LIFT UP THE NAME OF JESUS
The Gospel, the Great I AM & the Power of His Name - August 21, 2026
There is a phrase that keeps coming back to me:
Lift up the name of Jesus.
Not my name.
Not the name of a ministry.
Not the name of a preacher.
Not the name of a movement.
Jesus.
Because if we are going to preach, teach, prophesy, pray, worship, evangelize, or minister to people, we have to make sure we are actually pointing them to the One who saves.
WHAT ARE WE ACTUALLY PREACHING?
This livestream forced me to ask a very important question:
Are we preaching the Gospel?
It’s possible to give people encouragement without giving them the Gospel.
It’s possible to preach a powerful message without clearly presenting Jesus.
It’s possible to talk about purpose, destiny, healing, breakthrough, relationships, finances, warfare, identity, and blessing—and never get to the cross.
But the Gospel cannot be an accessory to Christian ministry.
The Gospel is the foundation.
Paul said:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.”
— Romans 1:16 KJV
That changes the assignment.
People don’t simply need another inspirational message.
They need Jesus.
CURIOSITY SHOULD LEAD TO REVERENCE
Acts 19 gives us a powerful picture of what happened when the name of Jesus was being proclaimed.
The account describes people becoming aware of the power associated with His name—and ultimately:
“the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.”
— Acts 19:17 KJV
That’s the goal.
Not fascination with spiritual experiences.
Not fascination with the messenger.
Not fascination with supernatural manifestations.
The name of Jesus should be magnified.
Curiosity should lead to revelation.
Revelation should lead to reverence.
And reverence should lead to repentance and transformation.
THERE IS A DANGER IN RELIGIOUS MOTION
One of the strongest warnings in this livestream was against going through religious motions without actually knowing Jesus.
We can learn Christian vocabulary.
We can attend services.
We can sing worship songs.
We can quote Scripture.
We can even become active in ministry.
And still need to examine the foundation of our faith.
That’s why I challenged the idea of what I have called “carnal Christianity.”
I use that phrase to describe a condition where someone identifies with Christianity while continuing to live in a way that resists genuine surrender and transformation.
Different Christian traditions understand this language differently, but the question underneath it is important:
Has my encounter with Jesus actually changed the way I live?
Because salvation isn’t supposed to be merely a religious identity.
Jesus calls us into relationship, surrender, obedience, and new life.
THE GOSPEL BRINGS US OUT OF DARKNESS
The Gospel doesn’t simply make us feel better about ourselves.
It calls us out.
Out of darkness.
Out of deception.
Out of bondage.
Out of agreement with sin.
Out of self-rule.
And into the light.
That’s why repentance matters.
Repentance isn’t God humiliating us.
It is God calling us home.
There is freedom on the other side of surrender.
THE WORD IS FIRE
Jeremiah gives us two powerful images for God’s Word:
“Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?”
— Jeremiah 23:29 KJV
A fire consumes what cannot withstand it.
A hammer breaks what has become hard and resistant.
Those images stayed with me.
Because sometimes we encounter things that look immovable.
Strongholds.
Patterns.
Lies.
Generational cycles.
Fear.
Deception.
Hardness of heart.
But God’s Word doesn’t have to negotiate with darkness.
The Word exposes.
The Word confronts.
The Word burns.
The Word breaks.
The Word brings light.
And yet even here, the goal isn’t destruction for destruction’s sake.
The goal is freedom.
JESUS CANNOT BE DIVIDED
1 John 4:3 was also part of the discussion as we talked about deception and recognizing what is truly from Christ.
Discernment matters because not everything that sounds spiritual is Christ-centered.
Jesus isn’t one option among many spiritual paths.
He isn’t a supporting character in our story.
He is Lord.
And we cannot separate the benefits of Christianity from the person of Christ.
We cannot want His power while rejecting His lordship.
We cannot want His authority while refusing His instructions.
We cannot want His blessings while ignoring His voice.
Jesus is the center.
THE GREAT “I AM”
One of the most powerful portions of the livestream was our journey through the “I AM” statements of Jesus.
These aren’t merely inspirational descriptions.
They reveal something about who Jesus is.
I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE
Jesus said:
“I am the bread of life.”
— John 6:35
Bread sustains.
Jesus is not simply someone who gives us something to consume.
He is our life.
The soul that tries to live without Him will always be searching for something else to satisfy it.
But Jesus says:
Come to Me.
I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
Jesus declared:
“I am the light of the world.”
— John 8:12
Light reveals.
Light exposes.
Light guides.
Light makes it possible to see.
When Jesus enters darkness, darkness doesn’t become His master.
Darkness has to give way to light.
That’s why we should never become comfortable living in darkness while claiming to follow the Light.
I AM THE DOOR
Jesus said:
“I am the door of the sheep.”
— John 10:7
The door speaks of access.
Protection.
Entrance.
Belonging.
Jesus isn’t simply showing us the way.
He is the Door.
There aren’t multiple versions of salvation that all lead to the same destination.
