What if....... part 2

     Do you know what it's like to believe something with all your heart and then suddenly, as if a curtain is opened, you see that thing in a totally different light?  Perhaps you have never had that happen.  If you haven't, let me tell you how absolutely awe inspiring it is! 

     Not too long ago I was having a conversation with a friend about current world events and I made an off the cuff remark.  Later I began thinking about what I had said and thought, hmmm what if....

     I now want to throw that idea out to you as well.  Within Christianity we have been taught that the anti-Christ is a person.  A charismatic person who will be so persuasive as to gain the confidence of the entire world.

     Now let me give you a what if.  What if the anti-Christ is not a person, but people.....a group of people?  In the days of Jesus there was an anti-Christ, but it wasn't one single person.  It was a group. In His day he was followed by throngs of common people and many of the religious leaders, but one group of people sought to take Him down. 

     They believed with all their hearts they were in the right.  They were, after all, the keepers of God's word.  They were the ones who had interpreted it, more clearly defined it, taught it, and carried out judgement on those who went against it.  They did their best to ensure that no one interfered with their interpretation and instruction.  They had become so self absorbed they could no longer hear the voice of God and in their zeal to uphold what they believed about the Messiah they actually were in opposition to Him and His teachings.  They had become so obsessed with the "Word" they were hearing it, but not doing it.

     Now if it is true as Solomon exclaimed in Proverbs that there is nothing new under the sun, then can we take the first anti-Christ and make a correlation?  If so, is the next anti-Christ the same?  If we read the entire Bible we can see that the same story seems to be repeating itself over and over, yet with a different generation and a slightly clearer picture.  Taking these things into consideration, could the anti-Christ be a similar group?

     Could these people be ones who believe with all their hearts they are in the right?  Could they be the keepers of God's word?  Could they be the ones who interpret it, more clearly define it, teach it, and carry out judgement on those who go against it?  Could they be people who do their best to ensure that no one interferes with their interpretation and instruction?  Could they be considered people who are self absorbed and can no longer hear the voice of God, and in their zeal to uphold what they believe about the Messiah unwittingly be thwarting Him and His teachings?  Could they be so obsessed with the "Word" they are hearing it, but not doing it?

     I am not making a prediction nor am I saying this is absolute truth, just throwing out an idea for you to think about.  If what I wrote about in part 1 of this post is true and that the first anti-Christ was the religious leaders and their faithful followers, could the correct interpretation of who the anti-Christ is actually be the "modern church" and it's followers?  I will just leave this idea here.  Remember it is just a thought of what if....

     Shalom!

What if.........

     I am one who truly enjoys thinking deeply into a matter.  As a child I would sit for hours and just think, "Me......," as I looked at my hands and tried to discern what made me different from others.  Not that I was "different," yet we are all different.  I was inside this body and I could never be anything but .... me. 

     I would also think to myself about what I would do in various situations.  You know like a kidnapping, or an earthquake or well any number of things.  I can "chew" on the meaning of a single word for hours upon end.  Then I grew up and now I think, "what if?"  What if the church isn't the truth, or what if everything I think I know for truth really is not?  Sort of like the Matrix. 

     One of my all time favorite books is The Giver by Lois Lowry.  I was introduced to this magnificent work by my youngest son.  He was required to read it for his 7th grade English class.  We actually read it together.  If you have never read it, please do.  It is powerful.  It is not a religious book, but boy could I ever preach a sermon using it as an example!  The book takes one on a journey into a civilization where perceived realities just might not be quite so real. I will leave it at that so as not to spoil it for you.  Please read the book BEFORE you watch the movie.....it just isn't quite the same.....just sayin!

     When I finished that book I began to ponder my perceived realities.  What if all the things I think are true are not?  What if the things I believe are fallacies truly are reality?   I could spend hours here on this post about all the things I have actually mulled over in my lifetime, but I will not bore you with those. 

      I would like to continue this post into at least two or three parts.  For tonight I want to leave you with this thought to meditate upon:  What if, within Christianity, we have the cart before the horse?  Like, what if we are doing the right things, but at the wrong time in history?  We proclaim Jesus as The King of Kings and Lord of Lords, we sing almost all of our songs about Him, praise Him, pray to Him and proclaim everything in Jesus Name.  But what if those things are not to be done until He returns? 

     Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6  Does this imply that as of now we are to have the Father as our goal?  Read on, "And whatever you ask in My Name, that I shall do, in order that the Father might be esteemed in the Son."  vs 13.  "If you did love Me, you would have rejoiced that I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I." vs 28  "...in order for the world to know that I love the Father, and that as the Father commanded Me, so I am doing."  vs 31.

     If we place Jesus as the end all at this point, are we actually delaying the return of the Messiah?  Could it be that if we put Jesus in the proper place, we could see Him sooner?  Have we inserted the Messianic Kingdom before the return of the Messiah?  John's revelation is about the return of the Messiah, His kingdom on earth, which is then followed by the New Heaven and New Earth.

    Are we so consumed with being in His presence that we are of no earthly good?  Have we become the living dead rather than living water to the world?........ Shalom!

    

What I Have Learned On Yom Kippur - Well Shut My Mouth!

     Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, has just ended.  The past 10 days have been days of deep introspection.  I have taken this time very serious and as of last Friday I thought I had a good handle on my spiritual life.  That is until Saturday evening.  I attended a local competition event and left so angry I could spit.  After I returned home I began to grumble and growl with a slightly raised voice.  I was venting to my husband who simply gave me that look.  You know the one, a look which said, "That is about enough.  I don't want to hear it."

     When I realized the look he was giving I shut my mouth, thought about what I had said and suddenly felt like the smallest human being on earth.  I had to admit verbally that I was filled with anger.  Anger not only about the event I had attended, but just anger in general.  I come home from work almost daily filled with anger.  I do not look forward to going to church each Sunday, because I am ..... angry.  I can't even hear the names of certain people without becoming ANGRY!  (And the list seems to be growing!)

     I looked my husband in the eye and said, "I don't understand why I am so angry all the time, but it has to stop.  I have to find the source of my anger and deal with it.  So began my journey.  I knew Yom Kippur was coming up in only a few days, so it was absolutely necessary that I deal with this quickly.  I have flung myself headlong before God's throne each evening to beseech Him about this matter.  I have asked Him to show me the cause and how to deal with it. 

     The first answer I received was to be silent.  For someone who is kinda known as the mouth of the south at work, this was no small undertaking.  I love to talk and I love to joke around, but God said NO!  Again I heard Him say, "Be quiet."  My co-workers thought I was mad about something.  My husband gave a sigh of relief! Ha!  Well, I have tried very hard and have managed to do so for the most part.  I haven't been totally silent, but have tried to only speak words that are absolutely necessary.

     One co-worker in particular is a tremendous cause for my anger and for two days I was totally silent to him in particular.  I will just refer to him as "Jack."  My silence toward him is mainly due to him being one of the reasons I am so angry at the end of the day.  He kept asking if I was mad at him and I told him no.  I said I just don't feel like talking. 

     "Jack" irritates me so much that I have literally been praying for God to love him through me, because I cannot love this guy.  In fact I can barely tolerate this guy.  I know that something is not quite right with him and it is something he cannot help, but he drives me up the wall.  If things aren't done the way he wants them done, even if it has nothing to do with him, he pouts and whines like a five year old.  Yet, I know he cannot help the way he is.  If I had to guess I would say he falls somewhere under the Autism umbrella, most likely under the spectrum of Aspergers.  He does not seem to understand proper social protocol.

     Today as we were working, he again asked if I was mad at him.  I shook my head no and he turned his eyes up and said, "Thank you Lord."  I had to fight my mind and the things I wanted to say.  Later while helping a different co-worker I was astonished to learn something new.  "Jack" had shared with this man, a few years back, stories of things his parents did to him while growing up.  These stories were of physical abuse, some severe.  I really don't think "Jack" realizes he was abused. 

     Suddenly it was as if scales fell from my eyes and I saw "Jack" differently.  I no longer saw him as an irritating, immature man.  I actually felt sorrow.  Sorrow for a man who has known nothing but abuse and bullying.  Sorrow for my own sin of adding to the heap of thorns which have been piled on him.  How could I have allowed myself to become just another in his long list of bullies and abusers? 

     For the past 10 days God has reviewed the works of each and every man and woman.  On Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement, God makes His judgement based on those works and records His final decision in the Book of Life or the Book of Death for the coming year.  At the close of Yom Kippur the books are closed.....the final verdict is sealed. 

     There are many scriptures read on this day in Israel and among Jews everywhere.  Modern day Messianic Gentiles add a New Testament scripture as well, Matthew 12:22-50.  During my morning break I read Exodus 34:28-29 and Leviticus 16:1-34.  At lunch it was Numbers 29:7-11 and the passage from Matthew.  The first three passages are the requirements for the High Priest on Yom Kippur.  The passage from Matthew has a verbal tally to Yom Kippur as well. 


