Seven Times Seventy? Not Really.

August 15, 2023 Leave a comment

In the gospel of Matthew, Chapter 18, verses 21-22, Kefa (Peter) asks Yeshua (Jesus) if he should forgive his brother for sinning against him as many as 7 times. Yeshua answered not just 7 times, but 70 times 7 times.

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I understand the point Yeshua wanted to make, but I think this verse is misleading. Here’s what I mean- if someone has sinned against me that many times, regardless of whether or not I forgive them, I have to be pretty stupid to keep falling for it!

In the original Star Trek TV series, there is a situation where Scotty tells Sulu:

“Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”

We are warned that if we do not forgive on earth, we will not be forgiven in heaven (Matthew 6:14); however, it should be understood that forgiving someone doesn’t mean we should automatically trust them, nor should we allow them to continue to sin against us. That is just foolish; remember that Yeshua told his disciples they should be wise as serpents, yet gentle as doves (Matthew 10:16). Continuing to place yourself in a position where people can hurt you is not being very wise.

With wisdom comes understanding, and if someone continually sins against you, you need to understand that even if they apologize every single time, their apology is empty. I learned a long time ago that people do not mean what they say, they mean what they do.

If someone continually sins against you, whether it be the same sin or a different one, their apology must be taken with more than a grain of salt- you’ll need an entire 50 lb. block of the stuff!

The way I handle this is to automatically forgive someone who sins against me because whether or not they ask for it is irrelevant. If they are truly repentant, they will ask for forgiveness and that’s a good thing; and if they never ask for forgiveness, that’s OK with me. My forgiveness of them makes me right with God, but it has no influence on their relationship with God. They need to repent of their sin and ask God for forgiveness, as well as asking me.

So, I forgive those who sin against me and, if they continue to do so, apology or not, I will put them away from me. Yes, I will continue to forgive the sins, but to prevent myself from being a fool I will put that person out of my life.

In other words, I ain’t giving them the chance to get anywhere near the point of 7 times 70.

“Turning the other cheek” is not to be taken literally, and since I have a limited number of cheeks to begin with, the smart thing for me to do is when I realize someone sinning against me won’t stop, I need to take myself out of that relationship.

So, forgive those who sin against you, and do so automatically, but do not allow someone to have the opportunity to continue to sin against you. That isn’t Godly, it’s just plain stupid.

Thank you for being here. Please share these messages with everyone you know to help this ministry grow. Subscribe to this ministry here and on my YouTube channel, as well, and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word”, but please ensure you agree to the rules, or you cannot be allowed in.

And remember that I always welcome your comments.

That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

No One Listened

August 10, 2023 Leave a comment

No one listened to what? Who was supposed to listen to what, and when?

Well, let’s get one thing straight right now- there is a difference between hearing and listening.

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Hearing is nothing more than physically recognizing a sound, maybe even recognizing the words, but not necessarily acting on them.

But when you listen to someone, that means not only do you recognize they are speaking, but you are paying attention, you are taking in what they say and, if what they say is edifying and helpful, you then act upon it.

To answer the question, the early leaders of the movement that accepted Yeshua as the Messiah made up of Gentiles are the people I am talking about, and what they heard was a warning from Shaul (Paul) in many of his letters, about not being drawn away from proper worship and the truth of the Messiah that Shaul had taught them by false prophets, false messiahs, and false teachings.

In fact, going through my Concordance to see how many times Shaul warned of falling prey to false teachings and prophets, there are no less than 11 times I found he warned against this.

And not warned against false teachings from outside the believing community, but also from within the congregations, themselves!

You may be thinking, “What false teachings are you talking about, Steve?”

To answer that lets first observe how those early Jewish followers of Yeshua lived and worshiped.

That is an easy thing- just think of any Jewish person you know, and that is pretty close to how the First Century Jews lived and worshiped, as well, except for the addition of modern conveniences. The early followers of Yeshua lived as he did- as Torah observant worshipers of God, recognizing that Yeshua was a human being with divine powers given to him through the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) because he was the Messiah.

The false teachings came much later and were not from any of the Jewish leaders because they had all died or been martyred, but from Gentile believers who were now leading this Jewish sect away from Judaism, for both political reasons (to avoid persecution from the Romans) and- this is my opinion- for personal reasons.

The personal reasons (again, this is what I believe) were simply that to become totally observant to the Torah, even though Shaul was taking them there a little at a time, was too much for them. The sacrifices they had to make, the changes from their previous way of life, and the pressures from outside sources (think of the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13) was more than they could take.

