Keeping the Family Name

7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

The Girl With No Name

Her Story

I want to tell you a story. It’s the true story of the girl with no name.

Marina Chapman believes she was born sometime in the 1950s, raised by a family in Colombia.

Marina doesn’t know what her given name was, as she chose the name “Marina” later in life. But she does remember being stolen, and the nightmare that lasted for years.

According to Marina, not long before her 5th birthday, she was playing in her parents vegetable garden. She was sitting down, picking peas. Suddenly a strong arm jerked her backward and a rag full of chloroform was placed over her mouth. The last thing she remembered before passing out was two people putting her in the back of a van, slamming the doors, and speeding away.

She had no idea if shed ever see her parents or anyone she ever knew for that matter, again. Marina could do nothing but think about her mother and father. Why was she kidnapped? Did their family have enemies. She even for a while thought her parents were behind it as a punishment for being in the garden.

When she finally wakened, she found herself in the back of the van with a group of whimpering children. Whoever her captors were, they had been busy scooping up other kids, too. She soon slipped out of consciousness again.

When she woke up next, she was waking up to slaps on her face. She thought they were human hands at first, but quickly realized they were massive leaves. Her captors had put her over their shoulders and were carrying her through the Colombian jungle.

Marina was groggy, and couldn’t make out the details of the people she was with. Out of nowhere, they started to run. It seemed like they were afraid of something, and after a few minutes, they simply dropped her on the ground and fled. Scared, hungry, and alone, Marina looked for a place to sleep. She dug out a small trench next to a tree stump and curled up into a ball.

The sun woke her up the next morning. And when she opened her eyes… she was completely surrounded by monkeys. Marina had no idea what to do, until suddenly, one of the animals dropped a piece of fruit next to her. She scampered over to it, and ate. Were the monkeys actually trying to feed her?

Weeks turned into months. Months turned into years. Marina claims she grew incredibly close to the primates over that time. They were like family. To this day, she attributes her jungle survival to them. But she would eventually be stripped again from her family. One afternoon, a group of poachers entered the forest. The now 10-year-old Marina hid behind a large tree, and watched as they used machetes to get through the thick plants and trees.

One of the poachers was a woman who appeared kind and gentle, so Marina came out of hiding and approached the group. The group was in complete disbelief when they saw Marina. The young girl’s skin was covered in dirt, she was walking on all fours, and her hair was nearly as long as her body. The poachers brought Marina out of the Colombian city of Cucuta, but tragically, she was far from safe. Unfortunately, this was just the start of her troubles in life that she would eventually overcome.

You can read about it all yourself. She wrote a book about it, titled The Girl With No Name.

The Mirror

But what I would like to highlight to you is something fascinating that happened during the course of her time being raised by monkeys.

It was afternoon - the sun was burning low in the sky. She had just woken up from a dreamless slumber when, looking down, Marina saw something glinting up at her. The forest floor was way, way below her (she stayed up in trees). But whatever it was, it was shiny enough to catch her eye. The jungle had just had a heavy rain, so her first though was that whatever it was down below her was simply shining as a result of it being drenched. But as she continued to look, she could see that this wasn’t the case. It shone far brighter than anything else she could see.

She was still drowsy, but whatever this was, it had caught her interest enough to prompt her to make her way back down to the undergrowth to investigate.

She climbed down carefully, keeping her eyes fixed on the spot where she had seen this diamond shimmer of brightness, and, once back on the ground, she set off to investigate. What she found when she reached it was unfamiliar. It was a wedge-shaped piece of some hard, shiny material, the likes of which she didn’t think she had ever seen before. It was sharp at its tip and curved at the other end, and it was shiny enough to fit easily into the palm of her hand.

She played with it for a moment, inspecting it carefully, intrigued by the way it seemed to flash and glimmer in the sunshine, how its edges felt rough but its surface was so smooth. One side was dark, while the other, though scratched seemed (to her) to almost be made of light itself.

She drew it closer, to better see how this light effect worked, and it was then that she got the shock of her young life… Two eyes were staring back at her - it appeared to be eyes of some... wild animal???

She was looking into a mirror that was reflecting her face.

She was transfixed. In all this time, she had never once seen her reflection. She might have, had her fear of water not been so profound. Perhaps, had it occured to her to go and see her reflection, she might have made a point of investigating it every time her little pond re-filled with rain. But she had never done so.

It was barely bigger than a thumbprint, but her little mirror enthralled her. Though she didn’t know her own face, she could immediately see the relationship between what she made it do and what happened in the mirror. She blinked her eyes, she moved her mouth - the shard of mirror did the same. She changed her expression and the face in the mirror changed hers, too.

Shocked and thrilled, she let out a hoot of excitement and bounced around, looking for someone who could share in her discovery.

I’m going to read to you her own words from this point:

“To discover you have a face - it felt amazing! But at the same time, I was frightened to see myself in it, because I had begun to believe that I looked just like the monkeys. I knew my body was a little different, but for some complicated reason - perhaps a human need to belong? - I felt my face would be exactly the same as theirs.

