The Japanese "I AM JESUS"

The Silk Road was established before the birth of Jesus. By the Asakusa era, 538 to 710 AD, Japan was a part of this trade network. It received outsiders from Korea.

By 710 to 794 AD, known as the Nara era, the Silk Road had a maritime route which put in to the port of Osaka, Japan. Goods were delivered to the nearby Japanese capital of Nara, the final destination. (UNESCO) Traders to Osaka usually came from nearby China and Korea.

Sent by their government, Japanese individuals also visited China. (Doug Fuqua, “The Japanese missions to Tang China and maritime exchange in East Asia,” 7th-9th centuries,” The Japan Society, 2004.)

It is very probable that the Japanese were aware of the Christian faith. A Chinese Gospel of Matthew was located in Mogao Cave number 17 in China, together with literature from other religions from the Tang Dynasty period (618 to 907 AD).

Dr. Samuel Lee has studied the Japanese language. He maintains that approximately 300 words of Japanese are very similar to Hebrew and Aramaic. (Dr. Samuel Lee, Rediscovering Japan, Rediscovering Christendom: Two-Thousand Years of Christian History in Japan, Langham: University Press of America, 2010.)

Hebrew is the language of the Bible’s Old Testament. Aramaic was the vernacular of the Jews during the time of Jesus on earth. The Church of the East uses a form of Aramaic known as Syriac in its liturgy. Their missionaries traveled from Persia with the Gospel in Syriac, which was given to the Chinese in their own tongue. (Verification of this exists upon the Xi’an Stele.)

The linguistic evidence of the inclusion of Hebrew and Aramaic words in the Japanese language, demonstrates that it is highly probable that the Church of the East reached Japan via China where they were welcomed and built monasteries and Christian communities.

This was the first wave of the Gospel to reach Japan. Christians in Japan at this time were members of the early church. Japanese is an early church language.

In the 1540s, Catholic missionaries arrived in Japan where they were welcomed. With them came a Japanese Christian from abroad.

In 1550, Francis Xavier, a Spanish Jesuit missionary, went to speak with the “daimyo” or ruling feudal lord. Once again, he was welcomed. Christianity and conversion to the faith were allowed. Hundreds came to know the Lord. (Jesuits)

This included members of the aristocracy, such as, Omura Sumitada.

But the tide was turning for believers. In 1597 AD, in the Christian city of Nagasaki, foreign Franciscan priests and Japanese members of the church were martyred by crucifixion. (Cristina Osswald, “On Christian Martyrdom in Japan,” Macau Polytechnic Institute, China, 2021.)

The youngest martyr was a 12-year-old boy.

In 1603, the Tokugawa Shogunate was the military power in Japan. Moving against Christianity by 1610, the faith was banned and foreign missionaries with it. The Japanese church went underground. Martyrdom in Japan continued.

Japan’s hidden Christians became known as Kakure Kirishitan. Churches and crosses were eliminated. Religious and biblical words were morphed and encrypted.

Prayers began to sound like chants of the local religion; however, they retained the untranslated words of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin that had been learned from the foreign priests. With the end of access to the Gospel, this oral practice and Christian traditions have been handed on from generation to generation through families of the Kakure Kirishitan. (Amano Hisaki, “The Hidden Christians of Ikitsukishima: Japanese Islanders Who Kept the Faith,” Nippon, 2024)

Even the rite of baptism was kept.

This was the second wave of the Gospel to take root in Japan.

In 1865, the Catholic Church opened a house of worship in Nagasaki. 20,000 Japanese Christians came. (Britannica)

In 1868, the Meiji emperor returned the rights of Christian Japanese. Also at this time, Orthodox and Protestant churches sent their own missionaries to Japan.

This was the third wave of the Gospel to Japan.

God loves the Japanese, just as He loves all people. (John 3:16) His love keeps sending those with the light and the truth to all who would believe.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church:

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (1Corinthians 3:6-9)

Each wave of the Gospel to Japan was seeds planted and watered. No matter the branch of the church it arrived with, the wave had one purpose—to speak the Words of of Scripture, “I AM JESUS.”

During periods of Christian suppression, written documents, such as the Gospels and prayers are often destroyed. The Scriptures carry the knowledge of the truth and light of Jesus. They are freedom. They are the Sword of the Spirit. Literacy, education and the Gospel are fundamentally important.

The Word of God was hidden within the hearts of the Japanese from the first wave. Those words stuck firmly in the language.

The Word of God was hidden within the hearts of the Japanese from the second wave, being chanted and prayed in a hidden way.

It is God who gave the growth.

Modern Japanese believers also suffered persecution during World War II. The government still believed that believers were aligned with the West, as during the time of the Jesuit and Franciscan missionary efforts. Some Christians went into hiding. Some of the Kakure Kirishitan remained in hiding.

The Word of God was hidden within the hearts of the Japanese from the third wave, helping them prepare for further persecution during modern days. (Psalm 119:11)

Yes, the West sent missionaries to Japan. But Jesus came out of the Middle East. The first missionaries to Japan, based upon linguistic evidence, were highly likely from Persia’s Church of the East and the Chinese Church of the East.

The Japanese faith today is yet a minority, but they too are mission-oriented, reaching out to their own people. (Kelly Jadon, “Hallelujah Community Church: What God Did,” 2020.) These Japanese believers in Jesus, no matter the denomination of the church, are the spiritual and physical descendants of the early church, the Kakure Kirishitan, the martyrs of Jesus and the persecuted.

To honor the Lord and the witness of the Japanese Church for Jesus for perhaps close to 2,000 years, I have embroidered わたしがイエスです meaning “I AM JESUS” from John 18:5 into this artwork titled “I AM.”

Listen to the Lord’s prayer in Japanese:

Please share!

More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon, 2025

The Chinese "I AM"

(C) Embroidery of “I AM,” Chinese Simplified language — “I AM” Kelly Jadon, 2025

In 130 BC, the Han Dynasty of China opened the Silk Road connection to the West; this trade route remained until 1453 AD. (History) The routes were located in the north, the south and there was also a maritime means of trade. Various nomadic peoples facilitated the Road. (Smithsonian)

The way was prepared by God for the transmission of the Gospel. (James 1:17) Jesus said told His disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15)

The Silk Road ran from China through Persia. After Pentecost, the Apostle Thomas took the Good News to Persia, modern day Iran, where he established churches.

India was also a part of the Southern Silk Road. (Peninsula Foundation)

Christian Indians have written their oral history, in which they have recorded their earliest meetings with Christ via the Apostle Thomas. This includes Thomas’ trip to China with the Gospel and then returning to India where he was martyred. (Fr. Dr. THOMSON ROBI, “HISTORICAL STUDY OF THE ARRIVAL OF APOSTLE ST. THOMAS IN KERALA AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE LIFE OF THE ST.THOMAS CHRISTIANS,” BASELIUS COLLEGE, India, 2013.)

These Indian believers are an apostolic church, originating in 52 AD with the Apostle Thomas. They are both physical and spiritual descendants of the early Indian church. What they say has deep meaning and has been doggedly preserved for 2,000 years. It is very probable that the Chinese early church is apostolic as well.

In the fourth century, Christian Berber apologist Arnobius recorded that the Gospel had already reached Serica, which is the Roman word for North China, where silk came from. (China Silk Museum)

The Gospel continued to be taken along the Silk Road by the Persian Church of the East into countries farther east, even into China.

