The authority of the church? Part 1

The authority of the church? Part 1

Let's  define the word “Church”,   from the Old English and German word pronounced  kirche.  In Scotland, it was  kirk.

The following entries are from the Oxford Universal English Dictionary:

Church [Old English cirice, circe; Middle English chereche, chiriche, chirche; whence churche, cherche, etc.: -Greek Kuriakon...]

Kirk The Northern English and Scottish form of CHURCH, in all its senses.

The word  church  would have been an acceptable translation for the Greek word  kuriakos.  However, not by the wildest imagination of the most liberal translator can it ever be used for ecclesia.  In the earlier Greek It was pronounced  ku-ri-a-kos  or  ku-ri-a-kon.  As we can see, this word doesn't even resemble the Greek word  ecclesia, whose place it has usurped. The meaning of  Ku-ri-a-kos is understood by its root:  Ku- ri-os, which means  lord.  Thus,  kuriakos (church) means pertaining to the lord.  It refers to something that pertains to, or belongs to, a lord. The Greek  kuriakos eventually came to be used in Old English form as cirice  (Kee-ree-ke), then  churche  (kerke), and eventually church in its traditional pronunciation. A church, then, is correctly something that  pertains to, or belongs to, a lord.

Now, as we can see, there is a major problem here. The translators broke the rules in a big way. When they inserted the word  church  in the English versions, they were not translating the Greek word  kuriakos, as one might expect. They were substituting an entirely different Greek word. This was not an honest acceptable translation for the Greek word ecclesia.

Now, let's look at the word,  ecclesia . This Greek word appears in the New Testament approximately 115 times. That's just in this one grammatical form. It appears also in other forms. And in all but 3 instances, it is wrongly translated as  church in the King James Version. Those three exceptions are found in Acts 19:32, 39, 41. In these instances the translators rendered it assembly instead of church.  But, the Greek word is exactly the same as the other 112 entries where it was changed to church wrongly.

In Acts 19,  ecclesia  is a town council: a civil body in Ephesus. Because of this the translators were forced to abandon their erroneous translation in these three instances. Nonetheless, 112 times they changed it to church. This fact has been covered-up under centuries of misuse and ignorance. The Greek word  ecclesia  is correctly defined as:  The called-out (ones)  [ECC = out; KALEO = call]. So we can see how this word was used to indicate a civil body of select (called, elected) people.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica:

In the New Testament,  ecclesia  (signifying convocation) is the only single word used for church. It (ecclesia) was the name given to the governmental assembly of the city of Athens, duly convoked (called out) by proper officers and possessing all political power including even juridical functions.

Many believe that it is the Church that has all authority in the matters of faith on this earth.  I do not even have to really point to one religion or denomination because almost all have this belief. 

But the ecclasia would be better stated as called out for authority, specifically chosen by Messiah while acting in the Name of Messiah.  To go forth and teach the nations (starting with the nation of Israel) the True Word of God.  Showing the fulfillment of the prophecies of old and replacing man made church with faith in God.   Through His will, and commandments.

Many believe Christ created the Church and taught the first followers, giving them authority to act in His behalf. 

But does the church really act in His behalf?   And the question is, If we are not acting in his behalf do we have his authority?  It’s like praying in the name of Yeshua (Jesus). As long as you pray in the name of Yeshua (Jesus),  in his behalf, and for his glory then all things will come. 

Joh 14:13  Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Joh 14:14  If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Joh 15:16  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

Php 4:13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

But the first time you pray in His name out of selfishness, then you are not asking in the name of Yeshua,  you are asking in your own name.

Mat 17:20  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

 And when you ask in your own name or the name of someone, or something other than our Messiah, and we ask a mountain to move, does it? 

Mat 16:15  He said to them,  But who do you say that I am? 
Mat 16:16  Simon Peter replied,  You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. 
Mat 16:17  And Jesus answered him,  Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah  For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
Mat 16:18  And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mat 16:19  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 

If the church is a new church why didn’t he tell anyone else?  I have found no scripture that supports the idea that our Messiah created a whole new church. The Scripture’s tell of an assembly of Jews who believe in the Messiah and that he has come.  He starts off by asking who am I.  The answer was the Son of God.  He didn’t ask, am I the new beginning of a new church, but who am I.  The rock or foundation is that SIMON believed Yeshua (Jesus) was the messiah. For the first ten years after the resurrection, there were no Gentiles in this Assembly. Only when Cornelius comes into the Kingdom of Messiah Yeshua, the King of the Jews, does it take a new turn:

Act 11:18  When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying,  Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life. 

It was entirely Hebraic (Jewish) up until then, the continuation of the faith of Abraham, Moses and King David. It is the promise fulfilled that was made to these men and many other Hebrew men, as Luke writes of:

Luk 1:30  And the angel said to her,  Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Luk 1:31  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
Luk 1:32  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
Luk 1:33  and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. 


Interesting that it’s the House of Jacob and not ‘the Church’ that the Lord will reign over forever. Yeshua, too, speaks of His continued Hebraic roots in the last chapter of the last book of the Bible:

Rev 22:16   I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the assemblies. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star. 

It is not a new church but a  fulfillment of the prophecies of an existing faith. 

Gen 12:3  I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

The scripture says everlasting, not lasting until the Messiah comes.  Scripture says he was the stone the builders rejected that became the capstone.  Not the capstone of a new faith, but the corner stone of the existing one.

Psa 118:22  The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

Isa 28:16  therefore thus says the Lord GOD,  Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: 'Whoever believes will not be in haste.'

The new or old church is a misunderstanding of what Ecclesia means.  First off it means assembly.  Not meaning that only those in this group will be apart of the belief, and blessing of the Messiah, but all who come to believe.  Not  one church (assembly) or another, but all those who come to belief.  Many seem to be under the understanding, that there is a separation in the Church or assemblies that believe in God the Father and his promised Son Yeshua the Messiah.  Once again I can’t find any scripture that supports this view.  And for his Glory, is the Glory of God the Father.  The God of a well-established faith.

Psa 45:6  Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
Psa 45:7  you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;

Psa 102:25  Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
Psa 102:26  They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
Psa 102:27  but you are the same, and your years have no end.

Were does it say God changes, and a new Church is coming?   The same faith that prophesied that the Messiah was coming, is the same faith that accepted him

Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Not a new church, religion, or faith.  Yeshua didn’t usher in a new God.

Mic 5:2  But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

Psa 2:7  I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me,  You are my Son; today I have begotten you.

Pro 30:4  Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name? Surely you know 

His Church (ASSEMBLY) is from long ago, from the days of eternity (before the creation of time and counted days).

Quoting from the Oxford Universal English Dictionary on the word  ecclesia :

Ecclesia [mediaeval Latin, and Greek - from : SUMMONED] -A regularly convoked assembly, especially the general assembly of Athenians. Later, the regular word for church.

The ecclesia or ekklesia was the principal assembly of the democracy of ancient Athens during its Golden Age (480–404 BC). It was the popular assembly, opened to all male citizens over the age of 18 by Solon in 594 BC meaning that all classes of citizens in Athens were able to participate, even the thetes. The ecclesia opened the doors for all citizens, regardless of class, to nominate and vote for magistrates - indirectly voting for the Areopagus - have the final decision on legislation, war and peace, and have the right to call magistrates to account after their year of office. In the 5th century BC their numbers amounted to about 43,000 people. However, only those wealthy enough to spend much of their time away from home would have been able to participate until Pericles' reforms in early 451-2 BC allowing payment for jurors. The assembly was responsible for declaring war, military strategy, and electing strategoi and other officials. It originally met once every month, but later it met three or four times per month. The agenda for the ecclesia was established by the Boule, the popular council. Votes were taken by a show of hands.

Richard Anthony wrote -     Matthew 16:18,  …And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church (Greek - ekklesia)…
The Greek word  ekklesia,  is used 115 times in the New Testament, and in most bibles, it is always translated as  church  (except in Acts 19:32,39,41, where it is properly translated as  assembly ).

The first complete English bible was the Tyndale bible in about 1524, and that bible did not use the word church anywhere in its pages, it used the word  congregation.  Sometime after this bible they started replacing the word  congregation with the word church.

Now, some people might say we're just mincing words; they say, Church, assembly, what's the difference?   “You know what I mean when I say Church.”  But words are very, very important according to the Word of God. The following verses tell us that one of the duties of all disciples of Messiah is to diligently look at the words to describe His Body.

Matthew 4:4,  It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Matthew 12:36-37,  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Proverbs 6:2,  Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

Proverbs 30:5-6,  Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

One of the jurisdictions of the natural man is the Church. There are many Churches out there, even the Church of Satan. The Church of Wicka. The Church of Humanity. You name it, there's a Church for it. We have to differentiate because our Messiah’s ekklesia is not the Church.  If you look in a dictionary, under the word Church, it's defined as  a place of worship of any religion as a Jewish or heathen temple.  When the world says  Church,  they are thinking of a building or a structure, and this is actually the original meaning of Church, but somehow it transferred over as being the body of Messiah. But as we're told in scripture, God  dwelleth not in temples made with hands 

Act 17:24  God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

2Co 5:1  For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Heb 9:24  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

There's many different definitions for the Church, and it's really an arbitrary and capricious word. And we're going to take a look at how the natural man got jurisdiction over that. Man got jurisdiction over the Church because Man is  the one that created it, he's the one that took the word ekklesia to a word that has no substance.

