Rev. Max Solbrekken & Sadhu N. Vandenam

 Ghandi Park, Gutur, A.P. India May, 1966

WHY THE NAME OF

                 JESUS IS SO GREAT!

                   By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.

    When Jesus sent His disciples to proclaim the Gospel, He gave them the authority to use His name to heal the sick, cast out devils and raise the dead! He commanded them to spread the Gospel everywhere and promised to be with them by sending His Holy Spirit to empower them!

     The great weapons that were given them for protection against danger and the forces of evil were four-fold: His Word, His Shed Blood, The Holy Spirit and His Name!

     The Bible says: “And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

     “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My Name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (Mark 16:17, 18)

    St. Mark records: “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into Heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the Word with signs following. Amen.” (Mark 16: 19,20)

                       GOD’S WORD AND POWER!     

    You may ask, “What’s so special about the Name of Jesus Christ? And why do miracles happen when we use His Name in faith? Where does the power come from? How can we make contact with the resurrected Saviour and Healer?

     The Bible says: “And 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); “Behold My Servant, whom I have chosen; My Beloved, in whom My soul is well pleased: I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. And in His Name shall the Gentiles trust.” (Matt. 1:21; 12: 17, 21)

      Jesus Christ is God the Son from eternity who came into this world as God’s paschal lamb and was incarnated so that He could shed His precious blood for the salvation of mankind! When you call on His name, you can be forgiven, because His Name means ‘The salvation of God’!

                 JESUS WARNED, YE DO ERR!

     Others may say, “We know His Name was powerful in the time of the Early Church and the Apostles of our Lord, but isn’t all that done away with?” Jesus warned: “Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the Scriptures, neither the Power of God?

      “And as touching the dead, that they rise; have ye not read in the book of Moses how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I AM the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead but the God of the living: ye therefore do Greatly ERR.” (Mark 12; 24-27; Matt. 22: 29).

 The Root Cause of all False Doctrine is Ignorance of the Holy Scriptures and No Knowledge of the Power of God! Knowledge of God’s Word is paramount. There is no substitute for the Holy Scriptures.

    Ignorance of the Holy Bible opens the door for demons of deception to enter. When Satan tempted Eve, he lied about God’s Word. He asked a leading question trying to create doubt in Eve’s heart. Satan is a LIAR extra ordinaire, evil, wicked, and cruel!

     Eve was the weaker vessel so the devil targeted her and she became his emissary, giving Adam the fruit, to join her in her disobedience and apostasy. She had discounted God’s Word for a treacherous and death dealing lie!

     Every false cult and every spurious doctrine can be traced back to this fact:  They do not know God’s WORD, nor His POWER! Either they have not read God’s Word, or they have chosen to reject it at their own peril.

      The warning issued by Jesus Christ of not knowing the Holy Scriptures nor the Power of God, is true today!

     Herein lies the great danger of rejecting the Word of God in favour of human philosophy. It was questioning the veracity of God’s Word that caused the Great Fall in the Garden of Eden! Ever since Adam and Eve rebelled against Almighty God in disobeying His law, Satan has been using the same approach to enslave millions of souls. They have traded the Gospel of Jesus Christ for their own powerless, man-made humanist teachings!

                FAMILIARITY: A SERIOUS MISTAKE!

     Adam and Eve knew the power of God but had become familiar with the grandeur of Eden and God’s creative work! Allowing oneself to take God’s great power for granted is a sign of backsliding. A good example is the disastrous fall of Samson, God’s great champion.

    Repeatedly, he took the grace of God for granted until he disclosed the secret of God’s power which had been sacred to him and his parents. God does not take kindly to those who abuse His gifts and treat His special relationship as something less than holy and precious.

     The Bible states: “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said…thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come  on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” (Judges 13: 2,3, 5)

    “And when Delilah saw that he told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath showed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up with money in their hand. And she made him sleep upon her knees, and she called for a man to shave off the seven locks of his head: and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.

    "And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him. But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes…” (Judges 16:16-21)

                   A MAJOR SIN IN THE CHURCH!

     Another sin is to relegate God’s power to a former time or the distant past! That is the work of the Devil and the kingdom of darkness. You can trace every sin in the church and in God’s people to that of forsaking God’s Word and down playing the power of God!

    Liberal theology today is the outcome of deliberately departing from the faith which was once delivered to the faith! What has been the fruit of this colossal departure from the faith? Loss of the Holiness, Awesomeness and Majesty of God! It has brought God and His Word down to the level of ignorant and proud, faithless clergy and men of God!

      Jesus called this sin, ‘a great Error’!

      Reading the Holy Scriptures brings us back to reality: We do not have all the answers because we were created by Him who is greater than we are and a lot smarter! Someone said, “I can’t believe in God because I can’t understand Him.” John Wesley wisely answered, “Can a worm understand a man?”

    French Philosopher Rousseau said: “Behold the works of our philosophers, with all their pompous diction, how mean and contemptible they are in comparison with the Scriptures. Is it possible that a book at once so simple and so great is the work of man? "                   

              SATAN DEFEATED BY GOD’S WORD!

      Napoleon Bonaparte stated: “The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature, with a power that conquers all that oppose it.”

      Emmanuel Kant wrote: “The existence of the Bible, as a book for the people, is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced. Every attempt to belittle it is a crime against humanity.

     Abraham Lincoln stated: “I believe the Bible is the best gift ever given to man. All the good from the Saviour of the world is communicated to us through this book.”

