J-e-sus Witness!

 

J-e-sus Witness!

   There are many names for God in the Bible.  They all reveal another aspect of His greatness, His Glory, and the wonderful ways that He relates to mankind.  Of all of the names for God – there is absolutely one name that stands out FAR above all of the others.  The purpose of this paper is to explore some of the names for God in the Bible and explore why the name of Jesus is the one to get excited about, the one to build an organization on, the one to dedicate yourself to declaring! This is the only name that is worth “Crossing mountain and valley to make a convert!” The beautiful, matchless, powerful name… of Jesus is the only name to get radical about.  That is why I consider myself a J-e-sus Witness (say it with a bit of an H sound before the e).

   In 1978 I was attending a small Bible College in San Antonio Texas and was out getting my hair cut.  I had only been a Christian for a couple of years and was only in my first year of Bible College.  I sat down to get my hair cut by this young guy and we made a little small talk, but then he asked me something a little unusual to ask in a Barber Shop.  He asked me what I thought that the name of God was?  He was probably not expecting my answer.  I had learned enough in Bible College to give him quite an exegesis on the name of God in the Bible.  I talked to him about Elohim, which is the first name used in Genesis 1:1, I talked to him about Yahweh and Jehovah, and I even mentioned the name that God gave to Moses at the burning bush.  God said at that time that His name was “The Great I AM”.  I went on to tell him how that every single one of those names that God used in the Old Testament to describe himself in various different ways to mankind were all summed up in the name of Jesus.  I told him how that John 1:1 described Him as the creator, so He claimed the name Elohim.  I told him how that the name of Jesus in Hebrew means Jehovah is Salvation, so Jesus claimed the name of Jehovah.  I also added that Jesus used the name “I AM” many times when He said “I am the way, the truth, and the life”, or when He said “I and the Father are one”, or “I am the good shepherd”, and “I am the Bread of life, he who comes to Me shall not hunger”, “I am the gate; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved.”

   After I had finished my short lesson on the names of God, my barber did not say a word.  As I was leaving the small storefront I saw a couple of papers from the Watch Tower Society and realized that I had just had my haircut by a Jehovah Witness!

       I am not trying to address all of the serious and spiritually deadly doctrines of the Jehovah Witness cult with this paper, but simply want to point out that if there is a particular name of God that you feel that you want to go crazy about – then you might want to read Philippians Chapter 2. 

       Read the following from verses 6 to 11.  “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:   And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

          I am not trying to encourage someone to go out and form a cult around the name of Jesus, but to encourage you to go out and form your LIFE around the name of Jesus… and then let Him introduce you to the rest of what God has to offer.  It is because of Him that we have forgiveness of sin, the right to become His child, and a fire within us to change the world for the glory of God!

            Here are a few more verses from the Bible that will encourage you to prize His name.

Hebrews 1:1-4  “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. “

 

Acts 3: 13-16  “The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.”

 

Ephesians 1:20-22 “Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church.”

 

Written by Lee Malden – lmalden@hotmail.com