hearts joys

hearts joys

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Striving For Peace

Considering the restful day and entering into the Shalom which Father gives us.  As I was going through some posts on Facebook I was reminded that the Sabbath day of rest is a divine appointment or a "date" with one who loves us so much that He set one day aside to spend with us and us with Him.  It used to be hard for me to set aside the cares of the week.  I wanted to get out projects that I would like to eventually sell and work on them.  My wife and daughters would be horrified as I was "working".  It is so difficult to change the mentality which we have been brought up in.
     Today, if you are in churchianity there is no problem in buying and selling on Sunday.  It has become no different than any other day except you attend church, sing, listen to an appealing message and then head out a local restaurant or even to go shopping for groceries.  I can barely remember back in the early 70's when everything was closed on Sunday.  Now, it is just another business day.  But it is OK.  I don't mind businesses being opened on Sunday as that is not the right day for rest.  Now that is a work day, or family day.  That being said, I have learned to start preparing my heart for a day of rest on Sunday.  In other words, we have just finished a Sabbath rest on Saturday and now we turn our hearts for the next day of rest.  A time of looking forward to the Sabbath after a long hard week of work.
     I have had to learn it is not a day to stir up difficulties out of boredom.  My wife and daughters will often remind me during the week that I need to work towards striving for peace.  In this way when the Sabbath arrives I will already be in the correct frame of mind for a day full of Father's shalom and a day filled with family, rest and a time to grow closer to Father through His Word.
    As a father should my children be reminding me of the Father's desire?   I think it is a good thing as they desire me to grow and mature in following the instructions of the Father just as I desire them to do.  Have I arrived and been perfected yet?  No, I have a long way to go and I often forget to follow the road of Shalom.  What am I working on
Pro 26:18  As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death,
Pro 26:19  So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?
  I am trying to stop provoking my children to just get a rise out of them.  I have a certain daughter that I love to see a reaction from, but that does not create an atmosphere of peace and love.
    This last week I stepped on a nail while I was working.  A rusty one.  I cleaned it and took care of it but my foot hurts.  So, Thursday I had a charcoal poultice on it and then Friday my wife mentioned that if there is a red line going up the leg I needed to go to the doctor.  She then headed down the hall and I promptly took out a red marker and made a red line up my leg.  She came back with a head lamp to look at things and saw the red line I made.  She then went to the back of the house to have a couple of my other daughters come and take a look.  Well, this made some of my daughters very concerned for my health.  One of which was about in tears.  So, lesson learned, I deceived, lied to and caused an uproar in my house all without taking thought of this verse in Proverbs, all while we were heading into the day of rest. 
   So, how do you prepare for the Sabbath?  Are you promoting an atmosphere of peace in your household.  Join with me and learn the hard lesson of not causing uproars just to see reactions.  

Pro 6:16  These six matters יהוה hates, And seven are an abomination to Him: 
Pro 6:17  A proud look, A lying tongue, And hands shedding innocent blood, 
Pro 6:18  A heart devising wicked schemes, Feet quick to run to evil, 
Pro 6:19  A false witness breathing out lies, And one who causes strife among brothers. 
Pro 6:20  My son, watch over your father’s command, And do not forsake the Torah of your mother. 
Pro 6:21  Bind them on your heart always; Tie them around your neck. 
Pro 6:22  When you are walking about, it leads you; When you lie down, it guards you. And when you have woken up, It talks to you. 

I have a long way to go and I need to think before I act.  Join me in establishing households of the Father's Shalom.

Friday, June 24, 2016

something to remember

A friend on line posted this.  It is long but I thought it was good and need to remember this so I am putting it here for future use and to share with others.


