The Parables of Jesus

 Look at and consider the parables and ask the Spirit of God if these statements are true.  

1)  Like a good joke the parables have a punch line, one main point that the Messiah is trying to get across.  We must not get lost in analyzing the details.

2)  Most of the parables are warnings to the lost, that there is coming a day of judgment, wake up, repent, turn while there is still time.

3)  The parables are spoken in the context of the overall perspective of Scripture, which is, we live in "this evil age" our actions here matter only as they are related to the Kingdom to come, money, power, fame are useless if not used for the purpose of the Kingdom, the Day of the Lord is coming when the God of Israel will set all things right, destroying those who actively oppose His Kingdom, following the Day of the Lord, the Kingdom of God takes full control of the earth with the Messiah ruling from Jerusalem.

Messiah's Community - a history

 Awhile back I thought it would be good to look at the history of the "church", the mostly gentile attempt, to have an organized following of God on the earth.  Well after listening to another persons attempt to do that, I honestly didn't see any fruit in it, so I kind of turned the whole thing upside down, started off from a place that acknowledges that "church" is a horrible translation of the Greek word ecclesia.  Ecclesia is basically just gathering so a rioting mob is called ecclesia, the people gathered around Moses in the wilderness are ecclesia and the followers of the Jewish sect are an ecclesia, the difference being who or what is the central focus and reason for the gathering so the very best translation of ecclesia when it is referencing the disciples of Yeshua is Messiah's community.  With that lead in this is what I posted in my facebook group Love Truth.

  First of all "ecclesia" should not be translated church and the idea that something new started on Pentecost (a Jewish holiday, being celebrated, by Jews, in Jerusalem) is patently ridiculous. God in His amazing faithfulness and sovereign plan has preserved a remnant of people, called out ones, whose focus, purpose and life is given over to the glory of God. He called out Abraham from among the nations, He pushed the promise through to Isaac and then to Jacob and through Jacob's sons who grew into the nation of Israel. His ultimate plan on the Day of the Lord is to bring in every living descendant of Jacob as a nation. This will demonstrate both His power and His faithfulness as they believe in and trust the One whom they had pierced, as a nation, born in one day! So he has had called out ones all along the way prior to Yeshua they were almost all descendants of Jacob or rare gentiles brought in to preserve the line of Jacob so that Yeshua could come from the tribe of Judah as prophesied. The Hebrew word for these called out ones is Kahal and it is the equivalent of ecclesia. So properly translated in our day "church" would be dropped and we would be known as Messiah's community. This translation would place us, grafted into Messiah's already existing plan for Israel. This translation would press humility upon gentiles who have an annoying tendency to build things and put their own name on them, which is what the appellation "church" has become. (other examples, King James Bible, Assembly of God, Church of God, Joe Blow ministries, etc) So the history of Messiah's community is, God at great price to Himself has reached into humanity and called out, chosen, to work through certain vessels who are convinced of their own deadness and inadequacy. At any point where power or prestige in this evil age has been obtained the glory of God has been compromised by the glory of man and the true remnant has had to withdraw and form something smaller and weaker than what they left. That smaller weaker gathering is Messiah's community and they are known by their love and by the fact that though they are in this evil age, they are not a part of the world system. The actual history is a repetitive picture of small groups through out the earth who shun power in this evil age, and long for the return of the King, the restoration of His throne and His people Israel. And today, Messiah's Community is one day closer to welcoming Messiah onto this earth!

Staying Present in the Process

 I see the value in assessments, personality tests, lists of evil spirits and what they cause.  May they always be used for His glory, healing and drawing people closer to the King.

I think they are tools to be used and I am grateful for the understanding and relief that they bring.

In my observation they are part of the process of healing, growing and changing.  They are not usually, the answer, the ultimate solution.

Having others in your life who promise to stay faithfully, present and supportive throughout the process is the one thing that matters more than all else.  Triggers, bad days, unexpected moments of grief that blindside a person, all these require another human being who cares, listens, and keeps on showing up over a long period of time.  

Healing comes in slow increments and that is very much okay.  When we are in a hurry to see others healed, we should probably examine if there is not a lack of love, driving us to just push the person to "get over it."

