The Creative Life: A Prophetic Calling

The Creative Life: A Prophetic Calling

As Christian Creatives we have been endowed with a prophetic calling.

One thing I have learned from observing my friend Bruce Van Patter is that the Christian Creative life is really about seeing God in the mundane and pointing it out.

It is about seeing God in the everyday, in the ordinary – and sharing that revelation with those hearts and minds we have been entrusted with (our audience) as vividly as possible.

This is what I mean when I say ‘prophetic’. It’s about seeing the Mystery of God and making it relevant, translating the sound and vision of Heaven into a more understandable medium.

This medium takes various forms – from film, animation and photography, to painting, sculpting, drawing, sketching – the written and spoken word, music in all its forms, and performative arts – drama and dance – artists are artisans building the Tabernacle of God’s praise.

In Exodus 31 we read about a man named Bezalel: Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you: the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent— the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand— 10 and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, 11 and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you.”

Rabbinical tradition teaches us that the wisdom of Bezalel – who was just thirteen at the time of this great work (Sanhedrin 69b) – is that he immediately understood the blueprint that God gave Moses for the Tabernacle – apparently, even better than Moses himself – so much so that Moses exclaimed that Bezalel must have been in the ‘shadow of the Almighty’ when He was sharing the blueprint.

Many interpret this scripture – verse 3 – to imply that Bezalel was taught by the Lord – that the Holy Spirit endowed Bezalel with the ability – not only to produce through the work of his hands, but to reproduce through teaching – to build a fitting place for the God of Heaven and Earth to abide in.

His craftmanship and artistry was so impressive that there is a school of art and design named after him in Jerusalem as well as an art movement in the Middle East.

God gave him the ability to see the designs of Heaven and translate it into the tangible.

This is a work of co-creating with the Holy Spirit.

It is the practice of listening to the guidance and leading, the unction of the Spirit, and translating it.

Your art is meant to be more than just an empty vessel – your art is meant to be a vehicle for the presence of God. The Tabernacle was moveable. It went from place to place as they wandered in the desert. Art likes to move. Your art is supposed to be a movement. Your art is supposed to be the Tabernacle of God’s praise carrying His presence into dry and barren places.

Your art is meant to be a form of praise.

Your art is meant to be a form of worship.

God inhabits the praises of His people.

Your art is meant to be full of God.

Your art is meant to be a testimony, an epistle to both the believer and the unbeliever. In the Old Testament whenever God did something for His people they would build altars of various shapes and sizes. Your art is meant to be a testimony – the story of God’s grace and mercy and love in your life. The testimony of how Heaven has invaded your life.

Your art is meant to be full of God.

Your art is supposed to be transformative – speaking to the dry and barren places in the lives of others and bringing streams of life and abundance, stirring up hope and renewal.

Your art is supposed to be reformative – it is supposed to make bold statements. It is supposed to challenge the extant culture (inside and outside the Church) and, where it might have strayed, point it back to God. As you sculpt and mould your word, your sound, your image – may God make it a work that sculpts, moulds and shapes culture.

Jesus uses the ‘Our Father’ to teach the disciples how to pray. One of the key phrases is ‘Thy will be done, Thy Kingdom come, on Earth as it is in Heaven…”

This should be our mindset when creating any sort of piece – that the Kingdom of Heaven might come alive in us, through us and around us.

My prayer for you, my fellow creative, is that the work of your hands will glorify our Creator.

That as He inspires you – breathes into you – that you will exhale – faithfully express what God has entrusted you with.

Be bold in your expression. Announce the Kingdom, proclaim the Good News, propagate the Gospel using whatever brush, instrument or tool God has placed in YOUR hand.

David was given a sling and some stones. Let your voice (however that voice might look) as your sling and your art as your stones and you will see giants falling in the lives of those around you. If you faithfully wield the weapon that God has placed in YOUR hand you will slay dragons. You will overcome evil – we will take new ground.

God gave you your art to build His Tabernacle – to make His invisible qualities known, to make known His glory and His beauty and to translate the sound and vision of Heaven into something tangible – so that our longing for Him, our desire for Him and our knowledge of Him might increase.

He inspires you to inspire others towards action.

Take action today.

My brother, my sister – do not hide your light under a bushel. Pick up the tools of your trade.

Create something awesome and full of God today.

 

If you need help in the process, prayer or would just like to know more about Jesus call or whatsapp:

Men’s contact: Andre Labuschagne 065 370 3806
Ladies’ contact: Kailie Labuschagne: 079 037 4024
For professional counselling: 066 290 6339 / info@raphacontact.co.za
For help with addiction issues / pastoral counseling: 065 370 3806 / andre@adlabuschagne.co.za

 

 

Renovation of the Heart

Renovation of the Heart

Romans 12:1-2: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Growing is often accompanied by groaning. Heart transplants hurt. Change is often painful.

