What's In A (Nick)Name?

I always wanted a nickname. Something cool. Sporty. But, alas, I could never come up with anything and neither could my friends. I hated "Mitch" and "Zitface" was just plain mean. Oh, I just remembered that for one long summer I earned the moniker, "Crash." Don't ask. Some years later, while in college I had an accident–a fall from a cliff–and became paralyzed. After rehab I returned to campus and noticed that many of my friends treated me with kid gloves, trying too hard to draw attention away from the fact that I was in a wheelchair. I called a few of them together one day and asked them to treat me as they would treat each other. I'm still the same guy I was before the accident, I reasoned. Poke fun at me, I pleaded. Call me names, I entreated.

Boy did they ever!

I recall that my parents visited me one weekend shortly thereafter and as we were making our way down the sidewalk of main street, one of my buddies shouted from the other side of the street, "Hey crip!" My poor precious mother could have fainted right there on the spot! I explained to them that I had encouraged my friends to feel at ease with me and they seemed to understand. I think.

It seems to me that many of the Bible names were actually nicknames that described the character of the bearer. "Jacob" meant "trickster". Jerubbaal, whose name means "defender of baal" grew up to be one of Israel's great champions and thereby dubbed "Gideon" graphically defined as "destroyer". David was "dear" or "beloved" and Peter ("rock") started out life as "Simon" which pictures a reed bent by breezes and shaken by the wind.

In my family's tree, there is a "Morning Dove" that married one of my great-great-great (ad nauseum) grandfathers back in the mid-nineteenth century. I have long been interested in the story behind that, but to date I have drawn a blank. Although the story behind that name is a mystery, there are some names you and I share in our common ancestry that will thrill your soul. If you were to go further back into our ancestry, you'd find some well-known and little-known names from the Bible that might be even more interesting than you ever knew! The names, put together, tell a glorious story.

You know Adam, of course. His name means "Man". Sums it up pretty well, dontcha think? Then comes Cain and Abel. Well, Abel was murdered and Cain is a wash. But next in line comes "Seth" whose name means "Appointed". Then Enosh ("mortal").

Following in line comes Kenan ("sorrow") and Mahalalel ("the blessed God"). Still with me? Okay, who's next? Oh yes: Jared, meaning "shall come down." Even though the previous names don't ring a bell, you likely remember the next guy: Enoch. His name means "Teach" or "teaching". The line is rounded out by Methuselah, Lamech and Noah ("his death shall bring", "the despairing" and "rest", respectively).

Some of you caught it, didn't you? Others are left scratching their proverbial heads thinking "how is this relevant to my life? What a waste of time! I think I'll 'adios' this blog and look elsewhere…"

Well then, let me try it this way and see if you can solve the puzzle:

Adam–Man
Seth–Appointed
Enosh–Mortal
Kenan–Sorrow
Mahalalel–The blessed God
Jared–Shall come down
Enoch–Teaching
Methuselah–His death shall bring
Lamech–The despairing
Noah–Rest

Still need a hint? Okay.

The names, put together, tell the story of stories. Let's write it out: "Man [was] appointed mortal sorrow but the Blessed God shall come down teaching and His death shall bring the despairing [His] Rest." The story of stories, to be sure. And that's not all…

Isn't it wonderful that he put YOUR name in His story?

The Visitation of Grace

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men…"

(Titus 2:11)

My son and I watched "The Visitation" the other night. The movie is based on the same-titled book by Frank Peretti and recounts the story of a self-avowed Messiah coming to the small town of Antioch along with some very unsavory "guests". It is pretty intense and certainly not for everybody but impressive for a Christian movie. And it doesn't water down or compromise the gospel message.

Anyway, Graham and I talked through it together afterward. He asked if people can truly be possessed with the devil by making covenants with him. If so, are such covenants permanent? We went to the story of the demoniac that greeted our Savior at the dark end of the Sea. Deep gashes and oozing wounds covered this shell of a man who no doubt was emaciated by the host of demons that sucked the life from him.

"We are legion," an otherworldly voice piped through the pitiful creature.

The Messiah ordered the host of demons out of the man. By the way, a legion of soldiers in the Roman army (the occupying force in Palestine in that day) consisted of 6000 men! No doubt for this man to have hosted such a plague of evil, covenants and agreements had to be made, but with a word from Christ, the destructive force pillaging the man's spirit was sent packing and he became a NEW man!