The common language of the Church of the East was Syriac, which is a dialect of Aramaic. It was used to unite the church in Persia. Syriac was used in China by the Persian missionaries.

China’s first recorded Christian communities date to 635 AD with the documentation of a stele from the era of the Tang Dynasty. Meant to last, the stele is a nine-foot two-inch tall limestone block inscribed on two sides in both Chinese and Syriac; it demonstrates that the Chinese were a part of the early Christian church.

In 781 AD, the stele was erected.

A Church of the East monk named “Adam” composed the words for the marker. It states that a missionary known as Alopen came from the Eastern Roman Empire with other Syriac missionaries in 635 AD. They brought with them the Gospel of Jesus. The stele also acknowledges several Christian Chinese communities in the area. Acceptance of these Christians was given by Emperor Taizong allowing for the building of monasteries and churches. Christianity in China was legal. (Australian Museum)

God had prepared a leader, Emperor Taizong, who would welcome the faith.

Christian monasteries existed in Chang’an, perhaps there was one in Luoyang, and some near Ningxia among others. (Matteo Nicolini-Zani, “Monastic Mission in Dialogue. The Missionary Paradigm of East Syrian Christianity in China: A Historical Perspective,” Urbaniana University Press, Città del Vaticano, 2022, pp. 151-181.)

The stele also records the names of church bishops.

In 845, Emperor Wuzong banned Christianity.

The stele was most likely buried during a persecution of believers in 845 AD, but was discovered in Xian, China during the Ming Dynasty, (1623-1625) by Jesuit missionaries. Today, the monument is housed in the Beilin Museum (Stele Forest).

In China, the faith was known as Jingjiao, 景教, meaning “luminous teaching/religion.” (Dingjian Xie. (2021). Christianity in Tang China. Database of Religious History, Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia.)

With the knowledge of Jesus came the Light.

Jesus stated, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (John 8:12)

There are deep caves in China which once housed ancient writings from the early church. Mogao Caves in Dunhuang has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Sight. The area called Dunhuang was a crossroads of civilizations on the Silk Road. Several languages are represented in the cave documents. (University of Chicago) A Hebrew prayer with quotes from Psalms and the Prophets, the Old Testament of the Bible, are included. (Forward)

Jewish traders passed along the Silk Road. The Apostle Thomas and many early believers were of Jewish descent.

Discovered in 1990, Cave 17 of the 492 preserved caves held a treasure trove of Chinese Christian writings in the Syriac language from the Church of the East. They are known as the Jingjiao Documents 景教經典 . These works date from 635 AD to 1000 AD. It is believed that they were sealed in the cave in 1000 AD at a time of persecution.

An important writing is called “Sutra of Hearing the Messiah.” It was written in Chinese and outlines the tenets of Christianity, including the virgin birth of Jesus. Today the artifact is housed in Kyōu Shooku library, Osaka, Japan.

Jesus is the Anointed One, the Messiah, the One promised over and over again in the Hebrew Old Testament Scriptures, even in the Psalms, even in the Prophets. He came to give life to all people.

“For God so loved the world, He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) This is the message carried along the Silk Road and into Asia.

Jesus is the Life. He died and rose from the grave, never to die again. Hundreds witnessed this. The Scriptures testify to this event.

God used the Silk Road to bring the Gospel to China. He also uses major crossroads of culture and language to spread the Gospel.

During ten dynasties, including the Han and Tang Dynasties, the capital of China was Chang’an. This ancient city is modern day Xi’an where the Nestorian Stele was located. A city center and the terminus for the Silk Road, Chang’an was visited by many peoples—some came to stay and live in the city. During the 8th Century AD, perhaps 3 million people inhabited the area. (UNESCO)

Immigrants and visitors spoke Persian, Japanese, Korean, and various Indian and Chinese dialects. Christian missionaries spoke Syriac (Aramaic). Traders spoke Sogdian, the lingua franca of the Road. Some of the multi-lingual Sogdians were Christian. They helped carry the Gospel to China. (Judith A. Lerner and Thomas Wide, “Who Were the Sogdians?” National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian)

Many of the Christian Sogdians settled in Turfan/Turpan, China, home to the Han Chinese. It was another Silk Road trade center.

A Nestorian (Church of the East) monastery existed in Turpan, China. Many archaeological artifacts have been found there, signifying that these Chinese were members of the early church. (Xinhua)

The early church in China was a mixture of various peoples. The Chinese language and their faith in Jesus united them.

Chinese is indeed an early church language.

The early church was global, not Western. Beginning in the Middle East, it reached Europe, Africa, Asia and the Far East. It is the same today. The modern church belongs to no nation, but to the Lord, for the church is His. (Ephesians 1:22)

Today in China, there are millions of Christians. 44 million are registered as believers in Jesus with the government of the People’s Republic of China. They are the spiritual and physical descendants of the early church.

To honor the Lord and the witness of the Chinese Church for Jesus in China for 2,000 years, I have embroidered in Chinese Simplified language 我 就 是, meaning “I AM” from John 18:5 into this artwork titled “I AM.”

Listen to the Lord’s prayer in Mandarin Chinese:

Please share!

More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon, 2025

The Berber "Jesus"

The Berber people are the indigenous inhabitants of the Maghreb in Northwestern Africa. They are denizens of Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Mali, Mauritania, and the Sahara. To its east lies Egypt.

Berber tongues belong to the Afroasiatic language family. More than 40 million people use Berber. Its written script is ancient, but has been preserved by the Tuaregs and is still in usage today. (Mena B. Lafkioui, “Berber Languages and Linguistics,” Oxford Bibliographies, 2022.) Berber is also written in Latin and Arabic scripts.

At the time of the crucifixion of Jesus, a man visiting Jerusalem for Passover, a Jew called Simon the Cyrene, was conscripted into carrying the cross of the Lord by Roman soldiers. (Mark 15:21) Cyrene was a major port city of northern Libya; it had been established by the Greeks in approximately 600 BC. There a sizable Jewish community lived, to which Simon belonged.

At Pentecost, Libyans from around Cyrene were also present in Jerusalem.

“Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together and they were bewildered, because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. They were amazed and astonished, saying, ‘Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes..’” (Acts 2: 5 -11)

Mark, the writer of the Gospel of Mark, was from Cyrene. His father and mother Mary from the tribe of Levi, had moved him to Jerusalem. (Acts 12:12) (Daniel Isgrigg, Ph.D.) The Apostle Mark took the Gospel through the desert to Libya.

At the time of the early church, Cyrene was part of the Roman Empire.

The Gospel came to Cyrene through Mark. It arrived via Egypt, from Jerusalem. The Good News spread among Jews, Greeks, Romans and native Berber tribes.

The Gospel moves with people, on boats along the coast and inland on foot or camel with caravans, as it was with the early church.

Ancient fathers of the church are the descendants of this mixture of peoples.

Mouloud Mammeri (b. 1917) of Algeria was a linguist, researcher and writer. He wrote that though the church fathers, ie. Tertullian, Cyprian, Augustine and others, used Latin, their books demonstrated their Berber roots. Mammeri maintained that Berber was the local tongue while colonizing languages were used for written purposes, to include Phoenician, Latin, Greek, Arabic, and French. (Mena B. Lafkioui and Vermondo Brugnatelli, “Berber in contact: linguistic and sociolinguistic perspectives,” University of Leiden, Netherlands, 2008.”)