Now lets look at the meaning of Ekklesia

First, we'll look at the meaning of what our Messiah’s ekklesia is, we'll look at the real thing first, then we'll compare the legal fiction that's being created as the substitute for God’s ekklesia. The word ekklesia is the original Greek Word, it was used in the Septuagint. So, the seventy-two translators that translated the Septuagint around 280 B.C. were very much aware of that word ekklesia. They used it in the Septuagint as a replacement of the Hebrew for the  congregation of Israel.

Now, if we go to the modern word studies on ekklesia, they'll always point to the secular meaning of the Greek, that it was a group of citizens called together. They rarely go to the original meaning. The first time it's spoken in the New Testament, by our Messiah, is:

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my ekklesia…

When you go to Tyndale's bible, which was the first English Bible, he translated ekklesia as  assembly.  In the George Ricker Berry Interlinear Greek/English New Testament (it's a literal translation of the Greek into English), which was written in the late 1800's, he translated ekklesia as assembly, and you won't find the word  church  anywhere in there. Yeshua only used the word ekklesia three times. It's not recorded in the book of Mark, John, or Luke. Matthew is the only one who recorded it.

In Strong's Greek Concordance, the word ekklesia (word #1577) is defined as  an assembly,  and it's from the word  ek,  (word #1537) which means  out of ; and the word  klesis  (word #2821) which means  a calling.  So ekklesia means to be called out, and obviously Yeshua is the one that's calling us out. But is that the first time we were ever called out?

The apostle Paul wrote:

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Now Paul is quoting the Old Testament from Isaiah 52:11

Isa 52:11  Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.

So we were called out in the Old Testament. In the Septuagint, Isaiah 52:11 reads,  Depart ye, depart, go out from thence, and touch not the unclean thing; go ye out from the midst of her; separate yourselves, ye that bear the vessels of the Lord.

From the Hebrew Tanach it is Depart , depart, go out from there   Touch no unclean thing   Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of the Lord.

So, when you go to the original Greek in the Septuagint and find out what those verses mean, you find out what you're being called out of. And that's what His ekklesia is, it is those who are called out.

When Isaiah says,  go ye out from the midst of her,  what does that mean? Well, when you go to the original Greek,  out from the midst  means  out from the center.  And the word  her  is from the Greek autos which means  self.

In Hebrew it is the same word used in Exodus 3:10, speaking of coming out of Egypt or bondage.     

So basically, what this verse is saying is to depart and separate yourself from your self will (those wants of the world), bondage, and touch not the impure. So what we're called out of is our self   We're called out of the self-will and all of those things that have to do with the flesh. And that is His ecclesia.

This goes along with:

Mat 10:38  And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:39  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

The apostle Paul said,  I die daily,

1Co 15:31  I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day 

What this means is to do His Will, and crucify the deeds of the flesh, kill our old man.

So, there's only one definition for ekklesia, and that's  assembly  (or  congregation). Now, how is it possible to take the word  church  (which means a physical structure) and insert it in there? Because the word Church does not mean  assembly at all.  It doesn't even closely correlate.

The idea that Yeshua created a whole new church and called out His first members doesn’t even make since.  The Apostles were not the first to believe in Yeshua as the Messiah   Joseph and Mary were the first to believe in the Messiah before  his birth.  John the Baptist is the first to have Devine inspiration that Yeshua (Jesus) was indeed the promised Messiah.  And many before believed in the coming of the promised Messiah.  But he did call out his first believers that he elected to die to self, and teach the people the uncorrupted massage of the One True God.  Not a new church, religion, or faith

Yeshua our Messiah is not the beginning of a new church, but a restoration of an existing and perverted belief.  The called out assembly were the beginning of the elected believers in the messiah, those first to be called out by Messiah to remove there old man.  They are the  assembly that would bring about the restoration of the scriptural belief and not the perverted doctrines of man that go against that scripture.  We were not called out to authority but called out of our worldly flesh and beliefs

Not a new Church of Christ, but his Fathers (They are one in the same).  Not a new Church but a redefining of the existing faith.

Mal 3:1   Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.

Mat 16:15  He said to them,  But who do you say that I am? 
Mat 16:16  Simon Peter replied,  You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. 
Mat 16:17  And Jesus answered him,  Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah  For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
Mat 16:18  And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mat 16:19  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 


Yeshua never said he would build his church upon these men.  But he was electing the first to be called out of them selves and follow him.  The rock was not the man, but his belief that the Messiah had come.

As we go forth and test these new ideas in Scripture let us pray that our Father gives us His Spirit of wisdom, understanding, and truth.  So we may see and walk as our Messiah walked, and be true disciples in the Name of Yeshua (Jesus).  May we pray for eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to change for the glory of our Father 

Authority of Man?

Authority of Man?

The false illusion that is the authority of man has thrown off believers since the beginning.  I would have a hard time finding a church, religion, or denomination that doesn’t claim some kind of authority.  Whether it is Popes, Priests, Rabbis, or Pastors, all religions seem to fall under the same problem.  They claim authority over things they have no right to.

But do men have any authority?  And if they do, does it exist outside of the power of God?  I think Yeshua stated it best when he said give unto Caesar that which is Caesars, and give unto God that which is God’s.

Mat 22:21  They said, "Caesar's." Then he said to them, "Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

Although admittedly here, Yeshua is speaking of taxes.  But aren’t taxes only claimed through authority?

Is their authority in this world outside of God?  I believe the answer is yes, as of now unfortunately.  Not that any man has authority over God, but many men have authority in their lands, such as your local criminal court, or the governments of the world.  There are defiantly groups we have to submit to in this world outside of our faith.

So how are we to act when submitting to the authority of the world that governs so much of our worldly lives?

I believe this is where reading the Tanach (Old Testament) can really help.  Look to all the stories from the different exiles we have.  In Genesis chapters’ 39-47 when  taken as a salve to Egypt, Joseph submitted to his earthly masters will.  The only time that he refused was when his Master’s wife continually tried to get him to lay with her.  When he refused, she brought false witness against him, and because of this he was thrown in prison.  Yet once again he submitted to his earthly masters will.  Once again he was put in charge of the very prison he was forced to live in.  Later because of God interpreting dreams through him, he was put in charge of all Egypt.  He submitted to his earthly masters, and because of his faithfulness he was able to save his people in the time of great famine.

Daniel is another good example.  He was so faithful that he was given great authority in the kingdom of Babylon.  The only time he went against the laws of the land was when they went against the Law’s of God.  We are given constant examples in our Holy scripture.  They teach us to follow the Laws of the Land, to be good, and humble servants.  The only time we are told to ignore or go against the authority in the land, is when that authority goes against the Law of God.  This is how we must view all authority seemingly held by men.

Yeshua unlike most of us, actually practiced what he preached.  Yeshua taught us to submit to civil authority.  As long as, it did not go against the Will of God.

The real problem comes when man decides to claim authority over the very Word of God.  We have to realize that there is no authority over our faith outside of God.  The only time man has authority within our faith, is when he is acting within the Word of God.  Man is never the authority.  It is always God.  It is my belief that the  best place to see this in action is in:

Mat 16:18  And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mat 16:19  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Here we see the Apostle Cephas (Peter) being in full agreement with the Will of God.  In this moment he has declared, through revelation from our Father in Heaven, that Yeshua is the promised Messiah.  In doing so he is in full accordance of our Fathers Will.  Because of this proclamation, which is the key to the kingdom of Heaven, he is given authority to bind and loose anything in Heaven and Earth.  That is huge.  Because of this proclamation, many now say, Peter is given all authority.  So now whatever Peter says all have to do right?

Yet in the next few verses it states

Mat 16:22  And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you."
Mat 16:23  But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."


In a matter of a few verses’ Cephas (Peter) goes from having all authority to bind and loose whatever he sees fit in Heaven and Earth to being called satan.  As soon as this man had one thought outside of the Will of God, he goes from having authority through God, to being called satan.

Man only has authority when they are living within the Will of God.  Mans authority, as it pertains to the matters of faith and Spirit, only exists within the Will of God.   It is the Will and Word of God, which gives and has authority, not the man his self. 

We as disciples of our Messiah are not to seek authority over others we are to seek to be servants of man.  We are continually reminded throughout our Bible to be humble

 Psa 25:9  He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.


 Psa 76:9  when God arose to establish judgment, to save all the humble of the earth. Selah


Psa 147:6  The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.


Psa 149:4  For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.

Pro 11:2  When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.


We are to in all things humble our selves.  We are not even to give ourselves titles.

Mat 23:8  But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Mat 23:9  And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
Mat 23:10  Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.
Mat 23:11  The greatest among you shall be your servant.
Mat 23:12  Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Yeshua taught us that we are not to give our selves titles.  We are to put all titles of authority away.  We are not to claim to be teachers for there is but one teacher   We are not to be masters for there is but one Master   We are not to be rabbis for there is but one Rabbi.  Why would we want to follow men who claim authority when Yeshua commanded us to be humble?  If they really had authority over men, wouldn’t they know this truth from our Messiah?

Why do we insist on following those who refuse to humble themselves?  Why do we follow men with the very titles that Yeshua taught his followers not to take?  If we put our faith in men, they will let us down every time,  because all men are flawed.

Mat 20:25  But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
Mat 20:26  It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,
Mat 20:27  and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,
Mat 20:28  even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Mar 10:42  And Jesus called them to him and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
Mar 10:43  But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,
Mar 10:44  and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.
Mar 10:45  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."


Man-made  LABELS need to be removed from our lives, it is the labels  that separate us more than any belief.  We start to defend our particular brand of faith after we label it.  Most of the time in the midst of this defense we lose sight of the truth, because it just isn’t as important as defending the faith.


Ecc 7:20  Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.


Rom 3:10  as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;

There was only one man whoever walked this earth and truly lived without Sin.  There is but one true Messiah and his name is Yeshua (Jesus)!  So why then  do so many of us put so much faith in men?  We all need to take a step back from the doctrines and theologies of men and spend some time in our Holy Scripture, seeking the Truth that can only be found in our Messiah!

The fact is no man can lead you to God.  No man can lead you to truth.  No man can lead you to salvation.  You must seek in order to be found.  We as individuals must seek after God in order to find him.  We as individuals must seek the truth, in order for it to be given.  We as individuals must seek salvation in order for salvation to be found.

Do not believe anything I write because I write it.  Put all things to the test.  To this day I have not met a perfect man outside of our Messiah.  All have sinned, and fallen short.  We must stop putting our faith in the hands of flawed men.  We must seek our truth through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Which brings us to the next question?

Do we need men to teach us how to understand scripture?

1Jn 2:27  But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie--just as it has taught you, abide in him.


Let no man deceive you.  Nobody needs the guidance of men to seek and understand scripture.  We must put aside our traditions, and commentaries.  And seek the Truth of God within the Word of God.  There are no short cuts.  Sure in walking out the Holy Scriptures on our own we are gonna fail often.  We will get many things wrong in the process.  But that is what growth is all about.  If you read a book about riding a bike it will never compare to actually trying to ride one and falling a few times.  It is in getting up that we learn to ride.  It is the same with the Truth in our Holy Scripture.  We must learn and fall for our selves.  It is in fellowship that we help each other grow and get back up.  If you learn a great truth from another man, or commentary then you never really learned it yourself.  When Simons name was changed to Peter, and he was given so much authority it was from a revelation from God that made this possible.  Not by what he had heard from man!

I am not promoting open rebellion of all authority, not even the authority of men of any faith.  I am only pointing out that no man is above reproach.  And when we do submit ourselves under the authority of a teacher, we must keep all things in their proper perspective.  We must remember that no matter how holy, or righteous a man seems to be.  At the end of the day he is only a man. 
If Torah is the goal, and Yeshua is the living Torah, we need to stop lowering the bar to the ideas of man and keep our focus on the true target.

As we go forth and test these new ideas in Scripture let us pray that our Father gives us His Spirit of wisdom, understanding, and truth.  So we may see and walk as our Messiah walked, and be true disciples in the Name of Yeshua (Jesus).  May we pray for eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to change for the glory of our Father!

False Prophets

                                              False Prophets

Mat 7:15   Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
Mat 7:16  You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Mat 7:17  So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
Mat 7:18  A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.
Mat 7:19  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Mat 7:20  Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.


Lets start, by asking the question.  Are we to be cautious of false prophets?  Do false Prophets appear like believers on the surface?  We are told in Matthew 7:15 to beware of false prophets.  They are likened unto sheep’s in wolves’ clothing.

Mat 7:15   Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

False prophets are very real. They are in place to lead the immature away from the Will of God.  They are a very real threat in this world.  It is imperative that we are well studied and strong in our faith so we can recognize these wolves, and lead others away from them.

False teachers can be very hard to recognize. The fact is, our flesh is going to seek out the false prophets, over the true every time.  True prophets and teachers will teach us to follow the Will of God, and will lead us to obedience.  False prophets and teachers will try to show us a false freedom, which is really just a dressed up form of bondage.  So how do we know false prophets?

Mat 7:16  You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Mat 7:17  So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
Mat 7:18  A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.
Mat 7:19  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Mat 7:20  Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Yeshua (Jesus) said we will recognize them by their fruits.  We can see them for whom they are by their works.  If you haven’t read the last article, faith of the heirs defined.  Please go back and do so before continuing.

Our fruits are our works.  If all you see from a teacher is lies and deceit.  Or even if all that is seen is some kind of worldly gain, then you may just be dealing with a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  Yeshua taught us that no good can come from diseased teachers and their diseased doctrines.  We are warned that those who do teach something other than the truth will be cut down and thrown into the fire.  So before we go on to describe the disease.  Lets take a moment and go over the idea of fruit.

What is good fruit that believers bring forth?

Joh 15:8  By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
Joh 15:9  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.
Joh 15:10  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.

Yeshua taught us that in order to glorify our father, we must bear much fruit.  And it is by this that we prove to be Yeshua’s disciples. we are shown that in order to show a true discipleship of our Messiah, we must glorify our Father, and bear much fruit.  He teaches that as the Father has loved the Son, so the Son loves us.  We are taught to abide in his Love.  But once again Love and discipleship are directly linked to keeping the commandments.  We are shown that it is by keeping His commandments we abide in his Love.  He shows us the idea of discipleship, as following his example, and walking as he walked.  And here in verse ten Yeshua (Jesus) our Messiah is teaching us that he kept the Fathers commandments. and by doing so abide’s in His Love.

 In order to really claim that we are disciples, we have to walk as our Messiah walked, and our Messiah kept the commandments.  These verses are not taken from the Tanach (old Testament.) These are from the gospel of John.  These are the words of our Messiah.  So why are we so quick to ignore them in favor of teachings from false prophets?

Our flesh wants to believe that there is no Will that we have to follow.  Our flesh wants to believe the false interpretations and teachings that say we can now live in sin.  We want to believe that freedom from God’s Will is anything other than bondage in its truest form 

It is here in John 15:8-10 that we get our truest definition of what fruits are meant to be.  So many have fallen under the false interpretation that the fruits are only saved souls.  But the simple fact is we do not know the hearts of men.  Let’s look at an example.   If I were to make a false claim that I have personally saved more than 100,000 souls.  How would you know the difference?  Or better yet, lets say there was an evangelist that taught that, hey, come up say some magic words, and all your sins are forgiven.  And now that you have said these magic words, you will be rich, and have a genie God that will grant all your wishes as long as you send me some trivial amount of money.  How many people do you think would line up to be saved by him?

 Now lets say, right across the street, another teacher shows the truth of scripture.  This teacher teaches from scripture that salvation breed’s obedience.  And you are not going to have an easy life because of following this God.  You will want to be poor instead of rich, but the possession’s of this life really aren’t important.  And all you have belongs to God anyway, so why should we focus on fame and fortune.  Whom do you think will be more popular?

Statements of the tongue are not works (Fruit).  The fruit that can be seen is ones obedience too our Father through discipleship of the one and only begotten Son, Yeshua (Jesus) our Messiah.  These fruits are the keeping of the commandments (Will of God, Law, Law of Moses, LOVE.)

So the exact opposite of fruits would be the disease that we spoke of earlier.  It is teaching the false truths and traditions of man.  The thorn bush is set to destroy the clear teachings of our Messiah.  It is going against the Will of our father that is the disease.  I was once one of these false prophets and I didn’t even realize it.  I was teaching a gospel that didn’t truly exist in scripture.  I taught the free willing sloppy agape that so many have fallen under. I as so many others’ showed only half of the picture.

So one may ask how is it that you were a false prophet without realizeing it?  Are their people that think they are bringing forth good fruit, but actually are bringing corrupt fruit?

Mat 7:21   Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Mat 7:22  On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'
Mat 7:23  And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

Not everyone who claims Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven.  Doesn’t that just send chills down your spine?  The idea that as long as you speak some magic prayer, all is well, takes on a whole new depth of evil doesn’t it.  There are many that teach a false gospel. They can prophecy, cast out demons, and even do mighty works in the Lords name.  But they never knew him.  So how do we know if we know him?  Once again by not being workers of lawlessness.  So ask yourself, are we supposed to follow the Law?

Some may point out that some translations have the word translated as lawlessness (anomia).  And some translators write it as iniquity.   So is there a difference between the two?  What is the Fathers Will and what is iniquity?

Lev 5:17  And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.

Sin and iniquity are the definitions of lawlessness.  They are the product of going against the Will of our Father (Law, Law of Moses, Torah, commandments.)  Leviticus 5:17 says if a soul sin it is by breaking the commandments of the Lord.  This is iniquity, lawlessness.

If not all that say Lord, Lord, actually know our Messiah.  How do we know that we know Him and are in Him?

1Jn 2:3  And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
1Jn 2:4  Whoever says  I know him  but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
1Jn 2:5  but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
1Jn 2:6  whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Is the connection becoming clear yet?  If we claim to know him, we will keep His commandments.  All those who do not are liars’ and the truth is not in them.  False prophets will not keep the commandments.  False prophets will lead others away from the commandments.  It is by keeping the commandments that we know we are in Him.  It is by keeping the commandments that the Love of God is perfected, and we know we are in Him.  We are to walk as our Messiah walked, and our Messiah kept every single commandment that applied to Him.  There is no other interpretation.  It is easy to be a false prophet.  I was once one, and I didn’t even know it.  My intentions were good, but it is often said that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.  Although I was once ashamed that I was a false prophet, through the atoning blood of our Messiah, I was lead to the truth, and am no longer condemned by my sin.  I can now use my experience to lead others back to the true Will of God, and to the True Messiah that is plainly shown in Scripture. Which is plan to see when Scripture is left to speak for itself through the Holy Spirit!

