by Rod Thomas | Mar 16, 2015 | Blog
Because you are Obedient to Torah (Part 1)
Greetings Saints,
My Daily Torah studies took me to D’varim 7 (Deut 7). Beginning at verse 12, we find Moshe speaking to the nation of Israel from a reassuring perspective. He’d already established the need for them to keep Torah. Because Israel had been obedient to Torah, now it was time to speak to the benefits to be had with the keeping of Torah.
Fundamentalists Hate Torah
One of the prevailing admonishments the “fundamentalists” throw at us is this rule that believers in Jesus Christ (aka Christians) must not adhere to Torah. In fact, any Christian who finds themselves observing Torah in any form or fashion is considered back-slidden or completely a non-Christian. The irony in this situation is that those who choose to live without rules or laws (i.e., Christians) are insisting that we (Messianic Believers in Messiah) live by a rule or law that says no Torah. The Christian contends authority to enforce this edict through a denominational understanding of the writings of the Apostle Paul. Sadly, the same Christian who stands by a biased interpretation of the Apostle Shaul on the subject of Torah-Keeping ignores the very teachings of The Living Torah–Yeshua Messiah–who said that He absolutely had not been sent to abolish Torah but to elevate Torah to its greatest potential and that Torah would remain in effect to the end of time (Matt. 5:17-20). The Christian who rails against believers keeping Torah will by default ignore this teaching or outright distort it as he/she has done with the teachings of Shaul.
We, the redeemed of the Most High choose to live Torah for a number of reasons: (1) we realize that we have been grafted in to the heritage of Israel (Romans 11); (2) Yehovah does not change (Mal. 3:6) and since the Creator does not change and has not signaled a termination of Torah in His Word, we have no license to toss it to the side or worse, no license to teach others to disobey or violate Torah; (3) we cannot effectively know sin without Torah; (4) we cannot effectively worship and have a true relationship without Torah, otherwise we presume that we are pleasing Yehovah when we have no true indication that we are. Yehovah has provided a prescription for how He is to be honored and worshiped and obeyed. There are many other reasons. But one other reason the believer in Yeshua Messiah keeps Torah is contained in this passage of Torah which reads:
13 He will love you, bless you and increase your numbers; he will also bless the fruit of your body and the fruit of your ground – your grain, wine, olive oil and the young of your cattle and sheep – in the land he swore to your ancestors that he would give you.
14 You will be blessed more than all other peoples; there will not be a sterile male or female among you, and the same with your livestock.
15 ADONAI will remove all illness from you – he will not afflict you with any of Egypt’s dreadful diseases, which you have known; instead, he will lay them on those who hate you. (Deu 7:13-15 CJB)
Many a fundamentalist will say that this promise was specific to the nation of Israel as they wandered the Sinai, preparing to enter the promised land. Indeed, there is absolute credence to such a contention. The true believer in Yeshua Messiah, however, believes that being grafted in affords him/her the same benefits as the children of promise in the day. Shaul expounded upon this best in Romans 11– 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you – a wild olive – were grafted in among them and have become equal sharers in the rich root of the olive tree, (Rom 11:17 CJB) Thus the believer in Yeshua Messiah has become an equal sharer in the rich root of the olive tree and that richness naturally comes from the fertile ground that is Torah–the Word.
Let no one judge you in your walk with Yeshua Messiah nor feel shame, for by keeping Torah we have taken up the mantle that was to be Israel’s greatest purpose and potential–
5 Now if you will pay careful attention to what I say and keep my covenant, then you will be my own treasure from among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine;
6 and you will be a kingdom of cohanim for me, a nation set apart.’ (Exo 19:5-6 CJB)
It’s Not About Being Saved
Sadly, the fundamentalist has completely ignored this fundamental purpose of the Creator’s overall plan for mankind. Why? Because the focus has become that of an idealized Greek-philosophic form of the Faith that was once delivered, and that refocus and intent of the true Faith once delivered now promises eternal life in heaven. That focus is entirely self-serving. We’ve all heard the classic evangelical question posed to potentially new converts: if you were to die tonight, where will you spend eternity. Interestingly, this question was never asked by Yeshua during His earthly ministry. Yet it has become the essential “call to action” for anyone seeking redemption.
