Bible and Torah

Hanukkah Day 5: Miracles, Donuts and Latkes

The Story – Miracles, Donuts and Latkes

Each year, we fry donuts and latkes in oil. While this is mainly a tradition based on a legend, the reminder of miracles is quite relevant. After the Maccabean revolt, the battle had been won! Antiochus had underestimated the strength of the Maccabean movement! The Jewish people would maintain their independent country for over a century after this incredible revolt, and Judah Maccabee went down as the greatest military commander in Israel’s history!

 

The miraculous victory was all the more impressive because Antiochus had been a world power. His thousands of soldiers, horsemen and armored elephants had fallen to the Jewish soldiers! Antiochus never again attempted to take the nation of Israel back, and the humiliated King later died attempting to conquer the Arabian coast. The man who had boasted of being god incarnate on the earth had been bested by a ragtag group of soldiers under the authority of the one true God, Yahweh!

 

The Jews took back the Temple from the Syrian Empire in an enormous victory, and tore down every Greek statue, altar and gymnasium! They cleaned up the Temple in Jerusalem and began to piece together their Temple.

 

As legend would have it, as they picked through the remains of the Temple, they found one jar with sacred oil for their candelabra. The menorah was supposed to stay lit constantly according to Levitical law, and to their dismay, they only had enough oil to last for one day! It would take eight more days to make new oil! How could they ever finish it in time?

 

Not to be deterred, they decided to light the oil they had and make new oil for the lamp. Legend would have it that the oil in the lamp burned for eight days straight as they prepared new oil for the Menorah! Though this is subject to legend, it brings more power to the incredible miracles Yahweh performed on behalf of the Jewish people! Today, as we eat donuts and fry potato pancake latkes, we remember the miracles God did for the Maccabees.

THE THEME: MIRACLES

God did wonders on behalf of his people Israel during Hanukkah. Through Hanukkah, we can again believe in miracles! The point of a miracle is that it doesn’t make sense. Moses parting the Red Sea, miraculous battles won on behalf of Israel, babies being raised from the dead: Sometimes, God chooses to act in a way that we can’t fully comprehend as humans. We describe these moments as unexplainable, because we cannot attribute them to science or natural law.

 

Our God is one of incredible miracles! Miracles was one of the ways Jesus proved his deity. Miracles show us that our God is exalted above all else, and not one person can resist his authority over all earth and heaven, the natural and the spiritual realm!

 

Today, we have the power to perform miracles, because Jesus sent his Holy Spirit to us! When we believe in the power of God who is our salvation and strength, we too can perform miracles even greater than the miracles Jesus did on earth!

 

As we continue the story of Hanukkah, ask yourself,

 

  • What miracle have seen Yahweh do in the last year, in your life, or the lives of others?
  • What miracle are you contending for in the next year?

 

 

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Hanukkah Day 4: Victory and Dreidels

The Story – Dreidels

Mattathias fled to the wilderness of Northern Judea with his family, now wanted criminals. But what began as a flight for their lives soon turned into the journey of many Jews searching for a safe haven! Similar to the later legends of Robin Hood, a ragtag group of Jewish countrymen and soldiers formed a band of religious zealots anxious to take back their country and traditions! The Jewish people were not to be outdone by the political forces in Jerusalem. In rebellion, hundreds of Jews fled to the wilderness to join Mattathias.

 

Today, we play the game dreidel, the spinning top game that used to be played by the Jewish people. Each of the four sides of dreidels have Hebrew letters on them: nun, gimel, heh, shin. The letters say “A Great Miracle Happened There.” Legend has it that dreidels were played by the men who were studying Torah as a way to divert the attention of the soldiers. The very gambling game of dreidels represents the zealous rebellion of the Jewish people to compromise to the culture.

 

Though the Hellenization of Antiochus spread across the nation of Israel, so the rebellious Jewish army in the wilderness grew! The Jews started small skirmishes to annoy the Syrian soldiers, then disappeared into the wilderness undetected. Their brave leader Mattathias died in the wilderness, but his eldest son Judah took charge of the Jewish forces.