     Matthew 12 contains a few verses one doesn't usually hear in a sermon.

Matthew 12:33-37,
33“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. 34“You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35“The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. 36“But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. 37“For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” NASB

     I read verse 36 and my heart felt as though it were going to stop.  Verse 37 didn't make me feel any better.  I stopped and I prayed.  I didn't want to be a bad tree yielding bad fruit.  I didn't want to have an evil heart.  I desperately want to have a good tree yielding good fruit and a good heart that brings forth from its good treasure things that are good.  That is what I want and what I need to do.  I guess I would have cried if I hadn't been in a very public place.  I poured out my heart to God and left all the bad fruit at His feet.  I begged Him to prune me and bring me back into proper alignment with Him and His Word.

     Lunch ended and I walked back to my area with a renewed heart.  I still kept my mouth shut more, but I made the decision to think over my words before speaking them.  I knew this fact already, but I suppose God had to show this to my face for it to sink in; everyone has a back story to their life.  Some stories are wonderful, while others have endured the unimaginable.  All people need to feel loved and believe their life has meaning.  Some have been mistreated by so many people they cannot see their worth or believe they are loved.  Many times those people act out in ways we deem socially unacceptable and we only add insult to injury by chastising them or making fun of them for their actions. 

     I know this issue is not over for me.  I have a long road ahead and 50+ years of misspoken words to undo, but according to Matthew12:33 it can be done.  I have chosen to pick off the bad fruit and cast it into the fire so that good fruit can grow.  I know that how I respond is MY choice and I need to take a proactive approach to these people.  It will require me to keep my mouth shut more and listen.  (Not easy for the mouth of the south!)   Choosing my words will not be easy, but is attainable.  I think I will eventually be overcome with a peace that envelopes me and those around me.  I MUST take all negative thoughts captive at the onset and cast them aside as well.  Verse 34 says that it begins in the heart and comes out through the mouth. 

     I pray that you will let these words of Matthew sink into your heart and life as well and if necessary, take the steps to make your tree a good tree bearing good fruit.  I pray that your name has been inscribed in the Book of Life for a good year!  Shalom!

Jots and Tittles.....Oh The Little Things!

One tiny seed can make a great impact.

                        

In the grand ole USA we have this thought process in general: carry on every day in our mundane lives waiting for the big moments to happen.  We just seem to get by on a daily basis.  I can almost guarantee that if you go into work on Monday and ask every co-worker this question, "How are you today?" the majority will reply, "I'm here."

What exactly does, I'm here imply?  That response implies that work and the daily routine is monotonous, boring and something we are obligated to do, but there is no joy in it.  We appear to find joy only in the "special" moments like; weddings, births, promotions, awards, etc.  So, what do we do with the "little" things?

In Christianity we do the same, do we not?  We go through our weekly ritual of services while looking forward to the special services of Easter, Christmas, revival or perhaps a special guest speaker.  We even seem to carry it out in our reading of the Word.

Listen to those who say they are Christians.  Hear their words.  Bring up the subject of sin and see which "sins" are mentioned first.  Chances are you receive a lot of talk on the ones mentioned in Romans 1, yet may never hear Romans 2:13 expounded upon.  That verse says, "For not the hearers of the Torah are righteous in the sight of Elohim, but the doers of the Torah shall be declared right."

James 1:22 says, "And become doers of the Word, and not hearers only deceiving yourselves."  

In my post 10 Things The Church Should Be Doing, a couple of weeks ago, I expounded upon this verse and the breakdown of being doers of the Word.  I won't elaborate further on these things, I only want to teach something very critical in Hebraic thought.  We should stop majoring on the majors and major on the minors.

During Yeshua's (Jesus') ministry on earth He performed many great and mighty miracles and tens of thousands of people followed Him.  They were looking for the "pizazz," the red carpet and golden globe moments.  Luke 13:10-16 tells of Yeshua teaching in one of the congregations on a Sabbath.  While teaching He saw a woman there who was all bent over.  She had been that way for 18 years.  Yeshua has compassion on her and heals her, much to the disdain of the Pharisees who respond with a ruling that there are six days of the week for healing, and not on the Sabbath.

After this healing and His rebuttal of the congregational leader it is said in 13:17, "And all the crowd rejoiced for all the splendid works being done by Him."

And what was Yeshua's response?  Read vs 18-21 remembering that He knew their thoughts, "Therefore He said, 'What is the reign of Elohim like"?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his garden.  And it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the heavens nested in its branches.'  And again He said, 'To what shall I compare the reign of Elohim?  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until it was all leavened.'"

Can you understand what He was saying?  Look at it this way; a mustard seed is the smallest seed on the planet, yet one little mustard seed produces a very large plant.  Also, a minute amount of leaven produces a lot of dough!  The ratio of flour to leaven is 128:1, in other words it only takes 1/16 oz of yeast to leaven 8 oz of flour.  A very small and what seems like insignificant amount of something infiltrates and eventually consumes the entire amount.

When reading the Word it is absolutely essential that we remember this rule.  The people of His day even, were looking at the "majors" or things that stood out.  All throughout the Gospels we find examples of the people, especially the religious leaders, pointing out "laws" Yeshua has seemingly broken.  (Do we not do the same today?)  But each time Yeshua turned the conversation inward.

"It is written..." they would say and He would respond with taking their point to a deeper (more minute) level.  He took their placement of importance on something apparently blatant and revealed to them the deepest root to that particular issue.

The great sages taught that when the Torah, (or any scripture for that matter), barely mentions something it would be wise of us to look harder at that something than the words which stand out so very clearly.  It is in the intimacy of these depths we find our closest relationship with Him.

I have always loved the story of Elijah on the mountain.  I Kings 19 tells the story.  Elijah had just gone through a test with the 450 prophets of Baal.  Later as Elijah is on the run from Ahab, he is crying out to G-d and G-d responds in I Kings 19:11-12, "And He (G-d) said, 'go out, and stand on the mountain before G-d.  And see, G-d passed by and a great and strong wind tearing the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces before G-d, but G-d was not in the wind.  And after the wind an earthquake - but G-d was not in the earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire - but G-d was not in the fire, and after the fire a still small voice."

We see the big things in the world today as having G-d's name written all over them.  We see the results of storms, Tsunamis, earthquakes, lightening as well as breathtaking sunrises and lofty views of this great world and are reminded of Him, yet do we think the same when we see a leaf blowing across the yard in September?

We attend a packed house for a worship service or a specialized conference, hearing the latest greatest worship song and think, "Oh my, how strong was the presence of G-d in that place!  I could feel the Spirit!"  Yet do we think and feel the same when we hear the hum of Cicadas in June?

We call out the sins of others which we can see, but do we ever truly realize we are sinners for simply thinking a co-worker is an idiot?  It's in His Word.  If you don't believe me, read it for yourself.  We tend to overlook a tremendous amount of Scripture, because it isn't about big things.  One example: how many times have you read the genealogies with great interest?  There are tremendous nuggets within them which most people never see.

If we will but read the Word looking for the most insignificant things, we will find treasures without measure.  If we will but look at our everyday seemingly mundane activities through the same lens....oh what a difference we would see.

I want to leave you with one last thought.  The next time you hear the hum of insects imagine this, it is the latest and greatest worship song of the insect kingdom to their creator..... Shalom! 

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Tonight at sundown a new year begins in Israel.  It is the year 5776, the year of salvation.  It is Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets, and the shofar will be blown 100 times.  It is the anniversary of the creation of the first man and woman, the anniversary of the first sin, the anniversary of the binding of Isaac, and judgement day for the whole earth. 

The sound of the shofar is a call to repentance and the proclamation of G-d as King of the Universe.  The language of the shofar is the only language the Satan can not understand.

On the evening of September 22 the Holiest Day of the year will begin, Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement.  It is on this day that our destiny, as to whether we live or die in the coming year, will have been determined and G-d will seal the books. 

Now is the time of repentance.  Awake, awake and repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.  Today is the day of salvation. 

"See, I speak a deep secret to you: we will not all sleep (the sleep of the dead), but we will all be transformed.  In a moment's notice at the sound of the final shofar.  For the shofar will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible and those who are alive (mortal) will be transformed (to immortality)."  I Corinthians 15:51-52 (Hannah Rachel translation - HRT)

Do not wait, turn to G-d.........and listen to His voice.

"Then the sign of the son of man will appear in heaven, and all families of the earth will mourn, and they will see the son of man coming with the clouds of heaven (the Shechinah or glory of God) in power and great glory.  He will send forth His angels with the sound of a great shofar; they will gather His chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."  Matthew 24:30-31 (HRT)

This will be the sound of the shofar tomorrow, listen for it......wait for it......keep your eyes set upon Messiah's return! 

http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/977030/jewish/Shofar-Blasts.htm

Shalom!

