Posts
I have been thinking about my following of the food rules in Leviticus 11 this week. I guess that I am still surprised about how many people react so strongly to my decision. In Acts 10 and 11 Peter uses two Greek words koinos and akathartos.
If it were possible to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that the food laws are part of how God wants those who believe in Him to live, would people just change their eating habits? I doubt it. There is already so much which is so clear and yet people do not follow God's words.
oh well what can I do about it?
peace
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
reaffirmation
I really love the springtime in Sweden. After a long winter’s nap nature wakes up and bursts into a diversity of colors and shapes. The down side is the increasing numbers of daylight hours. I find it difficult to sleep.
I believe in creation and that makes me a priestly rarity. So many say that God is all-powerful, while maintaining that He is incapable of creating all this complicated life and diversity from nothing. I do not ascribe to the thought that it is intellectual suicide to believe in a six day creation by an all-powerful God, but quite the opposite.
The Heavens declare the glory of God. It is the very Nature that reveals God’s invisible attributes. Hmmmm just makes you want to go hmmmmmmmmm.
Every spring reaffirms this simple but very foundational truth for me.
peace
Friday, April 23, 2010
trust in action
this was a large demonstration of faith. I had to trust the ropes and my course instructor. It was very challenging. This is where I am at with God right now. I feel Him moving me in a certain direction but it is so scary. I know that He loves me and cares for me, but not it is time to put that into practice.
I don't know why I am so hesitant but I am. Just imagine the King of the Universe asking you to follow His path.
now I am on the course and I am scared out of my gourd. I know that the instructors did not want to hurt me but trusting them enough to let go of my fear was very difficult.
2 Sam 22:3
The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.
I want to be better at trusting God for the outcome. I know that it might be hard but I want to grow in this area.
this is my desire and prayer for this day
peace
Friday, April 16, 2010
do not be hard hearted
Today I am tired and frustrated and glad. I guess that this is the way life is for me. Now when I say this, it doesn't mean that life sucks or is bad. It just means that I feel many different things at the same time.
while I am writing this I am listening to a sermon by Bruce Cohen. His teaching has been a real blessing in my life. The title of the sermon is Uncle Fluffy. It is hard hitting and thought provoking. you can check it out at http://ia360633.us.archive.org/3/items/Beth_El/20100410-Congregation_Beth_El_of_Manhattan-Uncle_Fluffy-Lev9verse1.mp3
I need to hear the hard word of God. I need to be shaken up so that my heart will still turn towards the Lord. I would hate to be one of those who, in latter days, leaves the faith and leads others astray.
It is always a struggle to live in the world and not like the world. Sometimes I get so frustrated that I just want to give up. this week was like that for me. I still feel like walking away from it all. I am so tired of the fight.
But I would not want to be so stubborn that I choose something else other than God's way. I don't want to keep looking for the green grass on the other side, but to learn to be content with what God gives.
2 Kings 17:14 and 18:12 talks about how the people would not listen to what God has said. I want to be obedient and to follow Yeshua with all of my heart. I feel like everyone is just making up their own rules instead of being willing to follow God.
I need help so that I don't become bitter towards those who want to walk another path. Well listen to Rabbi Bruce and let me know what you think.
peace
while I am writing this I am listening to a sermon by Bruce Cohen. His teaching has been a real blessing in my life. The title of the sermon is Uncle Fluffy. It is hard hitting and thought provoking. you can check it out at http://ia360633.us.archive.org/3/items/Beth_El/20100410-Congregation_Beth_El_of_Manhattan-Uncle_Fluffy-Lev9verse1.mp3
I need to hear the hard word of God. I need to be shaken up so that my heart will still turn towards the Lord. I would hate to be one of those who, in latter days, leaves the faith and leads others astray.
It is always a struggle to live in the world and not like the world. Sometimes I get so frustrated that I just want to give up. this week was like that for me. I still feel like walking away from it all. I am so tired of the fight.
But I would not want to be so stubborn that I choose something else other than God's way. I don't want to keep looking for the green grass on the other side, but to learn to be content with what God gives.
2 Kings 17:14 and 18:12 talks about how the people would not listen to what God has said. I want to be obedient and to follow Yeshua with all of my heart. I feel like everyone is just making up their own rules instead of being willing to follow God.
I need help so that I don't become bitter towards those who want to walk another path. Well listen to Rabbi Bruce and let me know what you think.
peace
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Passing on the Resurrection
Today is Easter and I am in Sweden. It has been a time for Anette our oldest son, Eddie, and our two youngest daughters, Paulina and Nikole, to spend time together.
During this weekend I have hade a lot of thoughts about Yeshua and what that has meant for me. While my family is slowly understanding what being messianic means it has not been easy helping them to embrace The Way. They have a lot of questions and are often being bombarded with questions about the way in which we live our lives.
And as I listen to Rabbi Cohen’s message from March 6, 2010 from the Parashah Hukkat he makes a few points that seem very relevant. If you get a chance then check him out at http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/beth-el-manhattan-messianic/id261742853 it is titled Red Heifers and Unicorns. Now the actual torah portion is about the golden calf but on this day Rabbi Cohen decided to talk about the red heifer. He says that we don’t want our children to view our God as something that is mythical. No we want to pass on our faith to the next generation in such a way that our faith becomes their faith. And as they grow and start to ask questions then we want to give them better answers than, it is just so or that it has always been so.
While there are some things about our faith that are to be believed on faith alone, these items are not normative. More often than not, God gives us reasons and explanations about why he says what he says. Talking donkeys and burning bushes are not the normative ways in which God communicates. He guides us by reason, and example and explanation and this means that there are good reasons for why. Insanity is only appealing to the insane. I believe that, whenever it is possible, to try and understand the reasons why and at the same time accepting the things that are to be taken by faith.