They didn’t want to stop believing in Yeshua, but they also didn’t want to be associated with the Jews who were being persecuted by Rome because at that time they were rebelling against the Roman rule of Judea.

So, they decided to change some things around, such as the Shabbat now was on Sunday, the leadership of this movement (now called Christianity) rejected the Moedim (Holy Days) God told us to celebrate (Leviticus 23), and actually came against the Jews by siding with Rome during the Bar Kochba rebellion in the mid-2nd Century. When the Jews were not allowed (by Rome) to live in the Holy City, the Bishop of Jerusalem was a Christian!

Once the Jewish rebellion was put down, and the temple was destroyed, Rome turned against the Christians who were doing something, in Rome’s eyes, just as bad as revolting- they were creating a new religion. By the time Constantine legalized Christianity (not that he ever really converted, himself), Christianity was now totally separated from its Jewish roots.

Hence, the false teachings that Shaul warned would take his congregations of Yeshua-following Gentiles away from proper worship, were ignored.

What was originally a sect within Judaism had mutated to a totally different religion, following nothing but man-made tenets, observing man-made holidays, praying to graven images and statues, deifying the Messiah, and rejecting almost every commandment of the father!

As far as living the way Yeshua lived? Not even close! It is a sad thing that so many Christians have been taught they should follow in the footsteps of their savior, yet their religion teaches them to ignore exactly what they should be doing- living a Torah observant life as Yeshua did.

They even stopped calling him Yeshua ha Mashiach (Yeshua, the Messiah); he was now Jesus Christ, their savior, another way to separate themselves from anything “Jewish” about him, and later to declare that Jesus is also God.

So, there you have it. They had been warned and warned, and warned, again, not to listen to false teachings or false prophets. Did they? Nah! That is why there are so many Christian denominations, nearly all of which profess to worship God and live as Yeshua did, but in truth, don’t even come close.

I pray that someday their ears will be opened, their hearts will be touched, and they will do t’shuvah, turning from their man-made drek and worshiping God the way Yeshua (and Shaul, and James, and all the other Apostles) taught them how they should.

Thank you for being here and please subscribe to both this website ministry and my Facebook page, also to my YouTube channel, and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but please make sure you agree to the rules, or I cannot let you in).

That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and an early Shabbat Shalom!

What Does Shaul Mean in Romans 14:14?

June 6, 2023 Leave a comment

This is a very confusing chapter for many, especially with the traditional Christian misinterpretation of it, enforcing the improper interpretation of Acts 10, which has resulted in Christians thinking that the law of Kashrut (Kosher) is done away with.

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

Now, before we look at the specific verse in the title of today’s message, let’s review what this chapter is about. This is the proper way to interpret any verse or string of verses one reads in the Bible and is known as using Circles of Context.

(You can find more on this in my teaching series entitled “How to Properly Interpret the Bible”. Here is a link to it:)
How To Properly Interpret The Bible – Messianic Moment

Shaul (Paul) is explaining to the believing Gentiles and Jews in Rome that people have different levels of spiritual maturity, and different levels of faithfulness. He states that it is not correct for someone who (for lack of a better phrase) knows more than the other person, and whose faith is stronger, to criticize the person with the weaker faith if they choose to eat food as a means of demonstrating their obedience.

He isn’t really dealing with the often-problematic issue of legalism vs. faith, which I define as performance-based salvation vs faith-based salvation; performance-based meaning one does what the Torah says to earn salvation through works alone, whereas faith-based is obeying the Torah out of love for God, respect for his authority, and faithfully believing that what God says we should do is always for our own benefit.

That is not the issue, here: the issue regards eating and drinking.

This is clear in Romans 14:2, which says:

One person has the trust that will allow him to eat anything, while another whose trust is weak eats only vegetables.

You have to remember that the person saying this is a Pharisee, a “Jew’s Jew”, so when he talks about food, he isn’t including pork rinds or shrimp cocktails. He is talking ONLY about what is allowed in Leviticus 11. And this lesson from Shaul comes about 5 years after the Elders in Jerusalem wrote the letter to the believing Gentiles (Acts 15) prohibiting them from eating anything sacrificed to idols.

The confusing part, as I see it, is in the middle of this chapter when Shaul (overstepping his boundaries, I believe) goes as far as to say that someone of strong faith knows there are no other gods, so if something (meat) is sacrificed to a non-entity, the thing sacrificed has not been changed, ceremonially or spiritually, from what it had been. He states someone with faith strong enough to know this will eat meat sacrificed to idols without guilt because they know it is meaningless. However, he says this should not be done in front of someone whose faith is weaker and believes that eating meat is wrong.

This is made clearer in Romans 14:5-8: Shaul explains (I am paraphrasing) that when the faithful do anything, they do it for the Lord, God, and so when they eat meat, they eat it for God, and anything done for God is acceptable to God, whether that is eating meat or celebrating a holiday.

NOTE: I would like to point out to those who deride celebrating Christmas and Easter, this passage is for you- according to Shaul, so long as whatever we do, we do to honor God, it is OK.

His conclusion is that those who are stronger should not do anything to place a stumbling block in the path of the weaker, and if we, for instance, eat meat in front of someone who thinks eating meat is wrong, we might cause that person to become confused and feel guilty; so, as the stronger, we should abstain from eating what others refuse to eat. He concludes that if it comes down to it, he will choose to never eat meat or drink wine if it causes a brother to fall.

The main point of today’s message is that this chapter is NOT a polemic against the Torah or a justification for rejecting the kosher laws. It has nothing to do with either, really- it is a discussion about the faithful person not unfairly judging a less faithful person, and doing what our stronger faith should enable us to do, which is to support the weaker in faith in order to bring them to a better understanding of God’s word.

Christianity has based almost all of its tenets on the letters Shaul wrote, yet in none of them has he ever rejected the Torah or taught anyone else to do so. He doesn’t require Gentiles who are accepting Yeshua, and thereby converting to a Torah-observant lifestyle, to do so “cold turkey”. He brings them slowly into this new way of living, allowing them to learn step-by-step how to live a righteous lifestyle.

But Shaul never taught anyone, ever, to ignore the Torah.

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That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

Was Paul a Christian or a Jew?

June 1, 2023 Leave a comment

In the book of Acts, Chapter 9, in nearly every Bible that has a heading over the chapter, they call this chapter “Paul’s Conversion to Christianity”.

But was he ever, really, a Christian?

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The answer needs to be prefaced with the fact that there were no “Christians” during the time that Shaul (Paul) was persecuting the believing Jews. The only people at that time who were accepting Yeshua as their Messiah were Jews- there was no contact with the Gentiles, there were no Christians, there were no churches, there was no Christmas or Easter, there was no rule about not eating meat on Friday, the Shabbat was Friday night to Saturday night, there was no Sunday confession- none of that would exist as we know it today until hundreds of years later.

The Gentiles weren’t even a consideration when it came to Yeshua’s teachings or salvation until after Kefa (Peter) had the vision on the rooftop and went to the house of the Roman officer, Cornelius (Acts 10). It is assumed this happened maybe 7-8 years after Yeshua’s resurrection; Shaul’s vision of Yeshua was around the same time that Kefa had his vision on the rooftop, circa 36 A.D. So, as Kefa was given the OK to approach Gentiles, Shaul was being slapped upside the head so he could accept Yeshua and he (as stated in Acts) always went to the synagogues when he entered a town.

His first letter wasn’t written until some 12 years later, to the Galatians.

If you look him up on Wikipedia, it will tell you:

“Paul (previously called Saul of Tarsus; c. 5 – c. 64/65 AD), commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world.”

And though I find Wikipedia to be a good research source, in this case they are dead wrong, repeating the Christian desire to remove Shaul from his true Jewish persona, and rebrand him as a Christian.

But the truth is Shaul never was a Christian, and never even changed his name- that was a Greek translation of his Hebrew name, and I seriously doubt anyone, ever, called him “Paul” during his lifetime, just like no one ever called Yeshua “Jesus.”

The truth is Shaul never converted to Christianity (which, as we know, didn’t even exist then)- the fact is he remained a Pharisee, a “Jews’ Jew”, all his life.

And if you don’t want to believe me, then let’s see the way Shaul identified himself to others.

In Acts 21, in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) Shaul is accused by the Jews of teaching to ignore the Torah. The Elders ask him to prove he is still a practicing Jew by observing the Torah requirement regarding taking an oath, which he does, proving he is still a Torah-observant Jew.

At the end of this chapter, and in the beginning of Acts 22, Shaul is making a defense for himself in front of the Jewish population of Yerushalayim. In Acts 21:39, he tells the Roman Commander that he is a Jew from Tarsus, and when he talks to the people, he tells them he is a Jew, born in Tarsus and trained under Gamaliel.

