The Prodigal Son and The elder Brother

The Prodigal Son and The Elder Brother:

A Different Perspective

(Luke 15:11-32)

I love the story of the prodigal son, it is a story of redemption and restoration. Most  people clearly identify with the prodigal son; the brokeness, the shame,etc. and like watching the victory winning shot of the basketball game they cheer (though they have heard the sermon a million times almost) as the wayward son finds his way home, back into his father's arms and to a feast with the fatted calf. The elder brother coming in from the field hears the celebration and refuses to participate; his wayward brother is getting all this attention and he is disgusted and I cannot say that I blame him. I have seen so many well meaning believers demonize the elder brother. He is the son that faithfully served his father and did not stray as his younger brother remember?  I have heard him called a hypocrite, self-righteous, having a religious spirit and so on. I think people who criticize this character fail to see the heart of his reaction and I want to address this  here and now.

Before I discuss the elder brother, I want to address another position of this story, the father's position. I am not yet a parent, but I have plenty of friends who are and they seem to identify more with the father's reaction to his son returning home more than any other position in the story. If they have a wayward child of their own, they really identify with this father's relief to have his child home safely and long for that reality in their own life. I have one friend in particular who has a child struggling with a drug problem. She and her husband try to extend extra grace to this wayward child in hopes he will come home. His other siblings get annoyed with her and her husband stating they don't get that type of grace when they mess up and how unfair it is. She explained to me that this child  (who was raised in a Yah-fearing home) is in a dangerous place in his walk  with Yah and the extra grace is to get him to repent, not because they are playing favorites and do not appreciate their other children who have not strayed from their faith. Nobody knows the pain a parent endures when they have a child out there living sinfully and they have no idea if they are dead or alive and the relief they feel when they come back home alive. For those who have expereinced this, the father's celebration for his son is completely understandable though others may not understand. I can tell you if this were my baby coming home, I would celebrate too!


 For those who give the elder brother such a hard time I ask you to put down your pitchforks and torches for a minute and just look at him as a son who also needed his father's love and celebration. Are there any out there who have had to be the subject of watching another sibling being the recipient of your parents love and attention and they are wayward, in sin and you have not pursued such endeavors and you seem to go unoticed? It can be quite irritating, no? I will take it a step further, how about those of you who have been faithfully serving the Most High for years and I am not talking about religious activity including regular church attendance. I speak of you loving Yah with all your heart and giving it all you got and your "brother" or "sister" goes on a full tilt boogie with sin and when they come to their senses and return to Yah, he pours out all this love and blessing on them. I mean they get the full red carpet treatment and you have to stand in the shadows while they get all the attention after the stunts they pulled. Maybe I am alone in my observation, but I have experienced this in my own life. To the best of my ability I have tried to serve the Most High most of my life (he saved me when I was 12) and  I have seen others in the kingdom go full throttle in their rebellion, then they repent, and Yah gives them a new job, a new house, new car, an awesome spouse

 and it would leave me there scratching my head. I saw so much of this that for a long time I wondered if  I should just go out and "have fun" and stop trying so hard, it seemed to be getting me nowhere. I felt like my effort did not matter in the eyes of Yah, so I could identify with the elder brother feeling like his father did not notice him. In my heart I know it is not true, but externals can be very convincing.

Let me make it very clear that  I am not trying present this picture  that I am perfect that I do not fall short as we all do, what I am saying is that  I understand it can be frustrating to strive to live right  and those around you can live say alot more relaxed and get celebrated by Yah, after a while you may be tempted to say "why bother?", not that you seek to sin against Yah but the question if the effort makes a difference (It does, we just don't see it at the moment). Remember that when Y'shua spoke of the  parable of the lost sheep, he stated that there was more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than 99 who have no need of repentance so that means that people like the Elder brother can be in a position of right standing with the father and not have to be labled as having a religious spirit as many do tend to do. I do not think the elder brother would have been happy if news came his brother had perished in his rebellion, (at least I hope not!) I think he was upset because it appeared that his younger brother was getting rewarded for going astray and he could not understand what the celebration was really about at the moment; his hurt and anger would not let him.

It is good that the prodigal came home, it is good his father welcomed him with open arms and celebrated him, he had a chance to make a new start as anyone who has made the wrong choices desprately needs. I am sure any one of us who lost everything in walking away from our heavenly father  can appreciate the grace the prodigal received and welcomed it for themselves. I know I would. However, I do want to mention that though he felt ignored, the Elder brother was actually in a better position than his brother.  Even though the prodigal son came home and was restored, he had squandered his inheritance, the elder brother had not, the father said to him "My son," the father said, "you are always with me, and everything I have is yours." (vs 31)That is the part of the story we forget about, that sin still has a consequence though we are forgiven. There are many of our brothers and sisters in the Kingdom of Yah that have been restored, but though they have yet to see it this side of heaven that they squandered a portion of their inheritance, (some of those men and women may be us) if not all of it and when they see  what they squandered , there will be regret, but praise Yah their eternal life with Yah did not perish. We don't discuss the story like this because we don't like to think  about the fact that there is accountability for what we choose. Sure we can squander our inheritance here and still make it to heaven, but do we really want to weep for the loss we will face? I do not want to think about it myself, trust me.