Sometimes the renewing that Paul is talking about feels a little bit like a renovation. Things need to be broken down, broken out. Supporting walls are knocked down so that negative and unhealthy structures can be removed. Often a room or even the whole house will be gutted – bad wiring ripped out, rusty pipes pulled out, and outdated fixtures taken away – so that something new – something better can be put in its place.

God’s Word hurts sometimes. The Truth hurts sometimes.

Sometimes God’s Word is sent to overthrow, knock down, demolish and even destroy certain things. This might feel like you are being ‘gutted’ as He removes the faulty wiring, rusty pipes and outdated fixtures of your old life…

But rest assured. God is a good God. A loving God.

As His Spirit convicts us of sin He also convicts of righteousness. He leads us into the chambers of His heart (His Word) where we learn from Him.

Through His Spirit and through His Word God performs His renovation.

The pain is not for nought.

God wants you to push through that discomfort. Push through that pain.

Paul admonishes Timothy – and us – with the following: 11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Tim 6:11-12)

In the book of Hebrews (12:11-13:) we are encouraged to push through. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 “Make level paths for your feet,”[b] so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Leaving the old behind hurts. Leaving people, places and things so that you might better set your eyes on Him hurts.

But the result is worth it.

Choose God today.

Let Him do His work in you.

Yes, He might be demolishing certain things in your life right now, certain ways of doing, certain ways of thinking. He might be demolishing certain things in your life right now – removing certain things – but it is to make way for SOMETHING BETTER.

It is to make room for MORE of HIM.

He wants to take your ashes and give you beauty. He wants to work all things to your good and your benefit – because He loves you (Romans 8). He wants to rewrite His life with His mercy.

I’ve had friends over the years who have had to have tattoos from their old life covered up with new ones or removed. The old tattoos were reminders of a life left behind. In other cases it was the signs and symbols of gangsterism and it had to be ‘blacked out’. In a lot of cases the cover up / removal was not pleasant.

Sometimes the rewriting is not pleasant. It very much is like getting old tattoos covered up.

But He wants to turn your mess into a message. He wants to make history with you – He wants to write His story using your life.

Trust Him. In the pressing, in the crushing – in the renovating.

The end result is going to be awesome.

If you need help in the process, prayer or would just like to know more about Jesus call or whatsapp:

Andre: 065 370 3806

Kailie: 079 037 4024

Or come visit us at church @ Love Beyond Church

Woke versus Waking Up

Woke versus Waking Up

CONSERVATIVES ARE HAPPIER THAN LIBERALS: DO YOUR VALUES PLAY A ROLE IN YOUR MENTAL HEALTH?

Romans 12:1-2: Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Samuel D. James (author of Digital Liturgies) recently wrote a short article entitled “Part of a Christian’s Job is to Point Out that Modern Life Stinks”.

“Part of the evangelical witness right now should be to point out that modern life stinks. Its technology makes us lonely. Its sexuality makes us empty. Its psychotherapy makes us self-obsessed. Many people are on the brink of oblivion, held back in some cases only by medication or political identity. We struggle to articulate why we should continue to live. Evangelicals should jump in here.”

One of the things he points out earlier in this article is that young liberal Americans seem to suffer from more mental health issues than their conservative peers. Many studies over the years have supported this claim. (eg: Bullenkamp & Voges, 2004; Duckworth et al., 1994; Guhname, 2007; Howard & Anthony, 1977; Kelly, 2014; Unorthodox Theory, 2020).

An article on American Enterprise Institute’s website seems to go even further, implying that liberals, or left-leaning individuals seem to be less happy in general – and not just in terms of mental health.

A recent study by Colombia University (The Politics of Depression) has shown that teenagers from conservative families “… reported lower average depressive affect, self-derogation, and loneliness scores and higher self-esteem scores than all other groups.”

Other studies have also shown that the children of parents who hold to traditional family values and more conservative wolrdviews have better mental health and seem to adjust better to the pressures of modern life.

As a young-ish South African and Pastoral/Addiction counsellor I can vouch for the fact that it seems to be true outside of the USA as well. If I think about the overall mental health and happiness levels of the congregations I have been involved in there is a clear difference between the ‘woke’ and those who have woken up.

I have also noticed that those who hold more conservative views recover faster from drug addiction and tend to have a stronger recovery than their more liberal counterparts.

 

Our society IS failing. Our society is falling apart.