Daniel Botkin
9 hrs
I don't normally post articles online before they appear in my bimonthly magazine, but I'm making an exception with this article. It will be printed in Gates of Eden sometime in mid-July. Please do not comment on it unless you are willing to first read the entire article. Thank you.
SODOM AND GOMORRAH ON STEROIDS
Daniel Botkin
The title of this article is a line I borrowed from Art Cox, the pastor of our local congregation. Some months ago Art was preaching about the plague of sexual perversion in our nation, and he described it as “Sodom and Gomorrah on steroids.” So with Art’s permission, I am using that line as the title for this article, even though the article will cover more territory than Sodom and Gomorrah.
After the recent shooting at the nightclub in Orlando, some people on FB (FaceBook) got mad at me because I referred to homosexuals as “sodomites.” I stated on FB that I feel sad for the sodomites who were killed, and for their families. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, and neither do I. I hope that some of them repented in their final moments and asked God to forgive them for the sexually perverse lifestyle they lived. If they did, and if they were sincere, they will have a place in Paradise, and I will rejoice to see them there.
Some Bible believers on FB objected to my use of the word “sodomites” rather than “members of the LGBT community” or “gay community.” They claimed that I was dehumanizing them and minimizing the fact that they are individuals created in the image of God because the word “sodomites” labels them by their sexual orientation. I guess these FB theologians do not realize that calling them “the LGBT community” or “gay community” labels them according to their sexual orientation every bit as much as “sodomites” does.
When the Bible talks about homosexual acts, it uses the following words: abomination, defiled, reprobate mind, sodomites, uncleanness, vile affections. If people are angered by those words, they don’t have a problem with me. They have a problem with God.
Some of my Christian friends from the past publicly accused me on FB of being harsh. I was told that people “dread” seeing me for fear I will “rip into them.” One friend claims that “God told him” that I hate all homosexuals, and that I “would resist anyone EVER pointing out just a hint or a smidgin of a possible fault in you.” Then he added, “The lake of fire may help you overcome.”
My feelings are not hurt, but I am deeply disappointed to see so many Christians letting themselves be so brainwashed by the world that they think unrepentant sodomites need not fear the lake of fire, but I am in danger of the lake of fire because I call a sodomite a sodomite.
I feel compassion for people who engage in homosexual acts and afterwards feel ashamed and disgusted with themselves and wish they could stop. I pray that such people come to the Lord and find forgiveness and deliverance. But for those who proudly parade their perversion in public, and carouse in their cross-gender costumes, and flaunt their faggotry, and loudly demand that we view their sexually perverse lifestyle as acceptable and celebrate their sin... I admit I don’t feel a lot of compassion for those people, because I don’t think God does. Psalm 5:5 says that God “hates all workers of iniquity.” If those people are not workers of iniquity, then there’s no such thing as a worker of iniquity.
God may hate these workers of iniquity, but I don’t. I only feel pity for them for the fate that awaits them if they do not repent.
“Hate the sin, love the sinner” applies to ordinary sinners, but some sinners go so far that they cause God to abominate not only the sin, but also the sinner. Of cross-dressers, the Bible says “all that do so are abomination unto Yahweh thy God” (Deut. 22:5). Notice, it is not just the doing but also the doers themselves that are abominated by Yahweh.
In the Bible God prescribed the death penalty for homosexual acts. That does not mean that anyone has the right to independently act as judge and executioner, like the Muslim terrorist did. But it does mean that sodomites deserve the death penalty. In fact, we all deserve death, because “all have sinned” and “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 3:23 & 6:23).
“Daniel, if we all deserve death for our sins, then that must mean that homosexuality is no worse than any other sin. All sins are equally bad, right?”
Wrong. Every sin is sinful, but some sins are greater than others. Yeshua said to Pilate, “He that delivered Me unto thee hath the greater sin” (John 19:11). Yeshua also spoke about “the weightier matters of the law” (Matt. 23:23), and about “the least of the commandments” (Matt. 5:19), and about some people receiving “greater damnation” than others (Luke 20:47).
Clearly some sins are greater than others. To say that all sins are equally bad is not only unBiblical, it is foolish. If one of your neighbors covets your car, and another neighbor murders you and rapes your wife, which neighbor committed the greater sin against you? Duh.
Some sins are called “abominations” and some are not. Even among abominations, some abominations are worse than others. The proof of this is in Ezekiel chapter 8, where Yahweh showed Ezekiel the sins of Judah and called them “great abominations.” Then Yahweh told Ezekiel that he would see “greater abominations” than the great ones, then even “greater abominations,” and finally even “greater abominations.” Therefore there are at least six levels of sin. There are sins that the Bible does not call abominations, there are abominations, there are great abominations, and there are greater and greater and greater abominations.
A lot of the FB chatter from professing Bible believers after the Orlando shooting deeply concerns me. Of course there are the usual clueless Christians who chime in by quoting Jesus’ words “Judge not,” along with unsaved worldlings, many of whom know nothing about Jesus except that He said “Judge not.”
It is understandable that unsaved worldlings will quote these two words of Jesus in a misguided effort to justify sin, but Christians should know better. Christians should know the importance of context. If Christians would simply quote the entirety of Jesus’ “Judge not” statement, they would understand that He was not saying that it is always wrong to point out someone else’s sin. They would understand that He was saying that you should not point out a minor flaw (a “mote” or “splinter”) in your brother’s life if you yourself have a major besettng sin (a “beam” or “log”) in your own life. Christians would also realize that Jesus said that after you have cast away the major sins that formerly blinded you, after you have “cast the beam out of thine own eye,” then you can see clearly to help your brother get free of his sin - even a relatively minor sin, a “mote.” Look at the entire statement:
“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye” (Matt. 7:3-5).
In another place Jesus said, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24). In other words, don’t rush to condemn someone before you know all the facts. Judge, but do it righteously. Paul said “he that is spiritual judgeth all things” (1 Cor. 2:15). A spiritual person can and should judge, and can even confront a brother for sin, as it is written, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Gal. 6:1).
If it is right for an overcoming Christian, “ye which are spiritual,” to aid a weaker brother by helping to pull a mote out of his eye, a minor sin that only partially distorts his spiritual vision, then how much more is it right to help a brother who has a beam in his eye, an abominable sin like sexual perversion in his life.
Of course people point out that Jesus and Paul were talking about sins committed by a brother, not by unbelievers, and that the great majority of homosexuals do not claim to be Christians and therefore are not “brothers.”
I agree that a sexually immoral person who claims to be a brother should be treated differently than a sexually immoral person who does not claim to be a brother. Paul discusses this in 1 Corinthians 5, where he says we are “not to company with fornicators,” then clarifies that he is not talking about fornicators who are unbelievers, “fornicators of this world,” but specifically and only about fornicators who claim to be brothers: “if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator... with such an one no not to eat.” Then Paul adds:
“For what have I to do to judge them also that are without [i.e., outside the Body of Messiah]? Do not ye judge them that are within [i.e., in the Body of Messiah]? But them that are without [outside the Body] God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves [i.e., excommunicate] that wicked person.”
According to the Bible, sexually immoral people in the assembly are to be removed from the assembly and shunned if they refuse to repent. But we are not to judge the sexually immoral people who are outside the Body of Messiah.
What does it mean when it says we are not to “judge” unbelievers? Again, context is important. Paul’s instructions in 1 Corinthians 5 are in the context of taking decisive legal actions against someone in the form of a cherem, a formal verdict handed down by a beit din, a council of spiritual leaders who act as judges to handle cases within the community of believers. Therefore we are not to “judge” unbelievers in that way. We are not to summon unbelievers to appear before a church council and demand that they repent of their sins or else. If they are not members of the church or synagogue, the church or synagogue has no authority to summon them to appear before a council of religious leaders and no authority to sentence them to some form of punishment.
My concern is that some FB thelogians, even some Messianics, take Paul’s instructions to mean that we should never point out any sins of unbelievers.
“The Torah was given to Israel,” they say. “Sins committed by people who are outside the covenant are none of our business.”
I have two major problems with this attitude. First, it shows a cold, callous indifference to the fate of lost sinners who are on the broad way that leads to destruction. “By the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20) and “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). How will they see their need for a Savior if they do not hear that they are transgressing God’s law? “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14). And I say unto you: How shall they know they have transgressed God’s law, except the preacher shall proclaim to them God’s law?
A second major problem I have with Messianics who think that the sins of people outside the covenant are none of our business is the fact that the Prophets frequently rebuked Gentile nations for their sins.
Isaiah prophesied against Babylon, Moab, Damascus, Tyre, the Assyrians... The first 39 chapters of Isaiah consist mostly of prophesying against Gentile nations. Jeremiah prophesied against Egypt, Philistia, Tyre, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar, Elam, and Babylon (ch. 45-51). Ezekiel prophesied against the Ammonites, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, and Egypt (ch. 25-32). Daniel rebuked Gentile kings for their sins (ch. 4 & 5). Joel prophesied against Gentile nations (ch. 3). Amos prophesied against Damascus, Gaza, Tyrus, Edom, Ammon, and Moab (ch. 1-2). The entire book of Obadiah is a prophecy against Edom. The entire book of Jonah is about Nineveh. The entire book of Nahum is a prophecy against Nineveh. Zephaniah prophesied against the Philistines, Moab, Ammon, and Ethiopia (ch. 2). Zechariah prophesied against Damascus, Tyrus, and Philistine cities (ch. 9).
In the New Testament, Paul preached repentance to the Gentiles in Athens (Acts 17). The idol makers in Ephesus rioted because Paul had “persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands” (Acts 19). When speaking to the Roman governor Felix, Paul “reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come,” and “Felix trembled” (Acts 24:25). In Romans 1, Paul talks about the descent of the Gentile world into spiritual darkness, culminating in homosexuality and lesbianism. Paul says this perversion came about because of their rejection of truth.
To say that we should ignore the sins of people who are outside of God’s covenant is to ignore the example of the Prophets and Apostles.
Some Messianic FB theologians even go so far as to suggest that the Torah commandments which forbid sexual perversion are only for God’s covenant people, and do not even apply to people outside the covenant. In other words, homosexuality is not even a sin for people who are not in covenant with God.
This erroneous conclusion is based on the fact that God gave the Torah to Israel, and not to the nations.
Yes, the Torah was given to Israel. But if we are going to conclude from this fact that Gentile unbelievers are therefore exempt from the commandments that forbid sexual perversion, then are Gentile unbelievers also exempt from the commandments that forbid murder and theft and bearing false witness? If not, why not?
Furthermore, if Gentile unbelievers who are not in covenant with God are exempt from commandments that forbid sexual perversion, then why, before listing the forbidden abominations, did God specifically call these sexual abominations “the doings of the land of Egypt” and “the doings of the land of Canaan” (Lev. 18:3)? And why, after listing all the forbidden abominations, did God say that “in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you” (Lev. 18:24)? Why did God say that the land itself was vomiting out the Canaanites because “all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled” (Lev. 18:25-27)? Why did God call these forbidden sexual acts “abominable customs, which were committed before you” (Lev. 18:30)? It is a greater abomination for a believer to do these things, but even for unbelievers they are abominations.
Another thing some Messianic FB theologians point out is the passage in Ezekiel 16:49, where the sins of Sodom are listed: “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.”
“See?” the FB theologians say. “Sodom wasn’t destroyed because of homosexuality! It was for these sins stated in Ezekiel!”
