Jump Start # 664

Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

Names are important. It is how we identify ourselves. It is one of the first things we share with someone that we meet. Some of us have very simple names. Others have very unusual names. There are names that are very hard to pronounce. The Old Testament has several of those. Soon-to-be parents spend a lot of time picking out what they want to be the perfect name for their baby. Knowing some character years ago with a certain name has a way of discouraging them from using that. When someone mispronounces our name, we are quick to correct them. Our names are important to us.

Our passage is about the name of Jesus. Peter had just healed someone and the city officials were demanding some explanations as to what happened. Peter proudly reported that the lame man now stands because of the name of Jesus. Peter then snuck this wonderful principle in the conversation. Only the name of Jesus saves. There is no other name that will save. For a Jewish audience the conclusion was obvious. Peter was declaring that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah that would save Israel. The salvation Peter knows about is from sins, not Roman occupation.

God’s name is valuable and important. High among the Ten Commandments is the warning not to take the name of God in vain. Too many ignore that today. The name of God is heard every day, but rarely is it used to talk about the Holy One in Heaven. Something happens and a person will say God’s name. It comes out when something bad happens. It also comes out when something exciting happens. This has become so common that simply typing three letters means the same thing. God’s name is special. It’s holy. It is the name we call upon in prayer. It is His name that guides us.

The expression, “in the name of,” is used to signify permission or authority. We understand that in reference to law enforcement. Someone knocks loudly on your door in the middle of the night and shouts, “in the name of the law, come out.” We’ll be out very quickly. That expression, “in the name of” carries weight to it. Baptism is in the “name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” By the authority of God a person is baptized. Paul said “whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col 3:17). Live under the authority of God. Do what God wants you to do. Don’t cross the border of right and wrong. Don’t do as you want, but as God wants. Find the will of God and follow it.

There is another name that is very close to God. It is the word, “Christian.” Interesting, it is only found three times in the Bible. It is never used of a college, bookstore, nation or genre of music, although we do that all the time. It is only used of followers of Christ. The word means, “belongs to.” As a student might write their name inside a textbook, signifying that they are the owner, the name Christian means we belong to Christ. We carry His name. His name is upon us, which is a concept found in Revelation where God writes His name on the forehead of the disciples. I belong to Christ. That’s what Christian means. The principle is proven in Corinthians where Paul states that we have be bought with a price and that we are no longer us. We belong to the one who bought us. We belong to Christ. When slaves were purchased, they belonged to their owner. They were to do as their masters told them. The ones that served well, got along well. The ones that tried to rebel, run away or do what they wanted, got in big trouble, often resulting in their death. They forgot who owned them.

Being a Christian is an honor. We serve the best. God is the best. We work for the greatest of all time. What we do honors God or it embarrasses Him. People who know us, make a judgment about our faith and our God based upon how we behave.

Our Olympians carry the name U.S.A. on their uniforms. They do the best they can, not just for their glory but for the country. It is our country that sent them there. It is our country that stands behind them. Being a Christian is much like that. It is not the church that we wear on our hearts, it is Christ. We ought to have the spirit of the Olympians, trying our best, not for personal glory, but for Christ. Someday as we stand upon a podium, may the world hear the anthem of Christ.

We understand the value of names. Certain names opens doors of opportunities. Someone’s name may get you into an interview. Some names are worth more than others. I got a baseball the other day that had someone’s name on it. The man behind that man could play ball. He was a champion and now a hall-of-famer. His name on that ball was worth something. My name of a baseball isn’t worth anything. I never played professional ball. Names are more than words. They point to the person behind the name. The name on the cross was Jesus. The name Jesus, changed the world. No name could have done what the name of Jesus did. No other name on a cross would accomplish what Jesus did. It’s more than just His name, it’s what is behind that name—the Holy God of Heaven and Earth.

No name is more important than God’s name. Use it carefully and with honor. Break away from saying God’s name because you don’t know what else to say. It is better to be silent than to dishonor God. Walk carefully through this life, you carry the name of Christ. What an honor that His name identifies who we are—we are Christ-ians.

Roger