Mark 7:6-13
6 And He said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocites, as it is written, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 You leave the commandment of Yehoveh and hold to the tradition of men.”
9And He said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of Yehoveh in order to establish your tradition!
10 For Moses said, “Honor your father and mother; and, Whoever reviles father and mother must surely die.’
11 But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban” (that is, given to Yehoveh) –
12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother,
13 thus making void the Word of Yehoveh by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
I was having a conversation the other day with another Christian. We were discussing Christians celebrating the traditions of christmas and easter. (Not capitalized on purpose). Her stance was that it was OK to have those traditions because Christians took those pagan holidays and turned them into something good for God. I disagree on several points.
1. Only Yehoveh can turn something made for evil into something for good and only if He chooses to do so. We do not have the right to do anything of the sort. Humans cannot make something Holy – only Yehoveh can do that.
2. The Torah gives us the proper way to worship Yehoveh in His own words. There is no adding to or subtracting from that. Many Christians have been taught that the Torah has no use for us because Yeshua came. Even He said this about Torah:
Matthew 5:17 - 18:
17 Don’t think that I have come to abolish the Torah and the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete. (Your Bible may say fulfill).
18 Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud or a stroke will pass from the Torah – not until everything that must happen has happened.
Does that sound to you that we should abolish the Torah? What it means is that Messiah Yeshua fulfilled the ultimate sacrifice to atone for sin and that there is no need for the sacrificial system. But how do we even know what sin is without Torah to tell us. We honor the Ten Commandments but those are just the basis for the 613 Torah laws. How can we do some without doing all and especially when Yeshua tells us that until He returns it will all still be valid?
3. This is what we (Israelites and Christians) have done since the beginning. Take pagan worship rituals and use them to worship the Almighty Yehoveh. He didn't like it when the Israelites did it and He doesn't like it when we do it today.
The bible is filled with testimony from the prophets warning Israel to give up the traditions of worshiping using pagan rituals. Most think that the Israelites got into trouble from Yehoveh because they were worshiping false idols. That is false for the most part. They were using the Ashteroth pole and other things to worship Yehoveh. They mixed it all up.
Read through Isaiah, Hosea and the other prophets. Warning Israel and Judah to give up those worship practices or else. The "Or Else" happened, first to the Northern Kingdom of Israel and then to the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Even after Judah came back from Babylon it happened again and as you can see by the opening verse in Mark, it was happening in Yeshua's time. Traditions of man had replaced Torah and the Bible.
We, as Christians, have the choice to obey or disobey Yehoveh. His Word clearly speaks the truth of what He wants from us. The Torah was written to believers. It was a message on how a believer should live their life in worship to Him who created us.
We can choose to learn what He wants from us and obey - by the way this is the hard choice. It may mean giving up things you love, distancing yourself from people you care about and even being persecuted. (hmmmm...didn't Yeshua say that if you follow Him to expect that?) Or you can choose to keep your traditions. Most will choose this path because it is easy and you can justify it through many means. (One person recently said, well we have to keep our ham easter dinner because we need to be a good witness for our unsaved son. UGH! How in the world is keeping a pagan ritual and eating unclean food that Yeshua wouldn't ever touch a witness for Him?)
Justify it all you want. There is Yehoveh's truth and there is your justification for disobeying it. Yehoveh's Word constantly talks about the remnant and the narrow path. How many pagan rituals can you still keep and be on that narrow path?
If you would like to learn more about Torah and what it means to Christians today please visit www.torahclass.com and click on Old Testament studies. You can do free studies starting in Genesis all the way through Torah (Genesis through Deuteronomy).
As Joshua said, “As for me and my house we will choose to serve Yehoveh”.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
No Matter What!!
I'm a little riled up today. OK, OK so that is normal for me. You can laugh. Go ahead. I get riled up when church doctrine gets thrown in my face and made out to be more important than the Word of Yehoveh. Yes, that's right. Man vs. God and I'm supposed to just be quiet and do what I'm told. Sorry, you picked the wrong person. I've committed to standing up for the truth of His Word no matter what. I don't care who you are, what church you are, how long you have been in ministry, that you went to seminary, what kind of ministry you have, how long you've been a Christian, or whatever. If you want me to bow down to church doctrine and it goes against His Word then a big NO to you! And I don't care what it costs me. Ban me, kick me out, ask me to leave, ignore me, delete me from being your "friend", whatever.
You say, well what could be upsetting you so? The fact is that the church who is supposed to worship our Savior, Messiah Yeshua/Jesus Christ, is so attached to their doctrines and their celebrations and their holidays that they can't stand for someone to tell them that what they are doing is against God's Will. I've written about this before and I'm sure I will again. The festivals that Christians love so much, christmas and easter, are NOT in the bible. Jesus did not celebrate them. The apostles did not celebrate them. In fact, do a google search on the history of them. The history is that they are celebrations of false gods since the time of the Tower of Babel with Nimrod. Just handed down century after century and given new names depending on the culture of the time. Satan is very subtle and doesn't change his mode of operation. He just gives it new names.
And to go it one further, when reading the bible you come to understand very quickly that Yehoveh HATED these false gods and celebrations, and hated how the Israelites adopted so many of them into their worship of Him, that He exiled them. First the Northern Kingdom of the ten tribes and then the Southern Kingdom into Babylon.
He has NOT changed. He is the same God today that He was then. He has NOT changed His mind on how to worship Him. He does NOT want pagan celebrations attached to His Name.
Do what you want to me. I will continue to stand up for the truth of His Word no matter what. If you don't like what I'm saying then take it up with Him. Ask Him what He thinks and then read His Word about it. It is very clear.
