faith

Pets: A Taste of the Kingdom

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We recently had to face not one but two of our cats dealing with urinary obstructions. I am not fully versed in praying for animals but certainly found a couple of very comforting verses in praying for these precious family members. One has survived and is thriving and one we buried this week. This was hard as we saw him turn the corner and slowly improve to the point we has hope and then suddenly decline. So many answered prayers and then loss.

In grief, I was asking the Father where our pets really go after death (though I suspect I well know the answer). I have parted with 2 cats, one because of old age, and now this young one, who we were all dearly attached to. Both times I asked if I could have them back in the Kingdom. It was not the answer to my first question that brought comfort but the thought that followed and answered an unasked one that provided even greater comfort.

That these family members, so full of unconditional, even fierce, completely vulnerable, unreserved love, affection, loyalty, acceptance, adoration, forgiveness, endearing/distinct personalities and dependence, are a precious glimpse of the Kingdom to come. Not only how we will feel towards the Father and other humans but also the warmth and love and affection that we will feel coming towards us. I praise Him that He is so faithful to provide us with these amazing companions and for every minute that we get to have them in our midst. I think this is in part why it is so very hard to be parted from them. I think we inherently understand that in them and through them we experience of touch of divine love, acceptance and affection, so when they go, we feel the disproportionately big hole in our lives they leave behind.

It is so easy when we are grieving to imagine that it would be better to protect our hearts from the potential loss of our loved ones. I choose to say yes Lord, to however many dear friends, human and animal that he brings into my life, and savor the light of the Kingdom that they touch my life with for as long as Yahweh allows me to have them. The sorrow we feel in missing them ,I believe is the grief we feel in having had the ability to cuddle, touch, interact and hold the Kingdom in our arm, suddenly taken our of our reach. I will be cherishing these little Kingdom light carriers on a whole new level going forward.

Tree of Life (Significance of Trees in the Bible) vs the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

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Jeremiah 17:8 AMPC “8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads out its roots by the river; and it shall not see and fear when heat comes; but its leaf shall be green. It shall not be anxious and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit.”

Everything we do ought to serve a biblical purpose with the ultimate goal of serving and producing fruit for His Kingdom and His glory. This is a root Growing post. An exhortation and encouragement for you to grow your own roots down deep into the marvelous love of Yashuah (Jesus Christ) and to be deeply rooted in the Truth.

First, this is above all else and invitation for you to study out the significance and symbolic meaning of trees through the whole Bible. My goal, intention is to be a tree that directs everyone back to THE tree, Yahshua, the TREE of all life. In gardening, hybrid is a term used to describe a variety that results from crossing 2 different plants to get a different variety that is somewhat between the 2 originals. In this case, I can only hope to be at best a hybrid whereas, Yahshuah, is pure and the only source of pure in the entire garden, so to Him and Him alone I want to direct your ultimate attention. The best teachers can direct you to much of the truth, but only the Bible, only Jesus can teach you the pure truth.

Through much of the Bible, you will discover the prominence of trees. Much of the time, a tree represents a source of food, of sustenance, either physical or spiritual. Teachers of doctrine from any and all religions can be represented as different trees in a vast forest. People can wander among the trees forever, taking a sample from this fruit hear and that fruit there, but most ultimately pick their favourites and stick to them. So when you are looking for the truth and wondering how do I know which tree is the right one, the answer is there is only ONE, in the entire forest, that you can trust for your spiritual food, that is the tree of Life. So above all, feast on the Word of the God, on the fruit of the tree of life, on the Holy, pure scripture direct from the source.

