The Titles of Jesus

Confucius has said, “The beginning of wisdom is the ability to call things by their right names”. There is an importance of calling someone by their correct name. One can call me Kurt, Pastor Kurt, Petty Officer 1^st Class Arnold, Mr. Arnold or even the Meeple Man and I will respond in kind as knowing my name provides a way of connection.

Jesus had many names or titles that he used and those who wrote about him used them. These names all have a prominent place in understanding the nature of Jesus, his humanity and his divinity. The most popular title that Jesus used was Son of Man, used eighty-six times in the New Testament. Jesus tended to use it alongside other names such as Messiah (Bock, 894). Examples include;

• No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. John 3:13
• “Listen to me and remember what I say. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies.” Matthew 17:22

The name Son of Man relates Jesus to his humanity and how he has fully human, experiencing life as a man, but as fully God able to portray authority that is beyond any man before or after him.

Another name is Son of God. Although Jesus never used this title for himself, we must see that he continually referred to God as his Father. The church has taken this as the affirmation that Jesus is the Son of God. Mark and Matthew both understand this “divine sonship in terms of obedience to the will of God” (Winn, 891).

• This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. Mark 1:1
• Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God”. Matthew 16:16

Jesus has also been bestowed the titles of Son of David, Alpha and Omega, the Word and so many more. Fifty different titles have been attributed to this one man. Each and everyone could fill a blogger’s feed for a very long time, exploring and connecting how these titles are referenced in the Old Testament.  What we need to understand as believers today is that each and every one of these names play a role in connecting people to Jesus. They each define a characteristic of the man, the divine and how intricate his work on earth and beyond truly is. Understanding how to call Jesus with the correct name is the beginning of wisdom.

Jesus, we have so many different names that we can attribute to you. Counsellor, Prince of Peace, Sheppard, each and every name holds a place in our hearts. Help us as readers of your word to recognize the importance of each of these titles. Let their importance shape our hearts in such a way that we know when to use each title when we are conversing with you. Amen

Works Cited

Bock, Darrell I. “Son of Man.” Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels: A Compendium of Contemporary Biblical Scholarship. 2nd ed., Edited by Joel B. Green, IVP Academic, 2013, pp. 894–900.

JB;, Veale. “The Beginning of Wisdom Is the Ability to Call Things by Their Right Names. Confucius.” The Journal of the American Academy of Gold Foil Operators, U.S. National Library of Medicine, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4529991/#:~:text=The%20beginning%20of%20wisdom%20is,Confucius.

McDaniel, Debbie. “50 Names and Titles of Jesus: Who the Bible Says Christ Is.” Crosswalk.com, Crosswalk.com, 1 Dec. 2016, https://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/debbie-mcdaniel/50-names-of-jesus-who-the-bible-says-christ-is.html.

Winn, Adam. “Son of God.” Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels: A Compendium of Contemporary Biblical Scholarship. 2nd ed., Edited by Joel B. Green, IVP Academic, 2013, pp. 886–94.

Sinners or Children of God?

“For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.”
— Hebrews 10:10

“This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Then he says, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.” And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.
— Hebrews 10:16-18

I wonder if we are part of the problem when it comes to growing people In the church. I have heard from the pulpit many times over that we are sinners. But if we have been forgiven by Jesus we are no longer labeled sinners but Children of God and a host of other amazing titles. Why do we keep insisting we are sinners? We may sin but that is not our purpose for living by. It has changed from who we are to something we are actively working to removed from our lives.

I see this as not different in calling a race of people hooligans who we expect never to have a place of importance in society. If we keep calling them this they will just assume this is who they are called to be. We know they can be so much more and this should treat them as such.

Does the consistent reminder that we are but sinners saved by grace lower our image of who we are in Christ? Does this work towards the lifestyle of, if I am still a sinner I might as well sin? What would happen to the church if we were to stop calling the children of God sinners and disciple them as they should be?

Some use this as to point out we were once sinners saved by grace, and this is true. But when you continually tell someone they are a sinner they feel less then, especially when they have made a heart change to follow Christ. So many believers who are young In the faith have walked away feeling as if they do not fit in and life would just be easier living the sinner life.

So are we Children of God or are we sinners? If we are children of God then let us start treating one another as such. Let’s start empowering our Children of God to be strong men and women of the faith.

