Takin' It Personal

By JimZ, 22 January, 2010, 2 Comments

Yeshua promised us persecution. It is the mark of a true follower of Messiah and He taught us that we are blessed when we experience it. He also taught us that we should be very happy to find ourselves in the same lot as YHWH’s servants who have preceded us:

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12 KJV)

Note the keywords “for righteousness sake” and “falsely.” We are blessed when people revile, persecute and “say all manner of evil against” us falsely. The reason they make up all manner of stories is because they hate our desire to live a righteous life under the New Covenant. And the stories are not true. If we are accused of wrongdoing for wrong we have actually done, that is not persecution.

If we strive to live by the Spirit we can expect (as in “count on it”) those who live by the flesh to become very nasty at times. I feel safe in assuming we all have personal experience to back up the experience of YHWH’s followers in scripture: few can be more vicious to His servants than the religious status quo.

But that is good. It separates the real from the fake. Persecution for our faith is a mark of authenticity. It is a mark that has been shared by Messiah Yeshua and all His servants throughout all the ages.

And we need not be overly concerned about those who undertake to work against YHWH by oppressing His servants. In fact, we need not be concerned about them at all. The matter already concerns YHWH and He is taking note. In fact, He is taking their actions very personally.

How do I know this? Just look between the lines of the parable told by Yeshua as recorded in Matthew 25:32-46.

You’ll recall that in “the end of days” the righteous and the cursed are separated into two groups like goats and sheep. Our Messiah commends the righteous for ministering to Him in the hours of His greatest needs. Astonished, they respond:

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (Matthew 25:37-40 KJV)

Obviously Messiah has taken very personally the mercies and ministering extended to the very least among us. Doing good to them was counted as doing good directly to Messiah.

As for the cursed, Messiah orders condemnation to Hell. The goats, like the sheep, are astonished:

Then shall they [the cursed of 25:41] also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. (Matthew 25:44-45 KJV)

Every time the needs of even the least among us are ignored Messiah is personally offended. Presumably these cursed “goats” had the ability to do something for the needs they saw but chose not to do so. Ignoring those needs was counted directly as ignoring the needs of Messiah!

So we have those who served Messiah by serving the needy. And we also have those who ignored the Messiah by ignoring the needy. But missing from the parable is another group that is appears in Scripture and in life: those who outright oppress the needy.

There are some who would be doing a great service to the needy just by ignoring them. Instead, they seek to cause harm out of fear, envy, greed, pride, selfishness and a host of other flesh-inspired motivations. What might Messiah say to them in that day of judgement?

We don’t know but, following the parable’s formula, it might go something like this:

“I was hungry, and you stole my bread by making it impossible for me to find work or to be even mildly profitable in business. I was thirsty and you poisoned my well and then encouraged my neighbor to withhold water from me. I was a stranger, and not only did you leave me out in the cold, you made sure I was shunned by any who might be inclined to take me in by telling all manner of lies to destroy my reputation and to cause people to fear me without cause. I was naked, and you sought to keep me uncovered and vulnerable. I was sick, and you made sure to try to weaken me unto death. I was imprisoned and you sought to add false accusations against me in order to further lock me away out of spite, fear, envy and jealousy.”

There are some who that fall in this unspoken category. Ironically, coming under the oppression of this group is a great opportunity and is therefore, a blessing.

To take advantage of the opportunity, we must not get suckered into joining their wickedness. Yeshua commanded that we repay evil with good. Their evil is our opportunity to be salt and light for Messiah.

And we must also focus on continuing in YHWH’s service without becoming discouraged. We must not allow our faith to be shipwrecked by evil-doers and evil-deeds committed against us as has happened to so many others.

Finally, we need to bear the “beatings” such persecutions bring as a servant of the Lord. We must rejoice because we find ourselves in the way of our Messiah, His apostles, and all His prophets and servants throughout history. Indeed, we find ourselves walking the same path as all who will live godly in Messiah:

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12 KJV)

You may not bear marks upon your body in your own situation, but the marks you bear upon your soul in service to YHWH are not in vain. Our Messiah is taking such actions very personally.

Father, we thank you for your Word that teaches us how to pursue paths of righteousness in a wicked and sin-twisted world. Grant us the grace and mercy to respond to evil with good and to bear up under testing with patience and faith in your protection and deliverance from our oppressors. Have mercy on our oppressors and grant to them the eyes to see their sin and the grace to repent and seek first your Kingdom and righteousness, as you have done for us. We thank you for the promises and hope we have in your Kingdom. We trust you will bring to pass all you have said and wait patiently for your vindication. We ask these things in the name of Yeshua our Messiah. Amen.

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Permission to reproduce and distribute hereby granted if the following four conditions are met: 1) The article must be reproduced in its entirety and the content may not be modified in any way. 2) Author’s name and copyright information, including these permission conditions must appear with article. 3) Author’s contact information (jim@jimzboran.com | www.jimzboran.com) must appear with article. 4) Article must be freely distributed without charge or financial gain.

