May 21, 2015 CRISIS!

These days it is very easy to lose focus. God’s people are right care about the madness of sin running amok in the souls of there enemies, their neighbors and their congregations and families. But I think we must admit that the redress of so much that harms us and others is not as simple as “taking back” our nation. EVERYTHING AND ALL PEOPLE belong to God. We christians belong to Him and His Kingdom. Jesus very wisely said to the people: Seek first the Kingdom (GOVERNMENT) of God and God’s right way of doing things. THEN all that you need will be ADDED to you.  

Do we fear that the government in Washington D.C. will fail us? It most certainly will if we count on it to be our success. Success for the christian is apprehended in being governed by God. Can we can choose men and women and send them off to Washington D.C. to be righteous governors if we haven’t for some time chosen righteous governors for our congregations? Does God ever instruct us to be involved in the civil government? If He did would we succeed in that while FAILING to faithfully govern and be be governed in our congregations? But it is Jesus our King whom we must seek FOR governance. It will mean we change. It will mean I change. Washington DC may not change, and will almost certainly get get worse (2 Timothy Ch. 3). But will I change? That is God's desire that I be changed. Will you change? 

John the beloved Apostle instructs us to LOVE NOT the world. That does not mean we should take a vow of poverty or chastity, or go live in a cave until we die. We have to live and honor God with the material realities of this life. We do need food, clothes, jobs, spouses, children, and whatever other good things God will provide for us. The world we are not to love is the world which sins, doubts, and rebels against God. If we are passionate for God in His love we will hunger and thirst for His righteousness, and the things and persons of unrighteousness will be easily discerned.

But there is a vey personal crisis we each must engage. It is that of our own unrighteousness. All have sinner. I have sinned. I may sin again. Most of us can’t imagine that we could walk from May 21, 2015  until the day we die in sinless perfection. But Jesus did say twice, to a man and to a woman “Go and sin no more.” !!!!! So we should see at the least that God’s desire is different than that “something” in us that chafes and wanders from and rebels against God. 

Why does life today contain so much human failure? Because we don’t think like God thinks, we LACK the mind of Christ. God’s success was never greater than when Jesus rose from the dead, If we are to rise with Him we shall by absolute necessity have to have died with Him. 

Someone said, “let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” It sounds so right to say it! But peace cannot begin in me until peace is given to me, and received by me. The peace than man can give or deny will come to an end someday. The peace that we need is the peace God alone gives and Jesus came as the Prince of God’s peace to bring us into His peace. That gift of peace was expensive, so very expensive. To give it Jesus was rejected by those He loved, was accused of being of the devil, was betrayed by his close associate, was illegally arrested and tried for a crime (blasphemy) He did not commit, and convicted for claiming to be God’s Son (which was true but deemed blasphemy by His accusers), was humiliated, was beaten, flogged, was stripped naked, nailed to a cross, mocked and left to die. He purchased us and it was a fearsome price He paid for us! And when we through faith receive Him by grace we are given His peace. 

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.

Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, render unto God that which is God's. The first "order of business" is that men and women through faith in The Messiah Jesus become members of God's household. There in Jesus they will live and not die. In God's household life is not found in the abundance of their possessions. (Luke 12:15). There they can lay up treasures in heaven. (Matthew 6:19-21) In God's household men and women can love God, love God's people and love their neighbor, and even love their enemies. (The New Testament!) From God's household we can do good to all men, and especially to those of God's household. (Galatians 6:10) In God's household we are not afraid of what man can do to us. (Romans 8:31, read the whole chapter!) There they need not except to obey God and behave according to His law of love. (Romans 8:1-2). There they can live without the need to be richer than others or even equal to others. (Philippians 2:3-4, read the whole chapter!) There they can live inoffensively forgiving all, knowing that their souls are safe for eternity, while still very very short in their frail flesh and blood. (Mark 11:25; James 4:14; Revelation 12:11). Success in God's household can be lived out under the most trying circumstances. The sins of others cannot rob the Messiah's children of their destiny. Success in God's sight is to learn and to love others as Jesus loved them, (Luke 23:34) to learn and love our fellow christians as He loves them, (John 15:12) and to learn and love God as Jesus, Father and The Holy Spirit love each other and all men. (John 17:21-26 NOTE verse 23)

In God's household we learn and then do justly while loving mercy and walking in humility with God. (Micah 6:8)

