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CONNIE: So, what's in a name? Can your name predict your success--or lack of it? When Jesus renamed His disciples, was it a prophecy? Come with us as we consider the story of Rock Jordan

Giving God's trumpet a Certain Sound for more than 70 years, this is the Voice of Prophecy.

CONNIE: Hello, I'm Connie Jeffery LONNIE: And I'm Lonnie Melashenko. Welcome to the Voice of Prophecy weekend broadcast!

CONNIE: Lonnie, I don't think our radio audience noticed, but you're really looking sharp today!

LONNIE: Well, thanks Connie, but to what do I owe the honor of that compliment?

CONNIE: Well, we're talking about names and their meaning today, and I just happened to notice that the name Lonnie comes from German and Spanish origins, and means "Handsome One."

LONNIE: Hmmm… I don't suppose our listeners noticed that you're looking pretty smart yourself! I do believe that the meaning of your name is "Knowledgeable," isn't it?

CONNIE: Some sources say that, others say it means "Faithful."

LONNIE: Well, either way it's good. And sociologists have recently discovered that the name a person carries can have a profound effect on others' response to them, and on their success in life.

CONNIE: In fact they found that children with more popular or powerful-sounding names often do better in school--partly because their teachers expect them to.

LONNIE: Expectations CAN have a powerful effect on performance, and recently David Smith spoke with Kay Kuzma, president of Family Matters about how our expectations can help children and others.

CONNIE: Lets listen to that interview right now.

DAVID: We're so glad to have with us Dr. Kay Kuzma who is a child development specialist with a doctorate in early childhood education from right down the freeway from us at UCLA. Hello Kay

KAY: Hi there

DAVID: Now let's see Kay, you are a very well known speaker and author of many well known books and columns , and Kay Kuzma has a daily radio program, and a TV program on every week. Kay welcome to the Voice of Prophecy, this is just a real honor to have you with us today.

KAY: Well thank you.

DAVID: Kay, we're talking on the program today about expectations and how our expectations of another person so often just really determines the out come, and of course Lonnie and Ken have been talking spiritually about Christ and how He dealt with some of His disciples and had positive expectations, and I guess this would be true more in parenting than just about any place. In your experience with family, how have you seen this played out?

KAY: Well certainly this is important. We call it "The self Fulfilling Prophecy "

DAVID: Okay

KAY: Where a child feels like he will accomplish something, he will try it. When you have positive expectations for your children, they catch that feeling that it's possible, and they will go ahead and do things that they wouldn't do otherwise. So it is a very, very important thing. In fact I first came across this philosophy in 1960 when I was getting my doctorate there in UCLA.

DAVID: Okay

KAY: And Robert Rosenthal was doing some very interesting research. He went up to Northern California and picked a school, gave everyone in that school an IQ test. Then randomly selected some children from every class, and told the teachers based on the test these kids were going to be spurters, they where going to do well in school this year. They were, with encouragement, just going to shine. Now the very interesting thing is it had nothing to do with the IQ test.

DAVID: They were just making it up.

KAY: They just made it up, they just selected these kids randomly.

DAVID: So what happened?

KAY: And at the end of the year the spurters spurted. The incredible thing is, not all teachers could remember exactly which children they had been told. But, internally, something happened, that they treated these children differently through the year, they expected more of them through the year. When children made comments "Oh could it be this way?" help the children with their thinking a little bit more ‘cause they knew these kids were going to be achievers.

DAVID: Now Kay, how could a mom or dad take advantage of that very real phenomenon, and make use of that in their home in communicating positive expectations?

KAY: Well, certainly we need to look for the best in our children.

DAVID: Okay

KAY: When we feel that they are going to be good kids, when we feel they are going to excel, then we tend to look for that actually happening, and when it happens, we reward them. But, if we look at our children as, if they're going to fail, they're going to be naugty, whatever, then we will look for those things and tend to make those things a large thing for the child's life, then he will go down a very different pathway.

