Tag: Yahoshua

Highlight Reel

If you spend any amount of time on social media you have seen a parody video. Basically, an edited video, where they take a bunch of clips and make up funny speeches or even songs. i don’t have regular cable or satellite TV so to get my sports updates i watch a YouTube channel that edits the games, splicing up the game to just highlights and a two-three hour game becomes a 15 minute highlight reel. They are enjoyable to watch and more often than not i don’t know who won the game until i watch it. The only problem is that i will be listening to the color man tell a story and just when he is about to finish the clip ends and the video is on to the next play.

For example, i was watching a baseball game and the announcer said as the clip began, “tying run to the plate”, now mind you if you weren’t paying attention one would assume that this was the tying run at the plate. However, looking at the scoreboard there was nobody on base and the team up to bat was down by 2. So this wasn’t the tying run. The edit would have you believing otherwise if you weren’t truly paying attention.

This is how many people who go to church every week, live out their faith. They get clips of the Bible, a verse here and there, and then string together highlights that just don’t tell the whole story. Maybe its enough to get by, “If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:15) i am not writing to question one’s salvation, but to challenge the walk. You see the whole of Elohim’s word is important. The Will of the Father, is to know the Son, but even the demons know and tremble. James writes, “You believe that Elohim is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” (James 2:19)

In Yahoshua’s High Priestly Prayer we are given a glimpse of His heart for the children of Elohim, both His chosen people, and those who are grafted in by believing in the Son. Read all of John 17 on your own at some point, now even as to not miss a detail, here i am only highlighting a few spots . . . In the end you will know the final score but you will miss smaller details that get us there.

He begins; “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You, since You have given Him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they know You the only true El, and Yahoshua Messiah whom you have sent.”

1. Yahoshua glorifies the Father.
2. The Father gives to the Son.
3. Yahoshua gives eternal life.
4. Eternal life = that one know’s the only true GOD and His Son Yahoshua.

“Now they know that everything that You have given me is from You. For I have given them the words that You gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from You; and they have believed that you sent Me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. All mine are Yours, and Yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.”

1. Everything is from the Father.
2. Believing in Yahoshua is believing in the Father.
3. Yahoshua pray’s for His own.
4. His own (the Church) glorifies the Son, in turn the Son glorifies the Father, we therefore glorify the Father through the Son.

“That they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in US, so that the world may believe that You have sent me . . . I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the WORLD may know that You sent me and loved them even as You loved Me . . . I made known to them Your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

1. The Father and the Son are one.
2. Yahoshua desires that we be one with Him.
3. Yahoshua glorified the Father by doing His will.
4. We glorify the Son by doing His will which is the same will as the Father.

Do you know Yahoshua? Do you know the Father? We can know the Father, through the Son. We can glorify the Father by glorifying the Son. What does it look like to be in the will of the Father? To live for and in the Son. Yahoshua is the Word of our Father Elohim made flesh, the WHOLE of His Word.

We are called to be set apart from the world. A chosen people, set on a hill, that introduces the lost to Yahoshua, the Son of Elohim. We are in the world, we are not to be of the world. May we glorify Yahoshua, as He glorified the Father.

You are loved,
cj

Thy WILL be done

Luke 6:46 “Why do you call Me ‘Adonai Adonai,’ but not do what I say?”What is the Will of Elohim? Yahoshua when asked what the greatest commandment was, responded, “To love your Elohim with all your heart, soul, and mind; and the second, love your neighbor as yourself.” Many take this to mean Yahoshua was setting aside the 10 Commandments, yet that couldn’t be further from the truth. Some will assign the first of the greatest to the first 4 or 5 depending on how you see honoring your father and mother. Likewise, assigning the second of the greatest to the latter half of the 10 Commandments. This i would say is the most accurate of the two. However, going a bit further what if Yahoshua was saying the greatest is and the second is like it . . . The Whole of the 10 Commandants are essentially one. To disobey one is to disobey all; Thereby sinning and to obey one is to honor all. But is this fulfilling the Will of Elohim?

