Category: Messianic 101

The Pauline Epistles: What They Really Are- Galatians.

Leave a comment

This is one of the earlier letters written by Shaul, which he wrote to the Gentile Believers who lived in the Roman province of Galatia, located in a central part of (what is today) Turkey. This was written around 48 AD.

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

The problem this congregation was having dealt with the Jewish population insisting that these neophyte Gentile believers had to make a complete conversion to Judaism, starting with receiving B’rit Milah (circumcision, also called a “bris”).

Shaul starts off this letter by qualifying his position as an apostle for Yeshua, reviewing the revelation he received on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) and also how he had been accepted by the Elders on the Council in Jerusalem as a legitimate apostle, endorsing (as he calls it) the gospel he preaches.

He even goes as far as to relate when he went against Kefa (Peter), who Shaul accused of being a hypocrite. He relates that Kefa would eat with Gentiles when there weren’t any Jews around, but when the believing Jews were there, he ate only with them, excluding the Gentiles.

In Chapter 2, from verse 15 through 21, Shaul explains how he came to realize that he could never live in accordance with the Torah, and as such the law did him no good as far as receiving salvation. He said he died to the law when he came to realize that faith in Yeshua was the only way to receive salvation. He said being justified in faith to Yeshua is the only way.

This statement has been totally misunderstood, and misused, to justify that Gentiles do not have to obey the Torah. The issue Shaul talks of (as he covered briefly in his letter to the Romans) is “legalism”- the idea that one must be in perfect accordance with the laws in the Torah to be saved.

When you think about it, no one, believer or not, can be justified by faith, alone. There must be some level of adherence to the commandments God gave regarding worship and treatment of others. If Shaul is teaching faith without obedience, then isn’t he teaching anarchy?

The Torah says not to kill, not to commit adultery, to honor father and mother, to be humane to animals, which Holy Days God requires us to celebrate, and many, many other things that form a way of life. Judaism isn’t just a religion: it is a total lifestyle, shaping not just the individual but the entire nation!

It is inconceivable that anyone preaching a gospel of love would also preach a life of lawlessness, which would be all that one could have if the Torah was ignored.

Do you recall the drash (parable) Yeshua gave about the seed being sown (Mark 4)? Some that fell on good soil started to take root but was choked by the weeds growing with it. This is the issue Shaul was facing in Galatia; the external pressure being placed on the neophyte believers was “choking” their faith, causing them to follow a performance-based salvation (legalism) instead of a faith-based salvation.

Shaul reminded the Galatians that Abraham was found righteous by reason of his faith, long before the law (Torah) was given, therefor obedience to the law is not going to get anyone saved. This is the crux of his discussion in this letter- he didn’t go into how to use the law properly, only that to obey the Torah to earn salvation is useless.

For the record: God told Isaac that he will make the same promise to Isaac that he gave Abraham because Abraham did all that God told him to do. (Genesis 26:4-5)

The idea Shaul is trying to get across to the Galatians (who, at one point, he actually calls “foolish” and later asks them why they listen to others) is that the law was given to be a sort of guardian, keeping God-fearing people (before Yeshua came) under a system of laws which defined the difference between sin and righteousness. Shaul even goes as far as to say that before we had the Torah, there was no sin because there was no law identifying what is sin.

Shaul makes some excellent points in this letter, such as in Chapter 3, he states that being in the body of the Messiah means we are all the same- there is neither Jew nor Greek, free nor slave, male nor female- all are one in the body of Messiah.

Of course, he is talking figuratively.

Another important lesson is that it is fine to be zealous for a cause, so long as the purpose is a good one (Galatians 4:18). But the purpose of the Galatian Jews telling these Gentiles they had to be circumcised to be saved was not good because their purpose, which may have been meant to be helpful, was (in fact) undermining Shaul’s authority and teachings and bringing the new believers back to a religion based on obedience, which has been translated in most Bibles as being “under the law”. This is one of the reasons that people have misinterpreted this to mean obedience to Torah is wrong for Gentiles.

One of the well-known lessons from this letter is Shaul’s definition of the Fruits of the Spirit, which is what we are supposed to live by. Those fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The purpose of this letter was never to be a polemic against the law, but rather to recommit these confused people to faithful obedience to Torah, which is what Shaul preached to them about being one with the Messiah. He said being circumcised or not makes no difference with regard to salvation through Messiah, and that the ones telling them they must be circumcised are only trying to bring them back under the system of performance-based salvation, which Judaism has lived under for centuries.

Shaul never meant for the Galatians, or anybody accepting Yeshua as their messiah, to ignore the Torah or any of the laws: he only wants to make sure that the reason people choose to be obedient to the Torah is done from the faithful desire to please God, and NOT to “earn points” towards salvation.

Search as diligently as you can, and you will not find anywhere, in any of the letters Shaul wrote, any statement that those who are in Messiah can ignore God’s laws or reject the Torah. On the other hand, neither has he outrightly stated that they must obey the Torah. I believe this is because there was never a question of whether or not to obey the laws, only a question of WHY to obey the laws.

At the end of this letter Shaul says (Galatians 6:16), “Peace and mercy to all who obey this rule (i.e., his teachings about circumcision and faith), even to the Israel of God”. The term “Israel of God” is confusing- who is that, exactly? Isn’t there just the one Israel, the Jewish people? Can there be a different “Israel”, an Israel of people who aren’t Jews?