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Our King Really, Really, Hates These

By JimZ, 21 January, 2010, No Comment

YHWH has given us the very great gift of a New Covenant relationship with Him. Under the New Covenant we are made to be His people. This involves atonement for sin, becoming a new creation, and having our character formed to be like that of Yeshua through life-experience as we seek to keep in step with the Spirit.

Having our character formed to be like that of Yeshua is called “progressive sanctification.” Progressive sanctification is the process of becoming more and more set-apart (separated) from the world as we live life more and more line with the Kingdom of YHWH in our thoughts, attitudes, and actions.

As we pick up the call of Peter:

As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (conduct); Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. (1 Peter 1:14-16 KJV)

What we do as believers under the New Covenant does matter. The more we identify with the world and live according to its godless and/or idolatrous practices the more we stand in the way of YHWH’s will for us. It is His will that we, as His people, be set apart from the world and conformed to the character of Yeshua.

While the benefit of progressive sanctification is our right as New Covenant children of YHWH, others benefit by it as well. By seeking first the Kingdom of YHWH and His righteousness, we are made participants in the great work He is doing to bring about His will in the world. This is a great blessing and gift. And a very great responsibility.

We are not forced into progressive sanctification any more than we were forced into the New Covenant. We must choose to seek that course in response to His call to do so. It is our responsibility to make the choices that reflect YHWH’s call on our lives.

On His part, He has provided a new heart in us, His Word, and His Spirit to enable us to pursue and successfully realize progressive sanctification. But we must make the choice to avail ourselves of the many great and precious promises He has given us whereby we might lay hold of a life of godliness.

In the course of daily life, some often don’t recognize when they are presented with a choice to be made between the world and YHWH. That is because sin can become so entrenched in our environment that it seems “normal” to us. We don’t recognize that something is amiss.

One such area that is prevalent among believers today, in my experience, is addressed in the book of Proverbs. In it we are presented with a list of seven things the Lord hates. He hates them so badly that they are called an abomination to Him! An abomination is “something that elicits extreme abhorrence, disgust, repugnance and aversion.” In other words, God really, really hates these seven things.

Lest we miss the regularly presented opportunities to make the right choices in these matters, we would do well to review that list briefly here.

Can you imagine what this list must include in order to be so offensive to the Lord? Surely, we would think, it must contain some vile items in order to be so repulsive to YHWH.

But chances are you will be surprised to find you personally know, and perhaps even consider as “godly,” some fellow believers who abide in more than one of the items on the list of things YHWH hates.

Let’s take a look:

These six things doth YHWH hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. (Proverbs 6:16-19 KJV (Unmasked))

If we read through the list casually or quickly we risk missing the impact of realizing that YHWH abhors some practices that are actually very common among some circles of “followers.” Let’s slow down and absorb what is listed in order to gain YHWH’s perspective and thus respond accordingly when we see them in our midst.

Proud Look: If humility is a key to the kingdom of YHWH then pride will barricade the door. Consider that YHWH gives grace to the humble and resists the proud (James 4:6).
So why do we sometimes extend our own grace to those who are most arrogant and condescending in our congregations? Is there anyone who speaks up for those who are looked down upon (or even just plain looked over) in our congregation? If not, then why is it not us?

Better to risk offending a proud but prominent congregation member than risk offending YHWH by turning a blind eye to some situations.

Lying Tongue: Have you ever been lied to by another believer in order for them to gain some advantage over you? Have you ever been mislead into believing something false by the words of a follower of Yeshua?
I know some people who automatically grant great trust to others who make any kind of claim at all to prayer, Jesus, the Bible, or if they display any sort of religious items in their environment.

I’ve seen those same people get burned big time by these religious play-actors, too. Lying is not a godly act, nor is it excusable. In fact, YHWH hates it. And don’t forget who Yeshua said is the father of all lies. “Who’s your daddy?” Might be a good question to ask in the congregation sometimes.

Hands that Shed Innocent Blood: Aha! Here’s a big one: murder, right? But let’s look at this item again in context of the other items listed. John wrote: “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer” (1 John 3:15 KJV).
What about “character assasination?” Isn’t that trying to destroy somebody by impugning their character, often falsely, out a motive of hatred? There are many I know personally who have “blood on their hands” from destroying the reputations of brothers and sisters in Messiah. I suspect many congregations are full of “murderers” of this variety.

Heart that Deviseth Wicked Imaginations: Can you imagine a believer actually spending time and effort dreaming up, working out, and planning some scheme to hurt or cheat a fellow believer? Many former followers of Yeshua now despise any form of fellowship because they have been victimized by such as these.

Feet Swift to Mischief: Know anybody who loves to be in the middle of every controversy? You know the type: gleefully stirring the pot, running here and there to act as talebearer, delighting in discord. Causing strife for anyone else is not entertainment. It is not doing the work of the Kingdom or YHWH. It is not a payback. It is sin. Abominable sin according to YHWH’s measure.