DAVID: So in a sense it's kind of a daily design to look for the half full glass.

KAY: Absolutely, and give your children that self talk that will be positive for them, because what you believe about yourself becomes almost your script for life, and I guess that's why names are so important, because a name, when you know your name means gentle Knight, like my son's name, Kevin. We have said to him you know your a gentle person with integrity.

DAVID: Okay

KAY: And this kid has grown up you know to have a wonderful gentle spirit, and it's interesting. Research has confirmed even the names we give our children tend to be a life script for them. They internalize it and it becomes self-talk for them, I am a gentle person, I am a kind person.

DAVID: Okay, now Kay, what if you are a mom or dad and you have these high expectations, and you're trying to be positive, but it just is not happening with your child, and you're just in dream land in a sense. About a minute left. Tell us what you can do about that.

KAY: Well, I need to say that every negative assumption can be proved false.

DAVID: Yes

KAY: You need to say, My child can excel, and then you open up the possibilities how. You begin brain storming and find possibilities in small ways that your child can do these things. The more you reward the positive, the more you get the positive.

DAVID: Kay, just in these last few moments here, how did Christ exemplify this? What comes to your mind in that regard?

KAY: Well, certainly we see this in the life of Peter. Peter denied Jesus three times.

DAVID: Yep
KAY: Every time after that he must have thought about Jesus

DAVID: Yeah

KAY: He must have had terrible guilt feelings.

DAVID: Sure

KAY: Jesus didn't want to leave that brain pathway, or that nerve pathway in his brain. He wanted to change it so the next picture we have of Jesus and Peter together is Jesus asking peter "Do you love me?" and He's making peter say it in his own words "Yes I love you" reinforcing that thought. I love you. So now when peter was thinking of Jesus, it was the love thoughts not the guilt thoughts.

DAVID: That's a great note to end on. Kay Kuzma, thanks so much for being with us today.
KAY: Thank you

CONNIE: It's true that children--and adults too--often perform at the level we expect from them.

LONNIE: Expect great things, and you're likely to get them.

CONNIE: Expect trouble, and it'll probably come your way.

CONNIE: The good news is that God always expects the best of us, and in fact, the moment we give our lives to Him, He writes our name down in heaven, in the Book of Life. Do you know what that means? It means He expects us to remain faithful, and to live forever!
But the name He writes down isn't the same as the name our parents gave us. He writes a new name for us.

LONNIE: A better name

CONNIE: An eternal name that reflects our character and our new status as a son or daughter of the King.
When you give your life to the Lord, there's a new name written down in glory!
MUSIC "A New Name in Glory", VOP Family Reunion at the Tivoli

CONNIE: There is a new name written down in heaven for everyone who accepts God as Father and Jesus as Savior.

LONNIE: Amen

CONNIE: That familiar song is the title track on the "New Name in Glory" CD produced by Voice of Prophecy at the Family Reunion concert in 1999. If you enjoyed the music, stop by the bookstore on our website at www.vop.com. You'll find concert videos, cassettes, and CDs available there for purchase at special Internet prices.

LONNIE: You know Connie our names are very important to us, but can you imagine what it would be like to be totally stripped of your identity--to go into the US Marshals' Witness Protection Program to lose all contact with family, your past--your life?!

CONNIE: Well, didn't you and David Smith deal with stories about people going through an identity crisis in a recent series of daily broadcasts?

LONNIE: That's right, we did--we called the series "Nowhere Man," and that material is now available in a book called Nowhere Man.

CONNIE: It's a great little book--brand new--we've never offered it on our weekend broadcast before, but we're giving it away free today.

LONNIE: So, how can our listeners get a free copy?

CONNIE: I thought you'd never ask! The toll-free number to request it is 1-800-872-0055. And later in the program we'll give our mailing address as well, but right now the toll-free lines are open, so why not call 1-800-872-0055 and ask for the book Nowhere Man by David and Lonnie.

LONNIE: And as we continue our look at names and expectations today, Ken Wade has a brief story to share.

