Chapter 4 (Part 6)

“New Beliefs?”

I am going to share another message with you to give the basis for the “new” beliefs that turned my life upside down in early 2011. There were really only two things I “changed” my beliefs in; everything else, at the time, and today, remain basically the same as I have taught for almost 30 years. Read carefully and open up your mind and spirit…this “message” was the last public message at the Haven Church. The church was empty after that…

“A VERY BRIEF HISTORY LESSON”

Now we can turn to the heart of this matter and what the changes in my “beliefs” are based in. Let’s review…Where do our “beliefs” come from?

1. Osmosis (Author’s note: More on this important subject later)

These beliefs are almost never examined. This is the “source” of most of our beliefs!

2. Teaching and study

Introduction

Wrestling with God, like Jacob, can leave us physically impaired, but spiritually and soulishly changed! My eyes testify to me every day! (one eye works, the other is still being healed)

In 2011, as a church family, we walked through very difficult times…but the end of the story is that God proved Himself God over and over again! He brought about the fruit of his Word and our pursuit of Him in signs, wonders, and for many of us, miracles! Personally, I have experienced God’s care as He restored my vision and body and has provided, during 2011, over $50,000 worth of surgery and doctor’s care!

During the time I could not see well in the “natural,” God was increasing and refining my vision on the inside…and He is still in the process of doing that and will until I meet Him Face to face. I, too, am a “work in progress!” During this time my wife and boys converted to Judaism and became part of the Jewish experience and life.

In 2011 much of what I had heard in the Word, observed, been taught for over 64 years, experienced in some 30 years of ministry, actually changed what I used to believe. There are things that I simply swallowed as “truth” without taking the time to actually verify them…most of us do the same.

There were two particular “beliefs” that have always bothered me. I took a deep look at those and I want to share with you what I found.

I have been pastor and shepherd to my “sheep” for 30 years or longer. I have a deep love for them and would never present anything that I know would grieve them and have not proved for myself in the Word… but the very fact that I am a shepherd compels me to preach the truths I have found in the Word and in my relationship with my Father God. The changes in me have forced me to make choices…and I will present to you what I have learned and you will need to make choices, too. For some of you the changes in me will cause you to make hard choices; those choices will never change the fact that I love and care for you.

I am not trying to attack any religion or institution…I am not trying to justify or reconcile my changed beliefs based on what is going on in my family. I do not pretend to be a bible scholar or expert in any way…but I find the evidence I will share with you very plain.

Here we go!

A Very Brief History Lesson

Exposure to Jewish beliefs, through my wonderful wife, which provide the foundation of almost all Christian beliefs, have caused me to re-examine what it is I believe as a “Christian;” and, to either reconcile those with my “Christian” beliefs, or reject them.

Let’s start with a history lesson from Wikipedia about the early church….(I chose this source because it is easily verifiable…but any history of the early church will verify what I will share.)

The quote from Wikipedia is easily seen…my comments are in italics…

At first, Christians continued to worship alongside jewish believers, which historians refer to as Jewish Christianity, but within twenty years of jesus's death, Sunday was being regarded as the primary day of worship.^[29] as preachers such as Paul of Tarsus began converting gentiles, Christianity began growing away from Jewish practices^[24] to establish itself as a separate religion,^[30] though the issue of Paul of Tarsus and judaism is still debated today. To resolve doctrinal differences among the competing factions within the church, in or around the year 50, the apostles convened the first church council, the Council of Jerusalem. This council affirmed that gentiles could become Christians without adopting all of the mosaic law.^[31] growing tensions soon led to a starker separation that was virtually complete by the time Christians refused to join in the Bar Khokba Jewish revolt of 132,^[32] however some groups of Christians retained elements of Jewish practice.^[33]

