Transcription
"Jesus, I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye?"
Those words should shake every believer. Those words were not spoken to atheists. They were not spoken to idol worshipers. They were not spoken to men who denied the existence of God. They were spoken to religious men, men who knew scripture, men who knew spiritual language, men who knew about Jesus. Yet, when they attempted to exercise authority over a demon, hell refused to recognize them. The demon answered them directly, "Jesus, I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye?"
That statement exposes one of the greatest weaknesses in modern Christianity. Many believers know about the name of Jesus, but they do not know what the name represents. They have learned to use it as a phrase. They have learned to use it as a tradition. They have learned to use it as a religious ending attached to prayer, but they have never discovered the authority invested in that name. As E. W. Kenyon emphasized throughout the wonderful name of Jesus, the church has often admired the name without understanding the legal authority behind it. We sing about it. We preach about it. We quote scriptures about it. Yet, many believers have never discovered why heaven recognizes that name and why hell fears it.
Before we go deeper, ensure you are subscribed to E. W. Kenyon Hidden Truths and stay with this teaching from beginning to end. What you are about to hear is not religious theory. It is a revelation that can change how you face sickness, fear, oppression, lack, and every attack of darkness.
The story begins in Ephesus. Ephesus was not an ordinary city. It was a center of idolatry, a center of occult practices, a center of magical arts, a city deeply influenced by demonic activity. Yet, God sent Paul into that environment with a revelation that would shake the kingdom of darkness. Acts 19 tells us that God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul. The results were extraordinary. Diseases left people's bodies, evil spirits fled, lives were transformed. The authority of Christ was openly demonstrated before the city. Paul was not operating in religious enthusiasm. Paul was operating in revelation knowledge. There is a difference. Religion imitates, revelation produces results. Religion repeats words, revelation acts upon truth. Religion hopes, revelation knows. Paul knew something that the average believer did not know. He understood his union with Christ. He understood redemption. He understood authority. He understood the significance of the name of Jesus, and hell recognized it. The kingdom of darkness always recognizes genuine authority. The devil may deceive men. The devil may intimidate men. The devil may lie to men, but the devil cannot ignore authority.
Then another group entered the scene. The Bible calls them the seven sons of Sceva. They observed Paul's ministry. They saw demons leave. They saw authority demonstrated. They saw power manifested. But, instead of discovering the source of Paul's authority, they attempted to copy his actions. This is where their failure began. They wanted results without revelation. They wanted authority without understanding. They wanted power without relationship. They wanted victory without discovering the truth that produced it. Many believers are making the same mistake today. They repeat what they hear preachers say. They repeat what they hear in church. They repeat phrases that sound powerful, but they have never personally discovered the truth behind those words.
The seven sons of Sceva approached a demon-possessed man and declared, "We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth." Notice the weakness in that statement. They were borrowing another man's revelation. They were leaning upon another man's experience. They were using another man's knowledge. The Jesus they spoke about was Paul's Jesus, not their Jesus. The authority they attempted to exercise was Paul's authority, not their authority. The relationship belonged to Paul. The revelation belonged to Paul. The knowledge belonged to Paul. Hell immediately recognized the difference. The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know." Of course he knew Jesus. Hell remembers Jesus. Hell remembers every confrontation. Hell remembers every miracle. Hell remembers every command that drove demons out. Hell remembers the cross. Hell remembers the resurrection. Hell remembers the day its kingdom suffered its greatest defeat. Demons do not need to be convinced that Jesus is Lord. They already know. The Bible says they believe and tremble.
Then the demon said, "Paul I know." That statement is remarkable. Think about it. A demon recognized a man. Not because Paul was famous. Not because Paul held the title, not because Paul occupied an office. The demon recognized Paul because Paul understood his authority in Christ. Hell recognized that Paul knew who he was. Paul was not attempting to become victorious. Paul was operating from victory. Paul was not trying to gain authority. Paul was exercising authority already given to him. Paul understood something that many Christians still struggle to understand. The authority of the believer is not based upon human strength. It is based upon identification with Christ. This became one of the foundational teachings of E.W. Kenyon's ministry. Kenyon taught that when believers discover their place in Christ, everything changes. Prayer changes. Faith changes. Authority changes. Spiritual warfare changes. The believer stops seeing himself as a victim and begins seeing himself as a participant in Christ's victory.
Then came the final statement, "But who are ye?" That was not a question of curiosity. That was a declaration of non-recognition. The demon did not recognize authority. The demon did not recognize revelation. The demon did not recognize relationship. The demon did not recognize legal standing. Those men possessed religious language, but lacked spiritual reality. This is precisely why so many believers struggle today. The average Christian knows the name of Jesus as a doctrine. The New Testament presents the name of Jesus as an authority. There is a difference. Many believers pray hoping God will intervene. The apostles acted knowing what Christ had already accomplished. Many believers approach prayer from uncertainty. The apostles approached situations from authority. Many believers spend their time begging God to defeat the devil. The New Testament reveals a defeated devil and an authorized believer.
