A broken toilet or persecution?

“Are they Hebrew-speakers? So am I. Are they of the people of Isra’el? So am I. Are they descendants of Avraham? So am I. Are they servants of the Messiah? (I’m talking like a madman!) I’m a better one! I’ve worked much harder, been imprisoned more often, suffered more beatings, been near death over and over. Five times I received “forty lashes less one” from the Jews. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. In my many travels I have been exposed to danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the desert, danger at sea, danger from false brothers. I have toiled and endured hardship, often not had enough sleep, been hungry and thirsty, frequently gone without food, been cold and naked. And besides these external matters, there is the daily pressure of my anxious concern for all the congregations. Who is weak without my sharing his weakness? Who falls into sin without my burning inside? If I must boast, I will boast about things that show how weak I am”. 2 Corinthians 11: 22-30 Complete Jewish Bible

How far have we come from the 1^st century model of being a follower of Messiah Yeshua? For me the answer comes from reading the above scriptures. I read these scriptures and wonder what has happened to us in the western world. For some of us, bragging consists of a new car or house, a larger worship facility or even a better paying job. For others, bragging would consist of a backed up toilet or a lawn that is in bad shape. I am not trying to belittle those issues, because to each individual they are an important matter. However, in Paul’s (Saul) time, bragging and suffering meant something different. Reading about Paul’s “bragging rights’ might help to put our lives back into proper perspective.

Consider some bragging of Paul:

• A Hebrew speaker amongst a people that don’t know Hebrew.
• Part of the Jewish people
• Descendant of Abraham
• A servant of Yeshua

At this point Paul declares himself a madman because he is using the same credentials as all the other “super-apostles”, some of which he might consider false apostles. Paul then goes beyond the normal bragging and declares things that few others of his ministry contemporaries could lay claim to, and to this day many still can’t.

Consider Paul’s other qualifications that he brags about:

• Works harder than others
• Been imprisoned more than others
• Received more beatings than others
• Been near death (or actually dead) more than others
• Five times received 39 lashes
• Three times beaten with a rod
• Once he was stoned with rocks
• Three times he was shipwrecked.
• Spent a night and day in an open sea (probably after the shipwreck)
• Exposed to dangers from rivers, robbers, his own Jewish people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the desert, danger at sea, danger from false brothers
• Endured not having enough sleep, being hungry and/or thirsty, frequently gone without food, been cold and naked

In all honesty, I find myself at a loss of words when I look at this list. I think that I have become so used to seeing and hearing people brag about their wealth, power and authority, even from those in ministry, that I forget that followers of Yeshua in the first century endured things that were far worse than a broken toilet or a dormant lawn.

In an era where apostles, pastors, teachers, CEO’s, government leaders and movie stars are bragging about how powerful, famous and wealthy they are, Paul’s life and “bragging” stands as a sobering reminder of the true biblical bragging.

“If I must boast, I will boast about things that show how weak I am.”
2 Corinthians 11:30 CJB

When was the last time you heard someone in leadership, whether in religion, movies, or government brag about how weak they are and how strong G-d is?

Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the Ends of the Earth.

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:6-8 ESV)

I was listening to a podcast of a sermon the other day. The preacher was talking about the prejudices of the 1st Century Jewish people towards the Samaritans. He was talking about the Jewish people of that time and their hatred of Samaritans, even of their loathing of the pagan Gentiles. The Samaritans as a race were a mixture, a combination of Jewish, Syrian and other Mid-east nations. The Jewish people considered the Samaritans unclean and generally avoided Samaritans. The prejudice and hatred was so deep seated that if an Israelite were traveling and their journey would have required them to go through Samaria to get to the other side, they would travel completely around Samaria. That might seem strange and antiquated to our “modern” ears, but I submit that it is still a common attitude in our modern era.

How many of us live in a city with pockets of deep poverty, heavy crime and racially mixed neighborhoods? How many times have you avoided driving through that area simply because of fear? Sometimes the concern is justified, yet sometimes, it is not. How many times have you walked to the other side of the street rather then be on the same side as a particular individual or group of people? See, we are not as different as 1st Century Israelites.

For years, when I considered the command of Yeshua in Acts 1 about being his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth it meant nothing to me beyond the command itself to preach the good news. Yet now, when you factor in the prejudices and fears of the 1st Century Jewish people, then Yeshua’s command to preach and be a witness might easily drive the disciples of that time into shock. Maybe even a big emotional shock. Preach to unclean Samaritans! Even to the heathen and pagan gentiles! Are you kidding me?

Yet, though scripture does not state that fact, it must have been the case. Witness the disciples and apostles unwillingness to obey that command. For months and years, the apostles, even after receiving the immersion of the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) seemed unwilling to leave Israel. It took the persecution that erupted after the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8) to force them into obedience.