In 313, the struggles of the early church were lessened by the legalisation of christianity by the emperor Constantine I. In 380, Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire by the decree of the emperor, which would persist until the fall of the Western Empire, and later, with the Eastern Roman Empire, until the fall of Constantinople. During Constantine's reign, approximately half of those who identified themselves as Christian did not subscribe to the mainstream version of the faith.^[58] Constantine feared that disunity would displease God and lead to trouble for the Empire, so he took military and judicial measures to eliminate some sects.^[59] to resolve other disputes, Constantine began the practice of calling ecumenical councils to determine binding interpretations of church doctrine.^[60] (the first was the…)

Council of Nicea (325AD)

Decisions made at the Council of Nicea (325) about the divinity of Christ led to a schism; the new religion, arianism flourished outside the Roman Empire.^[

During this period, the bible as it has come down to the 21st century was first officially laid out in church councils or synods through the process of official 'canonization'. Prior to these councils or synods, the bible had already reached a form that was nearly identical to the form in which it is now found. According to some accounts, in 382 the Council of Rome first officially recognized the biblical canon, listing the accepted books of the old and new testament, and in 391 the vulgate Latin translation of the bible was made. The Council of Ephesus in 431 clarified the nature of Jesus' incarnation, declaring that he was both fully man and fully god.

Effects of the Council of Nicea

Let me insert that this is where the Catholic Church was born and where it began to separate itself from its Jewish roots… (back to Wikipedia…)

The long-term effects of the Council of Nicea were significant. For the first time, representatives of many of the bishops of the church convened to agree on a doctrinal statement. Also for the first time, the Emperor played a role, by calling together the bishops under his authority, and using the power of the state to give the council's orders effect.

The council did not create the doctrine of the deity of Christ (as is sometimes claimed) but it did settle to some degree the debate within the early Christian communities regarding the divinity of Christ. This idea of the divinity of Christ along with the idea of Christ as a messenger from the one god ("the Father") had long existed in various parts of the Roman Empire.

One purpose of the Council was to resolve disagreements arising from within the Church of Alexandria over the nature of Jesus in relationship to God the Father; in particular, whether Jesus was the literal son of God or was he a figurative son, like the other "sons of God" in the bible. St. Alexander of Alexandria and Athanasius claimed to take the first position; the popular presbyter Arius, from whom the term Arianism comes, is said to have taken the second. The council decided against the Arians overwhelmingly (of the estimated 250–318 attendees, all but two agreed to sign the creed and these two, along with Arius, were banished to Illyria^[13]). The Emperor's threat of banishment is claimed to have influenced many to sign, but this is highly debated by both sides.

Right here, decisions were made under pressure and control, trademarks of the devil; right here the “free will” of man began the “Catholic Church.”

The Trinity

The Council of Nicea dealt primarily with the issue of the deity of Christ. Over a century earlier the use of the term "trinity" ("trinitas" in Latin) could be found in the writings of O (185-254) and Tertullian (160-220),^[59] and a general notion of a "divine three", in some sense, was expressed in the second and third-century writings of Polycarp, Ignatius, and Justin Martyr.^[60] but the doctrine in a more full-fledged form was not formulated until the Council of Constantinople in 360 AD^[61]

The effect of that Council, under pressure from the Emperor, was to declare Jesus as “god” and establish the “Trinity” to give a basis for that decision. Note that many never subscribed to that decision. However the military and judicial power of the Emperor of the Roman Empire was used to crush all contrary movements within the Empire.

We will take up that thread in a moment…

What we believe today

Let’s back up to the Garden of Eden and Adam’s rebellion…

That disruption (Adam’s rebellion) did not catch God by surprise and He already had a plan to assure that His unique creation would not be stolen from Him. He found folks in the Earth who loved Him and would cooperate with Him and began to use the creative ability He had placed into man to “speak out,” and thus create, under the nose of His enemy, His rescue plan. (We are created “in the image” of God! See other teachings for more information on this critical knowledge! See “The Word Worketh With Sound” below)

That plan included God’s involvement with men of Faith and brought his chosen people, the Jews, to Mount Sinai where He offered them, again, the ability to walk and live under His leadership. They rejected the plan; so God, through Moses, gave them an alternate way to interact and relate with Him through the Jewish law…we call that the Torah (first 5 books of the old testament); the Torah spells out how folks can live in harmony with God and under His protection; expressing their love for Him through obedience to His instructions. He established rituals, laws, and gave directions that would assure those who followed them would have His favor and protection in the earth. He set up ways to take care of the sin nature of man and enable folks to relate to Him…some did and we read their stories in the” Tanach.”