I think the elder brother was like many of us, he wanted his father's approval and to be celebrated, but the truth is he had it all along, he just failed to see it because he did not get the fireworks his younger brother did. Fireworks are nice, big, and spectacular, BUT they are temporary. the elder brother's inheritance and his relationship with his father is forever. For the many who feel uncelebrated  by our heavenly father this side of heaven at times (notice I said feel, and feelings are not truth) I encourage you to remember what is written in Hebrews 9:10: For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. He has not forgotten and in due season, he will celebrate you too.


Shalom

God, I need a Favor

The Favor of Yah (God) is a popular subject of many bible teachers in christian circles today. Several books have been written on the subject selling millions of copies. People clap with joy and excitement at the many sermons on the subject because after all, it is nice to be favored, right? To be singled out as special? To be the subject of special treatment  and attention? To walk into an airline and get bumped to first class, or to have the owner of a restaurant comp your meal or give you a dessert on the house and it is not your birthday? These are nice little perks that the Most High does for his children and it is always nice to be the recipient of such attention, but we must not miss the true purpose of Yah's favor, and that is to empower  the man or woman her has selected to fulfill his divine purposes on the earth.When Yah selects someone to fulfill a plan he has ordained, the assignment is never an easy one, so his favor is not a luxury, it is a necessity to bring it to completion. There are many key figures in the bible that received tremendous  amounts of favor from Yah, but if you look at their lives, what they had to face and endure to accomplish what he assigned, you will understand favor's underlying purpose in Yah's overall plan.

Joseph had a dream that his family would one day give honor to him, but the path that lead to that prophecy being fulfilled was extremely difficult. The bible says he was given favor by Yah when he was a slave and when he was in prison. To sustain him through all his difficulties and to position him in a place where he would come in contact with the person (the cup bearer of Pharaoh) who would be his key  to the place and his promotion to become Egypt's Prime Minister, he needed Yah's favor and lots of it.  Queen Esther, a Hebrew orphan and captive in exile was gathered along with probably hundreds of other young women to be a part of the Kings harem and possibly his future Queen. The odds of her being chosen by the king were slim to none without divine  intervention. Yah gave her favor with the right people who groomed her and prepared her to be presented to the king and she was chosen to be queen. However, her new crown was to position her to help save her people from annihilation not so she could sit back and eat dates all day. Noah found favor with Yah to build an ark (that took over 100 years to build) to protect his family and many animals in the midst of  Yah's judgement on the earth. Yah let Moses find favor with the Pharaoh's daughter as a baby and his life was not only spared during a time when male Hebrew boys were being killed, but he was raised under the watchful eye and protection of the very people who called for his execution (if that is not favor I do not know what is). Miriam (Mary) found favor with Yah to be the mother of our Messiah Y'shua which put her integrity in jeopardy  (being pregnant and unmarried) and put her in danger as some time after messiah was born as King Herod sought to kill Y'shua.

I want you to see something here. The common thread that connects all these people together is this, Yah had placed tremendous amounts of favor on these people because they were called to be in a position that would save lives, many, many lives. When you see people given resources, supplies, access to people in places of influence and other things in ways that are out of the ordinary and in some situations just impossible under natural circumstances, that is Yah's favor at work to assist them in saving lives, not to drown themselves in excess. Not to say they do not enjoy some of the benefit, but that is not the sole reason. With the exception of Miriam (Mary) every single one of the aforementioned people were called to be deliverers (Mary gave birth to the greatest deliverer of them all, Y'shua our messiah) . The favor that Yah gave them was not just for their personal benefit, but for the benefit of many. Noah finding favor with Yah to build that ark not only saved his life, the life of his family, and countless animals, but it delayed Yah's judgement for over 100 years (the length of time it took to build the ark) giving the people around him extended time to repent. Sometimes the people around you are spared  (or at least delayed)Yah's immediate judgement because of his favor on you as you fulfill his purpose in their presence. Yah is always about the greater good and for his glory alone.  Joseph was able to save the lives of millions (including his family) during a very severe famine that could have destroyed millions of people because of the favor that ear marked his life.


 Yah can show favor on anyone for any reason without answering to any of us.  His word is chuck full of ways his favor is made manifest to us and it's benefits:

1. Favor is a Shield (Ps 5:12)
2. Favor accompanies wise choices (Prov 3:1-5 & Prov 8:35)
3. When a man takes a wife (Prov 18:22) how is that for Yah being pro-marriage?
4. Takes away reproach (Luke 1:25)
5. Humility brings favor (James 4:6)

There is an abundance of scriptures on the subject and it tells me Yah's enjoys bringing his favor into situations to change men's lives and glorify his name. However like with anything, there is always the potential for abuse or mishandling of such a precious gift. We must take measures to always be grateful when Yah bestows his favor in our life but to also know that where much is given, much is required and he expects us to handle his benevolence properly. Yah's favor is not :


1. To be used as a get out of jail free card when we choose to continue to sin.

There are scriptures that document  when Yah's people got into sin, their choices got them into hot water, they sought his favor and he helped them (II Chronicles 33:1-10) but in many of those situations, they stopped sinning and made amends. We get ourselves into pickles and we need help from Yah to get out of it. There is nothing wrong with enlisting Yah's help when we are in over our heads, my concern is that many preachers today  are teaching Yah's people that he loves his kids sooooo much that what they do is of no consequence all they have to do is call on his name and presto his favor wipes away their mess. This is a dangerous and mis-leading teaching and I will be bold enough to say spits on Y'shuas sacrifice for us.  He was severely beaten, whipped, and CRUCIFIED for our redemption. He did not die for our redemption for us to treat sin so cavalierly. If we find ourselves in a mess of our own choosing and Yah's bestows his favor on us and delivers us, we better gratefully take measures to not make light of it and neglect so great a salvation and it is not a license to do more of the same.