Father, help us as your Children, forgiven and free, to stop labeling ourselves sinners. We have been given a new name, new life, new purpose. Yes we may sin, but we are living our lives in service to you. We are doing our earthly best to avoid temptation and sin. We ask for your help on this as we know on our own we will stumble on occasion, but as a loving father you still forgive us. Thank you for loving us! Amen

#foreveryone

Letter to the Churches in NY

I had to write a Paul Style letter for the Course I am in to earn my theology degree/diploma. I got an A, so happy, but I thought I would share what I wrote.

 

Letter to the Church in New York

This letter is from Kurt, chosen by God to minister and reach the lost. I am writing to the churches in New York who have been called to be set apart, shining a light to the world around them. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. Daily I lift you up in prayers of thanksgiving thanking God for the mighty things your churches have done. I bring forward to the Father the requests that you have given me. I pray that your love will overflow the confines of your church buildings and spread further into the streets. I want you to live lives in tune with the Holy Spirit ready willing to respond to His direction.

Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that God’s love to those in your communities is not limited to the family in the church but extends to all. There are those who have been using God’s name to shame those who are not covered by the grace of God. Did Jesus come to shame those who opposed him? Of course not! He reminded us that we are to love our enemies as God loves us. Judgement comes at the end, but here and now we must love as He loves us. Put down your signs of anger and religiousness, shine the light of love that comes from communion with Christ. Remember we were once sinners who knew nothing of the love of Christ, it was only once we received that we were able to see His love a interpret the darkness for what it is. Show those around you the light.

Remember the words of the Son ‘take care of widows and orphans’, we must work to provide homes and care for those without homes. Put down your picket signs and pick up the children who are longing to be loved. Let your example of love be the hope for your community and they will see the freedom and hope found in the truth.

The churches here in Victoria send greetings in the Lord. All the brothers and sisters send fist pumps and high fives. Encourage one another in love, build accountability with one another, May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

1: 50 Days of 3:16

No other verse in the bible is so well known than John 3:16. Just flashing that number on a board will invoke the thought of the scripture to most individuals. The enemy works hard to corrupt what God has made beautiful and we see this in the way entertainment mainly the WWE (Wrestling) took this number and associated with a foul-mouthed character like Stone Cold Steve Austin. Shirts, banners and homemade posters all shout out ‘Austin 3:16’ like the man has written some important quote that we must look up. Some may say that it is unintentional and nothing to do with the bible. Maybe, but one has to wonder when we see that number now how many think of this wrestler over the bible. Has entertainment reprogramed many of that generation? He even trademarked this as his own property.

 

When we actually look at John 3:16 and see what Jesus has done for us it brings us to a place of awe and wonder. How could God give up his own son to die for us? We believe that Jesus when He died took the devil and put him in his place. At this moment this could be where the devil got the line that he gave Stone Cold, as Jesus shifted the power back to mankind. He gave them a way out from sin that was clear and easy, a way for them to be freed from the enemy. 3:16 may be trademarked by a wrestler but the message of 3:16 points us to the King of Kings.

 

Over the next 50 days, we will be looking throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation at the 3:16’s it contains. I would love your input and thoughts each day as we explore them together.

 

Father, thank you for sending your son to make the ultimate sacrifice that we may have life and a relationship with you. Open the hearts of those who need to meet you. Give us the courage and boldness to share our faith with others. Let fear be removed and use us. Amen

50: 50 Days Freed

For 50 Days we have been talking about being freed. This freedom that the world is seeking is not breaking free from the creator like so many movies talk about. Think Planet of the Apes, any AI Robot movies and maybe the Island of Dr Moreau. The creation rising up and freeing itself from the creator. But in those case what ultimately happens is in those rising up life ends up worse off than before. In the garden right at the beginning man in his selfishness wanted to become like the creator. This separated them from God. This put mankind on a road of the bondage of sin and destruction they had no awareness of at the time. In the Garden, they were free, free to walk and talk with the creator. Why then did God wait thousands of years to send a viable freedom strategy into the world? The world wasn’t ready to accept his offer of freedom.

 

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

John 3:17

 

When Jesus died a sinless life, free of that bondage, on the cross he bridges the gap that was created in the garden. He made a way to once again walk and talk with God. The sin that held us back he wiped clean making us new again. Still many refuse to accept this free gift and live in ignorance to their sinful life preferring to walk in bondage. They have a confused version of who God is, a deity who holds the strings and they want to be free of those. These strings they see are not of the creator but of the enemy who wants to keep them away from cutting the strings that holds them back from a life of freedom.