The “Tanach” (Old Testament) spells out the creative words God spoke into the earth by His prophets that culminated in Rabbi Jesus. Rabbi Jesus. in my opinion, was to “undo” the damage Adam introduced. The “Law” was a “stopgap” measure in the plan and relationship of God with “Man” until Rabbi Jesus came into the earth.

Relationship and a form of “intimacy” with God was still possible and we see Enoch just walking out of the earth and Elijah snatched away in God’s personal chariot; we see David and Solomon and many others with intimate relationship with God. God was obviously still interacting with man despite Adam’s failing. His Love nature and Man’s love nature caused God to continually “woo” Man!

But God longed for the same intimacy with Man he enjoyed in the Garden of Eden. God desired that effects of the “veil,” introduced by Adam’s sin, be removed.  He spoke out His plan into the Earth through his prophets; the culmination of their creative words resulted in the birth of a man called Jesus. Rabbi Jesus, under the direct guidance of God’s Spirit, would undo the harm that Adam had done and make a way for a more intimate fellowship between the Creator and Man. Rabbi Jesus, through the willing sacrifice of his death would destroy the “veil” established by Adam with his rebellion.

A “New” Religion?

It was never the intention of Rabbi Jesus, or the apostles, including Paul, to establish a “new” religion… Passover was celebrated by the early church until about 300AD. The thrust of what Jesus left behind was to “graft” Jews, and also Gentiles, into the Jewish “vine.”Jewish traditions and teaching provided the bedrock of the church doctrine and life until about 300AD. At that time a Roman Emperor was “converted” (or, convinced of the advantages of supporting a “religion”) to “Christianity.” History makes it clear that he saw the “political” advantages of a united religion controlled by his Empire and found cooperative leadership within the existing church that established the “Catholic Church.”

There is no historical evidence that the Emperor operated any differently after his turn towards the “Catholic Church.”

From that point on we find the original vision of Rabbi Jesus and the Apostles being corrupted and the “Word” of God in the earth being controlled by the “Catholic Church.” The Word began to be manipulated by secular and “church” leadership to separate the Catholic Church from Jewish influence and teaching and reinforce the “Catholic” doctrines.

We find the Catholic Church taking over many of the teachings and rituals of the Jewish Faith and an attempt to establish the Catholic Church as the replacement for the relationship the Jewish people have with God. (Replacement Theology) Man’s ideas, concepts, and goals began to infiltrate the purity of the Word. Listen to what I am going to state: Even the Holy Spirit of God has to give in to the “free will” of man!

The new leadership of the Catholic Church, under the patronage of the Roman Emperor, saw the need to establish a different focus than the Jewish concept of “One God.” That concept was trumpeted throughout the Torah. They saw a need to separate away from the beliefs of Judaism in order to get control and establish their concepts of “Christianity.” The concept of “One God” was in their way. Jesus was obviously not “God.”

So they made a decision to separate out Rabbi Jesus and make him a “god” and build their new religion around “Jesus.” They understood that a central “god” had to be established to anchor the Catholic Church to. Thus they established the “mystery” and “doctrine” of the “Trinity.” By “dividing” God up, they were able to set their focus on “Jesus” as “god” and gradually bury the concept of “One God.” They manipulated and interpreted the Word to justify that action. Keep in mind that from this point on the Catholic Church had total control over how the Word was interpreted and presented…Jesus, now, could be presented as “God” and focus placed totally on him.

