Tag: Ten Commandments

The Call to Be Ambassadors for Messiah

Ambassador –
* a diplomatic official of the highest rank, sent by one sovereign or state to another as its resident representative ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary.
* a diplomatic official of the highest rank sent by a government to represent it on a temporary mission, as for negotiating a treaty.
Plenipotentiary –
* a person, especially a diplomatic agent, invested with full power or authority to transact business on behalf of another.

The above definitions are taken from Dictionary.com. They represent what the role of an Ambassador is while serving in a foreign land. They do not live in the land permanently. They still hold to the principles of the land that they represent. They can engage in particular aspects of the hosting nation. However, they must hold true to the convictions of the sending nation. Ambassador’s take their instruction from the King or the Governments that they represent. Although, they are individually themselves. They have distinct characteristics, mannerisms, and linguistic styling. Yet, they conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the office, presenting a unified message.

The Ambassador is there on a diplomatic mission, in some cases to restore relations or in others to negotiate treaties. They come with full authority and in place of the sending King or Government. This allows them to conduct business with confidence. The Ambassador also knows that their mission is temporary. That they are not a citizen of the host country but simply passing through. This reminder keeps them balanced and helps them to remember where their allegiance lies.

In 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 we read this:
“All this is from Elohim. Who reconciled us to Himself through Messiah and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That Elohim was reconciling the world to Himself in Messiah, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for Messiah, as though Elohim were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Messiah: Be reconciled to Elohim. Elohim made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf. So that in Him we might become the righteousness of Elohim.”

It is simply foolishness, naive even, to think that Elohim would make Yahoshua, who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf, so that He could enable us to live a life of sin. No, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. John writes, “And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says, ‘I know Him’ but does not keep His commandments is a liar! The truth is not in him. However, whoever keeps His Word, in him is the love of Elohim perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in Him. Moreover, whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.” Later John writes, “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices Torahlessness, sin is Torahlessness. You know that He appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him.” (1 John 2:3-6 & 3:4-6)

How can we say that we represent the King, if we don’t do as He says?
How can we say that we represent the Kingdom, if we do not practice its laws?
How can we say that we have become the righteousness of Elohim, if we won’t even follow the instructions of righteousness?

As an ambassador of the Kingdom of Heaven, we live where we live as representatives of the King of Heaven. One day that Kingdom will be here on earth. When Yahoshua our Adonai and King returns in the clouds to rule in Jerusalem. Until then the Kingdom is within us and we as representatives of the King must live as such. We follow the laws of the land because we live in the land. We answer to a higher authority who has instructed as such. We speak truth in love in hopes of reconciling others through Messiah unto Elohim. This gospel message is one of repentance. A turning from the former way of living and following the instruction of the Rabbi.

How can we say that we represent the King? We claim the name of Messiah Yahoshua and His lifestyle. How did He live? “We live not by bread alone, but by every WORD of Elohim.” What word was Yahoshua referring to? His Instruction handed down by the Prophets, those written by Moses, those breathed by Elohim. Did Yahoshua eat meat considered unclean? No, not by definition of Torah. Did Yahoshua break the Sabbath Day or change it? No, not by definition of Torah. Did Yahoshua dismiss the Feast Days? No, not by definition of Torah. Did His death and resurrection somehow negate these things? No, not by definition of Torah, or the teachings of Paul and the other Apostles.

How can we say that we represent the Kingdom? “Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” The Sabbath will be observed in the millennium and Heaven. The dietary law will be observed in the millennium and Heaven. The Feast Days will be observed in the millennium and Heaven. If we are asking for His Kingdom come, His will be done on earth as in Heaven . . . How can we say this and not do what we know we can do? To follow the Sabbath isn’t too hard or difficult. To follow dietary law isn’t too hard or difficult. To observe the Feast Days isn’t too hard or difficult. To honor Elohim is NOT TOO HARD or DIFFICULT. It is absurd to think that it is too difficult to keep the Sabbath but pretend to keep Sunday. It is absurd to think that it is too difficult to keep the Feast Days. Yet, people celebrate Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Valentine’s, Saint Patrick’s, Fourth of July, Veterans, Memorial, Super Bowl, etc., without hesitation.

How can we say that we have become the righteousness of Elohim? We can say this when we repent and follow Yahoshua. What does it mean to repent? To turn from sin. Literally that is what it means. Not just to be sorry that we are sinning but to do a one-eighty. We repent, we ask for forgiveness, we put on the new self. We enter into covenant relationship. The new covenant is the old covenant but written on our hearts. We can read this in Jeremiah and Hebrews. The difference is simply that now we have the Living Spirit of Elohim. The Ruach Hakodesh (רוח הקודש) empowers us to do so. By this we put on Messiah Yahoshua. His Name, His lifestyle, His Word, His Truth.

If you are a follower of Yahoshua you are an AMBASSADOR! LIVE AS ONE! You are a representative of the KING of kings and the MASTER of masters. He has called you to bare His Name. You are to show His lifestyle. Extend the message of reconciliation to all who will listen. Part of this includes living within the culture yet separate from it at the same time. We are to live set apart, while living among the inhabitants of the community we live. We don’t demand others change. We live in such a way that others see Messiah in us. This stirs a want for change. We live as examples of the Way.