The apologist Tertullian of Carthage, born 155/160 AD in present day Tunisia, spoke against Gnosticism and was the first theologian to write in Latin. He was both a trained lawyer and a priest. Tertullian “set the tone for how many of the subsequent church fathers approached their theologian discussions.” (Concordia Seminary)

Cyprian, (b. 200 AD) of Carthage, also believed to have been Berber, became a priest, a developer of Christian thought, a bishop and finally a martyr. His teacher was Tertullian.

In 203 AD, a group of believers was each put to death by the sword within a Roman arena in North Africa. This included Perpetua and Felicitas—women of Carthage. Perpetua left a written record of her imprisonment. “The Martyrdom of Saints Perpetua and Felicitas,” from The Acts of the Christian Martyrs, Translation by MUSURILLO, S.J., Rev. Herbert Anthony, Papyrologist, Oxford Univ Press, 1972.)

Augustine was born (354 AD) in Thagaste, North Africa—a city of Romanized native Berbers—and educated in Carthage. He was a priest and bishop who battled against competing heresies. A prolific writer, Augustine’s work explored and set precedents for Christian exegesis, the concept of free will, the sin of abortion, original sin and the Trinity.

These three men among others affected generations of believers worldwide for 2,000 years. The followers of Jesus in North Africa were extremely important to the church, even today.

By the fourth century AD, several Christian Berber kingdoms existed; by them, the Christian faith stretched into present day Morocco. (BBC)

Then came 80,000 of the Germanic Vandals from Spain. For 99 years, from 435 to 534 AD they ruled parts of North Africa persecuting Christians. (FOURNIER É. The Vandal Conquest of North Africa: The Origins of a Historiographical Persona. The Journal of Ecclesiastical History. 2017;68(4):687-718. doi:10.1017/S0022046916002827)

Islam came out of Arabia and swept across Egypt (639 AD) and Northern Africa.

In 642 AD, Islam destroyed Cyrene. In 698 AD, Carthage was captured by the Muslims. Many Christians fled to Sicily Italy, Spain and other locations around the Mediterranean coast. A few went north to Germany. Through the tenth century, orthodox churches remained opened in North Africa. At this time, Latin in the local North African churches was replaced with Arabic.

The Arabs mixed with the local populations as well. When Muslim men married native women, the children were automatically deemed Muslim at birth.

Christian centers of thought were no more. Christian kingdoms were finished. Christian communities shrank. (Britannica) By the 11th Century, three exoduses of believers from North Africa had occurred.

Christianity in North Africa was hit over and over by outside attacks: Roman, the Vandals, and Islam. It took time. (Isichei, Elizabeth, “A HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN AFRICA: From Antiquity to the Present,” Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, Great Britain, 1995.)

Each invader brought its own type of false religion, none of which were friends of Christianity.

When persecution of Christians comes, some become martyrs. Others flee. And a few survive and remain as a remnant on the land.

The Berbers have remained a remnant on the land throughout North Africa. Today, they are resisting Islam’s foreign culture, language and religion. Many are coming to know the Jesus that their forefathers knew. (“Berber Christians in Algeria,” VOM)

They are the spiritual and physical descendants of the early church. The Berber tongue was an early church language.

It is vitally important that the church remembers this division of the body and the sacrifices and contributions that their forefathers made to keep Christianity alive in North Africa. May the church not forget the Berbers who helped develop the framework for Christian thought that exists today in every congregation of the Lord.

To honor the Lord and the early and modern Berber speaking church in North Africa, the Name of “Jesus” or ⵢⴻⵛⵛⵓ in the Tarafit script has been embroidered in this artwork titled “I AM.”

Watch the story of Jesus in Berber/Tarafit:

Please share!

More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon 2025

The Romanian "I AM"

The Apostle Andrew first brought the Gospel to Scythia Minor, a Roman province, which is known today as Dobruja in Romania. There he converted pagans to Christianity, who later became the first Slavic martyrs.

Paul wrote of the Scythians, referring to them as believers:

“Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” (Colossians 3:11) These were members of the early apostolic church.

Many Christian artifacts and remains from early churches dating from 300 AD to 400 AD have been located in Romania.

During the early 300s AD, the believers of Scythia Minor underwent horrific persecution at the direction of Roman Emperor Diocletian. (Georgi Atanasov, Pontica, 2023. Muzeul de Istorie Națională și Arheologie Constanța)

Monasticism rose up from the early Romanian church. Living lives of humbleness devoted to God and being always in prayer, these men became leaders in church doctrine. (Emanuel GAFIŢA, “Scythian Monks and their contribution to the clarification of the fourth century theology,” Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania, 2020.)

Dionysius Exiguus, a Scythian monk, established the usage of numbering the years in remembrance of Jesus—Anno Domini—The Year of the Lord, thus replacing the pagan method of counting the years of Emperor Diocletian, the murderer he hoped to forget.

The monks have continued the ancient ways of prayer, as initiated by Jesus and taught by the apostles for 2000 years.

“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’” (Matthew 6:9-13)

Each day the monks pray: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.” Known as the Jesus prayer, it keeps the speaker humble and the Lord in full control.

The Romanian monks have kept the forefathers commands to be always in prayer.

Paul wrote: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” (1Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Prayer is important to God. It is a gift from Him to His people, that they might speak and be heard and then receive His Word in response.

Since the time of the Apostolic Fathers and the early church, the monks have kept specific times, ways and words of prayer.

Jesus went alone to the wilderness to overcome the devil with Scripture. He also went up mountaintops to pray, especially at night.

The Romanian monks have a tradition of hermitage following in the footsteps of Christ, even today. These men seek to live in God’s presence continually. They seek purity and unification with God. Keeping oneself from sin and being in unity with God through prayer is a lifestyle of servant leadership, as demonstrated by Christ.

In Romania, the Valley of the Cells has international recognition; it is a mountain where men come to become “hesychasts,” or hidden monks (hermitage), living individually within caves. An archaeological monument, the monastery there has existed since 1215 AD.

The monks of Romania live alone, centering themselves and their hearts on God alone, withdrawing from distractions. (100 years old monk’s life advice, TRINITAS TV, 2009. Elders.org) In this way, they may always pray.

When one is praying, he is always thinking about the Lord, who Himself prays for His church, always interceding. “Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, but rather, was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” (Romans 8:34)

The monks are valuable intercessors.

Communism came to Romania in 1959. Monasteries were closed. Monks were sent out to work instead of to pray. Some leadership fled to the forests to live alone and continue to pray.

Communism was a spiritual attack against the Romanian Orthodox Church, its unification and power of prayer.

The adversary also sought to destroy Jesus at the cross, but was defeated. This act of God gave birth to the church and made it powerful—full of the Holy Spirit.

“However, instead of weakening the monks, the years of communist persecution only made them stronger. Hidden in the light of God, these hesychast monks protected the country with their prayer.” (Cristian Curte, “The Last Great Romanian Spiritual Father on Mount Athos: On Elder Iulian of Prodromou Skete,” Translation by Jesse Dominick, Orthodox Christianity, 2023)

Nothing can stop prayer.

Thus, the Romanian monks have endured persecution both in the past and in modern days. Overcoming spiritual attacks is a type of preparation that builds spiritual hierarchy.

Other ancient preparations by Romanian monks include fasting and perpetual prayer. The Lord fasted 40 days in the wilderness. Romanian monks fast and encourage their church to fast at specific times.

