Scriptural Ecology

SCRIPTURAL ECOLOGY

Ecology is the study of relationships. Oikos (meaning house - envinroment) and logos (meaning word - study) come together to mean the study of the natural environment. Scriptural ecology is the study of relationships through Scripture, namely the relationship between creation, man, and the Creator.

In God’s Word, there are three states of ecology.

1)             The perfect state of nature in which God created the world (Past)

2)             The cursed state of nature as result from man’s sin (Present)

3)             The perfect new state in which God will create a new heavens and new earth (Future)

Stewardship is responsibility over something that does not belong to you, such a servant’s stewardship of his master’s property. To be a good steward of money results from the belief that the money does not belong to you, but to God who was given it to you, and you must use it wisely. Man does not own this earth. Part of it may be your possession, you may possess it, but you do not retain full power over the forces of nature. Thus, it belongs to God and to be good stewards of this earth, we must live wisely, responsibly, and unselfishly.

Environmental stewardship is taken by some to mean that because we humans affect the environment through our actions, we should take responsibility over the environment. However this statement is not completely true. Animals and plants affect the environment but they are not stewards of it. It is God who created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) and He that created man to have dominion over it.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

(Genesis 1:26-31 KJV)

Read Genesis 1:26-31. God made man in this state:

1)     In God’s likeness

2)     To have dominion over all creatures on earth

3)     Male and female

4)     Blessed

5)     Mission to

a.     Multiply

b.    Subdue

6)     Herb, tree, seeds, for food

It is God created and fashioned man. God gave man dominion (reign), and commanded man to multiply(increase in number) and subdue (conquer) the earth. This is the perfect state of nature in which God created the heavens and the earth. This is man’s role. As kings over the earth, man is responsible to God and over creation. Man had power over creation.

Read Genesis 3. Man relinquished that power and came under the dominion of sin. Everything changed. Man was now in this state:

1)     In the likeness of sinful flesh. (Gen 5:3 tells us that Adam begot a son in his own image. Man now bears the image of sinful Adam)

2)     Under the dominion of sin, self, Satan, sickness, and the world

3)     Cursed to

a.     Female - Multiply (in sorrow)

b.    Male- Toil and sweat to bring forth food.

c.     Both – die.

How does this effect ecology? The relationship between man and his environment is changed. God doesn’t reverse what he created, but man has changed his relationship to God by creating a barrier of sin and has brought curses down upon the earth.

Finally, the third state in which we Christians are in now, as related to the environment, through Christ:

1)     In the likeness of God and man – Christ was fully God and fully man. We are being transformed into Christ’s image (Ephesians 4)

2)     Dominion (Ephesians 1) over all, including sin, self, Satan, sickness, and the world – in Christ who is our victory

3)     A new man, Christ, (Colossians 3) where there is no race or gender (Galatians 3:28). Though “male and female he created them”, “there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

4)     Blessed, victory over the curse

5)     Mission to:

a.     Multiple (preach the gospel of the kingdom to all nations)

b.    Subdue the peoples under Christ!

6)     Christ is our eternal bread of life.

God does not reverse us to the pre-sin state, but Christ exalts us above the curses of sin and disobedience. Christ ended that Adamic curse in our lives.

Christ was fully man, and the Christian (follower of Christ) is not a homo religiouso, but still fully man, but a new man in Christ, fully man and fully God, fully flesh and fully spirit. Thus creation will be united in the cross.

Christ said, “Blessed are the peacemakers”. Eph 2:12-19 tells us that Christ is our peace. He has made peace for us with God the Father. Therefore in Christ we also are restored to that dominion over creation. We must be joined to Christ in the cross, and thus become peacemakers together with Him, bearers of that peace and reconcialiation between man, his Creator, and His creation.

When man sins against creation he sins against the creator. Therefore concerning the study of relationships, in Christ we can have a reconciled relationship to creation. This will be fully evident in the coming Kingdom of Heaven, when creation is reconciled to itself. We will reign again as Kings with Christ the King, over the heavens and the earth. This reign of the Kingdom of heaven will be far above stewardship given to Adam, because we reign as God reigns, in Christ, in total power and glory. The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of God, YHWH, as the waters cover the sea.

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

(Isaiah 11:6-9 KJV)

Only the believing obey, only the obedient believe...

Sha’ul emphasizes, “Only the believing can obey”. Yakob emphasizes, “Only the obedient can believe”.  Beyond these two men, centuries of strife, division, and heresy lie. Who is right?

If the Bible is absolute truth, it must have no contradiction (it cannot contradict itself). I believe the Bible is 

absolute truth. What then? Only that it brings out every aspect of truth, because truth is an aspect of God. 

God is truth. The Bible is His Word, and it emphasizes every aspect truth.

Baking soda and vinegar reacts.

Baking soda without vinegar cannot react.

Vinegar without baking soda cannot react.

In Statement 2 and 3 there is a similarity of form, and agreement in fact, but a variation in emphasis. Meaning, statement 2 emphasizes vinegar, that, yes, even if you have baking soda, if will not react without vinegar. Statement 3 emphasizes baking soda, that vinegar without baking soda cannot react.