KEN: It was on a beautiful September day, a few years before man first walked on the moon, that my world completely fell apart--or at least I thought it had.

I was in junior high school--eighth grade to be precise--and it was the first day of school.

The waning days of my seventh-grade year had been spent in discussions with other seventh-graders about who we'd like to have for a home-room teacher the following year.

The thing about home-room teachers was that you had them for two periods each day, so it was important to get the right one. There was one thing we all agreed on: Pity the poor kids who ended up in either Mr. Shephard's room or directly across the hall in Mr. Kerzel's room.

Everyone in the school knew that you didn't dare slouch or even look cross-eyed when you walked past those two men's rooms during lunch hour, or they'd be all over you like angry bees on a honey-poaching bear. They were noisy, gruff, and they brooked no nonsense. They were downright scary.
Since there were only four home-rooms, everyone had a 50-50 chance of landing in one of those two, but I hoped and prayed that my luck would run better than that.

It didn't. And so at 11:29 AM on the Tuesday after Labor Day, I and 27 other students sat downcast, scared, almost shaking in our shoes, waiting for Mr. Kerzel to come in from the hall.

At 11:30 the bell rang, and Mr. K. came in. He pulled the door shut--fast--and stuck his foot out so he'd hit it. THUNK! it went, then he reached up and grabbed his head--pretending he'd smacked himself with the door.
We didn't know whether to laugh or run. But it didn't take us long to figure out that Mr. Kerzel was a very different man inside the classroom than out in the hall. He was funny, fun, and actually even NICE!

But most important of all, he really cared about his students. The first time report cards came out, I was pretty proud of mine. I'd gotten close to a 3-point. But Mr. K. looked at my card and said "Ken, what's with all these B's? You can do better than that!"

It was like a new thought to me. I'd been pretty satisfied with my B's. But he wasn't. He knew I was coasting and could have a much better GPA with just a little effort.

All through my eighth-grade year, Mr. Kerzel expected something better from me. And you know what? He got it.

CONNIE: Great story, Ken. It sure is true that people often perform up to the level we expect from them. That's a point Jesus understood--and applied-- during His time on earth, as Lonnie points out in today's message titled "Rock Jordan."

Rock Jordan

LONNIE: Have you ever seen a movie or television show starring Roy Scherer? How about this--if you were on the show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," and the million-dollar question asked you to identify one movie that Archibald Leach starred in, could you do it?

Well, let me let you in on a little secret. If you ever watch any old movies--the classics--you no doubt have seen both Roy Scherer and Archibald Leach in starring roles. Oh, you wouldn't have seen those names up at the front of the movie, or even in the trailer at the end.

Archibald Leach was the handsome leading man of many well-known movies, including An Affair to Remember--where he costarred with Deborah Kerr, and That Touch of Mink, where he romanced Doris Day. You might recognize his screen name better than his given name. Of course I'm referring to Cary Grant.
About the same time those movies were popular, Roy Scherer also starred with Doris Day in a movie or two: Pillow Talk was one, and Lover Come Back was another. "WAIT" I hear you saying. "Wasn't Rock Hudson the leading man in those movies?" And of course you're right. Rock Hudson was the name Roy Scherer took for himself--a name that would portray him as strong, solid, manly.

It comes as no surprise that movie stars and other public figures sometimes take new names.

But have you ever thought of taking a new name? Think about it. If you could give yourself a new name, what would you call yourself?
I don't think that fellow named Simon was planning on getting a new name that day down by the Jordan River, but he did--and it was given to him by no less a Person than Jesus Himself.

Now, here's another question for you: If Jesus--who knows all about you--was going to give you a new name, what name would He choose for you--to represent your character?