Romans/Gospel Summary

 Set out with a friend to simplify the Book of Romans and Paul's excellent presentation of the gospel.  This is the result, longer than I had hoped for and probably just a first draft.

1) God's perspective is there are three categories of people on the earth, those who are disciples of the Messiah, unbelieving Jews, and unbelieving gentiles.

2) God preserves a remnant by grace best identified as Messiah's community.  Jesus/Yeshua is the Messiah of Israel so gentile disciples are grafted in to the chosen people totally by the grace and mercy of God.

3) As a result of the fall of man no one comes to the Messiah of Israel unless the Father drags them.

4) Our connection to God is found at the death of all hope in our own righteousness.  We are trusting in the faithful God who calls non-existent things into existence, the God who gives resurrection life to the dead.

5) The massive accumulation of evil from the fall of man was all rolled on to the Messiah who freely, sacrificially gave His life to enable mercy for vessels of wrath.

6) Baptism/immersion in the Messiah is the death of our self-life and the resurrection Life of the Messiah in us is what comes up out of the water.  Having died to sin and come in to continuous fellowship with the Father by the Spirit we are become partakers of His righteousness and freedom.  

7)  All our efforts to follow rules simply reveal the truth of our own wretched condition and each time we fall off the grace train into works/performance we are brought back to - "Who will rescue me from this body of death?"

8) The free gift of the Messiah's righteousness and life connects us to the Spirit's very nature.  The Spirit prays through us, crushes fear, and makes us Sons of the Sovereign God who is working all things to manifest His Son for His glory.

9) The Father's heart is tied to the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Most of them have stumbled over the rock of pursuing righteousness through works.  God preserves a remnant and reaches out to include gentiles.

10) God has voluntarily joined Himself to His chosen people - this stumbling was completely foreknown and foretold with the purpose of opening wide a gate of mercy for the gentiles.  These gentile lovers of the Messiah of Israel - inflamed with the heart of the Father are meant to provoke the chosen people to jealousy by the manifest glory of the the relationship that they are in with their God.

11) Wisdom has performed the most astounding intricate work of redemption of all time. The Father has placed a temporary blindness on most of the chosen people so that gentiles can be grafted in.  His severity is on display when natural branches are broken off.  His kindness and the glory of His name are on display when in faithfulness to His irrevocable promises He brings every living Jew into His Kingdom glory at His appearing.

12) The reality of the outstanding mercy that bestows on disciples the guarantee of the coming Kingdom - the Holy Spirit - propels us into unoffendable, joyous Lamb love.

13) Set free of this evil age - we do not set up even on stick to be used to make a kingdom now.  We rest, trust, and obey keeping all focus on the Kingdom to come, fulfilling the law through His love.

14) The Spirit will not let you look down on, put down or stumble your brother period!

15) As gentiles humility is our ultimate safe guard.  The Jews have carried the covenants, and the sonship and the partial blindness - all resulting in a benefit to the gentiles.  Now we can join the Lamb in His mission impossible  - the 100% conversion of the Jew. 

16) The whole unified glorious story was completely foretold by the God who declares the end from the beginning - now it is being made known to all nations for the obedience of faith. 

Ultimately each point will have many scriptures tied to it, for further study for those who want to go deeper.  It is just a jumping off point for conversation and gaining a wider perspective of the over all plan of God.  The goal is always the same to be more in awe and fall more in love with Him.

Faithful Prophet, Sovereign God, Unshakable Trust

 Jeremiah prophesied and during his lifetime the prophecies came true.  The prophecies centered around the sovereign God, disciplining His people for their sins through the hand of the Babylonian King.  So on the surface it would seem the King of Babylon had great power over the people of Israel, but the prophet made it clear God was the ultimate power in that situation.

Fast forward to the three young men, refusing to bow to the statue that the King of Babylon had set up.  

They had unshakable trust in the sovereign God who was ultimately in control and they had a belief in the resurrection and the Kingdom of God to come.  These beliefs empowered them to face the "power" of the King with God inspired confidence.

The coming time of great tribulation calls for true prophets, speaking the truth about these coming times and the ultimate power of God to rule over the events on earth.  Those who receive these prophets words will have the grace to walk through the fire with trust that no matter how it all works out in this evil age, there is a coming King and a coming Kingdom that will have the final say.