There is a real danger that without good reasons our faith may seem to be built upon more of the unexplainable than the explainable. This makes the rules for life more suggestion than lifestyle. I know that I don’t want my children to see God as mythical instead of as real. I don’t just want to tell them the correct answer but to be able to explain reason why to them. I know that according to 1 Corinthians 2:14 spiritual things are not discerned by those who are not spiritual. I know that their friends may not understand why we have the rules that we have in our family. Many people think that it is strange that we eat in accordance with the rules of Leviticus 11
The reason for thinking this way is because while the, ashes of the red heifer becomes a vehicle of purification, whoever performs this becomes unclean. This is difficult to understand. God does not give us a lot of explanation and so many believe that this is something that just has to be taken on faith. But this may not be the normal way that God wants us to live.
God asks us to seek His truth and apply it to our life. We are to seek his way above the advice of our friends and family. This does not mean that friends and family are not important. Believe me they are. But when it is time to make a decision we will need the best help we can get. Family and friends can mean well but they might give advice which is contrary to God’s instruction and so knowing what the word says and why it says that is very important.
The instructions of God should be something that means more to us than our own desires. You see moral restraint is the choosing of life and not just ways to make life boring. In Deuteronomy 5:19 there is a challenge to choose life by living according to God’s instructions for life. Regardless of our age each and every one of us is faced daily with a whole host of choices. Each day presents us with choices so the question is what is going to help to make wise choices.
But how do we teach that modest dress, pleasant behaviour and the clear boundaries that God has established are the best and most correct way to live without making is seem like boring ritual and empty traditions?
How can I, or for that matter any parent, pass on the true meaning of a resurrection celebration or the deep meaning of Passover without undermining the strong foundation these truths are built upon?
We had a wonderful dinner yesterday, but we never mentioned Yeshua or talked about what he did. My in-laws are not believers and often think that things about the faith are not so interesting. We didn’t thank the Lord for the food before we ate. It was only late at night that we watched a film about Yeshua. Did that show my children that the things of our faith are not very important to me? I sure hope not.
I just want to make the resurrection real for my children and the young people at church.
peace
During this weekend I have hade a lot of thoughts about Yeshua and what that has meant for me. While my family is slowly understanding what being messianic means it has not been easy helping them to embrace The Way. They have a lot of questions and are often being bombarded with questions about the way in which we live our lives.
And as I listen to Rabbi Cohen’s message from March 6, 2010 from the Parashah Hukkat he makes a few points that seem very relevant. If you get a chance then check him out at http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/beth-el-manhattan-messianic/id261742853 it is titled Red Heifers and Unicorns. Now the actual torah portion is about the golden calf but on this day Rabbi Cohen decided to talk about the red heifer. He says that we don’t want our children to view our God as something that is mythical. No we want to pass on our faith to the next generation in such a way that our faith becomes their faith. And as they grow and start to ask questions then we want to give them better answers than, it is just so or that it has always been so.
While there are some things about our faith that are to be believed on faith alone, these items are not normative. More often than not, God gives us reasons and explanations about why he says what he says. Talking donkeys and burning bushes are not the normative ways in which God communicates. He guides us by reason, and example and explanation and this means that there are good reasons for why. Insanity is only appealing to the insane. I believe that, whenever it is possible, to try and understand the reasons why and at the same time accepting the things that are to be taken by faith.
There is a real danger that without good reasons our faith may seem to be built upon more of the unexplainable than the explainable. This makes the rules for life more suggestion than lifestyle. I know that I don’t want my children to see God as mythical instead of as real. I don’t just want to tell them the correct answer but to be able to explain reason why to them. I know that according to 1 Corinthians 2:14 spiritual things are not discerned by those who are not spiritual. I know that their friends may not understand why we have the rules that we have in our family. Many people think that it is strange that we eat in accordance with the rules of Leviticus 11
The reason for thinking this way is because while the, ashes of the red heifer becomes a vehicle of purification, whoever performs this becomes unclean. This is difficult to understand. God does not give us a lot of explanation and so many believe that this is something that just has to be taken on faith. But this may not be the normal way that God wants us to live.
God asks us to seek His truth and apply it to our life. We are to seek his way above the advice of our friends and family. This does not mean that friends and family are not important. Believe me they are. But when it is time to make a decision we will need the best help we can get. Family and friends can mean well but they might give advice which is contrary to God’s instruction and so knowing what the word says and why it says that is very important.
The instructions of God should be something that means more to us than our own desires. You see moral restraint is the choosing of life and not just ways to make life boring. In Deuteronomy 5:19 there is a challenge to choose life by living according to God’s instructions for life. Regardless of our age each and every one of us is faced daily with a whole host of choices. Each day presents us with choices so the question is what is going to help to make wise choices.
But how do we teach that modest dress, pleasant behaviour and the clear boundaries that God has established are the best and most correct way to live without making is seem like boring ritual and empty traditions?
How can I, or for that matter any parent, pass on the true meaning of a resurrection celebration or the deep meaning of Passover without undermining the strong foundation these truths are built upon?
We had a wonderful dinner yesterday, but we never mentioned Yeshua or talked about what he did. My in-laws are not believers and often think that things about the faith are not so interesting. We didn’t thank the Lord for the food before we ate. It was only late at night that we watched a film about Yeshua. Did that show my children that the things of our faith are not very important to me? I sure hope not.
I just want to make the resurrection real for my children and the young people at church.
peace
Thursday, March 18, 2010
thinking back
Yesterday I was telling two friends about how I have been feeling like I just get on everyone's nerves. I feel like stopping everything because I really want people to be okay and happy and if I am the problem then I am willing to get out of everyone's way.
We sat and prayed and talked about it. I guess that I feel very sad these days. It is not a crisis of belief or burnout. It is just that with so many people seemingly pissed at me, it is taking its toll. On one hand I am aware that God is using my crazy life. I know that in front of him, I am okay. I don't mean that He looks over my faults it is just that in spite of them He chooses to love me and allow me to stay in His kingdom. For His mercy and grace am I ever thankful.