I was led to the Messiah that truly saved me, and brought me out of the false traditions of man.  I found the truth as shown in Titus         

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,
Tit 2:12  training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
Tit 2:13  waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
Tit 2:14  who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Tit 2:15  Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

Yeshua is the grace of God bringing salvation to all people.  It is through this grace that we are trained to renounce ungodliness, and wordily passions that so many false prophets teach as being so important.  We are taught to live self controlled, upright, and Godly lives in the present.  We are awaiting our blessed Hope, the appearing of the glory of our great savior Yehshua our Messiah (Jesus Christ).  Who gave himself to redeem us from all lawlessness not to create lawlessness!  To purify himself, a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works (the Law).  This is what we are to declare.  We are to exhort, and rebuke all other authority, in regards to these things.  And let none disregard us.

We were forewarned that many false prophets would arise, and what they would do.

Mat 24:11  And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.
Mat 24:12  And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.
Mat 24:13  But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Mat 24:14  And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.


Many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.  Because lawlessness (anomia) will be increased.  The very teaching that so many have fallen under, the idea of no Law   But it is those who endure this false teaching of false prophets that will be saved.  And the True gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations.  It is then that the end will come.  Until we wake up and start proclaiming the True gospel, the end will not come.  The time for this is now.  The awakening is happening.   It is time for the true disciples to endure and teach the Truth as seen in Holy Scripture,  as shown by the Holy Spirit, and not by man.

We see in Daniel what some of these false teachings would be.

Dan 7:25  He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

The false prophet will bring lawlessness, he will wear out the saints, and change the times and the Law.  The Law was never meant to change.  The times of the Holy days were never meant to change.  It is the false prophet that will teach these lies.

We are warned in 2 Peter of these false prophets also.

2Pe 2:1  But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
2Pe 2:2  And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.

If you remember from previous articles denying the Word, is denying our Messiah.  Many false prophets do not even realize that by teaching an anti Law theology they are in fact denying the Messiah, they claim as Lord, Lord   Remember the warning’s of destruction set forth by our Holy Scripture.  Remember the lessons shown to us through Israel of old in their bondage for disobeying the Will of God.

We are told that many will follow their sensuality, and by them the way of Truth as shown by the Law is blasphemed.

Since iniquity is sin, why do people let these numerous false prophets cause others and themselves to sin?

2Ti 4:2  preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
2Ti 4:3  For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,
2Ti 4:4  and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

Man’s fallen flesh will lead them to these false prophets because the flesh wants to suit its own passion.  It is by allowing these false teachers to enter into our lives that we are allowing those to turn Holy Truth into mere myth.  Many false prophets today use the prosperity message to led others away from sound teachings.   Through this many are coming in droves to suit there own passions and are more than willing to forgo the Law of God in their lives.

We have spoken a lot about false prophets and teachings up to this point.  But what is the way or truth that will be spoken of as evil by false prophets?

Psa 119:142  Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.

Dan 9:13  As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities (lawlessness), and understand thy truth.


Mal 2:6  The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.

If Yeshua (Jesus) was the Word made flesh, and the Law is the Truth, is Yeshua the Truth?

Joh 14:6  Jesus said to him,  I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Joh 14:7  If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.

Yeshua is the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Him.  If you claim to know Yeshua (Jesus) you would have known the Father.

If Yeshua is the Truth, which is also the Word and Law, what is the Life and the way?

Pro 6:23  For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,

Pro 13:13  Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.
Pro 13:14  The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.
Pro 13:15  Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous is their ruin.

Scripture is not written in code.  The way of truth is plan, and it is found in what so many call the Law.  We must stop denying who our Messiah is and teach Him from the Scripture that so plainly describes Him.

There are many false prophets in our world.  And the first message they teach is that the law is no more.  We have to see these teachings for what they are.  Because often the most vile false prophet doesn’t even realize what he is teaching.  I am speaking from experience.

As we go forth and test these new ideas in Scripture let us pray that our Father gives us His Spirit of wisdom, understanding, and truth.  So we may see and walk as our Messiah walked, and be true disciples in the Name of Yeshua (Jesus).  May we pray for eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to change for the glory of our Father

Faith of the heirs defined

                Faith of the heirs defined

Many people get confused by the idea that we are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.  But what is the Seed of Abraham?

Isa 41:8  But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

  So Israel is described as the Seed of Abraham.

Gal 3:26  For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27  For as many as were baptized into Christ, you put on Christ.
Gal 3:28  There cannot be Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is no male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29  And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise.

If you are Messiah's then you are Abraham's Seed.  We are Israel.  We are heirs to the covenant. 

Nevertheless, we may ask “If we are heirs of the promise of Abraham, are we to follow the Laws and commandments like Abraham did?”  We can stop here and point out that whether or not Abraham had the whole Law, as given on mount Sinai, or the true interpretation of that Law through Messiah, is irrelevant.  Moses wrote it for Israel, and we are Israel, who believe in Yeshua; Yeshua and all the Apostles kept it…all their lives.   With that said lets once again look to scripture for our answer.

Joh 8:39  They answered and said to Him, Abraham is our father. Jesus answered them, If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.

  So what were the works of Abraham?  The simple answer is, he kept the Will of God, He followed the commandments of God, the way God instructed.  And this is what we are to do. 

Abraham believed God and he obeyed God.

Gen 15:6  And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Gen 22:11  But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I."
Gen 22:12  He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me."

As stated earlier whether or not Abraham had the Law in its entirety is irrelevant, for we do have the Law given to us by God in its entirety.  We have the true explanation of this Law and the example of how to walk it out in our Messiah.  This is the example of Abraham:  that we keep, and walk in the Will of our God

It is here that I believe we should take some time to go over another concept that has been grossly misunderstood, and misrepresented.  What is faith?  We can speak for days on the different concepts of Faith and how to show it.  But instead why don’t we put  aside all the nonsense of men, and see what our Bible has to say about the subject.

Heb 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

So we have to ask our selves what is it we hope for?  Many use the idea of faith to attempt to do away with the Will of God in our lives.   And if this is what ones’ hope is for, it is what one will find.  But if our hope is for Salvation we are called to know and follow the Will of God.  This takes a whole different path doesn't it?  So lets see what faith is, as defined by hoping in the Will of God.

1Jn 5:1  Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. And everyone who loves Him who begets also loves him who has been born of Him.
1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, whenever we love God and keep His commandments.
1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome.
1Jn 5:4  For everything that has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith.

Faith, as defined by scripture, in an open sense, is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  The further definition of what the faith of a believer and follower of our Messiah is, can be found in 1 john 5:1-4.  Everyone who believes in Messiah is born of God, and whoever is born of God loves his fellow man. To show love we must keep the commandments of God, which are not burdensome.  It is by this we overcome the world, and have victory.  This is our Faith defined.

    The idea that faith somehow does away with the Will of God (Law, Law of Moses, Torah) simply does not come form Scripture.  There are a few examples in Scripture that can be taken grossly out of context, and be used to create contradictions in Scripture that do not exist.  But this is where the false religions of man are born from.  It is time to put all of our nature, traditions, and religion aside and seek the Truth of Scripture in Scripture.

    So now that we have defined, faith lets take a look at another misunderstood and misrepresented idea. What is Works?

Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.

     Works are the light that shines before men to glorify our Father who is in Heaven.  Works are following the example of our Messiah.  Works, is the Love of God, and the love of man.  Works is the Law moving through our individual lives.  It is how we show the world the Love of our Creator.  Our works are what we are judged by, both in  the eyes of God and man.  It is by works (fruit) that we know false prophets.  It is by works (fruit) that we know wolves in sheep clothing.  And it is by Works that our reward will be given.

Rev 22:12  And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to each according as his work is.

    If Letting our light shine is good works, which earns our rewards.  What is the light that we show before man?  You may have been wondering where is the connection between faith, works, and the Law?  So lets look to Scripture to find these answer’s as well

Pro 6:23  For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.

    The light we are to show in the world is the Word (Torah, Law, Gods Will).  The light we are to show is the Messiah, for our Messiah is the Word.  To deny the Word, is to deny the Messiah.

Joh 8:12  Then Jesus spoke again to them, saying, I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

     And what is Light?

    So why did Yeshua consider himself to be the light if the light is the Law (Torah, Will of God)?

Joh 1:14  And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and of truth.

      The Word was made flesh this is why denying the Word is denying the Messiah   I know this seems harsh but it really isn’t, and this Truth must be seen.  The Light is the Law, the Word, our Messiah.  Our Messiah is the living Word, the living Torah, the Living Law.  He did not do away with the Law, because he is the Law.  Our Messiah did not come into this world to do away with himself, or to somehow make himself irrelevant

    For those who are uncomfortable with this idea it may help to remember the idea of true discipleship.

1Jn 2:6  He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk even as He walked.

    
The Him in Scripture is our Messiah Yeshua (Jesus).  If you are uncomfortable with the truths presented here, simply look at our Messiahs life.  See how he walked, and simply imitate Him.  And you will do well indeed.

    So now that we have defined faith I think the next logical question is how do we perfect our faith?
  
    Jas 2:21  Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Jas 2:22  Do you see how faith worked with his works, and from the works faith was made complete?
Jas 2:23  And the Scripture was fulfilled which says,  Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God.
Jas 2:24  You see then how a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

Faith is made perfect by works and not by faith alone.  It is through the keeping of Gods commandments that we find ourselves growing closer in our walk with our Messiah.  It is through keeping the Will of
God, and true discipleship, that we are found nearer to our God.

