When you read the book of Acts you see the name of Jesus come up time and time again. I don’t just mean “Jesus” being printed on the page. You see them doing miracles, teaching and many other things “In the name of Jesus.” They were even told on one occasion to stop doing things “in his name” (Acts 4:18). Jesus said, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name” (John 14:13). Then you get this verse in Colossians 3:17 – “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
I heard Dan Kimball say something in line with this verse. He was talking about the temptation to do service for service sake and help the hurting because it was a good thing to do. But he brought up this concept and mentioned that the most important thing is that people know we are doing good in the name of Jesus and not just because we are another social service. I think that is good and biblical advice.
What do you think about the concept of doing everything in the name of Jesus Christ?
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That was an excellent post! I’ve been thinking along the same lines recently.
It seems like the most honest practice, too.
As is widely noted, Luke begins Acts by acknowledging that he wrote before about “all that Jesus began to do & to teach.” Which fits with the teachings of the New Testament that represent the church as (to borrow a book title) the 2nd incarnation. To this day, we are the hands & feet of Christ.
So we’re not our own. We belong to something bigger than ourselves; motivated by something more than just “the goodness of our hearts.” It would almost be dishonest for us to not represent ourselves as Christ followers.