"I jump into a sand pit for a living"
The name of Jesus
It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Acts 4:10In the ancient world, names were very important and powerful. So when the authorities questioned Paul and John after they had healed a man, the question they asked was: By what power or what name did you do this?” (Acts 4:7)
The apostles replied that it was in the name of Jesus – adding to make sure they knew who Jesus was and why he was important “whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead”. The gospel in a sentence! Jesus was crucified, dying to save us and then being raised to life by God.
Not content to leave it there Peter and John added (Verse12): “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved”.
We live in a world where spiritual truth is often considered less important than spiritual experience. In my country there is complete freedom for me to believe in Jesus – no one cares or stops me. But if I say that Jesus is the only way to God or that certain activities are wrong because of what the Bible says, then I can find myself in conflict with society. It seems to society arrogant to claim that what you believe is true and what others believe is not.
But that is what the Bible says: “Salvation is found in no one else”. Let us be faithful to that truth in our world of sport today