This confusion has given birth to the ridiculous and blasphemous belief called Replacement Theology, which states that because the Jews rejected Yeshua, God has rejected the Jews as his chosen people and Born-Again Christians are now the chosen people of God, the very “Israel of God” Shaul mentioned.

Boy oh boy, would I love to show how wrong that is, but it will have to wait for another time.

The next letter we will analyze is to the congregation in Ephesus, which (if you recall from Acts) was not one of Shaul’s favorite places to be and gave him quite a lot of tsouris.

That’s it for now, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

The Pauline Epistles: What They Really Are- Introduction

Leave a comment

The Epistles are the letters found in the New Covenant that were written by the Jewish Apostles to the communities of believers in Yeshua, the Messiah. Most were written to Gentile converts to this new sect of Judaism, called “The Way” (much later redesignated as Christianity), as well as the Jewish believers in Messiah who worshipped with them. The two exceptions are “Hebrews” and “Jude”, which were written exclusively to Jewish believers.

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

The purpose of these letters was to help these neophyte believers maintain a proper form of worship and to keep them walking a straight line on the path to salvation by reinforcing the lessons they were first given and help them to overcome external forces that were weakening their faith and obedience to God’s commandments.

The purpose of this study is to remove these letters from the heavenly realm which Christianity has placed them into, and bring them back down to earth, where they belong, by demonstrating they are not God-breathed scripture on the same spiritual level as the Torah or the writings of the Prophets; rather, I intend to show that they are nothing more than managerial instructions to communities who were losing their way along the path to salvation through outside influences, as well as inter-personal issues within the congregations (there were no “churches” at that time).

Yes, they did refer to God-breathed scripture, but referring to scripture does not make something scripture, itself.

Of the 21 Epistles, it has traditionally been believed that 13 of them were written by Shaul (Paul), but recently scholars believe he only wrote 7 of them (Romans, Galatians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Philemon, Philippians, and 1 Thessalonians.) The remaining epistles accredited to Shaul are believed to be (what is called) “pseudo-Pauline” letters, with some written by an unknown author, and others (maybe) by a secretary of Shaul with his input or based on notes he may have made.

With regard to these epistles, especially the ones written by Shaul, as we go through them you need to understand that the proper way to interpret these messages is to take all things in their proper context, validate them hermeneutically with the rest of the Bible, and use the proper cultural understanding of the words, phrases, and idioms prevalent at that time.

Shaul was a Pharisee, a “Jews’ Jew”, and he never converted to any other religion or belief system than the one he was trained to know by his mentor, the great Rabbi Gamaliel. The only thing that changed with Shaul on his way to Damascus, when he received a vision of the Messiah (Acts 9), was that he stopped rejecting Yeshua as the Messiah and believed he was, truly, the anointed one of God who’s coming was announced in the Tanakh. From that time on, his purpose for living changed from persecuting followers of Yeshua to making more of them.

When Shaul wrote his letters, he used what I call “Jewish Logic”. Being Jewish, myself, I am very familiar with the way we debate a point, and we see this very clearly and often in the way Shaul writes his letters. I often recommend that the best way to understand what he is saying is with each paragraph, read the first couple of sentences and then the last couple of sentences, and ignore the middle. He tends to expound a little more than most people can follow, and if you stick with the first and last couple of sentences in each paragraph, you will probably get the gist of his meaning much easier.

You see, a Jew will never tell you what something is until he has told you everything it is not. For example, explaining that robbing people is wrong:

If not a law, then I could take what I wanted to at will, and there would be no sin to what I did. I could be forgiven for doing so, since it is not against a law. I could even be congratulated for being a good robber.
But there is a law, so I can’t rob people.

Why not just say robbery is against the law?

Another factor is that Shaul knew what he was trying to “sell” (yes, like it or not, missionary work is a sales job) was a difficult product to push to his chosen market. To the Jews, at least they already were living (for the most part) a Torah observant lifestyle, so to them all he had to do was prove that Yeshua was the Messiah, the one that every Jew was waiting to arrive.

But, with the Gentiles, it was a totally different story.

They were living a hedonistic, drunken, and sexually perverse lifestyle, i.e., having a really good time, and that was how they worshiped their pagan gods. Now, here comes this little Jewish tent maker from Tarsus, and he is telling them to give up all the fun they’re having and live a righteous life of self-control so that when they die, they will be rewarded with eternal life and joy.

Okay, the eternal part sounds like something I would want, but giving up what I have been enjoying all my life for the unsubstantiated promise of an afterlife? From an invisible God? Who sent a son who isn’t even here?

I was in Sales for a long time, and you can take it from me- that’s a tough sell!

So, what he did (as we will see when we analyze these letters) was to bring these pagans along a path to righteousness slowly- a step at a time. The letter written to the neophyte believers (Acts 15) clearly indicates that the Elders in Jerusalem agreed to this process, in that they only required four things as an immediate change in lifestyle and worship, stating that the laws of Moses would be heard in the synagogue every Shabbat. Unquestionably, they were expecting that the Gentiles accepting Yeshua as their Messiah would, eventually, be living a Jewish lifestyle.