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

You shall have no other gods (part 2)

Understanding the Father is the key to being able to adhere to this commandment. If one doesn’t take the time to understand and know Elohim, (Elohim is Hebrew for God) one will easily be swayed by the wind. Someone right now is saying, “We know God through Jesus.” This is where my fear begins. We can easily see in the Torah and from the Prophets that their is a name for Elohim. Out of reverence for the third commandment they used what is known as the tetragrammaton, YHWH, in Hebrew it is the letters, Yod, Heh, Waw, and Heh. Many will pronounce this Yahweh, YAH being emphasized here. Some pronounce His name Yahovah, and there is some debate, i believe the important part is in the Yah. Think of it this way, Chris is short for Christopher, same name technically, it can be spelled, Kris, Kristopher, Kristofer, Christofer, Cris . . . You get the idea. Anyway, all are the same name and in some instances pronunciation can be slightly different, that’s a little harder to explain in writing without dots and tittles which i am not able to do in this program easily. Probably another reason the scribes were more comfortable writing YHWH.

Moving on, when the angel Gabriel came to Joseph he didn’t say name the boy Jesus, he actually said, name the boy Yahoshua. To really get the significance here we need to go back a bit further. Moses, by Elohim’s instruction, appointed Joshua as his successor. However, Joshua wasn’t always Joshua, his name was Hoshea, which means, salvation. If you didn’t already know, names in the Scriptures are important. They have meaning, and purpose, and help drive the narrative of Elohim’s story. Moses, changes Hoshea to Yahoshua, (Numbers 13:16) or in English, Joshua, which means YAH is SALVATION. Joshua was going to lead Israel into the promise land but it was through YAH (Yahweh). The true meaning of the name Jesus is simply Salvation, like the name Hoshea. Some good pastors and teachers who study have added to the meaning of Jesus, God-Saves or God is Salvation. It’s at least a step in the right direction but why the change? Compromise? We know the real name and its meaning is glorious. Yahoshua, the only begotten Son of Elohim, came to reconcile us to the Father, and through His blood we are brought into the promise land. Yah truly is salvation. “I and My Father are ONE.” John 10:30

Here is why i feel this is more significant now, than it is being considered within the Body of Messiah. John 5:19 “Therefore Yahoshua responded and said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son is able to do naught by Himself, but only that which He sees the Father doing, because whatever He does, the Son also does likewise.’” It goes on and actually the entire fifth chapter shows the relevance of knowing the Father. In fact if we spent a little more time in the Old Testament we would actually come to know Yahoshua even more and certainly appreciate more of the writings of the Gospels as they are full of Prophecies being fulfilled. Outside of this time of year of course when many look at a few Prophecies in Isaiah. John 5:46 “For if you believed Moses, you would have believed Me, since he wrote about Me.” i certainly don’t want to take anything away from the New Testament Scriptures, so don’t hear that in any of this; However, we should understand that what we have today in the New Testament was not widely available until a relatively short time ago.

What did the early church have and look to? What were they encouraged to know and understand, and told to use? Paul wrote to Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed by Elohim and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for straightening, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of Elohim might be fitted, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) What many fail to understand is that when Paul wrote these words the New Testament wasn’t a thing. In fact at the time of his writing this letter, only roughly 17 of the now 27 books of the New Testament had been penned, and were not widely circulated as many were being written at roughly the same period of time. So for Paul to tell Timothy what he wrote above gives validity to us today to search and know our Father YHWH and His Son Yahoshua, through what we call today, the Old Testament.

Why am i so concerned about this given since roughly 350 AD Iesus later translated Jesus has been used and as many have said to me, “this is how we know Him and He is faithful.” Yes, i would agree. However, as the day approaches of His return i feel pressed to express to this generation, the generation that is talked about being around during a time of great deception. “For false messiahs and false prophets shall arise, and they shall show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones. See I have forewarned you.” (Matthew 24:24-25) There are many other passages that talk about this but this blog is already longer than i like but i will share one other critical passage on this point. “I have come in My Father’s Name and you do not receive Me, if another comes in his own name, him you would receive.” (John 5:43) We should not, no, we cannot separate the two there is POWER IN THE NAME, imagine if we went back as a Body of Messiah to His true name?

In Micah chapter three there are many warnings and if you take the time to read them you will see that not all false teachers and prophets are easily recognized. Listen to this and see if it fits what you see and hear in many churches today. “Its head give judgment for a bribe; its priests (pastors and teachers) teach for a price; its prophets practice divination for money; yet they lean on YWHW (the Lord) and say, ‘Is not YWHW (the Lord) in the midst of us? No disaster shall come upon us.’ Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height.” (Micah 3:11-12, parentheses added by me)

i am going to leave it here for now. There is much more to be said, there is much more i want to say! But for now chew on this, think about it, read through Micah 3. Just start praying about it and try using the name Yahweh when you talk to Elohim the Father and do it in the name of Yahoshua. Search Him out in Scripture, the whole of Scripture. Seek for Him as for hidden treasure. You will not be disappointed.

You are loved,

cj