Acts 17:10-11 KJV “10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

But there is more to the picture here. The Word tells us that we are to eat from other trees and be strengthened by their fruit as well. The Bible tells us there are teachers, shepherds, evangelists, prophets, elders and others who Yahweh (God the Father) has appointed and annointed to help us grow those roots and be fruitful. So before partaking from the other trees, test them according to the scriptural guidelines, be Berean, checking what they say continuously against what the pure Word of God actually says. Treat every tree as a berry bush of unknown origin that you find in the woods. I frequently tell my children not to eat eat berries they find in the woods unless they are 100% sure of their origin. I do this as I know there are poisonous berries that can make them very sick. The same is true of spiritual teachers. There are many false teachers in the world and the words they teach are as poison and will make anyone who eats from them spiritually sick and vulnerable.

1 John 4:1-3 KJV “4 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”

I cannot encourage you enough to read and meditate on 1 John and 2 John as these both spell out in detail how to spot a false teacher or prophet.

1 John 5 AMPC “5 Everyone who believes (adheres to, trusts, and relies on the fact) that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah) is a born-again child of God; and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him (His offspring).2 By this we come to know (recognize and understand) that we love the children of God: when we love God and obey His commands (orders, charges)—[when we keep His ordinances and are mindful of His precepts and His teaching]. 3 For the [true] love of God is this: that we do His commands [keep His ordinances and are mindful of His precepts and teaching]. And these orders of His are not irksome (burdensome, oppressive, or grievous).”

1 John 5:10 ESV “10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son”

Anyone who contradicts what Jesus said or teaches, or teaches a different version of Jesus than the Bible is liar and not to be trusted.

2 Corinthians 11 NLT “3But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. 4You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.”

Any teacher who encourages you to follow them exclusively, to eat only from their trees, to follow their commentary, to become a member , to be baptized into their name, basically who points you to their own ministry, community and or church as being the one true church, instead of pointing you to the tree of Life as the only pure source would raise big red flags for me. A true teacher recognizes that at best we are hybrids, those who teach parts of the truth but are still limited in our vision and scope and purity to not be capable to teach them the truth perfectly. We all must point to and depend on the Tree of Life (The Bible) being the only true pure tree in the garden. We are warned that factions and divisions are not an option in Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:11-17 ESV “11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.”

 1 John 2 ESV “4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”

1 John 2 ESV “ 18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. 20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. 21 2 “

Those who teach others to walk differently than Jesus walked or have branched out and away from the pure teaching of the apostles, those who have gone out from what was begun in the Spirit, are of an antichrist Spirit. We must set up camp, feed from or worship according to those trees.

If you look up the term “green tree” in a search engine like biblegateway.com, you will discover that setting up altars and worshipping under every green tree was a common expression. I personally am increasingly convinced that these green trees represent antichrist teachers, gods and religions.

In the garden, there was only one tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil and One Tree of life and the rest of the trees were good and safe to eat from. We now live in the age of Hybrid. There is now only One Tree of life, and all the other trees are hybrids after some fashion, some far more Christ like and others far more worldly, so make sure above all, that you eat from the pure tree, the Living Word of Yahweh far more than from any of the other trees. Let your roots grow down deep into the marvelous love of Christ so that you will be as the tree described in Jeremiah.

Matthew 13:19-21 NLT “19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.”

Take a lesson from the gardeners on how to get your tomato plants to grow deep roots. https://www.tomatobible.com/watering-tomato-plants/

“Water slowly:

The key to watering is consistency. Your tomato plants need a consistent supply of water to support their continuous growth. That consistent supply won’t be provided if you quickly flood the soil every few days and leave the plant to its own devices. When you water in large amounts too quickly, the water tends to run off rather than penetrating the soil and reaching the roots where it is needed. By watering slowly, you fully saturate all parts of the soil – not just the topsoil. In this way, you’ll give the plants access to more water over time than if you were to flood the soil, even if you use the same amount of water.If you don’t feel like standing around watering your plants slowly for hours – good news. You don’t have to. Installing a drip irrigation system will solve the problem for you and take much of the hassle out of watering. It’s easy to purchase one and install it around your tomato plants, or you can simply make your own with items available around your house.

