Tag Archives: love

Call to Action

Nancy's blogs, Spiritual Maturity, , , , , ,

not everyoneOur role as followers of Yeshua is to be an active role. Even the Hebrew language is an active language with the emphasis on verbs rather than nouns.  Yeshua modeled the type of action He expects to see from each of us.  He taught, healed, encouraged, fed the hungry, and admonished wayward leaders, even at the cost of His life.

Many disciples of Yeshua in our culture have devoted themselves almost exclusively to improving themselves and studying Scripture. These things are undoubtedly important, but there must be a healthy balance between improving self and helping others. We are required to meditate on and study Scripture, but it is useless if we do not also live it (James 1:22).

In His Sermon on the Mount, Yeshua describes those who will be welcomed into His Kingdom.

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’…   (Matt 25:34-36)

No mention is made in this passage concerning how well we know the Bible, although in other passages Scripture makes it clear that this is important ( Josh 1:8; 2 Tim 2:15, 3:16-17). In the past, I have been complacent with acquiring and storing knowledge of Scripture, but did not always put it into practice. It was only after I heard a missionary point out that Americans are great at acquiring knowledge, but we are deficient in actively building up the kingdom of YHVH, that I woke up. As I heard of new converts to Yeshua, with barely the rudiments of the Gospel, preaching, teaching and working miracles with the power of the Holy Spirit, I was truly convicted. They were doing so much with so little.

Secular news reports rarely discuss persecution and oppression of Yeshua’s followers, so pro-active research on our part is needed. Some of the things I have discovered: many of our brothers and sisters all over the globe are being persecuted for their faith, yet preach the gospel despite daily risk of imprisonment or death.  Political and/or religious leaders in numerous countries, seek to control all religious thought and activity and to eradicate any group that does not conform. North Korea is just one example.   In Iraq, Islamic extremists are beheading Christians. One tactic is to invade each home and demand that the children renounce Yeshua and embrace Allah. The children thus far have refused to give up Yeshua and were consequently beheaded in front of their parents. Leaders in India are routinely and consistently adding restrictions to hinder the spread of Christianity. Radical groups’ violence goes unchecked and police often “fail” to find sufficient evidence against the perpetrators. Christian refugees from Syria are being attacked by Muslims in some of the countries where they have sought refuge. The men are beaten and their wives and children are being raped and sodomized.   We must do more than shake our heads. Love is an action, not a feeling.

Martin Luther King, Jr. correctly stated that “It may well be that we will have to repent in this generation. Not merely for the vitriolic words and the violent actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence and indifference of the good people who sit around and say, “Wait on time.” (Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches)

Rather than randomly search out a worthy cause and plunge in, ask YHVH to direct you to the job He has appointed for you. There is much work to be done and windows of opportunity are closing rapidly. YHVH is still in control and is orchestrating His plan, so the best use of our time and effort is to yield ourselves to His assignment for us. Let us not be the generation who has to repent for keeping silent and doing nothing. Let us be the generation that accomplishes His will and is rewarded. Let us be the generation that is known by our love for one another, whatever the cost

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice.  He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.  But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” (Luke 6:46-69)

Witnessing in Love

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the truth in love“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” I Corinthians 13:1-3

In a recent blog series, I had spoken about Standing Fast to your Convictions, but at the same time remembering to Speak the Truth in Love (Ephesians 4:15) when you are discipling or confronting someone with the truth of YHVH’s word. This week I want to give you a real-life example of this which is etched into my heart right now due to the passing of my only brother.

Over the 27+ years since I have been a born-again believer in Yeshua, I have witnessed to people within my circle of friends and family, as well as casual acquaintances and strangers. However, the two people I witnessed to most fervently over those years were my father (deceased in 2001) and my brother, who passed on earlier this week. As I felt a special burden from the Holy Spirit to witness to these two significant people in my life, I tried a number of different approaches to spiritual seed-planting, attempting to tear down the intellectual and emotional barriers that kept those seeds from taking root and bearing fruit.

