VaYoter Nakhon (And Moreover The Truer)

An insight of living a consistent faithful interpretation of God's providence and promises through an Eucharistic lens (celebration of Christ's empowering sacrifice towards our own sacrificial journey of worship and sanctification).

I was once more blessed through the Instagram chatter with my dear pastor friend, Rev. Decky Pendowo. He was pastoring the GBI Khayyalim, a name which sounds foreign to many but not to my halfly hebrew trained senses. So I was confirming whether the name was taken from the word "Chayyelim" חיילים meaning "soldiers, troops, or armies", not to mention my assumption on general Christian notion, identifying ourselves as "Christ's Armies" against spiritual (dark) forces. Ptr. Decky later confirmed, "זה נכון אחי" or "zeh nakhon akhi" (that's right, brother), a pleasant and heartwarming answer in the midst of my rather solitaire linguistic journey. I replied, "שמחה! תודה רבה אחי" (oh how joyful! Many thanks, brother).

I believe that was divine appointment because I couldn't seem to shake off the thought of this familiar word " נָכוֹן nakhon" (true/right). Although the word isn't exactly related to the expression "כֵּן kèn" (yes), I was feeling led to couple them with these following verses. May this reading of The Word blesses our souls with both deeper thirst and satisfaction in His presence. ❤️🙏📖💬

כִּי כָּל הַבְטָחוֹת אֱלֹהִים "כֵּן" הֵן בּוֹ. לָכֵן הָ"אָמֵן" שֶׁאָנוּ נוֹתְנִים בּוֹ כָּבוֹד לֵאלֹהִים גַּם הוּא בְּאֶמְצָעוּתוֹ.

השניה אל הקורינתים 1:20 HRNT

Ki kal havtakhoth elohim "ken" hen bo. Lakhen ha"amen" shanu nothnim bo kavod l'elohim gam hu bamtsautho.

For as many as are the promises of God, in Christ they are [all answered] “Yes.” ("Ken" כֵּן ) So through Him we say our “Amen” to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 1:20 AMP)

עַל כָּךְ הֵגִיב בְּאָמְרוֹ: "וְיוֹתֵר נָכוֹן, אַשְׁרֵי הַשּׁוֹמְעִים אֶת דְּבַר אֱלֹהִים וְשׁוֹמְרִים אוֹתוֹ."

לוקס 1:28 HRNT 

Al kakh hegiv bamro: vayoter nakhon, ashrei hashom'im eth dvar elohim vashomrim oto.

But he said, “Blessed ("ashrei" אַשְׁרֵי ) rather ("vayoter nakhon" וְיוֹתֵר נָכוֹן ) are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:28 ESV)

What a wonderful concept of "vayoter nakhon" (truer). Rather than simply negating the previous premise (v.27; blessedness & joy that come from being in the physical premises & vicinity with Jesus), ישוע our True Vine, identified Himself with God's Word, and "rather" than the former, it is "truer" that the amazing joy and blessings can flow to all people who align their lives with godly things/things of God (דְּבַר אֱלֹהִים).

Knowing that nothing is coincidence, we remember how Matthew 11:28 also taught us to find rest and peace in coming to Christ (worship & The Word) in obedience & eagerness to learn (to apply & to serve) from Him. Learning not to worry about our living is, I believe, synonymous with putting our confidence in Him who relates with all of us, even the least of us. A life that's broken and given is a life that proves its connection to the Everlasting Father, a life that's privileged to be showered by God's "yesses", a life that gives life.

Blessings.

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A Twisted Worship?

A repositioning of worship paradigm from the reading of Mary's "Magnificat".

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”  

And Mary said,  “My soul magnifies the Lord,   and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

(Luke 1:39‭-‬47 ESV)

This might not sound biblical.. nor medical. The upside down Kingdom mandates a chiropracticed worship. And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior." (Luk 1:47)

       How many times being mostly evangelical as we are, claiming obedience to the authority of the Word, being a pentecostal-charismatic as we are, claiming openness to movements of God's Spirit, yet we haven't seemed to get our worship expressions straight?

And by "straight", I mean to follow the manner of the Kingdom that Jesus was bringing which is the exact opposite to views of the world.

     Our beloved mother Mary has given us this (written) Spirit-inspired legacy of "the soul that's proclaiming" and 'the spirit that rejoices".

     Sadly, many Christians today need chiropractic treatments in the way we respond to the Good News and ministry. Many of us got it turned around, the spirit is told to minister (while it's left hungry and away from Jesus, the Savior), while we're trying to pursue the next spiritual sensation or mere understanding, we tell our soul to hold on to salvation, thus the faith gets tossed around & badly beaten. That's why there's something "fishy" about the overrated expression "I'll be there/ministering in the spirit", while the underlying motive is reluctancy to delve in exhausting human dynamics.

     I believe that when we can be sure we're approaching God the right way, that's the time we allow our soul to dominate what it can never grasp, a favour & salvation from God that are receivable (in the right sense of) by faith alone. I believe faith to be and should be simple: pray, read the Word, believe, then in that belief .. we tell the soul to move, to train, to allow strains, to work on problems and pains, to sing like never before even when our strengths are failing, to fight for what's right, to demonstrate mercy, to glorify and magnify our Lord.

     We can learn from the opening of Mary's "Magnificat" today to rejoice in/with our Spirit and taking part of God's redeeming & loving works to renew creation with our soul, as mentioned in the שְׁמַע Shema (Deut 6:4-6), "our soul, and our strength". May the words of our mouth & the thought (meditation) of our hearts be pleasing to Him, our rock and redeemer (Psalm 19:14). 

#lectionary #lectiodivina