“Therefore let no one act as your judge regarding eating or drinking or in respect to a
festival or a New Moon or a Sabbath, things which are a shadow of what is to come, and
the substance of which is found in Messiah” (Colossians 2:16).
For many years now many Christians have been told by church leaders that the “Old Testament feasts” were but “a mere shadow of what is to come” and that they are no longer important.
We must however, stop neglecting the last part of that verse which says “ but the substance is of Christ.”
When we understand that the substance, or true meaning of the Biblical Feasts is found in Messiah, and we honor Him in them and what He has done, we honor both Yahweh’s
commandments in Leviticus 23 and we honor the life of our Redeemer. We do things the way that He originally intended them to be.
When we understand the context of Paul’s writing to the Colossian believers, it perhaps
will make more sense to us to honor the Biblical Feasts of Leviticus 23, rather than to shun them.
If the non-Jewish Colossian believers were following the mandate handed down by the Jerusalem Council, then we should assume that they were honoring the Biblical Sabbath by attending synagogue, and were likewise honoring the Biblical feasts.
It is important that we realize this because in Colossians 2:8 Paul tells them “See to it that no one carries you off as a spoil through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Messiah.”
Paul is warning the Colossians not to be deceived by the false and vain philosophies of the heathen Greeks around them. This is most evident because in Colossians 2:9 he writes, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” The Colossian Believers were no doubt being persuaded by those around them against the Deity of Messiah and Biblical practices.
We know this because the feasts of Leviticus 23 are not “according to the tradition of men”. They are, “the designated times of Yaweh” (Leviticus 23:4). It makes much more sense to realize that the Apostle Paul tells the Colossians not to let the heathen Greeks around them judge them for honoring the Biblical holidays, dietary requirements, new moon festivals, and the Biblical Sabbath. The Jerusalem Council plainly ruled in Acts 15 that the non-Jews coming to faith were expected to go to the synagogue and learn the Torah—a critical part of which is understanding the Biblical Feast and Holy Days.
The Biblical feasts first commemorate events that occurred in the life of Ancient Israel. But Colossians 2:17 adds another important aspect to them: “the substance of which is found in Messiah.”
The true meaning and fulfillment of the Sabbath, new moon, and Biblical feasts is found in Messiah. The Biblical feasts explain the pattern of Messiah’s life and the plan of redemption and His Second Coming. Passover represents Yeshua’s sacrifice for our sin and His covering as the perfect Lamb of God. Unleavened Bread represents the hardships and pain He had to endure for us. First Fruits is indicative of His glorious resurrection from the dead. At Pentecost we remember the Holy Spirit being poured out in the Upper Room, just as the Torah had been given to Ancient Israel. The Feast of Trumpets prophetically represents Yeshua’s Second Coming and our gathering to meet Him in the clouds. The Day of Atonement causes us to become somber as we turn to Him and are reminded of the future Day of the Lord when Yeshua defeats His enemies at Armageddon. The Feast of Tabernacles encourages us to look forward to the
establishment of His Millennial Kingdom on Earth .
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Christ's "New Law" Wasn't New!
Some try to discount the role of the Ten Commandments on the basis of the "new" commandments of love which Christ introduced. It is true that Messiah Jesus laid down two great laws of love as a summary of all the law. But did He give the idea that these were new in point of time? The fact is He was quoting directly from the Old Testament when He gave those new commandments. "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." Deuteronomy 6:5. "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Leviticus 19:18. It is apparent that these two important spiritual principles had been forgotten by the religious church goers of Christ's day. They were new to them in relation to their life and practice. But they were not intended by Jesus to take the place of the Ten Commandments.
When the lawyer asked Jesus which was the greatest commandment in the law, he received the answer: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:37-40.
Notice that these two love commandments simply summed up "all the law and the prophets." They all hang upon these two principles of love. Christ was saying that love is the fulfilling of the law just as Paul repeated it later in Romans 13:10. If one loves Christ completely with heart, soul, and mind, he will obey the first four commandments that have to do with our devotion to God. He will not take God's name in vain, worship other gods, etc. If one loves his neighbor as himself, he will obey the last six commandments which relate to our relationship to our fellow man. He will not be able to steal from his neighbor, lie about him, etc. Love will lead to obeying or fulfilling all the law.