On the same day (verily, in the same HOUR!) that this man was howling in a cemetary and cursing God, the tables were turned upright and:

"…the former demoniac begged Him (Jesus) that he might be with Him." (Mark 5:18)

Did you catch that? "Former" demoniac! When Grace in living Flesh visited his lair, the liar was dispelled and the Son of Life moved in! What a glorious visitation!

The point Graham and I uncovered was simply that, yes, covenants may be made with the enemy, but they do not have to be permanent when Grace draws nigh. My son said, "I wish I lived in Jesus' day…" and when I asked why, he adroitly responded, "so that I could see Him do cool stuff so I can always believe!"

Explaining that miracles were not designed to make us believe but to prove the deity of Christ, I told Graham that there were CROWDS of people who witnessed His miracles and yet walked away from Jesus, shaking their heads with disdain (see John 6:26; 12:37). No, dear son, we do not believe through the means of natural sight but by the word of Christ that visits our heart. "Faith comes by HEARING and hearing by the Word of God…" (Rom. 10:17).

Hearing, not seeing, God says. We do not believe by what our sight translates for us naturally but by what God speaks into our heart and we activate that through the faith that is given to us by God.

Graham sat on the edge of the couch considering this for a few moments, then he left the room, muttering the words, "but that's so hard…"

Ah, the pangs of youth! Who need to see, touch, feel and handle…

But are we any different?

Paying the Price

And the story goes something like this:

The Lord came to Adam and told him that he was going to create another human being for companionship.

“She will be female and beautiful, the most gorgeous creature your eyes have ever seen,” the Lord explained. “She will meet you at the door with a kiss when you come home from work and will have a cold beverage in hand for your refreshment.”

Adam leaned in, getting more interested.

The Lord continued, “And that’s not all. She will have the sweetest scent and will guide you to your chair where she will give you your newspaper and massage your achy feet. Then she will call you to a table where she has prepared all your favorite foods—every single night of your life!”

“Wonderful!” Adam exclaimed, jumping to his feet, “but what will all this cost me?”

“An arm and a leg,” the Lord replied.

Adam thought for a moment then asked, “What could I get for a rib?”

That apocryphal story underlines a malady that many of us live with: we just aren’t willing to pay the price for God’s best. We often settle for the good when the Lord is holding out His very best with an invitation to anyone who dares come after it. Moses forsook Egypt and all its treasures that he might become a Friend of God. Rather than staying at the base of the mountain with the congregation, he dared climb all the way to the top and disappeared within the fire and smoke. The Lord invited him and he came and the rest is history.

That’s paying the price.

Recently I was pouting to the Lord about why I didn’t have certain “abilities” in ministry like some others and I heard His loving yet firm reply: “Because they pay the price and you don’t.” Ouch. Abandon your nets and I will make you fishers of men, He tells us. Take up your cross daily and follow me. Sell all you have and you will have treasure in heaven. Love not the world. Paying the price. How far will you go for the Savior?

I went out for my high school’s varsity football team my junior year and the first day of practice the coach instructed everyone seeking a skill position to run thirty laps around the track. He told the rest to run fifteen. Now, I was a strong runner with powerful legs along with some illusive moves that could have benefited the backfield, but I chose to run the fifteen laps because it was a hot August morning and I hated to run! I spent my high school career on the line instead of in the backfield because I wasn’t willing to pay the price. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with playing on the line, but there is if you are made for the backfield.

Paul the apostle paid the price. He left nothing on the field. In some ways, he is the Moses of the New Testament for he forsook prominence in the world for the preeminence of Christ and became God’s messenger of a new covenant. Through shipwrecks, beatings, imprisonments, persecutions and ultimately martyrdom, he was spent for the cause Christ called him to. He said, “I will gladly spend and be spent for you…” (2 Cor.12:15). He would not be deterred with namby-pamby half-heartedness but gave every last drop of his existence for the Lord and His church. That’s the meaning of the word “spend” in that verse: to be drained.

Paul let God squeeze every single ounce out of him. That’s what I call the ‘currency of the committed’. Here’s my life, Lord; take it and spend it as you wish for it is not mine to decide where or how or how much but my whole life is a tithe to you. Use me, spend me, drain me…for your glory. It’s not too much to ask of us, is it? May we be known as those who are willing to pay the price for the One who spent an eternal sum to capture us for His pleasure.

Even if it costs us an arm and a leg.