Daily Bible Reading Reflections

In Whose Name Do We Gather?

Christians will gather all over the world today “in Jesus’ name.”

Why?

Modern men and women will describe themselves as being “of Christ” this week.

Why?

If he lived so long ago, why is he worthy of my attention today and my devotion this week? Why do we honor each first day of the week as “the Lord’s day,” assembling in the name of someone we’ve never seen, heard, or touched?

Who is Jesus that our lives should be so oriented around him?

The Bible offers many answers to those questions. Consider the input of a single book, The Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament. Who is Jesus? In Acts, we discover that Jesus is:

  • The Lord of all (1:6; 10:36)
  • The One who knows the hearts of all (1:24)
  • Attested by God with mighty works, wonders, and signs (2:22)
  • The Son of Man, exalted at the right hand of God (2:33; 7:56)
  • The Christ, the Lord’s Anointed One (2:36; 4:26; 5:42)
  • The Holy and Righteous One (3:14; 7:52; 22:14)
  • The Author of life, whom God raised from the dead (3:15)
  • The rejected stone, become God’s cornerstone (4:11)
  • God’s holy servant (3:13; 4:27, 30)
  • Leader and Savior, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins (5:31)
  • The Son of God (9:20)
  • Appointed to judge the living and the dead (10:42; 17:31)
  • The One to whom all the prophets bear witness (10:43)
  • The long-awaited royal heir of David (13:23)
  • The liberator of enslaved lawbreakers (13:38-39)
  • Perfectly aware of and sensitive to his people’s persecution (22:8)
  • The provider of a place for the sanctified (26:18)
  • The first to rise from the dead (26:23)
  • The proclaimer of light to all (26:23)

Who is Jesus? In one word? Worthy. Jesus is worthy of our worship, our lives, our all.