False Witness Speaking Lies: This would include lying about others or spreading rumors. When a person repeats a rumor, especially when done in a way that suggests they are expressing fact, they act as a witness.
Even if they are mistaken, they are still a false witness because they are acting like they know something when they haven’t even verified it for themselves. Scripture has much to say about being a gossip. And about being a false witness. Much that is too often ignored among the brethren.

Sower of Discord Among Brethren: Yeshua said that peacemakers are blessed because they shall be called the children of YHWH. That’s because they are like their Father, who is a peacemaker. Why do some followers of Messiah get so much satisfaction out of fanning the flames of controversy between parties?
Let’s not be fooled. This behavior is downright ungodly and is contrary to the purposes of YHWH among His people. No wonder it is abominable to Him!

Notice that the whole body (eyes, hand, heart, tongue, feet) is involved. These verses are directed to those who make it a very part of their physical being to do these things. They “abide” in their sin.

These are not sins that are repented of and forgiven (1 John 1:8-9). They are sins that are welcome and comfortable friends in some people’s lives. And they attack the body of Messiah while working contrary to the purposes and will of YHWH. They are an abomination to Him. As His people, with His Spirit in us, they should be an abomination to us as well.

So let’s take every opportunity in daily life to set ourselves apart from these seven things. That alone will take us a long way in our journey of progressive sanctification.

Father in Heaven, thank you for your New Covenant and for providing the way for us to enter into it with you. Grant us the grace and mercy to set ourselves apart from the world, being holy as you are holy. Help us especially to avoid the terrible sins in society, even among your people who remain immersed in society, by making us aware of how much you hate them. We are willing to be set apart from the world, Father. Please make it so in our daily lives. We ask this in the name of Yeshua our Messiah. Amen.

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Permission to reproduce and distribute hereby granted if the following four conditions are met: 1) The article must be reproduced in its entirety and the content may not be modified in any way. 2) Author’s name and copyright information, including these permission conditions must appear with article. 3) Author’s contact information (jim@jimzboran.com | www.jimzboran.com) must appear with article. 4) Article must be freely distributed without charge or financial gain.

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Mary, Martha, Me, and You

By JimZ, 20 January, 2010, No Comment

Serving the Messiah, building His Kingdom, ministering to the needs of others in His Name. The work is never finished. In fact, it seems to increase the more we move forward.

But reading His Word, meeting Him in Prayer, being still and knowing that He is God… Somehow there never seems to be enough time to do those things too. They get pushed aside “until later” all too often…

Our intentions are good but there is so much to get done. And so little time to do it in. We tend to decide to get the pressing things done today because we feel pressure to act now. But we must stop ourselves!

Let’s catch our breath and remember Mary and Martha:

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:38-42)

The need was NOW for Martha. Martha had received the Messiah into her house. She was the hostess and it was her responsibility to make sure the hospitality was in order.

The amount of work pressing on her caused her to feel burdened, hindered, and “cluttered-up” (that’s what “cumbered” means) from all the running around to serve the guests.

And there was Mary sitting down. True, it was at the Master’s feet to listen to His teaching. But harried Martha had her hands full. With Mary’s help, Martha might be able to sit down and learn that much sooner. Yeshua seemed slow to recognize this so exasperated Martha “nudged” Him a bit.

Yeshua’s words, a picture of grace and mercy in tone, likely caused Martha to sit down right then and there. Let’s listen again and try, once more, to really hear them this time:

Martha, thou art careful (ie. full of care) and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part…

How tempting it is to be “care-full” and troubled about many things as we serve our Messiah, trying to do all that is urgently needed. Ironically, if we take the bait, we end up not doing what was actually needed.

What isn’t needful is to be caught up in the many things we might easily be troubled and filled with care about as we minister to others. Yet all too often that is exactly what we occupy ourselves with. But we must learn to be different.

What is needful is that we be “caught up” in keeping a front-row seat with our Messiah. For me that means Bible reading, reflection, and prayer. These are the “living” things which are so easily put off until later so that we may undertake all the “dead” things that need to be laid to rest now. Poor choice. Messiah Yeshua told us the good choice: Him.

So now picture all of us, along with Mary and Martha, sitting at the Master’s feet listening. Who will be getting up to do a quick tidy-up? By YHWH’s grace, next time it won’t be me! How about you?

Abba, Father, thank you for your patience with us. Forgive us for those times when we are full of care and troubled about many things. Help us to focus on those things that are needful: to keep in close communion with you through daily prayer, Bible reading, and Spirit-led doing of your Word. Grant us the grace to be able to distinguish between the urgent and the important and help us to do those things that are most needful. We ask these things in the name of our Messiah, Yeshua. Amen.

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Permission to reproduce and distribute hereby granted if the following four conditions are met: 1) The article must be reproduced in its entirety and the content may not be modified in any way. 2) Author’s name and copyright information, including these permission conditions must appear with article. 3) Author’s contact information (jim@jimzboran.com | www.jimzboran.com) must appear with article. 4) Article must be freely distributed without charge or financial gain.

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I Agree. Cautiously.

