Category: Contend for the Faith

Pressing in to a deeper understanding of what it looks like to walk with Yahoshua (Jesus) daily.

Halloween, Jack-O-Lanterns, and the Christian Call to Be Set Apart

Halloween, Jack-O-Lanterns, and the Christian Call to Be Set Apart

In one of my letter conversations that I had with two Mormon Missionaries I mentioned the story of the gourd. It was inspired by a telling of a personal antidote from a speaker at a conference that I attended. The speaker was an African missionary, and he told a story of his first trip to America. It was in October and the celebration of Halloween was in full swing. Coincidentally, it was also October this time around when I had the honor of hearing him speak.

On his missionary journey here to the Americas he was speaking at various churches and conferences. Informing the western church of what was happening in the African church. On his first trip ever to America, specifically the United States, he was traveling with the host pastor of the conference. They went to visit a few of the folks who were unable to get to church for various reasons.

At several of the stops there was Halloween decor on the outside of the home, including carved pumpkins, otherwise known as Jack-O-Lanterns. The missionary didn’t say anything, keeping quiet about the pumpkins and Halloween decor. It was when they arrived at the pastors house and the missionary saw pumpkins on pastor’s doorstep that the missionary finally succumbed to his emotions.

His countenance shown in his face, that of a man of sorrow. The pastor asked him what was the matter? To which the missionary said, “I cannot believe that Christians in America, would light the gourd. The pastor brushed it off as though the missionary just didn’t understand American culture and that this tradition was simply harmless fun.

I didn’t have full context when I heard this story. In fact had you asked me of my opinion on Halloween before walking in to hear the missionary I probably would have sounded like the host pastor. But something struck me hearing the missionary recount the story. That year I told my family we weren’t going to carve the pumpkins that we had already purchased. We didn’t and I haven’t since.

As I studied more on the subject I discovered the source of the missionaries grief. And I understood the severity of appearances. Psalm 1 is as good of place as any (there are plenty to turn to) to capture the essence of what the missionary and now I feel.

Psalm 1

1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the Instruction of Yahweh, and on His law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does. 4 Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For Yahweh guards the path of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

The ties of the gourd to witchcraft, witchdoctors, and secret society are numerous. Here’s just a snapshot. These examples come from the History Channel, and the Encyclopedia Brittanica websites.

Concerning the missionary and his grief over the lighted gourd I found this information particularly enlightening. While a “lighted gourd tax” is not a continent-wide anthropological term, the missionary was likely describing a localized practice from regions and countries of West Africa (e.g., Nigeria, Cameroon) or the Congo Basin. If my memory serves me here it is my recollection that he was indeed from the Congo; but I am not exactly sure.

  • The Spiritual “Tax” (Tribute): In many historical contexts, certain powerful secret societies (like the Ekpe or Leopard Societies in West Africa) or corrupt spiritual practitioners operated as shadow governments, this included witchdoctors who were considered spiritual leaders.
  • The Tribute: They demanded regular tributes of food, livestock, or goods from villages. If a village or household refused to pay, they were threatened with curses, illnesses, or physical raids by the society’s masked enforcers.
  • The Gourd as a Receipt: Dried gourds (calabashes) were widely used as containers for sacred medicine, charms, or shrines. These were specifically used in witchcraft, occult practices, and by witchdoctors. When a family or village paid their required tribute, the witchdoctor would often leave a designated charm or marked item at the entrance of the compound.
  • A traditional oil lamp: Hollowed-out gourds were frequently used as primitive lanterns or oil lamps. Placing a lit gourd lamp outside a dwelling served as a visible, night-time receipt showing the compound was under the “protection” of the witchdoctor and should not be harassed.

Now knowing this information wouldn’t change much of a western christian’s mind. Especially one who enjoys the spirit of Halloween. The argument could be made that this is a cultural expression separate from western culture all together. But do most ‘christians’ know the origins of the pumpkin, also known as a Jack-O-Lantern? Again, the following examples are taken from the History Channel and the Encyclopedia Brittanica websites.

Halloween’s Jack-O-Lantern

  • The tradition of the jack-o’-lantern comes from an Irish folktale about a mischievous man named “Stingy Jack” and ancient Celtic harvest customs.
  • Trickster’s Fate: According to Irish folklore, Stingy Jack tricked the Devil multiple times. When Jack died, God refused him entry into heaven, and the Devil—keeping his promise not to claim Jack’s soul—turned him away from hell as well.
  • The Wandering Ember: The Devil sent Jack into the dark night with only a burning coal for light. Jack placed the coal inside a hollowed-out turnip and has been condemned to roam the Earth ever since, becoming known as “Jack of the Lantern”
  • Samhain Festival: The custom is tied to the ancient Gaelic festival of Samhain, when people believed the boundary between the living and the dead is blurred.
  • Moving to America: During the 1840s Great Potato Famine, Irish and Scottish immigrants brought the tradition to North America.
  • Why Pumpkins: Immigrants discovered that American pumpkins were much larger, softer, and easier to carve than turnips. The carved pumpkin quickly evolved into a staple decoration of modern Halloween. Even taking on the name Jack-O-Lantern.

With all the other aspects of Halloween, the idea that westernized christianity is ok it baffles me. Although, I also see its allure since for most of my life I also celebrated it. However, once the veil was removed from my eyes there was no way I could justify my compromising belief. My hypocritical belief to be more specific. Since then my love for Yahoshua has only grown with a desire to live for Him.

As Yahoshua said, “The greatest commandment is this: To love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” To share any part of that with anything remotely evil, pagan, or of the occult, is unthinkable. Still, Yahoshua didn’t stop there He continued, “And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. And all the Torah and Prophets hang on these two.”

How can I say that I love God and participate in a man made tradition. Even more, one that is so intertwined with evil it can’t separated which leads to compromise. Moreover, how can I say I love my neighbor while causing they to stumble. Living in a place of compromise does not show compassion to the lost. No, if anything it sets up a lifestyle of compromise that makes it easier to turn to worldly tradition than to God’s Instruction.