10 Things The Church Should Be Doing

A friend of mine who has battled cancer more than once decided God was not done with her yet.  She realized there was a tremendous need in her community and started this great ministry literally from nothing.  I have been absolutely amazed (not sure why, because I know He can!) at the way God answered her prayers.

 
Recently I have viewed several articles on things the Church should stop doing or saying.  I have read them and for the most part I agree.  We live in a rather negative world and so I wondered, what is the positive spin on those articles?

 I have read study after study about the church of today and found something disturbing; the church is waning rather than waxing.  What does this statement infer?  The church is losing membership and, most importantly, the church is not changing the world.  It appears we have become so self-centered and egotistical that we are extinguishing the light of the Gospel rather than carrying that Light to the nations.  (I will, throughout this article use the church and The Church to denote those who say they are Christians and those who actually are.)

I know many of you will say, "Well that is exactly what the Bible predicts!  The Bible says that in the last days we, (the church), will be persecuted.  Just read Romans 1!"  I agree that Romans 1 paints a very dismal picture of the world around us, but we so often stick with our modern day dissection of scripture.  When written by Paul, Romans wasn't broken down by chapter and verse.  It is essential that we read the entire book as one letter.  If we stop with Romans 1:32 and do not continue on to 2:1-16:27 we are getting only a small fragment of the letter.  In essence we are taking a few verses out of the context of the entire document.  (Gee, sounds like a political ad!)  I urge you to read the entire book of Romans, putting aside any preconceived notions.  Go ahead, give it a try before reading further in this post. 

Now taking all this into consideration, I want to take you on a journey of the very words of Yeshua (Jesus).  After all, He is our example and our Savior and He was The Word made flesh.  If we follow any words or directions, let it be from Him first.  All the matters I am addressing come straight from His mouth.   I will start with the sermon on the mount beginning in Matthew 5, but let me give you a hint about Yeshua's words in this passage; nowhere in this discourse does He tell anyone what to believe, but instead He tells us what to do.  Please keep that in mind as we look at what The Church should be doing.

The Church should:

1.  Become poor in spirit.  We need to rely less on ourselves and more on God, putting the outside world's needs above our own.  We are so busy gratifying our spiritual obesity while the world is dying of spiritual malnutrition.

2.  Mourn: Yearn for God and His kingdom rather than the things of the world. Mourn any and all separation, of ourselves and the creation, from God.

3. Become meek: Psalm 37:11 - Humble ourselves, as we live in subjugation and are trodden down by a government that does not seek God and His ways.  Think about the Jews of Yeshua's day.  They were living under Roman rule.  As Christians in the USA, we are subjugated to our own version of Rome, the United Sates of America's rule and government.  God has allowed that government for a reason. 

4.  Hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God:  The Messiah.  We hunger and thirst for Him by deeply submerging ourselves in His Word as we yearn for the reversal of social and moral injustices.  

5.  Be compassionate:  Measure for measure - Hebrew idiom meaning that God will judge us based on the way we judge others so ALWAYS judge favorably.  (Matthew 7:2)  In the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46) Yeshua said His followers will:
          Feed the hungry
          Give water to the thirsty
          Welcome strangers and see to their needs
          Clothe those who are naked or have only rags
          Visit the sick and imprisoned
All of these have a literal and figurative meaning.  We cannot tell people about our God if they have physical needs which are not being addressed.  A starving person does not have the strength to listen until they receive food and water.  Figuratively they imply sharing the Gospel of Yeshua with: those who are searching (hungry or thirsty) for Him, those who have never heard of Him (the stranger), those who are vulnerable to or have been ravaged by the world (naked and sick), and those who are reaping the consequences of life without Him (imprisoned).         

6.  Pure in heart (mind): Psalm 24:3-4 people of integrity.  People who do not harbor deceit, unforgiveness, malice or immorality.  Meditates on God's Word, continuously!  Loving and forgiving those who treat us badly, including family and former friends who have wronged us.

7.  Seekers of Peace: Psalm 34:14 People who not only pursue peace with their enemies, but also pursue peace between others.

8.  Anticipate persecution:  which will come for those who seek to be all of the above as well as for our attachment to the Messiah.  We are persecuted for living a life that brings light into a dark world, yet we are to NEVER persecute those who are in darkness.

9.  Salt: The balance to all the evil, wrong and wicked of the world.  We are to be involved in the repairing of the world.  Salt cannot lose it's saltiness unless it is mixed with other substances and becomes less concentrated.  We must follow the teachings of God, responding to the world with grace.

10.  Light:  We should be conspicuously obvious to the world by our deeds [good works - Hebrew idiom for fulfilling the commands (connections) of the Torah].  Saying we have faith (a relationship with God) yet never connecting with the Torah is useless, which is hiding our lamp under a bowl.

The Sermon on the Mount discourse continues through chapter 7.  Often we stop at 5:16, but again I remind you that there were no chapter and verse divisions until a few hundred years ago.  This discourse contains a tremendous amount of scripture which is quoted often by Christians and non-Christians, although many times out of context.  Further in chapter 5, Yeshua elaborates on the words of Moses.  Verses 38-48 truly define in greater detail what appears later in the sheep and goats parable.

     "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor (Lev 19:18) and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those cursing you, do good to those hating you, and pray for those insulting you and persecuting you, so that you become sons of your Father in the heavens.  Because He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.  For if you love those loving you, what reward have you?  Are the tax collectors not doing the same too?  And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others?  Are the tax collectors not doing so too?  Therefore, be striving for perfection in order to be like your Father in the heavens is perfect."

He continues on to say in Chapter 7:21-27:

     "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Master, Master,' shall enter into the reign of the heavens, but he who is doing the desire of My Father in the heavens.  Many shall say to Me in that day, 'Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your Name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and done many mighty works in Your Name?'  And then I shall declare to them, 'I never knew you, depart from Me, you who are Torahless.  (Psalm 6:8 Most English translations will say lawlessness, but in Hebrew the word is literally not obeying the Torah or living without the Torah)  
     "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, AND DOES THEM, shall be like a wise man who built his house on the rock, and the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  
     "And everyone who hears these words of Mine, AND DOES NOT DO THEM, shall be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand, and the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat on that house, and it fell, and great was its fall."

James, the brother of Yeshua says this in his book Chapter 1:22-27:

     "And become doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  Because if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror, for he looks at himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what he was like.  
     "But he that looked into the perfect Torah, that of freedom, and continues in it, not becoming a hearer that forgets, but a doer of work, this one shall be blessed in his doing of the Torah.  If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is worthless.  Clean and undefiled religion before the Elohim and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

     There are those in The Church who are carrying out these instructions, but what about all those who say they are a part of The Church and aren't?  Their words are speaking so loudly, the world hears the noise and is covering their ears while shutting their eyes to avoid them.  Paul himself said in I Corinthians 13:

     "If I speak with the tongues of men and of messengers (angels), but do not have love (compassion, mercy, kindness and forgiveness), I have become as a sounding brass or a clanging gong."

Imagine a child who is beating on pots and pans with a spoon.  We can only take that noise for so long and then we "go off the deep end."  Is this what the church has become, a clanging gong and a miserable noise?

I watch the social media feeds where people I know are passing around, for lack of a better term, propaganda.  They are anti-immigrants, anti-government handouts, anti-government, and anti- lots of things.  My thought is, then what are you doing about those situations?  I found a cartoon that adequately depicts the sad state of the church these days.  I will quote from it:

     "America should get back to Biblical Christian principles!"
     "So we should feed and shelter the poor?"
     "NO! I'm not paying for a lazy person!"
     "So, we should visit and comfort prisoners?"
     "No, they don't deserve that."
     "So we should pay our taxes without complaining?"
     "No, that's MY money and I want it."
     "So, we should show love and mercy freely?"
     "No, that has to be earned."
     "So, we should avoid violence?"
     "No, we have to take out the 'bad guys.' "
     "So, we should be gracious to foreigners?"
     "No, they shouldn't be here."
     "So, we should seek to end social injustice throughout the world?"
     "No, that's not our problem."
     "Then what principles are you talking about?"
   

What could and would happen in the USA if Christians began to do what Yeshua asked of them?  What if we were the ones feeding the hungry and giving water to the thirsty both literally and figuratively?  What if we were the ones giving strangers (foreigners) a home among us?  What if we were the ones providing clothes and a sanctuary for those who have been ravaged by the world?  What if we took the Light in a loving, merciful manner to those who were reaping the consequences of their own actions?

We complain about welfare recipients, being ripped off by corporations, and fearing for our safety.  Are these things happening, because the church hasn't fulfilled its obligations?  When those who are called by God's Name fail to do what He commands, the world suffers.