By JimZ, 19 January, 2010, 6 Comments

I read the following in an email from a discussion group I follow:

In essence you are stating that the “traditional Christians” are not filled with the Spirit, not following the Spirit, maybe not even saved. And that just isn’t true.

I think the majority of those good people are following the leading of the Spirit to the very best of their enlightenment. They are just under bad (not false) teachings. And those teachers are teaching to the best of their enlightenment also. None of these people (laymen nor teachers) are maliciously disobeying God’s commands.

[snip]

We need to be very respectful of our brothers and sisters who are “not obeying” as we see obedience. After all, look how long it took most of us to see through all the layers of bias we’d been taught. And we still don’t have it all right. We’re just barely scratching the surface.

Great insights! This is also a great example of the “benefit of the doubt” we should give to all who, in good faith, don’t see things in our faith as we do. And there are many who fall in that category.

I think the person who wrote those words echoes the same Spirit as Paul admirably:

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. (Philippians 3:13-16 KJV)

BUT there is an important caveat: “Wolves” and “Weeds” among the brethren also see things differently than us. But in their case, they are part of a strategy of Satan meant for our harm.

Note how Paul continues after the verses we just read:

Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) (Philippians 3:17-19 KJV)

Immediately after encouraging the Phillipians to set aside honest differences in pursuit of the bigger picture, Paul warned them about staying away from trouble-makers in their midst. That’s the other side of the coin of appropriate action toward those who disagree with us.

We must give the benefit of the doubt to those who arrive at a different understanding of YHWH honestly. But Wolves and Weeds don’t differ with us honestly. They differ oppositionally.

Their interest is not in arriving at truth but rather in obscuring it so they can continue their destructive activity. That is their function among believers: destroy the saints by choking them out or by tearing them up.

Wolves and Weeds are not keeping in step with the Spirit, or even trying to do so. In fact, they work against the Spirit. They are sent by the Enemy to hinder us, even to the point of stopping us. “Wolves” are those who enter the flock with a lust to kill sheep. They usually come dressed in “sheep’s clothing” and they hide among the “Weeds” for cover.

Those of us who are charged with the responsibility of protecting a flock have learned that Wolves are very tricky. Usually there is no indication of a problem until a string of ripped-up sheep begin popping up. Then we know there is a resident problem. And experience tells us the place to find them is usually hiding among the Weeds.

The Weeds are those that are present to choke out the good crops. They have no intention of producing a harvest of righteousness nor a harvest for the Kingdom. Rather they multiply and attempt to smother the Spirit in a congregation. They do this by nay-saying, discouragement, and providing examples and enticements to follow them in their worldliness.

Wolves and Weeds do have one important function among believers: expose the real flock among the brethren:

For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. (1 Corinthians 11:18-19)

I appreciate the words in the email I quoted above. I applaud the spirit in which they were written. We should seek to have an attitude of charity and good-will with other believers, even when we have come to different conclusions about our faith in good faith.

That doesn’t mean we have to do what they do. That also doesn’t mean we should not teach or explain our position. Further, it does not mean we should not cling to our good conscience and considered study in a matter.

But it does mean that we accord those in our faith who honestly disagree with us the respect and love due brethren. In the end, just as we should do with ourselves, we must leave them to the hand of their Master.

He is able to make them stand just as He is able to make us stand. But Wolves and Weeds are a different story. They will not be made to stand. In fact, they will fall in due time. Until that day, we must take care not to be choked out or ripped up by Wolves and Weeds.

But we must also refrain from choking out or ripping up the brethren who disagree with us. If we don’t, what distinguishes us from the Wolves and Weeds?

Abba, Father in Heaven, we thank you and praise you for your great goodness to us. You have provided us with your Spirit and your Word and all of your great and precious promises that by them we may lay hold of life and godliness. May we treat our brethren with all charity and may we see all Wolves and Weeds with clarity. Grant us the grace, Father, to see as your Son sees, as we have the same Spirit as He. Glorify your Name and your Kingdom in us by helping us to respond appropriately to the brethren and also the world. We ask these things in the name of Yeshua our Messiah. Amen.

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Permission to reproduce and distribute hereby granted if the following four conditions are met: 1) The article must be reproduced in its entirety and the content may not be modified in any way. 2) Author’s name and copyright information, including these permission conditions must appear with article. 3) Author’s contact information (jim@jimzboran.com | www.jimzboran.com) must appear with article. 4) Article must be freely distributed without charge or financial gain.

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Torah or Not Torah, That is the Question

By JimZ, 18 January, 2010, 10 Comments

Recently I was filling out a form in which I was asked for my view on the role of the Torah in the life of a believer. Outstanding question! All followers of Messiah should ask themselves that question. There is a very important answer to be found to it.

The Torah consists of the first five books of the Bible and is foundational to understanding all that follows, from Joshua to Revelation.