Water deeply
Even though you can’t see it, what happens to your tomato plant below the soil is just as important, if not more important, than what’s going on above the soil. A strong root system is key to a healthy, productive plant. And one of the ways you can encourage your plant to develop a strong root system is by watering deeply.When you water the soil slowly and thoroughly, the roots of the plant travel further down into the soil to soak up the extra water. This gives the plant access to more nutrients and establishes a deep root system that will help the plant survive during dry spells. As a general guide, soak the soil to a depth of at least 6 inches. Again, a drip irrigation system can help with this task by providing a consistent supply of water that penetrates deep into the soil, rather than remaining on the top layer only.”

We are like those tomato plants in so many ways. In a society, where instant gratification is the norm and fast convenient foods are standard fare, let us intentionally slow down and embrace that the Kingdom works through the same principles that work in the garden. Those shallow, feel good, meets all I immediate desire for instant and easily accessible gratification, waterings and fertilizer applications (ie listening to pre-digested sermons, reading commentaries, seeking out the truth others have established etc) will sustain in times of plenty and abundance but at the cost of the deep established roots that will sustain us during times of tribulation and drought. So allow the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth Yahweh’s way. Slowly, deeply, consistently, forcing us to reach down deep into His Word, His truth and His life.

Practically speaking what does this look like. It will of course vary as nothing that is Spirit led is ever formulaic. Here is what is sometimes looks like in my life. I will find something that triggers my spiritual thirst for more, a deeper better understanding than what I have right now. Today that something is the significance of trees in the Bible. But that might have to wait as there are 2 things that I am already growing roots into that I want to let the Holy Spirit teach me more about before jumping to the next thing. It jumps off the page to me and says there is so much more to learn and understand about this than what I presently know. So I write it down that it is something I would like to study. Over the next year or two as I read the Bible on a regular schedule, I will likely find that any verses that involve trees will be of greater interest. I will highlight the verses using pencil crayons (all in the same colour) and I will put tabs in my Bible to mark the pages that the verses are found in). I will write notes in the margins, and at the end of a couple of years, will be able to go back and review everything that stood out to me and consider the “full counsel of Yahweh” on the matter of trees and begin to see how to individual trees fit into the bigger picture of the forest. I could go and watch a few videos, I could go and read a bunch of sermons, and they would give me gratification more quickly than what the 2 year process will take me as I follow the Holy Spirits leadings. But the result will be deep, strong roots, roots that had to struggle and push past rocks, go around obstacles, overcome challenges but in doing so have become strong, long, deeply anchored roots that are able to tap into the storehouses wisdom, understanding and knowledge only available to those who are willing to dig down deep into the truth of the Word. I find myself thinking about these things more often, naturally, without effort, and my understanding will blossom and my knowledge of scripture increase. I will likely at the end of the 2 years go and read and watch some videos, and be encouraged to find that others have come to the same conclusions and same lessons. I will be blessed by having my own deep roots in the truth AND be positioned to be even more deeply blessed by hearing the teachings of others who have studied these truths as well, being able to quickly recognize gaps in my own understanding and also being able to recognize anything false that ought to be questioned or dismissed. I will no longer be like a boat tossed to and fro by every wave of contradicting doctrine but will be firmly rooted in the truth of God’s Word.

I encourage you to embrace the slow, deep and continuous waterings of our Heavenly Father, the inevitable prunings that must come to sheer away the dead and false wood that would otherwise lead us astray, and the loving and faithful hand of the Master Gardener as He redeems and renovates every part of our thinking and lives.

The Great Commission Includes Healing the Sick

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The age of healing and miracles is not passed. The great commission, the same from Matthew 28 that most church organizations quote as their main mandate to preach the gospel also says very plainly that the disciples were called to preach the gospel, baptize, AND Teach “them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:” These all things are plainly recorded in all 4 gospel accounts, so to understand what it means to be a disciple we must study all 4 gospel accounts and hearken diligently to every command within them. Matthew 10:8 is where you can find the command to heal the sick. John 20:21 tells us that just as the Father sent Jesus, Y’shua (His name in Aramaic), now He sends the disciples:. The central objective to go and make more disciples who are doing all the Y’shua taught the original twelve to do.

