Tag Archives: suffering

Living Sacrifice

Nancy's blogs, new life, Spiritual Maturity, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This is the twelfth article in the “New Life” series, written to address the needs of those seeking or those new to their faith in Jesus. This series may also be helpful to anyone who suspects that something is missing from their faith walk.

Yehovah’s goal since the beginning of creation is to establish His Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven.  His glory will be manifested on earth as it is in Heaven.

It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke (Isaiah 6:1-4).

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world (Psalm 19:1-4).

Yeshua sacrificed everything, even His life, to establish Yehovah’s kingdom on earth.  He paid our debt so that we could be reconciled to Yehovah and be included in His glorious Kingdom. Yeshua conquered death so that we could be raised to new life in Him.

God was in [Yeshua] reconciling the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19).

But [Yehovah], being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with [Yeshua]—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in [Messiah Yeshua], so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in [Messiah Yeshua] (Ephesians 2:4-7).

Yeshua lived and died to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.  We, as His followers, are called to dedicate our lives to Kingdom work.  We can expect persecution and trials, for we are not greater than our Master.

If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me (John 15:18-21).

“Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come (Matthew 24:9-14).

Many of our brothers and sisters in over 150 countries in the world are suffering persecution.  They must worship in secret.  Some lose family, some are betrayed by those close to them. Some are imprisoned. Some lose their homes, jobs, and community for the sake of the Kingdom. Some are tortured or martyred for their faith. If you are among these people, please know that you are not alone.  Many brothers and sisters throughout the world are praying for you. Yeshua promised that He would never leave you or forsake you.  The Holy Spirit lives in you.    

How can we prepare for these trials?  Will we be able to stay faithful to Yeshua just as He is to us? 

  • Spend time each day with Yeshua.  As you grow closer to Yeshua and experience His love, you will love Him in return and better understand Him.  You will desire His presence above everything else.

“I [Yeshua] am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing (John 15:5).

  • Read and memorize Scripture each day. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Memorize passages that are important to you. Recite your memory verses at least once a day, especially when you need comfort or strength.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right (2 Timothy 3:16).

  • Ask Yeshua to heal your soul wounds, help you to rid yourself of sin, resentment, or bitterness from the past.  Forgive each person who has hurt you in the past and forgive each new offense right away.  It is difficult to forgive others because they do not deserve it. We must remember that Yehovah forgives us, yet we do not deserve His forgiveness either.

 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 4:15-16).

  • We desire to avoid all difficulties and pain. We resist danger. Persecution threatens us. As you read through the Bible, you will discover that Yehovah does not always remove the trouble, but He promises to go before us to fight our battles.  He will walk through the fire or raging waters with us.  We are never alone, even if it feels that way.

[Yehovah] your God who goes before you, He shall fight for you, just as all that He did for you in Egypt before your eyes (Deuteronomy 1:30).

  • The Holy Spirit strengthens us and guides us. As we become sensitive to that quiet voice inside us, we will know when to speak or act and what to say or do. We will know when to be quiet. Yield to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to be in control.  It takes practice and perseverance to let go of control.

 Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26).

  • Ask Jesus to give you a love for those who offend you. It is not our nature to love people who hurt us, yet it is our calling.  Yeshua is our perfect example. He gave His life for us while we were His enemies.

“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 (Matthew 5:43-45).

Why should we endure to the end?  What will keep us going when everything looks so bleak?

He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection (Psalm 91:4).

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff, they comfort me (Psalm 23:4).

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).

“God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way (Matthew 5:10-12).

Reversals

Encouragement, , , , , ,

When Yeshua went to the cross, it seemed like total defeat.  His own chosen people whom for centuries He had loved and prepared to receive Him as Messiah rejected Him (Luke 23:18-25). He came to share Good News, the best news with them.  He fed them, taught them, healed them, freed them from demonic oppression, comforted them, yet they rejected Him.  He was betrayed by one of His own followers, one in a group that He had held especially close and dear (Luke 22:47-48). The rest of that special little group was scattered after His arrest, one denying that He even knew Him (Matt 26:69-75). His so-called trial was a sham.  Those conducting it broke just about every one of their rules for conducting a trial.  He was cruelly beaten and whipped, crucified, mocked, and humiliated in every way by the very people He came to save.  At the end, it seemed that even His Father had abandoned Him (Ps. 22:1).  At any time, did He ever wonder what was the point?  Why had He gone to the trouble of becoming one of us, to suffer with us and to serve us, when we were already His enemies and there seemed little likelihood of anyone being willing to commit themselves to faithfully following Him?  Yet, despite the discouragement and pain that He suffered, He continued with His mission and poured Himself out as the perfect sacrifice that would pay our otherwise impossible debt and cleanse us from unrighteousness.  In the end, His broken body was taken down and placed in a burial cave. Everything seemed hopeless.

