The Journey of Discipleship: In Jesus Name | November 30, 2025

Parang kahapon lang, pero Advent na agad. Habang papasok tayo sa Kapaskuhan, inakay ko tayong lahat sa panalangin: hingin ang presensya ng Banal na Espiritu, tumayo bilang iisang pamilya, at ipaalala sa sarili na si Jesus ang sentro ng ating pagsamba. Ipinahayag ko ang mga pangako ng Diyos—hindi Niya tayo iiwan o pababayaan, walang sandatang ginawa laban sa atin ang magtatagumpay, at tayo ay Kanyang piniling bayan. Kasabay nito, nanalangin ako ng sariwang pagpapahid at mga kaloob espirituwal, hindi para sa sarili lang, kundi para maging daluyan ng pagpapala sa marami.

Sa komunyon, binalikan natin ang katotohanan: ibinigay ng Ama ang Kanyang bugtong na Anak—ano pa ang hindi Niya kayang ibigay? Kaya habang kumakain ng tinapay at umiinom sa saro, ipinahayag natin, “Kasama kita, Panginoon, at alagad mo ako.” Dahil natapos na sa krus, may kapayapaan tayong hindi kayang ipaliwanag, at may pag-asang “Diyos ay kasama natin.”

Dinala ko tayo sa Gawa 19: ang tanong ni Pablo, “Tinanggap ninyo ba ang Banal na Espiritu nang kayo’y sumampalataya?” Ipinakita ko na sa pagtanggap natin kay Cristo, ang Espiritu ng Diyos ay tumatahan sa atin. Hindi lang iyon doktrina—may bunga: kapayapaan sa gitna ng gulo, tapang sa harap ng takot, integridad pag walang nakakakita, pagiging tapat pag sobra ang sukli, at lakas ng loob na magpatotoo. Ipinakita rin ng kwento sa Efeso na hindi instant ang paghubog ng Diyos; tatlong buwan sa sinagoga, dalawang taon sa eskwelahan ni Tyrannus—mahaba ang paghahanda, pero sa tamang oras gumagawa ang Diyos ng “di-pangkaraniwang mga himala.”

Binalaan ko rin tayo sa aral ng pitong anak ni Seva. Hindi mahika ang “In Jesus’ Name.” Walang awtoridad ang bibig kung walang Espiritu sa puso. Kilala ng kaaway si Jesus at si Pablo—ang tanong, kilala ka ba niya bilang pag-aari ni Cristo? Kapag oo, hindi siya basta lalapit. Kaya ang tugon ng mga nakarinig: pangungumpisal, pagtalikod sa dilim, at pagsunog ng mga aklat ng salamangka. Lumago at nanaig ang salita ng Panginoon. Kaya may lakas tayong tumawa sa bantang kamatayan at kahihiyan. Kung ang Diyos ay kakampi natin, sino ang laban sa atin? Sa pangalan ni Jesus, magtatagumpay tayo.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Authority flows from abiding, not formulas. Kapag ang “In Jesus’ Name” ay naging script lang, nauuwi ito sa kahihiyan gaya ng mga anak ni Seva. Ang awtoridad ay nagmumula sa relasyon—sa Espiritung nananahan, hindi sa tamang pagbigkas. Kilala ng kaaway ang mga nananatili kay Cristo; hindi niya kinikilala ang walang laman na bigkas. Kung ang Espiritu ang nasa atin, Siya ang lakas sa likod ng ating salita. [41:13]
• 2. The Spirit makes courage ordinary. Ang palatandaan ng Espiritu ay hindi lang karismatikong karanasan, kundi pang-araw-araw na tapang: kapayapaan sa gitna ng kaguluhan, katapatan pag may tukso, at lakas na magsabi ng totoo. Hindi tayo pinalalaya ng hiya; pinalalaya tayo ng presensya Niya. Ang kabanalan ay nagiging praktikal—sa piliin ang tama kahit walang pumapalakpak. [43:17]
• 3. God is working for you personally. Madaling maniwalang kumikilos ang Diyos “sa pangkalahatan,” pero ang hamon ay maniwalang kumikilos Siya “para sa iyo.” Ito ang saligan ng pag-asa: may ginagawa Siyang tiyak, akma, at napapanahon sa iyong buhay. Mamuhay sa kumpiyansa na hindi ka nakakaligtaan—mula rito sumisibol ang pananalig at pasasalamat. [38:10]
• 4. Prepare long; fruit ripens over years. Si Pablo ay nagbuhos ng buwan at taon bago mamunga ang Efeso. Hindi lahat dapat instant; ang mga himalang pangmatagalan ay madalas bunga ng tahimik na pagtitiyaga. Sa proseso, tayong una Niyang binabago—at kapag hinog na, kusang naririnig ng Asia ang salita ng Diyos. [36:34]
• 5. The cross grants peace and identity. “It is finished” ang batayan ng kapayapaan—hindi performance mo, kundi tinapos ni Cristo. Sa komunyon, hindi lang alaala ang ating tinatanggap; pinapaalalahanan tayong kabilang, pinagpala, at ipinapadalang maging daluyan ng biyaya. Tumitigil ang takbo ng pagkakautang; nagsisimula ang pamumuhay bilang anak. [29:10]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [04:52] - Advent announcements and joy
• [05:24] - Opening prayer: Holy Spirit with us
• [21:17] - United prayer and anointing
• [25:56] - Prayer for spiritual gifts
• [26:24] - Communion: peace from the cross
• [29:10] - “It is finished” declaration
• [30:41] - Acts 19: In Jesus’ Name
• [36:34] - Two years of preparation
• [37:19] - God works extraordinary miracles
• [39:13] - Sons of Sceva misuse the Name
• [41:13] - Recognized by the enemy
• [43:17] - Signs of the Spirit in you
• [46:23] - If God is for us