All this leads me to discuss an important point: Our tendency as followers of Yeshua to interweave and combine modern cultural norms with scriptural standards into our worship, our lives and our even into our interpretation of scripture. Not that it is necessarily bad (after all I am a Messianic Jewish follower of Yeshua), but we then treat the resultant combination as the gospel truth when it really is a combination of scripture, cultural ideas, norms and standards. Sometimes the gospel truth is, in reality, something different from what we believe or practice.

Is Yeshua speaking to us, as He did to His disciples and apostles, to leave our comfort zones and speak to people we consider anathema? Is our adherence to certain standards of walking with the Lord true scriptural standards or is it actually a combination of scriptural and cultural norms? Do we find ourselves unwilling to reach beyond our initial circle of friends to those we don’t know, care about or even loath?

I submit that we can all find ourselves in a place where we are deaf to certain commands of the Lord because we are unwilling to consider the possibility that He would ask us to do something that violates our deep-seated cultural/national standards, fears, prejudices, loathing and hatreds. Because we may have combined scripture with cultural ideas and standards, we then become unwilling to obey.

Yeshua’s command to preach not only to Jerusalem and Judea but also to Samaria and the rest of the gentile world was not only a command to preach the Good News of Yeshua. To the disciples of His century it was a call to leave behind their fears, prejudices, loathing and hatreds. Like the 1st century followers of Yeshua, we need to learn that lesson now, before the L-rd decides that persecution is the only way to force us to obey.

All This Authority

And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ” Luke 4:5-8 (ESV)

The beauty of the Biblical accounts of Yeshua is that He left heaven and became a man. Yeshua had all glory and power, yet He gave it all up to become like us.

“though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Phil 2:6-8 (ESV)

There are many reasons why Yeshua did all this; however, I only want to write about one of them. When He became like us, taking the form of a servant, Yeshua set an example to all of us who follow Him. If Yeshua, who had all glory and power, was willing to become a man, then we, who are born mere men, must be willing to become servants as well. This is a concept that few are willing to accept.

At the beginning of His ministry, Yeshua went through 40 days of testing and temptation in the wilderness of Israel. He experienced the same trials that we experience. At the end of the 40 days, Yeshua was tired, hungry, and sunburned to a crisp, while at the same time physically and mentally vulnerable to satanic temptations.

One of the fascinating parts of the accounts of Yeshua’s temptations in the desert is Satan’s offer of extreme earthly power. Satan not only tried to get Yeshua to disobey His father by eating during a fast, but also offered Yeshua a fast way to accumulate power and authority.

Yeshua’s response was to reject any path that did not come from His Father and not in accordance with scripture. His rejection of the satanic offer is an example and warning to His followers. If the devil tempted Yeshua, the Son of God, during a time of stress and weakness to shortcut the biblical process, then we will receive the same temptation. All of us, at some point, will be at a similar crossroads in our walk with the Lord. There will seem to be more than one path to fulfill your calling. One path will be the easy way; the other path will be long and arduous. Only one of the paths will be correct. One leads to the Lord. The other path leads to Hell.

Yeshua rejected the satanic path of quick fame and fortune. He gave up temporary paths to follow the eternal road.

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father Phil 2:9-11 (ESV)

You’re too Large a Group!

The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ Judges 7:2 (ESV)

Background

Before I start, let’s get some background on Gideon. At first we see the Angel of the Lord coming to proclaim Gideon as the person that will deliver Israel from the Midianites. Gideon answers the proclamation with doubt and fear; however, after many proofs from the Lord, he responds to the call and raises an army to fight the oppressors of Israel.

It is at this point that we need to put ourselves in Gideon’s shoes. The Lord has just told Gideon that he is to fight the Midianites, the cruel oppressors of Israel. The first thing he does is raise a large army of people. In retrospect, it seems obvious to us that Gideon did the wrong thing. However, at that time it may not have appeared that way to him. After all, he was going to fight a tough, almost intractable enemy. Raising a large army may have seemed the only logical thing to do. After all, that is what every one else does in similar circumstances.

When Gideon raises the army that he believes is large enough to do the job, he then marches off to do battle. When they reach the place where they will camp before doing battle, the Lord appears to Gideon and drops a bomb on his plans. Your group is too big. The army of Israel needs to be smaller. After making that statement, the Lord puts forth a series of directives to whittle down the size of the army. Eventually, the Lord considers Gideon’s army ready when the size is at 300 people. The complete opposite of what most armies would consider the correct way to do battle

Learning from this situation

Did anyone notice that the Lord did not give directives to Gideon on how to do battle at the same time as he received his calling? Did you also notice that Gideon did not make the effort to ask the Lord how to do battle?  He simply assumed that bigger is better.

We need to ask ourselves some questions:

• How many of us, after receiving direction from the Lord, would do the exact same thing as Gideon? Be honest!
• How many of us would go out and do what we thought is the right way to do things?
• Would you assume that bigger is better?
• How many of us would do things simply because everyone expects you to do the job this way?
• How many of us failed to inquire of the Lord for His battle plans?