Remember, new to us doesn't mean new to God.
When the lawyer asked Jesus which was the greatest commandment in the law, he received the answer: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:37-40.
Notice that these two love commandments simply summed up "all the law and the prophets." They all hang upon these two principles of love. Christ was saying that love is the fulfilling of the law just as Paul repeated it later in Romans 13:10. If one loves Christ completely with heart, soul, and mind, he will obey the first four commandments that have to do with our devotion to God. He will not take God's name in vain, worship other gods, etc. If one loves his neighbor as himself, he will obey the last six commandments which relate to our relationship to our fellow man. He will not be able to steal from his neighbor, lie about him, etc. Love will lead to obeying or fulfilling all the law.
Remember, new to us doesn't mean new to God.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Forgive To Be Forgiven!
The greatest risk we face as a church in these last days is not that we may lose a musician, or that we may lose money, or that we may lose members, or that we may lose staff, or that we may lose reputation. The greatest risk is that we may lose heaven. Because one way to lose heaven is to hold fast to an unforgiving spirit.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:9, 12, "Pray like this: 'Our Father who art in heaven . . . forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.'" Then in verses 14–15 he explains why he taught us to pray this way: "For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."
If we hold fast to an unforgiving spirit, we will not be forgiven by God. If we continue on in that way, then we will not go to heaven, because heaven is the dwelling place of forgiven people.
Here is forgiveness: when you feel that someone is your enemy or when you simply feel that you or someone you care about has been wronged, forgiveness means,
1. resisting revenge,
2. not returning evil for evil,
3. wishing them well,
4. grieving at their calamities,
5. praying for their welfare,
6. seeking reconciliation so far as it depends on you,
7. and coming to their aid in distress.
All these point to a forgiving heart. And the heart is all important. Jesus said in Matthew 18:35—"unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
Forgiveness is not the absence of anger at sin. It is not feeling good about what was bad. When you are wronged, you are not expected to feel good about what happened. Anger against sin and its consequences is fitting up to a point. But you don't need to hold on to it in a vindictive way that desires harm for the one who has wronged you. You can hand it over to him who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23) again and again, and pray for the transformation of the one who has wronged you.
Forgiveness is not feeling good about horrible things. We are not bound to trust an enemy; but we are bound to forgive him. You can actually look someone in the face and say: “I forgive you, but I don't trust you.” But be aware of how crucial the heart is here. What would make that an unforgiving thing to say is if you were thinking this: “I forgive you, but I don't trust you. What's more, I don't care about ever trusting you again; and I won't accept any of your efforts to try to establish trust again; in fact, I hope nobody ever trusts you again, and I don't care if your life is totally ruined.”
That is not a forgiving spirit. And our souls would be in danger. Perhaps we are at risk in some way, we all have people we need to forgive. We need very much to see Jesus and feel what it means to be forgiven of our huge debt.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:9, 12, "Pray like this: 'Our Father who art in heaven . . . forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.'" Then in verses 14–15 he explains why he taught us to pray this way: "For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."
If we hold fast to an unforgiving spirit, we will not be forgiven by God. If we continue on in that way, then we will not go to heaven, because heaven is the dwelling place of forgiven people.
Here is forgiveness: when you feel that someone is your enemy or when you simply feel that you or someone you care about has been wronged, forgiveness means,
1. resisting revenge,
2. not returning evil for evil,
3. wishing them well,
4. grieving at their calamities,
5. praying for their welfare,
6. seeking reconciliation so far as it depends on you,
7. and coming to their aid in distress.
All these point to a forgiving heart. And the heart is all important. Jesus said in Matthew 18:35—"unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
Forgiveness is not the absence of anger at sin. It is not feeling good about what was bad. When you are wronged, you are not expected to feel good about what happened. Anger against sin and its consequences is fitting up to a point. But you don't need to hold on to it in a vindictive way that desires harm for the one who has wronged you. You can hand it over to him who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23) again and again, and pray for the transformation of the one who has wronged you.
