"Z" is for Zion

 Unless one of my readers knows of a “Z” name for God, I have been unable to find one.  The word Zion however, has a very Biblical meaning.  In Psalm 87 it states the Lord loves the gates of Zion, and calls it the City of God’.

The word Zion occurs over 150 times in the Bible and is referred to both as the ‘city of God’ and the ‘city of David’.

The name Zion originally referred to an ancient Jebusite fortress, and after David captured this stronghold, it was called the ‘City of David’.  In II Samuel 5:7 it says “Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion; the same is the city of David.”

In the New Testament the name Zion is given a spiritual meaning as God’s spiritual kingdom, the heavenly Jerusalem.  In Hebrews 12:22 it says “But ye are come unto Mount Zion and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem…”.  When the term “Mount Zion” is used, it usually is referring to the heavenly Zion as in Rev. 14:1 “And I looked and lo, a Lamb (Jesus) stood on Mount Zion…”.

So it is, as the Bible progresses, the word Zion transitions from referring primarily to the physical city of Jerusalem, to the more spiritual context of our future home, the heavenly Jerusalem.

I can think of no better way to end our trip through the alphabet, praising our Adonai, our Immanuel, our Rock, bowing before our Yahweh, than to look forward to the day when we shall march through the gates of Zion; that beautiful city of God.

“We’re marching to Zion,

Beautiful, beautiful Zion,

We’re marching upward to Zion,

The beautiful city of God.”

-----By Robert Lowry

"Y" is for Yahweh

 From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia on the Internet, the word ‘Yahweh’ is transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH.  This form of four letters is known as the Tetragrammation.  The most likely meaning of the name may be “He brings Into Existence Whatever Exists”.   Yay!  They got it right!  Our God does bring into existence whatever exists.  All things are made by Him!

The Bible (which I believe to be the true and inspired Word of God) describes ‘Yahweh’ as the One True God.  God said “I am Yahweh your God who brought you out of Egypt, where you lived as slaves.  You shall have no other gods to rival me.”  Yahweh demanded the roll of the one true God in the hearts and the minds of Israel.  “Hear Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one: and you shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your might.”  As Christians, we believe Jesus is the human incarnation of Yahweh.

Yahweh (Yah-ve) is sometimes referred to as Jehovah, with the primary meaning of “self-existent one”. The ‘tetragrammation’ of YHWH, was considered too sacred to be spoken aloud, so other names were used for names that would be uttered.    To add vowel points to YHWH, it makes it sound like ‘Yehova’, and thus the later word of Jehovah, meaning “My Lord.”

To the name Jehovah, we see various names added to reveal His character.  For example, when God provided the ram in the thicket for Abraham, he came to know God as Jehovah-Jireh, (He will Provide).  When God revealed himself to David as the Shepherd, David called Him Jehovah-Rohi, the Lord our shepherd.  We discussed ‘Nissi’ as our ‘N’ word a few weeks ago, giving the name Jehovah-Nissi; the Lord is my banner.  This shows that Jehovah is the Lord, and the added name helps us understand ‘Who He is’.

We need to spend time praising God simply for who He is by using His various names:
He is Jehovah-elyon—“The Lord most High”
He is Jehovah-shalom—The Lord our peace”
He is my Yahweh, my Jehovah, The King of Glory!  (Psalm 24:7)

'X' is for Xristo

The X we often see used as Xmas, is actually the Greek symbol for ‘Chi’, ‘Christo,
or ‘Xristo’. In early times it was actually used for Christ Himself.

The exact origin of X for Christ is difficult to pinpoint.  Some have said it began in the first century AD, when symbols were readily used.  Some Bible scholars feel it was later, around the 13th century along with Christian abbreviations and symbols used in the middle ages.  It is also believed that early Christians put an X symbol above their doors to identify themselves to other believers and yet keeping their faith secret.

When the Gutenberg printing press was invented in 1436, each letter was individually set by placing a block in a strip.  Typesetting was tedious and expensive, so in order to save time and money one short cut was using an X for Christ when printing the bible.

This letter used in place of Christ had a long Christian history until more recent years when the history of it has faded or not been passed on; therefore it has now become misunderstood.  Many Christians feel by using X as in Xmas, they are leaving Christ out, but it is actually the same word, by using Greek symbols.

Other uses for the ‘X’ for ‘Chris’ are Xtina, for the name ‘Christina’; Xtal for ‘crystal’.
Florists use it as in ‘Xant’ for ‘Chrysanthemum’.

So next time you see the word Xmas, instead of being upset, share a bit of Christian history and your knowledge of Greek letters and symbols.

My Prayer: Lord, as a child of God, with power and wisdom from You, help me not to be so quick to find fault with expressions and words I do not understand.  Help me rather, to show discernment and study to show myself approved unto God, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.  Amen

"W" is for Word

 At the beginning of John’s Gospel, John refers to Jesus as the ‘Logos’ (LO-gos), the Word.  He is using the Greek term of logos for the One that created the universe by speaking it into existence (by the ‘breath of His mouth’.  Psalm 33:6)

The Scofield Bible’s notes on the Greek word of “logos” is that it means a thought or concept, and the expression of utterance of a thought.  As a designation of Christ, Logos shows that in Him are embodied all the treasures of the divine wisdom, the collective thought of God, and that He is from eternity.   As “the Word” or ‘logos’ everything about Jesus speaks to us of God—his teaching, miracles, suffering, death and resurrection.  It is Jesus voice as “The Word” that calls us.

