What brand name are you?
A friend of mine observed a couple praying for their food in a restaurant. Guessing that they were Christians and encouraged by their boldness in the Lord, he went to their table and introduced himself as a fellow believer. Their response was, “What’s the name of your church?” Instead of enjoying fellowship as believers in Christ, he was—in essence—asked what “brand” of Christian he was. My friend wisely replied, “There are only two churches mentioned in Scripture: the true church and the false church. I’m in the true church!”
Names may divide
Unfortunately, today many local churches are named after great men, a particular form of church government, or specific doctrines they hold dear. This tendency to take a name and divide believers into categories began to appear early in the history of the church and was rebuked by Paul in his letter to the saints at Corinth (1 Cor. 1:12-15). Christ is not divided and neither is His church! “By one Spirit were we all baptized into one body” (1 Cor. 12:13) and this body is the one true church (Eph. 1:22). Distinguishing names divide the body. Even within a local church, names such as “Pastor,” “Father,” “Reverend,” or “Minister” separate believers by improperly elevating one over the others.
Names may destroy
Early in history, man desired to unify under a common name for a common cause. At the tower of Babel man said, “come, let us build us a city and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Gen. 11:4). Man desired a name to form a center of unity against God’s command to be fruitful, multiply, and spread throughout the earth. The Lord, however, was neither impressed by their name nor by their feeble show of selfish ambition, and He judged them accordingly. Instead of humanistic unity, they were divided one from the other, their efforts abandoned to absolute ruin.
The Name above all names
In Exodus 20:24, the Lord stated, “in all places where I record my Name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.” In the New Testament His name—the name of Christ Jesus—is equally important. His disciples boldly preached in His name (Ac. 9:27), evil spirits were rebuked in His name (Ac. 16:18), eternal life is through His name (Jn. 20:31), prayer requests were made in His name (Jn. 16:23-26), thanksgiving was in His name (Eph. 5:20), church discipline was in His name (1 Cor. 5:4), elders prayed for the sick in His name (Jas. 5:14), Christians gathered in His name (1 Cor. 5:4; Mt. 18:20), and Colossians 3:17 reminds us that “whatsoever ye do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” In preserving the pre-eminence of the Lord’s name, New Testament churches are often referred to by geographical location such as “the saints at Philippi” or the “church of the Thessalonians” (Php. 1:1; 1 Thes. 1:1). Believers are referred to, not by names that divide, but by names common to all: “Christians,” “disciples,” “believers,” “saints,” “brethren,” and “children of God.”
There is no room for special “brand names” and titles when we are wanting to exalt the name of Christ. May we seek to identify ourselves according to our biblical relationship to Jesus Christ, through whose name we were saved (Jn. 1:12; Ac. 4:12).