I believe the Body of Christ is in desperate need of reformation. The purpose of this blog is to encourage dialog that will lead to positive changes in local churches that will facilitate the soon coming of our Messiah.


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Sunday, December 30, 2007

The Sin of Anthropomorphism

anthropomorphism
(an-thruh-puh-mawr-fiz-uhm) The attributing of human characteristics and purposes to inanimate objects, animals, plants, or other natural phenomena, or to God. To describe a rushing river as “angry” is to anthropomorphize it.

Have I dazzled you with my vocabularic prowess? Oh well! I'll keep trying.

In a convoluted manner of trying to understand Yehuweh, we tend to anthropomorphize Him. Believe it or not, the Almighty gave some specific commands regarding this. Exodus 20:4-6 says, "You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."

To imagine our Heavenly Father as anything less than He is, is to break this command. In other words, "Let Yehuweh be Yehuweh!" There are several reasons why one might fall into the sin of anthropomorphism. We will examine them individually.
  1. Ignorance. If we have not taken the time, or do not have the experience, we may develop a habit of relating to the Almighty as some kind of a Divine Wish Granter. Although Scripture teaches that our Heavenly Father wants to give us 'the desire if our heart, it also counterbalances that concept with "you have not because you ask amiss." (see James 4:3). If we put Yehuweh on either side of that equation,we are guilty of anthropomorphism.
  2. Refusing to bring all related Scriptural concepts to build our theology. Example: If our Heavenly Father loves us so much, why is there suffering in the world? This question shows a lack of study into the principles of Yehuweh's love. Because He loves us he disciplines us (Proverbs 3:11,12). If we refuse to submit to the discipline process, we will be partakers of His judgement. It is because of His love that free choice comes in, and because of our choices, we see suffering.
  3. Man-made religious practice. This is probably the most grievous and subtle way we slide into anthropomorphism. Our worship degrades into something less than true 'heart ' expression. We find ourselves relating to Yehuweh according to denominational structure simply because the box created for Him is defined by human experience and does not transcend to its rightful place.

It is time for the Body of Messiah to take her rightful place by giving back to Yehuweh His rightful place. May it be said of our worship, "If they keep silent, these rocks and stones will cry out!"

Shalom

Friday, December 28, 2007

Hezekiah's Reformation

2 Chronicles 29:1-5 says, "Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done. In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. Then he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them in the East Square, and said to them: "Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place.

Notice that the first order of business for Hezekiah was to repair the doors of the house of Yehuweh. Even though the reasons for repairing the doors may seem to be obvious, I believe it requires a deeper look. A door has two separate and distinct purposes; 1. To allow access, and 2. To deny access.

Today, as in the days of King Hezekiah, the doors of the house of Yehuweh are in dire need of repair. According to scripture our bodies are His temple (1 Cor. 6:19,20). It seems that the doors to our bodies are similar to what WalMart installs at the front of their Super Centers. The slightest movement around the entrance causes the doors to open wide allowing access. Unlike WalMart, we don't have a 'greeter' in place to watch over things. In this day of extreme information overload, there are virtually no safeguards in place to determine the validity of what passes through the doors to the temple. IT IS TIME TO UNPLUG THE ELECTRONIC EYE!! My friends, the safeguards of consecration and sanctification, based on the Word of the Almighty, must be put into place. When Yehuweh gave instructions to Moses concerning the erection of the Tabernacle, every article of worship not only had to be constructed according to a particular design...it had to be consecrated as well. There is a profound lack of alarm at what has been allowed to become articles of worship in the Temple today. What are you allowing to access the interior of the Temple?

The second thing that King Hezekiah did was to get the rubbish out of the Temple. The interior of the Temple must be different from the outside.

I recently asked a question of my home fellowship. "What is the number one problem in the church world today?" The response was immediate and unanimous. "There is no difference between the church and the world!" In other words, "The inside of the temple looks just like the outside." There is just as much rubbish on the inside as the outside. The problem is, the inside was not designed for the rubbish and because it is there, the temple cannot be used for adequate worship! The rubbish pile that has imposed itself upon the spaces of the temple stinks and is maggot infested. It is not fit for recycling. It must be carried out and disposed of properly. This rubbish is called MAN MADE RELIGION! It does not matter how good the rubbish looked when we brought it in...it is still rubbish. We are warned several times throughout Scripture not to add to or take away from its principles. ANY addition or detraction simply contributes to the rubbish.