Faith and works produces righteousness (the state of being right)

Faith without works is dead. (Yakob)

Works without faith is dead. (Sha’ul)

Faith is the state of belief. To have faith is to believe. Works, means obedience to God through action. Works are actions of obedience towards God. Belief in God and ensuing obedience is what Abraham displayed. It 

was accounted to him for righteousness.

See? No contradiction. None at all. Only the obedient believe, and only the believing obey. You cannot believe without obeying, for true belief produces obedience. You cannot obey without believing – true obedience that is pleasing to God and righteous must come from a point of belief. Belief cannot exist without obedience (that would simply be empty words, proffesions merely). Obedience cannot exist without belief 

(that would simply be dead “works”).

To say that faith produces works would be to stretch the reaction time. The truth is, the reaction is almost immediate. What is faith that is not acted on? It is not faith at all but rather empty confession. True confession demonstrates faith through works. Works are what are tangible, that can be seen. Faith is what cannot be seen, or rather must be seen through action.  True works, obedient action, demonstrates faith. When faith and 

works are present in a disciple, in the works faith is seen, in faith work is produced.

Why have faith? The reason God gives us faith in His is to produce obedience. The reason why you put baking soda into vinegar is to produce a reaction. Faith causes, catalyses action. With faith comes action. There is not enough time, when true faith is imputed into a life, to say, “I have faith, but I’m waiting for the reaction.” No, if you have faith it will show up in your works. If you do not have faith, it will not show up.

Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship – An Excerpt Loosely Reworded in Simple English by Rebekah Mui.

Note: Almost a hundred years ago the martyr and disciple of Jesus, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, wrote this book in German, without even knowing how much it would benefit the church today, and how pertinently and aptly it describes the state of which the church has fallen into. This short excerpt is by no means an accurate translation of his words,  and I may well be guilty of oversimplification of great truths, but I feel that many today simply cannot understand the rich prose in which Bonhoeffer wrote and the difficult words used in English translations. Bonhoeffer was a remarkable genius, who has his doctorate at age 21. Nothing beats reading his original work, but I hope I have done his work a little justice in making it suitable for simple reading. In any case, this rewording has helped me retain the message of the book and consider each sentence and concept carefully. 

"Cheap grace" is the deadly enemy of our church. What we must fight for today is to retain the true value of God's costly grace. 

"Cheap grace" is a lousy discounted stuff sold for several cents at the flea market, (cut-rate, a real steal, practically sold for nothing or given away) which people throw away without thinking and take for granted. (It is a waste, a terrible disastrous waste.) It is simply presumed and assumed that the central meaning of grace is that the account for our sins has been paid for well in advance.

Cheap grace means the blood and body of Christ, the forgiveness of your sins, and the comforts of a "religion" practically thrown away at ridiculously low prices. The church portrays grace as its never-ending resource which she can just give away indiscriminately. "Grace can be had here, cheap!"

Cheap grace means grace held as belief system and generalized assumption by the church. "Everyone can have their sins forgiven freely!" The precious love of God is exploited as a selling point. "God loves you! As long as you believe this and pray a little prayer your sins will be forgiven. Won't you like that?"  In this kind of “Church” the world can find a cheap covering for their sins - no repentance needed, you don't even need to feel sorrow for your sins or fear the wrath of God - you don't even need to really desire to be set free from sin. In the end, cheap grace is DENIAL of the living Word of God and a denial of the Word of God become flesh (Jesus).

Grace is "peddled" cheaply today, as if it were cheap and lousy trinkets sold by the streets, given without thought to people who would not treasure it, appreciate it, or value it, and would most likely end up throwing away (casting away beautiful, genuine pearls and freely feeding it to swine).  We must fight today to retain the precious treasure, the costly grace of God which we can never achieve, buy, nor afford.

Cheap grace is just saying to the sinner "God has justified you - forgiven you - and is alright with your sin" - without emphasizing or even mentioning the face that you need to get right with God! "Grace, grace alone" they say, so that everything can just remain as it was before. "Let the Christian live like the rest of the world, let him model himself on the world's standards in every area of life, and not presumptuously aspire to live a different life under grace from his old life under under sin... (that would be striving,  you see)"

Cheap grace is actually grace which we imagine, conjure up, and give ourselves. Cheap grace says you can be forgiven without even being repentant or the least bit sorry for the wrong you’ve done, you can be baptized into the church without having to submit yourself to church rules, disciplines, etc., you can enjoy communion as a body without the “unnecessary discomfort” of confessing your sins. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship; grace without the cross; grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; a man’ will gladly go and sell all that he has to buy the field. It is the genuine and luxurious pearl worth billions which a trader will sell all his goods to purchase (he would take great pains to care for it, insure it, and guard it, wouldn’t he?). God didn't give us a cheap little free gift.

Costly grace is about the kingly rule of Christ for which man will zealously even pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble!

Costly grace is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.

We must strive today to maintain the costly value of God's grace and reverence it. It is no common thing to be doled out indiscriminately. It is given to those who ask it.  Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again and again, the gift which must be asked (or begged) for, the door at which a man must keep knocking.

