Worship Insights: The Names of God - Jehovah

Last time we looked at the word for Elohim which spoke to God's creative power and covenant redemptive love as the Creator.  This time we dare look at the holiest of all names for God which the Jews to this day consider to holy to even speak because the name connotes the perfect holiness and flawless righteousness of God.

The Jewish name Jehovah translates LORD in all caps to distinguish it from the other name for Lord, called Adonai.  This is the name for God that is most frequently used in the Old Testament for God occurring some 6,823 times.  The name Jehovah does not appear until Genesis 2:4 as it is used in relation to the creation of man for God relates to humanity on a higher level than the rest of lower creation.  Prior to this he is simply God or Elohim, after man's creation, he is referred to as Jehovah-Elohim.  Prior to this Adam and all creation primarily knew and related to God only as Elohim.  Whereas the name Elohim assumes a love toward all of creation, Jehovah reveals the moral and spiritual attributes of God which would have been known to Adam and Eve as we see demonstrated in Gen 2-3.  Thus, when Adam and Eve rebelled they were not only rebelling against their Elohim but against their Jehovah-Elohim of whom they knew to be perfectly holy and righteous in all His ways.  When Jehovah-Elohim comes looking for Adam and Eve after their treachery he comes not as Elohim but as Jehovah-Elohim -- their Creator and LORD who is both perfectly righteous and holy; so holy and sacred that the Israelites fear to speak HIS name...in large part because of the revelation of God's holy and righteous nature in this passage.  In fact, to this day this name is never uttered in a synagogue or among the Jewish people.  Adonai, closely associated which means Lord or Master, is used instead.

Man was created in the image of God which was one of "righteousness and true holiness" and is even confirmed to us in the New Testament in the words of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:24.  Because Jehovah is righteous, just, and holy - Jehovah demands righteousness, justice, and holiness from the creatures who have been created in his image.  To the unjust and disobedient Jehovah pronounces judgments and metes out punishment.  It is a righteous and truly holy Jehovah-Elohim who banishes man from the garden.  It is Jehovah who continually says of the wicked and the corrupt, "I will destroy".  It is Jehovah who said to Moses: "Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book."  (Exod. 32:33)  Why?  Because, "Jehovah is righteous, and He loves righteousness." (Psalm 11:7)  "Jehovah, our Elohim is righteous in all His works." (Daniel 9:14) "You shall be holy for I, Jehovah, your Elohim, am holy." (Lev. 19:2)

But Jehovah is also Love.  His love makes him grieve for the sins and sorrows of his creation.  He said in Jeremiah 31:3, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love."  Although God had to punish Israel for their disobedience many times, the writer of Judges said, "His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel." Whenever we see the name Jehovah after the time of man's fall, Jehovah is reaching down to man to restore him to right relationship.  At the close of the fourth chapter of Genesis Adam and Eve have their first-born son and named him Enos which means "weak and fallen state".  The bible says it was after this time that men began to call upon the name of Jehovah.  Why?  Because man knew it needed more than an omnipotent, almighty, and transcendent God to restore and redeem them.  They needed a God of love, divine unmerited favor, and fellowship that would be willing to reach down to them in their weakened and helpless state and restore them after having sinned against the LORD of holiness and righteousness.  So what did Jehovah do?  He responded in covenants and acts of deliverance.  He even said to Israel when in cruel Egyptian bondage and to all of those who are in slavery to sin, "I am Jehovah, I will bring you out." (Exod. 6:6) Following the exodus, God descended upon Mt. Sinai and revealed himself as Jehovah proclaiming, "I am Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth; keeping loving-kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin."  (Exod. 34:5-7)

May this understanding deepen our respect and produce within us a greater reverence for the holiness and righteousness of our LORD God.  Not only should the redeemed demonstrate greater respect and reverence toward Jehovah-God in our corporate gatherings - we too should continually remind ourselves that we are the temple of the Holy Ghost, created in righteousness and holiness after the image of our maker.  Therefore, we should walk humbly and be quick to repent of known (and even unknown) sins, for we are called to be holy as HE is holy.  As those who have been grafted in by His unmerited favor in Christ through faith, we too ought to live as a modern-day Israelite nation before a corrupt world.  We are a chosen generation called to be a holy priesthood and a peculiar set-apart people to the LORD who has called us out from darkness into His glorious light that we might show forth His praises and shine brightly HIS glory before all men.

