Too many institutions entice young students to look for “truths” rather than the TRUTH

When I was in middle and high school, I was definitely a “seeker.”

I had grown up immersed in pluralism. I had never heard of the “Full Gospel.”

By junior year of high school, encouraged by “pastors” of the United Church of Christ (UCC), (a sect I now consider heretical), I had read all sorts of books from so-called “Christian” mysticism. I was particularly interested in such works as “The Cloud of Unknowing” and Thomas Merton’s writings recommended to me by the pastors of the church our family attended. I dabbled in Buddhism and other false religions. I was considered “well-rounded.”

In college, I visited a local Hindu temple as well as a mosque outside of Chicago. My friends were also exploring world religions, but the frightening thing is, we were all studying to be “Christian pastors.” We weren’t just learning about world religions so that we could properly share the Gospel with the lost, we were learning because we wanted to participate in their practices.

The UCC “associate ministers,” as they were called, (like bishops) were aware that we were learning about Islam and even sat across the table from us during a Ramadan dinner at that mosque that we had all been invited to by an interfaith council. There was no effort on their part to correct our course: all of us who were theology majors were encouraged to explore the commonalities between different faiths. But believe me, we were never encouraged to visit an evangelical or Full Gospel church.

When I was in grad school, we were required to read many books that were also rooted in mysticism. I remember observing (sadly!) that my Divinity School peers were intrigued and absorbing these ideas, likewise encouraged by the seminary’s professors. It is no secret that many who enter seminary lose their faith: but the true tragedy has to do with the leadership of these institutions who entice young students to look for “truths” rather than the Truth. By this time, I had already met my Savior (to the dismay of many of my theologically liberal professors who wished I had retained my interest in ecumenism and interfaith activities).

If you want to read more about my experiences growing up in a universalist environment, check out my post on Divine Empowerment in an “Inclusive” Age.

Many professors have really gotten into using icons (a form of idolatry). Christian schools and churches now incorporate yoga into their programs despite yoga’s inherent spiritual connection to Hinduism. I have a missionary friend who is a native of India. She is so dismayed by how many American Christians have accepted and incorporated yoga into their “Christian” practices. She shakes her head and says, “if they only knew . . .”

See, you don’t need a whole host of odd rituals or candle lightings or chants. You just need the Full Gospel, brought to you by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I share all this because so many people truly don’t know the Gospel, let alone the Full Gospel.

I feel like Peter writes more succinctly than Paul. He writes in a nutshell, the Gospel is:

“He [Messiah Yeshua/Jesus Christ] Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we, removed from sins, might live for righteousness. ‘By His wounds you were healed.'” 1 Peter 2:24

It is very simple.

You might say Paul was more long-winded:

“For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Messiah accomplished through me, to bring about the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem and around even to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the Good News of Messiah.” Romans 15:18-19

In their own ways; however, both Peter and Paul describe what is termed, the “Full Gospel.”

Besides the death and resurrection of our Savior, He also brought healing, signs and wonders. We are saved, and we are healed. We are saved, and we receive the divine infilling of the Holy Spirit, if we will submit to the Holy Spirit’s authority.

“Fully” proclaiming the Good News, as Paul writes, is preaching what Messiah Jesus has accomplished (forgiveness of sin through His death on the cross and resurrection) with power. This is the Full Gospel!

In other words, preaching should be accompanied by signs and wonders – as something normal.

That doesn’t mean a worship service should become an entertainment spectacle.

And certainly none of this has to do with “manufactured miracles.”

But it should be completely commonplace for Gospel preaching to be accompanied by miraculous healings, deliverance, speaking in tongues, etc. The purpose of the spiritual gifts manifesting in power is to essentially give credence to what is preached. That God would heal someone is proof He is living! That God would deliver someone is proof He has power over sin and darkness!

This is the fullness of the Gospel!

A Gospel preached without power isn’t the full Gospel. And do you really want to settle for half?

Paul warned Timothy of those who have an “outward form of godliness but denying its power.” 2 Timothy 3:5b.

This verse speaks to both sides of an issue.

1. There are some followers of our Savior who care so much about their outward looks they forget they are quite rotten in their speech and other aspects of their lives. They deny the power of the Gospel through their pettiness and gossip.
2. Then there are other followers of our Savior who carefully appear to be very godly in their doctrine and behavior, but literally deny the power when they claim that the Holy Spirit isn’t working and moving among the body of Messiah as He did in the past. This leads to anemic doctrine, lacking the vital nutrition of the full understanding of the Gospel.

The LORD is still working modern miracles today! Don’t be afraid!

This weekend we celebrate Shavu’ot, also known as Pentecost. A special time to celebrate this Full Gospel I am telling you about!

We rejoice knowing that the same God who gave us His Torah is the same God who gave us His Spirit!

If you would like to know more in depth about the Messianic and Pentecostal significance of Shavu’ot/Pentecost, check out my post on the Biblical Spring Feasts!

Now, let’s be realistic.

A lot of people have been trained by our society to be afraid of “Pentecostals.”

I know I used to be!

The only reason anyone should be afraid of a Pentecostal is if they don’t want any deliverance in their lives.

Because when a true Pentecostal believer prays, you better watch out, the demons flee!

Some Pentecostals or Full Gospel folks might dress a certain way or wear their hair a certain way, and I’m not saying any of that is necessarily bad. But your outward appearance isn’t what makes you Pentecostal – its the Holy Spirit within you.

If you have been baptized by the fire from above with the evidence of speaking in tongues, you are Pentecostal. You might attend an Assembly of God church or Church of God (TN), or Pentecostal Holiness, or United Pentecostal. While there are disagreements among Pentecostal people (just as there are disagreements among any group of people!) about things like Trinitarianism or dress codes, we serve the same Mighty God who has this awesome plan to heal you and deliver you.

