How The Early Church Used Their Authority

The Book of Acts is largely our Text Book; it is a series of stories of the triumphs of the Name of Jesus.
    The first recorded use of their new heaven conferred authority is given in the third chapter, the healing of the impotent man at the Beautiful Gate. How quietly and assuredly the apostles say, "In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and walk." How God responds, and the man is healed. How the city is again moved, how Judaism is shaken! The apostles are arrested, forbidden to use the Name or preach in it. That Name has power in it. Jesus did no greater miracles when on earth than are recorded in the Book of Acts as done through His Name.
    We see Peter striking a man and woman dead for lying. Awful power this is; power to heal and power to slay. They were walking in the omnipotence of the authority given them by Jesus. They were taking the words of Jesus seriously. They were acting as though the Word of God was true.
    We have not space to tell of the men who walked in the freshness of this grace of God. We see Paul cause blindness to come upon the opposers. We see him cast out demons from Mediums. We see him stung by a viper and no harm come. We see the sick healed, the dead raised. Whole heathen cities turn toward the unknown God of the Jews.
    In thirty-three short years this gospel, backed by the power of the Name, in the hands of common men was carried into every part of the Roman World. We see aprons, handkerchiefs, touched by Paul, sent out and laid on the sick, do the same mighty acts that Paul did in person.
    These men lived in bodies like ours, with passions like ours, made mistakes as we do; yet they wrought miracles by this God-inspired authority over demons and disease. They were just men of like passions with us. What ails us, why do we not walk in power instead of weakness?
    Paul could deliver a man over unto Satan for destruction of his body, or as he did Hymeneus and Alexander, that they might be taught not to blaspheme (I Timothy 1:20) -- "Of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander whom I delivered unto Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme."
    Preachers were dangerous in those days. Christians had power to prove their claims. They preached; they practiced. They made good. "They delivered the goods," as men say today.
    Their Faith stood not in word only, but in demonstration and power. Miracles were the common order of the day. Christianity was a miracle in their day.