For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever, Micah 4:5.
Imagine for a moment that you are in a caravan crossing a desert in the Middle East 3000 years ago. At an oasis where you stop to refresh yourselves and to water your beasts you see another caravan approaching. Are you in danger? Are these marauders who will slay your men folk, ravish your women and carry them away into bondage?
Your menfolk arm themselves, and the women with their children huddle behind them. The leaders of your caravan stand in front of the armed men and wait for the other caravan to approach. The other caravan cautiously approaches. Their leading men are out in front and their men folk walk close behind armed and ready.
Your leader calls out, "What God do you serve?". The leader of the approaching group calls back, "We serve Jehovah God, the God of our father Israel.". Your people rejoice. This is not a foe. These are they who call upon the name of the Lord.
Such a people will be saved. Whether we read about Israel under attack by Amalek in Exodus 17, or those who lived through the Babylonian captivity, the name of the lord has always been a strong refuge. The Prophet Joel said; And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed, Joel2:26.
Those who called upon the name of Baal were ashamed when Elijah challenged Baal in 1st Kings 18. Those who trusted the false prophets in Jeremiah and Ezekiel's day were ashamed. It has ever been that way, those who call upon the name of the Lord can expect the security and safety of the God of Israel. They shall never be ashamed of having called upon the name of the God of Israel.
Those who have sat under my preaching for any amount of time know that I view Jesus bumper stickers and lapel pins very dimly. If a father has a pretty daughter, does he need to put a sign on her that tells people she's pretty? If he needs such a sign it is pretty certain that no one would ever figure out that she was pretty any other way.
In my many years of observing various forms of Christianity and have observed people trying to make their Christianity visible, I have often seen contractors with Jesus symbols on their cards. I have seen cars laden with scripture verses and men with ties or lapel pins that proclaim Jesus.
Most of the people (not all) have needed such trappings to make people think that they were Christians. There is no one who after having done business with them or observing their family at home would have ever suspected that they were indeed Christians. For the children in a home filled with strife, or for the customer of a contractor who proves to be less than honest and competent, the name of the Lord would be better served if not mentioned or displayed.
What often amazes me is that one of the single most effective ways that a Christian can boldly and publicly proclaim the name of the Lord is in prayer and yet so many people demure. I was at a civic function recently when a pastor of one of the local churches was asked to pray. He prayed to "God", and then closed the prayer by saying, "we pray in thy name.".
"Whose name?", I wondered. "What God is he serving?" He had a chance to make the name of his God known. He chose not to. I serve the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I have been taught to pray in the name of Jesus Christ. I heard a man recently pray in one of our prayer meetings. He started out calling upon the Father. That certainly is right and proper. His prayer was pleasing and heartfelt. He then closed it by saying, "in thy name".
Whose name?, the Father's name?; Jesus instructed us to pray in his name. There are few ways in which a person can better publicly proclaim his faith in the name of the Lord than to publicly proclaim it in prayer. I have prayed before Muslims in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I have prayed in civic functions in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I have prayed at family functions in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I want people to know who my God is. I want to do it scripturally. My family and friends have seen a serpent latch onto my life and many expected me to perish or to renounce my God. I call upon the name of the Lord. He is my God. I serve the Lord Jesus Christ. I shall never be ashamed. My friends, my family, and my enemies have seen me shake off that serpent with no harm. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call, Joel 2:32.
My church has many people whom I met in life and befriended. I did so without lapel pins and without bumper stickers. My home was open to them. My faith became apparent in my love and care for them. They became my friends. I wooed them to the love of Christ by a simple but bold preaching from the King James Bible.
Today, addicts are no longer addicted. Couples who hated each other now dwell in peace. Felons now serve our Lord with honor. These are not people who I goaded into praying some little prayer who then disappeared shortly afterwards. These are people whose lives are utterly changed. They love the house of God. They love the preaching. Their homes are transformed. Their children are raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
There are a few things that they have known. They know that I have loved them. They know that there is power in the preaching of a King James Bible, and they know that when their pastor prays, he prays in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, Romans 10:13.