As the WOKE agenda slowly takes over worldwide we see an increase in identity confusion, mental health issues, drug and digital addictions, the breakdown of marriages and dissolution of families.

The fight for social justice, in many cases, has achieved the opposite end – drawing clear lines in the sand and intensifying racial and class conflict – instead of addressing it, it has made things worse and encouraged aggressive activism and even terrorism.

As James so aptly states in his article: “Its technology makes us lonely. Its sexuality makes us empty. Its psychotherapy makes us self-obsessed.”

Our modern society and its solutions are not solutions at all, but rather part of the problem.

The WOKE agenda is totalitarian in nature. It is all about cancelling and censoring anything that goes against its often anti-Christian values and views. The freedom it promises produces only fetters and chains.

The issues we face as a society is not to be taken lightly – we have to realize that it is very much a a call for a return to more traditional, more conservative values.

This is a call for the renewing of our collective conscience. It is time that the church takes its place as the voice of reason once more.

When I Was A Child: Making Up My Mind

1 Corinthians 13:11: When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.

An open mind – just like an open door – is not always a good thing. It can easily be an entrance for unwanted visitors.

I grew up in church. As a youth I dropped out of conventional schooling and most of my teenage years were spent in the safe confines of church and home.

At home we were taught the traditional values of faith and family, and the church I grew up in held rather conservative and uncompromising views.

As an avid reader, devouring whatever came my way, and being a fan of punk music, I found myself struggling to reconcile the left and the right sides of my moral brain. Secular wisdom seemed to be more inclusive than the church. More understanding of my humanity. More accepting of my flaws.

It was okay to be who I wanted to be.

But the church wanted to change me.

The church preached righteousness and holiness. The church seemed to want us all to look the same, think the same and act the same.

I grew to like the idea of ‘non-religious’ happy clappy hippy Jesus – the Jesus who loved everyone regardless and just said ‘come as you are.’ I often said: “Jesus did not come to bring us religion. He came to bring us a relationship.”

The Jesus with open arms. The Spotless Lamb.

But that’s not who He is.

Jesus us to challenge us. He wants us to change.

Jesus was not some woke hippy – He was not just some radical – He was a REFORMER.

The Jesus of the Bible is a Man of Action, the Son of God – our Royal High Priest, our Redeemer, the Deliver – the one Revelation calls Faithful and True. His eyes burn like fire and His voice roars like the ocean tumult. Jesus is the love and mercy of God extended towards mankind, but He is also the image of the righteous, jealous, holy God of Heaven.

Yes, He is the Spotless Lamb slain for our transgressions – but He is also the very imprint of righteousness. He came to reconcile us with God. To bring us back into RIGHT STANDING – not just ‘relationship’.

Yes, He loves us – unconditionally. He loves you for who you are right now – but He loves you so much that He does not want you to stay where you are. He wants you to be better. He wants you to be transformed by His love, He wants to rewrite your life with His mercy – He wants to restore you to the blueprint HE HAD IN MIND for your life.

Love is unconditional. Relationship – right standing – is not. Relationships have conditions. Relationships have requirements. Relationships take work.

When I was a child, much like Paul, I reasoned like a child.

I did not like religion. I felt it was judgemental – but it wasn’t. I was very much wrong. I had stuff in my life – stuff that wasn’t good for me. Sin. Desires. A carnal mind.

My friends did not like religion. They felt it was judgemental. They felt judged. But this judgement was not judgement at all – it was the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and they chose to ignore that still small voice. My ‘compassion’ for my friends often drove me to ignore the unction of the Spirit in my own heart as I struggled with the concept of accepting the sinner without accepting their sin.

In retrospect our arguments against the legalism and strictness of religion is often nothing more than an adolescent tantrum – the results of reasoning like children. The fight against the boundaries and parameters of God’s Word is akin to a child crying because he can’t have his way.

I had to repent.

I had to grow up. I had to wake up.

 

The Wake Up Call

James 4:4: “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. “

It is time for the church to wake up.

We have flirted with political correctness for long enough.

It is time that the church comes back to a place of preaching truth. No compromise. It is time we start, once more, to call a spade a spade.

When I was young I reasoned like a child. I was very much left leaning in my thinking. Very much liberal. I thought myself enlightened.

But there was a constant darkness in my head. A looming depression. A constant anxiety. My enlightenment led to a shadow life of drugs and rebellion.

Thank God, He brought me back.

Flirting with the broad and easy leads to destruction.

 

There is a solution to the problems we are facing today. There is a solution to the constant anxiety and depression. There is a solution to this mass crisis of identity. There is hope.

There is a solution to the issues caused by the WOKE agenda.

WAKE UP!

There is a solution to the issues caused by this so-called enlightenment!

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD!

