Scripture says:
3 [The Shepherd] calls His own sheep by name. JOHN 10 3 The man who loves God is known by God. 1 CORINTHIANS 8
Let us reciprocate God’s personal attention to us, even to our individual names, by knowing His own appointed name. Let us refrain from the lazy practice of calling on Him in vague terms such as God or Lord or King or Almighty One or Supremo. For false worshipers also go for the same generic terms when praying or referring to their gods.
“But in the Bible, the name of the Lord is Jesus!”—that’s a common objection to the appointed name. We say: nobody speaks English in the time of the Messiah. The Jews spoke and wrote to one another in their native language, which is Hebrew Aramaic. Nobody called Him Jesus then. He was born an Aramaic Jew and addressed by an Aramaic name. Nowhere can you find Jesus written in the old manuscripts of the New Testament.[1]
“But Jesus is the English translation of Y’shua!”—that’s another common objection. We say: it is not. The English translation of Y’shua is “God saves” or “Savior God” or “God and Savior” or “Lord and Savior.” We beg you to translate the name right. Stop patronizing Lucifer.
Someone asked, “I am, YHVH and Y’shua are the prescribed names of one and the same God at various times. Which of the three should we confess, worship, exalt and pray to now?”
Remember the Old Testament prophecies?
31 The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Isra’el and with the house of Judah. JEREMIAH 31
23 Before Me every knee will bow; by Me every tongue will swear. ISAIAH 45
9 The Lord will be King over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and His name the only name. ZECHARIAH 14
Well, the New Covenant has come. God has taken a new name for Himself. His Old Testament names YHVH and I am have been relegated (made second) to the new name. By God’s decree Y’shua is now the name above every name.
9 God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Y’shua every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Y’shua the Messiah is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. PHILIPPIANS 2
Do not be confused on what name to address the Father and what name to address the Son. In our study of Commandment No. 1 it has been established that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are essentially one and the same God. Having said that, let us examine the Great Commission:19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. MATTHEW 28
Take note: The Messiah did not say names (plural) but name (singular). The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit have assumed one name for themselves. Can you guess what it is? Acts 2:38 says, “Be baptized in the name of Y’shua.”
Y’shua is the Most Holy Name!
That the Messiah and YHVH are essentially one and the same God, and that they have assumed one name, can be deduced from a prayer of the Messiah:
9 I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given Me, for they are Yours. 10 All I have is Yours, and all You have is Mine. 11 Holy Father, protect them by the power of Your name—the name You gave Me… JOHN 17
We will not dissuade you if you insist in addressing your prayer to YHVH or to Ruach HaKodesh, which is the holy name of the Holy Spirit. Be reminded though to include the most holy name in the address. For Scripture says:
17 Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Y’shua, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. COLOSSIANS 3
23…that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent Him. JOHN 5
Getting baptized in the most holy name, praying to it and exalting it are signs that you have arrived. That you have gained the maturity to see through the Messianic camouflage. That the Spirit has put in you the conviction that Y’shua is God. That the divine truth whispered into your heart has thundered.
3 No one can say, “Y’shua is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 1 CORINTHIANS 12
14 It is a narrow gate and a difficult path that leads to life, and only a few find it. MATTHEW 7
Life-Changing Blessings the Name Brings
Blessing No. 1: Weapon to repel Lucifer and his demons
The most holy name is an extremely powerful weapon in spiritual warfare. It shoos away the demonic spirits and neutralizes wicked works. Tremendous terror seizes them when it is vocalized.
There are occasions when the scribe does exorcism with pastors. It must be said that when the pastors’ “In Jesus’ name!” fails to cast out the demons, the scribe’s “In the name of our Lord Messiah Y’shua!” works.
The scribe’s experience jibes with the finding of the 72 disciples:
17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name.” LUKE 10
The demons have replaced the name, encouraging everyone to adopt Jesus Christ. For he who adopts it gets to worship the wrong God. And the wrong name causes no fear, discomfort or pain to the demons.
If Jesus is not God’s name, how come the evil spirits flee when the name is invoked against them?
Bishop Levi Bar Thoma, head of the Ancient Apostolic Church of the East in the Philippines, gave this explanation: “The demons are great deceptors. They pretend to flee in order to promote the wrong name.”
The Spirit has impressed on the scribe one more reason: God is the King of mercy! He is waiting for us to learn the appointed name and call on it, but until we do, He is granting petitions addressed to the wrong name (Jesus) just so we could be helped. Hallelu-yah for God’s mercy!