We understand, of course, that Torah does not play the role of providing a way of salvation. (A way that is within our reach as fallen humanity anyway.) The clear teaching of Scripture is that we are saved by faith and not by acts of righteousness:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)

But many forget to keep reading. And the next verse provides us with a clue regarding the place of Torah for we who have been saved by grace through faith:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10 KJV)

We are not saved by works, but we are saved to do works. Good works are not an add-on to our faith. They are the inheritance, or birthright, of our faith as new creations. That is one of the greatest promises to those of us under the New Covenant:

But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith YHWH, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jeremiah 31:33 KJV (Unmasked))

And, also speaking about that New Covenant:

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. (Ezekiel 36:26-27 KJV)

In light of all that, the answer I provided on the previously mentioned form went along these lines of thought:

The Torah is YHWH’s gift of instruction in righteousness to His people.

We need YHWH’s instruction in righteousness in order to respond to His call for us to be holy. The Torah also provides us with foundational instruction to help us follow Yeshua’s instruction to seek first (ie. make our top priority) YHWH’s kingdom and His righteousness in our lives.

Upon the foundation of our faith in the redeeming work (sacrificial death on the cross) of Yeshua and the grace of forgiveness from our Father we are freed from the bondage of sin and made alive to Messiah. That life in Messiah is the “building” we put on the foundation of our salvation.

The role of the Torah, for those in YHWH’s kingdom, is to be the “cornerstone” from which we make all reference to what we do after salvation, lining up and keeping straight the lives we build in the name of Yeshua.

Perhaps that wasn’t worded in a theologically elegant way. (It was, after all, a form seeking brief background information.) But it would serve as an adequate working understanding of the role of Torah in the life of a believer to get started.

That was my answer. But what is really important to your life is how you would answer it. It is an important question to ask oneself and meditate on while engaging in daily Bible reading and prayer.

So then, what is your view on the role of Torah in the life of a believer?

Abba, Father, please help us to mory fully understand, day by day, your Torah and help us to apply our living to your Word in accordance to your Spirit’s leading. We ask this in Yeshua’s name. Amen.

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Copyright 2010 Jim Zboran. All rights reserved.
Permission to reproduce and distribute hereby granted if the following four conditions are met: 1) The article must be reproduced in its entirety and the content may not be modified in any way. 2) Author’s name and copyright information, including these permission conditions must appear with article. 3) Author’s contact information (jim@jimzboran.com | www.jimzboran.com) must appear with article. 4) Article must be freely distributed without charge or financial gain.

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Passing the Comfort Along

By JimZ, 15 January, 2010, 4 Comments

It’s a wonderful thing to receive the comfort of YHWH in our troubles. And there is much hope to be found in the scriptural promises that our struggles are working to conform our character to Messiah-likeness.

A part of that shaping process is to equip us for ministry to others in their times of distress:

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 KJV)

If we have been comforted by YHWH in our own times of trouble we should pass that comfort along to others experiencing tribulations. That is a part of the work YHWH is equipping us for when He comforts us in our troubles.

And sometimes that comfort must be given with physical help, not just words of encouragment:

If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? (James 2:15-16 KJV)

Of course, we must always keep in step with the Spirit in providing comfort to others. It is quite possible to become an “enabler” of self-destructive patterns or addictions if we blindly or indiscriminately throw in help everywhere. But there are ways of helping actual needs without catering to destructive “felt” needs.

On the other hand, we must be very sure we are not using the Spirit as a way of spiritualizing a selfish and hardened heart. If the Spirit is giving express and clear direction not to help then we should not. But without a direct leading not to help, it is safe to assume that we should help as far as we are able to do so. That seems to be the general principle of Scripture:

But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? (1 John 3:17 KJV)

If we accept the comfort of YHWH in our times of trouble but turn a blind eye on our brothers and sisters who are currently under duress we have not allowed YHWH’s comfort to us have its complete work.

He comforts us so we learn to comfort others with His comfort. In a sense, He calls us into partnership with Him. He often provides comfort to others by His Spirit working in us. We have missed an important lesson in our character-development if we fail to pass the comfort we have received along to others.

We’ve been shown by example how to comfort others in their troubles. YHWH has done this by comforting us in ours. So let’s pass that comfort along!

Abba, Father, thank you for the comfort you provide for us in our times of trouble. Thank you also for using all things to shape our character after your own. Please let that work be fulfilled in us by granting us the faith and grace to comfort others with the same comfort you have given us. We ask this in Yeshua’s name. Amen.

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Permission to reproduce and distribute hereby granted if the following four conditions are met: 1) The article must be reproduced in its entirety and the content may not be modified in any way. 2) Author’s name and copyright information, including these permission conditions must appear with article. 3) Author’s contact information (jim@jimzboran.com | www.jimzboran.com) must appear with article. 4) Article must be freely distributed without charge or financial gain.

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Minister of Provoking?

By JimZ, 14 January, 2010, 2 Comments

Would you like to be involved in an important ministry in your congregation? Unsure of where to start? Well, if you:

desire to be involved in a vital kingdom building ministry,
like to be creative, humble, loving, and committed,
insist on a biblical mandate as a basis for ministry,

then here’s a ministry idea!

