Praise and Worship in ALL form

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We all desire wisdom from the Lord to help us make the right decisions as we go through life, and yet, some people do not like to learn new things. Wisdom and learning go hand in hand. The wise will never complain about learning more because the more they learn the more wisdom they acquire. It is when someone says that they have learned everything they need to know in life that we should be cautious with them. In a sense, wisdom allows for learning and learning allows for wisdom.

 

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Isaac and Rosh HaShanah​

Why do we read about the birth of Isaac on Rosh Hashanah? Is there a connection between the birth of Isaac and the coming of the Messiah?

The birth of Isaac can be compared to the coming of Messiah. Isaac is the promised and long-awaited son. Just as Isaac was born at the appointed time, so too Messiah will come at the time appointed by the Father. The Master told us, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority,” (Acts 1:7) and “Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” (Matthew 24:36) Nonetheless, the appointed time of Rosh HaShanah with its service of trumpet blasting is an appropriate time to celebrate the anticipated second coming of Yeshua.

In Genesis 18:14, God tells Abraham that Sarah will have a son “at the appointed time.” The Hebrew word for “appointed time” is mo'ed (מועד), the same word that the Torah uses to refer to the biblical festivals, God’s appointed times. As such, its appearance in Genesis 18:14 and 21:2 invited the sages to speculate that Isaac might have been born on a festival. One opinion has it that Isaac was born at the appointed time of Rosh HaShanah .

Genesis 21, which tells the story of the birth of Isaac, is the synagogue’s primary Torah reading for Rosh HaShanah:

Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time (mo'ed, מועד) of which God had spoken to him. (Genesis 21:2)

Many biblical heroes were born in a miraculous manner. Sarah was the first of several barren women who miraculously conceived and gave birth to sons. The Bible uses a miraculous birth to indicate that God has set aside that child for some great purpose. When a barren woman gives birth to a son, a miracle has occurred. The supernatural conception in a barren womb indicates that God has singled out that child for a great destiny.

The miraculous conception and birth of Yeshua served the same function. A virgin conception is even more supernatural than a barren woman’s conception. The narrative of the virgin birth shows us that God destined Mary’s child for an exceptional, supernatural destiny. Just as the miracle of His conception far exceeded that of Isaac’s conception, so too Messiah’s purpose and destiny far exceeds that of Isaac.

After the birth of Isaac, Sarah laughed again. She said, “God has made laughter for me.” Isaac (Yitzchak, יצחק) means “laughter.” A year earlier her doubt and incredulity inspired her cynical laughter. Now she laughed from joy over the birth of the child.

The Master tells us, “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh” (Luke 6:21). When will the mourner’s weeping turn to laughter? When Messiah comes, we will all laugh with joy, as it is written, “Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with joyful song” (Psalm 126:2). Then we will all declare, along with Sarah our mother, “God has made laughter for us.” Hence it is fitting that the promised seed of Abraham should be named “laughter.”

Messiah is called “Isaac (Yitzchak, יצחק),” as it says, “All who hear will laugh (yitzchak, יצחק) with me,” and it is written, “Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with joyful song.” (Pirkei deRabbeinu HaKadosh)

May you be inscribed for a sweet new year. “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)

 

[the only way]

 

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What the Lord desires of us, out of full obedience, is to tell other people about Him and the hope we have in Yeshua. Even Paul, at times, might have worried and even be frightened in his human frailty. But God promises not only to watch over us as we boldly share, but also that we will encounter others who agree with our perspective. May you be encouraged as you share with those you don't know. Sometimes we share with the lost, and sometime, unbeknownst to us, we share with believers and realize that we are not alone in this endeavour to further God's kingdom.

 

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Quest for the Bride of Isaac​

The quest for Rebekah, the bride of Isaac, alludes to the redemption of Israel, the bride of the Messiah

Abraham wanted to find a worthy bride for his son Isaac. Abraham looked for a woman of the same calibre as his righteous wife Sarah. He sought a woman who would bear children worthy of inheriting his legacy and the covenantal promises. The quest for Isaac’s bride tells an important chapter in the story of the Messiah in that Rebekah became one of the mothers of the Jewish people and an ancestor of the Messiah.

