New Name

Isaiah 62:2

"...and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give."

We've been studying Isaiah 62 to understand what God is doing in the Brays Oaks district of Houston.

This weekend on retreat we spent time brainstorming and praying together as a team to seek out the new name the Lord is giving to this area of the city.

From now on we'll be referring to it as Salem Oaks.

Salem is a Hebrew word meaning wholeness, completeness, and peace. Biblically, Salem was the name of an ancient city which later became Jerusalem. Melchizadek, the legendary priest-king of Salem, is identified with Jesus by the writer of Hebrews who calls him "king of righteousness" and "king of peace" (see Genesis 14 and Hebrews 7).

Christ is king of Salem Oaks. He wants to bring the more than 20 different nations we've found represented in the area into his kingdom of peace - heart, soul, mind, and strength. He is sending us there so that he may wake them up, call them out of slumber and death, into the life and light found only in his presence.

"Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!"