"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Stop BSD

Dear Academics, 

I was asked to write you concerning the BSD anti-Israeli movement. I was asked to challenge you according to your Regents Policy on Course Content. I know nothing about that policy, but have been advised: 

UC Riverside is allowing an undergraduate to teach a course that will spend several weeks on “Settler-Colonialism and Apartheid;” Discussion “on checkpoints, the wall, and occupation;” Discourse on Palestinian “Refugeehood and Exile” and the “Palestinian Diaspora;” A guest speaker on the topic of “the history of the Palestinian struggle and exile;” Exploring “possibilities for the future of the struggle and Palestinian people.” ... This violates the UC Regents Policy on Course Content that prohibits political indoctrination in the classroom.

I really can’t comment authoritatively in this challenge except to say it does sound as if the thing needs a serious inquiry according to your policies. 

But I do know something about Israel.

There are less than 20 Million Jews throughout the whole earth. That is about 1/4 of ONE PERCENT of the 7+ Billion people alive today. Why does this very small people group deserve such opposition and cruelty? If you’re a christian it is inexcusable as you are guided by Jesus' sermon on the mount, AND the two greatest commandments. If you are a liberal it is inexcusable as it is racial discrimination, or religious discrimination or both. If you’re in finance it is not advisable as many of Israel’s financial and business ventures are at the top in productivity, innovation and financial growth.

We talk much about bullying these days. We forget that some of history’s most evil bullies were those who persecuted the Jews... the Pharaoh of Egypt, the kings of Moab, Assyria and Babylon, Rome under the Caesars, Spain under the “Holy” Roman Empire, Russia under the czars and the communists, Germany under Hitler; all were led by bullies and became bullies. In the past and again today the Islamic people of some 20+ nations cower under the boots of their leaders and their terrorists. Muslims with few exceptions are bullies of Jews and Christians or indifferent. 

BDS toward Israel is as liberals like to say: MEAN SPIRITED. In practical terms it is unwise. From Christ’s own words CLEARLY it is NOT love for your enemy Israel to do him harm. 

There is a mystery of God regarding Israel and to that I will not speak much, except to say that as a gentile christian I agree 100% with Jesus who said to the Samaritan women at Jacob’s well:

“Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.” John 4:22

…and I agree 100% with Jehovah who said to Abraham: 

“Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make they name great; and be thou a blessing; and I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3

Go to God with your Bible and pray for God to show you more (Psalm 2 is a good starting place).

Yours and opposing the BSD movement against Israel

David B Severy 

Baltimore Md.

The Body and The Blood

The Lord ’s Supper is the revelation and the declaration of the Blood of the Lamb, the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world. We try to make more of the mystery than we should. God saves us by satisfying His wrath for our sins on the body of His own Son. This is the thing to remember as we eat the unleavened bread and drink the wine. It is a simple meal revealing a POWERFUL mystery. The mystery is best understood taking into account the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (special mention Moses and David) whose covenant PROMISES God made with Israel are not made null by the New Covenant, they are upheld by it for those who will receive Jesus and the New! The New Covenant was the PROMISE He gave to the Jews in Jeremiah Ch.s 30-31. And THAT is a stunner to most who discover it, both Jews and Gentiles, that THE NEW COVENANT was a covenant first for the Jews and then for the Gentiles!

I’m not Jewish but I have learned to call Jesus the Messiah. We gentiles have for more than 16 centuries rejected His Jewishness and His committed promises to the progeny of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was their Lamb first, and has graciously in time also made His Way, Truth and Life a gift to gentiles who believe. The Old Testament, so ignored, even by Jews, shows it all. Additionally there is more to early church history than most know. Greek/Roman philosophy in the early church did drive all Jews and things Jewish into disrepute, even anathematizing them. They changed the Sabbath from the 7th day to the 1st. Constantine wed the church and the state and we are still trying to get that big WRINKLE out. In the spirit of Balak and Balaam were many anti-Christs who carried into the churches HATRED of the Jews, of Judah!