They recall the words of the Lord when describing how to cast out a deaf and dumb spirit: “But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:21)

(Patriarchate of Romania, Patriarch of Romania: Humble prayer and fasting fill man with God’s sanctifying love, Orthodox Times, 2025.)

Romanian Orthodox monks’ prayers can break curses and cast out demons, even the hardest types to remove.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the Romanian Orthodox Church leadership, took action. Each day church bells would be rung at noon and specific prayers were to be made in unison by both the clergy and laity of the Church. “‘Priests in parishes and monasteries will also read special prayers for the end of the pandemic,’ the office of the Holy Synod said at the end of the statement.” (Romanian faithful to jointly pray from their homes daily at noon, Orthodox Times, 2020.)

The church in every nation must ring their bells and unite in prayer at specific times for specific purposes.

The Romanian Orthodox Church stands united, as a Christian nation.

The Romanian monks are the example of Christian leadership to the church today. They live lives devoted to Christ; they have been tested by government change, persecution and plague. In addition, they are spiritually prepared to battle in prayer and direct their church in how, when and what to pray.

The Romanian language is Latin (an early church language) at its core, the only tongue within the Eastern Orthodox Church to have a Romance language. Before the Great Schism of 1054 AD, the Romanian Orthodox Church was aligned with Constantinople. Its liturgical language was Koine Greek, the language of the New Testament. In 1568, its Divine Liturgy began in the Romanian language.

Today, the Romanian Orthodox Church retains 386 monasteries, with 2,886 monks and 5,225 nuns. (World Council of Churches) Approximately 19 million people worldwide belong to the Romanian Orthodox Church. During the coronavirus, many of these faithful prayed for its end. To this, the church worldwide owes them thanks, specifically to their leadership and monasteries who initiated the prayers and promoted them. The prayer lives of the Romanian monks are an inspiration to all the church.

To honor the Lord and the witness of the Romanian Orthodox Church for Jesus and keeping the ways of the early church for 2,000 years, I have embroidered in Romanian “Eu sînt” meaning “I AM” from John 18:5 into this artwork titled “I AM.”

Listen to the Lord’s prayer in Romanian:

Please share!

More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon, 2025

The Turkish "I AM"

Antakya, Turkey—A BackLook at Antioch

Believers were first called “Christians” in Antioch. (Acts 11:26) It was the location of the first Gentile church. Historically, this city in present day Turkey was a safe haven for those of the church fleeing persecution within the Roman Empire. Jewish believers from Jerusalem went to Antioch, mixing with Gentile Christians.

The church in Antioch grew and Barnabas was sent to investigate. (Acts 11:23) The believers in Antioch were an unusual mixture of people: former pagans who were new converts, Jews who believed Jesus was their Messiah, and Gentiles devoted to Judaism who had completely converted. (Bible Ref)

These differences could cause schism, but Barnabas told them all to be faithful to the Lord.

The church across the globe today is like the church of Antioch. It is Orthodox, Oriental, from the East, Catholic, Protestant and many other denominations, yet they must all be faithful to the Lord who is the Head of the church.

In the Church of Antioch, a potential conflict arose regarding the differences between believers of Jewish background and those from the Gentile world.

“After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, 'Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us..’” (Acts 15:7-8)

All believers in Jesus the Savior are given the Holy Spirit. They are sealed as the Lord’s and are each a necessary part of the body of Christ.

Antioch was also a missionary springboard (Paul, Barnabas, and others) for their good news journeys. (47-55 AD) As a result, many churches were founded in Turkey: Colossae, Laodicea, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Tarsus, Cappadocia, Constantinople, among others.

Many of the books of the New Testament were letters written to these churches. Some scholars believe the Gospel of Matthew may have been written in Antioch. (BLB)

The first Seven Ecumenical Councils of the church were held in Turkey. They defined Christianity.

Because Peter and Paul had founded the church in Antioch, the location became one of five important patriarchal city-centers among Christians. By 270 AD, the School of Antioch opened as a place of Christian learning. The church fathers were “influential in theology and ecclesiastical politics.” (Britannica)

Turkey, especially the region called Anatolia, was an area of widespread Christianity. The church there had strength. (Turkish Studies)

At one point, the Holy Spirit warned through a man of Antioch named Agabus, that famine was coming across the Roman Empire.

“One of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius. And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea. And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders.” (Acts 11:28-30)

God warns His people. God prepares His people. God uses His church to help other parts of the body. Though many believers had left Jerusalem because of persecution, some Christians remained behind as a witness of Christ.

This is the same today. Persecution has driven many believers from the Middle East to the West for safety, while others have remained on their lands for 2,ooo years as a witness for Jesus.

It is the duty of believers in the West to help the church body in Turkey and the Middle East where few who know the Lord remain.

A part of the Roman Empire, Antioch was the third largest city after Rome and Alexandria. Its location was a crossroads for Italy, Greece, Mesopotamia, Egypt and the East. Caravans traveled to and through Antioch from the East with trade goods. The city flourished with between 100,000-300,000 people.

God uses major city centers of diverse peoples and languages to spread the Gospel.

After enduring a major fire and earthquakes (525-528 AD), Antioch then fell to the Persians, was taken back by the Byzantines (the Eastern Roman Empire), and later became a part of the Arab Caliphate (Islam) in 737 AD.

In 969 AD, the Byzantines reconquered the shrinking metropolis, but lost it to the Seljuk Turks (Islam) in 1084 AD. The Crusaders reclaimed Antioch in 1098 AD. The Mamluks (Islam) completely destroyed what was left in 1268 AD.

From 1517, the city remained a part of the Ottoman Empire (Islam), until its end (at the conclusion of World War 1). Afterward, the French mandated that Antioch become a part of Syria.

In 1939, Antioch was returned to Turkey (Islam), the former Ottoman Empire.

Although Antioch fluctuated between wars over strategic landscape, it also bounced back and forth between Christian and Islamic ownership.

What happened to Antioch’s large Christian community?

It endured natural disasters, regime changes, and persecution. In modern days, genocide specifically against Christian minorities by Turkish government. “Between 1.5 million and 2.5 million people died as a result of the genocide.” (The Thirty Year Genocide, Alex Bellamy, International Affairs, Volume 96, Issue 1, Jan 2020, Pages 247–249, Oxford Academic)

Islam is not a friend of Christians who live within the same nation’s borders. Christians are seen as those aligned with the West or as enemies of Islam. There is nothing new. It is the same situation today in many Islamic countries.

During the thirty year genocide of Christian minorities within Turkey, few helped. This was wrong. The church in the West must help the church in the East.

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church:

“But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same care for one another. And if one part of the body suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if a part is honored, all the parts rejoice with it.” (1Corinthinans 12:24-26)

Schisms arose in Antioch. Divisions came. The church became the Oriental Church, the Catholic Church, and the Eastern Orthodox. (CNEWA, Sister Jean David)

Three major branches are still worshiping separately, yet, they are bound by the same faith and the same blood—that of Jesus’, and are filled with the same Holy Spirit.

Today there are approximately only 180,854 Christians in Turkey. (AA) This is about the size of the population of ancient Antioch. These people are the physical and spiritual descendants of the early church, now scattered across the country.

The early church in Turkey spoke Koine Greek. It is still used in Greek Orthodox churches today. They also spoke Aramaic—the language of the Lord from the cross—which is utilized in Syriac churches of Turkey today. Presently, Christians in Turkey also speak the common language of Turkish.