 

God sent Jesus to free the world. Do not believe the lie that you can decide to choose this on your deathbed as you are dying from cancer or old age. Death sneaks up on many and the fortunate few that can make deathbed confessions is slim. Just like you would be refused to buy insurance for a dead man, once your life has ceased the choice made before your last breath is sealed.  I don’t make this statement to sound like I understand it all, I know that we must make a choice to follow Jesus sooner than later. How many random acts of violence and terrorism do we see in the world? How many freak accidents that kill multitudes of people are in the news, crashes, natural disasters and more. To wait one more second is a wait too long. Freedom is available to you right now. A decision of not now or maybe later is a choice to not choose freedom.

 

If today you are living in the bondage of sin I urge you don’t wait another minute. Jesus came to set you free from the sin that separates you from the Creator who wants to have a relationship with you. Jesus loves you so much that he died for you so that you may live in freedom. What are you waiting for?

 

Father, thank you for sending your son Jesus to die on the cross for me. I pray that anyone who needs to experience freedom will ask Him to forgive them of their sin. I pray that they will repent and do a 180 in their lives. Guide them to other believers who speak the truth and can encourage them in their new relationship with you. Let them tell others as talking about it makes it real and encourages them. I thank you, God, that you are using these messages to change the hearts of anyone reading it.   Amen.

 

Thank you for joining me on this 50 Day journey. I will be starting my next journey for 50 Days real soon. We will be exploring a phenomenon that I like to call the 3:16 movement. We see signs of 3:16 and instinctively we think of John 3:16. But did you know there are 48 other 3:16 in the Bible. So in the next 50 Days we will explore what the Bible says in all 3:16 and work to see who they can impact our lives. See you soon for 50 Days of 3:16

49: 50 Days Freed

We often wonder how God could even care about who we are. I mean 7.6 billion people on earth currently and He cares about me, seems a little out there. That’s what makes this faith and relationship so amazing. God does know you, He wants to connect with you and all 7.6 billion of His children. He is so big that His love encompasses all of them. Yet we get stuck up in a lie that there is no way He could every love everyone let alone me. Breaking out and being free of this lie is a big step forward in experiencing what God has for you.

 

 

 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

 

This passage was written when Israel was being held captive by Babylon and God promised to free them from their oppression. Their sin had placed them in captivity, their disobedience and idolatry. It was never the ultimate plan for the Israelite’s to be taken, yet they chose to sin and ignore God’s laws he had given them. God had done some amazing things for the Israeli people, yet time and time again they lost the fact He loved them and tried to find love in all the wrong places. They would adopt the gods of their neighbours who had no power to do anything let alone love them. It wasn’t like God had not given them any promises of hope. Over and over again He told them if they followed Him, He would bless them and make them a great nation.

 

We were held captive by our sin. God made a plan that was for good. Jesus was the answer to the captivity of sin. There is a future and hope for all those who choose Jesus and follow God’s plan of salvation. Over and over again God tells us that if we follow Him, He will bless us. He will never leave us in need. Yet we see people walking away from their faith to follow hollow gods who promise things we don’t need.

 

People need to hear of this. Have you told anyone about it? Have you invited anyone to church to hear about it? Let’s start today and change the world one person at a time. We need to keep reminding them that God loves them. He has a plan for them. He wants to meet their needs. He wants to bless them. He wants to free them.

 

How can you do this? Make the point of speaking to someone today about the love of God. Make a post on your social media telling others that God loves them and wants to have a relationship for them. Share this blog with others to rally them in sharing the freedom found in Jesus.

 

Father, your plan is a good one. Your path to walk is the right one. Help me to follow you with excitement to share this with others. Forgive me if I have followed any other gods. I choose to follow you with all my heart. I trust your plan, I trust your ways. Thank you for sending Jesus as my way to freedom. Holy Spirit create in me a clean heart and pour into me daily so I can reach others. They matter to you and they matter to me. Amen

 

 

48: 50 Days Freed

All too often we think of freedom as something we must earn to have. Slaves had to have in many cases have someone fight for their right to be free and even in others, wars and battles were fought to make them free. An innocent man who is wrongly convicted requires someone on the outside fighting for them. We can then understand why mankind has this notion that the freedom that Jesus offers must be earned. Battles must be fought and wrongs made right before freedom can be achieved. Jesus defeated sin and death on the cross so we could experience freedom, there is nothing else we can do, he offers freedom for any who would just ask for it.

 

“Fear of the LORD is a life-giving fountain; it offers escape from the snares of death.” Proverbs 14:27 NLT

 

Living without Jesus is an eternal death certificate. There is no other way to escape this sentence then through Jesus. Sure, many people will say there is, but in reality, they are snake oil salesmen who just want to make a quick buck and are in the same situation as their customers. When we add strings to salvation we risk tripping ourselves up and falling flat on our own strength. Anyone who tells you that you need Jesus PLUS_________ is selling you a phoney faith. As the song reminds us ‘Christ is enough for me.’