Costly grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner.

Above all, costly grace is is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “you were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the manifestation and incarnation of God!

Costly grace is the holy, set-apart sanctuary of God; it has to be protected from the world, and not thrown to the dogs. Costly grace is the living word, the Word of God, which he speaks as it pleases him. Costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus. Costly comes as a word of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart. Grace is costly because it compels and calls a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says: “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

On two separate occasions Peter received the call, “Follow me.” It was the first and last word Jesus spoke to his disciple (Mark 1.17; John 21.22). A whole life lies between these two calls. The first occasion was by the lake of Gennesareth, when Peter left his nets and his craft and followed Jesus at his word.

The second occasion is when the Risen Lord finds him back again at his old trade. Once again it is by the lake of Gennesareth, and once again the call is: “Follow me.” Between the two calls lay a whole life of discipleship in the following of Christ. Half-way between them comes Peter's confession, when he acknowledged Jesus as the Christ of God....

This grace was certainly not self-bestowed. It was the grace of Christ himself that forced itself upon Peter and caused him leave all and follow Christ. It was the grace of Christ himself that worked in Peter that confession which to the world must sound like the ultimate blasphemy, and it was the grace of Christ himself that now invited Peter to the absolute highest fellowship of martyrdom for the Master he had denied. It was the grace of Christ that consequently forgave him all his sins. In the life of Peter, grace and discipleship cannot be separated. He had received the grace which costs.

As Christianity spread, and the Church became more secularized, the costliness of grace was gradually forgotten. The (Western) world was “Christianized”, and grace became just like any other common object. It was to be had cheaply.

Summary: Grace is not the license to do what we want – it is the power to do what God wills! Grace is not the forgiveness of sins doled out – it is infinitely more powerful and of greater value. Grace doesn’t just leave us as we are but compels us and leads us somewhere. It is easier and quicker to define cheap grace and to “use it”, but it takes the cross plus a lifetime to understand and come into a complete revelation of God’s costly grace. 

Mashiach Comes

In power and in majesty,
in victory and in glory,
in righteousness and in mercy.
He comes, Mashiach comes.

No longer on a donkey,
With His hand to smite iniquity,
Righteous, awesome, holy,
He comes, Mashiach comes.

To judge the world of ungodly,
To proclaim the year of jubilee,
To set the captives free,
He comes, Mashiach comes.

To overthrow the king of Bavel,
To show Himself to Yisrael,
To cast the darkness into hell,
He comes, Mashiach comes.

To proclaim the name of Ha Shem,
To restore to Israel her land,
With mighty power and an outstretched hand,
He comes, Mashiach comes.

To reward the just and merciful,
To split the Mount of Olives in two,
To bring home every scattered Jew,
He comes, Mashiach comes.

The Dead Sea comes alive again,
The resurrection of all men slain,
The wondrous, perfect, blameless reign,
Of Mashiach, He comes.

His people to glorify,
His power to magnify,
His body to sanctify,
He comes, Mashiach comes.

Each eye will behold His coming,
Each mouth will sing His praise,
Each knee will bow before Him,
YHWH, ancient of days.

To turn man's glory into shame,
To save those who call on His name.
The name of YHWH to proclaim,
He comes, Mashiach comes.

His chosen faithful to reward,
The beloved called-out ones of God,
But the wicked will all face His rod,
He comes, Mashiach comes.

After the darkest, bleakest night of wrong,
For those who tarried praying long,
Will rejoice before Him in psalm and song,
He comes, Mashiach comes.

He overthrows the evil beast,
No power of darkness can exist,
The greatest of man will be least,
He comes, Mashiach comes.

To redeem the sons of Abraham,
Jacob - He will defend,
His Holy Spirit He will send
He comes, Mashiach comes,

The hearts of Israel will rend,
According to His eternal plan,
His Kingdom will never end,
He comes, Mashiach comes

His coming cannot be missed,
He will establish His rule of peace,
The blind and lame run to His feast,
He comes, Mashiach comes.

Though our tears once flowed down like a stream
We captives return in joyful dream,
Our hearts overflowing with good theme,
He comes, Mashiach comes.

The goys will all worship Him,
The peoples praise His name,
He will reign - The Anointing King,
No more tears,
No more sighs,
No more pain,
No more lies,
From sea to sea,
Dominion to dominion,
World without end,

Amen.

Maranatha - come, Mashiach come!

What are vain words?

Faith is God and His Word is so precious to me, alive in me, and vital to me, especially when it comes to studies. Going through Algebra, Logic, Geometry, Chemistry, Quantum, etc. from the basis of being grounded in the Word of God and seeing the sovereignty of God is these studies is so enriching. I have been really blessed by studying the life and testimony of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and touching some of Karl Barth's teaching.  

Here are some things I have learnt. I know I am not perfect and my writing is not absolute truth (which cannot be found other than in the Word of God), but my studies have helped me put into words some concepts of Scripture.