When Andrew invited his brother Simon to come and meet Jesus, Simon had no idea that he was about to get a new name. Simon is a perfectly good name--nothing wrong with it at all. It's a Greek form of the venerable Hebrew name "Simeon." The patriarch Jacob's second son was named "Simeon," based on the fact that God had heard the prayers of his mother. "Simeon" means "hearing." It's very similar to "Samuel," which means "God hears."
Simon and Andrew were fishermen from Galilee--an area where a lot of Greek-speaking people lived--and their names suggest that their parents may have been more closely affiliated with Greek culture than their own Hebrew heritage.

But Jesus didn't quibble with that. He didn't object to Greek names. He never changed Andrew's name.

Still, as soon as he laid eyes on Simon, He changed his name. Here's the story, found in John's Gospel, chapter 1, verse 42

Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

That name that Jesus gave to Simon was a brand-new name in more ways than one. There's no record that it had ever been used as a name for a man before the day Jesus bestowed it on Simon. In other words, Jesus made up a new name just for Simon.

Jesus named him Stone--or perhaps better yet, Rock. It happened down by the Jordan River, so maybe we could give him a catchy screen name something like--maybe--Rock Jordan.

What would make Jesus do a thing like that?

When He looked at Simon, did He see someone who was by nature rock solid and immovable?

I don't think so. You probably wouldn't have to think very hard to remember some stories about this interesting fellow. How about the time he was out in a boat on a stormy night and was scared to death. Then he saw Jesus walking on the water and decided to try it himself. After a few steps he took his eyes off Jesus, and started to sink--like a ROCK! Remember what Jesus called him after that incident?

Here's the end or the story as recorded in Matthew 14:31:

And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

Did Jesus see Simon as a man of rock-solid, unwavering faith? Not quite. Even after Peter walked on the water, Jesus called him a man of "little faith." He knew that this rock had some pretty serious cracks right at his core.
Three years later the prognosis for Rock, apart from God's grace, wasn't much better. Just before He went to the cross, Jesus looked at His dear friend Simon--the man he called Rock--and predicted that he would crumble under pressure. Here it is in Luke 22:31 and 34:

And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. . . .

Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."

So, why did Jesus rename Simon? Why did He give him a name like Cephas--or Peter--or Stone--or Rock. What's the significance of giving the name Rock to someone you expect to melt like butter in the heat of trial?
Ahhh…that's just it. Jesus understood Simon better than Simon understood himself.

Jesus was looking forward to the type of man Simon would become after he recognized his weakness and learned to lean on God. A moment ago, when I read the text from Luke about Satan sifting Simon, I left out a verse. In the next verse, Jesus promised to pray for Simon. That would be the source of his strength. Not his own rocklike character. Here it is, Luke 22:32. Jesus is speaking to Simon Peter, and He says:

"But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."

Notice how much Jesus understood about Simon, the man He called Rock. Jesus knew that His friend would crumble, or melt, under pressure. But Jesus continued to pray for him, strong in His faith that Peter--Rock--would return to Him. And then--only after he'd discovered his weakness and learned to depend on Jesus' prayers and Jesus' strength--then Peter would be the solid rock to strengthen his brothers.

Oh, friend, did you hear our program two weeks ago when we spoke about how Jesus responded to Nathanael? Nathanael was the man who prejudged Jesus simply by the town He came from--"Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" he asked. But Jesus saw the good in Nathanael--saw that he was honest and forthright, and Jesus commended him for that.

Now here's Simon. Andrew brings him to Jesus, and Jesus sees him for the weak man that he is. But does Jesus condemn him? NO! He names him Rock. He sees the strength that Simon will have as he learns to rely on God, and names him not for what he is, but for what he can become.

Jesus sees His children through the eyes of love. It's as if He puts up a big banner that says "I Love You" and lets us all stand under it. All He sees is the good His love can create in us.

Isn't that great? Isn't that terrific? Isn't that something wonderful to know about the Savior of the world?

What do you suppose Jesus knows about you?… Might not all be good, huh? But what do you suppose Jesus would name you, if He wanted to give you a new name?

Think about it. I'm sure He has a good name for you. Because He has raised His banner of love over you! He wants you at His banquet table in heaven. And you can be there, as you learn to entrust yourself to Him.