Understanding ‘Mighty God’ in Isaiah’s Prophecy

6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 The dominion will be vast,
and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9

The title “Mighty God” is one of several names or titles given to the promised child in this prophetic passage from the Prophet Isaiah. The prophecy speaks of a child who will bring hope and deliverance to a people living in darkness. The titles assigned to this child emphasize his extraordinary character and divine mission.

The original Hebrew for “Mighty God” is El Gibbor:

El: A common word for God in Hebrew, used to describe the one true God of Israel.
Gibbor: Meaning “mighty,” “strong,” or “heroic.”

When paired, “El Gibbor” is understood as “God the Mighty One” or “God the Warrior,” emphasizing power, authority, and divinity.

The title “Mighty God” underscores His divine nature.The phrase aligns with the New Testament portrayal of Jesus as possessing divine authority and power over creation, sin, and death.

18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.  - Matthew 28

3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high - Hebrews 1

Even before Jesus was born, there are forces of evil that have tried to subvert, redirect, and outright stop humanity from discovering the amazing truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It has never worked, and it never will.

According to the Bible Study plan called Child of God, there are three modern systems that currently in place trying, with no avail, to stop the proliferation of the Gospel:

1) Government

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder…” (Isaiah 9:6a ESV). When Isaiah wrote these words, Israel was governed by Ahaz, a wicked king. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Judea was ruled by Herod, another wicked king. Despite these broken leaders, Jesus established a new Kingdom for all who place their faith in Him. Today, no matter how dysfunctional the leaders in our lives may be, God’s sovereign plans will always prevail.

2) Culture

“…over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness…” (Isaiah 9:6b ESV). Looking closely at the cultural background of Isaiah and Jesus, it’s amazing to think their message was able to gain any ground. Generally, people were disinterested in God, but this didn’t stop Isaiah from writing boldly and Jesus from living faithfully. Even as our culture grows darker, we can faithfully share the Gospel, the only true message of hope!

3) Time

“…from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:6c ESV). Time was created by God, and He exists outside of it. The birth of our Savior was foretold seven centuries before it happened, and words in the Bible written thousands of years ago are still relevant to us today. Understanding this allows us to have deeper patience, recognizing that God is at work, even when it feels like He’s running late

Let’s Talk About It

Question #1:

What is one thing that stood out to you while reading God’s Word?

Question #2:

Which of the three systems (government, culture, and time) stood out the most to you?

How does it give you hope that these systems can’t hinder God’s plans?

Question #3:

What are some creative ways you can share the Gospel in your cultural context?

Join us Wednesday night at 6:30pm (online or in-person) as we discuss this in person.

God bless you all,

Pastor John

Sunday, January 12th Recap

Posted by PastorJohn96

I am really excited that today we began to dive into our new sermon series for 2025 on the book of Galatians. Here is a brief recap of the message:

Missionary Family of the Week

*Please remember to pray for the Kwak family in Paramus, NJ **Photo courtesy of the North American Mission Board

Prayer Request

Please continue to pray for those affected by the California wildfires

Sermon Recap

The book of Galatians is Paul’s Epistle (letter) to the church at Galatia → modern-day Turkey. Galatians addresses a critical issue facing early Christian communities: some people trying to blend the Gospel w/ the Mosaic Law in an attempt to distort the Gospel.

Paul’s Argument rings true today and always: the message of the gospel is what Jesus did on the cross, revealed by the Scriptures, proven by the resurrection.
Salvation is by Faith Alone: Justification (being declared righteous before God) comes solely through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works of the Law (the Law was a temporary guide fulfilled and superseded by Christ’s sacrifice)

If we preach Jesus + “anything” to be saved, we are preaching a false and evil distortion of the Gospel. In the church today, this often looks like legalism.

Paul’s Introduction Steers Us Clear from Legalism (v. 1-5)

1 Paul, an apostle—not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me: To the churches of Galatia. 3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. 5 To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. - Galatians 1

“He wanted to tell the Galatians straight out that atonement for sins and perfect righteousness are not to be sought anywhere but in Christ… So glorious is this redemption that it should ravish us with wonder.” (Calvin)

Legalism flies in the face of this truth. Legalism →belief that salvation is achieved through following rules and regulations; rather than through faith in Christ . Always man-made rules, Often personal preferences. When that personal preference is elevated to the level of biblical absolutes… for example: What translation of the Bible to read, what kind of songs to sing, How long your hair can be, what type of clothes to wear, etc.