The returning King is the Messiah of Israel so that people and that land are key components in the true prophets proclamation.  

The scandal of gentile inclusion caused many Jews with a "traditional" understanding of their call to stumble.

The scandal of the Messiah of Israel still acting on covenant faithfulness to His chosen people and the land, is causing many "christians" with a "traditional" understanding of their call to stumble.

Oh God in Your mercy raise up a people who love truth!

The Messiah King of Israel and Messiah's Community

 A friend posted this quote

 

“It is the duty of every minister of Christ to explain the mystery of Israel. It is a part of our holy religion. It belongs to the counsel of God. It is inseparably connected with the truth as it is in Jesus.”

—Adolph Saphir

A person replied ““The duty of every minister is to explain the mystery of Israel”. While certainly Israel had a big part to play, and seems to have a place in eschatology, I can find no Apostolic command for future ministers to emphasize such a thing. The duty of every minister, according to Apostolic doctrine, is to preach Jesus Christ.”

It is important to realize that , that response flows from literally hundreds of years of teaching that tries to create a new category called “church” with a new head called “Christ” and followers called “Christians”.  This new thing that was birthed at Pentecost has as its goal, individual salvation.  That salvation has Jesus as your helper in this life and an opportunity to connect to other believers in a not too binding way.   Mainly you are saved and can look forward to heaven where everything is good.

Jesus/Yeshua is actually the long-awaited, long-prophesied, Messiah  King of Israel.  Both Mary and John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah emphasize this truth in the early chapters of Luke.  Paul always made it a point to go into synagogues when he went into new towns to preach this Messiah  King to the Jews who had thousands of years of the Law and the prophets built into their lives.  Jesus said to go to the Jew first because they would be best able to tie all this together for the gentiles so that they would have  the perspective of all the works that God had been doing through Abraham and His descendants.  Paul does make it clear that you don’t have to be Jewish to be saved from the wrath to come by the saving work of Jesus on the cross, all who believe are saved, but Paul never converts from being a Jew who is teaching and displaying this message to the Jews and the gentiles.

Did you notice how all the examples of faith in Hebrews 11 are Jewish believers?  Did you notice how “church” is used in Acts  7:38 “This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:”  

Messiah’s community would be the very best translation for ekklesia from the Greek.  Messiah’s community would keep us connected to our Jewish heritage.  As followers of the crucified Messiah we would know that our home is not in this age, we are not to get comfortable here, we live knowing that there is a final reckoning coming for this age, when all the evil, disease, and death will be eliminated.  Our lives joined intimately with other disciples of the Lamb, point to a future Kingdom ruled by the Messiah King.  Death and the trials of this age do not define or control us, we are free. 

The self-sacrificial love within Messiah’s community is a powerful draw to those around us.  Ultimately our debt to Israel as gentile followers of the Messiah flows out of us as a willingness to pay whatever cost to see them come to a place where they can see the One whom they have pierced and turn to Him with their whole heart.  We are so connected to the heart of the Messiah King that we count it a privilege to be used in any way to reconnect Him to His chosen people.  

Isaiah 35:3 “Strengthen the limp hands,

make firm the wobbly knees.

4 

Say to those with anxious heart,

“Be strong, have no fear!”

Behold, your God!

Vengeance is coming!

God’s recompense—it is coming!

Then He will save you.

5 

Then the eyes of the blind will be opened

and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

6 

Then the lame will leap like a deer,

and the tongue of the mute will sing.

For water will burst forth in the desert

    and streams in the wilderness.

2 Thessalonians 1:3-10

 Paul starts his second letter to the Thessalonians with a quick summary of the basic foundational view of this evil age, the day of the Lord and the coming kingdom.  

2 Thes. 1:3-10 "3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.5 All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you."

The disciples in Thessalonica are enduring persecution, growing in love for each other and persevering in the faith.  They do all this knowing on the Day of the Lord, God will judge everything exactly right, and He will make everything right.  Then the glory of the Kingdom follows.  

This view, this understanding, enables a life of faithful discipleship.  We are not disappointed in this age or its many instances of over-promising and under-delivering, our hope is not in this age or in any of the powers of this age. Our hope is in The Lord of the coming Kingdom, and it is one day closer.