So Lets once again look at the relationship between faith and works.

Jas 2:17  Even so, if it does not have works, faith is dead, being by itself.,

 Jas 2:26  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

          We must come to the revelation that our works are not simply how we treat others.  It isn't going to church, or speaking with our lips.  Our works are living in and through the Word.  Our works are defined in what many would call the Law.  Our Works are defined in the word, Love.  Which is a summarization of the greatest two commandments, to Love God above all else, and Love our neighbor as ourselves.  The two greatest commandments are a further summarization of the Big 10, which so many are familiar with.  And the 10 commandments are a summarization of the entire Torah ( Law).  These are our works defined, not by man, but by God

So how do we show our faith?  Many people have asked this question.  Can we show it by the type of clothing we wear?  Or maybe it is seen if we wear a really big Gold cross around our neck?  Some people are even offended at the idea that we are supposed to show our faith.  Some think that showing our faith is flaunting it, and trying to be self righteous.  And yes there are some out there that wear certain cloths and have big necklaces and really try to show off their religion.  But there is a big difference in showing of your religion and walking in our faith.  This is where knowing the Torah (Law, Will of God) comes in handy.  So to seek these Truths lets see what our Scripture holds.

Jas 2:18  But someone will say,  You have faith and I have works.  Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

We are to show our faith by our works.  It is only through our works that our faith is seen.  Anyone can wear a cross necklace.  Anyone can join a church.  But only a true disciple of our Messiah is going to follow his example and learn to walk, and live in the Will of God.

So is it even possible for works to please God without faith?  And before you answer, go back and look at how faith is defined in Scripture for a believer, follower, and disciple of our Messiah.  Lets take a few moments and really think about faith defined.  And when we are done lets look to Scripture for our answer.

Heb 11:6  And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.


It is not possible to have faith without works, it is simply not possible to have faith, see all that our God has created, and to see all that our Messiah went through, without being obedient.  However it is possible to have works without faith, but these works are not the works of God, and they are not founded in his will, so they will bear no-good fruit.  And as such, God will not accept them as works to Him, but work’s to the world, and of inequity.  Our faith is shown through our works.  The greater ones’ faith, the greater are ones works through obedience.  Salvation is given by faith, and through grace.  And Grace is evidence of our Gods love for us.  Our obedience is a result of our faith, and proven by our works.  Which in turn is proof of our Love of our God    Remember all works are meant to glorify our God

    I pray that we be given eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to change as we go forth to put these perspectives to the test of Scripture, and seek the Truth of God.  And in this Truth may we find the true peace of God in our lives.

When did the commandments change?

When did the commandments change?

We know that in the past the commandments were there and valid. I do not think that many people will dispute this fact.  But many believe that sometime after Yeshua’s death and resurrection they changed.   It was no longer about the Will of God but, doing whatever we want as long as we believe, love Him, and others.  But is this really the case?  If it is, wouldn’t it stand to reason that if the commandments were changed, fulfilled, or done away with, that this is how it will be from now on?  Will Yeshua have the same commandments during his reign when he returns?  Lets look to scripture and see.

Isa 2:2  It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it,
Isa 2:3  and many peoples shall come, and say:  Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.  For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Isa 2:4  He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

Here in this very prophecy of  our Lords return, and his reign.  (Isa 2:3  and many peoples shall come, and say:  Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.  For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.) So what is this Law being spoken of here.  Some simply think it will be the command of the King.  And while they are right they should know that these will not be new commands.  They are the same that we have had from the beginning.  The Law here is an English translation of the Hebrew word “Torah.”  Don’t take my word for it, check for yourselves.  So why would our Messiah do away with the Law if it is prophesied that he will teach us His ways, so we can walk in His paths “the Torah,” and after His second coming and during His Millennial reign.  Also, it may be good to point out here that the Law going forth will not just be his voice or speaking, as I have heard and taught it myself in the past.  For the Scripture also states, that along with the Law, the Word will also go forth.

We know that the Law as many call it, was valid in the Past,  we know that the Law will be valid in the future, so why do we think that it isn’t valid now?  How many of us have really pondered this question?  I know I never did.  I was happy in my knowledge that the Law (Will of God, Torah, Pentateuch) was not meant for me, and was either fulfilled or done away with.  And  I never wanted to see the truth of the matter.  I never sought the truth as it pertained to the Law.  Quite simply because I didn’t want the true Will of God in my life.  I liked the idea that I wasn’t really held accountable for my sins.  I liked not having to worship God in His way.  I liked the illusion that I had control over my life,  I was terribly wrong.  And to any out there that I taught these ideas too in the past that read this article, all I can do is apologize for my mistakes.  I have been asked: “Why would you want to follow the Law when we can simply live under grace?”  And the answer is simple, because that is what my God asks of me.  It isn’t about me or what I want!  And, I also point out that they should  take a better look at how grace is defined in Scripture.  We have to be willing to put aside our own pride, and stop pondering these questions on our own.  The fact of the matter is we have instruction to lead us in Gods way, and we have the Holy Spirit to guide us through these very Scriptures. 

So many would try and do away with the Will of God in their lives.  They would rather listen to  flawed men than seek Divine Truth.  I have been given so many excuses in my life, as to why we do not need the Will of God.  It is scary just how easy it is to justify in our hearts, not following the Will of God.  And to say that we no longer need the Law is doing this very thing.  It is through the Law (Torah) that we know God.  It is through the Law (Torah) that we know sin.  And without it we cannot know either.  We are ships crashing in a storm being tossed from one side to the other.  We must seek shelter in the storm, and the only real shelter to be found is in the Word of God.

Now lets look at the past.  Because it is the belief held by many that the Will of God changed from the beginning, to mount Sinai.  So why couldn’t his will change again?  But did the Will of God ever change?  Did even Abraham already have the Law and the Commandments, or was the Law a new invention at mount Sinai?  Once again to find our answer before we start speculating on our own, lets look to Scripture.

 Gen 26:4  I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,
Gen 26:5  because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws."

Here we see that according to our Scripture Abraham did in fact have the Will of God.  (Gen 26:5  because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." ).  Were they in the complete form as given on Mount Sinai?  That we do not know, but we know that His Will didn’t change.  We know that there were charges, commandments, statues, and Laws given to him.  So we know the Law (Torah, God’s Will) predates mount Sinai.  We also know that not even sacrifice was only  given to us by God on Mount Sinai. (Gen 4:3  In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground,
Gen 4:4  and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,)

 Now begs the question who taught Cain and able to sacrifice to God?  Who taught Abraham what was right in the sight of God?  Who taught the Israelites how to worship God?  Who taught the world Love through our Messiah Yeshua?  In all cases it is God, the Father, the creator of all creation, the God of Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac, The God of Israel.  It may also be helpful to remember, to put all things in their proper perspective.  The Law was given at the same time as the history of the world was given.  God gave Moses the History that is the Torah (first five books, Pentateuch), and along with this History he gave us his Will, through His Law.  Why do we intend to change our Gods Will, when He is the one who gives it to us?  That is the way it was in the beginning,  now, and in the future.  We must let our own natures be silenced and follow God, His way, not our own.  This has been said before and it will be said again.  GOD does not change, not his mind, not His Will, not His Plans.  They have been the same from the beginning and they will continue for ever.  We must stop trying to change our God and accept that we are the ones in need of change.  God does not change to fit us.  We change to follow Him.

Now comes the idea that all traditions are good and we must simply follow them.  So we need to ask ourselves.  Can we be corrupted or spoiled by mans philosophy, tradition, and principles of the world?


Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

  We must beware of any deceit or tradition that teaches us to walk in any way that is contrary to how our Master walked.  Some would even accuse me of bringing some new deceitful philosophy with these articles.  And in response to these accusations, all I ask is that you put these ideas to the test of Scripture.  Not one passage taken out of context, not one book, but the whole of Scripture.  Look to how our Messiah walked.  Did our Messiah do away with any of God’s Will (Torah)?  Of course not.  When presented with a challenge, or problem, where did our Messiah get his answers?  They came from the Torah, don’t take my word for it look for yourself.  Really look at how our Messiah walked, do a study of true discipleship.  Step away from vain teachings of deceit, and false traditions of man to justify sin.  And look to God for your answers.  Go to Scripture in prayer!  Put all things to the test of Scripture.  Not just these writings, but all writings of men.  I do not claim to have a patent on truth.  As a matter of fact I am just as wrong on many things as anyone else.  Never take, any mans word for anything, without putting it to the test in Scripture, and through prayer.  We must guard our hearts.  There are false traditions of men in this world.  Just because one comes claiming to be a man of God be weary for he may be a wolf in sheep clothing.   If anyone brings a gospel that is not congruent with scripture, turn and flee from it.  When a man tells you that we are to be rich with worldly possession because that is what is needed to be happy flee from it.  If one brings a gospel that teaches you to walk in any way outside of the example set for us by our Messiah flee from it.  Take the time to read and see how our Messiah truly walked on this earth, and when we go forth in study of Scripture we must keep this in mind for a true prospective, and context. The idea that our Messiah only walked in Gods Law (Torah, God's Will) before his crucifiction, simple does not hold water when put under the scrutiny of Scripture.  The Law wasnt done away with after the resurrection.  In Acts 1:1-4, Yeshua taught His Apostles about the Kingdom of God and not one place in Acts do the Apostles, including Paul, say the Law is done away with.  Just as we have no right to change our God or His Will, we have no right to change our Messiah.