Some thoughts:

God is One who is wholly other and exists above and beyond the sphere of human reasoning and proof. How can I prove the existence or nonexistence of God? One can only hear a voice, see an effect, and that attribute to God. Philosphers have stuck to two fundamental humanistic beliefs.

1) Outside the physical senses, nothing exists... or nothing exists that can be proved or disproved (therefore, how could I disprove the non-existence of anything beyond the physical?) This is like a man locked in a basement his whole life who refuses to believe in anything outside that basement)
2) Absolute Relativity - there are absolutely no absolutes

I believe in planal relativity, meaning that relativity is limited to objects on a similar plane. This can be likened to ants in a jar or fish in an aquarium. "Dear little goldfish, argue philosophically all you like of the existence of humans, all your beliefs are relative to the plane in which you exist. You can't prove I exist, I exist in a world a lot larger than the little glass bowl and I am beyond being proved by you. If you belive the food which is sprinkled into your aquarium came about by means of a big bang which caused the food to evolve through billions of years of evolving, rather than being placed there by me, well..."  

Of course I don't deny relativity, but I'm saying we all have to be relative to something, to some absolute. I don't deny the existence of "absoluteness".

A quarter 1/4 cup measurement spoon is relative to a cup. It is a quarter of a cup. Relativity is the calculation of relation. In the physical sense, in a limited way, we can calculate absolutely that 1 + 1 = 2 or that E=mc2. The fact that we can have a basic measurement that is accurate denies absolute relativity. If every chef's cup was different, and the word quarter reffered to a totally different ratio each time, chaos would ensue in a kitchen. There has to be a set standard. Watchman Nee said that mathematics is the only thing humans can do absolutely correctly :).

I don't believe in idols; I believe in a God who is absolute and is wholly other, meaning that He exists in a plane beyond human understanding and reasons. We cannot reach out and touch God. No matter how we contrive, we cannot attain to touching God. Man cannot attain to God.

Men are all on the same plane. We are all limited, weak, little beings with limited senses and limited intellect.

I refuse to think of God as an idol, which I can carve and make with my own hands whatever I like to worhsip. I also refuse to think of man as God. I believe in YHWH.

YHWH is supreme, all-powerful, and almighty. YHWH is eternal, and the name YHWH is a participle of the verb to be, meaning "always" or "eternal". Now we can say "eternal", but how many of us can actually experience "eternal-ity"? No human can. We exist in the plane of the physical, which includes death. YHWH does not exist on our plane because He is not limited like us!

THe plane of the soul is the plane of each man's mind, will, and emotions. Each man is limited to his own soul and cannot explore or discover the mind of other. I cannot "stand in anothers shoes" and therefore any human judge of another's thought has a measure of presumption and assumption. We can deduce from another's actions from the plane of the soul, but cannot be fully or absolutely right.

The realm of the spirit is where YHWH operates. All believers are called to walk in the spirit. The spirit and the flesh (soul and physical) are really at emnity. The Spirit that is in every believer is the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit fills a man, YHWH has taken over, is taking over, and will take over the soul and physical being of a man.

Every believer has to be born again, into the Spirit. We humans may be able to run, leap, and perform great physical gymnastic feats with our physical bodies, excel to great intellectual superiority in the mind, achieve seemingly great stoic control of our emotions and conquer our will, but there is a need to be born again into the spirit, the Holy Spirit of YHWH, wholly other, beyond touching with our hands and thinking with our minds. To be birthed is only the beginning. We must learn to live more and more, to crawl, toddle, walk, and work in the Spirit. All those others things cannot please God. All those other things of the flesh are filthy rags in His sight.

The Word of YHWH says that "YHWH came down in the likeness of sinful flesh, condemning sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirements of the Torah might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." and "There is NO condemnation to those who walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

If we walk according to the Holy Spirit of YHWH, it matters not what we do in the physical or in the soul, because both are under the dominion of the Spirit and will fall in line with the Holy Spirirt, who is set-apart, holy. That is true. The WOrd of God gives us guidelines to determine what belongs to the Spirit and what does not. The Spirit is not the absense of the flesh but rather the flesh being put under the dominion of the Spirit of YHWH. (This is what I believe the word of YHWH says, but it is only my interpretation, which may be correct in itself, but cannot cover the superior absolute ground of what exactly YHWH says.)

SO I believe humanistic philosophy is carnal, foolish, and vain, and now through the word of God I have been able to understand more through the Spirit. Though they have an "appearance of wisdom", they are really "vain deceit", and truly I now know why James called them, "earthly, sensual, and demonic". The Word of God is life, truth, and God offers it to all!

Yes, my words, my thoughts, will all pass away, but the word of YHWH remains forever! Seek Him first! Love Him first! You will never regret.  

A Simple Pesach Meal

Here's my first experience cooking a kosher for passover meal. It was kosher for passover, except for the stringent kosher part ;) (Read this article for the modern history of Matzo... really interesting!) 

We had every part of the seder, and improvised, except for the shank bone, which we did not manage to obtain. 

The boiled egg (beitzah) broke into pieces :) We had some REALLY bitter chinese herbs for maror, lettuce with salt water as dressing for karpas. 