2. To manipulate circumstances to satisfy our greedy desires.

"Oh God give me favor to get that new car, promotion, to snag a husband, snag a wife, to hit the lotto, etc." and the "prayer" list goes on. Again I say this is not to say that  Yah does not answer prayers like these, but I believe if he does, it is in alignment with his purpose, not so we can make a genie out of him. If we are asking for favor to obtain something we better consider why we are asking for it in the first place and really consider if it is in alignment with our Yah ordained purpose. If he answers that prayer, we may live to regret asking for it. King Hezekiah asked Yah to extend his life when the prophet told him he was about to die. He asked  to remember him and Yah extended his life by 15 years during which time he got lifted up in pride, showed off Israels sacred treasures to a heathen king and fathered a child named Manasseh who succeeded him on the throne and was one of the most wicked kings Israel ever had. (II Kings 20). Yah's plans are bigger than we could imagine and it goes far beyond us trying to play the favor card to get "stuff" from him. If that is all we see favor for, we are in sad shape and missing the point.

I will share a true story of how one aspect of how Yah's favor works. I have a friend who is a pastor in Los Angeles who took a trip to see her sister last year in Texas. Her connecting flight was not for a few hours, but as soon as she landed she was informed that she had been upgraded to first class and put on an earlier flight. She was happy for the upgraded  seat as she had been ill and a large comfortable seat was what she needed. Little did she know however that as soon as her plane left Dallas, a torado hit the area and had she been on her original flight, she would have been stuck in Dallas as they had to ground all the planes for a couple of days. In this scenario, Yah's favor had a specific purpose, that upgrade spared her a 2 day delay, possibly saved her life and she was treated to some extra perks to boot. Yah's favor always serves a multi-faceted purpose to accomplish much at once. Those two days she would have  "lost" she was able to spend her sister (as planned) and experienced some spiritual breakthroughs for her ministry from which many people are benefiting. today.

I have another colleague who is an attorney whose passion is for orphans and fatherless children. I have personally witnessed her receiving  an abundance of favor with heads of state, celebrities, and other people of influence to have access to funds and resources for her non-profit organization and other events related to her work.  She uses her access to these things to help these neglected children have a shot at a better life. She does not use it for selfish reasons and because of her faithfulness, Yah has given her more.


The Yah we serve is awesome and there are times he shows us favor just because he loves us and as a sign to us he tends to the smallest details in our lives. I am not here to present Abba Yah as a tyrant  who is selfish with his loving favor (far from it), but I just want to admonish us to stop and consider what his favor is really about; it is to help people, to save people from destruction and make their life and the lives of others better. Let's keep in mind favor's  true purpose, to not take it for granted, to know we will give an account for how we use it, and to use it wisely.


Shalom

Yah's Plans (Jer 29:11)

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, 

saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, 

to give you an expected end. 

(Jeremiah 29:11)

I love this scripture and I quote it often when I am feeling discouraged about the direction my life is going in. Recently however, I decided to re-read the six verses that went before and verse 11 and the 3 verses that followed and this is what it states:

Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;  Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;
 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.
And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.
 For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the Lord.
For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

Jeremiah 29:4-14

The entirety of this passage caught my eye is because many times in our journey  in walking with the Most High we find ourselves in "exile" from our normal life (some of my friends call the wilderness) and we cannot figure out why. We pray, fast and do everything in our power to get out but we find ourselves......stuck. Why are we there? Sometimes we are there because of our sin like Israel and it is our chastisement from Yah, sometimes we are there by divine appointment like Joseph in prison, but in both cases, we cannot get out on our own terms because Yah has set the time for our release and until that time comes, we are not getting out!

The children of Israel (from the southern kingdom) had sinned against Yah and broke his commandments and his punishment to them was that they would be in exile in Babylon for 70 years. He warned them not to listen to the false prophets who would try to tell them being in Babylon was not Yah's will for them and to go back to Israel, but Yah declared they would face destruction if they did that because that is what was coming to the Israelites who did not surrender to the Babylonians  and stayed in Israel instead of accepting their position of exile as instructed by Yah through Jeremiah the prophet. The ones who accepted their situation were told to build houses, get married, have children, and seek a peaceful existence for the duration of time they were there which would be 70 years and afterward Yah would hear their supplications and return them back to their homeland.

The reason why I share this is because as aforementioned the "glorious" plans of the Most High for us many times involve sending us to places we do not want to go and/or stay in. It may be a job, a marriage, or a literally a place we are living. He has us there for a season and a purpose but it works into the plan he has for us and if we want his will we have no choice but to surrender and wait, no matter how long it takes.