As we examine the letters Shaul sent to the different communities of believers (what we would call in Hebrew a Kehillat), we will see this pattern over and over, which is (I believe) one of the main reasons that they have been so terribly misunderstood. By the end of the First Century, when the leaders of what had become Christianity were almost exclusively Gentile, they could not properly interpret Shaul’s meaning. They mistook his negative side of the argument as his conclusion, which will become easier for you to understand as we go through this teaching.

Besides this, there were political influences that made these Gentile believers afraid to be associated with the Jewish population, which was a major factor in their separating themselves from a “Jewish” form of worship. But that is for another study.

We will take a look at each letter in detail and the order in which they appear in the New Covenant. We will discuss who wrote it, to whom it was written, and what the writer wanted it to accomplish.

My source document for the information regarding who wrote the letters, when, and to whom is the “Quest Study Bible” (NIV version) and Wikipedia; any other reference material I may use will be annotated in the lesson.

I will start this teachings series on the next posting; if you are not already a subscriber, I would ask that you do so now, “like” this post, click on Notifications and that little bell so you will be notified the next time I post. Please share this lesson with everyone you know so they also have a chance to learn.

If you miss anything, you will find each lesson on my ministry website (messianicmoment.com) under the BLOG tab, in the Teaching Series subgroup.

That’s it for now, so until next time: l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

Which Commandments Did Yeshua Say Count the Most?

Leave a comment

I think we all know which commandments Yeshua said are the most important, right? Isn’t it from Matthew 22:37-40?

Well, if that is so, then why does he give a totally different set of commandments in three separate gospels when asked what does someone have to do to be saved?

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

Let’s start in Matthew 22, when Yeshua is asked which is the most important commandment of all? He replies (CJB):

‘You are to love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.’ This is the greatest and most important mitzvah.  And a second is similar to it, ‘You are to love your neighbor as yourself.’ All of the Torah and the Prophets are dependent on these two mitzvot.”

So here Yeshua is telling us that to love God and each other is paramount. Now, traditional Christian teaching tells us that this is all we need to do. Love God and love each other, the message of Christ is to love- and that’s it! Nothing else is required. Love God, love each other, and you’re in!

They interpret this verse to mean these are the only two commandments we need to do.

But that’s not right, is it? Yeshua never said these are the only commandments, just that they are the most important ones. And, when he added that all the others pivot on these two, that means he expects that we will follow all the other commandments BECAUSE we love God and each other.

But if these are the most important, then why did he tell the rich man who asked what he needed to do to enter God’s kingdom (Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:17, and Luke 18:19) something different?

In all three Gospels, Yeshua’s answer to the man includes these commandments:

Don’t commit adultery, don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t give false witness, honor your mother and father, (this additional one was only in Matthew) and love your neighbor as yourself.

So, nu? If Yeshua said that to love God and each other are the most important commandments, which all the others will pivot on, why tell the rich man something different? In fact, these commandments are straight from the Big Ten, whereas the ones Yeshua said were most important were from the Torah, but not listed in the Big Ten.

Hmmm…now we have to ask ourselves “What do we do?” Which are the commandments we are to really need to strive to obey?

It seems that we should love God, then love each other, then come the Big Ten. That makes sense, doesn’t it?

But wait a minute! Didn’t James say if we break one commandment, we break them all (James 2:10)? So, even loving God, loving each other, and obeying the ones Yeshua quoted from the Big Ten isn’t enough?

Shaul (Paul) tells the Romans that no one can be saved by the law (Romans 3:23), which he knew from his vast knowledge of the Tanakh, for there are numerous places where we are told, over and over by different people that everyone sins, and no one is without sin.

I mean, there are some 613 commandments in the Torah! We can’t do the ones involving the temple service, which is about 1/3 of them, and some are just for women and some just for men, some just for the Cohen Hagadol (High Priest), which leaves less than a hundred or so for us simple folk.

Oy! That’s still a lot to do, so once again we ask, “What do we do?”

There is no longer a temple in Jerusalem where we can be forgiven under the sacrificial system, which (according to the Torah) was the only place we could bring our sacrifice to receive forgiveness (thank God for sending Yeshua, who replaced that requirement, making forgiveness available to everyone, everywhere, at any time.)

The answer, I suppose, is that we do the best we can to obey all the commandments that God gave in the Torah that apply to us. You see, the Torah is the only place in the entire Bible (this includes the New Covenant) where God tells us what he wants us to do. We can be secure in the knowledge that if we accept Yeshua as the Messiah God promised to send, repent of the sins we commit and ask forgiveness by means of Yeshua’s blood, which was shed for us, then we can be forgiven of that sin.

Yeshua only repeats what God said, and Shaul only wrote to Gentiles what they needed to do initially, expecting (as did the Elders who wrote the letter in Acts 15) that the Gentiles would learn the rest of what God wants them to do as they grew more knowledgeable in the Word and more spiritually mature.

Christianity has taught the opposite of what Yeshua and Shaul taught; Yeshua and Shaul taught the people to obey God, but Christianity has taught the people to ignore what God said and, instead, follow the tenets, rituals, and holidays that men have created.

It is up to you to decide what you will do: you can either worship God by obeying his commandments as best as you can, knowing he will forgive you (through Yeshua) when you screw up, or worship a Christian rebranding of the true Messiah, kneeling before graven images, praying to people instead of God, and ignoring nearly everything God told about how he wanted you to live, choosing to obey man-made tenets, celebrate man-made holidays, and perform man-made rituals.

