Rosh HaShanah!!!

Nope...I don't have my timing wrong...lol The new moon should be siting in Jerusalem at dusk this evening and because the barley is ripe in Jerusalem this means it's the Biblical New Year! Check this out! We live in very interesting times!

http://www.michaelroodministries.com/happynewyear.html

another interesting site is this one!

http://www.karaite-korner.org/

And a video that helps to understand Yahweh's Calendar of Events...

http://www.torahteachers.com/the-jonah-code-full-version-michael-rood/

and a blog about the New Year!

Wholehearted family

Our First Passover!

What an exciting time! We have learned that the barley is ripe (abib) in Jerusalem and this is the sign that is needed to start the new Biblical year! (Exodus 12, 34:18, Leviticus 23, Deuteronomy 16:1) And if you read any of those verses I just referenced, you will know that on the 14th day of the 1st month we are to celebrate the Passover and then on the next night the 15th we are to celebrate the week long Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Now just as the Israelites were to get rid of all the leaven in their homes during this time...we will also be getting rid of all the leaven in our home..baking soda, baking powder and yeast. But going even further, we will be examining our hearts and getting rid of the leaven (hidden sins) in our hearts and will be teaching our children this important part of these Feasts and the importance of making things right between family members. This is a common custom during "Communion" in the church...unfortunately the church has added to the Scriptures by doing this weekly or monthly instead of yearly.

Part of getting rid of the leaven in our home will include finally purging the Christmas items as well as any unclean food. We are careful not to eat unclean meat, but I will be going through our pantry and finding all the items with hidden unclean-ness...like jello and marshmallows (they have horse in it!! gross!). So off to the library to try and find a book to help me keep the Biblical dietary instructions.
Interestingly enough the Rabbi's of old added to these instructions and Yahshua (Jesus) talks to them about this in Mark 7...Here is a good article written by Tim Hegg, Did God Change His Mind About Food?.

And here is a quick list of clean and unclean foods for those interested.

What a good way to start the Biblical year eh? Examining our hearts for hidden sin and making things right with people. This feels so much better and fruitful than the tradition of New Year's Resolutions that often set us up for failure!!

Learning Languages...

So...I'm extremely unsatisfied with my understanding of the Bible. It's not because I'm dumb and don't have a good handle on English. It's because I'm not fluent in many other languages. I'm learning Hebrew right now and then want to venture into Greek. Why? So that I can fully understand the Bible...I want to know exactly what is said, when it seems there are inconsistencies...a friend of mine wrote a little blog post and it shows very clearly WHY it is important! Enjoy!
http://neshama-ancientpath.blogspot.com/2010/03/jesus-made-new-commandment.html

Shalom!

Identity Crisis...

http://www.waytozion.org/video/jim/identity.wmv
This link has the whole video, so you don't have to stop and click the 9 segments...lol

This is a very fascinating teaching! All those who believe are grafted in to the tribe of Israel. Be blessed as you watch and you simply MUST watch all 9 segments! Jamie and I sat down and watched them all on Wed. night...then talked about what we learned. very cool!