Let us, the True Church, begin to do more and speak less.  Let's stop judging and remember that we were once deep in sin as well.  Let's remind ourselves that we do not know the other person's entire story.  Let's stop complaining about the state of affairs and begin reaching out with a hand to those in need.  If we will do the things God asks of us we could possibly see the return of the Messiah very, very soon.

Shalom.

Learning to Become United

My husband and I recently returned from a trip to Washington, D.C.  The picture above was taken at the WWII Memorial and shows 5 of the 56 pillars surrounding the memorial.  While in D.C. we also visited the Holocaust Museum.  The two are connected in what I believe to be the darkest part of our world history.  This horrible war, with it's many atrocities, actually began on November 1, 1936 as Germany's Adolf Hitler and Italy's Benito Mussolini joined forces to establish their domination of the world.  Twenty-four days later Imperial Japan joined them.  Three governments united for what appeared to be a common cause. 

For nine years war raged throughout all of Europe as Hitler and his partners invaded one country after another and millions died.  Yet during those years something else extraordinary happened.  Three other countries came together in unity as well, despite barriers of language, religion and life to overthrow an evil dictator.  During those years they would be joined by other countries along the way.  
When a common goal exists, mankind will overcome any and all obstacles to attain that goal.  Last week I talked about what might happen if all Jews AND Christians were to get on the same page.  Let me take that one step further.   

We may jump on board with a calendar of events, but what about language?  Could the number one reason we differ so much in theology be due to a language barrier?  Christians and Jews disagree greatly on interpretation of Scripture, but so do most Christians.  Don't think so?  Why are there so many different denominations and even so many different interpretations within even one denomination?  Have you ever given it a thought?  Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Methodist, Baptist (heaven knows how many different types of Baptist there are), Church of Christ, Christian (Disciples of Christ), Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Non-Denominational, Apostolic.  I could go on and on.  Two different Baptist Churches can't even agree on many details, let alone all these different flavors of Christianity.

Why is there such a barrier?  Christians DO NOT fully understand the language of the Bible.  We are very smug and claim to understand, why we understand it better than the Jews!  They didn't get it right in Jesus Day so we know they don't understand it now!  Those Jews just missed the boat!  How did they not understand that Jesus was the Messiah?  We see it, clear as day AND we know exactly how to interpret all those 66 books as well, correct?

That's funny.  Ask ten people within your own denomination this question, "What happens to the soul when we die?"  Oh that's an easy one.  We go to heaven or hell!  Well, I asked that question in a Sunday School class one day and received about five different answers.  Here they are: 1. Heaven or hell; 2. Soul sleep; 3. Purgatory; 4. Paradise or darkness; 5. Either Heaven (for a believer) or just cease to exist (for an unbeliever).  Hmmm, all that in a Southern Baptist Church.  To beat it all there were only about 8 people in the class and all of them age 30 and above.  

As Christians we should strive to seek the truth of the Scripture, even when that truth defies the very doctrine we have been taught in the Church.  One point in understanding Hebrew that is so often overlooked is a simple thing known as an idiom.  I have written on this point before, but let me take you down that road for a moment.

An idiom is a commonly used expression that is never to be taken literally.  In the USA we use idioms such as: Come hell or high water; She has a bun in the oven; It's raining cats and dogs.  Judaism does the same.  Some prime examples are: 
     Loved and hated - to love one more than the other (never literally taken as hated); 
     Abolish - to teach the Torah incorrectly;
     Fulfill - to teach the Torah correctly;  
     Evil eye  - stingy;
     Good eye - generous; 
     The third day - used to denote something miraculous; 
     On that day - the future or the world to come; 
     Little one - unschooled inexperienced disciple; 
     Drinking wine - studying Torah; 
     Favorable year of the Lord - year of Jubilee; 
     Go up - elevate oneself spiritually; 
     Thorn - small pointed stroke that is part of a Hebrew letter or something that might be considered insignificant; 
     Twinkling of an eye - the haste with which the Hebrews left Egypt; 
     Under the Law - a Gentile who had gone through the conversion process to become a Jew (this included circumcision for males and also a ritual bath known as a mikvah or baptism);
     In one's tent - deep study of Torah.  (When speaking of Jacob it is said that he stayed in the tent.  Christians have typically taught that Jacob was a Momma's boy, but this is far from the truth.  He spent his time seeking God.)

Did you think you knew what these terms meant only to see that you may have been a little off base?  As I researched this subject I looked at common English language idioms and their meanings.  I came across a webpage that named over 600, only to find that a few of them were not defined the same way I use them.  I wondered if this were pertinent to perhaps another area of the country from where I live.  I fully understand the difference in areas with things such as a soft drink.  In the south everything is a coke, while in other areas they are called pop or soda.  So what if you were to ask Jews from various areas and they understood those idioms differently?  How do we know the true meaning of them?  In those instances we MUST go to the 1st century A.D. to find how the Jews in Jesus' day defined them. 

If we could all get on the same page with idioms and their definitions, scripture might take on an entirely new meaning.  Could it possibly be that denominational names would drop and we could all become The Church as we were meant to be?  

Now that I have given you several to start, take these idioms and plug the definition into the scripture which uses them.  I certainly hope you have a new perspective on that scripture afterwards.  Until next week, Shalom!     

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Today is August 22, 2015 and a new year is almost upon us.  What?  A new year?  But we are four months away from New Year's Day and we still have Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas to go through! 

As we take a look around the world, the term New Year has various meanings.  In the United States a new school year typically begins in August or September.  For many corporate entities a new fiscal year begins a 52 week period that could correspond to any date on the calendar.  The next Chinese New Year begins on February 8, 2016, the Islamic New Year on October 15, 2015, and the Jewish New Year on September 14, 2015 of the Gregorian calendar.   Wow, did you have any idea there were that many calendars in use at all times?  According to a website known as webexhibits.org/calendars, there are currently 40 calendars in use around the world.     

Why so many calendars?  Well, some are lunar calendars and others solar.  A new school year calendar has been shaped and reshaped over the years and varies between states.  Fiscal years for corporations and governments are based on a 52 week period that best suits their needs, usually corresponding to seasonal operations.  Retailers for instance begin their fiscal year on February 1 and close out on January 31st due to the holidays, while the company I work for has a fiscal year of July 1 - June 30.

Just throwing out a thought here, but what would happen if everyone in the world used the same calendar?  hmmmm....  Let me take this one step further and ask what calendar would it be?  What if God had a calendar which He set up before the foundations of the world were created?  Would that be the calendar to get your vote?  If so, what if it were vastly different than the calendar you currently use?

The fact is, God DID create a calendar and He has given it to us in His Word!  The picture at the top of this post is an example of God's calendar for this month, August 2015.  If you focus in on it you will see there are dates you have probably never thought or known about before now.  It also contains Bible readings which are the same year after year after year and have been for thousands of years.

Now, let's take this another step further.  What if all Jews AND Christians were to begin observing, (strictly observing), this calendar and ALSO reading the same scripture on the same day every year?  What would and could happen in this world?  Could we possibly usher in the return of the Messiah?

God DOES have a day planner and today, August 22, 2015 is day 8 of a 40 day period of repentance.  Day 31 of that period falls on September 14, 2015 which is the 1st day of the Jewish month Tishrei - New Years Day!  It is known as Rosh Hashanah which also begins the Feast of Trumpets.  According to Jewish tradition it is the day Abraham bound Isaac for a sacrifice as well as the beginning of "The Days of Awe."

The 30 Days of Repentence leading up to New Year's Day is a time of introspection, because a super holy event is coming very soon.  These 30 days are to be spent searching out every nook and cranny of our life to find everything unholy and rid it from us.  God's court session will begin on Rosh Hashanah and those who have not "settled out of court" during the previous 30 days will now stand before Him to plead their case for nine days.  At the close of the 9th day, all testimonies will conclude and court is adjourned.  God then deliberates on the testimonies and on the 10th day, Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), He will close the Book of Life.  If your name is written therein you will live for another year.  If not......

Oh, did you think the Book of Life had something to do with eternity???  Well, in a sense it does.  We are all eternal beings.  Eternity does not begin with death, it begins with life.  The moment you are conceived eternity begins for you.  The question remains though as to what kind of eternity you will experience both while on earth and thereafter.   

"But what about salvation?  I thought that ensured eternal life!"  Well, do you remember my closing question from the previous post?  I asked what the Kingdom of Heaven meant.  The Kingdom of Heaven is a term for the reign of God.  "Well, doesn't God reign in Heaven?"  God reigns wherever He chooses to reign, but He desires to reign in His people.  God cannot dwell where there is unholiness.  Although the Book of Life most likely has a dual meaning, one for this life and one for the life to come, it is essential for those of us who have accepted Christ to turn inward during those 30 days.  We MUST find any unholiness which has crept into us and purge it.  We cannot be a reflection of His light from within if our window is dirty.