Today’s world is small. It is connected. So can the church be connected as one body today. This is the will of the Lord, who prayed for unity of His people while sweating great drops of blood for His own, in the Garden of Gethsemane. (John 17)

To honor the Lord and the witness of the Turkish church for Jesus among the Romans, Arabs and Turks for 2,000 years, I have embroidered in Turkish, İsa, ‹‹Benim›› meaning, Jesus said, “It is I” into this artwork titled “I AM.”

Listen to the prayer of Jesus in Turkish:

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More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon, 2025

The Kurdish "I AM"

The Medes descended from an ancient kingdom. Jews were resettled in their cities by the Babylonians at one time. (2Kings 17:6) It became linked to Persia and is known as such within the Old Testament. Today, Medes is a part of modern day Iran (Persia).

According to the Greek historian, Herodotus, the Medes were originally six tribes, one of which was called the “Magi,” The Magi were a tribe of Zoroastrian priests. The position as priest was hereditary and they were allowed to serve in Media as well as Persia. The Magi priests were present in royal courts since the time of Darius I.

The Scriptures state that Magi came to see the Baby Jesus:

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him. (Matthew 2:1-2)

When the Magi returned to their country, they would have taken the knowledge of the King with them—to Persia and Medes.

At Pentecost, those from Medes were present in Jerusalem:

“Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together and they were bewildered, because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. They were amazed and astonished, saying, ‘Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia..’”(Acts 2:5-9)

The Apostle Andrew, the brother of Peter, took the Gospel to the people of Media.

Before the Medes lived in this geographic area, the Kurds were already settled there. The Apostle Andrew went to the Kurds.

By 651 AD, Media belonged to the Sassanid Empire, under which Christianity maintained a presence. Then the Sassanids, that is the Persian empire, fell to Islam, which came out of Arabia.

“At the time of the advent of Islam in the 7th century, central Kurdistan was predominantly Christian.” (Christianity, Kurdistanica)

“Since the Islamic conquest of Kurdistan, Christian Kurds isolated from the Muslim majority then developed better relations with non-Kurdish Christians such as Armenians, Georgians and Arameans.” (Kurdish People Org.)

To preserve themselves, many Kurdish believers became a part of the Church of the East. (Mark Sykes, “The Kurdish Tribes of the Ottoman Empire,” p. 453, Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 1908.)

The Lord prayed about the need for church unity while in the Garden of Gethsemane, shortly before his arrest.

“The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and You loved them, just as You loved Me.” (John 17:22-23)

A united church was necessary for physical and spiritual preservation. It is the goal of the Lord. His words are eternal. He is the same yesterday and today.

As Jesus was getting ready to go to His death and suffering, He thought of His people, even the church today. How important unity is.

Because 1400 years ago Kurdish Christians joined themselves with other believers, even those from other ethnic backgrounds, they have survived. Yes, they were pushed into other regions to live. Yes, they had to adopt a new church language. Yes, they had to adapt to different ways of doing things within the worship. But, they have survived.

It is vitally important that the church today—every major branch, commit itself to the unity of the Lord, and with one another, rallying together around the Gospel of Jesus.

The Kurds today are a stateless people, residing predominantly in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. The Kurdish language is related to the Persian tongue, both of which are Indo-European. Some Kurds are the physical and spiritual descendants of the early church.

Kurdish was an early church language.

Kurdish is written in both the Latin and the Arabic scripts. The Kurdish Christians have adopted the local tongue of Jesus—Aramaic, because it is the church language of many Middle Eastern believers. (The Kurdish Project)

Remnants of these early church believers yet remain. There is the Bazyan Church, dated to 248-226 BC, during the Sassanid Empire. It was built by Syriac-speaking Christians. Today it is located in Northern Iraq where Kurdish is spoken.

Kurdish Christians number at about 500,000.

To honor the Lord and the witness of Jesus among the Kurds for 2,000 years, I have embroidered in Sorani Kurdish, “I’m Him” into this artwork titled “I AM.”

Listen to the story of Jesus in Kurdish (Sorani):

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More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon, 2025

The Farsi "I AM"

The Bible refers to modern day Iran as Persia, and its language of Farsi as Persian. Its people are mentioned in the Old Testament books of Esther, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Isaiah and Daniel.

Cyrus, King of Persia, was used by God to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 36:22-23)

The roots of the Gospel in Iran run deep as well. A country plagued by persecution against believers in Jesus, the church has been in the land since the beginning.

When the Christ child was born in Bethlehem, Magi came from the East to worship Him. (Matthew 2:1) “Magi,” an Indo-Germanic word, from which the Farsi language descends, refers to Babylonians (Chaldeans), Medes, Persians. The Magi returned to the East, home, as witnesses to the birth of the Savior.

From the cross, Jesus spoke: “Today you shall be with Me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43) “Paradise” is a Persian word. (STRONGS G3857)

At Pentecost, those who heard the Gospel in their own language included Parthians, Medes and Elamites—all from Persia. (Acts 2:9)

Knowledge of the Gospel returned with these individuals to Persia.

After Pentecost, the Apostle Thomas took the Good News to Persia, where he established churches.

The common language of the church in the East was Syriac, which is a dialect of Aramaic. It was used to unite the church in Persia. The Gospel was taken further along the Silk Road by the Persian church into countries farther east—China, India and Korea.

By 781 AD, a marker was erected by believers in China, recognizing Syriac Christianity. (Li Tang, PhD., University of Salzburg)

The Persian Gospel was a translation from Syriac. A very few other Persian Gospels were directly translated from the Greek to Persian.

During the time of the early church, the Roman Empire in the West was declared Christian by its leader Constantine the Great.

Shapur II ruled the Persian Empire from 309-379 AD. A proponent of Zoroastrianism, he persecuted Christians, whom he believed were aligned with the Christian Roman Empire under Constantine the Great. Churches were destroyed and clergy executed. Lay people also were martyred. It is thought that 16,000 died as martyrs because they would not renounce the Lord.

In 403 AD, God raised an advocate for the Persian believers—Saint Maruthas, a Syriac monk. He began by pleading for help for them from the Roman Emperor Arcadius. Later he was sent by Emperor Theodosius the Younger to negotiate peace between the Roman and Persian Empires.

An effective ambassador, Maruthas also spoke to King Yazdegerd I of Persia about freedom for Christians within his kingdom.

A true believer, sent by God, can help bring about peace between empires because his Savior is called the Prince of Peace.

Maruthas encouraged churches be rebuilt and a council meeting of Christians for purposes of church organization be held.

By 410 AD, the capital of Persia was Ctesiphon; it had become the “center for Christianity in the empire.” (Iranicaonline.org) The Council of Mar Isaac was held at the direction of King Yazdegerd I, who was good to both Jewish and Christian subjects, for the purpose of organizing Christians of the Sassanid Empire into one church. Thus, the Church of the East was established as the national church of the Sassanid Empire.

The Church of the East carried the Gospel to other places, translating it into the local language. Thus the church grew. Early church languages became numerous. Approximately 68% of the empire was reached and evangelized. (Buck, Christopher. (1996). The Universality of the Church of the East: How Persian was Persian Christianity?. Journal of the Assyrian Academic Society. 10. 54–95..)

Farsi is an early church language.

