To be, to exist. Eimi. When God names himself I AM, he uses this word. Existence itself belongs to him. Ground your identity in the one who simply is.

Rome, the capital of Italy. Rhṓmē. Paul wrote to believers living at the center of world power, reminding them that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. No empire outlasts the kingdom it cannot contain.

God. Theos. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The ultimate reality. The source of all existence. Personal knowable and present.

Called, invited. Kletos. Many are called but few are chosen. The call goes out to everyone. The response is individual. Every person who hears the Gospel is being called by God.

Grace, favour, gift, charm. Charis. By grace you have been saved through faith. Grace is God giving what we do not deserve. It is His nature expressed toward those who need Him.

The Greek eirene carries the Hebrew shalom: wholeness, completeness, nothing missing, nothing broken. Jesus says in Me you have eirene, not in the absence of trouble, but in the middle of it. The peace He gives is not the peace of circumstances. It is the peace of His presence.

When Jesus teaches His disciples to pray, He begins with the most radical word imaginable — Father. In the ancient world, approaching God as Father was almost unthinkable. Jesus opens the door and says: this is how you come. Not as a subject before a king. As a child before a Father who already knows what you need.

No, not, never. Mé. The softest Greek negative, used to deny what is possible or expected. When God says no, he means it.

Lord, master, owner. Kurios. Jesus is Lord. The foundational confession of Christianity. Lord means owner. To confess Jesus as Lord is to surrender ownership of your life.

Jesus. Iesous. The Greek form of Yeshua meaning the LORD saves. The name given before His birth. In His name is salvation healing and authority over every power of darkness.

The one set apart and equipped for a specific task. Oil was poured on kings, priests and prophets in the Old Testament — the anointing meant: this one is chosen, this one is sent. Jesus stands up in Nazareth and reads Isaiah — and then says: this is Me. I am the one sent.