Matthew 10 KJV “1And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.”

Matthew 10 KJV “5These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 9Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, 10Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. 11And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. 12And when ye come into an house, salute it. 13And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. 15Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.”

Matthew 28 KJV “16Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

John 20 KJV “”19Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. 21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.”

Luke 10 KJV “1After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. 2Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. 3Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. 4Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. 5And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. 6And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. 7And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. 8And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: 9And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 10But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, 11Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 12But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.”

As I understand it, Y’shua came to inaugurate His Ministry on Earth. He came to make disciples, which he did with the 11 disciples and once they completed their initial training, He sent them out to do the work of the ministry. The term apostle, simple means:

Word Origin: Derived from the Greek verb ἀποστέλλω (apostellō), meaning “to send away” or “to send forth.”

In other words, anyone who is equipped to do the work of the ministry of Christ as outlined by Matthew 28 and is subsequently sent out to do it is operating as an apostle. He gave the great commission to the 11 disciples only. He sent them to a mountain and met them there, in the absence of other believers and told the essential to go and make more just like them. The Aramaic translation brings in the line from John listed above above:

Matthew 28:18 The Peshitta Holy Bible Translated from https://biblehub.com/aramaic-plain-english/matthew/28.htm

“18And Yeshua spoke with them and he said to them, “All authority has been given to me in Heaven and in the earth; in the manner in which my Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 

In other words, the disciples were to go out and create more disciples who were equipped to make more disciples, who are called to make more disciples until the gospel as Y’shua preached it reaches until the ends of the earth. I believe the elders are the more “rooted” teachers and disciple makers who equip believers at a community level, and that the apostles are the send out ones who travel about equipping many and establishing elders to oversee the the maturing process at the community level. I personally believe we are generally hearing the preaching of a partial at best, inaccurate and even corrupted at worst gospel. I also believe that human teachers while essential, are supposed to just as John the Baptist understood, become less and less significant as Christ becomes more and more so as individuals mature in Christ. Our organizations ought to be more like schools, we go, get equipped, and then go out to do the work of the ministry. We are missing the mark if we teach that that the point of church is to have a weekly place of worship and fellowship (which do have value, these are just not the main central role appointed by Yahweh), I believe we are misunderstanding the central role of the church. We cannot add or take away from what the Word plainly says. Study these verses for yourself, and seek out the true gospel. If we get our walking orders wrong, how can we possibly hope to hit the mark. See below for other supporting verses.

Hebrews 6:1-2 tells us what the basic central core foundational teaching of HIs ministry are:

1“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of:

1.repentance from dead works, and

2. of faith toward God, 

3.2Of the doctrine of baptisms,

4.and of laying on of hands,

5.and of resurrection of the dead,

6. and of eternal judgment. 3And this will we do, if God permit. 4For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame”

Ephesians 4 KJV “9(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”

Hebrews 5 KJV “12For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the [b]oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14But solid food belongs to those who are [c]of full age, that is, those who by reason of [d]use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

God’s Power Cord: How Anyone Can Tap Into the Source and See Yahweh Heal the Sick

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Twenty years in to studying the Bible and I am still blown away but what was so simple, I missed it.

In the beginning it was so simple: “All believers can lay hands on the sick and they will recover”

Mark 16 KJV

“17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.”

I believed it, so I did it, and small numbers of people were actually healed. But of course, Jesus, Yahshua, healed them all and promised that the sick “shall recover”. So clearly I had a lot more to learn.

And then, I bought all kinds of books ( only read a few of them), listened to every kind of teacher and attended several conferences, watched endless videos and frankly, got completely overwhelmed. I learned about the 22, 10, 49 reasons why healing is blocked, doesn’t work, fails. Fifteen years of trying to lock down the truth by working through so many ineffectual, partially true, confusing teachings only to directly from the Bible discover:

Laying on of hands was not what I thought. I thought I was to put 2 hands on the sick. Now I see it as I am to put one hand on Jesus(Yahshua) and the other hand on the sick person. I stand literally in the gap and complete the circuit, like a power cord connecting an appliance to the outlet in the wall. Let me attempt to explain this better.

