Yeshua

The National Church of Ostriches

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Does the church care about anything anymore?

The culture said, “we don’t like being told that there is absolutes” and they took down all public displays of the “10 Commandments.” Some churches shouted, but only for a short time.

The culture said, “we don’t want your religion” and they took down all public nativity scenes, crosses, and any other “Christian” symbol that could be found. Some churches shouted, but only for a short time.

The culture said, “we don’t want to hear your fanaticism and backwards thinking” and they ridiculed and shouted down any public figure who stood for their beliefs, such as then vice-president Pence. Few churches said anything.

The culture said, “we have to be safe” and they told everyone to stay away from one another, report one another, and tried to close the churches. A couple churches shouted, but for how long?

The culture says that the terms “male” and “female” are irrelevant, and the churches don’t know what to do.

Other cultures told Christians, “you aren’t worth anything” and they drove Christians from their homes, abducted their children, and burned their churches. Few churches said anything, and their voices are being drowned out by internal squabbling. (see Love Your Neighbor)

Women in our culture choose to kill their babies and the culture says, “it’s their right.” And the churches quibble over which ‘crisis pregnancy center’ they agree with and can support instead of helping.

The church has hid its head in the sand and made itself irrelevant. This started some time ago, and we keep burying our head deeper in each passing year. Why? People, especially the youth, are leaving the churches. Why?

What would have been different if churches (and the people) displayed the “10 commandments” in their buildings and homes? (see Truth! Does it exist anymore?)

What would be different if churches proclaimed Jesus (Yeshua) during the time when they celebrate his birth? We seem to be so afraid of offending someone that only the bravest churches or people put out anything that points to Jesus.

How would the culture look if preachers stood up and preached love and repentence? But do we even know what love means? What repentance means or even why it’s needed? Or what if integrity was preached? – if anyone knows what that means anymore.

What could have been different if, instead of simply continuing online as if nothing was happening, the churches called for prayer meetings and taught trust in God and kindness to our fellow humans, when the Covid virus pandemic started?

How would it look if we spent time teaching people to respect one another, and to help one another instead of arguing over whether or not “the woman is to be subservient to the man” or simply teaching “homosexuality is bad?”

How would it look to those outside Christianity if we made our concern for our foreign brothers and sisters evident, instead of turning away because their faith doesn’t match ours?

What would be different if we taught our youth about the preciousness of life?

All of this can be “cured” simply by a return to the Word of God.

If churches would simply read the gospels to the congregations, week after week, instead of preaching their own words, what would happen?

We’d learn that the opposite of ‘freedom’ is chaos, and God gave us the 10 statements (10 commandments) out of love for us so that our lives, individually and collectively, would be better.

We’d learn that no one is perfect, and that to judge and condemn others because of their short comings is simple hypocrisy. We’d see that we are all in the same need for a champion and scape-goat – one sent by God. The messiah Yeshua (Jesus). (see Greater love has no one…)

We’d learn that to live a life with integrity is possible, and that it has a positive effect on both our own lives and the culture around us. Even when the culture is bad.

We’d learn that to repent is to show our love for God, and our desire to live as He intended. And we’d discover peace among ourselves.

We’d discover that we weren’t meant to go through this life alone, but with others. And that each person has their own unique contribution and is equally valuable as I.

We’d learn what it means to be a man or a woman, and that there is nothing wrong with masculinity or femininity, and they both stand on equal footing before God and in this world.

We’d realize that we have brothers and sisters in faith all over this world, even when their faith, and even their Bible, looks a bit different than ours. They are family as we all have the same Father and King.

We’d realize just how precious life is and can be.

All of this can be learned and taken into our lives as we read how Yeshua (Jesus) lived and followed God the Father.

The churches could become relevant again.

The youth would become interested again.

What can we do now?

Each of us can encourage our leaders to return to the Word of God. Read the gospels. Read the Torah (1st 5 books of the Bible – Genesis through Deuteronomy). Simply read! and discuss what’s written!

I cringe when I listen to church services and realize that most preachers read perhaps 1 to 5 verses, if even that much, from the Bible. And rarely from the gospels.

I thank God that there are exceptions – and if you are one of those exceptions, pray for the others!

Let’s come away from all of the dry theology and sermons and simply live as God intended. As Yeshua (Jesus) showed us!

To finish off, I’m going to quote a garden flag I have seen that is the perfect answer to all the hate and racism that is rolling over this country.

Thank you Jesus for Everyone and Everything!

  • Yosef

Zaphenath-paneah and the Christmas Tree

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If you recognize the name of Zaphenath-paneah (as spelled in the ESV Bible) as being the name of a very well known Biblical character who lived roughly 1500 years before Yeshua (Jesus), then you should enter Bible trivia contests!

Zaphenath-paneah is the name Pharaoh gave to Joseph (the son of Jacob and Rachel) when he elevated him to 2nd in command over Egypt.  What did Joseph have to do with a Christmas tree?  Well, nothing really, but the title leads into the topic of this blog post.

