Tonight, if you would turn with me to Acts chapter 11, Acts chapter 11, we read together verses 19 through 30, and also actually before that a few pages, John 15, the first eight verses, Acts 11 and John 15, and if you would also turn in the back of the Psalter Hymnal to page 19 to question and answer 32 of Lord's Day 12. If you would turn in the back of the Psalter hymnal first, we will give expression to what we believe with regard to question 32. Last week we considered why Jesus is called Christ, meaning anointed, and then question 32 follows up with that. But why are you called a Christian? Because by faith I am a member of Christ, and so I share in His anointing. I am anointed to confess His name, to present myself to Him as a living sacrifice of thanks, to strive with a good conscience against sin and the devil in this life, and afterward to reign with Christ over all creation for all eternity. First, we read from John chapter 15, the first eight verses. This is God's Word. I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself. It must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine. You are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. Acts 11, beginning at verse 19. Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. And when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year, Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. During this time, some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. This happened during the reign of Claudius. The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, if you were asked to identify yourself, religiously speaking, I suspect that most, if not all of us here, would quickly say, well, I'm a Christian. I'm a Christian. And you would be in good company, at least as far as the numbers are concerned. In a July 2004 ABC News poll, the most recent one I was able to find, 83% of those polled identified themselves as Christians. That means as far as polls are intended to work, 83% of Americans call themselves Christians. The sad truth is, though, no doubt a very low percentage of that 83%, very few of that number actually understands what a true Christian is and what it means to be one. We call ourselves Christians. And the question that we must each consider and answer is this, do I deserve that name? Do I live up to the name Christian? You see, that name is not just for anyone. It's clear that the believers in Antioch did deserve by God's grace and they did live up to that name. Now, Jesus deserves the title Christ because He accomplished and He fulfilled what that title stands for. Salvation. He was ordained and anointed to be the one who would save His people. And His name, Christ, has been passed on to those who claim that salvation. The name of Christ is given to believers. It's given to them. And those who claim that name must know the seriousness of the name Christian and they must know the service required in the name Christian. Now, it's interesting that the names of our Lord were revealed from the Father in heaven. They came directly from heaven. The angel told Joseph to call his name Jesus for he would save his people from their sins. And when Peter confessed Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God, Jesus said, flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. But the name Christian was given by man. We read in Acts chapter 11 about the disciples who were telling the good news about the Lord Jesus. Not just anything, but specifically about the Lord Jesus. And verse 26 says, the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. Now, truthfully, we don't know if that name was given to them in order to mock them or in order to honor them, but we do know that there is a seriousness about the name Christian. And it's clear from what we read that that seriousness was evident in Antioch. It was reflected in those who were given that name. And it was recognized by those who gave that name. Now we can be sure, beloved, that 83% of the citizens of Antioch would not have called themselves Christian. They would not have identified with the same things that they saw in those they called Christians. But instead of giving that name to themselves, they gave that name to a certain group of people. The truth is, you see, that Antioch was a completely, utterly pagan city. It was an important city. It was an important political center. There was a large mix of people from many different backgrounds, many different religions that lived there. One report says that by Luke's time, you know, Luke wrote the book of Acts, by Luke's time, Antioch had grown to be the third most important city in the empire. It was an important commercial and business city because of all of the different people which made it kind of like a melting pot, Antioch was considered tolerant, both morally and religiously, and therefore it was a very, very corrupt city. It's no surprise then that true believers stuck out in the crowd. The citizens of Antioch rightly associated the disciples with the one who motivated them. And that motivation was clear by their preaching and the result of their preaching. Again, verse 21, the Lord's hand was with them and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. You see, when the name Christian was first given, it rightly assumed an intimate connection with the One who was called the Christ. Boys and girls, a Christian was and is a Christ one. Who knows, maybe the citizens of Antioch might have seen a believer walking down the street and pointed it to their friends. Look, there's one of them. There's a Christ One. One who was the disciple of Christ. A Christian is one who followed His teaching and His life. One whom, having been grafted into Him, had communion and fellowship with Him. For those who bore the name of Christ, for those who had Christ's name upon them, there was a dignity and an honor that they should be so privileged to be associated with Him. He was their life. He was their Savior. He was their head. You see, beloved, if you called yourself a Christian, there was a