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CHARIOT WHEELS . . .

The last few weeks have been extremely trying and challenging ( now there’s an understatement*:-O surprise ) for many that we have talked with as well as for us.  Well, remember the old adage – ‘you can’t see the forest for the trees’ ? Sometimes we are so involved in what’s going on we lose sight of what is actually going on.

     And then one day this past week, in the midst of a conversation, I was reminded by a good friend of what is actually happening, and then it all began to fall into place and make sense.
Now that didn’t make it easier, but at least it made it understandable.
     This is the season of Passover, the time when Abba reconciles us back to Himself
and brings us out of ‘Egypt’ . . . this is also the season that ‘Pharoah – the adversary-
loses any sway or control over us . . . and he is not happy about that . . . and once
he realizes what has happened, he sets out to capture us back . . .
     So as we are ‘heading to the promised land’ with Abba going before us, all of a
sudden we hear something rumbling up behind us . . . what is that ?
It’s Pharoah’s chariots coming to run us down, coming to chase us down and beat us
back into submission . . . to put us ‘back in our place’ where the adversary wants us
rather than where Abba intends for us to be . . .
And what are the ‘intentions that Abba has for us ” ?
‘for HE knows the plans HE has for us,
plans for shalom and not for evil, for expectation of a future’ ( Jer 29:11 )  . . .
HE intends for us to be the head and not the tail ( Deut 28:13 ) . . .
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor has it entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” ( 1 Cor 2:9, Isa 64:4 )  . . .
     Does that make the ‘chariot wheels’ any less scary ? Not necessarily . . . they are
what they are . . . But it DOES tell us that we are no longer subject to ‘pharoah’ . . .
We are now children of the ‘True King’ . . . So what do we do ?
Exo 14:13 “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD,
       which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.
 14   The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
 15   The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.
Eph 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day,
and having done all, to stand firm.
     And when the day comes that, like Elijah, we find ourselves cringing in the shadows afraid or our own ( shadow ) we can be encouraged that we have a promise for that day as well.
 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses,
so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses,
insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
HIS POWER IS MADE MANIFEST IN MY WEAKNESS . . . 
FOR WHEN I AM AT THE END OF MYSELF, THEN AND ONLY THEN I AM AT THE BEGINNING OF GOD, WHAT HE CAN DO AND ALL HE HAS FOR ME. . . 
SHABBAT SHALOM –
 
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Posted by on March 22, 2013 in Uncategorized

 

KORBAN PESACH . . . PASSOVER IS COMING . . .

WE will celebrating our Passover together this year on tuesday evening March 26th at 6:00pm at the congregational meeting place.  There is no charge for this gathering ( we will accept free-will donations ) . All that accept Jesus – Yeshua as Messiah, Lord and Saviour are welcome and invited . . . RSVP is a MUST . . . Shalom & Blessings –

 
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Posted by on March 17, 2013 in Uncategorized

 

WORSHIP AND TEACHING MATERIALS NOW AVAILABLE . . .

We have a limited supply of the teaching and worship materials listed below.

Enmity Between the Seeds by Bill Cloud   $ 10.00

YAHWEH REIGNS 2 CD SET by Jimmie Black   $ 25.00

INTIMATE WORSHIP CD by Jimmie Black     $ 15.00

Songs of Ascents by Jimmie Black     $ 15.00

COMING BACK TO YOU by Jimmie Black    $ 15.00

WE DO NOT DO PAYPAL OR CREDIT CARD . . . I KNOW, HOW OUT-OF-THE-LOOP CAN ONE BE . . .? WE WILL TAKE YOUR PERSONAL CHECK OR CASH AND WILL SHIP UPON RECEIPT OF YOUR ORDER, TRUSTING THAT PAYMENT WILL ARRIVE . . .

AND ALSO, OTHER MATERIALS WILL BE COMING SOON !!   AND WATCH ( OR LISTEN ) FOR OUR UPCOMING BLOG-TALK RADIO TEACHINGS  . . . . SHALOM TO YOU AND YOURS –

 
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Posted by on March 17, 2013 in Uncategorized

 

Excuse me while I RANT . . .

