“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.” Colossians 3:17
Name-dropping. Most of us do it – especially if it will be to our advantage. I’ve name-dropped for lots of reasons: to apply for jobs, in the hope of getting discounts, in the hope of getting free stuff, in order to open a door that might be closed, in order to impress people, etc.
My name is not very well known and is pretty insignificant. BUT, on the other hand, our Saviors name is the Name that is above every Name. And we have been given permission to drop His name whenever we want to. This is an incredibly great privilege. It is a privilege to be used by those who represent the Savior, who act on His behalf, who have His interests in mind, who want to bring glory and honor to Him, who seek daily to follow Him, who imitate Him, who hunger to know Him and who long to bring Him great renown.
But it is not a magic incantation to be used unwisely and it is not a name to be dropped by someone who is looking out for his own name and not the name of Jesus. Check out Acts 19:13-17
Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.”14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.
The name of the Lord Jesus is a powerful name. So as we “do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus” we need to be mindful of who we are and whose we are. Use it courageously… but not carelessly.
Why this brick is foundational: To quote the song…
No other name but the name of Jesus
No other name but the name of the Lord
No other name but the name of Jesus
Is worthy of glory, and worthy of honor
And worthy of power and all praise