Concepts of the “Trinity” began to overpower the “One God” proclaimed in the Torah; Jesus, who, like you and I, is “a son of god” was proclaimed to be “the Son of God.” (note the difference an adjective and capitalization make!) A Religion was established that had “Jesus” as its central focus and forgot the clear message of Rabbi Jesus, spelled out in Jesus’ own words, of relationship with “One God.” Rabbi Jesus said again and again that he spoke only what his Father gave him to say and did only what his Father indicated he should do. He continually refused to allow people to focus on him and what the Father was doing through him and proclaimed the Father as the “Doer” and directed people to glorify God, not him.

Undoing Adam’s rebellion

The clear message of Paul identifying Jesus as the “second Adam” was buried in worship of Jesus as the “Saviour.”

The first Adam was a created man; I believe that the “second Adam” was also a created man with the destiny and mission of undoing the “veil” inserted by Adam into the relationship God desired to have with his creation.

Jesus, with the Holy Spirit of God, fulfilled the law and lived a life submitted to God.

1 Cor. 15:45-49 (KING JAMES) ⁴⁵And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. ⁴⁶Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. ⁴⁷The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. ⁴⁸As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. ⁴⁹And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

The Greek actually says: “the second a man (human) from heaven.”

(“the second man out of heaven”-word for word translation)

It does not include the words “the Lord.”  That changes the entire intent of that scripture!

The reformation that did not go far enough

Martin Luther got a glimpse of what had happened to the Catholic Church and established the “Protestant Reformation.” But we see the Protestants not going far enough and blindly adopting the teachings of the Catholic Church without carefully confirming them in the Word as “Truth.” Thus carrying many of the Catholic doctrines and teaching over into the Protestant Movement and simply accepting them as “truth.” Over time these “beliefs” became set in “concrete” and the leadership simply accepted them as “truth” and taught them as “truth,” when they were not.

Over time, the fear of disputing what they had established… sometimes through self interest, but mostly out of ignorance, made it impossible to back off these “truths” without losing the support base of people they had built. They had to immediately “quash” anything that would dispute the base knowledge of the people they had taught these “truths” to, and make themselves look foolish.

So, if today, I state that Jesus is not God and the Trinity is a made-up concept, I risk being immediately be shut down and labeled a “cult.” The established “Christianity” cannot handle the scrutiny of this truth without “imploding;” religious leaders cannot afford to look foolish and still maintain their following and, with that, their financial base.

(You might look back at the beginning of this chapter and review the early history of the Catholic movement and why certain “doctrines” were established and who influenced those “doctrines.”) But let’s look deeper.

Does “Jesus” need to be “God” in order for the Word to be valid?

No, the Word is from God, not Jesus.

When I look at Rabbi Jesus as a man, not God, my respect for him is even deeper!

I look at his life and words and see him teaching and living out the teachings and concepts of Judaism and being totally submitted to God.

Should I then be Jewish?

I don’t feel I need to.

Remember the Apostles in 50AD at the Council of Jerusalem said believers did not have to fully follow all the Mosaic Law. I trust the apostles who were still fresh from the influence of Rabbi Jesus. I am already “grafted” into the Jewish “vine!”

Is there something in the life and actions of Jesus, and his death, that opened up a passage for deeper intimacy with God by undoing the harm brought about by Adam that I should see and support? Did the Jewish people miss something? And do we, as “Christians” miss something? I believe so!

Why did Jesus die on the cross?

Was it just the jealousy of the corrupted Jewish “religious” leadership, or the secular Roman leadership, that Rabbi Jesus confronted that caused them to reject him and kill him?

That certainly played into his death…but I sense something more from the Word; I see a “blood sacrifice” as required by God in the Torah to atone for the rebellion carried out by Adam. Why? Because God’s relationship with Man is defined and governed by God’s own “Word” presented to Man in that document. The Torah, calls for “blood” to atone for sin. It is clear, too, that Jesus walked out and lived out the prophetic words spoken into the earth by the prophets; words that “created” the way for him to come and be the “second Adam.”