1 Mos 19:19
Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:
This verse sums up how I feel about my relationship with God. It feels solid and were it not for the Lord I would have crumbled a long time ago.
I don't want to make people feel badly. I hate the looks on their faces. I hate that fact they so many seem to expect things of me that I cannot give. I don't feel very accepted. I guess this is why I just feel like walking away. The other day, while I was riding the bus to work, I was having a waking daydream.
I dreamed that I woke up and I couldn't understand or speak Swedish. I didn't know anyone. I didn't even know why I was in Sweden. I just wanted to get on with my life. Everyone kept trying to tell me that I belonged here, but I had no recollection of it. It was peaceful and restful but it was not reality.
I have been so blessed by God's boundless grace. He saved me. But with so many people, in my daily walk, I see very little of grace. Every mistake regardless of the size is brought to my attention. The worse part is that it doesn't matter how hard I try, it just gets worse.
At the same time I feel this way I am in the middle of a time where I have been able to speak with lots of people about God. It is amazing how God has opened doors over the past few weeks. I am very hopeful that many people will come to faith in the Messiah. God has been using me to sow seeds of faith.
Sowing is not at all like reaping. Sometimes in order to sow you have to break up the fallow ground. This is a long but necessary process. If it is not done then you don't give the seeds a good start.
Jes 28:24-26
Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground? [25] When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and rie in their place? [26] For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.
Reaping is exciting, but not harvest takes place without sowing and tilling. It is much more difficult than I ever imagined it would be. I pray that I will not be envious or ungrateful because I am called to sow. When God called me to ministry in Sweden he told me to train others to evangelize and that I am to work with discipleship. I often forget that part of it.
I want to see the great harvest that the Lord will reap in this country. I long for it. So I must continue to sow and with God's help, people will not be so easily irritated with me.
What I hope is to find the way to reconciliation with my friends. I know that I need help with this. Help me God!
I hope that in the coming months my friends and I will continue to help people to trust the Creator of all life through his son Jesus/Yeshua. It is my desire that we grow in our confidence and dependency upon the Lord. Right now I just want my heart to be lightened, just a bit. And then I got an email about a video from a baptism I had done a year ago.
As I look back and remember the goodness of God, my sorrow is lessened and my joy is increased. This is one of those things that makes all of the tough time worth it all.
peace
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
quitting things
Yesterday I decided
to quit as a volunteer for Young Life. It is a very difficult decision since like IBS (International Bible Study) YoungLife has been like a family for me. It has been one of the places where I have gained the strength to continue on, when I felt like quitting.
Now I am no longer a part of either of these groups. It feels emptier and lonier but I think it still might be the right thing. I have been feeling like I have never nor will I ever be able to live up to the expectations of what people want me to be, do or act. I hate it. I have such a hard time of going past someone.
when I was a young child I decided to not be like that priest who was so busy going to his meeting and keeping up the formal appearences that he couldn't help the person in front of his face that had a need. But living the way that would make me happiest has a very negative side to it.
It means that things might come up and I might have to reorganize my priorities which usually means coming late. this makes everyone around me unhappy. then they judge me and call me inmmature because of this. I just can't handle it anymore. I want to be able to help with little notice and without having to make such a big deal of it.
For the past 6 months I have been feeling like the only things that matter are meetings and looking the part. I can say that this just sucks the life right out of me. I hate what I am becoming. I don't feel as though I am using what God has given me by spending all of my time in meetings and never building relationships. It is not that meetings and planing are unimportant, but they should not make up the bulk of my time.
But it is not just the meetings but more of the fact that I just feel like people are trying to remake me into the Edward that they would rather hang out with than who I am in reality. I know that I am not perfect and this is definitely not an attempt to make myself out to be a victim. I have chosen my lifestyle and my way of dealing with thing and while it may cause everyone around me to dislike me, it is a result of my free decisions. I just want to be me. I would rather loose friends and never again work with the things I love than to ever let people, expectations, roles and positions to force me into a mold that is not me.
I hate the loniness but it is better than feeling judged all of the time. So now I have decided to go it alone as much as possible. I have been backing away for some months now. I'm not as involved as I want to be nor do I hangout as much as I would like to. But it seems to be working. Over the past 6 weeks people have started complaining less. So it seems that I will have to keep going on this path.
When I first became a priest I foolishly thought that I would be able to be around others and build relationships. Now I see that in order to do my job I have to have this distance between myself and others. I have had it very rough this term and yet I have not shared so much of it with others like I would have before. I bear it before God and ask Him to help me.
It might not be what I thought it was going to be, but it may be what is necessary. I wish that I could have continued with YoungLife and IBS, right now things are emptier. I fill my days with papperwork and administration. I do have more time to pray for others and that gives me comfort. I like bringing things to God and then learning from seeing how He answers. It may sound all bad but it is not. I have more freedom to help and that is more important to me than being a part of something.
I just hope that in the long run, I am being lead by the Sprit of God. If not then all this is in vain. As I open my ears to hear God's voice I hope that he crushes the selfish resistance of my heart so that I will live for him, with or without a group.
The only surprising thing is how everyone has taken my quitting with such ease and okay. Maybe I wasn't doing as good a job as I thought? It's not important, just me thinking out loud.
It is sunny today. When I look through a window it looks like it is time for shorts. As I step through the door to enjoy the strong spring sun, the wind blows as a chilling gust and I know am then made aware of the difference between how something looks and how something really is. This is an important lesson for me to learn by.
peace
to quit as a volunteer for Young Life. It is a very difficult decision since like IBS (International Bible Study) YoungLife has been like a family for me. It has been one of the places where I have gained the strength to continue on, when I felt like quitting.