The understanding of time in Hebraic thought is that time is cyclical rather than linear.  It repeats itself over and over and over, each time becoming clearer and clearer and clearer with greater depth.  In this respect we, as Christians, should be living in the times.  We should understand fully the meaning of God's calendar.

The Gospel of Matthew can help give us a better understanding of this concept.  I am going to quote from a Hebrew to English translation.  Matthew 3:1-2, "And in those days Yohanan the Immerser came proclaiming in the wilderness of Yehuda, and saying, 'Repent, for the reign of the heavens has come near!'"

So what exactly was John the Baptist proclaiming?  Most translations will say, the Kingdom of Heaven.  He was not only proclaiming the 1st appearance of the Messiah, but also ushering in the 40 days of repentance.  If you continue to Matthew 3:13 - 4:3 you will find that Yeshua, (Jesus), comes to be immersed as he begins his ministry - bringing a way for God to dwell in His people individually.  

  Taking the verses I have given you from Matthew we can "know" the dates of this story.  What does the scripture say?  Matthew 4:1-2, "Then Yeshua was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tried by the devil.  And after having fasted forty days and forty nights, He was hungry and the trier (Satan) came to Him."

Jesus went into the wilderness to go through 40 days of introspection, 40 days and nights, the days of repentance.  Satan did his absolute best to cause Him to stumble, but to no avail.  Those days of repentance are not only to throw out the things that make us unholy, but also in order to bring us closer to God.  Jesus knew his mission was to be grueling and beyond anything a human had ever experienced; therefore it was absolutely necessary for him to be in total connection to God.

That last day in the wilderness was Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the Holiest day of the year.  His fate was sealed.  The book was closed and nothing could change that decision. 

Now is YOUR time of introspection.  Now is the time to seal your name in the book.  For the next 32 days, every day, read Psalm 39, 40, 51 and 27 in that order.  Prior to reading these ask God to reveal any and all sin within your life that is creating a disconnect between you and Him.

So back to my question.  If ALL of God's people would get on the same page (calendar), what could happen?  If ALL of God's people would take the next 32 days to purge the unholiness from our lives and become "one" with God, then on the last day to fast from both food and water and any physical pleasure......could we see the Messiah's return with the final, single blast of the shofar (trumpet) at sunset on Yom Kippur, - the Day of Atonement (At-onement) as we all shout, "Next year in Jerusalem!"? (Leviticus 16:30)

May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year my friend, Shalom!

Gearing Up for a New Year With God

 The soul of one of God's children is likened to a beautiful rose among the thorns of materialism. 

From the Zohar

I am going to do my best to start over with lessons from the weekly Bible reading again.  I desire to teach others the wondrous gems I have been taught for the last four years.  If you deeply desire to know more and more about God, perhaps this is for you.

If you are like me, I am terribly tired of cliches and the latest catch phrases for Christianity.  I long for God's word and to allow IT to change me.  There are far too many people writing books, Bible Studies and developing DVD's and programs with catchy phrases designed to entice us and draw us in, some with a personal agenda.

Please let me say that I do not disagree with many of these people.  They are teaching truth, but why do we feel the need to come up with a memorable phrase when God has done all of that for us in His Word?  I can tell you that learning The Word for the last four years has made THE biggest difference in my life. 

If I am going to try this again and hopefully write so that all can understand, I must begin with some basic concepts and I will try to put out one or two of those basics every day or two.  Please feel free to share these posts with anyone who you know deeply desires to go deeper with our God and His word. 

I would definitely love to tell you how I am not going to say, "God revealed this to me."  What I will tell you is that I have learned these things from my teacher, who learned them from his teacher, who learned them from his teacher.  I will do my best to not give information unless it can be backed up by several sources, no matter how much I might truly wish to.  Accountability is soooo very important and I desire accountability from my teacher and you, my readers. 

The new weekly reading schedule begins in about 9 weeks so I should have ample time to lay down the foundation for those readings.  Please feel free to comment or send me an email if you have questions.  I always encourage questions or comments.  I want this blog to be a safe place for those who have questioned things within the church for years, but were made to feel like an infidel if they asked.  If you have found condemnation other places, I want you to find love here.  Remember there are no stupid questions.  I may not have an immediate answer for you, but I will find one if it exists. 

My goal is to bring you along with me as I approach the throne of God, one step at a time.  I desire that you grow closer to the Creator as you journey with me. 

I will leave you with one tidbit for today:

               What is the kingdom of heaven?  Where is it and when does it start??? 

Shalom, my friend, Shalom!
                       

Unity???

  

 My husband and I stand in front of the unity candle at our marriage ceremony.

     I have been an active member of a mainline, protestant, evangelical denomination all my life.  Growing up in that atmosphere, I had never understood those denominations whose services were full of liturgy.  I thought they were stuffy and boring and missing the point.  Of course my actual knowledge of those churches, or any other denomination for that matter, was limited to rumors and innuendos from people in my own denomination.

     One thing I did have knowledge of, other than my own kind of church, was a mom and dad after God's own heart.  They taught me one basic thing;  to always read the entire Bible for myself and ask God to impart His understanding of that scripture to me.  They even reinforced the matter by telling me I should never take any one preacher or teacher's explanation of scripture as absolute gospel, but to search out the matter for myself.  I have been on that search about the deep truths of God's Word for most of my life.

     A few years ago a friend invited me to a class on 1st Century Judaism, taught by a Lutheran minister who is also a Jew by birth.  I was a little skeptical at first, but the mere mention of the name of the class surged through me with great excitement.  The class is known as Torah Tuesday.  In the midst of attending this class I have visited this church several times and I have realized a great misconception on my part.  Let me revert back in my life for a moment to help you understand my point of view as well as give you a little something to think about.

     My denomination, while conservative in it's teachings, encourages a certain level of freedom of expression during worship.  If you want to sit during the worship it is okay.  If you want to stand and raise your hands while saying hallelujah, that is okay as well.  We don't judge those who "feel the Spirit" during their time with God.  We do, however, tend to think differently about those who worship in liturgical congregations and I must admit that I was one of the worst in doing so.  I was so judgmental that I wrote a book several years ago along that line.  I gave the book to several people in my denomination whose opinion I trusted wholeheartedly.  Each of them gave me back the draft with words such as, "It was nice," or "It would make a great instructional manual."  (Just their way of saying kindly, "Oh dear, how can we tell her this book is awful!")

     I was brokenhearted at the comments.  There was no enthusiasm for my words. (Ahh perhaps that was the problem, they were my words...a realization that just hit me.)  Rather than stew over it, I vowed that I would put it away until God revealed otherwise.  If all of those trusted people said the same thing, well.....

    Now fast forward five years.  I have been in this class regularly for four of those years and worshiped with that particular congregation about 10 times.  I have also, through this class, studied the beginnings of Christianity from an entirely new perspective.  Where I once saw liturgy as rote and mindless tradition, I now understand it as unity.

     In my last post I mentioned that the United States appears more divided now than at anytime since the Civil War.  I still believe that to be true.  According to a survey by The Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB), there are over 300,000 Christian based congregations who worship each week.  Of those, approximately 100,000 are either fully or in part liturgical and 200,000 are not.  I would wager a guess here to say that on any given weekend only about 57,000 of those congregations are on the same page.  Although that is a great many, on the other hand there are about 243,000 congregations who are each doing their own thing.  Although they probably all teach from the Bible, they greatly differ on the scripture reference and interpretations and that is not unity.  About the only time those 200,000+ are unified is; Christmas, Easter, Mother's Day and Father's Day. (If you are part of an evangelical congregation, how many times have you attended on Mother's Day and made that face, because you knew you were going to hear Proverbs 31 preached again!) 

     If all 300,000+ congregations believe in the same God and in the same Savior, why aren't they unified?   Have they misinterpreted God's Word in some way?  Think along with me on this, the apostle Paul said that God is a God of order.  If this is so, why are His people so disorderly?

     My study of 1st Century Judaism has brought about a thought process.  What would and could happen if ALL God's people got on the same page?  How wonderful is it when many people from various walks of life come together with a unified agenda, putting aside their differences on things which aren't applicable to the cause?  What accomplishments can be achieved with unity?

     Let me take this one step further.  What if every church in the world read the same scripture this coming weekend?  All churches, no matter the denomination, lifting up their voices as one in unity?  Would the gates of hell crumble?  Would this one simple act be THE ACTION which would herald in the return of the Messiah?

     I want to give you a couple of examples of what unity can do..    

Joshua 6:20,  "So the people (Israelites) shouted, and [the priests] blew with the shofar (horns). And it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the shofar, that the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city."

