Category: A Drash to Start the Day

When We Give God Permission To Do Something

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That sounds backwards, doesn’t it? We give God permission? Isn’t it the other way around? 

For most things, it is the other way around. God is the Boss, the Almighty, the One and Only. He tells us what to do, and we do it: that is how it is.

Usually.

However, there is (at least) one exception that I know of, and that is found in the Gospels. Let’s look at its appearance in Mattitayu (Matthew), Chapter 6, verse 12:

“…and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.”

This is usually thought of as us asking God for forgiveness, but that is not really what we are doing. What we are doing, in truth, is telling God what He should do- we are giving God permission to treat us exactly as we treat others. We are not asking for forgiveness, we are authorizing God to overcome His mercy, to ignore His desire to forgive us as He wants to, and to only forgive us as we have forgiven others. 

Think about that for a minute, and let it sink in. It should be frightening to you; I can tell you this- it scares the ‘H-E-double hockey sticks’  out of me!

Throughout the Tanakh and New Covenant writings (B’rit Chadashah) we are told of God’s mercy, His desire and willingness to forgive, and His unfailing love for us. All of that, of course, is true and (on top of that) is the (usual) Christian teaching that once under the blood of Christ, you are OK, forever. No problems, no worries, no obedience other than to just be a “good person” and you are set for eternity. 

That isn’t the way it is, Folks! I can say that because Yeshua (Jesus) is the one who tells us how it is, and that isn’t what He says. 

To see what Yeshua says, let’s look a little further down the line, at verses 14 and 15:

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

OUCH!! So, not only am I asking God to treat me the way I treat others, but Yeshua is telling me that, whether I ask to be treated this way or not, I WILL be treated the same way I treat others! Like it or not, that is what Messiah is telling us about how God will treat us- if we are unforgiving of others, we will not be forgiven. And, to top it off, if we pray as Yeshua told us to pray (Lord’s Prayer, remember?) then we are also giving God our permission to treat us this way. It’s a double-edge sword that has both edges against us….IF we are unforgiving. 

On the other hand, if we ARE forgiving, then we are forgiven anything when we ask for it, in Yeshua’s name (of course.) So, here the double-edged sword is cutting a path for us to eternal joy, instead of cutting against us in both directions. 

Now can you see why I say we give God permission to do something? 

If you have been struggling with forgiveness, another thing to remember that might help you be more forgiving, is that the forgiveness you give has nothing to do with the other person- it is all about you and God. The other person has to make himself (or herself) right with God- you can’t do that!  Your forgiveness makes YOU right with God, and it also is the only way for the pain to go away. That’s also important for you to remember. 

So, nu? got it now? When you pray as Yeshua said you should, you are telling God to forgive you, not as He would want to do, but as you do to others.  

If that isn’t motivation enough to forgive everyone any offence, I don’t know what is! 

Too Much Fluff

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I like the idea that God is forgiving, as well as compassionate, fair and just. I also really like the fact that Yeshua gave His life so that I can have a chance at eternal joy in the presence of the Lord of Lords. When I was told that God and Yeshua love me for who I am, as I am, and they want me to be with them, forever, well, that was the best news I have ever received. 

All of the above is wonderful, and I thank the Lord, every day, for what He has done for me in that He sent His son to die for me. Not just for me, alone, but for everyone….but still and all, even if I was the only sinner left in the world, I believe wholeheartedly that Yeshua would have done what He did, just…for…me.

That being said, I find it difficult to deal with the people who teach and preach exclusively about how much Jesus loves you.

I was told the other day about a preacher with a very large congregation, who said that when he gets calls from other religious leaders asking how he gets so many people to come, he said, “Just preach Jesus.”  What that tells me is this: he is reaching the multitudes of people who need to know that there is hope for them, but that may be all he offers. If that is the case, then he is bringing them into the fold, but sending them nowhere. The love of Jesus is something that we all need to be made aware of, and accept, but that is just the start. Hearing the word is not living the word, and preaching about how loved you are is not going to give people what they need when they go back into the world. 

Strengthening your faith is a process. Yeshua told us, in the parable about the sower of the seed (Matthew 13), that the word will be accepted by many, but then they are distracted and drawn away by the enemy or simply by the cares and Tsouris (troubles) of the world. These people need more than just hearing the word- they need careful gardening, they need empowerment, and they need to be told the truth about what it will mean to be a follower of Yeshua, because the truth is necessary to steel oneself against what will come after accepting Messiah. 