Forgiveness is not feeling good about horrible things. We are not bound to trust an enemy; but we are bound to forgive him. You can actually look someone in the face and say: “I forgive you, but I don't trust you.” But be aware of how crucial the heart is here. What would make that an unforgiving thing to say is if you were thinking this: “I forgive you, but I don't trust you. What's more, I don't care about ever trusting you again; and I won't accept any of your efforts to try to establish trust again; in fact, I hope nobody ever trusts you again, and I don't care if your life is totally ruined.”
That is not a forgiving spirit. And our souls would be in danger. Perhaps we are at risk in some way, we all have people we need to forgive. We need very much to see Jesus and feel what it means to be forgiven of our huge debt.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The Seventh Day Sabbath
It Was Part of Creation
“On the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:2, 3). Because God rested on the seventh day, he designated it a holy day to be remembered for all time. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” He says in the fourth commandment. “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:8-10).
The Sabbath Is A Sign
God designed the Sabbath for two main reasons: to commemorate creation and as a sign of our salvation. “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:11). “I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord made them holy” (Ezekiel 20:12).
The Hebrew word sabbath literally means “to cease.” Just as God rested from His creation work, we are to rest from our day-to-day occupations and refocus on what’s really important. Taking a Sabbath rest is an act of faith; it’s a reminder that no matter what we do, God is in control. When we cease from pursuing our material goals for one day each week, we’re saying, “God, I trust You to maintain control while I spend this day focusing on You. I trust You to provide for my needs seven days a week even if I only work for six of them. Regardless of how much money I could earn today, or how much remains on my to-do list from last week, today I’m going to rest my mind and body and enjoy time in Your presence.”
See It As a Gift
God knew that in our human tendency to further our own interests, we would need opportunities for spiritual growth, to refocus on things of eternal importance. The Sabbath is an opportunity to break away from the pressures of everyday living.
“On the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:2, 3). Because God rested on the seventh day, he designated it a holy day to be remembered for all time. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” He says in the fourth commandment. “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:8-10).
The Sabbath Is A Sign
God designed the Sabbath for two main reasons: to commemorate creation and as a sign of our salvation. “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:11). “I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord made them holy” (Ezekiel 20:12).
The Hebrew word sabbath literally means “to cease.” Just as God rested from His creation work, we are to rest from our day-to-day occupations and refocus on what’s really important. Taking a Sabbath rest is an act of faith; it’s a reminder that no matter what we do, God is in control. When we cease from pursuing our material goals for one day each week, we’re saying, “God, I trust You to maintain control while I spend this day focusing on You. I trust You to provide for my needs seven days a week even if I only work for six of them. Regardless of how much money I could earn today, or how much remains on my to-do list from last week, today I’m going to rest my mind and body and enjoy time in Your presence.”
See It As a Gift
God knew that in our human tendency to further our own interests, we would need opportunities for spiritual growth, to refocus on things of eternal importance. The Sabbath is an opportunity to break away from the pressures of everyday living.
Division Will Hinder Our Commission!
The greatest challenge for a pastor is, people. It is amazing to me how people can so quickly turn on one another. People who gossip and complain often times do not realize that they are being used by the enemy to bring division to the fellowship of believers. Often times, this kind of destructive behavior starts with people who lose their connection with the fellowship for whatever reason. Unity is broken when we yield to our carnal nature and let our emotions get the best of us.
My prayer is that people will learn the power of unity. Unity is necessary for any group of people trying to accomplish a particular task.
The power of unity can be seen in Eccl 4:12 which says, "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." No matter how much a local church has going for it, division can negate it’s vision.
The word division is constructed of the word vision with the prefix "di", which means, "double".
Double vision can be dangerous. If you are seeing two of everything you need to make a trip to the eye doctor. If there is disharmony in the local church you need some spiritual doctoring.
One of the conditions for unity: "Speak the same thing." (1 Corinthians 1:10)
There must be unity in speech if a local church is to make an effective impact for God.
The Bible is not saying there isn’t room for disagreement among good Christians. Rather, we are encouraged, even when we do disagree, and we will, to speak in such a way as to promote harmony.
