SHEMA!
Shevat/Adar 5770 February 2010
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MA CHADASH? WHAT’S NEW?
Purim
On February
27, we will observe Purim (the holiday
celebrating the salvation of the Jewish
people in the time of Mordecai and
Esther), followed by an Oneg. Please
bring food to share, especially Hamentashen
to compete for the coveted Golden
Hamentashen Award. Children are encouraged
to dress up in costumes related to
the story of Esther.
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TODAH RABAH! THANKS VERY MUCH!
On February
27, we will observe Purim (the holiday
celebrating the salvation of the Jewish
people in the time of Mordecai and
Esther), followed by an Oneg. Please
bring food to share, especially Hamentashen
to compete for the coveted Golden
Hamentashen Award. Children are encouraged
to dress up in costumes related to
the story of Esther.
In a difficult
economy, Shema has been blessed. We
have been able to hold our own financially.
In various ways, we continue to reach
out to Jews and Gentiles with the
Good News about salvation through
the Jewish Messiah, who is the Savior
of the world. The Lord keeps sending
new people to us. Some have come to
a saving knowledge of the Messiah.
We are thankful to the God of Israel
for all this and we are grateful to
our friends and supporters who help
make this possible. To all we say,
todah rabah!
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ENDURING LIFE'S MANY TRIALS - THE WAY TO LIVE
FOREVER!
Life
in a fallen, rebellious, Satanically
controlled world that is under God's
curse is full of difficulties, trials,
problems and hardships - even for
the sons and daughters of God. Here
in the state of Michigan we are experiencing
many hardships. Our unemployment is
the highest in the nation. Tens of
thousands have lost their jobs, including
quite a few members of Shema. Some
families have had to leave the state;
one had to leave the country. One
family has had to separate and live
in different states. Times are difficult
for many, and I am sure that things
are likely to get more difficult in
2010. Why? The government adopted
a foolish kind of economic philosophy
that was doomed to fail called Keynesian
economics. Instead of letting the
forces of a free market adjust on
their own - which is a healthy thing,
since recessions function to cleanse
the economic body - Keynesian economics
calls for government intervention
whenever there is a recession. Stimulate
the economy! Lower interest rates!
Deficit spend! Create more credit
and money! This perfect storm has
been building for decades and includes
such outrageous policies as going
off the gold standard in 1971, which
allows un-backed paper money to be
created at will; ever-expanding big
government spending programs; running
increasingly huge deficits for 40
years through every administration,
both Republican and Democratic; encouraging
the off-shoring of manufacturing and
other good paying jobs; and government
regulators being negligent and allowing
insane quantities of insurance derivatives
and sub-prime mortgages to be created
and bundled together and sold. The
government has been buying up the
bad debts of private banks and companies,
which transfers the losses from private
parties, who were negligent and should
take the losses, onto the public.
The government responds to every crisis
by distorting how bad things really
are, and by creating more money and
credit and debt to delay the day of
reckoning - pretending and extending
- which only makes a bad situation
worse.
All
of these economic errors have brought
us to the point where we are headed
into an economic winter. Because of
all of these things, the dollar, no
longer backed by anything, is headed
much lower and may even completely
collapse. I am convinced that we are
headed into a hyper-inflationary depression.
It has already started, and in 2010,
I think it will start hitting with
much greater force. I have been warning
you about this for years, and it is
happening. A word to the wise: Take
steps to protect yourselves from a
profligate and corrupt government
that creates money out of nothing.
Be prudent with your finances. Be
frugal. Cut your discretionary spending.
Save as much as you can. Get out of
dollars and US bonds and other fixed
income instruments like corporate
bonds denominated in US dollars. Get
into real money that can't be printed
by a corrupt government. Get your
wealth and savings into gold and silver.
We are headed for all kinds of troubles
- very serious economic and political
and social troubles.
Even though
we may experience trials and hardships
in this life, God's Word provides
us with the wisdom we need to cope
with our problems. In the first century,
the Messianic Jewish community in
Jerusalem experienced many troubles.
They went through serious religious
persecution and economic hardships,
along with other kinds of difficulties.
They handled their trials well. Let's
find out from Ya'akov (James), one
of the leaders of that community,
how to deal with difficulties. James
starts off by identifying himself
and those to whom he is writing.
James (really Ya’akov or
Jacob), a servant of God and of
the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, to the
twelve tribes who are scattered abroad:
Greetings. James’ father was Yosef
(Joseph), and his mother - Miriam
(Mary). As a son of Joseph and Mary,
Ya’akov was very special. He was a
descendant of the royal family of
the Chosen People. He was a son of
King David! That lineage made James
part of the most important family
in the world! James was also the brother
of the Messiah, who is the King of
Israel and the Savior of the entire
world! That made Ya’akov a very great
prince in Israel. Ya’akov also became
the leader of the tens of thousands
of Messianic Jews in Jerusalem. He
was the Rabbi, the Pastor, the Bishop
of the most important New Covenant
Community in the most important city
on Earth. That made James a very great
man in the Church. James had a very
high place among the Jewish people
and a special measure of spiritual
authority in the Church. Yet, notice
the humility with which this great
man introduces himself. He does not
introduce himself as Ya’akov, a mighty
prince in Israel and a great leader
of the leading congregation in the
world - but in a very humble way -
Ya’akov a servant - a servant of God
the Father and a servant of the Lord
Yeshua the Messiah. Ya’akov, who was
a very great man, was also very great
in humility - something we should
strive for as well.