     Jesus Defeated Satan with the Word of God and Destroyed him by His shed Blood! “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross: And having spoiled principalities and powers. He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. (Col. 2: 14, 15)

      The Holy Bible states: “For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Mal. 3:6); “So shall My Word be that goeth out of My mouth; it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Is. 55:11)

    In His Wilderness Temptation our Lord Jesus defeated Satan with the Word of God: “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceedeth out of the Mouth of God.”  (Matt. 4:4); “It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” (Matt. 4:7);

     “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him Only shalt thou serve.” (Matt. 4: 10). St. Paul emphatically declared: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever.” (Heb. 13: 8).

     The awesome power of JESUS’ name was and still is the most respected and loved by believers and feared by the devil! For more than 50 years, I have had the privilege of carrying His marvellous Gospel to great numbers across the world.

               POLICE INSPECTOR HEALED!

  During our Historic 1966 Guntur A.P. India Crusade we witnessed many miracles that Christ’s name produced. One day, we were visited by six Circle Inspectors of the Police Dept. They handed me an official letter stating: ‘Rev. Max Solbrekken: We the Circle Inspectors of the Police Department ask you to come with us to the Guntur Hospital to heal our Superintendent Inspector who has had  a stroke.’

     Thomas Tutyko and I followed them. Police vehicles ringed the hospital. Uniformed police stationed at strategic points saluted. We were ushered into his room, where his wife and sister-in -law were seated.

     The superintendent Inspector was about 45 years of age, the right side of his face had fallen and his right arm was pulled up into a fist against his chest. He had a red dot and ashes on his forehead. The six circle inspectors stood at attention. I sat on a chair in front of his bed.

     Addressing the Superintendent, I asked: “You sent for me, Sir?”  He could barely talk, but managed to say, “I want you heal me the name of Lord Jesus.” I said, “First, I must tell you why the Name of Jesus is so powerful.” He nodded that he understood.

      For the next 15 minutes I introduced him to Jesus Christ; His Godhood, His virgin birth, His miracles, His scourging, His sacrificial death on the cross, His resurrection from the dead and His Victory over Satan, death and the grave! I stated that Jesus did all that for us and that He wants to be our Saviour and Lord.

      It was hard for him to speak, but I led him through a prayer of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Then, I said, “I will now pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will heal you.”  He nodded, that he was ready!

      My prayer was strong and filled with the Holy Spirit’s presence and faith in the promises of Jesus! I asked God to show us His awesome power by HEALING the Inspector’s brain in the name of the Crucified and Resurrected Jesus! When I said, “Amen”, his face had normalized.

    I said, “God has healed you!” He said, “Yes!” In the name of Jesus, I took his paralyzed hand and it opened up.  It was normal. I said, “Sir, You are healed.” He smiled and said, “Yes.” I asked, “What are you going to do?”  He said, “I’m going to get up and walk.”

     He threw the blanket back and I helped him to his feet. Holding his hand, we marched down the corridor. Then he shook his hand free and he marched perfectly  back and forth.

     Standing at attention before me, the Superintendent Inspector asked: “Whom shall I thank for this, Sir?” I answered, “Lift up your arms in the Royal Salute, and say, Thank You Lord Jesus!” As he did, the Circle Inspectors and other Policemen stood at attention and with arms lifted to heaven, saying repeatedly, “Thank you Lord Jesus. Thank You Lord Jesus!”

      Then the Superintendent Inspector said, “Come with me,” and he walked into another room where a Hindu priest was perched up in bed with pillows, struggling to breathe due to a serious heart attack. He asked the priest, “Do you want this man heal you name of Lord Jesus?”

      The Hindu priest nodded that he wanted me to pray. I shared with him several Scriptures about Jesus Christ. I asked Jesus Christ for a miracle. Immediately, he could breathe normally. The Superintendent Inspector told the priest, “Royal Salute to Lord Jesus.” As he did, others responded, saying: “Thank you Lord Jesus!”

      What was the outcome? Policemen who had sick loved ones were given time off to bring them to me for prayer. Word spread and I prayed for many that afternoon.  The Revival grew stronger each day!

              THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!

     Like King David, we also love to the sing praises to God in the Holy Spirit. Here is a powerful Scripture: “But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken (make life) in your mortal (weak, sick) body by His Spirit that dwelleth (lives) in you." (Rom. 8:11)

     Some theologians say this speaks of the dead being raised at Christ’s return. This may be a type, but the Holy Spirit does NOT dwell in a corpse!

     St. Paul states: “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

   “And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (Rom.8:26).

     The Greek text here indicates that the Holy Spirit ‘takes a hold of against the infirmity and prays through us in the Holy Spirit with groanings (other tongues) that cannot be uttered’, for our needs!

      We sing that beautiful Scripture as praise and worship and the Lord works through His word and heals and liberates those who worship Him in Spirit and in truth! We have witnessed miracle of Healing from Jesus Christ in this way!

      If that same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, dwell in you, dwell in you. If that same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, dwell in you, He shall quicken your mortal body by His Spirit that dwells in you. He shall quicken your mortal body by that Spirit that dwells in you!

               HIS NAME & FAITH IN HIS NAME!

     “The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified His Son JESUS; whom ye delivered up and denied Him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; and killed the Prince of Life, whom God hath raised tom the dead; whereof ye are witnesses.

    “And His Name through faith in His Name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know; yea the faith which is by Him hath given Him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” (Acts 3:13-16)

    “And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this? Then Peter filled with the Holy Ghost answered…Be it known unto you, and to all the people of Israel, 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.” (Acts 4:7, 10) 

     JESUS said: “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe;

     “In My Name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents and if the drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

     “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.

    “And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Hm, and given Him a Name that 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: 6-11) Amen.