We need to provide our families, friends, co-workers and strangers with the free gift of life. A way to remove the eternal death sentence that everyone has. A lot of people think it is just too good to be true. That Jesus has strings attached. Well, it will cost you everything that is attached to that death sentence. But the exchange for life is more valuable, they need to see in you what the love of Jesus produces. Love joy peace. Some say that they will have to change who they are as a person, Jesus made you the way you are for a reason, your personality and traits are what makes you who you are. To think that God wants to change that is absurd, he uses each individual talents and traits to reach the world. If we were all the same, it wouldn’t speak well of the creative God we serve.

If you claim to follow Jesus but are bitter, mean and cranky all the time, gossiping, not being trustworthy, do you think that is the life they want to be living? Of course not. They are watching you. Are you displaying Jesus? We need to daily represent the love that is growing inside us, given to us with the forgiveness we received through salvation. If we want to share the mission of freedom to those around us we need to start acting like we are freed. How we react to situations might need to change, forgiveness, mercy and love should flow freely from us. We need to be Jesus.

 

Father, we need to love others like you love them. Help us to be more like you. Let out old ways that may discourage others from following you be set aside and replaced. We need to be instrumental in helping others come to know you. Daily. Let our lives reflect your life-giving fountain. Use me to show others the freedom in you. Amen

 

47: 50 Days Freed

As we near the end of this 50 Days Freed journey you may have noticed that the last few posts have been aimed at freedom from sin. Each one with a call to repent and to accept the relationship that God desires to have with you. This is no accident. If you have been reading daily and do not have this connection with God, ask yourself why you keep coming back? It is probably not because of my amazing writing skills but a desire to meet with Jesus.

 

Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty, is divided between God and the world.

James 4:8

 

Here is James it is laid out quite simply what must be done to be free from the prison of sin. Everyone is born in this prison, Jesus broke the door and made a way for everyone to walk out of this prison, yet in our stubbornness, we refuse to accept his help. What a promise written here, ‘come close to God and he will come close to you’. What is clear is that it doesn’t put a list of things you must do first. It does not read, get your things in order and then God will come close to you. No, come as you are, stains, rips, brokenness and shame. Just like the Father watching for his son who had abandoned him, he saw him a far way off, ran to him and embraced him as he was. That seems like an okay response, but think about where the son just came from; he had been working with the pigs sitting in their pens, and he had just made a very long journey to return home. He would not have smelled very clean, he most likely didn’t stop to freshen up as he had no money left. But his Father embraced him as he was.

 

The second part of this verse is for those who have accepted Jesus as their saviour yet feel they can be living life in sin with no consequences. We as believers are called to separate ourselves from our old sinful ways. We cannot serve two masters. Washing our hands is symbolic of when Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. Peter in the moment asked Jesus to wash his whole body, yet Jesus told him he only needs to clean the dirty part. When we sin, we need to remove the dirt from our lives, clean the area where sin has invaded so that it does not infect the whole body.  Some believe that once you have accepted Jesus you can walk in sin and it does not matter as Jesus has forgiven all our sins past, present and future, so we now have a free pass. This lie from the enemy is there to divide us, again you cannot serve God and the world. Make your choice.

 

Sin is a prison we need to be freed from. Inside the prison of sin separates us from God and leads to a death sentence separated from God. Do not despair, there is hope, Jesus came and died so you can be free and have that death sentence removed. Not only is it removed but replaced with a hope of eternal life living with the creator. The choice is yours, are you happy in your prison of sin, disguised as life or are you ready to experience a relationship with the one who created you?

 

Father, today there is someone reading this that needs to experience you. They are tired of living life in sin and the bondage it has on them. Show them that there is life in you. Use your believers to reach out and share the love of Jesus with them. Help them to understand what he has done so they can live. Help us as believers to be outgoing witnesses of your love. Opening our mouths to tell others about you. We want to be effective in helping free others. Amen

46: 50 Days Freed

We hear of natural disasters that cause buildings to collapse and displaces people from their homes. I cannot fathom what it must be like for the families who cannot locate one of their loved ones. As they figure out one is missing the search fort hem begins with the hope that their loved one will be found. In many cases, buildings are moved and large pieces of rubble are shifted just to find those who are lost. Those imprisoned by this mess when rescued thank their rescuers. They are freed from an almost certain death.

