“Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God…

By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see…

…how he was healed? Then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ,” (Acts 3:3-8,16; 4:9-10. NIV).

Peter’s statement would get him kicked out of most American churches. He totally bypassed affirming God’s will and said, “what I have, I give.” Peter affirmed his will and what he already had. What Peter had, is the authority to wield Jesus’ name to heal. Peter did not need to ask for God’s power, because Peter said he already had it. Peter did not need to ask God for authority, because Peter already had it. Peter did not need to know if it was God’s will to heal this person, because it was Peter’s will and the cripple’s will to heal. They had the will to be healed, and that was all the will they needed. Peter did not need to know God’s will about healing, because Peter already had Jesus’ name to throw it around however He wanted. If he wanted someone healed, it was his will, because, “what I have, I give.”

God gave Peter His name to use, just like God created Peter with two arms. Peter does not need to ask if it is God’s will, every time he moves his arms.

Jesus did not say, “ask God to heal them.” He said, “you heal the sick and cast out demons.” Peter obeyed Jesus. He did not ask God to heal the cripple. He did not even pray, in the normal sense. Peter commanded the healing, just like he was told to do it. Jesus did not tell us to ask God to move our mountains, but for us to use faith and move it ourselves. If you sit there and wait for God to “sovereignly” do something, you will sit there as a cripple your whole life and die that way.

Jesus gave Peter His name to wield like Grayskull giving He-man the sword of power to wield. When He-man was fighting bad guys, he didn’t stop and phone in a friend, or call Grayskull’s hotline and ask if it was Grayskulls’ will if he should take out the enemy. The reason he-man was given the power sword, was to take out bad guys. He doesn’t need to ask. At one point the sword did not belong to He-man. However, it was given to him to wield as his own power. The power is ultimately not He-man’s but Grayskull’s, but was granted to him to wield as his own power.

 In the same way the Name of Jesus has been given to all His disciples to wield as their own power (John 14-16). Jesus told us to heal the sick and cast out demons. Peter said, when Jesus healed sickness He was freeing people from Satanic bondage(Acts 10:38). Thus, by healing the sick we are also casting out the demon powers and tearing down the gates of hell.

Like He-man, we don’t need to phone heaven’s hot line and ask if it is “God’s will,” to take out the enemy and expand God’s kingdom. God gave us the power and authority so that we don’t have to keep asking. Does a soldier need to ask the general every time he fires his weapon at the front lines? Yet, according to Peter, healing is front line warfare against the kingdom of darkness. And still many Christians relate to God with this so-called “will of God” nonsense, as if they are oblivious that bullets are flying over their heads. God armed you and commanded you to fire back. You don’t need to ask. Command the sickness to leave, or that is, withdraw the sword God gave you and attack Satanic bondage. Tear down the gates of hell.

Some complain, “but it’s God’s power, not yours; you are stealing God’s glory.” Yea? And you are the only one who doesn’t see it. When an Olympian shooter, wins a medal, do they give the glory to the gun or the person? I have never seen an award ceremony at the Olympics, where a person in the crowd stands up an shouts, “but the power was the gun and bullet, not the person; you are stealing the gun’s glory!” The reason I have never seen this, is because everyone there has an IQ over 35. The gun did not shoot itself. By giving the glory and medal to the person, does not conclude they are denying the power belongs to the bullet and gun. Well, everyone understands this except pastors and theologians.

Jesus said, “If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” And yet, we know by healing, the probability is very high, we are casting out demons. Thus, by healing you are casting out the kingdom of demons and have caused the kingdom of God to march in.

“In a world where everyone’s asking for divine permission like they’re waiting for a bus, Peter strides in with the authority of Jesus’ name, saying, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you.” He’s like the He-Man of healing, wielding the “Power Sword” of Jesus’ name without needing to dial up heaven’s customer service to check if it’s okay.

Peter doesn’t wait for a sign from above or a special prayer meeting; he just commands healing like he’s ordering a pizza. “Walk,” he says, and the cripple does, jumping and praising God like he’s at a divine dance party.”[1]

It is true that if your sick then you want to be healed to feel better, be more productive and produce more fruit in expanding God’s kingdom, but healing is not merely a private issue.

It is true that some sickness is a result of the fall of Adam. God decided to speak a curse into the earth. This spoken curse causes sickness. Yet, Jesus has become a curse for us, so that as a substitute He experience our curse for us, so that in exchange we do not experience the curse; rather, we experience the blessing of Abraham, which includes healing, miracles and the power of the Spirit. 

However, with what Peter said in Acts 10:38, shows us that all the people Jesus healed in the gospels (hundreds, and thousands of them), that the sickness was caused by demons harassing them. Think about that carefully. At the very least, we can say sickness caused by demons is not a small or minority cause. We can say at the very least, that sickness is in large part caused by demons, even in context of knowing some sickness is by God’s curse.

Thus, because sickness is by a large part caused by demons and not God’s curse, it means healing is in large part a soldier’s business, rather than personal business. That is, even if you were a masochist, and wanted to moan for God’s so-called glory, because sickness is largely a soldiers business, under the command of God to cast out demons and tear down the gates of hell, you don’t have a choice in the matter. You must confront sickness with the name of Jesus, and destroy it. You must cast out the kingdom of demons and bring in the kingdom of God, by the powerful name of Jesus.

Rather than merely focusing on the faith aspect I want to keep the focus on, “the Name of Jesus.”

  “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” John 14:12-14.

 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit–fruit that will last–and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.” John 15:16.

 “Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” John 16:23-24.

This passage in John is the same where Jesus keeps saying, “love one another.” Thus, both direct interpretation and the context shows Jesus is saying this applies to all His followers. Jesus has commissioned us with His name. His name has been engraved and tattooed on our tongues. Such gifts and callings of God are irrevocable. Every believer has the name of Jesus stamped on their tongue, whether they choose to use His name or not. Its always there.

How dumb can a person be, if they have Jesus’ name stamped on their tongues, but they never use it? They have His name, but they refuse to use His name to be full of joy, by healing and miracles? Surely, they cannot blame the “will of God,” when the “will of God,” in the form of Jesus’ name, is engraved on their tongues, and God commanded them to use that name to ask for anything and get it? In this sense the “will of God” is stamped on the tongue, with God’s command for them to ask what they “want” and get it. “God’s will,” is not holding their healing back, it is their unmoving tongues and lack of faith in the name of Jesus, that is holding their healing back.

You don’t need to ask if it’s “God’s will” every time you want to use your arms, and the same is with healing, or asking forgiveness or any good thing given you to by the finished atonement of Jesus Christ.

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[1] Grok AI personal, 2024 summary of my essay.