Part of living in Covenant with Elohim is abstaining from evil, shunning it really. God does not play around. Is He patient? Yes! Is He forgiving? Absolutely! Is He unchanging? You better believe it! Hebrews 13:8 tells us, “Yahoshua Messiah, is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Yahoshua, is the Word made flesh, He is the Living Torah, the Manifestation of God’s Instruction. And Yahoshua says:

21Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Adonai, Adonai,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Adonai, Adonai, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’

That word lawlessness, is to say, ‘without Torah. So to be clear, Yahoshua says, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who are without Torah.” Which brings us back to Psalm 1.

1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the Instruction of Yahweh, and on His law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does. 4 Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For Yahweh guards the path of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

It is time to come back to the Feasts of God and turn from the traditions of man, including all of mans pagan rooted holidays.

Keep Reading: Samhain, Halloween and the Church: Testing Tradition by Scripture

You are loved, cj

The Remnant, the Narrow Way, and the New Covenant in Messiah

The Remnant, the Narrow Way, and the New Covenant in Messiah

“On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark” (Genesis 7:13)

What does a remnant look like? To answer that we first need to know what the word remnant means. According to Dictionary.com it is: a remaining, usually small part, quantity, number, or the like . . . a surviving trace or vestige, as of a former era. In the narrative of Noah and the Ark a remnant was eight people. Along with pairs of animals of every kind, seven pairs of clean and one pair of unclean. A remnant is very small.

What did Noah have that the other people did not? Was it Noah alone that secured his family? The narrative indicates that it was Noah and that because of Noah his family was also saved. So then was the remnant one?

“So Yahweh said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.’ BUT Noah found favor in the eyes of Yahweh.” Genesis 6:7-8

Yahoshua said, “As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:37). To be fair in this reference He was speaking primarily of preparedness. However, one cannot help but wonder if also there isn’t a deeper meaning being revealed between the lines. Yahoshua, is our Ark of Salvation. It is through Him that we find Favor in the eyes of the Father. Not of our own works but simply through the work of the Messiah. Much like Noah’s family. It was Noah who found favor in the eye’s of Yahweh, and it was Noah’s family that chose to listen. They chose obedience in following their father.

For a hundred years Noah and his family built the Ark and the people scoffed. Had they listened, would they have been counted in the remnant? Had they chosen to fear Yahweh and turn from their wickedness, would they have been counted worthy of the remnant? I only ask the question, I do not have an answer given the absolute corruption of the time. Much like Sodom and Gomorrah, was Lot righteous or was it because of Abraham that Lot and his family were spared? And in that, it wasn’t all of Lot’s family for his son’s-in-law scoffed at him and he fled with only his wife and two daughters. Lot’s wife didn’t even make it because she turned back.

Yahoshua, is revealed not only as the Anointed One, but as the Son of Elohim. His obedience even to death on a tree. Paul writes to the Philippians, “And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a tree.” Of which I remind you, was not deserved, but rather He exchanged His life, His righteousness, His favor for our life, our sins, our condemnation.

Even still, it seems that only a remnant will be saved, because only a remnant chooses obedience. But some will quote Pauls letter to the Romans. They will point out it isn’t by works but by grace. Let’s look at the passage so many like to point to . . .

“I ask, then, has God rejected His people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3“Adonai, they have killed Your prophets, they have demolished Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” (Romans 11:1-6)

Yahweh says, “I have kept for Myself . . .” He is the author and finisher of faith, but does that remove us and our decisions from the equation? Absolutely NOT! We are still faced with a choice to follow or not to follow. We are still faced with the fork in the road, in one direction there is a wide easy road with many a traveler on it. And in the other direction, a narrow path, with only a few travelers. You see there is still a choice, obedience or not, walking in the spirit or walking in the flesh.

The choice Lot’s wife made to disobey the instruction of fleeing Sodom, she turned back and was turned to a pillar of salt. She chose disobedience. Even Noah’s son who made it on the Ark was later cursed. He wasn’t honoring, he wasn’t obedient. He chose dishonor and suffered for it not only Ham but his descendants. “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.” (Genesis 9:25)

The remnant which is small is based on obedience to the instructions of Elohim. As Paul writes to the Romans of broken branches and grafted in branches it is those who choose to walk in the kindness of Elohim; which is to say, to walk in covenant. Everything is by covenant, hence the term New Covenant. Which is only new in the sense that it is now written on our hearts and on our minds. And we are given a helper, the Holy Spirit, to help us walk it out. To guid us on the narrow road.

“17But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 

21For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you. 22Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.” (Romans 11:17-23)

What then does it mean to walk in His kindness? To not be proud, but fear? How often is it written, “the Fear of Adonai is the beginning of wisdom”? Job which is believed by some to predate all of scripture, meaning that it was written even before Moses records Elohim’s Torah. His instruction to His people, of which, as we just read, we are grafted into as gentile believers, or re-grafted in as natural branches by faith. Faith being active, for more on that read this post here: Understanding Faith: Beyond Belief and Action. (Note: Some Rabbinic traditions attribute Job to Moses.)

Regardless of when it was written or who wrote it, it is an ancient writing. A writing in which the author attributes Job to saying, “Behold, the fear of Adonai, that is wisdom and to turn away from evil is understanding.” (Job 28:28) Turning from evil is a choice, fearing Elohim, is also a choice and it is required.

It is required of the remnant of Israel and it is required of those who would choose to be grafted into Israel. There is only one covenant and it is made with Israel, for Israel, and the only way to become a part of it is to join with Israel. The New Covenant remnant. It is no longer a nation, as we define a nation today it is a people of God that choose Yahweh’s instruction, fear, reverence, and the turning from the wickedness of this present age.

There is a second exodus spoken of in Scripture when Elohim will gather His people, both the natural branches that walk in His kindness by Faith, and those foreigners, gentile believers. Who by Faith choose to honor the Father by living in the fruit of the Spirit and not the acts of the flesh.

Will you choose the remnant? Will you choose the narrow way? Will you choose to enter the new covenant? These are the questions only you can answer, choose wisely, as eternity, your eternity and perhaps by implication, the eternity of your family depends on it.

