Power in a name

Have some fun with me for a minute or two. First, I want you to think of the name of someone you know well. It might be a friend, relative....it doesn't really matter except that you know the person fairly well. Now, when you say that person's name or hear that person's name, what comes to your mind? Take a second and just list in your mind all the things that pop into your mind connected with that person.

As an example, I am thinking of my good friend, MJ (If you are reading this, MJ, enjoy). The first things that come to mind, after the smile on my face, are huge hugs, laughter, a good friend who is always wanting to know how others are doing, one who is more concerned about others and their walks with the Lord than she is about herself, a true "momma-figure", generous, kind, fun and funny, faithful, hard-working, caring, loving, etc.

Do the same with the person that comes to your mind.

Now, let me toss out a name to you for you to consider....ready?

Silvia Tapp.

What comes to your mind? Do you know her? What can you say about her? How has she impacted your life? What are the ways she has influenced you or been a friend to you, motivated you or encouraged you?

I would hazard a guess to say that not one of my blog readers has a clue who this person, Silvia Tapp, is. I don't even know who she is! I made up the name myself and personally, have no connection with any Silvia Tapp and consequently, no response like I had above regarding my friend, MJ.

Now, let me toss out these names and see what comes to mind:

Adolph Hitler

Bill Clinton

Margaret Thatcher

Jennifer Lopez

I believe each of us has certain perceptions or ideas that pop into our minds and hearts at the mention of these people's names, and whether positive or negative, each of them carries some sort of meaning, some sort of power to them which affects us whether we want to admit it or not.

Where am I going with this? I was reading in my Bible this morning, John chapter 18. I will quote here the relevant text:

"Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, 'Whom are you seeking?' They answered Him, 'Jesus of Nazareth.' Jesus said to them, 'I am He.' And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when (Jesus) said to them, 'I am He,' they drew back and fell to the ground." (verses4-6), (emphasis mine).

I was struck this morning in a new and fresh way of the power in a name. Quite possibly, some of the soldiers who came out with Judas had either seen Jesus or heard about Him in the previous three years. Quite likely, there were many things disseminated about Him that were true as well as falsehoods. The significance in this passage is both Who Jesus is and the power of the name that He carries.

The soldiers are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, and Jesus responds with "I am He", the same words used by God with Moses on the mountain when He gave Moses his marching orders to return to Egypt and free God's people: "Tell them I Am has sent you."

Indeed, there is power in the name of Jesus...but the power lies in the reality that He is the great "I Am", God incarnate, and at the mention of His name, the soldiers who had come to arrest him "drew back and fell to the ground." (v.6). Why would strong, mighty, armed soldiers, on a mission to arrest some random teacher/preacher man, some rabble-rouser, some guy who was stirring up people, why would these mighty men of battle draw back and fall to the ground upon hearing, "I Am He"? Both WHO He was (and is) and the authority that He carried as the incarnate manifestation of the great I AM packed power as He spoke. This is the same I AM who spoke and everything came into being, so of course, in declaring His true identity, He causes even the strongest amongst us to draw back and fall to the ground.

We sang a worship song yesterday, part of which says: "There is power in the name of Jesus, there is power, in the name of Jesus, to break every chain, break every chain, break every chain." Clearly, in this passage in the Gospel of John, the name of Jesus has power. Those soldiers may not have known in the moment exactly who they were dealing with, who they were arresting because they had not been with Him, they'd not befriended Him, they'd not listened to His heart, they'd not seen His life, felt His love, experienced His grace and mercy, walked beside Him or shared a meal with Him...yet still, they felt and responded to the power of the name as it was spoken.

If we followers of Jesus, who, according to Scripture have the fullness of God dwelling in us through the Holy Spirit, knew the authority that we carry in Him, can you imagine what could happen for the glory of God to be revealed in the earth? If the love of the Father was manifest in us as Jesus prayed just 6 verses before those I quoted above saying, "And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You (Father) loved Me (Jesus), may be in them, and I in them." (John 17:26) THIS was the pinnacle of Jesus' heart...that the LOVE of the Father would be in believers and that Jesus Himself would be IN them, so that the same life-giving power would flow through us to everyone around us.

Now that's a walk with Jesus every believer needs to grab a hold of, and it's in that intimate, knowing and being known relationship with God Himself, in Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. And when we know Him in that way, then He can pour through us, and when people hear the name "Arden Czaszewicz", they will say, "She carries the love of the Father, the grace, mercy, forgiveness, kindness, gentleness, long-suffering, and power. She smells just like Jesus."

But what about my non-believing readers? What is your perception of Jesus? What pops into your mind when you hear His name? Why? Do you really know Him?

Jesus was the vessel of the Father's love and the very essence of the Father Himself, saying, "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father." How amazing, church, if the same could be said of us.

New Bible

A friend of mine gave me a sweet gift certificate for my birthday for a Christian bookstore here in town. I finally visited this store, where I could have spent many more hours than I did, and settled on buying a new Bible!

It's called the New Spirit-Filled Life Bible for Women and while there are many things I love about it, one of them is the various thoughts and letters written by godly women, which are interspersed throughout the Bible itself. These letters are reflections on the particular passages next to which they are placed.

Today as I read 1 John, I read the letter (parts of which are excerpted below) by Lisa Bevere, a noted author and speaker, who has a son named Arden! :-) I am facing two challenging personal situations in my life right now and these words really struck my heart as they are reflections on 1 John 4:18 which says, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."

Oh, don't we all long to be made perfect in love?!

Here are Lisa's thoughts in part:

"The love of God drives or casts out fear. This description confirms that fear is a spiritual force that must be dealt with spiritually. We are to cast out spirits and deny our flesh. Fear is conquered when we resist the base human tendency to preserve ourselves.

"The spirit of fear wants to prevent this from happening, so it tries to trick us into believing we must protect our selves. But the very nature of love opposes the nature of fear. Love lays down its life while fear tries to preserve it. I have learned that I am incapable of protecting myself. I have tried and failed. But love never fails.

"Fear and love both operate from belief in the unseen. Love challenges us to doubt what we see and believe what we cannot. Fear urges us to believe what is seen while doubting the unseen. Fear displaces love, and love casts out fear. Fear is the spiritual force that is in direct opposition to God's love and protection in our lives."

Good food for thought!