Two things to point out about that conclusion. First of all, one could argue that Ezekiel is actually not talking about the city of Sodom that existed in Lot’s day. Go back to the beginning of the chapter, and you will see that Ezekiel is talking to Jerusalem. The words “Sodom thy sister” are being spoken allegorically to the city of Jerusalem in Ezekiel’s day, and refer to Jerusalem’s “elder sister” (16:46), the city of Samaria. Samaria, the capital of the northern ten tribes, is figuratively called “Sodom” by Ezekiel in the same way that Isaiah said to the people of Jerusalem and Judah, “Hear the word of Yahweh, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah” (Isa. 1:10), and in the same way that John referred to Jerusalem as “the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt” (Rev. 11:8).
So Ezekiel is actually listing the sins of Samaria in this verse. However, let’s concede that Sodom was probably guilty of the very same sins that Samaria committed. Even if we concede that point, we have to read the next verse, which lists another sin of Samaria and of Sodom:
“And they were haughty, and committed abomination before Me: therefore I took them away as I saw good” (Ezk. 16:50).
Even if we concede that the people of Sodom in the days of Lot were guilty of the same sins committed by Samaria in the days of Ezekiel, those sins included abomination. Which specific abomination did the inhabitants of Sodom commit in the days of Lot? Well, there might have been more than one type of abomination, but we know for certain from Genesis 19 that one of the abominations was homosexuality. And we also know that it was not just a small gang of perverts who lived among a predominately heterosexual population, because the Bible says “the men of Sodom compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter,” wanting to sexually “know” Lot’s guests (Gen. 19:4).
Ezekiel tells us that the men of Sodom committed abomination, and Genesis tells us that one abomination practiced by “both young and old, all the people from every quarter” was homosexuality. Further proof of this is in Jude 7, which says that the sin of Sodom was “giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh.” So yes, the men of Sodom were homosexuals.
I can understand unbelievers being brainwashed by the world to think that homosexual acts between consenting adults are not sinful. I can even understand Biblically-illiterate Christians being brainwashed to think that it’s no worse than any other sin. But Messianic believers who study the Bible should not let themselves be brainwashed into thinking that the commandments that forbid sexual perversion do not apply to Gentile unbelievers, or that the destruction of Sodom had nothing at all to do with homosexual sins.
Many Messianic believers are familiar with Isaiah 66:23. When talking to Christians about the Sabbath, Messianics sometimes quote that verse and say, “See? It says right here that in the new heaven and new earth, everyone will come to worship from one sabbath to another, and from one new moon to another. We’re gonna be keeping the Sabbath and celebrating the new moon in the new earth!”
Indeed we are. But we are going to be doing something else in the new earth, something I don’t think I have ever heard a Messianic believer point out, even though it’s mentioned in the very next verse:
“And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against Me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh” (Isa. 66:24).
Thus Isaiah ends his book, by telling us that in the new earth we will come from one sabbath to another and from one new moon to another to worship Yahweh, and that our worship will include looking upon the burning, worm-eaten carcases of transgressors.
Whether you believe in the annihilation of the wicked or in eternal conscious torment is beside the point. Regardless of your personal views about the afterlife, we are going to be looking upon carcases burning with unquenchable fire and being eaten by worms that never die. Yeshua quoted this verse three times in Mark 9, and called it “fire that never shall be quenched.”
No, I do not believe we will be looking at these burning, maggot-infested carcases to gloat over the fate of the lost. I suspect that we will look upon them to remind us that God does not bluff, and to reveal to us how utterly abhorrent sin really is, because Isaiah’s last words are “they shall be an abhorring to all flesh.”
“Seriously, Daniel? Looking at burning carcases being eaten by worms in the new earth? That’s just too weird! Surely that’s not meant to be taken literally, is it?”
I guess we’ll find out after the new earth is established. That is, if there really is going to be an actual literal new earth wherein we worship from sabbath to sabbath and from new moon to new moon. If the “carcases of the transgressors” is just figurative language and not really literally going to happen, then maybe the entire promise of a new earth is just a figurative promise and not really going to happen. Maybe it’s all just sweet poetry, a fairy-tale legend that will never come true.
Personally, I believe these things are going to happen. Regardless of how literally or figuratively this verse about the transgressors is, one thing is certain. It does not bode well for transgressors. Even taken figuratively, the fate of transgressors will be horrible, “an abhorring to all flesh.” God does not bluff. And He intends to demonstrate to the inhabitants of the new earth how utterly abhorrent sin is by displaying the carcases of transgressors.
I believe that one reason so many people, including Bible believers, find the idea of souls being irretrievably lost forever, whether through annihilation or through conscious torment, is because we do not see how utterly abhorrent sin is. If we saw sin the way God sees it, perhaps we would see that unrepentant transgressors really do deserve to be punished with “fire that never shall be quenched” and with a “worm that shall not die.”
I do not claim nor pretend to fully understand all the details of the punishment of transgressors in the age to come. But I do understand that a fire needs fuel to continue burning, and a worm needs food to continue living. Somehow the carcases of transgressors will provide fuel for “a fire that never shall be quenched” and food for a “worm that shall not die.”
“Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God,” the Bible says (Rom. 11:22). People love to behold the goodness of God. They love to focus on all the positive, uplifting Bible verses that promise good things to God’s faithful people. But many folks want to neglect, or even worse, reject, the verses that talk about the severity of God.
Many Christians focus only on “gentle Jesus, meek and mild,” and forget that when gentle Jesus returns, He is going to kill the disobedient by burning them alive in flaming fire, as it is written, “The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord” (2 Thes. 1:7-9).
It’s almost as if Christians believe in two different gods, the harsh, cranky, mean-spirited God of the Old Testament, and the sweet, sappy, syrupy, sentimental Jesus of the New Testament, the meek and mild Jesus who would never condemn anyone to everlasting destruction.
Most Christians believe in the Deity of Jesus. They believe that Jesus was God manifested in the flesh, God incarnate. I too believe that. The thing Christians need to realize is this: God does not change. “I change not,” He said (Mal. 3:6). “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8). His nature and His character are eternally the same. If Jesus is God incarnate, if Jesus and the Father are one, then everything the Bible says about the nature and character of God is also true of the nature and character of Jesus.
God is one, not two. Ask Christians which of God’s commandments is the most important, and many will answer, “To love God with all the heart, soul, and strength.” That’s sort of true but not entirely true, because when Jesus was asked which commandment is the most important, He did not just say “To love God with all the heart, soul, and strength.” According to Mark’s Gospel, before He said those words, He said “The first of all the commandments is, Hear O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord” (Mark 12:29). After that, He said the words about loving God.
Why is this significant? Because to truly love God, you must first understand that God is one. Christians who believe in the Deity of Jesus need to understand that the nature and character of Jesus is no different than the nature and character of the God of the Old Testament. The same God who drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden for one act of disobedience. The same God who drowned the entire human race except for Noah’s family. The same God who killed an entire city of Sodomites by burning them alive in fire and brimstone. The same God who killed the firstborn of Egypt and drowned the entire Egyptian army in the Red Sea. The same God who caused the earth to open its mouth and swallow Korah, Dathan, and Abiram and all that pertained to them. The same God who killed His own covenant people by the thousands when they murmured and rebelled against Him in the wilderness. The same God who ordered a man to be stoned to death for picking up sticks on the Sabbath. The same God who commanded the Israelites to slaughter certain people groups in Canaan and not even spare the little children or babies. The same God who blessed Phinehas with a covenant of peace and an everlasting priesthood because in his zeal Phinehas took a javelin, went into the tent of an Israelite who was fornicating with a Midianite woman, and drove the javelin through both of them. The same God who killed Ananias and Sapphira (in the New Testament!) for lying. The same God whom Jesus described as “Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28).
This is the God we love and serve. This is the God who was incarnate in the person of Yeshua of Nazareth. God is one.
Many Christians love the Sermon on the Mount. I do too. It’s probably my favorite passage of Scripture. I memorized the entire Sermon on the Mount the winter of 1985-86. I have recited it to myself many, many times over the years. It is one of the most beloved parts of the Bible, and understandably so. But my beloved Christian friends, please notice two very important things Jesus said about God’s law in this Sermon, one statement near the beginning of the Sermon, and one at the conclusion of the Sermon.
The first thing Jesus said about God’s law was right after the Beatitudes and His remarks about salt and light:
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:17-19).
Christian friend, the very last thing your Old Testament says about God’s law is “Remember ye the law of Moses My servant” (Mal. 4:4). Then the very first thing the New Testament says about God’s law is this statement by Jesus, telling you to not even think that He came to abolish the law. If you think Jesus came to abolish the law, get that idea out of your head, Jesus says. God’s law endures “till heaven and earth pass.” Look outside. Heaven and earth are still here. They have not passed.
We come into the kingdom by grace through faith, not by keeping the law. But please notice that after you come into the kingdom by faith, your response to God’s law will affect your rank in the kingdom. Those who break and teach others to break even the least of the commandments will be called the least in the kingdom, Jesus said. Those who do and teach the commandments of God’s law will be called great in the kingdom, Jesus said. So, Christian friend, now that you are justified by faith, what are you going to do with the commandments of God’s law? It’s going to make a difference for all eternity, so think long and hard about it.
The second thing Jesus said about God’s law in the Sermon on the Mount is at the conclusion. He begins wrapping up the Sermon with the so-called “Golden Rule,” then warns about the broad way that leads to destruction and about false prophets who come as wolves in sheep’s clothing. Then He says this:
“Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity” (Matt. 7:21-23).
“Daniel, what does that have to do with God’s law? I don’t see the word ‘law’ anywhere in that passage.”
You don’t see it in English, at least not in the KJV. But if you look at that final word “iniquity” in Greek, it is anomian, which literally means “without law” or “lawless.” It is translated as “you who practice lawlessness” in the NASB. You might be familiar with our English words anomian or antinomian. The 1828 Webster’s Dictionary defines an antinomian as “one of a sect who maintain, that, under the gospel dispensation, the law is of no use or obligation; or who hold doctrines which supersede the necessity of good works and a virtuous life.”
My beloved Christian friend, I hope Webster’s definition of an antinomian does not describe you, because Jesus will say to the antinomians, “Depart from Me.”
And Christian friend, do not make the mistake of thinking that it will be only a small group of people who will hear Jesus say those terrifying words to them. “MANY will say to Me in that day...” And do not make the mistake of thinking that this multitude of people will be atheists, or Hindus, or Muslims, or Buddhists. These are people who call Jesus “Lord”: “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name...?” These are church people doing church activities - prophesying, casting out devils, doing wonderful works - and doing them all in Jesus’ name. They fully expect to enter the kingdom, and are stunned to hear Jesus say to them, “Depart from Me.”
What is the reason Jesus gives for excluding them from the kingdom? Why does Jesus tell them to depart? Because they were workers of iniquity. They practiced lawlessness. They were antinomians.
Christian friend, get into your prayer closet and pray about your attitude toward God’s law. But as you go to prayer, make sure you come with an open ear to hear what the law says, because “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination” (Prov. 28:9). Turn your ear toward God’s law, not away from it, lest even your prayer be abomination.
“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul” Ps. (19:7).