You are loved,

cj

Walking the Ancient Paths: Preparing Your Lamp for His Coming

Walking the Ancient Paths: Preparing Your Lamp for His Coming

Do you have enough oil in your lamp? Gas prices are on the rise because the supply is down. War has caused a blockade resulting in shortages in available oil. The world is in turmoil and has been in a tumultuous state for some time. Does this mean we are near the end, is the world at a tipping point? Surely it has been like this before. History reveals wars and famines and great natural calamity. What makes this time different? Try having this conversation with a non-believer or a general skeptic and you will find them saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?”

Peter writes this very thing. In 2 Peter 3:3-4 he writes; “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.‘” Are we living in the time of scoffers? Haven’t scoffers always been around?

Ecclesiastes 1:9 says it best; “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Does this mean that time is just one giant loop with no end? John who writes Revelation tells us there is coming a time of great struggle and calamity, the likes of which have never been seen before. A world wide catastrophic sequence of events. How does one prepare for such a time? Do you have enough oil to see you through the darkest time in history?

Luckily, the oil being talked about here isn’t found in the ground, it isn’t suffering from shortages, nor effected by blockades. War will not defeat it nor skeptics denials hinder it. The oil is available in abundance for everyone but few seek the source. Many claim to seek the source but they don’t want the commitment so they say it with their mouths but their hearts are far from. Yahoshua said, “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.” (Matthew 15:8-9)

The passage Yahoshua is drawing from is Isaiah 29:13 – “And YHWH said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, while their hearts are far from Me, and their fear of Me is a commandment taught by men.” Where is the disconnect? Why the contempt for the Way of Yahoshua, who we are told to imitate. This would include keeping the Sabbaths as He did, the Feasts of YHWH as He did, the Commandments and Statutes of the Father . . . as He did.

Jeremiah prophesied of a time such as this when he recorded the words of YHWH. “This is what YHWH says, “Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths: ‘Where is the good way?’ Then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” Still even after YHWH says this He tells us the response of the people. “But they said, ‘We will not walk in it!’” How is it that the modern church has lost its discernment for the ways of Elohim? How have they fallen so far into their own traditions of men? Why do they cry out every Sunday, “We will not walk in it!?

YHWH continues speaking through Jeremiah, “I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen for the sound of the ram’s horn.’” Currently as I write this we are in the midst of the Fall Feasts, Yom Teruah has passed and Yom Kippur is a few days away. The Trumpets called us to attention, reflection and repentance, the atonement for our sins IS conditional upon our repentance and acceptance of the promise of forgiveness and new life in Messiah. IF we live as He lived. Not in our own strength or perfection or righteousness but through the power of the Holy Spirit who causes us to walk out the Covenant with Elohim the Father. Yet still as YHWH spoke through Jeremiah, “But they answered, ‘We will not listen!’

We who follow the ancient paths are not earning our salvation by keeping the Commands of Elohim. We are not earning but responding in love to the Creator of all things, “Yes, and Amen, to Your Ways, by Your grace, You have made away for us. Help us to walk the ancient paths that we might honor You, Adonai our King.”

It is time to wake up, it is time to hear the trumpets call, to go and buy oil for your lamps. For the groom is approaching and it is time for the bride to make herself ready. Do not ignore the call and find yourself unprepared.

“But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him. ’Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. ’But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves. ’And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Adonai, Adonai, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Matthew 25:6-13

You are loved,
cj

Understanding Rosh Hashanah: A Guide to Yom Teruah

Understanding Rosh Hashanah: A Guide to Yom Teruah

Today on the modern Jewish calendar marks, Rosh Hashanah. The Jewish new year. They have incorporated it into Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets. It is the only Biblical Feast that does not have a known day or hour as it is marked by the sighting of the first sliver of the moon or the waxing crescent. Teruah, in Hebrew means to cry-out, Shout loudly, and sound the trumpet. It is a call to attention! The fall Feast days have arrived and it begins with a call to attention, and a focus on repentance until the day of atonement, Yom Kippur, now 10 days away. Modern Judaism has removed the waiting and marked a generally close proximity start to Rosh Hashanah.

Rosh Hashanah, or Head of the Year. They call it the new year even though quite clearly the Torah calls this Feast Yom Teruah, and places it in the seventh month. Pesach, or Passover, is in Nisan which is the first month of the year according to Torah. They still use it to call in a time of reflection to begin the (spiritual) new year with repentance but obedience is found in the little things. And it is easy, if one isn’t paying attention to lose sight of the little things and thereby missing the entire thing altogether.

In my daily reading of Scripture I am in 1 Samuel. In chapter eight verses six through nine the people ask for a king and Elohim responds to their request by telling Samuel, “But when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us,’ their demand was displeasing in the sight of Samuel; so he prayed to YHWH. And YHWH said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their King. Just as they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to their voice; but you must solemnly warn them and show them the manner of the king who will reign over them.”

When I began waking up to Torah and to Faith in Yahoshua as well as obedience to the commandments of Elohim. As Revelation 14:12 says: “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Yahoshua (Jesus).” I started by reading and reading and reading the Torah. What is the history being told. When you understand its history and the arch of faith the people of Israel were on you can better understand that the modern church is essentially on this same arch. We have brushed aside the commands of God for the traditions of men. We have demanded our own way and by so doing have rejected God, the one who has brought us out of spiritual bondage.

And even still we are unhappy. Look at the rest of the lesson found in 1 Samuel. Just a few chapters later, ten verse twenty-seven we read: “But some worthless men said, ‘How can this man save us?’ So they despised him and brought him no gifts; but Saul remained silent about it.” God gave them the king they demanded and still they were not happy. Are we not often of the same mind. We pray and pray for answers, and when the answer is given we are still unhappy with the answer.

God has told us in His Word when the Feasts are and what they are meant to accomplish. Yet, modern Judaism has changed their meanings and essentially the timing. The modern church has thrown them out entirely for man made traditions of Christmas, the celebration of Jesus’ birth and coming to dwell with us. Which is the very celebration of the Feast of Booths or Feast of Tabernacles, the last of the Fall Feasts. They have chosen Easter over Passover discarding the very meal they claim to take in remembrance of Him.