high standard to live up to. And that standard, the standard of Jesus Christ. And if you didn't keep that standard, if what was real didn't match what was claimed, then you were guilty of violating the words of Jesus in Matthew 10 when He says, Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in Heaven. but whoever disowns me before man, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. One whose life didn't match their confession denied Jesus Christ. But really, nothing's changed. The truth of this has not changed. Still today, it is a serious matter to call yourself a Christian. It's not something to take lightly. It is indeed a privilege. Do you count it a privilege to say, yes, I'm a Christian? Unfortunately, as we look around, it's obvious that the name of Christ, which was given by God only to those who truly believe in Him, it's been violated. It's claimed by those who have no right to claim it. The name Christian is used so flippantly. The name Christian is used, for example, to distinguish Christ's people from the Jews. Or to distinguish acceptable or Christian conduct from unacceptable conduct. Or to identify those who are not Hindu, or who are not Muslim, or who are not some other religion. If you're not, whatever, you must be a Christian. We talk about so-called Christian nations. If you attend a church, it doesn't seem to matter what the church teaches, but if you darken the door, you're called a Christian. Even those who are involved in the cults that clutter our community use the name Christian. The name Christian, very simply, is used as a generic label covering a host of different beliefs and ideologies, but unfortunately the content of the name is left out, or worse, it's been completely forgotten. And that content is Christ. There was a day when saying true Christian might have been seen as some sort of a contradiction. you're saying the same thing, right? But you see, so many are using the title today that it becomes necessary, unfortunately, to distinguish between a true Christian and one who is one in name only. And for this reason, you and I, we must come face to face with this serious question, but why are you called a Christian? Don't worry about the next guy. Don't worry about the person sitting next to you. Why are you called a Christian? You call yourself a Christian, but why? Is it because you belong to a church? Is it because you were born into a religious family? Are you called a Christian because of your birth or because of your rebirth by the blood of the Lamb of God through the operation of the Holy Spirit? This is a serious question because this is a serious title. the name of Christ is given to believers. To those who believe in the perfect atoning work of Jesus Christ. To those who trust in this one and only God of salvation. To those who hope in the life of eternal blessedness and peace with their Savior. Those of whom these things can be said, they deserve the name Christian for Jesus' sake. The name Christian is truly given only to those who are inseparably bound, connected to Jesus Christ by true faith. He is the head. And true Christians, the true church is His body. He is the vine. And Christians are the branches. We depend upon Him for life. Apart from Him, we are dead. True Christians abide in Christ just as the branch abides in the vine. If you think about it, What a beautiful, simple illustration our Lord Jesus Christ gave to us. The vine and the branches. The tree and its branches. Boys and girls, you can understand that. You know that when a branch is cut off and it's laying on the ground next to the tree, oh, for a day, the leaves might look alive. But as Jesus says in John 15, by the next day, those leaves are withering because it's dead. It's not connected to the source of life any longer. One who is a Christian is a member of Christ by faith. We think of membership in a club of some sort. That member belongs. Remember again, faith is the instrument by which the Holy Spirit applies to God's people all of the merits earned for us by Christ, including His perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness. And the citizens of Antioch recognized the disciples and those who came to believe as members of this Christ by faith. They saw Christ in them. And therefore, Christians were put into a class all by themselves. Beloved, the name of Christ is truly given only to believers, to those who belong to Him. And Jesus Christ then gains stature and visibility, or He should, in all who belong to Him. Think of it this way, those of you who are cadets and gems, when you wear your cadet shirt or your gems shirt, then you represent either the cadets or the gems. You make those groups visible by the very fact that you're wearing that shirt. And others then look at you wearing that shirt either as a cadet or as a gem, and they make a judgment about the cadets or the gems based on you. You represent them. Whether that's a good judgment or a bad judgment. Others can't help but to see Christ in true Christians. He is heard in our speech. He is seen in our actions. He is reflected in our treatment of others, in our work ethic, in our spending habits, in our everything. You see, Christ is the content of the Christian and He is a powerful content. We confess by faith, I am a member of Christ. Not, I might be. Not I hope to be, but I am a member of Him right now. Jesus said again in verse 5 of John 15, I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing. And we know that Paul was confident of his content. What it was that filled him, he said, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ. lives in me. That's quite a profession, isn't it? If you're willing to say that, then what a responsibility, huh? To live that day by day. Congregation, to be a believer in Jesus Christ, to be a Christian also means that one is an office bearer. Now, we're not talking about the offices of minister, elder, or deacon, but here we are talking about the office of believer, of Christian. By the grace of God, I am appointed by Him to office as a Christian. Now, if