When you know that you are saved from your sin, you need to know that you weren’t saved just so you’d go to heaven one day.

You were saved so you could start living with the joyous benefits of heaven, starting even now, here on earth.

Life won’t be perfect, but you have access to so much divine opportunity to pray and to witness great miracles occur, even now. Heaven will be wonderful, but we don’t have to sulk while we bear with the sufferings of this life. We can pray in confidence for the LORD to enable us to live in victory, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

You have the opportunity to be saved – and sanctified! Set free to live in abundant joy and peace. Receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit is described in the Scriptures as a deposit, a seal, so you know without a doubt that you are indeed saved!

The Full Gospel is for you!

If your pastor always stops preaching after Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you may need to start asking some good questions about the rest of the New Testament.

Starting in the book of Acts, you will discover how the early believers operated, constantly ministering to others in power. Healings and miracles were part and parcel of the Gospel Truth.

Your faith walk will be greatly enhanced by knowing this powerful Truth, that the Fullness of the Gospel is for everyone, and you are invited to live endued with power from on high! Whether you are a student or a seasoned believer, don’t ever pass up the opportunity to live your life yielded to the Presence of God in your life and the Full Gospel Truth!

Why does everyone need the Full Gospel?

Everyone needs the Full Gospel because everyone needs the Holy Spirit!

The Holy Spirit (Ruach haKodesh) will help you when you need to make important decisions. He will lead you closer to the Father. He will help you discern your next steps in life. The Spirit of God (Ruach Elohim) will anoint you and bless you. Your prayer life will improve, your worship will be deeper, and your longings will be much more satisfied.

If you have been a Christian for a really long time, but still feel like you’re missing out on something, don’t turn to mystical and false religions, turn to the Holy Spirit, who will take you to a new level in Him. If you do not yet speak in tongues, don’t think of it as something too strange for you. If Paul spoke in tongues, why can’t you? Our faith is not of this world, so dive in and allow the Holy Spirit to have His way!

A lot of people won’t talk about “speaking in tongues” because our culture has derided people who do as “wackos” and “crazies.”

Don’t let culture define you nor limit your experiences with God.

Follow the Word of God, and He will provide you the Full Gospel experience that you need.

Some great songs for Pentecost/Shavu’ot

I will leave you with some great praise and worship songs that I love! They are perfect for Pentecost/Shavu’ot, and all year round, too. May they benefit you spiritually as you seek the blessings of the Holy Spirit, our Eternal Comforter! I pray He baptizes you with His Holy Fire, even today! It is an experience that will transform your life!

Holy Spirit, How I love You

Send the Fire

Refiner’s Fire

Welcome, Holy Spirit

The Comforter has Come

Bo Ruach Elohim (Come, Spirit of God)

Please leave a comment or send a message to [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you! May you be endued with power from on high!

Parashat Kedoshim (V’yikra/Leviticus 19-20) 5782 B”H

The Leviticus Holiness Code

The Holiness Code found in Leviticus 19 tells the people of God that they are to be holy, for ADONAI is holy.

The term in Hebrew is קְדֹשִׁים q’doshim (also spelled, kedoshim) – you shall be among those who are holy; the holy ones.

The instructions here are meant for the entirety of Israel, not just the priests and leaders.

"Speak to all the congregation of Bnei-Yisrael and tell them: You shall be kedoshim, for I, ADONAI your God, am holy."  Lev.19:2, emphasis added

Though the Torah was written so very long ago, there are 15 points that are still completely relevant to us today.

These points contain important instructions to help us live in holiness (another term for “sanctification.”)

“This is the will of God — your sanctification.” 1 Thessalonians 4:3

We have been made holy through what our Messiah did for us on the cross at Calvary (Col.1:20-22). We cannot be holy on our own or achieve holiness by doing good works. However, once we have received the gift of salvation, we are to continue to live as sanctified people:

"Therefore, since we have these promises, loved ones, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."  2 Corinthians 7:1, emphasis added

The fruit of our salvation is that we choose to live rightly. We choose holiness.

Here are instructions on how to do it!

Related post: The Leviticus 11 Controversy

Major points of the Leviticus Holiness Code:

1. Holiness requires that we must respect our father and mother (Lev.19:3).

"Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God."  Leviticus 19:3 (NKJV)

“Each one of you is to respect his mother and his father, and keep My Shabbatot. I am ADONAI your God."  Lev.19:3 (TLV)

This seems so basic, yet look around us. How many people truly respect and honor their parents? Are you training your children to be respectful?

We must be cautious as to what we allow our children to watch. Many shows and movies targeted to young people today encourage aloofness and rebellion. We must oversee their usage of technology and encourage positive, godly friendships. Our job is harder than generations past – children today are truly inundated by information – both good and bad, and are targeted for their innocence.

How about grown up children? If their parent is in an assisted living facility, do they visit? Sadly, I have seen far too many of our elders in this country practically abandoned by their adult children, left to be cared for entirely by health professionals. I am thankful for the professionals, who give so much love, but it is never the same as the bond that ought to exist between a parent and their child.

The denigration of traditional family by modern society is ha-satan‘s way to attack this basic, fundamental principle.

To live in holiness, we must be respectful of our parents.

2. We are to keep God’s Shabbats (Sabbath Days) (Lev.19:3)

Notice that in the same verse that we are instructed to care for our parents, we are also instructed to keep God’s Sabbath days. That is because these concepts go hand-in-hand. If we love our families, we will want to spend time with them, and we will honor our LORD. Sabbath is about spending time with the LORD and with our families, resting and enjoying the presence of the LORD and our loved ones as well as our brothers and sisters in Messiah.

Assuming that our parents taught us to keep Shabbat (which many didn’t, because this has been lost over time), we then keep the Shabbat to honor their teaching to us, as well. Shabbat is ultimately about family and keeping our generations on the right path.