Both of these are marks of a rebellious spirit of which we are warned of in Scripture multiple times. Daniel 7:25 says; “He will speak out against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High, intending to change the appointed times and laws; and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time.” ‘He’ who Daniel is referring to is the lawless one, the Anti-Messiah or Anti-Christ. The coming of the lawless one, as we read in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 is marked by, well lawlessness, which is to say without Torah.

“The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder, and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie, in order that judgment may come upon all who have disbelieved the truth and delighted in wickedness.” What is the TRUTH, God’s Word is Truth. John 17:17 – “Set them apart for holiness by means of the truth – Your Word is TRUTH.” These are the words Yahoshua prayed before being hung on a tree. And wickedness which they delight are the very acts committed outside of Torah.

Here is the stated instruction for the Feast of Trumpets or Yom Teruah in Leviticus 23:23-25 – “YHWH Adonai also said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly announced by trumpet blasts. You must not do any regular work, but you are to present a food offering to YHWH.’” Later in Numbers 29:1-6 we read:

“On the first day of the seventh month, you are to hold a sacred assembly, and you must not do any regular work. This will be a day for you to sound the trumpets. As a pleasing aroma to YHWH, you are to present a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old, all unblemished, together with their grain offerings of fine flour mixed with oil—three-tenths of an ephah with the bull, two-tenths of an ephah with the ram, and a tenth of an ephah with each of the seven male lambs. Include one male goat as a sin offering to make atonement for you. These are in addition to the monthly and daily burnt offerings with their prescribed grain offerings and drink offerings. They are a pleasing aroma, a food offering to YHWH.”

There are other references throughout the Tenakh of Yom Teruah or the Feast of Trumpets as well. Ezra 3:1-6 and Nehemiah 8:1-12 and a poetic reference in Psalm 81:3. There is also a coming significance to the Feast of Trumpets. Just as Adonai fulfilled the Spring Feasts through the Death and Resurrection of our Messiah Yahoshua, so the Fall Feasts will mark His coming again. This time not as suffering servant but as Adonai and King!

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
“For Adonai Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Messiah will be the first to rise. After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet Adonai in the air. And so we will always be with Adonai.”

1 Corinthians 15:51-53
“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must be clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.“

These are not Jewish Feasts, these are Biblical Feasts, they are indeed Elohim’s Feasts and they are for both the Israelite and the foreigner who dwells among them. Those who call on the name of Yahoshua are grafted into the root and that roots foundation is Elohim’s Word which taken in its entirety is not an unbearable yoke but freedom from sin and death.

Take up the Word of Truth and discover all that it has for you in keeping the Feasts of Elohim.

You are loved,
cj

Historical Events Modern Application: Joshua and the Battle of Jericho

Historical Events Modern Application: Joshua and the Battle of Jericho

One of my favorite historical events in Scripture is the ‘Battle of Jericho‘. It has always sparked interest into the idea of what it truly means to follow the instruction of God. Joshua, was instructed to lead Israel into battle against the city of Jericho. However, the military tactic employed seems a bit suspect. Joshua 6 is where we read the instructions for battle. Circle the city once a day for six days then on the seventh day circle it seven times. At which point instruct the priests to blow the trumpets, the people to shout, and in this there will be victory? I am no military expert but this doesn’t seem like a winning strategy. Often there are historical accounts that leave humanity scratching their heads. This is one of them. What I think is often missed by many, due to the arbitrary barriers set up to make our Bibles more easily navigable, is what preceded the instruction we read in Joshua 6.

Obedience or disobedience is the trigger. At the end of Joshua 5. Israel had just crossed the Jordan River and were healing from circumcision. They were now also preparing to battle Jericho. “One day, when Joshua was there by Jericho, he raised his eyes and looked; and in front of him stood a man with his drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went over to him and asked him, ‘Are you on our side or on the side of our enemies?’ ‘No,’ he replied, ‘but I am the commander of Adonai’s army; I have come just now.‘” Here is an interaction with an intriguing question. Joshua asks, “Are you on our side or on the side of our enemies?”

Depending on your translation the response from the Commander of Yah’s Army is; ‘Neither’, ‘No’, ‘Nay’, or ‘Truly’. The word being translated is the Hebrew word לֹא – lôʼ – or לֹה lôh; an easy pronunciation is ‘low’. In Hebrew, Aramaic and other poetic languages, word order changes the definition, causing meaning to alter. Sometimes slightly and other times dramatically. In this instance if we look at the variables there are a few defining words that are being overlooked. Those words being, otherwise, whether, and nought. Each of these possibilities relay a message to the question at hand, which is or was, “Are you on our side or on the side of our enemies?” The word I find most fascinating is nought.

His response, “Nought, but I am the commander of Adonai’s army . . .” This is easily glanced over because the chapter comes to a close and in our trained minds we close the chapter and enter the next. Connect, yes, but separate, new thoughts enter and because the poetic nature of the original language is lost we lose the deeper meaning. Even if it is subtly there in the shadows. Nought, from early English, means nothing, a zero sum. However, it is also, whether or otherwise. In this defining moment the Commander of God’s Army is there to instruct and now the variable ‘IF’ comes into play.

Somewhere along the way the modern church has taken walking in obedience to works. And in that definition has labeled work as bad, grace as good, and if obedience is work, then disobedience must by reason mean grace. Can you imagine what would have happen if Joshua had the same modern understanding to God’s instruction? Joshua would have went back to the people of Israel and said, “Ok, the plan is we do nothing because obedience is work and works are bad, so we will be disobedient because disobedience is grace.” Yikes, Jericho doesn’t fall and Israel continues to wander the desert.

You see Nought, Otherwise, Whether; these words tell a story. If you will obey Adonai, you will defeat the enemy and will enter the promise land. The Commander wasn’t say, “No, I am neither here for you nor them.” He was saying in a poetic way which Joshua, a Hebrew would have understood, “If you obey, than I have been commanded to fight for you, but if not than I have been commanded to standby.” Neither for or against but an observer.