In conclusion The Law (Torah) has been with us since we were created.  God instructs His people in His ways.  It was this way for Adam, Abraham, Moses, and us today.  It hasn’t changed.  There is no indication in Scripture to point that this has not ever been the case.  The Law (Torah, Will of God) does not change.  We are the ones that change.  We are to become closer in relationship with our God.  That is the purpose of the Law (Torah, Will of God) in our lives.  So we can learn His teachings, His way.  So we can walk in a covenant relationship once again.  So we can come in the presence of our God without being destroyed.  It shows us sin so we can remove it from our lives to be closer to Him.  We know through Scripture that the Will was there in the beginning.  And our Father taught us his Will throughout time.  We also know that the Will of God will be just as valid in the future as it was on Mount Sinai.  So why in our arrogance do we seek to change the Will of God and say it isn’t valid now?

The council in Jerusalem acknowledged the foundation of the Law (Torah) when James stated that Moses was preached and read in the synagogues on every Sabbath (Act 15:19  Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, Act 15:20  but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. Act 15:21  For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues." ) It is stated here that the new converts first had to be taught to refrain from the things that will break a covenant relationship with God. And immediately continues by stating that the Law of Moses (Torah, Law, Will of God) is taught every Sabbath in the synagogues.  James believed that gentile followers of the Master would naturally become imitators of Messiah as they heard and observed the Torah (Law, Will of God) week after week.  It was a process of growth. It wasn’t meant to happen over night.  And now 2,000 years later it is the mission of many including this ministry to recover the truth found in the Torah (Law, Will of God) to become imitators of Yeshua our Messiah as well.  To get back to the roots of our faith, and become true disciples of Yeshua our Messiah.


As always I hope, this article has helped us all in some way to gain a closer walk with our Messiah.  I pray that as we go forth to put these ideas to the test, in Scripture, that we are given eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to change for the Glory of Yeshua our Messiah.

HOW DO WE KNOW IF WE KNOW HIM?

HOW DO WE KNOW IF WE KNOW HIM?

1Jn 2:3  And by this we know that we have known Him, if we keep His commandments.
1Jn 2:4  He who says, I have known Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1Jn 2:5  But whoever keeps His Word, truly in this one the love of God is perfected. By this we know that we are in Him.
1Jn 2:6  He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk even as He walked.


    So many times throughout my spiritual walk, I would stop and question myself.  I always needed to know, did I really know God?  Was I truly living the life he wanted me to live?  And for much of my walk in faith the answer was no.  I would justify my actions, traditions, and beliefs.  I really had very little knowledge of whom and what God is.  I had no real knowledge of what God wanted through my life and how I was to give it to him.  As with many I think my journey began with a simple fear of Hell.  I knew I needed to be saved so I could go to heaven.  I went to a few different churches, tried to emulate what I saw, and really had no clue as to what the Will of God was for my life.  But as I started to be awakened to Gods truth I really started studying the Holy Scripture.  And as I have written in past articles, it changed everything.  This week I want to go through one of those passages that really helped me, to come to an understanding of what God wants from us.  First, we need to try and gain a true understanding of whom and what our God is, and what he wants from us.  I hear so many believers saying that they feel lost.  They are not sure if they even really know God.  Thankfully God has given us a way to check and see if we know him.  1John 2:3-6  really isn’t cryptic on the subject, and is really quit to the point.  1John 2:3 plainly says (1Jn 2:3  And by this we know that we have known Him, if we keep His commandments. ) If we want to find out if we know the One True God then all we have to do is ask ourselves.  Are we keeping his commandments?  So what are his commandments?  Where are they written?  I once justified not keeping the Will of God in my life by grossly over simplifying this verse, and so many others like it.  I would say that keeping his commandment is just following the New Testament.  I didn’t understand that this could not have been the case.  The simplest way to prove this idea is to remind all of us that the New Testament, for the most part was not written yet.  And quite frankly if we truly followed the New Testament then wouldn’t we follow verses like this that plainly state that if we know God then we will keep His commandments!  Let me assure you that the “He” spoken of in this passage is not your Pastor, Priest, Rabbi, Shaman,  Church, or Synagogue.  It is the Commandments of the One True God!

The disturbing thing about the passage of 1John 2:3-6 I think, is the next verse.  (1Jn 2:4  He who says, I have known Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.)  So as easy as it would be to start pointing the finger with this verse, lets all try and keep from it.  Instead, let us remember the words of Yeshua

Mat 7:1  Judge not, that you may not be judged.
Mat 7:2  For with whatever judgment you judge, you shall be judged; and with whatever measure you measure out, it shall be measured to you again.
Mat 7:3  And why do you look on the splinter that is in your brother's eye, but do not consider the beam that is in your own eye?
Mat 7:4  Or how will you say to your brother, Let me pull the splinter out of your eye; and, behold, a beam is in your own eye?
Mat 7:5  Hypocrite! First cast the beam out of your own eye, and then you shall see clearly to cast the splinter out of your brother's eye.

Luke 6:41  And why do you look at the splinter that is in your brother's eye, but do not see the beam that is in your own eye?
Luke 6:42  Or how can you say to your brother, Brother, let me pull out the splinter in your eye, when you yourself do not see the beam that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First cast out the beam out of your own eye, and then you shall see clearly to pull out the splinter that is in your brother's eye.

So let us look to removing the beam form our own eyes.  If we would say to others that we know and follow Yeshua, and are Disciples of Yeshua.  But  do not keep his commandments.  Doesn’t this fact make us liars?  According to Scripture the answer is emphatically yes!  So much of the world  has refused to acknowledge the existence, let alone the belief, in the One True God and his only begotten Son.  And by presenting ourselves as liars and hypocrites, all we are representing, are lies, not Yeshua our Messiah.  We must stop giving all the followers of our enemy ammunition by perpetuating these lies in our lives.  (1Jn 2:4  He who says, I have known Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.)  We must stop and truly seek the Truth.  We must study in prayer and follow the written Will of our Father without justification for our own flesh.  We must follow what is written, and not the ideas and justifications found in fleshly interpretations to edify our fallen nature.

    Let us instead try to gain a true understanding of whom our God is and What His true Will is.  We must be as stated in John 2:5 (But whoever keeps His Word, truly in this one the love of God is perfected. By this we know that we are in Him.)  We cannot be the true representatives of God in this fallen world, without knowing, acknowledging, and keeping the commandments of God.  But by keeping his word not only is the Love of God perfected in us, but we can be certain, that without a doubt  we know God, and are living in HIM.  The way to know if we know God and are living within His Will, is to keep his commandments.  And this is the only way!

 1Jn 2:6  He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk even as He walked.

If we claim to indeed be the Disciples of Yeshua, we must walk as he walked.  No where does this say that only after Yeshua’s death and resurrection did we truly find out how to walk.  It plainly sates to walk as He walked.  Here we must gain a better understanding of what discipleship truly means.  Discipleship is following ones master in all that he is.  We are to emulate our Messiah in all things.  For those of us out there, who are still trying to hold to the justification of sin, found in the idea that the Law is no longer important in our life, need’s only to look at this verse.  Go to the Gospels and see how our Messiah walked.  Which part of the Law did he not keep?  Let me remind us all that if Yeshua had broken even the least of the commandments, and taught others to do so, he could not have been our Messiah.  He would not have been the perfect sinless sacrifice that was needed of the second Passover lamb.  But thankfully Yeshua was and in fact is our Messiah.  He did not break or do away with any part of the Law.  For in his own words (Mat 5:17  Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill.
Mat 5:18  For truly I say to you, Till the heaven and the earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall in any way pass from the Law until all is fulfilled.
Mat 5:19  Therefore whoever shall relax one of these commandments, the least, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.)

It is time for us all to wake up and start to understand who our Messiah is, and how he walked!   (1Jn 2:6  He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk even as He walked.)

Should Believers do what is right in our own eyes and follow after our own heart?  Or should we just simply follow the Will of our Creator?

Deu 12:8.  You shall not do according to all that we do hear today, each doing whatever is right in his own eyes.

We need to stop trying to justify and do what -ever is right in our own eyes and truly seek the Will of God.  If we follow our own hearts or the hearts of other men, we will be lead astray every time.  We must seek and follow our One True God.

Ecc 11:9  Rejoice, in your youth, young man; and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

Yes, God does allow us to walk in the ways of our heat.  I believe with the hope that we will one day remove our fallen nature, and our own desires, and replace them with the Spirit of God through His Will.  But know that when we follow after and seek the foolishness of our fallen flesh, we will be brought into judgment.  There is a judgment for those who deny the Will of God in there lives.  No matter how much they profess with their lips.  I was once one of these teachers.  I knew little of our One True God, and even less of what His Will was for my life.  I professed daily with my lips, yet my heart knew Him not.

Mat 7:21  Not everyone who says to Me, Lord! Lord! shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven.
Mat 7:22  Many will say to Me in that day, Lord! Lord! Did we not prophesy in Your name, and through Your name throw out demons, and through Your name do many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23  And then I will say to them I never knew you! Depart from Me, those working lawlessness!

Not everyone who simply says Lord! Lord! Shall enter the kingdom, only those who do the Will of the Father.  Only those who acknowledge the Will of God and follow can truly know Yeshua.  Many will say they know him.  They will even perform signs and wonders.  Yet they did not acknowledge and keep His Will, therefore they never truly knew him.  We must ask our selves do we truly know Him?  (1Jn 2:3  And by this we know that we have known Him, if we keep His commandments.)  We must stop the justifications of not following the Will of God and simply submit to His Will.  This is the only way we can ever truly know Yeshua our Messiah!  We can no longer seek after our own hearts and desires.