My ministry is a teaching ministry: the quote from Hosea at the footer of the Home page is exactly what I am trying to avoid. So I give the truth as I understand it from my reading, my experience and the guiding of the Holy Spirit. I also look to others who have gifts, asking them for feedback in case my “flesh” gets in the way (which I am sure happens now and then.) So, the truth is not JUST that we are loved, and it is not JUST that we are saved, but it is that we CONSTANTLY have to fight against the enemy and ourselves to maintain the proper faithful attitude of obedience and righteousness. That is the battle, that is what is coming, and to tell people only “fluff” (as I call it) about being loved and accepted, well…you are sending them into a pack of wolves with lambs blood spread all over their bodies. They need the armor of God (Ephesians 6) and they also need lessons in how to use it. When David went to fight Goliath, he didn’t use Saul’s armor because he wasn’t used to it- smart kid. He knew what he was doing, and his faith was already strong enough to guard him against anything that came better than any old suit of armor. But new Believers don’t have that faith, and they don’t have the armor, and they don’t know how to fight. 

Telling them how much they are loved is not going to get them past the problems they will face. We need to get them strengthened, we need to teach them not just what armor they have available, but how to wear it and how to use it. 

If you are hearing someone tell you about Jesus and all they talk about is how loved you are, just as you are and how you don’t need to change, recognize that this is a way to attract you (and others) to the church but it isn’t enough to save your soul. It is not much better than that commercial for business receipt management software. You know the one, right? They show a disheveled, morose man sitting at a desk overflowing with receipts and papers but then, suddenly after he buys the receipt management software, he is clean-shaven, wearing a tie, and the desk is spotless. WOW!- where do I get that?  It’s so foolish- someone who is that disorganized would never be able to use that software because they need to install the software, read how to use it, create the separate business accounts, organize the existing receipts (which is the problem they haven’t been able to overcome), feed them through the scanner, save them where they need to be saved, and once they have done all that (which, again, they have never been able to do), THEN they can easily manage the paperwork. But wait!- not being disciplined enough to manage the paperwork was the problem in the first place, wasn’t it?  The software isn’t the cure- the resolution is to teach this person how to be an organized and self-disciplined manager.  Telling them how helpful the software is is a waste. 

That’s what it is like when we talk only about the love of Christ- it is good, it is right and it is what saves us….but it is not enough. We need to teach what will happen going forward, we need to train how to exercise our faith and we need to learn how to use the armor of God. In my opinion, that is the most important thing any religious leader can do. 

 

It’s Not Only About Love

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I have been on this streak lately about how being a Believer in Jesus is not all about love. It’s not that love isn’t part of salvation, or one of the most (if not THE most ) important aspect of accepting Messiah, but I am concerned with the teaching that so many people receive which implies that love is all there is. 

Yes, God loves you; yes, Jesus loves you; but people who don’t even know me say they love me?  C’mon, really? Love is too important a word to use like “Hello” or “How ya doin?” 

The reason for my concern is that being a Believer is not only about love. It is about dedication, it is about faith, it is about self-control, it is very much about suffering, and it is about time we started to tell people the truth and leave all this “fluff” out of it. Take off the rose-colored glasses, my friends, because following God and Yeshua is not easy.

Yeshua, Himself, told us that we would suffer for His name, and that if we wanted to follow Him we have to pick up our own execution stake. Look at what happened to all the Apostles, to Shaul (Paul), to Stephen, and everyone who has been martyred since Yeshua walked the earth. Even before Yeshua appeared to us, Elijah suffered, Jeremiah was the Crying Prophet (for good reason), Gideon was betrayed and his children were all killed; not one person in the bible who did God’s will had it easy. 

In other words, this ain’t no hay ride!  