In looking at the cross, in order to validate that horrible death, I felt led to look at the results that followed that death in order to see the need for it.

What happened?

I see many people, including ourselves, influenced by the words and actions of Rabbi Jesus, re-establish a relationship with “God.”

Jesus’ words and example portrayed the love of God for his creation, Man. His invitation to come back into relationship with God caused us to recognize and submit our lives to God.

“Salvation” is recognizing the love of God for us and coming through our free will back into relationship with Him. When you and I prayed the “sinner’s prayer” the Love of God caused Him to overlook the focus on Jesus and receive us back into relationship with Him…that’s how Love acts! (Study the “actions of love” 1 Cor. 13)

The truth and clearness of what Jesus taught immediately impacted many Jewish people…the first 300 years after his death is referred to as “Jewish Christianity.” Thousands came back into relationship with the “One God,” both Jew and later Gentile. The message Jesus taught, that was carried by his Disciples, was the message of the Torah; it is the message of the “love life” that reflected the nature of the Creator and His creation, Man.

A deeper form of intimacy with God was immediately visible in the lives of “Christians.” Something had changed in the way God related with Man. There was an obvious communication with God in the lives of Believers that was not visible before the cross. The “veil” that had existed had been removed. God’s Spirit inhabited the very being of those who believed, related, and submitted to Him. Their very way of thinking changed to reflect the “love nature” of God that consumed them. Their focus turned from inward, only thinking of themselves, outward, to the needs of those around them.

After Jesus death, God quickly brought animal sacrifice to a close and it does not exist today (except in one sect of Judaism) despite the desire of some of the Jewish people to see it re-established.

I see the “blood sacrifice” of Jesus as wiping out the need for animal sacrifice; the death of Jesus, a man, as Adam was a man, satisfied the anger of God caused by Adam’s rebellion. The life and death of Rabbi Jesus, influenced by the Spirit of the living God, was enough in the eyes of God to eliminate the need for continual sacrifice; Jesus’ life and death satisfied the demands of the Torah.

What do you believe Bro. Joe?        

Please allow me to add here that I feel God is showing me things in this area that I do not yet have the “words” to express...I “see” concepts that are uncharted territory and do not yet have the correct words to explain them!

I am confronting two basic beliefs that I believe were established by Man…

The concept of a “divided” God (“Trinity”) and Rabbi Jesus being “God.”

I will define more closely what I believe in a moment.

If Jesus is not “God” does that negate all we have taught and believed as “Christians?”

While we may have to re-align what our basic beliefs are… the concepts we have taught from the Word, and those Jesus taught, are still the Word!

What we have learned about the image of Man in the Image of God, the power of our words, changing our thought and our word life, worship and praise of God, the Anointing of God’s Spirit, all remain totally valid. Teaching based on the teachings of Rabbi Jesus and the apostles are still absolutely true because what they taught was the established Word of God from the Torah!

What we must do is recognize where the influence of Man has bent what we believe and go back to the Word with that in mind. To take the time to examine, with the Holy Spirit, the Word with the light of Truth shining on it; to dig into our “beliefs” and see if they stand the scrutiny of the Word and the Spirit or are fabrications of the free will of Man.

We have to reform “Christianity” to “Truth;” to establish a reformed Christianity as little influenced by man as possible.

I can no longer blindly swallow the concepts of the “Trinity” which is at odds with the Word, or the concept that Jesus was or is “god.”

There is obviously much more to be said about this matter and I’ll say it as it is made clearer to me by the Word and God’s own Spirit!

What I have grown to believe….

(“Reform Christianity”)

·       There is one God, not a “Trinity” (that the “Trinity” was a concept made up by Man to allow Man to set Jesus up as a “god” in order to justify the “Catholic Faith”);

·       That we are ministered to directly by the Spirit of that One God, which we call the “Holy Spirit;” that we have direct intimacy with God through the Holy Spirit and are interacting with the One God through the Holy Spirit; (“One Spirit” with the Spirit of God.1 Cor.)