In much of modern Christianity, there is an instantaneous deliverance from situations like this  being taught and when it does not happen people get angry at Yah and feel as if he failed them. That teaching is misleading and I wish they would stop teaching it!! Don't get me wrong, I would love to be delivered in 5 minutes and never experience pain and hardship but real life does not work that way. In out instant message, reality show world, those religious motivational speeches do not prepare Yah's people for endurance that is very much needed when his deliverance is not immediate. There are times when he does miraculously  deliver us but more times than not he requires us to stay in situations longer than we want to, that is where our faith is sorely tested and there is no "love gift" big enough you can sow into any ministry to manipulate Yah's timing. We have to make the decision DESPITE our feelings to trust him that he does have a good plan  and outcome for us, and he does.


In my own life I worked at a mortgage banking company that turned out to be a job from hell.

My boss had to be satan's wife or sister. About a year into this job, I tried to transfer out and my boss blocked me, I tried to apply for other jobs outside the company ( I got so desperate I even applied for jobs that paid up to 1/3 less than what I was making) but Yah would not let me leave. In the midst of this Yah made it clear to me he had me there for a reason  and I was not getting out until he was done. I was chained to that job for FIVE YEARS. I cried in the shower every morning, I cried on my way to work  and I cried on my way home. The hatred directed at me from this woman could be felt. The environment was truly demonically charged and it was difficult to be there. The lesson he was trying to teach me was not to run by quitting when the going got rough. I had to take a hard stand against my boss and her wickedness as a servant of the Most High. I stayed on my knees, I had to, in order to survive. When I learned the lesson I needed to learn, Yah let me know my time to go was near and when it was time for me to leave the company, a recruiter from another company offered me a position with his company without me having to apply. When Yah was done with me there, he made all the arrangements for may departure.

When Joseph  was in prison on a phony rape charge. He met a servant of the Pharaoh whose dream he interpreted. He asked the servant to remember him when he was released and the servant forgot him and he was stuck there for another 2 years, until Pharaoh  had a dream and the servant remembered him and he was brought out of prison. Joseph desperately tried to get out of a horrible situation but Yah did not allow it because the set time of his release was not yet. The plans Yah had for him required he STAY PUT so he could promote him to the Prime Minister of Egypt. If Joseph had got out 2 years prior, he probably would have tried to head back home and his role in saving his family would have not come to pass.

This takes me back to the passage about Yah's plans (thoughts). The Most High made it clear to the children of Israel how long they would be  in exile which was 70 years, he would not hear their prayers about this matter until that time had been fulfilled and after that, he said he would hear them and bring them back into the land the exile was apart of the 'good" plan he had in mind for them.  The same goes with us, no matter how much we pray, fast, or cry out to get out of a place Yah has put us in we will not be released until it is time and when we are certain that Yah has us there, we have to be careful not to let well meaning friends and loved ones (our "prophets") tell us that  this cannot be Yah's will for us because even though they are doing it from a place of love and concern for our well being, they are going against Yah's plans. Y'shua (Jesus) had to rebuke Peter when he stated he had to be betrayed and crucified and Peter rejected what he said. When I was in that 5 year job hell, friends who knew the hell I was going through wanted to help me "escape" and would send me ads for jobs which I was tempted to apply for but did not even bother to because Yah had made it clear he was not letting me out any time soon in that season.


I would love to say that the job ordeal is the only "exile" experience I have had in my life time, it is not, I have had many others and in fact I am going through one right now and it is a very hard place to be in. I have prayed, fasted, called friends to pray to no avail, Yah has not released me. This exile has been harder than any other I have gone through in times past and has sorely tried my faith, but I have been through these exile experiences enough to know I will not be getting out until his set time, then he will be entreated by me.  So all that I say to you I say from a place of  personal experience  and I assure you none of us escape this. NOTE, this only applies to situations  where Yah has made it clear that he has positioned you there and you have to stay put, this is not for situations that are harmful and abusive where you have the freedom to leave. Contrary to foolish teachings in christianity,  while he does place us in difficult situations for his purposes Yah does not call us to lay our life down and be mistreated in every circumstance we encounter, we have to pray and discern.

I do not say this to be a kill joy regarding verse 11, but I would be doing you a dis-service if I did not address that we have to see the entire context of his statement.  From Israel's viewpoint (and ours) the plan did not look like a good one; exile, away from their home and everything they knew? How was that a good thing? that is why he told them in verse 11 AFTER he listed what he required of them while they were in exile that his plans were to give them a good end even if it did not look like it at the moment. We have to see the same for our lives, for many of Yah's  people they are going through some hard places and Yah has not released them. It seems more like a cruelty than a kindness, but the Most High is at work and we are submitted and surrendered to him he will work it out for us. If we we rebel against him, destruction will be what we receive.  Read the verses addressed at the Israelites who decided to stay in Israel at the word of the false prophets, they were not safe, destruction was coming their way. I say this as a warning, accept your exile (job, marriage, place, etc), Yah will provide for you in your place of exile and he will bring you out at the right time but you  will not be safe in the place he has not designated this goes for all of us, do not rebel, his outcome for us is good IF we cooperate with him.


There were more details in those plans than we want to see, that will take us places we may not want to go, but if we stay put (in the place, job, marriage, etc.) and obey his  instructions, the end result will be the "expected" end he promised and we can only hope it will not take 70 years :)

Thou Shalt Not Kill- A different perspective

"Thou shalt not kill."       (Ex 20:13)

I want to address this passage this week. Many of us are pretty proud of ourselves when we read this verse, no need for CSI to come by our house for a visit. We look at people on the TV news  or the ones  in history who have taken lives and we can safely say they we have not done such a horrible thing to anyone, not even an unborn child. However, before we scratch that  sin off our list as one we have never committed, I want to share with you what I found when I decided to investigate the definition of the word kill. I found some meanings of the word that have brought me to the conclusion that we might want to re-think what it means to kill before we decide it is only connected to a dead body with a gun, knife, or some other weapon of choice involved.

