Greeting Others So They Can Know Who We Really Are
Hello, my name is ________.
During most introductions, it will depend upon the person I am speaking with that determines how I will refer to myself. For instance:
If I am greeting a visitor at church who has entered the sanctuary and is looking for a seat, I will say:
- Hello my name is Nancy, and I am so glad you have come to EBC today.
If I am greeting my students on the first day of the semester, I will say:
- Hello, my name is Ms. New. This will be an exciting semester when I will get to know you better, when we will be afforded the opportunity to write, and when we will become a community of writers and readers.
If I am greeting my sisters, my brothers, my mom, my nieces and nephews, or other family members, then I may say:
- Hello, and leave it at that because they know me well enough to compose a whole book about my quirky personality.
If I am greeting my sweet husband, maybe I should change up my greeting, for after thirty-nine years of marriage, he may appreciate a greeting such as:
- Hello, my stud husband, my hardworking man, my beautifully handsome one, and the best part of who makes me—me.
Then, there is the greeting I have for my biological daughter, the one whom I longed for, prayed for, and made a promise to God for. To my first daughter, I would say:
- Hello, sweet daughter, one who is a gift from Almighty God. I love you.
And for my adopted-by-love daughter, the one God gifted to me when she was seventeen. To her, I would say:
- Hello, sweet one, the one who loves me, despite how many miles separate us & how little we are given the opportunity to hug. I love you.
To my sweet grandson, I will quickly say:
- Hello, Little Man. Your Nan loves you very much.
For my best friend, I greet her in ways that express my affection.
Quite possibly, the person we are greeting is someone who fits in one of the pre-mentioned categories. Also possible is the fact that the person we are greeting is someone who has not yet given his heart to Jesus. There are so many greetings for several key individuals, but today, I find myself considering how we greet and introduce ourselves to those Who Have Not Yet Given Their Heart to Jesus.
- How should we greet these individuals?
- What can we say that would reveal the deep, eternal security HOPE we have inside us?
- When we are given the divine opportunity, orchestrated by Father God, what greeting could we speak THAT WOULD TESTIFY EXACTLY WHO WE ARE IN THE LORD?
To be sure, the Bible explains clearly how Followers of Jesus can greet others in ways that will identify exactly who the Followers are in Christ Jesus. I am prayerfully hopeful that you, dear reader, identify yourself as a Follower of Jesus Christ.
Please see with me the writing of the apostle Paul given to him by God’s Holy Spirit.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
(The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians 1: 3-14 NASB)
who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love
He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself,
according to the kind intention of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace,
which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
In Him we have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of His grace
which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight
He made known to us the mystery of His will,
according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him
with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times,
that is, the summing up of all things in Christ,
things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him
also we have obtained an inheritance,
having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,
to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed
you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
who is given as a pledge of our inheritance,
with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession,
to the praise of His glory.”
Thus, how must we (Followers of Jesus Christ) Greet Others So They Can Know Who We Really Are?
“Hello, my name is Nancy. I am a child of God & God’s daughter, one adopted into God’s family through the work of Jesus on Calvary’s cross. Yes, I am a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. I have been chosen by God, predestined, and redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus. In His love, I am forgiven by His grace, made heir to God with Him (JESUS). Praise God, I am saved for all eternity, sealed by God’s Holy Spirit. Yes, my name has been written in God’s Book of Life, meaning I gave my heart to Jesus. I am God’s own possession.
I am so glad to meet you.”
Bible scholar Francis Chan once wrote: “He wants [meaning the LORD GOD wants] all or nothing. The thought of a person calling himself a ‘Christian’ without being a devoted follower of Christ is absurd.”