by Rod Thomas | Feb 25, 2015 | Blog
Why Hebraic Roots
The Messianic/Hebraic Roots of the Christian Faith focuses on what the Father truly has to say to us. Thus, in order to understand what it is the Father has to say to us, it is vital that we somehow come to a place in our lives, existence, etc., where we can hear what the Father has to say to us without having the noise of the world distort or hinder what it is that the Father has to say. Have you ever been in a crowded forum or any place where there is a lot of noise and people activity, and someone is trying to talk to you about something that you’ve deemed is important to you; or talk to you about something that peaks your interest? With the surrounding noise and distractions, it is often difficult to gain a true understanding of what the other individual is saying to you. Often, throughout the course of the conversation, you may find yourself asking that individual to repeat him/herself. Furthermore, throughout the conversation, you may find that your focus is divided: instead of hearing every word that proceeds from that interesting person’s mouth, you hear something that pulls your attention over to what another person is saying; or someone walks by you and your eyes wonder away from the person of interest to follow that passing individual or even another set of conversations draws your attention from the individual you are conversing with. Thus the conversation becomes quite a disjointed mess and the fullness of content that you’d naturally gain from a private conversation with that individual of interest may be distorted, received and understood incorrectly by you, or the depth of the content missed entirely.
The Problem is Denominationalism
Denominational Christianity is somewhat similar to holding a conversation with the Almighty in the midst of a noisy gathering. The true believer (that is the individual whose heart is in the proper place and who truly seeks to know the Father’s will for their lives and is willing to do whatever is necessary to conform to the image of Yeshua Messiah), while trying to hold an honest conversation with the Father through the pages of their Bible, through prayer and meditation, is inhibited from gaining a true understanding of what the Bible (i.e., the Father) literally has to say to them. Why? Because the “noise” of denominationalism drowns out the truth. The mainstays (i.e., the doctrines, teachings, beliefs and traditions) of that believer’s denomination is always overshadowing him or her. Thus, everything that believer reads in his/her Bible is filtered through the lenses of his/her denomination. Not to mention the impediments that strongholds in the believer’s life may cause in the interpretation process (i.e., cultural, societal and sinful processes and fortresses that have developed in the believer’s life) will most certainly muddy the spiritual waters in a believer’s life even more. The only cure is for one to remove the denominational glasses from their eyes and with a willing heart, open mind and the leading of the Ruach Kodesh, find themselves in a quiet place in their lives where they can hear from the Father. It’s not easy, but it is more than doable. I’m speaking from experience, although from time-to-time I still struggle with the stronghold and denominational noises around me, but I’m slowly getting better at simply removing myself from the fray and seeking spiritual solitude. It’s all about getting down and dirty with the Hebraic Roots of the Christian Faith. Seeking out and walking this Faith in the purity and spirit of its first century manifestation. I love it beyond measure and my life has profoundly changed for the better. My relationship with the Father is markedly better than at any time in my life. I know that I am on the right path that leads to life. My concern and my sorrow, however, is for my brothers and sisters who are bound by the noise of the world, their denomination and the strongholds in their lives that prevent them from seeing the truth and having a true relationship with the Father. I will continue to do the work of the Gospel and advocate for every professing Christian’s adoption of the Hebraic Roots of the Faith. Will you join me?