you think back to last week and recall what we said about Christ as our chief prophet and teacher, as our only high priest and as our eternal king, we said that He is, He is in His threefold office what God created man to be, only He is perfectly and completely untainted by sin. And when we understand that, then it becomes clear that those who are then given the name of Christ are restored to office. Grace restores through salvation in Jesus Christ, grace restores what sin broke. And then just like the branch and the vine, we fulfill these offices only in and by the strength of Him who gives us His strength, who nourishes us, whose lifeblood, as it were, is flowing through our veins. The three offices of Jesus Christ are reflected in those same three offices of the believer. As we'll talk about in a few moments, the office of Christian is also that of being prophet, priest, and king. But first we need to remember that those who are given an office are called to serve and to minister for the sake of the one who calls them. One who holds office is bound to the one who placed him in office. It's kind of the same in the workforce, isn't it? The employee is bound to the employer, the one who gives him a task to perform, the one who gives him his paycheck. The one who holds office, as we're talking about, is bound to the one who placed him in office. And therefore, as Christians, we are bound to our Lord Jesus Christ. And as Christians, we are always and everywhere called to serve Him in all things. We are not free at any point to decide what to do or what to leave undone? As Christians, we are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for a lifetime of service to our Lord and King in any and every situation of life. This is our duty as Christians. Oh, there's a word for you. We don't like duty. Makes it sound like we're bound to do something. But that's not the case here in a sense. It's not just a duty in that sense. It's also an awesome privilege. Listen to what Peter says, how he describes the church. But you are a chosen race. A royal priesthood. A holy nation. A people for God's own possession. What a description. Why? That you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. By faith, I am a member of Christ. And our membership in Christ, brothers and sisters, is a work begun by the Holy Spirit. We see that beautifully displayed in the book of Acts, don't we? Chapter 2. Pentecost. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of countless thousands. To the Jews. Acts chapter 10. Peter and Cornelius. The Spirit being poured out upon Gentiles of all people. Here in chapter 11 again. the Spirit of God working in the hearts of the Gentiles, bringing them to faith in Christ. He, the Holy Spirit, gives us the gift of faith and by true faith, grafts us into Christ. He plugs us into that source of life and only after we have been made alive by the Spirit do we then become active and our activity as Christians, beloved, is to confess, it's to sacrifice, it's to fight, and it's to reign. Remember, the branch first receives nourishment from the vine and only then does it bear fruit. Again, boys and girls, you understand this. If you go to an orange tree in your yard and you cut a branch off and there are leaves on the ground, you can wait for months upon months upon months and never will you see the blossoms. Never will you see fruit. Because that branch is not connected to the living tree. That which gives it life. That which causes it to bear fruit. But Jesus said, apart from me, you can do nothing. Again, we ought to be amazed as we consider the work of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts. We ought to be amazed at the transformations that we see there. One that stands out is Peter, isn't it? Peter, the one who denied his Lord three times. Peter, who was, we might say, kind of a thorn in our Savior's flesh when he walked this earth. Peter was transformed with boldness. Not only willing to be beaten and whipped and sit in prison, but willing to die. He did die for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. Beloved, the name of Christ is given to believers. And again, receiving this name is a serious matter. Why are you called a Christian? Do you take the wearing of that name seriously? Or do you try to water it down? Do you try to hide it? Is it more convenient for you at times if no one knows you're a Christian? You see, the Christians in Antioch were not afraid to publicly identify themselves with Christ, even in the middle of a wicked pagan culture. If that wasn't true, they would never have been given that new name by the citizens of Antioch. How serious you and I take this will be reflected in how we handle then the service required in the name Christian. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the apostles and the disciples of Christ took their service seriously. They knew that to hide their faith was to deny Christ. They knew that all people need the Lord and therefore they didn't hide the message of His saving grace. And again, their confidence came only from the Holy Spirit. See, the Catechism rightly says that a Christian is not only a member of Christ by faith, but also shares in His anointing. This is wonderful. What do Christ and Christians have in common? The same Holy Spirit of God. Let that sink in for a moment. The same Holy Spirit of God. God's Spirit is in you and me as believers. And just as the Holy Spirit anointed Christ and qualified Him for His work, He also anoints those who are members of Christ by faith. Anointing, remember, was a sign of something. It was a sign of the promise of office. That one had been set apart for office. And it was also a sign of the giving of the gifts necessary to carry out the duties of office. And believers, too, are ordained and qualified by the Holy Spirit of God to be office bearers, servants of the living God. We are promised the qualifications to fulfill the duties required of us in our office. John says in 1 John 2, but you have an anointing from the Holy One, and the