The wording of this verse catches my attention. “Keep my Shabbatot.” “Keep my Sabbaths.” God tells us the Sabbath belongs to Him – consistent with our Messiah’s teaching that He is the LORD of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28). It is an important day to our LORD, so it should be important to us, too. Sabbath was established after creation – God rested on the seventh day and sanctified it (Genesis 2:3). Sabbath, according to the Bible, is Saturday, rather than Sunday.

This point is so important to the LORD that He reiterates it just a few verses later in Leviticus 19:30. “You are to keep My Shabbatot, and reverence My Sanctuary. I am ADONAI.” We must take seriously the command to rest.

What does rest have to do with holiness? Spending time at rest allows us to minister from a place of restoration.

We cannot help others if we don’t care for ourselves.

3. We are to not turn to idols (Lev.19:4)

A few years ago, we drove from the Texas border down to south central Mexico. During our trip, we saw many handmade shrines along the dusty paths bordering the Chihuahuan desert. The conditions in some of these desert regions are so harsh and desolate that the improvised, crude nature of these altars seemed to aptly reflect the difficulties of life in these places.

Why do people turn to idols? When do people feel inspired to build their own high place?

When they long for a relationship.

When they want answers to life’s hard questions.

When they genuinely seek, but have not yet found.

When they are trapped in a generational cycle of idolatry.

There is true hope in the LORD, but some people have not yet heard. And some who hear will reject the Truth, in favor of their idolatrous traditions and customs. But the stronghold on their lives is rooted in the idolatry of generations before, pagan traditions passed down with the hope of finding a better life, but missing the mark.

In several different villages in southern Mexico, we witnessed processions of people walking down the roads carrying wooden idols they had made.

I had never seen idolatry in such a pure and unabashed form. Sure, I had seen statues and carvings, but never entire communities of people parading these objects for purposes of worship.

In a sense, we are blessed in the United States because this isn’t something we “see.”

But we are also blind because we don’t realize that idolatry is just as rampant here, it just takes other forms.

You see, ha-satan is astute. Historically, our Protestant-influenced culture did not make easy room for idolatrous religious images and carvings. Holiness was taken more seriously. So the devil has found ways to lure people into less obvious forms of idolatry. Worship of self, materialism, obsession over celebrities, the love of money . . . there are so many forms of idolatry. It is sinful to look to these things as though they are deity.

We are clearly told in the Bible’s Holiness Code that in order to be holy as the LORD is holy, we mustn’t have idols of any sort.

4. We are to provide for the poor. (Leviticus 19:9)

Did you know that Ruth was able to glean from the fields of Boaz (Ruth 2) because of the law found in the Leviticus Holiness Code of Leviticus 19:9? It’s true!

Those who owned land were obligated by the Word of God in the Torah to intentionally leave the corners of the field unharvested and not to glean the leftovers of their crops in the fields. Specifically, landowners were not even to pick up fallen grapes from their vineyards (Lev.19:10). These remnants were to be left for the poor and the stranger.

There is always a lesson about hospitality to be found in the Word of God. We are to love and help the poor with kindness.

True holiness embraces abundant, radical hospitality.

5. We mustn’t steal, lie, or deceive. (Leviticus 19:11)

Stealing, lying, and deception all go together. We must be careful, especially those of us in ministry positions.

Peter warned that judgment begins in the house of the LORD. How many ministries have brought embarrassment and shame upon themselves for lying and deceiving people or stealing tithe money?

Resist all temptation to participate in schemes that will harm the LORD’s flock!

You are responsible to set an example for believers by living in true holiness, according to the Word of God.

"For the time has come for judgment to begin with the house of God. If judgment begins with us first, what will be the end for those who disobey the Good News of God?" 1 Peter 4:17

6. We must never swear by YHVH’s Name falsely. (Leviticus 19:12)

Swearing by YHVH’s Name falsely profanes the Name of your God, according to this Scripture.

I don’t know about you, but I shudder at the thought. We must live in holiness and honor the Name of the LORD.

This is written, though, because it is inevitable that certain members of the house of the LORD will fall into error. We must not follow suit.

7. You are not to oppress your neighbor nor rob him.

We need to learn to live in peace with everyone. We must be honest and good to our neighbors.

Many of the commands in the Leviticus Holiness Code sound like the Aseret HaDibrot: The Ten Words (i.e., the Decalogue or “Ten Commandments“). They are rules to live by, for our own good and the good of our communities.

If you truly want to live in holiness, find ways to bless your neighbors.

8. If you are a day employer, you are to pay your hired worker at the end of their work day, not hold the money overnight. (Leviticus 19:13)

The Leviticus Holiness Code provides for workplace fairness as well as the proper handling of money.

Day laborers are usually at a disadvantage, lacking their own land or company.

Day employers who obey the LORD will not take advantage of their workers or cheat them and will compensate them fairly and at a reasonable time.

I knew a wealthy man, who claimed to be a devout Christian, who thrived off of cheap labor. He would hire unskilled laborers and pay them the very least amount possible to retain their services. His workers would come and go because they were paid so little they would try to find work elsewhere. To his credit, I heard that he did pay his workers fairly quickly, but a person truly living in holiness will not take advantage of people or try to intentionally maintain them at poverty level. If you are in a position where you have financial advantages, find ways to bless those who work for you. Your team will stick with you and you will prosper, as well.

9. We must care for the rights of those with disabilities. (Leviticus 19:14)

Specifically, the Torah here is concerned for those who are deaf or blind.

We are not to curse anyone who has a disability nor make their lives difficult (putting a “stumbling block” before them).

Related post: A Cure Changes Everything.

If you truly seek to live in holiness, look for ways to help and befriend the disabled. You will be blessed.