The teaching where Joseph is presented as a shadow of Yeshua is fairly well known.  If you haven’t heard of such an idea, google something such as “Joseph as a type of Jesus”.  You’ll get many hits, some from some very good sources.  One source I see there is from the group Jews for Jesus.

This post is about one aspect of that idea.  After the famine hits Egypt, Joseph’s brothers travel to Egypt to buy food.  They appear before Joseph but don’t recognize him, and bow before him.  (It’s a really fun story – read it in Genesis 41 through 44).  Why don’t they recognize him?  Well, he looked and talked Egyptian!

One of the reasons today that Jews do not accept Yeshua (Jesus) as the promised Messiah is that he has been made over to look like a gentile.

(By the way, ‘gentile’ is not a bad word.  It simply means ‘of the nations’.)  All manner of lifestyle and traditions have been painted over him; so much so that he is no longer recognizable as the pork avoiding, Sabbath observing, Jew that he is.

The difference between Yeshua and Joseph, though, is that Joseph was truly dressed up and talked as an Egyptian, whereas Yeshua never actually wore the costume that is over him.  But it has been taught as tradition for so long that only the made up Jesus (Yeshua) is visible.

For this Christmas, then, I challenge you, the reader, to peel back some of the trappings that have been put around Yeshua (Jesus) and see if you can’t find the real man.  The one born to Jewish parents (see the next blog for a neat fact about them), and raised in Jewish surroundings.  One who never violated any of God’s Torah, and even observed some Jewish traditions! 

All of this can be discovered simply by reading the gospels and paying attention to what is really being said – not what traditionally has been put in his mouth!

Shalom!    – Yosef

God’s Calendar: Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement)

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Well, the Feast of Trumpets (or Feast of Shouting) is over according the Jewish calendar and the next appointed time is quickly approaching.  It is yom Kippur (the day of atonement).  According to the Jewish calendar, the day of Atonement is from this coming Tuesday, Sept. 18th, after sundown, to Wednesday, Sept. 19th, after sundown.

The day of atonement is a very solemn day in the yearly cycle of God’s appointed times.  It is the day where we reflect on the past year and repent of sins that have crept in, both in our personal lives and our corporate lives (our family, our church or synagogue, and our country).  Yes, I said our ‘corporate’ lives.  Much of what God has to say to us is directed at the whole body of believers, not just individuals.  That concept can be seen throughout the scriptures.

God gives us a couple commands for this day.  And actually, those commands are rather forceful in their presentation compared to the commands for the other feasts.  Two of the commands stand out.  One is that the day is to be treated as a very strict sabbath – no work whatsoever.  Second is that we are to ‘afflict ourselves.’  So no work of any kind – a strict sabbath of rest, and ‘afflict’ ourselves.  The only definition for ‘afflict’ in this context is that which has been understood by the Jews for millennia.  And that is to fast.  All those that can should fast.

I’m looking forward to the day.  It is a chance to really look at oneself, and one’s country, honestly.  I like reading through the traditional Jewish prayer (the ‘al Chet’ prayer) for the day as it lists all manner of sin – both physical and thought related – and really gets me to think.  There exists such ‘lists’ also in Christianity (the catechism of Westminster – the 10 commandments section – comes to mind).  If you can, find such a prayer / list / sermon and read through it thoughtfully and prayerfully.

I think that the practice of deeply reflecting once a year is quite important and of great benefit, especially as God set it up for us to follow.  He made us and knows what we need.

So, take a day (or as much as you can – not as much as you are comfortable with, but as much as you can, up to the full 24 hours) and reflect.  And repent.  And pray.  And think about any changes that you need to make in your life, or how you can affect our culture for good.  And remember what Yeshua (Jesus) has done for us!

Shalom,

  • Yosef

 

Jesus or Yeshua: Which Name?

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There is dissent in the Christian / Messianic world as to what name one should use, Jesus or Yeshua.

Throughout this site you will often see the text, “Jesus (Yeshua)” or Yeshua(Jesus).  Let me explain.

Jesus (Yeshua) was Jewish, and as such, he had a Jewish name.  A somewhat shortened, but popular form of that name is Yeshua.  The name “Jesus” is a poor transliteration of his name from Hebrew to English (though there was an intermediate step).  A better transliteration would have been Joshua, but for reasons not discussed here, “Jesus” was chosen.

There are many in the Hebrew / Messianic movement out there that would say that using the name “Jesus” is wrong based on various reasoning.  I don’t agree.  I see nowhere in scripture where such a stance is supported.  However, I prefer to use the name “Yeshua” as that was his name.   To avoid alienating people for no good reason, I also use the name “Jesus”.  Sometimes interchangeably, sometimes as “Jesus (Yeshua)”.

The point of this website is to build dialogue, acceptance, and love between those who claim to follow the one true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the God of Yeshua (Jesus).   Those insisting that one must use one or the other pronunciation or spelling of a name are missing the point of God’s words in Deuteronomy 6:4 to 9 and Leveticus 19:18, and are judging and condemning a huge group of people.  That should not be!

  • Yosef