During the month of April, I’ve chosen to blog through the alphabet. Each day I will use a letter to share a Name of the Lord that begins with that letter based on Proverbs 18:10 and the fact that there is strength in the Lord’s Name. I pray you’ll be blessed and that you’ll stop by often.

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

Proverbs 18:10 – NIV

Χριστός (Christos)

The late 70’s and early 80’s brought some exciting music to my world. Songwriters like Bill Tewson, Cam Floria, Jimmy and Carol Owens created musicals that touched the young people of my high school and college years. These songs have remained with me through the years.

In The Witness written by Jimmy and Carol Owens, Peter’s account of his encounters with Jesus were brought to life through music and lyric. In one of songs, Peter shares his great confession of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. While I cannot find the lyrics to this song anywhere on the internet, I did find a link. If you’d like to listen to “Life Giver/You Are the Christ” (The Witness Musical), by clicking here.

Peter’s confession is found in Matthew 16. During a teaching moment, Jesus asked His beloved disciples what was being said about Him. Jesus didn’t need to know what the people were saying, He knew. But Jesus wanted His disciples to come to a conclusion on their own.

After hearing what others said about Jesus, Jesus then asked, “But what about you? Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15 – NIV)

Peter made the statement that we’ve all come to cherish and love in answer to Jesus’ question. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16 – NIV) Peter knew in that moment who Jesus was and he believed.

When Peter said that Jesus was the Christ, what did he mean? The word Christ is translated from the Greek word Christos (Χριστός – there’s my x). Christos means “anointed one” and it refers to one being set apart for a specific purpose.

When Israel begged God for a king, God’s instructions were to anoint the chosen king. Each king was set apart to rule Israel by God’s guidelines.

By the time Jesus came into this world, Israel hadn’t had a king in a very long time. However, they were looking for the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One whom God would send to restore their nation. They were looking for an earthly king, so it’s no wonder many missed the Christ.

After Jesus’ ascension, the Church exploded with growth. The Good News spread throughout the lands and the disciples of Jesus were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:26).

These early Christians were also persecuted for their beliefs and some had to go into hiding. Historians tell of church services held in catacombs and secret symbols or words. The symbol of the fish became important for the early Christian. Its meaning was even more important.

Perhaps you’ve heard the word Ichthus before. These were the first letters of each letter within the fish. They stood for “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior.” These Names of the Lord were life givers to the early Christians.

We as Christians today may not face the persecution of the early Church, but we do wear the Name of Jesus. Christian. I pray that we would not take His Name for granted and would proudly and boldly proclaim the Christ, just as Peter did long ago.

Yesterday in our worship services at Rocky, we baptized 47 people. Each of them made a statement of faith. Peter’s statement of faith. They were asked if they believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Their response led to their immersion.

Maybe you haven’t recited this statement in a while. Perhaps you need to be reminded of who Jesus is and what He has done for you. If so, I ask you, who do you say that Jesus is? Let’s say it all together. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna