What’s in a Name?

 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.

John 14:13 (NIV)

                When I was a boy, I was taught to end my prayers with the phrase, “in Jesus’ name”. I never gave it much thought at the time. It was just the way we did it. It was like saying goodbye to God. Throughout the years I have realized that for many people the phrase, in Jesus’ name, has become a rote response. For others, it has unconsciously become the magic words that assure that their prayers will be answered.

                We didn’t invent the idea of praying in Jesus’ name. Jesus himself told us to do it. As Jesus was preparing His disciples for His departure, He instructed them to ask for what they need in His name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. (John 16:24 (NIV)) So what did Jesus mean when He instructed His disciples to ask in His name?

                He didn’t mean to use the name “Jesus” as some kind of magical incantation. He meant for them to ask under His authority. That is really what it means to ask “in Jesus’ name”. We need to understand that “name” in this case does not refer to a moniker, but to the very character, personality, and authority of Jesus.

                We often use “name” to refer to a person’s reputation. John has a good name in the business world. Sue has a good name among other doctors. People work very hard to establish a good name among their peers and in society. Their name comes to represent who they are. To have a good name means to have a positive reputation; to be known as a person of integrity and honesty. To have a bad name is to be known as a person that cannot be trusted. Jesus had the best name. Even His enemies could not deny His character.

                But a name means even more. To act in another person’s name is to act under their authority. An ambassador for the United States acts under the authority of the President, under his name. A salesperson acts under the name of the company they work for. When a salesperson makes a promise concerning their product, they are promising on behalf of the company. The company’s reputation depends upon the integrity of the salesperson.

                To take it one step further, to act in the name of another gives that person the right to exercise certain functions. As a pastor in Minnesota, I was authorized to perform wedding ceremonies, in the name of the State. As a legal representative for the State of Minnesota, I was able to certify a wedding as legitimate. An ambassador for the United States has the authority to make certain, limited agreements with other countries, in the name of the United States.

                If we put these things together, we get a clearer picture of what it means to pray in Jesus’ name. First, it means that we are affirming Jesus’ reputation and authority. We are recognizing Him as our Lord and Master. Second, it means that we are submitting our request under His authority. In effect, we are asking His permission. We are saying, this is what I want to happen, but I am yielding to your will. Finally, it means that we are exercising our limited ability to act on Jesus’ behalf. To pray in Jesus’ name is to claim the limited authority He has given to us to act on His behalf in our world.

                To pray in Jesus’ name should not be a flippant or mindless exercise in outward piety. We should consider carefully what we are doing. We are submitting our will to His will. That means we have to leave the outcome fully in His hands. We are not in control, Jesus is. We can make our request, but Jesus has the final say about the outcome. To pray in Jesus’ name does not guarantee the outcome we desire. Instead, it seeks Jesus’ intervention and recognizes His right to be in control. Therefore, Jesus has the right to answer our prayers in ways differently from what we expect, according to His divine will and purposes.

                What’s in a name? The very power of God unleashed into our lives.

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11 (NIV)

 

 

IS THE RESURRECTION REALLY ESSENTIAL?

 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.

1 Corinthians 15:17 (NIV)

                We just celebrated Easter, Resurrection Sunday. It is the pivotal event of our faith. Everything we believe about Jesus Christ hinges on the truth of the resurrection. If it is a myth as some say, or a spiritual fabrication, then, as Paul says, our faith is useless. Even worse, it is destructive. So, do we have to believe in a real, physical resurrection of Jesus?

                There have been those in our lifetime who want to either negate or modify the resurrection of Jesus. Some want to deny that it ever happened at all. Others say that the disciples wanted Jesus to be raised so much that they believed it, even though it was not true. Still others say that the resurrection was a later addition to the faith to give it credibility. If any of these theories are true, then Christianity crumbles in an irredeemable heap of rubble.

                The resurrection of Jesus is essential to our faith. But can we really trust that it is true? I believe there is evidence enough to believe in the reality of the resurrection for those who honestly look at it.

                The first piece of evidence that must be examined is the empty tomb. No one ever disputed the reality that the tomb was empty. The question was, how did it get empty? The Pharisees claimed that the disciples came at night and stole the body so that they could claim that Jesus was raised from the dead. There are several reasons why this doesn’t hold water. First and foremost, the tomb was guarded by soldiers. The disciples could not have rolled away the stone and taken the body without the soldiers stopping them. The eyewitness accounts even confirm that the soldiers themselves were witnesses to the resurrection. In addition, the disciples would not have given their lives to such a lie. They all went to their death holding on tenaciously to the truth of the resurrection.

                The idea that the resurrection is a product of the wishful thinking of the disciples also doesn’t hold water. Even though Jesus predicted that He would rise from the dead on the third day, the disciples didn’t believe it when it happened. They were true skeptics, needing tangible proof that Jesus was indeed alive. They received that proof when He appeared to them on several occasions.

                That brings us to the eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ resurrection. Paul summarizes it best in 1 Corinthians 15.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8 (NIV)

                For a period of 40 days after the resurrection Jesus appeared to various people at various times and places. He gave tangible proof that he was alive by allowing people to touch Him and by eating food in their presence.

                There are many other proofs of the resurrection that we could explore in depth. The truth that the Jews of all people would never attribute deity to a human being. The Jews believed in a general resurrection at the end of time, but not an individual resurrection. The birth of the Church alone demonstrates the reality and power of the resurrection.

                Bottom-line, the resurrection is essential to our faith. We dare not modify it or deny it. Without it we have nothing to hold onto. Without the resurrection all of Jesus’ teaching become moot. His claim to forgive sins is meaningless unless He really did raise from the death. His claim to be one with the Father is meaningless unless He was raised from the dead. There is no Christianity without a real life, resurrected Jesus. All other theories fall woefully short and lead us to despair instead of hope.

