Monthly Archives: November 2022

Who Is Yeshua?

November 25, 2022Living KingdomBelobved, faithful, family, lovenancyryall

Yeshua is everything to us: our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible. We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible. It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah. This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the tenth article in the series, Yeshua is our Beloved.

In that the Messiah [Yehovah} chose us in love before the creation of the universe to be holy and without defect in his presence. He determined in advance that through Yeshua the Messiah we would be his children — in keeping with his pleasure and purpose —so that we would bring him praise commensurate with the glory of the grace he gave us through the Beloved One (Eph 1:4-6).

Yeshua is the beloved Son of Yehovah. Yeshua was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (Matt 17:5). It is through Yehovah’s beloved Son we are welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven and adopted as Yehovah’s children. Even if our parents fell short in loving us or even if they rejected us, we are beloved children of our Heavenly Father.

Through Yeshua we are able to escape from the kingdom of darkness we were born into and can be born again into Yeshua’s Kingdom. We are born again when we repent of our sins and ask Yeshua to be Lord of our lives. For [Yehovah] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, (Col 1:13). We who belong to Yeshua are His beloved. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love” (John 15:9).

Yeshua wants to be close to us, just as He is close to his Father. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you (John 14:20). We have become part of Yehovah’s family. It is a close-knit family where each member is valued and cherished.

Our Beloved Yeshua is always faithful to us. When we feel isolated and misunderstood, we are not truly alone for He is always with us. I am with you always, even unto the end of the world (Matt 28:20). He has experienced every hurt and sorrow that we experience. He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Is 53:3).

When we are afraid, we can take our fear to Yeshua. We are safe at all times because our Beloved is at hand to protect and defend us. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me (Ps 23:4).

The rest of the world may seem oblivious to our troubles, but Yeshua is not. He has already borne all our trouble, sin and weakness and put them to death in His body on the cross. Surely, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. … (Is 53:4-5).

Dayenu! It would have been enough for Yeshua to rescue us from the clutches of evil, but He does so much more. He wants us to live with Him forever. He wants us to share in His glory. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. (2 Cor 3:18).

Our Beloved remains faithful to us forever, no matter how much the enemy tries to thwart our relationship. We may walk away from Yeshua, but He will never walk away from us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”^]) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us (Rom 8:35-37). Let us cling to our Beloved in good times and in bad times.

This is an excellent time to ask forgiveness for your sins and invite Yeshua (Jesus) to be Lord of your life. When we commit sin, we incur a debt that none of us can ever pay on our own. It cannot be paid with earthly currency or even with great sacrifice on our part. This debt can only be paid for by the blood of Yeshua which has already been shed for us. This is the greatest gift to ever be offered. Don’t miss out. After you have accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, ask for baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will be your constant companion and Counselor and will equip you for Kingdom living.

Who Is Yeshua?

November 18, 2022Living Kingdomfocus, goal, prize, race, Yeshuanancyryall

Yeshua is everything to us: our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible. We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible. It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah. This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the ninth article in the series, Yeshua is our Goal.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Heb 12-3).

From the time we are born, and even more so, from the time we are born-again we are in a race toward a particular goal. The goal we should all be striving toward is Yeshua. Yeshua modeled for us how to run the race correctly. His Father was His goal. He focused totally on His Father and not on Himself. He followed His Father’s instructions and example. Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does (John 5:19). Yeshua’s goal was to be at His Father’s right hand. Our goal is to be with Yeshua.

How do we reach that goal? We are to pay heed to Yeshua’s words and follow His example. And keep growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Deliverer, Yeshua the Messiah. To him be the glory, both now and forever! Amen (2 Pet 3:18). What example did Yeshua give us? He sought His Father’s will and pleasure, not His own. He learned from His Father what His assignment was while He was on earth, and He set about to accomplish that assignment, even though it meant torture and death at the hand of His enemies for the sake of those who rejected Him. “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.” (Luke 22:42) We too must learn from Abba what our assignment is and fulfill that assignment to the best of our ability.

When Yeshua was here on earth, people clamored after Him. They ran to wherever they heard He was going to be. They sought Yeshua for His teaching, for miraculous healing, for forgiveness, for food. Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan (Matt 4:25). People dropped whatever they were doing just to be near Yeshua. Sometimes they walked great distances, went without food or other comforts for days just to see Yeshua and to be near Him. Jesus called the disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a great distance.”… (Mark 8:1-3). Do we pursue Yeshua with passion or have we been taking Him for granted? Is being near to Him the most important thing in our lives or do we succumb to other distractions?

Yeshua sacrificed everything for us. He held nothing back. We are His pearl of great price. “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it! (Matt 13:45-46). Yeshua went to great lengths to ensure that we could be part of the Kingdom of Heaven. Likewise, we must be willing to sacrifice everything to be with Yeshua in His Kingdom, for He is our Pearl of great price. Yeshua is our destination, our goal!

Who Is Yeshua?

November 11, 2022Living Kingdomfear, hostility, propoganda, violence, wisdom, Yehovah, Yeshuanancyryall

Yeshua is everything to us: our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible. We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible. It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah. This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the eighth article in the series, Yeshua is our Wisdom.

It is [Yehovah’s] doing that you are united with the Messiah Yeshua. He has become wisdom for us from [Yehovah], and righteousness and holiness and redemption as well! (1 Cor 1:30)

Yeshua is our wisdom. He illustrates this by the words He speaks and by His actions while He was here on earth. We learn Yehovah’s wisdom from following Yeshua’s example. The better we know Yeshua personally, the deeper our understanding of Yehovah’s heart and mind. Yehovah’s thoughts and ways are far above our ways, but we can learn more about them by sitting at the feet of our Teacher, Yeshua.

