In this installment of the series "Back to the Root", I'd like to delve more into the consequences for the modern western church of being severed from the root of our faith, which is the root of Israel, the Word of God. Just seeing that the consequences are so far-reaching and so detrimental to the health of the Body can stir a hunger for righteousness. It is then that I would like to take a look at what being re-connected to that root might look like. This is inspiring for a number of reasons mainly of which is a purification process the Lord might choose to take us through.
REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY
As I have touched on in previous posts, one of the ways we can see how the church has been disconnected from her Hebrew roots is through an error in doctrine known as replacement theology. Replacement theology is built upon the notion that the church has replaced Israel as God's chosen people and therefore have superceded Israel in the promises God has made to His people including the promise of land. It can be as blatant as outright anti-semitism and persecution of the Jews, and can be as subtle as minimizing Israel's importance or significance in any number of ways.
During the reign of Constantine (306 A.D.), there was a growing segment of the population, the Christians, whom Constantine saw as a catalyst for solidifying his power and homogenizing the Empire. According to reports, Constantine had a "conversion" experience during which he saw an illumined vision of a cross. There is much dispute about whether or not Constantine became a convert to Christianity or not. The fact of the matter is that he said he did, although those who look with discernment at this experience may come to a different conclusion. (I happen to believe the latter). It worked to Constantine's favor politcally. Nonethless, he became very influential in church affairs and doctrine. Around that same time, the followers of the Messiah were increasingly gentile (non-Jewish) in their background. The number of Jews who followed The Way (of Yeshua, as it was called), was diminishing. Adding to that fact that Jews who were followers were also being burdened with a heavy tax and pressured to look more and more gentile in their identity and style of worhsip, and we can see how the Jewish influence in the Body at that time was in danger of becoming extinct. In effect, such Jewish traditions (which most were biblical traditions and in fact, mandates of the Word of God, such as the celebrations of the Feasts in Leviticus 23) were becoming less observed and instead, a slew of pagan celebrations were taking their place by the time the Roman Catholic church was well established.
Constantine, an obvious anti-semite, replaced the Sabbath of the seventh day (Saturday) with the day which was named for honoring the sun god, Sunday officially. He also replaced the Passover with his more preferrable "holy day" of Easter, named after his fertility goddess Ishtar, or Ashteroth. The name of this goddess has changed throughout the centuries and across cultures, but historians generally agree that it is one and the same goddess, the one, in fact, the Lord told the Israelites to demolish her strongholds in the Land of Israel and to destroy her poles (the Ashterah poles, of which we get our verions today of the striper pole, believe it or not). These are things, mind you, that Constantine had no authority from the Word of God to do.
Constantine's reasons for doing away with the Passover of our Lord in place of the fertility goddess' holiday, complete with the dipping of eggs in blood and conducting "sunrise services" is documented in the Nicean Council's report which is available on the internet. He did it to distance himself and his subjects from the practices of "those detestable Jews" (his words, not mine).
Other early church fathers followed suit in their prejudices against the Jews and they officialized them in the form of church doctrine. Among them were Justin Martyr, John Chrysostom, Turtullian, and Martin Luther. Most of these men preached of deicide (the killing of God) and charged the Jews with the murder of the Lord. They taught that the Jews should suffer, amongst other things, wandering the earth, for the crucifixion of Jesus. Martin Luther was the most explicit of them all, for when he tried to convert the Jews and was unsuccessful, he ordered that people "set Jewish synagogues on fire for the honor of God". It was indeed, Adolph Hiltler who got many of his ideas for persectuting Jews from the writings of Martin Luther.
As the church progressed into pagan and political oppression, these sentiments were perpetuated in the writings. We have to remember that only nobility and clergy were educated at the time and the masses were at the mercy of anit-semitic men who were bound and determined to rid the church of any Jewish influence. "Legalism" and Judaism became synonomous in the minds of the church fathers, and both were thrown out equally. Thus the gentile church suffered for not being instructed in the ways of God through the Old Testament which was the foundation for Judaism and in actuality, is the foundation for Christianity. Consequently, a pagan culture filled the void, including the worship of other gods, pagan church practices and the like. Oppression and deception ensued, followed by many superstitious beliefs. And little teaching came out of scripture to condemn these detestable practices. The church was then plunged into her darkest hour to date....that even secular historians agree on the term to describe it....The Dark Ages.
Since those days, the church has experienced a rebirth by way of the Reformation (including the 99 Theses Martin Luther pinned to the door of the Catholic Church stating that salvation is by grace through faith alone, not by works as was taught in his day). But little, until now, had been done to cleanse the root system of the church from the effects of Replacement theology. The church remained for centuries homogenized as gentile, with some pagan practices thrown in here and there, even though there has always been a small believing remnant of Jews down through the centuries.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MODERN MESSIANIC MOVEMENT
During the late 1800's and early 1900's, something began to change. Gentile Christians began feeling a deep sense of love and responsibility toward the Jews that coincided with Jewish persecution in Russia and Europe with the first and second World Wars. This led to missionary activity in the metropolitan areas where Jewish people settled. Little by little, more Jewish people were coming to believe that Jesus was indeed their Jewish Messiah, and although they were severely persecuted in their own families and communities and cut off, they persisted in their faith. Many of these Jews who were now followers of Yeshua, wanted to retain their Jewish identity while following the Messiah. This culminated in a mass Jewish revival in the 1960's and 70's which ran congruently with the sexual revolution, the hippies, and the Jesus Movement. Jews flocked to Bible studies on campuses at major universities such as UC Berkeley and Columbia University. Messianic synagogues began popping up all over America. These Jews knew they were Jewish and they wanted to stay that way. As Jew and gentile began worshipping together and following the leading of the Holy Spirit to restore some of their cultural moorings such as the Israeli Davidic dance and Torah services, a cross-pollination of sorts began. Gentiles ALSO began flocking to the Messianic Congregations to learn more about their Jewish Messiah. Another movement was in the works, one of restoration of the gentiles to the Hebrew roots of their faith. This stream of the movement can be called the Olive Branch, or Olive Tree Movement. Churches began organizing prayer groups to pray for Israel and allowing Messianic congregations to meet in their church buildings.
Although the movement started small and increased in size as it snowballed through the late decades of the 20th century, it is an ever- increasing vaiable part of the Body of Messiah today. Because of this movement, which was founded upon prayer and evangelism to the Jew, millions of Jewish people worldwide have come to faith in the Messiah and many gentiles in the Body are coming to an ever-increasing maturity as they re-discover the Word of God as seen through Hebrew lenses.
Much of this information is documented in a biographical book by Yohanna Chernoff entitled "Born a Jew, Die a Jew". It is about her late husband, Martin Chernoff, a pioneer in the messianic movement. It is a fascinating true adventure which at one time oh, about 9 years ago, transformed this blogger's life. I highly recommend it. It sits on my living room bookshelf next to my Bible and it does not get out of my sight for long.
RESTORING THE ROOT (REALLY)
As the messianic movement has done much to bring awareness to the Jewishness of the gospel and our Savior and to draw attention to the importance of the Old Testament as the foundation for our faith, much is still needed in the way of restoring the whole Body of Messiah to the whole Word of God. It is this writer's opinion that this is indeed part of the last day's plan to purify the church of pagan and wordly influences, and to bring restoration to the people of Israel. ("...for all Israel shall be saved..." Romans 11:26). When the church is restored to her root, the commonwealth of Israel, which comes from God and is good, then she can be reviatalized and rise to be the glorious Bride "without spot or wrinkle" (Ephesians 5:27).
This is imperative for the Bride to make herself ready for the Bridegroom's coming, who is Messiah, our Lord. It is also imperative in order to cleanse the church of deception in these last days and to protect her from the coming world system which is demonic in nature and whose leader, the anti-messiah, will persecute unrelentingly.
So it is of paramount importance that these errors in our theological belief systems (those such as replacement theology) be rooted out of our churches and Bible studies. I have listened to many great teachers in the Body of Messiah, many of whom I love and respect and could only aspire to their lives of godliness and dedication to our Lord, who, knowingly, or unknowingly, perpetuate streams of these kinds of errors in their teachings. They make statements such as "we are under grace, not under the Law". As I have explained in previous articles, this comes from a misunderstanding. The operative word LAW, in the Hebrew is torah, it means teaching. And so I would ask, "are you saying we are not under God's teaching?" Even though this misunderstanding exists, it is unfortunately being perpetuated. This is why we all in the Body of Messiah need one another. We individually and collectively have blind spots which only another person or segment in the Body can see and relieve us of. No one has the whole of truth. No one is perfected (yet) in grace. This is why we must not only humbly accept when another part of the Body restores us to the truth, but also be willing to look at those things in our blind spots, such as pride and idolatry, (more on that later) that have kept us out of the entirety of God's blessings and abundance.
Join me next time when we will delve even deeper into the very important subject of the Hebrew Root and specifically, purging out the influences which keep us from the full radiance that is Christ-likeness. It is a journey for me as well, one in which I would love if you take with me. The cost might be high, but the rewards are extraordinary!!
Shalom (peace)
**
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Back to the Root Part 3a
In this series I have been covering just a few topics of interest for those who are seeking the Hebrew root of their faith in Christ. The subject is so widespread and so deep that I am unable to cover everything.
One thing I would like to say is that I am not the authority on this issue. The scriptures are. I encourage the reader to show himself or herself approved and to search these out for him or herself, the same way that the Bereans searched the scriptures daily to see if those things which Paul the apostle taught them were true. I am learning in my journey that viewing history from a biblical worldview, rather than a secular one, is very helpful in seeing some of these issues come to light.
I have highlighted the importance of understanding that to know our Messiah, our Savior is a Hebrew from the tribe of Judah is of utmost importance to understanding the context of scripture. We know Him better when we truly understand who He is...how He thinks...what is important to Him. I cannot stress enough the fact that to understand Israel and God's plan through their Jewish Messiah is key to understanding what is expected of those of us who have been "grafted in" to the root of faith, that is, the root of Israel. (Romans 11).
In many ways, the modern American Christian church has been severed from the vine, or is in danger of being so. This comes, as we see in the text from a "boasting against the branches". (anti-semitism and the subsequent replacement theology which pervades the church today: the idea that God has transferred His plan, His promises to the gentile church and away from Israel is error.) While it is true that once we are born again we become part of that mystical reality of being the Body of Messiah and at the same time spiritual descendants of Abraham, we do not replace or become more important or significant than the physical seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. In fact, when we do boast against those branches, the natural olive branches put there by God, we endanger ourselves (both collectively and individually) of being cut off ourselves.
What is the evidence of this "being cut off"?
Well, for starters, it becomes evident that we no longer receive of the nourishing sap of the root. This is not just a "nice accessory" to our faith, a blessing if you have it, a loss if you do not. It is IMPERATIVE for us to have the nourishing sap that comes from the root of Israel, which is the Word of God. If we are cut off and do not have it, what are the indications?
Seen an unhealthy church lately? One where sin abounds (but grace does not much more abound), full of dead men practicing dead or legalistic religion? Seen many preachers fall into grave moral failure lately? I have. It happens very frequently. Seen churchgoers (or been one?) who walk out of the church injured, hurt, or deceived, or all of the above, because people (usually in church leadership) murder them with their words, causing them spiritual and emotional damage that can only take a miracle to heal? I sure have.