Many of my approaches did not bear fruit, because I was trying to prove the truth of the Scriptures and the existence of a Creator God through intellectual debate, which only spoke to their minds and not their hearts. I was far more effective when I stopped trying to “win the argument” with them, and started giving them my personal testimony of how God changed my life and brought meaning and purpose to my brief existence on this earth. This brought our conversations down to a heart level, and even though they still were not ready to accept all the truths I shared with them, they no longer felt threatened that I was trying to change them or prove them wrong.

While I do not recommend experimenting on your family members with different witnessing techniques, we do need to always remember to speak the truth in love and let our words be seasoned with the salt of grace. Once you learn to keep the focus on your own personal spiritual journey and your relationship with Abba Father and His Son, Yeshua, then you have a greater opportunity to break through all the barriers that inhibit people from receiving the truth. With this approach, the people you are witnessing to feel less threatened and are more receptive to your message, since you are just sharing from your own personal experience.

I will not tell you the specific results of years of witnessing to my father and my brother, but I will say that our spiritual conversations brought us closer together in our own relationships with each other. One great benefit of sharing your personal testimony is that people feel closer to you as you share with them in confidence and they get to know you on a deeper and more intimate level. Although I lived 3000 miles away from my brother and did not get to see him face-to-face more than once every few years, I felt very close to him in spirit and soul in spite of the miles separating us. I feel a great empty space in my soul now that he has left his earthly home, but I also feel great assurance that he is with Abba in heaven and is experiencing joy and Shalom as he never could in the limitations of his physical body.

The central mission of our ministry is to help believers stand firm to their convictions and hold fast to their faith under persecution, equipping them to become the overcomers they always wanted to be – and that the Scriptures promise them they can be. We want you to become all that you can in YHVH’s kingdom, and overcome your fears and self-consciousness so that you can share Yehovah’s love with as many people as possible before you depart this planet.

How About You?

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the least of these

My beloved father passed away in April 2007. Peter and I, along with other family members, were privileged to be with him to the last. I wrote the following thoughts down shortly before my dad went on to his reward. It was meant to be both a tribute to him and a challenge to others. It is now time to share these private thoughts to challenge us all, both Messianic believers and Christians.

I am sitting here listening to the clock ticking away the precious little time I have left with my dad. I loathe every ticking sound because I can do nothing to stop the time from slipping away.

As it turns out, my father is Jewish. He never felt free enough to share this with us until a little over a year ago. Do I see a Jewish person when I look at my father? Not really. I never really knew him that way. But I will tell you what I see when I look at him. I see a man who loves Yeshua, only Dad calls him Jesus. I see a man who has worked hard all his life, who is almost ridiculously honest and fair, and who quietly gives to others and shares without asking anything in return. I see a man who is wasting away and who endures horrifying suffering, yet uses the tiny bits of strength and energy left to him to love and care for others. I see a man who is not wrapped up in his ethnicity; instead, he is following his Messiah to the best of his ability. I see a man who truly knows Jesus and tries to be like Him.

A few days before his death, my younger brother and his son sat with Dad for hours, one on each side and each holding one of his hands. As they were leaving, he said, “I love you. Remember, if you need anything, I’m here.” Dad was so weak he couldn’t even leave his bed. My father showed his love for us through quiet service. He did not seek to draw attention to himself. His faith was quiet, but strong.

Dad did not tell others of Yeshua in words. Instead, he showed them Yeshua’s love through his actions. Many people approached us after he died to mourn with us. Most of them shared stories of how he had helped them, whether it was by making repairs or running them to doctors’ appointments. I truly believed that when Dad met his Master, he was welcomed home with open arms.

The minutes are ticking away for each of us. Do we think that our ethnicity, our “correct” observance of religious rituals, or our intellectual abilities are going to win us any points with the Master? What are you doing with your life? Would your Master be pleased? Will He know you when you stand before Him?

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death (1 John 3:14).

Stand Firm in Love (Part 2)

Peter's blogs, Spiritual Maturity, , ,

Let all you do be done with love

“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.” I Corinthians 16:13-14

Last week, I focused on Verse 13 above as I spoke about holding fast to our convictions when we know they are clear instructions from YHVH’s word. In Part 2 this week I will focus on the second part of this passage above, which says that everything we do should be done in love. From I Corinthians 13 Verse 2 we know that even if we are working miracles through Holy Spirit gifts and have greater faith than the Apostles, “so that we could remove mountains, but have not love, we are nothing”.