Let’s draw on another story which occurs after Jericho has fallen. Joshua is obedient, relays the instruction of Adonai to the people. The people follow the instruction. The Commander of Elohim’s Army, deployed his troops, the walls of Jericho come crumbling down. Israel is victorious. However, one Israelite, Achan, of the tribe of Judah, disobey’s the fullness of the command. He takes from the bounty Adonai said not to. Now when the Israelites go up against Ai they are pushed back and defeated. What happen? Adonai tells Joshua this in the 7th Chapter . . .

“But Adonai said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned; they have transgressed My covenant that I commanded them, and they have taken some of what was devoted to destruction. Indeed, they have stolen and lied, and they have put these things with their own possessions. This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies.“

Clearly, we see what is at stake when it comes to being obedient to the commandments of God and remaining in covenant with Him. The importance is not lost in the New Covenant found in Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and later quoted in Hebrews. What has changed is the punishment for disobedience. What was the punishment Achan suffered? Well, after he confesses his sin Achan is put to death.

“So Joshua said to Achan, ‘My son, give glory to Adonai, the God of Israel, and make a confession to Him. I urge you to tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me. “It is true,” Achan replied, “I have sinned against Yahweh, the God of Israel. This is what I did: When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.’”

Today under the New Covenant, we are no longer under the penalty of sin if we are in Messiah Yahoshua. Instead we are under the Covenant of Grace. Our penalty is paid, but this doesn’t render the Covenant void, by NO MEANS! Rather, by grace we have been saved to walk in the covenant, the commands, ordinances and statutes of Adonai without the fear of death, when we brake His commandments. You see, when we sin, we confess and are forgiven under the new covenant but under the old covenant confession did not lead to a commuting of the death sentence as we read in the account of Achan.

“So Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent, and there it all was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. They took the things from inside the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and spread them out before Adonai.Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the cloak, the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his oxen and donkeys and sheep, his tent, and everything else he owned, and brought them to the Valley of Achor. “Why have you brought this trouble upon us?” said Joshua. “Today Adonai will bring trouble upon you!” And all Israel stoned him to death. Then they stoned the others and burned their bodies. And they heaped over Achan a large pile of rocks that remains to this day. So Adonai turned from His burning anger. Therefore that place is called the Valley of Achor to this day.”

Praise be to Adonai that through Yahoshua Messiah we have the forgiveness of sin. Not that we are free to live in sin. But that we walk in freedom, knowing that if we sin trying to walk out obedience, we remain under grace. We only need to repent from our sin, and return to Gods way, return to His instruction, His Torah.

Don’t listen to me but the Word. My hope is that my letters lead you to study the Word not man. Put down the commentary, the latest book by your favorite preacher/teacher and get into the Word. Learn languages, not that you have to become bilingual or multilingual but study its grammar, structure, meanings, to discover the poetic nature of Gods writings so that you can grow in understanding. “Knowing that ALL of Scripture is profitable for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.” As Paul writes to Timothy. And know that “every good work”, IS obedience to Gods instruction.

As Joshua challenged Israel so I also challenge you today: “Now, therefore, fear Yahweh and serve Him in sincerity and truth; cast aside the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt, and serve Adonai. But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve Yahweh, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve Adonai!”

To make this challenge modern and fitting for today I say: Now, therefore, love Adonai our Heavenly Father and serve Him in sincerity and truth; cast aside the gods your fathers served and the traditions of men, and serve Adonai. But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve God by obeying His Word, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods of the land you now dwell or the traditions of man regardless of there basis. As for me and my house, we will serve Adonai, observing all that Yahoshua has taught including keeping the commands of the Father as Revelation 14:12 says: “Here is a call for the perseverance of the saints, who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Yahoshua.”

You are loved,
cj

Understanding the Moral Debate: Abortion and its Implications

Understanding the Moral Debate: Abortion and its Implications

“What is the meaning of life?” “To be or not to be? That is the question.” “There is a time for every purpose under heaven.” “Live in the moment, walk humbly, work hard.” “Vanity, all is vanity.”

I subscribed to a streaming service the other day. It prides itself on wholesome, family entertainment. I caved, after seeing a particular trailer for a film that I could only find on their streaming platform. The film was called, Amazing Grace. From Google, “The film tells the true story of British politician William Wilberforce. He led a long fight to end the slave trade in the 18th century. It also features the hymn’s writer, former slave trader John Newton.”

After watching the movie, Amazing Grace, I was moved to learn more about William Wilberforce. I found a Biography on William Wilberforce, written by Stephen Tomkins. I am only a few pages in and I read this paragraph.

“Robert and his wife Elizabeth had three children besides William – all daughters – but only one of the girls, Sarah, survived infancy, and William himself was a weak, sickly child, small and with poor eyesight. In later life he often reflected with gratitude that if he had been born in what he was pleased to call ‘less civilized times’, his parents would not have taken the trouble to keep him alive.”

I was struck by the last line, “his parents would not have taken the trouble to keep him alive.” My mind immediately went to Massachusetts new abortion law eliminating any gestational limits. Not to single out a single state as it isn’t limited to just Massachusetts. In fact, they simply joined a growing list of states to take this step securing the right to abortion up to birth. The states Massachusetts joins, Alaska, Colorado, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.).

What are the reasons for abortion that some find being a “good argument”? In my readings on it, it appears to be mainly, quality of life. Here is an exert from U.S. Abortions Rights by State, at Britannica.com. “Induced abortions can be performed for various reasons, including to preserve the mother’s physical or mental well-being, in cases of rape or incest, to prevent the birth of a child with serious abnormalities, or for social or economic reasons. When abortions are performed to preserve the mother’s well-being or in cases of rape or incest, they are often considered therapeutic.”

Some will call me deceptive for not highlighting the word serious when talking about abnormalities. Well, my reasoning is quite simple, serious is undefined, what constitutes serious for one individual may not for another. Therefore, serious is added to quiet dissension, and for no other reason.