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Why?

Are there reasons we cannot agree to disagree?  What am I talking about?  Holding forth the Word of Truth.  Why on this earth is it so hard for the Jews to accept churchianity's Jesus?  Why are people leaving churchianity and embracing Torah?

Perhaps another gospel has been created.  If that is the case something has either been added to or taken away from the Word of Elohim.  According to the book of Deuteronomy we cannot add to or take away from the Word which Elohim has delivered to His set-apart people.  It also says this in Revelation.

Deu 4:2  “Do not add to the Word which I command you, and do not take away from it, so as to guard the commands of יהוה your Elohim which I am commanding you. Footnote: 1See also 12:32, Prov. 30:6, Rev. 22:18-19.

If we look at the test for being a prophet or false prophet, which is given in the 13th chapter of Deuteronomy, any person who claims to be a prophet and does signs and wonders but then tries to take you away from following the instructions given by Yahweh Elohim is to be considered a false prophet.  It is a test from Yahweh to determine how much you love Him and are willing to follow in obedience to His instructions.  Or will you be led astray by the bright shiny miracles that teach another gospel, that of not obeying the very Word of Elohim.  A true prophet will always bring you back to the instructions of the Father and encourage repentance.  (I recommend a good book on this,
http://www.honorofkings.org/prophetic-masquerade?utm_content=bufferf5d07&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Does the Christian's "Jesus" encourage believers to walk in the Father's instructions or do they say we no longer have to follow the law?  If we are no longer following the law have we taken away from the Word of Elohim or added something to it?  I would like to suggest that neither Paul nor Yahshua said the law has been done away with and in fact taught that we are to follow the instructions out of love for the Father.  In  Act 6:13  And they set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this set-apart place and the Torah,
Act 6:14  for we have heard him saying that this יהושע of Natsareth shall overthrow this place and change the institutes which Mosheh delivered unto us.”