I was astonished to find that this wasn’t the case, and I clutched the tiny piece of glass to me as if I’d found something magical. But my feelings of euphoria weren’t to last, because with the coming of the evening came subtle change in me. What I know is that as the day turned into evening, my earlier excitement was replaced by anxiety. The more I looked at my cracked image, the more obvious it became to me that I was mistaken in my belief about who and what I was!

I wasn’t one of my monkey family, I was different - a different animal. One with wide eyes, smooth skin and a tangle of long, matted hair.

And as soon as those thoughts had taken shape in my mind, it was as if a door had been forced open inside of my head. It was a door that had been shut for as long as I can remember and which led me back to feelings I’d either forgotten or suppressed.

I had forgotten I was human and now I’d been reminded!”

Keeping the Family Name

Knowing Who We Are

I want to read to you what I feel is a very relevant scripture right now:

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV 1900

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Marina picked up the mirror and began wiping away the dirt, mud, and grime from her face. She picked the leaves out of her hair and pulled it neatly behind her head. She saw the nastiness of her teeth and what all had become of her that needed to change!!!

The mirror did that!

Do you want to know what our mirror is??? …It’s the Word of God!!!!!

Psalm 119:130 NIV

130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

That mirror did something!

That mirror revealed to her what was wrong!

The mirror showed her the truth when everything else around her was lying to her!

1 Thessalonians 2:13 NKJV

13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

James 1:21 NKJV

21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Let me tell you what happens when you start digging into this powerful Word of God… it begins to reveal to you things that you originally did not even see.

It’s a mirror! It shows us exactly who we are now and it allows us also to see who God can mold us into!

You don’t even know who you are!!!

We need to realize just who we are today!

We have taken on a new name! The name of Jesus! We’re in the family!!!

Noah Took His Family Into The Ark

On this Family Month, I’m reminded of Noah. Noah took his family into the ark.

Hebrews 11:7 NKJV

Now this ark, it was what we call a type and shadow of baptism. God, throughout the Old Testament would put forth symbols to show what would come. (Much like the tabernacle being set up in the shape of a cross.)

The ark was a type of baptism in Jesus name:

1 Peter 3:18–21 NKJV

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

When architects draw up the plans for their great designs, many times they will sign it with their name.

Question: Who designed the ark? (God) And what’s the name of God? (Jesus) They went down in Jesus name!

But what I would point out to you is, Noah took his family into the ark, in effect, they all took the name.

When we are baptized in Jesus name, we take on His name. I am no longer Ryan LaRue. I am Ryan LaRue-Jesus! But I can say this because, my parents walked me into the ark! Now, if had decided to jump ship at some point, that’s entirely going to be on me. But they guided me onto this ark, so I could take on the name!

Noah took his family into the ark. They committed to God’s plan! They took on the Name!

We need some families and saints that, when the rest of the world is acting like monkeys… we’re acting like what God made us to be!

Little Marina, the girl with no name, held that mirror up and realized, “I’m not supposed to be like them!” And all of a sudden she got closer to finding her name!

We need some families and saints that, when the rest of the church is acting like there’s no longer power in the blood… they’ll march on into the ark and keep up the family name!

They’ll worship! They’ll praise! They’ll preach with the preacher! They’ll take their family down to the altar! They’ll give sacrificially!

BECAUSE THEY’VE TAKEN ON THE NAME!

Apostolic Identity

Family Names

Family names hold meaning. People associate a name with what people are like. Just ask the Hatfields and the McCoys. For lifetimes, they associated each others names with hate and rivalry.

But when someone hears your name, what do they associate it with???

There are whole families that when people hear their name, they associate it with what their bound by. Drugs. Money. Liquor. Possessions.

There are families that are weighted down with iniquity. That’s when parents continue playing in sin, and then their children fight generational habits that lead to destruction.

But it doesn’t have to be that way… Things CAN change! All you’ve got to do is start getting the mirror out! And yes, what it shows you might be uncomfortable… but we do things all of the time that are for our good and are uncomfortable. Root canals, gall bladder surgeries, and taking Pepto-bismol (God love you, if you can stand it).

It’s uncomfortable, but you know it helps! Somebody, you better get your mirror out!

Hey - my family is not going to carry on a name of iniquity! I’ve got to have a mentality that I must overcome, so that my kids may be overcomers!!!

Is Your Family Apostolic?

Who is your family going to be? Are you going to BE Apostolic Pentecostal, or are you just going to be known as attending an Apostolic Pentecostal church???

Let me turn the mirror on us for just a minute… who are we, as the Church? We are Apostolic Pentecostal Truth. I’m talking about Apostolic Identity today.

We don’t just pray a short quick prayer to appease someone who has a request for a healing. We obey God. We lay on hands, we anoint with oil, we pray in faith, we speak to the issue, and we call on the name of Jesus!

When we worship, we don’t worship like the Church of Christ or the Presbyterians worship. You ought to hold the mirror up to your worship sometime and see if it lines up with what the mirror of scripture is showing!

Pass On the Name!

If you’re going to keep and pass on the family name, then somebody’s got to take the lead!!!

Read Holy Ghost note I wrote at 8 years old.

I watched my dad shout.

I heard my mother pray.

I heard my dad speak in tongues.

I watched my mother touch someone’s life.

I have hundreds and hundreds of scriptures stamped in my mind just from hearing my dad say them alone!!!

Conclusion

Family prayer

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