“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 (NIV) One key theme in the beatitudes is the reversal of fortunes. The poor (who are assumed to be outside of God’s favor) are the ones who are blessed and included in the Kingdom. Likewise, those who mourn will be comforted. Jesus seems to be drawing on the following passage from Isaiah 61:1-3,The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord ...  Read More

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”- Matthew 5:3 (NIV) In Luke’s version of the sermon on the mount, Jesus says “Blessed are you who are poor” (Luke 6:20). The addition of “in spirit” in Matthew’s Gospel has been the source of considerable debate. One theory is that in Luke, the emphasis is on physical or economic poverty, while in Matthew, the focus is spiritual...  Read More

The third major name for God (used around 400 times in the Old Testament) is Adonai, the plural form of the Hebrew word for lord or master. This word has to do with dominion, authority, and ownership. A person’s Adon (singular) is the one they submit to as the final authority in their life.Masters, for their part, are not to use and abuse those entrusted to their care. On the contrary, they have a...  Read More

The most common name for God in the Bible is his personal name, YHWH. Modern spellings of this name include Yahweh and Jehovah (more on that later). Although this name is used over 6,500 times in the Old Testament, we’re not actually sure how it was originally pronounced. There’s two reasons for that: first, the original manuscripts of the Old Testament don’t contain any vowels, and second, the Je...  Read More

We're excited to roll out a fresh update to our church website. We hope you'll enjoy connecting with us, live-streaming our services and learning more about the Westside family. Make sure to check back often to stay in the loop about what's happening at Westside!...  Read More

The first name of God we encounter in the Bible comes in Genesis 1:1. In the beginning, Elohim created the heavens and the earth. Elohim is the only name for God used throughout the entire creation account. The next name for God (YHWH) occurs in Genesis 2:4. So what does this first name reveal about God? Let’s find out!Elohim is Our Powerful CreatorFirst impressions are lasting impressions. When y...  Read More