What are all of these symptoms of? They are symptoms of a powerless, anemic form of faith, a "form of godliness" which denies the power thereof. (2 Timothy 3:5). And it stems from replacing God's model with a pagan one.
Have you ever felt like the God of the Bible, even though you may know Him and trust Him as your Savior, seems to change personalities when you cross over from Malachai to Matthew? That He seems somehow disjointed or contradictory? The One who is full of grace and mercy is painted as a wrathful, vengeful God in the Old Testament? My friend, as with myself, if you have felt this way, you have succumbed to replacement theology and the entrapments of seeing God from a pagan, Hellenized viewpoint which is not in the least supported in scripture.
I want to let you in on a little secret from my personal testimony. (Even though some may criticize me and say I am a legalist and trying to put people 'back unde the Law'). I have never been more FREE in my entire life: free of of the bondage of condemnation, free from fear, free from the fear of criticism from man, free from the bondage of moral and emotional sin. (wrong thoughts about myself which plague the mind). And I can tell you all this happened once I started knowing God for who He really is and walking by faith in that knowledge. Once I started seeing Him as One God (not God of the Old Testament and God of the New, after all, that distinction was not put there by Christ, the separation of the nature and character of God and subsequently the separation of OT. and N.T. was put there by man's tradition, not by God), I was no longer confused. I was free from a religious spirit which plagues the Western gentile church to this day. My life became so much more meaningful and purposeful (and I have never taken a Rick Warren class). My life became more supernaturally evident; my witness became stronger. My life became more orderly. My actions and attitudes toward my family members and loved ones became more pure. My fruit became sweeter. And my intimacy with God became deeper.
So if you are hungering and thirsting for the Living Water that is Messiah, read on; but with a word of caution....some of the facts and viewpoints I share in this blog may come to a head-on collision with what you have been taught by man and the institutions of man. Are you willing to concede? Are you willing to lay down your beloved man-made notions and traditions which contradict the Word of God? These things are "high imaginations" which scripture says need to be cast down. I endeavor to do that daily. But it has come at a cost. Oh, it has cost me things which will not matter in light of eternity: things like money, status, prestige, the good opinion of man, the luxury of being understood and respected by my peers, lauded in the church world, invited to speak at or teach at conferences or classes (which was a small part of my past). But I have gained so much more and I know I would rather have that crown of righteousness waiting for me in Heaven than all that this Babylonian world system has to offer.
Becoming A Talmid, a Disciple
In the New Testament time period, to believe in Yeshua meant to first know Him for who He is. To recognize Him. Then it required a response. Such a response was given by Jesus' disciples. In fact, they followed Him so closely that they followed Him to his death. Most of the disciples died horribly torturous deaths in order to keep following their Messiah. Is any less expected of us today? Now, we may or may not be called upon to die in a like manner, however, I think the arguement can be made for the fact that to become a talmid, a disciple, is to give up your life and closely follow the Rabbi.
So what of the church system that our modern day Christianity is based upon? Many people are following a leader and many leaders are leading the sheep astray so that "both fall into a ditch" (of sin, lawlessness, which is Torahlessness). This system is not based upon the Hebrew model, but the Greek. Once the Greek, or gentile influence became more predominant after the first century, the moorings of Greek pilosophy infiltrated the church, even down to the separation of clergy and laity. This divide has been responsible for much of the complacency and apathy we witness in the church today. I know of many pastors who wish their congregants would be more active in ministry with them. My question, then, is how is the model upon which the church is built contributing to the perpetuation of this separation and lack of involvement? Aren't even our seminaries geared toward keeping people in the pews and the man of God behind the Bible doing the seeking? If so, if we perpetuate this model in the American Christian church, emphasizing its form and denying the power that could be tapped into, are we fulfilling the true potential of being Talmidim? I don't think so.
I am so glad our Rabbi, our Lord is not this way with us. No, He requires us to be His talmidim.
He wants us where He is: out with the poor and the broken, ministering to the lost and the sick. Doing Torah. (For an explanation of a non-legalized version of Torah, which Jesus advocated, see the previous parts of this series.).
It is true Jesus ministered in the Temple of His day. However, most of His effective work was done out in the villages, amongst the people, going house to house. In fact, He told His talmidim to go to the villages and stay with those who would take them in. That is where they were to do their work: getting to know the people, working alongside them for the Kingdom of God. Don't we see a semblance of this today? Whilst church houses are full of people not doing much or walking in much power, we see home groups and house fellowships where many are coming to know the Lord and maturing quickly because of a neighbor, friend or relative. Most documented miracles oversees happen in the house church movement. Many in the Western church are unaware that this is even going on. And what's more concenring is they don't even know what they are missing out on.
Am I saying scratch the whole institutionalized church? No. I am not saying that at all. I am not qualified to say that. I am not an apostle in the five-fold sense of the word. And if that were to happen, perhaps it would take a move of God. (Mind you, I am not saying it WON'T happen in the future). What I AM saying, is, let's return to that model outlined for us in the gospels-that model so well loved and so well tested by the Hebrews. First on a personal level and then see what happens. Let's become true talmidim and follow our Rabbi Yeshua and allow Him to lead and guide our lives and ministries. I think we will find a deeper maturity in the Body and perhaps become that Bride "without spot or wrinkle". Let us not give up meeting with one another in homes through cell groups, home-based Bible studies, and prayer groups. Let us not forsake the "assembling of ourselves together" in lieu of merely gathering in a building. Let us become a true community and family of faith, mingling our lives together, counting on one another and involving ourselves in eachother's celebrations of joy, eachother's hurts, fears, failures and triumphs, encouraging one another on toward love and good works. (Hebrews 10:24). Once we start doing so, the gospel will spread like wildfire, like the organic "weed" it was meant to be and then little will be able to stop it.
Join me next time as we discuss "Beware of the leaven of the pharisees and the leaven of the Babylonians". Is the church guilty of harboring leaven (sin) which comes from the pagan world? What are the roots of some of our most beloved traditions? The answer may surprise you.....
**
One thing I would like to say is that I am not the authority on this issue. The scriptures are. I encourage the reader to show himself or herself approved and to search these out for him or herself, the same way that the Bereans searched the scriptures daily to see if those things which Paul the apostle taught them were true. I am learning in my journey that viewing history from a biblical worldview, rather than a secular one, is very helpful in seeing some of these issues come to light.
I have highlighted the importance of understanding that to know our Messiah, our Savior is a Hebrew from the tribe of Judah is of utmost importance to understanding the context of scripture. We know Him better when we truly understand who He is...how He thinks...what is important to Him. I cannot stress enough the fact that to understand Israel and God's plan through their Jewish Messiah is key to understanding what is expected of those of us who have been "grafted in" to the root of faith, that is, the root of Israel. (Romans 11).
In many ways, the modern American Christian church has been severed from the vine, or is in danger of being so. This comes, as we see in the text from a "boasting against the branches". (anti-semitism and the subsequent replacement theology which pervades the church today: the idea that God has transferred His plan, His promises to the gentile church and away from Israel is error.) While it is true that once we are born again we become part of that mystical reality of being the Body of Messiah and at the same time spiritual descendants of Abraham, we do not replace or become more important or significant than the physical seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. In fact, when we do boast against those branches, the natural olive branches put there by God, we endanger ourselves (both collectively and individually) of being cut off ourselves.
What is the evidence of this "being cut off"?
Well, for starters, it becomes evident that we no longer receive of the nourishing sap of the root. This is not just a "nice accessory" to our faith, a blessing if you have it, a loss if you do not. It is IMPERATIVE for us to have the nourishing sap that comes from the root of Israel, which is the Word of God. If we are cut off and do not have it, what are the indications?
Seen an unhealthy church lately? One where sin abounds (but grace does not much more abound), full of dead men practicing dead or legalistic religion? Seen many preachers fall into grave moral failure lately? I have. It happens very frequently. Seen churchgoers (or been one?) who walk out of the church injured, hurt, or deceived, or all of the above, because people (usually in church leadership) murder them with their words, causing them spiritual and emotional damage that can only take a miracle to heal? I sure have.
What are all of these symptoms of? They are symptoms of a powerless, anemic form of faith, a "form of godliness" which denies the power thereof. (2 Timothy 3:5). And it stems from replacing God's model with a pagan one.
Have you ever felt like the God of the Bible, even though you may know Him and trust Him as your Savior, seems to change personalities when you cross over from Malachai to Matthew? That He seems somehow disjointed or contradictory? The One who is full of grace and mercy is painted as a wrathful, vengeful God in the Old Testament? My friend, as with myself, if you have felt this way, you have succumbed to replacement theology and the entrapments of seeing God from a pagan, Hellenized viewpoint which is not in the least supported in scripture.
I want to let you in on a little secret from my personal testimony. (Even though some may criticize me and say I am a legalist and trying to put people 'back unde the Law'). I have never been more FREE in my entire life: free of of the bondage of condemnation, free from fear, free from the fear of criticism from man, free from the bondage of moral and emotional sin. (wrong thoughts about myself which plague the mind). And I can tell you all this happened once I started knowing God for who He really is and walking by faith in that knowledge. Once I started seeing Him as One God (not God of the Old Testament and God of the New, after all, that distinction was not put there by Christ, the separation of the nature and character of God and subsequently the separation of OT. and N.T. was put there by man's tradition, not by God), I was no longer confused. I was free from a religious spirit which plagues the Western gentile church to this day. My life became so much more meaningful and purposeful (and I have never taken a Rick Warren class). My life became more supernaturally evident; my witness became stronger. My life became more orderly. My actions and attitudes toward my family members and loved ones became more pure. My fruit became sweeter. And my intimacy with God became deeper.
So if you are hungering and thirsting for the Living Water that is Messiah, read on; but with a word of caution....some of the facts and viewpoints I share in this blog may come to a head-on collision with what you have been taught by man and the institutions of man. Are you willing to concede? Are you willing to lay down your beloved man-made notions and traditions which contradict the Word of God? These things are "high imaginations" which scripture says need to be cast down. I endeavor to do that daily. But it has come at a cost. Oh, it has cost me things which will not matter in light of eternity: things like money, status, prestige, the good opinion of man, the luxury of being understood and respected by my peers, lauded in the church world, invited to speak at or teach at conferences or classes (which was a small part of my past). But I have gained so much more and I know I would rather have that crown of righteousness waiting for me in Heaven than all that this Babylonian world system has to offer.
Becoming A Talmid, a Disciple
Jesus said, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19). The word disciple in the Hebrew is talmid (talmidim is the plural form). The concept of talmid in the Hebrew mind is wrapped up in the relationship of a rabbi and his followers, those who follow the rabbi as a lifestyle. Talmidim seek to not only learn everything the rabbi knows about God and living life as a tzaddik, a righteous person, but they also seek to become what the rabbi is. It is more than being a student, which the Greek word from which we get the word disciple conjures. The idea is that the followers of the rabbi stick so close to their beloved teacher that even the dust from the rabbi's feet gets on them. This is a desired place to be learning, studying, following. The talmid learns as he does, as in fact his rabbi does, rather than merely learning by what the rabbi says.
