Tag: religion

Torah obedience = blessing.

Over and over, Scripture attests that keeping Torah, obeying the everlasting commandments, leads to blessing.  How Christendom ever abandoned the things God calls a “blessing” is a mystery and a tragedy that is theologically indefensible.

May the people of God within the Christian religion have the humble audacity to read Scripture without deminational and doctrinal filters, then act on it.

Praise the Lord ! How blessed is the man who fears the Lord , Who greatly delights in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, And his righteousness endures forever.
Psalms 112:1‭-‬3 NASB

http://bible.com/100/psa.112.1-3.NASB

How RtB changed a man’s life and marriage

The tension between them was visible and he was clearly not comfortable.  My wife and I sat to the left of them for dinner on the first evening of the Second B’ney Yosef North America Summit in Mesa AZ.  His somewhat pointed and at times combative conversation with the gentleman to his right was curious, particularly because he was aggressive towards the Messianic perspective, yet he was in attendance at a BYNA event!

I listened a few minutes and realized his wife was ‘all in’ and he, not understanding even RtB ad FB clickbasic Hebraic thought, was here to protect her.  Later, I found out she was fervently praying for him and was happy that he had even come to dinner.  His plan, as I understood it, was to not participate at all.

My passion is to compassionately and clearly explain what we believe, and why, from the Scriptures.  I have a Masters of Divinity and ten years of experience in the pulpit of a Presbyterian church, yet the Father opened my eyes and showed me much more than the Reformed traditions I was reared with.  When this gentleman we were providentially seated next to mentioned his Presbyterian background, I had my opening.

We talked about twenty minutes in a conversation that began tensely Continue reading “How RtB changed a man’s life and marriage”

The Holy Spirit and Lawlessness

Photo-chopped signpost in a park.

Does the Holy Spirit lead us into lawlessness?  Indeed, can He?

This morning, while reading Ray Gardner’s Study Notes on Genesis 24, I came across the following quote. The last paragraph struck me.  My notes follow.

Eliezer = El is my help (s#0461 אליעזר )
Eliezer (type of Holy Spirit) was sent to take a bride (The Bride of Yeshua) a chaste virgin, who would leave her family and all that she possessed to marry a man she had never seen. Isaac (type of Yeshua) was born through a miracle of יהוה. She would come to him by faith, believing all she had been told about him. She fell in love with him by hearing about him from Eliezer (type of Holy Spirit). She would make a difficult journey on a caravan of 10 camels (10 commandments) and she would marry Isaac (Yeshua) the day she first saw him. All that his father (type of יהוה) possessed has been given to Isaac (Yeshua). (Yeshua said the Father has given all things unto my hand John 3:35) The land that Isaac (Yeshua) lives on is given to him by יהוה. The father has said he can not take a wife of those who worship idols and live sinful lives. The decision is in the hands of the bride not Eliezer. By her own words she committed to become his bride.

Continue reading “The Holy Spirit and Lawlessness”

Thank you, Judah!!

I wrote, in a very recent post , “Are there some things very special about Judah that we need to acknowledge?  Absolutely!! ”

Interview-Thank-You-NotesEven as I wrote it, I was thinking of a few things I am very thankful to my brother Judah, or the Jews, for.  Only later did I think, “I’m not sure I’ve ever said ‘thank you’ publicly!”

Indeed, all mankind has much to thank the Jews for as a cursory look at Nobel Winners will reveal a wildly disproportionate number of winners that are of Judaic decent.  Countless inventions, scientific findings, technologies, etc are directly attributable to those of Jewish descent.

But this is more personal.  As a believer Continue reading “Thank you, Judah!!”

A Christian Teacher Has Questions About Messianic Judaism

A Christian Teacher Has Questions About Messianic Judaism.

Reposted from a thread on our fellowship’s site.  Good overview email and a link to another blog I enjoy.

Christian Pastor: Why you should celebrate Halloween.

75 seconds that will blow your mind!  Paganism defined, justified, embraced.

From the pulpit.

Wow!

Original post with comments.

Sharing my journey… Some of the pain…

A few days ago I was reviewing the ‘About’ page trying to ‘see’ what others ‘see.’  You know, a sort of self assessment.

I noticed on the page that I had written that my goal for this blog is to ‘share the journey’ and ‘explain what I am learning.’  Well, it is pretty clear that I love sharing the fire in my soul that burns daily with new ways to challenge the reader to action and growth, but I realized that I have missed widely on the other ‘goal’ for the blog.  Sharing my journey.

While I don’t have  a particular story or encounter to share, I thought I’d take a post to give some general thoughts and experiences over the last two years as this transformation in my understanding of Scripture has happened.  Certainly, my post on Antisemitism was heart wrenching, and the early RT series more personal as I related the early parts of this ‘walk’ but I have missed that area a bit lately. Continue reading “Sharing my journey… Some of the pain…”

I Should Have Seen It Coming….

I have recently written several posts highlighting glaring translator error or bias.  Predictably, I have received multiple requests about Bible translation recommendations, or thoughts on a particular version…  I should have seen that coming!  So, here is a short post with a few thoughts..

While I am no expert on translations, I think there a few assertions I can safely make:

By what standard?? Pray tell!

… I can tell you what is NOT the standard!!

The Westminster Confession of Faith is NOT the standard!!
The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith is NOT the standard!!
The Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church are NOT the standard!!
The Confessions of the Lutheran Church are NOT the standard!! ….

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.         Hebrews 4:15

The author of the book of Hebrews tells us that Messiah Y’shua was without sin.  By what standard was this determination made?

the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.    I John 2:3-6

The Apostle John tells us that if we abide in the Messiah, then we will ‘walk as He walked.’  We will ‘do as He did.’  By what standard did He walk/do?

Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.  I Cor. 11:1

If we are to imitate Rav Shaul who is imitating Messiah Y’shua, by what standard do we imitate? Continue reading “By what standard?? Pray tell!”