God used empires, the Roman, the Greek, the Sassanid (Persian) to spread the Gospel around the world. He still does.

In the 7th Century, the Sassanid Empire fell to Islam. The Arabic alphabet became the standard for the written word, replacing the Persian cuneiform. This continues today.

At first, Christians were protected, but then tensions grew. Persecution rose again. By the 14th Century, under the Muslim warlord Tamerlane, many many Christians were martyred. Religious cleansing has occurred.

Iran remains a part of the Islamic world, yet the church still exists there. It is small, less than 300,000. It is against the law to preach the Gospel in Farsi.

Language matters. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

Nothing has changed in Persia. When an enemy of God is in power, believers can be persecuted.

Christians in Iran are seen as those aligned with the West; therefore, they are persecuted. (Open Doors) As it was in the past, so it is today. There is nothing new under the sun.

However, Jesus and His Gospel will not be stopped. He is appearing to individuals in Iran and speaking to them in their own language—Farsi. (CBN)

There is no end to the Kingdom of the Lord. (Luke 1:33)

Advocates for peace must be raised up by God, as Maruthas was. These individuals must also plead for the well-being of Christians in nations hostile to believers. God can put individuals in place who will offer relief to believers, just as Cyrus and King Yazdegerd I were used by Him.

It is important that the church in the West remember and help the church in the East. The church is one body with Christ as its Head.

To honor the Lord and the witness of Jesus in Persia for 2,000 years by the Church of the East, I have embroidered in Farsi, “I AM” من هستم , into this artwork titled “I AM.”

Listen to the story of Jesus in Farsi:

Please share!

More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon, 2025

The Coptic "I AM"

After Jesus the Messiah was born in Bethlehem, King Herod of Jerusalem sought to kill him. Joseph, the husband of Mary, received a dream, warning him to take his family to Egypt. They left in the night. There they remained until hearing from God that it was safe to return. The Old Testament prophecy of Hosea was fulfilled. (Matthew 2) “Out of Egypt I called my son.” (Hosea 11:1)

God did not forget Egypt; instead, he blessed the nation.

In 61 A.D., Mark, an apostle of the Christian church, took the Gospel to Egypt, where he founded the church in Alexandria. The city became an important Christian center, second only to the Latin Rome.

The first Christian religious institution, the Catechetical School of Alexandria, opened in 106 A.D.; it produced and influenced many early church fathers.

At that time, Egypt was a province of Rome. Latin was the language of government and the military. Greek was the language of commerce and trade. The local tongue was Coptic—a form of Ancient Egyptian.

The Bible began to be translated from Koine Greek into Coptic around 180 A.D.

The Coptic alphabet descends from Greek, as was used in the Gospels, with influences from the Ancient Egyptian script. The purpose of the translation was to take the Gospel to the people of Egypt.

Coptic was an early church language. It continues to be used today by the Coptic Church globally and is now a holy language for liturgical use.

In 451 A.D. the Council of Chalcedon, a meeting of bishops and other heads of the church in Turkey. The result was a major schism within the Christian church, separating the Oriental Orthodox Church (Coptic) from the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church.

The Oriental Orthodox Church (Coptic) was not just separated from the world church, but also from the Byzantine Empire, which was Christian.

The divisions weakened the church, allowing for attacks by an outside power —the Persians.

Christian Egyptians themselves became divided between those who agreed with Chalcedon rulings and those who did not, the majority being in the latter camp. Rome took Egypt back under treaty and installed a pro-Chalcedon ruler.

The Coptic Orthodox Church went underground. Persecution from fellow believers who held to Chalcedon arose.

Church unity cannot be found through force.

These events weakened the Christian church in Egypt further. Islam invaded.

Egyptian Christians, be they Orthodox, Catholic or Eastern, are all believers in Jesus, the Son of God, who died, rose again and will return. They are all brothers and sisters of the same body. Forgiveness must be given for sins of the ancient past. A new unity must be forged.

All Egyptian Christians are the physical and spiritual descendants of the early church in Alexandria. They are one people.

The Coptic Church prays for unity of Christians.

Those who believe in Jesus are members of his church; they are necessary parts of the body of Christ. Only one condition is necessary: “Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31)

Unity of the church demonstrates love and is a witness to the world.

Jesus stated, “I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

Divisions and schisms in the church must be rectified and healed with the blood of Jesus. A united house will stand, a divided one continues to fall. (Matthew 12:25)

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)

May the altar in Egypt remain until the Lord’s return. (Isaiah 19:19)

To honor the Lord and the early and modern Coptic speaking church in Egypt, “I AM” in Coptic from John 18:5 has been embroidered in this artwork titled “I AM.”

Listen to the Lord’s Prayer in the original Coptic:

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More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon 2025

The Russian "I AM"

Russians believe that the Apostle Andrew, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, came through their nation in 55 A.D. He carried with him the good news of the existence of Jesus.

In 988 A.D., Vladimir the Great installed Christianity as the state religion after leaving paganism for Christ. Idolatry was abolished and Byzantine missionaries were allowed in. The Slav tribes were uniting as the Kievan Rus—a federation of Christian states, now known as Russia, the Ukraine, and Belarus.

Christians in the highest levels of government are good for a nation. This is biblical:

“Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king, that they would be the Lord’s people.” (2Chronicles 23:16)

Vladimir had been influenced for Christ by his grandmother, Olga of Kiev, who was first baptized in about 955 A.D. She began the building of churches in the region.

Believing grandparents make a spiritual difference in the lives of their grandchildren. (2Timothy 1:5)

The modern church in Russia, the Ukraine and Belarus are the descendants of one early church. They are one people in Christ.

The Kiev Rus first received Scriptures translated from the Koine Greek and written in Glagolitic script, which was developed by two devout believers in 862 A.D. for the purpose of bringing the Slavic peoples the written Word of God. “Glagolitic” means “utterance” or “word.”

Glagolitic script was the precursor of the Cyrillic alphabet, named for Cyril, one of the two believers. Many of Cyrillic’s letters are rooted in the foundational languages of the Scriptures, coming from Hebrew and Greek. A few are Aramaic.

Jesus is a part of every word of Scripture, even the very letters. Three times he stated, “I AM the Alpha and the Omega.” (Revelation 1:8, 21:6, 22:13) These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Written language is extremely important to the Lord. Its fundamental purpose is for the spreading of the Gospel, as seen historically in Russia.

Cyrillic was used to unite the Russian people to the faith in Jesus.

Cyrillic is the alphabet for 50 different languages. God has used two men to reach generations of believers across Eastern Europe and into Asia.

The Cyrillic alphabet is now used in the Church in the Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. The Gospel is the foundation of literacy and culture throughout Eastern Europe and into Russia.

The modern church in Russia, the Ukraine and Belarus are the descendants of one holy Scripture and one early church. They are one people in Christ.

In 1054, the Great Schism occurred, dividing the Catholic Church in Rome from the Orthodox Church in the East. Though all believed in Jesus the Christ and though all were descendants of the early church, receiving the Scriptures from the same original Greek source, the two sides held to political disputes, theological differences and cultural obstacles.

The church has a history of division. Jesus stated, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and no city or house divided against itself will stand.” (Matthew 12:25)

The Russian Orthodox Church has been historically united to the Ecumenical Patriarch in Constantinople. In 1996, it split. Political differences regarding the Orthodox Church in Estonia were reconciled, and the two reunited.

