Light on the Rock Blogs

(Hint: it’s not the US elections.)

America wakes up to the reality of four more years of President Obama. Some are euphoric and almost as many are depressed. Most feel it was a most important election.  I agree. The course the USA will take domestically and internationally will be dramatic, I feel.  I gave a sermon recently stating that I feel believers should make their voices heard especially about issues like the Biblical and traditional definition of marriage between one man and one woman, the sanctity of all human life starting at conception, obeying the laws including citizenship laws of who can vote or be president.  So much is at stake and the Almighty either orchestrated this victory for President Obama or allowed it. It’s the difference between YHVH’s “perfect will” and His “permissive will”.  I believe strongly that God gave America the president the country wants and deserves.  Though He has final say in who our leaders are (Romans 13:1), He also says He allows us the leaders we want, even though they would not have been His choice (Hosea 8:4; I Samuel 8:7).  Either way, Father is involved and so we believers have peace, as we know our main citizenship is in heaven and that is where our heart resides.  Read this blog to hear about a far more important election that involves YOU.

But now there’s a far more important election at stake: our own!

Whether we like the elected leaders or not, both campaigns put extraordinary effort and time into making “ their election sure”.  How about you and me?  In a way, our “election” is in reverse. In the US elections, though there is a popular vote, ultimately it’s the vote of the Electors in the Electoral College who decide the president. So each side spent enormous time and money trying to get the undecided states, as they needed those electoral votes.

In our case, the Elector who decides whether or not you or I will be part of what HE calls His “elect” – or “chosen ones” in the first resurrection – is not a mere human, but is Yehovah, God Almighty himself.

The US election pales into insignificance compared to our own election. We get only one shot at it. And that’s not to be president of the USA, but one of special “first fruits” group of the series of callings.  Being “a first fruit” is not so much about having more power or being “the leader”. Neither is it so much about “being in charge” or ruling the nations, as I heard repeatedly as I grew up in the “church”.  Sure, it includes that. But power without love is just brute force and meaningless. So being a “first fruit” is not so much about in charge as it is being able to be an effective “first responder”. It’s about being “in service”.  The world will be in dire straits. Children, babies, men and women will need to be healed. Millions will need food and water and assurance that all will be well.  Now, power underpinned by genuine love and humility will be something they’ve never really witnessed in their leaders before this.  Think of all the times you wish you could have been more effective to help -- but were unable to. As a glorified child of the Highest changed to immortal spirit, we will be just like He is (read 1 John 3:1-2), for He is spirit.

Now let’s transition to us. Are we taking OUR OWN election – being chosen by God - -for granted? Or are we doing everything we can to be sure we are part of the elect of God?   Are we not working as hard, or even harder, than “the other side”?  Governor Romney’s side in the US elections lost because millions of their own registered voters didn’t bother showing up. They actually had the votes to win, had they been more organized, had they been more successful in getting people to act. That’s a huge lesson for us. A huge lesson. At some point, there’s no more time.

Are we “pulling out the stops” to make our own calling and election (being chosen) sure?   
2 Peter 1:10-11
Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

So I ask again, are we earnestly seeking Father and Yeshua with all our hearts to make our own calling and election (being chosen) sure?  Are we working anywhere nearly as hard for our spiritual election as the re-election teams did who worked so hard for President Obama’s election?  At some point, Yeshua says the doors are closed and some are found outside wanting in – when it’s too late. The “it’s never too late” message is a dangerous one and not really Biblical. Ask the millions of Israelites who were not permitted into the Promised Land (Hebrews 3:10-18; 4:1-2).  They heard the warnings and the message, but didn’t mix faith with fervent action into the equation.  Are we living like someone who knows time is short and we need to be close tour God, who is also our Elector?  Our faith is demonstrated by our deeds and actions.

Quick definitions are in order. There’s a sequence. Being “called” is not the same at all as being “chosen” – though we have to be called/invited before we are chosen. Many are called (Matthew 22:14) but few are chosen. And when you study it carefully, GOD does the calling as well as the choosing/election.  But we do have a part to play.

If you profess to be a child of the Highest, surely Halloween is obviously one of the Adversary’s days.  God’s children will have no part in it. We have never participated. We don’t give out candy; we don’t even answer the door. We just go out or stay in our basement during this dark time. I hate this holiday because YHVH is clear that HE hates this kind of day that honors the Adversary and everything evil. God’s children have no dealings with holidays that honor goblins, witches, death and dying, spells – all of which the Bible condemns in the strongest terms.  If you wish to learn more, why not do your own research and just Google the origins of Halloween.  This day comes straight out of paganism, and our Father has told His children not to get involved in any of that (Deut 12:29-32). Children of the Highest -- let’s obey our heavenly Father. He tells us not to add to or take away from His instructions.  If you’ve known for a long time that you should not be participating in this evil day, then make this the year you step up to the plate and do the right thing. Email me if you have any questions.

In recent worship meetings I’ve been in, it has often struck me how different groups will practice this matter of raising your hands in prayer or worship – or NOT lifting hands in prayer and worship. I suspect in the groups that don’t practice it, if someone were to raise their hands in prayer and worship, it wouldn’t be long before someone in authority would be trying to discourage any repetition of this.  
In one recent group I attended, maybe 6-7 hands would go up out of 150 or so in attendance.  In another meeting, perhaps half the adult audience was raising their hands at one time or another.  I fear that it has become so ingrained in us to either raise our hands in prayer and worship --or not raise our hands-- that it will be hard for anyone to change, unless we are truly convicted to let Scripture guide and lead us.  Also, pray about it and ask God’s Spirit to lead you and me into all truth, as Yeshua promised.  So read on to learn what scripture says about this. 

Let’s start with the clear teaching and examples from YHVH’s word: 

1 Timothy 2:8
“I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath…”

King David says in Psalm 41:2:
“Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”

When the Jews returned to Jerusalem from Babylon, we read in Nehemiah 8:6, pertaining to ALL the people, including women and children present (v.2): 
6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God.
Then all the people answered, "Amen, Amen!" while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

We know the story of how Aaron and Hur lifted up Moses’ arms during the battle with Amalek in Exodus 17:8-13.  When Moses’ arms were raised in petition to Yahweh, the Israelites prevailed. When he dropped his arms in fatigue, Amalek had the “upper arm”.  Thank Yah that there were men ready to support Moses when he was tired.  May we also be there for one another, raising each other up in prayer to our heavenly throne of grace.

Here’s one way I understand it:  We are Abba’s children, no matter how old we are. Have you ever watched a three-year old or even a six-year old rushing to their beloved father whom they haven’t seen for a while?  They run towards him with arms raised, as Daddy is bending down to pick them up.  That’s my picture.  I think of praise and worship like this.  We are his children, He is our Abba, our dear father.  We’re thrilled with Him, and so we reach up to Him, even as He is reaching down to us.

Another one:  I remember my own daughters – and later my son – when they were little. If they became afraid of something or someone, they would run to me (or their Mom) with their arms raised, wanting us to pick them up and assure them that everything was alright.

So here are a few more, using NKJV throughout.  However, I use the original Hebrew “YHVH” where they say “the LORD”.
Psalm 28:1-2
To You I will cry, O YHVH my Rock: Do not be silent to me,
Lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. 
2 Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You,
When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.

Psalm 134:1-2
Behold, bless YHVH, All you servants of YHVH, Who by night stand in the house of YHVH! 
2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, And bless YHVH.

Psalms 63:3-4
3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. 
4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

When we worship with King David in the new kingdom coming, we WILL see him raising his hands in worship and prayer.  Will you and I follow his example at that time? If so, why not now?

Solomon must have often seen his dad doing this, so Solomon also raised HIS arms in prayer at the dedication of the temple: 
1 Kings 8:22
22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of YHVH in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven;

If you’re not used to this, it may take a while to feel comfortable. Do it in private, in your own room as you pray privately at first.  If you attend where others already are doing this in worship, it should be easy to try it at services. If this is not done where you worship, perhaps begin by lifting up your hands to your chest/shoulder level and see how that is perceived or if anyone says anything. Have the above scriptures ready, if you are questioned.  If it is forbidden, maybe it’s time to worship somewhere else.  Don’t cause offense; just move to a group that welcomes worshiping with raised arms.

I’m not saying everyone or anyone has to raise their hands in prayer. But I am saying neither should it be forbidden. This is a most personal choice, a personal decision -- and surely church authorities should let their brothers and sisters worship as each is led in his or her heart.  Try it. It adds a whole new dimension to your worship.  Remember, we are His Children.  Abba seems to enjoy seeing His children raise their arms up to Him as we come to Him in song, praise and worship.