 

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Luke 19:10

 

Mankind is eager to assist in the times where people are lost and hurt due to natural disasters. They rally around a family of a missing child and form groups to go search and hopefully rescue them. Helping others is built into our being, the ingrained desire that no man woman or child should be lost has driven us since the creator placed us in the garden. Some suppress this desire as they let the sinful nature lead their lives, but in general, we always want to help find someone who is lost. It could come down to the ‘golden rule’; do unto others as you would want them to do unto you. Whatever the reason the fact remains we have the desire to help lost people.

 

Our faith is no different. We are called to reach those who are lost. In our context the lost are those who have yet asked Jesus to forgive them of their sins, repent and begin anew in him. It could be helping those who once had a relationship and walked away come back home. If we are to have the heart of Jesus and want to be like Him then we must have the same mission as Him. He came to seek and save the lost. Bring freedom for those weighed down by sin, covered in rubble. The big difference between seeking a person affected by natural disaster and the mission is that many people will not accept that they need help. They do not see the danger they are in and that the rubble of sin is keeping them from experience life more abundantly. They are satisfied living in sin. It is only when they recognize that the sin has trapped them that they will accept or ask Jesus for help.

 

Maybe today you are feeling trapped by sin. Lost in the rubble of life it is overwhelming and you, no matter how hard you try, cannot climb out. I want to let you know there is hope. There are people out there who want to help you. Even now Jesus wants to help you out of the rubble pile and into a life He has set apart for you. Jesus promised that he would leave the entire herd just to find one lost sheep. This means he is looking for you to help you, to bring you home. Ask Him today why he would do such a thing, do not be surprised when he tells you. What are you going to do about it?

 

Father, I pray for those who want are seeking to help the lost. Give them direction on where to look, words to speak and an unexpected open to what they are sharing. Soften the hearts of family, friends and coworkers to hear about the God who loves them and is actively seeking them to forgive them. If anyone reading this has not accepted you Jesus as their saviour I pray today that they come to accept your grace and they become found and freed from what is holding them down. Thank you for all you do for us. Amen

45: 50 Days Freed

There are many out there using the name Christian who out imprisoned by rules and regulations that have been created to keep followers ‘in line’. Over the years men have added to the bible and just like the Pharisees of Jesus day, they have made it hard for anyone to be able to live up to their expectations of what it means to follow God. Jesus made it quite simple when he was asked what the ‘rules’ were ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul, and love your neighbour as yourself.’ If we do these things everything else will flow naturally. Yet many are working hard to ‘keep’ their faith as if it was something they lose the moment they make a mistake.

 

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace, not from rules about food, which don’t help those who follow them.”

Hebrews 13:8-9 NLT

 

I am so thankful that I follow a saviour that stays the same. I know I am saved and don’t have to worry that he somehow changed the Boundaries he set in place.  There are many groups of “believers” out there that are outside the boundaries. They are following a split off of Christianity that at some point in the past has added strange new ideas to what the bible says, added books and made a list of rules and regulations to ” complement” the bible.

 

The problem is they don’t complement the bible they corrupt those who decide to follow that sect. It causes division in the body of Christ as they begin to confuse true believers in these strange and somewhat attractive ways of living. They may look good from all outward appearance but at the heart is poison.

 

So how do we know if something is wacky or not in line with what the Bible teaches? Well, we have the best resource which is the Bible. Read and study it, as to know what it says, you’re not going to be able to remember everything, but key verse and themes can permeate your life.

 

Another useful tool is the Internet, not perfect by any means but believers who have studied false religions and sects and share their findings online. You may have to do some digging and research until you find the truth but if you take what you find and pair it up with what the Bible teaches it should help.

 

Lastly, you have your pastor and elders of your church. They may have experienced things like this and should be willing to talk with you about things that are caused for you to question ” am I following the right path”

 

A relationship with Jesus needs to be the main message of any church that claims to be Christian. The cross, the resurrection, are key in this relationship. If you think you are being taught strange new ideas that don’t correspond with the Bible, pray and ask Jesus to guide you through it and possible out of it.

 

If I ever present a strange new idea here on this blog, I pray that you would call me out on it so we can talk and see where I am wrong.

 

Dear Jesus, thank you that your word is clear and complete. I thank you that we don’t have to add anything to make it better. I ask that you protect your followers from the traps laid by the enemy to lure believers into falseness. Strengthen your believers to see the truth, decipher the tricks of the enemy and move forward in reaching the lost for you. Let us speak the truth to the confused, show them that Jesus is the reason and that he wants to rescue them. Even today Jesus, let us be a witness for you. Amen

 

#50daysofpray