The focus of the Messianic on the other hand is indeed future-centric, but also focused on serving the Father and humanity–especially the brotherhood and sisterhood. A convert must always be cognizant as to how he or she will serve the Creator in the here and now, as well as what one’s role will be in the coming Kingdom of Yehovah here on earth. It is not about being “saved” and gaining eternal life. Eternal life is a benefit to becoming His sons and daughters. It’s all about serving the King fellow Saints in Training. Shalom.
by Rod Thomas | Mar 9, 2015 | Blog
Standing Up to the Christian Bullies Part 1
Commentary on “Hebrew Roots Heresy” Facebook Page
One of the posts on this site rails upon Hebraic Roots advocating Christian believers being Torah Observant. This post went out of its way to insist that the New Testament commands that Christians NOT observe Torah, which they site Col. 2:16-17:
16 ¶ So don’t let anyone pass judgment on you in connection with eating and drinking, or in regard to a Jewish festival or Rosh–Hodesh or Shabbat. 17 These are a shadow of things that are coming, but the body is of the Messiah. (Col 2:16-17 CJB)
I have a hard time seeing how anyone can derive an abolition of Torah observance by believers in Yeshua Messiah from these two verses. I guess if you are coming at this from a western perspective or mindset and with a twist of pre-existing bias against Torah observance, then Shaul’s admonishment could be taken as an denouncement against Torah Observance.
But let’s do some simple investigation into exactly what was going on in Colossae at the time of Shaul’s writing and what Shaul’s message to the Colossians was. Colosse (aka Colossae in certain MS) was a city in Phrygia. The Colossian assembly was overwhelmingly Gentile in composition–NAS Colossians 2:13 And when you were adead 1in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He bmade you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, (Col 2:13 NAS). All indications are that Shaul did not establish the Colossian assembly as he had established the assemblies of Corinth and Thessalonica, but it was most likely Epaphras–as mentioned by Shaul–NAS Colossians 1:7 just as you learned it from aEpaphras, our bbeloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on 1our behalf, (Col 1:7 NAS). Early in the Colossian epistle we can clearly see that Shaul was counteracting some form of Jewish false teaching. Consequently, fundamentalists stop here and simply assume that the Jewish false teaching is Torah or the Law. Case closed. But is this indeed the case?
The passage in question–as put forth by our friends on Facebook–speaks to festivals (Jewish was added by the author of the CJB), Rosh Hodesh or Shabbat. Now we know that Judaizers were far far from being strict Torah followers. Their focus was on the oral tradition and many sects delved into Jewish mysticism that seems to have made it way into Messianic Judaism even today. Thus, inquiry reveals that Judaizers held to teachings on the new moon (rosh hodesh), sabbath days (not necessarily the weekly Sabbath) and specific practices to be adhered to during the Feasts of Yehovah. As just mentioned, these same Judaizers were adding into the mix what Jameson-Fascet-Brown describe as “…oriental theosophy and angel worship and ascetism.” This crazy mix was being foisted upon the unsuspecting Colossian gentiles as required initiation rites to the true Faith being delivered. Theosophy and theosophists believed that they had “insight into the world of spirits and understood and taught pathways to heavenly purity and intelligence.” (JFB) Some scholars contend that these same Judaizers were teaching the Colossian gentiles Greek philosophy from the Philo School of philosophy and were combining their beliefs and practices with Rabbinical theosophy and angelogy which are simply precursors to Kabbalah.
But wait, there’s more. Remember that Colossae was a city of Phrygia where worship of Cybele was a mainstay of everyday life. Cybele worship was considered one of the Mystery Religions of the Near East. According to Wikipedia–
Cybele is Phrygia‘s only known goddess, and was probably its state deity. Her Phrygian cult was adopted and adapted by Greek colonists of Asia Minor and spread from there to mainland Greece and its more distantwestern colonies from around the 6th century BCE. In Greece, Cybele met with a mixed reception. She was partially assimilated to aspects of the Earth-goddess Gaia, herMinoan equivalent Rhea, and the Harvest-Mother goddess Demeter. Some city-states, notably Athens, evoked her as a protector, but her most celebrated Greek rites and processions show her as an essentially foreign, exotic mystery-goddess who arrives in a lion-drawn chariot to the accompaniment of wild music, wine, and a disorderly, ecstatic following. Uniquely in Greek religion, she had a transgender or eunuch mendicant priesthood. Many of her Greek cults included rites to a divine Phrygian castrate shepherd-consort Attis, who was probably a Greek invention. In Greece, Cybele is associated with mountains, town and city walls, fertile nature, and wild animals, especially lions.So very early on, we can see quite clearly the mess that Shaul was having to clean up in Colossae. We can also conclude this early on that the problems Shaul was addressing was not the Colossian assembly practice Torah and that Torah was an anathema to the true Faith being delivered.