Be careful to note these were false witnesses.  They were lying.   The lie was that Yahshua changed the law.  This is the very thing churchianity says today, Yahshua changed the law.  Because of this the Jews reject Him and treat Him as a false prophet.
     So, what does Yahshua teach?  Mat 5:17  “Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets.1 I did not come to destroy but to complete. Footnote: 1The Law and the Prophets is a term used for the pre-Messianic Scriptures.
Mat 5:18  “For truly, I say to you, till the heaven and the earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall by no means pass from the Torah till all be done.1 Footnote: 1Lk. 16:17.
Mat 5:19  “Whoever, then, breaks one of the least of these commands, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the reign of the heavens; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the reign of the heavens.

Joh 15:9  “As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Stay in My love.
Joh 15:10  “If you guard My commands, you shall stay in My love, even as I have guarded My Father’s commands and stay in His love. Footnote: 1See 14:15.
  Heaven and Earth are still here.  Those who teach it is ok to break Yahweh's laws are the least in the kingdom.  
John in his first letter says how we can know for sure if we truly love the Father 
1Jn 2:3  And by this we know that we know Him, if we guard His commands.1 Footnote: 1See 3:6. 
1Jn 2:4  The one who says, “I know Him,” and does not guard His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 
1Jn 2:5  But whoever guards His Word, truly the love of Elohim has been perfected1 in him. By this we know that we are in Him.2 Footnotes: 1Gen. 17:1, Ps. 119:1, Mt. 5:48. 2See 3:24. 
1Jn 2:6  The one who says he stays in Him ought himself also to walk, even as He walked. 
1Jn 2:7  Beloved, I write no fresh command to you, but an old command which you have had from the beginning. The old command is the Word which you heard from the beginning.1 Footnote: 1See v. 24. 

Now, concerning Paul, if Paul actually was telling people the law or Torah was done away with, why did he keep it and tell believers to observe his walk and follow?  Php 4:9  And what you have learned and received and heard and saw in me, practise these, and the Elohim of peace shall be with you.  We must also consider Peter's warning about Paul's teaching as well.  Paul was a very deep thinker.  He had the Old Testament memorized and sat at the feet of a renown teacher.  If you do not have a firm understanding of the Torah, Paul can be hard to understand.  In his writings Paul speaks of several different laws.  It is also necessary to understand his terms and the people he is referring to.
2Pe 3:15  and reckon the patience of our Master as deliverance, as also our beloved brother Sha’ul wrote to you, according to the wisdom given to him, 
2Pe 3:16  as also in all his letters, speaking in them concerning these matters, in which some are hard to understand,1 which those who are untaught and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do also the other Scriptures. Footnote: 1See 1 Cor. 11:6. 
2Pe 3:17  You, then, beloved ones, being forewarned, watch, lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the delusion of the lawless, 

Act 23:28  And, desiring to know the reason they accused him, I brought him before their council. 
Act 23:29  I found out that he was accused concerning questions of their Torah, but there was no charge against him deserving death or chains.

Peter tells us to be careful about being led away by those who proclaim lawlessness or Torahlessness.  Also if Paul was teaching lawlessness he would not have been held blameless by the council.

All this being said, can keeping the law save a person?  Absolutely not.  Salvation is only by grace through faith.  It has been that way since the very beginning.  This is not something new that started with the death of the Messiah.  Go to Hebrews chapter 11 and read about the salvation of the OT believers.  It was all by faith.  So then, why observe Torah?  It is a matter of obedience and a demonstration of love.  If we truly love the Father we will want to obey Him.  Also look into the Torah or law as being a marriage covenant.  The bridegroom would give his instructions on how to please him to the bride.  The bride would then work on learning how to please her future spouse through obedience until he would come to take her as his own.  So, if you really want to know how the Father desires to be worshiped and loved, it is vitally important to know what he told his set apart people.  We can find this covenant in the first 5 books of the Scriptures.  If the way you are currently worshiping the Father does not look like this then something is terribly wrong.  You are following the doctrines of man.  Is it important what you eat, how you dress, when you worship, what special days or appointment days you observe?  What is more important, that you believe Yahweh knows your heart or that you know His heart?  If you desire to know His heart then you will want to read, know, understand and obey the marriage covenant.  Perhaps as Ephraim learns and begins to understand the Torah we will be reunited with our brother Judah and can learn from each other and watch as prophecy is fulfilled before our very eyes.

The Scriptures, Book part 3

This is another part of my book.  I will post the second part later.
©2015 by Michael Race 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, 
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by 
any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or 
otherwise – except for brief quotations for the purpose of 
review or comment, without the prior permission of the author. 

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The 
Scriptures "Scripture taken from The Scriptures, Copyright by 
Institute for Scripture Research. Used by permission"."(ISR) 
©1998 

The Scriptures


     It is in following the Scriptures, the instructions given 
to us by Elohim, we are enabled to live set-apart lives. Paul 
tells us in 

2Ti 3:14 But you, stay in what you have learned and trusted, having
 known from whom you have learned, 
2Ti 3:15 and that from a babe you have known the Set-apart Scriptures, 
which are able to make you wise for deliverance ..... .through belief 
in Messiah
2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is breathed by Elohim and profitable for teaching,
 for reproof, for setting straight, for instruction in righteousness, 
2Ti 3:17 that the man of Elohim might be fitted, equipped for every good 
work. 

     It is important to understand, when Paul wrote this letter to Timothy
 there was no New Testament. Paul was speaking concerning the Old 
Testament Scriptures. The Word “Torah” which people use in talking about 
the five books of the law of Moses, actually means “instructions”. 
H8451 
to^rah to^rah 
to-raw', to-raw' 
From H3384;
 a precept or statute, especially the Decalogue or Pentateuch: -law. H)
YRH) ac: Throw co: Rain ab: ?: A throwing of the finger to show a direction
 to walk or live. The throwing of an arrow. The throwing down of water 
in rain.
Teach: To point the way one is to walk in life. [freq. 84] (vf: Paal, 
Niphal, Hiphil) |kjv: teach, shoot, archer, cast, teacher, rain, laid,
 direct, inform, instruct, show, shooter, through watered| {str: 3384} 
if1) ..... (..... TW-RH) - Teaching: The direction one is to take in life.
 [freq. 219] |kjv: law| {str: 8451} 

     We are able to see from the Hebrew word picture Torah actually has the
 meaning attached to it of being the direction one should take in life. It
 should not be something negative but positive. Yahweh Elohim gave special
 directions for His people to live a life which is set apart. If we combine
 this definition with what Solomon has written in Proverbs 4 we find the 
Torah as being the Father’s instructions for His children. We are the 
children of Elohim through Messiah. 

Pro 4:1 Children, listen to the discipline of a father, And give attention 
to know understanding; 
Pro 4:2 For I gave you good instruction: Do not forsake my Torah. 