Some rabbis read the story of Isaac and Rebekah as an allegory about God and the Jewish people. The prophets often describe the relationship between the LORD and His people as that of a husband to a wife. In view of this metaphor, the death of Sarah can be compared to the exile—her empty tent can be compared to Jerusalem. The mission to bring Rebekah out of Aram and into the promised land can be compared to the final redemption when the Messiah will gather the exiles of Israel and lead them to the land. “For as a young man marries a virgin … and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,” the LORD will rejoice over Zion in the final redemption (Isaiah 62:5):

The voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, “Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” (Jeremiah 33:11)

Moreover, as the bride of Isaac, Rebekah symbolizes Messiah’s bride. Isaac prefigures Messiah in several ways. He is the promised “seed of Abraham,” the only begotten son who was sacrificed. In a symbolic manner Isaac represents Messiah. If we carry that imagery forward into this parashah, we can look to the story about Rebekah for insight into the bride of Messiah and her relationship with Isaac.

Abraham commissioned his servant Eliezer and sent him on a mission to seek out a suitable bride. In Hebrew, a person sent on a mission is called a shaliach (שליח), which means “sent one.” The same word translates into Greek as apostolos (ἀπόστολος), which in turn enters English New Testament translations as “apostle.” In that sense, Abraham commissioned and sent Eliezer as his apostle.

Yeshua commissioned His apostles with a similar assignment. He sent them to make disciples for Himself. These disciples, in turn, constitute the Assembly of Messiah, which the New Testament metaphorically refers to as the “bride of Messiah.”9 When read in this light, Genesis 24 becomes a textbook for evangelism and transmitting the good news of the kingdom.

The Messiah Himself is the Shaliach of God, sent by the Father to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom. In the Gospel of John, Yeshua repeatedly reminds His disciples that He was sent from the Father. He refers to God as “The One who sent me,” “the Father who sent me,” “He who sent me,” and so forth. Yeshua used the term in various formulas at least forty times throughout the book. In that regard, He models the work of the shaliach for us.

 

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One of the leaders of the attack on Pearl Harbor in the Second World War was the Japanese commander Mitzuo Fuchida. After the war, Fuchida met a Japanese friend who had been captured in the war and imprisoned in an American prisoner of war camp. The friend told Fuchida that he had been treated with kindness by an American girl who had brought the Japanese prisoners food and reading material. Fuchida asked his friend about the girl, why she responded with such kindness to her enemies. The friend told Fuchida her story. The girl's parents had been Christian missionaries in Japan. During the war, they were imprisoned, brutally beaten, and finally beheaded in Manila. But before their execution, they wrote a letter to their daughter asking her always to love the Japanese people. Captain Fuchida asked from where did this love come. He was shown a Bible. It was from that, he gave his life to the Lord. If this little girl could forgive the murderers of her parents, how much more can you forgive those against you. And what power, what miracles, what breakthroughs will you unleash when you do!

Click onto the ToraToraTora for Fuchida's story
Tora Tora Tora

 

[Joe Mahmood]

Good morning. Thank you...

CORY ASBURY - RECKLESS LOVE

https://youtu.be/Sc6SSHuZvQE

 

[Joe Mahmood]

I am one of those who do not believe that the religion doctrinaires performed by individuals will gain God's favours. I believe that matters of the conscience is important and most importantly what lies within our hearts is the top priority that would be reviewed by God.

I believe too that prayers offered to decease loved ones would be received by them without any barriers or any doubts. As a saying goes, "I will always be in your heart."

If you want to see the devil, see yourselves in the mirror.

We are all here to do good deeds to one another. We have forgotten to live up to that main purpose of our existence here because of greed. One day our sojourn on earth will end and our souls will return to the unseen realm.

I believe truth lies within the unseen realm. I am looking and researching for that truth in the unseen dimension now, I guess until my last breath.

 

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I am one of those who do not believe that the religion doctrinaires performed by individuals will gain God's favours. I believe that matters of the conscience is important and most importantly what lies within our hearts is the top priority that would be reviewed by God.