The source of all healing power: Yahweh, Our Heavenly Father, Jehovah Rapha, is the source, the only source of the power that heals the sick. Though God is so much more than this, trying to tap into Our Creator directly, whilst we are living in human and imperfect bodies would be like flying up to the sun and wanting to plug in my toaster. The measure of power is to big and my positioning in relationship to the sun makes the process, inaccessible, nigh impossible.

From the Power Plant to our the Outlets in Our Homes: Jesus Christ (Yahshua), He is the adapter and the delivery system that makes the power of Jehovah to heal the sick within our reach, wherever we are.

The Plug: Our Faith, allows us to plug into the source via the outlet, Yashua. Tis is simply believing what He says to be true. I lay hands on the sick regularly and pray for them because He says I am commissioned to do so. Luke 10 gives a wonderful account of the authority and commission we are given and why it works. Through the name of Yahshua, demons fled from his disciples. The same is true today. I personally am using Yahshua (Jesus in Aramaic) more and more as in ministry I simply find it is more effective.

The Power Cord: The thing that bridges the gap between Yahweh and the person in need of His Kingdom. This includes our physical bodies, our intercession, our prayers, basically us as a spiritual and physical conductor of power. Just as your physical body will transfer static electricity and transfer it to whoever you touch when you shuffle across a carpet, so will transfer the power of the Kingdom if you have one hand plugged into the Father’s Power and the other holding on what needs to receive that power to work.

The Promises of God (of Yahweh): These are like the individual appliances we plug into.

Enter Jesus, Yahshua, our Savior. He is connected to the source and we can safely and in confidence, “take hold of the fringe of his robe” and in doing so, tap into the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.

2 Peter 1:2-4 KJV “2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

Two Biblical examples:

1st How we can connect to and receive from Yahweh via Yahshua.

Why was the women who touched the fringe of Messiah’s robe healed?

Ezekiel 44:19 AMPC
“19 And when they go out into the outer court to the people, they shall put off the garments in which they ministered and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments, lest by contact of their garments with the people they should consecrate (separate and set apart for holy use) such persons [unintentionally and unfittingly].”

Matthew 9:18-24 AMPC “20 And behold, a woman who had suffered from a flow of blood for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment; 21 For she kept saying to herself, If I only touch His garment, I shall be restored to health.22 Jesus turned around and, seeing her, He said, Take courage, daughter! Your faith has made you well. And at once the woman was restored to health.”

When she touched Jesus, our High Priest’s robe, the garment he wore was imbued with the power to consecrate by His communion with our heavenly Father. She believed what she heard about him, and in touching him in faith, completed the circuit, the power of Yahweh flowed and she was instantly sanctified, made fit for holy use, forgiven her sins and made perfect). It is that simple. The hard part is the believing part and evicting all the human reasoning, teaching and logic that keeps us from simply touching the source via Jesus Christ.

Matthew 14:35-36 KJV “35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;36 And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.”

2nd, How do we stand in the gap for the healing of others?

Acts 3:5-7 KJV “5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.”

Peter acted in this verse as the power cord. The promise he took hold of was that the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth heals. He plugged into the source by believing it was true with one hand and completed the circuit by taking the beggar by the right hand allowing his body to become a physical conductor of the power of Yahweh. In the simplest terms, he stood in the gap while holding onto to God’s promise and the one needing God’s promise.

Here’s the thing that rubs anyone with pride or a religious spirit the wrong way. Literally anyone who believes can do this. It is not based on special gifts, it is not based on exceptional skill or wisdom. This flows 100% through believing in the one who was sent and his word (ie reading it, choosing to believe it is true without allowing the teachings of man, personal experience or human reasoning to talk you out of believing it) and than obeying what he says to do. So even the most simple among us can do this without any qualification beyond what is mentioned. I can take zero credit for healing the sick. It is always the power of Yahweh that does the work of healing.