·       That Man was created by God in His “Image” with many of his abilities and qualities and given a unique gift we call “free will;” “free will” is the ability of the creation to make judgments and decisions within itself; to hold beliefs that cannot be tampered with by God Himself, the devil, or other men; that we “make” every choice in our lives. The ultimate purpose of “free will” is to enable us to freely return the love of God for us…the Lover desires to be loved! “Love” is incomplete without its return!

·       That Man, endowed by God, working with God, can operate in faith and create with his mouth like his Creator.

·       That the Word of God in the Old Testament has not been tampered with by Man, but handed down accurately, in the Hebrew, through God’s chosen people, the Jews; that the New Testament has been manipulated, and sometimes translated, influenced by Man’s free will to accomplish Man’s goals.

·       I believe the Old Testament accounts as presented; that Adam broke fellowship with God, and that the man Jesus was prophesied, and had to come, to atone for Adam’s rebellion.

·       That Jesus was not “god” but a unique, created, man prophesied and destined by God to undo the “sin” of Adam in the Garden of Eden; that through his life, obedience, and “blood sacrifice,” (based on God’s covenant Word agreement with Man on Mt. Sinai, that required “blood” to atone for sin) he ripped the “veil” that existed since the Garden and made a way for more intimate connection and fellowship with God. (That “intimacy” was available before Jesus death, but little availed. Man could “walk” with God, but that “walk” was little accessed);

·       That God’s anger (and with that, His Justice) with Adam’s rebellion was satisfied on Calvary, opening the way to a more intimate form of fellowship between the Creator and his creation, Man; as it was in the Garden of Eden.

·       That “God” was not required to “atone” for Man’s rebellion by sending his “son” to die for Man’s “sin;” that the Creator did not need to die for His creation’s rebellion, but that a “Man” had to do so.

·       That Rabbi Jesus walked, lived, rose from death; that he taught the Torah, with the goal of bringing God’s creation, Man, back into the intimate fellowship God desired since the Garden creation of Man (“to the Jew first,” and then to us);

·       That God was determined and able, with Man, to complete His assignment to Adam and Eve to walk with Him and carry out the commission He gave them (in the Earth and throughout his created universe.)

·       That the words and example of Rabbi Jesus were designed to draw us back into a deeper form of intimate relationship with the “One God;” it was the path I walked, and many others, where the words and example of Rabbi Jesus brought us back into relationship with the “One God.”

·       That Rabbi Jesus’ teaching (and his Apostles, including Paul) never was designed to create a “new religion” but rather define, again, and draw us to, the path outlined in the Torah which is obedience and intimacy with the Creator God;

·       That I do not have to be “defined” as a “Jew” to enjoy and walk in that intimate relationship with my Father God; that according to the Apostles’ statements i am not required to fulfill or walk in the “Mosaic Law;” that I am “circumcised in the heart” and joined back into “vine” that is intimacy with the Creator as one of His “chosen people.“

·       That we have not grasped the “love nature” of God and His desire to be united with His creation, Man; that we have made God’s love much smaller than “love” is; that we have “limited” and “legislated” how “Love” acts to conform to what we “believe.”

·       That “adjusting” our “beliefs” is an action of our “free will” and is accomplished as we confront “Truth.” That “Truth” does not change, but that our “beliefs” can; that a change in “beliefs” does not negate our “faith.” “Beliefs” are in the soul, faith and love reside in the spirit. (Read about the “three part being” that man is.)

·       That “salvation” is recognizing the love of God for us and coming through our free will back into relationship directly with Him.

·       That we need, as believers, a “teachable” spirit and soul; that we need a closer scrutiny and absorption into the “vine,” of our Jewish roots and beliefs. That we must confront and confirm the “beliefs” we absorbed by “osmosis” to prove them either true or false to our soul.

That concludes quotes from “A Very Brief History Lesson.”

Next: The Word Worketh With Sound