Roland Allen tells about a veteran missionary who came up to him one day after he had delivered his sermon. The missionary introduced himself & said, “I was a medical missionary for many years in India. I served in a region where there was progressive blindness. People were born with healthy vision, but there was something in that area that caused people to lose their sight as they matured.”
But this missionary had developed a process which would arrest progressive blindness. So people came to him and he graciously performed his operation, and they would leave realizing that they would have become blind, but now they were going to be able to see for the rest of their lives!
He said that they never said, “Thank you,” because that phrase was not in their dialect. Instead, they spoke a word that meant, “I will tell your name.” Wherever they went, they would gladly tell the name of this missionary who had cured their blindness. They had received something so wonderful that they eagerly proclaimed it.
I love that simple illustration because as we serve people we desire for them to know Jesus and speak His name. It’s not important that they speak our name but it is very important that they speak His name. As we preach, teach, witness, and serve we are proclaiming the name of Jesus who has given us spiritual sight and salvation!
We think everyone in our culture knows Jesus, but the fact is many know about Jesus but they don’t know Him personally.
Every day we need to speak and tell His name! JESUS…
1 Chronicles 16:8-9 says, “Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.”
As disciples we are called to make His name famous. “Your name, O Lord, endures forever, your renown, O Lord, through all generations.” Ps 135:13
“Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.” Ps 34:3
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Rom 10:13
“that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Phil 2:10-11
Keep the Son in Your Eyes as you tell His name,
Mike James