When he wrote to the Philippians (Philippians 3:5-6), he told them that he is a Jew, given B’rit Milah (circumcision) on the 8th day, by birth belonging to Israel, from the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew-speaker with Hebrew-speaking parents, with regard to the Torah, a Parush (Pharisee), who zealously persecuted the Messianic Jews, and with regard to legalistic observance with the Torah, he was blameless.

Know this: he wrote that letter at the END of his life, while he was a prisoner in Rome, so it is clear that throughout his life, all during the time he was a missionary throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, he remained a Torah observant Jew.

Another letter he wrote, which was some 18 years after he first became a Believing Jew, was to the Corinthians. In that letter, (Corinthians 11:22) he states that as far as other people boasting about their right to be an apostle, he has more of a right to do that: he says he is also a Hebrew-speaker (remember only Jews spoke Hebrew), he says he is also a person of Israel, and he says he is also a descendant of Abraham.

In Ephesians 3:8 (written while a prisoner in Rome, near the end of his life), Shaul tells the congregation there that he is a prisoner on behalf of “you Gentiles” and later states he is one of God’s holy people; in both of these statements he is clearly separating himself from Gentiles, identifying as a Jew.

Time Out: it is important that you understand the Jewish mindset: there are not a lot of different religions, there is simply us and them. The word “Goyim” means “nations”, and for a Jew, especially back in those days, there were only two kinds of people in the world: Jews, and everyone else. So, anytime Shaul, in any way whatsoever, indicates he is separate from the Gentiles, he is stating he identifies as a Jew.

One last proof: reading the letters Shaul wrote, in nearly every single one of them you will find that he always goes to the synagogues the moment he comes into town. He states in Romans 1:16 that the message of the Good News of salvation through Messiah Yeshua was to go to the Jew first, then the Gentile. Shaul was a Jew, taking the Good News to his own people first, then to the rest of the world.

There you have it: Shaul was a Jew, never converted to anything, always observed the Torah, and never taught to ignore the Torah but simply that Gentiles did not have to convert to a Torah-observant lifestyle “cold turkey” the moment they accepted Yeshua as their Messiah.

This is what’s so ironic: traditional Christian teaching is that during the First Century the Jews were converting to Christianity, but the truth is that the pagan Gentiles were converting to Judaism.

Thank you for being here and please subscribe to my website and YouTube channel. Share these messages with everyone you know to help this ministry continue to grow, and when on my website please buy my books- if you like what you get here, you will also like my books.

I invite everyone to join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but please make sure you agree to the rules, or I cannot allow you join), and remember that I always welcome your comments.

That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!

Why Faith in Messiah is Stronger Today

May 30, 2023 Leave a comment

I’ll bet you are thinking that there is no way our faith in the Messiah could be stronger today than it was back when he actually walked the earth and performed all those miracles, right? Well, I think anyone who believes in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) today has even stronger faith, and you know why? Because that’s what the messiah said!

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

In the Gospel of John Yeshua appears to his talmudim (students, or in this case, disciples) but one is missing, Thomas. Thomas, now better known as the “Doubting Thomas”, stated that he won’t believe Yeshua has risen until he can put his hand in the hole in his side where the spear punctured him.

Well, later when Thomas is with the others, Yeshua appears and tells him to do just that- put his hand in the hole in his side. After that, Thomas makes an exclamation of faith (John 20:29 CJB):

Yeshua said to him, “Have you trusted because you have seen me? How blessed are those who do not see, but trust anyway!”

Ever since Yeshua was taken back to heaven, no one has seen the actual miracles he performed, yet look at how many thousands upon thousands have trusted! And after the original apostles died, and the other witnesses to the miracles passed on, all that was left for us to trust in was the narration of Yeshua’s activities when he walked the earth. Today, what with all the evil in the world, how can anyone trust anything?

We can’t trust our leaders, who have for decades performed acts of lawlessness; we can’t trust the media, who for centuries have reported what they want us to believe; we can’t trust those with medical authority, who have lied and misled people in order to make money from pharmaceutical companies creating diseases so they can sell the cure; we can’t even trust our religious leaders, who for millennia have created their own religions to have power over people, misusing the Bible and the Epistles to make people worship the way they want, but not the way God said. Really… we can’t trust anyone in authority, anymore, and haven’t been able to for a long time, so how can we trust something that allegedly happened thousands of years ago?

We trust by faith, without seeing, without proof, and more than that- despite all the evil we see in power, today. That is why I believe anyone who believes God exists, and who accepts Yeshua as the Messiah God promised to send, has more faith than the ones who saw Yeshua in person, performing the miracles he did.

