Tag: good news

Finding Hope Through Grace: The Gospel’s Good News

i have known for a long time that the world is unforgiving. Not to mean that one cannot rise from the ashes of their ruined life, but it is ruthless. The world will hold over you your weakness, your wrong, and your sin with relentlessness. It is why many find comfort in bars, gangs, and alleyways. i never have been so low. i have never felt so down on myself that i sought solace in bars or other places. No, i am one who finds solace in the dark of my own thoughts isolated from others. Yet, in life i have always tried to be a safe place for others. A place where they could find comfort or solace. An alternative to bars, gangs, and alleyways. A listening ear, a calming presence, a place to vent frustration. When i stood in the pulpit my goal was always to teach others to do the same. After all it goes with my life verse from Micah 6:8 paraphrased, “Act Justly, Love, Mercy, Walk Humbly.” After falling from grace, so to speak. i made a catastrophic error in judgment that affected others. Speaking only of my grief and brokenness, i never hit the bottom. Nearer than ever before but held up by faith. It is in this time however, metaphorically speaking, i cut out my tongue.

To this, i also played the victim. It was look at me and why is this happening to me? It wasn’t that i blamed others for my mistakes, i didn’t. i blamed myself and in so doing condemned myself. i was my own worst enemy. i was unworthy of forgiveness because the world doesn’t forgive anyway. The Church didn’t forgive either. i can count on one hand the amount of Church leaders who reached out to me. It has been just over 5 years now. i say this all to point out one thing. we must be as an Ekklesia, more full of grace than condemnation, more full of hope than shame. As i wrote last week, when we love our enemies, we present grace and hope. It is here that i would like to say, we are the enemy in someone’s story. So take to heart, “Do to others what you would have them do to you.” We do this by praying for those who persecute us. Whether or not our enemies accept it is not up to us. We are simply planting the seed, or watering a seed that has been planted by someone else. Possibly, even, we are about to reap what has already been sown. Regardless, the passage that refers to heaping burning hot coals is not ours to dump.

In this realization, by way of deep introspection, i have come to conclude that there is hope for me yet. There is light at the end of the tunnel. There is still a calling and a purpose. Perhaps, i will never regain my voice. Although, currently there is no plan to stand in a pulpit again. There is writing and because of that i still have a voice through my fingers. The truth of the gospel doesn’t change because of brokenness, brokenness is changed because of the gospel. Hope is restored because of the gospel. Restoration happens because of the gospel. Reconciliation is possible because of the gospel. It is through the gospel. But what is the gospel?

Gospel, in its simplest form means, “good news.” It signifies the message of salvation and reconciliation through Yahoshua Messiah. It is this reconciliation to Elohim and the renewing of the covenant. The idea of the renewed covenant is found in Jeremiah and Hebrews. The Gospel is the Creator calling His creation back home. Elohim is essentially saying, “Good news! I have provided a way for you to come home. I have provided the atonement necessary, paid the penalty for your sin. Declared victory over both sin and death. I have done this because of My great love for you. Because of My desire to have fellowship with you. For you are My children. All I ask is that you separate yourself from others by wearing this lifestyle of righteousness. I want you to be My Ambassador. To tell others of this life changing possibility. Of the eternal rewards that await all who accept this invitation.”

The sign and seal of the New Covenant is the circumcision of the heart. It is the tenderness and willingness to grow in grace and truth. What is truth? His Word is Truth. Yahoshua is Truth. We put on the wedding garment laid out for us by the Groom. We clothe ourselves in His righteousness. His Word is Righteousness. We place ourselves under the protection of His Commandments. “If you love Me, you will keep My Commandments.” (John 14:15) This is the message of Yahoshua. This is the Way of the Rabbi. Hear again His words:

“Why do you call Me ‘Adonai, Adonai,’ but not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them: He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid his foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the torrent crashed against that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears My words and does not act on them is like a man who built his house on sandy ground without a foundation. The torrent crashed against that house, and immediately it fell—and great was its destruction!” Luke 6:46-49

The thing about the good news of the gospel is this, that wherever you are, whatever you have done, you can always return home. What is needed is a heart of repentance. To turn your life around from sin. Do a complete u-turn. To give all your brokenness to Yahoshua, the author and perfecter of our faith. For He who has begun a good work in you will see it through until completion. We only need to allow Him to do what needs to be done. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. Choose the Way of the Rabbi and receive grace for your soul. This is the good news of the gospel.