by Rod Thomas | Feb 19, 2015 | Blog
Don’t cause grief to God’s Ruach HaKodesh, for he has stamped you as his property until the day of final redemption. (Eph 4:30 CJB)
It comes down to us simply giving in to the leading of the Ruach Kodesh in every aspect of our lives. Things are not always going to go our way and frankly, things shouldn’t necessarily always go our way. Our way is often self-serving and ill-advised. The Ruach’s influence in our lives will always lead us in the proper direction. When we ignore that direction, we frustrate that Spirit and after a time, we degrade that influence in our lives simply because we have taken control or taken over the driver’s seat and are now steering the bus. Isaiah recorded the fact that our example, the nation of Israel, vexed Yehovah’s Spirit on one too many occasions and it reached to such extents that Yehovah fought against them (Isaiah 63:10). I don’t interpret that Yehovah physically fought against His children, but fought against them in the sense that Yehovah lifted His eternal protection from them and withdrew the blessings that were inherent to Israel’s obedience of Torah (Deut. 28). What makes us think that we are any different? When we find ourselves in frustrating situations and we choose to handle them our own way, failing in the process to following the direction and leading of Ruach Hakodesh, we stand to lose the Ruach’s precious influence over our lives and the inherent blessings that come with having the Father’s Spirit in our lives. Oh how often I default to my own carnal nature to address the issues that crop up in my life, only to come to the end of the day realizing that I’ve frustrated the Spirit. I feel a let-down within my own spirit to such a degree that I’m embarrassed to acknowledge my stupidity before the Father. But our Father is long-suffering and our Mediator continues to advocate on our behalf. Thus, we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start this walk all over again. But this time, a bit more wiser and hopefully a bit more cognizant that it’s His Ruach that must steer our life’s bus.
by Rod Thomas | Feb 17, 2015 | Blog
Doctrine of Baptisms
Having just posted the latest episode of Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections where my focus was on baptism or the Doctrine of Baptisms as mentioned in Hebrews 6, a full day later I’m just as fired up about this topic as I was when I recorded and posted it yesterday. I just can’t get past this inkling that there is more to this foundational part of our Faith. The simple fact that Yeshua, having no sin whatsoever in his life and thus having no conceivable need or requirement to be baptized (or as many of the Messianics call it–mikvehed), humbled Himself nonetheless and went through with this most personal and solemn rite of our Faith. Which for me speaks ever so loudly that if the Master felt such a compulsion to be baptized (or mikvehed) by Yochanan, as the Ethiopian Eunuch said to Phillip on the road leading from Yerushalayim to Gaza, “here’s some water! Is there any reason why I shouldn’t be immersed?” (Act 8:36 CJB)
Baptisms on the Jordan River
Certainly, traditional Christianity has formed much of our understanding and individual perspectives on the subject of baptism. I would venture to guess that the vast majority of traditional Christians out there if asked about baptism would contend that baptism is a one-time deal that must be done at the outset of one’s conversion experience and entering into Christianity. Heck, I once held such a staunch view up to recently (oh, about a year or so now). It wasn’t until I heard teachings from Arthur Bailey and Michael Rood that my understanding and perspective on subject of baptism was changed. Who knew? I never took into consideration the possible reasons behind Yochanan ben Zecharyah’s (John’s the Immerser’s) employment of immersion people in water for the purpose of addressing sin in their lives. I always thought that Yochanan was the brain-child behind this “sacrament” of the “church” that Jesus and His disciples (soon to be apostles) would adopt and carry on to its fullest employment and ultimate meaning in the Faith. But like everything else I’ve experienced since transitioning over to the Hebraic Roots of the Christian Faith, everything has a Hebraic origin and there is always a rich and beautiful meaning behind the things we often take for granted in our Faith. Baptism (or as Michael often calls it–Mikveh) is simply one more example of this broader background contained in the Hebraic Roots of the Faith.
The Doctrine of Baptisms Examined
So baptism, the practice employed by Yochanan at the Yarden (aka the Jordan) and later Yeshua’s disciples and apostles, seemed to focus on the immersion of one into water for the remission of sins. By virtue of who was conducting the baptisms at the time, those adherents became identified with that baptizer or immerser. Thus, hundreds of adherents became identified with Yochanan and later even hundreds more became identified with the Master. Ultimately, it became the practice of baptizing adherent in the name of Yeshua and thus all adherents would ultimately be identified with Yeshua Hamaschiach. But there was an even greater nexus involved in the practice of baptisms in the first-century church, with the same ramifications for us today. Along with the baptism new adherents experienced related to the remission of sins and repentance and identification with the Master, by virtue of their identifying with Yeshua, there was almost certain suffering to be had by all involved. Fox’s Book of Martyrs is a classic and heart wrenching compendium documenting the sufferings of the first-century Saints. These, simply by virtue of their conviction and identification with the Messiah, upcoming coming out of the water, had their individual fates sealed in blood. These would endure unimaginable sufferings and deaths at the hands of unrepenting Jews and Romans. This is a baptism that for the millions of Christian adherents in the world today reject. Why? Because the doctrine, belief and teachings on a secret rapture that is coming to sweep the believer away to paradise cannot possibly contain any hint of suffering, tribulation or persecution. Sadly, these same millions, looking into the skies for the return of Yeshua and their swift snatching away from this earth, will be in for a “Rood Awakening.”
