THE NAME APPLIED

THE NAME APPLIED
THE NAME IN THE FOREHEAD

When the Church was very young-- in fact in its first day-- while some were looking for the whiskey jugs-- thinking the first Church members to be drunk, Peter stood up and gave a message from God-- inspired by the Holy Ghost. He told the members of the Jewish nation that they had, with wicked hands, crucified the one who had come as their Messiah, and who had been made both LORD and CHRIST.

The Spiritual Force with which the message was delivered was such that any honest heart could not resist it. It was electrifying, and the results were immediate.

Acts 2:37, 38 Now when they heard [this], they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men [and] brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Why does baptism become a part of the equation? First, because God commanded it-- whether we understand it or not. But there are a few explanations-- some of them good, and some of them not so good. I suspect that the best of the attempted explanations fall far short of doing the matter justice.

But one comes to mind right now, which is about as good as any I have heard. Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Notice, Paul specifies that our baptism is into Christ, or Jesus, who is the Christ.

This is accomplished when we are baptized in, or into, the Name of Jesus Christ. That Name, which is above every name, is applied to us when we are baptized into it.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus was quoted, (Mat 28:19) as commanding to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost? Have you ever wondered why the early Church leaders did not do it-- even one time? Every recorded baptism in the book of Acts was administered in the Name of Jesus, or the Name of the Lord.

Fact is-- there is almost conclusive proof that the original manuscript contained the phrase "in My Name" instead of the modern rendering. The "proof" that we have is to be found in the writings some of the earliest Church leaders (Eusebius, for one example). In every instance of quoting Mat 28:19, they quoted "In My Name."

Those first manuscripts were destroyed, and replaced by altered versions after the Council of Nicea, according to the late A.H. Broughton.

But, that is not the real subject I want to deal with today.

What I really want to deal with is the different ways in which the Name of Jesus can be applied to our lives.

One method is, obviously, by immersion in or into the Name of Jesus.

I cannot serve as judge over anyone who is immersed, sprinkled, dunked or whatever else, in any other fashion. God alone knows the hearts of all people, and He alone is qualified to be the judge. But, knowing what I know, I can be satisfied with nothing short of immersion in, or into the Name of Jesus.

But I see another way in which the Name will or will not be applied to each one of us as an individual. Listen while I quote you some scripture--

Revelation 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty [and] four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.

Revelation 22:4 And they shall see his face; and his name [shall be] in their foreheads.

If I have understood the Word correctly, these are Christians who stand out in the midst of other Christians-- "head and shoulders above the rest."

The term "forehead" is understood to be referring to the source of all activity of the person. The seat of all emotions and actions. So, what does this mean? There is a reward for those who meet the requirements

Is it possible to have the Name of Jesus applied to our lives in baptism, and still not have it imprinted into our foreheads? Without doubt this is true.

Jesus will, if we let Him, refine our natures to be more conformable to His Spirit. But not all of us are willing to submit to the process of refinement. Heat and acids are tools of refinement. We shrink back from both of them, if we obey the impulses of our flesh.

And this can be going on while we are still safe and secure in the Name of Jesus (by baptism into His Name).

But the JEWELS OF THE LORD will be those who have permitted the "hot and hurtful" process of character refinement to be accomplished in us.

Why should we allow the refinement of character to take place? Aren't we assured a place in Heaven without it? Probably so. But there is something BETTER THAN HEAVEN. It is Heaven AND His Name in the forehead.