The December Dilemma

I've just recieved an Email from Jews for Jesus within which is a fantastic article by David Brickner

Right about now Jewish newspapers, magazines, online blogs and even synagogue sermons are addressing the recurring theme of the ‘December Dilemma.’ That phrase refers to the sense of alienation many Jewish people feel in the midst of a culture that makes so much of Christmas. Not only do many feel out of step or excluded, but they also struggle in their relationships with their children-many of whom don’t understand why they can’t celebrate with their non-Jewish friends.
Some elevate Hanukkah as an attempt to address this problem. But the attraction of Christmas with its beautiful lights, catchy tunes, office parties, gift-giving and Santa celebrations still presents a challenge for many Jews.
For others, there is no dilemma as they have chosen to enter into a kind of Christless Christmas - a celebration with all of the decorations and gift-giving but none of the spiritual meaning. A secular celebration of Christmas presents no problem for them or their children so why not enter in?
As followers of Jesus, we have our own December Dilemma; we often find ourselves at odds with the culture, attitudes, morals and religious sentiments that surround us. Our society is known for being pluralistic, yet many misuse that term to make it increasingly uncomfortable (and in some cases, illegal) for Christians to participate publicly in long held traditions.
But there is a silver lining in all of this; Christians can learn something from Jewish people who take seriously the ‘December Dilemma.’ At this time of year, they must think through their priorities and principles, discerning what is genuinely important for them and their families. The decision to avoid involvement in all the celebratory activities of the Christmas season is a choice that costs these Jewish people something, but it reflects a loyalty, a commitment that is admirable.
Now of course I wish that more Jewish people would see that Christmas truly is a Jewish holiday celebrating the birth of the greatest Jew of all, the Messiah Y’shua. But in the absence of that revelation, I have to say I respect Jewish people who weigh the issues, consider the cost and choose to abstain from any Christmas celebration rather than imbibe the secular spirit of the holiday.
Such serious reflection may be helpful for followers of Jesus as well. Does the secularization of Christmas create in us feelings of alienation? I hope so. Will our loyalty to Jesus cause us to seriously consider how we enter into the celebration of Christmas in our communities, in our churches, in our homes? It should.
For those of us who truly love the Lord, it seems to me that our hearts should be grieved at how Christ-less Christmas has become, its meaning smothered and the beauty of the Saviour’s birth tarnished beneath layers of commercialism and every kind of excess. Those who choose to celebrate Christmas, even amidst the secular symphony of syncretism that is our surrounding culture, have to work hard to emphasise the Christ of Christmas, and to ponder anew the real meaning of our Saviour’s birth.
There are many ways we can respond to the secularization that is all around us this Christmas. Let’s not be too quick to ignore the sense of alienation. Let’s use that dilemma to energize us to reflect more deeply, to speak more boldly and worship more reverently the Christ of Christmas.

Amen

Christian Zionism and the Church

Jesus love the Church.


Ephesians 5:24-28
24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.


Jesus loves the Church so much that he gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word. Jesus gave himself up for the Church because he loves the Church.

Do those who believe that God still has a separate covenant with the Jews love the Church?

Acts 9:3-5
3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.

Jesus loves the Church so much that he took it personally when Saul was persecuting its members.

If Christian Zionists are following Jesus, then why are they persecuting him in Israel/Palestine?

As Christian Zionists are against Palestinian Christians, they are against Jesus. Their view of his church is their view of Christ. How did this happen?

James 3:13-18
Two Kinds of Wisdom
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbour bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

As can be seen by these verses in James chapter three, the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving. By this we know that the wisdom behind Christian Zionism does not come from Heaven. Christian Zionism is unspiritual. It has biter envy and selfish ambition. They want to see Armageddon so that they can tell us all “Told you so.” It is a puffed up wisdom designed to inflate the ego of the adherent. Because not only do they believe that the Jews are Gods chosen but they also believe they know through biblical prophecy the rest of history. This makes them feel very privileged and important.