I am appalled and ashamed that churchianity has so blinded the masses to think that they are immune to tribulation, persecution and martyrdom, primarily in the West. The Holy Writ no where documents a promise that the redeemed of the Most High will escape the baptism of suffering that is promised and inherited by all believers in Yeshua Messiah. How dare we take on such a pompous attitude and belief that we are somehow greater than the Saints of the first-century church and that we are immune to persecution, tribulation and martyrdom. What makes us think we are so much more privileged than these? This is even more aggravating when we consider that the nominal Christian of today lives their lives more so in the world than they do in the Faith. The nominal Christian of today has no problem going to their respective churches on Sunday morning and then returning to a life of carnality and secularism, even on their way home from the service. For the majority of us, there is no baptism of suffering to be imagined, to say the least, no baptism of identification with Yeshua. It’s a fools game believers are playing in the 21st-century. There is coming a baptism of suffering that all would-be believers in Christ must endure, unless these elect to turn in their Christianity in exchange for protection and safety from the tribulations to come.
The true believer in Yeshua Messiah, by virtue of undergoing a baptism of repentance and identification and present and future suffering, will experience a baptism of fire. It is us who are experiencing, through daily prayer, meditation, study, fasting and obedience to the Torah Lifestyle, that those areas of our life that inhibit or damage our relationship with the Father are purged and cut away from us; and these none fruit producing areas of our lives are tossed into the unquenchable fire by Ruach Hakodesh. It is this baptism of fire that purifies us from all unrighteousness and we become as pure gold in the sight of the Creator. This is a unique baptism that Christianity has relocated to a simple imputation and not so much a process. This erroneous ideology is one of the reasons why Christians are so prone to hold on to their secular lives and reject Torah. Torah living, by nature, requires a total surrender to the Father and a subsequent make-over, in part by imputation, but also through the working of the Ruach Kodesh in our lives to assist us in living Torah and living holy lives, acceptable to the Father in Heaven. This baptism is the most enriching as well as one of the most painful experiences that any believer will experience. This couples with the baptism of the Ruach Kodesh, that helps us live Torah the way Yeshua Hamaschiach taught to live. It is this baptism that brings all that we learn through the Father’s anointed teachers and from our study of the Bible to our thoughts and memory when necessary. It is this baptism that gives each of us the courage to proclaim the Master’s message of repentance and the Message of the Kingdom to a dying and lost world without hesitation, trepidation, fear or confusion. The televangelists have hijacked this baptism to sway the minds of would be contributors that they will be healed and gain riches by simply sending them money. These same televangelists will put on quite a show and call upon the Holy Spirit to move the hearts of all to send in money to support their operations and of course many heed this call. These millions are duped into thinking that they can not harvest the power and might of the Ruach for themselves and realize and experience the exploits spoken of by the Master Himself to His chosen apostles. We’ve remained babies, unable to provide and care for ourselves, requiring God’s so-called anointed to pray and intercede for us. We are hopeless. But this is one of the greatest tricks of the enemy; to blind us into thinking that the baptism of the Ruach Kodesh is for us and the power of the Spirit is at our disposal.
