14 Sivan 32/40
Different people have provided several definitions of prayer, but there are two things that stands out in defining what a prayer is. These are 1.) asking a favour; earnest request or entreaty (supplication, intercession, petition) and 2.) confession, thanksgiving and praising.
Prayer directed to God will fall into any of the these categories. Many believers do not know any longer the essence of prayer. They have asked "if God knows everything, then there is no need to pray, since prayer would not change anything in God." We need to clarify this statement in few steps. Yes, it is true God knows everything. But does this mean that what God knows should not be acted on, just because He knows it? God knew how Abraham was going to react to His demand for his son Issac, but that did not mean Abraham should not have acted on it, and later for God to intervene. What God knew about Abraham became obvious to Abraham himself, and later became a good example of faith in God. God created us in order to have fellowship with us, but through the activities of one of His creatures we fell into sin, and trangress against His very nature of love. One of the attributes of this fellowship with God is prayer in the forms defined previously. Majority of His creation are making prayers, and that whether wrongly or rightly, whether to a false god or to Him, the only True God - the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
One of the characteristics of Satan, a false god - a fallen archangel - is to make accusations or wrong prayers against those who are walking with and living their lives in God. That is why Satan is the Accuser (Job 1:6-2:13; Zech.3:1-3; Rev.12:10). Now, accusations may be positive or negative, but it seems that in the current era the word carries a negative tune. If someone accuses me for wrongdoing when I have actually done it, then s/he is simply stating a fact, to be either repented of or judged for. What is not true is a false accusation - accusing someone for something not done. False accusation might also be to make a case against someone, not for what they have or not done, or charging them with crimes. It may be simply due to pathological hatred or like when we talk against a particular race thinking that ours is better, if not far better. How often we fall into all this! To do all this, we sometimes first break the 9th and 10th commandments, thus making ourselves become accusers like Satan.
Ex 20:16 You shall not answer against your associate with false testimony. 17 You shall not covet the house of your associate. You shall not covet the wife of your associate, his field, his servant or his maidservant, his bull, his donkey or anything which is your associate's.
There was a case when a brother sinned against another, and instead of going to the brother that sinned the case was reported to a pastor, who decided what should happen. This self-appointed pastor, having not the Spirit, made matters worse by various complications, so that the brother wronged was angry about the outcome. Does this sound familiar? This is very common in most churches that have deemed self-appointed pastors to be God-assistants, if not gods. No openness is allowed again in most churches that should rather be called amusement parks. We have no obligation to any pastor if there is a grudge between two brothers. Concerned brothers should amend things with themselves. If and when no agreement is reached should they proceed by inviting a witness. This witness does not need to be a pastor. Any committed brother would do.
Back to the main. We are not to be false accusers of our brothers or other people. I have heard people pretending to pray, and they were full of what other people are doing wrongly which they have not told those people before. Instead they have brought the matter before the Lord in prayer. While this could not be said to be prayer, it is rather gossip or backbiting in prayer form. The best thing for the people who have wronged you is to know that they have done so. This is why we have been told to "snatch people out of the fire." Prayer is when I am interceding on behalf of someone for their repentance and salvation, not what bad things they are doing. We are not to partake in railing accusations or discussions partaining to other people's sins. Or else we partake with the Devil of his accusations.