Your motive for speaking and how you deliver your words are just as important as what you say. Be careful of a critical spirit. If you find your self hyper-critical of everything done in your church and others in your church, there are two options:
1.) The church may need your positive contributions to turn in the right direction, or,
2.) You may need to change your attitude. Ask yourself, "Is there something else going on in my life right now that has me angry or discouraged? Am I taking my frustration out on others in my church?
There must be unity of thought if a local church is to have an effective impact for God.
Once again, unity and uniformity are not the same thing. God has given all of us different perspectives to bring to the table.
Proverbs 11:14 "Where no counsel [is], the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors [there is] safety."
A church may look beautiful and have the latest technology, latest innovative programs and sharpest presentations, but without unity it will come apart at the seams.
How can we accomplish this objective? How can we be "perfectly joined together in the same mind?"
We can all spend a lot of time in the Bible and by reading the same thing we will have a greater chance of unity. We can worship together consistently, serve together regularly, pray together faithfully, and fellowship together constantly.
God’s purposes are greater than our minor differences in the local church. What will really matter in the end is whether or not we accomplished God’s purpose for the church.
My prayer is that people will learn the power of unity. Unity is necessary for any group of people trying to accomplish a particular task.
The power of unity can be seen in Eccl 4:12 which says, "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." No matter how much a local church has going for it, division can negate it’s vision.
The word division is constructed of the word vision with the prefix "di", which means, "double".
Double vision can be dangerous. If you are seeing two of everything you need to make a trip to the eye doctor. If there is disharmony in the local church you need some spiritual doctoring.
One of the conditions for unity: "Speak the same thing." (1 Corinthians 1:10)
There must be unity in speech if a local church is to make an effective impact for God.
The Bible is not saying there isn’t room for disagreement among good Christians. Rather, we are encouraged, even when we do disagree, and we will, to speak in such a way as to promote harmony.
Your motive for speaking and how you deliver your words are just as important as what you say. Be careful of a critical spirit. If you find your self hyper-critical of everything done in your church and others in your church, there are two options:
1.) The church may need your positive contributions to turn in the right direction, or,
2.) You may need to change your attitude. Ask yourself, "Is there something else going on in my life right now that has me angry or discouraged? Am I taking my frustration out on others in my church?
There must be unity of thought if a local church is to have an effective impact for God.
Once again, unity and uniformity are not the same thing. God has given all of us different perspectives to bring to the table.
Proverbs 11:14 "Where no counsel [is], the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors [there is] safety."
A church may look beautiful and have the latest technology, latest innovative programs and sharpest presentations, but without unity it will come apart at the seams.
How can we accomplish this objective? How can we be "perfectly joined together in the same mind?"
We can all spend a lot of time in the Bible and by reading the same thing we will have a greater chance of unity. We can worship together consistently, serve together regularly, pray together faithfully, and fellowship together constantly.
God’s purposes are greater than our minor differences in the local church. What will really matter in the end is whether or not we accomplished God’s purpose for the church.
Monday, July 19, 2010
The Torah
The Hebrew word for law is Torah. It means to teach, instruct, guide, and direct. Torah is teaching people the way to walk with God. Many people look at the Torah as a set of legalistic rules one must follow in order to be saved. The consequence of this misunderstanding has been a disaster for the church. Christianity became a lawless (in the sense that it does not accept the Mosaic Law) religion in which people believed they could simply confess a belief in Messiah and live as they pleased. The entire New Testament is Torah in the flesh, teaching us how to walk with God in order to live an abundant Christian life.
Legalism vs. Lawlessness
Legalism is a word you will not find in most dictionaries. However, it is used by many people in the context of Christan living. Lets consider a break down of its parts to understand its true meaning.
Legal is that which is permitted or established by law, and -ism is a suffix used to identify or imply a practice, theory, doctrine, system or principle. Legalism is then, the practice, theory, doctrine, system or principle of permitting or establishing law.