What is Sin? Correcting our Definitions

/ wherethereisthewordthereisourway / Leave a comment

Words are symbols that communicate specific ideas. When we hear a word it means something to us. If our definition is wrong, or if we use the same word in a culture to whom it means something different, we will clearly fail to communicate.

A funny life example. While living in France, I was asked in polite company during an intergenerational meal, if I enjoyed French food. My answer was “Very much, I especially appreciate that the French don’t use “preservatifs” in their cooking”. This was followed by a round of giggles and chuckles. You see, to the French in France, this means “condom”. My definition was different than theirs and the result, in hindsight, quite hilarious.

I have always been told that the New Testament definition of sin is “missing the mark” and because the teachers who taught me this seemed to be so engaged in looking things up and making sure the language was right, it never occurred to me to look it up, until now. Why?

Romans 3:23

In Context in the Amplified Bible “22This righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all those [Jew or Gentile] who believe [and trust in Him and acknowledge Him as God’s Son]. There is no distinction, 23since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God, 24and are being justified [declared free of the guilt of sin, made acceptable to God, and granted eternal life] as a gift by His [precious, undeserved] [c]grace, through the redemption [the payment for our sin] which is [provided] in Christ Jesus, 25whom God displayed publicly [before the eyes of the world] as a [life-giving] [d]sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation (propitiation) by His blood [to be received] through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness [which demands punishment for sin], because in His forbearance [His deliberate restraint] He passed over the sins previously committed [before Jesus’ crucifixion]. 26It was to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the One who justifies those who have faith in Jesus [and rely confidently on Him as Savior].”

It stood out to be that all have sinned (past tense) AND (something more or different) presently and ongoingly fall short of the glory of God. Yahweh does not repeat Himself in vain so surely these must mean different things. I looked it up and it turns out these are different definitions.

from https://biblehub.com/greek/264.htm

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 264 hamartánō (from 1 /A “not” and 3313 /méros, “a part, share”) – properly, having no share in; to sin, which always brings forfeiture – i.e. eternal loss due to missing God’s mark. Like 266 /hamartía, 264 (hamartánō) is regularly used in ancient times of an archer missing the target (Homer, Aesch., etc). Every decision (action) done apart from faith (4102 /pístis) is sin (Ro 14:23; cf. Heb 11:6). See 266 (hamartia).

from https://biblehub.com/greek/5302.htm

HELPS Word-studies

5302 hysteréō (from 5306 /hýsteros, “last”) – properly, at “the end,” i.e. coming behind (to “be posterior, late”); (figuratively) coming behind and therefore left out; left wanting (falling short).

5302 /hysteréō (“failing to fulfill a goal”) means to be in lack and hence, unable to meet the need at hand because depleted (“all run out“). This state of lack (insufficiency, privation) naturally results when a person misses out on what is vital.

It turns out this is equally true of the Hebrew Words for sin, transgression and iniquity. The definition includes the “crime” and the deserved “penalty” for the crime.

If I say I am a sinner, I am saying I am one who has forfeited my part in eternal glory. From now on I will be plain and delighted to confess that I truly am sinless (one who has not forfeited my part in eternal glory to missing the mark) but that I am a “faller short of” God’s perfection and so grateful that Yahshua delivered me from the forfeit part. What a relief to know that we can be deficient and lacking and yet not sin. I must balance this by sharing that the Bible makes no room for ongoing and wilfull defiance and breaking of His Word and says indeed there is no covering or redemption for willful and repetitive sin.

Hebrews 10:26 NLT
“Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins.”

https://biblehub.com/greek/5302.htm

In an interesting note, I now have over 800 verses between the Old and New Testaments to reread inlight of this correction to my understanding. I love it when Yahweh blesses me in correcting me.