Called by Name

“He that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out” (John 10:2, 3). 

God’s Word teaches that every person is made in the image of God and has been created to bring glory to Him through faith (Genesis 1:27; Ephesians 2:10). Just like the prophet Jeremiah, God knows every single human being, forming each one before he or she is born (Jeremiah 1:5). Life is precious, and every person we see is an eternal soul. God knows every person by name, recording the name in His Book of Life, or not.  This means everyone to whom we have the privilege of ministering God’s Word is a person who will live somewhere forever. Every name recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life will spend eternity in Heaven (Revelation 21:27), but every name not written there will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15).  

Every person matters. Every person matters to God, so every person matters to us. 

If we believe in the life-transforming grace of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ that will “much more abound” everywhere “sin abounded” (Romans 5:20), then we will treat everyone, no matter how grievous the sin or how low the estimation in the eyes of fellow man, as one for whom Christ died and whom He may therefore raise to walk in newness of life. And if Jesus “calleth his own sheep by name,” how much more should we? 

In ministerial events like Vacation Bible School, it can be challenging to learn and recall the names of all the students who attend. What a terrific problem to have! While we may have difficulty remembering their names, be sure that God knows them, and our job is to help them fall in love with Jesus who alone can write their names in His Book of Life. In the meantime, we can use tools to help us record and remember their names at the VBS event, which will make following up after VBS easier. This is why we provide VBS Registration Cards, Record Cards, a General Record Book and a Class Record Book. We want to give you the tools you will need to keep track of all the names that God brings to your VBS. Their names are precious to Him, so they are precious to us. 

Mark Clements 

Editor in Chief, Bogard Press