand as they did, and should we ever find ourselves in a similar situation to them, we can be assured that God will be with us in like manner. In fact, Jesus speaks of this in Mark 13:9 and Mark 13:11.
Certainly, it was the Holy Spirit that gave Peter the words to speak that day. The Sanhedrin were amazed at the boldness of the two men. When they perceived that they were uneducated and untrained, they marveled, and they realised that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13). And so are we with Jesus. We have Him with us and in us. We have the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority of His name. We need not a dog collar, nor to be regaled in fine vestments. We need not attend seminary, nor have a diploma in theology hanging on our study wall. Peter and John had none of these things but instead had calloused hands and smelled of fish. It mattered not. To the Sanhedrin they were uneducated and untrained men.
But that day, in the power of the Holy Spirit, they took the Sanhedrin to school and taught them a lesson. The Sanhedrin had little option but to let them go. However, as they did, they threatened them and forbade them to speak at all, nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and
said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Similarly, for the true blood-bought, Spirit-filled believer, it is impossible for us not to speak of Jesus and tell of the wonderful things we have seen and heard. If we are truly born again, it is impossible, for we have the Spirit of Truth within who will declare the glory of Jesus. As it says in John 16:13-15.
Dear reader, brothers and sisters, I do not claim to be a prophet, but if and when our faith brings us into confrontation with the authorities, fear not. The account from Acts 3 and 4 is given to show us how uneducated and untrained men and women in the authority of the name of Jesus can not only be used of God to perform miracles, but can also preach the gospel with boldness in the power of the Holy Spirit.
And when having done so, we be delivered up to councils, brought before rulers and kings for Christ’s namesake, then know that it will not be us that speaks but the Holy Spirit.
Knowing these things let us each spend more time with Jesus and ask for more of the Holy Spirit’s anointing. Then, may our lights so shine before all men, and as the Spirit leads us, may we do good and oppose evil and continue to do so, in the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority of the name of Jesus. Amen.
Pastor Ian Huxham – Sidmouth, UK.
Here’s a link to Ian’s home church – Evangel Church, Sidmouth, UK.
You will be blessed by the gospel preaching of Pastor Ian here at SW Bible Week on YouTube. Here’s a link to all of the preaching videos at the 2025 SW Bible week in Bicton, UK.