The problem facing Hebraic Roots as well as churchianity is this concept of seeing the writings of Shaul through the lenses of Shaul and the assemblies he is addressing in his various writings. Churchianity only sees a series of colorful sound bites which are then used individually (in most situations) as the basis for doctrine and foundational belief systems and structures. As we can clearly see in this passage of Colossians, verse 16 cannot be taken alone or as a single sound bite. Why? Because Shaul begins verse 16 with the word “so.” So implies that this is a “carry-on” of sorts from a previous set of verses. When you and I are talking with one another, we typically use the term “so” to carry-on the conversation from something that was explained or discussed earlier. Starting any conversation with “so” and then moving on to substantive content would only serve to cause the listener a lot of confusion. I know when I’m at work and someone comes to my office to talk to me about something and they start off the conversation with “so,” it usually means that they are expecting me to be able to make a connection with the content they are about to spill out to me. “So Rod, about the investigators’ schedule…” says to me that the speaker is going to talk to me about the schedule and I should know what it is they are going to be talking to me about prior to them getting too deep into their dissertation on the schedule. Otherwise, by the time they get half-way through their dissertation, I will be totally confused or lost and will have to get them to provide me some background on what they are talking to me about…and believe me, this happens more times than not…they begin telling me about something, starting out with “so,” but I know nothing about what they are talking about. This may prove somewhat embarrassing to the individual trying to talk to me about the issue at hand and they are then required to get me up to speed on what it is they are there to talk to me about.
In the above passage of Colossians, the “so” is a crossover or conjunction for verses 8-15 of that same chapter 2 which speaks to the Colossians avoiding the trap of philosophy (the precursor of Gnosticism that would soon hit the first century Church) and human traditions:
8 ¶ Watch out, so that no one will take you captive by means of philosophy and empty deceit, following human tradition which accords with the elemental spirits of the world but does not accord with the Messiah. 9 For in him, bodily, lives the fullness of all that God is. 10 And it is in union with him that you have been made full – he is the head of every rule and authority. 11 Also it was in union with him that you were circumcised with a circumcision not done by human hands, but accomplished by stripping away the old nature’s control over the body. In this circumcision done by the Messiah, 12 you were buried along with him by being immersed; and in union with him, you were also raised up along with him by God’s faithfulness that worked when he raised Yeshua from the dead. 13 You were dead because of your sins, that is, because of your “foreskin,” your old nature. But God made you alive along with the Messiah by forgiving you all your sins. 14 He wiped away the bill of charges against us. Because of the regulations, it stood as a testimony against us; but he removed it by nailing it to the execution-stake. 15 Stripping the rulers and authorities of their power, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by means of the stake. (Col 2:8-15 CJB)
From what we’ve gathered so far, Shaul was not likely speaking out against the discipline of philosophy per se, but more so, “The Philosophy” and that Philosophy was the likely precursor to Gnosticism. The Philosophy here that is mentioned is NOT Torah and if one is true to heart and soul, they must concede this point and not simply default to anti-Semitic–anti-Torah rhetoric. But we must be called to stick to the facts and not denominational hogbosh.
The Traditions of men in this section seems to apply to Rabbinical traditions as well as the appendages of acetism/gnosticism that we spoke to earlier.
The Rudiments of the World” likely speaks to (adhering to the rules of context) legal ordinances that were taught to Jewish children throughout their childhood. These are Jewish practices that are in many cases contained in the Talmud.