anointing which you receive from Him abides in you. And you have no need for anyone to teach you, but as His anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. Jesus Christ, through His threefold office of salvation, which we talked about last week, He restores His people once again to our original human office. Because the name Christian also means to be a prophet, priest, and a king. As prophets, man was created to truly know God. And in Christ, Christians truly know Him in order to rightly confess Him. As priests, man was created to love God with all of his heart, and in Christ, Christians are to present themselves as living sacrifices out of love. And as kings, man was created to live with God in eternal happiness and now in Christ. That happiness in Christ includes consciously fighting against sin and the devil who never stops assaulting us in this life. The service required of a Christian involves, first of all, being a prophet. Again, we are familiar with the Old Testament prophets, priests, and kings. We know what their jobs were. And as prophets, Christians are called to confess His name. And first of all, what makes sense to us is to confess Him with our mouth, what we say. Our words are to be seasoned with salt as we tell about the excellencies, about the praises of our God. But confessing His name is more than just with our words, isn't it? It also includes our actions. Those who have been given the name of Christ demonstrate what Christ means by how they act. But now when it comes to this confession, either with our mouths or with our actions, when it comes to confessing His name, we might say there's a passive side and there's an active side. And by passive side, I mean that we can only say, we are only to say and do what God has given us to say or do. Not what we think, not what we feel, not what we suspect, but what God says. And our examples are to be the prophets of old. The prophets of the Old Testament, They gave to God body and soul service. Think of Hosea. Hosea was commanded by God to marry an adulterous wife. Think how difficult that must have been to marry one that you knew was going to commit adultery, was going to be unfaithful to you. But that was a picture of Israel's unfaithfulness to God. And then there's Ezekiel. When Ezekiel's wife died, he was not allowed to mourn for her. He was not allowed to cry. He was not allowed to go through the normal mourning period. He was to go on as if nothing happened. Why? In order to show that Jerusalem would perish and nobody would care. Nobody would mourn for her. A prophet was not allowed to say or do anything without the command of the Lord. They were to first listen to God and then speak His Word. And today, as we confess His name, that demands not only absolute surrender to God, but also a keen, a close, a clear listening to what the Lord says in His Word. That we might say only what God has said. Searching God's Word is absolutely necessary for a proper exercise at the prophetic office. We may not add to it. We may not take away from it. But then after searching God's Word, beloved, as prophets, we are to be active. We are to be active then in saying and doing what He has commanded. A true prophet is consumed by zeal. Boys and girls, consumed by zeal or eagerness or devotion for the house of God, for the kingdom of God, for the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this includes evangelism. Jesus said, Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And as prophets, we are called to pass along the mysteries that God has graciously revealed to us. The mysteries about salvation only through Jesus Christ. But this evangelism also takes place not just abroad, not just over the seas, but also in our country, also in our community, and in our homes. Within the walls of our houses. As we instruct our children in the aforesaid doctrine, as the baptism form says. As parents, as believing parents who are prophets, we must feed the souls of our children as well as their bodies. That's the parents' responsibility, first of all. It's not first of all the church's responsibility or first of all the Christian schools, but the parents. And then, of course, all three work together. And the service required of a Christian is also that of a priest. Now, priests, we know, offered sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. Paul calls believers to offer themselves as living sacrifices. But remember again, as Christians, we offer thank offerings for or in response to Christ's sin offering. And this involves offering ourselves, not just our money, not just our resources, but our lives. I am to offer my whole life in self-sacrificing love to the Lord and to my neighbor, even when I don't particularly care for my neighbor as I should. The Christian life is one continual sacrifice, one continual self-denial, a life that says, I am never first. The Lord is. Beloved as priests, we are to offer to God our gifts, our talents, our resources, our time, our energy, our motives, desires, thoughts, words, attitudes, lifestyles. Did I leave anything out? All things. And we are to do so voluntarily after the pattern of our Lord Jesus Christ, not tight-fisted, not begrudgingly, because all we have is His. And we simply manage what God has first given to us. But a priest was also involved in something else. A priest was involved in intercession and in blessing. In other words, we must pray for each other. We must pray for each other every day. Whether some by name on any given day or for each other as a congregation as a whole. Even for those who hurt you, Jesus said, but I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. You see, beloved, you can gossip and you can tell stories. I mean, you're able to gossip and tell stories about someone all day long. But have you prayed for them? Have you taken the time to drop to your knees and pray for them? And as priests, we must also be a blessing to the world. Jesus calls His own the salt of the earth. We are to flavor our surroundings with the truth of the Gospel. In other