Attitudes Concerning Reformation

Philippians 2:5-11 says, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Messiah Yeshua, who, being in the form of Elohim, did not consider it robbery to be equal with Elohim, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore Yehuweh also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Yeshua every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Yeshua Messiah is Lord, to the glory of Elohim the Father.

This is probably one of the most challenging passages in the whole of Scripture. It is a dissertation on how the believer should approach life. The challenge is to apply its encouragements to every aspect of our lives. In this article, we will look at how to apply its concepts to our relationship with the Almighty and His creation. (Not polar bears....people).

We need to understand that change, in any form, is uncomfortable. Human beings are comfort driven. It is a characteristic of human nature to not accept change until we perceive that the change will make us more comfortable than the situation in which we currently find ourselves. This applies to every thing from rolling down a window or turning on the air conditioner in a car to remodeling our homes. It is especially true of our belief system. We don't want to even examine a different belief system because it causes great discomfort. We don't want to face the possibility of being wrong. Not only is this an affront to our pride, it makes us uncomfortable.

Agents of change, by their nature, make us uncomfortable! This is why Yeshua was always in trouble with the Pharisees. He made the religious establishment uncomfortable. This is why the prophets of old were persecuted and killed by those to whom their messages applied. And, my friends, this is why you are misunderstood by your friends and family. As hard as it is to accept, we were warned about this in Scripture and told to rejoice because of it. (See Matthew 5:10-12).

Now that we know why people are uncomfortable because of us, how should we respond? I am going to assume that none of us responds with 'heaping on of new found knowledge' when our loved ones are uncomfortable with our statements concerning paganism and Christianity. I am also assuming that we don't have to prove our points by raising our voice, posturing anger because of their ignorance, or any other condescending attitude. After all, because of our new knowledge, all of the principles of love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, meekness, etc. no longer apply. We have come under a Messianic covenant (of our own making) that does away with the old Christian covenant. The problem is...This is NOT scriptural!

In examining the passage above, we see that Yeshua set forth for us an attitude that we must implement. The phrase 'did not consider it robbery to be equal with Elohim' can be translated "did not cling to the fact that He was Elohim." If He could let go of the fact that He is Almighty, we must be willing to be misunderstood while the Holy Spirit works on our loved ones. Yehuweh is using you as an agent of change! Let's make sure our attitudes are up to the task.

Shalom