Musing - Why didn’t someone warn me?

Hebraic Musing - Why didn’t someone warn me?

Two weeks ago I shared my testimony of the day I fell to my knees and said “Jesus Christ you are real. I need to learn more about you.”  (And I am hoping that you will all share your testimonies with me as well.)  That day in August 1977 I received in my being the “Good News” of God’s salvation.  With tongue in cheek, may I share what began to happen to me ever since that wonderful day?  Here are some things I’m glad I did not realize at that moment:

1.      There began a war inside me right after the initial honeymoon period.  I had the Holy Spirit on the inside; and my old flesh was on the outside.  And battle royal was on, with me in the middle!

2.      It wasn’t long before I realized I was not my own!  There was my conscience, a voice, that started reminding me of things I should not be doing that I had previously enjoyed doing.  That list is long, but fortunately, the Holy Spirit worked on those items one at a time.  But He always has one more in front of me to wrestle with.  That started 38 years ago; so I see a lot of trash when I look over my shoulder.

3.      As if life was not busy enough, now I had yet another master, another Boss, to serve; and Christian ministries became time-consuming.  Hmm…who gives me time?

4.      It was not easy to give up hanging around with some of my old friends. (Until I was better grounded)

5.      After a while involvement with Business Men’s Fellowships (& FGBMFI) was exciting, challenging and time-consuming.  With as many as 200 or so members and large dinner meetings from which to minister, there was some frustration because the most effective ministry was in the one-on-one situations.  Even the breakfast/lunch meetings with 5-30 guys were only marginally effective until one-on-one situations arose.  Voices and advisors told me to draw a crowd.  But I had to realize God didn’t tell me to draw a crowd. He called me to make disciples. Discipleship is messy and time-consuming, requiring one-on-one ministry. But it is the fruit of ministry.

6.      Frustration was an still is experienced all too often when friends and loved ones are not ready or willing to share my passion for Jesus Christ.  I still suffer from this frustration.  How can others not understand the importance of this decision?   Frustration!!!

7.      Every guy is a competitor and I am a “Competition Addict”. Sometimes that attitude gets in the way.  For example, when I was elected/appointed president of the Vista/Fallbrook chapter of the FGBMFI, the past president was supposedly retiring.  But he opened up another Chapter in Fallbrook with some members following to the neighboring city.  The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, until I realized we were both working for the Kingdom of God and not for “our own” ministry.

8.      Since I was born-again in the Catholic Church and my family was all in the A of G church and had a solid Baptist grounding, my walk started with a lot of distracting “Churchy Issues”.  And then we started moving around the country and the world with more church and denomination changes.  I didn’t realize my call to learn more about Him would lead to so much consternation with denominational issues.

9.      Dumb me.  I initially thought that accepting Christ and being a Christian would be a Sunday or week-end job.  Turns out it has been a full-time job.  My Father God has found His way into everything I do.

10.  Discipling my family was to me my first priority; but since they were already born-again, they wound up discipling me. Did they do a good enough job?  No.  Now I suffer from “Inspirational dissatisfaction.

Yeshua tried to tell me in red letters “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.   For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  Matt 11:29-30 CJB     Why didn’t someone tell me about the challenges of being a Christian?

Point to Ponder

Has your walk been a challenge?  Or have you found His burden to be light?

BTW – I am not complaining!                                                            September 29, 2015   

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd,   Author:                                                            

“Hebraic Insights”  “Biblical_Marriage” “Musings v.1 – A Victorious Life”
“Musings v.2 – The Torah and New Testament” Weekly “Hebraic Musings”   www.InsightsByYosef.com

Musing - Should Christians Observe Yom Kippur?

Hebraic Musing - Should Christians Observe Yom Kippur?                                         

At sunset this evening, the tenth day of Tishri on the Jewish calendar, starts the highest holy day the Jews observe. Even the casual Jew will acknowledge Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) just like a nominal Christian will celebrate Christmas or go to church on Easter.  Why is Yom Kippur so important?

This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must  deny yourselves [fast] and  not do any work [observe a Sabbath rest]—whether native-born or an alien living among you (That’s us!)—because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins. It is a sabbath of rest, and you must  deny yourselves; it is a  lasting ordinance . . . This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites (Lev 16: 29-34 NIV).

These are my ponderings while my stomach churns from the mandated twenty-five hour fast and other deprivations while praying and searching my soul:

1. Why do I do this?  A - Because Adonai, Father God, told me to do it.  Or because “Daddy said so.”

2. Symbolically, there will be no eating or drinking or sex or finery in death, and Yom Kippur is about sampling a form of death, the wages of sin, so that when we are allowed to live life again, it will taste even sweeter. Fasting does produce a mental clarity, despite the headache and rumblings in the stomach.

3. Erev Yom Kippur, sunset the evening before, starts with a prayer of confession. Although Yeshua has atoned for my sins, there are some things for me to consider. This is akin to the confessions I did in my younger days on Saturday before receiving Jesus during Communion at Sunday Mass. I am sensing a need for more confession time and a renewal of something I once had in my younger days.

What kind of sins do the Jews confess in their Yom Kippur liturgy? They go through the same ones covered by the sacrificial offerings made for sin and guilt and trespass as prescribed in Leviticus 4-6:

1. Sins against God—intentional and unintentional; guilt of the people; done private or communally. These were atoned by the slaughter of innocent, unblemished animals by the high priest.

2. Thoughtless sins against fellow man or community—atoned by sacrifice of a lamb and so forth.

3. Unintentional violations or sins against God’s holy things—atoned by giving an animal of like value to the priest, plus making restitution, plus paying twenty percent.

4. Unintentional violations or sins against God’s commands—even if I don’t know I am responsible. What transgressions are we responsible for?

5. Intentional sins against others or the Lord’s holy tithe— Atonement for “Intentional” sins required four steps: (1) confession; (2) restitution; (3) plus one-fifth (a double tithe!); (4) provide an animal or silver offering to the priest. Note, there is no blood sacrifice required - Leviticus 5.  Does Yeshua’s sacrificial death and blood atone for intentional sins for which restitution has not been made?  Heavy theological question!?!?

Jews and Christians are often thought to be on opposing sides of the question of grace and good works. At the end of Yom Kippur, having prayed for mercy and forgiveness, Jews finally throw themselves totally on the mercy of the Judge. Martin Luther ignited the Reformation movement with his sola gratia, by grace alone. In the end, Jews are trusting on that same hope.

Point to Ponder

Do Christians tend to ignore the importance of good works,
while Jews are not giving adequate recognition to their dependence on grace?

L'Shanah Tovah y’all                                                                                      September 22, 2015   

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd,   Author:                                                             

“Hebraic Insights”  “Biblical_Marriage” “Musings v.1 – A Victorious Life”
“Musings v.2 – The Torah and New Testament” Weekly “Hebraic Musings”   www.InsightsByYosef.com