There is much spoken of in ‘teaching circles’ in regards to the comparison
between the ‘first & Second exodus’.  1 Cor 10:11 says we are to learn and benefit
from the example of the first. Yet Yeshua compares the ‘coming of the Son of Man’
to the ‘days of Noah and righteous Lot’ . There are many parallels we can see in
these two events . . . global vs regional judgement, among others. But one glaring observation is the difference in the degree of preparation ( or lack thereof ) for what was to come. Both survived . . . both by the Grace of God.  One did exactly as directed by Father  . . . the other ‘got out’ by the ‘skin of his teeth’ with the shirt on his back . . .and lost family in the process. One was preparing for others as well as for his family in addition to those that would come after. Lot wasn’t even prepared for himself, let alone his own family. One prepared for what was to come, under the leadership of the Spirit of God, and the other was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And when Lot was directed to ‘go to the hills’, he chose the city instead.
And we all know how that turned out. 

In the last two days we have read two articles reflecting on the concept of ‘getting off the grid’ and ‘going to a safe place’ and ‘hiding out with your beans, bullets and salt.’ These articles are telling us that you can’t be a ‘light’ and ‘hide’ or ‘head for the hills’ at the same time . . . that doing these things shows that you are focused on personal preservation and not focused on being ‘light and salt’.

So, what do you do with those believers that Abba has called to get a place ready for His people to have a safe refuge when the hard times come?
How do we speak to folks about the greatness of our God when we, as his
children, are standing at the back of the government bread line with our hands
stuck out like everybody else ?
     I recently heard a teaching that stated we can either be a servant or a survivor.
Is it not possible to be both ? What do you do with Noah or Joseph ?
What were they ? Servants or survivors ?  Shame on Noah . . . taking his beans and salt     ( and I’m sure he had a weapon or two ) and high-tailin’ it into that boat and hiding. He should have been standing out in the rain handing out rafts and tracts.  How dare him put back food and provisions in that boat for the animals and any people that might come. Didn’t anybody tell him that doing that showed a lack of faith ? But wait a minute . . . I forgot . . . Noah was doing exactly what GOD directed him to do. I wonder how a similar act would be perceived by the leadership of today ?  Remember – Yeshua said ” . . . as in the days of Noah . . .”  Do I sound angry ? Good . . . I am . . . I’m tired of being painted with that ‘broad brush’ that covers everyone that mentions ‘getting prepared’.

WE AGREE . . . there is no one safe geographical spot on the map that is ‘SAFE’. Not Costa Rica, not Australia, not New Zealand or Greenland . . . not even ISRAEL . . .unless our Father has sent you there. And that is the key. The ONLY safe place is in the Palm of His Hand, in the center of HIS will for you. He can make you invisible to the enemy in the middle of the battle or keep you safe in the middle of the wilderness. But only if that is where you are supposed to be.

Servants or survivors . . .Beans and bullets or Salt and Light . . . Is that the only options ? There IS a third category . . .
     There are those that Abba has called to prepare places of transition for the
‘birth pangs’ period until we get to go HOME . . . safe places, covered by the Father,
guarded by his angels, prepared for His people that will be led to these havens by HIs SPIRIT.
      These people have given of themselves, their resources, finances, blood, sweat, tears and prayers ( ALL provided by our loving Father ) to the doing of the work
of our Father. To lump these in with the ones that are ‘planning to take the country
back after the smoke clears and the dust settles’ is demeaning to the calling of the
LORD and hurtful to those that sh’ma this calling.
     You are correct. There IS a sifting coming . . . and in some places and respects  it is already here. The organized church is NOT, for the most part, dealing with this fact. And, as a rule, it is sorely lacking in the messianic / hebrew roots camp as well. When was the last time someone heard a teaching concerning the period of time that Satan will be given power to wear down the saints ? Are the sheep prepared for this time physically ?  Spiritually ? Emotionally ?
Sadly, for the most part, the answer is NO . . . And we, the leadership, will stand and
give an account for our failure to prepare the people for what is coming on the earth.
Father forgive us . . . B’shem Yeshua – Jerry

 

 
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Posted by on February 8, 2013 in Uncategorized

 

Pray for Peace . . . continued . . .