     These instructions do not give salvation, which is where many Jews 
fail to understand Torah, but we live them as a demonstration of our love 
for Him. Let’s take a quick look at Yahshua and what He says concerning 
the Torah. If anyone loves Me, he shall .... .Joh 14:23
guard My Word. And My Father shall love him, and We shall come to him 
and make Our stay with him. 
Joh 14:24 “He who does not love Me does not guard My Words. And the Word 
which you hear is not Mine but of the Father Who sent Me. 
Joh 15:9 “As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Stay in My 
love. 
Joh 15:10 “If you guard My commands, you shall stay in My love,1 even as
 I have guarded My Father’s commands and stay in His love. Footnote: 1See
 14:15. 
Joh 15:11 “These words I have spoken to you, so that My joy might be 
in you, and that your joy might be complete. 
Joh 15:12 “This is My command, that you love one another, as I have loved
you.1 Footnote: 1See 13:34, 15:17. 
Joh 15:13 “No one has greater love than this: that one should lay down his
 life for his friends. 
Joh 15:14 “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 

     I ask you this, whose commands are we to follow? Are they Yahshua’s
 or Elohim’s? 

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Elohim, and 
the Word was Elohim. 
Joh 1:2 He was in the beginning with Elohim. 

Joh 5:19  Therefore יהושע responded and said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son 
is able to do none at all by Himself, but only that which He sees the Father doing, because 
whatever He does, the Son also likewise does.
Joh 5:20 “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all that He Himself 
does. And greater works than these He is going to show Him, in order that 
you marvel. 
Joh 5:21 “For as the Father raises the dead and makes alive, even so the 
Son makes alive whom He wishes. 
Joh 5:22 “For the Father judges no one, but has given all the judgment to 
the Son, 
Joh 5:23 that all should value the Son even as they value the Father. He 
who does not value the Son does not value the Father who sent Him. 
Joh 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in
 Him who sent Me possesses everlasting life, and does not come into 
judgment, but has passed from death into life.... 
Joh 5:30 “Of Myself I am unable to do any matter. As I hear, I judge,
 and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own desire, but 
the desire of the Father who sent Me. 

     Yahshua could not do anything apart from the Father. The words He 
spoke, the commands He followed were those of the Father. How can we do 
any less than follow the instructions of the Father as we are to be set 
apart through the following of His instructions. 
Deu 7:6 “For you are a set-apart people to יהוה your Elohim. יהוה your Elohim has 
chosen you to be a people for Himself, a treasured possession above all the peoples 
on the face of the earth.
1Pe 1:13 Therefore, having girded up the loins of your mind, being sober, 
set your expectation perfectly upon the favour that is to be brought to you at the 
revelation of יהושע Messiah,

1Pe 1:14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former 
lusts in your ignorance, 
1Pe 1:15 instead, as the One who called you is set-apart, so you also 
should become set-apart in all behaviour, 
1Pe 1:16 because it has been written, “Be set-apart, for I am set-apart.” 
1Pe 1:17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges 
according to each one’s work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear, 
1Pe 1:18 knowing that you were redeemed from your futile way of life 
inherited from your fathers, not with what is corruptible, silver or 
gold, 
1Pe 1:19 but with the precious blood of Messiah, as of a lamb unblemished 
and spotless, 

     When we consider our Father’s instructions for His set apart people, 
Christianity observes ninety percent of them. The other ten percent is 
left out and considered unimportant. Most of the ten percent left out are
 the dietary instructions, the Sabbath and the set-apart appointment times.
 Many of the instructions in the Scriptures regarding the temple do not 
apply today as there is no temple for observing them. Many instructions 
are for the priests. Some are for men and some are for women. It is our
belief the ten percent left out by modern Christianity also applies to us
today as Yahweh Elohim does not change. 
     OK, since I started writing this book I have come across better data. 
 I was estimating in the paragraph above.  So, here it is:
Doug Friedman who is a Messianic Rabbi with degrees from MIT and 
Cornell University has broken it down to this...out of 613 laws....
58%   cannot be observed today, leaving 42%  keepable

28%  are currently kept and cherished by most Bible Believing Christians
6%   more are kept, to varying degrees, by those who make a point to try 
and pursue a Torah lifestyle
8%   are not kept at all (some are culturally impossible to enforce).”2
     
     Look carefully at the list.  Most Christians are keeping about 67% of
 the laws that can be kept at this time.
    Heb 13:8  יהושע Messiah is the same yesterday, and today, and forever. 

Mal 3:6  “For I am יהוה, I shall not change1, and you, O sons of Yaʽaqoḇ, shall not come
 to an end. Footnote: 1Jas. 1:17. 

Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming 
down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change, nor shadow 
of turning 

Immutability 
     The divine attribute of unchangeableness. God said in Exodus 3:14, 
"I AM that I AM," signifying His eternal sameness and His sovereignty. 
He cannot change His moral character, His love, His omniscience, 
omnipresence, omnipotence, etc. God is "From everlasting to everlasting,"
 (Psalm 90:2) CARM Theological Dictionary. 
     If all of Scripture is profitable why should we pick and choose 
which laws or instructions to follow and which not to?  Now let’s
 examine... 
THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION!!!

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Book excerpt part 1

The Set Apart Family:
Confronting Today’s Culture 
Michael K. Race 


©2015 by Michael Race 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, 
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by 
any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise
 – except for brief quotations for the purpose of 
review or comment, without the prior permission of the author. 

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Scriptures
 "Scripture taken from The Scriptures, Copyright by 
Institute for Scripture Research. Used by permission"."(ISR) 
©1998 

Cover Design by Michael Race ©2016.  

Michael can be contacted through e-mail at 
mykrace@yahoo.com 

You can also visit his blog at 
http://www.myksheartsathome.blogspot.com 


Dedicated with love, to my wife Laurie and the many 
generations to follow. This work would not have been 
attempted had it not been for you. Laurie your great 
devotion to Elohim and your family is an inspiration
 to us all. For those who follow in our footsteps our
 prayer would be that you all will desire to follow Abba El 
with your whole hearts. May the foundations that have been 
established in this generation endure throughout the following 
generations until Messiah 
return to set up His kingdom. 



Isa 58:12 “And those from among you shall build the old 
waste places. You shall raise up the foundations of many 
generations. And you would be called the Repairer of the 
Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. 



