Ambassadors For Christ: Hallowed Be His Name

The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.

Proverbs 18:10 (NKJV)

You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His Name in vain.

Exodus 20:7 (NKJV)

I fear, revere, and live in awe of God.

  • When I try to thank the Lord, I fall short.

  • When I try to show Him, I fall shorter.

  • When I try to serve Him, I still stumble.

To me, our Father is beyond all words and (largely) impossible to describe. Nevertheless, I consider myself His publicist and Christ’s ambassador. Therefore, I reach for the unreachable.

How do reverent Jews approach His Name? *

'In the Tanakh (the Jewish Bible), YHVH** is the personal Name of God and His most frequent designation, occurring over 6800 times. This is the Ineffable Name or Unutterable Name of the God of Israel...' 

'The Name YHVH also bespeaks the utter transcendence of God. In Himself, God is beyond all 'predictions' or attributes of language: He is the Source and Foundation of all possibility to utterance and thus is beyond all definite descriptions...'

'Warning: The Name of the Lord represents His power, actions, and reputation in the universe. Almighty God cannot be 'conjured' or treated as an object, since He is the Master of the universe and subject to no one. It is chilul HaShem (desecration) to attempt to invoke the Name of God for selfish or manipulative purposes' (Hebrew4Christians website). ***

Actors, models, and talent for Christ:

You’re God’s publicists. You’re God’s messengers. You're actors of truth in Earth’s most influential mission field. 

  • You’re 'Ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal' (2 Corinthians 5:20) through you!

His Name has inconceivable power: power to bind, heal, lift, fight, win, and save; power to transform, forgive, and protect. So don't throw His Name around carelessly.

In Its use, be awestruck. Be purposeful. Don’t judge outsiders for what they don’t know. (In their case, ignorance IS a defense.) 

Instead, act as carriers of Good News and helpful actions. That's the publicity you’re called to give. 

However,

When you see brothers and sisters in Christ using God’s Name carelessly, correct them. But do so humbly, gently, and with love.

More importantly,

Don’t dare to fall into the grand canyon… of easy “OMG” irreverence. Because you, as Christians, have no excuse.

Ambassadors For Christ: Hallowed Be His Name (Part 8)

* Other excellent reference articles on the Name(s) of God:

https://bible.org/article/names-god

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/name.html#Names

http://www.blueletterbible.org/study/misc/name_god.cfm

** YHVH is also designated as YHWH or Yahweh

*** Hebrew Names for God:

http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Names_of_G-d/YHVH/yhvh.html;

http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Names_of_G-d/Esoteric/esoteric.html

NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players.’ Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings.

Carey Arban