There’s No Name Needed

John 5:43

“‘I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.’”

Exodus 34:5-7

“Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’”

Genesis 11:3-4

“They said to each other, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’”

Jesus is our perfect example, and during His time on earth, Jesus was always pointing to His Father. Jesus came lifting up and upholding His Father’s name, not in His own name or to make a name for Himself. Jesus was clear that His words, the doctrine, and the works He brought to earth were not His but His Father’s. The love, holiness, and truth were of His Father, not Himself. Jesus didn’t give his ministry a name. The only name anyone needed to know was the name of the Lord.

What’s in a Name?

They say actions speak louder than words, and we see a Biblical example of this when the Lord proclaimed His name to Moses in Exodus 34:5-7. He mentioned the qualities that describe who and what He is: compassionate, gracious, loving, faithful, and forgiving. He understands that what is important is what we are (and He is), not some name that is spoken or written.

The Lord isn’t looking for people with a name or who are trying to make a name for themselves. He wants people who are willing to take His name and let it be the driving force of everything they say and do, just as it was for Jesus.

Even the word “Christian” wasn’t something the disciples decided to call or use themselves in Biblical times. People not of the faith applied that name to followers of Jesus. Relating this understanding to today’s world, we see that denominations, church names, and ministry “branding” are unimportant. We aren’t called to make a name for ourselves or for our church name to be known around the world. We are called to make the Lord’s name known in all nations.

The Only Name that Matters

We can get so focused on attending the most popular churches and listening to the most famous pastors that we forget what truly matters: our personal relationship with God. The Lord is the only name that should matter to us because He is the only one who can lead us to eternal life. By stripping away status and popularity in today’s modern churches, we reconnect with the core calling of the followers of Christ: to put our faith into action by spreading the Gospel message and making the name of the Lord famous.