Bible Reading

- Acts 19:1–20 (ESV) — 1 And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. And he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all. 8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. 10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. 11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. 18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts collected their books and burned them publicly. When they counted the value of them, it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

Observation Questions

1. Read Acts 19:6–7 and describe what happened when Paul laid his hands on the Ephesian believers. What visible signs accompanied the Spirit’s coming? (from the Bible reading)
2. What exact question did Paul ask the disciples in Ephesus about the Spirit, and why is that question significant for identifying true discipleship? [33:15]
3. What happened when the seven sons of Sceva tried to use the name of Jesus without a real relationship with the Spirit? How did the evil spirit respond? [39:50]
4. What did many new believers do with their magic books, and what immediate effect did that action have on the spread of God’s word in Ephesus? [45:31]

Interpretation Questions

1. How should one understand the relationship between invoking “In Jesus’ name” and having spiritual authority, given that the enemy recognizes genuine belonging to Christ but not empty formulaic words? [41:13]
2. What does the pattern of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus (months in the synagogue, then two years teaching at Tyrannus) suggest about the role of long preparation and patient investment before widespread fruit appears? [36:34]
3. In what ways does the Spirit produce ordinary courage (peace in chaos, integrity when no one is watching, boldness to speak truth) rather than only dramatic manifestations? How does that reshape expectations of spiritual life? [43:17]
4. What are the practical implications of believing that God is working for an individual personally (not only “in general”): how should that change one’s posture of prayer, hope, and action? [38:10]

Application Questions

1. Think about recent weeks: when have you experienced the Holy Spirit’s presence as peace in trouble, integrity in temptation, or boldness to speak the truth? What small daily habit can you adopt to cultivate more of those signs? [43:17]
2. Reflect on how you use the phrase “In Jesus’ name” in prayer or ministry. Are there times you treat it like a formula rather than an expression of belonging? What one concrete step will you take to deepen your relationship with Christ so your words carry spiritual authority? [41:13]
3. Is there a calling, skill, or ministry area God seems to be preparing you for that will require months or years of patient work? What is one specific commitment (daily practice, class, mentorship, accountability) you will start this month to steward that preparation? [36:34]
4. Are there secret practices, possessions, or habits that need to be “confessed and burned” in your life (things that dishonor God or hold you back)? What would genuine repentance look like for you this week, and who could you safely tell to make that step public? [45:31]
5. Name one specific need or hope in your life where you will pray with the conviction that God is working for you personally. How will you pray differently this week because you believe God is acting for you? [38:10]
6. Because the cross grants peace and identity (“It is finished”), what one practical way can you be a channel of blessing to others in the next seven days (visit someone, give, encourage, serve)? How will you prepare your heart before doing it? [29:10]