First I want to address a couple of things about the word kill in the traditional sense as we understand what the word implies.  According to the websters dictionary, it means: "to cause the death of, to make die." First of all in connection with this verse it gives the command not to murder with hateful intent (Deut 19:11-13). There are allowances in scripture for self defense (Deut 22:2). Second of all  there is a thing called a "righteous" kill and by that I do not mean men who kill their wives, daughters, or any other female relative for some accusation they deem worthy of death, I speak of in the bible where  the children of Israel were commanded by Yah (God) in ancient  times to  take the promised land which involved killing the inhabitants so they could inhabit it. King David killed thousands of  men who were the enemies of Israel including Goliath the most famous of his casualties, but it was for the death of Uriah that Yah (God) held him responsible because he was an innocent man.

Now with that out of the way I want to  address I want to address the other definitions of the word kill. The other meanings read:

1.To destroy the virtual or active qualities of

2. To prevent the passage of (legislation) To defeat, veto

             3. To Spend time on matters of little or no importance (kill time)

4. To cause to Stop

5. To prevent to publication of

6. To spoil the effect of, to destroy by contrast

7. To destroy life

 I am going to spotlight some of the definitions  to drive home the point with accompanying stories. All the stories are true situations.

Yah created us to be living vibrant beings, full of  his life, full of his potential  with endless possibilities to bring his kingdom to earth.  but what happens when someone's actions  kill what Yah put inside of us? Consider the following stories :

Story #1 (To spoil the effect of):

A young girl loves gymnastics, her passion for the sport coupled with her natural skill causes her coach to compliment her often. The other girls on the team resent her and accuse her of showing off. She begins to second guess herself, loses her confidence and eventually stops participating. Her love for gymnastics was spoiled, she never did gymnastics again.

What Was killed?: Her confidence and her gift went dormant. 

Weapon: Jealous words 

Story #2 (To destroy the virtual or active qualities of)

Another young girl was molested by a family member, years later when she gets married, she struggles to give herself completely to her husband intimately and could bring herself to fully trust him for many years.

What was killed?: Her innocence (That belonged to her husband)  and her trust in men severely injured  

Weapon: The assailant's hands and threats

 Stories 3-6 (To prevent the passage of (legislation) To defeat, veto 

These are especially dangerous because these interfere with Yah's  laws (legislation), plans and purposes from going forth. To go  against the laws of a King is TREASON!

#3

Mahatma Gandhi, the guiding force that helped lead the Indian people to independence from Britain by preaching the gospel of non-violent resistance. Early in his life Gandhi, who like many Indians was a Hindu, read the Bible and decided that he was attracted to the message of Jesus Christ, especially the part about returning good for evil, about turning the other cheek and blessing those who curse you. So he set out to attend a worship service at the local Christian church.

When he reached the door of the church he was turned away by an usher, a British man, who told Gandhi, “Why don’t you go worship with your own kind?” Gandhi concluded that while the message of Christ was worthy, the people who labeled themselves with his name were not, and he decided to remain a Hindu. 

What was killed?: Gandhi's faith in trusting  Y'shua (Jesus) and possibly millions of souls that he influenced

Weapon: The Racism of the Usher VETOED Yah's  plan to use Gandhi as a vessel.

#4

Three women C, D, & S had an important assignment from Yah that would have affected many lives in a wonderful way. C & D have a misunderstanding. D tries to reconcile the misunderstanding  with C but she refuses and severs the relationship and rallies S to her side against D. The opportunity passes and given to another to complete. The unity between the 3 is never restored.

What was killed?: The Yah ordained Assignment and the unity of three powerful women (and C continued to speak against D to other people they mutually knew  destroying her relationships with those people as well)

Weapon: The Pride and Unforgiveness of C  VETOED Yah's glorious plan for the three in  the assignment he had given.

#5 

 A young girl has a childhood friend with a terminal illness. The presence of Yah (God) is present to heal the little boy, the little girl strong in faith and sensing Yah's (God) tells her friend that Yah (God) wants to heal him.  he is excited, but his mother later discourages his hope believing the doctors report that he is going to die. The boy dies shortly thereafter.

 What was killed?: The little boy literally

Weapon: His mothers unbelief. 

#6

This happens in churches  and fellowships everywhere. The spirit of Yah wants to move among the people to strengthen and heal but the powers that be (leadership)  grieve his spirit because they want to be in control and forge ahead with their service and refuse to be interrupted. Or There are people among them with gifts Yah (God) wants to use to bless and minister to his people, but the powers that be  once again be it fear , jealousy or a controlling spirit do not want to yield the floor to Yah's Spirit and they grieve  him and people do not receive what they need.