The Modern American church, to a large extent, is built upon the Greek model of learning by hearing, rather than learning by doing. It is the model the universities are built upon. The teacher stands at the front of the class, emphasizing the space between themselves and the students as one of separation and therefore one of status. The students learn by listening and asking questions. This was not the way Jesus conducted ministry with His disciples. Jesus said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them." (Mark 10:42). He told His disciples not to conduct themselves this way. He taught His disciples to follow His example of seeing, perceiving, and doing. Jesus taught them that He does what He sees the Father doing. He taught them the way He Himself would have learned as a child growing up in the Israelite culture. What did Jesus see the Father doing? Doing His Word! Doing Torah. (teaching).
Becoming a talmid, a follower of Christ entails more than just listening to an occasional sermon. Think about it. If Yeshua required His talmidim to leave their ordinary lives and follow Him, which included turning from their own ways of doing things and instead turning back to Torah, wouldn't He require the same of us today? Indeed He does. For in this idea of "believing" in the Hebrew connotation of the word is the concept of doing, not merely mental or emotional ascent or a creed one ascribes to. In the Hebrew concept, emphasis is placed on deed. In the Greek, it is placed on creed. And creed is powerless if you don't have the actions to back it up.
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you and your household, and you shall be saved" (Acts 16:31).
In the New Testament time period, to believe in Yeshua meant to first know Him for who He is. To recognize Him. Then it required a response. Such a response was given by Jesus' disciples. In fact, they followed Him so closely that they followed Him to his death. Most of the disciples died horribly torturous deaths in order to keep following their Messiah. Is any less expected of us today? Now, we may or may not be called upon to die in a like manner, however, I think the arguement can be made for the fact that to become a talmid, a disciple, is to give up your life and closely follow the Rabbi.
So what of the church system that our modern day Christianity is based upon? Many people are following a leader and many leaders are leading the sheep astray so that "both fall into a ditch" (of sin, lawlessness, which is Torahlessness). This system is not based upon the Hebrew model, but the Greek. Once the Greek, or gentile influence became more predominant after the first century, the moorings of Greek pilosophy infiltrated the church, even down to the separation of clergy and laity. This divide has been responsible for much of the complacency and apathy we witness in the church today. I know of many pastors who wish their congregants would be more active in ministry with them. My question, then, is how is the model upon which the church is built contributing to the perpetuation of this separation and lack of involvement? Aren't even our seminaries geared toward keeping people in the pews and the man of God behind the Bible doing the seeking? If so, if we perpetuate this model in the American Christian church, emphasizing its form and denying the power that could be tapped into, are we fulfilling the true potential of being Talmidim? I don't think so.
I am so glad our Rabbi, our Lord is not this way with us. No, He requires us to be His talmidim.
He wants us where He is: out with the poor and the broken, ministering to the lost and the sick. Doing Torah. (For an explanation of a non-legalized version of Torah, which Jesus advocated, see the previous parts of this series.).
It is true Jesus ministered in the Temple of His day. However, most of His effective work was done out in the villages, amongst the people, going house to house. In fact, He told His talmidim to go to the villages and stay with those who would take them in. That is where they were to do their work: getting to know the people, working alongside them for the Kingdom of God. Don't we see a semblance of this today? Whilst church houses are full of people not doing much or walking in much power, we see home groups and house fellowships where many are coming to know the Lord and maturing quickly because of a neighbor, friend or relative. Most documented miracles oversees happen in the house church movement. Many in the Western church are unaware that this is even going on. And what's more concenring is they don't even know what they are missing out on.
Am I saying scratch the whole institutionalized church? No. I am not saying that at all. I am not qualified to say that. I am not an apostle in the five-fold sense of the word. And if that were to happen, perhaps it would take a move of God. (Mind you, I am not saying it WON'T happen in the future). What I AM saying, is, let's return to that model outlined for us in the gospels-that model so well loved and so well tested by the Hebrews. First on a personal level and then see what happens. Let's become true talmidim and follow our Rabbi Yeshua and allow Him to lead and guide our lives and ministries. I think we will find a deeper maturity in the Body and perhaps become that Bride "without spot or wrinkle". Let us not give up meeting with one another in homes through cell groups, home-based Bible studies, and prayer groups. Let us not forsake the "assembling of ourselves together" in lieu of merely gathering in a building. Let us become a true community and family of faith, mingling our lives together, counting on one another and involving ourselves in eachother's celebrations of joy, eachother's hurts, fears, failures and triumphs, encouraging one another on toward love and good works. (Hebrews 10:24). Once we start doing so, the gospel will spread like wildfire, like the organic "weed" it was meant to be and then little will be able to stop it.
Join me next time as we discuss "Beware of the leaven of the pharisees and the leaven of the Babylonians". Is the church guilty of harboring leaven (sin) which comes from the pagan world? What are the roots of some of our most beloved traditions? The answer may surprise you.....
**
Thursday, September 3, 2009
In the Fire
It has been a really ROUGH week. I am taking a break from my series on the Hebrew root of the Christian faith just so I can get my bearings and perhaps process all the stresses that have hit me this week.
My doctor told me I have placenta previa. Which, the condition is not serious in itself (the placenta moves on it's own away from the cervix in most cases before the due date) but I am sure that stress does not help this process. If I should start bleeding, it's bedrest for me and who can do bedrest with a two year old active toddler running around?
My family is having to make major financial decisions that will affect us for years to come. I do not want to dwell on this. I have always trusted in the Lord to provide for me and He always has. It just adds fuel to the fire.
A family member I care for very much has a substance abuse problem. This is being enabled by a "professional" who is not acting so professionally. This affects my whole family.
My two year old has taken to challenging almost everything I say. Which is normal for a two year old, I understand. But when hormones are the order of the day, it just makes you want to lock him outside (which I would never do) or eat 1/2 of a can of frosting (which I did), despite the fact I am trying to get over a systemic infection that has lasted well over a month and sugar only exacerbates..
The icing on the cake is my weight has now broken the 200lb. mark (I am 5'2 if you can imagine). I have never been this heavy before in my entire life, even as an overweight young adult, which I worked so hard to change my lifestyle and get it off. (about 60-70 lbs weight loss).
There is economic disaster looming on the horizon for our nation of which would make the Great Depression look like an economic recovery. This will cause food shortages, and the oh-so- desired civil unrest which follows. Last night I heard a report that the central valley of California (where I live) which produces the majority of the agricultural commerce for the state of Calif and upwards o 13% of agriculture for the nation, is having a drought. However, this drought cannot be blamed on global warming (as if!), but rather on an environmental control that says get your own water, we are trying to save the fishes. (I am not joking). Is this the focus of my rant? Of course not, but it does nothing to relieve the stress I already had.
There is strife between some very good friends of mine in the Body of Messiah. This is mostly due to a personality difference and a misunderstanding, however, because of the component of ministry, the spiritual warfare factor is intense. Moreover, the person who needs to resolve it is not one for confrontation. All future plans for ministry as well as recreational fellowship hinge on getting over this impasse.
Thank God I am getting a decent night's sleep these days, or you may see them hauling me off in a goofy wagon wearing a stylish white jacket with innovative arm pockets. (Sleep deprivation is not my idea of a ride at the fair).
Tonight in my Beth Moore Bible study on the book of Daniel, we will be going over the passage of the three Hebrews in the fire. I so need to hear, read, and breathe that Fourth Man in the fire. Because it gives me hope that He is in the fire with me. He is my hope and the only reason I have to hope. I can be kicked out of my house tomorrow and have to pray food on the table, but I know that God loves me, He will always take care of me. And this is not all about me. It is about His plans which are sometimes far and above what we could imagine or see. They are about His glory. And so I pull myself up in the Spirit of the Lord the way David did, I take great comfort in the fact I am not forsaken, not abandoned, and that this too shall pass. For goodness sake, for all I know, God could be preparing me for bigger and hotter fires! And I pray I will not have the slightest smell of smoke on me after all is said and done.
My doctor told me I have placenta previa. Which, the condition is not serious in itself (the placenta moves on it's own away from the cervix in most cases before the due date) but I am sure that stress does not help this process. If I should start bleeding, it's bedrest for me and who can do bedrest with a two year old active toddler running around?
My family is having to make major financial decisions that will affect us for years to come. I do not want to dwell on this. I have always trusted in the Lord to provide for me and He always has. It just adds fuel to the fire.
A family member I care for very much has a substance abuse problem. This is being enabled by a "professional" who is not acting so professionally. This affects my whole family.
My two year old has taken to challenging almost everything I say. Which is normal for a two year old, I understand. But when hormones are the order of the day, it just makes you want to lock him outside (which I would never do) or eat 1/2 of a can of frosting (which I did), despite the fact I am trying to get over a systemic infection that has lasted well over a month and sugar only exacerbates..
The icing on the cake is my weight has now broken the 200lb. mark (I am 5'2 if you can imagine). I have never been this heavy before in my entire life, even as an overweight young adult, which I worked so hard to change my lifestyle and get it off. (about 60-70 lbs weight loss).
There is economic disaster looming on the horizon for our nation of which would make the Great Depression look like an economic recovery. This will cause food shortages, and the oh-so- desired civil unrest which follows. Last night I heard a report that the central valley of California (where I live) which produces the majority of the agricultural commerce for the state of Calif and upwards o 13% of agriculture for the nation, is having a drought. However, this drought cannot be blamed on global warming (as if!), but rather on an environmental control that says get your own water, we are trying to save the fishes. (I am not joking). Is this the focus of my rant? Of course not, but it does nothing to relieve the stress I already had.
There is strife between some very good friends of mine in the Body of Messiah. This is mostly due to a personality difference and a misunderstanding, however, because of the component of ministry, the spiritual warfare factor is intense. Moreover, the person who needs to resolve it is not one for confrontation. All future plans for ministry as well as recreational fellowship hinge on getting over this impasse.
Thank God I am getting a decent night's sleep these days, or you may see them hauling me off in a goofy wagon wearing a stylish white jacket with innovative arm pockets. (Sleep deprivation is not my idea of a ride at the fair).
Tonight in my Beth Moore Bible study on the book of Daniel, we will be going over the passage of the three Hebrews in the fire. I so need to hear, read, and breathe that Fourth Man in the fire. Because it gives me hope that He is in the fire with me. He is my hope and the only reason I have to hope. I can be kicked out of my house tomorrow and have to pray food on the table, but I know that God loves me, He will always take care of me. And this is not all about me. It is about His plans which are sometimes far and above what we could imagine or see. They are about His glory. And so I pull myself up in the Spirit of the Lord the way David did, I take great comfort in the fact I am not forsaken, not abandoned, and that this too shall pass. For goodness sake, for all I know, God could be preparing me for bigger and hotter fires! And I pray I will not have the slightest smell of smoke on me after all is said and done.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Back to the Root Part 2
In this series of blogs, I will address some of the issues that confront the American Christian concerning the Hebrew perspective of God's Word. Whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, my hope is that you will glean something from the Word of God that will help you grow in your relationship with Him and to have more of an understanding of the scriptures, if not a hunger to go deeper into study and pursuit of the One who died for you!