In justifying unfortunately we tend to add to and take away from Holy Scripture.  So the next question is.  Should we be careful not to add to or take away from Gods Commandments?  (Deu 12:32  All the things I command you, be careful to do it. You shall not add to it, nor take away from it.)  Some over simplify this, and other verses like it, by saying that they are only speaking of the adding to and taking away of books.  But this is not what this verse is saying.  It is speaking of adding to and taking away from the Will of God.  The very thing that many say Yeshua our Messiah did.  But if he did in fact do away with Gods Will, then he would have  broken this most basic commandment, and could not have been our Messiah!  No where did Yeshua ever do away with or break any of the Commandments.  He did teach their true meaning, and taught us the true observance of them.  We are commanded to observe and do the Word of God the way he tells us to.  We are to Worship our Father the way he commands us too, not in our own way.  We are to follow His Will the way he sets forth not in our  way.  Because it is not nor has it ever been about us, it is about our Creator.  It is His story, not ours, we are just characters in it.  We must be careful when living our lives not to fall under the false traditions of man.   the traditions that in fact add to and do away with the Will of God!  (Deu 4:2  You shall not add to the Word which I command you, neither shall you take away from it, so that you may keep the commands of  your God which I command you.)

    In conclusion we must know and acknowledge the Will of God in our lives.  We must seek His Truth His way.  We cannot let the false traditions of man get in the way of our true walk of Faith.  It is time for us all to awaken to the truth found in Holy Scripture and stop the justifications.  Justification of a fact does not change the fact.  If we are to know God, we must know him his way.  And his way is found in His commandments.  We cannot seek God in our own way for our way is flawed.  In Love this is written and it is my hope that it is in Love that it will be received.  As we go forth in study let us pray for guidance, understanding, knowledge, and truth form our Fathers Holy Spirit.  Let us seek Gods truth in Gods way.  And may we be given eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to change for the Glory of Yeshua our Messiah.

The Sword

The Sword

Mat 10:34   Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.


    Did Yeshua state that receiving the sword of truth would bring peace?  I once believed so, and  as long as I followed Jesus I would have peace in my life.  I would never have to be burdened with anything again.  I expected that as long as I was doing what I thought was right by Jesus then no one would really bother me.  I was wrong, the simple truth is, being a true disciple and follower of Yeshua, is going to cause trouble in this world.  For Yeshua did not come to bring peace to this world in its fallen state, not peace, but a sword.  Being a disciple of our Messiah will bring  trouble while in this earth. Lets take a look in  Matthew 10:34-38.

Mat 10:34   Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35  For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
Mat 10:36  And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.
Mat 10:37  Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:38  And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

    What is this sword spoken of?  Is it a mighty blade like excalibur of pagan legend?  Of course not, this is the sword of truth.  It is the sword of righteousness that can only be found in truth.  It is the sword of the Spirit   (Eph 6:17  and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,) The sword is the Word of God   This is not a popular sword in this fallen world and there is nothing that the fallen nature of man fears most, it is truth, it is righteousness, it is grace, salvation, anger, life, and death.   It is the Will of our Creator!


    The sword of truth can seem from the outside to be a great burden.  It holds us and other’s accountable for our actions.  It can seem quite frightening at times.  But we must remember that it isn’t the sword that causes misunderstandings, fighting, and even wars.  It is the opposition to the truth, the Will of God,  that breeds these reactions in our fallen nature.  Yeshua never promised that the sword of the word of God would bring peace in this fallen world.  Yeshua stated the exact opposite of this idea.  He let us know that it is by the sword that is the Word of God.  We are to judge our actions.  He goes on to paint a true picture of how others will view those who chose to follow the Will of God in its entirety.  It sets men against their father’s, daughters against mothers.  It creates rifts in entire households.  Following and trusting in the Will of God will cause tension in your life.  Because not all, wish to accept this Will in their life.  Keeping to the Will of God in our lives will provoke those who do not wish to even know the true Will of God to jealousy. They will begin to see faults in their traditions, theologies, and everyday lives.  They will accuse you of judging them by your actions.  And seek to stop what they feel are judgments by trying to pervert our understanding of Scripture.  We are to seek the Truth of Scripture which is the Will of our Creator not mans approval. 

    Through the Truth that is the Will of God we are taught to put all things below our Creator.  We must put the Love of our God over our families, friends, and especially our own selves.  Yeshua warns us that whoever loves even the closest member of his earthly family above our Messiah is not worthy of our Messiah.  For most of my life I could not have been thought to have kept to this in my life.  Sure my lips said that I did, but when it came time to walk, or show my faith, it was my true weakness that always showed through   We are to take up our cross and walk with our Messiah.  Sure he suffered for us but because of that, we must be willing to suffer for HIM 

When we decide to accept the Sword that is the Word of God, and follow the Will of God it conveys in our lives, others will attack us   The closer to our Messiah we become the harder the attacks are.

    Lets have a look at what the sword does to people.  And as with all things lets take our own speculations, and pondering out of the equation and look to Holy Scripture to find our answers.

Luk 2:35  (yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also), so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

Heb 4:12  For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

    The Sword that is the Word of God shows what is in our true heart of hearts.  It cuts through the praising with the lips and the false actions preformed by many to show the truth of the heart.  That is why Scripture is so important in our lives.  It gives us the ability to know and walk in the true Will of our Creator.  And it allows us to get passed our fallen nature.  The nature that, goes against the true Will of God, shows us when we are living for our selves, and when we are living for the One True God     It is written that only God can know the true heart of man, but through grace the Word shows us our true hearts and allows us to change.  It is through the truth found in the Word of God that we can take up our crucifix and follow our Messiah, and by doing so become that mirror image we are trying to change into, through true discipleship     This is why our fallen nature is so against the sword for it takes away the justifications of fact and simply reveals the fact of the matter through the knowledge of the Will of God   The sword shows our true thoughts, and intents of our true hearts. 

    What did, Yeshua state would happen if we follow his Commandments and walk in His path?  I once had this all wrong as I stated at the beginning of this article.  I thought from living in the Bible belt that if you followed Yeshua you would be loved and revered by men.  And to be honest as long as I only kept half of the truth not much bad really happened.  I was quite happy in the world, my friends, neighbors, and families were content with the level of faith that I had.  Because my walking faith didn’t contrast the way, they lived their lives.  And this was the first clue I had something very wrong 

Mar 13:13  And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.


    This is one of those times that the sword can show us the truth in our hearts.  I was not hated by anyone that I knew of.  I was well accepted even by those who probably didn’t like me all that much.  But the fact is I looked and acted so much like the world that I was accepted by it.  It wasn’t until I started to really understand what discipleship meant, and by this I  started to follow the Will of God in all that I could, did I really start to see anger, persecution, and in some cases even hate.  When you live in the world yet not apart of the world, those in the world see you as an outsider.  You will be called overly zealous as if this is an insult.  You will be told a million times why your wrong for following the Will of God, and yet be given little proof.  You will be asked to leave churches, and assemblies.  Even your closest family and friends will turn from you, because they do not want to know the True Will of God.  Most do not want to be held accountable, it is the ignorance is bliss argument.  If you get the chance the next time you, or someone you know gets a speeding ticket tell them to simply let the judge know they didn’t know they couldn’t speed in that area and see how it works out.  If this argument doesn’t stand up in a court of law today, what makes us believe it will stand on judgment day?  But those who accept the Will of God, and are persecuted for it (Grace) that shall endure unto the end, and truly be saved

    What does it mean to endure?  Sure endurance is easy enough to define in the world.    The dictionary defines it as ( en-dur-ance :noun
1.the fact or power of enduring or bearing pain, hardships, etc.
2.the ability or strength to continue or last, esp. despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina: He has amazing physical endurance.
3.lasting quality; duration: His friendships have little endurance.
4.something endured, as a hardship; trial.)

The type of endurance changes depending on the situation though.  If you are running a race endurance is fighting through the exhaustion to finish right?  If you are taking a test, it is doing the best you can through to the end.  But we are not speaking of the simple endurance of the world. We are seeking the endurance as found in Scripture  So let’s once again look to scripture to find our answer.

Rev 14:12  Here is endurance of the saints: here are those keeping the commands of God, and the faith of Jesus.'

The endurance we seek is found in the Word of God.  It is the keeping of the Commandments of God, and Faith of Yeshua.  Here are the two things that are needed to endure, the Commandments of God, and the faith of Yeshua.  You see we can’t have one without the other, keeping the commandments is accepting Yeshua as Messiah, and breed’s faith in Yeshua.  Not the Law without faith   And not faith without the Law   I believe James showed this best when he said :

Jas 2:17  Even so, if it does not have works, faith is dead, being by itself.
Jas 2:18  But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith from my works.