Satan's greatest weapon has never been his power. His greatest weapon has always been ignorance. He works tirelessly to keep believers from discovering who they are in Christ. He knows that a believer who understands redemption becomes dangerous. He knows that a believer who understands righteousness becomes dangerous. He knows that a believer who understands authority becomes dangerous. Most importantly, he knows that a believer who understands the name of Jesus becomes dangerous. That is why Satan constantly attacks identity. He attacks confidence. He attacks assurance. He attacks faith. He attacks knowledge. His goal is simple. Keep believers ignorant of what belongs to them. Keep believers uncertain about their authority. Keep believers occupied with fear. Keep believers focused on circumstances instead of Christ's victory.
As long as believers remain ignorant, they will continue using the name of Jesus like a religious formula. They will continue speaking words without understanding authority. They will continue possessing a weapon they do not know how to use. This is exactly what E.W. Kenyon sought to correct. In The Wonderful Name of Jesus, he repeatedly emphasized that the name is not merely something believers say. The name represents the authority that Christ obtained through his conquest over Satan, sin, death, and hell itself. The seven sons of Sceva knew the name. What they did not know was the history behind the name. They knew the words. What they did not know was the victory behind the words. They knew the sound. What they did not know was the authority behind the sound. That authority was not created when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. That authority was not fully revealed during his earthly ministry. That authority was established through events that took place from the cross to the throne. The story of the name does not begin in Acts 19. The story of the name begins at Calvary and reaches its climax at the right hand of the Father. And until that journey is understood, the authority of the name can never be fully understood. That is where we must go next.
The authority behind the name of Jesus cannot be understood by looking only at his earthly ministry. The authority of that name was established through what Christ accomplished in redemption. This is where E.W. Kenyon spends much of his attention in The Wonderful Name of Jesus. The church often focuses on the miracles of Jesus. It focuses on his teachings. It focuses on his compassion. All of these are important, but the authority invested in the name was not merely the result of his earthly ministry. It was the result of his complete triumph over sin, Satan, death, and hell. Philippians 2:8-11 reveals the foundation of that authority. "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 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."
Notice the sequence. First came the humiliation, then came the exaltation. First came the suffering, then came the authority. First came the cross, then came the throne. The name was not given apart from the victory. The name was given because of the victory. Every believer must understand this. The name of Jesus is not powerful because of religious tradition. It is powerful because it represents the triumph of the Son of God. When hell hears that name, it is reminded of its greatest defeat. When demons hear that name, they are confronted with the authority of the one who conquered them. When heaven hears that name, it recognizes the exalted Lord seated at the Father's right hand. This is why the name is more than a title. It represents everything Christ accomplished. Kenyon repeatedly emphasized that the name carries the authority of the one who bears it.
In the natural world, authority can be delegated. A police officer does not stop traffic because of physical strength. The authority behind the badge compels obedience. A government representative signs documents that carry legal force because authority stands behind the signature. The power is not in the ink. The power is in the authority represented by the name attached to it. The same principle helps us understand the name of Jesus. The authority is not in pronunciation. The authority is not in vocal volume. The authority is not in emotional intensity. The authority is in the person behind the name. Many believers have unknowingly reduced the name of Jesus to a closing phrase. They pray for 20 minutes and then attach the name at the end as though it were a spiritual stamp. That was never the New Testament pattern. The early church understood something deeper. They understood that they were acting in delegated authority.
When Peter stood before the lame man at the gate called Beautiful, he did not speak like a man hoping something might happen. Acts chapter 3 verse 6 records his words. "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." Peter spoke from possession. "Such as I have." He knew something belonged to him. He knew authority had been entrusted to him. He knew the name represented the victory and authority of the risen Christ. The result was immediate. The lame man walked. The miracle was not produced by Peter's personal power. Peter later explained that it was faith in the name of Jesus that made the man whole. The apostles consistently demonstrated this understanding. They did not treat the name as a religious formula. They treated it as delegated authority. This is one reason the book of Acts appears so different from much of modern Christianity. The early believers acted upon what Christ had already accomplished. Many believers today spend their time pleading for what Christ has already accomplished. There is a vast difference. The New Testament does not present believers as helpless observers. It presents them as participants in redemption. It presents them as people who have been brought into union with Christ.
This truth becomes even clearer when we consider where Christ is now. After his resurrection, Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father. Ephesians chapter 1, verses 20 and 21 declares that God raised him from the dead and seated him far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named. Notice those words carefully. Far above, not beside, not equal to. Far above every principality, every power, every dominion, every authority, every name. Nothing in heaven, earth, or hell occupies a higher position. This is the Christ whose name has been given to the church. This is the Christ whom demons recognize. This is the Christ whom Satan fears. This is why the authority of the name is inseparable from the authority of the throne. The name points to the exalted Christ. The name points to the victorious Christ. The name points to the reigning Christ. The name points to the Lord who has already conquered.
