Church Dictionary
Those Who Mourn – Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matthew 5:4) Pastor John’s Notes: Once we become poor in spirit and humble ourselves before God, God’s Spirit, at work within us, enables us to see the world in a new light. Part of this illumination is the ability to know ourselves as we truly are. Godly self-knowledge is both a joy and a sorrow. It is a joy because we now know ourselves to be saved, having been made…
Church Dictionary: Bless
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. –Psalm 103:1 What does “bless” mean? Thousands of years before gaining popularity as a misused hashtag on social media, blessed was a word used to express profound thankfulness and gratitude. It’s something much deeper and more meaningful than luck or some intangible magic spell. What does it mean to bless God? The Hebrew word we translate as “bless” is “shachah.” The most literal translation of “shachah”…
Church Dictionary: Amen
[ Editor’s Note: This is the first in our new Church Dictionary series, where we will help define words that you may hear in church but nowhere else. If you have a suggestion for a word or phrase you’d like us to demystify, let us know! ] Amen is one of those immediately recognizable church words. People with no religious background or upbringing know the word and how to use it correctly, but few of us know what it actually…