I challenge you to examine the doors of your heart. I remind you that your body is THE Temple that is in place today. Guard the doors. Clean out the rubbish.

Shalom

Friday, December 21, 2007

The Born Again "Experience"

Let's begin our journey today by examining the origin of the phrase "Born Again".

Contrary to popular belief, the phrase 'born again', did NOT originate in the New Testament. It was in use for decades, if not centuries, before our Messiah's conversation with Nicodemus recorded in John 3. Understanding its historical perspective gives great insight into Yeshua's and Nicodemus' dialogue. Being a Pharisee, it would have been impossible for Nicodemus not to have a religious perspective on the phrase in question. As we will discover, Nicodemus most likely had that phrase spoken over him many times.

It was very important, for any religious Jew, to enter the Mik-vah (baptismal) pool on many occasions. There are no less than 5 types of baptism mentioned in Scripture. There were certain requirements that must have been in place in order for the Mik-vah to be valid. We will talk about two of those requirements here.

There had to be an observer. It is not clear what authoritative position the observer had to hold, but he had to verify that the water, in the Mik-vah pool, was free flowing and that the participant (baptismal candidate) was totally immersed. As the participant came out of the Mik-vah pool a declaration was made. "Born Again" was shouted, and it simply meant "status changed". Thus , in the minds of the religious Jews, 'born again' had to do with ritual cleansing and would allow them to fulfill their worship requirements.

Now we see that Yeshua was not introducing this concept to Nicodemus. On the contrary, He was explaining to this religious leader what he was missing by following man's rules without allowing the Spirit of Yahuweh to guide him. He was showing him how his rituals led to spiritual blindness, but that our Heavenly Father was offering a way to have his "status changed" apart from his personal efforts.

Now let's examine the word experience:
noun, verb, -enced, -enc·ing.
–noun
1.
a particular instance of personally encountering or undergoing something:
My encounter with the bear in the woods was a frightening experience.
2.
the process or fact of personally observing, encountering, or undergoing something:
business experience.
3.
the observing, encountering, or undergoing of things generally as they occur in the course of time:
to learn from experience; the range of human experience.
4.
knowledge or practical wisdom gained from what one has observed, encountered, or undergone: a man of experience.
5.
Philosophy. the totality of the cognitions given by perception; all that is perceived, understood, and remembered. –verb (used with object)
6.
to have experience of; meet with; undergo; feel: to experience nausea.
7.
to learn by experience. —Idiom
8.
experience religion, to undergo a spiritual conversion by which one gains or regains faith in God
.

As with everything for the believer in Messiah, our definition of the Born Again Experience must be grounded in Scripture. We must not base our definition on any emotion, physical manifestation, or other extra-scriptural happening. When we, as human beings, add our own experiences to the biblical definition, we are guilty of putting man-made requirements on scriptural principles. We must be diligent to let Spiritual laws stand on their own merit! This is exactly what Yeshua was teaching when He said, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." (Matthew 5:17) The word 'fulfill' here means 'to give it backbone' or 'to make it stand up.' Remember the Word of Yahuweh does not need your defence...it IS your defence!

When there is a 'born again experience' it will always be accompanied by fruit. The fruit of a born again experience is a changed life. If there is not a changed life, there was no born again experience. Being born again is more than reciting a prayer. That may be a starting point but there must be change. That change will be different for every believer, nevertheless, it must be present. For some, that change comes easily and with great exuberance. For others it will be slow, deliberate and even methodical. Is one type of change any more valid than the other? Absolutely not! Both are fruit of being born again.

If you would like more information on being born again, you can contact me privately at beitlchiam@q.com

Shalom

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Moderation or Compromise?

For many of us during this Holiday Season, the question is not, "Do we celebrate?" It is "How do I share my new found convictions with my friends and family?" Because we are learning the importance of the whole of Scripture, and the desires of our Creator as we worship, we struggle not to offend those closest to us who may not yet share our convictions. We wrestle with how to respond to those who innocuously wish us a "Merry Christmas," especially when they are Christians. Should we challenge them by reminding that Dec. 25th was designated as the birthday of pagan deities and is not the birthday of our Messiah? Should we point out that they are following lies and traditions that have nothing to do with Christianity?

I believe there is an eternal principle in play here, that we are warned against numerous times in Scripture, and that is the mixing of the holy with the profane. Aaron's own sons were killed for violating this principle. Ezekiel warns against it as well; "Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they showed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them." (Ezek. 22:26).