The sons of Sceva knew nothing about this reality. They attempted to use the name while remaining ignorant of the victory behind it. They knew the words, they did not know the authority. They knew the sound, they did not know the throne. They knew the phrase, they did not know the triumph. That same ignorance still weakens many believers today. A believer who does not understand the authority of the name will continue speaking from fear. A believer who understands the authority of the name begins to stand differently, pray differently, and confront circumstances differently. The revelation of the name changes everything because it reveals what heaven has already provided.
But understanding the authority of the name is only the beginning. The next step is discovering how believers misuse that authority every day without realizing it. That is where the battle becomes practical. That is where sickness, lack, fear, and depression enter the picture. That is where many sincere Christians unknowingly surrender ground that belongs to them. And that is where we must go next.
The revelation of the name changes everything. The moment a believer understands that the name of Jesus represents the authority of the risen and exalted Christ, prayer can no longer remain the same. Unfortunately, this is where many Christians stop. They learn that the name has authority, yet they continue speaking and praying as though they possess none of that authority. This creates a contradiction. They believe in the power of the name, but they do not act upon the authority of the name. E.W. Kenyon repeatedly taught that faith is not merely believing something is true. Faith acts upon what God has said. Faith takes its place. Faith accepts what redemption has provided. Many believers admire the authority of the name while continuing to live as though they are powerless. The early church never operated that way. They understood that Christ had delegated authority to them. They understood that they were representing him in the earth. They understood that they were acting in his name. That understanding produced boldness. That understanding produced results.
The problem in much of modern Christianity is not a lack of sincerity. It is a lack of revelation. People genuinely love God. People genuinely desire answers. People genuinely want victory. But they often approach situations from the wrong position. They approach them from fear instead of authority. They approach them from uncertainty instead of confidence. They approach them from a consciousness of weakness instead of a consciousness of redemption.
Consider the area of sickness. A believer receives a troubling medical report. Fear immediately begins speaking. Symptoms begin speaking. The mind becomes filled with possibilities. The believer then prays something like this. "Lord, if it be your will, please heal me. Lord, please take this sickness away. Lord, I am begging you to touch my body." That prayer may be sincere. It may be emotional. It may be desperate. But it is not speaking from the position that redemption has provided. The New Testament reveals that healing was purchased through Christ's redemptive work. The believer is not attempting to convince God to become willing; the believer is standing upon what God has already revealed concerning Christ's work. Instead of speaking from fear, faith begins to take hold of God's word. The believer begins declaring what God has said. The believer begins acting upon redemption. The believer begins standing upon the authority of the risen Christ rather than the testimony of symptoms. The issue is not pretending symptoms do not exist. The issue is deciding which authority will govern the situation, the word of God or the circumstance.
The same problem appears in the area of financial pressure. Financial difficulty arrives, bills increase, income decreases, pressure begins mounting. Many believers immediately enter panic. Their prayers become filled with anxiety. Their words become filled with defeat. They talk about lack all day. They talk about impossibilities all day. They talk about failure all day. Then they wonder why faith seems absent. Faith cannot flourish where unbelief is continually being spoken. The believer who understands redemption begins approaching the situation differently. Instead of magnifying lack, he magnifies God's provision. Instead of magnifying fear, he magnifies God's faithfulness. Instead of allowing circumstances to define reality, he allows God's word to define reality. The authority of the name is never separated from faith in God's word. This was one of Kenyon's central teachings. The name and the word work together. The authority of the name is exercised by believers who have confidence in what God has spoken.
The same principle applies when fear attacks the mind. Fear is one of Satan's most effective weapons. Fear weakens faith. Fear magnifies circumstances. Fear paralyzes action. Fear causes believers to surrender territory that belongs to them. Many Christians spend years fighting fear while continually speaking fearful words. They confess defeat. They confess weakness. They confess failure. They confess anxiety. Then they wonder why victory seems distant. The New Testament continually directs believers toward a different consciousness. A consciousness of Christ's victory. A consciousness of redemption. A consciousness of righteousness. A consciousness of authority. The believer who understands the name begins seeing himself differently. He begins seeing himself as one who belongs to Christ. He begins seeing himself as one who has access to Christ's authority. He begins seeing himself as one who has been brought into union with the victorious Lord. This is why Satan works so hard to keep believers ignorant. The moment believers discover what belongs to them, intimidation begins losing its power. Condemnation begins losing its power. Fear begins losing its power. Doubt begins losing its power. The battlefield starts changing. The believer is no longer approaching life as someone trying to obtain victory. He is beginning to stand in a victory that Christ has already obtained. That shift changes everything.
