“All day long, my name is constantly blasphemed. Therefore my people will know my name… How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news.” Isaiah 52:5
God’s answer to a world that blasphemes His name is a community of people who honor His Name! Those who know and love the Lord are the guardians of His reputation on the earth.
Make much of Christ
“We do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord.” 2 Corinthians 2:5
The greatest danger for Christian believers today is that we look like we’re proclaiming ourselves, “We know how to do life. We’ve got it all sorted out.” That’s the kind of arrogance that causes unbelieving people to blaspheme the name of God.
Our calling is to share what God has given us. It’s not to clobber people with a religious 2-by-4. It is to invite and draw people to the Word where they can consider the claims of Jesus.
“The secret things belong to the Lord” (Deuteronomy 29:29). Only the revealed things belong to us. We don’t know the secret things. Let’s not discredit the Gospel by claiming more than God has promised, or by declaring less than He has revealed.
Live with integrity
“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 1:12
God has made Himself known, but the world doesn’t know Him. Many people’s impression of God will come from what they see of Him in us.
Think about the name “Kennedy.” As soon as you mention it, a whole raft of impressions come to mind based on the behavior, good and bad, of different members of the Kennedy family.
We are the family of God. You bear the name of Jesus Christ, and the reaction of many people to God’s name will be conditioned by what they see in you.
Praise His name
“We love because He first loved us.” 1 John 1:19
You cultivate your love for Christ as you worship Him. Many of the great hymns of the church have been about the name of Jesus—the focus and center of Christian worship.
Perhaps the biggest struggle of all is to really grasp that love. When you come to see the breadth and length and depth and height of the love of God for you in Christ, you will grow to love Him. That will change the way you speak about Him. People will begin to see that He is so much more than a name to you.
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This LifeKey based on “Your Struggle with Religion,” by Pastor Colin S. Smith, September 26, 2004, from the series “The 10 Greatest Struggles of Your Life.”
Colin currently serves as Senior Pastor of the The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He is committed to preaching the Bible in a way that nourishes the soul by directing attention to Jesus Christ.
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