The Name of Jesusනියැදිය

Make His Name Known

From the beginning of creation and for centuries prior to Jesus’ arrival, God the Father told us about the name of his Son. Then, when Jesus finally came, angels announced his name with fanfare the world had never seen. Ever since that day, people have witnessed the unparalleled wonder of Jesus’ name in the way he lived, died, rose from the grave, ascended to heaven, and now continues his work through his Holy Spirit. That’s what this Advent reading plan is about.

Advent refers to the arrival of someone highly anticipated—the coming of someone extremely significant. Throughout scripture, this most significant someone, Jesus (meaning "the Lord saves"), goes by the names Snake Crusher, Servant, Banner for the Peoples, Son of God, Son of Man, Perfect Judge, Man of Sorrows, Good Shepherd, Lord, Word Made Flesh, Lamb of God, Bread of Life, Great High Priest, Intercessor, Ransom for the Nations, a Savior Who is Christ the Lord, and the great I AM—God Himself. Over the next week, we’ll explore six other names of Jesus. My prayer is that you’ll be guided, encouraged, challenged, and filled with hope as you anticipate Christmas, the celebration of Jesus’ birth.

At the same time, let’s be reminded that there are approximately 3.2 billion people spread across over 7,000 distinct people groups who still don’t know the truth about Jesus’ name. Some of them have never even heard his name. I’ve met men, women, and children in villages from the Amazon to the Himalayas whom I’ve asked, "What do you know about Jesus?" only to hear them respond, "Who is that? I don’t know anything about him." Others have been lied to about who Jesus is. They’ve been told he’s merely a prophet among many prophets, or even a god among many gods. They’ve never heard the truth about who Jesus is, and they currently don’t know someone who can share that truth with them. They’re considered "unreached" by the gospel (the good news of Jesus’ name).

Before Jesus left the earth, he gave us a clear command to make his name known among all of these people groups. So as we walk through this Advent journey, let’s celebrate the name of Jesus. Each day, read the verses that describe one of Jesus’ names, meditate on what it means, and reflect on the wonder of who Jesus is and how his name has unique power to transform our lives. Spend time praising Jesus for who he is. Ask God to make Jesus’ name known among some of the largest unreached people groups in the world, and consider what it might look like for you to surrender your life and resources to God as an answer to that prayer. Let’s look forward to the day when Jesus will return and we see the glory of his name like never before, as we join with men and women from every tribe, language, people, and nation to praise his name for all of eternity.