Imagine if William Wilberforce’s parents lived in a society such as ours, in such moral decay. What would have been his outcome? I find it striking that Stephen Tomkins points out that William thought it a good thing that he wasn’t born in ‘less civilized times’, or his parents might have chosen not to keep him alive. It sounds barbaric and yet here we are in 2026, modern medical advancements beyond imagination when William Wilberforce was born, August 24, 1759.

How many William’s never saw the light of day because of convenience, or quality of life? How many medical breakthroughs lost, cultural revolutionary leaders missing, quality of life enhancements never realized, because of ‘therapeutic’ reasons? No one can answer those questions. No one dares try.

“What is the meaning of life?” “To be or not to be? That is the question.” “There is a time for every purpose under heaven.” “Live in the moment, walk humbly, work hard.” “Vanity, all is vanity.”

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. James 1:27

If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Messiah. 1 Peter 1:17-19

Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of Adonai. 1 Peter 2:1-3

The word says, metaphorically, that we are knit together by God in our mother’s womb. Using this metaphor, when we as a society choose abortion, are we not also ripping the knitting needles out of the hand of the Creator?

The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

You are loved,
cj

Gluttons of Grace: The Spiritual Dangers of Gluttony

Gluttons of Grace: The Spiritual Dangers of Gluttony

The other night I ate out. It was fast food so nothing fancy and I brought it home so is that actually eating out, technically? The place I chose had a special menu option of a one dollar item. So I added it to my order. However, I didn’t take anything away from what I was already ordering. Therefore, in the end I over ate. Is this the definition of gluttony?

What is the definition of gluttony? The definition is quite simple, gluttony is “excessive eating and drinking.” It is also numbered among the often spoken of, seven deadly sins. Side note here the seven deadly sins although can be found separately within Scripture they do not appear as a list. It is believed that the seven deadly sins was coined by Pope Gregory I. Now gluttony in Hebrew can also be translated as, to be vile, to be worthless, to be insignificant. Based on these definitions, being glutinous, doesn’t sound so appealing.

The church doesn’t like to talk much about gluttony. If you ask me it is because this one hits way too close to home and is far harder to hide. Everyone has their struggles so I am not trying to be insensitive just pointing out an observation. There is plenty that I have had to overcome and others I am still battling, to that I say fight the good fight.

One issue I see abounding in the church today is, gluttony of grace. Taking advantage of Elohim’s patience. Without a doubt I have fallen into this trap as well. However, once one begins to realize that Yahoshua (Jesus) kept and taught the Torah and that He used it to teach, it cannot be denied or swept away.

In John eight Yahoshua makes a statement that many ignore or give it a cursory glance. In being brought the woman caught in adultery at the end of the encounter He says to the woman; “Neither do I condemn you: go, and sin no more.” Rather than take this verse as a statement of fact, many treat it as an invitation to change. Although they are partly correct they are missing the bigger picture. We are called to abound in good works.

Not a works based salvation but good works because we are saved. Abounding in the good works prepared for us before the foundation of the world. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Messiah Yahoshua to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.” (Ephesians 2:10 Berean Study Bible). What are these good works? Some would say they are the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians five. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are in Messiah have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

Again this isn’t a wrong belief it is simply incomplete. The good works involve keeping that which the Father established for His people. His instruction, the Torah, as we walk in the light of His Truth. The problem is that we see a list of rules and say it is impossible. Rather than holding to the promise that the Holy Spirit brings in fulfillment of Ezekiels prophecy. Ezekiel 36:26-27 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

Paul himself, the one in whom so many twist to justify their sinful natures, said, “What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer? Or aren’t you aware that all of us who were baptized into Messiah Yahoshua were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Messiah was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life.”

Newness of life is not to continue to sin. Essentially becoming gluttons of grace. Then in the end finding out the one we claim to know, never knew us. Yahoshua said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Adonai, Adonai,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Adonai, Adonai, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’ Matthew 7:21-23.

Imagine finding out that we are vile, worthless, or insignificant. Because, instead of putting on the newness of life we walked as gluttons. Continuing in the traditions of man rather than searching out truth and living according to the Fathers instruction. Proverbs 23:15-19 is a good place to wrap things up. “My son, if your heart is wise, My own heart will indeed rejoice. My inmost being will rejoice  when your lips speak what is right. Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always continue in the fear of the YHWH. For surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off. Listen, my son, and be wise, and guide your heart on the right course.”

May we all seek for a heart of flesh from the Father. This is the Way of the Rabbi.

You are loved,
cj

Transforming Lives: Conforming vs. Standing Out

Transforming Lives: Conforming vs. Standing Out

When I was kid I had a green tank top that was my absolute favorite shirt. I wore that shirt every chance I got. I not only liked the style, but the image on the front, I found especially amusing. It had a picture of a chimpanzee, sitting on a toilet, eating a banana. Most people found the shirt tolerable, my parents surprisingly did. Especially given their usual apprehension to such things, on religious objections.

My mormon friends down the street did not find it at all amusing. In fact, I was not allowed in their home if I was wearing the shirt. I would have to go home and change, which wasn’t too bad, as I just lived a few houses down the street. A small price to pay for my favorite shirt.

I loved it so much that one Christmas season, at my schools Christmas program, I attempted to wear it. You see my second grade class was instructed to wear green. Well, I only owned two pieces of green clothing. My green chimpanzee tank top and a pair of green corduroy pants. I also wore those pants often, never with the tank top, but often enough that they were faded, worn, and never looked clean, even, fresh out of the laundry.

You should have seen the look on my mother’s face when I came out of my room. I announced, “Okay, I am ready to go.” To which my mother said, “You are not wearing that to your Christmas showcase.” “But Mom, we have to wear green and this is all the green I have.” I rebutted. She glared down at me, “Go put on your suit, you are going to look nice.” There was some more back and forth, but there was no winning and eventually I conceded, my mother victorious again. I went back to my room and pulled out my chocolate brown suit with creme colored shirt. The suit was three pieces, slacks, vest, blazer, accented with my creme colored shirt and a brown tie that had a gold weave. It matched the brown shoes with gold buckle. No doubt I looked very nice, but it wasn’t green, and I knew I was in for it, when I walked into my classroom.

