When my wife and I arrived in Alaska almost 6 years ago, a main part of the vision of what we wanted to see God do here was to bring unity to the body of Messiah here in the Last Frontier. We do understand, of course, that standing in the way of this unity are centuries of schisms in the body. Schisms that are caused by distrust, pride, lust for power and control, finances, politics, doctrinal differences, prejudices and a host of other maladies in the human condition. While this is a formidable challenge we do understand that overcoming centuries of religious strife and conflict and bringing the body to unity will have to be an act of God. However, at the same time we also recognize another fact, i.e., that we also have a part to play, a responsibility if you will, to cooperate with God in achieving this unity.
Understand please that unity isn't the same thing as uniformity. God is not looking to "clone" us or make the body something homogenous that denies the multifaceted cultures and backgrounds we all come from. It does mean we focus on the things we share in common together as believers and to do what Paul tells us to do in his writings: "Accept one another then as Messiah also accepted us to the glory of God" (Rom. 15:7).
First of all, our rallying point is the Messiah Himself. Yeshua is our focus, our goal, our reason for being. Secondly, we rally around the written Scriptures as the infallible and authoritative Word of God, inspired by Him. We submit out lifestyles to obeying its words because they are the words of the Creator. Thirdly, we fellowship with other believers, who are our brothers and sisters in the Lord as long as they all hold to the foundational truths of God's Word as pertaining to the person of God and how we have been brought into relationship with Him. For the body to attain to God's goal for us which, according to Rabbi Shaul (Paul) in his writings to the congregation of Ephesus, is to come "to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Messiah" (Eph. 4:23), we must make up our minds as individual believers to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and the corporate whole of the Body of Messiah to make this unity a reality.
We are not only called upon to strive for and work toward this goal of unity, but also to preserve it as the Spirit of Almighty God works it out in us, through us and for us. Again from Paul's words to the Ephesians (4:1-3):
"Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
Enough said? Then together let's do it.
.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Rethinking God's Grace
As I've been processing the desecration of the Torah by Ralph Messer (as mentioned in my last posting) I found myself asking, "What is responsible for all the irreverence that exists in the Church world today toward things that are sacred?" The answer came to me immediately as a two-fold answer. It's due:
1. To the Church's divorce from the Torah.
2. To the rape of the meaning of the grace of God.
Both of these reasons arise from the influence of the early Church fathers who misinterpeted Paul's statement in Romans 6:14, "...for you are not under law, but under grace." By misinterpreting and misunderstanding that statement, the Church fathers threw the Law (Torah) into the dumpster and twisted the meaning of God's grace. Once you toss out the Law, you become lawless! And the result of this lawlessness is the loss of the fear and awe of God.
To have a correct understanding of what Paul was communicating in that statement we must take a few things into account. First of all the word translated Law/law in the Apostolic writings is translated from the Greek word nomos. Also, the word translated under means "not subject to the power (of)." So in the case of Romans 6:14 Paul is stating that we are "not subject to the power of the law, but are subject to the power of grace." The key to understanding Paul's statement, therefore, is in how we translate nomos. Since nomos, translated "law", is a general term for law, how it is interpreted depends on the context in which it is used. Nomos in certain contexts is a reference to the Torah, but in other contexts it is used of other laws besides the Torah. And in the case of Romans 6:14 nomos is NOT referencing the Torah, but in the context of the passage it is referencing the law of sin. So when Torah observant Paul writes that we are not "under law" in this context, he is speaking about the law of sin, not the Torah! But we are "under grace."
So then we must ask, what does it mean to be "under grace?" Well it does not mean that we are free from the Torah, or from the Law of God, to live any old way we want to. Grace is not license to excuse our stupidity, stubborness and sin. It does mean that as believers we are now free from the law of sin, from being under its power as slaves to it, so that we are now equally free (by grace) to obey God and subject ourselves to the obedience of the Word of God, i.e., the Torah. According to Titus 2:11,12 grace is the power to live free from sin in obedience to God, it is not a carte blanche freedom to continue living like we did before we knew Yeshua. Listen to what Paul tells Titus in those verses, from the New International Version of the Bible:
"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It [God's grace] teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly possessions (or lusts), and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age."
