“And
there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven
given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts
4:12
Last month, the youth of Millen Baptist traveled a few hours from Millen for the
annual Spiritual Emphasis Retreat. The week-end
away gives students the opportunity to deepen their relationship with the Lord
and with one another, while together focusing on the Lord and all that He wants
to accomplish in each individual life. This
year, the focus was on helping this student realize they have a story to tell…
a story focused around an encounter with Jesus.
Each of us, I pray, have a similar story to tell. One in which an encounter with Jesus changed
it all.
The world is full of people wanting to make a name for
themselves and those who have already.
Yet, no name, no matter how famous, holds the power and influence as the
name that is above all names, Jesus. The
name of Jesus is powerful… and it can accomplish amazing things! The most miraculous is the restoration of
one’s soul. You see, Salvation does not,
cannot come through anyone or anything else.
In the books of Acts, Peter stood before a group of religious leaders
and proclaimed, “... there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other
name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
That’s a powerful and divisive statement. In our society today, those who adhere to
this statement are seen as extreme, even fanatical… yet, the statement is still
a true statement. As broken people separated from God by our sinful nature, the
only way to repair the relationship is for Jesus to restore us. Therefore, let each of us hold to our
confession… to our Jesus story. Let each
of us not forget the power found in the name of Jesus. Life can get overwhelming and we make mistake
after mistake, nevertheless we can experience for the first time or again the
powerful name of Jesus Christ!