Now I am no longer a part of either of these groups. It feels emptier and lonier but I think it still might be the right thing. I have been feeling like I have never nor will I ever be able to live up to the expectations of what people want me to be, do or act. I hate it. I have such a hard time of going past someone.
when I was a young child I decided to not be like that priest who was so busy going to his meeting and keeping up the formal appearences that he couldn't help the person in front of his face that had a need. But living the way that would make me happiest has a very negative side to it.
It means that things might come up and I might have to reorganize my priorities which usually means coming late. this makes everyone around me unhappy. then they judge me and call me inmmature because of this. I just can't handle it anymore. I want to be able to help with little notice and without having to make such a big deal of it.
For the past 6 months I have been feeling like the only things that matter are meetings and looking the part. I can say that this just sucks the life right out of me. I hate what I am becoming. I don't feel as though I am using what God has given me by spending all of my time in meetings and never building relationships. It is not that meetings and planing are unimportant, but they should not make up the bulk of my time.
But it is not just the meetings but more of the fact that I just feel like people are trying to remake me into the Edward that they would rather hang out with than who I am in reality. I know that I am not perfect and this is definitely not an attempt to make myself out to be a victim. I have chosen my lifestyle and my way of dealing with thing and while it may cause everyone around me to dislike me, it is a result of my free decisions. I just want to be me. I would rather loose friends and never again work with the things I love than to ever let people, expectations, roles and positions to force me into a mold that is not me.
I hate the loniness but it is better than feeling judged all of the time. So now I have decided to go it alone as much as possible. I have been backing away for some months now. I'm not as involved as I want to be nor do I hangout as much as I would like to. But it seems to be working. Over the past 6 weeks people have started complaining less. So it seems that I will have to keep going on this path.
When I first became a priest I foolishly thought that I would be able to be around others and build relationships. Now I see that in order to do my job I have to have this distance between myself and others. I have had it very rough this term and yet I have not shared so much of it with others like I would have before. I bear it before God and ask Him to help me.
It might not be what I thought it was going to be, but it may be what is necessary. I wish that I could have continued with YoungLife and IBS, right now things are emptier. I fill my days with papperwork and administration. I do have more time to pray for others and that gives me comfort. I like bringing things to God and then learning from seeing how He answers. It may sound all bad but it is not. I have more freedom to help and that is more important to me than being a part of something.
I just hope that in the long run, I am being lead by the Sprit of God. If not then all this is in vain. As I open my ears to hear God's voice I hope that he crushes the selfish resistance of my heart so that I will live for him, with or without a group.
The only surprising thing is how everyone has taken my quitting with such ease and okay. Maybe I wasn't doing as good a job as I thought? It's not important, just me thinking out loud.
It is sunny today. When I look through a window it looks like it is time for shorts. As I step through the door to enjoy the strong spring sun, the wind blows as a chilling gust and I know am then made aware of the difference between how something looks and how something really is. This is an important lesson for me to learn by.
peace
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
more about tzara' at
Today I am wondering about the purity of the heart. if the the pure in heart are going to see God then the impure will not. There is a possibility to be ritually pure and still be defiled.
Yeshua talked about how one's heart is not made impure by having contact with ceremonially unclean things. it is not external to the heart.
in Genesis 6:5 and 8:21 God looks upon humanity and declares that that every thought of our hearts are, from our childhood, always evil, which is repeated by Yeshua in Matthew 5:16-20. Yeshua says that eating with unclean hands does not make us unclean but that whatever flows over in our hearts will come out and be expressed.
in 1 King 11:2-4 the Bible says that Solomon's heart was turned away from the Lord. This means that it is possible for the heart to have it's focus turned away from God and focused upon something else.
In the Psalms there is some good advice about maintaining a pure heart. IN Psalm 112:7-8 we learn the the heart needs to be fixed by trusting in the Lord. This trust will establish the heart so that you are not driven by fear.
in 119:2 we see that keeping the Lord's testimonies and by seeking Him. Yeshua says that seeking the Lord first will help us to prioritize our life. In 119:10-11 we find that hiding God's word in our heart (memorizing) will actually keep us from sin.
i so want the thoughts of my mind and the meditation of my heart to please God and then lead me on the path of righteousness.
what do you do for your heart? are you willing to turn from the hard unrighteous heart and let the Lord write his word on your hear.
gotta sleep
peace
Yeshua talked about how one's heart is not made impure by having contact with ceremonially unclean things. it is not external to the heart.
in Genesis 6:5 and 8:21 God looks upon humanity and declares that that every thought of our hearts are, from our childhood, always evil, which is repeated by Yeshua in Matthew 5:16-20. Yeshua says that eating with unclean hands does not make us unclean but that whatever flows over in our hearts will come out and be expressed.
in 1 King 11:2-4 the Bible says that Solomon's heart was turned away from the Lord. This means that it is possible for the heart to have it's focus turned away from God and focused upon something else.
In the Psalms there is some good advice about maintaining a pure heart. IN Psalm 112:7-8 we learn the the heart needs to be fixed by trusting in the Lord. This trust will establish the heart so that you are not driven by fear.
in 119:2 we see that keeping the Lord's testimonies and by seeking Him. Yeshua says that seeking the Lord first will help us to prioritize our life. In 119:10-11 we find that hiding God's word in our heart (memorizing) will actually keep us from sin.
i so want the thoughts of my mind and the meditation of my heart to please God and then lead me on the path of righteousness.
what do you do for your heart? are you willing to turn from the hard unrighteous heart and let the Lord write his word on your hear.
gotta sleep
peace
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
not be touched
This past Sunday I was preaching from Luke 5:12 – 26. Two cases of Jesus healing and in the process he totally transforms their lives. In the first case there is a person who is full of leprosy. This was a debilitating skin disease that rendered the infected person unclean. It would be the job of priests that is the qualified decedents of Aaron, to examine and determine if a person had just a skin disease or if it was actually a case of leprosy. The background for this is in Leviticus 13-14. In these chapters one reads about leprosy and mildew. The word which is translated as leprosy, in people, and mildew, in clothes and in the home, in English is the Hebrew word tzara´at, which I do not believe is what we call leprosy or Hansen’s disease. The uncleanness of the disease is contagious and could spread, while the disease was not, and this is why the person who is infected needed to be quarantined from the rest of the community.