Thus, the traditions of men, the rudiments of the world, and the Philosophy spoken of by Shaul seems to have been focused upon the carnal and worldliness of everyday life while setting aside the focus which should have been on Faith in Yeshua Messiah and being His worthy disciples.
The whole point to Hebraic Roots is that the true Believer in Messiah Yeshua must look at the content contained in our bibles from a Hebraic context. Notice that I did not say from a Jewish context. Simply put, if our Bibles were written in and through a Hebraic context, doesn’t it make perfect sense to read, understand and apply these messages contained therein in the same spirit and vein of being Hebraic based? It’s entirely asinine to think and do otherwise.
Case in point: White America could never understand the plight of Black America unless they themselves saw and understood life from a black perspective. And the same could be said in reverse.
In the case of these folks who are behind this Facebook page who go out of their way to villainize the Hebraic Roots Movement with enough venom and hatred to put the most di-heart racist to shame -they are so entrenched in seeing the Bible from a westernized, Pauline mind set and perspective that anything, any sect, and writing, any thoughts that suggests viewing and understanding the the Bible otherwise is heresy to their ears. I can’t discount either that the enemy has a huge stake in this fight as well; so he no doubt works overtime to further the cause of damaging the reputation of the Hebraic Roots Movement.
The funny thing is: the fundamentalists’ iron grip on understanding and interpreting the Bible from a western-Pauline perspective only leads them to a complete misunderstanding and misinterpretation of many of the passages of the Brit Hadashah (aka the New Testament), including the one I just mentioned. Unless you understand what was going on in Colossae and the Colossian Assembly–truly understand–as much as possible that is–you just might come to the grossly erroneous conclusions that traditionalists have come to with regard to this passage. The simple fact of the matter is that Judaizers (even precursors to Kaballah) had established a foot-hold in the Colossae Assembly and they set upon a mission to inject various mystical Jewish traditions into the Gospel message and into the everyday life of the Christian Colossian. Today, as in first-century Colossae, certain Jewish sects practice a form of Judaism that is built upon man-made practices. Although these practices are framed upon and around Torah, they are far from the intent and beauty that is Torah.
The one thing that I’ve come to appreciate and understand about Hebraic Roots/Messianics is our insatiable hunger and thirst for knowledge and understanding about the contents contained in our Bibles. Churchianity has taught her adherents to be lazy. Lazy in the sense of: don’t search; don’t dig; don’t worry about the true meaning of what you’re reading. That is criminal my friends. Criminal in this day and age because the truth and the information is out there for all to see and possess. But the believer must want to gain that knowledge and understanding. Churchianity has taught its adherents to rely upon its pastors, ministers, evangelists, teachers and the like to provide them all the answers they think they need. Thus, there is no need for the believer to search out the truth for themselves…it’s automatically fed to them from pulpits each and every Sunday.
Picture this: when our bank statements or even our cell phone bills don’t match what we think the charges should be (i.e, we suspect erroneous charges), we will dig and hunt to the point of exhaustion to prove that those charges are invalid–in many cases, simply to save a couple dollars. But when it comes to our eternal life and our walk with Messiah Yeshua, we rather leave that to the experts (i.e., our church leaders). How many times have you tried to share some truth from Hebraic Roots with a family member, friend or acquaintance, only to be told by said family member, friend or acquaintance–I don’t know; let me ask my Pastor first? What?! Why can’t we simply tap the resources that are out there that are right at our finger tips (in many cases) and find out the truth for ourselves? Because we’ve been taught to be lazy and dependent upon those who have assumed authority over our spiritual lives. That laziness has the potential, however, to lead so many millions down a road to destruction.
But back to verses 16 and 17. With all that we’ve covered on this topic, what was Shaul saying to the Colossian assembly? Shaul was admonishing them not to get “caught up in the midst of a spiritual quagmire” and not allow folks to pass judgment upon them in connection to these “optional matters” (practices surrounding feasts and sabbaths and the like)–and I’ll add to the CJB commentary’s treatment on this passage in Colossians–and avoid these Kabbalisitic beliefs and traditions that would naturally supplant the truth of the Gospel message. Shaul did NOT command the Colossians to abandon Torah. Contrary to the Facebook people, Shaul gave the Colossians permission to either observe or not observe the man made rules surrounding dining and feast days as long as they kept everything in proper spiritual perspective and kept first things first–Faith in Yeshua Messiah and being His proper obedient disciples. Shaul did add that there is value in the Feasts of Yehovah for they, according to Shaul, were shadow pictures of good things to come. These Feasts must be looked upon and treated as rehearsals and nothing more. They can not be treated as an end unto themselves as so many in the Messianic and Hebraic Roots communities have done. In other words, avoid at all costs being bound legalistically to the festivals.