The real thing about prayer is that since Satan accuses us before the throne of God (Rev.12:10), we should rather raise up our voices in thanksgiving, praise, confession of Him, supplication and earnest requests. Why should Satan's voice only be heard, rather than ours? He has no ground at the throne of God. But we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and we have access to God through Christ, the Lamb of God. If we would not direct our prayers to God in fellowship, then there is one that does a worse job. His accusations may be in various ways. For example he demanded that YHVH take away His hand from Job. He got it. (The Angel of) YHVH asks YHVH to rebuke Satan (Zech.3:1). I have it on good authority that we should "submit yourselves therefore to God, yet resist the Adversary and he will flee from you" (Jam.4:7). The Adversary moves about seeking whom he may devour. No one can bind him, as is often prayed in certain circles. This, in itself, is at best a blaspheme and a waste of time. It is an angel that binds the dragon, that old Serpent, and puts him in prison at the beginning of the millenium reign of Christ on earth from Jerusalem (Rev.19:1-2). Our Lord, in his words to Simon Peter said "Simon, Simon, lo! Satan claims you men, to sift you as grain. Yet I besought concerning you, that your faith may not be defaulting. And once you turn back, establish your brethren." (Lk 22:31-32) The Adversary is bent on a destructive work ever since his original sin. We should not assist him in this. We should raise our voices to our Father and God to act against the forces of darkness of this age and against all spiritual wickedness in the high places. We have been ordained kingly priests of the Most High under the high-priesthood of Jesus Christ into the order of Melchizedek to offer thanksgiving, praises, confession, intercede for our fellow-slaves and brothers, poeple around us and our associates (neighbours). As priests we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. We are to teach the testimony of our high-priest to the nations of the world. In doing all this we are all-the-more neither working for nor with Satan, his angels and his demons, who are progeny of fallen angels.
If you love God you would want to be in fellowship with Him and His saints, His people. There is a portrayal of the essence of this fellowship given in the book of Revelations. It is the acceptance of the prefumes (or odours) by the Lord GOD Almighty through Jesus the Christ.
Rev.5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four [and] twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Re 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer [it] with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, [which came] with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
Nothing could be more comforting than that our prayers have ascended before God as a memorial. Brethren, let us not loose heart in praying, in lifting up our voices to our God in petition, intercession, thanksgiving and praise through him who bought and brought us back to God by his blood. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift. Amen and Amen.
Friday 5 June 2009
Wednesday 3 June 2009
Pentecost and Appointed Feasts of YHVH
12 Sivan 32/40
It has been said on many occassions and in various places that "we, the followers of the Christ, do not live in the Old Testament." While this statement is true, it still appears to me that majority of people saying this do not have a clue as to what they mean by it. What is the Old Testament? Is it the demarcation that has been provided in their Bibles or something less? Could it be something more than all that? Let me give an example for the illustration of such a statement. People say "we do not have to keep any Sabbath" and that "the Christian Sabbath is Sunday. " In these statements there is an appalling antagonism, so say the least. How would another day become a Sabbath while we even do not have to keep any Sabbath?
Such is the error of our modern-day, or should we call it contemporary Christianity. It tries to avoid a truth by introducing an error to be explained away and justified. This is the case with Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks. How many proclaimed Christians understand the source of what they repeatedly celebrate every year? In the first instance, what is Pentecost? Many would readily give an answer that relates to the outpouring of the holy Spirit on disciples as recorded in Acts chapter 2. And rightly so. But is this all about it? This simple answer is very wanting and does not get to the root of the matter. My question rather is if the Spirit was poured on the first disciples, why celebrate it? Is there any injunction in the New Testament to celebrate it yearly?
Some would even say that Paul the apostle on two documented occassions was respectively hurrying to Jerusalem and tarrying at Ephesus for the day of Pentecost (Acts 20:16; 1Cor.16:8). Good! If Paul attitude sanctions the keeping of Pentecost we should then be able to say the same for some other aspects of life modern Christianity has abandoned and discarded. In Acts 16:13 Paul and his companions were seeking a place of prayer on that day of the Sabbath. In Acts 27:8 they even kept the Fast of the seventh month (alas, 7th month is not July). This fast is YHVH's prescription for the Sabbath of Sabbaths called the Day of Atonement (Lev.23:26-32) or Yom Kippur. If actions of Paul and the first disciples justified Pentecost and, as we have seen, Sabbath od Sabbaths, where should we place the celebration of the resurrection of the Christ? Is there any injunction to do it, if I may ask, from the New Testament?