The Set -Apart Family: 

Confronting Today’s Culture So, where are all your girls?” “You didn’t bring anyone 
with you today?” “Your girls are so sweet.” “My, you girls look 
beautiful today.” “Are you Amish or Mennonite?” “Your family is 
what families used to be like.” “You can just see the love in your 
family”. “You always bring your girls with you and they are so well 
behaved. They are better than 90 % of the kids that come through here".
 These are just some of the comments we hear as we journey from place 
to place. 
     People can not only see a difference but they also feel or sense
 a difference in our family. Most people like what they see and wonder 
what makes the difference. There are those, who on a rare occasion 
recommend we send the girls to school and allow them to wear jeans 
or slacks. They want to change how we do things, but then we would 
end up being just like everyone else. When they hear how we have 
achieved those results they don’t like the hard work it takes to be 
set apart. Sometimes as a family counselor people have come and asked 
what they can do to make a difference in their own family and when they
 come they want easy solutions. 
     We don’t have an easy fix. To achieve the results you want in your 
family takes having a changed mind about the world you live in. It takes 
believing the Word of  Elohim (God) and a willingness to apply it to the 
life of your family in all you do. The end result is a set-apart 
lifestyle.  “In today’s high-tech, fast paced, morally mixed-up society, 
nowadays, mothers and fathers need a strategy, a plan, especially if 
they’re the kind of parents interested in raising children who can be 
described as true kids of the kingdom….Kingdom parenting, involves 
intentionally overseeing the generational transfer of the faith in such 
a way that children learn to consistently live all of life under God’s 
divine authority.”1 
     There are seven areas in which we have undertaken to become set apart.
 These seven areas of life revolve around Elohim and His Word. We don’t 
always do it well but these are the areas we strive to be set apart: 

1. Discipleship 
2. Education 
3. Health 
4. Associations 
5. Media 
6. Special Days 
7. Modesty and Respect 

     In our quest for becoming a set-apart family it doesn’t boil down
to the luck of the draw or that some children are just better than others.
 It boils down to parenting on purpose.  After Laurie and I were married I
 began praying for the children Yahweh Elohim (Lord, God) would bless us
 with. The prayer was they would desire to serve Him with their whole 
hearts. The million dollar question is “How do we get there?” and
 “what is this supposed to look like?” As the leader of my family 
the quest naturally should begin with me. I should not expect my 
family to be something I am not willing to be. Too many parents 
desire their children to be something they themselves are not. 
They just talk the talk but do not walk the walk. Not only do 
I desire my children to be set apart, I too need to have that 
deep burning desire within my own heart. 
     I need to say, it seems my wife and children at times were 
more willing to make the hard choices for change than I was. It 
was difficult to weed out those things I was so accustomed to doing. 
So, change or obedience isn’t always easy. It takes sacrifice and the 
desire to live a life that is in obedience to the Father’s instructions 
for His set apart people. There were times I was lagging behind my wife 
and children. As I watch my children I see they are becoming even more 
conservative and obedient to Scripture than I am. As parents we ought 
to be leading our children by our own example. Children are quick to 
detect duplicity. Also both parents need to be on the same page. 
     My older children would tell you they received the vision of serving 
Elohim with their whole hearts because dad had a vision of serving Elohim
 wholeheartedly. They knew the vision early on in their life as it was the
 driving force for the life of the family.  I was recently reminded in a
 most dramatic way concerning the atmosphere of our home matching what 
is taking place on the outside. As I began to write this book the 
children's  behavior took a sudden turn for the worst. They began to 
treat each other in ways which were unacceptable. I almost reconsidered 
writing. However, my wife and son reminded me of what took place in our 
home when I was a pastor. While preparing a sermon for the next week 
Satan would often attack my household using the very thing I was going 
to teach about.  It should not have surprised me when the children began
 to act out. One other thing changed slightly, and that was diet related.
 This too could have had an effect on the behavior. Yes, we want people to 
notice how nice and sweet our children are but if they are not treating 
each other with the same respect they show to others then something isn’t 
quite right and it should be dealt with. It is the same thing Yahshua
 (Jesus) said about the Pharisees. 
Mat 23:25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you
 clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are filled with 
plunder and unrighteousness. 
Mat 23:26 “Blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and dish,
 so that the outside of them becomes clean too. 
Mat 23:27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you
 are like whitewashed tombs which outwardly indeed look well, but inside 
are filled with dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Mat 23:28 “So you 
too outwardly indeed appear righteous to men, but inside you are filled
with hypocrisy and lawlessness.1 Footnote:1See 5:20. 

    Another question to ask would be “do we want our children to be 
regulated by rules or do we want them to be regulated by what they 
read in the Scriptures?” For our family it boils down to internalizing
 the Scriptures and then being obedient to them. That being said, some 
rules are necessary for safety and the running of a well-organized
 household. 
     I would like to explain our view on the Scriptures. 
I am sure you have already noticed a couple of differences. 




























Wednesday, June 15, 2016

News and Good News

  So, how often do you have the opportunity to share the Scriptures with those around you?  More often than not I have opportunity to share with those I come in contact with when I have some of my daughters with me.  You see, I believe that being set apart means we dress accordingly.  So, people take notice more so when my girls happen to come along. Today was no different.
   I needed to stop in a Menards to obtain some items for work I am currently doing for someone here in Illinois.  A vendor for the local paper stopped me and asked about my subscribing for getting the paper on the weekend.  He made it very attractive price wise.  So, I told him I was not sure how much longer we were going to be in the area.  He said that was no problem as it could be done on a month to month basis and handed me a paper.  It was good for getting the local news, had comics and sports in it.  I told him that we are careful of what influences we allow into our home and we could get the news from the internet.  Sports has all kinds of bad influences that we don't want to surround our children with and comics, do they build up or tear down?  I would rather have my children read the Scriptures.  So, he then produced a $10 gift card where I could get a two month subscription free.  So, I then said I would have to pray about it before I would allow it.  He said he has been doing this for 12 years now and has never heard someone say that.  He is a Christian and reads his Bible.
      I said I felt it was more important for my children to read the Scriptures than to read a local paper.  He asked if they would start with the book of John?  I said no, the first 5 books in the Bible are the most important because you can not understand John without first . understanding the beginning of the Scriptures.  He then started to list Matthew, Mark, Luke...I said no, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.  He asked me if my girls had ever read Isaiah?  Yes, they have.  So, he then asked me if they start at the beginning how they would ever read about Jesus?  I started by saying the Messiah is talked about in Gen. 3:15 and then Abraham and Isaac, the picture of Messiah that is there.  So, he then asked the girls about Psalms and Proverbs and I told him the Messiah is also talked about in those books and with that he took the paper out of my hand he had given me and told me he had papers to sell.  So, we walked on to finish what we had started.
   The next opportunity was at a local grocery store.  Esther had noticed a lady wearing a skirt as she walked through the produce department.  This lady was taking notice of the warm weather apparel that people were wearing and you could tell she was not enthused about it.  Then Esther said, as she turned toward us and noticed my girls were wearing clothes that were modest, she put on a smile and started to approach us.  She mentioned it was nice to see some people who actually wore clothes during the summer.  I told her we thought it was important to wear clothes that are modest.  So, as she held out this little 1 inch by 1 inch booklet with some Scripture verses in it, she then said "I take it you are KJV only".  As I told her, no, we are not, she suddenly had a desire to be away from us.  As she was moving away I told her to please give those little booklets to those who do not have any Scripture to read and she said she would.
    So, what is the news, the good news?  The Kingdom of Yahweh Elohim is coming.  His son will reign here on earth and we are His ambassadors.  Are you ready?  Being KJV only cannot save you.  Reading your Bible cannot save you.  Telling others about Messiah cannot save you.  We are saved by grace through an active faith.  That active faith is demonstrated by being obedient to the instructions of the Father to His set-apart people.  Being set apart brings opportunity to share the Good News.  For more on what it means to be set apart I am in the process of writing a book.  If you would like to read an excerpt i will post one here shortly.

