May 10, a people for his name.

Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for his name.

Acts 1514.

It is scarcely possible to over-emphasize the centrality of the name of God, that is, the fame of God in motivating the mission of the church.

When Peter had his world turned upside down by the vision of unclean animals in Acts 10, and by the lesson from

God that he should evangelize Gentiles as well as Jews, he came back to Jerusalem and told the

apostles that it was all owing to God's zeal for his name.

We know this because James summed up Peter's speech like this.

Brothers, listen to me,

Simian has related how God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for his name. X. 1514. It's not surprising that Peter would

say that God's purpose was to gather a people for his name because the Lord Jesus had stung Peter

some years earlier with an unforgettable lesson.

You recall that after a rich young man turned away from Jesus and refused to follow him,

Peter said to Jesus, see, we have left everything and followed you, unlike this rich fellow.

What then will we have?

Matthew 1927.

Jesus responded with a mild rebuke, which in effect said,

there is no ultimate sacrifice when you live for the name of the son of man. He said, everyone who has left

houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my namesake,

will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.

Matthew 1929.

The truth is plain.

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