As many of you already know my go to verse in life is Micah 6:8 “. . . Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with Elohim.” Is this fulfilling the Will of Elohim? James (1:27) writes: “Pure and undefiled religion before Elohim and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their tribulation; to keep oneself untainted from the world.”

Who was Yahoshua teaching this prayer to? In the account found in Matthew Yahoshua presents it as part of His sermon on the mount, Matthew 5-7. In Luke however it appears that the disciples went to Yahoshua and asked Him, “Adonai, teach us to pray . . .” Some argue this is a contradiction, some will just brush it off with some sort of slight of hand answer. What if Yahoshua taught it in His sermon on the mount and then later when asked by His disciples He simply stated the same prayer? Wouldn’t that then also lend more to its purpose then merely an outline? That aside, (although food for thought) in the sermon on the mount He was teaching His disciples specifically (see Matthew 5:1) and by proximity those that gathered unto him, a mixed multitude probably made up of mostly Jews. In Luke He was teaching His disciples during a personal time of prayer (see Luke 11:1). So the question should be how would the Jews interpret, “Thy Will be done”?

Is this a point of order to draw the Hebrew nation back to the Torah? What about the Church. Many believe that the Church is on a different track than the Jews. Yet, we are grafted in. See Romans 11:11-31 for full context. Let me point out; “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in (speaking of gentiles) among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’ That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.” Romans 11:17-20

We are told to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-13). “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is Elohim who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” What was the purpose of the chosen people? Exodus gives us a snapshot, “‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” Exodus 19:5-6. Has that changed with gentiles being grafted in? No it has not. “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Mashiah Yahoshua.” Galatians 3:28

Peter writes: “But you are a chosen people, a holy nation, royal priests, a people of Elohim’s own possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1Peter 2:9) Paul writes to the Corinthians: “Therefore we are ambassadors for ha’Mashiah as though Elohim were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Mashiah: Be reconciled to Elohim.” (2 Corinthians 5:20

Should we not then as a chosen people, or as one grafted in, seek to know and do; Thy WILL be done? Not to blend into the world but to be that city on a hill? We will be hated for the name of YWHW and His Son Yahoshua we cannot allow that to stop us from doing the Will of the Father. Thy WIll be done.

You are loved,
cj

Thy Kingdom come

When we pray The Lord’s Prayer, who’s kingdom is Thy? Of course, Thy is YHWH. We are making a proclamation that we desire that Yahweh’s Kingdom come. Not our kingdom, or what we think His Kingdom should be it is His and we, if we truly desire it to come, shouldn’t we do our best to understand what that means? i will be digging into this over the next couple of posts but first we need to go back to the beginning.

Yahoshua said, “This, then, is the way you should pray: Our Father . . .” Yahoshua is the King but the Kingdom is of the Father. Yahoshua is the revelation of the Father, the Word made flesh. Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore YHWH Himself gives you a sign: Look, the maiden conceives and gives birth to a Son, and shall call His Name Immanuel.” Emmanuel means, Elohim with us. You see the Kingdom was present in that moment and the Kingdom dwells in the people of Elohim.

And having been asked by the Pharisees when the reign of Elohim would come, He answered them and said, “The reign of Elohim does not come with intent watching, nor shall they say, ‘Look here!’ Or ‘Look there!’ For look, the reign of Elohim is within you!” Luke 17:20-21

“And what union has the temple of Elohim with idols? For you are a temple of the living Elohim, as Yahweh has said, ‘I shall dwell in them and walk among them, and I shall be their Elohim, and they shall be My people.’ Therefore, ‘Come out from among them and be separate, says Yahweh, and do not touch what is unclean, and I shall receive you. And I shall be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me, says Yahweh El Shaddai.’” 2 Corinthians 6:16-18

Given the times in which we live, wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes in diverse places, famines, disease etc. i hear and see lots of posts about wanting the Kingdom of Elohim to come or as one post i saw earlier, “Whoa! Scary stuff. It can’t be much longer before our Lord Jesus rescues us!” It is this sort of thought pattern that is so prevalent within the Church today. What i believe we fail to understand is that the Kingdom is within us as the Spirit dwells within the believer. And that Kingdom will remain until the King comes on the clouds to sit on His throne and reign for a thousand years. If one believes and lives like the Kingdom is yet coming, VS the Kingdom within us, do you see how one might live in fear and anxiety?

