Chapter 5 (Part 1)

What Shall We “Meld?”

Let me turn to the heart, now, of this discussion…

Please understand that I have been “observing” Judaism for only a relatively short time and my observations are just that, “observations.” I even hesitate to make these “observations” because of my respect for Judaism and because I understand my “newness” in this area.

We will have to break this into two sets of suggestions. Timidly and carefully I will make some observations about my Jewish brothers and sisters; I am well aware that I am treading on ground that has been “plowed” and resettled many times. I make my observations with great respect and with honor towards my Jewish friends. More bravely, I will confront my Christian friends with what I have found that perhaps we have overlooked in our own self-confidence as “Christians.”

I believe there are many other areas and arenas where Jews and Christians can impact each other to reach the goal we both desire: to reveal God to the World and to live with His Blessings in our lives in the Earth. I will carefully explore a few of them with you.

Despite my hesitation, nonetheless, my entire life has been orchestrated for this moment, “for a time such as this!” I am a strong believer that everything in our past has been “orchestrated” by God (when we are submitted to Him) for what we will confront and do and say in this moment and in our future.  Even the “stupid stuff” we have permitted into our lives and thoughts, on our repentance, is molded into what we are and how we can serve our Lord God right now! So, with my courage, and your tolerance, I will “jump in!”

1. Respect for the Word of God

One of the first items that galvanized my thoughts was the respect and honor given to the “Torah” in a Jewish service; That kind of respect and honor for the Word of God almost seemed foreign to me as a “Christian looking in” on a Jewish service. The Torah, as the Word of God, is deeply respected by the Jew.

In a Shabbat Service, only a few lines area actually read; but the preparation for reading those lines is deeply respectful. The Torah is kept in an “Ark” in the sanctuary of the synagogue; the Torah is an actual scroll exactly hand copied from the instructions and documents given to Moses on Mt. Sinai some 6000 years ago; in the Service the Torah scrolls are “paraded” through the congregation and many touch it with their prayer books (never fingers) and then kiss the prayer book that has touched the scroll; it is “dressed” (covered) with symbolic coverings that not only protect it from the elements but serve as visual reminders to every Jew of their heritage; it is “undressed” just before it is read and re-covered afterward; the actual scroll is not touched with the hands as the oils on our skin would damage the delicate surface; when the reader reads from it a “pointer” is used so fingers never touch the surface; on the conclusion of the reading, a designated member of the congregation holds up the scrolls high above his head at the place the reading came from; it is then ceremoniously re-dressed and put back in the Ark. Needless to say, I was deeply impressed by what I saw, especially as the bible has become so casual to Christians.

Christian respect for the Word of God, so easily available to us, has slipped away. Many do not even bring their bible to services, most rarely read from the scriptures God has so graciously provided for our use to grow in holiness “from glory to glory.” Precious few “study” the Word as we are commanded. Few realize that what is in that precious book is all based on Jewish tradition as spoken to the Jews by God. Everything in our “bible” has roots that go back to the Torah! Rabbi Jesus taught the Torah and lived it out for us. If we claim to follow his teachings then we also need to study the “Word” he taught from!

As “believers” in God we need to go back to the hunger we had for the Word when we were first coming back into relationship with our Father God…back to “our first love.” We need to remind ourselves of the importance of the Word and to begin to show great respect for it again. The requirement for “study” is taken seriously by many Jews who make time in their week deliberately for that.

“Study” for Christians, in my observation, is woefully lacking; as is their hunger to search out “Truth.” They tend to slip back into reliance on what they have received by “osmosis” and close themselves off from any other input. “Study” implies that we have not learned it all yet, that we are “teachable.” I have touched on this earlier…let me elaborate a little more…yes, from a previous teaching…and, yes, some of it is repetition…

Osmosis Beliefs

Most of us absorb our “beliefs” through “osmosis.”

Since I was very young (some 60 years ago) I wondered about some of the tenants of the religion I was raised in, Roman Catholic. Some “doctrines” and “beliefs” just didn’t go down “right” inside of me. I never understood that this was the beginning stirrings of a search for “truth” that would consume my life.

I was meditating on that matter one day and began to understand that most of my “beliefs,” as well as yours, came by “osmosis.” “Osmosis” (a biological term) is the process of a cell absorbing the nutrients around it in order to grow. No matter what the cell is surrounded with, good, bad, or ugly, it absorbs a portion of that and makes it a part of itself. Just the fact that our soul (mind, emotions, will) is surrounded by certain “beliefs” assures that it will eventually soak into itself a portion of those “beliefs.”

We never seem to question these beliefs. They are simply a part of our soul makeup that we accept without question or scrutiny.