Faith is, after all, a choice, and to ant proof is the antithesis of faith. I believe Yeshua is the Messiah God promised to send to the Jewish people. It was exceptionally hard for me, being Jewish, to do that, but it wasn’t because I had a vision, or was the recipient of a miraculous event. No! It was because I chose to believe.

Oh, yeah, I did research, I listened to others, I read the New Covenant and saw all the references to the Tanakh, realizing that Jesus didn’t create Christianity, and when I realized Jesus isn’t really who Yeshua is, that really helped me to see the true messiah, not the Christian savior who has forced the Jewish people to either convert or be killed for millennia.

Even with all the research and study, it came down to me making the choice to believe. I made that choice, and began to pray and act as if I really did have proof, without any real proof, and do you know what happened later?

After a few months of faithfully believing, I was at a Shabbat service and went up to the front for prayer, and when the Rabbi anointed me with the oil, I received the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit, which was confirmation of my faithful acceptance.

Here is a link to my testimony, given over 20 years ago (please excuse the poor condition).

Faith is believing in things unproven and unseen, and since people are still accepting Yeshua as their messiah, by definition faith today is stronger than the faith people had back when Yeshua walked the earth.

If you are still thinking about accepting Yeshua as the messiah, I strongly recommend you make the choice to do so. It may be a while before you receive spiritual confirmation that you chose correctly, and that is because faith is a sort of a “Catch-22”: you need to have faith before your faith will be confirmed.

Faith in God and Yeshua is something that you must choose to have, and it is going to be hard to maintain when many of your family and friends deride and reject you because of your choice to be faithful. But if you hold on to your faith, you will receive rewards far beyond anything that any of those who reject you could ever give to you.

Thank you for being here and please share these messages with everyone you know. Subscribe to this ministry on both my website and YouTube channel, buy my books (if you like what you get here, you will like my books), and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but you must agree to the rules to post or be allowed to join).

That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

Let’s Talk About Forgiveness

May 25, 2023 Leave a comment

One of the hardest things in the world for most humans to do is to forgive others who hurt us or who hurt those we love.

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

Now, for those of us who profess to worship God and claim to be a member of the body of the Messiah, Yeshua, well…we aren’t supposed to just forgive others: nope, we have to go one step further and be willing to forgive.

And I don’t mean forgive those we love because anyone can do that. That’s not enough! We have to be more than forgiving of those who hurt us on purpose, we have to be willing to forgive them! Yes, even the ones we can’t even stand to be near.

So, nu? In the real world, how can I be expected to want to forgive someone who is a mean, nasty, hurtful, poor excuse for a human being?

It ain’t easy, no doubt about that, but it is possible.

One way is to forget about what they did to us, just for a moment, and place ourselves in their shoes standing before the Throne of Judgment and trying to explain to the Lord, God almighty that even though we did all those nasty things to all those nice people, we still want to be in heaven.

Got the picture?

If you do this for real, I have to think that you are feeling, maybe, just a little sorry for that schmo, knowing what the outcome will most likely be.

Another way to make it easier to forgive someone is to realize that when someone is that hurtful to others, they must be hurting even more inside. I don’t believe that anyone who is really a godly person won’t feel pity for those who are in pain, especially the ones in emotional pain who are spiritually empty.

Another way to be willing to forgive (which makes it MUCH easier to do) is to pray for that person. I’m not saying to pray for the other one’s destruction. Nah- that’s not helping us to forgive anyone (although it can make you feel better).

What I am saying is to pray for their deliverance; imagine how horrible their life must be for them to be that horrible to others. I truly believe that a hurtful and nasty person does so to reduce the pain they are feeling by making others feel worse. When you pray for them to be saved, to have God cure their pain, you will feel better because you are showing the kind of love that Yeshua showed for us.

And when we love others, we always feel better ourselves.

One last reason to be willing to forgive which is, honestly, the least godly reason, is for self-protection.

In Matthew 6:14, right after Yeshua has told us how to pray, he gives us this warning (CJB):

For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will not forgive yours.

I’ll bet right now some of you are thinking because you’ve accepted Yeshua as your messiah and ask forgiveness in his name, you will be forgiven, right? And that this warning came before he was resurrected, so doesn’t mean anything now that he is at the right hand of God and our Intercessor. Again, am I right?

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but I don’t think so.

I think that if we are not going to forgive offences against us, believer or not, worshipful or not, going to synagogue/church every Sabbath or not, it won’t matter- Yeshua said if we do not forgive, we will not be forgiven.