    Faith without works is dead.  The Law and Commandments show us the works.  It shows us what sin is, how to remove sin, and The Will of God for our lives on this earth   If you have faith you have works, if you have works you have faith   We need both halves.  One of my favorite quotes from outside of our Bible is “Beware of half truths.  You may have gotten hold of the wrong half.” Author unknown.   And though this is a great quote it is wrong, especially when dealing with scripture.  Because if we only accept half of the truth in scripture it doesn’t matter which half we grasp we will be wrong   It doesn’t matter which half you have, because the fact is if you only have half you are wrong   In order to endure what our Messiah plainly states will come, once we fully accept him in our lives,  we must keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Yeshua

    And once again I hope that we can all read this with a prayerful heart and with an expectation to change.  As we go forth to study this week, I pray that we can all be granted the fruits of the Spirit to know, understand, and teach the gospel to the nations.  May we be Given Wisdom, understanding, Patience and strength.  And be given eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to change for the Glory of our Creator in the name of Yeshua our Messiah.  Amen!

Did Yeshua or Paul abolish the Law?

Did Yeshua abolish or remove any commandments from his Law?  And what happens if we teach and act like he did?

"Mat 5:17  Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill.
Mat 5:18  For truly I say to you, Till the heaven and the earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall in any way pass from the Law until all is fulfilled.
Mat 5:19  Therefore whoever shall relax one of these commandments, the least, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven."

    Many religions, and denominations teach that Yeshau (Jesus) our Messiah did away with the Law.  I was at one time one of these teachers.  I was lead to believe and even taught others this theology born from mans fallen nature.  And to be honest, I never gave Scriptures like Matthew chapter five through seven a chance to sink in.  When I read them I would  scan over the Scriptures because someone else had already given me the meaning of these verses so I didn’t need to waste my time focusing on them.  Do you ever end up having this same problem?  We read and scan over the Bible instead of study it.  Sometimes it was almost like I needed to get the reading or good deed out of the way, so I could get back to my life. I felt as if the reading of Scripture was a chore, and I needed to get through it as fast as possible.  I read Matthew 5:17 many times and never got past the word fulfilled.  I fell into the traditional view that this is where Matthew 5 ended.  Because it obviously says fulfilled, that means it was finished right?  But thankfully I was lead away from the traditional thinking behind these scriptures and really read what was being said, and finally started to put them in context with the rest of our Holy Bible.  Here Yeshua our Messiah himself is teaching. ( Mat 5:17  Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill.) I used to read this and think it said I did not come to destroy the law but to do away with it.  Right of the bat I had a problem.  Because it makes Yehsua’s teaching's contradictory.  I did not come to destroy, but to destroy?  It doesn’t add up.   But as I said before I would stop there and not go any further in the verse.  And it is the next two verses that explain what he is speaking of.  The next verse states ( Mat 5:18  For truly I say to you, Till the heaven and the earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall in any way pass from the Law until all is fulfilled. ) Till Heaven and Earth pass away.  As I look around I still see heaven and earth, so if Heaven and earth are still around what is Yeshua speaking of?

 (Rev 21:1  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
Rev 21:2  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
Rev 21:4  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.")


Yeshua is speaking of the finial fulfillment of all things.  Contrary to popular belief.  A belief I once held by the way.  All things were not fulfilled on the Cross.  The final restoration did not happen on the Cross, but an integral part of the restoration that was Started immediately after the Fall of man.  It is not until the final restoration of the New Heaven and the New Earth that all will be fulfilled.  And even then God’s will for us will not change.  The change isn’t in God it is in men!!!   Now Yeshua continues in this verse and sates very plainly that not one jot or one tittle shall in no way pass from the Law until all is fulfilled (New Heaven and New Earth).

And in the very next verse we are given  a warning (Mat 5:19  Therefore whoever shall break one of these commandments, the least, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.)  Whoever shall break the least of the commandments shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven.  We really need to take this to heart.  Because if all sin is equal outside of Blasphemy (out right denial of God) then how are we to know which is the least of these commandments?  But the warning continues with (and teach men so), this is one of those scripture that when I finally read it in context made me sit up and think.  How many theologies and doctrines of the religious system I was in, did I use to teach this very thing?  How much of what I was teaching led others away from the Will of God.  I implore all those reading this to sit back and do the same with a prayerful heart.

Right after the warning We are given Hope.  For those of us who do follow the Will of God in our lives and teach other to do so also will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.  I so long to hear my Fathers voice.  And when I hear it, I am trying to make sure He is pleased with me and that I could have the great honor of being called a faithful servant of the Lord our God.  This is a simple statement on how to accomplish this very thing.  And as with all other scripture I intend to do everything in my power to make it a reality in my life.  How about you?

Now it is time to address the next question.  Did Paul abolish or remove any commandment from the Law?  (Rom 3:31  Do we then make the Law void through faith? Let it not be! But we establish the Law. ) So many point to Paul as I once did.  When we in our nature try to do away with the Will of God in our lives.  We do not want to be under the rule of anyone, even if that one is our creator.  It is our fallen nature to rail against the Will of our God.  With that said we have to ask ourselves if Paul really taught that the Law was no more how do we explain verses like Roman 3:31 and so many others like it?   So lets ask the question if Paul didn’t do away with the Law then how did he feel about it.  And to get our answer, as with all things we must go to scripture.  (Rom 7:7  What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." ) Here Paul explain as in the earlier post that the Law defines what is Sin.  (Rom 7:12  So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.)  Here Paul sates plainly that the Law is Holy righteous and Good.  ( Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.)
Now Paul is teaching that the Law is Spiritual, but we are the ones of the flesh and sold under sin.  In other words the Law (Will of God, Definition of Sin, Torah) is not the problem our sinful flesh is the problem.  We seem to always want to blame God.  We justify our own actions and in doing so do everything imaginable to remove the Will of God from our lives.  In order to grow and gain a closer Spiritual walk with our Messiah we need to acknowledge this in our lives and die to our carnal self daily .  (Gal 6:2  Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.)  If we bear one another's burdens then we are living in the Law.
( Rom 7:16  Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. ) Here Paul is in agreement with the Law because the Law is against the carnal flesh. Paul is teaching the basics of the Law.  Just as our Messiah did in order to lead us to a fuller understanding and observance of the Law.

I used to ignore these Passages and the many others like them in scripture. Such as (Acts 21:20-24; 24:14-17; 25:8; 26:22-23; 28:17-20 and Psalm 100:5; 103:17-18; Mal. 4:1-6; Mt. 5:17-19; 7:12; 19:17; Lk. 10:26; 16:17, 29; 1st Cor. 7:17-19; 11:1-2; Rom. 3:31; 7:7, 12, 14, 16, 22, 25; 8:7; 2nd Thess. 2:15? (traditions/customs may equal the Law; see Acts 6:13; 15:1, 5; 26:3; 28:17); James 2:8-11; 4:11-12; 1st Jn. 3:4; 5:3; 2nd Jn. 1:6; Rev. 12:17; 14:12.)

 I would use some traditional view to justify what I was plainly reading.  I would say “well that is what it says here, but over here I think it says something else, and that’s the one I'm going to go with”.  We cannot continue to gain our understanding in this manor.  We need to read scripture for what it is saying.  We have to stop implanting our own theologies and wills into the Word of God.  We must stop trying to prove our points and simply seek the truth in Scripture.  We must look at scripture with an understanding that there are no contradictions.  Paul did not say all of these wonderful things about the Law, and following it in our lives, to just in the next chapter of the book contradict everything he had said earlier!

 So now we can ask the question, if Paul did feel that the Law was to be kept did he actually follow it?  So lets once again look to scripture for our answer

Act 21:21  and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs.
Act 21:22  What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.
Act 21:23  Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow;
Act 21:24  take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law.

Here we see an example in scripture of the very same problem many have today.  People wondering if Paul did in fact keep the commandments?  Many according to scripture falsely believed that Paul’s teaching’s were against the Will of God (His Law, Torah, Commandments).  Yet we must really look at this scripture.  Pay close attention, it sates plainly that the accusations of Paul not keeping the commandments, and his teaching others to also break the Law  were false.  Paul kept the commandments, and he taught others to do so.  This is after the death burial and resurrection of our Messiah.  This is after the events of the cross.  Here Paul goes to James for advice.   Just as today many people were under the false impression that Paul’s Gospel was against the Law.  And to prove that he, and his teachings were not against the Law.  He agrees to take part in what is believed to be the Nazzarite Vow.  He did this to show (“Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law”. ) Did Paul follow and teach others to keep the Law?  YES He Did!!!  This is the context we have to put all of Paul’s writings in.  Once we look at these simple and plain truths we can then go on to put the rest of his writings in the proper context.  Not just in context of the verses around them, or in the Chapter it is in, or in the Letter it is in.  But in the Context of all other writings inspired by the Holy Spirit form Genesis to Revelation.  We need to begin to study scripture in its entirety instead of acting as if 70% of our Holy scripture doesn’t apply to us.


I had to come to an understanding that was very hard to admit.  I was wrong, and worse I was leading others astray.  This was not an easy thing to do.  Thankfully I was not alone, I was lead to this revelation through the Holy Spirit, Yeshua was with me the whole way.  I had to realize that to teach that the Law was done away with, meant that only one of the following possibilities were correct. 

1.Yehusa was wrong

2. Yeshua Lied

3. God changed his mind

4. Maybe in my carnal nature I have something wrong.

When faced with a contradiction in scripture this is the process I have to look at.  And every time I have found that the problem has lied with me.  God is not wrong!  God does not Lie!  God does not change his mind!  We are always 100% of the time the problem.  Once I could understand these simple truths the Bible opened up to me in ways I never imagined were possible.  As Always I pray that we can all go forth and seek the truth in God’s word with eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to change for the Glory of Yeshua our Messiah.