 What was killed?: The move of Yah's (God) Spirit in that situation

Weapons: Unbelief, rebellion, stubbornness, fear, control, hatred of Yah (God) 

I know there are some who will argue and say that Yah (God) is ultimately in control and in certain situations (like the gymnast) those people could have chosen not to listen to peoples words or how  can you blame that mom for her son's death? You have a right to your opinion but I ask you to remember that Yah (God) does provide us with a certain amount of freedom and that freedom unfortunately many times DOES affect peoples lives. We don't like to think that our actions towards another could have eternal ramifications because we don't want the responsibility but like it or not we will be held responsible. Beloved, we will be held responsible, so I implore you who read this (as I also remind myself) to remember just because we have not shot someone in the head does not mean we have not stabbed any in the back or the heart with our words and deeds.  Even if the blood is invisible it is still real in the eyes Yah.

 So you see there is alot more to work with here than just avoiding CSI paying you a visit. I bring this up because I want us to rethink what it means to kill to ask ourselves a question, have I killed someone in some way through my action or deeds? Have I killed an opportunity for myself or other people? How many times have we killed the purposes of Yah (God) with our mouth or our own two hands?  if we were to add up the number of killings based on word or deed, we probably would make the worst serial killer on death row look like an altar boy. If we were to look at someone from the inside we would be surprised at how many walking dead live among us; their lives, hopes, dreams  have been killed and while many times it is self inflicted, more times than not, it is by the words and/or actions of others that many are perishing. 

In the midst of this I remember that Y'shua is the resurrection and the life and he can redeem ANY situation. No situation is beyond his reach, but we must be responsible for the things we say and because we will be held responsible and if we are going to be responsible, let it be for bringing life not death. The only thing we should be killing is satan's plans and purposes in our lives and those we pray for and in that case, let the body count begin!

Many are called, but few are chosen to be CRUSHED!

For many are called, but few are chosen. (Matt 22:14)

I notice today many  believers want to have their cake and eat it too, to which I say, what is the point of having cake if you cannot eat it? (but that is for another debate). What I mean is they want to have the benefits of serving the Most High (God) and the trappings of the good life or what  a dear friend of mine likes to call it being a "Christian Rock Star". They have visions of splendor about their "ministry" to millions, their faces plastered on TV while they pray for the president or some high level diplomat. They dream of having a state of the art website shows their professional head shot and  several photographs of them with rappers, actors, famous athletes, ad nauseum. Visions of taking  the position of the lowest servant and washing feet or the possibility their highest calling in might mean they remain unknown and obscure never crosses their minds. 

Why must it be like this? because we have ministers who talk and behave more like motivational speakers than preaching the gospel. They do not address  what the Most High requires to walk in true purpose for HIS glory; which requires a surrendered life of obedience meaning we sign our lives over as a blank check to spend as he pleases (and we may not like what he chooses to spend our life on). They teach more of a self-serving type of message that omits the sacrifice that Yah requires of his servants especially the ones that he will put in the spotlight so to speak. The people that follow them covet their position not understanding the accountability for such a huge level of influence. There is alot of talk about our destiny and our purpose but no one likes to talk about the process that precedes the fulfilment and that involves being CRUSHED. This is not to say that Yah does not have wonderful things planned for each of us and for some it may have the elements of a "Rock Star" type of life, but I warn you, it comes with a price. If you read the scriptures no man or woman that was called to be greatly used by Yah escaped the crushing process and if they somehow did the results were disastrous. In my research, I came across 3 items that all shared the same process for the end result, crushing and those items were olives (for oil) , grapes (for wine), and fine linen and I found a connection for our lives as believers, in order for our true purpose to be released, we have to be crushed.

 Olive Oil

Olive Oil from olives in a press (Looks like blood doesn't it?)

This description I read on line describes the process beautifully:

The process of extracting oil from olives begins with the picking and then bruising and crushing of the fruit. The crushed and broken fruit is then collected into baskets which are stacked one upon the other. They are then placed under the press where tremendous pressure is applied to them. This process slowly crushes the oil from the fruit. The pressure that is applied is firm and fierce, steadily increasing over time until the red stained oil contained therein is extracted from the once unblemished fruit.

 Ever feel like once you were saved that everything in your life started going wrong? Or  after you have been saved a while Yah begins to reveal his plan for your life, then all hell starts breaking loose? Congratulations! You are being crushed.  When I was a young believer there were times when older seasoned believers would tell me I have been "hand picked" by Yah for a purpose. That would lift my spirits and I would walk around with a sense of dignity and purpose, but then I would notice  friends would  start cutting me off,  I would get laid off from a job or experience some other sort of set back. Like the olives, I was hand selected alright....to be bruised, crushed and broken. The anointing the Most High was releasing through me could only be released  through the crushing experiences I had to go through. Not fun, but necessary.

Wine 

Wine Press

 Wikepedia had this to say:

A wine press is a device used to extract juice from crushed grapes during wine making.  There is a number of different styles of presses that are used by wine makers but their overall functionality is the same. Each style of press exerts controlled pressure in order to free the juice from the fruit (most often grapes). The pressure must be controlled, especially with grapes, in order to avoid crushing the seeds and releasing a great deal of undesirable tannins into the wine. 

Tannins: A yellowish or brownish bitter-tasting organic substance

 There are those words synonymous with pain again, crushing and pressure. There are things that Yah has put inside of us that will only be released through a controlled crushing pressure of his doing. So if you are looking for a day when it will "let up" guess again, it won't and the pressure will only increase through time. ( I know, not the type of motivational stuff you are used to hearing right?) I believe Yah gives us moments of rest from the crushing because if he applies too much pressure, then the bitterness (tannins) of the crushing will seep into the wine and ruin what he is releasing through us. With wine then there is the fermentation (maturing) process where grape juice becomes wine and if it sits too long, it becomes vinegar (yuck!) so timing is crucial for the end result. Yah (God)  always has a plan!