10. We must be impartial in our judgments. (Leviticus 19:15)

When you are in the position to make a decision that will affect others, you need to show impartiality. These verses deal with justice. We must seek justice, whether it is in the workplace or in our neighborhoods. We cannot allow political preferences to cloud our judgment, either.

In all things, we must be fair. If you are a judge or someone in authority, you mustn’t show favoritism to others in similar positions. All cases must be dealt with fairly, regardless of financial or social status.

"You are not to be partial toward the poor nor show favoritism toward the great . . ."  Leviticus 19:15

We need godly judges and lawyers who seek to live in holiness! Pray for those who are studying law, that a new generation of godly lawyers would be raised up. That they would make rulings that honor the Word of God and that they would not be swayed by either political party, but rather make all decisions based on God’s Word.

11. There is no place for slander or hatred. (Leviticus 19:16-17)

The Bible clearly teaches that we mustn’t go telling tall tales about people. In our day of YouTube and social media, so many horrible TikTok “challenges” and slandering occurs. Leviticus 19:16 says, “You are not to endanger the life of your neighbor.”

We are not to hold grudges or take revenge or do anything that could harm another human being.

If we want to live in holiness, we must use social media with caution. We should use the power of technology to spread the Good News of our Savior rather than slander and hatred.

12. Love your neighbor as yourself. (Leviticus 19:18)

Yeshua (Jesus) told us that the second greatest commandment is “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Mark 12:31

He got that from the Torah, you know! He wanted us to understand the heart of our Father as revealed in the entirety of the Scriptures.

How do we love our neighbors as ourselves? We learn to love ourselves, not in an idolatrous way, but seeing ourselves as God sees us. He loves us and He has made us worthy by the blood of His Son, the Lamb of God. If we love ourselves, we can love those around us, most primarily our families, and that love extends to our neighbors.

True holiness requires us to learn to love.

13. We must “rise up in the presence of the gray-haired and honor the presence of the elderly.” (Leviticus 19:32)

Just as we must honor our parents, we are to honor the elderly. They have lived long lives and have much wisdom to share. Our family has been watching a Korean series on Netflix because my children are learning about Asian culture and we have all been struck by the amount of deference to elders depicted. This type of respect truly is foreign to American culture and we could learn a thing or two.

As discussed above, we will live in holiness if we respect and honor our parents and elders.

14. We must show love and hospitality to the immigrant (Leviticus 19:33-34)

Immigration is a controversial subject…. yet another overly-politicized issue of our day.

While our nation must have laws and borders, we also must demonstrate kindness to immigrants. There is no place for racism if we are living in holiness.

Some of the very best people I know are immigrants to our country!

If you want to live in holiness, be welcoming of those who are newcomers to our nation.

15. Honesty is the best policy (Leviticus 19:35-36)

The Scriptures are clear that we must be honest in all things. All items used for measurements, weights, and balances must honest according to the Leviticus Holiness Code.

Here, the LORD reminds Israel that He brought them out of Egypt.

God’s people were brought out of Egypt so they could live differently from the Egyptians. I would expect that dishonest measurements were probably used in ancient Egypt to take advantage of the Israelites living in bondage. Surely the freed people of God should be expected to demonstrate honesty in all matters which is a way of showing gratitude as well for all the LORD has done.

A person who lives in holiness is honest.

Are these points still relevant to us today as followers of our Savior Yeshua (Jesus)?

Each of these points help us to live in kindness, with righteousness, putting others ahead of ourselves. There are more instructions found in Leviticus 19, but they deal with more specific situations such as if a man lies with a slave girl or if you are planting in the land of Israel. Perhaps they don’t seem “as relevant” to us, but if we read them carefully, we can see how applicable even these remain even to this day.

For example, it remains prudent not to “eat any meat with the blood still in it,” (Lev.19:26) and it certainly remains forbidden for disciples of Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) to practice any type of “sorcery” (Lev.19:26). It is in this same passage we find the prohibition against tattoos (Lev.19:28). I know my view is unpopular today as many try to justify “Christian” tattooing, but Biblically-speaking, it does not make sense to pick and choose what we like and don’t like if it is all in the same portion of Scripture, in the Holiness Code.

A few years ago, when we pastored a church in Tennessee, one of the sisters in the congregation got a tattoo around her wrist. She came to show it off one day, and I fear I offended her when I was not nearly as excited about it as she was. I should have sat her down and spoken more gently to her, but my initial reaction was that she had made quite a mistake! We have an obligation to protect the Temple, not put graffiti all over it.

"Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Ruach ha-Kodesh who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body."  1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Interestingly, it has become cultural. Our congregation was comprised of both English-speakers and Spanish-speaking Hispanic immigrants. Our Hispanic members were very wary of the sister’s tattoo, while the English-speaking folks raved about it. It really caused a controversy between the groups! In this case, I believe the Hispanic folks knew the darker undercurrent of tattooing from their experiences with the occult in their home countries.

Ok, time to change the subject! I know that not everyone will agree on this!

In all things, seek the LORD in all His Holiness

Allow the Holy Spirit to illumine your understanding. He will show you the incredible connections made throughout the entirety of God’s Word; how the Bible’s text is so interwoven and contains no error. When I first went to undergraduate school to learn theology, I went there with the intent of disproving the Scriptures. I didn’t think it was possible for the Bible to be faultless. But the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to the Truth and I was able to continue my studies, fully convinced of the inerrant nature of the Bible.

If He could do that for me, He can do that for you.

Ask Him to show you His will and His ways, and your life will be forever changed!

Be encouraged today, that He can help you to walk in holiness and in the fullness of His love and grace!

Please leave a comment and subscribe today! We all need encouragement to live holy. Which of these points would you like to work on, in your personal life? I would love to hear from you!