Amazingly Christian Zionists say the church is spiritual and Israel is physical so from the outset they admit that their beliefs are unspiritual and therefore not based on a the wisdom that comes from heaven according to James 3:13-18.

The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving. Christian Zionists want Armageddon and support wars in the Middle East. The wisdom that comes from heaven is considerate, a lot of Christian Zionists won’t consider that they are wrong. The wisdom that comes from heaven is submissive, full of mercy and good fruit. Christian Zionists want no mercy to be given to the Palestinians. The wisdom that comes from heaven is impartial while Christian Zionists are so partial they will put Israel before themselves. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. Christian Zionists support war and not peace.

Matthew 5:3-11
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

Returning to the fact that Jesus loves the Church so much that he took it personally when Saul was persecuting its members. Christian Zionists will scream “Anti-Semitism” if you speak against Israel but they will quite happily speak against the Church. It is quite clear from scripture that Jesus loves the Church. Israel is a secular state the same as Great Britain is. If someone spoke against Great Britain and someone started screaming “Anti Anglo-Saxonism” everyone else would rightly think they were nuts. Apart from it being ridiculous on that level the fact that they will quite happily speak against the Church that bears Christ’s name while defending a foreign secular state is even more ridiculous.

Jesus loves the Church.

Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,

Jesus gave himself up for the Church on a mission to make her holy and he did not fail in his mission. When he rose again the mission was accomplished. Jesus had done enough to make the Church Holy. When Jesus said, “It is finished.” he meant it. Jesus loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless and he has made the Church holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and he has presented her to himself as a radiant church without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

The Church is holy, cleansed by the washing of water through the word. She is before Christ, a radiant church without stain or wrinkle but holy and blameless, because Jesus made her that way because he loves her.

Ephesians 2:4-8
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

God raised the Church up with Christ and seated her with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to her. According to Ephesians 1:19- 21 Christ is at the right hand of the Father in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. Therefore the Church is at the right hand of the Father in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

As Christ and his Church are already far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come, there is no literal millennial reign because Christ is reigning now with the Church. The respect that Christian Zionists give to Israel rightfully belongs to Christ and his church.

Because of dispensationalism and the like, we have lost the eschatological reality that what the Church will be for eternity, the Church is now.

The Lord still thinks the same.

Jeremiah 6:20
What do I care about incense from Sheba or sweet calamus from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please me.”

"What do I care about church attendance on Sunday? Your songs are not acceptable; your services just bore me.”

Isaiah 1:13
Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations— I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.

"Stop holding meaningless meetings! Your religious rituals are detestable to me. Prayer meetings, Bible Study’s and revivals— I cannot bear your worthless assemblies."

Who are Gods chosen?

Who are Gods chosen?

To ancient national Israel:
Exodus 19:5-6
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation…”

How were they to keep his covenant according to Moses?

Deuteronomy 18:15
the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.

Those who listen to him are the church

To the church:
I Peter 2:9-10
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people

The problem is Zionists of any variety have a lack of understanding when it comes to Covenant.

Ephesians 1:11
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Ephesians 1:4
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love. If God chose the church before the creation of the world then the church ois Gods chosen.

The church has not replaced the Jews. The church was chosen before the creation of the world, the church has always been. As Christ is eternal, the church is eternal. As Christ is Gods chosen the church is Gods chosen, As Christ is the seed of Abraham the church is the seed of Abraham. The promise was to Abraham and his seed and not Abraham’s seeds. The one seed is Christ.

The New Covenant is perfect with its mirror image, as God’s covenant with Abraham has a mirror image. As Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son for God, God was willing to sacrifice his son for Abraham.

bin Laden's death

bin Laden was scum but he was made in Gods image and Jesus loved him enough to die for him.

The Jewish Wedding

1. The Beginning: The groom's father made and approved choice of the bride.
2. The Groom's Promise: a. Made a covenant . b. Drink the cup of wine to seal the covenant. c. Groom pays a price to show he is serious. d. Groom's speech of promise to his bride that he would come to claim her soon.
3. Groom Prepares a Place for His Bride: Groom prepares a bridal chamber where they stay for seven days. He works on it until it pleases his father. Then he may go after his bride.
4. The Bride Waits: While the groom builds the new home, the bride waits and wears a veil. This shows she belongs only to the groom. She prepares for her wedding by making blankets, etc. She also shows gratitude to her family for raising her and she mends hurt relationships. No matter what, she had to be ready because he would come at night.

