This weeks Sabbath thought, posted early... This weeks Sabbath thought, posted early... Growing up in a Lutheran household, in a family filled with Lutheran ministers...family members were always looking for ways to circumvent the Torah...on of my favorite, and most ridiculous excuses I remember was on covetousness...I remember hearing I dont want HIS car, I want one just like it, so I am not coveting... If I dont specifically want something that someone else has, if I just want one like it, then I am not coveting... Unfortunately, however, to covet something is to want something that you do not have...PERIOD...you are not satisfied with what YHWH provided you with...our whole system, the capitalist system, depends on Covetousness...capitalism is a slave system, enriching slave owners as you work yourself to death to buy the goods that are advertised to you on television as necessities...parents forsake raising their children, placing them with strangers to be educated while both parents work to provide all the junk for Walmart that are the necessities of life today... As with all transgressions of Torah, Covetousness=Slavery, Torah=freedom. Our lifestyles and use of our time is a clear indication of how greedy we are for material gain. Torah study and serving YHWH and our community is our priority, rather than seeking to make material monuments to ourselves and to impress carnally minded souls. Displays of wealth and material riches is indicative of they who esteem filthy lucre. Many Rabbis, pastors and priests take leadership positions solely because of the steady and guaranteed income and honor of the position. On the one hand, while not necessarily greedy for materialism some leaders devote themselves to religious organizations for financial support while knowingly teaching against and compromising truth they personally believe in. Herein is one of the greatest travesties of religion and the Church. The love of money over the love of Truth. Ive met numerous pastors who were fearful of losing their pensions and their incomes when theyve come to the knowledge of Truth. Also Jewish rabbis who come to the knowledge of Mashiyach Yahshua. Whether these are greedy for money or not, they compromise for filthy lucre and they have elevated money over morality. This has reached epidemic proportions in the religious worlds. Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God…Woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation; and,Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.; and, Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. (Luke 6:20, 24; Matt. 19:23-24; Luke 12:33) Summary For the vast majority of people who are part of what calls itself the church in the United States, the words of Yahshua above, spoken in the context of material wealth, will immediately draw an emotionally defensive response. Why? What does it mean when someone is defensive at the suggestion of living a less material life for Jesus? What does it mean when people get defensive when it is suggested they do with fewer material things or not-as-nice material things? Well, it probably means they are either in bondage to, or struggling with, the sin of covetousness. What is the definition of covet? It is to consistently desire more material things than what you presently have. It means to focus on getting more money/things as opposed to either sharing what you have or giving them away. What does it mean to be in bondage to the sin of covetousness? Sadly, it means one is not willing to try and follow Yahshua haMashiah... Introduction Here in the United States, we live in a nation whose peoples primary false god is money. Of course, this is true of the world in general, but is particularly true here in the United States. Everywhere you turn people are putting a price on everything imaginable. There seems to be nothing left which people will not sell for some price. Tragically, and horrendously, this same love for material things is also practiced by christians of most stripes. The church finds itself at a place where people charge money to lead people closer to Jesus Christ. You might defensively ask, where is this happening?. It is probably happening right in your own organizations counseling ministry. You know, where some special guy with some piece of paper claims he has more wisdom than the ordinary leaders - you know, the Christian Psychologist - and insists on being paid to help people find the Lords strength to overcome some problem of living [see Can Christian Psychology Help Me?]. Selfishness versus Selflessness Let us back up for a moment, and start afresh at a more foundational level. Let me start by asking the reader if they understand the difference between selfish and selfless. The words are what are called antonyms. That means the words have opposite meanings. Like cold is the opposite of hot. Good is the opposite of bad. Kindness is the opposite of rudeness. Well, SELFISH is the opposite of SELFLESS. To be selfish means to want to keep things (material, relational, intellectual) to yourself or to a group of people who will owe you by your giving to them. To be selfish is to say and practice, Ill give something to you as long as I believe Ill get something back for it. This is how the world operates. To be selfless, on the other hand, means to want to give things (material, relational, intellectual) away to others from whom you expect to get nothing back. To be selfless is to say, Ill give to this person to show them the Fathers love, without expecting anything back. A better method of being selfless is to give to people who dont know you gave it (Matt. 6:3-4). This way we wont deceive ourselves. Christian Religions Excuses Have you ever heard this one from the christian clergymen, Well, its all right to be rich - the YHWH does want to bless us - we just shouldnt try hard to be rich, and we should give to charity [lots of lip service]. But if YHWH wants to make me rich, then who am I to get in the way of YHWHs will? This is usually proffered by the rank health and wealth wanabees, but is also a regular staple in most christian religious groups. Ive heard this said by many charismatic clergymen, several Assembly of God clergymen and many of the African American Baptist preachers that I have heard. They typically wont come out and say that God wants you to have a Rolls Royce like some of the more flagrant deceivers. But they wont come out and plainly say that accumulating wealth is against what YHWH teaches, and against what it means to live a selfless, sacrificial life for him. They are the fence sitters - the lukewarm crowd, who hide a covetous heart behind the double speak lip service. You know, very possibly just like your very own organizations clergyman. Well, what does Yahshua say in regards to a disciple and wealth? Before we take a look at what the Yahshua says about this important issue, we must first pull down some falsehoods that are used to justify a greedy, covetous heart. Wealth and the Old Testament Perhaps the area of greatest abuse of justifying sin by misunderstanding the Old Testament is by the contemporary wealth false teachers. People under the teachings of these men when asked why they believe they should spend most of their time earning as much money as possible and then spend it on themselves, they will often reply, wasnt Abraham prosperous - wasnt he a man of faith and didnt he have much material wealth?. The proper response to this distortion is to ask the person several questions in return, such as, well, Abraham lied, so should I lie? Abraham had several wives, so should I have several wives? In other words, should Abraham and his life be our model, or Yahshua and His Words and life be our standard? Those that justify selfish materialism based on Old Testament people are purposely ignoring Jesus teachings. More importantly, those under the wealth teachers foolish teachings should get their eyes off of Abraham and onto Yahshua, who was poor and who accumulated no material wealth in His life (Matt. 6:19-24; 8:19-20; 19:23-24; Luke 6:20, 24, etc.). Yahshua says, deny yourself, pick up you cross and follow Me. We are to follow after Jesus, our example, and not Abraham or any other man (see Are Pauls Teachings Flawless?). Yahshua also says, No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both YHWH and mammon (Matt. 6:24). Those who claim to be his followers and at the same time say, well, we can be wealthy, we are just not to love our wealth, are deceived. Another way to avoid the truth - used by people who love money - in their efforts to justify themselves, is saying, do you know so and so (some prominent, rich ‘Christian’), he is both very wealthy and a fine Christian - are you saying he is not a Christian?. Disciples dont make judgements about someones spiritual destiny, but we can look to Yahshua to see what Yahshua says, and judge the fruit in people’s lives (Matt. 7:15-20, notice Yahshua says in verse 20, Therefore, by their fruits, you shall know them). Yahshua says, Assuredly I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of YHWH (Matt. 19:24). The contrast is simple - living a selfless life of hating the world versus living a selfish life of loving the world. It is possible to be a wealthy disciple, even though the phrase wealthy disicple is an oxymoron according to Yahshuas teachings. There have been cases of wealthy lost people getting saved, and for some time, they are both believers and wealthy. But if you follow those people over time - the one’s who truly follow Yahshua - they give their wealth away or share what they have, and thus live simple, modest lives as Yahshua did. What Yahshua Teaches Regarding Material Wealth Matt. 6:19-24 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also…No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve YHWH and mammon. Verse 19 says it all. What is unclear about Do not…? Do not means, well, DO NOT! The person justifying a covetous heart will say, well, treasures does not mean money, it means…. Or they will say, I dont lay up treasures, just enough to keep ahead of the neighbors and to be accepted as a middle class american…. These folks are sadly deceived. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Sadly, many say to Yahshua regarding this command of His, too bad Yahshua, I want…. Matt. 8:19-20 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go. And Yahshua said to him, Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. A scribe was the middle to upper middle class professional. You know, like lawyers and doctors and business men and many men calling themselves reverend. So this fellow pulled up to Jesus (who was walking) in his new car and said to Jesus, I will follow you wherever you go. Yahshua answered, and said to the fellow in essence, You say with your mouth you are willing to follow Me, but I dont have all the comforts money can buy. The creatures my Father has created have better lodging in this world than I choose to have while I am here. (Luke 21:37 says of Yahshua, And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet. Dear reader, the side of a mountain among vines and trees is not at the Hilton.) Are you still willing to follow Yahshua if you have to give up your late model this and your new that? Are you still willing if you must forgo the material comforts that this world affords? We are not sure how the scribe answered, but it is clear that many today say to Yahshua, well, thanks but no thanks Yahshua. Instead, Ill make up my own Yahshua and follow him. So many today, are like the man we will look at in Luke 18 who love the things of this world more than they love YHWH. How about you, reader? Are you willing to stop chasing after the material things, and start to share and give away instead of to chase after? Are you willing to turn away from all the excuses and justifications of your love of the material life? Do you really need that new this or that? Luke 18:24-25 And when Yahshua saw that he became sorrowful, he said, How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of heaven. For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. In this country, during these last days, this is perhaps one of the most despised teachings of Yahshua - perhaps it has always been this way. Lost people hate it and cant understand it because they walk in darkness. Tragically, many calling themselves believers of one label or another, also despise this teaching, and spend a good deal of effort explaining away the clear meaning. This is especially true in the United States where money is so clearly worshipped by the lost masses as well as by most christians. Perhaps the most popular explain-it-away excuse found in evangelical-pentecostal circles is, Oh, dont you know that the eye of the needle was a real gate in the wall of Jerusalem that camels had to get down on their knees to squeeze through? Yes, it was difficult for the camels to squeeze through, BUT they could get through, ya know. And there you have it - the plain words of Yahshua explained away by some cultural fairy tale. SHOW THIS AUTHOR