by Prisca | 9 November 2024 08:46 pm11
Which name should believers use in prayer and ministry? Should we say YESU (Swahili), JESUS (English), or YESHUA (Hebrew)?
One of the tactics the enemy uses to confuse and divide the body of Christ is the debate over the “correct” name for the Messiah. However, Scripture and sound theology show that the power of the name of Jesus is not in pronunciation but in the person it represents and the faith placed in Him.
There are two main views:
These names, though different in form, refer to the same person: the Son of God, the Savior of the world.
Yes! God has always used human language to reveal Himself to people. The New Testament was originally written in Greek, not Hebrew, and the name of Jesus appears in Greek as Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous) throughout the Gospels and Epistles.
“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21 (NIV)
The Greek manuscripts say Iēsous, not Yeshua. Yet we understand it refers to the same person.
When the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost, the disciples spoke in various known human languages, not in one sacred language:
“Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?’”
Acts 2:7–8 (NIV)
They heard the works of God proclaimed in their own tongues (Acts 2:11). This means that the Gospel, including the name of Jesus, was understood and spoken in different languages from the very beginning of the Church.
Even the names and titles of God are translated throughout Scripture:
If God’s names and titles are translated for understanding, then the name of Jesus can rightly be translated too without losing its power or divinity.
What matters most is faith in the person behind the name, not the specific pronunciation.
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12 (NIV)
The power of His name is demonstrated not by how it’s said, but by who He is and what He has accomplished through the cross and resurrection.
In deliverance ministry, it is well known that demons respond to the authority of the name YESU in Swahili, JESUS in English, or Yeshua in Hebrew because they recognize the authority of the person being invoked.
“The seventy two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’”
Luke 10:17 (NIV)
God desires that all nations, tribes, and tongues worship Him:
“All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.”
Psalm 86:9 (NIV)
“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”
Revelation 7:9 (NIV)
This shows that linguistic diversity is God ordained, and the name of Jesus is meant to be proclaimed in every language.
Whether you say YESU, JESUS, or YESHUA, what truly matters is:
The issue is not the translation, but the truth and faith behind the name.
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:13 (NIV)
May the Lord bless you as you call upon His name in truth.
Source URL: https://wingulamashahidi.org/en/2024/11/09/is-it-yesu-jesus-or-yeshua-understanding-the-power-in-his-name/
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