In 2018, a similar split occurred again between the Russian Orthodox Church and Constantinople. This political difference involved the Ukraine. “Relations soured after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.” (BBC)

The church cannot allow other powers to divide it.

Paul wrote, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Every part of the church is necessary to the other parts.

“For just as we have many parts in one body and all the body’s parts do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually parts of one another.” (Romans 12:4-5)

These parts are to build the church up to unity in the faith. (Ephesians 4:11-13)

The Russian Orthodox Church numbers approximately 112 million globally. Eastern Orthodox members constitute 300 million worldwide. These believers are all united in Christ since they received the Gospel, and should remain so.

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:4-6)

To honor the Lord and the Orthodox Church in Russia, the Russian words “It’s me,” meaning— “I AM” from John 18:5 have been embroidered in this artwork titled “I AM.”

Listen to the Lord’s Prayer, spoken in the beautiful Russian language:

Please share!

More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon 2025

The Ukrainian "I AM"

Ukrainians believe that the Apostle Andrew, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, came through their nation in 55 A.D. He carried with him the good news of the existence of Jesus.

In 988 A.D., Vladimir the Great installed Christianity as the state religion after leaving paganism for Christ. Idolatry was abolished and Byzantine missionaries were allowed in. The Slav tribes were uniting as the Kievan Rus—a federation of Christian states, now known as Russia, the Ukraine, and Belarus.

Christians in the highest levels of government are good for a nation.

Vladimir had been influenced for Christ by his grandmother, Olga of Kiev, who was first baptized in about 955 A.D. She began the building of churches in the region.

Believing grandparents make a spiritual difference in the lives of their grandchildren.

The modern church in Russia, the Ukraine and Belarus are the descendants of one early church. They are one people in Christ.

The Kiev Rus first received Scriptures translated from the Koine Greek and written in Glagolitic script, which was developed by two devout believers in 862 A.D. for the purpose of bringing the Slavic peoples the written Word of God. “Glagolitic” means “utterance” or “word.”

Glagolitic script was the precursor of the Cyrillic alphabet, named for Cyril, one of the two believers. Many of Cyrillic’s letters are rooted in the foundational languages of the Scriptures, coming from Hebrew and Greek. A few are Aramaic.

Cyrillic is the alphabet for 50 different languages. God has used two men to reach generations of believers across Eastern Europe and into Asia.

The Cyrillic alphabet is now used in the Church in the Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. The Gospel is the foundation of literacy and culture throughout Eastern Europe and into Asia.

The modern church in Russia, the Ukraine and Belarus are the descendants of one holy Scripture and one early church. They are one people in Christ.

Approximately 41 million Ukrainians are of the Orthodox Church, but are divided by political problems and war, yet they are one people, one body, one language, one faith in Jesus Christ.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, while the Lord sweated blood, he prayed:

“ I am no longer going to be in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, so that they may be one just as We are.” (John 17:11)

Belief in Jesus and the Scriptures unites nations, the church, and the family.

To honor the Lord and the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, the Ukrainian words “This is me,” meaning— “I AM” from John 18:5 have been embroidered in this artwork titled “I AM.”

Listen to the “Lord’s Prayer” being sung in the beautiful Ukrainian language:

Please share!

More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon, 2025

The Armenian "I AM"

Bartholomew and Jude, two of the 12 apostles of Jesus, went to the land of Armenia with the good news of Jesus and his resurrection. By the year 301 A.D., Armenia declared Christianity its state religion. The first Christian nation was officially born.

How did this happen? Early Armenian Christians were first persecuted by their kings. Then came Gregory the Illuminator. As a child, he was saved from death during a political conflict between his own father and the king of Armenia. Gregory survived after being taken away from Armenia to the Roman Empire by his nurse. There Gregory was raised as a Christian.

As an adult, he returned to Armenia. After enduring torture and prison himself by the king of Armenia, Gregory persuaded him to receive Christ, baptizing him in the Euphrates River.

Gregory, the first head of the Armenian Church, built churches and schools for the study of Syriac and Greek— Scriptural languages.

By 405 A.D., Mesrop Mashtots, who was an Armenian theologian, created an Armenian alphabet for the purpose of translating the Scriptures from Greek into Armenian. This solidified the Christian faith across the nation.

God uses language, both spoken and written, to unify his church, even nations.

During the 5th Century, the Persian Shah used Zoroastrian priests to coerce Armenians into renouncing Jesus and accepting the pagan religion. The Armenian Church held fast to Christ.

The Armenian Church has stood for close to 2000 years and continues to do so, despite persecution even into modern times.

As Jesus is alive, so too has he kept his church alive.

“Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.” (Isaiah 9:7)

In 2016, “The Catholic Thing” publication reported that approximately 9 million people are members of the Armenian Apostolic Church, while 750,00 belong to the Armenian Uniate Catholic Church.

Listen to liturgical Armenian prayer:

To honor the Lord and the Armenian Church, the Armenian words of the Lord, “It’s me,” from John 18:5 have been embroidered in this artwork titled “I AM.”

Please share!

More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon, 2025

The Latin "I AM"

At the cross, a placard written in three languages (Hebrew, Latin, and Greek) was nailed above the Lord, naming him as “King of the Jews.”

There was a divine reason for the Latin inclusion on the sign placed above the Lord. It read: “Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum,” or “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” Today, the abbreviation “INRI” is still written above crosses as a reminder.

Latin was the tongue of the immense Roman Empire, which ruled over the Holy Land. It was used in the areas of administration, legislation, and for military matters.

After persecution in Jerusalem, the early church spread westward, even into Rome, where Latin was spoken. By the third century, it was the dominant tongue. In the fourth century, St. Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, now known as the Vulgate from the early Koine Greek New Testament. The title, “Vulgate,” is similar to the English word, “vulgar,” referring to Latin as the common language of the people. God’s hand was at work, bringing his word to his people.

The Vulgate influenced translations of the Bible into the Romance languages, daughter languages of Latin, like French, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Though Rome fell, Latin remained in use for church liturgy, scholarship and communication among the clergy. It is still the official language of the Roman Catholic Church today. At the Roman Catholic headquarters, in Vatican City, Latin is continues to be utilized for mass.

For 2,000 years, the Catholic Church has maintained the Latin vernacular. This is important, simply because the placard above the Lord was written in Latin. The Roman Catholic Church has continued to honor the Lord.

Their work has affected billions of people. Today, their descendants are 1.39 billion baptized individuals (2024).

Embroidered above in the artwork, “I AM,” are the words, “Iesus ego sum,” or “Jesus I AM” from John 18:5 in the Vulgate.

Listen to the “Pater Noster” or the “Our Father” prayer in Latin. Many of the first believers heard and memorized these words as the Gospel moved across Europe.

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More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon 2025

The Spoken "I AM"

Jesus spoke more than one language. The common tongue at his time in the Holy Land was Aramaic. From the cross, the Lord cried out loudly in Aramaic, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) He wanted listeners to know what was happening.

Jesus also used Aramaic to raise a small girl who had died, “Talitha koum,” or “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” (Mark 5:41) Though she was dead, he spoke to her in her native tongue.

Mark 7: 32-34 records that Jesus spoke Aramaic when he healed a deaf man. “They brought a man to him who was deaf and had a speech impediment. They pleaded with Jesus to place his hand on him.  Jesus took him aside in private, away from the crowd. He put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue.  After he looked up to heaven, he sighed and said, ‘Ephphatha!’ (which means ‘Be opened!’)” The man hadn’t been able to hear any language, but the first word he ever heard was Jesus speaking the Aramaic, “Ephphatha!”

