Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. Heb 13:15
I was talking to a late-20 year old woman the other day and the topic of Joel Osteen came up.
She did not know who he was.
I found that very strange so I quizzed her on some other names; Ed Young, Chuck Swindoll, and Charles Stanley all brought a “No!”
She’s heard of Jimmy Swaggart and Billy Graham but not Billy Sunday, D. L. Moody, or Charles Spurgeon.
I’m caught up in Christian radio and programming and so I know all of the aforementioned names but that may be only because of my job.
To be honest I couldn’t tell you the quarterback of the Packers or who plays center for the Lakers.
I deem it not important; then maybe knowing the names of those ministers is not important either.
I recall a story in the Bible.
It seems a group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this. But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered. Acts 19:13-16
Though we know the name of Sceva, a leading priest, that name or the names of the sons did not carry much weight in the presence of the evil spirit.
Neither would my name or yours.
It is written of the name of Jesus, there is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12
Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 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 2:9-11
So it is of little consequence that the young lady doesn’t know the names of some leading minister’s because she does know the name of Jesus as her Savior.
Do you?