It is time to rethink what the grace of God really is and accept the fact that the abuse of its meaning has resulted in the deplorable moral and spiritual condition of the modern day body of the Messiah.
1. To the Church's divorce from the Torah.
2. To the rape of the meaning of the grace of God.
Both of these reasons arise from the influence of the early Church fathers who misinterpeted Paul's statement in Romans 6:14, "...for you are not under law, but under grace." By misinterpreting and misunderstanding that statement, the Church fathers threw the Law (Torah) into the dumpster and twisted the meaning of God's grace. Once you toss out the Law, you become lawless! And the result of this lawlessness is the loss of the fear and awe of God.
To have a correct understanding of what Paul was communicating in that statement we must take a few things into account. First of all the word translated Law/law in the Apostolic writings is translated from the Greek word nomos. Also, the word translated under means "not subject to the power (of)." So in the case of Romans 6:14 Paul is stating that we are "not subject to the power of the law, but are subject to the power of grace." The key to understanding Paul's statement, therefore, is in how we translate nomos. Since nomos, translated "law", is a general term for law, how it is interpreted depends on the context in which it is used. Nomos in certain contexts is a reference to the Torah, but in other contexts it is used of other laws besides the Torah. And in the case of Romans 6:14 nomos is NOT referencing the Torah, but in the context of the passage it is referencing the law of sin. So when Torah observant Paul writes that we are not "under law" in this context, he is speaking about the law of sin, not the Torah! But we are "under grace."
So then we must ask, what does it mean to be "under grace?" Well it does not mean that we are free from the Torah, or from the Law of God, to live any old way we want to. Grace is not license to excuse our stupidity, stubborness and sin. It does mean that as believers we are now free from the law of sin, from being under its power as slaves to it, so that we are now equally free (by grace) to obey God and subject ourselves to the obedience of the Word of God, i.e., the Torah. According to Titus 2:11,12 grace is the power to live free from sin in obedience to God, it is not a carte blanche freedom to continue living like we did before we knew Yeshua. Listen to what Paul tells Titus in those verses, from the New International Version of the Bible:
"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It [God's grace] teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly possessions (or lusts), and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age."
It is time to rethink what the grace of God really is and accept the fact that the abuse of its meaning has resulted in the deplorable moral and spiritual condition of the modern day body of the Messiah.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
An Appeal To My Gentile Brothers & Sisters
I've been facilitating a book study on Wednesday nights on the book "The Messianic Church Arising" by Robert Heidler. The main purpose of Mr. Heidler's book is to show the renewed interest of the predominantly Gentile dominated church in learning about and returning to her Jewish roots. This is both commendable and, without a doubt an act of God, as His Spirit is dealing with a large segment of His body that cut themselves off from their roots centuries ago.
In the fourth chapter of the book, entitled: Chapter Four/ What the Church Lost (When We Lost Our Jewish Roots), Mr. Heidler makes the following observations and statements:
"To the Jew, the person of God was treated with great respect. God was not a subject for analysis; He was the object of loving worship. The Jews knew that the puny human mind would never be capable of understanding God. The only appropriate response to Him is to love, serve, and obey Him. To put it another way, the Hebrews approached Scripture, not to understand God, but to learn how to please Him. The Greek mentality [which inundated the Church from the second century on*] deified human intellect above God. They assumed the human mind could ultimately understand God, and if you could understand something you could control it...As the church lost its Hebrew roots, it embraced this intellectual Greek preoccupation to analyze God."