I made flour+water round matza, and that was the most authentic part of the meal (100% atta flour) I made my own charoset with apples, almonds, cinnamon, honey, and raisins - really tasty, and really looks like mortar.

For the main meal we had a Ashkenazi staple - latkes! Potato pancakes, with nothing dairy and absolutely no flour inside. In fact, there was absolutely no dairy in the meal. I made beef patties for meat - yum! And I deepfried crisp potato skins as a special treat!  Ribena substituted kosher wine (hee hee).. 

Below is the improvised matzo bag with compartments - a large napkin. 

We enjoyed the good Jewish food tremendously, and we ate everything together after a prayer, not a long and complicated seder in Hebrew - though I would have enjoyed it - it would go down rather unappreciated. I had a good meal and a good time cooking it. We did not light candles, though after dinner, I enjoyed singing "Dayenu" "Adir Hu" "Eliyahu HaNavi", and of course, "Ma Nistana" - which really was meaning. It was fun, and after dinner we read through portions of Scripture relating to passover from 3 different versions :)

This meal was our first "Lord's Supper" together as a family. It was a good "Holy Communion" meal.

This is my first year doing Passover. The most important thing to do, I believe, is to pray and hope for God to open eyes and unstop ears. Especially this year we as a family renounced and repented of anti-semitism in the church that has slaughtered millions of innocent Jews during this season, claiming (of all things ) that they "killed Jesus". Of course we were the bloodthirsty ones. (See Our Hands Are Stained With Blood) We really have to repent with much tears.

May God bless Israel with peace, and may He sanctify us and perfect in all truth. Thank God for Yeshua, who died and was the atoning lamb for our sins.

Next year in Jerusalem!

Shalom,

Beka. 

To God's Chosen People!

Have a joyous and special Pesach this year my dear friends.

Why did I write such a song?

While practicing my violin, the day before Pesach, Passover, I heard a
distinct tune. Immediately I put the words to it. "My people, they do not
hear, nor do they understand". I opened my Bible the only place where I
remember this passage could not be found, Acts 28, and sang. And I sang and I sang and I could not forget this song.

"Go to this people and say:
"Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand;
And seeing you will see, and not perceive;
27 For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them."
Such a melancholic song. Such depressing words. Blindess, hardness,
deafness. What does it mean? How can God say such a thing? This was and is God's message to His people. I almost wanted to cry but I could not.
There's something so yearning deep in the words of Isaiah that God spoke to
him. HOW LONG, ADONAI?

Last night I opened my Bible and immediately fell upon Isaiah 6. Ah...
that's where the passage is found.
Somehow this pass week I have been saying, "Here I am, send me." Then I had the same reply at Isaiah, "Go to this people and say..."
I have to tell you. I cannot feel the same way YHWH did when He spoke these
words. I cannot imagine what God has to go through. The pain of a people
who see but cannot see, hear but cannot hear.
And yet, all of us, see but cannot see, and hear but cannot hear. All of
us, have a veil that lies over our hearts.
I can only hope. I can only hope for the day when YHWH, in His own time and
in His own way, opens eyes, unstops ears, and gives His people a new heart.
(Ezekiel 36).

And this, only He can do.

Here's an explanation by Art Katz about Christ and Passover. I listened to this and it was very helpful and interesting. Here's another one,  and one more specifically about the Passover lamb and its significance. 

Hebrew4Christians.com has a detailed and informative guide to Passover proper, and you can download the Passover Seder guide here. 

Dr Brown did a recent radio show about Easter and Passover. It's rather long, two hours, but it's nice because you can turn on your "radio" and listen to it like a radio show while on a long drive, etc. 

Here's a Chabad-Lubavitch site about Passover, very informative and colorful with many links, resources, recipes, etc. You can watch a movie about Moses here

Scripture Readings of significance Passover are Exodus 1-15, Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 13, besides other places in Scripture.  

  

And how do you eat matzo? I had some with peanut butter, and also nice with cold apple-almond-raisin-honey-cinnamon charoset! Had a yummy passover dinner which I spent all afternoon cooking - photos to come!

I exhort of my brothers and sisters to understand and to share the light of Yeshua this Pesach. 

Shalom, Beka. 

Today's Meditation - Flesh and Spirit

Author’s note: This is not a thesis. The author is not teaching. The author is honestly trying to find an answer. Writing is the author’s way of expressing herself and meditating on scripture. And she found the answer, right at the end. And not everything in-between is complete truth, but merely a sifting to find the truth. 

 The Spirit and the Flesh in Worship.

Yesterday I realized, while singing, “Do you really think God is enjoying this, or are you?” That’s true. Then suddenly I realized something that I heard Art Katz expound on, the Spirit and the Flesh. God, is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.

You must know I that delight in Jewish music greatly. I cannot tire of minor key Klezmer tunes. I used to love Negro spirituals (Go down, Moses, especially) and sang them non-stop. When I discovered the Jewish scale, well I fell in love with it. However now I realize, sometimes it is worship to God, and sometimes it is Rebekah going into one of those “orgies”. How can I tell when is what and what happens when? Who can really tell what is flesh or spirit? Are you trying to say that anything that I enjoy is not worship? What really is worship?