So then, what is ‘Peace’ ? Well, when the Apostle Paul states “HE Himself (Yeshua) is our Peace” – Eph. 2:14 – he ( Paul ) is not speaking of a sense or time of calm, quiet and ‘warm & fuzzy’. He is making a reference to a Torah principle . . . the ‘Shelem’.

The ‘shelem’ is the ‘Peace Offering’. The first time we actually recognize it in Scripture it is as the ‘Passover Lamb’. Paul makes reference to the concept of the need for the ‘Shelem’ in his wording in Ephesians 2 when he speaks of a division between the nations and Israel . . . a division that was not meant to be. Israel was to be a light to the nations, to take Salvation to the ends of the earth. But a man-made division entered in.

But here’s the principle of ‘Shelem’.  Here’s the picture . . .you’ve got two individuals or entities that are separated. Something has caused a breach in the relationship. The ‘shelem’ is that which ‘heals the breach’ . . . It ( HE ) reconciles the two that are separated by standing in the gap, repairing the break and making the two become one again.  Romans 5:10 “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”  Yeshua is our Peace – the Shelem – that which reconciles us to the Father, as well as to one another . ..   OK . . . got it.

So, what’s all that got to do with ‘breakin’ eggs to make the Peace Omelet.’   Well,remember the reference we made to the Prophets being the ‘peacemakers’ in Matthew 5 ?  In our next little snippet we will take a look at that thought and how ‘peace and division’ go hand in hand . . . until tomorrow – Shalom – Peace . . .

 
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Posted by on February 4, 2013 in Uncategorized

 

Pray for Peace ?

As far back as I can remember we have heard, read, sung, and preached  this phrase –  ‘pray for peace’.  So what’s that all about, anyway ?

King David admonishes us to ‘pray for the peace of Jerusalem’ . Yeshua is the Sar Shalom – the Prince of Peace. He tells us that the ‘peacemakers are blessed’ . . . The Apostle Paul reminds us that Yeshua IS our ‘Peace’ . . . And yet King David was a man of war and blood  ( 1Chron 28:3 ) , Paul was constantly in a ‘tussle’ with somebody,  and Yeshua said ” I bring a sword . . .”  ( Matt 10:34 ).   And what about the ‘peacemakers’ ? Did you catch the fact that ‘they’ – the Peacemakers – are compared to the Prophets ? And there is a BIG difference between ‘peacemakers’ and ‘peacekeepers’ . . . And HE called us to be which one ?  I find it ironic that one of the most famous weapons ever produced by COLT was the ‘Peacemaker’ . Maybe they understood something that we have yet to figure out. NO, I’m not speaking of ‘taking up arms’, but it DOES have to do with ‘taking a stance’ . . .

     PEACE is more than merely the absence of conflict. Peace – Shalom – is the picture of wholeness, completeness, ‘one-ness’ . . . everything being the way it is intended to be. So, what is all this talk of ‘Peace’ in the Scripture by those that are constantly involved in conflict ? Ever heard the phrase   ‘if you’re gonna make an omelet, you gotta break some eggs’ ?  Well, let’s look at this concept of ‘Peace’ from hopefully a different and little deeper perspective . . . ( to be continued )   Blessings –

 

 

 
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Posted by on February 3, 2013 in Uncategorized

 

A ‘P.S.’ to ‘Just in case’ . . .

By the way, for the record, the same ‘unequally yoked’ principle would hold true if the ‘teachers’ were a ‘Believing’ Jewish Teacher and a ‘Non-Believing’ Jewish Teacher, or Belieivng pastor and a non-believing pastor ( yeah, I know ) or a ‘believing baptist and a non-believing muslim or any other combo that you can think of that mixes two kingdoms together that have different ‘natures’ . . .j ust in case you thought we were pickin’ on anybody in particular . . .

 
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Posted by on January 5, 2013 in Uncategorized

 

Just in case . . .