Too many people accept Yeshua as their Messiah because they just want to be unconditionally loved, just as they are, and always no matter what they are. They are entranced and lured into accepting Yeshua because they are told that as a result of God loving them so much, once they ask His forgiveness His love will always save them. Now, don’t get me wrong- all of that is true, but the problem is that people think that is all there is. The fact that God will still punish sin, even after you have been “saved”, is omitted, as well as the fact that while we are alive the consequences of our sins will always come back on our heads. What is worse, our sins affect innocent people who are part of our life, too. Not to mention that accepting God and Yeshua means having to live by His laws and commandments. How many of you out there have either been told, or heard about, people being taught that the Torah is only for Jews so Christians don’t have to do anything because “we” are under the Blood of Christ, and are already forgiven everything?   Really? That teaching, when you strip away the obvious allure of it, is really saying that Grace is not license from sin, but license to sin. I don’t think anyone who knows anything about God will agree that He is OK with us sinning. 

God’s love is so great that is it unfathomable, but it will not keep us from apostatizing; God’s love will not stop our desire to sin, although His Ruach haKodesh, Holy Spirit, can help guide us away from sin when we listen to it; and most important to this message is that God’s love will not keep us from suffering for His name’s sake. In fact, being for God is being against the world, so His love is there always as our security blanket and as a balm for our shattered and damaged feelings, but it is not going to stop us from suffering, being attacked, and being rejected by people we love. 

If we don’t let new Believers know what they are in for, we have failed them, and it is like sending them blindly into a pack of hungry wolves with lamb’s blood all over their bodies. 

So, what is really important about God’s love? For me, it’s that by knowing His love for me I should show what His love is like in how I treat others, especially those who come against me. 

Love is not all there is, and it does NOT conquer all, but it wins enough battles so that those who do love will end up on the winning side. 

Your Salvation is Not in God’s Hands

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Salvation is provided for you by God, and guaranteed to remain available to you by God, but your personal salvation is not in God’s hands- it is in your hands.

God has provided Messiah, and Messiah provided the means for us to be forgiven without the Temple ( the sin and guilt sacrifices had to be slaughtered in the courtyard of the Temple, so after it was destroyed there was no longer any place for us to sacrifice and be forgiven), so the only thing left with regard to our salvation is now in our hands.

We must be the ones to ask for it; we must do T’shuvah (repentance, literally “to turn” from sin), and we must maintain that attitude and demonstrate our true repentance by producing good fruits, which starts with observance and obedience to God’s will and commandments found in Torah and subsequent scripture. 

Too many people are taught that “once saved, always saved”, which implies that once you ask for forgiveness through Yeshua’s sacrifice, then you have it always. No matter what you do or say or how you act, once saved…well, that ain’t the way it happens, Folks! Once saved, always saved AS LONG AS you continue to repent of your sins (which we will always do, no matter how hard we try not to) and AS LONG AS you continue to study the word, edify each other, love more than you did before and show everyone that God has changed you through the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) by your actions and words. 

We must show that we are able to love more, forgive readily, glorify God, obey His word (all of it, from Genesis through Revelation), maintain an attitude of humility and servitude to God, constantly ask forgiveness in Yeshua’s name, and pray for the strength and guidance of the Holy Spirit to help us sin less. 

Not every one of us is going to be able to do every thing on that list, or all of it all at the same time, consistently, but these are the things we need to do. That’s a lot of things to do, and none of them are easy. It’s all up to you to demonstrate your obedience (to Torah), which includes your repentance (of your sins), through which you gain your justification (by Yeshua’s sacrifice), which provides your salvation (the Grace of God.)

The more you obey, the more blessings you get; the more you “die to self”, the more you can be filled with the Ruach haKodesh; the more you work at it, the more you will get from it. 

Sounds a lot like life, doesn’t it? And why not? Salvation IS life, and our life on earth is designed for one purpose- we spend time here to choose where we spend eternity. 

And that, again, is totally up to you to decide for yourself. 

 

 

Humor is God’s Gift, Too

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Although it isn’t specified anywhere in the Bible that I can recall seeing, humor is a gift from God, just as much as teaching, prophecy, compassion, patience, etc. are all gifts from God. 

It just has to be! I mean, look at us- we are so incompetent and foolish we should be in a deep funk every moment of our lives, yet because we can laugh at ourselves our frustration of being who we are is less damaging to our emotions and psyche.

We are told about many people, from Abraham to Moses, to Isaiah, to John, Shaul (Paul) and others. These people were holy, and we read of their emotions often. Yet we don’t read about them laughing or telling jokes or just having a good time. Even when we read about Yeshua (Jesus) there is no specific reference to His having a good time, yet we know He attended weddings. So, while at a wedding (which in those days was a one week celebration with food, dance, song and drink), do you really think Jesus just sat in the corner, like a wallflower, spewing out parables while everyone else was having a good time? 