Dear Heavenly Father, our Jehovah-Elohim, help us to hunger and thirst after righteousness, to pursue holiness without which no man shall see God, and to apprehend our restored status in Christ that your name may truly be glorified in us. Amen.

Worship Insights: The Names of God - Elohim

God is Elohim by Pastor Chad

The Bible begins in Genesis with the words, "In the beginning, God..." The word used here is Elohim. This name designation is used of God 32 times in Genesis alone. Later in the book he is also referred to as Jehovah. In other passages he is referred to by the combined Jehovah-Elohim. Elohim is derived from the root El which means "mighty, strong, and prominent". El is referred to over 250 times throughout the Old Testament as a reference to God himself. Generally, it is said that Elohim expresses the idea of "greatness and glory". Elohim carries the idea of creative and governing power as well as omnipotence and sovereignty. It is by his great and glorious power that this Elohim created the vastness of the universe including the earth with all its beauty and the inhabitants thereof.

Interestingly, Elohim carries the beautiful idea of covenant as well which should inform and inspire our worship. We see in Jeremiah 31 and 32 where the name Elohim is used to describe a new covenant whereby the laws and fear of God will one day be written upon the hearts of men through faith in Christ. So, God is not only creator of heaven and earth, but the creator of all things new including the new covenant and us as new creations in Christ. The church or body of Christ therefore gathers to offer adoration and praise to the One Creator God and Lord who has the supernatural "power and might" to make all things new through Christ of which we are the recipients of every good and perfect gift. 


Therefore, in worship, we gather to rejoice and celebrate in the God of our salvation because we have been set free from the old and have been made new created in Christ Jesus for good works which he predestined for us to do.  We are "new creations or creatures" in Christ Jesus -- the old and former things have passed away; behold all things are new (or behold, He makes all things new!) 


As the Creator-Redeemer, Elohim has been at work in our lives from 'the beginning' by the power of the Holy Spirit brooding over the hearts of man waiting for the opportune moment to shed his light abroad in our hearts.  Elohim, through the Holy Spirit, (remember, the name Elohim has a plural meaning which speaks to the Triune nature of God) spoke into our darkness declaring to us the truth and light in Christ the Son.  He emphatically pierce our darkness declaring, "Let there be light and there was light!" -- and the creative power of God through the Holy Spirit was released into our hearts as we were drawn to the Son as a flower is to the sun by a responsive faith and the creative and regenerating process of redemption began in our lives and continues to this day until its culmination when we are changed again to be like Him and we see Him face to face! 


So, let us come to know and understand our God as Elohim and offer up songs and shouts of praise to Elohim who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light so that we might show forth his praises! Let us do so every time we gather together -- and every day we live for HE is our Creator and Redeemer God...our Jehovah-Elohim! He is almighty God who created and has fashioned us as new creations in Christ Jesus and no one can pluck us out of his hand or separate us from his love in Christ Jesus our Lord! (Romans 8) Give Him glory and honor!!! Amen.

Be Strong And Courageous!

One of the goals of the Spirit of Tobiah is to bring discouragement.  Discouragement is one of the enemy's greatest tools and most commonly employed tactics to knock you off your game, keep you feeling defeated, and wanting to give up.  Let's review some of the major points of Brother Moxley's word to us (last Wednesday night) which I believe was a prophetic warning to us as a church because the enemy knows what God wants to do here at SMM and he is intent on stopping the revival God began in us last week:

The Spirit of Tobiah...

Point #1 - Can't stand the people of God being blessed. (Neh. 2:19, 4:3) (i.e., revival)

Point #2 - Laughs and scoffs at us (Neh. 6:1-3) (i.e., when we fail, struggle, are faithfully doing the work of God)

Point #3 - Tries to stop the work of God (Neh. 6:11) (i.e., intimidation, threats

Point #4 - Will try to scare us with a false word or report (Neh. 13) (i.e., fear or discouragement)

Point #5 - Will try to stop the anointing, God's word, regular fellowship, respect for the Sabbath, unity, worship, giving, and sacrifice. (i.e., through sin, carnality, laziness, pride, strife, and unloving spirit)

How do we handle the Spirit of Tobi:  SHUT THE GATE ON THE ENEMY!  Resist the Devil and He will flee!  The word "resist" in the greek does not mean "passive resistance" but an "active resistance" or a forceful push-back against the enemy!  As someone once said, we need to stop praying up and start 'praying down' from our position of privilege and authority in Jesus Christ as the people of God for we have been seated together in heavenly realms with Christ far above principalities and powers! The enemy is under your feet through Jesus Christ, so keep him there!  Stand in your resistance to the enemy and begin praying from a higher place of authority in Jesus Christ!  