That was the case with me until 2011 when I lost most of my sight for about a nine month period; that turned me inward and I began to question my “beliefs.” Slowly, during those nine months I began to question and “study” some of those “beliefs” I had had since childhood. I could no longer just say “it’s a mystery” or a “doctrine” when Paul prayed that we understand the breadth, length, depth…etc.

Eph. 3:17-19 ¹⁷That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; ¹⁹And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.

What we “believe” seems rock-solid and when anyone questions those “beliefs” we react in fear and un-belief of the “new” concepts. We have a “soul” reaction that overwhelms the jump in our spirit man and the voice of the Spirit of God inside us that says “Look!” In many ways we are in “fear” (negative faith) and refuse to even consider that we might have been wrong or mislead. Our soul says “Run,” and we do, while our spirit dies a little because we have refused to even look. (“Beliefs” are in the soul and are subject to change; “Faith and Love” are in the spirit man and are not subject to change.)

All “fear” is from our Enemy and is designed and used to keep us from “Truth!” “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind!” The first thing I do when “fear” stirs inside me is…look again! I don’t run away and hide; I confront the source of “fear” knowing its author! That’s why so many folks run away from a restored relationship with God (“salvation”)…”fear” drives them away from “Truth!”

Certain “beliefs” are deep rooted here in South Louisiana as well as elsewhere; they stem from the deeply Catholic tradition and beliefs so many of us absorbed by “osmosis.” When a different opinion or viewpoint is even proposed or talked about, we “run!” That stems from the fact that we have not made these “beliefs” we espouse “ours.” We got them by “osmosis” and never confronted or confirmed their truth from the Word and through “study” on our own…we just “swallow” what we are “taught,” sometimes “taught” incorrectly. Rather the exert the energy required to make those beliefs “solid” inside us, we ignore them and run away and sometimes even ostracize those who have dared question and “study!”

Then, we say we are “Love” oriented and that we operate in “love” towards everyone; but then don’t towards those who search for “truth,” which Rabbi Jesus said will set us “free.” How about you?

That concludes my excerpt from “Osmosis Beliefs.”

Regaining respect for the Word and holding it up before us as the basis for “Truth” begins with realizing its root in the Torah and beginning to look at those roots to substantiate the entire Word. In a sense, we can “study” indirectly the Torah through our beliefs and teachings that are in our “bible,” but we also need to go back to the “root source” which is the Torah. (The “Torah” is the first five books in the Old Testament.)

2. Growth in Holiness

One of the things the Word steers us toward is “holiness.”  This growth is held in high esteem among our Jewish Brothers and Sisters. They carefully examine their lives and strive to daily focus on increasing “holiness.”

In Christianity we tend to lean very heavily on “grace,” and think that that equals “holiness.” Holiness is taking on the Character of our Maker, placed in us at creation, and causing that Character to manifest in our lives. Here is more information from another “Haven” teaching…

HOLINESS

NOW THERE IS A SCARY WORD!

BUT GOD SAYS…

Lev. 11:44-45 ⁴⁴For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. ⁴⁵For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
1 Pet. 1:16 ¹⁶Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

GOOD GRIEF…CAN WE EVEN ASPIRE TO BE “HOLY??”

BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY

GOD WOULD NEVER SAY ANYTHING IN HIS WORD THAT WAS OUT OF OUR REACH…HE COULD NOT COMMAND US TO DO SOMETHING WE WOULD NOT BE CAPABLE OF! THAT WOULD MAKE HIS WORD A LIE…AND GOD IS NOT A MAN THAT HE SOULD LIE!

Num. 23:19 ¹⁹God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

WE ARE, BY GOD HIMSELF, COMMANDED TO BE “HOLY”...THEREFORE WE SHOULD FIND OUT WHAT THAT IS, FIRST OF ALL, AND THEN FIND HOW WE CAN ATTAIN TO THAT “HOLINESS” IN OUR LIVES!

WE ARE CALLED “CHRISTIANS” AND WE ASPIRE TO BE “CHRIST-LIKE”…TO DEVELOP THE CHARACTER WE SEE IN RABBI JESUS, WHICH IS THE CHARACTER OF GOD, COME INTO REALITY IN OUR LIVES. RABBI JESUS LIVED A HOLY LIFE HERE ON THE EARTH AS AN EXAMPLE FOR US AND TO SHOW THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE FOR A MAN TO LIVE A “HOLY” LIFE!

WHAT IS “HOLY?”

“HOLY” IS THE CHARACTER OF GOD, OUR CREATOR.

