Scripture: John 17:20-26

Scripture: John 17:20-26 20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Names of God

God is referred to by a number of names in the Bible—not just a single name. By some counts there are more than 20 different names for God mentioned in the Bible. And each of these names has great significance. Each one tells us something important about God—His character and how He relates to us. So let’s look at some of the more frequent and significant names for God in the Bible.

Names of God List

• Abba
• Adonai
• El Elyon
• El Olam
• El Roi
• El Shaddai
• Elohim
• Yahweh

Abba: The God who is our daddy

Abba is the name Jesus Himself used for His Father when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:36) In Aramaic, it is the familiar name small children use for their father—Daddy. Jesus prayed, “Daddy, all things are possible for You.” Abba expresses all the love and affection of a small child for his dad.

And it’s not only Jesus who can call God the Father, “Daddy.” The Bible says that God has adopted you as His child and that now you may call him, “ ‘Abba,’ Father” (Romans 8:15). The great God of the universe invites you and me to call Him, Daddy! You can come to Him as a little child comes to his dad. In His arms you are secure.

Adonai: The God who is in charge

Adonai is a short royal title. It denotes majesty, respect, and authority. In the English Bible, it is usually translated as Lord and is often combined with Yahweh to refer to God as Lord God. Adonai points to God as the One who is in charge—the Boss.

Who or what is in charge of your life? How often do we say with our lips that God is our Lord, yet with our actions acknowledge that someone or something else is truly in control? Adonai must be our Lord and Master. We must allow Him to be our ultimate authority. We must let Him be in charge of our life. He will never take advantage of being the Boss. He insists on being in charge, but He always has our best interest in mind.

El Elyon: The Most High God

This name for God comes from a Hebrew word meaning “to ascend,” “to go up.” It describes that which is highest or uppermost. It focuses on God’s exalted position and is often translated “the Most High” or “God Most High.” This exalted position of El Elyon was the one to which Lucifer aspired in heaven, when in his pride he declared, “I will be like the Most High (Isaiah 14:14).

In her book, I Want to Know You, Kay Arthur wrote: “If God is not sovereign, . . . if all things are not under His dominion, then He is not the Most High, and you and I are either in the hands of fate (whatever that is), in the hands of man, or in the hands of the devil” (p. 15).

 El Olam: The Everlasting God

The Hebrew word, Olam, comes from a root meaning “eternity.” Thus El Olam means the God who is Eternal or the Everlasting God. David wrote, “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Psalm 90:2). There has never been a time when God did not exist. He has no beginning and no end.

Our human minds cannot fathom the concept of eternity, but we can accept it by faith. And we can experience eternity if we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. The Bible assures us, “God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). If we are in Christ, we will experience eternity as we live with Him forever.

The term Olam also carries with it the idea of unchanging. Everything we know on this earth changes in some way over time. But God never changes. His character, His Word, His promises, His purposes never change and never fail. For us, this means that El Olam, the Everlasting God, is constant, dependable and reliable. We can put our complete confidence in Him.

El Roi: The God who sees

This name of God occurs only once in the Bible. When Hagar fled into the desert from the harsh treatment by her mistress, God appeared to her by a spring of water and told her to return. He promised to bless her. Hagar “called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, [El Roi] You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees” (Genesis 16:13). The all-seeing God had noticed her distress and came to her to comfort and guide her life.

El Roi is all-seeing. The idea that God sees everything we do could be disturbing. But El Roi is not watching to catch us in some sin. El Roi is watching over us to care for us like a mother watches over her child. He numbers the very hairs of our head. He knows everything about us. We are never out of His all-seeing protection.

El Shaddai: The Almighty God

When Abraham was 99 years old, God appeared to him and said, “I am Almighty God [El Shaddai]...I will make My covenant between Me and you” (Genesis 17:1, 2). El Shaddai is the name God uses for Himself when He enters into a covenant relationship with Abraham and begins to work through him and his descendants as a special people.

El Shaddai is all powerful. Nothing is impossible for Him. Abraham and Sarah were past the age for childbearing, but El Shaddai promised them a son. And He fulfilled that promise. He is God Almighty. Whatever our need, El Shaddai is able to supply it. He is all-sufficient. Depending on which estimate you accept, there are between 5,000 and 7,000 promises in the Bible. No matter how many there actually are, our Almighty God, El Shaddai, is able to keep every one of them.

Elohim: The Creator God

Elohim is the name by which God is introduced in the very first verse of the Bible. “In the beginning, God [Elohim] created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). He is the Creator God who by His awesome power speaks the world into being.

Elohim is stronger and more powerful than anyone or anything. He is the God powerful enough to create the world from nothing. But He is also the God who is strong enough to handle anything you or I may face. When you are dealing with impossible circumstances, know that Elohim is able to help you overcome any difficulty in life.

 Yahweh: The God who is always there

Yahweh is the most commonly used name for God in the Old Testament. It occurs more than 6,500 times. It is the same name as Jehovah. Jehovah is actually a sort of “made up” word with an interesting story.

