Newsletter 4/3/2025

But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:  John 1:12

There seemed to be a time, maybe just a few years ago, when atheism was a serious threat to undermine and dismantle everything that theism, or Christianity specifically, stood for. There was also the rise of the Nones. People who had given up on belief and who have no religious ties whatsoever. Secularism, politics, and even alternative spiritualities were predicated to overtake the church and cause it to close its doors. And in a sense this started to happen. Weekend worship services, regardless of the denomination, saw attendance numbers plummet. Especially after Covid. The number of people who said that they are committed to a Biblical worldview fell. And belief in God in general lost ground. 

But recently there has been talk of a resurgence. Churches seem to be drawing people in again. Discussions about God and morality are not as taboo in the social realm as they once were. High profile conversions and the popularity of certain influencers and podcasters who are curious about faith have caused people in the postmodern world to take a second look at God. I would also suggest that the great social experiment of relativism has reached its peak. The results are in…and life has become more unlivable under the tyranny of the “do whatever you want to do”, “my truth is my truth”, type philosophy. Could the great rejection of Jesus by a once Protestant country be coming to and end? 

I don’t know. But I perceive that many who think they know God might not understand Him as well as they think they do. John’s Gospel suggests that when someone receives Jesus, they also receive power to become a child of God. They are transformed from one nature to another nature. Whereas Jesus as God became human, so humans in Christ become like God. And while there is a lot of talk about religion, Christianity, God, etc, how much life change is there really? How many are experience POWER in their lives? It is entirely possible to believe intellectually in Jesus without personally accepting Him. John goes further. Those who have Christ in their lives learn to trust in His great name. The name of Jesus is a name of redemption, salvation, and healing. His name is a description of His nature and His character. And therefore when someone truly depends on the Lord for spiritual life, they become acquainted with Him beyond the mere mention of His name. They rely on the strength of His name, the glory of it, and life giving wonder of it. They know Him, not just His name. They carry His ways, they live out His will. 

Lately our little family has been spending more time exploring the nature found on the property. For years we just enjoyed the scenery. We played in the high grasses and picked flowers, trekked our way to the pond, we carefully treaded down the hill to the creek, we took note of all of the birds, we gazed into the night sky. But now we do more than superficially observe. We name what we see. And by naming, we have entered into the heart of nature, learning the characteristics of each part. We have discovered Buckbrush, Interior Live Oak trees, Blue Oak trees, Pacific Poison Oak, Silverback Fern, Golden Yarrow, Towani Pine, Desert Starvine, California Buckeye, Wild Cucumber, Elderberries, and Coast Redwoods, to name a few. We also found out the names of the wildflowers. Baby Blue Eyes, Rusty Popcorn Flower, Pretty Shooting Stars, and Menzies Fiddleneck. We no longer look at the stars, we call out the constellations and try to guess which planet is visible to us. By naming, we are gaining more familiarity and intimacy with nature. We learn what nature is doing, how it affects us, and what it can be used for. 

So when we come to Jesus, beyond the superficial, and we call out His name and depend on His name and live for His name, we gain deeper intimacy with Him. We learn what He is doing, how He affects us, and how glorious it is to be used by Him and for Him. We become just like Him, just like the Father. We are then children of God and we gain the privilege of bearing that holy image and that holy name before the world. Who He is, how He is, what He is. How well do you know the name of Jesus?

Pastor Dean