Yet there is still another truth that must be understood. Knowing that authority exists is one thing. Knowing how to exercise that authority in daily life is another. This is where many believers need practical understanding. The authority of the name was never intended to remain a theological concept. It was intended to become a daily reality. And this practical operation of the name is where we now turn.
The authority of the name of Jesus was never given merely to be admired. It was given to be used. This is where many believers have failed. They respect the name. They honor the name. They sing about the name. They preach about the name. Yet, they rarely act in the authority of the name. The New Testament does not present the name of Jesus as a doctrine to be studied alone. It presents the name as authority delegated to the believer. That authority becomes practical in everyday life.
When sickness attempts to establish itself in the body, the believer does not begin by surrendering to fear. Fear is one of Satan's favorite entry points. Fear magnifies symptoms. Fear magnifies circumstances. Fear magnifies the problem until the believer becomes more conscious of the attack than of Christ's victory. The believer who understands the authority of the name takes a different position. He becomes conscious of what Christ accomplished. He becomes conscious of redemption. He becomes conscious of the authority invested in the name. He stands upon the word of God and refuses to allow fear to become the governing voice. The battle is no longer centered on the size of the problem. The battle is centered on the authority of Christ.
The same principle applies when financial pressure appears. Many believers allow lack to dominate their thinking. They rehearse their problems continually. They meditate upon their limitations continually. They speak defeat continually. The result is that fear grows stronger while faith grows weaker. The authority of the name operates from a different foundation. Faith recognizes God's ability before it recognizes human inability. Faith recognizes God's faithfulness before it recognizes circumstances. Faith recognizes Christ's victory before it recognizes temporary conditions. This does not mean denying reality. It means refusing to allow circumstances to become a higher authority than God's word.
The authority of the name becomes equally important in the area of family struggles and spiritual oppression. Many believers spend years asking God to remove situations that require them to stand in faith. The New Testament repeatedly presents believers as people who possess authority in Christ. That authority is not arrogance. It is not self-confidence. It is confidence in what Christ has accomplished. The believer does not stand in his own strength. He stands in Christ's victory. He stands in Christ's authority. He stands in Christ's name. This is one reason E.W. Kenyon continually emphasizes the believer's union with Christ. The authority of the name cannot be separated from identification with Christ. The believer is not an outsider trying to gain access to God's power. The believer is a child of God acting upon rights secured through redemption. That understanding changes the entire tone of prayer. Prayer ceases to become a desperate attempt to persuade God. Prayer becomes fellowship with the Father and cooperation with his word. Faith becomes active. Authority becomes active. Confidence becomes active. The believer begins expecting results because his confidence rests upon Christ rather than upon his own performance.
This was the difference between Paul and the seven sons of Sceva. Paul understood his position. Paul understood his authority. Paul understood the name. The sons of Sceva attempted to imitate authority they had never personally discovered. Hell recognized the difference immediately. That same difference exists today. The believer who understands the authority of the name is not occupied with Satan. He is occupied with Christ. He is not continually studying darkness. He is continually studying redemption. He is not continually magnifying the enemy. He is continually magnifying the victory of Jesus. This is exactly where Satan suffers his greatest defeat. Satan wants believers focused on weakness. The gospel directs believers toward Christ's strength. Satan wants believers focused on failure. The gospel directs believers toward Christ's victory. Satan wants believers focused on fear. The gospel directs believers toward faith. Satan wants believers questioning their authority. The New Testament repeatedly reveals that authority has already been given.
The story of Acts 19 was never intended merely to expose the failure of the sons of Sceva. It was intended to reveal the difference between imitation and revelation. One group attempted to borrow authority. The other possessed authority. One group repeated words. The other understood redemption. One group knew about the name. The other understood the authority invested in the name. That remains the dividing line today.
The believer who discovers what the name represents will never view prayer the same way again. He will never view spiritual warfare the same way again. He will never view himself the same way again. He will recognize that the name of Jesus represents the victory of the risen Christ, the authority of the throne, and the triumph secured through redemption. This is why heaven honors that name. This is why demons recognize that name. This is why Satan fears that name. And this is why every believer must learn to act upon that name with confidence, faith, and unwavering assurance. The authority has already been given. The victory has already been won. The name has already been exalted above every name. The question is no longer whether the name possesses authority. The question is whether believers will discover what heaven has already placed in their hands.
If this revelation has opened your eyes, comment below, I stand in the authority of the name of Jesus. And if you want more deep teachings from E.W. Kenyon on redemption, identification, righteousness, faith, and the believer's authority, like this video, share it with another believer, and subscribe to E.W. Kenyon Hidden Truths. In our next lesson, we will uncover another hidden truth of redemption that has the power to completely transform your walk with Christ.