Ya see, I have been associated with all sorts of “Christian” churches and groups my whole life. I put quotes around Christian. Yes I did. Not all who use the name are in the game, more's the pity.
My first contact with Messianic Jews was back in the '70s. I loved their joy. When one of the young women that came to recognize Jesus told her family, Mama cried “You are no longer a Jew!” That sweet girl hugged her and told her “No, Mama, I am a completed Jew.” When she was baptized, her mother threw a huge celebration meal at their home for our entire church! Don't gasp. It was a small church!
I don't just know people who are Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and so forth; I am knowledgeable of their specific credos, traditions, and doctrines. We all used the name Jesus. And God. And the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost.
Now I have been informed that I'm doing this all wrong.
“We use the PROPER name of Jesus, which is Yeshua.”. “WE use the true name of God, Jehovah.!” “We use the PROPER name of Jehovah, which is Yaweh!”
I didn't know which wrong I was! So, I asked Him. “Does it bother You when I call You Jesus? Should I be using another language to address You with? And what about all the OTHER words I'm getting wrong when I talk to You!?!? Do I need to look up and learn a bunch of Hebrew words so I get my prayers right? That's gonna put a real damper on our conversations, like being in Paris with one of those little French-to-English dictionaries that are always wrong so you end up in a football game when you wanted a bank! Am I insulting You?!”
He said “No”.
I think I heard a sigh, too.
Why do we come up with the stupidest things to separate the Kingdom of the Most High God of Heaven? Why do we spit and scratch over what language we're using to address the Love of our lives? There are actually those who will say if you're not using the right names, He's not listening. That is a lie straight out of the pit.
Here's a question for you. Who made up all the different languages that we are using against each other? I took Latin in high school. It's a good base for understanding any of the Romance languages, scientific names, and solving crossword puzzles (true story!). I learned where languages came from, blah, blah, blah, which I forgot because I already knew.
There was one language on the earth. It was given to Adam and Eve, and they taught their children the same language. They all called God by His name. Because they KNEW WHO HE WAS. Then we became the complete idiots we can be, and He ended up flooding the earth and presenting us with a second chance. Out of that one family (again!) came such a great pride, they decided to build a city and basically barricade themselves so they wouldn't scatter away from each other. Then, geniuses, they decided to build a tower into heaven, once again trying to become what they were never called to be; their own gods.
So, “Us”, says let's just give them different languages (read Genesis 11:7 if that's confusing). That'll slow 'em down. And it did.
So, if the Creator of all that exists; all that ever was, is, and will be; created different languages, no matter why He did it; don't you think He has names in all those languages that HE made? Do you really think He's that humanly short-sighted that He has to be called a specific way, in a specific tongue, in a specific direction, in a specific position, on a specific day of the week (this could go on all day) for us to be heard? Loved? Accepted? Right?
Ummm, I don't see it. God. My Father. My Abba. My Creator. My Holy Spirit. My Comforter. My Guide. My Jesus. Oh....my Jesus. How I love His name. How I crave His fellowship.
Let's give up our propensity for dividing the family of God, no matter by what pronunciation we use in our daily lives. We are called to come together. The house cannot be divided and stand the onslaught of the world. A Bride cannot be double-minded and be ready for her Groom.
If I found anything in the Scriptures that challenged me to use only certain words or names, I would be writing a whole 'nother story! But I didn't.
So let's stop trying for another Babel division. He only did that because we were going the wrong way again.
Let's work together, to bless one another. To encourage each other to cry out to Jesus, or Yeshu, or Yeshua, or however you want to pronounce His name.
As long as we are still crying out.
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