We need to be strong and courageous in our resistance of the enemy.  He does indeed want to stop the anointing, minimize the effect of God's Word, hinder our Christian fellowship, compromise our commitment to the Sabbath, sow discord among us, stop the flow of our worship, and harden our hearts so that we will be unwilling to make necessary sacrifices for the advancement of God's kingdom work.  

As an encouragement I want to share a passage that gives me strength every time I read it..."Be strong and courageous; be not afraid, neither be  dismayed: for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

(Joshua 1:9)

Courage comes from trusting God. It can't be mentally drummed up. It comes from believing what God says regardless of what the circumstances look like. Courage comes from faith!
Where does discouragement come from? From fear and unbelief. It comes when you listen to the devil's lies about what God is not going to do for you.
As the people of God, you and I must shake off discouragement and rise up with courage! We must quit looking at our own abilities and failures and limitations and start looking to God. We must rise up in the Name of Jesus and the power of His Spirit and establish the kingdom of heaven upon earth.

If you've been discouraged lately, stop listening to Satan's lies. Stop receiving evil false reports. Whenever your adversary tells you God is not going to deliver you, just tell them, "He's already delivered me in the Name of Jesus!"
Once we begin to realize who we are and what we've been given by the power of God, we'll stop allowing the devil to take advantage of us. God didn't suggest that we be strong and courageous...it is His command to us!  God commanded Joshua three times to be strong and courageous.  Why?  Because Joshua was clearly battling with fear of the enemy.  What is courage though?  Courage is not the absence of fear...it is fear that has said its prayers and is trusting in its God regardless of the circumstance, situation, or threats of the enemy.  So, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might!  Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil!  

One more point Moxley shared to encourage you...

Remember that goodness and mercy follow you, angels surround you, and Jesus is in front of you...all the days of your life! (Ps. 23 & 34)  So, we have a reason to sing...to rejoice...to rest in Him...to be strong and courageous for the battle is not ours -- it is the Lord's!

In His Name,

Pastor Chad

 

He Routs Our Enemy

He Routs Our Enemy 
"He hath cast out thine enemy"   (Zephaniah 3:15).

What a casting out was that! Satan has lost his throne in our nature even as he lost his seat in heaven. Our LORD Jesus has destroyed the enemy's reigning power over us. He may worry us, but he cannot claim us as his own. His bonds are no longer upon our spirits: the Son has made us free, and we are free indeed.

Still is the archenemy the accuser of the brethren; but even from this position our LORD has driven him. Our Advocate silences our accuser. The LORD rebukes our enemies and pleads the causes of our soul, so that no harm comes of all the devil's revilings.

As a tempter, the evil spirit still assails us and insinuates himself into our minds; but thence also is he cast out as to his former preeminence. He wriggles about like a serpent, but he cannot rule like a sovereign. He hurls in blasphemous thoughts when he has opportunity; but what a relief it is when he is told to be quiet and is made to slink off like a whipped cur! LORD, do this for any who are at this time worried and wearied by his barkings. Cast out their enemy, and be Thou glorious in their eyes. Thou hast cast him down; LORD, cast him out. Oh, that Thou wouldst banish him from the world!

(by Charles Spurgeon)

What is "revival" and did we experience it?

"An evangelical revival is an extraordinary work of God in which Christians repent of their sins as they become intensely aware of his presence in their midst, and they manifest a positive response to God in renewed obedience to the known will of God, resulting in both a deepening of their individual and corporate experience with God, and an increased concern to win others to Christ." (E. Towns)

Historically, true revivals result in an extraordinary work of God in individual lives, an increased awareness of God's presence, and significant evangelistic outreach and harvest of souls as a result of a church that has been revived.  
So, let me ask you...did we experience "revival" during this week's camp-meeting? I hope your answer is a resounding "yes"!!!  This is not meant to be rhetorical.  We must answer this question honestly before God for ourselves.  If we did not experience personal revival and renewal we should be honest enough with ourselves to ask why not?  Was it sin...Satan...or a sorry disposition?  