Ancient Hebrew was written using only consonants—no vowels. (It was as if we spelled the name Hazel as HZL.) So Yahweh was written YHWH. Around the first century AD it became common for Jews to avoid speaking God’s name, Yahweh, for fear of doing so too casually and thus breaking the second commandment, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,” (Exodus 20:7). So when they read Scripture aloud, they substituted another of God’s names, Adonai for Yahweh.

Eventually, as written, Hebrew began using vowels as well as consonants, some scribes who copied the Old Testament scriptures placed the vowels for Adonai in the consonants for YHWH to alert the reader to say Adonai instead of Yahweh. Thus the name YHWH now appeared written as Yahowah. In the 13th century Christian scholars reading the Hebrew Old Testament—and not knowing this complicated background—Latinized Yohowah into Jehovah—a word that is made up of the consonants of Yahweh and the vowels of Adonai.

The name Yahweh comes from a Hebrew word meaning “to be” or “to exist.” Thus it signifies God as “the Self-existing One. That is why in Exodus 3 when Moses asked God, “Who shall I tell Pharaoh has sent me?” God replied, “I AM. Tell Pharaoh I AM has sent you.”

God has always existed; He is before all things. He is the source of all things. Yahweh emphasizes that aspect of God’s being. Because He is self-existent, Yahweh is the source of life for everything and everyone else. He is always there. He is always present and accessible when we call on Him for deliverance, forgiveness, and guidance. That’s the significance of Yahweh as God’s primary name. He is the God who is always there.

What’s In a Name?

Shakespeare wrote, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Perhaps, but that doesn’t mean a name isn’t important.

When you sign your name on a check or a document, that signature legally stands for you—the person behind the name. And that signature is only as good as the character of the person who writes it. That’s why businessmen and women are jealous of their “good name.” They know that their name and their character are inextricably bound up together.

It’s the same with God. His names tell us who He is, what His character is like, what we can expect from Him.

The Bible is the story of God and the salvation He offers. It’s all wrapped up in His many names—His names are the very nature of God. The apostle John closes his gospel with these words: “These [things] are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31).

Making Disciples

Making Disciples

By Dr. Charles Stanley

Matthew 28:18-20

 

Scripture teaches us to tell others about Jesus Christ. And while sharing the gospel is awesome, it is simply not enough. We should continue to encourage and invest in new believers. Many don't know where to begin reading in the Bible or how to spend time with their heavenly Father.

 

Of course, God takes each person's spiritual journey seriously, and He won't leave a seeking heart unsatisfied. At the same time, we have a responsibility to invest in the lives of spiritual brothers and sisters by sharing our understanding and experience.

 

This type of teaching is called discipleship, and it is both an honor and a great responsibility. As you commence this type of relationship, consider the following points.

 

First, make sure to continually spend time with the Lord so that you are growing and in tune with His Spirit. Second, be prepared with a plan. Your friend needs to understand the basics, such as how to read the Bible, what prayer is, and where to find fellowship. New believers will have questions--answers are important, as is your ability to find resources when you are unsure of how to reply. Third, help the individual understand generally what to expect as he embarks on his Christian walk. 

 

Most of us learned, struggled, and learned some more till we began to understand the basics of life in Christ. Godly mentors can be a tremendous help. And remember, no matter how long we've believed, we never stop needing advice and encouragement from those farther along in the journey.

The Joy of Being Heard

The Joy of Being Heard
By Karrilee Aggett

When God first directed my attention to this verse, I was a fairly new believer. I was new to the Bible and learning how to study it.  I was new to prayer and the discipline of praying. I was new to being a wife and the learning curve of being a new mother was overwhelming! In other words, I was tired, y’all!

Suddenly, for too many consecutive nights, my eyes popped open wide at exactly 3:33 a.m.  The family was soundly sleeping. The house calm and quiet. What I wanted more than anything was to stay in bed, turn over, and go back to dreaming.

However, I don’t believe in coincidence and waking at the same time for days and days in a row certainly must mean something. As silly as it sounded, my heart knew it was true.

I made my way out to the living room, grabbed my Bible and sat down, ready to pray. Surely, this was a God-moment and maybe –just maybe, He had something to say to me!

Groggily, I whisper-prayed, “Here I am, Lord! I am listening…”

I waited in the silence and tried not to fall asleep. When I didn’t hear a response, I began my explanation of how there must be a better time to want to talk!  That is when He led me to open my Bible and look up Jeremiah 33:3. When I read over verse three, all of my tired emotions welled up and began to spill out.

Oh, what a promise! “Call to Me, and I will answer you…”

That promise still takes my breath away! It was the beginning of falling in love with prayer.  As a new mother way back then, the promise that He would not only hear me, but answer me was like a drink of cold water for my parched and thirsty soul! 

I love how The Message states the latter part of that verse:

“I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.”

Marvelous and wondrous things… Yes, please!

Maybe you, too, are parched and thirsty and needing a bit of reassurance this God to whom we pray hears and listens and better yet, He answers!