Worship is drawing near to God and bringing something pleasing to Him, like in the days of the temple. Worship is offering my body as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is but my reasonable service. Then only is my worship pleasing to Him.

Let us return to my present situation. Am I worshipping God or not? I thought I was. I was enjoying it immensely too. Is physical enjoyment something to be shied away from as spiritually demeaning? I believe the only way to test is to put it through the fire. If the physical is removed, can I still worship? When everything goes through the fire and through the sword only one thing will remain and that of God. So now, how? Even in the blandest of worship songs someone will find it enjoyable. The key is not to shy away from songs you like. Everyone has songs you like. But can you worship God without it? 

I have a very real, physical hope. I want so much to be in eager anticipation, expectant hope and anxious longing for the very real Kingdom of God, for the literal restoration of Israel, and for the literal salvation of the Gentiles. Yet I don’t have that kind of same excitement for that as when I anticipate an email from my friend! I don’t grieve over lost souls the way I get upset when something small goes wrong in my life. What is wrong with me!

Two Masters.

You cannot hold God in one hand and the world in the other. You cannot serve to masters. One calls to you, the other enslaves you. One is eternal, the other temporal. You can only desire for one and chose one. You can only give your life to one. Unconsciously we serve the internet. We give our life to it. We spend excessive amount of time on it. We desire it. We contribute to it. We create our own world on it. The internet is the epitome of all that is the mind - From mind to mind; an invention of man. How else could we live? How else could we learn anymore? Books were of the mind. Now the internet. Wait, isn't God's word in book form? Books will pass away. Even without the form of a book the word of God endures. The word of God is more than a physical book and its pages.

There is nothing wrong with the mind or with the internet. It's the same as yesteryear when people bought books and wrote letters. Now it's on a greater scale. But even those actions are works of the physical and of the mind. Now the internet we can do those things on a greater scale. Paul served God and not his letters and not his ministry. Everything he did was consecrated. Can I say my internet use is set-apart, consecrated? Because of the speed and intensity of the internet it can readily become a controlling force, a master in our life. It is not the internet, but we, who make the internet our "lord".

Don’t blame the internet J

Internet is communication between humans. We can become addicted to communication with humans. Our primary communication should be with God.  The Internet is just a name. A face. You can use it for whatever you want. In that way, there's nothing wrong with the internet. Who is this master thatcomes between you and God? Don't blame the internet. You are looking at his back. You serve him, you feed him, you nourish him, and you subject yourself to him. Now you resent him, because he stands between you and God. Let the internet turn around. Who really is the master that you serve and what is his face?

It's me! It my flesh! The real master behind the internet is you. You are the one that stands between you and God. You cannot serve God and your flesh. You have to choose one. The internet is a service with which you serve your self. The problem then, has nothing to do with the internet but with you. The internet is an arena where you can showcase yourself. The internet is the platform on which you parade yourself. The internet is your master and your slave. WHY? Your self has become your master. You have become your slave. The internet has become the means by which you serve your mind, your eyes, your ears, and your heart.

I speak of myself. Because I can make of the internet whatever I want of it, I have built a kingdom for myself. A kingdom of words I want to read, videos I want to watch, and friends i want to keep up it. The internet is a service to the flesh. The internet is my servant. Every one of use now has a castle, an empire, and a hoard of servants that will do our good pleasure. I don't have to read, watch, or see anything i don't want. I can see, learn, and do whatever  I want.

Fasting from the internet and removing your heart from it is essentially a removal of the greatest way to serve your flesh. There are, however, still other ways to serve yourself. It's just that they're not so efficient. In fact, most activities are serving your flesh. Cooking, cleaning, studying, is all the service of yourself.

God's Word is antithetical to the internet's words. Why? I can't choose what I want to hear or read. It is not natural to me. I cannot find it in something to suit my tastes and my style of reading. I cannot find it pleasure. I find in it words I have to wrestle with. Why? When I read the word of God I am not feeding myself. I am feeding my spirit. And my flesh (self) does not delight in it. My flesh and my spirit are enemies. One wants to serve itself, the other God. God’s Word is not comfortable to me. It is not a playground of the flesh.  It does not come to where I am. In fact, God’s Word is the place of the cross, and is antithetical in its very nature to the flesh.

When I say I want to serve God and I mean it with all my heart, I am dedicating myself to Him. That means I can no longer serve myself. I have but one master, God. God is my master. Now everything I do must be consecrated to Him. What is pleasing to me is not pleasing to Him. It is up to Him to decide what is glorifying to Him, not what I hope to be glorifying to Him.

What then is serving God? Some ways of serving God we enjoy, some we do not. Just because I enjoy it, does it mean that I am serving my flesh? No, because my flesh is dead. I now exist primarily in the Spirit. Whether I enjoy the flesh or not is no matter. It’s very my spirit profits. Some activities are like junk food to the flesh, some like wholesome health food to it. The point is, you are not supposed to be feeding your flesh at all. You are supposed to be spiritual creature. Feed you spirit. Serve God. Worship Him in Spirit.