Rethinking holidays and the resistance we got from pastoral colleagues

When our children were born (they are close in age), my husband and I started really thinking about the Biblical feast days. We thought through the types of holidays and traditions we would want them to grow up with. We were familiar with the Jewish holidays and had participated in Passover seders and church-sponsored Feast of Tabernacles events, but we still celebrated Christmas and Easter. We were good about keeping the celebrations as focused on the LORD as possible – never incorporating santa claus or Easter eggs, but we definitely enjoyed the Christmas Eve candlelight services and the Easter sunrise services. We are both pastors, so of course we loved these events! We were trained to lead them!

Sometimes we were met with resistance from our colleagues. They wondered why we always refused to host Easter egg hunts. Pastors in the community would invite us to host joint activities of this type and we would never participate. Many would ask questions like, “Why would you turn down an opportunity to get extra visitors into your church?” They’d move from questioning us to judging us: “This is a great church growth model, and you are not taking advantage of it.” Sorry, but we have always cared much more about Truth than numbers. And we’ve been blessed because of it.

Sadly, when we tried to share what we knew about the Biblical Feast Days, most of our pastoral colleagues made it clear they’d rather just keep the status quo. Today, few church leaders want to embrace anything that might mess with the Sunday morning offerings.

So, we decided to be different. And it has been an awesome adventure!

Choosing to celebrate Biblical feasts rather than Christmas/Easter

Colored eggs inspired by the Ishtar or Eostre’s fertility cults never seemed to make sense to us as a positive testimony of the Resurrection victory of our Savior. (For consistency, let me inform you we do not use the boiled egg on our seder plate as is also customary in Jewish tradition). If the Messiah, the Son of God, rose from the dead in victory, is that not enough of a powerful message? Why do we need the help of rabbits to tell the Good News in a compelling way? The Resurrection really doesn’t need embellishment.

Similarly, “everybody” knows that Jesus wasn’t born on December 25. So why continue to perpetuate this day as Jesus’ birthday? Instead of giving the world ammunition to accuse Christians of being delusional and embracing idolatry, why not learn how Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) birth fits into the holy-days given by God Himself? Christmas trees have nothing to do with a baby in a manger. Bunnies don’t lay eggs nor do they rise from the dead. My question has become a simple one: Why, my dear Christian brothers and sisters, why do you participate in these traditions?

We decided that our children should be raised with the holidays given to us by the LORD and described in detail in the Bible. We began to realize there are so many of them that they wouldn’t be missing out on anything! The LORD has given us so many wonderful feast days that help us see His handiwork in our lives throughout the year.

2022 list of Biblical Feast Days, traditional Jewish holidays and other dates of interest for the year

Here is a list of the Biblical holidays, traditional Jewish holidays, and other notable dates for 2022. The appointed times described in Leviticus 23 have exact specifications as to their dates so some people attempt to more closely align the dates using lunar calculations. I respect this attempt since the Gregorian calendar does not perfectly match, but our family uses the commonly accepted dates of the Jewish calendar.

Each of them has major significance to any believer who recognizes that they are part of Israel. The appointed times (moedim) are, of course, set feasts that our LORD established as “appointments” with us. He wants us to gather, to assemble, and He wants to meet with us and celebrate with us! He wants us to understand the fullness of the salvation reality – that our Passover Lamb has come, has been sacrificed, and has been raised again as the Firstfruits of the Resurrection harvest!

Some believers choose not to celebrate Purim or Hanukkah. I find there is great value in both, and will write about that another time. Similarly, one might wonder if you are not living in Israel, why care about Yom HaShoah or Israel’s independence day? But remember, whether you were born ethnically Jewish or have been grafted into the community of Israel, Israel’s victories are your victories, just as Israel’s sorrows are our collective sorrows. We weep with those who weep and we rejoice with those who rejoice.

Dates for your calendar

Here is a listing of the Biblical feast days. If you would like a FREE downloadable PDF, subscribe to our newsletter, and you will receive it straight to your inbox!

March 16 Purim

April 15 Passover/Pesach

April 16-23 Unleavened Bread

April 17 Firstfruits/Yom HaBikkurim/Resurrection

April 27 Holocaust Remembrance Day/Yom HaShoah

May 3 Israeli Memorial Day/Yom HaZikaron

May 4 Israel’s Independence Day

May 28 Jerusalem Day (Yom Yerushalayim)

June 4 Shavu’ot

September 25 Yom Teruah/Feast of Trumpets/Rosh HaShanah

October 4 Yom Kippur

October 9-16 Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkot

December 18-26 Hanukkah

May your year be most especially blessed!

If you are new to celebrating the Biblical feast days and need some help or encouragement, please don’t hesitate to reach out. It can be a lot of information to take in when you are new to it all! We’d be happy to guide you or give you some pointers! Shalom!

Looking for a gift or home decor?

Here are some ideas. I remember when I was given the Bible Hebraic Stuttgartensia by a congregation I served as a student pastor when I was in undergrad. I still use it today, one of the most thoughtful and useful gifts I have ever been given! I am an Amazon affiliate so I do earn a little when you purchase something, but it won’t cost you anything extra.

The Empowerment of followers of Messiah Yeshua (Jesus)

Acts 2 is one of my favorite passages of Scripture:

When the day of Shavu'ot [Pentecost] had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And tongues like fire spreading out appeared to them and settled on each one of them. They were all filled with the Ruach ha-Kodesh [Holy Spirit] and began to speak in other tongues as the Ruach [Spirit] enabled them to speak out. Acts 2:1-4, TLV

I think it is my favorite because it was completely ignored by the church I attended growing up.

And I attended faithfully.

Obsessively faithfully.

If the doors of that church were open, I was there. Choir practice, youth leadership teams, bell choir, instrumental ensembles. It was a very large church with a large staff, so there were many opportunities for me, and I’m thankful for that. I probably wore out the pastors with all my theological questions, but they put up with me!

But despite all of those years in the church, I had never heard Acts chapter 2 when the LORD empowered the believers with the power of the Holy Spirit (Ruach haKodesh).