It is actually quite simple.

There is a solution.

JESUS!
Wake up o sleeper! It is time to rise from the dead! Wake up o sleeper! Let Christ shine on you!

To the church of Ephesus, Paul writes the following:

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.[a] Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them. (Ephesians 5:1-6).

Elsewhere in his epistle to the Corinthians he writes:  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. (1 Cor 13:6).

You will know the Truth – and the truth will set you free.

The Truth is this.

God wants you to be happy.

If you are not happy it very much does mean that there is something that needs to change.

Often this change can be accomplished by making the decision to change.

I say this as someone who has faced anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction and a multitude of other situations and circumstances in my life. I am no stranger to temptation. Even as a Christian, in years gone by, I lived a carnal life. At times, even, a godless, wicked life.

I am the first to admit that I have been a wretched and terrible sinner in my time. I am not perfect – and never will be.

If it was not for the grace and love of God, where would I be?

God wants us to be happy. And since my return to the fold – since my own journey of repentance – a journey of continual and daily repentance and seeking after His holiness and righteousness – I have found happiness. I have found satisfaction and contentment. The darkness has subsided.

Friendship with the world is enmity with God. Compromising with sin and the agenda of this world system is enmity with God – is to fall out of right standing with God.

To be an enemy of God is the epitome of unhappiness.

God wants you to be happy.

So come home! Dear sinner, come home!

Ephesians 5:1: gives us the key to happiness: BE IMITATORS OF CHRIST!

Live as He lived. Walk as He walked. In all truth and righteousness, pure and holy with a heart that seeks to please the Father. He showed us what it means to speak the truth in love.

Jesus showed us the straight and narrow and how to walk on it. He is the Way – we are called to walk IN HIM. IN TRUTH. IN RIGHTEOUSNESS. HOLY UNTO GOD.

I really really tried to be WOKE… But I’ve been much happier since I chose to wake up instead.

And the phone is ringing for you. This is your wake up call.

Stop caring about public opinion. Stop worrying about political correctness. Stop worrying about whether or not you are going to offend your neighbour with the Truth – the Truth is supposed to be challenging. The Truth is supposed to be offensive. The Truth is supposed to shake you a little. That’s how you wake up.

We need to repent of our sin and unrighteousness – and this includes our sin-by-proxy. If we want to see change in our world we need to be serious about addressing sin and unrighteousness, not only our lives, but also in our culture.

As Edmund Burke supposedly said, or perhaps John Stuart Mills: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Charles Spurgeon said: “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.”

We need to start speaking the truth. My friend and fellow minister Erick Bouwmeester writes the following in his book (LOVE BEYOND WORDS): “We are called to be ambassadors for Christ. If we are walking around not speaking the truth then we have very little or no witness to the a world desperately crying out for us to be deliverers of THE TRUTH.”

Repent. Wake up. Let Christ shine in you.

Let us – one by one – return to God – and let Christ shine in us so brightly that tribes, peoples – even nations return to Him as well.

Let us live good lives guided and defined by Christian values and Godly truth, so much so that our children, and their children, from generation to generation might see the Face of the Lord shine upon them.

Let our lives proclaim the Gospel of Jesus: THE TIME IS NOW! REPENT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS HERE! (MARK 1:15)

 Selah.

Float Like A Butterfly, Sting Like A Bee

Float Like A Butterfly, Sting Like A Bee

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee

You can’t hit what you can’t see…” – Cassius Clay (Later known as Mohammed Ali)

This taunt, used so often in films and by boxers, is one of the same lies that Satan uses to attack us. He wants us to believe that we’re powerless against him. Ephesians 6 tells us that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but rather invisible spirits and principalities, the forces of darkness. The question is, how do we defeat a foe we can’t see?

Hosea 4:6:

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”

The apostle Peter, in his first epistle, refers to us as part of a priesthood, a royal priesthood. However, not everyone is part of this priesthood. The Lord says – My people are destroyed…. Decimated, crushed, killed. Overcome by death (Or, according to Romans 6:23, sin). Why? A lack of knowledge is our downfall. The knowledge referred to here isn’t book knowledge, it doesn’t rely on intellect, but rather, it’s the knowledge of God. Not just knowing His laws, or who He is, but knowing Him! Having a personal relationship with Him! His people are destroyed because they don’t know Him, and because of this they are denied priesthood, because they rejected Him, He will reject them. However, we as children of God, those of us who can call Him father, those of us who love Him, even we are affected by this lack of knowledge. The knowledge of God, although knowing Him is the major issue, isn’t the only aspect we should be looking at. He should be our focus, not just who He is, but what He does and wants. We as children of God need to know His heart; we need to live inside His will, and to do that we need to know what His will is.