I believe too that prayers offered to decease loved ones would be received by them without any barriers or any doubts. As a saying goes, "I will always be in your heart."

If you want to see the devil, see yourselves in the mirror.

We are all here to do good deeds to one another. We have forgotten to live up to that main purpose of our existence here because of greed. One day our sojourn on earth will end and our souls will return to the unseen realm.

I believe truth lies within the unseen realm. I am looking and researching for that truth in the unseen dimension now, I guess until my last breath.

It is all in the Bible

our body soul and spirit
where we go after we die
1st resurrection, 2nd resurrection
hades (hell)
rapture
heaven.................................

 

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Yesterday and today, the living word of God has been changing lives around the world. While it is a message from God, it is coming from the mouth of men and people can doubt that it is a life changing truth. It is also very easy for man to alter the pure truth of the Gospel with small lies, making it a full lie, no matter how small the change. Only the unaltered Gospel will change lives in the hearts of those who believe it, and it is our responsibility to spread that message around, unchanged, as God's word spoken by men and not man's word spoken about God

 

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Love and Marriage​

Falling in love with someone is a bad reason to get married, but upon what should a marriage be based? The story of Isaac and Rebekah holds the secret

Genesis 24:67 says that Isaac took Rebekah, she became his wife and he loved her: "Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her; thus Isaac was comforted after his mother's death" (Genesis 24:67). Notice the order. This seems backward to us. We would expect the opposite. In our culture, we believe that a person should marry whoever he or she falls in love with. Isaac married his wife, and then he fell in love with her.

Isaac took his bride into his mother's tent. All this time Sarah's tent had been empty and forlorn, symbolizing the absence of the eishet chayil (virtuous wife). The Torah portion began the story of Rebekah by telling us of the death of Sarah. Since his mother's death, Isaac had been in mourning. He keenly felt her absence. Isaac taking his bride into Sarah's tent symbolizes Rebekah stepping into Sarah's role as matriarch over the house of Abraham. In the language of the rabbis, Rebekah became the house of Isaac.

Abraham loved Sarah, and Isaac loved Rebekah. Genesis 24:67 says that Isaac took Rebekah, she became his wife and he loved her. Notice the order. This seems backward to us. We would expect the opposite. He should have fallen in love with her, married her and then taken her into the tent. The Bible has a more sober (but no less romantic) view of marriage. Isaac did not marry Rebekah because he loved her; he loved Rebekah because he married her. Considering the folly of the human heart and the fickle ups and downs of emotions, this is the proper order of things. We should love our spouses because they are our spouses.

Love followed be marriage seems like the natural order, but it's a bad plan. It is possible to fall in love with the wrong person. It is possible to fall in love with many wrong persons. Falling in love is a terrible criteria upon which to base a marriage. It would have been easy for Isaac to fall in love with any number of Canaanite girls.

As children of Abraham and followers of Messiah, we are to love our spouses. Paul tells men to love their wives as themselves—and more than that, to love them as Messiah loved the assembly. He warns husbands not to become embittered against their wives. It's not a matter of the whims and inclinations of the heart; it is a duty of every husband to love his wife.

If a man or woman bases his or her marriage merely on love, it is doomed from the start. Feelings are unpredictable. They rise and fall. They come and go. Marriage must not be based upon love. Love must be based upon marriage.

 

[the only way]

click the cc icon.

 

[Mr. Wood]

many times i wonder why is it difficult to not to look and think about something which offends us. may the Lord give us the strength to overcome.

https://www.bibleref.com/Matthew/5/Matthew-5-29.html
Jesus is expanding on His earlier comment, that righteousness worthy of heaven must be perfect (Matthew 5:20). The two examples given so far indicate that anger and lust are sins, just as much as murder and adultery (Matthew 5:21–22; 5:27–28).

In this verse, Jesus uses a common technique. This is formally named hyperbole, or "exaggerating for effect." When a mother says, "I've told you a million times," or a manager says, "we're going to blow up our business model," those are examples of hyperbole. Those who hear or read those words understand them to be non-literal and meant to make a point about the situation at hand.

What's interesting about this statement is that Jesus is already overturning cultural assumptions. Saying lust is adultery of the heart, and anger is murder of the heart, would seem extreme and unsettling to His audience. At first, some might have wondered if Jesus really meant this as a literal, physical command. Quickly, though, it becomes obvious—especially in context with His other teaching—that this is not meant as a literal command.

However, Jesus is making an important point about how dangerous our thoughts and desires can be. Being led by our urges, rather than keeping our desires under control, is a path to destruction. In that vein, He says that it's worth losing an eye rather than letting that eye drag someone into sin, and by extension into hell. Jesus will make a similar comment about a person's hands (Matthew 5:30). The immediate context of this remark is the idea of lust: "looking" at someone with sexual intent.

Where Jesus is certainly not exaggerating is the idea that "looking with lustful intent" is enough to earn someone hell. God's will for His people is that they do not engage in lust. The kingdom of heaven requires righteousness that is perfect (Matthew 5:20), just as God is perfect. A major aspect of Jesus' gospel is that nobody can be righteous enough on their own to earn a place in the kingdom of heaven. His mission on earth included dying on the cross as the final blood sacrifice for sin. Without that covering and being declared righteous by God through faith in Christ, nobody will be saved (Romans 3:21–31).

 

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We are often advised to control our anger. This means that anger is a real thing that can erupt in any of us. There is even godly anger or righteous indignation. The advice is to control our anger and patiently listen. Usually, anger is a reaction to something or someone we disagree with, that could have been avoided if we were not so quick-tempered. In an argument, believing we are right never guarantees we are, but lashing out on others always guarantees we will make very little progress if any at all, towards understanding one another. Listen openly, and only allow for constructive righteous anger to defend the faith, anything else is destructive.

 

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Bashert: The Real Soul Mate​

In our culture, we believe that a person should marry whoever he or she falls in love with. This is a bad plan. It is possible to fall in love with the wrong person. It is possible to fall in love with many wrong persons

Falling in love is a terrible criteria upon which to base a marriage. It would have been easy for Isaac to fall in love with any number of Canaanite girls. Why didn’t he? Because Abraham would not allow it. Abraham placed clear and specific limits around Isaac’s potential mates.

Abraham’s servant Eliezer was sent to find a wife for Isaac. He prayed that God would indicate which woman He had appointed for Isaac to marry. God miraculously singled out Rebekah. Later, when recounting the story of his encounter with Rebekah to her family, they had to admit, “The matter comes from the LORD” (Genesis 24:50). By all appearances, God had appointed Rebekah to be the wife of Isaac.

This teaches that God appoints each person’s a spouse. Some people call this appointed person a soul mate.

How do you know when you have found your soul mate? And what exactly is a soul mate? The idea is that each individual has one other person, somewhere out there, who is his or her preordained, perfect match. A person’s soul mate is the ideal complement to fulfil his or her physical, spiritual and psychological needs. Soul mates are like two halves of the same soul, and if you marry the wrong person, you will never be truly happy because you missed your soul mate. This is not a biblical idea.

In our culture, we believe that a person should marry whoever he or she falls in love with. This is a bad plan. It is possible to fall in love with the wrong person. It is possible to fall in love with many wrong persons. Falling in love is a terrible criteria upon which to base a marriage.

The search for a soul mate sounds romantic, but how do you know if the one you are with is really your soul mate? Isn’t it possible that you missed your true soul mate, or might still encounter him or her? What if you were married previously and are now on your second marriage? Was your first spouse your soul mate, or is this one the true soul mate? The soul-mate concept is a foolish idea that ultimately discourages people from getting married because they fear that their prospective match might not be their soul mate. For people already married, the soul-mate concept can lead to discontentment and uncertainty.

The soul-mate idea does exist in Judaism. It was probably born from a misunderstanding of the Jewish concept of soul mate. Among Yiddish-speaking Jews, the term for soul mate is bashert (באשערט). Bashert is a Yiddish word that means “destiny.” A person’s ideal spouse is called his or her “destined one.” How is this different from the romantic soul-mate concept? You cannot seek your destined one, because you will not know if you are destined to be together until you marry each other. Once you are married, destiny has been fulfilled and proven your soul mate. In other words, your spouse is your destined one. The person you are married to is the person God has ordained for you. If he or she was not, you would not be married.