Call to Him… and He will answer you…

This is the beginning of learning the JOY of being heard!

Stop the Sun

Stop the Sun
by John UpChurch

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger (Ephesians 4:26).

When I got married, the friend my wife and I roped into making the wedding video for us added a few surprises to the tape before he gave it to us. During our rehearsal dinner (which didn’t actually follow a rehearsal), he’d grabbed guests, whisked them outside, poked the camera in their faces, and asked them for their best tips on keeping a marriage strong.

The advice is decidedly mixed. It ranges from the serious (“Make time for your relationship”) to the Scriptural (“Love is kind”) to the funny (“Just let her win, John”) to the ludicrous (“Beat him when you need to”). It’s the stuff you’d expect from those who are on the spot with only moments to think up something that would be forever stamped on our video.

But one piece of advice has always stuck out to me, and even as I write this, I see it and wince. One of our friends told us that we should just “forget about that whole sun-not-going-down-on-your-anger thing. You will go to bed mad.”

It’s just really bad advice.

Now, admittedly, when Paul wrote Ephesians 4:26, he wasn’t talking to married couples directly. He meant it for the believers at Ephesus in general. But he slips that passage in among his admonitions about how our lives should be different now that we follow Christ. He says those who don’t know Christ live one way, but when they start to follow Him, their lives show it. Before, we let our anger seethe, but now, we fix the problem. Before, we didn’t seek forgiveness and restitution, but now we do.

In marriage, the status quo is always safer. We get into routines, and we like how comfortable the ordinary feels. When something disrupts the normal flow, guys especially want to just move it out of the way and get back to flowing again. Meanwhile, our wives are still upset, and nothing has been dealt with.

You see, there’s another part to that going-to-bed-angry thing that our well-wisher left out. When we do that, the Bible says we give the devil a foothold, a place to cling on. The anger burns deeper and deeper. One angry night becomes dozens. That’s the place where relationships stop growing—and even die.

But there’s no need for any angry sleeping, not when we’ve got something as crazy-good as the gospel. As Paul says, the good news is that we’ve chucked off our old selves and gotten brand-spanking-new selves. This new-self sets us apart in the world as children of light. In other words, when we don’t do what people expect, we suddenly blaze into the darkness. When we don’t let the sun go down on our anger, but forgive as we’re forgiven, it’s like setting off a flare. You’re saying, “Look. This is God’s love made manifest through us. Dig it.”

Intersecting Faith and Life: Paul doesn't leave us a way out. Boiling anger has no room in our relationships, and it’s this readiness to forgive and willingness to work out our problems that make us light up the world. No matter what conventional wisdom may be, don’t let the sun go down before you work to put things right.

Remember; this does not apply to just marriages. It applies to all anger!!!

A Prayer for Gratitude and Promises

A Prayer for Gratitude and Promises
By Mary Southerland

I will give thanks to Your name for Your unfailing love and faithfulness, because Your promises are backed by all the honor of Your name (Psalm 138:2).

I know life can be hard. Some of you are in so much pain that it is almost a grueling task to just breathe. But God knows where you are and what you are going through – and you really can trust Him. The apostle Paul had a firm grip on this truth when he wrote:

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:11-12).

Paul understood and lived by the truth that God is constantly at work in and around us, monitoring every step we take. Paul examined every circumstance, understanding that it had already passed through His Father’s hands - with His permission. God came through for Paul, and He will come through for you. To find real security and contentment, we must learn to search for the handprints of God in the every day circumstances of life.

Paul had every human right to be angry with God. After all, Paul had been faithful. He had given up much and endured great pain. And yet the undercurrent theme of this passage is gratitude. Notice that it is an attitude chosen by Paul. It is a learned perspective. In this verse, “learned” implies that Paul was educated by experience. In other words, Paul was saying that all of his experiences in life, good and bad, had become his tutor in contentment.

The word content can best be defined as contained. Don’t miss this truth. Paul had trained himself to focus on his inner resources, the resources his heart contained, rather than the outward circumstances of his life. He chose to be grateful. He chose to praise God – period. We hear his determination in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 when he says, “No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus”.

Gratitude not only brings contentment, it yields perseverance and produces strength. God entrusts trials to us, giving us the opportunity to choose gratitude. It is easy to practice gratitude when the seas are calm and the skies are clear, but the real test of gratitude is in the midst of the greatest storm of our lives.

When our hearts are filled with gratitude, we will find contentment. Choose to practice gratitude. Gratitude is wrapped around trust and contains the element of acceptance. Gratitude understands that God is sovereign and that His ways are not our ways. There will be times when we find it impossible to understand His process, but we can always trust His heart. Remember, you can count on every promise of God.

Father, I come to You, confessing that I tend to have a heart that is filled with whining and complaining instead of gratitude. Please forgive me. Help me learn to see Your hand at work in my life. I want to trust You even when I don’t understand my circumstances. Right now, I choose to praise You, Lord.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.