“HOLY” IS DOING EVERYTHING GOD’S WAY, WHICH IS THE RIGHT WAY.

“HOLY” IS OPERATING WITHIN THE ACTIONS OF “LOVE,” WHICH IS GOD’S AND

             OUR CORE VALUE AND NATURE, ALL THE TIME.

GOD OPERATES IN LOVE ALL THE TIME BECAUSE THAT IS HIS NATURE.

IT IS OUR NATURE AS WELL, SINCE WE ARE CREATED IN THE “IMAGE” OF GOD, BUT OUR NATURE HAS BEEN CORRUPTED BY “SIN.”

ADAM OPERATED IN “LOVE” ALL THE TIME UNTIL HE CHOSE TO REBEL AGAINST GOD BY NOT DOING THE “RIGHT” (GOD’S WAY) THING. HE OPERATED IN RIGHTEOUSNESS UNTIL HE EXERCISED HIS FREE WILL TO BE DISOBEDIENT TO HIS CREATOR AND THEREFORE BROKE THE SOURCE OF THE FELLOWSHIP TIE HE HAD WITH GOD.

SO WE COULD SAY THAT BEING “HOLY” IS OPERATING IN THE ACTIONS OF LOVE. THOSE ACTIONS ARE SPELLED OUT IN 1 COR. THE 13^TH CHAPTER.

HOW “HOLY” ACTS

(1 COR.13: 4-8)

}  PATIENT AND KIND;

}  NOT JEALOUS OR ENVIOUS;

}  NOT BOASTFUL OR DRAWING ATTENTION TO THEMSELVES;

}  NOT PRIDEFUL OR CONCEITED;

}  NOT RUDE IN WORDS OR ACTIONS;

}  LOOKING OUT FOR THE GOOD OF OTHERS AND PUTTING THEIR INTERESTS BEFORE THEIR OWN;

}  A PERSON WHO IS NOT TOUCHY OR EASILY PROVOKED AND WHO IS ALMOST UNOFFENDABLE.

}  A PERSON OUTSPOKEN TO THINGS THAT ARE CONTRARY TO THE WORD, AND SUPPORTIVE OF THINGS THAT LINE UP WITH THE WORD;

}  A PERSON WHO LOVES AND ACTS IN LOVE DESPITE HARSH WORDS OR ACTIONS PERFORMED AGAINST THEM;

}  WHO CONSTANTLY BELIEVES THE BEST OF A PERSON AND THAT THAT PERSON CAN CHANGE REGARDLESS OF WHAT THEY SEE IN THE NATURAL.

}  A PERSON WHO NEVER GIVES UP OR BACKS OFF OF LOVING OTHERS OR DECIDES THEY ARE NO LONGER WORTHY OF ATTENTION AND 

                          AFFECTION.

“HOLY” IS OUR TRUE CHARACTER

WHEN WE INVITED GOD BACK INTO OUR LIVES AND SUBMITTED TO HIM AND HIS WORD, HIS CHARACTER AGAIN CAME FULLY INTO OUR SPIRIT MAN AND THE FELLOWSHIP WE HAVE WITH HIM THEN BEGAN TO NOURISH THE TRANSFORMATION IN US THAT TAKES OUR SOUL AND CAUSES IT TO ACT IN A GOD-LIKE MANNER. THAT TAKES THE CHARACTER AND NATURE OF OUR GOD, LOVE, AND IMPRESSES IT ON OUR MIND, EMOTIONS, AND WILL.

THAT OCCURS THROUGH THE INFORMATION WE GET FROM THE WORD ON WHAT GOD’S CHARACTER IS, AND THE CHOICE OF OUR FREE WILL TO THEN ACT ON THAT INFORMATION. AND, TO ACT ON THAT INFORMATION DESPITE THE LACK OF SENSORY EVIDENCE THAT OUR SOUL TRIES TO DEMAND.

THAT’S CALLED “FAITH.” AND FAITH IS THE IMPORTANT “BYPRODUCT” PRODUCED BY GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO OUR “SENSE GATES.”

Rom. 10:17 ¹⁷So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

“FAITH” ENABLES US TO OVERRULE THE DEMAND OF THE MIND, WILL, AND EMOTIONS FOR SENSORY EVIDENCE BEFORE THEY WILL AGREE TO ACCEPT SOMETHING SPIRITUAL AS “REAL.”

SO, WE CAN “FORGIVE” A PERSON WHO HURTS US DESPITE THE LACK OF SENSORY EVIDENCE THAT THEY EVEN RECEIVE OUR FORGIVENESS OR NEED OUR FORGIVENESS!