Answer to Anonymous

Hi Anonymous!
thanks for your comment!
I believe that the law you referred to in Romans 6 is talking about the ceremonial law not the moral law, it was the ceremonial law that made necessary the sin offerings etc. because YHWH couldn't look upon sin, when Y'shua became the ultimate sacrifice we became no longer bound by the laws of sin and death (ceremonial laws)and we now have direct access to our Abba Father. I agree, He delights in His children and wants to hold us in His laps and speak truth over us as we worship Him in adoration!
In Romans 6 it says in the Message translation "So since we are out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we're free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it's your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you've let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you've started listening to a new master, one whose COMMANDS set you free to live openly in HIS freedom!"
The Torah is most definitely summed up by loving God and loving others...Y'shua ALSO said that if we love Him, we will obey His teachings which is in the Tenach (OT). John 14
Right now I'm at a place where I'm falling in love with Y'shua all over again...and as a family we go into this journey, not to follow a bunch of rules, but in worship of the Father. Keeping the Sabbath has caused me to see the importance of planning and being prepared instead of living undisciplined. And this is just after scratching the surface! I truly believe that we will live in much greater freedom as we follow the instructions our Father left for us in the Torah. I have no interest in following the traditions of the Pharisees or even the traditions of Judaism! I simply want to obey the instruction of YHWH, because He loves me and I Him. His yoke is truly easy, not burdensome! If it is burdensome for someone then their motives are not right and it HAS in fact become just a loveless action. We definitely agree on this point! lol
As for circumcision, yup, Paul said it! it doesn't mean anything in and of itself. Yet Paul says in the very same verse that "keeping God's commands is what counts". So I believe that in obedience to God because I love Him and want to bless Him with my obedience, I will circumcise my sons. (not me personally of course!!! lol) In Ezekiel 44:9 in one of his prophesies ...it says very clearly that "no foreigners uncircumcised in heart and flesh is to enter my sanctuary, not even the foreigners who live among the Israelites" this is after the instructions for building the temple are given...I believe this to be the third temple which is yet to be built. So again, we don't need circumcision to be "saved" but it is clear YHWH is in favor of it...
and for food you are quite right we CAN eat anything, but not if it is a stumbling block to the company around us, we are to be sensitive to our friends and not be a stumbling block. When we go to my inlaws house, they always serve us bacon for breakfast. I don't say "no, don't eat that, it is unclean!" I allow my children to eat it and we bless it just the same...however at home we will eat Kosher simply because we believe it to be healthier. for example, I know of a lady who had cancer...she did the chemo thing the first time around and beat it, the second time around she went to her naturopath and he put her on what he called the "cancer diet" which is identical to eating Biblically Kosher! I thought that was fascinating! So we are well on our way to eating kosher...again, not because we HAVE to but we just see the wisdom in it. If Abba loves us enough to tell us what foods He prefers us to eat, there's got to be a reason! lol
1 Cor 6 is often taken out of context and made to fit any circumstance people want it to fit. However, in the verses previous to the verse you are referring to, Paul is chastising the believers for taking one another to court and not living in harmony and love, then the verses after it talks about sexual immorality! I like the way the message translation says it, "Just because something is technically legal doesn't mean that it's spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I'd be a slave to my whims." I truly believe Paul is talking about anything that causes addictions...like my sick addiction to the computer.
I have to say that I do not agree with this statement that you said, "but i don't believe the Bible teaches that we have to do them to love God. He says we don't. for some they may be a hinderance to the gospel." Y'shua NEVER anywhere said that we do not have to obey His commands, which are in the Torah. Paul, never says we are not to obey the instructions in the Torah. Only the ceremonial laws are done away with...as people seek YHWH and HIS ways, they will see the Torah for what they are...instructions to make life easier for us...not harder. It is only when we see them as a bunch of rules to follow will they hinder our relationship with our Lord. It is like the analogy I heart from a friend...following the traffic rules while driving a car isn't legalistic, it keeps things in order...it's the same with keeping the Torah!
But as long as the enemy is keeping Christians in the pews at church drinking only milk from the pastor and (the enemy keeps)convincing them that they don't need to dig deep for themselves, then they will never discover the Truth that is in the Torah.
In Matthew 5:17-19, Y'shua clearly says this, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Umm, heaven and earth are still here...the OT is NOT done away with, but oh how the Christian church would have you believe this horrible lie! It's sick how the enemy uses Christianity!
Oh and the only reason I use the Hebrew names when talking about the God I love is out of respect. Did you know that Jesus isn't even a Hebrew name? It means absolutely nothing! His mother called Him "Yahshua" and so that is what I call Him. The meanings of our names are very powerful...so I will use His real name, because it has real meaning.

I certainly don't have all the answers...LOL and I'm sooo loving studying His Word! Blessings to you! I wish I knew who you were! LOL

Some Pondering Thoughts....

So, I'm reading a book by Lew White called "Fossilized Customs" and wow, it's very interesting and is taking a while to get through because of the huge amount of info in it!
But here is a portion of the book from page 22 and 23...
"Obeying specific "Commandments" with the thinking that this somehow "earns" salvation, or a place in the coming Kingdom, has been called "legalism". This grew out of the Reformation, when the teaching of the Protestant sects based their doctrine of salvation on the work of Y'shua and His atoning death. We are "saved" by "grace", and grace alone. Yahuchanon 3:16-21 needs to be studied carefully; one should not stop reading at verse 16:

For YHWH so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For YHWH did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Who ever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the Name of YHWH's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of Light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and will not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the Truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done in YHWH.

Obedience is EVIDENCE of salvation. What is "light", and "truth"? Proverbs 6:23 defines "light" as the Torah. The word that underlies "teaching" is Torah. The "Truth" is the "Word" of YHWH, Yahuchanon 17:17. Once again, the "Word" is the Torah, made into flesh in Y'shua; as if the Commandments, the personality of YHWH, became a man and lived a perfect life without transgressing His own teachings. He gave us the "Keys"> to the Kingdom: TORAH, which produces LOVE. What is love?