Nehemiah 8:1-9,  "When the month of Tishri arrived, the children of Israel gathered together as one at the plaza before the Water Gate and they asked Ezra the scholar to bring the scroll of the Torah of Moses, which HASHEM (the Lord God) had commanded to Israel.  So Ezra the Kohen (Priest) brought the Torah before the congregation - men and women, and all those who could listen with understanding - on the first day of Tishri (Rosh Hashanah - a holy day which begins 10 days of awe and ends with Yom Kippur, the day of atonement).  He read from it before the plaza that is before the Water Gate, from the first light until midday, in front of the common men and women and those who understood; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Torah scroll.  Ezra the scholar stood on a wooden tower that they made for the purpose......(the portion omitted here lists 13 men, 6 of whom stood on Ezra's right and 7 who stood on his left)........Ezra opened the scroll before the eyes of all the people, for he was above all the people; and when he opened it all the people stood silent.  Ezra blessed HASHEM, the great God, and all the people answered 'Amen! Amen!' with their hands upraised; then they bowed and prostrated themselves before HASHEM, faces to the ground......(Again men named who helped the people understand the words they were hearing. I could teach an entire lesson on just the names of all these men, but alas that is for another time.).......They read in the scroll, in God's Torah, clearly, with the application of wisdom, and they helped the people understand the reading.  Then Nehemiah, who is the Tirshatha (Persian official) as well as Ezra the Kohen, the scholar, and the Levites who were helping the people understand, said to all the people, 'Today is sacred to HASHEM your God; do not mourn and do not weep.'  For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the Torah."

     I know the last passage was lengthy, but I wanted to capture the context.  The first temple had been destroyed and the people of Israel had been in captivity in Babylon for 70 years.  Under great men such as Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah and their influence over the Babylonian Kings, the people were allowed to return to their land.  Through the generosity and kindness of King Cyrus the second temple was built.

     As the Torah was being read the people began, as one, to weep as they realized they had been neglecting the Torah's laws.  Every time I read that passage from Nehemiah I am so deeply reminded of what took place at the dedication of the first Temple:
       
          "There was unison among the trumpeters and singers, sounding out in one voice to praise and give thanksgiving to HASHEM, and when the sound of the shofars and cymbals and other musical instruments sounded out, with praise of HASHEM 'for He is good, for His kindness is forever,' and the Shechinah filled the house - the Temple of HASHEM - and the Kohanim (Priests) could not stand and minister because of the cloud, for the Shechinah glory of HASHEM filled the Temple of God."  II Chronicles 5:13-14.

     WOW! What a day that must have been!  Something I long to see in Christianity.

     Although it is not exactly the same as our Gregorian calendar which is solar, the Jewish calendar is lunar and has a specified scripture for each week.  It is the same EVERY year.  You could say their calendar is God's calendar or better yet, God's day planner for He is the one who gave it to them.  In every Synagogue around the world the scripture is the same.  The Jewish nation scattered all around the world is unified on each and every Sabbath as well as every festival and Holy Day. (Judaic unity goes much deeper than this, but that is also for a different post!  If you would like to purchase one of these calendars you may find it here:  http://ffoz.com/eretz-yisrael-wall-calendar.html  It is well worth the money and contains BEAUTIFUL pictures of the land of Israel.)

     What would and could happen if all of Christianity, within our congregations, began to follow the same scripture reading schedule as all of Israel?  What a day it could be if ALL GOD'S CHILDREN stood on the Sabbath and at the completion of that reading, shouted in one voice, "For He is good, for His kindness is forever!"  Could we usher in or shout in the return of THE MESSIAH?

     

   SHALOM!
     

What will you do with what you see?

One event changed millions of lives forever.  Not only did that event change the lives of that generation, but would change the lives of future generations forever as well.  If you are a Christian you probably think I am talking about the birth of Jesus, but I am not.  I am referring to a world event that is so horrendous, many of us refuse to think about it.  We have heard about it throughout our lives, but most will probably not seek out anything more than their high school history class provided.

Only a few days ago my husband and I traveled to Washington, DC.  There were a number of sights I wanted to see, but one was at the top of my list and I was not leaving DC until I had visited it.  The first day we visited Arlington National Cemetery.  The sight of the graves and the changing of the guard was overwhelming, but that was not my top priority.

The second day we visited most of the memorials, but that was not my highest priority either.  Finally on the third day I received the reward of my patience, The Holocaust Museum of Washington, DC.  That one museum was the reason we chose DC to begin with.  I have researched the Holocaust and watched videos of survivors telling their story for the past few months.  Why is the Holocaust so important to me seeing that I have no relatives, that I know of, who were affected by that event?  Prior to my trip I had no clear answer, but now I do.  The museum brought all the research together for me in a tremendously poignant way. 

For almost a year now our country has been in turmoil.  First a young unarmed black man was shot and killed by a white police officer.  Next a young black teen was shot and killed by a white police officer, because the officer thought the boy was pulling a gun on him.  The gun turned out to be a toy gun.  Thirdly a black man was arrested, placed in the back of a police van and died hours later from an injury he apparently received while in the back of that van.  A black man was wrestled to the ground by several police officers and one white officer put him in a choke hold.  The black man died from that hold. 

Three weeks ago a young white man walked into a historic predominantly black church and spent an hour with the members in a prayer meeting before standing up, shouting racial slurs and gunning down nine people.  As a result the nation has been in a total uproar over a flag, a piece of cloth.  While the nation was drawing lines in the sand over this piece of material, the Supreme Court made a thunderous decision, a civil rights decision that gave Gays and Lesbians the right to marry and for that marriage to be recognized as a legal marriage in all 50 states.

"Hands up don't shoot,"  "Black lives matter," "Police lives matter,"  "All lives matter,"  "I can't breathe," and "That flag is our heritage," "Marriage is between one man and one woman," have all become slogans across this great and mighty nation.  The United States of America, by the looks of my social media feed, is anything but united.  Gays and Lesbians are celebrating their rights, while Christians feel as though their rights are being violated.  Lines are DEFINITELY being drawn in the sand and I have been concerned over where this might lead.  Will there be another Civil War?

In the midst of this, just a few days before the celebration of our country's birth, my husband and I visit Washington, DC.  That first day as we entered the gates of Arlington National Cemetery, I turned to my husband and said, "I think we are the only people here who speak English."  Standing in that entrance I could distinctly pick out at least six different languages spoken within earshot and that scenario continued day after day.  As an English speaking caucasion woman, I certainly sensed that I was in the minority.

Then on day three, The Holocaust Museum.  I walked through the museum, watched the videos, heard the stories of survivors, saw the pictures and cried.  The first video instructed us about how Hitler and his army came to power.  The second video was even more unsettling.  It was about antisemitism throughout history.  The video touched on the fact that Christians have been responsible for a tremendous amount of this antisemitism throughout the past 2000 years.  I do believe we have made great progress in that area, but the past is what it is.  I cannot change it.

Today I have tried to form the words in my mind I wanted to say to you.  I have researched even more and I have to say putting this together has been heart wrenching for me.  I have been told all my life that ignorance is bliss, but it absolutely is not.  Ignorance is the very factor that allowed Hitler to commit horrible genocide.  Ignorance allows people to blindly follow a charismatic leader. 

I am speaking predominantly to my fellow Christians in this post.  I am not trying to be condescending here, because I am so very guilty myself.  This lesson has been as much for me as anyone else.  Part of this research has been watching a video containing thoughts by several people including a Jewish Rabbi.  This Rebbe states, "I could be a Nazi."  He goes on to explain that, "Whenever I think of someone as less than human or think of them as not deserving to live, I am a Nazi." 

I paused the video and contemplated his words.  Am I a Nazi?  Do I think of others as less than human? Do I ever think someone doesn't deserve to live?  Do I make that statement even if it's only in my head?  As a Christian I have been programmed to think that anyone who commits certain sins doesn't deserve to go to heaven.  Isn't that the same thing as thinking they don't deserve to live?

There is a verse in the Bible that says when you know the truth, the truth will set you free.  I know I am taking this verse out of context, but this statement can be used in every area of life.  Whenever we know the truth of a situation, that truth will set us free.  Free from judgement, free from blindly following a leader down the wrong path, free to love.

The truth we need to see in the decisions being made in our country is that ALL PEOPLE ARE CREATED EQUAL.  If we, as Christians, begin to condemn all those who believe differently than us we have become Nazis.  If we say all men must believe in our God, how then are we different from Hitler?  Hitler played on the "knowledge" of his predecessors, that Jews killed Jesus and therefore they needed to die.  Those Jews were worthless pieces of meat, deserving of death.  Those Jews were inferior creatures.

Hitler's way of thinking didn't just stop with Jews, as horrible as is that fact.  He dreamed of a pure race of people; therefore he not only sought out Jews, but any person who had an imperfection either mentally or physically.  He also rounded up Gypsies, Jehovah's Witnesses and homosexuals.  Hitler published a list of characteristics that made up his perfect Aryan race.  Any person who did not fit that list was fodder for the camps.