This is the Way of the Rabbi,
You are loved,
cj

Finding Favor: The Balance of Faith and Community

“. . . having favor with all the people.” There is something i have heard a few times lately that has pricked my spirit. It’s not that what is being said or taught is wrong, it’s not. In fact an argument can be made that my point here is lacking. The idea is this, if we are going to live for Messiah, we can expect to be hated. In fact, if we aren’t getting push back it is because we are not living out loud enough, for Elohim. After all the Word says, “You will be hated, for My (Yahoshua) names sake.” This isn’t said in passing, it’s essentially a promise. This is what i am trying to talk to . . . “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”

This quote, often attributed to Alexander Hamilton, has been used in a variety of ways. Constructively, it has been said in standing up for our principles and the marginalized. In the case of our principles, we must live by conviction. Otherwise, we will succumb to whichever way the wind blows. For the marginalized, if we do not stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves, what then do we stand for? And, if we are so weak that we can’t stand, then we will fall for anything. However, as of late it seems, at least to my ears, that it has been twisted. Now it is said of the religious as a battle cry against the marginalized. Swept away by the crowd with the torches and pitchforks. Running from crusade to crusade in the name of religion.

The Word of Elohim is clear, there is right and there is wrong. There are the Commands of Elohim and the ways of the world. There is the flesh which is sinful. “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, orgies, and things like these.” It goes on to say, “I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of Elohim.” Contrast that with the fruit of the Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”(Galatians 5:18-23).

The followers of Yahoshua the Nazarene, were taught to walk in the Spirit. Within the body of Yahoshua we hold each other accountable. We call out sin. We rejoice at the repentant heart, and we cast out the unrepentant. However, among the outsiders, we live among them. We live as Ambassadors. We proclaim the honorable day of Adonai. We say, “Today is the day of salvation!” We tell those captive to sin, that there is freedom. We tell those marginalized that there is no partiality in Messiah. We proclaim, repentance from the ways of the flesh and the call to walk in the Spirit. But with the people we must live. The Word teaches us, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Elohim says, vengeance is Mine, I will repay. Therefore, “To the contrary if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink . . . Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” This passage is found in Romans 12:18-21, i did leave out one piece. “. . . by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” This is part of the vengeance, the judgment to come. It is not ours to do.

It will be terrible, with weeping and gnashing of teeth. Eternally separated from the very One who our spirits long for. Think about how horrific that will be! To what lengths would you want someone to go to for you to hear the message of hope and salvation? The early believers, shortly after Yahoshua ascended into Heaven, were living in such away that they found favor in the eyes of all the people. Acts tells us this in the second chapter. “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together and had all things common and sold their possessions and property and distributed them to everyone, as each one had need. Continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food together with gladness and singleness of heart, praising Elohim and having favor (grace) with all the people. And Adonai added to the congregation {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} daily such as should be saved.“

At present this place is not our home. We are in fact foreigners. We have the Kingdom with in us, we desire that the Kingdom come and Elohim’s will be done. Yet, the current age reveals many challenges to this idea. We are to share the Gospel, the Good News, until the Day of Adonai. How people respond to the message is not up to us. Some are called to plant, some to water, some to reap. We are to do our part and pray. We are to live as examples of Yahoshua’s love. There is a line in the movie Miracles from Heaven. Anna the girl in which the movie is based, says, “It’s okay, not everyone is going to believe. They will get there when they get there.” This was for me the best line in the movie. It was the purest call to action. “Not everyone is going to believe.” That doesn’t mean we get to stop walking in love.

How do we make the nations jealous? By minimizing segments of the population deemed unclean? How do we proclaim freedom to the captive? If we claim the commandments are bondage? How do we have favor with all the people? If all we do is condemn them?

“It’s okay, not everyone is going to believe. They will get there when they get there.” Anna, Miracles from Heaven.

This is the way of the Rabbi,
You are loved,
cj