God undoubtedly spoke to us corporately and individually through this week's revival, so we should see each nights message as a "word in a sentence" to us!   Each night God was communicating something uniquely to us in that moment, but also in such a way that fits into a larger context for our lives and church.  In other words, all the messages tie together to form a thought or series of thoughts God is trying to convey to us through his prophets.  For instance, "get in the boat", "get out of the boat", and "get the spirit of Tobiah out of your life and the church"!

My prayer is that you experienced God's life-changing presence in new, challenging, and powerful ways that you will not soon forget!  My prayer is that you have examined your life for the "Spirit of Tobiah" and cast it out wherever you find it!  My prayer is that we will put into action anything the Holy Spirit challenges us on - knowing that God will bless and reward our obedience!  My prayer is that our personal revival will continue and that we will experience even greater dimensions of his glory and life-changing presence resulting in new and lasting spiritual fruit, divinely re-ordered priorities, and a renewed passion for reaching lost souls while there is still time.

Hallelujah, Thine the glory - Hallelujah Amen - Hallelujah, Thine the glory - Revive us again! ...  

until ...  "Every house is a temple, every heart an altar, and every human being a priest!"  (Moritz Lazarus) 

Pastor Chad

WHERE REVIVAL AND WORSHIP MEET!

Good morning to you!  What a wonderful time again last night in the presence of the Lord!  Although it was different than Sunday, it is always wonderful (no matter the style or whose ministering) when God is in the house!!!...and that's what revival is ultimately about...God meeting and tabernacling with His people!  He is faithful to inhabit the praises of His people just as he promised He would.

Revival takes place in our lives when we come in contact with God himself.  Revival is not an end in itself but just the beginning of something that God wants to do...the meeting itself is not the end but a means to an end!  Here's a definition I would like for you to ponder taken from a book I am reading called The Ten Greatest Revivals Since Pentecost by Elmer Towns.

"An evangelical revival is an extraordinary work of God in which Christians repent of their sins as they become intensely aware of HIS presence in their midst, and they manifest a positive response to God in renewed obedience to the known will of God, resulting in both a deepening of their individual and corporate experience with God, and an increased concern to win others for Christ."

So, you see this definition of revival is a little different from what we think of when we talk about revival.  The above definition is based on the study of many of the major world revivals that have taken place on the earth from Pentecost to the present.  If you want to know what real revival looks like, study the book of Acts and what took place prior to, during, and following Pentecost and then you will begin to see what revival really looks like.  I can assure you revival has little to do with a series of meetings and guest speakers (as good as that is).  Revival happens when we get a hold of God and God gets a hold of us!  The early Christians came together in one accord (unity, love, and fellowship) and they prayed and sought the face of God...and they waited upon the Lord as they drew near...until it happened! 

So let me encourage you to not seek a move from God -- don't put God in a box!  Simply seek God for Himself as the 120 did in the upper room and all the others throughout history have done who have experienced genuine revival!  If you seek a move or try to put God in your little box, you will miss it.  If we seek for revival we risk making the "revival experience" an idol.  Rather, we seek the God who is able to revive the souls of men.  

As worshippers and seekers we need to be continually reminded that the end of worship is God himself, and when we experience God for ourselves we can't help but be REVIVED for in His presence we experience fullness of joy and pleasures at his right hand forevermore!!  So let's come ready tonight to magnify, glorify, and  offer worship pleasing to GOD himself.  HE is our goal...not good music...not excellence...not an outpouring...not a specific kind of move of God...not the people's approval...SIMPLY God Himself!  Do we need any other motivation?  If we make it our goal to be preoccupied with God alone, all the pressure, apprehension, nervousness, or whatever is swallowed up and melts away in the warmth of His loving presence.  Remember, God is love and He is your Heavenly Father....you don't have to perform for Him who already accepts you...just worship and adore Him and experience His joy and favor over you as his child!