The author of Hebrews writes:

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Heb 10:24-25)

How about that for a biblical ministry idea? It will definitely build up the body by making each part strong. It requires a lot of commitment, humility, love, and creativity to be effective. Up to the call? The body needs you now more than ever!

Here are some biblical ideas from the verses that will help give shape to our own “provocation” ministry:

Consider:
Give each person thought and prayer before you act. Be creative. Keep your eyes open for opportunities to serve in this capacity. Look at the people around you and ask, “How can I serve this person by helping him or her excel in their walk with Messiah?” There is no one-size-fits-all here. Each person should be considered and treated as the individual that they are.

One another:
“One another” implies that we are “in it together” with the other person. We must not fall into the trap of “pontificating from on high.” Our call is to relate, not just relay. We have to get in the mix with others and then “mix it up” with them.

Provoke to love:
We’ve all run across the type of person who constantly attempts to provoke everyone around them to anger and hatred. We’re called to be the opposite of that person!

There are enough people out there, including far too many among believers, who are dedicated to spurring others on to be less than they are in Messiah. Be different: spur people on to expressing the fruit of the Spirit in their own lives as they keep in step with Him.

Often, people are simply unaware of all that they are in Messiah. Sometimes this ministry is educational in function. In some cases, they just need to see another believer in action to get the idea. May that be us! And others need a gentle word of exhortation to get started, or perhaps enthusiastic encouragement to continue. We can do that! Remember, one size does not fit all. Different approaches provoke individuals differently. That’s where the “art” to this kind of ministry comes in.

Provoke to good works:
The kind of love Messiah calls us to is the kind that leads to action for the benefit of others. That’s exactly the kind of love we should be provoking in others. So let’s teach, model, exhort, and encourage for this outcome.

Forsake not the assembling:
The United States does not have an “Army of One” despite the claims of old recruiting commercials. And neither does Yeshua. Each follower is interrelated to, and interdependent upon, all others. Our faith and practice have a context within a broader group of people, and ultimately, to all other believers. (See Ephesians 4.)

We can’t hide from other believers…we must connect with them! But the connection must be more than a casual crowd of believers all going separate ways spiritually while gathering briefly a couple times each week. Be sure the core of your connection to believers is in a framework of mutual worship, service, growth, and mission within the body of Messiah.

Exhorting one another:
Exhort is a strong, proactive word. We are to be strong and proactive in our ministry to the body. “Proactively provocative” should be our motto of this type of ministry. We should actively look for things to make happen and then get out an make them happen.

That’s the biblical call in Hebrews 10:24-25. We’re up to it. Let’s get in there and be provocative!

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your call to walk in your Spirit and serve the body of Messiah through edification in love. Help us to be good provokers: provoking one another on to follow you with all their heart, mind, spirit, and soul. We ask these things in the name of Yeshua. Amen.

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Permission to reproduce and distribute hereby granted if the following four conditions are met: 1) The article must be reproduced in its entirety and the content may not be modified in any way. 2) Author’s name and copyright information, including these permission conditions must appear with article. 3) Author’s contact information (jim@jimzboran.com | www.jimzboran.com) must appear with article. 4) Article must be freely distributed without charge or financial gain.

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Good Grief!

By JimZ, 13 January, 2010, No Comment

Sometimes it seems that there are far, far, more martyrs among the faithful than there are saints! What great things we would see in the name of Messiah if all those with claims of suffering were actually doing so for the faith. Then we’d really have something going on!

Many, I would submit to you, are suffering grief because they are doing things that Messiah is trying to work out of their lives. By focusing on what others are doing to cause them trouble, they miss what Messiah is doing for their benefit.

Here is an important point of Scripture that we must always consider first when we seek YHWH’s grace for patient endurance of trouble at the hands of others:

For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: (1 Peter 2:19-21 KJV)

Are we really suffering because of our faith? Or are we suffering because of our faithlessness in certain areas? This is not a point of condemnation. Rather, it is a point of encouragement for our edification.

We all need to grow and be trained in righteousness. Thankfully we are promised that very thing under His New Covenant. He’s a good Father. He must teach us for our own good. That is often not fun for us:

And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: (Hebrews 12:5 KJV)

There is no doubt we will suffer grief at the hands of the faithless for doing good. But there is also no doubt that we will suffer grief where we are not acting in accordance with our faith. Either way, we’re going to get grief.

And either way it is a positive benefit of being a child of YHWH. It is important we seek from the Spirit an understanding of why we are suffering grief. Sometimes it is because we do right and sometimes it is because we do wrong. And often it is some of both!

We may be experiencing grief for the right reasons but our response may need a little Spirit-inspired “tweaking” to bring it more in line with the character of Yeshua. So we suffer more grief than we would have if we had responded in a more Messiah-like manner. Still, it’s all good where His saints are concerned. It’s all working together to make us more and more like Yeshua!