The whole problem arises, and this is God’s wisdom which we cannot understand, because we still exist bodily. We still have a body. Our old man is dead, right? Then why doesn’t God, at the point of salvation, zap up, resurrect us physically, and give us a literal, shining, new, perfect body that has no evil “flesh”. That is the mystery of sanctification.

Even the flesh can be “spiritual”.  Even the flesh can be good. ARGH! Consider any daily dilemma. Confusion arises. The flesh and spirit are mutually indistinguishable because they “blend”, so to speak, to form a person. That’s why we cannot judge another. We can’t even properly judge ourselves. We can’t decide whether this is flesh or spirit because, wouldn’t that be an act of the flesh?

Only a person completely in the spirit can tell us whether we are still in the flesh. However, no one living and breathing is completely a spiritual man, right?  No one is perfect, except Yeshua. Yeshua was perfectly God and perfectly man and we are being made to be like Him and be transformed into His image. That’s why Yeshua is the way. He had to become flesh to save flesh. Yet He was completely Spirit. So is the flesh good, or bad and why does this author seem to make so many conclusions and then contradict them? Isn’t this full of contradictions?

Here’s where this long and drawn out question is solved in one answer. That answer is Yeshua. All this complicated discourse about flesh and spirit can be solved in one simple obedience to one simple command of Yeshua. What is that?

And okay, let's be "spiritual" about it... 

A MUST - LISTEN

CHRIST IN THE JEWISH PASSOVER and more at Art Katz Ministries

http://artkatzministries.org/audio-messages/k-461-jewish-resistance-to-the-gospel-1-of-2/

Works of the Flesh

I was meditating on works and realized something. You see, scarce a person can be totally perfect and walk in the Spirit in everything. What happens to words, works, and thoughts tainted by the flesh? How does God use us oh-so-human humans? When am I acting completely, naturally and perfectly Spirit and when I am not? How can everything I do be of the Spirit - it is thought out in the mind and accomplished in the flesh, is it not? *sigh* no matter what I do it is tainted. It's not perfect. I can't be perfect!

That's what sanctification is about. It's the process of purifying, or setting-apart. Our gifts and service to God are far from perfect. Even were I to die, be burned to ashes, still it would not be a perfect sacrifice. only Yeshua is, was, and can be, the perfect sacrifice and He has completed that. In witnessing, in prayer, in learning the word, surely no one is free of the taints of flesh and self. How then? God will bring every work through the fire of purification. He Himself will shake everything from us that can be shaken, burn everything from us that can be burned. I can't wait to be perfect.

I may have the right motive, but wrong outworking. I may have the right action, but the wrong motive. I may have the right thought, but express it wrongly. God is the one who will bring us to the place of the cross and gradually, more, and more , it will be less of me and more of God. God will take the machaira sword of Scripture and slowly, gradually, steadily, peel away the flesh, seperating soul and spirit.

Every of you and I naturally is soul and flesh. God is at work, transforming. No one is perfect. All have sinned. No one is any better than another. What is the difference? Where I stand with YHWH - whether i am in Christ or not. The miraculous thing is that I cannot be totally in Christ physically after all I still have a human body, but I am "dying daily". I can't love God perfectly on my own. He is causing me to love Him, more and more every day. Once I have taken that next time I cannot turn back. It's going from glory to glory. The "continuous" tense of salvation is very real.

I have no need to fear. He who begun the work of salvation in me will complete it until the day of the Messiah. He is more than able.

Shalom! My 100th Post after more than 2 years of blogging here.

Shalom to my readers. I began blogging here on March 3rd, 2009 at my mother's suggestion during a noontime Wisdom search. Some posts have been very, very, long, and some very short. Hahaha.

As disciple of Yeshua, how have I grown?
Wow... I have learned SO many things from God's Word that I never imagined. From my pastor, from reading Scripture, meditating, and memorizing, I have indeed grown a lot. My bookshelf is getting heavier and heavier. And i have only begun to know God in totally. So little do I know of Him! If my memory, mind, and
body were so filled and encompassed by God to the brim and were I filled to overflow I still cannot contain God and all He is.

It's so important that when I am young that I input and inscribe into my heart as much as possible from God. I can imagine God as the ancient scribe,
inscribing upon the clay of my heart in ancient cuneiform Hebrew. The younger i am, the softer the clay. Clay gradually hardens through exposure. The younger

I am, the better it is to seek God. The things I inscribe from God's Word now will last beyong this lifetime. I want to memorize as much as God's Word as I can, so that I will be prepared for the last days.  

Many begin well with a genuine love for God and then later fall away. Gradually their heart grows cold, and sometimes God revives them in later years, and sometimes God doesn't. Far be it from me (God forbid!) that that should happen. I don't want to waste any more of my life on my self or on the world. I just want to grow and grow, and love God more and more.

When did I become a disciple? 