Then it is our direct relationship with the Father that should cause us to always be concerned about our state of being before Him. Are we, as stipulated in Torah, in a perpetual state of purity and holiness; acceptable to the Father? Or have we by our own negligence or simply because of life’s situations, entered into a state of impurity. Simply because Yeshua, who was without sin, died for each of us and that act nullified the penalty of death that would be levied upon us because of our sin, doesn’t change the simple fact that we continue to sin and we often enter into states of impurity that the Father has indicated that He does not accept. If we know better, shouldn’t we do better? Is there a baptism of purification that is efficacious for each of us? Is there a way that we can emerge from an impure state to one of purity and acceptability before the Father. Could the fact, in part, that traditional believers hold to a one-time fits all mentality related to baptism be the reason why believers have no qualms holding so tightly to the world? Simply look at the movies and television shows we watch; the social activities we participate in; the books we read; the conversations we enter into; the things we do that are in opposition to Torah (i.e., adultery, idolatry, fornication, lying, stealing, etc.)–all these things put us into a state of impurity (although those acts that diametrically oppose Torah such as idolatry, adultery, murder and the like must be addressed from a full-on repentance standpoint and not just from a purity standpoint).
Where Do You Stand on the Subject?
So I ask you, as I’ve asked myself throughout this past week: what significance does baptism (or mikveh) hold for the true believer in Yeshua Messiah? Well, I ultimately answered my own question from the reasoning I just completed. Indeed, baptism is everything to the believer. Yeshua, who was without sin, chose to be baptized. What reason did He give Yochanan for submitting to baptism? The Master saw baptism as a righteous act. And being a righteous act, it seemed to Him reason enough that He be a part of it. Which stands further reason that if the Master stands behind and supports the doctrine of baptisms, who are we then to think otherwise?
Be most blessed fellow Saints in Training. Shalom.
by Rod Thomas | Jan 5, 2015 | Blog
My Torah studies have stopped for a time to examine portions of the Gospel that correlate to this time of the year as it relates to the Creator’s Calendar. During this period, the Master is believed to have been teaching His disciples in the Dead Sea region as winter had by now settled in. It would have been about the 10th Biblical Month in the year 27 C.E. The passage of interest is found in Luke 11:1-36. Here we find one of the disciples observing the Master as He was praying and that disciple (unnamed) approached Yeshua and asked Him to “teach us to pray like Yochanan (John the Immerser) also taught his disciples to pray.” Obviously, this disciple felt some inadequacy in terms of the method or procedure he and the others were using to pray. Seeing the method and pattern of prayer used by the Master, the disciple wanted to learn how to pray as Yeshua prayed. And this is what a true disciple of the Master does. He sees His Master doing “stuff” and he/she, by virtue of being a disciple, naturally wants to imitate their Master. This is a unique concept to our western culture and world-view, is it not? More so, this is a unique and even foreign concept to Christianity and the Hebraic Roots/Messianic communities (although to a lesser degree than Christianity). This whole concept of discipleship and discipling is something that I will be looking into in future blog and podcast postings, for I believe that this is a crucial topic that needs serious addressing.
Being a disciple of the Master is not being a Christian nor is it being a believer in Christ as churchianity so adamantly teaches. The term disciple as found in this and virtually every other mention in the Gospel record is “mathetes” in ancient Greek which means a “learner, pupil and or disciple.” According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, mathetes refers to one who follows one’s teaching. As it is used throughout the Gospel record, the term is usually referring to the pupils or learners of Yeshua. The term is not always restricted, as many in churchianity would insinuate, to the inner 12 that Yeshua selected to head the Church after His resurrection, but also those among the Jewish population that “favored Him, joined His party and became His adherents,” those who followed Yochanan the Immerser, and even those who followed certain Jewish sages and religious leaders of that time.