Eye-Opening Book

How Christianity Changed the World

If you ever wondered what the world looked like before the spread of the gospel (Good News) then I have a good book for you. The book title: “How Christianity Changed the World.” In fact, I predict that it will be an “eye-opening” experience. This book starts out by showing you what life was like in ancient Greece and the Roman Empire and then contrasts that with a view of the attitudes and lifestyle of those that took Yeshua, His words and the Bible in general seriously. The book continues past the Roman Empire into the middle ages to the Reformation and beyond.

As you read this book, one of the concepts that you may find yourself pondering is the view of where the United States seems to be heading as we move into the future. The irony is that many special interest groups tout ideas, concepts and lifestyles that appear modern, futuristic and necessary. In fact, when you read this book you will realize that the lifestyles they advocate are rooted in ancient pagan, Anti-Biblical practices. Many of their agendas are a move backwards ethically and morally, not forwards.

No Man is an Island

“But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel.” Joshua 7:1 (ESV)

¹⁰ The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? ¹¹ Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. ¹²Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies.
Joshua 7:10-12 (ESV)

And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: ²¹when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.” Joshua 7:20-21 (ESV)

The context for these scriptures was the command by the Lord to Israel that they were to destroy Jericho along with everything and everybody in the city. It was all devoted to the Lord for destruction. The people of Israel obeyed the command, everyone but ONE person. Yet scripture records the actions of that one person as “the people of Israel broke faith. . .”

I suppose Achan’s thought process was something like this:

“I really like that coat and a little silver and gold couldn’t hurt. Who knows what will happen in the future. I’ll just take a few items. No one will notice the difference and I doubt my taking these few items will hurt anyone.”

It’s a great example of how the thoughts and beliefs of men and women are different from the Lord. We see ourselves as a collection of individuals and that is true, but only to a point. Yes, we are a community of individual people, each with a separate relationship to the Lord, each with personal accountability to His Maker. Yet, according to the Bible, we are part of community, the Body of Messiah. We are all a different part of Yeshua’s body, yet we are all of one body. Therefore, the actions of one individual not only affect the one person but also the body, usually at a local level but eventually spreading beyond the local congregation. The other side of the situation is that the consequences of the actions of an individual, whether good or bad, also affect not just the one person but extend to others as well.

What would have happened if the Lord did nothing? What if the Lord had not judged the sin of Achan?

I believe several things would have happened.

• The Lord would have not acted in character with His nature. He would have ceased to be God. The Lord will always act true to His nature. He will always judge sin.
• Achan would have started to believe that there are no consequences for disobedience. He would have continued to disobey the Lord and the leadership of Israel.
• Achan would start to display greed (idolatry) by amassing more and more things.
• Achan would become a symbol to others that there are no consequences for disobedience. The rest of the people of Israel would start imitating Achan, becoming a nation of individuals thinking only of themselves.

Failure to deal with the leaven of sin in Achan’s life would allow that sin to spread to the whole loaf, the nation of Israel.

We should be asking the same question. What would be the consequences if the Lord does not deal with our sins? The answers would be similar to the list.

• The Lord would have not acted in character with His nature. He would have ceased to be God. The Lord will always act true to His nature. He will always judge sin.

• We would start to believe, consciously or unconsciously, that there are no consequences to our actions. Disobedience would continue towards the Lord and to those in authority.
• Idolatry (lust, greed etc) would increase.
• You become a symbol to others that there are no consequences for sin. Others would imitate you.

Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? ⁷ Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. 1Corinthians 5:6-7 (ESV)

Which Door Did You (or It) Come Through?

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. ² But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. ⁵ A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” ⁶ This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. ⁷ So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. John 10:1-8 (ESV)

Last week, when I read this scripture, an interesting image came to mind. I saw a man preaching or teaching. At the same time, a question was going through my mind. Is the preaching of this individual coming through the proper door or through another way? It is an interesting question.

In context, Yeshua is stating outright that the only proper way to enter the sheepfold (the true body of Messiah) is through the door, which is Yeshua. Any individual who chooses to enter the sheepfold through any other door but the correct one, Yeshua, will find that the sheep will not accept him – at least those sheep that know scripture. That person will be coming from a direction he/she has chosen. Yeshua labels that person a thief and a robber.

Based on the context of the scripture, the mental image I had while reading this scripture gives me pause to think. Now I am asking myself a question. What do I think about sermons or teachings that attempt to bypass the proper door to the sheepfold? A possible answer: Sermons need to be not only Scripture based but also Messiah-centered. It is all too easy to give a sermon based on scripture and still be miles away from being Messiah-focused. Even worse, is the sermon or teaching that seems to be Messiah-focused yet does not come from the heart of God (Rhema). What do I mean by that statement? The sermon or teaching is actually coming from the head and not by the prompting of the Spirit (Ruach) of God. The source of that teaching is the flesh (your head).

In an age where attempts to influence you are coming from multiple directions, we need to be in daily fellowship with the Lord and in his Word. Only then will His people be able to fulfill the scripture:

A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” John 10:5 (ESV)