Your choice, but if you ask me, I will have to say it is probably safer to do as God says then to do as people say.

Thank you for being here and please share these messages with everyone you know to help this ministry continue to grow. Subscribe to my website (while you’re there please buy my books), also to my YouTube channel, and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but make sure you agree to the rules to be let in).

Ans please give me some feedback- positive or negative- to let me know someone is actually reading this stuff.

Thats it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

Which Commandments Did Yeshua Say Count the Most?

Leave a comment

I think we all know which commandments Yeshua said are the most important, right? Isn’t it from Matthew 22:37-40?

Well, if that is so, then why does he give a totally different set of commandments in three separate gospels when asked what does someone have to do to be saved?

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

Let’s start in Matthew 22, when Yeshua is asked which is the most important commandment of all? He replies (CJB):

‘You are to love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.’ This is the greatest and most important mitzvah.  And a second is similar to it, ‘You are to love your neighbor as yourself.’ All of the Torah and the Prophets are dependent on these two mitzvot.”

So here Yeshua is telling us that to love God and each other is paramount. Now, traditional Christian teaching tells us that this is all we need to do. Love God and love each other, the message of Christ is to love- and that’s it! Nothing else is required. Love God, love each other, and you’re in!

They interpret this verse to mean these are the only two commandments we need to do.

But that’s not right, is it? Yeshua never said these are the only commandments, just that they are the most important ones. And, when he added that all the others pivot on these two, that means he expects that we will follow all the other commandments BECAUSE we love God and each other.

But if these are the most important, then why did he tell the rich man who asked what he needed to do to enter God’s kingdom (Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:17, and Luke 18:19) something different?

In all three Gospels, Yeshua’s answer to the man includes these commandments:

Don’t commit adultery, don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t give false witness, honor your mother and father, (this additional one was only in Matthew) and love your neighbor as yourself.

So, nu? If Yeshua said that to love God and each other are the most important commandments, which all the others will pivot on, why tell the rich man something different? In fact, these commandments are straight from the Big Ten, whereas the ones Yeshua said were most important were from the Torah, but not listed in the Big Ten.

Hmmm…now we have to ask ourselves “What do we do?” Which are the commandments we are to really need to strive to obey?

It seems that we should love God, then love each other, then come the Big Ten. That makes sense, doesn’t it?

But wait a minute! Didn’t James say if we break one commandment, we break them all (James 2:10)? So, even loving God, loving each other, and obeying the ones Yeshua quoted from the Big Ten isn’t enough?

Shaul (Paul) tells the Romans that no one can be saved by the law (Romans 3:23), which he knew from his vast knowledge of the Tanakh, for there are numerous places where we are told, over and over by different people that everyone sins, and no one is without sin.

I mean, there are some 613 commandments in the Torah! We can’t do the ones involving the temple service, which is about 1/3 of them, and some are just for women and some just for men, some just for the Cohen Hagadol (High Priest), which leaves less than a hundred or so for us simple folk.

Oy! That’s still a lot to do, so once again we ask, “What do we do?”

There is no longer a temple in Jerusalem where we can be forgiven under the sacrificial system, which (according to the Torah) was the only place we could bring our sacrifice to receive forgiveness (thank God for sending Yeshua, who replaced that requirement, making forgiveness available to everyone, everywhere, at any time.)

The answer, I suppose, is that we do the best we can to obey all the commandments that God gave in the Torah that apply to us. You see, the Torah is the only place in the entire Bible (this includes the New Covenant) where God tells us what he wants us to do. We can be secure in the knowledge that if we accept Yeshua as the Messiah God promised to send, repent of the sins we commit and ask forgiveness by means of Yeshua’s blood, which was shed for us, then we can be forgiven of that sin.

Yeshua only repeats what God said, and Shaul only wrote to Gentiles what they needed to do initially, expecting (as did the Elders who wrote the letter in Acts 15) that the Gentiles would learn the rest of what God wants them to do as they grew more knowledgeable in the Word and more spiritually mature.

Christianity has taught the opposite of what Yeshua and Shaul taught; Yeshua and Shaul taught the people to obey God, but Christianity has taught the people to ignore what God said and, instead, follow the tenets, rituals, and holidays that men have created.

It is up to you to decide what you will do: you can either worship God by obeying his commandments as best as you can, knowing he will forgive you (through Yeshua) when you screw up, or worship a Christian rebranding of the true Messiah, kneeling before graven images, praying to people instead of God, and ignoring nearly everything God told about how he wanted you to live, choosing to obey man-made tenets, celebrate man-made holidays, and perform man-made rituals.

Your choice, but if you ask me, I will have to say it is probably safer to do as God says then to do as people say.

Thank you for being here and please share these messages with everyone you know to help this ministry continue to grow. Subscribe to my website (while you’re there please buy my books), also to my YouTube channel, and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but make sure you agree to the rules to be let in).

Ans please give me some feedback- positive or negative- to let me know someone is actually reading this stuff.

Thats it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

The Difference Between Blood Descendant and Adopted Child

Leave a comment

Let me place my Disclaimer out there right now- this message is mostly just my opinion. You can disagree, or agree, and in either case, if you have biblical justification for your opinion, please let me know.