Paul’s Amazement & Declaration (v. 6-9)

6 I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! 9 As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him! - Galatians 1

“Heretics do not advertise their errors. Murderers, adulterers, thieves disguise themselves. So the devil masquerades all these devices and activities. He puts on white to make himself look like an angel of light.” (Martin Luther)

The other gospel was really a perversion or a distortion of the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
It used the names and ideas familiar to the Galatian Christians, but it slightly twisted the ideas to make their message all the more deceptive.

Paul’s Desire is to Please God (v. 10)

10 For am I now trying to persuade people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. - Galatians 1

Paul’s first obligation was to please God and not to please men.
He refused to shape his message just to please his audience.
There are those even today who do so …..It is part of fallen human nature that even those charged with the responsibility of proclaiming the gospel can fall into the trap of trying to be popular rather than faithful.

For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold - 2 Timothy 4:3

What does this all mean to us?

If we are to be Intentional “Tellers” and “Senders” of the Gospel in 2025, then this must be the Gospel that we tell, the true Gospel. To be effective and faithful in our role as witnesses of Christ must ensure that we communicate the authentic message of Scripture and not any distortion of it.
The message must be:
*Grounding in Scripture – Devoid of Personal Bias – The Whole Counsel of God – Presented with Humility/Dependence on the Holy Spirit – Communicated with Love and Grace

Heavenly Father,
We come before You today with hearts full of gratitude for the gospel—
the good news of Your love, grace, and salvation through Jesus Christ.
Thank You for entrusting us with the privilege of sharing this life-changing message with the world.
Lord, we confess that we are often weak, distracted, or hesitant in fulfilling this calling.
Forgive us for the times we have distorted or withheld Your truth out of fear, pride, or misunderstanding.
Purify our hearts and align our words with Your Word so that we may proclaim the gospel faithfully and boldly.
Help us to be rooted in Scripture,
that we might know and share the truth in its fullness.
Teach us to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide our words, soften hearts, and bring conviction to those who hear.
Let us not lean on our own understanding
but trust in Your power to work through us.
Father, give us courage to speak when the opportunity arises and wisdom to do so with gentleness and respect.
Let our lives reflect the gospel we proclaim, demonstrating the love, grace, and humility of Christ.
Guard us from hypocrisy,
and may the fruit of the Spirit be evident in all that we say and do.
We pray for those who hear the gospel….
Prepare their hearts to receive Your truth
Lord, as we share,
help us to be faithful stewards of Your message,
always pointing others to Jesus and never to ourselves.
May our words and actions glorify You and advance Your kingdom.
We commit to being faithful sharers of the gospel. Empower us, guide us, and use us for Your glory.
In Jesus’ name, we pray,
Amen

To hear the full message from today, check out our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/FirstBethanyBaptist

God bless you all,

Pastor John

State of the Church: Reflecting and Inspiring for 2025

Posted by PastorJohn96

Tomorrow is a big day in churches all across the nation… It is the first Sunday of the new year. Time to reflect back upon last year and look forward to the days to come. I look forward to this every year.

State of the Church address?

You might be more familiar with the SOTU address. The annual speech delivered by the President of the United States to a joint session of Congress. The purpose of the State of the Union is to give an overview of the country’s current state, some highlights accomplishments over the past year, maybe set forth goals for the coming year, and to inspire/unite by outlining a vision for the future. In many ways, that is what we will strive to do tomorrow at our church as well.

The theme verse of this year’s State of the Church Address is found in Romans 10:14-15. It reflects our ongoing commitment to grow deeper in our relationship with Christ and to broaden our impact on the world.

14 How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. - Romans 10: 14-15 (CSB)

Paul is speaking here about the necessity of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, what we call the Gospel. Although I really like how the CSB translation of the Bible states it, I also really like a paraphrase version that I found:

How can people call for help if they do not know who to trust? How can they know who to trust if they have not heard of the One who can be trusted? How can they hear if nobody tells them? How is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? - Romans 10:14-15 (MSG)

For All Believers, telling the gospel is not a task but a divine privilege. These verses encourage us to value and support those who do “tell” (preach) the gospel. These include pastors and missionaries, but also include EVERYONE else as well.