So don’t waste time trying to find your soul mate. She/he does not exist and will not exist until you get married. Once you are married, you can be confident that your spouse is your true bashert.

 

[the only way]

 

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Around the year 1666, a man named Shabbatai Zevi swept over Jewish history. He was hailed by rabbis throughout the lands in which Jewish people lived, as the long-awaited Messiah, come to rescue His people and bring them back to the land. But then something went wrong. Shabbatai started acting strange. He got married... to a Torah scroll. Then he started advocating heresy. Finally, the Sultan of the Turkish Empire arrested and imprisoned him. He gave him a choice. Either convert to Islam or be killed. So Shabbatai Zevi quickly converted to Islam. A thousand and a half years earlier, another Jewish man, Yeshua, Jesus, was rejected as Messiah. And since then, every Jewish hope in a Jewish Messiah has been crushed. Jesus is the only Messiah and the only answer to the Jewish hope in Messiah. Everything else is false. So, too, in your life. If you've been disappointed lately, seen your hopes crushed and broken - or if things are just not working out - chances are, you've lost sight of Him. Come back. For in Him alone is your hope - everything else is just Shabbatai Zevi - a false Messiah.

 

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Proverbs speak abundantly of the wisdom given to us by the Lord. Wisdom cannot be fully given to us unless we fear and respect God for who He is. As we develop wisdom from the Lord, we increasingly make the proper decisions as believers, and as we make the right choices for the Lord, He honours us among men. The key for us to be honoured is two-fold. First we ought not to seek honour, because honour is not sought, it is given. Second, we ought to be genuinely humble before the Lord and among men. True humility and wisdom will always equip us to serve the master the best possible way, and they will lead us to one day be honoured by God for being good and faithful servants

 

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Good Things of His Master's Hand​

The world has plenty of religions and ideologies for sale, each one clamoring for attention like obnoxious salesmen. What do we have to offer the world?

Abraham sent his servant Eliezer to find a wife for his son Isaac. The name Eliezer (אליעזר) literally means “God of Help.” As Eliezer went forth to procure a bride for Isaac, he relied on the God of Help to assist him. An angel went before him.

When we set out to do the work of God, we need to rely on Him for help, especially in the matter of evangelism. After all, we are not trying to make converts to a religious creed; we are trying to change hearts. This is an impossible task for a human being. Even the greatest psychiatrists cannot change the human heart. Therefore, like Eliezer, we rely utterly on the God of Help.

Then the servant took ten camels from the camels of his master, and set out with a variety of good things of his master’s in his hand; and he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. (Genesis 24:10)

As we go forth to proclaim the good news, we bring the good things from the household of God. In the midst of a lost and hurting world, we have the goods that people need. What are these good things of our Master’s house? They are acts of loving-kindness, forgiveness, wholeness, peace, and that most precious of all commodities: HOPE. Many people have never experienced unconditional love. They have never known real kindness, real friendship, real compassion. Many people have lived most of their lives without even modest hopes. These are things we have received in abundance through Messiah, and we can pass them on to others, but only if we bring them with us.

Eliezer brought the gifts from his master’s household with him in order to establish his credibility. If he had simply appeared in Aram, claiming to be looking for an attractive young girl to bring back to some faraway prince, the men of that place would have driven him away as a scoundrel and kidnapper.

Is it any different with us? If we start to speak into people’s lives about God and faith without first having provided them with evidence of the fruit of our faith, they will drive us away as religious fanatics. The world has plenty of religions and ideologies for sale, each one clamouring for attention like obnoxious salesmen.

The good things of our Master’s house establish credibility: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). The fruit of the Spirit is irresistible to the thirsty soul. A person of genuine faith and conviction who lives out his faith and manifests his convictions in godliness and real kindness, without phoniness or pretence, naturally attracts others.

 

[the only way]