If you prefer to watch me opine in a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

OK, Shaul tells the Galatians (Galatians 3:29) that if they are in Messiah, then they are also heirs of Abraham. This is his conclusion from his previous explanation about how there is no longer slave or free, Gentile or Jew, but only one type of person when we accept Yeshua as our Messiah because from that point forward, we are all one in the body of the Messiah.

But there is a difference between an adopted child and a blood relative. It doesn’t matter on a spiritual level, but it does on a physical one.

I am not an adopted son of Abraham because I am Jewish, through and through, both sides, DNA proven. In fact, I even have the Levitical allele, so I know I am a Levite.

(If you’re not familiar with this, years ago they studied the DNA of Jews whose last name was any form of Levi or Cohen, and matched that to other Jewish DNA samples, and found there is a definitive difference between the DNA of Jewish males who have a Levitical sounding last name and those who do not.)

The issue I have is with the traditional Christian teaching, which has been promulgated throughout the centuries, that adopted children of Abraham are entitled to all the promises God made to him but are not subject to the Torah because they are “in Christ” and, as such, not under the law but under Grace.

Oh, how I hate that saying- “not under the law but under Grace”- because it has led so many thousands upon thousands of people away from the narrow gate by making them think they can do whatever they always did and be saved.

Don’t you know? Grace is not exception from obeying the law, but the opportunity to be forgiven when we disobey the law!

Does an adopted child in a family get to ignore the rules that the natural born children are subject to following?

I don’t think so!

So, what makes Christians who claim to be children of Abraham think they can ignore the Torah, which was given by God to the children of Abraham to learn and live and teach to the world as God’s chosen nation of priests? (Exodus 19:6) And what do priests do? They teach you how to worship! That’s why God gave the children of Abraham the Torah- not just for them, but for them to learn, live, and bring to the world so that everyone can be saved.

The only real difference between an adopted child of Abraham and one that is natural born is a physical one, dealing with circumcision (as Shaul explained to the Galatians and also mentioned, as I recall, to the Romans), and circumcision is not needed in order to be saved. If an adopted child wants to undergo that, fine- so long as it is not done to be “correct”, i.e., to earn the right to say they are under the covenant. That is the wrong reason, as Shaul explained to the Galatians.

Think about it…do you really have to be circumcised to be under the same covenant God made with Abraham?

My opinion is that the Abrahamic Covenant is not as important to a person’s relationship with God as the Mosaic Covenant is. Why not? Well, because Abraham was only required to do B’rit Milah, whereas Moses was given God’s instructions for the way to live our lives: how to worship him and how to treat each other.

If you ask me, any male Gentile who is not circumcised, but wants to live as Yeshua (Jesus) really did live, to do as he really did do, will not have to buy a large package of Birds Eye Frozen Peas (a real lifesaver after having procedures done down there) but just obey the Torah as best as he can.

Do you know what they call a Jewish baby who isn’t circumcised? A girl!

Do all females who accept Yeshua as their messiah have to undergo the female type of circumcision (the kind that is done to certain Muslim women) in order to be an adopted child of Abraham?

Of course not! But they are just as “saved” as the men are.

As Shaul pointed out, Abraham was NOT circumcised when God called him out of the pagan lifestyle he had been living. God accepted Abraham as a righteous person based on his faith and, for the record, his obedience, as well. Read Genesis 26:4-5, which is where God renewed the promise he made to Abraham with Isaac and stated that Abraham obeyed all that God told him to do.

Abraham was considered righteous not just because he was faithful, but because he proved his faith through obedience, which many centuries later was confirmed by the brother of the Messiah (James 2:17).

So, there you have it- male blood descendants of Abraham have the obligation to undergo B’rit Milah when they are 8 days old (good thing it’s at 8 days, because if they asked me when I was 35, I would seriously have to think about it!), but Gentile males who accept Yeshua as their Messiah and want to be adopted children of Abraham do not have to be circumcised in their flesh, only in their heart.

And, for the record, being circumcised in your flesh, alone, doesn’t save you.

There is a difference between blood descendants of Abraham and adopted children, but that isn’t what is going to make a difference in your salvation. The Abrahamic Covenant doesn’t provide you what you need to be saved, but the Mosaic Covenant does.

Thank you for being here and please subscribe to this ministry on my website and my YouTube channel. Buy my books, share these messages with everyone you know, and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but you must agree to the rules to join).

And remember… I always welcome your comments.

That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!

Do We Have to Reference Yeshua When We Pray?

Leave a comment

In the Gospels, Yeshua (Jesus) tells us that when we pray in his name, that which we ask for we will receive. But if we have accepted Yeshua as our Messiah, wouldn’t God already know that? Why do we have to speak it?

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

Maybe I am preaching disobedience or rebellion… I’m not sure.

For many years I would always end my prayers, as well as often interjecting while praying, “I ask this in Yeshua’s name”. Then, a couple of years ago, I began to think that because the word “name” in the Bible is really just a reference to a reputation and renown, there isn’t any power in Yeshua’s reputation.

However, there is plenty of power in what he did for us; the real power we can receive is not from the word “Yeshua” or “Jesus”, but from the blood he shed. That is what allows us to be cleansed of our sins; that is what enables us to come into the presence of the Lord, God, Almighty and ask for forgiveness, which is only achieved through the shedding of innocent blood (Hebrews 9:22, which references the sacrificial system God created in Leviticus 1-7).