The Hebrew 4 Christians web sight give a description of the meaning of the word, tzara’ at.
This text describes certain skin afflictions, collectively called tzara'at, that cause the afflicted person to be impure (tamei) and unclean (tumah). Note that tzara'at is not to be identified with leprosy (as some English translations claim), since the symptoms of tzara'at include not just the afflicted person's skin, but sometimes his clothes and house.
Tzara'at was a skin condition that could only be diagnosed by a kohen (priest), not a doctor. If white or pink patches appeared on a person's skin, the afflicted person was required to contact a kohen for an examination. If the priest detected 1) two hairs that had turned white within the spot, or 2) a piece of healthy skin in the middle of the spot, he was declared tamei (impure or unclean), and then had to follow the prescribed laws for the metzora (person affected with tzara'at); otherwise he was declared tahor (clean).
On the other hand, if the priest suspected tzara'at but was unsure, the afflicted person was quarantined and required to perform teshuvah (repentance). If a second evaluation indicated that the spot(s) had grown larger in size, the person was declared tamei (impure) and was subject to the laws for the metzora (i.e., dwelling "outside the camp" until the person was completely healed).
Tzara'at was essentially a spiritual disease - an affliction that the LORD used to help lead His people to teshuvah. The Babylonian Talmud (Erachin 15b, 16a) lists seven causes for tzara'at, including: murder, adultery, pride, theft, stinginess, a vain oath, and (most of all) for the sin of lashon hara.
In general terms, lashon hara means "the evil tongue," but it should not be understood exclusively as saying slanderous things about others or using profanity (though that is certainly included in the concept). No, lashon hara means saying something bad about another person even if it happens to be true. In other words, lashon hara is gossip, spreading evil (even if true) reports, or expressing a critical spirit about others. Such behavior is explicitly forbidden in Leviticus 19:16. This is also found in the Apostolic writings of the New Testament. What we say has such a powerful effect upon us and others. This is how Miriam got “leprosy”. Jesus says, in Matthew 12:36-37, that every careless word that we say we will have to give an accounting for. James 1:26 and 3:5-8 we see that the tongue is the cause of great sin in the life of the believer. Our words should be bridled. Luke 6:45 out of the abundance of your heart pours out words of evil or good. 2 Tim 2:16-17, gossip and vain babbling is not to be a part of the life of a follower of Yeshua. Such words become a canker. In Psalms 64 speaks about those who whet their tongues to shoot bitter words. This is the way of the unrighteous.
This does not mean that we do not speak out against evil and wrong doing but it has to with the why or the motivation behind our speaking. The first time the Bible shows us a person getting tzara’ at is when Moses speaks evil about the Hebrew captives.
The result of this pronouncement is total ostracism from the community. The person had to have tattered clothes, be unbathed and then call out, “Unclean, unclean”, to the people, that one might meet, that were not contaminated. People were to keep about 8 feet or about 2.2 meters away form the infected person. If the infected person is a priest then they cannot partake of the holy things offered until the Lord. If one does that then they will be cut off from the presence of the Lord, Lev 22:4. In Numbers 5:2 God tells the Israelites to put everyone who has “leprosy”, any type of discharge and anyone who is defiled by touching a dead body, outside of the camp so that the camp is not defiled.
I know that many people might react to these instructions and think that God is cruel, but our obedience to God should not based upon our ability to reason or if it makes sense to us, but because he is our King.
Sometimes this person became “leprous” because of sin, like Miriam and the house of Joab, and Azariah, Numbers 12:14; 2 Samuel 3:29; 2 Kings 15:5. Touching a person with tzara’ at made one unclean until evening. So there were no commands from God about not touching, but according to the oral Torah or the man-made rules then touching was impossible. Here we see that when Yeshua (Jesus) touches the person who was full of leprosy he is not breaking a command and thus sinning. You see at the touch of Jesus the person is made clean. I believe that point of healing started where Jesus touched him and the spread from there to the rest of the man’s body. In chapter 4 Yeshua tells his listener that only Naaman was healed while there were many other people with “leprosy” who were not healed. Now Jesus reaches out and restores this person to the community. He can not be around others and experience touch. This is very powerful. If we do not experience touch then we do not develop properly. We can even die from the lack of touch. Now while Yeshua has not broken any of Torah he shows that he is living in accordance to it by having the man to go and show himself to the priest and offer the required sacrifices. Here again is a great example of how Yeshua does not do away with the Law (Torah) but give us the correct interpretation of it. This is also an example of how we are to view the written word contra the rules, regulations, philosophies and theologies of man. Scripture is above that which is man made.
There are many conflicts that would cease to exist if we only placed the Scriptures about out reasoning and our own additions to God’s word. Since this disease is spiritual in nature then each of us should have God to search our hearts and root out that which is unclean, especially. Only he can cleanse us. Both the paralyzed man and his friends and the “leprous” man acted out of faith. To trust in God means believing in him in spite of you situation and the rules of social conduct. In both cases they were so desperate that they broke the social rules in order to be transformed by Yeshua. Are you desperate? I know that I am. I want the Lord to cleanse me with hyssop and take away my iniquity. I need Him so much in my life.
Lately I have been feeling like I have “leprosy” and am alone. I have been so frustrated that I have only had bad things to say and feel. I need for God to forgive my sin and lift this bitterness from my heart. I need God to touch me and make me clean.
