What's in a NAME???........the Messianic Lutheran Church in our town.

Hello y'all, 

Know what ur name means? I didn't ponder this 'til I began asking. Don't laugh at mine 'cause there's a goose known by my name.  But, my name also means sword. Sooooo....watch what you say! Hah!

This question has broken....or shall I say, melted....the ice w/many newcomers. At the YMCA, a man from the other Abrahamic religion recently told me that his name comes from the Bible! His name means noble/generous. Turns out that he attends a Lutheran Church! Not sure if he's a believer, but there are only about 10 known evangelicals among his people group, which numbers 80k in our town!

Our God jealously guards the honor of His Names. Similarly, the 99 names of God are honored in the other Abrahamic religion. So, I've set out to learn them. Most can be contextualized + resemble the Names of the One True God. A few even have Hebrew cognates....(I know a tad of Hebrew.)  And some are commonly used as men's names. A friend from the "A" country gave me a bewildered look when I called his son "#13" He busted out a hearty laugh when I reminded him that #13 is "The Fashioner". "C'mon, dude. You're supposed to know this!" 
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I let F, a friend from the "T" country, set the curriculum in our DMM/DBS studies. As an adherent to the other Abrahamic religion, he understandably struggles w/the Trinity but sincerely seeks + (maybe wants to accept?) this mystery. The 99 names helped again!  After agreeing that there aren't 99 gods in his religion, I told him, "Neither are there 3 gods in our's. The Trinity is not a math problem to be solved but a God to be worshiped." (I know....The Trinity + God's Attributes are apples to oranges, but it made him think.) He even volunteered that mysteries are easier for Eastern people! Wow...pray for F. 
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Were he to follow Jesus, he might become pivotal as he is personally acquainted w/a man in his country who has millions of followers, globally. He was accused of trying to stage a coup d'etat a few yrs ago & is the T country's #1 wanted man. I recently declined F's invitation to visit this man in another state, where he is exiled, as I only had 4 days' notice. I hope to visit the T country again someday, so I abbreviate & am very vague. Ya never know who's mining the internet for info. All of the local people we know from that country are affiliated w/that movement. Please pray w/us. If the Gospel penetrates the STL group, they could become insider change agents. A group of us has been meeting for about 2 1/2 yrs. for discussions between our two religions. Those guys are some of our best friends now. They are as much in our circle as anyone. 
Love this song:

Some men called Him Rabbi, good teacher, nothing more
The Son of just a carpenter who taught along the shore
Some men called Him Master, Elijah come again
Some left their nets to follow Him to learn to fish for men
Some say He's Messiah, I Am, who's always been
The Baptist called Him Lamb of God who takes away our sin
What's in a name that the demons flee
What's in a name that the captives go free
What's in a name that every knee should bow
In the name of Jesus, name above all names
There is power and glory, forever and ever
Forever and ever
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Some said Son of David returning to His throne
Some said He's the Son of Man with origin unknown
And one said He's the Son of God, the Rock on which we stand
The Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end
No other name can sound so sweet
No other name is so complete
No other name can bring release
The Mighty God, the Prince of Peace

In a recent meeting w/F, (who'd been a journalist there), he expressed sorrow that many of his friends are in prison. (38k of that leader's supporters are incarcerated.) I told him, "Jesus came to set the captives free" but didn't know where the verses were. In DBS training, we're taught to avoid appearing like "pros". So, I googled. I was upfront/transparent that I was also a Bible student.....not a scholar.....in learning mode just like him. But, I know those verses now! Isaiah 61:1 & Luke 4:18!  Fulfilled prophecy.....what a wonderful thing that is! I sound like J. Vernon McGee!

I was in a Lutheran Bible study in 2019 + the pastor mentioned a Messianic Lutheran Church in our town! It's the only Messianic congregation in the LCMS (+ I think, the closest LCMS Church to the Seminary! It's the most atypical LCMS Church I've EVER seen! A storefront! In tandem w/this "name theme", my ears really perked up when the pastor mentioned the name of their pastor......I called him & confirmed my suspicions....His background is from the "I" country, which is dominated by the other Abrahamic religion! His is a common name there. His father was one of the large # of descendants from the Southern Kingdom exile who remain to this day, as odd as that sounds. The Hebrew Names of God are prominent at his Church & embedded in the Hebrew/English liturgy. Lately, I've been bringing my "I" friend, M, (a new believer), to the various Churches I've been visiting. I'm rallying for ministry to "A" people among my contacts. Introducing M to the pastor was very meaningful. It was something of a "homecoming" for M as he resonated w/the Eastern approach to their service. The pastor calls Lutheran Jews "Jew-thrans". LOL....I think he became Lutheran just so he could say that! LOLx3

For paying attention to Names and names, setting the captives free and the nations, 

Just another witness to His Glory!
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