Now when I pray, I finish my prayer by saying “I ask this by the shed blood of the Messiah, Yeshua.”

But still- I wonder why I need to reference Yeshua, at all? I wonder why God doesn’t already know that, because I have accepted Yeshua as my Messiah, whatever I ask for in prayer is always going to be based on the power of the blood he shed for me?

Is prayer now some form of spiritual Simon Says? If I say, “By the blood of Yeshua” I get what I ask, but if I don’t say that does God reply, “You didn’t say ‘Yeshua says’, so you don’t get what you asked for.”?

I don’t think so.

I think that God knows I always ask for forgiveness of sin by the shed blood of the Messiah, and yet I still say it. Maybe I am just conditioned to do that? Maybe I feel more comfortable and that I am covering my you-know-what when I add “By the blood of the Messiah” at the end of my prayer?

I don’t know.

I will continue to ask for forgiveness, of course. And to lift those I love and care about to God for healing, whether physical or spiritual. And I will continue to refer to Yeshua as his son, my Messiah, the one he promised to send and thank him for doing that, as well as for all the blessings he gives me.

I had written that when we thank God there is no need to refer to Yeshua because thanking God is not asking for anything, which I wrote a while ago when I was still using the actual name of Yeshua in my prayers. (Here is a link to that message)

In the meantime, I will continue to ask for God if he desires me to say, “By the blood of Yeshua” or “In Yeshua’s name” every time I ask for something in prayer and be open to hearing his answer.

I hope it comes soon because I can’t just get rid of this question: If he truly knows my heart and mind, won’t he know when I pray that asking as Yeshua said to is a “given”?

Thank you for being here and please share these messages with everyone you know to help this ministry continue to grow. Also, buy my books- if you like what you get here, you will like my books, as well.

Subscribe to this ministry and my YouTube channel, and don’t forget to click the bell to get notifications. You are invited to join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but please ensure you agree to the rules in order to be allowed in).

And remember that I always welcome your comments.

I’d really like to hear what you think about this one.

That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

UPDATE:

It’s the morning of May 6, 2023.
I have been praying to God to help me come to a final conclusion about what to use, if anything, with regard to pryaing in Yeshua’s name. I received good comments from people and some good points were made for always using Yeshua’s name, and not even using “by the blood”(which is not what Yeshua said).
This morning in prayer God made it clear to me.
I have always stated that God knows what is in our hearts and minds, and when I was thinking about that it came to me that because he does, and because (as someone pointed out) even though he knows this, he still wants us to pray, then it doesn’t matter which words I use to refer to Yeshua- God wants us to pray to him and Yeshua wants us to pray referring to him as our Intecessor no matter how we phrase it.
I don’t have to concern myself with should I use Yeshua’s name, or say “by his blood” – it doesn’t matter so long as I refer to Yeshua in some way because, just like God knows what we need but still wants us to pray, Yeshua knows God will answer us but he wants us to recognize his role in our prayer as Intercessor, so we should acknowledge him, as wel, when asking for something from Godl.
Whew! That’s a load off my minnd. 🙂
Thank you, Lord, for answering prayer!

A Study on Kohelet (Ecclesiastes)

Leave a comment

The Book of Kohelet has often been misunderstood, and I suppose that’s because it starts off telling us that everything is pointless, and that all our efforts are no more useful than chasing the wind.

Okay, I get it- someone isn’t happy with how things they have done has turned out.

So, who wrote this treatise on disappointment?

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

Most agree that it was King Solomon, although in recent years some have stated it may have been written by someone else pretending to be a king of Jerusalem. Personally, I don’t buy that.

In the first chapter the writer tells us that he has been a king over Israel in Jerusalem. Not only that, but this book is filled with wisdom and proverbs, very much like those Solomon wrote.

For example:

1:18- there is much wisdom in grief.
2:14- wise men have eyes that see, but fools walk in darkness.
4:5- better an armful of tranquility than both arms full of effort that yields nothing
5:1 nightmares come from worrying too much, and a fool chatters too much
5:9- the lover of money never has enough money

There are other wisdom sayings throughout the book that indicate the writer is a man possessed with great wisdom. Not to mention that he tells us in 1:16 that he has acquired more wisdom than anyone else ruling in Jerusalem- that is exactly what we are told in the Bible about Solomon (1 Kings 4:30).

Now, what about this statement that everything is pointless, that nothing matters, and what does a person gain after all their efforts? These sound like the ramblings of a depressed, cynical man, but when we realize the reason he is saying this, it makes sense.

In Kohelet 1:12, he tells us that he applied himself to seek out and investigate everything that is done under heaven. I believe what Kohelet was saying was that he wanted to understand the “why” of everything- he wanted to have the same level of understanding that God does. Well, no wonder he was disappointed and found everything pointless! No one can understand anything at the same level of God.

However, he did come to an understanding of what might be the most important lesson of all- that whatever we do we should do with joy and appreciation because this is what God has given us.

Kohelet tried to understand everything by starting out with the pleasures of the body. He went on to build palaces, gardens, pools, have slaves, amass wealth, have singers and musicians, and many other material things. Yet, in the end, he realized that it was all worthless, just chasing the wind.

Why? Because when he dies, everything he worked his whole life to attain will go to someone else who will just waste it.