THE ANCIENT CULTURAL EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THIS FAIRY TALE. THE FACT IS THERE IS NONE. Its just that easy, you know! Just make up a cultural fairy tale, and walaa, the Yahshua is explained away. And the deceived people say, Yahshua didnt really mean what He said! Arent you glad, because now we can want to be rich! We can call our covetousness godly stewardship or something! Maybe the popular christian financial advisors could create and sell a whole seminar series called, How to Make Your Covetousness and Longing for the Things of This World Look Like Biblical Stewardship? Or perhaps they could call it, How to Nullify the Teachings of Yahshua by Mis-Using the Old Testament. How utterly tragic and sad, as people trade the temporary for the eternal. Luke, who wrote the gospel that bears his name, was a physician. It is a reasonable conclusion that he was familiar with needles for he very likely used them to suture wounds. The word he uses for needle is the Greek word rhaphis, which means, to sew. Some manuscripts of Luke use the Greek word, belone which means a dart denoting a sharp point, and hence, a needle. There is absolutely no exegetical or morphological reason to claim these words in that context mean anything other than a needle. Luke knew it was difficult to get a thread through a needle, let alone a camel, and he faithfully recorded Yahshuas Words as He spoke them - as did Matthew and Mark. Maybe we just dont like the force of the truth in Yahshuas Words? Luke 6:20, 24 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of YHWH…Woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation. Once again, we have some very plain words from the Light. The contrast that Yahshua laid out could not be any clearer. What else could it mean other than what it says? Oh, but it doesn’t really mean that… What is Yahshua saying? Well, let me try and help those who might want to see what He says here, but are confused because they are listening to voices other than Jesus. He says, Blessed are you who share and give away the material things I give you, with the motivation of honoring Me and furthering My kingdom on this earth, for great will be your reward in heaven. And curses upon you who selfishly hold onto the things I enable you to have - who dont share nor give them away, and who covet even more. Woe to you that live selfish lives and give me only a little back of all that I have given you, for great will be your destruction. Where is your heart in regard to this issue? Still lusting after the new car and new house and expensive education, et al? Why not repent and give your heart and life to the real Jesus who reveals himself through his own words in the gospels? Luke 21:1-4 And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites [a mite was worth less than a penny]. So He said, Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for YHWH, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had. Here is our example of New Testament tithing. You see dear readers, tithing is part of the old covenant law. Nowhere does Yahshua (nor even the rest of the New Testament) teach that believers are to tithe. This should seriously concern those of you who have the President/Pastor who is banging you over the head with emotional manipulation about tithing week in and week out. The same book and chapter of Malachi, where most of the false justification for tithing is dredged up, says, He will purify the sons of Levi [the priesthood], and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness. (Mal. 3:3) Why arent these same men crying about the lack of the Levitical priesthood, and all of the offerings that are supposed to be offered? (Leviticus 4 for starters) Why is tithing still binding, but all of the other parts of the ceremonial law not? [see Avoiding Interpretive Traps] Ask these money-dependent men why they dont ask you to keep the rest of the ceremonial law in the Old Testament? Then ask them to consider becoming followers of Yahshua and not of Moses [see Follow Yahshua, Not Moses!]. Now, if Yahshua commended this widow for sacrificial giving, where does that leave us? Ill tell you where it should leave us - is should leave us crying out to our Father to change our selfish hearts! What exactly do the money lovers do with this woman? I do not want to know - probably mock her or so twist the account that there is no truth left. Tragically, it is not only the overt greed mongers who are deceiving themselves and their followers. The middle of the road evangelical organizations have also been deceived. The christian financial advisor nullification is deeply entrenched in christian religious organizations. If you ask one of these fellows that they think of this widows stewardship, what would they say? He who has ears to hear, let him hear! John repeats the Masters teachings well when he says, Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15) We are told, Oh, you need to save up for your retirement and for your childrens education, et cetera ad nausea [and for that new material thing which will rot]. Does it make ANYONE wonder if these financial advisors, and those who follow their teachings, really are trying to hate their lives in this world? I guess Jesus doesnt really mean, DO NOT LAY UP FOR YOURSELVES TREASURES ON EARTH. I guess Yahshua did not understand the wisdom of these wise financial advisors? Conclusion If you are a person who always gets defensive when hearing the truth about believer’s spurning wealth and living simple, sharing and non-materialistic oriented lives, then money remains an idol in your life. If you are quick to defend yourself by saying, oh, but Christians are not to be poor, and I can have substantial wealth and still be a Christian, that is true, you can be a Christian - but you cannot be a follower of Yahshua haMashiah. You are playing into the hands of the enemy of your soul, and missing the incredible blessing that comes from being free from the love of material things and thereby truly being Yahshuas disciple. Turn from selfishness and give all youve got to the Lights work, and you will receive eternal rewards. Work not for food that spoils, and don’t fight to hold onto things that rust and decay, but rather work for that which endures to eternal life (Matt. 6:19-21, John 6:26-27). Find freedom from your material things, and turn and repent from it and start to truly follow Yahshua!
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 21:09:28 +0000
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