Thy Kingdom come, is a call to action, to faith, to love, to grace, to mercy, to living not for ourselves but for the King!

“For the love of Mashiah compels us, having judged this: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them, and was. Raised. So from now onwards we know no one according to the flesh. And if we have known Mashiah according to the flesh, yet now we no longer know. Therefore, if anyone is in Mashiah, he is a new creation – the old has passed away, see, all have become new! And all is from Yahweh, who has restored us to favour with Himself through Yahoshua ha’Mashiah, and has given us the service of restoration, that is, that Elohim was in Mashiah restoring the world to favour unto Himself, not reckoning their sins to them, and has committed to us the word of restoration. Now then, we are ambassadors for Mashiah, as though Elohim were pleading through us: we implore you on Mashiah’s behalf, be reconciled to Elohim. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of Elohim.” 2 Corinthians 5:14-21

In the Yahoshua’s prayer recorded in John 17:14-19 He says, “I have given them Your Word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do NOT pray that You should TAKE THEM OUT of the world, but that You should keep them fro the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.”

Do you pray for the Kingdom to come? The Kingdom is within you and you have arrived.

You are loved,
cj

Feeling ???

Have you ever wanted a personal assistant who would do all the things in life that you didn’t want to do, thereby giving you more time to enjoy the things in life you want to do? For instance, i want to clean up my blog, link topics better, maybe create page links for specific topics, that sort of thing. This project will take quite a bit of time. It will be tedious and require good notes, good memory, and good organizational skills. As far as note taking goes, i am not the best, and my organizational skills, although not terrible, are not necessarily the greatest, my memory however is great, at least at the present time anyway.

Now left with the reality that i will have to do this myself, i lack the necessary motivation required. Time isn’t really an issue. i live alone if one neglects to count Shiloh who although is dependent upon me is not a dependent but a friend. my present employment is flexible allowing me to work when i want, for instance its snowing today and i decided that i didn’t want to work, so here i am. i can be both a night owl and a morning person, as long as a meeting isn’t involved in that morning or at anytime for that matter. In fact, i lack any good excuse whatsoever. All that to simply say this, i want it done, but i don’t want to do it.

Any success in life, is about finding purpose that ignites desire and motivation, hard work and discipline, dedication and drive. You can have desire but if you lack motivation, it’s not happening. You might be a hardworking person but if you lack discipline, forget about it. You can be dedicated but without drive, you are not going anywhere. Finding ones purpose is essential to success, it is the root answer to the question, what is the meaning of life? Want to know why depression is on the rise, look no further than purpose. People who lack a sense of purpose are going to naturally be depressed.

The easier life gets with technology and various inventions, the harder life becomes in finding purpose. There are different depths to purpose it isn’t just your purpose in life. Which i believe is the root cause of depression in younger people. It’s not always as profound as life, it could be work, school, hobbies, family, or any subcategory of life itself. If i were to ask you what is your purpose how would you respond? Some having trouble answering, are asked to start with what motivates you, what is your passion? They will say, answer that and you are on your way to finding a purpose. However, be careful as this purpose or lack of is a trap to a false sense of purpose.

Case in point my blog, it is not my purpose. No matter how much i want it to be it simply isn’t my purpose. But i could fool myself into thinking that it is, dedicate myself to it, pour myself into it, and in the end feel unfulfilled as if my life has no purpose. No the purpose to life, the answer, it is spiritual and it involves understanding the bigger picture of the meaning of life. Knowing your purpose will be what gives you the ability to get through any obstacles.

Purpose:
“The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” Luke 19:10

“Then Yahoshua answered and said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.’” John 5:19

“Come and See” John 1:39

“Follow Me” John 1:43

“Not My will . . .” Luke 22:42

“Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Yahoshua of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’ And Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’” John 1:44-46

What is your purpose?