God gave us a spirit

7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim 1:7)

15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Rom 8:15)

We are free through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. He broke the chains that held us down, and now we have a choice to make. We can remain in bondage, or we can choose life. When we choose life God fills us with His spirit and we are truly free, sons and daughters of the Holy one.

Paul said – we have not received a spirit of bondage to fear, but rather a spirit of adoption through which we cry, Abba, Father! We are free and we are His.

Being co-heirs with Christ

When the son of a king goes into town he has authority over those less superior in rank or standing, so also, we as Christians have authority over Satan and his forces. God is almighty and none can stand before Him, definitely not the devil. When we live according to God’s ways, filled with His spirit, close to His heart, we have authority over Satan and all his forces.

James 4:7:

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

We have been given authority by God, not because we deserve it but because we have submitted to Him, because we are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. When the enemy comes against us, he is coming against Jesus Christ, therefore he is powerless and we are victorious in Christ.

The cunning foe

We face a subtle and cunning enemy (Gen 3:1). He knows our weaknesses and how to exploit them. He knows how to bring us down, how to bind us and rob us.

Let’s look at some of the tactics he uses against us:

Rebellion: He likes to makes us rebellious towards God. 1 Sam 15:23: tells us that rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. God hates rebellious spirits. He abhors the prayers of those who despise and disobey authority. (Proverbs 28:9) .

Further reading on rebellion – Num 14:9, Pro 17:11, Ps 66:7, Isa. 30:1:

Isaiah 1:20: (KJV)

20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken.”

Division: When your forces are divided you cannot stand…

1 Peter 5:8-9 (KJV)

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”

The devil comes as a lion before us, looking for a victim, a meek one to devour. It is our duty as Christians to carry the weak, to help them grow in Christ where we can. It is our duty to defend our faith, standing steadfast, together.

Romans 12:5 (KJV)

5 So we, [being] many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.”


We are the body of Christ, His hands and feet. Can a body function if all its limbs are divided? Can a body function if its members are separated? Satan knows this, but somehow we don’t. We need to be vigilant, we have to build bridges, not burn them. Christ came and died on a Cross, not just for a select few but for everyone.

In James 2:1-12 we find that we as Christians, as children of God, shouldn’t differentiate between rich and poor, and although he is referring to physical status, he could also be referring to the spiritually rich and poor. All too often we as Christians try to keep away from less desirable company just because they don’t fit our spiritual template, just because they’re not on the same spiritual level as us. This is sin, for God said that we should love all our neighbors and our enemies! In simpler terms – love everyone regardless. James said in verse ten that even if you keep most of the law, but transgress at one point, you are guilty for all of it. If you despise or judge even one person you are just as guilty as the adulterer or murderer.

We should stand together in Christ and be strong.

Deceit: The devil is the prince of lies. He misleads us daily, or tries at least.

John 8:44 (KJV)

44 Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

Here we see that he is the father of all lies; that he abides not in the truth. There is no truth in him.

1 Tim 4:1: (KJV)

1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;”

Satan attacks our thoughts, and by filling our heart with evil our actions correspond.

Proverbs 4:23 (KJV)

23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life.”

Fear: Fear is probably the most powerful weapon the enemy forges against us. There is only one healthy kind of fear and that is the reverential fear and awe of God. Fearing God doesn’t mean being afraid of Him but rather that you should revere and respect Him.

Proverbs 14:26 (KJV)

26 In the fear of the LORD [is] strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.”

Fearing God is matter of confidence. There is strong confidence in the fear of the Lord. His children find refuge in Him. In this verse we see that fearing God is likened to the respect a child has for his father.

As long as we respect Him and keep His commandments we will have refuge. When you have this reverential and worshipful fear of God you’ll obey and your confidence and trust in Him will grow.

However: In the first chapter of Job, Satan goes before God to accuse God’s servant. Here we find that Satan is an accuser, but not just before God. Sometimes he accuses us personally. He tells us how useless we are, he reminds us of all our transgressions and forces us to believe that God cannot possibly love us. He is the father of lies and his lies carry fear. Being afraid is hazardous to the body of Christ, to the church. When fear sets in we are immobilized, we are often paralyzed by the “what if’s” and “what now’s”! Situations like these take our focus away from God, and thereby we are slowly pulled away from God.

There are approximately 355 references to ‘fear not’ in the Scripture. That’s one ‘fear not’ for almost every day of the year.

Philippians 1:28: (KJV)

28 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.”

The problem with fear is that it rushes you on a daily basis. We should keep in mind that it’s okay to feel fear, but we shouldn’t give into it. The Bible doesn’t say “Don’t feel afraid!” But rather “fear not!”