WE CAN SHOW LOVE AND KINDNESS TOWARDS SOMEONE WHO SEEMS TO ACTUALLY DESPISE AND HATE US!

WE CAN THINK THE BEST OF A PERSON WHO IS ACTING DIRECTLY OPPOSITE OF WHAT OUR SENSES SAY IS “RIGHT!”

WE HAVE TO DO THAT BASED IN “FAITH” BECAUSE OUR SOUL WILL “BALK” AND TRY TO DENY US PERMISSION TO DO SO.

WHY ARE WE NOT “HOLY?”

IN THE GARDEN WE STARTED OUT “HOLY.” ADAM’S REBELLION TO HIS CREATOR RIPPED HOLINESS OUT OF OUR SPIRIT BY CUTTING OFF OUR CONNECTION IN FELLOWSHIP WITH THE CREATOR.

HOLINESS IS CONNECTION TO AND INTERACTION WITH THE “ZOE” LIFE OF GOD. HOLINESS IS THE CHARACTER OF GOD; THE CHARACTER THAT WAS IMPRESSED INTO MAN WHEN THE BREATHE OF THE SPIRIT INTERACTED WITH THE CLAY IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN.

GOD COULD NO LONGER, AFTER THE “FALL,” BE INTESNSLY INTIMATE WITH US BECAUSE HIS HOLINESS AND SIN ARE DIRECT OPPOSITES AND CAN’T MINGLE, HE COULD NO LONGER COME AND WALK WITH ADAM AND EVE IN THE “COOL OF THE EVENING” AS HE DID BEFORE. THIS DID NOT, HOWEVER, NEGATE ALL THAT HE HAD PLACED INTO HIS CREATION CALLED “MAN.” GOD IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO WORK A DIVINE PLAN TO ENABLE THE FELLOWSHIP WITH MAN TO BE RESTORED. THAT PLAN CULMINATED ON THE CROSS ON CALARY WHEN “THE SECOND ADAM” FUFILLED THE LAW, LIVED A HOLY LIFE, AND THEN BECAME THE PERFECT SACRIFICE TO APPEASE THE ANGER OF GOD AGAINST SIN AND, POTENTIALLY, WIPE OUT THE EFFECTS OF SIN IN MAN.

WE “CHOOSE” RESTORED RELATIONSHIP

IT THEN BECAME THE CHOICE, AS A RESULT OF THE FREE WILL GIFT PLACED IN MAN, FOR EACH PERSON TO MAKE A PERSONAL DECISION AS TO WHETHER THEY WANTED TO COME BACK INTO RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AGAIN.

THE WAY WAS CLEARED FOR THAT TO HAPPEN, BUT GOD IS STILL BOUND BY THE FREE WILL GIFT HE PLACED INTO MAN.

MAN COULD CHOOSE TO LOVE AND OBEY GOD AGAIN..OR CONTINUE IN REBELLION AGAINST THE CREATOR.

YOU AND I HAVE CHOOSEN TO LIVE IN A RESTORED RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

THE OWNER’S MANUAL

BECAUSE OF THE JUSTICE OF GOD, GOD HAD TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR MAN TO HAVE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM AT HIS CHOICE. HE MADE THAT POSSIBLE BY PROVIDING, IN HIS WORD, A CODE OF CONDUCT THAT WOULD ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN.

THE WORD SPELLED OUT, IN DETAIL, THE “RIGHT” WAY TO ACT THAT WOULD ASSURE THE INTERACTION OF GOD WITH INDIVIDUALS THAT CHOOSE TO DO SO. THIS IS “RIGHTEOUSNESS” OR “RIGHT-STANDING” WITH GOD.

GOD SAID THAT IF A PERSON WOULD ACT IN ACCORD WITH HIS INSTRUCTIONS THAT THEY WOULD HAVE COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM WHICH WOULD CAUSE CERTAIN THINGS TO HAPPEN IN THEIR LIVES PRODUCED BY GOD.

THERE ARE EXAMPLES IN THE OLD TESTEMENT THAT SHOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE RIGHT RELATIONSHIP IS MAINTAINED; AND EXAMPLES OF THE FAILURE OF INDIVIDUALS TO CARRY OUT THE INSTRUCTIONS AND THE RESULTS OF THAT.

A “WOBBLE”

MAN IS A “WOBBLY” CREATION BECAUSE OF THE GIFT OF “FREE WILL!”

WE SEE GOD’S PEOPLE “WOBBLING” BETWEEN SERVING AND OBEYING HIM AND THEN RUNNING THE OTHER WAY! WE ALSO SEE SPELLED OUT THE RESULTS OF THAT “WOBBLING.”