We can learn from Yeshua by spending more time with Him in prayer and by focusing on His words in Scripture. This helps to ensure that we are not easily swayed by others’ words. For example, the religious leaders of Yeshua’s time had great influence on the Jews. They portrayed themselves as righteous and far more knowledgeable than others. They were leading people astray from Yehovah and Yeshua confronted them on this matter repeatedly. This was an opportunity for the religious leaders to repent and humbly learn from the Master. Perhaps some did listen to Yeshua. But the majority sought to kill Yeshua and continue following their own wisdom.

Many in leadership positions today in both government and church settings are much like the Pharisees and Sadducees in Yeshua’s time. Oftentimes, their words may seem reasonable. When we focus on such leaders, we block out the wisdom and truth of Yeshua and Yehovah and we stray from the narrow path that leads to everlasting life. Sometimes our brothers and sisters fall into the same trap. Do we lovingly confront others who have strayed or are we fearful of some type of retribution? See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to [Messiah] (Col 2:8).

Hostility and violence are increasing. There are more hate groups than ever. Road rage is rampant and shootings are everyday occurrences. Our brothers and sisters in Messiah are being persecuted for their faith in at least 150 countries around the world. In Nigeria, a Christian is killed on average of every two hours for his or her faith. Even within the Body of Messiah, there is growing hostility and intolerance. We seem to be surrounded by enemies. What should we do? Should we join in the fray and retaliate against those with whom we disagree? What does Yeshua teach us? You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matt 5:43-48)

Some of us today have grown lukewarm in our relationship with Yehovah and Yeshua. We take our relationship with Yehovah for granted. We become complacent and hide out in our comfort zone. Do we think that there is nothing else to be learned? Have we stopped earnestly seeking Him? Are we helping to build His Kingdom? Or have we become like the church in Laodicea? I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. So, I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference (Rev 3:15-19).

Our world grows increasingly evil and unstable. Do we worry about the future? What will happen to our economy? How will we provide for ourselves? What if products become scarce or too expensive for us to afford? How will we provide for ourselves and our families? “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?⁷Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? (Matt 6:25-27)

For every situation that confronts us, Yeshua supplies the answer by His words and His actions. Yeshua has experienced all that we experience. He lived in a hostile world while He was on earth. He was persecuted and ridiculed for His words and actions even though He lived in total obedience to His Father. Yeshua understands our fears and weaknesses. He will help us through any situation if we seek His wisdom. For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. (Heb 4:15). Let us forsake the foolishness of the world and seek Yeshua, our true source of wisdom.

Who Is Yeshua?

November 4, 2022Living KingdomEncouragement, singing, song, Yeshuanancyryall

Yeshua is everything to us: our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible. We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible. It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah. This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the seventh article in the series, Yeshua is our Song.

Yah is my strength and my song, and he has become my [Yeshua] (Ps 118:14).

When we draw close to Yehovah and learn more about Him, we sing because it is a natural expression of our joy and delight. When Yeshua, the Word of Yehovah, dwells in us, we sing our praises and our joy even in the midst of trials. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation (Ps 42:5). Singing can help us work through our emotions when we are troubled.

Why should we sing? Song is a gift from Yehovah. The Bible contains over 400 references to singing and 50 direct commands to sing. When we sing to Yehovah about Yeshua, we are praising and thanking both of them. When we sing to Yeshua, we not only praise and thank Him, but we extend our praise to our Father for He sent Yeshua to us. e We have much to sing about when it comes to Yeshua. In addition to the descriptions of Yeshua in the first six articles of this series, there are so many other things about Yeshua to sing about. When we begin to make a list of all that He is to us and does for us we could go on forever.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16). We sing because Yeshua dwells in us. The more we sing of Him, the more deeply He dwells in us and the more we become rooted and grounded in Him. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love, will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.… (Eph 3:17-19).

When we sing about Yeshua we encourage ourselves and we build up others around us. Singing unites us. Even when we can’t agree on every point of theology or when we rub one another the wrong way, we can set aside our differences and unite in singing and praising the One worthy of all praise. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart… (Ephesians 5:18-19)

The angels sing to Yehovah. Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts! (Ps 148:2). Angels sang to the shepherds about Yeshua when He was born and came to live among us and be one of us. And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” (Luke 2:13-14)

Many of us hesitate to sing, especially around others, because we don’t have good singing voices. We long to praise Yehovah, but we don’t want to ruin praise sessions for others by adding our imperfect voices to theirs. Stacy Horn,author of Imperfect Harmony: Finding Happiness Singing With Others, cites a study conducted in 2005 which states that people can still experience the same feelings of pleasure even when the sound being produced is “of mediocre quality.” Yehovah is aware that some of us have poor singing voices, yet He has commanded us to sing. Yehovah is more impressed with our obedience and the love for Him that is in our hearts.

Yeshua joins us in singing to His Father. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So [Yeshua] is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises.” (Heb 2:11-12) When we sing praises to Yehovah we are in good company.

Yehovah sings over us. [Yehovah] your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zeph 3:17) We were created to sing because Yehovah sings and we are created in His image. Yeshua, the Son of Yehovah and the Son of Man, sings to His Father and over us. Yeshua, who is everything to us, is also our Song!