July 13, 2022 – Click here to listen
A friend of mine who is a Godly man, preacher, prison ministry evangelist, and Bible expert responded to my Words for the Day yesterday and wrote the following:
“The only thing worse than the sin that is dominating our culture is the silence of those who know the truth. Most churches are scared to speak up or are intimidated by progressive Christians in their own congregations. People have not counted the cost of obedience and fidelity to truth.”
My wife and I used to get invited to plantation parties when I owned Honey Lake Plantation. Usually, my great friend TK Wetherell and his wife would accompany us. Neither TK nor I drank alcohol, and we would amuse ourselves watching various people getting drunk and making idiots of themselves while we munched on peanuts and drank Sprite. My testimony was widely known in that community because I spoke often and many of them read Words for the Day. Invariably someone would seek me out at these functions and want to talk about their wayward child. I would tell them that what their child needed was Jesus in their lives and one would have thought I had stuck a dagger in their hearts. They would quickly look around in terror to see if any of their peers had overheard and would quickly excuse themselves and head for another corner of the room.
Throughout the Bible, we are reminded that the name Jesus is the most powerful name in all of creation. Philippians 2:9 – Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name . . . The Bible mentions that at the mere mention of His name, demons trembled and fled as fast as they could to try to avoid Him. Oddly seeing these folks’ reaction to hearing the word Jesus in a non-church public setting, reminded me of demons beating it out of there. Mind you on Sundays many of these people would fill the pews and “religiously” place an envelope full of money in the offering plate. But they did not want to be overheard discussing Jesus at one of their parties among their friends. I mean after all, what would people think?
Candidly there is rarely a day that passes that I don’t mention Jesus to someone. I don’t care if they are Muslim, Jewish, atheist, agnostic, closet Christian, or a true believer. I want to share what God did for me in transforming my life and I am so appreciative that I could not contain it if I tried. I want others to know Jesus and love Him as I do and for them to reap His peace, joy, and love which is free to all comers.
Don’t be afraid or intimidated to speak the truth. Pontius Pilate asked, what is truth? In John 14, Jesus said to His disciples, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” Jesus is truth, Pontius.
The powerful name of Jesus is known to Satan and his followers and to true believers and the entire world. Deny Him at your own peril. We are under judgment because too many have turned their backs on Him. Why is this name so powerful? It is because of the sacrifice He made — through living a perfect life, dying a sinner’s death, and being resurrected. Jesus made a way for all of humanity to be saved and made right with God: “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”. The literal name “Jesus” is not inherently powerful; it is powerful because of Jesus Christ, the person, God incarnate, who made the way for our salvation. When we talk about the name of Jesus, we are talking about Jesus Himself, His character, and the things He does. Don’t flee from Him; flee towards Him. There should be no shame or embarrassment in discussing our Savior with anyone.
Col. 3:17
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.