“And Yahoshua came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Adon Yahoshua, giving thanks to Yahweh the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17

Your purpose isn’t your job, it isn’t your family, it isn’t your hobby, it isn’t your friends, your purpose is to glorify Elohim. So with your purpose known, when you go to work, when you serve your family, when you are out with your friends, when you are engrossed in your hobby, when you are all alone, ask yourself, “How can I do this in a manner that is befitting the name of Yahoshua?”

Let His life, death, and resurrection be your desire and motivation, hard work and discipline, dedication and drive, He is our purpose.

You are loved,

cj

Why Passover Matters More Than Easter

Why Passover Matters More Than Easter

“Now, therefore, fear YHWH, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the river and in Egypt. Serve YHWH, And if it seems evil to you to serve YHWH,, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve YHWH,.” Joshua 24:14-15

This is my yearly appeal to you, out of love, walk away from Easter and all of its pagan roots. We know it to be true that Yahoshua (Jesus) fulfilled the Passover. John the Baptist declared on the river’s edge, “Behold, the Lamb of Elohim! Who takes away the sin of the world!” Yahoshua is the final Passover Lamb. We should be honoring that and not the combination of a pagan festival mixed in. The richness of the Feast of Elohim that tears the vale and covers us in righteousness. It cleanses us from our sin. It is all that we should be remembering this time of year. For it is the Feast at the head of the year.

In Emperor Constantine’s letter to “all those not present at the council”. Following the Council of Nicea he wrote how it would be better to separate from Jewish custom. He called out the Jews for killing Yahoshua and in many instances called for antisemitism. For instance, he wrote, “We ought not, therefore, to have anything in common with the Jews.”

He goes on to say, “They do not possess the truth in this Easter question; for, in their blindness and repugnance to all improvements, they frequently celebrate two Passovers in the same year. We could not imitate those who are openly in error. How, then, could we follow these Jews, who are most certainly blinded by error? for to celebrate the Passover twice in one year is totally inadmissible. But even if this were not so, it would still be your duty not to tarnish your soul by communications with such wicked people [the Jews]. Besides, consider well, that in such an important matter, and on a subject of such great solemnity, there ought not to be any division. Our Savior has left us only one festal day of our redemption, that is to say, of his holy passion, and he desired[to establish] only one Catholic Church.”

The question of whether or not Constantine truly converted to Christianity or not has been debated for centuries. However, we do know for a fact that rather than adhere strictly to Christian tradition and belief; for the sake of the unity of the empire, he combined the festal days of paganism and Christianity. His disdain for the Jews as represented in his letter, and his lack of judgment in establishing a new religion where we see the combination of paganism and Christianity should certainly call into question our adherence to these traditions.

“When Adonai your Elohim cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? —that I also may do the same.’ You shall not worship Adonai your Elohim in that way, for every abominable thing that Adonai hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.” Deuteronomy 12:29-32

i want to make a clarification here about Constantine’s reference to two Passover’s. Clearly he was unaware and sadly none of the scholars of his day enlightened him. In Numbers 9 we read of some men who were ceremonially unclean and therefore unable to bring the sacrifice of Passover. They inquired of Moses and Aaron on what to do. YHWH, told Moses to give this instruction: Numbers 9:10-11 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, if any one of you or of your descendants is unclean through touching a dead body, or is on a long journey, he shall still keep the Passover to YHWH,. In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight they shall keep it. . .”

Concerning the idea that Passover or any of the Feast of Adonai are strictly Jewish, i present Leviticus 23:1-2 “Adonai spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, these are the appointed feasts of Adonai that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are MY appointed feasts.” Clearly they are HIS feasts, much like the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.

Finally, let me close with this, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Messiah Yahoshua. And if you are Messiah’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” (Galatians 3:23) Passover this year begins at Sundown on Friday April 15, in line with Good Friday services, however, the tomb would not be discovered empty until Tuesday morning fulfilling the three days and three nights. Often Easter and Passover do not line up and occasionally are off by a months time. Although this year is very close in timing i will refuse to attend any church that is honoring Easter, hosting an egg hunt, or in any way mixing pagan tradition with this most Holy of Feasts, Passover.

You are loved,

cj