1. The Beginning: God the Father made and approved Jesus the choice of the church.
2. The Groom's Promise: a. The groom made a covenant . b. Drank the cup to seal the covenant at the last supper. c. Christ paid a price (Calvary) to show he is serious. d. Christ has promised the church that he is coming soon
3. Christ has Prepared a Place for His Bride It has pleased the father and he is coming after his bride.
4. The Church Waits: While the Christ builds his church, the Church also mends hurt relationships.

Al Nakba

I never understood why a lot of people from the Arab world blame so many things on Zionist plots until I started to understand the Nakba. ( the catastrophe)

Some people claim the Nakba was an event in 1948 (May 15th) and others deny that it happened. Hillary Clinton denies it happened while accusing Palestinians of denying the holocaust.


The Nakba has been the last 60 years.

The Nakba goes on.

Palestinians continue to have their homes demolished and their land stolen. Palestinians continue to be made refugees.

The Nakba includes the massacre of Jannin and the siege of Gaza.

The Nakba is a globally accepted facts as the belief that the earth goes round the sun is a fact. Zionist want Palestinian children to learn about the holocaust but not the Nakba. Hillary Clinton supports such a policy.

Nakba denial is far worse than Holocaust denial. The latter is almost universally condemned, and diminishes the role the denier plays in public discourse. In fact, there are numerous instances of false accusations of Holocaust denial designed for precisely that reason, to smear the critics of Zionism as deniers There is no danger of Holocaust denial catching on. Nakba denial, on the other hand, is mainstream. People can deny that the creation of Israel caused a catastrophe among the Palestinian people and nobody would react. In fact, recognizing the Nakba requires actual courage, as it inevitably would invite smears and accusations of anti-Semitism.

Furthermore, the Nakba is ongoing. The Holocaust ended more than 60 years ago, and terrible as it was, the good guys won. Palestinians, on the other hand, are still suffering greatly, dispossessed of their lands in 1948 and of any semblance of freedom since 1967.

The Revolution in Egypt and the Muslim Brotherhood

The Muslim brotherhood does not believe itself to be at war with the west (I don't know if this is merely because of ideology or because they don't want Egypt to lose it's very lucrative tourism industry) I am trying to find out the Muslim Brotherhood’s position regarding the Coptic Christians who comprise of 10% of the Egyptian population. Some of my Palestinian Christian friends seem to be very happy at the moment but they are also asking us to pray specifically for the Copts as well as Egyptian Muslims. Zionist’s fear whoever replaces Mubarak because as we’ve been arming Egypt for some time they’ve got a lot more than just stones to throw at the IDF.

We Shall Overcome

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=130J-FdZDtY&feature=player_embedded#!

We Shall Overcome

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=130J-FdZDtY&feature=player_embedded#!

Wanting to do things for God but getting attacked by maggots and aphids (religious people).

Likeness of false hypocrites,
We could Sodom’s apples call them,
Who, with rot though they be filled
On the outside brightly glisten.
Hypocrites, though outward fair,
Cannot stand before God’s throne.
:- J.S Bach

Religious people are as Sodom’s rotten apples full of maggots and filth. They can not serve the living God but can only serve their own self righteousness.

Religion is a canker that eats at the tree, a blight that destroys the fruit. Religion serves itself. Religion does not like florescence or fruition because their fruit is so rotten even wasps want to avoid it. Religious people cause premature fruit drop. They are like aphids sucking at the sap of Christians. Religion is often legalistic and we should not yield our fruit to it (Galatians 2:4-5)

I’ve suddenly realised that religious people have been sucking at my xylem and phloem.

It is also true that as aphids are vectors of viruses religous people are vectors of false doctrine.