Fine Linen

 

 From Answers.com:

Fine linen fabrics have been discovered in ancient Egyptian tombs. The fibre is obtained by subjecting plant stalks to a series of operations, including retting (a fermentation process), drying, crushing, and beating.

Fine linen is some of the most luxurious fabric; soft to the touch, wonderful to sleep in, and the wealthy love to wear it. So how does this fabric obtain it fabulous reputation? through crushing, beating, and being hung out to dry. Nice! Now do you get the picture? The outcome of  some of the beautiful things we take pleasure in, are beaten, crushed and hung out to dry, Just like our messiah, Y'shua and we also must walk this same path because no servant is greater than his master. We want the beautiful outcome but not the process, after all who signs up for pain and more pain? 

Consider Joseph, he dreamed that this brothers would one day bow to him, he was beaten down and crushed  for years as a slave then a prisoner before that happened, because Yah's plan for him was not to just to bestow upon him honor in his family tribe, but the honor of an entire nation that would benefit from the years of crushing he endured to stay a man of integrity. The process was painful!!! but he came through it!. How about David? Who was anointed king of Israel at 17 and spent several years running from the current king who was trying to kill him and trying to stay alive when  his men were plotting stone him when their wives, servants and children were kidnapped by enemy forces. Talk about pressure from all sides, yet he endured the crushing and fulfilled his destiny. 

Then there are people like Jeremiah who went through years of the crushing rejection of the people of Israel and the King himself who opposed his warnings of coming judgment. He fulfilled his purpose only to see his nation in ruins because of their disobedience. Or how about the crushing reality  that John the Baptist had to face when once he fulfilled his destiny of introducing the messiah, that Y'shua did not rescue him from prison and he died there, ouch! So much for the Hollywood ending, there was no cheering crowd and cameras on this side of heaven when John finished his race, just a wicked girl who used her favor with King Herod to end his life and parade his head as her trophy, but John was no failure, he did to the fullest what he was born to do!

These are the realities of greatness that we don't like to talk about and I would be doing a disservice to you if I filled this post with fluff. If we want the gold medal, then we have to put in the hours of training and preparation that proceeds that moment.We have to be prepared to be crushed if we want the glory that follows, there is just no way around it. I do not look forward to the crushing seasons anymore than you would but I always find myself stronger and wiser on the other side of it, but believe me I feel the pressure the breaking and crushing of the olive press just the same and I hate it (I do not like pain), but I need it and so do you.

The good news is, no two peoples "crushing" process is the same because no two peoples callings are the same, but I warn you if you are truly called to a "mega" sized ministry your crushing is going to be alot more severe because of the amount of people you will influence and the accountability you will have before Yah for that influence. Do you want that type of accountability before the Holy One of Israel? We are talking about eternal souls here, not a project to stroke our egos. Your character and mine is far more important to the Most High than our photo on a billboard so be careful what you ask for. I would  NEVER want to be personally responsible for someone stumbling to hell, NEVER. So you cannot start complaining when the heat is on and moan how unfair it is  when you sister or brother is only required to do 10 push-ups and Yah's demands 1,000 out of you. If you are called (note I said CALLED, not coveting) to be responsible for a mega ministry, get ready for some mega beating and crushing! No guts, no glory and a character not surrendered to Yah COMPLETELY  cannot sustain the responsibility for the influence for millions of lives.  Joseph's crushing was severe to the point being a prisoner one step from death before he was elevated to the position of Prime Minister of Egypt and he was able to have compassion on people from every walk of life. When you have been in the place other people are in, you will not be judgemental of them. The crushing humbles us and deals with our pride and self importance. If effective, we know who we are  and more importantly who Yah is and we never confuse the two.

Are you willing to be crushed?

COME SEE ABOUT A MAN (JOHN 4)

In churches and congregations, people are encouraged to go into all the nations and spread the gospel and make disciples, but I question are we making disciples or recruiting members for religious indoctrination? Do we feel a sense of pressure to "win" every single person we witness to? I believe we have. We put on ourselves a success rate that Yah (God) himself does not place upon us.  Even Y'shua (Jesus) was not successful (so to speak) in getting every person he came in contact with to follow him, some beckoned to his call, some did not. We do not like  to think of Y'shua as failing at anything but the fact is humanly speaking not everyone heeded his call and he was perfect in every way; he stole from no one, he misled no one, he spoke the unadulterated truth and  did not try to control anyone! He was the perfect leader!  He presented the truth, let them decide and yet many still were not interested!. He respected their decision and did not convince them to stay or go. If they walked away he let them walk, if they decided to stay, he gave them more instruction.

Sharing the gospel is not difficult, religious agendas have made it difficult. Y'shua does not make it hard for people to have access to him, religious people with their baggage  are the ones that hold up he line. In John chapter 4, Y'shua makes a stop in Samaria  where he strikes up a conversation with a Samaritan woman at a well. Using water as the ice breaker, Y'shua opens up a dialogue with the woman engaging her in a conversation in  which he reveals things about a water that will never leave her thirsty, he reveals some intimate details about her private life and eventually reveals himself to her as the promised messiah they have been waiting for. In her excitement she runs back to town and tells the men, "come see about a man who told me everything I did," The people came out to see Y'shua for themselves, they asked him to stay with them, he stayed a couple of days  during which  many became believers. they told the woman later that they now believed not because of what she told them but because they got to know him for themselves.