Just in case someone might have misunderstood, I want to clarify a point. Sometime back we posted a ‘question’ about an article that came across our desk concerning a ‘radical new idea’ proposing a “one new man worship group” being led by a believing pastor and a non-believing jewish teacher . . . ( ‘believing’ and ‘non-believing’ being defined in the context of acceptance of Jesus – Yeshua – of Nazareth as the promised Messiah of Israel that came in the flesh and will come again )

Let’s make it simple. Do we think it will work ?  No .So why not ? Which one don’t we like – pastors or Jews ?  We like both. So what’s the problem ? It’s a violation of the Apostle Paul’s teaching in 2 Corinthians 6:14            ( mixing light and darkness ) WHICH is based in the Torah principles about mixing things together that are of differing natures. ( For in Christ, I am a new creation, 1 Cor 5:17 . . . my nature is changed ) Leviticus 19:19 and Deut 22:9-11 teaching us this principle in the day-to-day things, such as mixing seed in the same field or plowing with an ox and donkey, or mixing fabrics from differing ‘kingdoms; . Exodus 34:16 and Deut 7:2-3 take the principles to a deeper level.

Yeshua said that the disciples ( and us ) are in the world but not of the world. Isaiah tells us that Israel ( that includes you and me ) are to be a ‘light to the nations’.

God showed Peter that we should not call any man common or unclean Acts 10 ), since Yeshua died for ALL that would come to Him. BUT – if they will not accept Him, they will find themselves ‘outside the city’ in the end. To ‘yoke’ myself together in the teaching of the Gospel of GOD and the whole counsel of the Word with a person who openly denies the personhood and office of Yeshua – the ONE  who brings me life and light, is to violate the very foundation on which I am to stand that enables me to be the LIGHT and SALT He has called me to be.

Please understand that this stance is NOT being anti-semitic, or ant-Israel or anti- jewish, for Paul reminds us that ‘not all Israel is Israel’ ( Rom. 9:6-ff , and if I am in Messiah, then I am Abraham’s seed – a hebrew – Galatians 3:29 ) . . . This truth has been from the beginning and cannot be changed just because it offends my sensibilities or seems ‘not nice’. I didn’t write it, GOD did . . .And Yes, I love my brother Judah  . . . and my brother ‘bubba’ . . .

Shabbat Shalom – J

 
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Posted by on January 5, 2013 in Uncategorized

 

Things that make you go ‘hmmm . . .’

Just an interesting fact . . . the scheduled Torah portion for the week of Obama’s first inauguration just happened to be Exodus chapter 1 which includes the passage,
”  . . . and there arose a new Pharaoh in Egypt that did not know or consider Joseph . . .”
How coincidental is it that the title for the Torah portion ( Exodus 10 ) for the week of Obama’s second inauguration is, in the hebrew, simply “GO” . . .
And God’s people were in Egypt and their goal was the ‘promised land’ . . .
And this time there will NOT be 40 years of wandering . . . but we will be taken into the
wilderness of the nations by Abba before we ‘go’ home. . .Eze 20 & Hosea 2 . . .
And HIS people will be leaving this country, as well as coming out of all the others . . . but not in the way we think . . .
” . . . not by power, not by might, but by my Spirit, says YHVH . . .”

Hmmm . . .

 
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Posted by on January 2, 2013 in Uncategorized

 

What’s up with Joseph

The ‘Joseph’ concept is one that has been alluded to and talked and taught about in many circles, along with the idea of ‘preparation’, which has taken on a ‘life of it’s own’. At the risk of ‘wearing out’ the concept, we want to look at Joseph from perhaps a little different perspective.

There are those that teach that judgement is coming on this nation ( and it is ) and that we are Babylon ( ? ) and that we must leave this nation and go somewhere safe . . . You know, somewhere there is less corruption in government and politics, less graft and greed and less financial woes, less spiritual oppression, where prices aren’t going up and incomes going down . . . someplace where things are not like they are here. The challenge is, the problems that we are beginning to experience here and can expect to increase in this nation have been going on everywhere else for a long time. So where do we go ? Well, obviously the first thing we need to do is ‘run to the Mountain’ . . .run into that Strong Tower which is the LORD. Then where do we go ?

Well, if you know the voice of The Shepherd, then you need to go where HE directs you. And if HE directs you to ‘leave the country’ then you need to do what HE says . . . just please be sure what voice you are listening to and ‘test the spirits’ by the WORD. The Apostle Paul stated that ‘all these things were written down for our benefit on whom the end of the age comes . . .’ Now, if you do not believe that we are in the last days, that this is the generation that will see the ‘end of the age’, then none of this will matter to you. BUT IF THIS IS THE GENERATION, then we need to take a closer look at Joseph.