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the Truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

1 Cor. 13. The fruit of the Spirit, and the fruit of the Torah, produces: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Folly is joy to him who lacks sense, but a man of righteousness walks straight.

Pr. 15:21. Something that is "legal" is right. The word is based on "logic", and involves "reasoning". The opposite of legalism is illegalism, and that is what separates us from our Creator! you will recognize a tree by its fruit. The 10 Commandments produce this fruit. Although the Torah is a gift and model for living, we cannot obey it in our flesh ~ we need something more: the New Covenant! What is that? When people read Galatians and other texts, they misunderstand what is being spoken of as "the Law". There is the MORAL law that defines "sin", and there is the CEREMONIAL law, that atoned for ">sin". A life lived ignoring the MORAL law ~ with murder, theft, adultery, idolatry, etc., is doomed to the second death in the Lake of Fire. But hardly anyone would call it "legalism" if they obeyed certain moral laws. The CEREMONIAL law made atonement, but it could not rescue permanently, because it involved animal deaths, in place of the individual dying for the sins. The ceremonial law that cannot "save" pointed the way to the permanent solution: the death of the perfect sacrifice, Y'shua. The blood of the New Covenant covers us permanently, ending the ceremonial law. It is the law of "sin and death" that were ordinances against us, nailed to the wood. It was not the MORAL law that was "done away", but the CEREMONIAL law. How then, can we obey the MORAL laws? This is where the New Covenant comes into play! The Old Covenant was the blood of animals ~ the New is the blood of Y'shua. It is our belief in the Resurrection, and the reality of it, that we have eternal life. We receive the Spirit of Y'shua when we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart that He was raised from the dead. He comes into us, and WRITES the moral law (Torah) on our hearts and minds, enabling us to LOVE the Commandments! You will not live a life ignoring them, because this "change" inside you causes you to agree with the moral laws. The "Law of Liberty" is our freedom ~ not to sin, but rather our freedom from sin; sinning against the moral laws (and we don't have to sacrifice animals). Mashiach Y'shua really does save His people from sin, as His Name says! The deciding factor is: do you LOVE the Commandments?

If you love Me, you will obey what I command.

Yn. 14:15. When you can say "I love the Torah", He has "circumcised" your heart. Even Daniel, David, Yesha Yahu, Mosheh, Adam, etc., who lived by the moral law could not obtain eternal life by it; but because Y'shua resurrected, these captives were delivered from the ceremonial law that was against them. Stop and read Psalm 1, and Psalm 119.

Oh, how I love your Torah! I meditate on it all day long. Your Commands make me wiser than my enemies...

Ps. 119:97,98.
And, my friend, THAT is what "grace" is! It is the gift of YHWH to receive a LOVE for the Truth.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith (emunah, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of YHWH-not by works(ceremonial offerings), so that no one can boast. For we are YHWH's workmanship, created in Mashiach Y'shua to do good works, which YHWH prepared in advance for us to do.

(Those "good works" prepared in advance are the Torah.) Eph. 2:8-10. this has stood in doctrinal opposition to "James" (Ya'akob) 2:17-20, who after explaining that lawbreakers (non-legalists) will be judged, says:

...Faith, by itself, if it is not accompanied by works, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have works'. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe there is one Elohim; Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

What he is saying is, obedience is not the thing that saves us, but when we are seen obeying the Torah, it is evidence of our salvation. There is only forgiveness of sins against Torah if there is repentance, the turning away from sin, and living by the Torah. Martin Luther was used to spearhead the understanding, but there was more to comprehend. The complete understanding became cut short, no doubt because the adversary saw how close to the Truth people were getting. He began his INQUISITION, murdering over 83 million people over a 600-year period. The junkpile of history should now begin to form a picture for you, if we are assembling it correctly. Love is the key! You obey your Earthly father as a child, partly out of fear; but as you mature you begin to obey because you love your father, and do not want to let him down. Our Father says, "Love Me, and keep My Commandments." We show Him we love Him when we obey. It's not "legalism", it's LOVE. And that is what worship is."

Any comments?? I'd love to hear them! What do you think about it?

Our New Journey...

I love this video...it explains the path my family is on...we do it not legalistically, but simply because we are in love with Yeshua our Savior, and He tells us to keep His commandments and do ALL that we're told to do...until heaven and earth pass away...be blessed as you watch this short video. you may need to paus...e it to read some of the longer portions of Scripture.