With this definition in mind, we can safely say that legalism is something which all religions and politics are at sometime involved in. In fact, one cannot think of a religion or political system which does not rely on legalism, as defined. The word legalism is used out of context and without definition by many. Many times, legalism or legalistic is used to maliciously label another person or organization. Often, this happens when one person does not know how to counter or explain the belief system of another person or organization. Most often it is used against that belief system which commits the seemingly "unpardonable sin' of not agreeing with another belief system.
It is common sense to look around and see that society and religion all depend on the rule of law. There is no organization which does not. A safe society is a legalistic society according to the proper definition of legal-ism. The problem comes when what I believe differs with what you believe.
Among Bible believers there is, generally speaking, just two ways to look at the relationship of God's law to mankind. Either His law is permanent or it is not. Either God changes or He does not. All Bible believers take one of these two positions. Those that believe that God's law is not permanent are prone to think that the ones who do are following legalism. Really not a bad label, but it is clear that it is meant to put down or hurt.
Those who believe God does not change His mind, are apt to esteem those who think He does as being lawless. However, those who believe that God changes are not really lawless, as in "having no law," because they do have a legal system. It is not God's system but one created by mankind. Both views are legalistic.
All Bible believers believe in some law, that is, a system of rules and regulations. They differ on what rules and regulations they should follow, but they all have rules and regulations. On this basis, with a better understanding of the proper definitions of legalism and lawlessness, we should retire both words. Neither really have any relevance to the issue of whether or not God's law changes.
It's time those who believe the Bible start taking a mature and caring approach toward the discussion of it. It is time that our understanding of God is once again worthy of Him.
As for us here at RCCF, name calling will not be engaged in or responded too. Whatever anyone is maliciously labeled bears no relevance to the truth of the matter.
We believe in the eternal relevence of every Word which has come from Yahweh’s mouth. We DO NOT believe that anyone can be perfect enough by their own actions to attain to His glory. We hold that in all history, Israel has relied solely on His mercy and His grace to receive the promises. We understand that we are no longer strangers to the covenants.
Legal is that which is permitted or established by law, and -ism is a suffix used to identify or imply a practice, theory, doctrine, system or principle. Legalism is then, the practice, theory, doctrine, system or principle of permitting or establishing law.
With this definition in mind, we can safely say that legalism is something which all religions and politics are at sometime involved in. In fact, one cannot think of a religion or political system which does not rely on legalism, as defined. The word legalism is used out of context and without definition by many. Many times, legalism or legalistic is used to maliciously label another person or organization. Often, this happens when one person does not know how to counter or explain the belief system of another person or organization. Most often it is used against that belief system which commits the seemingly "unpardonable sin' of not agreeing with another belief system.
It is common sense to look around and see that society and religion all depend on the rule of law. There is no organization which does not. A safe society is a legalistic society according to the proper definition of legal-ism. The problem comes when what I believe differs with what you believe.
Among Bible believers there is, generally speaking, just two ways to look at the relationship of God's law to mankind. Either His law is permanent or it is not. Either God changes or He does not. All Bible believers take one of these two positions. Those that believe that God's law is not permanent are prone to think that the ones who do are following legalism. Really not a bad label, but it is clear that it is meant to put down or hurt.
Those who believe God does not change His mind, are apt to esteem those who think He does as being lawless. However, those who believe that God changes are not really lawless, as in "having no law," because they do have a legal system. It is not God's system but one created by mankind. Both views are legalistic.
All Bible believers believe in some law, that is, a system of rules and regulations. They differ on what rules and regulations they should follow, but they all have rules and regulations. On this basis, with a better understanding of the proper definitions of legalism and lawlessness, we should retire both words. Neither really have any relevance to the issue of whether or not God's law changes.
It's time those who believe the Bible start taking a mature and caring approach toward the discussion of it. It is time that our understanding of God is once again worthy of Him.
As for us here at RCCF, name calling will not be engaged in or responded too. Whatever anyone is maliciously labeled bears no relevance to the truth of the matter.
We believe in the eternal relevence of every Word which has come from Yahweh’s mouth. We DO NOT believe that anyone can be perfect enough by their own actions to attain to His glory. We hold that in all history, Israel has relied solely on His mercy and His grace to receive the promises. We understand that we are no longer strangers to the covenants.
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