Fear not!” means not running away, not letting fear set in.

Hebrews 10:35 -38: (KJV)

Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if [any man] draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.”

We should be confident in Christ, knowing that He is our salvation, that He is our future! Walking by faith means putting your trust in Him, putting your hand in His, knowing that nothing can stand in your way because you’ve got God on your side. Know that fear, the kind that makes you break out in a cold sweat, the kind that makes you run and hide, that fear is not from God, but above all realize that you have authority over the devil through Jesus Christ who clothed you in His righteousness.

FEASTS: Pesach / Passover

FEASTS: Pesach / Passover

Historical Survey – What Happened?

In Exodus we read about a man called Moses. He is noted as one of Israel’s greatest leaders – a prophet – a man of God. When he was still an infant, the pharaoh (afraid of a possible uprising/rebellion) ordered all the male children to be cast into the river, as soon as they were born. His mother, a Levite, saw her son and couldn’t bear to let him go, and thus she hid him for three months. After this period of time had passed and she could keep him hid no longer, she put him in a basket and laid it in the flags of the river.

The Bible says that his sister stood afar off – to wit what would be done to him. She was curious and wanted to see what would happen to her baby brother. Pharaoh’s daughter found him and had compassion on him. He grew up in the Palace, as royalty.

When he had come of age though, he found himself wandering about the city – and he saw the plight of his brethren. I think he probably walked the city streets a lot – his heart tugging at his sleeve, beckoning him to follow. I feel God opened his eyes to see the harsh reality that the Israelites had to endure – and it moved him to anger.

It was on one of these days that he saw an Egyptian smiting one of his own. To smite is to strike or inflict a blow – in this case, upon a Hebrew – and this struck a violent chord within his heart. It angered and dismayed him – and because of these feelings he struck out smiting the Egyptian, he slew the Egyptian man and laid him in the sand.

News of this reached Pharaoh and he sought justice – he wanted to kill Moses – but Moses fled and retreated to the land of Midian.

Here he met his wife, the daughter of a priest named Jethro. He married Zipporah and tended his father in law’s flock. In a sense this could’ve been a strange foreshadowing of what his future would have in store for him.

It was while leading Jethro’s flock, to the backside of the desert, that he came to Horeb – and it is here that the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire in the midst of a bush. Here, in the third chapter of Exodus, the Lord appears unto Moses in a Burning Bush and calls him to tend to His flock – to be a shepherd of a different kind.

God sends Moses back to Egypt with one thought: Set my people free. This must’ve been a terrible thought.

The writer Stephen M. Miller writes concerning Moses: “If he had wanted to go to Pharaoh, who thought himself a god, the last thing he wanted to do was tell Pharaoh that the real God said to release the Hebrew slaves used as cheap labor on pet projects. Moses was an old shepherd. He wanted to get older.”1

Yet, Moses went and we read in Exodus about the ten plagues that followed – the tenth being the most terrible. It is here where the Pesach is instituted.

God instructs the Hebrews to take a lamb, each according to his house, an unblemished lamb without spot. This lamb was to be slain and its blood painted on the door posts – the two side posts and the upper doorpost.

According to Dr. Richard Booker this was known as a threshold-blood covenant.

Humankind’s earliest primitive altar to the one true God, as well as false gods, was the threshold or entrance into the home. The threshold altar was the place where people made their sacrifice to their gods. The purpose was to request protection from the family deity as well as inviting the deity into their house.”2

He says the blood smeared on the doorposts was a similar act – that it was an invitation for God to be present in that house as protector – He would stand in the doorway to keep the destroyer at bay.

On that faithful night the Hebrews ate the roast lamb and stayed in their houses and the angel of death moved through Egypt and smote the firstborn in every house it passed.

Flavius Josephus wrote: “Whence it is that we do still offer this sacrifice in like manner to this day, and call this festival Pascha which signifies the feast of the passover; because on that day God passed us over, and sent the plague upon the Egyptians; for the destruction of the first-born came upon the Egyptians that night, so that many of the Egyptians who lived near the king’s palace, persuaded Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go.”3

The plague came upon the Egyptians and they were dismayed. The Pharaoh called Moses to the Palace and

As Josephus wrote: “Accordingly he called for Moses, and bid them be gone; as supposing, that if once the Hebrews were gone out of the country, Egypt should be freed from its miseries.”4

So, the feast was called the Passover because it signified the night that God passed over and sent the plague upon the Egyptians.

It signified destruction to those who had not made the threshold-blood covenant with God, but life to those who had invited God into their homes as protector.

This feast is one that reminds us of God’s power and love – of how He delivered his people from the slavery of the Egyptians.

