Does the World Know Your Name?

Ambassador Dr. Clyde Rivers shared a conversation that he and Tim Story had some time ago. Tim Story had an amazing ministry and was known throughout the church in America and many parts of Christendom throughout the world. Mr. Story made a statement that I will never forget, he said "Inside the church I was well known but when I got out into the world, no one knew my name."

That statement shook my world! The force of it hit me that we can be well known in the church and be a superstar in Christendom while no one in the world knows our name. Yet, Jesus said ^"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." That implies the world should know our name!

The Lord put in my heart the following list.

If the world doesn't know your name you might be:

1. A religious person who confines their Christianity to the insides of the four walls of a church building. 
2. Only motivated to serve Christ out of fear of Hell instead of being in love with Him and developing a relationship with Jesus.
3. Serving Jesus for what I can get from him but sacrifice nothing in return. 
4. Seeing the lost as enemies instead of potential Christ followers.
5. Self consumed that the effort required to win the lost is too much of an inconvenience. 

For the world to know our name we must interact with them, be friendly, show concern, and be available to them in their time of trouble. Alienation of people who are not of faith never influences anyone. Jesus Christ was known as a friend to sinners. They liked him for several reasons and knew his name well. The Lord took time with them, ate with them, listened to them, and invoked the power of the Holy Spirit into their situations. Interestingly enough, the religious hated him and couldn't believe he would eat with sinners and interact with the lowest of society. The Pharisees of the day did what they did best - found fault. All the while, the sinners were flocking to him and experiencing change in their lives.

It's not so much the world knows our name, but that they know the name of the one who lives inside of us. Our name and his name should become synonymous because we reflect his personage in every capacity. In other words, when they see us - they see the Lord!

Go out today and seek the lost of this world and spend time with them. Don't be afraid - greater is he that lives in you than he that lives in the world! Create a thirst in them for the fountain of salvation through Christ. I don't have to force anyone to serve the Lord anymore than a potato chip forces me to drink water. I eat a potato chip and the salt naturally creates a desire in me to go get a drink.

Remember what Jesus said about us believers

You are the salt of the earth