That seems pretty final to me.

Now you have four different ways to help you forgive others, and I am certain that when you practice these things, you will find yourself not only being able to forgive those you have had a hard time forgiving, but at some point, you will even be willing to forgive. And when you forgive those that have hurt you, do you know what happens?

The pain goes away.

Thank you for being here and please subscribe to this ministry on both my website and YouTube channel. Buy my books, share these messages with everyone you know, and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but make sure you agree to the rules to be let in).

That’s it for this week, so let me wish all my Jewish friends a Happy Shavuot, and to all my Christian friends a joyous Pentecost.

Baruch HaShem!

Did Shaul Overstep His Authority?

May 23, 2023May 23, 2023 Leave a comment

In the first letter Shaul (Paul) wrote to the Corinthians, in Chapter 8 he talks about the eating of meat that has been offered to idols. He says, outright, that it is fine to eat that meat without sinning.

But the letter the Elders in Jerusalem had written to the Gentile believers (Acts 15) strictly forbade that very thing, so did Shaul overstep his authority?

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

My question is: did Shaul really say eating meat sacrificed to idols was not a sin?

Let’s take this in the proper context, meaning we have to review the entire chapter.

Shaul starts off by stating not all believers have the proper knowledge, even though they may think they do. As for the gods and lords that the pagan’s worship, Shaul says that we who know God (and thus, God knows us) know, for certain, that these false gods don’t really exist, and as such, anything sacrificed to them is not affected by them. Therefore, when eating meat that has been sacrificed to an idol, a knowledgeable believer knows that there is nothing different about that meat. This is why, in 1 Corinthians 8:8, Shaul says that food will not improve or hurt our relationship with God; since sin is the thing that separates us from God, it seems that Shaul is saying to eat food sacrificed to an idol is not a sin.

He goes on to say that what we must realize is to those weak in spiritual maturity, if they see us eating meat in the temple of an idol, they will become confused and we might, in our knowledge that this is not going to affect our relationship with God, cause them to stumble into sin and think that it is fine to eat food sacrificed to idols, which is, in fact, sinful and was forbidden by the Elders in Jerusalem.

In the end, which is always where Shaul finally makes sense, he tells the Corinthians that as far as he is concerned, to prevent his doing anything that might weaken (even more) those who are spiritually naive and might think eating meat sacrificed to idols is not a sin, he would rather not eat meat, at all!

My feeling is that Shaul would never eat meat sacrificed to an idol, or even enter their temple, but he failed to state, clearly, that he was speaking hypothetically.

Essentially, his point is that even if a person has the spiritual maturity and faith to know false gods have no power on anything, especially food, and therefore what has been sacrificed to something that doesn’t exist is no different than what it was before it was sacrificed. However, he goes on to say that whatever we do, we shouldn’t allow our superior knowledge of God to interfere or confuse those with less knowledge and understanding, so even though we know that food sacrificed to idols is not affected by them, we shouldn’t allow this understanding to cause anyone with less knowledge to become confused and possibly stumble into sin.

I believe his point is that it is not so much what is done, but a person’s conscience and emotional state about doing that thing that is important. In other words, if something we do that seems wrong (but we know it isn’t) may cause another to think it is OK and end up sinning or feeling bad about themselves, we haven’t built them up in love but rather caused them trouble, so it is best that we just don’t do that thing, at all.

Geeze, even though I know what he meant, and am trying to get it across in a way anyone can understand, it still comes out confusing!

I guess the easiest thing to do, and this is especially important when we are dealing with the Pauline Epistles, is to remember that Shaul talks in a round-about way, using Jewish Logic, which is confusing- sometimes, even to us Jews.

Jewish Logic is my own term, and I define it this way: A Jew will not tell you what anything is until he has told you everything it is not.

In my opinion, Shaul DID overstep his authority here and should have simply answered the question about eating meat sacrificed to idols with a stern: Don’t do it! But, being a Pharisee, and Jewish, he had to go through his diatribe about even though some know better than others, we shouldn’t do anything that might confuse a spiritually weaker person.

The take-away for today is this: yeah, we know there are many false gods out there, and some people still worship them, but even though we know they are non-existent, we shouldn’t have anything to do them because it sets a bad example.

Thank you for being here and please subscribe to my ministry on the website and my YouTube channel- don’t forget to click on Notifications and the little bell so you know when I have posted. I would love it if you would share these messages with everyone you know and buy my books- if you like what you get here, you will like the books (all very affordable!), as well.

You are also invited to join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word”, but please agree to the rules to be let in.

That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

Spiritual Gold Diggers

May 18, 2023 Leave a comment

If you’re not familiar with the term, a gold digger is someone who forms a relationship with someone else for the purpose of getting their money, or some other asset. Their love is strictly for the thing(s) they can receive, and not for the one giving it.

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

You may say, ” I know about gold diggers, but what the heck is a spiritual gold digger?”

That is someone who says they love the Lord and worship God, but really only love what they expect to receive from God.

Before I was saved, I used to think the “I found it” movement was designed to be attractive to losers, people who were unloved, had unrealized dreams and aspirations, and were using the idea of God loves them as a crutch to get them through their problems instead of changing their lives, themselves. Of course, this should not seem an unusual attitude, coming from an unbeliever who didn’t understand what finding Yeshua (Jesus) is really about.

However, after over 25 years as a Believer, a credentialed Minister of Messianic Judaism, having served as Elder on two separate Councils, and even as Rabbi-Pro-Tem for 1-1/2 years at one time, I still believe there are many people who accept Yeshua as their Messiah solely for the purpose of receiving salvation and blessings, although they have no intention of changing who they are or how they live.

Except, maybe, for what they do for an hour or so on Sunday morning.

If you ask me if I love the Lord, God, I’ll say yes, but that love is not like the love I feel for my wife, or family, or friends. It is a love that transcends physical emotion- and I don’t just love God for what he did for me by sending Yeshua, or just for the blessings he gives me, but more so for what he does for the ones I care about, and for the world, in general.

Now, I am no different from everyone else who decided to accept Yeshua as my Messiah and receive forgiveness of sins- we all want to be saved, we all want to avoid hell, and we all want to receive blessings (unless you’re crazy!)

Does that make me a spiritual gold digger, also?

My answer is “No.” The reason I do not consider myself a spiritual gold digger is because I have changed my life for the purpose of being more pleasing to God. I am more Torah observant than I ever was growing up in Reform Judaism: not to earn salvation (that is legalism) but to show my faithful trust in God.

How does obeying the Torah show my trust? Simple- I trust that whatever God said I should do is for my benefit, and since I really believe God knows better than I do what is good for me, I trustingly try to be as faithfully obedient to his instructions in the Torah, which teach me how to worship him and how to treat others.

Traditional Christianity, I am so sad to say, has taught people that salvation is pretty much a Come-As-You-Are party: believe in Jesus, be a good person, love others and that is all you need to do to go to heaven.

Lies, lies, lies- straight from the pit of Sheol!

Does God love you just as you are? Yes, of course he does, but that ain’t gonna get you into heaven. We love our children but if your child asked you to let them do something you know is dangerous, (hopefully) you will say “Not happening!” Why? Because you don’t really love them? Of course, not- it’s because you DO love them and will not let them do what they don’t know will end up hurting themselves.

But given that same sort of situation, i.e., can I be saved without doing what God said I should, many Christian denominations say, “No problem- have fun! God loves you.”

Spiritual gold diggers are like the seed in the parable that is sown on ground that is shallow. It takes root (in the promise of forgiveness and blessings) and doesn’t care about anything else. They want to be blessed, they want to be in heaven, and they really don’t want to change how they live. And what happens when they don’t receive what they were told they would? Or don’t receive as much as they expected?

Time to go to a new religion that promises me what I didn’t get from this one.

If you are thinking of becoming a Believer, accepting Yeshua as the Messiah God promised to send, and looking for the joy and serenity you see in other Believers, let me warn you: if you aren’t willing to change your life to be obedient to God’s instructions in the Torah… forget it.

Look- Christianity has dozens of denominations, all of which profess to worship the one, true God, and all of which have different ceremonies, rites, holidays, and rituals that are not found anywhere in the Bible.

What they do have in common with the Bible is that nearly everything that God said to do, they don’t!

So, if you are saved, or thinking about getting saved, and all you really want is what you can get out of it, without having to make lifestyle changes- some of which may be extremely difficult, costing you friends, family, maybe even your job- then don’t bother.

If you ask me, it’s better to be an honest sinner than a hypocritical Believer.

Thank you for being here. Please share these messages with everyone you know, buy my books, subscribe to my website and YouTube channel (click on the bell), and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but make sure you agree to the rules, or I can’t let you in).

And please don’t hesitate to give me some feedback, positive or negative. If you agree, let me know, and if not, tell me why. I am still learning.

That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!

Which Commandments Did Yeshua Say Count the Most?