The Jewish historian, Martin Gilbert, wrote a series of letters to an elderly Jewish woman living in India. These letters explored Jewish history and culture in detail, and it is in these letters that we read: “So central is the story of the Exodus to Jewish life and tradition – as it was to Jewish survival – that Passover comes first in the calendar of Jewish festivals.”5

He makes a statement earlier in his book that enforces my hypothesis in the first section of this project: “For several thousand years Jewish laws and traditions have held the Jews together as an identifiable group. As Jewish communities grew and were dispersed throughout the globe, their traditions and beliefs linked them, however far apart they were.”6

We see that this festival is crucial to Jewish identity – they have been called out of slavery – led out of Egypt by the mighty hand of God.

Socio-Cultural Survey – What Happens?

Every year in the Hebrew month of Nisan the Passover Festival is held. During this time they celebrate the Exodus from Egypt – families gathering at home, often with many guests, to recall the miracles of the ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea.

Regular cooking utensils, dishes and cutlery are put away and special ones (designated for use during the Passover only) are brought out for the week of festivities.

The only bread eaten during the festival is made without leaven and is called Matza (Matzot – plural).

The Saturday before Passover is known as ‘Shabbat ha-Gadol’ – the Great Sabbath. On ‘Shabbat ha-Gadol’ a portion of the Passover recitation is read and the whole Passover story is explained by a rabbi.

Pesach

The first night of the ceremony is known as the ‘seder’ (meaning order).

On the ‘seder’ night a lamb shank is placed on the table to remind them of the night that God ‘passed over’ the Hebrew first-borns whilst slaying those of the Egyptians.

Accompanying the shank on the table are bitter herbs. These herbs remind us of the bitterness of life under Egyptian rule. There is also a fruit paste called ‘charoses’ eaten at Passover as a symbol of the mortar the Jews had to mix when making bricks for the Pharaoh.

The ‘seder’ begins with the youngest child at the table asking ‘Why is this night different from all other nights?’

The answers to this question and others that follow are answered by those present, turn by turn around the table. There is a discussion about the historic Passover and its meaning, prayers before and after the meal, Psalms, songs and stories. All of these are set in a book called the ‘Haggadah’.

The reading of the Hagaddah before and after the meal is done with much chanting – and the dozen or so songs are sung with enthusiasm, enough to rouse even the sleepiest youngster.

Among Moroccan Jews and those of Moroccan origin, the last evening of Passover is a time for people to go door-to-door to wish each other a happy year.

It is also customary for the whole community to go out, on the day after Passover and recite a blessing over the trees.

Unleavened Bread

Bread plays a large role in this festival. The night before Passover there is a ceremony called the Chametz search. During the festival (Passover) a distinction is made between two kinds of bread. Chametz and Matzah. Chametz is bread with leaven, the term though is also extended to all non-kosher foods and the cooking utensils associated with them. Matzah however is unleavened bread. For the Seder nights a special kind of Matzah is prepared, this is called Matzah Shmurah – meaning watched or guarded matzah. This matzah is followed closely from the time of harvest throughout the baking process to ensure that it stays unleavened.

The Chametz search takes place the evening before Passover, and during this time the family searches for any traces of Chametz. This is a ceremonial and dramatic, yet serious practice. All the lights in the house are darkened and the head of the family recites a blessing by candle light after which he leads his family in the search for Chametz. It has become customary for a responsible member of the family to place crumbs or small pieces of bread throughout the house. These pieces are gathered with a feather and a wooden spoon.

These pieces of Chametz are ceremonially burned the next morning.

So serious is this ceremony that after the burning of the Chametz a declaration is made: “Any chametz or leaven that is in my possession, whether I have recognized it or not, whether I have seen it or not, whether I have removed it or not, should be annulled and become ownerless, like dust of the earth.”7

Prophetically the importance of this ceremony is not lost, but I will get there in a moment.

Firstfruits

The Feast of the Firstfruits was to be celebrated on the day after the Sabbath, and it is generally accepted that the Sabbath referred to is the weekly Sabbath.

Before any barley produce of the new crop could be eaten, or even touched, an omer had to be brought to the temple as a sacrifice unto the Lord. The purpose of this was to consecrate the harvest to God. The firstfruits represented the whole harvest. They had received the Promised Land from God’s hand and therefore they were but stewards of the land and its produce. This sacrificial act reminded them that God had given them the land and that the harvest was rightfully the Lord’s.