Our job like the Samaritan woman is to make the introduction and let people decide. I teach manners classes and  the art of the introduction is to introduce someone to another person  with a few interesting details, then the person decides if they want to take measures to get to know the person on a deeper level or  keep a friendly distance.  The person making the introduction usually knows some personal details about the person they are introducing.  The problem with people who have been indoctrinated into religion is that they have facts but not always truth. They are trying to introduce people to someone they have not been introduced to themselves. The definition of witness is A person who sees an event , the definition of a testimony is Evidence or proof provided by the existence or appearance of something.  The Samaritan woman  was a witness (she met the messiah) and a testimony (he told me everything I did) armed with those two things, she told people about the messiah, they inquired further, he revealed himself to them, and many (not all) believed for themselves. She made the introduction and Y'shua did the rest. Notice I said that many, not all believed. To those who wanted to know more, Y'shua revealed more of  himself and those who were not interested and walked away, he respected their decision.

In my humble opinion  many of us  (in our sincerity)are wasting precious time trying to convince people to choose Yah (God) and the salvation he offers through Y'shua (Jesus). We speak of "winning" people for Yah (or is it for church recruitment?) like it is an Olympic competition, it is not.  It is not our responsibility to convince anyone to seek Y'shua (Jesus), we are only responsible to  introduce people to the one with whom we have had a life changing encounter and it is up to them to decide for themselves if they want to further investigate who he is. The end result should be that they go on to become believers, but some will walk away and we have to let them (but pray for them). We are not to feel guilty like we "lost" one, Y'shua  let people stay or walk away, he let everyone own their decision, including Judas' choice to betray him. I say say this not like I believe that Y'shua did not care about people's decisions, but that he gave them  the freedom to choose, he did not want automatons, he wanted living breathing followers, who wanted to follow him  freely, not because someone "talked them into it". To be a follower of Y'shua is not a country club  existence. It is not a Tony Robbins experience, to follow him comes with a high price, but so worth it. I believe he always leaves the door open because Yah (God) is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance, but they have to chose.


I believe the reason alot of people's  power to be a witness falls flat is that they never moved beyond the testimony of the "Samaritan woman" in their lives to seek out a personal encounter with Y'shua for themselves, they are still living off another persons testimony meaning they never got past the introduction. For our testimony to be effective we have to first have a living breathing encounter with the Most High that makes the reality of Y'shua so tangible that we cannot help but tell others to "come see about a man".....

Defiance

And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. (Matt 13:58)

Unbelief (Apistia) - Withholding belief in divine power

Withhold-Refuse to give (something that is due to or is desired by another)

I used to wonder why the Most High was so angry when people were in unbelief and why Y'shua (Jesus) was also annoyed with the people of his day when they were acting in unbelief, now I know why, because their unbelief was something they were in complete control of.  They  were according to these definitions deliberately refusing to give Yah the faith (belief) that he expected and was due him. Unbelief is in essence saying. "I know you want me to believe you Yah, but I refuse to give you what you want." OUCH!! Defiance at it's worst.  In the book of revelation when Yah through John started listing off the people that will have their part in the lake of fire the fearful and unbelieving were at the TOP of the list. The sexually immoral and sorcerers were a little furthter down the list. So while someone is looking side-eyed at the person worshipping buddha,  their unbelief is just as much of an abomination  and is further up the list!! 

In my humble opinion (and I stand corrected, if I am wrong) I do not see doubt as harshly judged (though Yah is not pleased with doubt either) because it seems in that attitude there genuine uncertainty and a need for some confirmation. A good case was "Doubting" Thomas, he said he would not accept  the disciples testimony of Y'shua's resurrection unless he can feel his hands and side (John 20:26-29). Y'shua appeared and allowed Thomas to feel his hands and touch his side, Thomas immediately believed Y'shua gently rebuked him for his lack of faith.Because upon being granted tangible evidence he BELIEVED, he dis not say "OK Y'shua I still don't believe it." he did not withhold his belief, he quickly gave it! It was already there, he just needed some proof.

Abraham is called the father of faith because when Yah told him something, he did not withhold belief, he gave it.

For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. (Romans 4:3)

So the 4 rewards of Unbelief (none of which I want)  are as follows

1. Lack of Miracles (Matt 13:53, Matt 17:19-20)

2. Not being able to enter into his rest  (Hebrews 3:19, Hebrews 4:6)

3. Being cut off from Yah (Romans 11:20)

4. The Lake of Fire (Rev 21:8)

It is not enough to keep ourselves out of the sin of unbelief, we must  not listen to or  allow people who operate in it (by choice) to be around us. The consequences are:

1.Strife ( Acts 14:2)

2. Being cut off from the promised land and perishing in the wilderness ( Numbers 13:25-33,Numbers 14:1-30)

3. Being shut out from witnessing Y'shua's miracle working power.  (Mark 5:38-43)

Unbelief is the  refusal to give Yah what he requires, faith (belief, trust, confidence)  without which  it is impossible to please him.  

But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Shalom