By Kerry Knight, Minister, Emerald Beach Church of Christ
“…and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6
The first gift that you receive at birth is your NAME. It will be shouted across the playground by other kids. It will fill in the blanks of important documents later in life. When you are ready to conquer the world as a young adult, you will announce it aloud, “Here I am.”
Maybe your name will tell something of the story of your family. Moms love the sweet names and fathers choose the manly names like John or Jess.
The name of Jesus was given by an angel. It was announced to Joseph before the baby was even born. It is found in Matthew 1:21:
“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call
His name Jesus, for He will save His people
From their sins.”
Jesus, Yeshua in Hebrew, means “to deliver or to rescue.” But this was not the only name that would define the Son of God. From Isaiah the prophet, there are five descriptive names given to Him.
He would be called Wonderful in His eternal relationship with the Father, one of mutual love and tenderness, yet also a spectacle of power and wonder over creating the universe with His Father and the Spirit. The angels, archangels, principalities and powers, cherubim and seraphims, as they adorn the heavenly bodies with stars, planets, moons, and with an earth that yielded every living thing, Christ is the master of Wonder.
He would be called Counsellor as the source of all Wisdom. As the Logos, He was the true Light. (John 1:9). All revealed light is from Him. As our counsellor, He reveals to us what is right and true. The Word of God becomes “a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).
He would be called the Everlasting Father. When the Messiah is called Father it refers to Him as Protector. Job was the father of the poor (Job 29:16). Eliakim was a “father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (Isaiah 22:21).
The Prince of Peace. As war rages across the world, peace is soon lost in our vocabulary. Yet only one can bring lasting peace. Christ is the true image of peace in the world. It is difficult to hate others when your heart is filled with the love of God.
The angels announced it well. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men” (Luke 2:14)!
Book Excerpt from God Wants to Bless Your Life, So What Are You Waiting For?
By Dr. Kerry Knight
Chapter 10
More Blessed to Give Than Receive
Acts 20:35
This scripture requires a little more background than most. First, it has Luke, the author of Acts, giving us a statement made by Jesus that is reported nowhere else in the Bible. His full quotation reads, “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Paul spoke these words of the Lord and yet it is a hidden record. Of course, we must realize that not every word that Jesus ever uttered is in recorded history. At the close of the gospel of John, we have these words: “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen” (John 21:25). But what is significant about the text in Acts 20:35?
The Apostle Paul was heading to Jerusalem, and, while island hopping, directed his travels to Miletus. It was there that he decided to bypass Ephesus in order to quickly make it to the Day of Pentecost in the holy city. Paul had spent over two years in Ephesus, establishing the church there, and had built a strong relationship with the elders of that congregation. So Paul summons the elders to meet him at Miletus.
It was a very emotional meeting. Paul warned them to beware of false teachers. He described them as savage wolves in Acts 20:29. He also reminded them of a good work that was underway for the church in Jerusalem. He had collected money from several congregations and was the courier to deliver it to the needy saints in Jerusalem. He called upon them to “support the weak” in their good works. The gesture was humbling. Paul reminded them that the churches had not supported him personally, but that with his own hands he had worked and lived among them. Then, after an emotional moment of saying goodbye, they prayed together and wept. Paul let them know that they would see his face no more. The Apostle was bravely heading into a hostile environment. Persecution in Judea had created abject poverty among the saints there. Paul would write about his mission in I Corinthians 16:1, “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also. On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem.”
Christians have a responsibility to help those in need. In the Galatian letter, Paul wrote: “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). Our first responsibility goes to other Christians who are in need.
Now let me speak to the words of Jesus Himself, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” We hear people talk about how they have been blessed with homes, land, luxury vehicles, bank accounts, and every extravagance of wealth. With a sense of pride, they conclude, “Look at how blessed I am.” That is not a blessing from God. You may have gained these material things from your own efforts, but God has something different in mind. Now, don’t get me wrong. I believe God does bless us with what we NEED, but not so much what we DREAM ABOUT. Imagine feeding a malnourished baby, who, without your generosity, would die, or providing clothing to a child who has nothing, in some third-world country. Imagine taking the Gospel to people in some remote part of the world who have no hope without you. That’s when the words, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” take on meaning. If we want to be blessed of God we must give our life away…to others. When Paul was speaking of the generosity of the Macedonian churches he wrote: “And not only as we hoped, but first gave themselves to the Lord…” (II Corintians 8:5). When I was preaching at the Memorial Church of Christ in Houston, Texas, back in the 80s, our youth minister was a fine young man who had all the markings of success. And boy did he deliver. He went on to preach for the West Houston congregation, and everyone loved him. Kurt did a great work there, but it wasn’t his greatest work. Today Kurt and his lovely wife Roxy are doing a tremendous work in India. The children love them, and souls are being won to Christ. When you first give “yourself” to the Lord, the blessings will flow.
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