Thus, the owners and contributors of the Hebrew Roots Heresy Facebook page (I refuse to post the link to their page–if you are interested simply Google it) have in their post, addressing Colossians 2:16-17, failed to prove their contention that Shaul taught it was heresy to observe and practice Torah. Not only did they fail, have placed themselves in a precarious situation from which they must repent and make right–not only with Yehovah, but with their fellow fundamentalist Christian readers who are trusting them for the truth. The Master said Himself–NAS Matthew 5:19 “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches 1others, shall be called least ain the kingdom of heaven; but whoever 2keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Mat 5:19 NAS)
In closing, let me say: let us not grow weary in doing what it is we are compelled to do as disciples of Yeshua Messiah. Let us not be discouraged by the fundamentalists who seek to damage our Faith. Let us remained focused and NAS Philippians 3:14 … apress on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phi 3:14 NAS)
by Rod Thomas | Mar 6, 2015 | Blog
Happy Purim!
Well, here we are in the Month of March which translates to the 12th Biblical Month or the Month of Adar as recorded on the Rood “Astronomically and Agriculturally Corrected Biblical Hebrew Calendar.” At the time of this post it will be the beginning of the 14th—day of the 12-Biblical Month, otherwise known as Purim. Yes Purim: to the uninitiated and Semitically-biased among us, it will simply be a repeat of another Jewish holiday. Certainly not something for Christians to even have the slightest inkling to get involved in. No indeed, the Church triumphant has but a few more weeks before the advent of one of her holiest of feast days—Easter. Thus there is no room for such bognosh as those Jewish or Hebrew Feasts. Right? Funny though: Purim comes just before the Christian horror-day of Easter, but Purim entails the story of Esther. Again, to the uninitiated, most would never make the connection between the two names. However, the truth of the matter is that the name Esther (the name given to the Jewish-girl Hadasah who Yehovah would use to save His people from utter annihilation by the evil motives of an agagite) and the title of the Catholic-created horror day of Easter are one in the same names—the name given to Semiramus, the presumed wife of Nimrod and mother of Tammuz. Indeed, the name comes directly out of Babylon and it is Babylon where the story of Purim actually takes.
Certainly fundamental Christianity would frown terribly upon any believer admitting that he or she even thought about celebrating Purim (or for that matter any of the Feasts of Yehovah). It seems that anything having to do with the Jews or the Hebraic Roots of the Christian Faith frightens to death the average card-carrying Christian believer. Indeed, the general consensus interpretation of the Pauline Epistles condemned any celebration, acknowledgment or even leaning towards acknowledging that our beloved Christian Faith was entirely birthed from her Hebraic foundations. It’s almost as if the cognitive reality that the Christian Faith is of Hebraic origins is likened to one having a drunken, whoring, worthless father that one simply wants to forget and never mention again in conversation or in thought. Certainly the enemy has done a superb job in masking the connection. More so, the enemy has done an even greater job hiding the significance the Feasts of Yehovah has for each and every believer in Yeshua Messiah.
Purim is not one of the seven-mandated Feasts of Yehovah. Like Hanukkah, however, it is what I choose to call, an ancillary Feast of Yehovah, that provides another layer of prophetic shadow pictures related to our redemption and the end of the age. For me, it wasn’t until well after I came in to a modest knowledge of the Hebraic Roots of our Faith that I came to appreciate the ancillary feasts of Hanukkah and Purim. I was introduced to the significance of these two feasts through the ministry and teachings of Michael Rood of “A Rood Awakening International.”