Throughout this book, we are given a number of examples of what is pointless:

  • attaining wisdom is useless because no matter how wise or how stupid a man becomes, in the end, we all die and are treated the same.
  • the pursuit of material things is pointless because the rich never have enough and the money they accumulate will go to someone else when they die.
  • no matter how good a king is, it’s pointless because when the king is dead the ones coming after him will not regard him highly.
  • having goods and wealth will not please a person, who will always want more, and when they die someone else gets to enjoy them.
  • the righteous person can perish in his uprightness while the evil person lives a long and happy life.

Despite the overriding depressive feel of this book, Kohelet does come up with a number of revelations that are messages of hope and the lessons we need to learn in order to have a contended life:

Revelation #1: Kohelet tells us all that is left to us to do in this life is to eat, drink, and enjoy whatever fruits of labor that we have attained, because this is what God has given to us (2:24; 5:17; 8:15; 9:7).

Revelation #2: Everything that happens has its own time (3:1-11), nothing is new under the sun (1:9), and this is the way God has designed the world.

You may remember the song by the Byrds called “Turn, turn, turn” (1965) which was from this passage; it was originally written by Pete Seegar in 1959

Revelation #3: People who love things of the world will never be satisfied.

Revelation #4: Everything happens to everyone: rich or poor, wise or stupid, righteous or evil. In the end we all die, although those who live a righteous life will be in better shape when facing God.

The final and ultimate lesson that Kohelet has learned, which he tells us at the very end of the book, is this:

We should worship God and obey his laws, for that is what being human is all about;
in the end, God will bring to judgement all that we do.

This is unquestionably the wisest thing anyone can do.

Kohelet, with all his wisdom, riches, and achievements, concludes the only thing we really need to do is enjoy the fruits of our labors, the simple things in life, such as eating and drinking, and be thankful to God for giving that to us. I believe this was confirmed by Yeshua who, when telling us how to pray, said we should ask for our daily bread- nothing more, nothing less, and that we shouldn’t worry about tomorrow.

So, the next time someone tells you that they just don’t get the Book of Kohelet, asking why is such a “downer” even in the Bible, you can tell them that the real message of Kohelet is one of contentment. It teaches us we will never understand why things happen the way they do, that all things happen for a reason and that God has determined the correct time for all things that occur under the sun, and that to be at peace and enjoy life all we need to do is worship God, obey his commandments, and appreciate what God has given us because that is what being human is all about.

Satan Rules the Earth

Leave a comment

Whoa!! Stop the music! How can Satan rule the earth when we all know that God rules the universe?

Because the Bible says he does.

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

Haven’t you ever heard of Chain of Command?

When I was a First Lieutenant in the Marine Corps, at one time I was the Executive Officer of the Headquarters and Supply Company, 2nd Marine Combat Engineer Battalion. I was able to “rule” over 365 Marines, including even a Captain who was, technically, my superior in rank but still under my command because he was the Platoon Commander of one of the platoons in the company, and I ruled over the entire company.

Yet, the Company Commander ruled over me, and he was ruled by the Battalion Commander, who was ruled by the Division Commander, and so on, all the way up to the President of the United States.

Satan might rule the earth, but God rules the universe, which means he rules Satan. It’s simply a matter of chain of command.

So, nu? Where does it say that Satan rules the earth?

In Luke 4:5, when Yeshua was in the desert and Satan was tempting him, he showed Yeshua all the kingdoms of the earth, and told Yeshua that he (Satan) had been given them all and they were his to give to whomever he wanted to. That certainly sounds like he rules them, doesn’t it?

Later, in Luke 10:18, Yeshua confirms this when he told his disciples that he saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven (to the earth).

Shaul (Paul) confirms Satan’s rule of the earth in his letter to the Ephesians (Ephesians 2:2), when he told them they used to conform to the ways of the world and to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that causes disobedience in men. Clearly, that spirit is Satan.

The Tanakh also states that Satan is in the world: in the Book of Job, God asks Satan where he has been and he answers that he has been wandering here and there, throughout the world (Job 6:7). We are shown that Satan has authority in the world to come and go as he pleases. Even though God did control what Satan could do to Job, Satan had the power to do whatever he wanted to do, including to cause the death of people.

This is interesting: when he killed Job’s children (Job 1:18-19), he did so by sending a strong wind to destroy the house they were eating in; hmmm… maybe this is why Shaul calls him the ruler of the power of the air?

There you have it! Satan rules the earth, and that is why even though we are in the world we are not to be part of it, i.e., not to be ruled by the one that rules the world.

We are to be ruled by the one that rules the universe, who sent Yeshua the Messiah.

So, what’s today’s take-away? Don’t be concerned or afraid of the world or the one who rules it, because despite all the power he has, the one who is in us is greater than he who is in the world.

Thank you for being here and please share these messages with everyone! Subscribe to both this ministry on my website and my YouTube channel, click on the bell to be notified when I post, and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but make sure you agree to the rules, or you can’t come in).

That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!

Do You Pray Correctly?

Leave a comment

Did you know that I wrote an entire book on Prayer?

(here’s a link to it: Prayer)

And yet, I still wonder if I am doing it in a way that honors God, is respectful to him, and appreciative that he listens. I think I pray correctly, but just in case, I always pray that God will help me to do so in a way that pleases him.