The same adage goes for mentoring and discipling other believers – if we are not “speaking the truth in love” (Eph 4:15), then we are better off not speaking at all. Whenever the Holy Spirit puts on our heart that we are to speak with someone, our words need to be spoken “with grace, seasoned with salt, that we may know how we ought to answer each one” (Col 4:6).

When we put this together with Verse 13 above, it means that we are to stand firm in our convictions and not be swayed by the world’s compromise with YHVH’s word, but when we do speak out we need to be sensitive to the beliefs and feelings of others. Does this sensitivity to their beliefs mean that we are to be silent and avoid delicate topics like homosexuality? No, most certainly not! If we were silent, then we would no longer be watchman for YHVH’s Word to others in the world.

So how do we keep the delicate balance between offending people (even friends and family) and speaking the truth in love? Actually, we cannot avoid offending people when we speak God’s truth.  Didn’t Yeshua say:”And blessed is the one who is not offended because of Me” (Matt 11:6), and then: “…you will be hated by all for My name’s sake” (Luke 21:17). Many people were offended by Yeshua’s words, and He told His disciples (including us) that we would be hated when we speak His words and His name.

I believe we need to state the Godly convictions we stand on and why we are so passionate about them. This way, the person will not think we are judging them, and we will not so easily repel them with our strong words. We need to come from the perspective that we love God and want to follow His instructions because He first loved us, and because He made the most incredible sacrifice of all time for us. He hung on a tree for us when we were still sinners and didn’t deserve His love or His sacrifice.

It is only God’s amazing love that will draw people to Him. Until people understand the depth of Yehovah’s love and concern for them as individuals, and that He wants to have a personal relationship with them, there is no hope that they will listen to more serious matters. Once they reach this understanding in their heart, then you can gently start speaking to them about obedience and being pleasing to God in the way they live their lives.

Unless we speak to people out of love, we are like clanging symbols: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” (I Cor 13:1-2) When we share the truth with others, we must season our words with grace so that we allow Abba Father to draw them to Yeshua and the Holy Spirit to convict them in their sinful lifestyle. Then the door is open for us to disciple them and pray with them so that they want change their lifestyle so that they can be pleasing to Yehovah.

We need to look at our heart motives behind our words. When we approach people about their lifestyle or behavior, do we come to them with an air of superiority or self-righteousness, or do we come to them with humility, speaking the truth to them out of love?

RiversofLightHave you ever felt lonely or unappreciated? Have you ever been taken for granted or overlooked? Did you ever get the feeling that someone was being kind only for what they could get from you?

You are not alone. Not only are there countless others in the world who have had similar experiences, but there is One who is far greater than any of us who has experienced all of the above and more.  One who loves far more than any of us can imagine.

Do you know that YHVH loves you whether or not you realize that He exists? He loves you even if you don’t love Him. He loves you even if you take advantage of His kindness, or if you take His blessings and protection for granted. His love endures even if you complain loudly that He’s not answering your latest request.

YHVH created a beautiful world for you to live in.  Every good thing that you have ever had in your life came from Him.  God loves you for who you are.  He made you and is delighted with you.

So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures (James 1:16-18 MSG).

Just as we want to be appreciated and loved for ourselves, YHVH desires to be appreciated and loved for who He is.  Thank Him every day for His many blessings and gifts. Tell Him that you love Him for who He is as well as for what He gives.

YHVH doesn’t need anything from us. He is totally self-sufficient. He does want something from us, though. He desires our love and our trust. He wants to have a relationship with us even though it will be a largely lopsided arrangement. He does most of the giving and we do most of the taking.  YHVH never overlooks us and never takes any of us for granted.

Many people have been churchgoers for all or most of their lives, yet some have never experienced a one-on-one relationship with YHVH.  If you feel that you have never encountered the one true God, call out to Him today. Even if it is just a whisper or a heart-cry, He will hear it.  He is waiting every day and night to hear from you.  You will never have to feel lonely or left out again.  YHVH offers us genuine love that endures forever.