Let's come ready to once again draw near into the Holy of Holies.  We are invited to come boldly before the throne of God.  As you worship Him tonight, see yourself coming before His throne.  This holy place is the place of glory that worship theologians call the glory realm of His presence...it is found past the gates of praise into the Holy Place.  This is the place of divine encounter with God where our lives are changed.  We've already experienced this in this revival...but our hearts cry out for more...more...more of You, O God!!!  

The glory realm is the place where we stop talking and begin worshipping and listening to what He is saying to us because what He has to say to us and about us is much more important than anything we have to say to Him.  This is the place where we stop singing our song and God begins to sing His song over us.  One of the greatest promises and one of the most fantastic invitations given to us in the Bible is when God invites his children to come close to Him.  He then promises to draw near to them whose hearts follow closely after Him.  (Note:  Make sure you are drawing near to Him in your worship!)  Make Jesus the end of your worship...not right music or the emotion of the song.  God forbid!  When we break through the "external trappings of worship" into this realm of experience with God...we experience the glory and power of God in new and fresh ways!  So, come as His child who is loved, accepted, and highly favored.  Come ready tonight to sing in the presence of the King and turn your eyes upon Jesus looking fully into His wonderful face and I know...the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.  Hallelujah and Amen.   

Glory to His Name!

Chad Stafford

Worship Arts Pastor

South Metro Ministries

Costly Worship

"I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing." (2 Samuel 24:24).

Awhile back, a northern district in a particular church denomination had received a grant to help educate their people in worship. They worked with our organization in planning and hosting a worship seminar, but we also invited others from outside their denomination. Using the grant money, they extended scholarships to their district churches, based on the size of the congregation. One church was given six scholarships, another ten and still another received twelve, etc. It all seemed quite equitable. Nearly two hundred people were pre-registered for the seminar, about half that number were folks who had received the scholarships.

Unfortunately, the seminar was held in the middle of winter, and the night before there was a snowstorm, a big snowstorm. I watched the snow piling up outside my hotel window. Fluffy white flakes continued to fall from the sky on into the morning hours. As a result, travel became quite difficult. The snow had drifted across roads. Road clearing crews had difficulty keeping up with the storm.

The final result was that about half of the people who had pre-registered didn't show up for the seminar. Interestingly, though, it was not the people from far away who didn't make it. Actually, there were folks who drove more than an hour through snow-covered roads to attend. Predominantly, the ones who failed to attend were the ones who had no investment. People who lived within just a couple miles of the venue were not there. Why? Because they had received a scholarship to go but they had no real investment in attending.

King David said, "I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing" (2 Samuel 24:24). He recognized that if he had no investment, the sacrifice was meaningless.

Here's the interesting part, though. David knew he needed to offer a sacrifice at a particular place: the threshing floor of Araunah. The owner offered to give David everything he needed to make the sacrifice. The oxen, the wood for the fire, even the piece of property were willingly offered to the king. If David had accepted, the sacrifice would have looked exactly like the sacrifice he finally ended up offering. In outward appearance there would have been no difference.

But David refused. He would not offer something to God that cost him nothing.

Perhaps David was on to something. Maybe the Lord isn't interested in what our worship looks like on the surface. You see, when you and I gather together weekly with brothers and sisters in Christ, we can appear to be involved in actual worship. We can sing and smile, perhaps play our instrument and help lead the congregation. But is that it? Is it just an appearance? Or are we truly making the necessary investment into what we're offering to the Lord? Are our hearts really engaged with Him as we "worship" or does it just look proper on the outside? Are we honestly allowing God to mold and shape us with His Word throughout the week, or do we just come on Sunday morning and go through the motions?

When life's blizzards hit—and they will—if we have no investment, we will falter. Are you making an investment in your worship to the Lord?

Prayer: Lord, we, too, don't want to offer You something that doesn't cost us anything. Cause us to be drawn to you repeatedly, that we might offer worship that doesn't just look good on the surface, but truly comes from the treasures of our heart.

(taken by permission from WorshipMinistryDevotions.com)

Chadwick A. Stafford

Worship Arts Pastor

South Metro Ministries

pastorchad@smmcog.com 

cstafford71@hotmail.com 

http://www.smm-wa.blogspot

770-251-3777 x6 (w) 

919-906-5702 (m)