The power of the name of Jesus is real. Henri and Agathe, are some good friends of mine from when I lived in Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa. I left there in 1985 and they are still serving the Lord faithfully. What follows is a real-life story they shared in their recent letter.
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After my wife Agathe and I finished teaching at a conference, we met the man who is standing next to me in the picture holding the training manual. Edmond asked us to teach him about the Christian faith. We gladly meet with him shortly after that and we agreed to a training program. As we spent more time with him, he began to open up to us little-by-little. Here is part of what he shared with us about his life:
“I am a former monk and yoga teacher. [An east Indian religion that believes Jesus lived and trained in Asia for over half his life.] I did my training as a monk over a period of 4 years in Ghana. After my consecration I was assigned to Togo as a monk yoga teacher. I was making a lot of progress, a supernatural guide appeared to me to give me instructions. But one day I fell ill. All my mystical practices to solve this illness were useless, so I continued to suffer.
“One night I had a dream that I was in a big stadium under the sea, with a very big crowd. The chief of the palace and his staff made their entrance in a great demonstration of power. They were greatly admired by the crowd. But me, I was tied up in a corner. No one was taking care of me. “At one point, someone asked, “What are we going to do with this one?” When I heard that I began to invoke the name of Jesus, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus help me, help me.”
Suddenly a clear light entered the stadium. I was afraid of a terrible power confrontation, knowing the pride that the leader of the place was displaying. “But to my great surprise, as soon as the clear light entered the stadium there was a stampede in all directions and in a short time the stadium was empty. Except for me, because I was tied up. It was the light that untied me.
“Then I woke up with a start, all soaked with sweat. But feeling no more pain in my body. My wife asked me what was going on. I explained my whole dream to her. Since that day I became a Christian. But I don’t know much about Christianity. I need help!”
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The power of the name of Jesus is real. Some dreams can be indigestion dreams, and some are God Dreams. Sometimes these dreams are as dramatic as Edmond’s. When he went to sleep, Edmond was trapped in his sick body. His God dream led him to the truth of the promise that is repeated in the Word of God. He woke up healthy, and saved from the demonic, by the power of the name of Jesus. Romans 8 Tells us about the promise that Edmond experienced.
“11 As the Scriptures tell us, ‘Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.’ 12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13 For ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”
Then Paul continues to explain what is next for us to help more “Edmonds” find the light of the one true God.
“14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!’” [italics mine]
Henri and Agathe ask us to pray for Edmond. After a good time of training, Henri, taught him some basic elements of the Christian life. Edmond is currently in Nigeria to study theology. He is motivated by the love and the power of the name!
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about supernatural elements of this post.