Language is important to God. He communicates with his people through words. Even, his Son is called The Word. (John 1:1)

The Old Testament was written primarily in Hebrew, but during the exile of the Israelites to Babylon, parts of the books of Daniel, Ezra and Jeremiah were recorded in Aramaic.

Over time, Aramaic displaced Hebrew as the everyday language of the Jewish people. The precedence of Aramaic continued until the rise of Islam, when Arabic replaced Aramaic in the Holy Land, approximately 600 years after the Lord ascended.

Aramaic is still used today by small groups of Christians in northern Syria, Iraq, Iran, southeast Turkey and in diasporic communities of Armenia, Georgia and Russia.

The Syriac Bible, a dialect of Aramaic is still used today by the Syrian Orthodox Church, whose headquarters are in Syria, where we were first called “Christians.” This branch of the church was the second established after that in Jerusalem. After 2,000 years, these believers are the physical and spiritual descendants of the early church. They have kept the holy places and the living language of Christ.

Jesus also used Aramaic for teaching, “raca” or “fool,” and “mammon” meaning “wealth.” He wanted the people themselves to know and understand him, the Father and the kingdom of heaven. For that, they needed to hear in their own tongue. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. They learned “The Lord’s Prayer.”

Listen to Jonathan Roumie pray “The Lord’s Prayer” in Aramaic. It is quite moving.

To honor the Lord and the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Aramaic word “Jesus” has been embroidered in this artwork titled “I AM.”

Please share!

More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon, 2025

The Great "I AM"

Jesus spoke more than one language. His biblical language, the Old Testament, was primarily Hebrew, which He could read and speak as Scripture has shown.

One Sabbath Jesus entered Nazareth’s synagogue and then stood up to read from the scroll of Isaiah, which was written in Hebrew. (Luke 4:16-21)

“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO BRING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” (Isaiah 61:1-2a)

In the book of Exodus, Moses saw a burning bush which did not burn up. A voice, God’s voice, spoke to him from the burning bush, instructing Moses to return to Egypt and help free the Hebrew people from slavery. Worried, Moses inquired of the Lord, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?'” (Exodus 3:13)

And God answered Moses in a very specific way: “‘I AM WHO I AM’; and He said, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14)

Jewish people don’t say this word, because it is very very holy. Gentile believers know it as “Yahweh,” meaning, “I AM.” God is stating that he is the Existing One. He was, is and always will be. He lives outside of time. He is the Creator, even of time.

This is God’s name. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. And this is why Jesus said, “I AM.” (John 18:5) Jesus also is saying that he was, is and always will be. He was with God before descending to earth. (John 8:58) He is the Creator, even of his own body.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:1-3)

God’s name in the Hebrew of the Old Testament is embroidered on the curtain of this artwork in gold, signifying his beauty, his worth, his royalty, his power, and his holiness.

Moses went on to write down the first five books of the Bible, known as the Pentateuch or the Torah—the Law. Moses gave us the Law, but truth and life have come through God’s Son, Jesus.

From the beginning, Moses indicated that God is plural, yet one.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” God is the Hebrew word “Elohim,” which is plural. Jesus was indeed present at the beginning of creation.

Listen to Hebrew, the foundational language of the Scriptures, which were carried to believers by the Jewish people.

Please share!

More about the art piece: “I AM”

(C) Kelly Jadon, 2025

"I AM"

I am a Christian artist.

Several months ago I was inspired during my morning reading of the Scriptures to begin a large artwork incorporating the method of wrapping. The tabernacle in the Old Testament was wrapped in specific layers of protection. Each one had a purpose and symbolic meaning.

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“I AM” in progress. Note the Arabic for “I AM” within my embroidery hoop—top left of photo. Measures 30×40”

About that time, my pastor read from the book of Genesis about creation. At God’s Word, the oceans teamed with sealife. (Genesis 1:20) In the past, I have worked prolifically with layered glass, creating sealife mosaics, highlighting their beauty and variety.

With prayer, I began there. At the bottom of the artwork, I formed the coral reef.

Taking recyclable materials, I stuffed, wrapped, knitted and sewed the coral. With sequins, ribbons and beads, I gave it great beauty, just as the reefs themselves are gorgeous, just as the tabernacle was very beautiful.

Wrapping in layers shows depth. The sea turtle is polyfil stuffed cardboard, glued and sewn shut. Then it is bound with green fabric, decorative mesh, green fishing cord, strung beads, and finally gold pieces from disassembled jewelry. Between the gold are green “sequins,” created from plastic beverage bottles.

Within the ancient tabernacle was a first covering of violet, purple, and scarlet material, embroidered with cherubim, a type of angel.

Above and around the sea turtle are embroidered fish, on similarly-hued tulle, the powerful words of the Lord from John 18:5 in many languages. The fish swim together in the deep water column of the sea. Togetherness is protection.

Each fish represents a spoken tongue proclaiming the divinity of the Lord as Creator—the great “I AM.” He speaks to each part of the body of Christ in their own language, yet, He speaks to all as one body.

God works through His people—the fish (Matthew 4:19), to fulfill His global vision: “For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14)

God began with four key languages at the cross. Aramaic was spoken by the Lord. Hebrew, Greek and Latin were written on a piece of wood above the head of Jesus, “King of the Jews.” Then at Pentecost men heard the Gospel proclaimed by Peter in their own languages. (Acts 2:8-11)

As Peter proclaimed the Gospel, so too do believers, the fish, taking the Gospel across the waters of the world.

At this time, March 2025, there are 28 languages recognized, including the early church languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, Coptic, Arabic, Geez, and Greek; the Cyrillic languages of Russian and Ukrainian; the languages of Macedonia and Armenia; the scripts of Farsi and Kurdish; and the exotic alphabets of the Far East: Chinese, Thai, Bengali, Hindi, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese. As this is a work daily in progress, more languages will be added. As I work, I pray.

You can read my blog, “The Wrap,” where I write about the fascinating origins of the languages, their scripts, and how they were developed to take the Gospel to the world. The history of how God moved in this way, through language, demonstrates His power—the very power of God, the Word of God.

It was in John 18:5, that Jesus spoke “I AM” to the mob that had come to arrest Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. John 18:6 continues, “Now then, when He said to them, ‘I am He,’ they drew back and fell to the ground.”

This Scripture has always amazed me. Such is the power of Jesus, even His very Word!

Jesus wants believers to know He is the power. His words are power. They are Spirit! They are life! (John 6:63) They are truth! (John 17:17)

At one time, the beginning of the church, she was one body, according to the will of God. (John 17:20-21)

Let us “Remember His wonders which He has done, His marvels and the judgments spoken by His mouth.” (Psalm 105:5)

As Christ calls us to carry forward the Gospel across the waters into all the world, so I hope to send this piece of art to cities around the United States and even abroad to open eyes to the truth of the Creator, our Savior--"I AM.”

In addition, I hope that all parts of the body of Christ will see that Jesus speaks the same words of truth to all true believers.

Would you please share in this joy of reaching others who will recognize their own tongue and ask “What is this?” and then they will be told, “They are the words of Jesus, the Creator, the One Who Is.”

Would you please share in uniting the body of Christ?

Every bit helps.

(C) 2025 Kelly Jadon