This letter
was written to the Twelve Tribes of
Israel who were living in the Diaspora
(for more on the Twelve Tribes, see
Note 1 at the end). The leader of
the Messianic Jewish community in
Jerusalem is addressing fellow Messianic
Jews in the Diaspora - outside the
land of Israel. What he and his community
have learned in Israel, he wants others
in Messianic Jewish communities outside
of Israel to benefit from. From the
book of Acts, and also another letter
specifically written to Messianic
Jews, the book written to the Hebrews,
we know that these earliest Messianic
Jews had gone through many trials
and difficulties. They had suffered
in many ways. They were persecuted
by the non-believing majority. They
were publicly ridiculed and shamed.
Many lost their businesses and jobs.
Some of them had their possessions,
possibly their properties, houses
and money, confiscated. Some were
arrested and imprisoned. Some had
been killed. Throughout these trials,
the community had endured. They had
maintained their faith. They even
had some joy in the midst of their
problems. This community knew a lot
about trials. James wanted the Messianic
Jews in the Galut, living outside
of Israel, to know how to persevere
through their trials.
James continues:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers,
whenever you face trials of many kinds.
Life in a fallen, rebellious, Satanically
controlled world that is under God's
curse is full of many kinds of trials
- even for the sons and daughters
of God. There will be trials that
are longer and trials that are shorter,
trials that are easier to figure out,
and trials that are harder to understand.
There will be trials of faith, trials
that involve courage or compromise.
There will be trials caused by our
own foolishness and sins, and trials
caused by others. We may experience
physical and health-related trials;
we may experience mental and emotional
difficulties, economic and job-related
hardships, and financial setbacks.
We may undergo trials that come from
damaged relationships (a rebellious
son or daughter; a selfish, uninterested
husband; a faithless spouse), the
suffering or even death of people
we love, the death of animals that
we care for. Most people cannot, will
not consider it joy, let alone pure
joy or all joy, when they experience
a trial. They can't analyze the situation
and come to the conclusion that their
difficult situation can be a cause
for happiness. They are unable to
see anything good about their problems.
Among the
Greeks, there was a school of philosophy
called Epicureanism. They believed
that the most meaningful way to live
was to seek pleasure and avoid pain.
Suffering, trials, difficulties, pain
and hardship were to be shunned, not
embraced. They were not considered
to be reasons for joy. Many people
today share that philosophy. Instead
of understanding that suffering can
be redemptive - that God is able to
turn bad things that may happen to
us into good and that God can reward
those who suffer for Him, for the
truth, for doing what is right - most
people don't embrace their trials.
They resent their trials, they complain
about them, they fight against them,
they curse God for them. They don't
experience joy in their trials. But,
we are to have a much different understanding.
We can embrace our trials, even derive
some satisfaction, some sense of accomplishment,
even some joy from our trials, because
we know that good things can come
from our trials.
Ya'akov informs
us that one of those good things that
comes from our trials is perseverance.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers,
whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing
of your faith develops perseverance.
When we experience any of these, or
other kinds of trials, it is a test
of our faith. Will we continue to
trust the Lord, and continue believing
that He is good and righteous, and
remain loyal to Him, or will we follow
the advice of Job's wife and curse
God? Or, will we, with undeterred
faith, declare like Job: will we
indeed accept good from God and not
accept adversity? And: though
the Lord kill me, yet I will hope
in Him. Will we continue to trust
God like Joseph did when he was unfairly
imprisoned? We are to know that something
virtuous, something very good, something
very beneficial - perseverance, the
ability to endure - comes from our
successful response to our trials.
We need perseverance. We need the
ability to endure. It is not the one
who starts well and then quits who
will be saved. It is the one who endures
to the end, through all his trials,
hardships and difficulties, who will
be saved. We must not be quitters
in the cosmic battle we are in. We
must not throw in the towel in the
fight to endure to the end and be
saved. We dare not be the seed that
sprouted, but soon withered when the
sun rose because it was planted in
shallow soil. We dare not be those
who receive the truth, but fall away
from God and the truth because we
can't persevere through difficulties.
We must not be like the man who doesn't
count the cost of building and has
to quit halfway through with his finances
in ruin, leaving an unfinished building
that is decaying in the weather
Perseverance
must finish its work so that you may
be mature and complete, not lacking
anything. Perseverance, sticking
with God through all of our trials,
is God's method to produce maturity
in us. Consistently enduring our tests
brings us to a state of completeness.