May 16, 2023 Leave a comment

I think we all know which commandments Yeshua said are the most important, right? Isn’t it from Matthew 22:37-40?

Well, if that is so, then why does he give a totally different set of commandments in three separate gospels when asked what does someone have to do to be saved?

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

Let’s start in Matthew 22, when Yeshua is asked which is the most important commandment of all? He replies (CJB):

‘You are to love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.’This is the greatest and most important mitzvah. And a second is similar to it, ‘You are to love your neighbor as yourself.’All of the Torah and the Prophets are dependent on these two mitzvot.”

So here Yeshua is telling us that to love God and each other is paramount. Now, traditional Christian teaching tells us that this is all we need to do. Love God and love each other, the message of Christ is to love- and that’s it! Nothing else is required. Love God, love each other, and you’re in!

They interpret this verse to mean these are the only two commandments we need to do.

But that’s not right, is it? Yeshua never said these are the only commandments, just that they are the most important ones. And, when he added that all the others pivot on these two, that means he expects that we will follow all the other commandments BECAUSE we love God and each other.

But if these are the most important, then why did he tell the rich man who asked what he needed to do to enter God’s kingdom (Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:17, and Luke 18:19) something different?

In all three Gospels, Yeshua’s answer to the man includes these commandments:

Don’t commit adultery, don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t give false witness, honor your mother and father, (this additional one was only in Matthew) and love your neighbor as yourself.

So, nu? If Yeshua said that to love God and each other are the most important commandments, which all the others will pivot on, why tell the rich man something different? In fact, these commandments are straight from the Big Ten, whereas the ones Yeshua said were most important were from the Torah, but not listed in the Big Ten.

Hmmm…now we have to ask ourselves “What do we do?” Which are the commandments we are to really need to strive to obey?

It seems that we should love God, then love each other, then come the Big Ten. That makes sense, doesn’t it?

But wait a minute! Didn’t James say if we break one commandment, we break them all (James 2:10)? So, even loving God, loving each other, and obeying the ones Yeshua quoted from the Big Ten isn’t enough?

Shaul (Paul) tells the Romans that no one can be saved by the law (Romans 3:23), which he knew from his vast knowledge of the Tanakh, for there are numerous places where we are told, over and over by different people that everyone sins, and no one is without sin.

I mean, there are some 613 commandments in the Torah! We can’t do the ones involving the temple service, which is about 1/3 of them, and some are just for women and some just for men, some just for the Cohen Hagadol (High Priest), which leaves less than a hundred or so for us simple folk.

Oy! That’s still a lot to do, so once again we ask, “What do we do?”

There is no longer a temple in Jerusalem where we can be forgiven under the sacrificial system, which (according to the Torah) was the only place we could bring our sacrifice to receive forgiveness (thank God for sending Yeshua, who replaced that requirement, making forgiveness available to everyone, everywhere, at any time.)

The answer, I suppose, is that we do the best we can to obey all the commandments that God gave in the Torah that apply to us. You see, the Torah is the only place in the entire Bible (this includes the New Covenant) where God tells us what he wants us to do. We can be secure in the knowledge that if we accept Yeshua as the Messiah God promised to send, repent of the sins we commit and ask forgiveness by means of Yeshua’s blood, which was shed for us, then we can be forgiven of that sin.

Yeshua only repeats what God said, and Shaul only wrote to Gentiles what they needed to do initially, expecting (as did the Elders who wrote the letter in Acts 15) that the Gentiles would learn the rest of what God wants them to do as they grew more knowledgeable in the Word and more spiritually mature.

Christianity has taught the opposite of what Yeshua and Shaul taught; Yeshua and Shaul taught the people to obey God, but Christianity has taught the people to ignore what God said and, instead, follow the tenets, rituals, and holidays that men have created.

It is up to you to decide what you will do: you can either worship God by obeying his commandments as best as you can, knowing he will forgive you (through Yeshua) when you screw up, or worship a Christian rebranding of the true Messiah, kneeling before graven images, praying to people instead of God, and ignoring nearly everything God told about how he wanted you to live, choosing to obey man-made tenets, celebrate man-made holidays, and perform man-made rituals.

Your choice, but if you ask me, I will have to say it is probably safer to do as God says then to do as people say.

Thank you for being here and please share these messages with everyone you know to help this ministry continue to grow. Subscribe to my website (while you’re there please buy my books), also to my YouTube channel, and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but make sure you agree to the rules to be let in).

Ans please give me some feedback- positive or negative- to let me know someone is actually reading this stuff.

Thats it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!