Though it never feels good, grief is good for us. Let’s let it complete it’s perfecting work in our lives. It is helpful to understand what is being worked in us through the grief we are experiencing.

If it’s for good, then we can rejoice. If it’s for bad, we can repent. Either way, we can continue on by seeking the grace of YHWH to patiently endure because, in the end, it is all good grief!

Abba, Father, we thank you that you love us like your own children and have committed yourself to training us up in the way we should go. We confess that we don’t enjoy the process, but we humbly submit to it because it is your way. And we know your way is good for us. Grant us the grace to endure patiently all the grief that comes our way so that our character may be molded more and more like your Son. Thank you for your great mercy and lovingkindness toward us, your people. In the name of Yeshua our Messiah we ask these things. Amen.

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Permission to reproduce and distribute hereby granted if the following four conditions are met: 1) The article must be reproduced in its entirety and the content may not be modified in any way. 2) Author’s name and copyright information, including these permission conditions must appear with article. 3) Author’s contact information (jim@jimzboran.com | www.jimzboran.com) must appear with article. 4) Article must be freely distributed without charge or financial gain.

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Ending at the Beginning

By JimZ, 12 January, 2010, 2 Comments

Human beings love to complicate everything in life. And the issue they love to complicate most is one that has been much explored and expounded on throughout the ages: How should we live?

Countless volumes of books, enough to fill endless libraries, have been devoted to the question of the moral way in which we should conduct our lives. And more books are published everyday that propose more and more new and improved versions of old and still-wrong answers.

It’s really not all that complicated. People like to fancy themselves as having a high level of sophistication while they enable themselves to move the question to theoretical realms. Once removed from reality and into the world of ideas to be discussed and debated, they never actually have to live as they should.

But in the end they just figure out how to justify the way they wanted to live to begin with and then try to legitimize it by convincing everyone else that their way is the best way.

Long ago a man of very great wisdom, King Solomon, decided to try his hand at coming up with an answer to our question. Solomon was well suited for the task. He had been granted a renowned wisdom from YHWH so that he could wisely rule YHWH’s people. He also had great riches and peace at the height of the kingdom of Israel’s glory years.

Having been placed in a position of relative security and prosperity, Solomon turned his resources of power, wealth, and great capacity for wise thought to bear upon that famous question himself. The book of Ecclesiastes gives account of some of his searching and his conclusion. His final answer?

We already knew it:

And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:12-14 KJV)

That was Solomon’s studied and knowledgeable conclusion to the entire question about how we should live: “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man”

So simple. And yet we want to complicate it so much! But that is the bottom line. And that bottom line also gives us a “litmus test” to see if someone’s philosophy of life and ethics is kosher with YHWH.

A “litmus test” question is one in which the answer will be decisive in proving the presence or absence of a particular element. Here the element is truth, or validity, of a moral philosophy.

Does the philosophy being propounded begin with respect and reverence for YHWH? Does it lead to keeping His moral law? If both of those aspects are not present, then the ideas are “folly.” That’s what Solomon found when he searched out the matter.

There are countless vain and empty ideas in Christendom, let alone the world, that are passed off to us daily as legitimate ways of living for YHWH. But how do they match up with Solomon’s conclusion? That is the key to telling us how valuable someone’s ideas may or may not be.

Besides being a litmus test for evaluating ideas in the world, Solomon’s conclusion is a great core philosophy around which we may structure our own true understanding of faith and practice.

Solomon’s father, David, wrote:

The fear of YHWH is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever. (Psalms 111:10 KJV (unmasked))

That’s where Solomon ended up. Right where he started. We never have to leave there. All we need to do is build upon that base of truth.

We know where a right understanding of moral duty begins, and we know where it ends. So that leaves us free to spend our time and effort in determining new and better ways to apply those principles in our lives. That determination is made through much prayer, Bible reading, reflection, and experience in actually applying what we discover.

But that’s easy. The hard questions have already been answered for us. We just need to stick close to them all along the way.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for showing us the whole duty of human beings in your Word. Please help us to have an ever deepening sense of reverence and respect for you. Help us have an ever heightened understanding of how to live our day-to-day lives in accordance with your moral character as you have called your people to do. We ask this in the name of Yeshua, our Messiah, amen.

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Permission to reproduce and distribute hereby granted if the following four conditions are met: 1) The article must be reproduced in its entirety and the content may not be modified in any way. 2) Author’s name and copyright information, including these permission conditions must appear with article. 3) Author’s contact information (jim@jimzboran.com | www.jimzboran.com) must appear with article. 4) Article must be freely distributed without charge or financial gain.

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Getting Skilled in the Good Fight

By JimZ, 11 January, 2010, No Comment

Like the apostle Paul, we want to be able to come to the end of our lives being able to say:

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith… (2Ti 4:7 KJV)

That “fight,” like all fights, is fought one round at a time. Each round is comprised of all the blows, blocks, feints, and parries that unfold moment by moment. For good fighters, those moments arrive and pass in an unscripted but artfully executed manner.

The moves are not thought about nor are they planned. They are just acted out moment by moment automatically in response to each moment at hand. They occur artfully (and effectively) because of the “instincts” the participants have developed through hard-training and ring-experience.

As believers, we need to train hard in the battle strategies and techniques of our Messiah. We must work them until they become ingrained in our mitzvah “muscle-memory.” That way they will play out automatically in the heat of day-to-day battle in the world.

We need to listen to our “trainer,” the Holy Spirit, and continually return to the “fight manual,” the Scriptures. Through these we learn, practice, and work out in real life the Kingdom rules, strategies, and technique for fighting the good fight. And we must do this over and over and over again until they become our immediate and automatic response in the heat of battle.

Here is one such important Kingdom principle for fighting our good fight that we should all focus on and “train” with early:

Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. (Rom 12:21 KJV)

What evil is afoot around you today? How are you responding? We must train ourselves to respond automatically to evil with good. That is the Kingdom strategy for overcoming evil. We are to pound evil into the ground with good.

If repaying evil with good is not our automatic response, we must practice, train, and gain some more experience.

First, let’s hold up our past responses to evil against the light of Scripture and the leading of the Spirit. This is not for our condemnation but for our edification. We are merely analyzing what we are now doing wrong and right.

We can’t see that ourselves. We must turn to our trainer, the Holy Spirit, to help us understand our fighting manual, the Bible. We must read and listen. We must study and pray. And submit ourselves to honest introspection.

Where have we done well? Where have we not done well? Where are our strengths in responding to the evil around us and where are our weaknesses? It might be helpful to work through this analysis on paper, either as a one-time project or as an ongoing process in a journal. Whatever works for you.

We give our experience, successful or not, value by reviewing our past performance and constructively considering how we could have done better. Again, better is determined by the Spirit and Scripture. That is where we have to take our evaluation.

Then we must work on improving and refining our technique for doing good over and over in a controlled environment. Why wait for an attack from the world before we respond with good? Let’s get practice at doing good everyday.

By doing good in non-threatening environments, we can focus on getting great at doing good. The Spirit and Scripture will provide the specifics for you to practice good in your environment. But you must seek it out. You might benefit here by making a list of possibilities. But don’t forget to choose some and actually carry them out.

With such a list in hand, we need to get into the ring and practice our technique. The more practice we get in doing good, the better our technique will be and the more automatically it will come forth under the stress of evil attacks.

Finally, we must get into the fight. Not our controlled practice, but the actual all out conflict of evil in the world. We must not cower and be defensive against evil. We must learn to overcome it with good. This actual “ring-experience” using our technique of beating evil with good will make it a part of us.

It is one thing to practice a technique in isolation from attack. It is quite another thing to apply technique effectively against someone who is not only working to prevent you from using your technique, but is also applying their own technique to overcome you.

The fighters I’ve seen that always lose are those who constantly are on the defense. They take cover, or worse they cower, from beginning to end. We must fight the good fight proactively! Get out there and hit the world with some good! What good? Listen to Scripture and the Spirit. And then get in there and swing!

For us, we need to proactively engage the evil in our lives with good. We will take our bumps and bruises as we learn. Yes it hurts. It’s a fight. But as we learn to more effectively fight evil with good we will more often overcome evil with good. And the blows thrown at us by evil will be less and less often damaging or even painful.

What about the concept of “looking out for number one” that is so foundational to the fight philosophy of the world? That is not our style. We already have Number One looking out for us. It’s just that we know we are not number one:

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. (Rom 12:19 KJV)

So now we are free to fight His way: we must overcome evil with good. We will not lose even when we are losing something in the eyes of the world. And we will be winning in the eyes of the Kingdom when we fight the good fight as competitors skilled in the ways of the Kingdom style of defeating evil.

We can’t lose! Let us fight evil boldly by overcoming it with good. We have the Holy Spirit as our trainer and the Scriptures as our fighting style manual. And best of all: He is in our corner!

Abba, Father, we thank you for your Holy Spirit and your Word that makes us effective Kingdom fighters for good in the evil of the world you have left us in. Let us be proactive in our capacity of salt and light, taking the offensive against evil everywhere we find it, to the glory of your Name and Kingdom. We ask these things in the name of Yeshua our Messiah. Amen.
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What do you think? Please leave a comment below and let us know! Thank you.

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Copyright 2010 Jim Zboran. All rights reserved.
Permission to reproduce and distribute hereby granted if the following four conditions are met: 1) The article must be reproduced in its entirety and the content may not be modified in any way. 2) Author’s name and copyright information, including these permission conditions must appear with article. 3) Author’s contact information (jim@jimzboran.com | www.jimzboran.com) must appear with article. 4) Article must be freely distributed without charge or financial gain.

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JimBlogZ

Takin' It Personal

Our King Really, Really, Hates These

Mary, Martha, Me, and You

I Agree. Cautiously.

Torah or Not Torah, That is the Question

Passing the Comfort Along

Minister of Provoking?

Good Grief!

Ending at the Beginning

Getting Skilled in the Good Fight

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