Hitler arrested almost 500,00 homosexuals and interred approximately 15,000 of those in concentration camps.  He also exterminated approximately 200,000 disabled, approximately 220,000 Roma Gypsies and 1,500 Jehovah's Witnesses, (although close to 10,000 were interred in camps).  Can you see a pattern here?  Hitler had a list of characteristics and ideals that he believed were perfect.  Anyone who did not fit that list were subject to death, people who were subhuman.

We, as Christians, cannot afford to think in these abstracts.  God created people and he created them in His image.  All people are sacred; the disabled, the people who believe in a different god or in no god, people of other races.  All men are created equal.  If we, as Christians, begin to think of any other human being as unequal to us, we become Nazis.

I have said this before and I will say it again, our job in the kingdom of God is not to judge, but rather to love.  Jesus was asked, "Rabbi, what is the greatest commandment?"  Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength and there is another just like it.  Love your neighbor as yourself, for this is the entire Torah."

Guess how one truly defines those words?  Love the people who agree with you.  Love the people who disagree with you.  Love the people who do not believe in your God.  Love the people who commit atrocities.  Love ALL PEOPLE!  Love covers a multitude of sins.  Christians should be leading the world in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned.  We should be the poster child for love! 

We, as Christians in America are NOT being persecuted.  There is no state church in America and no state religion.  We may have the truth, but we do not have the right to force people to believe that truth.  We are not a perfect "race" of people.

As we were leaving The Holocaust Museum I turned to see the window.  This is what it said,"The next time you witness hatred, the next time you see injustice, the next time you hear about genocide, Think about what you saw."

Genocide did not stop with the death of Hitler.  It has happened again in Rwanda and at the hands of ISIL.  Take a very long look at Charleston, SC and, if we are going to pattern our lives after any current day humans, let it be after those men and women.  Love and forgive.  I am asking that you take an hour and watch the video I have linked here.  Watch as the daughter of a survivor, the granddaughter of a Nazi soldier, a Jewish Rabbi, a Catholic Priest and people from all walks of life and beliefs come together for healing and restoration.  You will find that within this video, the verse about a father's sins being visited on the 3rd and 4th generation tend to jump out at you.  This video is difficult to watch, so I do not advise it for children.  Until next time....Shalom!


 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4CKq3ywXL8

May the Expressions of My Mouth....part 2

Last week I talked about the problem.  I wish I could say I have solved it in my life, but that would be a lie.  In fact this week I have opened my mouth waaaaaay too much!  I think I need to re-read the previous blog post every morning......

That reminds me that I actually should be reading God's blog post every morning, first thing!  Now, that might be the start of the solution.  Why is that so difficult for me to do?  Well, I am NOT a morning person, but I am without excuse and so are you. 

The biggest step in stopping lashon hara in it's tracks is to:

1. Study God's Word, daily....several times daily.
2. Stay in constant communication with God.
3. Listen only to music and media that is positive and edifying.
4. Be on a constant lookout for ways to positively impact the lives of others.
5. Ask God to bless everyone in your sphere, naming those people personally.

Gee, that sounds pretty easy.  Well, it really isn't.  We live in a negative world.  A lot of people live in an extremely negative family situation.  News, co-workers, family members, friends, social media posts, television, radio........negativity is EVERYWHERE!

Positivity is a lifestyle.  We must make a conscious effort to change ourselves.  Start with baby steps.  Get in the Word and communication with Him first.  It takes commitment and continuity.  Start with secluding yourself for a short devotional every morning.  That could be 10 minutes.  Then, rather than responding, try listening before speaking.  As someone in your life spews forth a major amount of negativity, rather than listening to the actual words, listen to the hurt behind them.

Do you think there isn't hurt behind hurting words?  I know in my own life that almost every time I speak or think hurtful or negative things it is due to a hurt in my own life.  I may not even realize it.  I feel bad about myself and want to feel better about me, so I find someone who is a little worse than me to justify my feelings.

Ah, there is that word justify.  We want justice, but is that what God wants us to want?  There are at least 8 references in the Word about vengeance being God's job, not ours.  As we go through our day, surrounding ourselves with the most scripture, conversation with God and uplifting music, why not speak a blessing on everyone you come into contact with.  You can't always do that externally, but you can ask God to bless them.  If we are blessing, we can't curse.  It may not change them, but for certain it will change us! 

James said in his book chapter 3, verse 10: "Out of the mouth come both blessing and cursing.  Brothers and sisters this should not be so!"

I am going to suggest a book to read on this subject.  It is called, 'Thank God It's Monday.'  This book impacted my thought process.  It teaches us how to look at life and people from a God perspective.  If God is slow to anger, (there are 14 references to this in the Bible), it is out of His great love for mankind.....ALL of them.  The world needs more love, not more criticism and sarcasm. 

Take a step with me, (I really need this), and make a change.  Michael Jackson, regardless of what you think about the man, sang about several ways to do this.  In the song, Man in the Mirror:

I'm going to make a change
For once in my life
It's gonna feel real good
Gonna make a difference, gonna make it right

As I turned up the collar on my favorite winter coat
This wind is blowin' my mind
I see the kids in the street with not enough to eat
Who am I to be blind, pretending not to see their need?

A summer's disregard, a broken bottle top
And one man's soul
They follow each other on the wind ya know?
'Cause they got nowhere to go, that's why I want you to know

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change

I've been a victim of a selfish kinda love
It's time that I realize
There are some with no home, not a nickel to loan
Could it be, really mean, pretending that they're not alone?

A willow deeply scarred, somebody's broken heart
And a washed out dream
(Washed out dream)
They follow the pattern of the wind ya see
'Cause they got no place to be that's why I'm starting with me

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make that change

I'm starting with the man in the mirror, oh yeah
I'm asking him to change his ways, yeah
(Come on, change)
No message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make the change

You gotta get it right, while you got the time
'Cause when you close your heart
(You can't close your, your mind)
Then you close your mind

With the man in the mirror, oh yeah
(That man, that man, that man)
I'm asking him to change his ways
(Change)
No message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself then make that change

Read more at http://www.songlyrics.com/michael-jackson/man-in-the-mirror-lyrics/#gcvoH9M53Kv4HKy9.99

So the next step is to join with others in making a change!  Read and listen to the words of the song:

We Are The World 

There comes a time when we hear a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
And its time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all

We can't go on pretending day by day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change
We are all a part of God's great big family
And the truth, you know,
Love is all we need

[Chorus]
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
Its true we'll make a better day
Just you and me

Send them your heart so they'll know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stones to bread
So we all must lend a helping hand

[Chorus]

When you're down and out, there seems no hope at all
But if you just believe there's no way we can fall
Let us realize that a change can only come
When we stand together as one

[Chorus x2]

Songwriters
RICHIE, LIONEL / JACKSON, MICHAEL

Published by
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

Read more: Michael Jackson - We Are The World Lyrics | MetroLyrics  

 

link to the video:  http://facedl.com/fvideo.php?f=oennauuunkuw&michael-jackson-we-are-the-world

What if, instead of speaking words of what America should do to ISIS or other regimes who are out to harm, we prayed for God to bless them instead? 

Start reading God's word, communicating with Him constantly, choosing only uplifting music and programming to listen to, and asking God to bless everyone you come into contact with on a daily basis.  Romans 12:14 tells us; "Bless those who persecute you.  Bless and do not curse. 

Start tomorrow with first blessing God, then asking Him to bless your enemies, those who seek to harm, those who are negative Nellies, those who speak harshly at you, those who use sarcasm to make people laugh at you or someone else.  Use scripture to bless: Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:28, 35; Romans 12:14; 1 Peter 3:9.....just to name a few. 

As I go to my Father asking His forgiveness for my thoughts and my mouth I ask that He would bless you in all you say and do.  Shalom!

The Expressions of My Mouth....

Have you ever thought about the complete definition of words we think we understand and use on a regular basis?  Words......  This past week or so I have been thinking, well perhaps it is better stated that God has been dealing with me, about my mouth AND my mind.  I feel the need to share this lesson with others as I go through it.

While preparing to write this post I struggled for a title that would not only get attention, but denote the seriousness of the topic.  The familiar verse came to mind, "Let the words of my mouth....," Psalms 19:14.  I looked it up in a new Bible I recently purchased and it reverberated the words  emblazoned on my mind from Bible Drill and Bible School days as a child.  "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing before You, O 'The Name', my rock and my redeemer." The Scriptures copyright 2012 by The Institute for Scripture Research  isr-messianic.org

Okay, then I went to my Ashkenazi Hebrew-English translation of The TANACH.  It contains only what Christianity refers to as The Old Testament.  In that translation it is actually Psalms 19:15 and says, "May the expressions of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart find favor before You, HASHEM, my Rock and my Redeemer."  artscroll.com  

[Before I go any further, I urge every Christian to order these two translations.  YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!  The TANACH comes in two different versions, Ashkenazi and Sephardic.  Both will give you the actual Hebrew characters on the right page and the English translation on the left.  Go to these websites and order one today!]

