We Bear the Name

By Mike Glenn

My father was hard on my brother and me. According to him, we were born with the burden of a great name. Good enough might be good enough for some, but it was never good enough for my dad. We were Glenns and this was a great name that we dare not disappoint. We had to do more because the world expected more of people who bore the proud name “Glenn.” My father was a brilliant storyteller and to hear him describe the family name brought images of European castles and knights on horseback brandishing a coat of arms that was both feared and respected. I was held to a higher standard, according to my dad, simply because I was a Glenn. 

There was a certain way we handled ourselves. There was a way we did business. There was honor in our commitments and a trustworthiness to our character. We didn’t lie. We didn’t steal. We were born to lead. All of this and more was true of my brother and I simply because we had the last name of Glenn.

Imagine my disappointment when I found out our family was just another wagon full of dreams carried by our Scotch-Irish ancestor’s  wagons across Virginia and North Carolina into the deep south where we became cotton farmers and Baptists. There were no castles. There was no crest. 

There was just my father’s pride in the name. 

At the end of the Apostle Paul’s ministry, he’s facing the disconcerting reality that the young church may not survive. There was political pressure and persecution that caused many to shrink back from following Christ. There were false teachers whose heresy was just close enough to the truth to leave everyone confused and doubting. What’s more, there were a lot of people who claimed to know Jesus but then lived their lives as if they had never met Him. 

Sound familiar?

The Apostle would have a field day responding to all of the challenges both inside and outside the church in North America. I doubt if he could write letters fast enough to address all of the issues we’re currently facing. We have too many pastors who are trying to build their personal platforms rather than preaching the gospel. We have too many “Christians” who come to church for the emotional engagement and never consider the spiritual surrender required to follow Christ. We have too many people coming to our worship services as consumers and not as a people hungry for God.

What’s more is we have too many servers in restaurants who refuse to work on Sunday because they can’t deal with the way they’re treated by Christians during Sunday lunch. 

We have too many people who openly admit they’d rather do business with a hard-nosed pagan than work with a business or proprietor that overtly claims to be Christian. 

There are too many people who would consider Christ…if it weren't for Christians. 

We need to remember, as Christians, we are held to a higher standard because we bear the name of Jesus. The word “Christian”, first used in Antioch, means “little Christ.” The commandment that prevents using the name of God in vain means to not make the name of God mean nothing. 

And we do.

When we’re selfish in our choices or angry in our responses, we dishonor the Name. When we don’t love our neighbor or overlook the ones in need around us, we dishonor the Name. The issue is about a life being lived that makes the Name worth less. Too few Christians add value to the precious title of “Christian.” We take the Name, and by our choices, make the Name mean nothing. 

Someone who bears the name has come to terms with their own brokenness and failures. A Christian is someone who recognizes they can’t fix what is broken within them nor repair the damage they’ve done in others. A Christ follower has realized that Jesus and Jesus alone understands the best way to live life and He alone, has the power, grace, mercy and love needed to make something new out of our wreckage. 

Because of this, we who bear the Name are gentle with those who have fallen because we, like them, have fallen. We are patient with those who are confused because we, like them, have been guilty of missing the point. We are unafraid of those who are angry because we know the angry person can’t take anything of value away from us. 

Before people make up their mind about Jesus, they often make up their minds about us. Are we for real? If so, then Jesus might be for real. Are we loving? If so, then Jesus might be loving and maybe, just maybe, Jesus will be loving enough to love me too. 

We have a different standard — the cross — that we strive to live up to.

We have different expectations for our lives simply because of who we are. 

And who are we?

We are bearers of the Name. And yes, great things are expected of us simply because we bear the Name.