I have asked and I am sking these questions because of the useless and nonsensical utterances encountered in discussions with certain people who have been lured into the religion called philosophy. I wish they would sit right and see that what is called New Testament writings cannot be removed far away from the Old one. Both are intertwinned. The main difference is the covenant as portrayed in sacrifices. The laws of YHVH are intact. His commandments are still a sign that we love Him and the brotherhood. Hence His feasts are still in place. "So then, there remains a sabbatismos for the people of God." There is the injunction which says "keep my sabbaths." Major feasts are Passover (and Unleavened Bread) within which lies the Wave Sheaf, which is actually the resurrection, with the Lord's Supper now preceding the Passover. It is actually from the Wave Sheaf that 50 days are counted to Pentecost, the feast of Weeks. Finally we have Tabernacles in the 7th month, not of this age, but as instituted naturally and biblically. Hence the three main feasts are Passover, Weeks and Tabernacles, besides which we have the weekly Sabbaths and the New Moons. What point defines these feasts? How do we get to knowing their actual dates? "Thou hast made the moon appointed for times, The sun that knows its setting" (Ps.104:19) is like saying the moon is the determinant factor for appointed feasts, the festivals. Note that the Sacred calendar is not the same as Gregorian of the common era. The importance of the New Moon by conjunction in the biblical calendar cannot be overstated. This is even not identical with the first crescent moon, wrongly called the new moon, and postponement used in modern-day Judaism. Paul makes allusions to these in his letter to the Colossians (2:16-17). "Therefore do not let any man judge you in questions of eating and drinking or with regard to a festival (feast) or a new moon or a sabbath, which are a shadow of things to come, of which the substance is the Christ" is not a condemnation of the fact that Colossians were celebrating, but that they should not allow themselves to be talked out of it by Gnostic teachers. The connection seems to be between substance and shadow. Without a substance there cannot be a shadow. Hence these celebrations are a reflection of the Christ himself. It is said somewhere that "...Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us, therefore let us keep the feast..." Keeping the feast is an injuction to something. It is not therefore we kept the feast. It is continuous tense. Despite that we have this as the backgound of our faith, we still keep this feast at the appointed time, every year. It is also recorded in Acts 20:6 "And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days." Could this be that the early disciples kept the days of unleavened bread? In Hebrew Scriptures it is easy to see how the Passover and Unleavened bread are knit together. They form a part of what YHVH calls "...My appointed seasons" (Lev.23:2).
It would be great if believers in Christ would ask the calculation point of all their festivities. Could we behave there is no common ground between us and historically established churches only to grant them the authority to decide the calcualtion of our festivities, such as Pentecost or Resurrection (Wave Sheaf)? How would we know if we are led into the forest? Is there any excuse? Should we become "blind followers of the blind"?
Let the records be straight. We cannot have any Wave Sheaf or Pentecost without an understanding of the holy calendar as it relates to the plan of salvation which is in total agreement with natural harvest periods of the Northern hemisphere. To keep the feasts, new moons and sabbaths is keeping the word (commandments) of God and the testimony (faith) of Jesus, which deem us saints, as mentioned in the book of Revelations (1:2, 9; 12:17; 14:12, 19:10; 20:4). Faith in God manifests itself in obedience to Jesus Christ our Lord.
It has been said on many occassions and in various places that "we, the followers of the Christ, do not live in the Old Testament." While this statement is true, it still appears to me that majority of people saying this do not have a clue as to what they mean by it. What is the Old Testament? Is it the demarcation that has been provided in their Bibles or something less? Could it be something more than all that? Let me give an example for the illustration of such a statement. People say "we do not have to keep any Sabbath" and that "the Christian Sabbath is Sunday. " In these statements there is an appalling antagonism, so say the least. How would another day become a Sabbath while we even do not have to keep any Sabbath?
Such is the error of our modern-day, or should we call it contemporary Christianity. It tries to avoid a truth by introducing an error to be explained away and justified. This is the case with Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks. How many proclaimed Christians understand the source of what they repeatedly celebrate every year? In the first instance, what is Pentecost? Many would readily give an answer that relates to the outpouring of the holy Spirit on disciples as recorded in Acts chapter 2. And rightly so. But is this all about it? This simple answer is very wanting and does not get to the root of the matter. My question rather is if the Spirit was poured on the first disciples, why celebrate it? Is there any injunction in the New Testament to celebrate it yearly?