The 2-Secrets
Secret One: Purim provides for the believers of Yeshua Messiah a prophetic shadow picture of the end of the age. Two major events in the end times are foreshadowed by the Purim story: (1) modern Israel and the Jews who reside there will be in a position of being almost entirely annihilated just as she was back during the Nazi-driven holocaust and potentially so by the works of Haman the Agagite. Ezekiel 38 and 39 speak to a time when the modern nation of Israel will be invaded and the inhabitants brought to the verge of extinction. Daniel 9:27; 12:1, 11; Zech. 11:16; Matt. 24:15, 21; Rev. 12:13 also speak to this period in the end times when the enemies of Yehovah will march in to Zion and attempt to utterly destroy the Jews just as Hitler attempted to do in the middle of the 20th century. But just as He did in the Purim story, Yehovah will intervene on behalf of the Jew and the nation of Israel will be saved. (2) Hadassah was selected from 100’s of fair maidens throughout the Medio-Persian Empire to be the Bride of Xerxes. This honor (if one could actually refer to it as an honor after being forced into the process) was not awarded without Hadassah having to go through a year of work-up that included oil, cosmetics, myrrh and spice application and etiquette training. Upcoming completing this rigorous regimen, Hadassah still had to appeal to Xerxes heart which she apparently did. Thus she became queen. This scene provides the believer in Messiah with a shadow picture of the redeemed of Yehovah attending the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (reference Rev. 19:7-10). Contrary to that which traditional, fundamental, orthodox Christianity teaches, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb will not be an all inclusive event whereby every individual who professes to be a Christian will be snatched up to attend. Oh heck no! Only those who are deemed Saints and whose “righteous acts” serve as their “bright, clean fine linen.” Like Hadassah, if we are to participate in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, there is a preparation process that we are compelled to complete and that process is life–Torah Living; living by Faith; being led by the Ruach Kodesh; living righteous lives worthy of our chosen status. It will be at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb that we are bound together with Yeshua Messiah and thus we will reign with Him for eternity.
Secret Two: This secret is a little strange, but I find the shadow picture with the story of Purim to be quite compelling. Esther 8:15-17 speaks to Mordecai being exalted in the land by Xerxes and Queen Esther upon the decree that went forth throughout the empire to allow the Jews to defend against those who would follow Haman’s edict to destroy the Jews. The Jews in the empire provided those non-Jews throughout the empire with such a witness as to their calling as God’s people, that “many among the peoples of the land became Jews” (vs. 17). We, the chosen of Yeshua Messiah, through our love for the Master through obedience and leading of the Ruach Kodesh, have the opportunity to live lives that will call “many among the peoples of our land to become Messianic Believers in Messiah.” It then behooves us to live lives commensurate to our chosen state. The fields are ripe as more and more people are leaving Christianity and Christian Churches by the 10’s of 1000’s each year. If we exude the right spirit and are obedient to Yehovah, people will naturally wonder about our Faith and some may even seek to affiliate.
There are other secrets contained in the story of Purim. I ask you this Purim, to prepare yourselves for that great day of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and pray for the peace of Yerushalayim. I’m dedicating my life to putting the word out this year that the Hebraic Roots of the Christian Faith is the true Faith once delivered to the first century Saints. It’s one thing to put out words in the hope that one or two might be convinced and come on over. It’s an entirely different thing to live and walk out the Hebraic Roots of the Christian Faith, which is what we need to focus on this Day of Purim. Shalom. Be most bless fellow Saints.
by Rod Thomas | Feb 25, 2015 | Blog
Why Hebraic Roots
The Messianic/Hebraic Roots of the Christian Faith focuses on what the Father truly has to say to us. Thus, in order to understand what it is the Father has to say to us, it is vital that we somehow come to a place in our lives, existence, etc., where we can hear what the Father has to say to us without having the noise of the world distort or hinder what it is that the Father has to say. Have you ever been in a crowded forum or any place where there is a lot of noise and people activity, and someone is trying to talk to you about something that you’ve deemed is important to you; or talk to you about something that peaks your interest? With the surrounding noise and distractions, it is often difficult to gain a true understanding of what the other individual is saying to you. Often, throughout the course of the conversation, you may find yourself asking that individual to repeat him/herself. Furthermore, throughout the conversation, you may find that your focus is divided: instead of hearing every word that proceeds from that interesting person’s mouth, you hear something that pulls your attention over to what another person is saying; or someone walks by you and your eyes wonder away from the person of interest to follow that passing individual or even another set of conversations draws your attention from the individual you are conversing with. Thus the conversation becomes quite a disjointed mess and the fullness of content that you’d naturally gain from a private conversation with that individual of interest may be distorted, received and understood incorrectly by you, or the depth of the content missed entirely.