There are many issues that arise for many believers when they begin to hear about the Hebrew perspective of God's Word or of the Messianic Jewish Movement. It is indeed a movement that was initiated by God in order to restore the Church (Body of Messiah) to her original call and destiny...to know the Messiah and to make Him known. Everything I have gleaned on this journey so far is to that end. As the Apostle Paul puts it, (paraphrasing here) right now we see through a glass darkly, but then we will see Him face to face. As we near the end of the age when Jesus Christ will be revealed in Glory, it is as though He is coming closer into focus for those that are looking for Him. The "glass" the apostle Paul talks about is, of course, the scripture.
I have had people ask me things like, "Don't the Jews have a veil of unbelief over them?" and "Didn't Jesus fulfill the Law?" (By this they mean, according to their understanding, 'Didn't Jesus do away with the Law?') Many of these questions arise out of a sincere desire to understand God's perspective of Law and Grace. The errors in doctrines taught by men throughout the centuries have lent to much misunderstanding and confusion amongst believers about basic questions about salvation. I myself was confused at first. I did not have any other interpretation of the Bible other than the one given to me by the pastor or leader in the American institutionalized church. Until the lenses on my glasses changed....
God gave me a deep love for the people of Israel. This was a supernatural working in my heart. It was not something I aspired to nor mustered up. This was the start of a journey where I have come to know the depths of God's grace and His mercy. He started answering my questions and clarified things for me that were confusing or which seemed contradictory. I am not done! I am still walking on this path He set me on lo those 12 years ago. And everyday I am learning more and more of Him. May it never end!!
JEW AND GENTILE, ONE IN MESSIAH
Before Yeshua came to the earth, it is important to understand that salvation was through Israel. Theirs was the Word of God, the prophets, the knowledge of God. This is why they were the chosen people. The knowledge that there was only One true God was passed through them (Both Abraham and Noah knew this and had faith in God even before the Law). The knowledge of sin came through those who would become known as the Hebrews. Note: the first time the term Hebrew is used in regard to a person is with Abraham, Genesis chapter 14 vv. 13. The knowledge of sin has always been around from the beginning, but God's Torah made man acutely aware of sin. Not only did the Jews bring the knowledge of God and the knowledge of sin to the entire world, but they had the remedy for restoring one's relationship with God, after sin had its ugly consequence (for the wages of sin is death). That remedy was the sacrificial system, first instituted by God Himself in the Garden of Eden then with Abraham and restored to the Israelites during the Passover in Egypt, and consequently codified in the Torah.
The Jews not only brought the knowledge of God to the world, they brought God Himself to the world! Genesis 12:3 says "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (a reference to the Messiah). The Word of God became flesh and "dwelt among us". He was born of an Israelite virgin. He was the Son of God.
Jesus Himself said in John 4:22 "...we worship that which we do know, for salvation is of the Jews".
There was rare occassion when a gentile would come to faith in the Messiah. We find these examples in the gospels. However, during the time before Jesus' own sacrifice, if you were a gentile, you would either have to convert to Judaism or you could become on of the "God-fearers". Priscilla was a God-fearing gentile before she became a follower of Jesus. Such God-fearers would flock to the Temple and/or the synagogues. Although they loved God, they would be considered second-class or at best an accessory to Judaism. They were rarely used by God in order to speak about God and they were required to sit in separate sections in the Temple (the court of the gentiles) and in the synagogues, separated from the Jews by a wall or a curtain. If you were a gentile and wanted to be in covenant with God, you had to enter into the covenant of circumcision along with Israel. Otherwise, you were just considered to be learning about God second hand.
When Yeshua came, He changed all of that. He so loved the world. So that whosoever. Who so ever. Anyone. If you believed in Him (note that the concept of believing from a Greek point of view and a Hebrew point of view are two entirely different things. Because of a heresy called gnosticism which entered the early church and rears its ugly head toay, much of the Greek interpretation in the Western world of believing has to do with creed, while the Hebrew concept also includes deed, as in evidence of your faith, or repentance) If you repented and followed Him, you would not perish but have eternal life. When Jesus came, EVERY person on the face of the earth was allowed to eneter into one and only one way: through Jesus. He was the final sacrifice and the only one acceptable to God. He is the narrow gate and the only path to salvation. If you were Jewish, you must go throught the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. If you were gentile, you had to go through the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. Salvation became a level playing field and all were accountable to the same standard: that standard being Jesus.
This is why Paul said in Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." And also in Ephesians 2:14, "For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility...". What was the dividing wall Paul was talking about? The wall that separated the gentiles from the Jews keeping them from the fullness, the richness of God which comes from being a child of God. This was symbolized by that wall of separation in the Temple. Paul wanted the Galatians and the Ephesians to know that they now too had complete access to the Kingdom of God through Jesus the Messiah. They no longer had to be separated. When it comes to having right standing before God, it no longer mattered if you were a Jew or a gentile. That was no longer a determining factor for salvation.
Modern theologians have twisted these verses to mean that now neither Jew nor gentile even exist! This is preposterous. That is not what the verses state at all. Moreover, why would the nation of Israel continue to exist and that fulfillig prophecy by its very existence if Jews were to be no longer? Why would there be scriptures like Revelation chapter 7 which talks of 144,000 sealed from the tribes of Israel- if God wanted there to not be any Jewish identity for the people of Israel after Jesus?
Paul also, even after following the Messiah, continued to live and serve God as a Jew. And not just to win Jews. For if that were the case, he would forego making deliberate journeys (sometimes such a journey would take a month or longer) to Jerusalem for the Feasts of the Lord as celebrated by the Israelites. He would not be circumcising Timothy, who was a Jew, if he had abandoned the Abrahamic covenant or if he thought it was null and void. He would not continue to "....keep the Feast" as he exhorted the Corinthians to do with him in 1 Corinthians 5:8. (speaking of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Passover).
Yes, Paul had a specific calling to the gentiles to tell those who had not heard about the Messiah. He also had a pain in his heart for his own people (Romans 9: 3,4), as he says, "
For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel". If Paul thought being Jewish was suddenly obsolete once the Messiah had come, he would not have referred to them in such a way.
Moreover, the Jewish believers of the first century continued to live and serve God as Jews. The continued to meet in the Temple and in homes, they celebrated the Feasts of the Lord as outlined in Leviticus 23, and many of them were the ones who knew Jesus and walked with Him. They were the ones who saw Him glorified after HIs resurrection. Remember the two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus? The "stranger" was Jesus and He caused their hearts to burn within them when He opened their eyes concerning the scriptures and the Messiah. Which scriptures? The Torah and the prophets which spoke of and foretold about Him! The very scriptures which gave them their national identity! Not once did Jesus tell them that they were no longer Jews.
The being "one in Messiah" (Gal 3:28) refers to our standing before God. Yes, we are One Body, with many parts, united in Spirit with the Lord and with eachother. But our unity does not come out of our uniformity. We are not to be cookie cutters. We are to be who we were created to be. Unity does not happen beacause of our sameness. It happens in spite of our differences!! For as Yeshua Himself prayed in the garden of Gethsemane before His crucifixion "...that they may be one as we are one:
I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:22). He is not advocating uniformity or absence of identity or heritage here, but He is advocating for unity, the type of unity that Jesus has with the Father. They are uniquely distinct, yet in perfect unity. THIS is what will bring glory to the Body of Messiah and the knowledge of Jesus to the entire world. THIS is what Jesus desires us to have! And we have not tasted it yet. But oh boy when we do....!
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME?
From a practical standpoint, this is very comforting to know for both Jews and gentiles. God does not put a yoke on us which we cannot bear. You can be who you were created to be! If you are Jewish, you don't have to forsake your identity or even the promises God has made to you concerning the Land of Israel and the ensuing physical and spiritual blessings therein!! I would think my husband, son and my Jewish extended family would find that a relief and a blessing. And if you are a gentile, you do not have to become circumcised and do as many people think you have to do which is follow the traditions of the Orthodox rabbis (Their man-made traditions have skewed much truth from the Word of God, by the way). Rather, we can look together into God's magnificent Word and see for ourselves how to align our lives with His will and His teaching.
When I was going through this transformation in my single years, my roommate and best friend was so understanding and patient with me. The issues of our faith never became divisive. She opened up our home with me to allow us to celebrate and learn about the feasts of the Lord and a love for Israel with our friends. We both loved Jesus and He was the topic of our conversation every day. By doing so, she exhibited to me love and understanding and the "preferring" of your neighbor which the sciptures teach, even though she did not understand it all or maybe even agree with everything. And I will always love her for that. That to me was a beautiful picture of how we are to co-exist, both Jewish and gentile followers of the Messiah, in love and unity, not in strife, not in pridefulness of attitude, but in untity based upon the truth, despite our different gifts and backgrounds. Despite the various callings God has placed on our lives. Just as the apostle Paul explains the Body of Messiah is supposed to function. Through this, we exemplify God's complete love for us. And thus we show the world that we truly belong to Him.
More on the Hebrew roots of our faith later. Keep checking in. There is more to come!
**
There are many issues that arise for many believers when they begin to hear about the Hebrew perspective of God's Word or of the Messianic Jewish Movement. It is indeed a movement that was initiated by God in order to restore the Church (Body of Messiah) to her original call and destiny...to know the Messiah and to make Him known. Everything I have gleaned on this journey so far is to that end. As the Apostle Paul puts it, (paraphrasing here) right now we see through a glass darkly, but then we will see Him face to face. As we near the end of the age when Jesus Christ will be revealed in Glory, it is as though He is coming closer into focus for those that are looking for Him. The "glass" the apostle Paul talks about is, of course, the scripture.
I have had people ask me things like, "Don't the Jews have a veil of unbelief over them?" and "Didn't Jesus fulfill the Law?" (By this they mean, according to their understanding, 'Didn't Jesus do away with the Law?') Many of these questions arise out of a sincere desire to understand God's perspective of Law and Grace. The errors in doctrines taught by men throughout the centuries have lent to much misunderstanding and confusion amongst believers about basic questions about salvation. I myself was confused at first. I did not have any other interpretation of the Bible other than the one given to me by the pastor or leader in the American institutionalized church. Until the lenses on my glasses changed....
God gave me a deep love for the people of Israel. This was a supernatural working in my heart. It was not something I aspired to nor mustered up. This was the start of a journey where I have come to know the depths of God's grace and His mercy. He started answering my questions and clarified things for me that were confusing or which seemed contradictory. I am not done! I am still walking on this path He set me on lo those 12 years ago. And everyday I am learning more and more of Him. May it never end!!
JEW AND GENTILE, ONE IN MESSIAH
Before Yeshua came to the earth, it is important to understand that salvation was through Israel. Theirs was the Word of God, the prophets, the knowledge of God. This is why they were the chosen people. The knowledge that there was only One true God was passed through them (Both Abraham and Noah knew this and had faith in God even before the Law). The knowledge of sin came through those who would become known as the Hebrews. Note: the first time the term Hebrew is used in regard to a person is with Abraham, Genesis chapter 14 vv. 13. The knowledge of sin has always been around from the beginning, but God's Torah made man acutely aware of sin. Not only did the Jews bring the knowledge of God and the knowledge of sin to the entire world, but they had the remedy for restoring one's relationship with God, after sin had its ugly consequence (for the wages of sin is death). That remedy was the sacrificial system, first instituted by God Himself in the Garden of Eden then with Abraham and restored to the Israelites during the Passover in Egypt, and consequently codified in the Torah.