We are saved by faith, we remember Him who saved us to life by His death at the Messianic passover meal we gentiles have called the Lord’s supper. Our fellowship/partnership/koinonia/communion is WITH Him by grace and truth through faith. It does not require the meal, but the meal is very important. His “job” is to save, heal and deliver. Ours is to repent, believe, fellowship and remember. Our relationship to Him Savior/Healer/Deliverer is remembered, memorialized at the meal the bread and the wine we remember for they today are a remembrance and  the declaration of His DEATH on our behalf.  This is the remembrance of what some have called the divine exchange. Catholics frankly have it very wrong as the say by priestly invocation and rites the bread and wine become literally His body and blood. Some say the mass is in that respect is a recrucifixion of Jesus! I see that point. The bread and wine were not literal flesh and blood on the night before He was crucified. IF THEY WERE.. WOULD THE ONCE FOR ALL CRUCIFIXION OF THE SON OF MAN BE NECESSARY? Why, if they were not then...  are the suddenly now?

The exchange and the change in us are from corrupt flesh to a cleansed spirit. This is from the operation of the power of God by His Spirit. That does not require bread or wine let alone those turned into HIS literal body and blood. When I saw The Passion, I knew I was saved the moment in Gethsemane that the the soldier struck Jesus on the head. MY HEART WAS WOUNDED BY THE PORTRAYAL of the event. So we might feel some wounds by the portrayal of the crucifixion as it was prophesied at the Last Supper. I think it to be a moment in a meal when some sobriety and solemnness should be observed, and we might again be struck by the tragedy of His death necessary to gain our greatest need.

If we were to be healed and delivered by the literal physical substance of Jesus body and blood it would be the blood we needed today. Jesus healed by laying on hands and prayer, and also by mud, spit and and washing in a pool. How can one man’s brokenness, His stripes His wounds heal me? How can any blood at all remove the guilt and the shame of sin?  It is the power of the word, the promises and the Spirit of God  which accomplished all this on the cross. Countless were crucified, only one of them was God in the flesh. The accomplishment was done and finished on the literal cross by the literal Historical heaven sent Son of the Living God. The faith that saves us is the substance of things hoped for which come by the power of the One we crucified. The blood Jesus shed saved us because Jesus and Abba says it does.  And we must believe Them when they say it is so! ByTheir Great Power they are  known to be TRUE. It was sinless human blood, yet apart from the sinless aspect it was just human blood. If Jesus is present where two or more gather, it is not to be crucified again. We don’t need to spill His blood a second time. The power of Jesus blood is in it sinlessness at the one and only time it was shed,  that done in “the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” and in the promise of God’s word. It was the PROMISE He gave to the Jews in Jeremiah Ch.s 30-31. And THAT is a stunner to most who discover it, both Jews and Gentiles, that THE NEW COVENANT was a covenant first for the Jews and then for the Gentiles!

Jesus got what I deserve. I get what He gives by a forensic exchange: my criminal guilt for His sinless innocence.

Some believe in transubstantiation. I believe the bread and wine (or juice) remain bread and wine. Jesus declaration was that He and His Father were the source and sustainer of life and of everlasting life. Jesus Body was real human flesh and His Blood was real human blood, BUT HE SAID TO THOSE WHO COULD NOT EVEN COMPREHEND:

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. John 6:63

The bread and the wine are just bread and wine.  Jesus body and blood are something else. The teaching Jesus gives us incorporating them as symbols representing the once and for all breaking of His body and shedding of His blood. In John 6 and at the Lord’s Supper, these symbols show that we must consume the life of Jesus in the spirit not in the flesh. We must declare His blood was spilled instead of ours, His Body broken instead of ours and His everlasting life imparted to us by the grace of His tasting death for us. ALL VALIDATED by His resurrection! That really can be given without ever celebrating the Lord’s Supper with bread and wine, it was to the “good” thief on the cross next to the Lord. NOTWITHSTANDING the Lord’s supper is a purposeful event in church life. I believe Jesus was saying to the Jews, the Passover meal is now a changed meal. No longer will you remember the exodus, the lamb and Moses foremost in this meal. Now from this time on REMEMBER ME whenever you eat it. For the Jews that was once a year! Yet I think now we are rightly free to eat  weekly, monthly or daily remembering. IT IS THE REMEMBERING that is important, I believe without that sincerity, the Lord’s presence is offended, and we are then chastened for our vainess. It’s not just what we get, it’s how we got it, by God’s Son’s death. It is the remembering which enables our hearts to be strengthened.

We need to immerse ourselves daily in the Spirit of the Living God. We can have real fellowship with Jesus by other means, in prayer, Bible reading/study, and in fellowship with the saints. We should immerse ourselves and remain wet in the waters of life, drinking His Word, and burning with His Fire a Fire which does not destroy. Even breathing His Fire!