I don’t think so! 

I believe He was dancing and singing and laughing, and enjoying Himself along with everyone else. 

Again, there isn’t anything in the writings of the Apostles that specifically said Yeshua laughed, or sang, or danced. We are told that He cried (John 11:35) and that He showed frustration when He asked how long He would have to put up with people who just didn’t get the message (Matthew 17:17′ Mark 9:19), so if Yeshua was able to be sad and to be frustrated (somewhat), and we know that because He had taken on human form He was human, then it just makes sense that He must have also had all the other emotions that go with being human. Right?

A small caveat here, one that is my personal opinion: when we are dealing with God, we can’t trust the expression or thought that something must “make sense” because what is sensible to a human being has nothing at all to do with what is sensible to God. We are barely able to see past our noses, and God can see all the way to the end of eternity, so just because it makes “sense” that Yeshua had to have all the emotions humans do, we can’t say that is an absolute fact. 

Historically, He has been painted as somber and melancholy because (I think) we expect that being “holy” means being, well…boring. If I am holy, I don’t laugh (which sometimes indicates a lack of seriousness), and if I am holy I don’t have fun (which indicates I am just like everyone else), and if I am holy all I ever do is decry the sinfulness of the world and show people that they need to be a holy, boring, stick-in-the-mud wet blanket, like I am. 

I certainly hope not! 

I think that humor is one of the greatest gifts God has given us- it should be included in Ephesians 6 as part of the Armor of God. I believe, and have had it confirmed, that God has given me His gift of humor, and I try to use it to make people happy, or (at least) less sad.  I don’t always use this gift well, but I am now much more “appropriate” with it than I was before I was saved.

Humor can turn around anger, it can bring forth good feelings, it can bring light into a dark place, and it can also be used to make people realize how foolishly they are acting without making them mad.

When I was in Sales, I used humor as a sales tactic because I learned that people buy from people; if you can make someone laugh, they can’t help but like you. That bonding is what gave me an advantage when we had to close the sale.

There are basically two types of people: those who make jokes, and those who laugh at them. Each one has a sense of humor, and the funniest times I have ever seen are when two jokers get together because those who make jokes love to laugh at other’s jokes (and steal them, too.) Whether through telling a joke, or making a humorous statement, or providing a humorous narrative, use your God-given sense of humor to make people happy. If you are a missionary, use humor to bond with people and break down their resistance to hear about God; if you teach a congregation, use humor to help them remember the message; if you are counseling someone, use humor (carefully) to reduce their pain and help them see the funny side of their troubles.

Almost every great humorist that ever lived went through a lot of T’souris (troubles) in his or her life, which is where the humor comes from. 

Humor is an emotional balm that God has given us to help heal our painful existence in a fallen and cursed world, so when you are feeling down, take two jokes and throw a pie in someone’s face in the morning.  

Are You a Flashlight in the Daytime or a Candle in the Evening?

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What the heck kind of question is that?

Well, let’s see: what do a candle and a flashlight have in common? Right- they both put out light. And aren’t we told that we should be a light unto the world? (Matthew 5:14-16)

“Yes, Steve, that’s right, so if both are a light, why worry about the difference? Whether I am a flashlight or a candle, aren’t I still being “a light” to people?” 

Yes, you’re still a light. But which is more effective?

That’s the point- if I shine a flashlight on something that is in the sunlight, how effective is the light I add? Obviously, it won’t make a very big difference, if any.

But a candle in the dark of evening can be seen by the unaided human eye from over a mile away! And the closer the candle, the more effective the candle light becomes.

Here’s what I want to say….many of us are doing our best at being good representatives of God, trying to be separated (i.e., holy) from the world while living in it (John 17:16), but we aren’t really going where we are needed to be a more effective light. It’s easy to talk with other Believers, and it’s easy (and safe) to hang out with all the people we know are righteous and trustworthy. But when we do that we are no better than a flashlight in the bright midday sun. 

We need (and I am preaching to myself here) to get out into the darkness- to talk with people who do not believe as we do, to demonstrate the way the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit) affects us and helps us be more like God, and to go where we are needed most. 