I even learned to preach and lead entire worship services before I went to college.

The problem is, I had learned to preach a false gospel…

I didn’t know that, of course.

But when I did figure that out, I felt deceived!

I was angry, hurt, but on-fire for Jesus (Yeshua).

My experience in a universalist church

See, I grew up in a universalist type of ‘church’ in which everything and anything could be considered ‘divine’ and the deity of Messiah was even questioned.

It was normal to practice ‘mysticism’ and the congregation built a pagan labyrinth so that they could become ‘closer’ to God. ‘Sin’ was explained away through relativism and none of the leaders I knew believed in a literal eternal hell.

Liberal social justice agendas were presented as ‘gospel;’ and homosexual clergy were not only accepted, but encouraged.

I am a very spiritual person and have been since I was very little, so I was intrigued by the “historical Jesus” debate and the off-center teachings presented to me by my pastors as a teenager. I had the opportunity to travel to France, and walked on the Chartres labyrinth, excited to bring back books and souvenirs reflecting what I know now to be an occult practice.

I had no idea that we were so outside of a Biblical framework, but I did know that the pastoral staff thought ill of evangelicals, calling anyone who took the Bible at its word a “fundie,” their pejorative term for a fundamentalist.

There was always talk of “inclusion,” but this really meant including only those who agreed with their far left agenda.

I was taught an imitation, but the LORD led me to TRUTH

When I went to college and later to Divinity School, I realized how far the church had strayed from Biblical Truth.

By studying Hebrew, I was awakened to the reality that Scripture is inspired and without error in its original form.

The one nice thing about being raised as a ‘Unitarian Considering Christ’ was we were always open to Judaism. I never struggled with the concept that Messiah Jesus stood on this earth as a practicing Jew, a Holy Rabbi with the greatest teaching of all time. Eventually, I accepted my Savior Yeshua and the glorious gift of salvation.

Hallelujah!

The Postmodern/Emergent Church is looking for an “experience”

The postmodern and emergent church movements were popular when I was a student. One thing that stands out to me with those who want to start drawing and painting in church is that people are genuinely looking for an “experience.”

The church, as a whole, has strayed so far from Scripture that people don’t realize that the experience they are looking for is found within the pages of the Holy Bible and that everything else is a cheap imitation.

Well-meaning people add things into worship services, not intending to become idolatrous, yet these extraBiblical practices lead people far far away from what they actually need.

Worldly empowerment vs. Divine empowerment

Inclusiveness, feminism, empowerment – all key words in the liberal agenda, mask the true need in the world today. The Gospel is inclusive of all who would be willing to make a change, but the Gospel isn’t going to change to suit humanity’s deviant desires.

It is good to feel empowered! But you have to be empowered with the right thing!

That’s why the power from on high is so important. Acts 2 is all about supernatural empowerment!

The Holy Spirit will empower you in your calling to do the will of the Father.

The world offers a false empowerment. Feminists and liberal activists don’t actually support or love women. They hate Biblical womanhood because they want women to be men. 

That devilish agenda says: Go ahead, have children, but make sure you’re back on the job in 6 weeks after you have your baby.  We wouldn’t want you to reconsider and stay home with your children.

When my second son was born, I had been serving as a hospital chaplain on a staff of primarily men.  When I informed them I would not be coming back because I was choosing to stay home with our little ones, they told me I was overly traditional and that I would regret my decision.

No regrets here.

To me it was humorous that I had grown up more liberal than any of them, and now they were calling me ultra-conservative. 🙂

Shavu’ot = Pentecost

The believers gathered in the Upper Room were there on a feast day. It was called Shavu’ot, and Jewish believers had celebrated it for years. Our English translations call it “Pentecost,” and many Christians today mistakenly believe it was a newly established feast day after the Resurrection, but that’s not right.

The word for “Pentecost” comes from Greek, for 50, because Shavu’ot referred to the Feast of Fifty Days, better known as the Feast of Weeks. The timing of Messiah is perfect, so on this exact day, 50 days after the resurrection, the LORD poured out His Spirit upon the gathered believers to coincide with the feast.

Are you experiencing a time of waiting?

In Acts 1:4, Messiah Jesus (Yeshua) told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Promise of the Father.

Maybe you are waiting. Maybe you know the LORD has something more in store for you, but you’re in a waiting pattern. If you are waiting, but with a sense of expectation, with faith that He will work in your life – I assure you, He will.

Don’t be afraid in the waiting, nor discouraged.

Make sure you seek Him.

Who was empowered on Pentecost/Shavu’ot?

Acts 2:3 says, “There appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.”

The last phrase there, in Greek, “upon each and every one of them” is important for those interested in “inclusivity.”

The Greek is emphatic meaning that this included men and women. 

ἐφ’  ἕνα  ἕκαστον  αὐτῶν
eph    hena   hekaston      auton   
Upon each  and every one   of them

The gifts and calling of the Eternal One are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). He calls men and women to share the Good News, and to be empowered by His very Spirit to do it well.

What was going on before this moment, before the power of Adonai came?

Prayer and supplication. Both men and women were present in an Upper Room prayer meeting.

These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary [Miryam] the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.  Acts 1:14

There were at least 120 men there (Acts 1:15), women and probably even children.

RELATED: 6 Stone Jars, 120 Gallons of Wine, and a Wedding in Cana

The LORD uses men and women. In different ways, yes, but (if you are a woman reading this) don’t let anyone tell you that there’s no place for you in the ministry. That simply isn’t true. If He has given you a voice, you have something to say, so long as it lines up with the Word of God. Most of the people in the Upper Room were men. The women were outnumbered. But they were most certainly included.

God chose this group of men and women to be present to receive the inaugurating outpouring of the fire of the Holy Spirit because they were faithful in prayer and they were willing to obey!