Monday, June 13, 2016

Thy Kingdom Come


I had the opportunity today to talk about what Shavuot/Pentecost is.  Yahweh our Elohim gave His bride His instructions to be His set-apart people.  At pentecost, His Spirit was given to advance the Kingdom, which is the good news of the gospel.  People, we need to repent and seek His face, we need to return to His instructions for His set-apart people.  If you truly love Yashua, and His Father, Yahweh Elohim, you would be obedient children.
1Jn 5:1  Everyone who believes that יהושע is the Messiah has been born of Elohim, and everyone who loves the One bringing forth also loves the one having been born of Him.
1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of Elohim, when we love Elohim and guard His commands.
1Jn 5:3  For this is the love for Elohim, that we guard His commands,1 and His commands are not heavy, Footnote: 1See 5:2, 2 John v. 6, John 14:15.

1Jn 2:3  And by this we know that we know Him, if we guard His commands.1 Footnote: 1See 3:6.
1Jn 2:4  The one who says, “I know Him,” and does not guard His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1Jn 2:5  But whoever guards His Word, truly the love of Elohim has been perfected1 in him. By this we know that we are in Him.2 Footnotes: 1Gen. 17:1, Ps. 119:1, Mt. 5:48. 2See 3:24.
1Jn 2:6  The one who says he stays in Him ought himself also to walk, even as He walked.
1Jn 2:7  Beloved, I write no fresh command to you, but an old command which you have had from the beginning. The old command is the Word which you heard from the beginning.1 Footnote: 1See v. 24.

Friends, if you are in churchianity and say you love Yahshua but do not follow/guard His commands as given in Torah you are deceiving yourselves.  You will one day find yourself in this situation...

 7:21  “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.
Mat 7:22  “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?’
Mat 7:23  “And then I shall declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!’1 Footnote: 1 See v. 15.
The time is short, the kingdom is near.  Please look diligently into this.




http://myksheartsathome.artistwebsites.com/

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Hitting The Ceiling

Over the course of the last several weeks I have been working through the subject of prayer.  I desperately want my prayers to be heard and desire to hear the voice of the great shepherd.  So, does Yahweh Elohim hear the prayers of all who pray to him?   There is a resounding "NO", I believe that most people who pray, their prayers are not heard, they just hit the ceiling.  That being said, how then do they seem to get answers?  There is one who masquerades as an angel of light.  There is also a great deception taking place among churchianity.  see this link.

http://www.honorofkings.org/2-thessalonians-happening-now?utm_content=buffercfeee&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Ok back to the prayers not being heard.
Psa 66:18  If I have seen wickedness in my heart, יהוה would not hear.

Pro 1:23  “Turn at my reproof. See, I pour out my spirit on you, I make my words known to you1. Footnote: 1See Ps. 33:6.
Pro 1:24  “Because I called and you refused, I have stretched out my hand and no one inclined,
Pro 1:25  “And you spurned all my counsel, And would not yield to my reproof,
Pro 1:26  “Let me also laugh at your calamity, Mock when your dread comes,
Pro 1:27  “When your dread comes like a storm, And your calamity comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you.
Pro 1:28  “Let them then call on me, but I answer not; Let them seek me, but not find me.
Pro 1:29  “Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of יהוה,
Pro 1:30  “They did not accept my counsel, They despised all my reproof,

Pro 21:13  Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, Let him also cry and not be heard. 

Pro 28:9  He who turns away his ear from hearing the Torah, Even his prayer is an abomination1. Footnote: 1See also 15:29, Isa. 59:1-2, John 9:31, 1 John 3:22. 

Isa 59:1  Look, the hand of יהוה has not become too short to save, nor His ear too heavy to hear. 
Isa 59:2  But your crookednesses have separated you from your Elohim. And your sins have hidden His face from you, from hearing. 

Zec 7:12  “And they made their hearts like flint against hearing the Torah, and the words, which יהוה of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from יהוה of hosts. 
Zec 7:13  “And it came to be: as He called and they did not hear, so let them call, but I shall not hear,” said יהוה of hosts. 

Joh 9:31  “And we know that Elohim does not hear sinners. But if anyone fears Elohim and does His desire, He hears him. 

Jas 1:6  But he should ask in belief, not doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 
Jas 1:7  For that man should not think that he shall receive whatever from the Master –

Jas 4:3  You ask and do not receive, because you ask evilly, in order to spend it on your pleasures. 
Jas 4:4  Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with Elohim?1 Whoever therefore intends to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of Elohim. Footnote: 1Mt. 13:22, Lk. 4:5-6, Lk. 14:33, Rom. 12:2, 1 John 2:15-17. 
Jas 4:5  Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose? Does the Spirit which dwells in us intensely crave unto envy? 

1Pe 3:7  In the same way, husbands, live understandingly together, giving respect to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the favour of life, so that your prayers are not hindered. 

Ok, let's break this all down.  First of all if we regard iniquity in our hearts,wickedness or vanity.
So then what is sin or iniquity or wickedness?  if we look at Num 15:31  Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him. Iniquity has to do with despising the commands and instructions of Yahweh .Elohim.  also we can find a definition of sin as being lawlessness or Torahlessness.  This is in I John 1Jn 2:1  My little children, I write this to you, so that you do not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Intercessor with the Father, יהושע Messiah, a righteous One. 
1Jn 2:2  And He Himself is an atoning offering for our sins, and not for ours only but also for all the world. 
1Jn 2:3  And by this we know that we know Him, if we guard His commands.1 Footnote: 1See 3:6. 
1Jn 2:4  The one who says, “I know Him,” and does not guard His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 
1Jn 2:5  But whoever guards His Word, truly the love of Elohim has been perfected1 in him. By this we know that we are in Him.2 Footnotes: 1Gen. 17:1, Ps. 119:1, Mt. 5:48. 2See 3:24. 
1Jn 2:6  The one who says he stays in Him ought himself also to walk, even as He walked. 
1Jn 2:7  Beloved, I write no fresh command to you, but an old command which you have had from the beginning. The old command is the Word which you heard from the beginning.1 Footnote: 1See v. 24. 

So, we know this from John.  If we are not keeping the commands or instructions of Yahweh Elohim we do not love Him.  We are then living in sin, for sin is lawlessness.  If you are telling others that you love Elohim but are eating pork, worshiping on Sunday, not observing the instructions found in the first 5 books of the Bible, I am sorry but your prayers are an abomination  to the very one you say you love.  Proverbs 28 makes this crystal clear.  To hear in the Hebrew mind in which this was writtin carries with it the shema   that of hearing and doing.  Folks, there is a line being drawn in the sand.  Judgement is coming very soon as the Kingdom of Messiah will come.

Now, 2Ch 7:14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 
If we turn from not being obedient children to that of being obedient to the instructions of the Father it is only then He will hear.  Also there is a time for confession of sin or lawlessness.  Turning from being lawlessness to following the Father's instructions because we love Him.  Not because it saves us.  Salvation is only by grace through faith.
Be a Berean and study the Scriptures.  See what it says for yourself without your doctrinal biases.