                Every person must look at the evidence for themselves and decide what they will do with it. But only those who affirm the reality of the resurrection can truly claim the name Christian.

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
1 Corinthians 15:20 (NIV)

 

THE NAGGING QUESTION OF GOOD AND EVIL

 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)

                Two of the most popular movie series over the past decade or so have been the Star Wars series and the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit series. To these we could add the multitude of Superhero movies that have dominated the theater. All of these movies have one thing in common; they are all about the struggle between good and evil. What I find interesting is, in a society that denies absolute truth and refuses to define right and wrong, we still crave a clear, black and white distinction between good and evil. We just cannot escape our desire to see good triumph over evil.

                What these movies highlight is the reality that deep within us we know that there is right and wrong, good and evil. Not only do we know it, but we long for it. We long for good and evil to be defined. We long for right and wrong to be clearly declared. As long as we do this in fictional worlds, with fictional characters, it is safe. But when we try to apply right and wrong to our everyday lives, things get a little trickier. We are allowed to cheer for the heroes of right and jeer at the villains in the movies, but in real life we are not allowed to make such distinctions.

                As human beings, we cannot get away from our ingrained sense of right and wrong. Although we may not be able to clearly articulate the particulars, we know that they exist. Our internal conscience is an alarm bell that warns us of the dangers around us. It sounds the alarm when we have taken the wrong path and it affirms us when we have taken the right path. We can ignore our conscience; we can even silence our conscience, but we cannot eliminate it. In our unguarded moments, it rises up to confront us with our own right and wrong, good and evil.

                What the above-mentioned movies and our own conscience tells us is that right and wrong are not subjective. We do not get to choose what is right and wrong for us, independent of the world around us. There is an absolute standard of right and wrong that transcends our preferences and opinions. In our heart of hearts we know right and wrong are constants that exist outside of any human invention. If this is not true, then might does make right. Those who are strongest and have the most power get to do whatever they choose and the rest of us just have to live with it.

                The current situation in Ukraine highlights just how ludicrous that idea really is. The majority of the world has lined up on the side of Ukraine because they recognize that the actions of Vladimir Putin and the Russian army are wrong. It doesn’t matter if Putin believes that he has the right to invade Ukraine. In this case, it is clear that right and wrong are not subjective but very objective.

                God has placed within our hearts a moral compass that points toward Him and His design for humanity. We have distorted this compass. We have allowed the pull of sin to redirect it. But it constantly tries to correct the error. It constantly tries to pull us back to true north. Without even knowing it, our world continues to declare that there is an absolute right and wrong; that morality is not a personal choice. We depict it in our movies and in our protests. Without this reality all of our attempts at justice are meaningless. It is time to apply what we applaud in the movies to how we live in real life.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:8-16 (NIV)

 

ARE WE ASKING THE WRONG QUESTIONS?

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
2 Timothy 4:3 (NIV)

                You may have heard it said that the church is answering questions no one is asking. This is often said in a derisive manner, intending to point out how irrelevant the church is today. But I would like to turn that upside down. Maybe the world is asking the wrong questions.

                The number one question most people are asking today is, what will make me happy? Happiness has become the top priority of our society. If it makes me happy, then it is good. If it doesn’t make me happy, then it is bad. There are several problems with this philosophy of life. The first is that happiness is such a fleeting, transient thing. It evaporates almost as soon as we recognize it. In fact, if we make being happy our top priority, we will never achieve it. True happiness is a byproduct of life’s experiences, it is not an end in itself.

                There is another problem with making my happiness the ultimate goal. My happiness may, and often does, conflict with other people’s happiness. My happiness demands that other people conform to my wishes. If they view things differently than I do, then they threaten my happiness. This reveals a flaw in our quest for happiness. Happiness is not based on any standard of what is good and bad. It is based on my personal preferences; what makes me feel good for the moment. Ironically, what makes me feel good for the moment may have negative consequences in the near future.

                People have mocked the Bible as being irrelevant to where people are today. But the Bible was not written to answer our superficial, self-seeking questions. The Bible was written to reveal the truth about who we are. It was written to confront us with ultimate questions that matter far more than what makes me happy in the moment.

                Almost every appliance or gadget that we buy comes with an owner’s manual, or at least a link to a digital copy of an owner’s manual. I have to confess that I, like so many other men, am guilty of not reading the owner’s manual, but trying to figure it out on my own. After I have messed things up, then I turn to the owner’s manual to see where I went wrong.

                Our society has decided to disregard God’s owner’s manual for life and to figure it out on our own. We fumble around making a mess of our lives and wondering why things are not working out the way we want them to. Unfortunately, we often refuse to consult the owner’s manual. We would rather do-it-ourselves than readjust our life to conform to the way we were designed to live. Consequently, we are living with something far less than a truly satisfying life.

                Instead of asking the question, what will make me happy? We should be asking the question, what is my ultimate purpose in life and how do I achieve that. Many people seem to be asking that question, but in our relativistic society they are coming up empty. If there is no ultimate good and bad, if there is no ultimate authority, if there is no God, then there is no ultimate purpose in life. Life is a meaningless stretch of time that we must endure the best we can and then shuffle off into oblivion. Nothing we do during our life really matters. So eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die. Talk about a buzz killer on the quest for happiness.

                We were intentionally created to live in relationship with God. The purpose of our life is to bring Him glory by living according to His design. When we do this, we can find true happiness and fulfillment now and into eternity.

                It is true that the church is answering questions no one is asking. But maybe the problem is that people are asking the wrong questions. If we live our entire lives focused on just our happiness, we will never find it. If we raise our gaze to heaven, we will discover both true happiness and more; real life.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
Matthew 16:24-26 (NIV)