Sure enough, the click clack of my dress shoes on the tile floor of the school, echoed down the halls, announcing my arrival. I stepped into the glass and my friends gasped and then as good friends do began pointing and laughing. “You were supposed to wear green!” They said. “I know!” I snapped back. Mrs Michaels my second grade teacher, who already disdained my very existence, walked over to me shaking her head. She asked if my parents were here and I said yes. She then surprisingly turned around to address another issue and I thought, “wow, that’s it? That wasn’t bad at all.”

Soon after Mrs Michaels called the class to the front and told us to get into our stage places to rehearse our two or three songs. I don’t recall the exact number but the one song that stands out in my core memory, “O Christmas Tree.” During all the other rehearsals I was set in the back row, stage right. Tonight in a sea of green Mrs Michaels would get a scarring blow, “CJ, you come down here in front, you are going to be the trunk of our tree. This way you won’t stand out as much.” To which even my second grade brain thought, ‘Not stand out? I am right in the middle up front . . . it will be like I am the only one on the stage!’ It would have been far less noticeable had I been able to stand in the back wearing my worn out green corduroy pants and chimpanzee tank.

Romans 12:1-8 says:
“Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”

“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and not all members have the same function, so in Messiah we who are many are one body, and each member belongs to one another.“

“We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If one’s gift is prophecy, let him use it in proportion to his faith; if it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is giving, let him give generously; if it is leading, let him lead with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.“

I have told that story many times before, illustrating our need as believers in Messiah, to stand out, not blend in. We are called to be different. That although we live in the world, we are not of the world. We were once partakers in sin and disfunction but now we are called to a new life. We are now Ambassadors of the Kingdom. We are now clothed in righteousness and the world should know it. We should stick out. This doesn’t mean driving around with a sticker on your bumper, or posting Bible verses on your social media pages. It isn’t about attending church every week or going to Bible studies.

Now, none of those things are necessarily bad. However, what does your lifestyle say of you. When you say no words what do your actions say? When you are at work, what does your production say? When you are out with friends, what do your habits say? Are you wearing the lifestyle of the King? Have you taken the mantle, are you carrying your cross? This doesn’t mean perfection, we all make mistakes, we allow our flesh to win sometimes. The question is, was that win an upset, or was sin favored to win?

Walking in righteousness is a struggle, walking in the spirit is a struggle. Yahoshua, never said life in Him would be easy. He said, “you will be hated for my names sake.” That isn’t blending in, that is standing out. Does it mean you can’t find favor in the eyes of others? Absolutely not. The early believers in Acts, “praising God and finding favor with all the people.” Yet, still as the day of Adonai approaches He did say that our obedience would become a suffering point. Unfortunately, too many are comfortable with the culture that they don’t realize that the pot is beginning to boil.

The ground is being shaken and we are being called to the front. We are called to represent the King by standing on the roots, bringing the message of life to the masses. We are called to be a brown suit standing in a sea of green tee’s. We are called to be set apart from the world, not to participate in its lawlessness. We must discover what it means to be an heir in the Kingdom.

What did the Father mean when He gave Micah these words; “He has shown you O’man what is good and what does Elohim require of you, to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your Elohim.” He wasn’t changing His ideals or His message for the Father spoke through Moses saying; “And now, O Israel, what does YHWH your God ask of you but to fear YHWH your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, to serve YHWH your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of YHWH that I am giving you this day for your own good.“

What did the Father mean when He inspired Paul to pen these words; “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” We are called to stand out and be different. We are called to honor our Heavenly Father. We are called to walk according to the Son, our Messiah Yahoshua.

We must learn the way of THE Rabbi, Yahoshua, and walk and do according to His instruction. Which is the Father’s instruction written out for us. Do not get wrapped in mans tradition, and twisted theologies, but rather study to show yourself approved. His Spirit will lead us into all truth if we diligently seek Him with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength. Will you earnestly seek Him? Then join me and subscribe.

You are loved,
cj

Reflecting on the Past: The Journey of Growth in Truth

Reflecting on the Past: The Journey of Growth in Truth

Another year older and i would like to think that i am at least a bit wiser. Although, every year at this time i can’t help but think what my life would be like if certain things could be undone. Statements like, “i should have done this . . .”, “i could have done this . . .”, and “i would have done this . . .”, circle my mind. The shoulda, coulda, woulda’s of life. In my opinion they aren’t completely without merit, although they can become problematic.

Yahoshua said, “And no one after drinking old wine wants new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’” He was making a specific point about instructing His disciples but the idea is transferable. You have probably thought it yourself at some point, “It was better when I was a kid.” Wishing for another time in the past, hoping things will return. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but they won’t. In fact things are only going to get increasingly worse overall. At least until Yahoshua returns.

When He does return He will restore things, but to what? We have only the word but no experience in what is to come. This is why there are so many opinions. Everyone who reads it has a slightly different idea and all of them will say, “God, revealed to me in a dream . . .” Who do you trust, who do you listen to? You probably have your teacher favorites based on your doctrinal upbringing. And through that lens you will fit your understanding of Scripture. Regardless if it makes any sense or not because one simply says, “For now we know in part, seeing things through a mirror dimly.” “There are many mysteries that will be revealed in the end.” Etc.

Although, this is true it does not justify ignorance on the matters of truth. What is TRUTH? His, God’s Word, is Truth. Yahoshua said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Did He mean never look back? Obviously not, or Hebrews 11 would be unreadable. So what can one gain from looking back at one’s life and reflecting?

Learning from past mistakes, is clearly a good idea. Looking at times you were forgiven, in order to forgive others, is a worthy endeavor. Pondering what you have learned in order to understand truth, without a doubt, is a good idea. After all, Paul tells Timothy, “Study to show yourself approved, a workman, who rightly handles the word of truth.”

Be a student of life. Be willing to learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others. Learning what not to do is as important as learning what to do. Both are equally beneficial if treated correctly. Those previous experiences can be motivation for future decisions, and they should be, with healthy perspective.