The conviction is to return to following Yehuweh of Scripture with all the purity that is humanly possible. How do we live out this conviction?

First of all, remember where you have come from. It took the Holy Spirit to remove blinders from your eyes to see all the pagan influence in the first place. Your relationship with Messiah will guide you here, if you are willing to listen. (A word of warning: The Holy Spirit will NEVER give you a thought or instruction that is outside of the confines of His Word. Yehuweh has chosen to govern Himself by His Word...Scripture must become our governing force as well.) As we study the life of our Messiah, we see His attack was on the religious establishment, not the people that were enslaved by it. His response to those who were looking for freedom was to confront the sin issues, but with great compassion for the individual (See Mark 10:17-27).

Let me share with you a couple of counselling principles that have proven themselves many times over through the years in my own practice.
  • Present your conviction only after being asked about it. When you share your convictions before being asked, your words are harsh and unpalatable. You will be accused of "trying to 'cram' it down their throat."
  • Do not use Scripture against those to whom you are trying to minister. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." In other words, the Word is a weapon that cuts,,,we must learn to be skilled in its use. It is always appropriate to use Scripture to explain your position, but it is NOT up to you to bring conviction to those around you. That responsibility belongs to the Holy Spirit alone.
  • Try to tackle the subject when the pressure is off. It is much better to talk about Christmas issues at other seasons of the year, if possible. You can say to your loved one, "I would love to discuss my views with you, but lets wait until after the season is over." You are then allowing the individual to see that you are not attacking them personally.

Our Messiah told us to "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16) One way to let your light shine is when you are wished a "Merry Christmas" smile and say "Thank You"!

Shalom

Monday, December 17, 2007

Peddling the Gospel for Profit

For this post, I will stand on a soapbox. Not to fear, it is a very short soapbox, as I am afraid of heights!

1 Peter 5:1-4 states; The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

This passage is an encouragement to those in leadership to examine how they lead. The current state of the body of Messiah has caused her to be extremely vulnerable to unscrupulous wolves practicing extortion. Virtually any "Christian" TV program you watch devotes as much time to self promotion and fund raising as to the so called 'proclamation of the Gospel'. "For your generous contribution and/or regular support, you can buy anything from special anointing oil, to Holy Land gifts, to Bibles with your favorite profiteers' commentary. You can purchase clothing, books, and CD's/DVD's to help 'support the cause. It is obvious that these hucksters do not even believe their own message because they don't think their cause will float on its own merit without offering some great prize for your contribution. Does this not sound dangerously close to the system of indulgences implemented by the Catholic church to build the Vatican during the dark ages? "For your contribution you can commit the sin of your choice (including murder and rape) without fear of judgement."

We are encouraged, in the book of Malachi, to bring tithes into the storehouse for the purpose of provision of food (Mal. 3:10). We have fallen into a trap. If there is food in the house, it is stale or spoiled. We have changed venues from a storehouse of food to a place of general merchandise. Because there is more profit in merchandise than food, it was not a difficult switch to make since our focus has become the bottom line. Our situation went from bad to worse when we moved from merchandise to entertainment. Every one knows the greatest profit is in the entertainment arena. We have gone from providing food to settling for dessert menus and spiritual cocktail parties! Is it any surprise that there is an analogy set forth in the Book of Revelation that the Harlot (representative of a man-made religious system) is drunk on the blood of the saints? (Rev. 17:6) What is the answer? REFORMATION NOW!

It is time for preachers to become prophets of the Most High instead of competing for the profits through the wallets of the saints. If you are called to proclaim the message of the Gospel, nothing will keep you from that calling, especially lack of funds. If Yehuweh owns the "cattle on a thousand hills" can't He provide a way to get His Word out. I speak from personal experience as I declare "It is tremendously more fulfilling to preach the Gospel without fear of offending someone that may withhold their tithes. Yeshua Himself said He had become a block of offence to the religious establishment. May we be more like Him!

Shalom

Thursday, December 13, 2007

What is your Name?

This is essentially the question that Moses asked of the Creator when he was commissioned to be the agent of deliverance for the Children of Israel. See Exodus 3:13-22. This was a question that had to do with the authority in which Moses would walk and minister. Moses was asking the Almighty for a credential that he could carry with him. The response from our Heavenly Father was intended to change the very course of mankind! He said, "Tell them THE ETERNALLY EXISTENT ONE has sent you." In the Hebrew, this explanation is very descriptive of the Proper Name of our God. {Note: This blog does not support True Type Fonts, so I can't show actual Hebrew.} The four-letter proper name of the Almighty is used no less than 6,528 times in the Old Testament alone!

The third commandment reads: "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. (Exodus 20:7) This is possibly the most misunderstood command of the ten. (The fourth command is not misunderstood, it is simply disobeyed.) A literal rendition of verse 7 could read: "You shall not let the name of Yehuweh your Elohim come to worthlessness, for Yehuweh will not hold him innocent who allows this to happen."

Pronunciation: The Oxford English Dictionary states that the Name is best transliterated as IaHUeH. The first three letters in the Hebrew represent YAHU and the final letter represents EH or WEH.

It is no accident that Judah or Yehudah has the same four letters as Yehuweh with a Dalet (D-sound) right in the middle. Every Hebrew letter has a picture or symbol associated with it and the letter Dalet's picture or symbol is a door. We know Yehudah means "Praise". This concept puts together a word picture that states: 'The doorway to Yehuweh is praise.'

There are obviously differing opinions on how the Name should be pronounced. If we are sidetracked at this juncture, we will again be guilty of neglect of the Command by arguing over it. There is a reformation principle at stake here. If this name is used over 6000 times in the Old Testament alone, how is it that modern Christians are not taught His name? King Solomon penned, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe. (Proverbs 18:10). In the original Hebrew, this verse uses the Name, "Yehuweh" i.e. The name Yehuweh is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe. Question: How can the righteous run to the Name if they don't know the Name?

I have taken the following Scriptures from the New King James Version and inserted the Proper Name where it appears in the original:

Jeremiah 16:19-21 ; O Yehuweh, my strength and my fortress, My refuge in the day of affliction, The Gentiles shall come to You From the ends of the earth and say, "Surely our fathers have inherited lies, Worthlessness and unprofitable things." Will a man make gods for himself, Which are not gods? "Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know My hand and My might; And they shall know that My name is Yehuweh.

Isaiah 52:6 Therefore My people shall know My name;

Zephaniah 3:9 "For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, That they all may call on the name of Yehuweh, To serve Him with one accord.

Zechariah 13:2 "It shall be in that day," says the Yehuweh of hosts, "that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered.

Zechariah 13:9 They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘Yehuweh is my Elohim.’"

Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name Yehuweh Shall be saved.
For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As Yehuweh has said, Among the remnant whom Yehuweh calls.

Ezekiel 39:7 So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name anymore.

Psalm 44:20,21 If we had forgotten the name of our God, Or stretched out our hands to a foreign god, Would not Elohim search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.

Psalm 83:16-18 Fill their faces with shame, That they may seek Your name, Yehuweh. Let them be confounded and dismayed forever; Yes, let them be put to shame and perish, That they may know that You, whose name alone is Yehuweh, Are the Most High over all the earth.

And finally look at our Messiah's prayer in John 17 : "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." (emphasis mine).

Shalom

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

The Creator's Calendar

Although a change in calendar may be a practical impossibility, a cursory understanding of the Creator's calendar is vital to realization of the Almighty's schedule for the events of mankind. A major factor in the misunderstanding of biblical prophecy is lack of knowledge of the Creator's calendar. At this point it is important to interject that the modern Hebrew calendar is NOT the Creator's calendar. The modern Hebrew calendar is a calendar of convenience that has implemented averages in order to set holidays and festivals years in advance that, according to the biblical model, are impossible to do.

Example: According to Exodus 13, Passover is to be celebrated in the month of the Abib. This means that Passover cannot be celebrated until the new moon after the ripening of the barley crop. In other words, the yearly calendar could not be set in motion until the barley was ripe! That is why, in the modern Hebrew calendar there is an extra month (Adar Bet) on an average every 2-3 years.

I believe the main reason understanding of the biblical calendar is important is in the area of eschatology (the study of the end times). In Isaiah 46 :10 we read,
"Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,’"

This verse literally means, 'If you want to understand the end, study the beginning.' This is why the Almighty gave us clues through the prophets of old as to the return of the Messiah. I don't believe it is any stretch at all to say that our Heavenly Father is revealing Himself to us through our study of what He will do in the days ahead! Our Messiah gave many warnings and INSTRUCTIONS to discern the times of the end. We have, at our disposal, tools never before available to help understand biblical prophecy. There is no excuse for the body of Messiah to be uninformed of the events that are unfolding in our day and how they relate to His soon return.

