To most people, the most important words for them are THEIR FIRST AND LAST NAMES. We can talk about sports, politics, and the weather all day long, but when someone mentions our name, we perk up because the conversation has suddenly become personal.
Introduce yourself to the person next to you waiting to get your car serviced, or the checker at the grocery store, and ask them their name, and you will see their countenance light up.
They light up because when we ask someone their name, it communicates that WE SEE THEM – as unique persons, who are special and have their own life story. And asking their name is the first step to exploring WHO THEY ARE.
This takes on particular significance when we realize that 52 million people – over 20 percent of the American population, experience feelings of loneliness and isolation. With over 340 million people in the United States, somehow they have fallen through the cracks; no one sees them or recognizes them as unique human beings. They may be surrounded by people, but THEY STILL FEEL ALONE. Reaching out to them may even save their life.
Do you like adventure? What if you could travel to an unknown country and experience life in another culture, with different customs, values, and religious beliefs, and see the world from a totally different perspective? Wouldn’t that be exciting?
This is the promise when we meet another person. Not only have we not lived in all the places they have lived in, we have not met the people they have met or had their life experiences. Furthermore, they have a unique personality, so they will have seen the world from a different perspective, like someone who sees the world from an airplane or through rose-colored glasses.
Let’s take this to the next level. There is a name above all other names, because it has profound, eternal significance. It is JESUS CHRIST, because “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:8-12
When we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, three things happen. First, our identity changes, and we are no longer focused on self, but on the Lord. This takes time to become fully manifested, but the Word of God says we become new creations, like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. So because our identity has changed and we have the Holy Spirit living within us, the most important words in our life become JESUS CHR IST. We are to die to self so we can live with Christ.
Secondly, we become citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. If traveling to another country to experience life in new ways is exciting, the ultimate travel adventure – going to the Kingdom of Heaven, should be absolutely thrilling. We marvel that we can send people into space and reach the moon. But the Kingdom of Heaven is not even in this universe! It is BEYOND SPACE in a different sphere of existence – the spiritual sphere.
When Jesus said “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17), He communicated that the very presence of God – the Son of God and King of Kings – had arrived on earth. Furthermore, He declared a precondition to enter the Kingdom of Heaven – repentance for our sins, for the Kingdom of Heaven is holy, and no sin is allowed into that Kingdom.
Thirdly, we begin to see others differently. They are no longer just the homeless guy down at the intersection, or Bob and Mary, neighbors across the street. They are image-bearers of Christ, created with meaning and purpose, even though they may not be aware of that.
So remember their name, and speak their name, for it is the key to a deeper, personal conversation that may be an extraordinary gift to you and to them. And if we ask about and listen to their story, they will be more willing to listen to our story, and to His story – the story of Jeus Christ, Savior of the world.
As Christians, we have been called, redeemed, equipped, and sent forth to share the love and truth of Christ with all who come across our paths. And reaching out to them with the love and truth of Christ may not only save their bodies; it may save their souls. So let us do so with boldness and courage, for time is short, eternity is a very long time, and we are not guaranteed tomorrow.
To God be the glory
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