Including the Name of Jesus in Your Holiday Conversations

(Read or Click Here to listen to the Podcast)

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

 
Hello Friends,

Merry Christmas!  I hope this email finds you healthy and happy, enjoying this beautiful season and rejoicing in our Savior. Yet, I know there are also unique challenges. Amid all the joy, this season can also stir deep experiences of pain. If that is you, know that I see you, and more importantly, our Lord, Emmanuel, who was born into our world to be with us, does. 

Yes, this season can be not only beautiful but complex. It offers us eye-opening opportunities that can help us if we let them, to grow in our relationship with Christ.

One of those came recently for me in a lovely conversation with a young friend 
where I found myself afraid to include Jesus' name in our conversation. Here, smack dab in the middle of the Christmas season with festive gatherings filling our days, I wonder if that has happened to you too?

This young friend and I met about a year ago. Not only was it a delight getting to know her, but we discovered that we shared a passion for writing!
 
Since then, we’ve both gotten our first book contracts with the same publisher and couldn’t wait to catch up. Being older and just a few steps ahead on the publishing journey, she was anxious to hear about my experience, and I felt privileged to be somewhat of a mentor.
 
As we talked about how to find time to write, accomplish the daunting task of finishing a book, and overcome the fear, there were moments where part of my experience was the practical aspects, and the other part was the spiritual ones.
 
The truth was that a significant piece of walking out every one of those aspects for me was turning to God in prayer, listening for His instructions through Scripture and His quiet whisper, and knowing that He was holding every part of my life.
 
As we talked, there were moments when I knew I was at a crossroads. I could either include the critical role my relationship with God had played—how I had turned to Him with my fear, apprehension, and anything I lacked—or leave that out.
 
I’m glad to say that I didn’t omit that part. I did share that very important piece to some degree. But I didn’t share the name of Jesus.
 
It’s acceptable in our culture for people to include “God” in their conversations. Not many people are ruffled by that. But what isn’t acceptable is to include the name of Jesus, even if you are sharing your personal experience.   
 
Chatting with my young friend, who isn’t a Christian, I knew there was a risk. My motives were partially good. I wanted to include the “God” piece, hoping that if I gently moved in the “God” direction, it would crack the door open, and our conversation could move further to include the “Jesus” piece.
 
I never want to bombard someone with Bible verses or theology without being sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance on when and what to say and respectful of the other person’s theology and personal space.
 
The problem was that I wasn’t being honest. The “God” piece that made a difference in my publishing experience wasn’t just the vague “God” spirituality that is so prevalent in the world today but the living relationship I have with God through Jesus.
 
By not including Jesus’ name, I was omitting the very thing that had made all the difference in my life, which would be most important in my young friend’s life, not just for publishing but for everything she longed for.
 
Thinking about Acts 4:12, where Peter and John proclaim that salvation is in no other name, I realized that the big lie of the current cultural mindset had subtly taken hold in my mind. I had begun speaking the language of the culture instead of the language of the gospel in my writing, relationships, and discipleship conversations.
 
My love for Jesus is strong, and I would be quick to add a passionate “Amen!” when Romans 1:16 is read, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.”
 
Yet, the Holy Spirit revealed to me that I had been ashamed when I withheld the truth that God had poured out in my life: that Jesus, not just God, is the answer.
 
Why is it that so many times we’re afraid of the negative reaction we’ll get if we include the name of Jesus?  What if instead of being afraid, we remembered these instances like Peter and John speaking the name of Jesus and 5000 men, and who knows how many women and children coming to Jesus, and cripples being healed. Not to mention all the testimonies of people we know who have been changed and set free because they heard Jesus’ name.  What if, instead of focusing on the negative that could happen, we got excited about the miracles that could happen if we do?
 
If we don’t share the name of Jesus, others can’t receive salvation. And I don’t just mean the gift of heaven, in the sweet by and by, but all that God has for them in this life as well!
 
So, if the Spirit has been nudging you as you have read these words, and you realize that at times you’ve also been afraid to include Jesus’ name, and you don’t want to be. As we enjoy the holiday season with all the festivities and people we’ll encounter, maybe for the only time this year, join me in this prayer:
 
Oh Lord, open my eyes to how I have adopted the ways of the culture instead of your Kingdom. Forgive me for the times I have held back, including the name of Jesus. Send me opportunities, Lord, and then fill me with your Spirit and boldness to share. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
 

Praising our Emmanuel,
Lori

Other resources to enjoy in these last days before Christmas: 

A Quick Advent Greeting and a Festive Link 
Our Church Speaks Podcast, Episode 16, Nicholas (“Santa Claus”), Bishop of Myrna

Emmanuel, Hallowed Manger Ground song by Chris Tomlin