Now, on to the subject matter.  (Hang in here with me, even if the next few paragraphs are difficult to understand.)  What is the difference in using "words" or "expressions" in the translation?  Well, thinking I truly knew what the word expression meant, I looked it up to be certain.  Ready for it?  Think you truly know the definition?

     According to Miriam Webster, Expression, (the simple version):
           

: the act of making your thoughts, feelings, etc., known by speech, writing, or some other method 
: the act of expressing something
: a word or phrase

: the way someones face looks that shows emotions and feelings

The more detailed version:

1  a :  an act, process, or instance of representing in a medium (as words) :  utterance <freedom of expression>

    b (1) :  something that manifests, embodies, or symbolizes something else <this gift is an expression of my admiration for you> (2) :  a significant word or phrase (3) :  a mathematical or logical symbol or a meaningful combination of symbols (4) :  the detectable effect of a gene; also :  expressivity 1

2  a :  a mode, means, or use of significant representation or symbolism; especially :  felicitous or vivid indication or depiction of mood or sentiment <read the poem with expression>

    b (1) :  the quality or fact of being expressive (2) :  facial aspect or vocal intonation as indicative of feeling

3  :  an act or product of pressing out 

Hmmmm..... from what I see in this definition, words are mere meaningless vocal utterances without expression.  Our mouths can spill forth many, many words which have absolutely no meaning one way or another without expression behind them.  In writing we denote expression by the use of punctuation.  For example, "I love you." or, "I love you!" or even still, "I love you?"  Did you read something different into the examples.  

 So what sets the tone for our words or expressions?  The Scriptures say it is meditations or thoughts.  What's the difference?  Let's read the definition of those two words. 

Meditations:

: the act or process of spending time in quiet thought 
: the act or process of meditating

: an expression of a person's thoughts on something

Thoughts:

: an idea, plan, opinion, picture, etc., that is formed in your mind 
: something that you think of
: the act or process of thinking

: the act of carefully thinking about the details of something

I really like the TANACH version of this scripture best since I think it conveys more meaning.  Let me paraphrase it for you using Webster's definitions:

"Let the expressions of my mouth through words, songs, utterances, and intonation as well as the overall look of expression on my face; along with the ideas, plans, opinions, pictures, etc., that are formed and focused on in my mind, continually be inspired and approved by You and You alone and bring You glory, O glorious God of heaven and earth, for You alone are my Rock and my Redeemer."

I hope this helps you to view a familiar scripture from an entirely new perspective and at a much deeper level.  

Now, why has God been dealing with me on this subject?  I attend a class every Tuesday evening where the students are taught the Bible from a 1st Century Hebraic perspective.  My personal thought process has literally been turned upside down for the last four years.  My understanding of scripture has been taken from a Kindergarten perspective, (which I actually thought was an undergraduate college level ha!), to perhaps a middle school level perspective. 

One very important perspective of the entire Bible is, as Jesus put it in Mark 12:29-31; "The greatest commandment is this: Hear O Israel!  The Lord our God is one Lord; and you are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind.  There is another like it, Love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no other commandment greater than these."

Have we perhaps strayed far, far away from these most important commandments?  Could this be the solution to all that is wrong with our society?  Have we changed the words within our hearts to: "Hear O self!  I am the most important person in the world; I will love myself with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my strength and with all my mind.  And secondly, I will exalt myself above all others, cause I am worth it.  After all, it is a dog eat dog world out there and if I don't look after number one, who will?"

A few weeks ago my teacher taught about leprosy as spoken of in the Torah.  If you read the "laws" set forth in Leviticus, you will see a set of laws dealing with this atrocious affliction.  Many modern day Christians have tried to explain this affliction through the eyes of what is now known as leprosy, but it is far from this 21st century perspective.  Leviticus 13-14 lay out the conditions for which Tzaraas (translated in many Bibles as leprosy) is determined and cured.  

I will try to explain this affliction as best I can.  Tzaraas was an affliction that could contaminate a person, a dwelling and/or clothing.  The cause of tzaraas was something known in Judaism as lashon hara.  The translation usually comes across as gossip or evil speech, but it is SO much more.

Gossip usually implies sticking ones nose in another persons' business and then telling everyone they know the juicy tidbits they have discovered.  Evil speech implies either cursing and/or intentional hurtful words in order to ruin a reputation.

The true definition of lashon hara is, in its simplest form, negative talk....period.  It matters not if the things being said are true or false.  Judaism treats lashon hara as worse than murder, since murder is once and done whereas lashon hara goes on murdering the persons reputation over and over.  It continues even long after death, each time the tale is retold. 

So are you thinking that I have a gossip problem?  Well to some extent, all of us do.  The thoughts I have been mulling over and over in my mind are the amount of negative talk I let out of my mouth.  Going back to my earlier paraphrase of the Psalms scripture, it begins with negativity in my thoughts; you know the ideas, plans, pictures, opinions and such in my mind.  Good grief!  How did those things get in there to begin with???

If I could record every single word I say in a day's time and place everything under one of two categories, which one would fill up the quickest; positive or negative?  I have this sneaking suspicion that the positive side would have two or three sentences while the negative side would contain pages.  Add to that the tons of thoughts that go through my head which NEVER come out of my mouth.... oh dear!

The rules on lashon hara require an entire book, but I will give you the top eight:

1. Lashon hara literally means “bad talk.” This means that it is forbidden to speak negatively about someone else, even if it is true.  (Oh no! think about all those prayer requests we "share!")
2. It is also forbidden to repeat anything about another, even if it is not a negative thing. This is called rechilut.
3. It is also forbidden to listen to lashon hara. One should either reprimand the speaker, or, if that is not possible, one should extricate oneself from that situation.
4. Even if one has already heard the lashon hara, it is forbidden to believe it. On the contrary, one should always judge one’s fellow favorably.
5. If one has already heard the lashon hara, he is forbidden to believe itNevertheless, one may suspect that the lashon hara is true, and take the necessary precautions to protect oneself.
6. It is forbidden to even make a motion that is derogatory towards someone.
7. One may not even retell a negative event without using names, if the listeners might be able to figure out who is being spoken of.
8. In certain circumstances, such as to protect someone from harm, it is permissible or even obligatory to share negative information. As there are many details to this law, one should consult a competent rabbi to learn what may be shared in any particular situation.  http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/922039/jewish/Laws-of-Lashon-Hara.htm

So much is being reiterated through the media these days about the effects of words on others.  Most, if not all of us, can relate to how badly words can damage.  We know full well how much the old saying has been debunked: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me."  Many of us have known the impact of a harsh or demeaning word spoken at the right time.  Those words have impacted our lives like an arrow through the heart.

Each time my teacher brings up this subject, my mind begins to run wild thinking of all the many ways I commit this atrocity.  Outward expressions of our innermost thoughts.  We may laugh it off as a joke or teasing, but there is nothing edifying about a joke or teasing.  Let me give you examples that I believe according to the above 8 rules are considered lashon hara:

1. sarcasm
2. mimicking
3. cutting our eyes angrily at another
4. ignoring
5. laughing when someone else makes fun of or speaks in a sarcastic manner
6. saying things about ourselves such as, "I am so stupid." or "I can't do anything right." or putting ourselves down in any way.
7. speaking irritatingly or visibly showing signs of irritation at another person
8. kidding around
9. rolling our eyes when someone else appears, is talking or being talked about
10. practical jokes
11. retelling a story about something bad that happened to us or someone we know
12. and last but not least..... (in keeping with number 6 in the previous list - so please don't throw things at me), giving someone the finger....

Well, I guess you can see why I said God has been dealing with me on this issue.

Leprosy cannot be declared in this day and age, because there is no temple or priesthood.  Regardless, could this be the source of many afflictions that have arisen without a clear defining cause?   Be careful in dismissing this issue too quickly.  Can you say that you never commit any of these 12 things?

Every day it seems, I hear of another person experiencing physical illness that cannot be diagnosed, myself included.  I have been suffering for years without a proper diagnosis.  People are becoming sicker and sicker and we have looked to our environment, our diets, insects, bacteria and such without stopping to observe our thoughts which make their way out of our mouths. 

Observe for a couple of days.  Listen closely to television commercials, the conversations around you, the programming on television, radio broadcasts, news stories, etc.  Try remaining speechless for an entire 24 hour period and be extremely sensitive to the noise around you by listening.

If God SPOKE the world into existence, how powerful are our words?  But He is God and I am not!  True, but we are made in the image of God.  Words.....thoughts.....how do we change them?  That my friends is a different post.  For now, become aware of how much negativity fills your life.

Fixing the problem will be my next post, so until then.....SHALOM!