Now, don’t get me wrong- I am not saying to go to the nearest biker bar and preach the Word, or to walk the streets at night in the worst parts of town and hand out tracts. That’s not being a light, that’s being suicidal!

What I do mean is that we need to have the courage to talk about God and our beliefs to people we meet everyday. Don’t become one of those “Bible Thumpers” who can’t hold a normal conversation, but do try to fit something God-related into the discussion every now and then.  

For instance, when I know I can relate a biblical saying or story to the conversation, I just say something to the effect of, “You know, there was this book I read that said this…” or “I once heard a story about ….” and not even imply it’s from the bible. Then, when I am done, if I see so much as a spark of interest, I will ask if they know where that came from. Now they are leading me into the discussion, and I have their permission to talk about God, even though they didn’t necessarily mean to let me.

And when that happens, go slow.  Don’t jump down their throats about God and Hell and all that stuff, just follow their lead and ask, “Have you ever heard that story? Where did you hear it? Oh, you heard it when you were a kid in Sunday School? Why did you stop going? Do you still go to church/synagogue? ” Again, don’t non-stop grill them, just let them take the lead, and dance them around to what you want to get to, which is how much God has helped you in your everyday life.

 Missionary work is hard, selling is hard, and if you don’t like the idea that as a missionary you are selling, then you need to have an attitude adjustment. Read Og Mandino’s book, “The Greatest Salesman In the World” and it will make your missionary work much more effective.

Today’s message is really a simple message, it’s not too hard to understand, and it takes guts to act on it. We need to make sure that every moment of every day we are candles in the darkness, because being a flashlight in the sunshine is easy, but useless. 

Here is a wonderful paradox: in the real world fruit can’t grow without sunshine, but spiritually you can only produce fruit in the darkness. 

Think about it. 

JESUS IS JUST THE START

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How many times have we heard it said that once you accept Jesus as your Savior and ask forgiveness in His name, you will be irrevocably saved from eternal damnation? A lot, right?

And, although that is absolutely true, it is not everything you need to know. As Paul Harvey would say, “And now for the rest of the story….”

Jesus is just the start. Even if you are totally repentant and accept Jesus (Yeshua is His real name), all you have at that point is to have received forgiveness for the past sins and you get a reserved spot in God’s presence for all eternity. That ticket is one that no one can take from you: there is no expiration date, no black out dates, and you won’t find a “Best To Use Before …” date on it. Salvation is guaranteed to you, so long as you maintain your repentance.

You asked for it, you got it, and now comes the hard part- you have to keep it. What no one can take from you, you can throw away.

The forgiveness you receive, as I have been talking about lately, is only for past sins- you still have the rest of your life to live, and be certain of one thing- you will sin again. Whether on purpose or by accident, it will happen, so we need to remain repentant (in Hebrew we say “Do T’shuvah”), constantly ask the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) to guide us, and constantly learn God’s word.

You have been forgiven- Hallelluya! That was easy, wasn’t it? Now you need to pick up your cross and follow Yeshua (Matthew 16:24) for the rest of your life. That means to know what He expects of you. You do that by reading the bible, from Genesis to Revelations, over and over again because it is all His word, and He wants you to obey all of it. Yes, even the “Jewish” parts. When you start to read the New Covenant writings, which is the Gospels and all the letters written to the new converts to Judaism, you will see there is nothing “new” in the New Covenant. Yeshua taught Torah; in fact, according to John 1, Yeshua is the Living Torah.

The vast majority of people accepting Yeshua as their Messiah after He was raised back to heaven were Gentiles, which is why I said the Epistles in the N.C. are written to converts to Judaism- there was no “Church”, no one was a “Christian”: in truth, that term didn’t start to be used until the early 2nd Century and later. By the time the Codex’s were collected and the Council of Nicene created what is today’s version of Christianity, the Jewishness of what Yeshua taught was all but written out of the religion those men created.

I am not saying you have to convert to Judaism to be saved- in truth, that would hinder your salvation because most Jews don’t accept Yeshua as the Messiah.

There are some 1/4 Million or more Messianic Jews, not to mention Hebraic Roots churches that we can call (for lack of a better term) the other side of the same coin.

Jews and Gentiles that are accepting Messiah are getting to the place where we are all supposed to be: one new man in Messiah (Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 2:14), with only one God, one Messiah and one set of rules for worship- the rules God gave us.

Remember- God has no religion, so what He told us we need to do in the Torah is not for Jews alone, but for everyone to do as best they can.

I am not “Judiazing” Christians, I am simply stating what God has told all of us He wants from us. In Deuteronomy 28 we are told those blessings we receive for obedience, and also the curses we receive when we reject the laws God gave us (not obeying is rejecting.) So, you see, separate from salvation, it is up to us how many blessings we receive.

Another way to look at it is this: if you ask for forgiveness and mean it, but then think you are now “covered” for life and just go back to how you used to be, then you really haven’t changed at all: that is how you throw away your salvation. In Hebrews we are told that once someone is saved, then apostatizes, we shouldn’t even try to bring them back “into the fold”. There are the parables about the servants and the talents, the fruit tree in the garden, and the wise and foolish hand maidens at the wedding. To me these all represent people who have been granted the salvation they asked for, but then threw it away by not following Yeshua and changing their lifestyle. Oh, yes- let’s not forget the parable Yeshua told about the sower of the seed, and how even though some fell on soil that took root, the soil was so poor and the worldly desires so strong that the plants did not last.

We who know the Lord and His Messiah, and want to help others come to salvation, MUST be truthful from the start. We should not use the typical “God loves you and wants to save you” line, without adding that once you are saved you need to stay that way. As my Pastor puts it, people need to “Get out of Goshen”, and so many churches do not preach that. Yes, the blood protects us, but if we stay in the house with the blood on the lentils, never leaving Goshen, we are still in slavery and nothing changes.

Abraham stepped out in faith, not knowing where he was going, but going because God said to go. When we are saved by faith in God and acceptance of Yeshua as our Messiah, forgiving our sins, we need to get moving. We need to change our attitude, and continue to change it; we need to let the Ruach Ha Kodesh lead our words and thoughts (trust me- this is hard to do because we are all so prideful, especially me); we need to read the bible and pray for the Spirit to add to our understanding.

Jesus is just the beginning, and He is there to help you make the journey, but you have to walk the walk.

salvation is not a covenant

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God has made 5 Covenants with the world (yes, with the world- the Jewish people are the Chosen people, but chosen only to live these covenants as an example for the rest of the world to learn how to live this way, as well):

  1. Noadic– rainbow in the sky to remind Himself not to destroy the world by flood (this is the main part of this covenant);
  2. Abrahamic– to make the descendants of Abraham as numerous as stars in the sky, to make them a blessing to the world and to give them the land God brings Abraham into;
  3. Mosaic– the Torah (which, according to Yeshua/Jesus, was not changed by Him at all so every stroke of the pen in the entire Torah is still valid and necessary- check out Matthew 5:17);
  4. Davidic– that the Messiah would come from David’s descendants, and that the kingdom of the Messiah would be an eternal kingdom (read 1 Samuel 7);
  5. The “New” Covenant- Jeremiah 31:31:
    1. “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,  “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt,
      because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them” declares the Lord.  “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.  No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

These are the covenants God has made with us all. The only one that is a bilateral covenant is the Mosaic covenant, because God delivers blessings when we obey the commandments, and delivers the curses if we don’t (Deuteronomy 28). However, the covenants with Noah, Abraham, David and through Jeremiah are grant covenants;  in other words, there is no requirement on our part.  What God said He will do is not dependent on our actions.

Yet, no where in the bible does God forgive sin or grant eternal salvation as a grant covenant; even though God is always willing to forgive sin, forgiveness starts with us, not Him.

The covenants are from God to us, but for forgiveness of sin it must be from us to God; He offers it through the sacrificial system, but we have to ask for it to receive it. And when we ask for it, we need to be truly repentant; we need to have done T’shuvah (turning) in our hearts and come before God (as David says in Psalm 51) with a broken and contrite spirit. If you ask for forgiveness but don’t really mean it, and have little or no intention to try with all your effort to stop sinning, then you request is useless- God isn’t stupid!

Forgiveness of sin is a promise from God to all the people of the world that is attainable through repentance with the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22), and we are told in the Torah how that sacrifice is to be performed. It is something, though, that had to be done at the Temple in Jerusalem, the place where God put His name. With the destruction of that Temple, the sacrificial system came to a halt. So, how can we attain redemption from sin, which God has promised to be available to us, if the Temple is gone? Through Messiah Yeshua (Jesus); now, when we ask for forgiveness by means of the blood shed with the sacrifice of Yeshua, we will have it.

When we are forgiven, it is for what we have done, and not for anything we will ever do again (I cover this here: Forgiveness is Only for the Past.) The promise of forgiveness is that it will be granted to you, case by case, over and over, so long as you are repentant and ask in Yeshua’s name.

When you come before God at Judgment Day and expect to enter His presence because on March 29, 2017 you asked for forgiveness, but then just kept living your life as you wanted to, continuing to do the same things you did before, well…I am afraid you will be very disappointed.

Salvation is not a covenant, it is simply a promise. But what a promise!

 

Live through the down times and remember the up times

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Have you heard the term “Selective Memory” used when referring to someone who only seems to be able to recall those events that he or she wants to recall? Usually, it is used derisively to indicate the person is using it as an excuse for not doing something.

Usually, that is the case.

However, I know people who choose to remember only those things that continue to generate frustration and anger, and by doing so don’t even allow themselves to relive the pleasant times in their life.

For instance, in my previous life, from 1984 to 1992 I was married to a woman, we had two children (whom she has successfully turned against me) and for the last 6 or 7 years of our marriage all we did was argue. Yet, I recall many enjoyable moments, before and during the bad times; I know what was bad in that marriage, yet I choose to remember the good times and allow the bad times to remain in the background. This form of selective memory, recalling the pleasant times we had together, allows me to experience joy when I recall them. She, on the other hand, not only had chosen to recall all the bad times, but greatly embellished some of them over the years so that all she felt was pain and anger regarding me. So much so that even a normal, civil conversation was not possible for her. Once my son was old enough to take a train from their house in Queens (NY) and meet me in Manhattan (my daughter had already cut me off), I was able to disconnect from my “ex”, totally. That was a number of years ago, yet I still pray for her because I don’t know anyone who needs the love of the Lord as much as that poor, pitiful and unforgiving woman who causes herself continual pain by her selective memory.

The reason I told you about this is not to complain about her, or appear to put myself in a position of “holier-than-her”, but only as a personal example of how much better it is to selectively remember only the best parts of a relationship. And let me confess this now: I have not done this well. It took me many, many years (as my wife will confirm) just to be able to not talk about it all the time, and even today I am still fighting to not dwell on the loss of my children. I have prayer and God to help, and I am relieved to say I am getting better at not dwelling on it.

If you have had someone hurt you, and have forgiven them (as we are commanded to do), you should be able to remember the good aspects of that relationship without having to refuel the fires of hurtfulness that the sin against you caused. And, if you haven’t forgiven them, it’s about time you got with the program!

Forgiving is not forgetting, as much as it is letting go of the pain and anger. Because I have forgiven I can remember many fun times with my “ex”; our honeymoon was absolutely wonderful, we had some road trips that were great, the times we spent in the Pocono’s at a timeshare were relaxing and so much fun. I also remember there was that one vacation straight from hell, and many times during the marriage I wanted to leave. There were even times I wanted to commit suicide instead of going home. Really- it was that bad. But I now choose to leave those memories alone, and try to recall only the happy times because, well… why dwell on bad times and relive the hurt when you can remember happy times and feel good?

BTW: if you choose to relive the hurt someone caused you, it is not their fault that you are in pain. Yes, they may have struck the “first blow”, but if you choose to relive that event, over and over, now the pain you feel when reliving it is your own fault.

Of course, if someone is unforgiving, for them to relive only the happy times is probably not going to be possible. No one who is unforgiving will want to let go of their pain and sorrow, so they rip the scab off the cut every time it starts to heal. If you ask me, that’s a horrible way to live. It is so much better to remember happy times- don’t you agree?

Look- we all have bad times, and we all will remember them, but the idea is to live through the bad times and then put them behind you so you can recall only the happy times and let them fill you with joy. When loved ones pass away, we should celebrate their lives and recall all the joy they brought us; when we have marriage problems we cannot solve, we should part as people recalling that once we were able to share a love and to allow that to be the start of a new relationship. Once divorced, the marriage is dead, so we are free to begin a new relationship based on what first brought us together. And if the relationship is so damaged that it cannot continue, for whatever reason, then individually relive the happy times and remember only that what you had was a blessing while it was good. All things change, but all people do not change together.