The Gospel points us to Christ.
I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE
Then we arrive at one of the most powerful declarations:
“I am the resurrection, and the life.”
— John 11:25
Jesus didn’t merely say He could perform resurrection.
He said:
I AM the resurrection.
Life is found in Him.
Death does not have the final word over Him.
The grave could not hold Him.
And because He lives, our hope isn’t built on circumstances.
It is built on a living Savior.
THE GREAT I AM
This takes us all the way back to Exodus.
When Moses asked God His name, God answered:
“I AM THAT I AM.”
— Exodus 3:14
Then Jesus made a statement in John 8 that stopped His hearers in their tracks:
“Before Abraham was, I am.”
— John 8:58
The language matters.
Jesus wasn’t simply saying that He existed before Abraham.
He used the language of I AM.
That is why the identity of Jesus is not a side issue.
Who Jesus is determines everything.
His authority.
His Gospel.
His sacrifice.
His resurrection.
His Kingdom.
Our salvation.
Our worship.
DON’T LET SCAR FOOL YOU
At one point during the livestream, I used Scar from The Lion King as a vivid picture of deception.
Scar is a fascinating character because he doesn’t necessarily announce his intentions at the beginning.
He manipulates.
He deceives.
He creates fear.
He uses others.
He presents himself in ways designed to gain trust while pursuing a destructive agenda.
That’s a useful illustration for spiritual vigilance.
The enemy doesn’t have to convince you to hate Jesus.
Sometimes distraction is enough.
If he can keep you entertained, offended, afraid, confused, prideful, exhausted, or focused on everything except Christ, he has already gained your attention.
So stay awake.
Stay in the Word.
Stay close to Jesus.
MINISTRY REQUIRES OBEDIENCE
Throughout this livestream, I also reflected on my own assignment.
Obedience isn’t always convenient.
Sometimes God asks you to do something that stretches you.
Sometimes the assignment interrupts your schedule.
Sometimes you don’t feel ready.
Sometimes you would rather explain why you can’t.
But obedience is not about convenience.
It is about trust.
I am learning that the question isn’t always:
“Do I feel like doing this?”
Sometimes the question is:
“Did Jesus tell me to do it?”
If He did—
obey.
DON’T MINISTER WHILE HIDING
Matthew 25:31–40 also brought another serious dimension to the discussion.
How we treat people matters.
Ministry isn’t simply standing in front of people and talking about God.
It is how we love.
How we serve.
How we respond.
How we treat the vulnerable.
How we treat people when nobody is watching.
We cannot separate ministry from character.
We cannot proclaim holiness while intentionally walking in darkness.
The message we preach should increasingly be reflected in the life we live.
THE POWER OF HIS NAME
There is something different about the name of Jesus.
His name isn’t a religious punctuation mark we add to the end of a prayer.
It represents the person.
The authority.
The character.
The identity.
The finished work.
The Lordship.
The salvation.
So when I say:
Jesus.
I am not simply saying a word.
I am lifting up a name above every other name.
COME OUT OF DARKNESS
This is why the closing invitation of the livestream mattered so much.
Repent.
Receive Jesus.
Believe the Gospel.
Come out of darkness.
Walk in the light.
Stop living beneath what Christ has provided.
Stop allowing deception to keep you bound.
Stop reducing Christianity to religious activity.
Come to Jesus.
Because freedom isn’t found in becoming better at religion.
Freedom is found in Christ.
LIFT HIM HIGHER
The more I learn, the more I realize that ministry can become complicated very quickly.
But the assignment doesn’t have to be complicated.
Lift up Jesus.
When you don’t know what to say—
Lift up Jesus.
When people are hurting—
Lift up Jesus.
When people are confused—
Lift up Jesus.
When people need salvation—
Lift up Jesus.
When spiritual warfare intensifies—
Lift up Jesus.
When you’re tempted to make the ministry about yourself—
Lift up Jesus.
When the room gets quiet—
Lift up Jesus.
When the room gets loud—
Lift up Jesus.
When the message is popular—
Lift up Jesus.
When nobody seems to be listening—
Lift up Jesus.
Because the Gospel doesn’t need us to make Jesus impressive.
Jesus already is.
KINGDOM COORDINATES
PREACH THE GOSPEL.
KNOW JESUS.
WALK IN THE LIGHT.
DISCERN DECEPTION.
OBEY THE HOLY SPIRIT.
REPENT QUICKLY.
LIVE WHAT YOU PREACH.
LIFT UP THE NAME OF JESUS.
The ministry isn’t the center.
The messenger isn’t the center.
The manifestation isn’t the center.
The platform isn’t the center.
Jesus is the center.
He is the Bread.
He is the Light.
He is the Door.
He is the Resurrection.
He is the Life.
He is the Great I AM.
And if I have one assignment in all of this—
it is simply this:
LIFT HIM UP.
LIFT UP JESUS.
LET THE WORLD SEE THE KING.
Charnette Kay ⚔️
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