Peace
The Hebrew 4 Christians web sight give a description of the meaning of the word, tzara’ at.
This text describes certain skin afflictions, collectively called tzara'at, that cause the afflicted person to be impure (tamei) and unclean (tumah). Note that tzara'at is not to be identified with leprosy (as some English translations claim), since the symptoms of tzara'at include not just the afflicted person's skin, but sometimes his clothes and house.
Tzara'at was a skin condition that could only be diagnosed by a kohen (priest), not a doctor. If white or pink patches appeared on a person's skin, the afflicted person was required to contact a kohen for an examination. If the priest detected 1) two hairs that had turned white within the spot, or 2) a piece of healthy skin in the middle of the spot, he was declared tamei (impure or unclean), and then had to follow the prescribed laws for the metzora (person affected with tzara'at); otherwise he was declared tahor (clean).
On the other hand, if the priest suspected tzara'at but was unsure, the afflicted person was quarantined and required to perform teshuvah (repentance). If a second evaluation indicated that the spot(s) had grown larger in size, the person was declared tamei (impure) and was subject to the laws for the metzora (i.e., dwelling "outside the camp" until the person was completely healed).
Tzara'at was essentially a spiritual disease - an affliction that the LORD used to help lead His people to teshuvah. The Babylonian Talmud (Erachin 15b, 16a) lists seven causes for tzara'at, including: murder, adultery, pride, theft, stinginess, a vain oath, and (most of all) for the sin of lashon hara.
In general terms, lashon hara means "the evil tongue," but it should not be understood exclusively as saying slanderous things about others or using profanity (though that is certainly included in the concept). No, lashon hara means saying something bad about another person even if it happens to be true. In other words, lashon hara is gossip, spreading evil (even if true) reports, or expressing a critical spirit about others. Such behavior is explicitly forbidden in Leviticus 19:16. This is also found in the Apostolic writings of the New Testament. What we say has such a powerful effect upon us and others. This is how Miriam got “leprosy”. Jesus says, in Matthew 12:36-37, that every careless word that we say we will have to give an accounting for. James 1:26 and 3:5-8 we see that the tongue is the cause of great sin in the life of the believer. Our words should be bridled. Luke 6:45 out of the abundance of your heart pours out words of evil or good. 2 Tim 2:16-17, gossip and vain babbling is not to be a part of the life of a follower of Yeshua. Such words become a canker. In Psalms 64 speaks about those who whet their tongues to shoot bitter words. This is the way of the unrighteous.
This does not mean that we do not speak out against evil and wrong doing but it has to with the why or the motivation behind our speaking. The first time the Bible shows us a person getting tzara’ at is when Moses speaks evil about the Hebrew captives.
The result of this pronouncement is total ostracism from the community. The person had to have tattered clothes, be unbathed and then call out, “Unclean, unclean”, to the people, that one might meet, that were not contaminated. People were to keep about 8 feet or about 2.2 meters away form the infected person. If the infected person is a priest then they cannot partake of the holy things offered until the Lord. If one does that then they will be cut off from the presence of the Lord, Lev 22:4. In Numbers 5:2 God tells the Israelites to put everyone who has “leprosy”, any type of discharge and anyone who is defiled by touching a dead body, outside of the camp so that the camp is not defiled.
I know that many people might react to these instructions and think that God is cruel, but our obedience to God should not based upon our ability to reason or if it makes sense to us, but because he is our King.
Sometimes this person became “leprous” because of sin, like Miriam and the house of Joab, and Azariah, Numbers 12:14; 2 Samuel 3:29; 2 Kings 15:5. Touching a person with tzara’ at made one unclean until evening. So there were no commands from God about not touching, but according to the oral Torah or the man-made rules then touching was impossible. Here we see that when Yeshua (Jesus) touches the person who was full of leprosy he is not breaking a command and thus sinning. You see at the touch of Jesus the person is made clean. I believe that point of healing started where Jesus touched him and the spread from there to the rest of the man’s body. In chapter 4 Yeshua tells his listener that only Naaman was healed while there were many other people with “leprosy” who were not healed. Now Jesus reaches out and restores this person to the community. He can not be around others and experience touch. This is very powerful. If we do not experience touch then we do not develop properly. We can even die from the lack of touch. Now while Yeshua has not broken any of Torah he shows that he is living in accordance to it by having the man to go and show himself to the priest and offer the required sacrifices. Here again is a great example of how Yeshua does not do away with the Law (Torah) but give us the correct interpretation of it. This is also an example of how we are to view the written word contra the rules, regulations, philosophies and theologies of man. Scripture is above that which is man made.
There are many conflicts that would cease to exist if we only placed the Scriptures about out reasoning and our own additions to God’s word. Since this disease is spiritual in nature then each of us should have God to search our hearts and root out that which is unclean, especially. Only he can cleanse us. Both the paralyzed man and his friends and the “leprous” man acted out of faith. To trust in God means believing in him in spite of you situation and the rules of social conduct. In both cases they were so desperate that they broke the social rules in order to be transformed by Yeshua. Are you desperate? I know that I am. I want the Lord to cleanse me with hyssop and take away my iniquity. I need Him so much in my life.
Lately I have been feeling like I have “leprosy” and am alone. I have been so frustrated that I have only had bad things to say and feel. I need for God to forgive my sin and lift this bitterness from my heart. I need God to touch me and make me clean.
Peace
Saturday, February 6, 2010
we need a hospitality revival
I hate it when people are trying to force me into a mould that I don’t want to be in. One of the things that I have about being an adult is this constant pressure to confirm. It is not that it was not there when I was younger, but now I am an adult man and it seems to me that I should now be in charge of my life, especially when it comes to following Christ.
One area in my life which is really challenging is hospitality. In Romans 12:13-16, which is part of a larger section of teaching, we are instructed in what some of the aspects of presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice means. Those whom are rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation and always ready to pray are also seeing to the needs of others and practicing hospitality. They bless others and show compassion with them as they walk in the shoes of another.