words, Christians are to make good, and I mean faithful, citizens. We are to be faithful neighbors. Faithful, good customers. Husbands, wives, children, employees, employers. Unfortunately, many Christians become a curse instead of a blessing standing in the way of the Gospel for various reasons. Maybe because of greed or a desire to get ahead in life at any cost. But you see, when a Christian is not being a blessing to the world, the world sees that. Make no mistake about that. The world sees that and says, well, if that's what it means to be a Christian, then I don't want any part of it. May that never, ever be said of you or of me. And of course, this doesn't mean that we support and contribute to the world in sinful ways, because, you see, to love your neighbor means, first of all, to seek their salvation and to call them to repent of their sins and to seek the Lord while he may be found. But then finally, the service of a Christian involves being a king. Now, boys and girls, you know what a king does, don't you? A king defends his kingdom. A king protects the citizens of a kingdom. As citizens of the kingdom of God, we are called to actively and consciously fight against sin and the devil in this life. And after this life, Christ promises that those who bear His name will reign with Him forever and ever. To fight with a good conscience means to stand up for the truth at all costs. It means that we don't water down the truth to try to make it more appealing or more acceptable or more convenient to the world, but it means to proclaim it boldly even when the return fire is harsh and deadly. Oftentimes we're tempted to ignore our consciences through which the Holy Spirit works because the battle would make us very terribly uncomfortable and the world will either laugh at us or hurt us. But to be kings in the army of God means that we put on the whole armor of God. Every piece of it, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, our feet prepared with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. The service of a king means that every believer, as well as we said this morning, is involved in mutual discipline. That means that we shepherd each other. That's a new concept, isn't it? That we shepherd each other with joy, striving to keep your brother or sister from sinful paths or, if need be, calling them back from sinful paths. You see, beloved, it's improper. It is wrong for a kingly Christian to say, well, that's the task of the consistory. That's not my job. Or to say, am I my brother's keeper? Unfortunately, many today would rather sit in the bleachers and watch the battle than to be kings actively engaged in the warfare. What about you? What about me? Beloved, the office of prophet is not limited to a one-time profession of faith. But it requires openly confessing and living for Christ's name everywhere and always. A priest is not simply satisfied with making an offering to the poor once in a while. He must sacrifice and be willing to be sacrificed for the sake of Christ and his neighbor. We see a glimpse of that at the end of chapter 11 in Acts. Did you notice that? Some prophets came, and the prophet Agabus predicted that there would be a severe famine spread over the entire Roman world. And what was the response? The response of the disciples. They decided to provide help, the text says, for the brothers living in Judea, for those they probably didn't even know, for other members of Christ by faith. And a king gives all of his time and energy for the preserving and advancing of God's kingdom. All of this can be summarized in a few short words to live completely for Christ. A Christian is intimately related to Christ. Christ is the content of the Christian. Beloved, what's in a name? Christ is in the Christian. Christ is never to be thought of apart from the Christian and the Christian is never to be thought of apart from Christ. This is a high calling. And the truth is we fail at every turn in and of ourselves. We don't deserve the name. We don't live up to it. Yet our comfort, our comfort is in the perfect work of our chief prophet and teacher, our only high priest and our eternal king. Only through Him do we deserve the name Christian. Only in His strength do we even begin to live up to that name. But that is the believer's desire. You see, we often abuse our membership in Him. Yet, praise God, He is not ashamed to say, they are mine because I have paid for them. There's a former professional football player. Some of you remember him from some time ago named Rosie Greer, a big guy. Boys and girls, I wonder if anybody ever picked on him for his name, Rosie. If they did it once, I bet they didn't do it twice. Rosie, I believe, is a Christian. I don't know if he's still alive, but he was a Christian some years ago. He sang a song, Who Will Be Jesus? There's a line in the song that says, You're the only Jesus some will ever see. And of course, that can be confused and that can be taken in a wrong way, but I believe the truth is we must reflect Christ. Again, Jesus said, Whoever acknowledges me before men, Him will I acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. Beloved, may we represent our Savior well. And through us, may God be pleased that others would see Christ's love, His mercy, His patience, His sacrifice. And with humility, may we gladly wear the name Christian and be the finger that points others to the only Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, indeed, we are humbled that You would give to us the name of Your Son, the name of Christ. Indeed, help us to recognize what a great responsibility there is to have that name. Yet what a great honor it is to be considered a Christ one, one who belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, may our hearts be filled with humility day by day, moment by moment, yet also be filled with glory and honor and praise of your most holy name and a desire, a desire that others too would come to have the name of Christ given to them. Hear our prayer, O Lord, for Jesus' sake and in His name alone. Amen.