The Jews not only brought the knowledge of God to the world, they brought God Himself to the world! Genesis 12:3 says "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (a reference to the Messiah). The Word of God became flesh and "dwelt among us". He was born of an Israelite virgin. He was the Son of God.
Jesus Himself said in John 4:22 "...we worship that which we do know, for salvation is of the Jews".
There was rare occassion when a gentile would come to faith in the Messiah. We find these examples in the gospels. However, during the time before Jesus' own sacrifice, if you were a gentile, you would either have to convert to Judaism or you could become on of the "God-fearers". Priscilla was a God-fearing gentile before she became a follower of Jesus. Such God-fearers would flock to the Temple and/or the synagogues. Although they loved God, they would be considered second-class or at best an accessory to Judaism. They were rarely used by God in order to speak about God and they were required to sit in separate sections in the Temple (the court of the gentiles) and in the synagogues, separated from the Jews by a wall or a curtain. If you were a gentile and wanted to be in covenant with God, you had to enter into the covenant of circumcision along with Israel. Otherwise, you were just considered to be learning about God second hand.
When Yeshua came, He changed all of that. He so loved the world. So that whosoever. Who so ever. Anyone. If you believed in Him (note that the concept of believing from a Greek point of view and a Hebrew point of view are two entirely different things. Because of a heresy called gnosticism which entered the early church and rears its ugly head toay, much of the Greek interpretation in the Western world of believing has to do with creed, while the Hebrew concept also includes deed, as in evidence of your faith, or repentance) If you repented and followed Him, you would not perish but have eternal life. When Jesus came, EVERY person on the face of the earth was allowed to eneter into one and only one way: through Jesus. He was the final sacrifice and the only one acceptable to God. He is the narrow gate and the only path to salvation. If you were Jewish, you must go throught the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. If you were gentile, you had to go through the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. Salvation became a level playing field and all were accountable to the same standard: that standard being Jesus.
This is why Paul said in Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." And also in Ephesians 2:14, "For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility...". What was the dividing wall Paul was talking about? The wall that separated the gentiles from the Jews keeping them from the fullness, the richness of God which comes from being a child of God. This was symbolized by that wall of separation in the Temple. Paul wanted the Galatians and the Ephesians to know that they now too had complete access to the Kingdom of God through Jesus the Messiah. They no longer had to be separated. When it comes to having right standing before God, it no longer mattered if you were a Jew or a gentile. That was no longer a determining factor for salvation.
Modern theologians have twisted these verses to mean that now neither Jew nor gentile even exist! This is preposterous. That is not what the verses state at all. Moreover, why would the nation of Israel continue to exist and that fulfillig prophecy by its very existence if Jews were to be no longer? Why would there be scriptures like Revelation chapter 7 which talks of 144,000 sealed from the tribes of Israel- if God wanted there to not be any Jewish identity for the people of Israel after Jesus?
Paul also, even after following the Messiah, continued to live and serve God as a Jew. And not just to win Jews. For if that were the case, he would forego making deliberate journeys (sometimes such a journey would take a month or longer) to Jerusalem for the Feasts of the Lord as celebrated by the Israelites. He would not be circumcising Timothy, who was a Jew, if he had abandoned the Abrahamic covenant or if he thought it was null and void. He would not continue to "....keep the Feast" as he exhorted the Corinthians to do with him in 1 Corinthians 5:8. (speaking of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Passover).
Yes, Paul had a specific calling to the gentiles to tell those who had not heard about the Messiah. He also had a pain in his heart for his own people (Romans 9: 3,4), as he says, "
For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel". If Paul thought being Jewish was suddenly obsolete once the Messiah had come, he would not have referred to them in such a way.
Moreover, the Jewish believers of the first century continued to live and serve God as Jews. The continued to meet in the Temple and in homes, they celebrated the Feasts of the Lord as outlined in Leviticus 23, and many of them were the ones who knew Jesus and walked with Him. They were the ones who saw Him glorified after HIs resurrection. Remember the two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus? The "stranger" was Jesus and He caused their hearts to burn within them when He opened their eyes concerning the scriptures and the Messiah. Which scriptures? The Torah and the prophets which spoke of and foretold about Him! The very scriptures which gave them their national identity! Not once did Jesus tell them that they were no longer Jews.
The being "one in Messiah" (Gal 3:28) refers to our standing before God. Yes, we are One Body, with many parts, united in Spirit with the Lord and with eachother. But our unity does not come out of our uniformity. We are not to be cookie cutters. We are to be who we were created to be. Unity does not happen beacause of our sameness. It happens in spite of our differences!! For as Yeshua Himself prayed in the garden of Gethsemane before His crucifixion "...that they may be one as we are one:
I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:22). He is not advocating uniformity or absence of identity or heritage here, but He is advocating for unity, the type of unity that Jesus has with the Father. They are uniquely distinct, yet in perfect unity. THIS is what will bring glory to the Body of Messiah and the knowledge of Jesus to the entire world. THIS is what Jesus desires us to have! And we have not tasted it yet. But oh boy when we do....!
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME?
From a practical standpoint, this is very comforting to know for both Jews and gentiles. God does not put a yoke on us which we cannot bear. You can be who you were created to be! If you are Jewish, you don't have to forsake your identity or even the promises God has made to you concerning the Land of Israel and the ensuing physical and spiritual blessings therein!! I would think my husband, son and my Jewish extended family would find that a relief and a blessing. And if you are a gentile, you do not have to become circumcised and do as many people think you have to do which is follow the traditions of the Orthodox rabbis (Their man-made traditions have skewed much truth from the Word of God, by the way). Rather, we can look together into God's magnificent Word and see for ourselves how to align our lives with His will and His teaching.
When I was going through this transformation in my single years, my roommate and best friend was so understanding and patient with me. The issues of our faith never became divisive. She opened up our home with me to allow us to celebrate and learn about the feasts of the Lord and a love for Israel with our friends. We both loved Jesus and He was the topic of our conversation every day. By doing so, she exhibited to me love and understanding and the "preferring" of your neighbor which the sciptures teach, even though she did not understand it all or maybe even agree with everything. And I will always love her for that. That to me was a beautiful picture of how we are to co-exist, both Jewish and gentile followers of the Messiah, in love and unity, not in strife, not in pridefulness of attitude, but in untity based upon the truth, despite our different gifts and backgrounds. Despite the various callings God has placed on our lives. Just as the apostle Paul explains the Body of Messiah is supposed to function. Through this, we exemplify God's complete love for us. And thus we show the world that we truly belong to Him.
More on the Hebrew roots of our faith later. Keep checking in. There is more to come!
**
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Back to the Root Part 1
Over the last 12 or so years I have been on the most adventurous, most thrilling journey of my entire life.
I have been delving into the Hebrew perspective of God and His Word. This persepctive can be termed the Hebrew Root (after the olive tree analogy of Romans 11). This has been a process of discovery, repentance, and refreshment unlike any other I have experienced. In essence, Romans 11:18 says that the gentile church does not support Israel (the root) but that the root supports the church; therefore do not boast against the branches. The roots, as the analogy would have it, go very very deep. I have found that they go deep into God's very nature. And as I plummet the depths of the Word of God, which is God, I realize I am looking into His wonderful face and experiencing a glorious renewal in my walk with the Lord. Once I began this journey, I was never to be the same person again.
And I have not been alone on this journey. The Lord has blessed me with compatriots and close friends, covenant friends, who have been on this same journey alongside me and who can attest with me to the wonderful richness that is in our Messiah Yeshua (Jesus), the Living Torah, the Living Word of God.
The messianic Jewish movement of the last 2 or so decades has been the brunt of much criticism and accusations; mostly accusations of false doctrine. Some of it is deserved. However, some of it is not. The messianic movement in America is so wide in scope and diversity of expression, that if one wanted to, one could find any number of heresies taught within. One could also say the same of the American Evangelical and Protestant Church. Digressing here...
Within the messianic movement, I have been priviledged to become acquainted with, through personal involvement as well as reliable reports and biographies, a remnant of followers of the Messiah, both Jews and Gentiles, who cling to the Word of God, rightly dividing the word of truth, and live their lives with integrity and purity. Such people are not "legalistic" or "exclusionists" as some of the critics of the messianic movement claim. Rather, they have a passion for God and a desire to dive into His Word and live their very lives according to that Word.
If you would like to know my testimony of how I came to such a path in my walk, I encourage you to read my previous post entitled, "My Story" from October 26, 2008.
The Apostles and a Savior
The first followers of Jesus were all (with minor exceptions) Jewish. They were raised to know the Torah (the Five books of Moses) and the Tanakh (which includes the prophets and writings, together comprising the Hebrew scriptures). Many of them learned the scriptures from the time they could walk and talk. They read in the prophets about sin, about God's holiness, and about how they had been called out of the nations to be a holy people unto Him. They ate things that were kosher (see Deut. 14), things that were meant to be food. They did not eat things that were not kosher, things not meant for food. They observed the holy days which God had authored. They worshipped God in the manner He prescribed, rather than the manner in which the heathen nations worshipped their gods. They learned how God is a God of separateness, how He separated the light from the darkness, the day from the night, the clean from the unclean, etc.
All of the apostles were Jewish. There has been modern speculation that Luke was a gentile, however, there is in fact compelling scholarly evidence that he was indeed Jewish (for a paper regarding this, please go to the ministry website of Zola Levitt). And the Messiah Himself, the Savior of all mankind is Jewish.
To not acknowledge this truth about Jesus is to leave out a very important aspect of His identity, one which we would be well-served to know and understand.
Many modern Bible preachers, because of a heresy known as "replacement theology", paint the picture that Jesus was anti-everything that is Jewish. Nothing could be further from the truth! They back up their argument with snipets from scripture of how Jesus railed against the pharisees and saducees, the Jewish teachers and leaders of their day, when in fact, in every instance Jesus rebuked them it was because of their man-made traditions (these traditions have been termed 'Fences around Torah', which are still tenets upheld today by many in Orthodox Jewry). These fences were based upon the Oral Torah, rather than the written word of God. The Jewish rabbis and sages prior to Jesus' day wanted to ensure that the Israelites were careful to follow all of God's teachings. So they created a safety net of making sure the people would do this. They in essence created "fences" to ensure the people would obey the Torah. However, in doing so, Jesus accused them of putting a stumbling block in the way of the people so that they could not follow Torah or obey God. They were adding to the Torah, which is expressly forbidden.
Torah= Teaching
The Hebrew word Torah means "teaching". It is God's instructions given to the Israelites through Moses, which includes the Ten Commandments and the Book of Ordinances. Most Christians know that the Ten Commandments is God's moral law given to man. However, the subject of the 10 Commandments in modern times is one frought with confusion and misunderstanding. But what did Jesus Himself say regarding the Torah?
He said, "Think not that I came to abolish the Torah but to fulfill it." (Matthew 5:17). The word "fulfill" means the same as to advocate for, as a lawyer advocates for his client in a court of law. Literally it means to "fill to the full", or fullfill. That is what Jesus did- He advocated for the Torah (the non-twisted version of it) to the Jews. And He came to fill to the full the Word of God. What's more, He is the word of God. After all, it is written in John chapter 1 that in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. And in verse 14, "And the word became flesh and dwelt among us". Which word is the apostle John talking about? The Torah! After all, the New Testament had not yet been written. And who became flesh? Yeshua! (Jesus). Yeshua is the living word of God. Therefore, when we consider the words of Jesus, the living word of God cannot be in anywise bad or be abolished. Everything He did and said confirmed God's Torah, God's teaching and fulfilled it.
Paul even says the Torah is not bad, but good. He would have not known sin if it were not for the Torah.
Even when the Jews tried to keep Torah in thier own might, they stumbled and were required to make atonement (prior to Jesus' crucifixion) with the blood of sacrificed animals. When they were not trusting in God and keeping His commandments, they were in sin. For to keep Torah the way it was intended is to trust in God.
Abraham trusted God and it was credited to him as righteousness. God gave the Torah to Abraham's descendants at Mt. Sinai and they said they would do the Torah. Albeit, many of them perished in the desert, a remnant of the Israelites did continue to keep Torah, thus continuing on in the way of Abraham of living by faith. Abraham listened to the word of the Lord and trusted. The children of Israel did the same. The word of God and His teaching as given to the Israelites are one in the same and they are both good.
A good friend of the family and diligent scholar of the Torah puts it this way, "When you consider the Law (Torah), you must consider the intent of the Lawgiver". That says it all right there! God is perfect and just. His intent is perfect and just. Therefore, the law or teaching which He gave, is also perfect and just.
So where does much of the confusion surrounding the Law stem from?
Some of the confusion stems from anti-semitism repackaged and sold in the gentile church. The Roman emperor Constantine did his part by legislating that pagan customs and festivals be observed in the place of the feasts of the Lord, for he said he wanted nothing to do with those "detestable Jews". And he actually made it illegal to be Jewish and be a follower of Jesus. Others followed suit. More on that later. Thus the richness that is the Word of God which has been stewarded by the Jewish people was lost to the newly gentile church. And most interpretation of scripture from that point on has been tainted with error and prideful "boasting against the branches" (Romans 11:18).
Many have incorrectly assumed that since Jesus did away with God's requirement for a blood sacrifice, that He did away with the entire Old Testament. That is patently false! It has been rebutted by Jesus' own words. Moreover, Jesus Himself even said that whosoever teaches these commandments will be called great in the Kingdom of God, and whoseover teaches men to break these commandments will be called the least. Therefore, when a doctrinal concept contradicts the very words of the Lord, one must be willing to question the theological concept and his understanding of it, rather than the truth being plainly stated. It is precisely here that many Christians, rather than searching the scriptures for themselves, have received the inherited religious pride and ensuing error in doctrine passed down by our spiritual forefathers. (David Stern calls such errors 'heresies'. (Jewish New Testament Commentary.)
There are also some technical aspects of the translation of scripture that has lent to this confusion:
In the New Testament, the same concept of Torah has been translated into the Greek for "Law" (nomos). It is a broad term used to include any standard or set code. It is also used in the New Testament to include God's moral teachings, as well as.....man's legalistic perversion of that teaching. In the Greek, the language does not allow for dileneation of the various shades of meaning of the term. Also, there may have been certain biases the translators had. Although it is the inspired Word of God, the attitudes of the earthen vessels it came through may have gotten in the way somehow, much as a prophet brings the Word of God through his or her own personal nuances. Additionally, an anti-semitic interpretation of the verses has perpetuated the misunderstanding of Paul's writings about the Torah.
Paul, the author of 2/3 of the New Testament, uses a very Jewish form of emphasis..that of paralellism, where the same truth is repeated. On the surface, it would seem that Paul is contradicting the points I have outlined here. However, he is not. The more I read the writings of Paul, the more I am convinced that he was not abolishing or even minimalizing God's Torah. But rather, he was dealing with a set of eccumnical issues which crept into the groups of early believers which emanated from a certain group of Jews who were pushing for a legalistic form of observing the Torah. Scripture calls these Jews "Juadaizers". They actually worked against the Torah, not in favor of it, since theirs was an observance by works, not by faith.
History is Key to Understanding
In the first century, the believers heard the good news of the Messiah coming to be the propitiation for their sins. The believed God, repented of their sins, and followed Him, thus perfectly keeping Torah, the way it was meant when God said He would write His law on their hearts (Jeremiah 31). However, a problem arose for these believers and for the apostles in Jerusalem as well, when the Judaizers were coming into their midst saying that the gentile believers must first convert to Judaism, undergoing circumcision, in order to follow the Messiah and in order to be saved. This was contrary to the apostles' teaching. Therefore, the Council of Jerusalem ensued during which the elders addressed the issue and highlighted the things that were important in order to keep following the Messiah. These things included: staying away from blood, fornication, things sacrificed to idols, and strangled animals. They even said that it "seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us..." that the believers not be burdened with any except the aforementioned requirements (Acts 15:28).
This was the climate in which Paul, who, along with Barnabas, disagreed sharply with those Jews trying to put such a yoke on the gentile believers, and the climate in which he wrote his epistles to the fledgling church. He instructed them (see Romans, see also Galatians) to continue on in their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, just as in fact they were doing. There is an idea in Jewish thought that while one is doing teshuvah (repenting from one's own sinful ways and turning to God's ways), that there not be put a stumbling block in that person's way. Paul knew this and he exhorted the followers to continue in their growth in the Messiah, not taking on a legalistic approach to the ways of God, or trying to attain eternal life or even a higher spiritual status through their own vain efforts, after they had already received the good news of what the Savior had done for them with gladness and trust.
Legalism Vs. Holiness
An invaluable tool for me in my journey into the Hebrew root has been "The Jewish New Testament Commentary" by David H. Stern. For more info, go to: http://www.amazon.com/Jewish-New-Testament-Commentary-Companion/dp/9653590111
Leglalism is not the same as trusting in God and His Word. Oftentimes whenever I just bring up the subject of the Torah or the Ten Commandments, I am accused (by modern American Christians) of being legalistic. Just because I have a love for God and His teachings! Was Jesus legalistic? He quoted from Deuteronomy more than any other book. He had a passion for the Holy Scriptures and correctly interpreted those scriptures for the Jews of his day. I would like to think of myself as being on a quest to do the same: to have a passion for God's inspired word, and to help others have a passion for His word also!
When one is legalistic, he is picking and choosing which parts of God's Word to single out and attempt to add to it as a work of the flesh. This is perveritng the original intent of the scriptures. Oftentimes this person is not exhorting others to follow God's teaching at all, but rather is making others feel condemned that they do not do as he does. In effect he exalts the flesh which is religious pride and sin. One who is "circumcised of the heart", with God's instructions in his heart (which includes worship of God alone and there is no room for idolatry, which includes religious pride), will live by faith in the Son of God, will repent when he sins, thus applying the ongoing atoning work of the cross. He will continue on in producing fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8 ). Such a person is not being legalistic, but rather living a holy life by faith in God's Torah. (A good example of this is King David.) His works, the outward manifestation of his faith and the fruit of righteousness are the tell-tale signs of his conversion and renewal. ('For faith without works is dead' see James 2:20; James 2:26). In doing so, he is actually establishing Torah, not abolishing it or in any way diminshing its significance.
Please join me for the next few installments of this topic where we will explore answers to such questions as:
* Isn't there no difference between Jew and Gentile, aren't we all "one in Messiah"?
* Should Christians celebrate the Feasts outlined in the Old Testament? What about Christmas and Easter?
* How important is the Old Testament to God anyway?
*Can Jews be saved by any other way than through the Way, that is Yeshua the Messiah?
*Are there any benefits to studying God's Torah for the gentile Christian and the Body of Christ?
* What does having a "heart for Israel" look like and how can we practically bless God's chosen people?
Stay tuned.
Shalom!
**
I have been delving into the Hebrew perspective of God and His Word. This persepctive can be termed the Hebrew Root (after the olive tree analogy of Romans 11). This has been a process of discovery, repentance, and refreshment unlike any other I have experienced. In essence, Romans 11:18 says that the gentile church does not support Israel (the root) but that the root supports the church; therefore do not boast against the branches. The roots, as the analogy would have it, go very very deep. I have found that they go deep into God's very nature. And as I plummet the depths of the Word of God, which is God, I realize I am looking into His wonderful face and experiencing a glorious renewal in my walk with the Lord. Once I began this journey, I was never to be the same person again.
And I have not been alone on this journey. The Lord has blessed me with compatriots and close friends, covenant friends, who have been on this same journey alongside me and who can attest with me to the wonderful richness that is in our Messiah Yeshua (Jesus), the Living Torah, the Living Word of God.
The messianic Jewish movement of the last 2 or so decades has been the brunt of much criticism and accusations; mostly accusations of false doctrine. Some of it is deserved. However, some of it is not. The messianic movement in America is so wide in scope and diversity of expression, that if one wanted to, one could find any number of heresies taught within. One could also say the same of the American Evangelical and Protestant Church. Digressing here...
Within the messianic movement, I have been priviledged to become acquainted with, through personal involvement as well as reliable reports and biographies, a remnant of followers of the Messiah, both Jews and Gentiles, who cling to the Word of God, rightly dividing the word of truth, and live their lives with integrity and purity. Such people are not "legalistic" or "exclusionists" as some of the critics of the messianic movement claim. Rather, they have a passion for God and a desire to dive into His Word and live their very lives according to that Word.
If you would like to know my testimony of how I came to such a path in my walk, I encourage you to read my previous post entitled, "My Story" from October 26, 2008.
The Apostles and a Savior
The first followers of Jesus were all (with minor exceptions) Jewish. They were raised to know the Torah (the Five books of Moses) and the Tanakh (which includes the prophets and writings, together comprising the Hebrew scriptures). Many of them learned the scriptures from the time they could walk and talk. They read in the prophets about sin, about God's holiness, and about how they had been called out of the nations to be a holy people unto Him. They ate things that were kosher (see Deut. 14), things that were meant to be food. They did not eat things that were not kosher, things not meant for food. They observed the holy days which God had authored. They worshipped God in the manner He prescribed, rather than the manner in which the heathen nations worshipped their gods. They learned how God is a God of separateness, how He separated the light from the darkness, the day from the night, the clean from the unclean, etc.
All of the apostles were Jewish. There has been modern speculation that Luke was a gentile, however, there is in fact compelling scholarly evidence that he was indeed Jewish (for a paper regarding this, please go to the ministry website of Zola Levitt). And the Messiah Himself, the Savior of all mankind is Jewish.
To not acknowledge this truth about Jesus is to leave out a very important aspect of His identity, one which we would be well-served to know and understand.
Many modern Bible preachers, because of a heresy known as "replacement theology", paint the picture that Jesus was anti-everything that is Jewish. Nothing could be further from the truth! They back up their argument with snipets from scripture of how Jesus railed against the pharisees and saducees, the Jewish teachers and leaders of their day, when in fact, in every instance Jesus rebuked them it was because of their man-made traditions (these traditions have been termed 'Fences around Torah', which are still tenets upheld today by many in Orthodox Jewry). These fences were based upon the Oral Torah, rather than the written word of God. The Jewish rabbis and sages prior to Jesus' day wanted to ensure that the Israelites were careful to follow all of God's teachings. So they created a safety net of making sure the people would do this. They in essence created "fences" to ensure the people would obey the Torah. However, in doing so, Jesus accused them of putting a stumbling block in the way of the people so that they could not follow Torah or obey God. They were adding to the Torah, which is expressly forbidden.
Torah= Teaching
The Hebrew word Torah means "teaching". It is God's instructions given to the Israelites through Moses, which includes the Ten Commandments and the Book of Ordinances. Most Christians know that the Ten Commandments is God's moral law given to man. However, the subject of the 10 Commandments in modern times is one frought with confusion and misunderstanding. But what did Jesus Himself say regarding the Torah?
He said, "Think not that I came to abolish the Torah but to fulfill it." (Matthew 5:17). The word "fulfill" means the same as to advocate for, as a lawyer advocates for his client in a court of law. Literally it means to "fill to the full", or fullfill. That is what Jesus did- He advocated for the Torah (the non-twisted version of it) to the Jews. And He came to fill to the full the Word of God. What's more, He is the word of God. After all, it is written in John chapter 1 that in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. And in verse 14, "And the word became flesh and dwelt among us". Which word is the apostle John talking about? The Torah! After all, the New Testament had not yet been written. And who became flesh? Yeshua! (Jesus). Yeshua is the living word of God. Therefore, when we consider the words of Jesus, the living word of God cannot be in anywise bad or be abolished. Everything He did and said confirmed God's Torah, God's teaching and fulfilled it.
Paul even says the Torah is not bad, but good. He would have not known sin if it were not for the Torah.
Even when the Jews tried to keep Torah in thier own might, they stumbled and were required to make atonement (prior to Jesus' crucifixion) with the blood of sacrificed animals. When they were not trusting in God and keeping His commandments, they were in sin. For to keep Torah the way it was intended is to trust in God.
Abraham trusted God and it was credited to him as righteousness. God gave the Torah to Abraham's descendants at Mt. Sinai and they said they would do the Torah. Albeit, many of them perished in the desert, a remnant of the Israelites did continue to keep Torah, thus continuing on in the way of Abraham of living by faith. Abraham listened to the word of the Lord and trusted. The children of Israel did the same. The word of God and His teaching as given to the Israelites are one in the same and they are both good.
A good friend of the family and diligent scholar of the Torah puts it this way, "When you consider the Law (Torah), you must consider the intent of the Lawgiver". That says it all right there! God is perfect and just. His intent is perfect and just. Therefore, the law or teaching which He gave, is also perfect and just.
So where does much of the confusion surrounding the Law stem from?
Some of the confusion stems from anti-semitism repackaged and sold in the gentile church. The Roman emperor Constantine did his part by legislating that pagan customs and festivals be observed in the place of the feasts of the Lord, for he said he wanted nothing to do with those "detestable Jews". And he actually made it illegal to be Jewish and be a follower of Jesus. Others followed suit. More on that later. Thus the richness that is the Word of God which has been stewarded by the Jewish people was lost to the newly gentile church. And most interpretation of scripture from that point on has been tainted with error and prideful "boasting against the branches" (Romans 11:18).
Many have incorrectly assumed that since Jesus did away with God's requirement for a blood sacrifice, that He did away with the entire Old Testament. That is patently false! It has been rebutted by Jesus' own words. Moreover, Jesus Himself even said that whosoever teaches these commandments will be called great in the Kingdom of God, and whoseover teaches men to break these commandments will be called the least. Therefore, when a doctrinal concept contradicts the very words of the Lord, one must be willing to question the theological concept and his understanding of it, rather than the truth being plainly stated. It is precisely here that many Christians, rather than searching the scriptures for themselves, have received the inherited religious pride and ensuing error in doctrine passed down by our spiritual forefathers. (David Stern calls such errors 'heresies'. (Jewish New Testament Commentary.)
There are also some technical aspects of the translation of scripture that has lent to this confusion:
In the New Testament, the same concept of Torah has been translated into the Greek for "Law" (nomos). It is a broad term used to include any standard or set code. It is also used in the New Testament to include God's moral teachings, as well as.....man's legalistic perversion of that teaching. In the Greek, the language does not allow for dileneation of the various shades of meaning of the term. Also, there may have been certain biases the translators had. Although it is the inspired Word of God, the attitudes of the earthen vessels it came through may have gotten in the way somehow, much as a prophet brings the Word of God through his or her own personal nuances. Additionally, an anti-semitic interpretation of the verses has perpetuated the misunderstanding of Paul's writings about the Torah.
Paul, the author of 2/3 of the New Testament, uses a very Jewish form of emphasis..that of paralellism, where the same truth is repeated. On the surface, it would seem that Paul is contradicting the points I have outlined here. However, he is not. The more I read the writings of Paul, the more I am convinced that he was not abolishing or even minimalizing God's Torah. But rather, he was dealing with a set of eccumnical issues which crept into the groups of early believers which emanated from a certain group of Jews who were pushing for a legalistic form of observing the Torah. Scripture calls these Jews "Juadaizers". They actually worked against the Torah, not in favor of it, since theirs was an observance by works, not by faith.
History is Key to Understanding
In the first century, the believers heard the good news of the Messiah coming to be the propitiation for their sins. The believed God, repented of their sins, and followed Him, thus perfectly keeping Torah, the way it was meant when God said He would write His law on their hearts (Jeremiah 31). However, a problem arose for these believers and for the apostles in Jerusalem as well, when the Judaizers were coming into their midst saying that the gentile believers must first convert to Judaism, undergoing circumcision, in order to follow the Messiah and in order to be saved. This was contrary to the apostles' teaching. Therefore, the Council of Jerusalem ensued during which the elders addressed the issue and highlighted the things that were important in order to keep following the Messiah. These things included: staying away from blood, fornication, things sacrificed to idols, and strangled animals. They even said that it "seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us..." that the believers not be burdened with any except the aforementioned requirements (Acts 15:28).
This was the climate in which Paul, who, along with Barnabas, disagreed sharply with those Jews trying to put such a yoke on the gentile believers, and the climate in which he wrote his epistles to the fledgling church. He instructed them (see Romans, see also Galatians) to continue on in their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, just as in fact they were doing. There is an idea in Jewish thought that while one is doing teshuvah (repenting from one's own sinful ways and turning to God's ways), that there not be put a stumbling block in that person's way. Paul knew this and he exhorted the followers to continue in their growth in the Messiah, not taking on a legalistic approach to the ways of God, or trying to attain eternal life or even a higher spiritual status through their own vain efforts, after they had already received the good news of what the Savior had done for them with gladness and trust.
Legalism Vs. Holiness
An invaluable tool for me in my journey into the Hebrew root has been "The Jewish New Testament Commentary" by David H. Stern. For more info, go to: http://www.amazon.com/Jewish-New-Testament-Commentary-Companion/dp/9653590111
Leglalism is not the same as trusting in God and His Word. Oftentimes whenever I just bring up the subject of the Torah or the Ten Commandments, I am accused (by modern American Christians) of being legalistic. Just because I have a love for God and His teachings! Was Jesus legalistic? He quoted from Deuteronomy more than any other book. He had a passion for the Holy Scriptures and correctly interpreted those scriptures for the Jews of his day. I would like to think of myself as being on a quest to do the same: to have a passion for God's inspired word, and to help others have a passion for His word also!
When one is legalistic, he is picking and choosing which parts of God's Word to single out and attempt to add to it as a work of the flesh. This is perveritng the original intent of the scriptures. Oftentimes this person is not exhorting others to follow God's teaching at all, but rather is making others feel condemned that they do not do as he does. In effect he exalts the flesh which is religious pride and sin. One who is "circumcised of the heart", with God's instructions in his heart (which includes worship of God alone and there is no room for idolatry, which includes religious pride), will live by faith in the Son of God, will repent when he sins, thus applying the ongoing atoning work of the cross. He will continue on in producing fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8 ). Such a person is not being legalistic, but rather living a holy life by faith in God's Torah. (A good example of this is King David.) His works, the outward manifestation of his faith and the fruit of righteousness are the tell-tale signs of his conversion and renewal. ('For faith without works is dead' see James 2:20; James 2:26). In doing so, he is actually establishing Torah, not abolishing it or in any way diminshing its significance.
Please join me for the next few installments of this topic where we will explore answers to such questions as:
* Isn't there no difference between Jew and Gentile, aren't we all "one in Messiah"?
* Should Christians celebrate the Feasts outlined in the Old Testament? What about Christmas and Easter?
* How important is the Old Testament to God anyway?
*Can Jews be saved by any other way than through the Way, that is Yeshua the Messiah?
*Are there any benefits to studying God's Torah for the gentile Christian and the Body of Christ?
* What does having a "heart for Israel" look like and how can we practically bless God's chosen people?
Stay tuned.
Shalom!
**
Friday, June 26, 2009
Staring Eternity in the Face
The world was shocked today to find out that 2 major pop culture icons died. One expectedly, the other not expectedly. Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett left this life today. Many people were shocked. Many questioned their own reason for existence as their own mortality stared them in the face.
There is one appointment on your life's timetable that you will undoubtedly keep. You may not know the day or the hour (neither MJ nor Farrah knew theirs), but one thing is for certain: you will pass from this life never to return again.
The Bible says "...man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment..." (Hebrews 9:27). So make no mistake...once you die, that is it. There's no going back. No reincarnation. No sleeping in the dust in bliss for all eternity. There is judgement to face. Every man must face his Creator and give an account for his life. What will God be looking for?
The Bible teaches that everyone will be raised on that last day...some to everlasting life, others to everlasting condemnation (Daniel 12:2). So who will be raised to life and who will be condemned? For the Bible also says that there is no one righteous, no not one. And also that "for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). So, what will be the requirement that allows a man to enter into Heaven?
First, let me just say that God, the Creator of the Heaven and the earth loves you sooo much! How much? Well, He knows (at any gven time no less) how many hairs are on your little (or big) head!! He formed you in your mother's womb, He gave you the personality that you have. He knew all your likes, dislikes, weaknesses and strengths before you ever let out one scream on the delivery table. He knows all your days (Psalm 139). He longs to spend time with you. To fellowship with you. The all-knowing, all powerful Ancient of Days is crazy about you.
Well, "if He is so all-loving, then why does God send people to hell?", you may be asking. He doesn't. God doesn't send anybody to hell. Does that surprise you? Why? You see, the scriptures are clear: God does not and cannot change. He is without sin. He is holy. That is just His nature. He set His moral standard for all humnakind in His Word. Yet, every single one of us has transgressed His law, His standard. We fall short. We sin. We are, by nature, enemies of the very God who loves us so much. Hell (sheol) was not created for you and me, but it was created for the devil and his fallen angels. And sin cannot exist in the presence of a holy God, so all who sin must go to the place of torment known as hell, where the Bible describes there will be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth and their torment never ends. So how can this be resolved to where a person can spend eternity with the Creator if we have all sinned, we have all gone against God's moral standard and deserve hell? (eternity is forever...it never ends. Hard to wrap your mind around, huh?)
The Atonement
In the first Covenant (You may be more familiar with the term Old Testament), God had the same exact standard He holds today. It can be summed up in the Ten Commandments, or the Ten Words. But people sinned back then, as they do today. So God made a provision for them through the instructions He gave to the children of Israel; a way they could be reconciled to Him and have their sin forgiven, by way of a blood sacrifice. Without the shedding of blood, there can be no remission of sin. But God did somethiing even MORE awesome than that. By His power and awesome wisdom, He became our sin sacrifice in the person of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah. John 1 says "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us". Imagine that! The very moral standard...the very Word of God became human flesh, yet He was without spot or wrinkle, was without sin so that He could fulfill His own requirement for a perfect sacrifice! Then He offered Himself up to die in our place...to take the judgement and wrath we were so deserving of....He took it upon Himself...in its entirety. He did this so that you and I could be purchased, redeemed from the power of sin and death. He did this so that we could live forever with Him in Heaven when we die and so that we can have the abundant, meaningful, and full life He always meant for us to have here on earth! It would be like you were in court, sentenced to death because you broke the law. If someone came and took your place, paid your fine, and it was acceptable to the judge, he could commute your death sentence. It is the same with the Judge of the universe! Jesus paid your fine, setting you free from jail. On the day of judgement, the ultimate court date, your sin has been paid for. You have been purchased and can go free!
Isn't that incredible??
So the only thing that will stand before you and a holy God on judgement day is this: what did you do with God's Son? How did you respond to what He did for you, what He did in your place? Did you trample His blood under your feet? Did you laugh, mock, or think Jesus was for old women and weak people who need a crutch? Did you think His Word was a bunch of stories and fairy tales? Did you passively, if yet cowardly, think that is nice for some people, but I know how to live my life?- I'm doing fine? Or did you gratefully accept His payment for you? Or, instead, did you respond by saying Yes...if Jesus loved me this much, I would like to get to know Him, I would like to trust in Him for my salvation and live forever with God and His holy angels in Heaven. Because, my friend, this life is just a vapor in light of eternity.
Here today. Gone tomorrow. And you never know when your time will be up. All we have is now. Every moment, every breath is a gift of a loving God who does not want you to perish. He does not want you to reject His offer!!! God WILL NOT send you to hell. People send themselves there. They send themselves there by rejecting the one and only provision God has given them, by throwing it back in His face through unbelief, cynicism, and refusal to give up their sin, their pride, and the way they have been doing things. After all, if you were on a plane that was about to crash, and the pilot said "Here, put on this parachute, it will save your life", would you then say to the pilot, "I'll be fine. I've never died from a plane crash before..."? or "A parachute might be good for you, but I don't believe in parachutes..", or even, "I don't belive I will die from hitting the ground, I think I will just go into a very long blissful sleep". That sounds ridiculous, does it not?!
What is even more ridiculous? Having an opportunity to trust God for what He Has said and done and having the most satisfying, fulfilling relationship anyone could have the only one that can bring you true and lasting peace and assurance of Heaven, and squandering it away.
The book of Ecclesiastes states that it is a far better thing to consider death, to mourn and to wail, than to be happy, merry, and bright. Why? Because this is every man's end. No one has been known to escape it. No one ever will. Consider it now. It is your lot in life. And after that, the judgement. Judgement of what you did with the knowledge of God's love for you and His sacrifice for you.
I hope you will choose wisely.
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There is one appointment on your life's timetable that you will undoubtedly keep. You may not know the day or the hour (neither MJ nor Farrah knew theirs), but one thing is for certain: you will pass from this life never to return again.
The Bible says "...man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment..." (Hebrews 9:27). So make no mistake...once you die, that is it. There's no going back. No reincarnation. No sleeping in the dust in bliss for all eternity. There is judgement to face. Every man must face his Creator and give an account for his life. What will God be looking for?
The Bible teaches that everyone will be raised on that last day...some to everlasting life, others to everlasting condemnation (Daniel 12:2). So who will be raised to life and who will be condemned? For the Bible also says that there is no one righteous, no not one. And also that "for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). So, what will be the requirement that allows a man to enter into Heaven?
First, let me just say that God, the Creator of the Heaven and the earth loves you sooo much! How much? Well, He knows (at any gven time no less) how many hairs are on your little (or big) head!! He formed you in your mother's womb, He gave you the personality that you have. He knew all your likes, dislikes, weaknesses and strengths before you ever let out one scream on the delivery table. He knows all your days (Psalm 139). He longs to spend time with you. To fellowship with you. The all-knowing, all powerful Ancient of Days is crazy about you.
Well, "if He is so all-loving, then why does God send people to hell?", you may be asking. He doesn't. God doesn't send anybody to hell. Does that surprise you? Why? You see, the scriptures are clear: God does not and cannot change. He is without sin. He is holy. That is just His nature. He set His moral standard for all humnakind in His Word. Yet, every single one of us has transgressed His law, His standard. We fall short. We sin. We are, by nature, enemies of the very God who loves us so much. Hell (sheol) was not created for you and me, but it was created for the devil and his fallen angels. And sin cannot exist in the presence of a holy God, so all who sin must go to the place of torment known as hell, where the Bible describes there will be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth and their torment never ends. So how can this be resolved to where a person can spend eternity with the Creator if we have all sinned, we have all gone against God's moral standard and deserve hell? (eternity is forever...it never ends. Hard to wrap your mind around, huh?)
The Atonement
In the first Covenant (You may be more familiar with the term Old Testament), God had the same exact standard He holds today. It can be summed up in the Ten Commandments, or the Ten Words. But people sinned back then, as they do today. So God made a provision for them through the instructions He gave to the children of Israel; a way they could be reconciled to Him and have their sin forgiven, by way of a blood sacrifice. Without the shedding of blood, there can be no remission of sin. But God did somethiing even MORE awesome than that. By His power and awesome wisdom, He became our sin sacrifice in the person of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah. John 1 says "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us". Imagine that! The very moral standard...the very Word of God became human flesh, yet He was without spot or wrinkle, was without sin so that He could fulfill His own requirement for a perfect sacrifice! Then He offered Himself up to die in our place...to take the judgement and wrath we were so deserving of....He took it upon Himself...in its entirety. He did this so that you and I could be purchased, redeemed from the power of sin and death. He did this so that we could live forever with Him in Heaven when we die and so that we can have the abundant, meaningful, and full life He always meant for us to have here on earth! It would be like you were in court, sentenced to death because you broke the law. If someone came and took your place, paid your fine, and it was acceptable to the judge, he could commute your death sentence. It is the same with the Judge of the universe! Jesus paid your fine, setting you free from jail. On the day of judgement, the ultimate court date, your sin has been paid for. You have been purchased and can go free!
Isn't that incredible??
So the only thing that will stand before you and a holy God on judgement day is this: what did you do with God's Son? How did you respond to what He did for you, what He did in your place? Did you trample His blood under your feet? Did you laugh, mock, or think Jesus was for old women and weak people who need a crutch? Did you think His Word was a bunch of stories and fairy tales? Did you passively, if yet cowardly, think that is nice for some people, but I know how to live my life?- I'm doing fine? Or did you gratefully accept His payment for you? Or, instead, did you respond by saying Yes...if Jesus loved me this much, I would like to get to know Him, I would like to trust in Him for my salvation and live forever with God and His holy angels in Heaven. Because, my friend, this life is just a vapor in light of eternity.
Here today. Gone tomorrow. And you never know when your time will be up. All we have is now. Every moment, every breath is a gift of a loving God who does not want you to perish. He does not want you to reject His offer!!! God WILL NOT send you to hell. People send themselves there. They send themselves there by rejecting the one and only provision God has given them, by throwing it back in His face through unbelief, cynicism, and refusal to give up their sin, their pride, and the way they have been doing things. After all, if you were on a plane that was about to crash, and the pilot said "Here, put on this parachute, it will save your life", would you then say to the pilot, "I'll be fine. I've never died from a plane crash before..."? or "A parachute might be good for you, but I don't believe in parachutes..", or even, "I don't belive I will die from hitting the ground, I think I will just go into a very long blissful sleep". That sounds ridiculous, does it not?!
What is even more ridiculous? Having an opportunity to trust God for what He Has said and done and having the most satisfying, fulfilling relationship anyone could have the only one that can bring you true and lasting peace and assurance of Heaven, and squandering it away.
The book of Ecclesiastes states that it is a far better thing to consider death, to mourn and to wail, than to be happy, merry, and bright. Why? Because this is every man's end. No one has been known to escape it. No one ever will. Consider it now. It is your lot in life. And after that, the judgement. Judgement of what you did with the knowledge of God's love for you and His sacrifice for you.
I hope you will choose wisely.
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Pregnant
I have been away from blogging the last couple of months because I have been very busy with an almost 2 year old explorer and battling morning sickness. We found out we are expecting our second child the beginning of Jan. (or more like the end of Dec). Fatigue, nausea, weight gain, and just plain ol regular life can make it to where the idea of writing a blog just doesn't make it to the top of the priority list sometimes.
Nevertheless, we are excited. I think it will be a girl, but I have been wrong before. (and pleasantly surprised!) There are some boys' name that I am fond of, but not inspired by. There are a couple of girls' names that I like, but only one I am inspired by. Nevertheless, the Bible says a good name is better to be desired than riches. And knowing that God had a hand in naming me, I do pray about what to name our baby. Because I believe that a person's name is significant concerning their prophetic destiny...their character, or what they will accomplish in life for the Kingdom of God.
The sonogram yesterday (day before yesterday? It is 3 am) for Down's Syndrome came back negative. Not that I would be dismayed even if our baby had D.S. It would not change my love for it. However, it was part of the screening and Kaiser was paying for it, so I figured, why not. This and I thought there was a possibility they could determine the sex (they couldn't...it was too early to tell). Besides, who would pass up every opportunity to peek at their child hidden in the womb?- after all, even Tom Cruise bought his pregnant wife a sonogram machine so they could see their infant in utero!
So I sit here in the middle of the night at the computer....gotta love those pregnancy hormones!- hoping I will get a couple more hours of sleep at least, before my son wakes me up for our eventful, fun filled day. Warm milk helps me. And a good- ol fashioned midnight snack doesn't hurt either.
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Nevertheless, we are excited. I think it will be a girl, but I have been wrong before. (and pleasantly surprised!) There are some boys' name that I am fond of, but not inspired by. There are a couple of girls' names that I like, but only one I am inspired by. Nevertheless, the Bible says a good name is better to be desired than riches. And knowing that God had a hand in naming me, I do pray about what to name our baby. Because I believe that a person's name is significant concerning their prophetic destiny...their character, or what they will accomplish in life for the Kingdom of God.
The sonogram yesterday (day before yesterday? It is 3 am) for Down's Syndrome came back negative. Not that I would be dismayed even if our baby had D.S. It would not change my love for it. However, it was part of the screening and Kaiser was paying for it, so I figured, why not. This and I thought there was a possibility they could determine the sex (they couldn't...it was too early to tell). Besides, who would pass up every opportunity to peek at their child hidden in the womb?- after all, even Tom Cruise bought his pregnant wife a sonogram machine so they could see their infant in utero!
So I sit here in the middle of the night at the computer....gotta love those pregnancy hormones!- hoping I will get a couple more hours of sleep at least, before my son wakes me up for our eventful, fun filled day. Warm milk helps me. And a good- ol fashioned midnight snack doesn't hurt either.
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