In 1Timothy 3:2 it says that one of the qualifications of a leader is practicing hospitality. In Titus 1:8 it says that hey should be a lover of hospitality. Now just chew on this for a moment. How is it that with all of the paperwork, meetings, and such that a person will have the strength or desire to not only practise hospitality but to love doing it? I think that clue is in how leadership affects those who follow. What the leadership does so does the group. Hospitality practiced among leaders produces congregations that practice hospitality and thus produce cultures of hospitality.
I cannot tell you the last time I heard a riveting sermon about the merits of hospitality. I hear more talk about speaking in tongues, healing, and prophecy than I’ve ever heard about how important it is to serve others and make strangers feel at home, and yet this is one of the spiritual gifts. You know the special abilities that the Holy Spirit gives us, so that the body of Christ is built up, and actually reflects the life of Christ to a world that wanders in darkness.
But there is more
In Hebrews 13:2 it says that when we are hospitable then we might even, without knowing it, entertain angles. We see an example of this in Genesis 18:1-8 when God appeared to Abraham in the plains of Mamre. Abraham, the father of those who trust God in faith, invites them to spend some time with him, quench their thirst, clean themselves up and share a meal. The thing is that God obliges Abraham and the three men stay.
In Judges 13 Manoah entreats the Angel of the Lord to stay and eat with them.
Now that is something to think about!
1 Peter 4:9 tells us that hospitality is not to be done grudgingly by force and guilty feelings but generously. It is part of how we practice Christian love.
As Paul is writing to Timothy (5:10) about the qualifications of the widows that are to be taken care of he talks about how important her life of diligent good works and the reputation that grows from that is. She is to have lodged strangers, washed the feet of the saints, given relief to those who are afflicted, that is hospitality.
Today I was trying to help someone understand that hospitality is something that is very important. Hospitality is one of the signs of a sound biblical teaching. Actually if you are looking for a church to belong to then look and see how the church and its members practice hospitality. I can assure you that if you spend a long time in a community that does not practice this then you may find it increasingly difficult to practice or to grow in hospitality.
Needless to say I did not win the discussion. In fact I was really upset after that failed conversation. Even though many churches are economically pressed, I feel that it is wrong to then use that as an excuse for not practicing hospitality. Does not our God own the cattle on a thousand hills or is it just poetic talk?
So many times we make decisions based solely on what we have in our hands. It might sound responsible to justify why we can’t share our resources, especially with those who have it tough, but it is a flight from faith. Will God take care of our needs, if we generously share what we have with others, or will he not? I think that this question is at the bottom of today’s hospitality crisis. We are often looking at what we loose instead of what we gain.
We need a revival of hospitality. We need to hear sermons telling about how important this spiritual gift is as well as courageous leaders willing to demonstrate it or least not stopping it. We need to make sure that when we have social times after our church services, that we are not excluding the poor and those who have very little from being a part of this time of fellowship, by charging them to participate.
A few years ago, when I was still a seminary student, my family and I stopped participating in the after-service-fellowship, because we could not afford it. I was too embarrassed to have to ask permission to not pay so that we would be a part of the fun that so many others were having. When I did mention it, someone replied, “That tiny sum of money can’t break your bank”. The truth is that for 5 people (my 4 children and I) that money was a whole meal for us. And it would break our bank.
When God has blessed us economically, it is stupidity for us to forget where he has brought us from, and not understand and feel the pressure that those who are less fortunate have live under. One of the largest sorrows in my life is not being able to invite people to my home. I always feel bad about that. But because of a combination of my hours (I work nights), my wife is not a believer and the fact that we live outside of the civic center then it is nearly impossible to have someone at our place. But the home is not the only place to practice this.
At my job and in my daily walk, I hope that I am still practicing a generous hospitality. I don’t know because in my environment there is no one spurring me onward in my obedience to the Lord through my hospitality.
Pray for a revival among the followers of Jesus.
Peace in abundance,
Edward
Friday, February 5, 2010
way too long
Well today i am writing because I just haven't done anything for a long while. I guess that since i have a day off then I don't have a lot to say.
This past week has been very difficult for me. I find myself doing a lot of paperwork. It is not that I am unable but that it just sucks the life right out of me. The dilemma is that if I do the paperwork then people don't complain. I didn't study theology so that I can sit in a room and do administrative work. This has always been a constant struggle in my work and so this is nothing really big. I just hate it that everyone seems to try and force me into this mould.
The main problem is that I know that I have, if God is willing, only about 35 years of life left. Those years can rapidly decrease by sickness and aging. So how do I make the most of the time I have left? How do I serve my God faithfully? How do I invest the talents (this is about my stewardship) that he has given me, in an effective way?
I moved to Sweden because God called me. I did not move here because of tho social services, even though they are terrific. I did not move here to be part of a religious structure, even though I am ordained as a priest in the Church of Sweden. My desire is to encourage others to share their faith, not that I should not but that I should not be the only one. I want to help others to grow in Christ. No growth is equivalent with death and atrophy like stagnation.
Going to church on Sundays is just not enough. There is more to following Yeshua (yes his name in Hebrew is not Jesus) than checking of a religious activity one or two days a week. I believe that it is living in community with others who also want to walk in the Master's footsteps.
In the past I have used this blogg to vent when I am frustrated. I want to introduce something different. i want to widen it's use. I want to share my journey with others. from the dark musings that swirl around in my head to the zany and spontaneous things that keep the child in me alive.
I want to encourage with raw truth and not just nice words. The truth hurts, but it can also lead to change.
I am torn between various groups. The groups want me to belong to them or to lead them or to exclusively commit myself to them. In the process there is always a catch. It is about me having to change and become someone else. They want me to more forceful and then less. To do what they themselves are unwilling to pay the price for. I hate it because it often means that I should take the risk alone instead or "we" take the risk. Now this is not in all groups that I am associated with. But it happens too often.