Of course the results of this "Greek preoccupation" resulted in the erroneous and satanic doctrine that the Church had replaced Israel in the mind and plan of God. It its journey back to its roots many in the Church are treating sacred, century old practices and objects of Jewish worship of the Almighty shamefully and, in its zeal, even desecrating objects considered sacred in Judaism under the label of being "Spirit led." A case in point is the recent scandal I posted on my Facebook page the other day of Ralph Messer, who desecrated a Sefer Torah scroll by wrapping it around a person in a Church service and calling the Torah cover a "foreskin." This heinous, irreverent act has been repudiated by the leadership of both the UMJC (Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations) and the MJAA (Messianic Jewish Alliance of America). I would like to share with you the major portion of their mutual refutation of Mr. Messer's actions:
"We join our voices with the wider Jewish community in condemning the ritual orchestrated last Sunday by Ralph Messer at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. Messer is not recognized by any major branch of Messianic Judaism and, under the standards of the UMJC and the MJAA, is not even considered part of our community, let alone a rabbi...
We condemn Messer's flagrant disrespect of the Sefer Torah in this ritual and his misrepresentation of Jewish tradition, an abuse which must stem either from ignorance or great presumption. It is inappropriate and offensive to wrap a person with the sacred scroll, to describe the Torah mantle as "a foreskin," to pronounce a man to be "king" in a ritual context, to employ a tallit in ways completely out of touch with the tradition to which it belongs, and above all, to do all these things, and more, claiming to represent the Jewish community.
"Respect for the Torah is a central value within authentic Messianic Judaism. We assure the rest of the Jewish community that this ceremony would seem as bizarre and offensive within our congregations as it would within yours. An article at AJC.com (the Atlanta Journal-Constitution website), quotes David P. Gushee, a professor of Christian ethics at Mercer University: 'One problem with Messianic Judaism, in which leaders attempt to fuse Jewish and Christian traditions and symbols, is that it can easily stray into profound insensitivity.' While Professor Gushee's characterization of our 'attempt to fuse Jewish and Christian traditions and symbols' is simplistic, his description of the 'one problem' is accurate. Responsible leaders within the Messianic Jewish community share his concern that our traditions be handled with sensitivity and deep respect. By his actions at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, Messer demonstrates why he is unworthy to be part of our community and cannot claim to represent us in any way."
The search and desire of our Gentile brethren for their Jewish roots in the Messiah is both commendable and desired. We ourselves have built a unique relationship with Freedom In Christ Church here in Alaska and marvel at the response of the leadership and congregants to the return to Jewish roots (including eliminating the observance of Christmas) over the past two years. This relationship has been built on mutual trust and respect as we see God building us as the One New Man in these last days. Much of the success of this relationship is the result of our sensitivity to each other in not trying to "change each other" and respecting the things we each value within our respective cultures.
I would, therefore, like to encourage other churches and individual Gentile believers in Yeshua, who are interested in exploring their Jewish roots, to likewise remain respectful and sensitive to those roots and the people through whom God brought the Messiah into the world. I would also ask you in this wonderful journey of discovery of your roots to treat objects that have been considered sacred by the people of God for thousands of years with respect and diginity. If you're not sure what the proper treatment, handling and protocol is for wearing a tallit, or blowing a shofar or handling a Sefer Torah, please don't do anything until you've researched it and are engaging in their use accordingly.
*The statement of "inundating the Church" within the quotes from Heidler's book is mine.
In the fourth chapter of the book, entitled: Chapter Four/ What the Church Lost (When We Lost Our Jewish Roots), Mr. Heidler makes the following observations and statements:
"To the Jew, the person of God was treated with great respect. God was not a subject for analysis; He was the object of loving worship. The Jews knew that the puny human mind would never be capable of understanding God. The only appropriate response to Him is to love, serve, and obey Him. To put it another way, the Hebrews approached Scripture, not to understand God, but to learn how to please Him. The Greek mentality [which inundated the Church from the second century on*] deified human intellect above God. They assumed the human mind could ultimately understand God, and if you could understand something you could control it...As the church lost its Hebrew roots, it embraced this intellectual Greek preoccupation to analyze God."