We’re just a few weeks away from the US presidential elections.  Many Senators and Representatives are also up for re-election.  The news media almost seems unaware of any other news in the country or around the world as everyone focuses on who will lead the next administration.  I can’t wait for the new administration either.  But we who are of the heavenly Jerusalem do not overly focus on whether the next president is President Obama or Governor Mitt Romney.  Our focus is like Abraham’s:  focusing on the city whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:8-10).  I’m not discussing in this blog whether we should vote or not.  I’m just reminding us all that our excitement comes from visualizing and anticipating and praying for King Yeshua to come and lead the true next administration, and not just in the USA, but for the whole world.  Let’s check our hearts.  Let’s focus on Him. Delight in Him. Believe in Him.  Put all your hope and confidence in Him, for surely, flesh and blood leaders will disappoint.  King Jesus won’t.  He’s our real hope, our confidence and our constant prayer.

Every year after the Feast, people talk about where they went for the Feast, who they ran into, what the messages and sermons were like – and what they saw.  It’s natural – especially if that was your first time to the Oregon coast or to Jekyll Island or Destin, FL or wherever you went.  During the feast, many of us will plan our schedules to make sure we see the “must see” places while we’re at a particular Feast site.  Read on, to be sure you visit, see and often go to -- the one “absolutely must visit” site during your Feast – or you will have indeed missed out.  

After the sermons, in all our hustle and bustle, dining out, sightseeing and all the “doing” we do at Feast of Booths, don’t miss the #1 site of all:  the throne of our Father and Jesus Christ, or Yeshua as I call Him. Let’s be sure we are making and taking the time to pray more than we usually do. Let’s be sure we are taking the time to praise, worship and thank YHVH for still being able to meet peacefully and safely. That’s the #1 destination site, regardless of where you’re keeping Yahweh’s feasts:  HIS presence, His throne, His heavenly Jerusalem.  Let’s not forget the core reasons we are at the Feast: to worship the King of the Universe—our very own Father and His Son, to learn to fear to disobey Him, to learn to worship and praise Him.  

Remember, as I pointed out in a recent sermon, the gates of the temple mysteriously opened every day after Christ died – from 30 AD to 70 AD.  Perhaps father was saying, “Come, all whom I call – please come.  My Son has made it possible for all of you to come before me, in Him, through Him, and in His name.  Come before me. It’s no longer just the priests or high priest who can come in my presence. Come in, the gates are open now in and through my Son.”

King David wanted nothing more than to be in Yahweh’s presence, to stand in His courts, to sing to His name, to acknowledge His presence. We too can stand and visit – in spirit – the heavenly courts of heavenly Jerusalem. Take the time, make the daily journey.

Psalm 135:2-3
2 You who stand in the house of YHVH, in the courts of the house of our God, 
3 Praise YHVH, for YHVH is good; Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant.

Psalm 96:7-9
7 Give to YHVH, O families of the peoples; give to YHVH glory and strength. 
8 Give to YHVH the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. 
9 Oh, worship YHVH in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.

Psalm 100
Make a joyful shout to YHVH, all you lands! 
2 Serve YHVH with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. 
3 Know that YHVH, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; 
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 
5 For YHVH is good; His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

Enjoy visiting this awesome destination. What an honor.  Rejoice greatly before our awesome Abba and our King Yeshua.  Have a blessed, happy, spirit-rich, spirit-filled, anointed Feast.

Here it is! Yahweh’s Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot in Hebrew – known as “The Season of our joy”.  Let’s celebrate our KING!  Indeed.  It pictures a time ahead of us when our Beloved King Yeshua (you may know him as Jesus) - - son of David, son of the Most High -- has returned in majesty and power with His Bride to reclaim the Land from the false ruler of this earth, Satan.  The Fall season of 4 divine appointments starts off pretty dark with the “day of clouds and gloominess of the Day of the LORD (YHVH)” – as Yeshua comes back on the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah).  It’s a day of joy for those of us on His side. It’s a day of war and worldwide catastrophes for those assembled to fight us.  Finally, rebellion will be put down. 

Then Yeshua will accept His people as He calls them from the four corners of the world to which they’ve been scattered. They will come back as “one stick” (Ezekiel 37:15-28), weeping and repenting as our dear Abba Father gives each of them a new heart and YHVH’s  Ruach HaKodesh – His Holy Spirit (Ezek 36:24-32).  There will also be an innumerable number of Gentiles from all nations and tribes who will stand up for truth (Rev. 7:9-17).  Many repentant Gentiles will be part of the Bride of our Messiah and spiritual Israel and inheritors of the covenant with Abraham (hear my recent sermons on Gentiles).  Those from Israel and the nations who repent will be forgiven and their sins covered, pictured by Yom Kippur -- the day of covering, the Day of Atonement.

But before the celebrations can begin in earnest, the one who caused so much trouble – Satan (which means “adversary”) has to be neutralized.  And he will be! We can’t have an end to dissension and trouble until the cause of that trouble is removed. “Cast out the scoffer and strife shall cease” (Prov. 22:10). That old Slanderer (that’s what “Devil” means) has his mouth shut for a while, along with his demons and the rest of the fallen angels – for 1,000 years. 
Revelation 20:1-3
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.

Now the Feast of Tabernacles can begin!  Be sure to be checking our website for messages, even from previous years in 2004-2007 you’ll find some messages in the months of September-October of those years.  And by the way: ask Yeshua to bind Satan now in YOUR life, to neutralize his filthy temptations by the power of the Holy Spirit working mightily in us.

So what does Sukkot – Feast of Tabernacles—picture?  It pictures our KING, our beloved KING Yeshua finally taking reigns as the Lion of Judah, as the King of Kings, as the righteous Judge of all the earth.  Finally a time of blessings, a time of peace, and a time of joy – as each part of the world comes under His rule.  Those who won’t submit will just have to take a little longer to experience the joy, peace and blessings and prosperity that the other places who have submitted are enjoying.
It won’t happen overnight. The earth will start off as a total mess from all the earthquakes, wars, volcanic eruptions, plagues, tsunamis and meteorite hits.  It will take time to rebuild. But that’s why we will read so much in the prophets about a time of rebuilding, repairing the breaches, replanting the fields, repairing the mess that Satan’s way caused.

There were 70 bulls sacrificed during Sukkot.  They weren’t all sacrificed in one day, but a certain number each day of the 7 days of the Feast.  This corresponds to the 70 nations of Genesis 10 -- and it pictures how it takes time before all the Gentiles come around to the Way.  But it will be a wondrous time to watch nation after nation finally repent, finally join us in the most joyous celebration – all of us as one, coming together, worshiping together, as one.

Don’t be oblivious to world events as we come to Atonement.

We’re right here at the doorstep of the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur (actually “the day of covering”). We will soon see cataclysmic world events, wars and catastrophes – and yet the US President would rather spend his time with ladies of The View and be interviewed by David Letterman and “the Pimp with a limp” than meet with Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu or other world leaders while they are in New York. It’s like our leaders and our people don’t realize the titanic world issues in front of us. And like the Titanic, even as it was sinking, the band continued to play on deck.  Are we any different?  Turn on the radio and we find more interest in the latest football or baseball game than in the world events in front of us. There’s more discussion about someone’s tax returns than on the US Libyan ambassador’s brazen assassination. 

World events are spiraling out of control, embassies are being attacked, and at the UN General Assembly the leader of Iran calls for Israel to be eliminated – but there is a deafening silence to his hate speech.  As I write, Iran is airlifting soldiers to Syria. There are “war games” going on in the Golan Heights with 20,000 Israeli soldiers.  Israel has just allowed Egypt to fly reconnaissance along the southern border with Egypt.  The stage is being set for war – and all the while, just like on the Titanic, “the band played on”.  We may within a year, probably much sooner, see a massive war involving Israel and its Arab neighbors, as well as Iran. This will invariably draw in much of the rest of the world as well. Iran openly says it will attack US bases in the area if it is attacked. We could have 100,000 US troops at risk.

In all of this, let’s be one of the few who are awake and alert. Let’s be praying and watching our relationship with Yahweh. I doubt the US election will avert a war with Iran. It just might happen sooner than later if Romney gets in. But war looks imminent.  Sounds like Yeshua’s words of “wars and rumors of war” in Matthew 24. Also pray for the country of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. We know the hills which ring Jerusalem will once again resound with the blasts of war before King Yeshua returns.  Then soon after that, in a soon-coming Yom Kippur, our King will put an end to the violence around Jerusalem and bind the real cause of all human woe – Satan the Devil. Then the true Jubilee will be sounded, when Satan’s captives and slaves will be set free all around the world.

Abba, your children implore you to hasten that day. Please send your Son – our King – soon, so your kingdom’s way will be the norm so that over time, the whole world will go your Way.  Come, our Saviour, come.

As we approach the Feast of Tabernacles, depicting a peaceful world – at last.

As I write this blog, the Middle East is exploding into violent attacks against American and western interests, embassies and personnel. The US ambassador to Libya and three other good men were killed in Benghazi, Libya and the embassy burned. In the meantime Iran (Persia) has repeatedly called for Israel to be wiped off the face of the earth and has hundreds of centrifuges going full tilt – presumably to produce their own atomic weapon. Israel’s Netanyahu meanwhile is snubbed by our leader. During all this our president, for whom we are commanded to pray, has been busier campaigning for re-election than he’s been leading our country, as it is being attacked all over the globe. Don’t forget: embassies are considered to be on their own soil as a matter of practice everywhere.  And soon, children of Yahweh will be observing His feast of Tabernacles picturing the time when the world is at peace under the reign of King Jesus. Read more to discover your role, today, right now. 

I’m giving sermons about Gentiles. The Almighty is the creator of us all – whether Arab or Jew, American or Russian, Chinese or Japanese or Kenyan. We are all of one blood (Acts 17:26). We all come from Adam. We each are made in the image and likeness of our Creator (Gen. 1:26-28). Each of us has within himself or herself the breath of life breathed into our common ancestor Adam (Gen. 2:7). So why are we constantly at war?  Because the Troublemaker Satan is busy at work as the present “god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4).

We will soon be worshiping at Yah’s Feasts. Let’s go to this year’s feast with renewed desire for God’s kingdom – our kingdom too, if we are children of that Kingdom, if our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20).  Even while away from the usual routine, let’s obey the commands to pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:2), even as we pray that it results in our peace and ability to speak the gospel. Let’s remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6), all of Israel, its neighbors and for “Thy Kingdom come” so that God’s will may be done, finally – here on earth – as it always is in heaven.  It’s time, brothers and sisters. It’s time to be looking up.  It's time to remember where our kingdom and citizenship reside. And it’s past time to pray more than ever before.

There are also elections coming up in the USA. As children of God, we can’t pin our hopes in any man. All our hope is in our heavenly Father and His beloved Son.  We long for the day He returns.  I can’t wait. Can you imagine when Abraham himself gathers his children – who include Arabs and Israelites – and tells them all to get along, and then explains how.  And that will be just the beginning.

Now is the time also to be repenting, be renewing your bonds with your Savior and your Father in heaven. NOW is the time to be seeking Him more than ever.  Let’s be at peace with Him and with one another, so we can someday show others how we can be one in Him, because we’ve learned that now, in this life.

And yes, pray for Jerusalem, pray for Israel, pray for our own country, pray for our presidents and prime ministers and kings – even as we long for the coming rulership of our Messiah here on earth.  That’s what the Feast of Tabernacles is all about… and it’s coming up soon. As we pray for Jerusalem, remember: it’s from Jerusalem where the Way and the Law of our God will go forth.  It will be the capital of the world – but this time, under the leadership of King Yeshua.

May the living God speed that day.

Heart to heart connections with the King of the Universe

When we speak in prayer to Abba, our heavenly Father, are our hearts speaking  –  or are we just reciting a “prayer” someone else wrote or said years ago?  For that matter, even our own unique prayers, if they’re from the same “prayer list” each day, can even those prayers turn to mere words and not be our hearts being bared to Him who sees our hearts anyway?  There’s nothing wrong with prayer lists (topics to cover); I use them too. Let’s just remember to check that our hearts are in our conversations with the King of the Universe.   Today’s blog is about praying, sharing our hearts with Abba each day; our own soul opening up to our dear Father, our Abba in heaven. 

What would Abba – as our dear Father -- really rather hear from us, His children:  a prepared, memorized standard prayer from a prayer book or devotional – or you pouring your heart out?  It’s clear, isn’t it?  Whether “pouring your heart out” means in ecstatic praise and joy, or from a broken heart in deep repentance, or words pouring from a mother’s heart in anguish as she begs Abba in heaven to heal her child – Abba surely wants our hearts!  Abba means “dear father”, similar to our “Daddy”.  Any of you who are fathers would immediately agree that you’d far rather have your little child speak from her heart to you, rather than have her read someone else’s prayer. Abba in heaven is no different.

One time Yeshua’s disciples overheard Him praying.  I’m sure His disciples had long before memorized the standard synagogue prayers everyone said before meals, or after meals or endless other functions that had their own prepared prayers. You can buy “prayer books” in Israel and everywhere. Most people who had memorized the standard prayers (like even “the Lord’s Prayer”) would claim they know how to pray as they perfectly repeat their “Hail Mary” or “Lord’s Prayer” or rabbinic prayers. But when Yeshua’s (Jesus) disciples heard HIM pray, they knew something different was going on. He was actually connecting with Someone; they could feel it! So one of them asked Him to teach them how to pray.

Luke 11:1
Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."

Have we ever asked Yahweh, “Abba, our dear Father, teach me how to pray to you"? Teach me how to talk with you. Teach me to open my soul and my heart to you”?  If not, maybe that would also be a good start.

There are many recorded prayers in the Bible. None of them, to the best of my knowledge except the “Lord’s Prayer” (“the Our Father…”), were the standard memorized prayers being said today. When Solomon dedicated the temple in His powerful prayer you can read in 2 Chronicles 6, those words flowed from his heart. When we read David’s prayer when he repented of murdering Uriah and stealing his wife in adultery (Psalm 51), our own hearts break. Our own hearts feel his sincere anguish.  That wasn’t a rote prayer either. No - -that one flowed from his heart too.

Think of prayer as having time with your Abba and also with your Beloved Savior.  You’re spending time like you would if you were going on a walk together, or sitting down over a meal. It’s that kind of feeling as you speak from your heart.

Yeshua gave us some guidelines when we pray.  He doesn’t want us going on and on, especially in something almost like a theatrical presentation in front of a lot of people. Father knows our hearts and we can pray directly and simply without a lot of show business! Neither does He want just memorized words!

Matthew 6:5-8 Apologetics Study Bible
“Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward! 
6 But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 
7 When you pray, don’t babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. 
8 Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him.

Which are you doing with your marital “account”? 

Today’s blog is real simple. Think of marriage as a bank account.  Every time you put in a deposit, that’s a good thing and your bank balance grows.  Every time you take money out, that’s a withdrawal and your balance diminishes. Think of having a marital “bank” account.  Every single thing we say and do – whenever relationships are involved - - is either a deposit or a withdrawal in the strength of our marriage.  It’s either adding to the strength of the marriage – or weakening it. So I ask today:  what does your marital account look like recently: a lot of big deposits – or withdrawals?  Read the rest of this to get some practical examples.  And check out our two most recent sermons on marriage, and man and woman, given in July and August 2012.   

I’ve done more than my share of “withdrawals” from my marital “bank account”.  So I’m an expert on “withdrawals”, but not a kind of expertise I’m proud of.  I’ve also been focusing on making more regular “deposits” as well. Don’t forget:  it’s so often in our moments of abject failure that we come to see we need to turn around, repent, and go the other way.  It is when we hit bottom when we are most likely to look up and cry out for deliverance and redemption from Father and our Redeemer.  So if your marital account is a bit poor right now, I’ve been there.  But let me also remind you:  how hard we fall doesn’t matter as much as how high we bounce back. Withdrawals from a marital “bank account” can be awful and discouraging, but we can come back from virtual marital bankruptcy. So take heart.  I’ve been married 37 years now and we’ve just had a fabulous 5 day anniversary trip.  My wife, my best friend, my lover and “soul mate” – still here after all these ups and downs, and a lot of it has to do with making more deposits than withdrawals. 

What are a few examples of marital “withdrawals”?  (The List could easily be endless.)
•    Walking away after a spat instead of letting the other one speak and hearing him/her out.  
•    Finding fault. Trying to change your spouse.  Not accepting her or him the way they are. Let God be the One who changes what needs to be     changed. HE is the Creator of the new life. 
•    Forgetting key anniversaries or other important dates
•    Complaining about something the other is doing or not doing to your satisfaction. Complaining is always a “withdrawal” from your account.  
•    Saying anything you regret later.  Humiliating your wife or husband in public – or private. 
•    Focusing on other things when your spouse wants your attention.
•    HUGE withdrawals would be the big fight, throwing things, slamming doors, calling your spouse unspeakable names and words.  
•    “Headed to bankruptcy” (divorce):  would include acts of infidelity or adultery.  But even here, remember many climb back from “bankruptcy”     when there is repentance, hope and forgiveness. 

In the money world, a company can still recover from bankruptcy but it’s tough. Same thing in marriage. You can be on the verge of a relational bankruptcy and with a lot of prayer, forgiveness and change, we can slowly rebuild the marriage with God’s grace.  But when a lot of damage has been done, there will be scars and sore points for a long time to come. But it can be done! 

A few examples of “deposits” you can make to your marital account: (List could be endless!)
•    Praising and expressing appreciation for the other (what kind of husband he is, her cooking, what kind of dad or mom the other is, etc.)
•    Accepting the other. Really accepting.  Some do this better than others and what a gift it is to be an accepting person.  In fact you get a “kick” out of his/her little idiosyncrasies.  
•    Overlooking and “covering for” the other’s faults. In fact, you love him or her for what she is – faults, wrinkles, appearance, everything.  You see an inner beauty more and more, rather than the outward. As  we each age, this is a good thing! 
•    Remembering anniversaries and special dates.  (Mark them in your Outlook calendar so you don’t forget!).  Do something very special on these very special days. 
•    Walking hand in hand. Sitting on the couch together. Reading together. 
•    Touching.  Just hug her for no reason at all except you love her. Hug, touch, and affirm a LOT. 
•    Having eyes just for her (or him) – and your spouse knows it!  
•    Your eyes light up when she (or he) walks into the room. 
•    Focus on the positives. The older we get, and the better our marriage gets, it seems more and more that all we see are the positives. But which came first? 
•    Listening intently when the other speaks. You don’t interrupt. This is actually just basic courtesy. 
•    Seriously considering the other’s viewpoint.  
•    Calling her from work just to say “I love you. I miss you.”  
•    Putting little love notes in his suitcase when he leaves on a business trip. 
•    Showing honor and respect for your partner every way you can. 
•    Serving your Beloved every chance you can. Offering to do a chore she thought she had to do – just because you love her. Giving her a day off, a night off to be with friends, and when she comes home, the kitchen is cleaned up, the clothes are put away and the house is spotless. Wives, you can do things for him too.  
•    Praying for your spouse.  Praying with your spouse. Expressing gratitude for your spouse. 
•    Blessing your spouse.  Believing the best of your spouse.

What are your spouse’s marriage scriptures?

What are the marriage scriptures for men? And what are they for women?  If you were asked, as a man let’s say, to recite the scriptures for women, which ones would you read?

I recently posted on Lightontherock.org two sermons about “man and woman”.  By necessity we discussed marriage quite a bit in there as well. This blog’s point is this:  If you asked me to read the “women scriptures”, I’d read you how husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church, and how I am to understand my wife and honor her, and so on.  “But those are scriptures for the men”, you might protest.  Well, true.  But the point of the blog is this:  I am responsible for the scriptures that apply to me.  For me the “women scriptures” are the scriptures that are telling me how to treat one woman especially, my wife. My wife is responsible for the scriptures that apply to her. It is not up to her to remind me to love her, help her grow or nurture her.  Neither is it up to me to remind her that she is supposed to submit to me.  The scriptures are there for each of us to individually choose to do. Understanding this could make all the difference in our relationships. Keep reading and your life might even change from this simple blog. 

The perfect example is our amazing one true God. He gave Israel a choice on Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Nebo. They could choose life or death. My point exactly: THEY could choose one or the other. He wasn’t making them do one or the other. Sure, there are consequences, but the choice was still theirs.

I think too many marriages suffer because we can plainly see what the other isn’t doing. Maybe she isn’t “submitting herself” or obeying the husband “as unto the Lord in all things”.  Or maybe he isn’t giving himself for his wife, loving her as his own body.  The point is, the wife is to submit herself. That’s not something her husband should be reminding her to do.  And frankly, if we men were doing our assignments properly, it would be a lot easier for any wife to submit to a loving, good and gentle man.  And if the wives were being respectful and honoring in their interactions with their husbands, it would be a lot easier to love a wife like that.  And if both are doing their God-assigned parts, then even the conjugal dues passage of 1 Cor. 7:1-6 would be a lot, lot easier for both sides to fulfill.  It’s hard to be intimate with someone we don’t like, or disrespect, or who has recently hurt our feelings and sense of self-worth.

So even if your spouse isn’t doing his or her part, we each are still being judged by whether or not we are doing our part. Marriage is 100%- 100%, not a 50-50 proposition. Even if the other is giving 0%, we are being judged on how well we are doing OUR role. So even if it’s 100-0, we are to give that 100%. .   After all, Christ loved us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:7-9). He did more than His part when we weren’t giving anything back. That’s our model But if we’re giving 100%, truly, it would be a hardened spouse indeed who wouldn’t start to respond.

Back to our Savior: He did in fact love us while we were giving 0% back to him.  But what was the end result:  “we love him BECAUSE He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).  And that’s hopefully what will begin to happen in all our relationships.  As we follow Christ and walk in His footsteps, we will over time start to see the same results: people responding positively to the positive ways we treat them, regardless of what they are like. Regardless of how we’re treated, we are to treat everyone – even our enemies -- with patience, love, and honor.  Tough to do sometimes, but that’s the goal.

I preach to myself. I obviously don’t have this all dialed in yet myself and have a ways to go too. But that’s what our Master says.  Each one will be judged and rewarded based on HIS (or her) own works – NOT on whether or not the people we were interacting with were doing their part or not.

So don’t be using the scriptures as a sword over your loved ones. Just live the life you’re supposed to lead, and that is the best sermon anyway: the changing life that is evident to all.

With that in mind, please enjoy and benefit from the most recent shared studies.  I’d love to hear back from you.

It can’t just be coincidence.

In Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar”, the emperor is warned by an old soothsayer to “beware the ides of March.”  Soon after that, he’s assassinated by several senators including Brutus, his supposed friend.

I’m actually not a big Shakespeare expert, but I’d like to say – be watching the 9th of Av this year but especially in the coming decade. It’s a terrible date in Jewish history, and one we need to be aware of.   That’s the easy way to remember it. The 9th of Av happens in mid-summer.   This year the 9th of Av on the Hebrew calendar falls on the sabbath, July 28, 2012 of our Gregorian calendar.  I am NOT saying anything will happen this year, or next.  But I want my readers to know that it can’t be mere coincidence that so much has happened on the 9th of Av on the Hebrew Calendar. As I write this, we are in the period of time called “the Dire Straits” – from the 17th of Tammuz to the 9th of Av.  Remember it as roughly our month of July most years.  It was during this time that calamity after calamity has befallen Israel.  For example, it was during this time that Moses dashed the two tablets of the 10 commandments to the ground at the gold calf incident. 

Could more calamities befall Israel around this period of time, on the 9th of Av in a soon coming future year?  See the history for yourself if this date leaves a particularly loathsome aftertaste in our Creator’s mouth:

•    It was on the 9th of Av that the 10 of the 12 spies who returned from spying out the Promised Land caused Israel to lose faith, to lose heart, and to rebel. YHVH therefore announces all Israelites age 20 and over would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land. Only Joshua and Caleb were exempted.  You can read the full story in Numbers 14.  After everything Yahweh had done for them – the liberation from slavery, the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, the manna from heaven, the miraculous providence of water from the Rock, the giving of His covenant with them and the Law, after forgiving them of their terrible sin with the gold calf – after all that, they lose faith and rebel once more. That was the last straw. The 9th of Av (mid-late July) has frequently since then been a terrible date for Israel and later, the Jews.

•    The first House of God, more commonly called “Solomon’s temple”, is destroyed on this date, the 9th of Av. Over 100,000 Jews are slaughtered, and most of the remainder are hauled off into captivity to Babylon (where modern day Iraq is) and the area of Persia (modern day Iran).  Have you heard anything about Iraq and Iran lately in the news?

•    The 2nd temple was also burned and dismantled on this exact date as well - 9th of Av in 70 AD by the Romans under General Titus.  It was gruesome.  So many Jews were crucified, the Romans despaired for lack of wood on which to impale their pained victims.  It was from the pain of crucifixion that we get the word “excruciating” – as in indescribable pain.  Over 2,500,000 Jews die from war, famine and disease. Another million are exiled. Over 100,000 are sold as slaves. Many are killed in Roman coliseums for entertainment, in gladiatorial “games” and pagan celebrations.

Want more confirmation? 
•    The Jews rebel again and they believe Simon bar Kochba will be the Messiah. But – on the 9th of Av, 133 CE, the rebels are massacred in the final battle at Betar and 100,000 more Jews shed their blood.

•    One year later, on the 9th of Av 134 AD, the Romans plowed over the Jews’ Temple Mount, their most sacred site. My wife and I have personally walked the excavated streets of the new pagan city the Romans erected on top the ruins of Jerusalem. They call it Aelia Capitolina.

•    1095 AD:  On the 9th of Av, Pope Urban II announces the First Crusade. This is not good news to Jews, as 10,000 are killed in the first month of the Crusade alone. The killing continues for years to come from the “Christian” liberators of Jerusalem.

•    In 1290 AD, on the 9th of Av, all Jews are expelled from England.  Their books and property are confiscated by the government.

•    In 1492, besides all that good stuff about Columbus sailing the ocean blue, Spain’s Queen Isabella and her husband Ferdinand expel all Jews from Spain and allow them just four months to totally get out or else… The drop dead date was, once more, the 9th of Av.

•    World War 1 began on the Hebrew calendar of the 9th of Av, 1914 as Britain and Russia declare war on Germany. The issues surrounding WWI are unresolved, resulting in World War II and the Holocaust.  Millions of Jews die in concentration camps as well as pogroms and “ethnic cleansing” later in Hungary, Ukraine, Poland and Russia.

•    9th of Av, 1942 – Deportations begin from the Warsaw Jewish Ghetto to the Treblinka concentration camp.  (For something interesting, look up the history of the word “ghetto”.)

It IS coming. It’s just a matter of when.

I recommend you watch this video:  http://www.coyhwh.com/en/worldnews.php?play=June%202012_Israeli%20Intelligence%20Report

Just copy and paste this into your URL and watch a well done presentation of where we are financially, not just in the USA, but in Europe, Israel and the rest of the world.  I don’t necessarily endorse everything the speaker has ever said, or everything he believes, or even everything in this video, but who am I?  I just feel it’s worth watching.  It appears we’re heading for 2008 all over again, only this time – much, much harsher.  It could happen this year. Or several years from now.  But all the forces are in play that could make a huge crash happen before the end of this calendar year.  Our national fiscal incompetence is about to hit us all hard.  Since most people still go to work every day, they don’t see the fiscal cancer that is growing at unprecedented rates behind the scenes.  Most of us, including me, simply don’t understand the complex interaction of so many forces at play. I know enough to say we need to wake up. 

What are a few of the over 2 dozen forces in play? 

•    Our world is much more interconnected that the average man on the street – or I – even realize. What happens in one country impacts us all eventually. 
•    China owns our national debt and could stop loaning us money and cash in its debt. 
•    Our national debt will soon be over $16 TRILLION as of July 1, 2012. 
•    There are steps afoot for world economies to drop the dollar as the world currency and come up with something new or different. This alone could be disastrous to us.
•    Several European countries are on the edge of economic collapse. Greece, Spain, Italy, Ireland are among the least stable at present. If even just one of these goes bankrupt, the impact on our economy will be greater than the Lehman Brothers collapse in 2008.
•    Cities and counties in the USA are on the edge of bankruptcy. Stockton, CA recently sent shockwaves.  San Jose and San Diego are on the edge.  Who’s next?  People’s confidence in their lifelong pension plans will soon be shot down.  Municipal and state governments have simply promised more than they can deliver. 
•    Banks in Europe are having to be bailed out.  Major banks’ credit ratings are being reduced. 
•    U.S. job growth is at a standstill.  Unemployment rates are stuck above 8%, and the true rate, counting the underemployed or those who have simply given up on finding a job, the real US unemployment number is somewhere between 16-20%, according to some. 
•    A growing demand to use something other than US dollars to pay for oil. At present, it is called the Petro Dollar System.  If this system ends, the US dollar will go into a rapid death spiral. That in turn will impact our economy in ways we can’t even foresee.  Some see this as the beginning of astronomical inflation rates.

Ultimately our faith is in our heavenly father. Having said that, I am not saying that means there is nothing we need to be doing. Joseph – when told there were 7 lean years of severe famine and financial collapse coming, used the 7 good years he had to prepare and save up.

Here are some suggestions:
•    FIRST and foremost: establish your closest possible relationship with our heavenly Father and our savior Jesus Christ (Yeshua).  Nothing else matters if this first point is in place. If you have this in place, neither does it mean we stop there.  I think – just like Biblical Joseph – there are things we can do.

•    Don’t add to your debt.
•    Pay off as much debt as you can. 
•    If you have a way to earn extra income now, do so.  What spending you do should be for absolute essentials and for coping in an emergency. 
•    I’m personally getting out of the stock market.  What you do is your decision. I’m not telling anyone what to do, just making suggestions of things you should ponder.
•    Have a ready cash supply on hand.

•    Stock up on non-perishable foods for a few months’ supply.  Ultimately our faith has to be in God, but we shouldn’t be foolish either. Have a supply of water and food to last you a while in short emergencies.  I personally buy dehydrated food packs from www.eFoodsDirect.com.    Order now. In emergencies, they also run low! 

•    Have a supply of water, flashlights/batteries, food, lanterns, a ready back-up system of being able to stay warm and to cook food. (Camping stove and propane tanks?)
•    Basically be ready to keep on going if the power grid goes down, if there’s no heat, if there’s no running water, and it’s hard to get food for a few months.

Is Abortion mentioned in the Bible?

We’ve all heard the arguments for and against ending a pregnancy.  I remember listening to lectures that an abortion was simply removing “tissue” from a woman, nothing more. We’ve heard the arguments that it is a woman’s right to choose whether to continue the pregnancy or end it.  Many, many of those women who fought hard for that right to end pregnancies are now on the other side, by the way.  I’m going to give you what Scripture has to say about this.

Let me begin by saying that it truly must be tough to find oneself pregnant in an unplanned series of events. Of course I know a woman doesn’t just “find herself pregnant”.  In most cases (except rape and other circumstances), it involveddecisions to engage in sex, maybe in a moment of uncontrolled passion or even drunkenness or under the influence of drugs. And now more decisions have to be made. It is unfortunate that all too often the man involved is nowhere to be found, unless he too may be urging abortion. But all of us have to live with consequences of the life decisions we make. I do, you do, and we all do. 

The huge difference is that this decision – to abort or not – involves the taking of life.

Even the 1973 landmark decision of Roe v. Wade – “Roe”, the woman on which it was based, who claimed to have been gang raped, now wishes she can recant. She says now there was no gang rape, but they wanted to have the best case for the pro-abortion folks.  In Roe v. Wade, Supreme Court Justice Blackmum wrote the majority opinion allowing abortion in the first trimester. The original opinion allowed restrictions in the 2^nd and 3^rd trimester to protect what was called the “potential” life of whatever was growing in the pregnant woman. 

“Jane Roe” was Norma McCorvey and she’s come out of the closet. She was painted at the time as a poor, destitute 21 year old pregnant woman who could not afford a legal California abortion or an illegal one in Texas. So her case was used as the litmus test.  Many don’t realize that before this case every reached the Supreme Court, Norma had already had her baby and put her daughter up for adoption. Ironically, there’s a living woman in her early 40’s today who is alive because “Roe” – Norma Wade – gave birth to her, while millions upon millions of unborn babies have had their lives ended, all in the name of a woman’s right to privacy and to choose – after she became pregnant.  

Since that 1973 decision, Norma McCorvey (“Roe”) had her baby, told Washington Times columnist Carl Rowan in 1987 that she gave false testimony.  She admits now that she lied about the 1969 account of being raped by three men and a woman. She confesses now that never happened. She confessed in 1987 that she became pregnant by her boyfriend.  Since Roe v. Wade, “Roe” – Norma McCorvey – has participated in numerous anti-abortion rallies.  Had you heard or read about that?  You can easily research this and confirm it. God bless her! She’s trying to help undo this horrible landmark case any way she can.

There was another case – a Sandra Bensing – who was also part of that landmark decision. She has never had an abortion.  This was not her original intent. Both women now admit to having been manipulated by lawyers seeking to overturn state anti-abortion laws.  

Since then, sex education in schools has proliferated. But has the number of unwanted teen pregnancies gone down or up? Has morality improved or gone south?

In the meantime, the debate of when human life begins continues to rage.  Does human life begin at conception? Or is it – as many say – at first breath?  Is it somewhere in the middle, when the fetus’ heart begins to beat?  

True enough; an embryo hardly looks “human” in the first 30-40 days. But certainly, we know it’s not a carrot, or a dog or a flea. It is alive, it is growing, and it is not dead. And it’s inside its mother’s womb, a human mother. The embryo has a beating heart within a few weeks after conception. And by day 50, this new growth looks like a human being. 

Today in some states, there are doctors performing abortions even into the 9^th month!  I’ve read testimony and watched videos of nurses who had to leave the abortion clinics because there were fully formed babies being removed and put into garbage cans, left to cry and wail until they died. But its mother has a right to privacy and can determine to end pregnancy, some say – and so the killing continues.

If you’ve never watched an abortion on YouTube, maybe once you should. It will break your heart as parts of the unborn baby are cut out or salted out – and the human life removed by the best available means. If you’re brave enough to learn about and watch a “partial birth abortion”, you’ll cry your eyes out and never think of abortion casually again.  It’s called a “D&E Procedure” and I don’t even want to describe it on this website, it is so horrific.

WHAT the ETERNAL GOD SAYS

Scripture is very clear that Yahweh considers an embryo and/or a fetus to be equivalent to a human adult life!

Exodus 21:22-23 says, if someone hurts a pregnant woman and she miscarries as a result, the LIFE of the man who strikes her is required!  That makes it clear that God considered the unborn fetus or embryo as valuable human life. Let’s read it:

Exodus 21:22-23 "If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman's husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.  23 But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life.”

King David also considered his life before birth to be a human life, known and watched over by Yahweh himself.

If you’re under 50 you probably know what a “tweet” is.  I’ve been resisting them myself and have never “followed” anyone on Twitter.  I guess famous people are so important that they write a sentence or two every day and people with nothing better to do want to hang on their every word.  Some just have to know the latest thoughts of this rock star or that sports star or whatever.  That’s called “following” someone on Twitter, to those of you who haven’t kept up with this form of “social media”.  (Younger folks are saying “duh!”) 

But then yesterday I came up to a traffic signal and the car ahead of me had a simple bumper sticker:  “Don’t follow me….follow Jesus”.  Got me thinking.  That’s right. He’s my Leader, and I should follow Him, hang on HIS every word, and watch HIS every action in people’s lives and world affairs.  In fact I belong to Him, not to any other church leader or church or association or fellowship – though I may attend with various ones. 

Someone once said, “If it was a heinous crime to be a follower of Jesus (or Yeshua as I like to say), would there be enough evidence to convict you?”  Worth pondering, isn’t it?

WHY Gratitude is a must for all believers

Have you already many times today, looked up and said, “THANK YOU for….” We all enjoy acknowledgements of gratitude, so how are we doing in terms of being grateful people ourselves?  It’s easy to be grateful for what we see as good things, but all too often we even miss those opportunities. There’s the remarkable story in Luke 17:11-19 about ten lepers who were healed as they obeyed, and headed to see the priests. One, just one, of the ten healed lepers was so grateful that he immediately had to go back to Jesus (Yeshua) and loudly proclaim his profound gratitude. Last year my wife and I toured an old leper colony island called Spiralonga in Crete. What sad lives once walked those hills.  Lepers were outcasts because of their feared physical disease. In Luke’s story, they cried out to Yeshua as they “stood afar off”.  Leprosy would make a person’s body look like something was eating away at it. Disfigurement, abandonment by friends, and isolation all preceded the eventual death.  What a gift this leper had been handed by our Healer.  Let’s pick up the story in Luke 17:15-19. 

Luke 17:11-19

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
17 So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?  18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  19 And He said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well."

This is not just a cute story but for our admonition too.  We can almost feel His disappointment. But not just because they couldn’t take the time to thank HIM, but more likely because He realizes that lack of gratitude hurt them more than the One who should have been hearing their ecstatic thank you”. There’s a book titled “The Art of Gratitude”, a compilation of articles. I recommend it.

WHY is it so important to make it a habit to be grateful – every time, every day, all the time?  I thought about it for a while and came up with these points. There are so many. Why don’t you come up with ten more reasons of your own?

·    Grateful people are just happier people and easier to be around. Ungrateful people are more likely to be sour, dour, and certainly seem less happy.

·    ONLY grateful people will be able to obey the commands to “give thanks in everything” (1 Thess. 5:18) and “for all things” (Eph. 5:20).  (That almost elicits a “duh” response, right?).  But this is actually a huge point.   It’s called the sacrifice of praise, the giving of thanks in all things (Heb. 13:15). How on earth are we going to “give thanks” for all things unless we’ve made giving of thanks a habit?  I preach to myself. I’m still working hard on this point myself.  It’s easy to be grateful when things are going well (although we just read an example of nine lepers who couldn’t express gratitude even for that!).  The real test is gratitude when things appear to be going badly.

Especially when things appear to be going badly, people of faith realize we have a great Shepherd overseeing His flock and everything is happening for a lot of good reasons.  That’s why I say “appear to be going badly”.  And for that, we will be grateful. Paul even says we should be giving thanks for ALL men (1 Tim. 2:1).

·    People of gratitude will therefore also be people more at peace with life. They’ll be at peace with other people, even with their enemies.  They’ll be able to practice being at rest with Yahweh and all He sends and allows in our lives.  Related to peace is trust. Grateful people will also tend to more likely be people of strong faith, who trust their Maker and all He is doing.

·    Grateful people will therefore also see life in positives, and see so much more to be grateful for than the dour souls who always see the worst in life. See Prov. 18:14.  Grateful people are more positive and happier.  These tend to be people who have a ready smile.  I admit, this is something I’ve had to work at. I like everything working right, working smoothly, no hassles – and can get irritated when they don’t.  I’ve found when I practice gratitude, it’s quite alright for things to not always go as planned.  In fact, it makes life more interesting.

·    I suspect grateful people will be far healthier in the long run too. Stress,  anxiety, ingratitude, negativity and bitterness just feed disease.  The Proverbs are full of examples of how a merry heart and a grateful person make for healthy hearts and healthy bones and a longer life (Prov. 15:13; 17:22; 12:25).

I could go on and on. The point is simple:  find the moments when you’ve had your “leprosy” healed.  Look for ways to just start saying “thank you” to at least 10 people a day, and at least 10 times a day in short “thank you prayers” to your Maker.  Write an email of gratitude once a day to someone who impacted you. Call someone once a week just to say “thank you” for all they do. Most of all, thank our amazing Father and Savior.

The cool breeze on a hot day –thank you.  The beautiful butterfly that just fluttered into your consciousness – thank you.  Your husband or wife – thank you. Your children and grandchildren – thank you.  For being single – thank you.  For being married – thank you. For being alive another day – thank you.  Thank you for my good health. Thank you for the test of poor health.  Thank you for my parents. Thank you for my dead parents whom I’ll see in the resurrection.  Thank you for my job.  Thank you for the test of faith and peace when I have no job.  Thank you for my many friends. Thank you for those who despise me. Please help me to love them even more.

Either way, in all things and for all things, thank you Abba, thank you Yeshua.

WHERE is that true One Body of Called-out Ones?

Yeshua broke bread and said, “THIS is my body”.  A couple years ago I gave a series of sermons about the Body of the Messiah, the Church of God, being one body (Eph. 4:4). What is that Body? Where is the Body of Christ today?

Someone recently in discussing the situation referred to the “churches of God”.  I don’t know about you but that struck me as odd.  After all, Jesus, whom I call by his given name Yeshua, did not say “I will build my churches” (Matthew 16:18) but “I will build my CHURCH” – singular.  The word “church” is ekklesia in the Greek, meaning “called out ones”.  It is an assembly, a group.  It has nothing to do with an organization or a building. Somewhere out there are PEOPLE who are His people, who see HIM as their leader and follow His teachings. They love one another and come together in peace. You won’t hear these people attacking other children of Yahweh or really anyone. They are people who know they have been forgiven of a lot, and how then can they disparage anyone else? They are filled with adoration for their Savior, and joyfully praise and worship Him. They can’t stop talking about Him and His ways. 

The Ekklesia then, is ONE body (not a bunch of bodies or churches) (Col. 1:18). Our King is coming to marry ONE Bride, not five or ten or a thousand.  On top of all that, I simply cannot envision our Lord and Master marrying a “Bride” made up of people who – for the most part – want nothing to do with one another.  No way!  No, in fact He teaches us – paraphrased:  “By THIS shall all know you are my disciples, by the fact you love one another so much,  just as I loved you” (John 13:34-35).  But instead, we all too often see Christian church groups NOT loving one another. Instead we see too many believers who call themselves followers of the Savior -- attacking one another, splitting the brethren from other brethren, and basically NOT fulfilling the biggest sign He gave. He had other signs, and I’ll speak on that again soon. But so far – how are we doing as far as proving to everyone that we surely are “his people”?

How do you think Father feels when He sees us, His children, behaving this way?  It certainly doesn’t make me feel happy to know what He is feeling!  Any of you who are a father or mother, or are a grandparent, know what I mean.  How about WE make some changes?  How about we start bringing Abba great joy to see us coming together? How about we keep our Husband-to-be Yeshua happy and get along better with one another?

So here’s how I believe Scripture teaches it. The Body of Christ is composed of any and all who have and are led by His Spirit, wherever they may attend (Romans 8:9, 14-16).  There are other signs of a true believer and I’ll speak on it soon. Be watching for that new audio.  The Body of Christ is the Ekklesia of God, and scripture says His name is Yahweh. I don’t mean an incorporated “church of God’, as there are hundreds of those.

The true “church of God” is not ANY of the incorporated organizations of men – though there may well be many in some of those corporations who are a part of the spiritual one body of Messiah.  Too many of these organizations are being run like a business or enterprise, instead of remembering we are a family;  we are brothers and sisters. We have one leader, and that is Yeshua, the Son of God.  HE is the head of His called-out ones, His one body, His church.  So true believers are always looking to HIM for guidance and direction, not to any man or woman.

Ephesians 4:4-6

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

With this in mind, remember you belong to Christ (Mark 9:41 read it!).  You do not belong to this or that “church of God”, you do not belong to the Catholic church, the Lutheran church, the Nazarenes, or Baptists.  NO.  If you are an obedient believer living by faith, you believe and belong to Him.  Remember that I also believe and teach that a true disciple will also follow His teachings. The word “disciple” comes from “discipline” – teachings, beliefs, instructions. So I keep Sabbath, the holydays, and believe we are to walk as He walked (1 John 2:4-6).  Otherwise, how can I say I “know him”?

If your church organization keeps you away from other believers, or doesn’t let you discuss the Bible openly, or is suing other believers, or doesn’t show love and forgiveness to all people, especially repentant people, or ….  Maybe it’s time to ask our leader where He really wants us.

I have no interest in hearing about who is attacking whom or what they’re saying.  None.  Don’t involve me in it. I do have a ton of interest in hearing how people are being served by Yahweh’s children.  I do perk up when I hear brethren visiting other church groups and not confining themselves to just one organization.

Remember, a church organization is not the “true” church.  That is not the body of Christ. I’m not saying you shouldn’t attend where you attend. I’m saying, realize you have many more scattered brothers and sisters in Christ who meet in other places.

We may not have fully deleavened yet

Warning: most of us probably are not really deleavened this week of Unleavened Bread. In this blog I am going to write about the hardest deleavening, the kind that takes profound commitment.  Even those of us who think we’ve carefully deleavened our homes probably have left the most important deleavening undone. Oh, I’m sure we put out the leavened products, cleaned out the toaster, remembered to empty all the vacuum cleaner bags, and even cleaned out the cars and garage and got it all off-premises by Friday the 6^th of April. We know that Friday evening this year began the high day called the First Day of Unleavened Bread. But for most of us, we still have the most important deleavening to do. In this blog, I’ll explain “the more difficult” deleavening in 3 sections. No, I don’t mean the leaven that is even in the air. It’s much, much tougher leaven to get rid of than that. Don’t misunderstand me. We also physically deleaven at this time of year. But our Master teaches us to beware of certain leaven.  In Matthew 16:5-12, you’ll begin to see what I mean. He told His disciples to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” But he wasn’t even speaking of bread products. He was warning them of the teachings, the doctrines of the Pharisees and Sadducees if you read through verse 12.  The Pharisees were the ultra-strict sect from which we get Paul. The Sadducees were primarily the priests who governed the temple precinct. 

We know that later on there were Pharisees and priests (Acts 6:7) who became believers.  We can also read, however, how some brought with them their previous biases and beliefs (Acts 15:5).  All of us probably are bringing baggage with us from our church upbringing.  These doctrines tend to change, add to or take away from the word of God and what Scripture says. We are not to add or remove one single thing. Many of our teachings give a false premise that lead to error and take us away from the pure truth.

For example, we’ve been perhaps indoctrinated against anything that smacks of the “sacred names” movement, so we recoil against someone teaching that our Creator has a name – YHVH, commonly written as Yahweh, and HE says He wants the whole world to know His name. In fact, in the covenant scripture in Jer. 31:31-34, it is stated the whole world will know Yahweh (not “the LORD” in the original Hebrew).  The majority of Christians do not know the name Yahweh or use it, but they substitute “Lord”.  I have two detailed sermons on this vital topic (see October 2011 on this website).

So what have YOU been taught that is adding to, or taking away from, what Scripture actually says? Maybe you have been taught we don’t need to keep Yahweh’s appointed times or His sabbath. Maybe you think Yahweh got it all wrong, changed His mind and concluded His own commandments were not such a good idea after all.  Really?

Whatever it is, it’s highly likely there are some lingering crumbs of the leaven of false teaching still lurking in our lives and homes.

Second category: Another time, Yeshua said the “leaven of the Pharisees” was hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).  Most understand hypocrisy as teaching or professing one thing but doing another. Unless one’s perfect, unless you always follow through perfectly with what you say you believe, I guess all of us by that definition are hypocrites.

So I find it interesting that Yeshua gave the negative sides of these words: false doctrine and hypocrisy. In contrast, Paul emphasizes the flip side of the same things. Instead of false doctrine, he says truth.  Instead of hypocrisy, he says “sincerity”. Focus on verse 8.  Notice HOW we are to focus our feast.

1 Corinthians 5:6-8

6 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.  8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

So as we go through the week of unleavened bread, be thinking about how real, how sincere, we are. Unleavened bread:  what you see is what you get. No airy puffiness. Flat, humble, small. We need to be “for real”, genuine, nothing fake about what and who we are.  And how faithful are we to the word of God? Remember Yeshua says Father wants to be worshiped in “spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24), just like Paul, right?

Now the hardest deleavening of all.

1 Cor. 5:7 --PURGE OUT, get rid of, the old leaven, SO you CAN be a new lump, since you are unleavened.  What does that mean? When you were deleavening your home, did you try to remove the leaven from the loaves of bread?  Of course not. You can’t. So what did you do? You chucked it all out. Then you went and bought or baked fresh, new bread that was unleavened bread.

This is the hardest deleavening to do. We still try to pick out the sins in our lives one by one as we try to “unleaven” ourselves.  Leaven is most often used as a picture of sin. We can’t un-sin ourselves, or unleaven ourselves.  IF we could, that would become our own righteousness by our own works, and we could boast (Phil. 3:9-11; Eph. 2:8-10).  When we deleavened our homes, we threw out everything leavened. We gave it all up. We have to do the same thing with our lives. We have to give up the old self, the “old man” as Paul calls it, and bury it in baptism. We are supposed to crucify the old self (Gal. 2:20), so people see a real change. The life they now see is not the old “us” – but should be something we’ve never been before. We’re demonstrating the power of the resurrection of Jesus living inside of us.

Paul says later in Colossians 3:3 that “you died. Your life is hidden with Christ in God”.  In verse 4 he refers to “Christ OUR life…”

But even after we have thrown out the old leaven of our old lives, most of us find we really haven’t given it all up. Just like real leaven, sometimes we find some ugly leaven sitting in plain sight. Sometimes we just aren’t ready to really give up everything we know isn’t up to the image of the perfect standards of our Master. Well, it’s time we do. It’s time we wake up and chuck it. I preach to myself first and foremost.  It’s time.

Every Passover, we renew our commitment to let Him in.  We wash feet, partly to picture accepting our need to clean off the dirt we picked up on our walk over the past year.

It’s time to invite Yeshua into our lives to truly be our Master, our Lord, our Savior, our Ruler, our Husband, our King.  It’s time to open the door of our lives to Him and let Him in, as He is indeed knocking on our door. Ask Him for the gift of His righteousness and to come live in us again. When He does, He intends to live obediently through you and in you, just as He did the first time.  Now when people watch you, they should be watching the risen Christ demonstrate the Kingdom Way of life.  I’ve got a ways to go yet.  How about you?

So – to have our lives and homes perfectly deleavened:
•    Remove the leaven of false teaching/doctrine
•    Be real. Nothing pretentious, insincere or hypocritical about our lives.
•    Our entire life is really HIS life in us. We chucked out the old self and the life we now live is Messiah living His life in us. Oh how I wish I would let go of my old self and it’s “leavening”, and let Him live!

A perfectly deleavened life is one where Christ lives perfectly, where Messiah rules always, where people are hearing HIS words with every word we speak, and watching HIS actions in everything we do -- always.

So I still have some deleavening to do.  How about you?  So what leaven in our lives have we not given up yet, that we need to give up?  Let’s purge the old leaven and KEEP this feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. HE is truth. He is the Way. He is our new life.

I recommend you review the sermons on The Righteousness of God series, given in November/December 2010.

Day of Firstfruits

 As I write this on Sunday, April 8, 2012 – it happens to also be Ishtar Sunday and so as a result, believers in Yahweh may be minimizing what should be a glorious day. OK, most people pronounce it “Easter”, but even casual research will show that Easter originated with the worship of the goddess of sex and fertility.  Hence the Easter eggs and Easter bunny.  But because some of us see this for what it is, we have to be extra careful not to ignore this very special “day after the sabbath” during the Passover season.  Check out my sermon on this.  In this blog, I just want to be sure to remind my readers that we should acknowledge this day before Yahweh in solemn and thankful prayer. Though it is not a holy day, it is indeed a very, very special day. 

On this day our Savior ascended to Abba, our dear heavenly father, to be accepted as the first of the firstfruits of the spiritual harvest.  This is an epochal day.  He was resurrected exactly after being “three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” as He said, just before sundown the end of Sabbath (Matthew 12:39-40).  Even if we count just portions of a day as a whole day, we cannot find three nights in a Friday night burial and a Sunday morning resurrection.  My sermon will explain it in more detail. Either He is the Messiah and fulfilled the one sign He gave, or not. 

I believe He fulfilled it to the minute.

 Matthew 12:38-40

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."

39 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 

The eve of the 15^th of Abib is a full moon. The full moon on the 15^th in 30 AD was a Wednesday night. Wednesday was the preparation day for the next day, which would be a High Day, a special annual sabbath, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (John 19:31). He was placed into the tomb Wednesday just before sunset (Luke 23:54).  By Sunday morning the tomb was already empty.  Of course! Because 3 days and three nights later would be Sabbath just before sunset.  So when the women checked the tomb Sunday morning, it was empty already. An angel earlier had rolled back the stone to the terror of the Roman guards (Matthew 28:1-9), so by the time they got there, He had long before already left the tomb.  Hallelujah!

Jesus Christ, whom I usually call by His given Hebrew name Yeshua, appears first to Mary Magdalene upon His resurrection. It was early the “first of the sabbaths” or “the first of the weeks”, as this day is the first day of the omer count to Pentecost/Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks.

Young’s Literal Translation has it like this:

John 20:1

And on the first of the sabbaths, Mary the Magdalene doth come early (there being yet darkness) to the tomb, and she seeth the stone having been taken away out of the tomb…

I am confident He rose to our Father and our God (John 20:17) at precisely the moment the high priest was raising the “omer” of finely ground barley flour to be accepted as the firstfruits of the new barley harvest.  HE is called “Christ the firstfruits” in 1 Cor. 15:23. Check out my sermon for full details.

What is translated “sheaves” or “sheaf” in English is from the Hebrew “omer”.  It could be translated either as standing stalks/sheaves – or as a unit of measure, about 2 quarts. In practice, they didn’t wave stalks or sheaves but a bowl of finely ground barley flour. This batch was to be accepted in behalf of the rest of the barley harvest.  Yeshua had to first rise to Father to be accepted in OUR behalf.  Read Lev. 23:9-12 carefully, especially verse 11. On this day, though it’s not a holyday, it is wavesheaf day.  It is firstfruits day.  Shavuot/Pentecost is also a Feast of First Fruits but today is the day honoring Yeshua, the “first of the first fruits” (Exodus 23:19 and 34:26; 1 Cor. 15:23). 

In a few days many of us will be observing the Passover.  In this blog, I just want to encourage as many as possible, to have a Family Passover instead of the corporate Passover so many do. I’m glad we have more and more people keeping Passover, regardless of how or when you feel led to keep it. It beats the alternative (see my last blog). 

What’s a “Family Passover”?  Just as it sounds. Instead of going to a service led by one man doing a monologue with everyone else as silent spectators in a row-by-row service reminiscent of a funeral, let’s get back to doing it the way it is described throughout Scripture: in your homes, with your family and extended family. Don’t forget to invite the singles and widows and those without believing family members. 

First of all, some reminders: the term “Passover” is specifically referring to the 14th day of the Hebrew first month when the lamb was killed. It later came to refer to the entire spring feast Days of Unleavened Bread, though the Passover lamb was killed on the 14th, and eaten later that evening. In Ezekiel 45:21 for example, we read -- “the Passover, a feast of seven days”.  

Numbers 28:16-17 make it clear that the Passover is considered the 14th day, and the first holyday of Unleavened Bread is on the 15th.  The day Christ our Passover died as the Passover Lamb of God (1 Cor. 5:7) was on the daytime portion of 14th of Abib at 3 pm (Mark 15:34-37).  The daytime portion of the 14th was considered a preparation day for the High Day meal and holyday which began that night, the eve of the 15th to the end of the 15th of the Hebrew first month. 
Again, the objective of this blog is to encourage you have a family-style Passover rather than go to a large group or corporate-church style Passover.  The first official Passover in Exodus 12 was for families to select a perfect kid or lamb on the 10th, keep it to the 14th and then roast it and totally consume it in the evening. Nothing was to be left until morning. It was a family event.  They didn’t go to the church building or the big rec hall rented by the church and have the Passover. No, they were home, with family.  Of course all Israel was really one family grown large, but Yahweh’s instructions were to keep this very special time in smaller groups, within houses (read Exodus 12:1-11).  True, once the temple was built, the nation came together to keep Passover in Jerusalem—but again, they had temple services, but the Passover meal and ceremonies were done with family units, in homes or tents. The men, women and children were often there, as we read even of Jesus’ family (Luke 2:41-44).  Sometimes only the men could go. 

Even in New Covenant times, the ekklesia, the called-out ones, are a family and we are to see each other as family.  But even here, the early assemblies met in people’s homes according to many scriptures (such as Romans 16:5 and 1 Cor. 16:19 among many).  Now that many of us do not have families who believe in keeping the holydays and Passover, many of you can’t have families celebrating together. Some may be by themselves, or widowed, or single – or some may even be disallowed into some groups’ fellowship, as was the blind man in John 9. We who have families should be on the lookout for such people and welcome them to our home (assuming we know the people and the fruit of their lives).  We can read how we are to celebrate these feasts with families and remember the orphans and strangers while we’re at it. 

We can read that Yeshua’s family went as a family up to Jerusalem to keep the Passover (read Luke 2:41-44, and you see it was an extended family). Obviously, this is referring to the entire spring feast as is also alluded to in Ezek 45:21, as Luke 2 speaks of “when the days were over”.  But my point is, the family stayed together for the Passover and observed it together. 

I think when we have believing family members in the same general local area, we should strive to keep this Passover service together. So what does a New Covenant Passover service look like when kept by a family together?  Well, when we read any of the passages about Passover in scripture, there was a meal, including at Yeshua’s last Passover. His Passover did not resemble the Passover of Exodus 12 in many ways, and neither did His Passover resemble what so many do today. 
For example:  In Exodus 12, they ate it while standing, with sandals on their feet, rod in hand, ready to leave quickly. In Yeshua’s last Passover they were reclining, relaxed, having very animated conversations -- and their sandals were off their feet (He washed their feet, remember). 

Then Yeshua instituted the emblems of the New Covenant Passover – the footwashing, and the blessing/eating of the broken bread and wine (Matthew 26:26-30).  The traditional blessing over the broken bread includes thanking Yahweh, King of Universe … and for providing us Bread from the earth.  Without realizing it, could it be that Jews were including a prophecy of Yeshua’s resurrection from the earth, as the true bread of life?  Many Church of God Passovers are formal services that have the footwashing and a formal recital of the scripture then the sharing of the broken bread and wine in a very formal and solemn service.  In most of those meetings, there are no children and there is no discussion, conversation and certainly no meal. I just don’t see it that way in Scripture. We need to restore family-based Passovers among believers. 

I know in Exodus 12, only males who were circumcised could participate (Ex. 12:43-49), whether native born or foreigner, one rule for all.  But the whole family was involved.  In the New Covenant, circumcision is now of the heart, and not of the flesh (Romans 2:28-29). Paul was emphatic that the uncircumcised did NOT need to be circumcised (1 Cor. 7:18-19; Gal. 5:2-3).  We do understand that those eating the bread and wine and washing feet should be the spiritually circumcised; i.e., those who are baptized and have God’s Spirit, walking the new walk.  But does that preclude children being present to observe what is going on? No. 

So the family Passover I am teaching is that you get your family and extended family together, and start with a meal in your own home.  Yeshua has already been sacrificed as s the Lamb of God, so I see no reason to have to eat lamb. Because there is no temple or priesthood to approve the lambs, even Jews do not eat lamb at Passover today. Just have a meal with joyous conversation as we explain to our children how the Lamb of God paid the penalty for our sins and shortcomings and what a joy it is to realize that. As you end dinner, it would be good to remind the children that the baptized adults now will do the footwashing and eat the broken matzah and drink of the cup of wine. Again, I don’t see this as a period of someone doing a monologue.  Ex 12 and other passages show the children were asking questions and involved. They were present. 

I believe in a special annual Passover service of breaking of bread and drinking of wine – preceded by a self-examination and then partaking – as the end of 1 Cor. 11 explains. Some believe this is done each Sabbath, at each “potluck”.  But the Passover is a “memorial” of Christ’s Passover and death. Memorials are typically on an anniversary date, in this case, the 14th of Hebrew month Abib. 

The host male could begin and lead the session, perhaps encouraging others to read pertinent passages of scripture as well and have brief discussions relevant to what is being read.  Encourage discussion, rather than someone doing a monologue.  In fact, why not let the older children read some of the scriptures too, and get them involved that way as well?  In Exodus 12:24-27, we clearly read that children will be asking questions and we should be answering those questions, with them present.  Certainly Jews do this in their Seder services with the questions asked by the children.  In New Covenant times, I think only baptized and converted adults who have made the commitment required at baptism, should be eating the broken bread and drinking of the wine.  But, the children are present.  At the end, everyone sings some joyful hymns of deliverance together as we praise Yahweh for His Yeshua – which means Salvation.  So we thank God for Yeshua, our Savior.  It should be upbeat, joyful – and a family event if at all possible.