The Problem is Denominationalism
Denominational Christianity is somewhat similar to holding a conversation with the Almighty in the midst of a noisy gathering. The true believer (that is the individual whose heart is in the proper place and who truly seeks to know the Father’s will for their lives and is willing to do whatever is necessary to conform to the image of Yeshua Messiah), while trying to hold an honest conversation with the Father through the pages of their Bible, through prayer and meditation, is inhibited from gaining a true understanding of what the Bible (i.e., the Father) literally has to say to them. Why? Because the “noise” of denominationalism drowns out the truth. The mainstays (i.e., the doctrines, teachings, beliefs and traditions) of that believer’s denomination is always overshadowing him or her. Thus, everything that believer reads in his/her Bible is filtered through the lenses of his/her denomination. Not to mention the impediments that strongholds in the believer’s life may cause in the interpretation process (i.e., cultural, societal and sinful processes and fortresses that have developed in the believer’s life) will most certainly muddy the spiritual waters in a believer’s life even more. The only cure is for one to remove the denominational glasses from their eyes and with a willing heart, open mind and the leading of the Ruach Kodesh, find themselves in a quiet place in their lives where they can hear from the Father. It’s not easy, but it is more than doable. I’m speaking from experience, although from time-to-time I still struggle with the stronghold and denominational noises around me, but I’m slowly getting better at simply removing myself from the fray and seeking spiritual solitude. It’s all about getting down and dirty with the Hebraic Roots of the Christian Faith. Seeking out and walking this Faith in the purity and spirit of its first century manifestation. I love it beyond measure and my life has profoundly changed for the better. My relationship with the Father is markedly better than at any time in my life. I know that I am on the right path that leads to life. My concern and my sorrow, however, is for my brothers and sisters who are bound by the noise of the world, their denomination and the strongholds in their lives that prevent them from seeing the truth and having a true relationship with the Father. I will continue to do the work of the Gospel and advocate for every professing Christian’s adoption of the Hebraic Roots of the Faith. Will you join me?
by Rod Thomas | Feb 19, 2015 | Blog
Don’t cause grief to God’s Ruach HaKodesh, for he has stamped you as his property until the day of final redemption. (Eph 4:30 CJB)
It comes down to us simply giving in to the leading of the Ruach Kodesh in every aspect of our lives. Things are not always going to go our way and frankly, things shouldn’t necessarily always go our way. Our way is often self-serving and ill-advised. The Ruach’s influence in our lives will always lead us in the proper direction. When we ignore that direction, we frustrate that Spirit and after a time, we degrade that influence in our lives simply because we have taken control or taken over the driver’s seat and are now steering the bus. Isaiah recorded the fact that our example, the nation of Israel, vexed Yehovah’s Spirit on one too many occasions and it reached to such extents that Yehovah fought against them (Isaiah 63:10). I don’t interpret that Yehovah physically fought against His children, but fought against them in the sense that Yehovah lifted His eternal protection from them and withdrew the blessings that were inherent to Israel’s obedience of Torah (Deut. 28). What makes us think that we are any different? When we find ourselves in frustrating situations and we choose to handle them our own way, failing in the process to following the direction and leading of Ruach Hakodesh, we stand to lose the Ruach’s precious influence over our lives and the inherent blessings that come with having the Father’s Spirit in our lives. Oh how often I default to my own carnal nature to address the issues that crop up in my life, only to come to the end of the day realizing that I’ve frustrated the Spirit. I feel a let-down within my own spirit to such a degree that I’m embarrassed to acknowledge my stupidity before the Father. But our Father is long-suffering and our Mediator continues to advocate on our behalf. Thus, we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start this walk all over again. But this time, a bit more wiser and hopefully a bit more cognizant that it’s His Ruach that must steer our life’s bus.
