Ugandans are often heard saying "Things are not for playing.” True, and those things include your name and Pastor Moses’ simple sermons. On Sunday I preached a very deep message entitled The Name of Jesus. It was really basic, yet nothing is deeper than that most excellent name - the Name of Jesus.
Salvation from sin, sickness, poverty and all works of the evil one is to be found in the Name of Jesus (Acts 4:12). In that wonderful Name of Jesus, prayers are answered (John 16:23, 24). Those who believe in that Name cast out demons, they speak with new tongues, they take up serpents, if they drink anything deadly they do not get hurt, and they lay hands on the sick and the sick recover (Mark 16:17, 18). Even barren wombs become fruitful in that Name of Jesus - the Name above all names.
That was the word of the Lord for us on Sunday, but it was not the only message. God also admonished us to take our personal names very seriously, including the names of our children; because if your name has a good meaning, God would have you live up to it. Now, if your name does not mean anything good, you can change it for a good one as the Lord leads you. Alternatively, you can simply sanctify it by prayer so that the evil prophetic significance it carries does not come to pass in your life. That is what Jabez did, as written in 1 Chronicles 4:9, 10:
Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.
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Not long after the service had ended, a dear and wonderful lady, who we shall call Rachel, came up to me and narrated a dream she had had that morning before coming to church. Here is her dream:
In the early morning of Sunday the 26th of March 2017, in a dream, I saw my mother-in-law’s sister looking sick and frail, like she was going to die. She said she had one more assignment which was to tell me the name I had to give my unborn child. Having failed to reach me on the phone, she walked all the way from her home, frail as she was, to see me. She told me it was important to give my child a purposeful name. She said I should name my child Bagazaiza. Still in the dream, I got a call from my mom saying I needed to call my mother-in-law’s sister because she had something very urgent to tell me. Then I awoke.
As you would expect, Rachel was very surprised when she came to church and the sermon was about names. Do you now realize how Pastor Moses is a spiritually thorough chap?! That he was to preach about names is clearly evidenced by Rachel’s dream. It was not by chance that the day Pastor was to speak on that subject was the same day a rare LAT visitor dreamt about it and attended. Surely then, you should meditate upon what God was saying to us on Sunday and take your name and those of your children very seriously.
Then on Monday morning, I embarked on a fact finding mission, to discover the meaning of the word bagazaiza - the name Rachel is to give her child. Since it sounded Rwandan and Rachel’s husband is from Kisoro, I explored that region. The only response I got was, "There is no word like that." Then knowing that he also has some Toro blood, I combed that region too. A notable elder from Toro, Eng. Dr. Vincent Kasangaki, responded to my request with, "I have never heard that word."
But thanks be to God for our own Jacky Uwera, for it is her who realized that the word bagazaiza is a combination of two smaller words in Kinyarwanda, bagaza (they expand) and iza (beautiful). Our wise Creator had ingeniously created a wonderful word and name never before heard, just for Rachel's child. This should really "wow" all of us. So the name of the coming child is "they expand beautifully" or "expanded beauty." I would rather go with the latter.
All this goes to show that you must take names seriously, but even more so the Name of Jesus. As for her who dreamt, the God who has in advance picked a name for her child, will surely open her womb and the child will be of expanded beauty. God prompted her to visit LAT to confirm to her that the dream was from Him, He has her in mind, and her child will be extraordinary.
May the prophetic destiny embedded in your name come to pass. And may you become the manifestation of Bagaza-Iza, in the Name of Jesus. Amen.