Jeremiah states in two places that there will be a ‘second exodus’. Jeremiah says in chapters 16 and 23 that ‘no longer will it be said “As the LORD lives that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, but as The LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them.’ For I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers.”  By the way, the Apostle Paul stated that ‘you who were formerly of the nations have now been brought near by the Blood of Messiah and made part of the citizenship of Israel . . .’ Eph. 2;11-13.  Now, one of the differences between the first exodus and the second is the fact that at the first exodus all Israel was in one place. That is not the case this time. This time they ( we )  are scattered to the north and south and . . . well, all the places that the LORD scattered us. So that means GOD’s people ( us ) are scattered everywhere in all the nations and have to be gathered out of all the nations. It would make sense that there would be ‘gathering places’ or ‘way stations’ along the ‘gathering trail’ . . . we actually see this concept in the account of Joseph in Egypt. In Genesis 45:5, Joseph declares that GOD had sent him ahead into Egypt to preserve the lives of the house of Israel.  “GOD has sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance”, declares Joseph in Gen 45:7 . . . So how does any of that apply to me today.

GOD made a promise to Abraham concerning ‘The Land’ . In Gen 24:7 Yahweh promises Abraham, “to your descendants I will give this land” . . .( side note : If I am ‘in Christ’ then I am Abraham’s seed  – descendant – and therefore heirs to the covenant of promise. Gal 3.29 ) AND, ” through Isaac shall your descendants be named ”  . . .Gen 21:12, Rom, 9:7 . . .Gen 28:13-14 tells us that the promise was handed to and through Jacob / Israel. “I am YHWH GOD of your father Abraham and the GOD of your father Isaac . . . and I will give this land to you and your seed . . . and through you all the families of the earth shall be gathered . . . ”  So the promise starts with Abraham, through Isaac and to Jacob but does not come to fruition until the nation of Israel comes out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses, Aaron & Miriam. So, OK Jerry, why the history lesson ?  It’s because there is a picture and a lesson here for us.

GOD promised  Abraham ( and his seed) that HE would give them the land we now know as Israel. But the promise did not come to pass until several generations later. In the meantime, Abba sent ‘Joseph’ into Egypt to prepare a place for Israel, to save them and ‘put for them a remnant in the earth’ . . . And GOD used Joseph to guard Israel in a safe place until it was time to go into and take the land. GOD promised the Land to Abraham. But it took all those years for the people to get ready and for the Land to be readied.

Some folks have the idea that Abba is going to take us straight out of here and hustle us straight into the ‘Promised Land’ . . . and if we get to vote on it, COUNT US IN !  But what if that’s not the case. What IF GOD is going to do again what HE did before the first exodus. What IF HE is making arrangements to bring HIS people into ‘safe places’ until the time is right and ‘ The Land’ is ready ?  Isn’t that what happened in Goshen ?   What IF GOD is raising up ‘Goshens’ in this day for HIS people to have a safe place until time to go home ?

One thing we can be sure of . . . there IS going to be a ‘catching away’ for GOD’s people. What IF that ‘catching away’ is what Jeremiah is referring to when he mentions the ‘latter exodus’ ?  Can you envision Messiah returning, catching His people up and out . . . ‘and we will be caught up with Him in the air, forever to be with Him.( 1 Thess 4:17 )  Where is He going to be ? Well, according to the Word, HE is going to Jerusalem. So, if we are going to be with Him, and He is going to be in Jerusalem, guess where we are going to be  . . . BUT . . . until that time comes, be mindful . . when HE took his people out of ‘Egypt’ the first time, HE allowed for them to have ‘Goshen’ until the time was right for going home. He is doing the same today . . .  So  . . . Listen for the voice of the Shepherd . . .fan into flame the gifts within you . . .study to show yourself approved of GOD . . . be filled with the Holy Spirit . . . and remember ‘faith’ is a ‘DO’, an action, a verb, and not just a thing to have . . . For by faith Abraham left his home and went to a place ‘he knew not’ . . .Blessings –

 

 
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Posted by on December 19, 2012 in Uncategorized