By 1838, the church was in need of a fresh start. "During the final months of 1837, apostasy began to affect the Church in Kirtland. Many Latter-day Saints were disillusioned by heavy financial losses...and began to reject the Prophet's temporal and spiritual leadership. Among the dissenters were several members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Seventies, as well as the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon...as a result of this widespread apostasy and threats of violence, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon received divine instructions to abandon their labors in Kirtland and flee to Far West, Missouri "(Revelations in Context)
Once they arrived in Far West, Joseph Smith received D&C 115. In this revelation, the Lord tells Joseph Smith what the official name of the church will be. The church had been officially organized for eight years now, but up until this point there had been several different names used to identify members of the church. I like the symbolism here that when the church was eight years old it was given a new name; a fresh start; a rebirth; a new beginning. When we are eight years old we are given the opportunity to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ through our baptismal covenant. It becomes a fresh start, a rebirth, and new beginning for us.
Not only is having a new name important, but perhaps more important is what we do with that name. In D&C 117:11, the Lord reminds Newel K. Whitney to "be a bishop...not in name (only) but in deed." This serves as a good reminder for us as well; that as we take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, our deeds need to be a reflection of His name and serve as a profile of one who is a disciple of Jesus Christ. It's a good reminder that as we take upon ourselves His name then it's important that we try our best to reflect his teachings and attributes in order to give honor to His name.
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