Comfort will come after pain or loss

I have used this passage with women’s ministry groups because women in all walks of life endure all sorts of challenges and pain: Women who have recently lost their own mother, women who have been told by doctors they cannot have children, women who have ended pregnancies due to poor guidance by nonChristian medical staff or women who genuinely felt there was no other option, women who now live with the regret or guilt of any type of past sins.

The most emotionally painful thing to endure might be the mother who lost a child, whether that child was an unborn baby or an adult child.  Many times it is out of that pain that the LORD will use you to minister to someone else. If you’ve been marginalized from the pulpit because you are a woman, you will also understand a hurt others will not understand.

Whatever you relate to as a horrible pain to endure was exactly the kind of pain the women (and the men) endured the day after the crucifixion.

Even though they knew what they had seen and heard and they knew that Jesus was the Messiah, and He told them He would rise again and He promised to send another Comforter . . . even so, there must’ve been so many questions going through their minds.

We who are filled with the Holy Spirit today cannot now imagine what life would be like without Him, without His glorious presence. One of the most distressing(!!!) Psalms to me is Psalm 51:11.  “Cast me not away from Thy presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” Just the thought makes me shudder!

Maybe you have experienced something earth shattering. Maybe you have watched as something you have loved, dreamed of, or even built seems like it’s gone. When we ministered in Alabama and Tennessee, we frequently worked with people who had suffered devastating losses after tornadoes raged through their neighborhoods. Just know that the Spirit of the LORD can help you get through whatever has distressed you or twisted your life upside down.

What is your own personal Sabbath’s Day journey?

The verses contained in Acts 1:12-Acts 2:1 describe what occurred in (what most have calculated to be) 10 days from the Ascension described in Acts 1:9. 

If there is a situation right now in your life, give it a few days. It might take ten, it might be four . . . it might be more than 10.  But like I said earlier, God’s timing is perfect. You can trust Him.

Acts 1:9 “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched He was taken up…”

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:12), a Sabbath’s Day journey – meaning it was a fairly short walk. They would not receive the Promise of the Father without resting in Him, without listening for His voice.

Maybe you’ve been traveling more than a Sabbath’s Day journey, keeping your agenda jam-packed. Honor the Sabbath, and the Lord of the Sabbath will meet you right where you are. Not everyone who desires to be baptized in the Holy Spirit receives that blessing right away. Think of it as a journey: He will satisfy your hunger and thirst when you need it most.

The Holy Spirit provides anointing so that you can be a Godly example to others

There is nothing more noble than to be an anointed, Holy Spirit-filled servant of God.

We need the power of God to change the way we speak, the way we interact, the way we present ourselves.  You know, something that has been lost over time is the art of etiquette.  I noticed this particularly when I lived in the south, having grown up in the north. Up North, we don’t usually say “yes, ma’am” and “no, sir.”  It is wise and godly to teach your children, or your spiritual children, the etiquette of God’s Word.  How to be a Godly example for others. It is more than attending an assembly.  It is living the Word in thought, word, and deed, so that the transformation Christ has worked in you will be evident to all.

We need our etiquette to be anointed! If you comport yourself with grace, doors will open for you.

The Holy Spirit will empower you to pray for the salvation of your city!

We are not in Jerusalem, but we can tarry in our own cities, asking the LORD to intervene in these last days. I know from experience that those who have been immersed in false doctrines CAN be led to the Truth, but it requires prayer!

I am thankful for believers who prayed for me!

Pray, with fervor, without ceasing so He will send an outpouring of His power upon and into you, either for the first time, or for a new time.

Pray, pray, pray until the yoke-breaking, curse-disrupting and destroying, Almighty Power of the Most High descends upon you and believers around you and ignites your home and your city and your congregation with the Love of Messiah.

The most inclusive wonderful thing you can ever do is pray for someone and welcome them when they decide to become a citizen of heaven, too!

I look forward to hearing YOUR testimony! Please share your comments below. If you have not yet met Yeshua, the Promised Messiah of Israel, please reach out. He loves you very much and lived and died so that you could live eternally with Him. I would be so honored to pray for you or with you. If you’d like, please consider subscribing to our email list! Blessings and Shalom!

Parashat B’reishit (Genesis 1:1-6:8) (Updated 10/13/2022 5783 B”H)

Beginning at the Beginning

Each year after Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles), it is customary to begin re-reading through Torah (the first five books of the Bible). I personally believe it is vital to supplement Torah reading with readings from the rest of the Bible, including the Prophets and the rest of the Tanakh as well as, of course, the New Testament (B’rit Chadasha).

So it is the time of year when we begin back at Genesis (known in Hebrew as B’reishit).

Beginning at the beginning of time.

We do well to understand that in every undertaking in life, we ought embark only with our understanding framed by the history of creation. If we know our Creator and are in right relationship with Him, then we will understand our role as the created and realize our need for restoration and salvation.

Those who do not yet live in right relationship with the LORD, the Creator of All, cannot be called His children.

But there is Good News!

“See how glorious a love the Father has given us, that we should be called God’s children—and so we are!” 1 John 3:1

As God’s children, it is imperative that we share this Good News so that those who are perishing around us would be able to repent and know our Savior, too, and so, too, become children of the Most High God.

I will show you today a very simple method to share your faith, beginning at the beginning.

Are you confident in your ability to share and defend your faith?

As followers of Messiah Yeshua (the Lord Jesus Christ), it is our joyous duty to share with others the Good News of salvation.

We also need to be able to defend our faith.

Demonstrate that our faith is unshakeable!

It is so important to be equipped to share with others the Truth!

This is often called “apologetics.”

But rather than apologizing for what you believe, your task is to share it!

And be able to explain why you believe what you believe! Be confident! The LORD is with you and will give you the words and wisdom when you need it.