Selective memory should not be used as an excuse for irresponsibility, but should be a means of recalling the joy we found in relationships that are no longer able to be that way. If you can recall only the happy times, you will be a happier person.

Pruning hurts, but it is a necessary pain

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I wonder if the place where I worship will even be here in a year. We have a very small congregation, and need to disassociate ourselves with the Assembly of God, which will result in a significant loss of available funds. It’s a long story and not for print, but suffice it to say we are being “realigned” (as our Senior Pastor calls it), and this realignment is painful.

Maybe lethal- who knows?

Some of the people who have been faithful and constant are feeling led to serve in other congregations and churches; even though they still come on Friday nights, they also go to other places to help on some Friday’s (so we don’t see them) and Sunday services. One or two have indicated they will probably leave completely (on good terms, of course) because they feel led to go elsewhere.

I don’t see this, as some might, as a rebellion or desertion: it is pruning. When a branch gives forth good fruit, it is cut off from the main trunk and replanted elsewhere, so that it can grow more than it would be able to on the tree that first nourished it. It is painful but it is necessary for growth. Of course, being cut off and replanted is tough- it hurts, you miss the regular flow of nourishment you first received, and it is scary. The root that has fed you for many years is now gone, and you are on your own.

It’s like finally moving out of your Mother’s basement.

We are in a realignment, in that the mission of the Zionist Revival Center (our website is: zionistrevivalcenter.org) has moved from the cookie-cutter “Save-the-World” Christian mission to being a teaching ministry. Not just to teach Christians about their Hebraic Roots (which is a major part), but to teach Christian churches what is their true role in the plan of Salvation. That being that the “Church” is grafted onto the Tree of Life, which is the Torah. And, as is taught throughout the New Covenant writings, being grafted on means feeding from that one root, which God provided to all in His Word.  To be able to do what God has planned for the Gentiles who have been saved by Messiah Yeshua, all churches need to be one with Israel and support the Jewish people. This is, unfortunately, not the standard teaching in most Christian churches, who reject Judaism (Israel, the Jewish people and the Torah) because of nearly two thousand years of wrongful teaching.

Since we are teaching “against the tide” of traditional Christian understanding, getting the word out will be difficult; getting congregants will be even more difficult, and we really need to trust God to help us. You see, there are so many churches in Melbourne (Florida) that if you spit in any direction on a windy day, it will land on some church. We want to teach the “Church” it’s role in God’s plan of salvation, and we also want our congregation to grow, but we don’t want to “steal” the sheep from other places, so it is a sort of balancing act. We need to work with the other churches, and stealing their members is not going to help us reach that goal, so we are facing a difficult road.

But, then again, with God all things are possible. I see us fulfilling an essential role and I totally agree with our vision/mission.

For our own people, we are going to have different Shabbat services to “mix it up”; one Friday will be song worship, one Friday teaching, one Friday testimonials, one Friday prayer worship, etc. We will have five different types of Shabbat services, scheduled ahead of time, and we expect that those who like music will come to that worship service, but those who don’t, won’t (on that Friday); those who like prayer will come to prayer services but those that don’t want to be in prayer for an hour or so, won’t (on that Friday.)

In the long run, who knows what this will do? That is why I started out saying that we may end up pruning ourselves- the scary thought is when you cut yourself off, how do you replant yourself?

This blog is my ministry, and I would love for it to grow. I guess I need to get back on Face Book, Twitter, Google Plus (and whatever) other social media in order to gain wider exposure. I trust in God to make things happen, but I also believe He expects us to show that trust by stepping out as if we already knew what was going to happen. Abraham didn’t call AAA for a Trip Tik when God told him to leave Ur- he just up and left. That’s what real faith is- leaping without looking because you trust God to make sure there is something there to land on.

Please pray for our center, for our mission to be fulfilled, and for the Gentile world to come back to it’s roots- too many churches have cut themselves off from the very root that feeds them. I talk about this in my book, in the chapter called, “You Can’t Get Pears from an Apple Tree”- if the Gentiles that have been saved by Jesus want to be like Jesus, then they need to live and worship as Jesus did.

Unfortunately, that isn’t what traditional Christianity teaches.