There was a biblical precedent. It had become Jewish custom not to pronounce the name I am or the name YHVH. YHVH had been replaced with Adonai. Y’shua reverted to I am and YHVH, pronounced the names publicly, and prompted His disciples to do the same—at the risk of being stoned to death.[2]
6 Father, I have revealed [uncovered] Your name to those whom You gave Me out of the world. 26 I have made Your name 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. JOHN 17
12 He says, I will declare Your name to My brothers, in the presence of the congregation I will sing Your praise. HEBREWS 2
The point is, God was not pleased with being addressed in an unauthorized name. He granted the petitions anyway just so the petitioners could be helped. God has been merciful to the ignorant.
Take note: We said ignorant, not ignoring. Ignorant is the person who does not know the truth. Ignoring is the person who knows but sets it aside in favor of the false. You are not ignorant anymore because now you know Matthew 1:21. If you continue in calling on Jesus, moreso in teaching others that it’s okay to call on Jesus, then you are ignoring. You are no different to the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who were stubborn and sinful: stubborn because they were forcing their human will to prevail over God’s will, and sinful because they were deliberately ignoring and disobeying God’s instruction.
21 I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. MATTHEW 5
Blessing No. 2: Personal Salvation
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. ACTS 4
The demons have replaced the name so that no one may be saved, moreso restored. Do not be deceived though. There is no other name by which we could be saved.
9 If you confess with your mouth Y’shua is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved… 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. ROMANS 10
12 To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. JOHN 1
If you put your faith in the name, be ready to experience rejection, alienation, persecution and hostility for your faith will be tested. Y’shua forewarned: “They will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of My name” (Luke 21:12). Stand firm in your faith and God will say to you: “I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept My Word and have not denied My name” (Revelation 3:8). Your personal salvation will await you.
Blessing No. 3: Key to Quick Answered Prayer
13 I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it. JOHN 14
If you find yourself in need of anything, ask for it in Y’shua’s name. God will deliver the needy who cry out to Him (Psalm 72:12). There is nothing He cannot give. His wealth has no limit; He owns everything (Job 41:11, Psalm 24:1, Leviticus 225:23, Psalm 50:10, Haggai 2:8). He can create anything out of nothing.
What is it that you need? Tell God about it. Your needs can be categorized into six:
1. Physical need: Health, vitality and strength;
2. Material need: Food, water, clothing, shelter, heat and air;
3. Mental need: Knowledge, understanding and wisdom;
4. Emotional need: Love, companionship and laughter;
5. Financial need: Regular source of income or financial security; and
6. Spiritual need: Soul-growth, salvation, restoration, inner joy and serenity.
The word ask in Matthew 7:7 is aiteo. The better translation for it is demand. Demand to be given your needs in Y’shua’s name. You don’t have to steal, beg or borrow from your neighbor. You don’t have to weigh down your heart with worry or self-pity, or envy.
2 You want something, but you don’t get it… You do not have, because you do not ask God. JAMES 4
24 Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. JOHN 16
The Philippines has a very high incidence of poverty and misery, even among its Born Again pastors. Billions of people in the world today suffer from poverty and misery, yet nobody has to. God has promised to give abundance to those who ask for it (Matthew 25:28).
21 It is very easy for the Lord to make a poor person suddenly rich. SIRACH 11
Spread the Good News
Aren’t you blessed today? Oh, yes, you are! Many do not know the most holy name, but you do now. Many do not know the three blessings that come with calling on the name, but you do now. Use your gain to your advantage. Put down this book for a moment and pray in the name of Y’shua. Go ahead, pray for freedom from satanic bondage, for freedom from poverty and misery, for freedom from the Second Death.
One more thing: Do not keep your gain to yourself, please. Share it and bless your neighbors with it, especially your loved ones. Spread the Good News!
32 Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns Me before men, I will disown him before My Father in heaven. MATTHEW 10
8 I tell you, whoever acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns Me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. LUKE 12
Take cue: We have taken the liberty of replacing all scriptural references to “Jesus” and “Christ” in this book with Y’shua and Messiah respectively.
[1] Eusebius quotes Papias to the effect that Matthew wrote his gospel in Hebrew, that is, Aramaic.—George Lamsa, Gospel Light (USA: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1964), p. 3.
[2] See John 8:59. “The names I am and YHVH were given to be used by men, not to be hidden. Commandment No. 3 prohibits us from misusing God’s name, but not from using it with reverence.”—Mar Levi Bar Thoma, Come Out of Her, My People: Recovering the Filipinos’ Lost Identity (Manila: Apostolic & Catholic Church of the East Shalom Society Foundation Inc., 2005).
No comments:
Post a Comment