Read my blog post about Syncretism. It is that very thing that has crept into the church and muddied it all up. The blending together of Christianity and paganism. We cannot just put a new name on something and it becomes Holy. Only Yehoveh can deem something Holy. And He never did that with christmas or easter.
Church we are in the last days according to the prophet Daniel. We are in the "time of the end". This is not the time to be playing around with pagan celebrations. Please open the Bible and read how He wants us to worship Him. Get prepared. The Kingdom of God is at hand.
You say, well what could be upsetting you so? The fact is that the church who is supposed to worship our Savior, Messiah Yeshua/Jesus Christ, is so attached to their doctrines and their celebrations and their holidays that they can't stand for someone to tell them that what they are doing is against God's Will. I've written about this before and I'm sure I will again. The festivals that Christians love so much, christmas and easter, are NOT in the bible. Jesus did not celebrate them. The apostles did not celebrate them. In fact, do a google search on the history of them. The history is that they are celebrations of false gods since the time of the Tower of Babel with Nimrod. Just handed down century after century and given new names depending on the culture of the time. Satan is very subtle and doesn't change his mode of operation. He just gives it new names.
And to go it one further, when reading the bible you come to understand very quickly that Yehoveh HATED these false gods and celebrations, and hated how the Israelites adopted so many of them into their worship of Him, that He exiled them. First the Northern Kingdom of the ten tribes and then the Southern Kingdom into Babylon.
He has NOT changed. He is the same God today that He was then. He has NOT changed His mind on how to worship Him. He does NOT want pagan celebrations attached to His Name.
Do what you want to me. I will continue to stand up for the truth of His Word no matter what. If you don't like what I'm saying then take it up with Him. Ask Him what He thinks and then read His Word about it. It is very clear.
Read my blog post about Syncretism. It is that very thing that has crept into the church and muddied it all up. The blending together of Christianity and paganism. We cannot just put a new name on something and it becomes Holy. Only Yehoveh can deem something Holy. And He never did that with christmas or easter.
Church we are in the last days according to the prophet Daniel. We are in the "time of the end". This is not the time to be playing around with pagan celebrations. Please open the Bible and read how He wants us to worship Him. Get prepared. The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
When Do You Call on the Lord?
I was listening to a teaching on Zechariah this morning on my walk. The teacher asked a question. "Do you call on the Lord only in times of trouble?" What he meant by that is, what kind of relationship do you have with Him? Is it only when you need Him or is it an every day relationship?
Even pagans - those without God - will call on Him when they think it is their last resort. We've all heard stories of even atheists calling out to God when death is certain or a loved one is in serious condition. That isn't relationship, that is idol worship. Yehoveh wants more than that from us, His chosen people. He has mercy on us not just because He can give that to us, but because He wants to be in relationship with us. That is called grace. Grace is mercy given for a reason and His reason is relationship.
In many cultures it is common that in times of trouble, the family idols are brought out, prayed to and asked for help. If we only talk to Yehoveh in challenging times how is that any different?
I always like to compare it to the relationship that I have with my husband. I love him and love being in relationship with him. Because of that I like talking to him, being with him and all that goes with being in a relationship. What kind of relationship would it be if I saw him only when I was in trouble and needed him? Or said the same words to him every day at the same time and without really feeling anything? More duty than love? It's obvious that we wouldn't have much of a relationship at all. In fact, it is a relationship like this that often leads to divorce.
What kind of relationship do I have with Yehoveh? Is it the same boring stuff day after day, or even going days without speaking to Him or reading His Word? How long would my marriage last if I went days without speaking to my husband or listening to him speak to me? Not long I would think. How long will my relationship last with my Lord if I rarely speak to Him, think about Him or read His words to me? Not long I would think. That is called walking away from Him.
The time is short in this world. The times He tells us about in His Word are upon us. The time to spend building a relationship with Him is almost over. Please don't waste one more minute living for this world. Lift your eyes up to Him and tell Him that more than anything else you want to be in a fantastic relationship with Him for now and for all eternity. Talk to Him and read His Word.
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Even pagans - those without God - will call on Him when they think it is their last resort. We've all heard stories of even atheists calling out to God when death is certain or a loved one is in serious condition. That isn't relationship, that is idol worship. Yehoveh wants more than that from us, His chosen people. He has mercy on us not just because He can give that to us, but because He wants to be in relationship with us. That is called grace. Grace is mercy given for a reason and His reason is relationship.
In many cultures it is common that in times of trouble, the family idols are brought out, prayed to and asked for help. If we only talk to Yehoveh in challenging times how is that any different?
I always like to compare it to the relationship that I have with my husband. I love him and love being in relationship with him. Because of that I like talking to him, being with him and all that goes with being in a relationship. What kind of relationship would it be if I saw him only when I was in trouble and needed him? Or said the same words to him every day at the same time and without really feeling anything? More duty than love? It's obvious that we wouldn't have much of a relationship at all. In fact, it is a relationship like this that often leads to divorce.
What kind of relationship do I have with Yehoveh? Is it the same boring stuff day after day, or even going days without speaking to Him or reading His Word? How long would my marriage last if I went days without speaking to my husband or listening to him speak to me? Not long I would think. How long will my relationship last with my Lord if I rarely speak to Him, think about Him or read His words to me? Not long I would think. That is called walking away from Him.
The time is short in this world. The times He tells us about in His Word are upon us. The time to spend building a relationship with Him is almost over. Please don't waste one more minute living for this world. Lift your eyes up to Him and tell Him that more than anything else you want to be in a fantastic relationship with Him for now and for all eternity. Talk to Him and read His Word.
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