Of course the results of this "Greek preoccupation" resulted in the erroneous and satanic doctrine that the Church had replaced Israel in the mind and plan of God. It its journey back to its roots many in the Church are treating sacred, century old practices and objects of Jewish worship of the Almighty shamefully and, in its zeal, even desecrating objects considered sacred in Judaism under the label of being "Spirit led." A case in point is the recent scandal I posted on my Facebook page the other day of Ralph Messer, who desecrated a Sefer Torah scroll by wrapping it around a person in a Church service and calling the Torah cover a "foreskin." This heinous, irreverent act has been repudiated by the leadership of both the UMJC (Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations) and the MJAA (Messianic Jewish Alliance of America). I would like to share with you the major portion of their mutual refutation of Mr. Messer's actions:
"We join our voices with the wider Jewish community in condemning the ritual orchestrated last Sunday by Ralph Messer at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. Messer is not recognized by any major branch of Messianic Judaism and, under the standards of the UMJC and the MJAA, is not even considered part of our community, let alone a rabbi...
We condemn Messer's flagrant disrespect of the Sefer Torah in this ritual and his misrepresentation of Jewish tradition, an abuse which must stem either from ignorance or great presumption. It is inappropriate and offensive to wrap a person with the sacred scroll, to describe the Torah mantle as "a foreskin," to pronounce a man to be "king" in a ritual context, to employ a tallit in ways completely out of touch with the tradition to which it belongs, and above all, to do all these things, and more, claiming to represent the Jewish community.
"Respect for the Torah is a central value within authentic Messianic Judaism. We assure the rest of the Jewish community that this ceremony would seem as bizarre and offensive within our congregations as it would within yours. An article at AJC.com (the Atlanta Journal-Constitution website), quotes David P. Gushee, a professor of Christian ethics at Mercer University: 'One problem with Messianic Judaism, in which leaders attempt to fuse Jewish and Christian traditions and symbols, is that it can easily stray into profound insensitivity.' While Professor Gushee's characterization of our 'attempt to fuse Jewish and Christian traditions and symbols' is simplistic, his description of the 'one problem' is accurate. Responsible leaders within the Messianic Jewish community share his concern that our traditions be handled with sensitivity and deep respect. By his actions at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, Messer demonstrates why he is unworthy to be part of our community and cannot claim to represent us in any way."
The search and desire of our Gentile brethren for their Jewish roots in the Messiah is both commendable and desired. We ourselves have built a unique relationship with Freedom In Christ Church here in Alaska and marvel at the response of the leadership and congregants to the return to Jewish roots (including eliminating the observance of Christmas) over the past two years. This relationship has been built on mutual trust and respect as we see God building us as the One New Man in these last days. Much of the success of this relationship is the result of our sensitivity to each other in not trying to "change each other" and respecting the things we each value within our respective cultures.
I would, therefore, like to encourage other churches and individual Gentile believers in Yeshua, who are interested in exploring their Jewish roots, to likewise remain respectful and sensitive to those roots and the people through whom God brought the Messiah into the world. I would also ask you in this wonderful journey of discovery of your roots to treat objects that have been considered sacred by the people of God for thousands of years with respect and diginity. If you're not sure what the proper treatment, handling and protocol is for wearing a tallit, or blowing a shofar or handling a Sefer Torah, please don't do anything until you've researched it and are engaging in their use accordingly.
*The statement of "inundating the Church" within the quotes from Heidler's book is mine.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Sorry I've Been Away So Long!
To those of you who were following this blog I apologize for letting it fall to the wayside for so many years. I could make all kinds of excuses for it, but what's the point in that? Needless to say the business of my daily schedule would be my main excuse for why I haven't posted anything here since 2008. Again I apologize.
Recent events not only in the world, but more so in the religious or church world, have become an increasing source of concern to me. The deplorable condition of the body of Messiah, a community of "believers" that barely looks different from the unregenerate surrounding us, and the tendency of churches and believers jumping on the most popular "band wagons" of teaching and flocking to "prophets and apostles" instead of seeking God's face for themselves, raises many red flags. I sense an alarm sounding in me. So to try to make sense of some of these issues and provide help to you who want it, I will begin "speaking" to these areas of concern weekly via this blog.
Therefore, I am inviting you to follow this and post comments to the blogs so I can get a feel and understanding of how you think about these issues and what some of your concerns are as well. Thanks and shalom!
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