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I am going to start with an admission of bias.

Operating in the name of Jesus cannot be defined by or limited to saying, "Jesus," "Yeshua,"  יֵשׁוּעַ , Joshua, or any of his name's forms of spelling or pronunciation.

Nor does it require a tag line on the end of a prayer.

It is about identification at the soul level and in open, public acknowledgement of one's loyalty and affiliation with Him.

The rest is about reminders.

Having established that bias, I set out to see what prerogatives and instructions Jesus actually laid out in the gospels regarding the invocation of His name.

Here they are:

We May/Must Welcome Children in His Name in Order to Welcome Him!

Matthew 18:5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

Mark 9:37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me.

Luke 9:48 Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”

We May Expect His Presence When We Gather in His Name.

Matthew 18:20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.

Do note, that for these and for all of these admonitions, promises, and teachings, the presupposition is that those who are doing these things in His name are His disciples. To be His disciple is to live life in Jesus' name. There is no expectation of or on the masses.

We Can Expect that MANY Will Come, Falsely, Disingenuously, and Manipulatively Using His Name to Deceive People. 

Matthew 24:5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.

Mark 13:6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many.

Luke 21:8 He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.

We Are Not to Be Alarmed or Offended if Others Do Good in Jesus' Name Even if They Are Not Part of Our Band.

Mark 9:39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me,

We Can Expect God to Reward People Who Bless Us Because of Our Identification with Jesus' Name/Mission.

Mark 9:41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

We Can Expect Mighty Support for Our Mission.

Though it may not be in the most ancient manuscripts, the addendum to Mark's gospel quotes Jesus as indicating that those who live in Jesus' name will proclaim liberation from bondage and break down the barriers of language and culture:

Mark 16:17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

We Can Expect a Lot of Trouble.

Jesus says that people who take His name should plan on being persecuted for it, not for being obnoxious, not for being anything except followers of Jesus. In other words, be;ievers should expect no special privileges from the world and should not whine when they think they are getting raw deals.

Luke 21:12 “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name.

We Can Expect to Have God's Ear When We Pray.

Here is how we know it is more than a tag-line in prayer, to pray in Jesus' name is to pray as He prays and to ask for what He requests of the Father. It is to be aligned with Him. Whenever we come into that sort of alignment with the heart, desires, and will of God, and to the extent that we do, our prayers are answered. It is not magic. It is not a formula. It is a process of coming into that tuning.

John 14:13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.John 14:14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. 

John 15:16 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 16:23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

John 16:24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

John 16:26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.

Finally, we venture into one verse of Acts. Paul sums up what it means for him to live in Jesus' name.

We Can Expect that To Lay Down Our Lives.

Acts 21:13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

There is nothing here about any of our rights, privileges, or protections from society.

There is much to be said of God's promises and our own responsibility to be willing to be identified with Jesus and to live out our lives consistently with the Great Commandment to love God and our neighbor.

There is much implied and taught about living in such a way that people can see an authentic vision of Jesus reflected in who we are, what we do, and what we say.