Now don't get me wrong I have faults. I am way too optimistic about time. I am always trying to cram as much as I can into everything because I really don't believe that there is plenty of time to take care of it later. I will always stop to help someone when I am on the way because most people don't stop. If more people did it then I would have faith that someone else would. I drive everyone around me crazy. people tend to glide away from me over time because I am just a bit much to take.
I work as a Lutheran priest. But that means something different to many other people than it means to me. I could care less about how I dress. when I decide to change from a tee-shirt and jeans to a shirt and slacks, then I'll hear someone make a comment like, "Wow you have decided to dress like and adult today". Like I go around with fuzzy clothing like a baby.
The other thing is my faith. I believe what I believe but it seems that over the years the whole goal is to not make people upset by what we say. This results in there being no room to share and discuss. How can we grow in our faith when we are not allowed to challenge each other. The Church of Sweden is then heading towards path of apostasy. When we care more about people feeling good than about them hearing the truth, we will become apostate.
Case in point. I believe that Jesus Christ (Yeshua HaMachiach) is the only way to forgiveness, eternal life and communion with God. This makes some people upset. If I just keep it privately to myself then that is okay. But actually saying that those priest in who teach otherwise are leading people astray would be considered something wrong. But if I really believe this then I would be a hypocrite for not saying anything. I could be accused of hating instead of loving. Love demands the truth regardless. I can't force anyone but I still must proclaim the truth to those around me. This truth is not shared because I am right but because God has changed my heart and given me love for others. This changed condition results in the boldness to tell them the truth.
I hope to live the rest of my days breaking down the frames that i allow others construct around me. I hope to be a voice that dares to risk it all for the cause of Christ. Hopefully this will happen in community with others who want to walk this crazy path, but if not then I will still follow Yeshua all of my days, or at least until I'm totally senile.
This picture is how I want things to be. Like the water reflects the sky, I want to reflect Christ in my world and time.
God's peace and love in abundance,
Edward
This past week has been very difficult for me. I find myself doing a lot of paperwork. It is not that I am unable but that it just sucks the life right out of me. The dilemma is that if I do the paperwork then people don't complain. I didn't study theology so that I can sit in a room and do administrative work. This has always been a constant struggle in my work and so this is nothing really big. I just hate it that everyone seems to try and force me into this mould.
The main problem is that I know that I have, if God is willing, only about 35 years of life left. Those years can rapidly decrease by sickness and aging. So how do I make the most of the time I have left? How do I serve my God faithfully? How do I invest the talents (this is about my stewardship) that he has given me, in an effective way?
I moved to Sweden because God called me. I did not move here because of tho social services, even though they are terrific. I did not move here to be part of a religious structure, even though I am ordained as a priest in the Church of Sweden. My desire is to encourage others to share their faith, not that I should not but that I should not be the only one. I want to help others to grow in Christ. No growth is equivalent with death and atrophy like stagnation.
Going to church on Sundays is just not enough. There is more to following Yeshua (yes his name in Hebrew is not Jesus) than checking of a religious activity one or two days a week. I believe that it is living in community with others who also want to walk in the Master's footsteps.
In the past I have used this blogg to vent when I am frustrated. I want to introduce something different. i want to widen it's use. I want to share my journey with others. from the dark musings that swirl around in my head to the zany and spontaneous things that keep the child in me alive.
I want to encourage with raw truth and not just nice words. The truth hurts, but it can also lead to change.
I am torn between various groups. The groups want me to belong to them or to lead them or to exclusively commit myself to them. In the process there is always a catch. It is about me having to change and become someone else. They want me to more forceful and then less. To do what they themselves are unwilling to pay the price for. I hate it because it often means that I should take the risk alone instead or "we" take the risk. Now this is not in all groups that I am associated with. But it happens too often.
Now don't get me wrong I have faults. I am way too optimistic about time. I am always trying to cram as much as I can into everything because I really don't believe that there is plenty of time to take care of it later. I will always stop to help someone when I am on the way because most people don't stop. If more people did it then I would have faith that someone else would. I drive everyone around me crazy. people tend to glide away from me over time because I am just a bit much to take.
I work as a Lutheran priest. But that means something different to many other people than it means to me. I could care less about how I dress. when I decide to change from a tee-shirt and jeans to a shirt and slacks, then I'll hear someone make a comment like, "Wow you have decided to dress like and adult today". Like I go around with fuzzy clothing like a baby.
The other thing is my faith. I believe what I believe but it seems that over the years the whole goal is to not make people upset by what we say. This results in there being no room to share and discuss. How can we grow in our faith when we are not allowed to challenge each other. The Church of Sweden is then heading towards path of apostasy. When we care more about people feeling good than about them hearing the truth, we will become apostate.
Case in point. I believe that Jesus Christ (Yeshua HaMachiach) is the only way to forgiveness, eternal life and communion with God. This makes some people upset. If I just keep it privately to myself then that is okay. But actually saying that those priest in who teach otherwise are leading people astray would be considered something wrong. But if I really believe this then I would be a hypocrite for not saying anything. I could be accused of hating instead of loving. Love demands the truth regardless. I can't force anyone but I still must proclaim the truth to those around me. This truth is not shared because I am right but because God has changed my heart and given me love for others. This changed condition results in the boldness to tell them the truth.
I hope to live the rest of my days breaking down the frames that i allow others construct around me. I hope to be a voice that dares to risk it all for the cause of Christ. Hopefully this will happen in community with others who want to walk this crazy path, but if not then I will still follow Yeshua all of my days, or at least until I'm totally senile.
This picture is how I want things to be. Like the water reflects the sky, I want to reflect Christ in my world and time.God's peace and love in abundance,
Edward
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