After three days and three nights in the grave, a remarkable thing happened:  Yeshua was resurrected!  His body was no longer broken, but was whole and now immortal.  Death had not defeated Him, rather He had defeated death! His humiliation was now His glory (Phil 2:8-11).  His brokenness was now impenetrable wholeness. Now, instead of rejection, countless people have clamored for Him through the centuries and still do today!  Many people have willingly suffered much and have even been martyred rather than be separated from Yeshua.  In fact, today there are people in over 150 countries who are suffering much persecution because they refuse to abandon Yeshua. His supposed defeat is now revealed as the greatest victory ever.

Even though Yeshua’s death seemed an indication of failure and defeat, it was really the greatest triumph of all time.  What does that mean for us?  Our sins can be forgiven when we sincerely desire it, our debt paid in full, and we are rescued from the clutches of our enemies.  Our greatest defeat may turn out to be our greatest triumph.  When we have loved and served Yeshua only to be disregarded or even shunned by others, we find that we are valued and highly esteemed by the only One whose opinion truly matters.  When we are betrayed by the very ones on earth who should love and support us, we are loved, cherished, nurtured and protected by Yehovah who created us.  We may do all that we can to advance the Kingdom of Yehovah on earth and it may seem that all our efforts have been futile, but perhaps we are not yet able to see the whole picture. Maybe our efforts will bear good fruit even after we are gone.  Just like Yeshua our mortal bodies will also be replaced with immortal bodies at our resurrection (1 Cor. 15:53). Our so-called defeat will become our victory!

Yeshua sits at the right hand of Yehovah in glory and splendor (Rom 8:34; Mark 16:19).  If we remain faithful to Yehovah, we have a place with Yeshua in His glory (Eph 2:6). Yeshua became like us so that we could become like Him. Through our suffering, we are tried and tested and prepared to be effective citizens in the Kingdom of Yehovah. Right now in this world there is ever-increasing darkness and evil. Yeshua warned us that there would be tribulation, but that we should be encouraged because He has overcome the world (John 16:33). Sha’ul (Paul) tells us that our present suffering is not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed to us later (Rom 8:18). With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can endure to the end, just as Yeshua did. There is hope for us, even in our darkest hours.

Who Is Yeshua?

Living Kingdom, , , , ,

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 fifth article in the series, Yeshua is the Faithful One.

To better understand Yeshua, we must correctly understand Job.  There has been much speculation over what Job did wrong to deserve to lose everything.  After all, he must have done something wrong or Yehovah would not have allowed such losses and horrors in his life.  It reminds me of the gospel story of the man born blind.  The story is recorded in Matthew 9, Mark 8 and John 9.  Jesus saw a man who had been blind since birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus replied: Neither this man nor his parents sinned … but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him (John 9:1-5) 

Let us look closely at the story of Job.  There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil (Job 1:1).  There is nothing in this passage that would indicate that Job had sinned; in fact, it is quite the opposite.

One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan came with them. “Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan. Satan answered the Lord, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.” Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.” (Job 1:6-8) Yehovah’s own words confirm that Job had not committed any serious sin; in fact, Yehovah describes him as “blameless”. 

If Job did not sin, then why did Yehovah allow these atrocities to happen to him? Let us read further in chapter one of Job’s story.  Satan replied to the Lord, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is!  But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!”  (Job 1:9-11)

The Accuser claimed that Job was only faithful to Yehovah because Yehovah made him prosper in everything.  Yehovah then responds by allowing the Accuser to test him by taking away all his possessions and even his children.  What was Job’s response to learning that he had lost everything?  He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave.  The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God (Job 1:1-22).

Later, Job was struck with boils from head to toe because the Accuser claimed that loss of health would cause Job to curse Yehovah.  At this point, even Job’s wife urged him to curse Yehovah (Job 2:9), but Job refused. 

So, what’s the purpose of the story of Job?  It’s the same purpose as the story of the man born blind:  to glorify Yehovah.  Why did Yeshua suffer loss, humiliation, cursing and death?  So that His Father would be glorified.  When Jesus had spoken these things, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. For You granted Him authority over all people, so that He may give eternal life to all those You have given Him.…” (John 17:1-2). Yeshua was smitten so that Yehovah would be glorified and His plan to establish His kingdom on earth would be fulfilled. 

In the end, Yehovah restored and even doubled all that Job had lost.  Through Yeshua’s suffering and resurrection, Yehovah is not only glorified but has restored all that we lost through sin.  Not only have we regained what we lost, but Yehovah now offers us much more in His kingdom.  He makes us His sons and daughters. 

Job was severely tested and remained faithful to Yehovah.  Yeshua was severely tested and remained faithful to His Father.  Many of our brothers and sisters in Yeshua are suffering loss of family, home, income, health, freedom and even life.  They are being tested and I pray that they will all have the strength and trust to remain faithful.  Our time will come, too, or for some of us, it may already have arrived.  Will we remain faithful to Yehovah no matter what the cost to us?  And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life (Matt 19:29).

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. 

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)