naming the name
14Apr08
2 Timothy 2.11-13 This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
Is it crucial that we make a point of writing the name of Jesus all over our lives?
That’s rhetorical right?
Haa, it should be.
But doesn’t seem like there’s been a dramatic shift over the past 10-15 years in terms of people thinking they’re called to be undercover agents for God?
The reason i posted this was…God’s been showing me so clearly how amazing it is to be hid in Christ. For instance, there really was no way to go into Nepal and see what we saw happen other than saying loud and clear: “Jesus will show himself at these meetings.” As soon as we said this, everyone in that nation who truly wanted to see Jesus either jumped on board putting the meetings together, or showed up to the meetings desperate to see Jesus.
On the other hand if we preach ourselves, only the people who are interested in us show up – and all they are really expecting is us. We end up painting ourselves into such a corner trying to teach people to want our flavor and our human results – and even worse, to call that God.
There are so many today who cannot give straight answers about Jesus, or about the church. You ask them if they’re Christians, and they launch into hyperqualified sweet nothings. Same thing if you ask them about the church – only the sweet nothings usually aren’t so sweet. Somehow their own personal identities and opinions have become so important to them that they allow them to eclipse God.
The good news is that if you are not ashamed to be known only as a Jesus-person, you will get Jesus. If you are not ashamed to be written off as a church-person, you will get the fullness of Him who fills all things. If you are not one bit ashamed of Jesus’ miracle ministry, you will see those miracles in your day-to-day life. If you are not embarrassed or afraid of the life you see portrayed in Matthew Mark Luke John Acts, people will be able to objectively compare your life to that and not see a difference. (That’s exactly what we told the pastors in Nepal to expect from the meetings, which is really writing a check only Father can cash – such an amazingly dependent place to be!)
But on the other hand…if you live with any amount of qualified philosophical connection to Jesus, his church, and his kingdom miracle ministry – it’s crazy what a wide open target you are to the demonic realm. There is nothing Satan hates more than Jesus and those who have any association to Jesus; yet he cannot touch Jesus. And he has absolutely no access to those who are truly and completely hid in Jesus.
I have personally witnessed people close to me who at one point followed Christ, but would not dive into speaking their connection to Jesus, to his church, to his ministry. It’s sad, these people now deny Jesus. There was a slow progression where the seed of the Word sown in their heart and in their mouth slid over into an intangible cold mental place. Then it slowly got choked up in compromise and died.
If the Word is now in your heart and in your mouth – speak it constantly. Let the name of Jesus overwhelm every part of what you speak. Let what you say hide you so far in Christ, in his church, in his kingdom and miracles and ministry…that no one can find you! Let it be life to you >>