I want to encourage you to come join us tomorrow at 11am to hear the rest of this message. And I also want to ask you a question of great consequence;

Will you practice intentionality in telling the Gospel in 2025?

God bless you and I hope to see you online or in-person tomorrow,

PastorJohn96

New Year, New Beginnings: Trusting God in 2025

Posted by PastorJohn96

Hello Friends,

It’s been quite a while—4.5 years, to be exact—since I last updated this blog. Life has been full of twists and turns, and somewhere along the way, this space became very, very quiet. But today, on New Years Day 2025,I’m inspired to try to breathe new life into something that I was once very passionate about… writing. Whether you’re a long-time reader or a newcomer, I’m so glad you’re here as we begin anew. Let’s dive back into sharing our stories, life reflections, meaningful scripture, and a little piece of our journey through this strange thing called life together. Thanks for sticking around—I’ve have really missed this!

Personally, this past year was a banner year for me. Among many other blessings that I could mention… I got married! That’s right, I could not ask for a better story to begin to reintroduce this blog …. On December 16th of 2023, I surprised the love of my life with a proposal in a garden near where we had our first date. You may have guessed at this point that she said yes. And on March 23, 2024, we were married in Monroe, Georgia in front of our families (both biological and church) and friends. We have chosen to reside in my home town, where we are currently living in a renovation project very near to our hearts. We just celebrated our first holiday season as a married couple and are excitedly looking forward to 2025 for many, many reasons. (More on that another time)

Although it has been a banner year, there are still some struggles. Without going into great detail, I will say that these struggles are not unique to our world… I know that many of you have had similar struggles as well this past year. I have made mistakes, I have been the unfortunate recipient of other peoples mistakes, and sometimes, well, this lost and broken world just heaps down a bunch of “stuff” all at once. This reminds us, that no matter how good we are (which is up for debate for every single one of us), we are not in control and we desperately need the Lord… every minute of every day.

With that knowledge clearly in our field of vision, let us consult God’s Word for inspiration, assistance, and maybe even correction:

¹⁸“Do not remember the past events; pay no attention to things of old. ¹⁹Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. – Isaiah 43:18-19

Wow! What a great passage of Scripture to begin the new year with. Praise the Lord for his wisdom and perfect timing. Let’s dive in a little bit.

Meaning and Context:

Do Not Remember Former Things
God encourages us to not remain stuck in the past—our past failures, challenges, or ironically even our victories. This does not mean we erase our memories or forget the lessons learned…. but to not let our past define or limit what God can do now. This is often (from personal experience) very difficult to do.
I Am Doing Something New
This verse speaks to almighty God’s transformative power. God declares that He is bringing about something fresh and unprecedented in the lives of those who faithfully follow Him. It is a call to embrace change and anticipate the new works God is preparing, even if they are not immediately visible. And I know that it is hard to see this on the very first day of the year, but God will be working in you (for His glory and our good) every minute of every day of 2025… you can count on it!
A Way in the Wilderness
Wilderness and wasteland symbolize desolation and challenges, but God promises provision, guidance, and renewal in such places. This reflects His ability to create hope, life, and direction in the most unlikely circumstances. Regardless of where we start here on the first day of the year, we will need to remember this in the days to come. As much as God’s love is a guarantee, so is brokenness of this world,
Rivers in The Desert
The imagery of streams in barren places emphasizes God’s ability to bring refreshment and abundance to areas that seem lifeless. It symbolizes spiritual renewal and His faithfulness to meet our needs. What an amazing picture to lean on as we begin this new year… not our power nor our strength, but His….. “Streams in barren places”… and amazing promise indeed!

Application:

This passage is a great encouragement to trust in God’s sovereignty and to look forward with faith, knowing that He can bring new opportunities, growth, and blessings even in challenging situations. It reassures believers that God is always working for their good and His glory, no matter the circumstances. With the Lord fighting for us, we are always hopeful…knowing that He will always prevail!

I pray that this Word from the Lord will be an encouragement for you today. Even if you are beginning 2025 with trepidation over difficulties in life…. maybe looking for ways to recover financially after a generous Christmas giving season… or trying to figure out how to share not so good news with our loved ones…. or planning your next move for a live-in-renovation that might not have been your best choice….. may the Lord encourage and strengthen you today… like Rivers in the desert!

God bless you all,

Pastor John