John goes on to say in verse 14 that the Word was made flesh and made his dwelling among us”.  In the Greek, “made his dwelling” is linked to the word for ‘tent’ or ‘tabernacle’.  Jesus, as the Word made flesh, became a man, or like his brothers, to dwell (tabernacle) among us and through Him we could perceive God’s glory.  He is the Word calling out to us, healing our spiritual deafness and bringing us back to God.

We are to respond to Jesus, The Word, with both faith and faithfulness, reproducing Christ’s life so that Word may become one with us.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.  

In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”

…. John 1:1-4

My prayer: Lord Jesus, you are the Only Word, made flesh, and speaking your love to us in this dark world.  Give me ears to hear your word, and a heart to do your will.  Make me eager and able to proclaim your word in season and out, confident in your life-giving power and in your enduring love.  Amen  

"V" is for Vine

In John 15:1, Jesus says of Himself, “I am the Vine”.  The vine of the grape is the trunk that brings the life giving sap up from the roots into the branches.  The sap must be allowed to flow freely into the branch in order to produce fruit.  The vine gives its life to the branch by the branch staying attached to the vine.

A good crop of grapes does not just happen.  A good vineyard has a dedicated “vinedresser” whom in the case of a child of God, is God the Father.  Each branch is important to the vinedresser, to bring forth the finest crop possible.

If a branch is left to itself it straggles over rocks and handy tree trunks.  Or it may fall to the ground and creep along in the dirt and mud.  The vinedresser will come along, clean off the branch, prune it where needed, and tie it close to the vine.  Soon the branch is thriving again.  The branch must remain totally dependent on the vine, close to it, pruned here, pruned there, in order to bring forth much fruit.

Jesus said He is the true Vine and His followers are the branches.  We are created for a living relationship with the Vine (Jesus), and the Vine (Jesus), gives His life to the branch.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes that it may bear more fruit.  I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit…By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit.”

John 15:1-2, 5,8

"U" is for 'Unspeakable Gift'

 The word ‘unspeakable’ does not mean to not talk about something, but that that something is so wonderful, there are no words to explain it.  God’s special gift to us is ‘unspeakable’; it is indescribable,  it is amazing; it is beyond our comprehension.  This gift is Jesus, all wrapped up in love.

Of Himself, Jesus said, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.” (John 4:10)

Because of God’s wonderful gift, we can have other gifts such as a ‘gift of a relationship with God’.  John 1:12 states that all who receive Him, those who believe in His name, He gives the right to be called the sons and daughters of God.

He also gives the ‘gift of His Grace’.  Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by Grace you have been saved…” We have received the ‘gift of Eternal Life’, as according to Romans 6:23 “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

One reason I think of God’s gift as being unspeakable, and perhaps part of Paul’s thinking in II Corinthians 9:15, is that it is greater than we can grasp with our finite minds.  Jesus was God, 2nd person in the Trinity, totally God.  Yet in order to become the propitiation for man’s sin, He had to take on a human body.  In doing so He had to become a human being.  Now we have something beyond our imagination, something incredible, beyond words, unspeakable.  He was still God, just as though He had never been man; yet He was man as though He had never been God.

And He did this as a gift to each of us.  “For God so loved the world that He gave (this Unspeakable Gift) His only begotten son, that whosoever believes on Him will have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

So accept Jesus, our ‘Unspeakable and Indescribable Gift’.  He paid the price so that all you have to do is take the gift He offers.  This Gift is Jesus!!  

"T" is for Teacher

 In New Testament times, the role of the teacher was well defined.  Jesus role was that of what was called in the Greek, “didaskalos”, meaning ‘teacher’ or master, and it fell within the parameters of the Rabbi.

In Matthew 5:1 and Luke 5:3 it mentions that Jesus ‘sat’ while He taught.  This was the way the contemporary teachers of that day did their teaching and He often appeared at the synagogues where He would do His teaching.

The disciples are compared to students, and they often referred to Jesus as ‘Master’ or ‘Teacher’.  When Jesus appeared to Mary in the garden after His resurrection, she called Him “Rabboni”, which is a form of ‘Rabbi’ meaning ‘teacher.

Jesus as a teacher, was to bring man closer to the kingdom of God.  He was the ‘ultimate’ of teachers, since He was personally One with God.  In His words: “I and my Father are one.” (John 10:13)

Jesus is our “Rabboni”, our “Master”, and our “Teacher”.  Yet He is a humble teacher.  In John 13:13 he washed the disciples feet and said “You call Me the Teacher (Master) and the Lord, and you are right in doing so…(vs.14) If I then have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet…” He taught by example.
                                                 He was the ‘ultimate’ Teacher.

Even after Jesus had returned to Heaven, His instruction was the basis of the teaching in the epistles and the rest of the New Testament.  The role of teaching, even today, is a gift given by the Holy Spirit and this teaching and preaching is all based on the instruction of Jesus and the witness of His resurrection.
                                                  He was the ‘ultimate’ teacher.

Jesus, the Teacher, gave this command to His disciples is Matthew 28: 19,20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.  Amen.”

                                              He is our awesome, ‘ultimate’ teacher.