It forms us into mature sons and daughters
who are not lacking anything. Perseverance,
when it is finished in us, when we
have been thoroughly tried and tested,
makes us much more capable of serving
God in significant ways. It's like
the difference between the battle-hardened
soldiers and green troops. If there
is an important battle that needs
to be fought, or a difficult but vital
mission that must be accomplished,
there is no question that you want
to send the toughened veterans, rather
than new, inexperienced soldiers who
have not fought in any major battles.
Life in a
fallen, rebellious, Satanically controlled
world that is under God's curse is
full of many kinds of trials - trials
that are easier to figure out, and
trials that are hard to understand.
Sometimes we may be able to grasp
the nature of the trial and discern
what God is trying to accomplish in
us through that trial, and other times
we won't be able to understand why
we are suffering. James tells us:
If any of you lacks wisdom, he
should ask God, who gives generously
to all without finding fault, and
it will be given to him. God knows
that we need trials to refine us and
bring us to a state of maturity. He
knows that our trials cause us pain.
Like a wise and good and caring father,
He doesn't want us to be confused
when we are suffering. He doesn't
want us to give up when we are being
tried. He is able and willing to give
us all the wisdom we need to get through
all of our trials! All we have to
do is ask Him. He promises that He
won't give us trials too difficult
for us to handle, and that with every
trial, there will be a way to make
it through that trial. He promises
to answer our prayers for wisdom to
endure all of our trials. There will
be a divine response. It might be,
"do this" or "do that".
Consult so-and-so and so-and-so. Or,
it might be, "Just endure, and
you will make it through. You won't
understand this trial until all is
revealed in the World-To-Come - so
trust Me and be patient until then".
Praise the Lord, there is an answer
to every trial, and God will give
the answer - with one provision. But
when he asks, he must believe and
not doubt. We must know the Lord.
We must know that He is good, know
that it is His will, His desire, His
purpose, His promise to give us the
wisdom we need to make it through
our trial. If we know this and trust
Him, the Lord will answer our prayer
for wisdom and we will get the wisdom
we need to persevere through that
trial.
But, if we
really don't know the Three-In-One
God and His Divine Nature, and we
don't trust Him - that He is good
and loving and trustworthy and wants
to help us through our difficulties
- we should not expect an answer to
our prayers. But when he asks,
he must believe and not doubt because
he who doubts is like a wave of the
sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
We don't want to be a person who believes
- but not really; who knows to a degree
- but not enough; who trusts God -
but not fully; who wants to follow
God to the end and be saved - but
not follow to the end with a complete
commitment. The Lord is not inclined
to help an individual who doesn't
really know Him and trust Him and
have genuine faith in Him. That
man should not think he will receive
anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded
man, unstable in all he does.
And, lacking wisdom to make it through
his trial, that unstable man will
probably fail at some point in his
life. He will most likely not endure
to the end and be saved. Do you really
know the Lord, and trust Him, that
He is wise and good and caring - in
spite of your current situation? That
He wants you to succeed through your
present difficult circumstances? Or,
are you not sure? If you are not sure,
ask older and wiser believers why
they are sure.
Ya'akov leaves
us with a final encouragement to help
us endure our difficulties and maintain
our faith in the Three-In-One God
and our love for Him in spite of everything
- and that encouragement is the reward
that will be given for a life that
is lived faithfully to the end. Blessed
is the man who perseveres under trial,
because when he has stood the test,
he will receive the crown of life
that God has promised to those who
love Him. Eternal life is a possibility!
Throughout the ages and across the
cultures, many have sought for eternal
life. Eternal life is a reality -
not for those on a quest to find and
drink from the fountain of life, or
discover and drink from the Holy Grail,
or acquire the medieval alchemists’
Philosopher's Stone - but for those
who know the true God and endure their
trials to the end. Their lives will
be greatly rewarded by the One whose
reward counts! Their reward, the thing
that will beautify a life well-lived
on Earth, a life that honors the Creator,
will be eternal life on the New Earth,
everlasting joy and happiness in the
New Jerusalem! Life in a fallen, rebellious,
Satanically controlled world that
is under God's curse is full of difficulties,
trials, problems and hardships - even
for the sons and daughters of God.
My final question to you is: Will
you be like the Son of God, who knowing
the great joy that would come to Him,
endured all of His trials, even His
greatest trials, the ones connected
to His death, and ignored the pain
of crucifixion and the shame He suffered,
and remained faithful to God and His
mission to the very end and received
the crown of life?
Note 1: Remember
the Golden Rule of Biblical Interpretation:
"If the literal sense makes sense,
seek no other sense". "Twelve
Tribes" does not mean "the
Church". The Church is a spiritual
community made up of the Twelve Tribes
of Israel and Gentiles. Note also
that the Ten Tribes were never lost.
They were still identifiable in the
first century - hundreds of years
after they supposedly disappeared.
According to Ya'akov, it was possible
to identify Jewish people in the first
century who were members of all Twelve
tribes. This should put to rest the
"Ten Lost Tribes" myth,
which comes in various forms and still
has many adherents.