When I became Bat Mitzvah. It's especially special when one is brought up believing in God. There is a great parallel between a believer becoming a disciple and a child becoming an adult. A believer becomes a disciple when he really begins to follow Yeshua and obey all His commandments. A child becomes an adult at Bat or Bar mitzvah, a son or daughter of the commandments, when she or he reaches maturity. A bar mitzvah, though having been growing all his life, puts off and cuts off all childish things at maturity. A believer, becomes a disciples, by cutting off and putting off all the things of the world.

What does a disciple do? Obey the Mitzvot. What does a bat mitzvah do? Obey the Mitzvot. So it happened to me. Yes, I may have believed in God as a child, but it was after becoming bat mitzvah that I began to truly be a disciple, to truly learn of the cross I have to take up to follow Yeshua, to begin to love God with all I am to begin my serious Torah study, etc. SO this was my experience. What is interesting is that my spiritual growth parallels my physical growth, discipleship parallels my bat mitzvah. Perhaps not everyone is like that, but it how God chose to work in me.

Surely, yes, being a bat  mitzvah and a disciple is not the end but rather a beginning, of lifelong commitment to God, to His Mitzvot to Obeying the Torah which YHWH speaks to me, to fasting, to prayer, etc. There are so many things, infinite, that a disciple has to be, just there are infinite commandments a bat mitzvah has to obey. Yet I know that YHWH is leading, teaching me, speaking to me. Let me never let Him go.

Btorat Ha Shem is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The requirements He makes of His servants to follow Him has always been the same, His calling is constant whether to Abram in Ur, to Moshe in Mizraim, to Shmu'el in Ephraim, to Kefa in Galil, to Shaul in Damascus, even down to Bonhoeffer in Berlin, and
today, dare i say, also to me. Leave all! Leave the comforts of the world you see to venture into the unknown to a place I will show you, based upon nothing but the sure rock of the promises of YHWH. Far from the religion of convenience, it is a demanding, taxing, and difficult journey. It is a relationship that brings you into the unknown. It calls to all. Only few hear, and even less still follow.

 Shalom again to my readers. I will write a more conclusive meditation on discipleship and becoming bat mitzvah, in fact, I have been working, God willing, on a more comprehensive, topical, and systematic resource where you can go, read, explore, search Scripture, etc rather than a sporadic and inconsistent blog.

Please enjoy this month's lighted lamp magazine too!

Shalom Aleikhem,
Beka.
When Christ calls a men, He bids him come and die! - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Blessed Purim

Purim is the festival where the Jews celebrate their deliverance from the hands of Haman the Agagite. (Hence the Purim pastry “Hamantaschen” – Haman’s hat/ears). Today is the eve of Shabbat, and also a one-day Fast of Esther to commemorate the brave Jewish woman who risked her life to save her people. God had placed her in the position as Queen of all the Persian Empire for the salvation of His people.

Purim is the start of the early year Jewish High Holidays, including arguably the most well-known, Passover.

Today of all days, and this weekend of  all weekends, and Shabbat of all Shabbats, should be a great time of fasting as well as feasting, joy as well as mourning, supplication as well as thanksgiving. It is at this time the Songs of Ascent take on new and vivid meaning to me.

“In my distress, I cried to Ha Shem, and He heard me.” Psalm 120

“I will lift up mine eyes to the hill – from whence comes my help?” Psalm 121

“Pray for the peace of Yerushalayim” Ps 122

“Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens” Ps 123

“If it had not been Ha Shem who was on our side, when men rose up against up, then they would have swallowed us alive!” Ps 124

“Those who trust in Ha Shem are like Mt. Zion, which can never be moved, but abides forever” Ps 124

“When Ha Shem brought back the captivity of Zion” Ps 126

And so on. These Songs of Ascent are eternally significant and are reminders of the truth of Ha Shem that prevails, of His love for His people Israel (He really loves them so much!) and of His greatness.

My mother Esther has written all these Songs of Ascents into song  and placed them for free download here. I encourage you to pray for Israel even more as they gear up for these significant feasts and holidays. Pray with me that this Purim Ha Shem will show Himself strong and powerful on behalf of Israel. This Passover, remember that as Jeremiah the prophet said, one day Ha Shem will not be remembered primarily as the God who took them out of the land of Egypt, but who gathered them out of all the four corners to the earth to bring them back into their own land.

We can only imagine what Queen Esther and Mordechai prayed during the great turmoil they went through the days of the fast, the grief and the crying out to Ha Shem, the distress they were in, and then Ha Shem’s deliverance. These Songs of Ascent remind us of Ha Shem’s Salvation and His mercy.

  

Most used word in the Bible?

LORD! http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Popular-Bible-Words.php. I believe that the King James Version and most others has more than 7,365 mistakes - the translating away of YHWH's great and awesome name, in which is salvation. In fact, it is a vital mistake.  YHWH\'s name is important - there are many "lords", many "gods", many "el"s and many "baals", but there is only ONE YHWH. There are many "Jesus"s in the world today. Some people are named Jesus, and some are preached with a wrong gospel. When we call upon that Name YHWH we are referring specifically to the Only YHWH God and the Only and All Powerful God,

YHWH is One God.
YHWH Alone is God.
in YHWH Alone is Salvation (Yeshu-ah)