Prophetic Survey

Bethlehem is translated (from the Hebrew language), by James Strong, as ‘House of Bread’ (the Arabic form – Beit Lahm – translates as ‘house of meat’).8

According to Webster’s Dictionary9 the name Bethlehem has been corrupted and changed to Bedlam (through speech and linguistic ‘evolution’ – although deterioration would be a better word) – and such changes often have interesting results for interpreters and critics of all disciplines. Bedlam generally refers to a place appropriated to the confinement and care of the insane – for example a madhouse, but can also refer to a place where uproar and confusion prevail.

Bethlehem was the birthplace of Jesus, and it was here that Jesus was born into a bedlam of pagan origin – a world filled with sin and death – where pagan gods were worshiped and whole towns and villages were built according to the needs of these false deities10 – it was here that the Bread of Life was born to heal the insane of their infirmity – to set the captives free and overwhelm the kingdom of darkness – to bring light in a world where darkness reigned.

Jesus was the Lamb of God – spotless and without blemished. His blood was spilt to cover our iniquities and our sins – and His blood is painted on the doorposts of our heart, if only we choose to enter a threshold-blood covenant with Him – when we choose to invite Him into our hearts as our savior and protector.

Those whose doorposts are painted with the Blood of the Lamb, the will be saved from certain destruction and death.

Those who partake in the sacrifice of Christ shall receive peace that surpasses all understanding and will be able to rest assured in God’s mighty hand – secure in the knowledge that He is our rock and our salvation – His hand rests upon His children – a mighty fortress, a strong tower to shelter the righteous.

The Matzah can be seen as a type of Jesus since He is bread without leaven, watched through every temptation and trial and found without sin.

The annual search for the chametz is done by candle light and should be done as soon as possible after nightfall.

For the believer in Christ this aspect of the Passover has great importance – as soon as we realize our situation, that we are caught in darkness and sin, we must take the light that is God’s Word (The Psalmist calls it a lamp unto his feet and a light unto his way) and search for all traces of sin and eradicate it from our lives. We have to search for those undesirable characteristics of the flesh and ask God to consume it with His righteous fire. To burn away our sin, fear and doubt and purify us in the flames of His love, mercy and grace.

Dr. Richard Booker states the following in his book ‘Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts’: “As with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, it too relates to our condition as believers in and followers of Jesus. These feasts show the two different phases of Christian commitment that are necessary to change our spiritual condition. These two phases are separation and consecration.”11

These feasts point to Christ as the Lamb of God, the Bread of Life and the Firstfruits from the Dead.

He walked the earth as ‘unleavened bread’ without sin – and was found as the Spotless Lamb without spot or blemish. Finally, He died for our sins taking all our burdens upon Him to restore us and He was resurrected from the dead as the Firstfruits from the Dead.

Paul writes:

11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Rom 8:11)

The first aspect of the festival, the Pesach, is symbolic of Christ’s sacrifice for us.

The second aspect of the festival, the Unleavened Bread, symbolizes separation – the distinction between Chametz and Matzah – the righteous from unrighteousness.

Finally we find, in the third and final aspect of the Passover festival, eternal life in Christ Jesus.

Just as the firstfruits were waved to God as an act of consecration – consecrating the whole harvest, the resurrection of Christ (our intercessor) consecrated all of us (the whole harvest).

The Passover, therefore, doesn’t only remind us of the Israelites Exodus from Egypt, but also of our own journey, our own Exodus from the kingdom of darkness – for Jesus has called us out of the darkness and into His light – He has come to set the captives free.

We can rejoice, with our Jewish brothers and sisters, secure in the knowledge that our God is great and merciful and that He is salvation to those who cling to Him.

Amen.

1 Stephen M. Miller, Who’s who and Where’s Where in the Bible (Miller, 2004)

2 Dr. Richard Booker – Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts (Booker, 2009)

3 Flavius Josephus – The Antiquities of the Jews (chapter 14) (Josephus, 2001)

4 Flavius Josephus – The Antiquities of the Jews (Josephus, 2001)

5 Martin Gilbert – Letter 112 (Gilbert, 2002)

6 Martin Gilbert – Letter 104 (Gilbert, 2002)

7 The Artscroll Siddur – The Search for Chametz/Leaven (Scherman, 1990)

8 Strong’s Handi-Reference Concordance. (Strong, Strong’s Handi-Reference Concordance, 2006)

9 (Porter, 1913)

10 One example of this is a town called Beth Shan, a very impressive place which had hundreds of enormous Greek style columns lining the main street, running from perfect east to almost perfect west. They set that city up on an east/west axis in part so you could get a good last look at the sun before it set at night but also to make it

easier for the many sun worshippers who lived in that town. This town was a little bit south of Tiberius, a city on the Sea of Galilee.

11 Dr. Richard Booker – Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts (Booker, 2009)