Introduction
I remember as a young Christian (30 + years ago) listening to a tape by one of the great Pentecostal teachers, Bob Mumford. In listing signs of Holy Spirit renewal he spoke of the increasing use of “the name of Jesus”.
Mumford was correct in his diagnosis, for in the New Testament the powerful presence of the kingdom of God is linked to the name of Jesus e.g. believers do miracles and heal in his name (Mark 9:39; Acts 3:6; Acts 3:16; Acts 4:10; Acts 4:30); believers drive out demons in his name (Mark 9:38; Luke 10:17; Acts 16:18), they are baptized into his name (Acts 2:38; Acts 8:16; Acts 10:48; Acts 19:5). Forgiveness and cleansing from sin “is to be proclaimed in his name” (Luke 24:46; Acts 10:43; 22:16; 1 Cor 6:11). The very name “Jesus” means salvation, “She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matt 1:21). The apostles are emphatic, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).
The greatest evangelist of the eighteenth century George Whitefield, persistently prayed: “May the name of Whitefield perish from off the earth! And may only the name of Jesus be glorified!” (Which of our most famous preachers of today prays this?)
Holy men of God recognise there is but one name carried on the breath of the Spirit; “ the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything”(John 14:26), “no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Cor 12:3). The presence of the name “Jesus” on a person’s lips reflects the inspiration of the Spirit, for “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev 19:10). This is “the name that is above every name … at the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and confess, “Jesus Christ is Lord””. (Phil 2:9- 11).
If, “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt 12:34), and if, “Jesus the very thought is sweet!” what does the declining use of the name of Jesus tell us about our hearts?
What is Happening?
I have taught my students to conduct the “Jesus test” on preachers: time the preacher up until he/she mentions “Jesus” and check to see if the preacher uses Jesus as an illustration of a principle (e.g. faith, influence) rather than the reality itself (Col 3:2). Many are appalled by the results.
The last time I heard a visiting international speaker they failed the “Jesus test” badly. Their first reference to “Jesus”, “God” can mean anything to anyone, was 20 minutes into the sermon, and then only as an example of their main point.
In my recent experience the most shocking incident of the abandonment of the centrality of Jesus in the church occurred on the last evening of the David Wilkerson conference here in November last year. David’s preaching was manifestly Christ- centred. But in this meeting people were led in song for 20 odd minutes without the name of Jesus being mentioned once! So powerfully grieved was my spirit by this sidelining of the crucified Lord that I could only conclude that this was an event being supernaturally controlled, and that the spirit of antichrist had entered the meeting, “and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist” (1 John 4:3).
Other examples abound, I am driving home listening to Sonshine fm and a Christian song comes on, I think written by a local artist. The tune is tremendously catchy and the skill level manifestly high. But who is it that I am asking to “Rain on me”? In whose “presence” is it “I am free”? This song could be heartily sung by Bahai’s, Krishnas and so on. Then a brochure arrives in the latest Koorong Books catalogue from one of the bible colleges in Perth. Inside there are 30 + references to “you/your” and not one reference to “Jesus”. This is scary.
Why is it Happening?
The short answer is that we are in what sociologists call a “post-modern culture” and in this (Western) culture the highest value is one’s own self. Your own personal experience is ultimate; spirituality, including church, can have a part in this, but only if it serves self – interest. Under these conditions church services become a mixture of therapy and entertainment.
When Joel Osteen, pastor of the 30,000 plus member Lakewood Church in Houston Texas was interviewed on national TV by Larry King (June 20, 2005) he was asked about the way to heaven,
KING: What if you’re Jewish or Muslim, you don’t accept Christ at all?
OSTEEN: You know, I’m very careful about saying who would and wouldn’t go to heaven. I don’t know …
Words to the same effect were repeated several times.
Let’s listen to Joel Osteen again speaking about members of other religions,“And I don’t know. I’ve seen their sincerity. So I don’t know. I know for me, and what the Bible teaches, I want to have a relationship with Jesus”. This megachurch pastor’s final authority is not the Jesus of the Bible but his “experience of Jesus”. This is where much of the post-modern church is located.
Jesus once said, “What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?” (Luke 9:25). If we are witnessing in our day the loss of the name of Jesus, at an ever-increasing rate, we are losing Jesus himself. And if we are losing Jesus we are I fact losing what may truly be called the church, “my (Jesus’) church” (Matt 16:18).
What can we Do?
In spiritual warfare, the key to overcoming the unseen enemy (Eph 6:12) is always “acting in the opposite spirit”. This means, in New Testament language, faithfully “holding the testimony of Jesus” (Rev 19:10; 6:9;12:17; 1 John 5:10). It is obvious that one cannot maintain the testimony of Jesus without speaking his name constantly. More importantly (and this brings us to the very heart of why the name of Jesus is avoided) throughout the New Testament, believers suffer “because of” or “on account of his name” (Luke 21:12; John 15:20–21; Acts 5:41; Acts 9:15–16; Acts 15:26; Acts 21:13; 1 Pet. 4:14; Rev. 2:3). To properly identify with the name “Jesus” is to identify, not with a triumphant Messiah, but with a suffering Messiah. The avoidance of the name of Jesus is ultimately an avoidance of “the fellowship of his sufferings” (Phil 3:10). Wherever anywhere in the world Christians suffer for the name of Christ, they are spontaneously moved by the Spirit to pray and call on the name of Jesus (Acts 22:16; 1 Cor 1:2), because they know that no other name (including the hopelessly vague name “God”) has within it the resurrection power to deliver them from their distress. If this is true, we must conclude both that the Western church in many ways has entered into deep confusion and the only way forward lies in a deeper suffering with Jesus our Lord 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. (Col 3:17).