prodigalministries

There is a faulty teaching beginning to circulate within ‘the camp’. The short, condensed, straightforward redneck version of this ‘teaching’ is as follows – leave the jews alone for they are ‘covered’ and, walking Torah constitutes ‘the circumcision of the heart’. For now, we will not address the first point, other than to say we ALL need Messiah, both the natural branches as well as the wild bunch. We want to address the misconception that ‘walking out Torah’ constitutes ‘the circumcision of the heart’. To begin with, IF the ability to ‘walk out Torah’ existed within our human propensity to sin, where is the need for Messiah in the first place? But more to the point, IF, IF we could ‘walk out Torah’ to such a degree to allow us a ‘justified’ and righteous relationship with our eternal Father, where is the atonement for sin, outside of Messiah, that is necessary for that relationship? It is not merely by keeping the commands. So from where does ‘atonement’ come, if not from the Promised Messiah that came in the flesh? if we read Torah, we find there is necessity for a blood atonement for sin, which is transgression of the Torah. The Torah dictates this atonement be conducted in a certain place, in a specified manner, and by a designated agent. IF . . . IF, Yeshua of Nazareth is not Messiah then we have a problem. If He is NOT my Kippur, then our eternal, just, loving, equitable and righteous Heavenly Father has left His people UNCOVERED and WITHOUT the possibility of a covering for their sins for roughly the last 2,000 years. Without a physical priesthood and temple, we ‘Torah walkers’ still have no covering for our sin without God anointing and appointing a Covering, a kaphar, an atoning for that sin. “For ALL have sinned and come short of the Glory of God . . . Yeshua did not come to condemn, for the world was condemned already’ . . . and they were already ‘walking Torah’. It takes more than ‘what we do’. The song lyrics go something like this – “not because of who I am, but because of what He’s done; not because of what I’ve done, but because of Who He Is . . .”

‘Bless The LORD, oh my soul, and all that is within me, Bless His Holy Name . . .’ Shabbat Shalom

Crown? Yes, for we are children of The King . . . Shalom

Not knowing this was in the works, Rhonda spoke of this very thing a few weeks back on our program entitled ‘Sea of Mixture’ on ‘What’s The Word Say?’. Many thought we were ‘over-the-top’ and over-reacting . . . I guess not, sadly enough . . . Shalom

http://m.fox19.com/fox19/db_330522/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=FWdlCV5n

check out this link . . . true and hilarious . . .

https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/clarifyingchristmasconfusion

“To ‘Chanukah’ or not to . . .”

Did Yeshua/Jesus observe the Feast of Dedication? Is Chanukah applicable for believers in the Promised Messiah that came in the flesh? Is Chanukah/Feast of Dedication/Festival of Lights a replacement for Christmas? These and many other questions concerning this issue arise every year at this time. Obviously we are not able to answer them all or answer them to everyone’s satisfaction. But with that understood, let’s take a look at what we know for fact concerning Chanukah.
The apocryphal books of 1st and 2nd Maccabees give us both a secular as well as a spiritual historical account of the events leading up to what is referred to as Chanukah. We would encourage you to read these accounts. There is also a brief reference in The Bible to this celebration in the tenth chapter of the gospel account attributed to John. For Rhonda and I, the issue is simple, straightforward and uncomplicated.
The original eight day celebration of The Dedication / Chanukah was a belated celebration and observance of the Biblical holy season of the Feast of Tabernacles/Sukkot and the 8th Day Assembly as outlined beginning in Leviticus 23:24, an observance the Israeli people were unable to keep properly at the Biblically mandated time, due to the Greek occupation of that day.
” They kept eight festal days with rejoicing, in the manner of the Feast of Tabernacles, remembering how, not long before at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, they had been living in the mountains and caves like wild beasts. 7 Then, carrying branches, leafy boughs and palms, they offered hymns to Him who had brought the cleansing of His own holy place to a happy outcome.” (2Ma 10:6-7)
Chanukah is NOT a ‘jewish or Israeli replacement’ for Christmas. The concept of giving gifts at Chanukah is a relatively modern interjection into the season. It was, in the beginning and down through the centuries, simply a memorial celebration of God’s deliverance of His people against seemingly impossible odds, allowing them once again to walk in the ways of our Father and keep His appointed times. We also need to understand this fact, a very similar yet much, much greater scenario looms on the horizon for God’s people and the nations in these last days.
So, “to Chanukah or not to . . .” Keep it or don’t keep it; you have that choice. It is not a commanded holy day, and to celebrate it is NOT ‘adding to’ the commandments (unless you impose it as a commandment which contradicts Scripture).
Nowhere in Scripture does it say ‘Yeshua participated in Chanukah’, but rather He was in town during the time of the observance. Whether or not He participated is speculative at best and probably borders on being a ‘disputable matter’, to use a phrase of the Apostle Paul. Did He keep it? Truth be known, nobody knows . . . He WAS a good jewish boy, but still, nobody knows, LOL . . . I guess, for Rhonda and I, the frustration is this – the world is literally goin’ to hell in a handbasket and we seem to get hung up on the wrong snags.

After a quick reading of the Maccabean record, we understand the historical reason for Chanukah as a belated Sukkot celebration (‘belated’ being the operative word) and 2 Maccabees giving credit to God for multiple miracles ( no mention of ‘Oil miracles’ ) and giving God credit for the ultimate deliverance of His people. They did, in fact, rededicate and re-consecrate the temple and were able to walk through the streets of Jerusalem without fear for the first time in years. To be able to keep God’s moedim (appointed times) in a proper way would be exhilarating for His people. Sometimes it appears, as God’s people, we seem to miss the end-time prophetic significance of Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles, since it is the first feast mentioned in Scripture celebrated by the world and God’s people after the return of Messiah, as described in Zechariah 14. It just seems fitting that, after the cleansing of God’s earthly temple in ancient days, as well as the prophesied, imminent cleansing of God’s Holy Place by Messiah Yeshua in these last days, the first thing His people celebrate is Sukkot-The Feast of Tabernacles, long overdue and long anticipated. “ To Chanukah or not to . . .” ? We do . . . this is some of the reason why . . . Shalom – J&R