Some would even say that Paul the apostle on two documented occassions was respectively hurrying to Jerusalem and tarrying at Ephesus for the day of Pentecost (Acts 20:16; 1Cor.16:8). Good! If Paul attitude sanctions the keeping of Pentecost we should then be able to say the same for some other aspects of life modern Christianity has abandoned and discarded. In Acts 16:13 Paul and his companions were seeking a place of prayer on that day of the Sabbath. In Acts 27:8 they even kept the Fast of the seventh month (alas, 7th month is not July). This fast is YHVH's prescription for the Sabbath of Sabbaths called the Day of Atonement (Lev.23:26-32) or Yom Kippur. If actions of Paul and the first disciples justified Pentecost and, as we have seen, Sabbath od Sabbaths, where should we place the celebration of the resurrection of the Christ? Is there any injunction to do it, if I may ask, from the New Testament?
I have asked and I am sking these questions because of the useless and nonsensical utterances encountered in discussions with certain people who have been lured into the religion called philosophy. I wish they would sit right and see that what is called New Testament writings cannot be removed far away from the Old one. Both are intertwinned. The main difference is the covenant as portrayed in sacrifices. The laws of YHVH are intact. His commandments are still a sign that we love Him and the brotherhood. Hence His feasts are still in place. "So then, there remains a sabbatismos for the people of God." There is the injunction which says "keep my sabbaths." Major feasts are Passover (and Unleavened Bread) within which lies the Wave Sheaf, which is actually the resurrection, with the Lord's Supper now preceding the Passover. It is actually from the Wave Sheaf that 50 days are counted to Pentecost, the feast of Weeks. Finally we have Tabernacles in the 7th month, not of this age, but as instituted naturally and biblically. Hence the three main feasts are Passover, Weeks and Tabernacles, besides which we have the weekly Sabbaths and the New Moons. What point defines these feasts? How do we get to knowing their actual dates? "Thou hast made the moon appointed for times, The sun that knows its setting" (Ps.104:19) is like saying the moon is the determinant factor for appointed feasts, the festivals. Note that the Sacred calendar is not the same as Gregorian of the common era. The importance of the New Moon by conjunction in the biblical calendar cannot be overstated. This is even not identical with the first crescent moon, wrongly called the new moon, and postponement used in modern-day Judaism. Paul makes allusions to these in his letter to the Colossians (2:16-17). "Therefore do not let any man judge you in questions of eating and drinking or with regard to a festival (feast) or a new moon or a sabbath, which are a shadow of things to come, of which the substance is the Christ" is not a condemnation of the fact that Colossians were celebrating, but that they should not allow themselves to be talked out of it by Gnostic teachers. The connection seems to be between substance and shadow. Without a substance there cannot be a shadow. Hence these celebrations are a reflection of the Christ himself. It is said somewhere that "...Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us, therefore let us keep the feast..." Keeping the feast is an injuction to something. It is not therefore we kept the feast. It is continuous tense. Despite that we have this as the backgound of our faith, we still keep this feast at the appointed time, every year. It is also recorded in Acts 20:6 "And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days." Could this be that the early disciples kept the days of unleavened bread? In Hebrew Scriptures it is easy to see how the Passover and Unleavened bread are knit together. They form a part of what YHVH calls "...My appointed seasons" (Lev.23:2).
It would be great if believers in Christ would ask the calculation point of all their festivities. Could we behave there is no common ground between us and historically established churches only to grant them the authority to decide the calcualtion of our festivities, such as Pentecost or Resurrection (Wave Sheaf)? How would we know if we are led into the forest? Is there any excuse? Should we become "blind followers of the blind"?
Let the records be straight. We cannot have any Wave Sheaf or Pentecost without an understanding of the holy calendar as it relates to the plan of salvation which is in total agreement with natural harvest periods of the Northern hemisphere. To keep the feasts, new moons and sabbaths is keeping the word (commandments) of God and the testimony (faith) of Jesus, which deem us saints, as mentioned in the book of Revelations (1:2, 9; 12:17; 14:12, 19:10; 20:4). Faith in God manifests itself in obedience to Jesus Christ our Lord.
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