I developed a bad habit of praying every morning in my car when I would drive to work. Now, praying in the car each morning is not the bad thing: what was bad is that when I retired, and no longer began every day driving to work, I neglected to perform that daily prayer session. I still find the moment I get in my car, no matter where I am going, I pray, but at home when I am not going anywhere, well…like I said, it became a bad habit.

I believe the best way to pray is, of course, directly from the heart. I never, even way before I knew the Lord or accepted Yeshua as my Messiah, felt that praying to God using someone else’s words was right.

The prayer Yeshua gives us (Mattthew 6:5-15) is not just a prayer, but more of a template for all prayer, although it is a pretty good prayer, on its own. And, as a template, I use it to make sure my prayers are always in the same manner.

I start by acknowledging who God is, thanking him for all he has already done for me, and then asking for forgiveness of whatever sins I have committed against him (by the blood of the Messiah), as well as lifting up my wife and my children and their mother (from a previous life of mine). Even though they have made me their enemy, they are not mine, so I pray for them.

It also makes forgiving them easier, for they definitely sinned against me for many years, but that’s another story.

I ask not for anything other than to advance God’s word correctly, to always honor him in all I do and say (wow- do I ever fail at that!), and to be a better example to people of what it means to know and trust in God.

That’s it- if you do that, I am pretty sure you are praying correctly. Remember that Yeshua told of the tax collector and the Pharisee, the Pharisee praying thanks that he wasn’t like the sinners and the tax collector beating his chest, begging for forgiveness that he is such a sinner. Yeshua told us that the prayers of the sinner were more pleasing to God than those of the Pharisee.

When you pray, always do so humbly, ask only for that which you need, and trust God to answer your prayers with what he knows is best for you (which is usually not what we ask for, but definitely what we need).

And be patient, look for the answer (it isn’t always obvious), and remember our timing stinks, but God’s timing is perfect.

Thank you for being here and please subscribe to this website and my YouTube channel, as well. Buy my books and share them with others. And join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but make sure you click that you agree to the rules, or I can’t let you in).

And remember I love to hear back from you regarding what you think about these messages- please do so to help me stay on the right track.

That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!


Give Credit Where Credit is Due

Leave a comment

I think we all understand what this title means, so why am I talking about it in a message regarding our relationship with God?

Maybe it’s because so many people misplace the credit they give?

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

I have been to many different houses of worship, both Jewish and Christian, as well as the “in-betweens”, i.e., Messianic Jewish synagogues and Hebraic Roots churches. And what I have found in too many of them is that they continually praise Yeshua (Jesus) for the wonderful blessings they have received.

Now, there’s no question that Yeshua deserves consideration when it comes to salvation; after all, if it wasn’t for his sacrifice, we would all be in deep trouble. With the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, which is the only place God says we can bring our sacrifices, without Yeshua’s sacrifice (which replaced the need to bring an animal to the temple) we would have no way to receive forgiveness. So, clearly, Yeshua is deserving and worthy of our thanks and yes, I suppose, praise, too.

But who did Yeshua say we should praise? And to whom did those who actually were there and saw the miracles Yeshua performed give praise to?

I can tell you that the Gospels tell us who that was, and (get ready for it) …it wasn’t Yeshua.

Let’s look at Matthew 5:16 (CJB), which is just after Yeshua was talking about people being a light to the world:

In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they may see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.

And later, in Matthew 9:8 (CJB), when he was healing people left and right, and the crowds were amazed, this is what happened:

When the crowds saw this, they were awestruck and said a b’rakhah to God the Giver of such authority to human beings.

And these are not just one or two lines taken out of context, but verified by the other Gospels as showing that the people knew who to give the proper credit to- God, the Father, who empowered Yeshua.

Yes, thanks to Yeshua we can receive salvation, but it doesn’t come from Yeshua- he is the means to salvation, not the source. God, and God, alone, is our salvation. God is the one who forgives, God is the one who saves, and Yeshua is merely the instrument of God’s salvation.

And if you don’t want to believe me when I say this, then believe Yeshua, who never once took credit for any of the miracles he performed.

OK, maybe once, in Mark 1:41, when he said he was willing to make the man clean. He did, in a way, make it seem that he was the one doing the cleansing, but still he told the man to go to the Cohen as the Torah required.

Other than that one exception, Yeshua always gave credit to their trust and faith, and often thanked God for what he (Yeshua) was able to do (like when he praised God for allowing the people to see him raise Lazarus so they would know that was God behind it).

God is the one who dispenses blessings, God is the one who forgives sins; read Matthew 9:6, where Yeshua said he was given authority on earth to forgive sins: meaning only during his ministry.

And remember how Yeshua also said (Matthew 7:21) that many people who worship him and call him “Lord” will not be allowed into the Kingdom of Heaven, unless they do what his Father in heaven wants, meaning obeying the Torah.

Yeshua always gave credit for what he did to his father in heaven, and I am pretty sure that is what he tells us to do, as well.

So, the next time you give thanks for a blessing, or for your salvation, or for your health, or any, and every, thing you are thankful for, give the credit to the one who the credit is due- God, the Father.

Thank you for being here and please share these messages with everyone you know. Subscribe to my website and YouTube channel, buy and share my books, and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but please make sure you agree to the rules or I can’t let you in).

And remember that I always welcome your comments.

That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!