Today, the term disciple is all but restricted to the pages of the Gospel record and is rarely if ever used to describe us, the redeemed of the Lord, His chosen, His elect. Why? I think a lot of this has to do with the change in mindset that came about in the last couple centuries (although I have little to no doubt that this mindset extends back to the 4th century C.E.) from that of literally conforming to the image of Yeshua as a result of being a disciple (aka His pupil, His student) to that of getting one saved. Once the focus went to “how many people we can get saved” and the concept of “grace” was altered to reflect an all encompassing construct that eliminated the need for the believer to be obedient to the teachings and commands of the Master (or that matter the Father) but simply occupy till the rapture. I believe that the perverted doctrine of grace then has pushed aside any requirement for the believer in Messiah to be a faithful servant and following–that is disciple. To me, that makes those of us who simply ride the coat-tails of “grace” to heaven nothing more than dead weight that will ultimately have to be shed or purged. Nothing points to the cause of the horrible state of Christianity today than the elimination of the concept and requirement of being a true disciple of Messiah. Until we as true believers throw aside the perverted mindset of grace being the only concern of the believer, but adopt the burning desire to be a disciple–one who’s only purpose in life is to conform to the very image of his/her master–then all bets are off that we will be included in the coming Kingdom as Yeshua’s elect. Revelation (the 5th Gospel) speaks to the true identities of the Master’s chosen: Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
May we be disciples of Messiah, perfect in all our ways; obedient and faithful to the end. Furthermore, may we follow faithfully the Great Commission which directs us to make disciples of others. The true Faith once delivered, the Church, is not filled with Christians or hangers-on, but disciples.
by Rod Thomas | Dec 30, 2014 | Blog
My Torah studies have brought me to Deuteronomy 7:8 which reads thusly (by the way, I attached verse 7 to verse 8 to ensure a complete thought and complete sentence):
CJB Deuteronomy 7:7 ADONAI didn’t set his heart [His love-chashaq] on you or choose you because you numbered more than any other people- on the contrary, you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 Rather, it was because ADONAI loved you, and because he wanted to keep the oath which he had sworn to your ancestors, that ADONAI brought you out with a strong hand and redeemed you from a life of slavery under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deu 7:7 CJB)
Israel’s “chosen” status was not according to the understanding and ways of natural men who would select on the basis of prowess, prestige, beauty or population. Instead, Yehovah’s selection process was unique in that He “fell in love” with a fellow from Ur of the Chaldees. It was that love story that focused on one individual, of all the humans inhabiting the world at that time, that led to a nation being founded and chosen by the Creator. It would be that nation, born out of love and an oath, through which mankind would ultimately reconnect with the Father. Any believer who would mitigate or dismiss the origins of our Faith out of some crazed anti-Hebrew/anti-Jewish sentiment is sadly ruled and led by the enemy. Over and over again, throughout the Biblical record, the Father reminded the nation that their selection and consequently their favor with the Almighty was by virtue of His love and the oath He established with Avraham, which translated to the love he would have for Isaac and Jacob. As it stands with us today, our selection and chosen status is not the result of anything that we have or could ever do (although the Father will use any of us to do His will), but because of the oath He made and the love He had for Avraham. This love transcended anything known to mankind up to this juncture in human history. Obviously, the love the Father had for Avraham was clearly reciprocated although it is not clear beyond Avraham’s obedience and faith how Avraham’s love for Yehovah was reciprocated. One thing we know, Yehovah fell in love to the point that Avraham became the Creator’s best Friend:
7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? (2Ch 20:7 KJV)
8 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. (Isa 41:8 KJV)
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. (Jam 2:23 KJV)
Oh how I long to be looked at by the Father as His friend. Like Avraham, I am not satisfied to simply be as one of the countless millions of souls living upon the earth, paying homage to a God by attending a church service a few times a year, financially supporting a ministry, or doing charitable things out in public. Obviously, we can’t compare the relationship the Father had with the Son to the relationship the Father had with Avraham, but for starters, I will take being seen by the Father as His friend.
The concept of the Creator of the Universe adopting one of His creation as a friend, when you really think about it, is something that is hard to cognitively grab hold to. After Adam sinned, the Creator’s relationship with mankind was severely wrecked. After this tragedy in the Garden, mankind would no longer have anything in common with the Creator of the universe. The Father’s interactions with man precipitously dropped to just a few isolated occasions, the most notable occasion was the flood story. Unlike Avraham, the Father found “grace” or “chen” in the eyes of Yehovah (Genesis 6:8). The Biblical record does note that “Noah walked with Yehovah” (vs. 9).
Let’s pick this up in part 2. Until then, be most blessed fellow Saint. Shalome.