Shalom

Friday, December 7, 2007

The Christian's Priority System

This is a subject that, I'm sure, there will be much discussion in the days ahead. I want to tackle it from the start to examine just how far we have deviated from Biblical principle. I have taught for many years, that when you put God first in your life, every thing else will fall into place. Sounds good, doesn't it? WRONG!! Acts 17:28 says "for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ " In Him...In Him...In Him!! If we are in Him, there is no way to put Him first or second, or any other place...HE IS MY LIFE! By putting Him in a priority system, even if it is first place, I am denigrating His power and authority in my life. Our Messiah is to big for a human priority system. Yeshua (His Hebrew name...more writing later on the names we use!) taught us "
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. (John 15:7,8)" Abiding in Him is not about priority...it is about life.

Let's look at the practical application of this principle: Because He is my life, I am free to give my wife, and then my family, the highest possible priority. I am free to be in a passionate earthly relationship that is Divinely designed to teach me the principles of the Kingdom of the Almighty. I am free to pursue my lover of 30 years with abandon. I do not worry if I spend too much time or effort on this relationship because it is the one relationship given for just that purpose. Ephesians 5:32 says concerning this relationship, "This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church." In other words, it is IMPOSSIBLE to devote too much to my marriage because it is all about being "in Him"!

I realize that what I have just shared flies in the face of conventional Christian thinking. I challenge you to ponder this message in your heart. A major reason Christian marriages fail is because of the priority system and the guilt and confusion it brings! You are free to pursue your spouse with ALL of your heart. Your Heavenly Father is NOT displaced by you doing so. On the contrary, He is glorified and blessed because He has given you that relationship to explore the depths of His love for you! PERSUE PASSIONATE LOVE!!

Thursday, December 6, 2007

God Knows My Heart???

It is a sad commentary indeed, that we have come to use the statement "God knows my heart" as an excuse to deliberately walk in disobedience to His Word. When truth is presented, rather than be inconvenienced by the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, we dismiss our behavior with, "God knows my heart." In reality, that should not even enter into the mix as it relates to our obedience.

In our local area, hearts are heavy at the recent news of two young children (separate accidents) who were hit and killed by motorists. The question naturally arises "What were children that young doing walking unsupervised along busy thoroughfares?' Did the parents forget their responsibilities because "they knew their children's hearts"? Are we really asking our Heavenly Father to change His mind concerning our behavior because "He knows our heart"? We must not forget who is the Father and who are the children in this relationship.

The statement "God knows my heart" must be replaced with the question, "Do I know His heart?" The Bible teaches that David was a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Is it not far more important for us to be seeking God's heart than to excuse our behavior with unwillingness to change our ours? Romans 6:1-4 exhorts, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Walking in newness of life equals obedience to the Word!

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Back to Our Roots

I believe one of the most crucial reforms that the Church must take on is a move back to the Hebrew roots of Christianity. We have become like a house that has been moved off of its foundation. Once in a while, as we examine our "home" we trip over parts of the foundation sticking out of the ground, totally oblivious to the danger we have put ourselves into. We have bought into the lie that the Hebrew Foundation is no longer important. (See Jeremiah 16:19). Because the building we now occupy is beautiful to look at and it fits well into the neighborhood, we gladly overlook the fact that this building may collapse, because after all, "we're gonna be outta here when the trouble starts."

I would like to pose one question that will hopefully get us on track to at least examine this precarious building situation. This question was alluded to by the Messiah himself in the Sermon on the Mount. He challenged, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-20)" The question is this: What commands was our Messiah referring to?

Shalom Alechem

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Original Post

I believe it is time for a total reformation of the way the Body of Messiah carries out its business in the earth. There is very little, if any difference between the way the Church operates and its commercial counterparts. We have bought into lies concerning profit from the gospel. We do not take the Word of God seriously, nor do we believe in it, in its entirety. We selectively twist Scripture into our own interpretations instead of allowing the Bible to interpret itself. We give our individual worship preferences higher priorities than Holy Writ. Christians have lost the ability to think critically for themselves in spiritual matters. It seems their Pastor's opinion is more important than the Almighty's. Much of our traditional practice has declined into borderline heresy.

I would love to dialog about these and other topics as they relate to our subject matter. I believe in the Body of Messiah. Scripture says that He (the Messiah) is returning for a bride "without spot or wrinkle" (Eph. 5:27). I realize that although we can never be righteous in and of ourselves before our Heavenly Father, we certainly have a responsibility to live according to the grace that has been given to us.

Looking forward to hearing from you!