Today, I will focus on how one simple verse from Genesis can be used as a powerful spiritual weapon against one of the fastest growing cults: The Jehovah’s Witness organization.

The Jehovah Witness sect presents both a challenge and opportunity to Bible-believing Christians.

Are you ready to challenge yourself to share your faith?

Check out a simple and straightforward way to lead a friend to the True LORD of the Bible!

First, we must recognize that Truth is superior to cult religions and teachings

The Jehovah Witness cult continues to grow around the world. It is highly likely you will encounter a Jehovah’s Witness follower at some point.

You might think I am being very harsh calling it a cult.

However, given the high level of deception and falsehood, softer terms will not do.

Believers: we need to be educated about sects and cults in order to ask the Spirit of Truth to help us evangelize and minister to members of these erroneous organizations.

We also need to pray that the Spirit of all Truth, God’s Holy Spirit, the only True God would help us show genuine love, kindness, and compassion toward all of those who are trapped in confusion.

In order to properly witness to a member of a cult religion, we must ourselves be confident in Whom we have believed and know the Truth of Scripture for ourselves.

Second, it is wise to have a solid understanding of trustworthy Bible translations

My husband and I pastored a mission congregation in the southern USA for many years.

The influence of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in the area astounded us.

It was a region impacted by true spiritual darkness.

The Jehovah’s Witness cult members were particularly successful in sowing their seeds of confusion among the Latino/Hispanic community in that area.

The JW movement convinced many Spanish-speaking farm workers in the community that an adulterated bible, their “New World Translation” was superior to any standard (ie. reputable) English or Spanish language Bibles such as the King James Version or Reina Valera 1960.

It is important to educate new believers about trustworthy Bible translations.

We had our work cut out for us teaching the Truth of Scripture as many lay folk didn’t seem to really care about the scholastic origins of the Bibles they were reading.

Third, be familiar with the unsettling founding of the Jehovah Witness Movement

If you have ever studied comparative religion or sects, you may know the founding of the Jehovah Witness movement sounds more like a business enterprise than a revelatory experience.

A group of men (most say about 30) reportedly gathered in a Brooklyn, NY building and invented the religion.

They produced a “translation” of the Bible without knowing the Biblical languages Hebrew or Greek. Again, this is known as the “New World Translation” or NWT.

The men changed generous portions of Scripture to suit their doctrinal inventions (in complete defiance of the command in Revelation 22:18-19 to never add to or take away from the LORD’s Book):

“I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book. If anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his share in the Tree of Life and the Holy City, which are written in this book.” Revelation 22:18-19

It is true many of the first followers of our Messiah Jesus were not highly educated men.

However, it is not true that folks should wholeheartedly trust translations from people who cannot at least rudimentarily engage the languages they are working to translate.

The sinister nature of the NWT “translation” becomes obvious from the very beginning of the tarnished text: right there in Genesis.

How to use Genesis 1:2 as a Perfect Starting Point for Effective Evangelism (particularly with Jehovah’s Witness followers)

I discovered an easy way to strike up a conversation with Jehovah Witness followers.

Simply ask them about the Holy Spirit:

I would ask a Jehovah’s Witness to open their Bible to Genesis 1:2.

A well known verse, it tells us the Spirit of God hovered over the waters at creation:

“Now the earth was chaos and waste, darkness was on the surface of the deep, and the Ruach Elohim was hovering upon the surface of the water.” Genesis 1:2, TLV

Ruach Elohim is Hebrew for the “Spirit of God.”

You may be more familiar with the New King James Version’s phrasing:

“The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:2, NKJV

Help people recognize the spiritual danger:

In the false translation used by the Jehovah’s Witness organization (the New World Translation), the word for the Holy Spirit (Ruach Elohim in Hebrew) has been completely eliminated and replaced by a lower-case and non-personal term, the “active force.”

Those who have participated in the JW organization for a long time may be more hostile to you trying to help them, but I found that for those who are newer to the JW ranks, many would talk to me.

Many were open to discussing the glaring issue related to the unpardonable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit of God (Matthew 12:31).

The Holy Spirit gives believers the words we need when we need them.

And I can assure you, He is faithful.

The LORD of Truth can help you to reach those who have been falsely indoctrinated with the lies of the enemy that have been adopted by the Jehovah’s Witness organization.

He can save those who have been deceived.

Nothing is impossible for God! Matthew 19:26

So there is great hope!

The Jehovah Witness cult has injected a stronghold of deception and confusion into vulnerable people looking for answers to life’s questions.

There are SO MANY false doctrines in the JW religion!

Another easy place to start is with the nature of God.

God has been revealed to humanity as the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We can discuss semantics on “echad,” the doctrine of “Trinity,” or the “Oneness of God” another time. But the point is, we believe in the Holiness and Deity of God. We do not diminish the Son’s standing by denying His divinity – He is Fully God, and we certainly do not take away our reverence and respect for the Holy Spirit of God.

The Simple Truth

For today, rejoice that you know the God of all Truth!

He is the Eternal One, Heavenly Father, the Prince of Peace, Lord of All, and the Mighty Comforter!

Our LORD is the one who saves, fully God and fully human revealed in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ our LORD)!

He is the Conquerer of death and the Conquerer of Confusion. He is King forever!

Do not shy away from sharing your faith!

There are SO many people who are hungry for the TRUTH!

You just might be the very person the LORD wants to use to bring others to know Him.

Are you reading this and have questions about the Truth of our Savior Jesus Christ (Yeshua haMashiach)? Please reach out! We would love to help you know more about the True Savior and Messiah who loves you and died for you so you could live eternally with Him. Pray today for members of the Jehovah’s Witness organization, that they would come to be free from the lies of the enemy.

Are you a member of the Jehovah’s Witness organization? Are you seeking to know the Truth about the Messiah, the Son of God? Please contact us, we would love to help you walk with the LORD: