ASHORTWORK
Biblical Understanding based on the Record of Scripture
The consistency of the teachings of the Bible should guide our understanding. YHVH does not change and Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Also, the New Testament does not interpret the Old Testament, rather the Old Testament is the foundation of the New Testament. We must not pick some verses to interpret other verses or choose certain verses and ignore the rest. The consistency of the record of scripture will always be the answer. YHVH did not leave His children in darkness, it is the children who have chosen to walk away from the light.
Mankind's deception is made possible by his refusal, generally, to believe what God reveals to us. When we put God's template of truth up against what passes as Christianity today, we can see how that happens. The Church of God is not immune to this. We look at ways we might address this by embracing what God tells us of Himself in Isaiah 66:1-2.
The world we live in is a sea of lies. Shining forth in the darkness is instruction from Beings that cannot lie, that do not lie. Their words are truth to the point that we are enjoined to live by every word of that instruction contained within the Bible. And yet mankind either rejects or feels God does not mean what He says in that instruction so freely given, and it is not acted upon. To be at One with YHVH and Yeshua, we must accept that they mean what they say and get in harmony with it. Recognizing where we are not, is key to moving towards a condition where we might inhabit eternity with Them.
In John 17:3 we are told it is eternal life to come to know the one true God and Jesus Christ. The Bible is replete with examples of their relationship and how they work together. We can read and see what the Bible actually reveals but there is also the issue of believing what it does indeed say. Once we do believe what it says, we can come to understand the one true God and His Servant Jesus Christ. We look at what it does say and the implications of that in regards to traditional Christian schools of thought.
The idea that Christ is returning a second time to establish the Kingdom of God as a conquering king is deeply embedded in Christian thought, including the Church of God. This is the same mindset the Jews of Christ's time had, and when He did show up, it wasn't what they wanted or expected. The same deception is in place today. In doing so, the role of the Father is completely erased, even though Christ Himself spoke of Him returning alongside the Father, and Dan 2:44 tells us it is the God of heaven who sets up the kingdom. We look at the record of scripture so that you can make your own "map" of the events laid out in the Bible and begin to see what has been revealed to us
The Second Coming of Christ is an often referenced topic in the Christian world and there are wildly varying thoughts amongst Christians about what that actually is. We look at the biblical record to see not only if it references the topic, but what it applies to, and it might well not be what you and I have previously thought it was. We look in detail as to what the Bible reveals on this very important topic.
If there is a harvest of the unleavened bread, and there is a harvest of the leavened bread, can we see a reason why that would be so? Can we also see, in scripture, them both described in time and place? We look at that in some detail.
There is a view out there that the only "barley" was Christ and all others are "wheat". Is this true? What is God's perspective on this? What does the Bible say?
A temple, as a building, is a designed edifice of beauty and functionality. It is intended to be a blessing for the worshipper, as well as a communal meeting place where God meets His people and shares His spiritual culture and divine laws. It's a consistent location where the people are confident of God's presence and know He is available. The physical edifice reflects God as omnipresent, seeking to dwell among His people.
In Hebrews 5:14 we are shown that spiritual maturity comes by actively using our senses to determine good and evil. That is not by our definition, rather God's. When we look at God's definitions of good and evil, understanding begins to come by looking through His eyes. We look at understanding that comes by applying that framework, and the scripture comes alive in ways we previously had not understood.
Looking into the pages of the Bible while considering God's definitions of those terms opens up the Scripture in ways we likely haven't taken the time to consider before. In effect, we begin to look at things through the eyes of God, something Christ always did, and so must His body, to begin to be at one with our Father. We look at God's definitions of good and evil and how that plays a part in the narrative of the Bible. These are given so that we will be feeding on the tree of life, first offered in the garden, generally rejected by man today. In doing this, we can begin to see both the world we live in, and ourselves, in a completely different light, and so we must continue to grow.
Historically in the Churches of God, the perspective of things was from a doctrinal point of view and not that of discerning good from evil as God defines the terms. This led to the events of the 1990's where the ecclesia were asked to return to evil, disguised as new doctrine, by those in positions of being able to do so. Did they know it was evil or was it a case of being deceived and deceiving? We look at some biblical examples of human reasoning trumping divine guidance, moving to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil from man's perspective rather than God's perspective, which is the tree of life. Christ always and without exception, viewed things from God's point of view and identified the world in which he came through those eyes. We conclude by looking at God's direction to the ecclesia, such that our thoughts and actions become like Christ's, at one with the Father.
Our understanding of the Bible is largely determined by how much of it we choose to believe when it says something. Man's record through the mists of time, is not much. It does reveal much of what could not be known had it not been given to us. We look at what God and the Christ tell us about themselves, and see where we are at in terms of the record of scripture. Being deceived is as much not believing what God tells us, as it is being told an outright lie, and if God is the truth and cannot and does not lie, our not believing Him is problematic. Good and evil are defined in many ways in the Bible, and it is incumbent upon the ecclesia to search it out, for when we do, and believe what God tells us about the subject, we are feeding on the tree of life, and on the way to becoming at one with God and Christ. Christ always spoke from the viewpoint of God, and not a human viewpoint of God, and we need to work towards doing the same.
Spiritual maturity is defined for us as being able to rightly discern good and evil, which are principles that God alone has the right to set. To learn these things, we must come to believe God when He tells us something in the pages of the Bible. There is a very long history of not doing so, and the impact of that, is great. We look at the ramifications that would be extent if we actually believed what God says, and the two things that underpin Satan's assault on us not doing so. Those two things are an evil heart of unbelief, and the removal of the fear, awe, and reverence of God from society, thus nullifying God's words to us. This blinds us in the commission to discern good and evil. We have to fix that.
God is capable of reading hearts and has recorded things in scripture that were said in the hearts of men. This should not surprise us, rather what should surprise us is how often that is so. If the Father looks on the hearts of men, we would expect Christ to have done the same, and indeed that is so. The New Testament writers also did the same. Perhaps it is something that today's ecclesia might also take into consideration? When God tells us something, could it be that we have an evil heart of unbelief that limits our understanding? How much of the Bible we read is simply not believed, with the result that substantive change does not occur as it should?
If God were to give us knowledge and wisdom, where would He place it? Solomon asked for exactly that, where did God place it? Have we considered asking the same? What is it God is looking for in us that we might be servants for Him? As Solomon was a literal King of Israel there were tools God required to fulfill that role. We look at instances where the ecclesia are directed to acquire the same skills and use them, to think in those terms, to ultimately enter roles as kings and priests of God. To follow that road requires us to reject what Adam and Eve took to themselves, rather looking to God for His direction and definition.
The word "heart", in English, has a wide variety of applications. This is true of both the use of the word in Hebrew and Greek as well, so it behooves us to consider what is being talked about when we come across it in our study. We were made in the image of God, and the Bible reveals God has both a spirit, and a heart. He is involved in influencing both in mankind. Often, the words heart and spirit are used in the same scripture, and as such, give us a window of understanding of the two. What is the purpose of each?
The Bible talks a great deal about the "heart" of man. It is an area that hasn't been given much attention generally, yet on the Day of Pentecost, some of the listeners to Peter's sermon were "cut to the heart", and so thereby, were moved to action. What is it God is doing? We look at several examples where God is dealing with the "hearts" of men, and introduce consideration on the matter of "heart". When God gives the spirit of Christ to the ekklesia it is placed in our "heart". Perhaps we need to look at these things more closely as our understanding about God continues to increase?
In the song "Day by Day," there are three actions included as a prayer to our Heavenly Father: to see Him for clearly, love Him more dearly, and follow Him more nearly ??? day by day. Similarly, in Micah 6:08, Yehovah requires three actions of His people: to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Him. To do justly means to do what is right. To love mercy means to love giving mercy, compassion, and forgiveness to others. To walk humbly with God the Father means to revere Him with humility and contriteness without arrogance, haughtiness, and pride. We should always compare ourselves to God the Father and Jesus Christ. We should never compare ourselves with others. Let us strive to deepen our resolve to implement the actions of Micah 6:08 more completely in our lives: to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before our God. Let us pray that we see our Heavenly Father more clearly, that we love our Heavenly Father more dearly, and that we follow our Heavenly Father more nearly, day by day.
Most of us who plan to contribute to this venue are near the end of our service as members of the Ekklesia simply because of age and strength. As a result, considering the present distress in society and the ongoing deception and distress in the churches of God, we don't consider this is the time or place to stand aside. True unity is not with each other, it is with YHVH and Jesus Christ. If numbers were a consideration then most of us could have just stayed in the organization we were in when we were called.
This sermon, given in Spokane Washington on April 26, 2019, describes how Israel refused to honor God according to His word and was eventually sent off into captivity. Tragically, spiritual Israel in our time has done the same thing. Most of the churches of God have become corporations run by modern Pharisees teaching their own Talmud; they are teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.
Total Studies: 20
Leviticus 23:26-28 NKJV
And the LORD spoke unto Moses saying:
"Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the day of Atonement (Coverings). It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD.
And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement (Coverings), to make Atonement (Covering) for you before the LORD your God. ..."