WE SEE THE SAME THING IN OUR LIVES TO OUR BENEFIT AND TO OUR DETRIMENT.

“HOLINESS” IS OUR ACTIVITY TOWARDS GETTING THE “WOBBLE” OUT!

OPERATING CONSISTENTLY IN THE CHARACTER OF GOD, AND MINIMIZING THE CHARACTER INHERENT IN UNRENEWED MAN!

THE RIGHT WAY TO ACT IS THE WAY GOD SPELLS OUT AND NOT THE WAY WE “THINK.”

Prov. 14:12 ¹²There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

PERSUADING OUR SOUL THAT GOD’S WAY IS THE CORRECT WAY IS THE BATTLE WE FACE EACH DAY!

AND THAT BATTLE HAS STRONG FOES IN THE PERSON OF OUR ENEMY THE DEVIL WHO WANT S TO SUCK US INTO HIS WAY OF LIFE…WHICH SEEMS NICE, BUT RESULTS IN THE LAKE OF FIRE! WHICH LOOKS LIKE FREEDOM, BUT RESULTS IN BONDAGE!

WE HAVE THE TOOLS PROVIDED BY OUR LOVING CREATOR TO DO THAT PERSUATION OF OUR SOUL; BUT THAT REQUIRES WORK ON OUR PART…OUR SOUL IS NOT PRONE TO WANT TO DO THAT.

WE HAVE, FIRST, TO GET THE “GOD INFORMATION” INTO OUR SOULS AND THEN ORDER OUR SOULS TO ACT ON THAT INFORMATION IN A CONSISTENT MANNER; TO ACT IN THE “RIGHT” WAY, GOD’S WAY; TO DO EVERYTHING IN OUR LIVES IN THE CHARACTER OF GOD: “LOVE.”

Rom. 12:2 ²And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

TO CAUSE THE CHARACTER OF GOD, RESIDENT IN OUR BORN-AGAIN SPIRIT, TO COME TO THE SURFACE OF OUR LIVES AND REFLECT THE TRUTH OF WHO GOD IS TO A DARK WORLD. TO BECOME ACCURATE “AMBASSADORS” FOR THE GOD WE SERVE.

BEING “HOLY” IS BEING “IN MOTION”

WE WILL BE TOTALLY “HOLY” WHEN WE SEE GOD

1 John 3:2-3 ²Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. ³And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

YOU AND I ARE “IN MOTION” TOWARDS HOLINESS. THAT MEANS WE ARE EXERCISING ENERGY TOWARDS DAILY CHANGE IN OUR LIVES TO ALLOW THE CHARACTER OF GOD TO SHINE MORE AND MORE BRIGHTLY IN OUR LIVES. THAT WE ARE ALLOWING THE ACTIONS OF LOVE TO OVERRULE THE ACTIONS THAT ARE DICTATED BY OUR UNRENEWED SOUL. THAT WE ARE “RENEWING” OUR SOUL, OUR MIND, OUR EMOTIONS, AND OUR WILL TO KNOW THE CHARACTER OF GOD AND TO WALK IN IT,

Rom. 12:2 ²And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

GOD DEMANDS THAT WE KEEP OURSELVES “IN MOTION” TOWARDS HOLINESS; WE DO IT THROUGH OUR DAILY PRAYER TIME, THROUGH OUR STUDY OF THE WORD, THROUGH OUR PARTICIPATION WITH A FELLOWSHIP, AND STRETCHING OURSELVES TO GROW.

THROUGH OUR COMMITMENT TO DISCIPLINE OURSELVES AND ALLOW THE SPIRIT TO CHANGE US THROUGH THE WORD AND THE ANOINTING SO WE BECOME EFFECTIVE AMBASSADORS FOR GOD IN THE EARTH AND WALK IN THE SECURITY OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

That is the end of a quote from a teaching called “Holiness.”

Jews strive towards holiness by “action.” They strive to do daily good works (based on instructions on how to treat others from the Word) that reflect the fact they are working towards that goal. Not to “earn” favor from God, but to indicate to themselves they want to improve their lives and actions by actually impacting the world around them. This is an important part of Jewish life and attitude. They refocus on God, many of them daily, through ritual prayers that do just that and help set the direction and focus of their day.

There is a duality of tensions between the Jew and the Christian; but it is supposed to produce a specific result. In a book (“To Life!” by Rabbi Harold S. Kushner) the author concludes the book by stating (Pg 290): “Christianity needs Judaism to remind it of what pure, uncompromised ethical monotheism looks like.” And, “Judaism needs Christianity to remind us that the Word of God is not meant to be kept for ourselves alone.”

Next:  3. Praise and Worship