God has spoken to us through His word. There is no guessing if you read it for yourself. Part of the ‘New Covenant’ is that His Spirit will guide us. John says, “And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught.”

The New Covenant is written on our hearts. It is the Instruction of God and it includes the history of His people. All of it. The good, the bad, the indifferent. All of the shoulda, coulda, woulda’s. The writer of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah when he writes, “For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares Adonai. I will put My Torah in their minds and inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.”

Paul writes to the Romans, “Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the Torah, do by nature what the Torah requires, they are a Torah to themselves, even though they do not have the Torah. So they show that the work of the Torah is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Messiah Yahoshua, as proclaimed by my gospel.”

The problem many run into is that they don’t like to admit to their mistakes. Instead they blame others for their misfortunes. Pride becomes an issue. Even if it is equal parts their own doing and that of someone else, it is a default to blame the other entirely. We need to own our own. In that we discover truth. It is said that we are the sum of our mistakes. That is half true. We are the sum of our choices, good, bad, indifferent. Therefore it should stand to reason that we should desire to make choices, from this moment forward, that reflect faith, hope, and love. Right?

Yahoshua said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” Let us be willing to learn from our past mistakes. Study the word with a desire to be changed by the word. In order that we might walk in newness of life, within the ‘New Covenant’, given to those who put their faith in Messiah. The past is the past. Learn from it. Grow from it. But do not be chained by it.

You are loved,
cj

Breaking Free from Legalism: Embracing Messiah’s Love

Breaking Free from Legalism: Embracing Messiah’s Love

When taking your relationship with Messiah from a religion to a relationship, one by necessity strips off the man made traditions. This is an important first step. One then begins to learn to walk in relationship with Messiah. However, in our humanity we still make this about ourselves, our comforts, our desires, our feelings, me, me me, I and me again. We look at all that Yahoshua (Jesus) did for us, how he suffered the most horrific torturous death imaginable. Then we say to ourselves, “He did this so that I don’t have to keep the law.” Say that out-loud and tell me it doesn’t sound like you are in an abusive relationship. Now look deeper into it and tell me who is the abuser?

I do not reject God’s gracious gift; for if the way in which one attains righteousness is through legalism, then the Messiah’s death was pointless.

You stupid Galatians! Who has put you under a spell? Before your very eyes Yahoshua the Messiah was clearly portrayed as having been put to death as a criminal! I want to know from you just this one thing: did you receive the Spirit by legalistic observance of Torah commands or by trusting in what you heard and being faithful to it? Are you that stupid? Having begun with the Spirit’s power, do you think you can reach the goal under your own power?  Have you suffered so much for nothing? If that’s the way you think, your suffering certainly will have been for nothing!  What about God, who supplies you with the Spirit and works miracles among you — does he do it because of your legalistic observance of Torah commands or because you trust in what you heard and are faithful to it?

It was the same with Abraham: “He trusted in God and was faithful to him, and that was credited to his account as righteousness.”  Be assured, then, that it is those who live by trusting and being faithful who are really children of Abraham. (Galatians 2:21-3:7)

When talking about following the commands of God, especially after coming out of religion, many will cry, ‘legalism!’ And they will use Galatians as a point of reference. Followed by something along the lines of, “See, it is about a relationship, not legalistic religion.” And they would be half right. Abraham trusted that what God said, He would do. And based on that trust, that faith, Abraham was obedient to all that God commanded. Paul in his letter to the Galatians goes so far as to call them stupid. Why? Because they began to focus on the observance of Torah outside of trusting in what they had heard and then being faithful to it. You see they were making it about something, rather than someone, and separating the two.

How do I know this? Paul himself tells the Romans this in 6:1-2. “What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer?” What is sin? As we have looked at time and time again 1 John 3:4 tells us exactly what sin is: “Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness as well. Indeed, sin is lawlessness.” That is to say that sin is being outside of Torah. There is no way around it.

So what is it then that saves us? It is the blood of Messiah, His death has taken away the sin of those who put their faith in Him. His righteousness is given to us and undeservedly so. However, sin is still sin and Abraham shows us that trusting in God is shown through obedience to Him, and that is counted to him as righteousness. So the message Paul is writing to the Galatians and also to the Romans is the same. Now that we have put our faith and trust in Messiah, we should no longer walk in the former sins that we knew. For there is a more excellent way! It is the Way of the Rabbi. It is taking on His lifestyle. Going from religion to relationship to a lifestyle that mirrors that of Messiah.

Who was obedient to the Father even to death. Yahoshua set the example of Faith in the promise of His resurrection that we who believe will also be raised up with Him in newness of life. That we no longer walk according to the ways of man, but that like Messiah we do as the Father has instructed. We build on the relationship with His Son Yahoshua, our groom to be at the marriage supper of the Lamb. “So Yahoshua replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does.“” John 5:19. We should be so like minded. What pleases the Father? Psalm 51 reveals, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

If you ask those who have been married for a long time what is their secret you will hear a common theme. That is that each one sought to do for the other more than themselves. In a two-sided relationship where both participants are seeking to honor the other more than themselves you find not only longevity but happiness, peace, joy, love, and satisfaction. It is a lifestyle that becomes the focal point in a relationship, a choice to love the other as they receive love. That is how our Messiah loved and loves us and that is how we ought to love Him in return. And when we love Him we are loving the Father.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You. Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness. O Adonai, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.” Psalm 51:10-1

Finally, here in Psalm 51 David writes, “I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You.” This has always been the point of coming to Messiah. Learning the ways of the Father and doing them. Taking on the heavenly lifestyle and leaving the lawless lifestyle of humanity behind. For the ruler of this world is lawless, he is without Torah, without instruction. And the lawless one is coming to deceive many into a lifestyle of lawlessness, of sin. Are you walking in the light of the Fathers instruction by faith in Messiah? For in the end both are required, Revelation 14:12 says: “Here is a call for the perseverance of the saints, who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Yahoshua.“

Choose this day whom you will serve, the lawless one parading around as the gods of this world or the maker of Heaven and Earth? As for me, i will serve my Father YHWH, in faith of Messiah Yahoshua, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

You are loved,
cj