 

Judah was an incredible warrior, comparable to the famous rebellion leaders like Spartacus of Greece and William Wallace in Scotland! Judah was a genius war strategist, and he began the first recorded guerilla warfare in history! He was known to fight so hard and win so often, he was called Judah Maccabee, or Judah the Hammer!

 

Skirmishes increased until Judah’s army of 600 defeated a group of 2,000 Syrian soldiers in a small battle. Antiochus grew increasingly irritated with the Jewish revolt, so he sent 4,000 Syrian soldiers to a small town called Beth Heron, fifteen miles outside of Jerusalem expecting to wipe out Judah’s army easily. But with less than 1,000 soldiers, Judah outmaneuvered the cumbersome Syrian army and picked them off one by one! The lightning-fast Jewish army defeated the soldiers easily!

 

Though Antiochus had dismissed the revolt as a minor irritation, he grew embarrassed at how easily Judah had won the battle, and he challenged the untrained wilderness soldiers to a full-fledged war! Antiochus sent his three best generals, 6,000 soldiers and a huge cavalry against Judah’s ragtag army. But Judah sent spies into the camp, discerned their strategy, and in a miraculous victory, Judah again won the battle!

 

Battle after battle raged! The war increased, until Antiochus was regularly sending 55,000 soldiers with armored elephants and cavalry to the battlefront, yet each time the Maccabees miraculously won!

 

Though these Maccabean soldiers knew they were up against great odds, they knew they had Yahweh on their side. Judah and his army fought with victory in mind. Though the battle was difficult for untrained Jewish farmers against the well-equipped Syrian soldiers, each battle was a miracle of Yahweh on the side of his people!

 

Against all odds, on the 25th of Kislev, the Maccabees won back Jerusalem and the Temple that had been desecrated by Antiochus. Their survival under these terrible circumstances is a firm testimony of God’s faithfulness, especially in light of the Bible’s repeated promises to the people of Israel.

 

 

THE THEME: VICTORY

During the Holocaust, a small family of Polish Jewish farmers and soldiers set up a camp for Jews who were fleeing from the Holocaust during World War II. They camped out in the Naliboki forest in Poland. They ultimately saved the lives of over 1,200 Jews in Poland! Similar to the Maccabees, the story of these Jews in the Holocaust is an incredible miracle of God!

 

Tuvia Bielski, the leader of the camp said “Our revenge is to live. We have all chosen this – to live free, like human beings, for as long as we can. Each day of freedom is a victory.”

 

Today, we can be reminded in the Hanukkah story, and in the story of the Bielski brothers that we are victorious! Yahweh is our King over all the earth. When we remember our freedom is through the death of Jesus, we are victorious.

 

Just as Jesus saved the Jewish people over and over again in history, so he is our Savior and victorious King. When we call to our God and King when we are in trouble or danger, we know he will save us from death and destruction! So we do not compromise to the culture, but stand firm in our victory and conviction as we spin our dreidels.

 

As we continue the story of Hanukkah, ask yourself,

 

  • What is one way you’ve seen Yahweh’s victory in your life?
  • What have Yahweh’s victories taught you about His kingdom?

 

 

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Hanukkah Day 3: Courage and Judah Maccabee

The Story: Judah Maccabee

Imagine: your world has fallen apart, and it would seem that Antiochus has won. Jewish culture has succumbed to political and religious assimilation, and Jerusalem is looking increasingly more Greek every day. But suddenly, something changes. Judah Maccabee and Mattathias appear.

 

Not all of the Jewish people would succumb so easily. Though many Jews submitted, others understood that assimilation and elimination of Jewish worship, sacrifices, and traditions would be the destruction of Judaism itself! Though the flame of conviction was small, it was steadfast. These brave Jews would not back down.

 

Antiochus’ heavily armed soldiers were sent out of Jerusalem to force the Jewish people across the nation of Israel to worship the king and make sacrifices of pigs to the Greek gods. A large army of soldiers came to Modin, a small town on the outskirts of Jerusalem. They went straight to the home of an influential Jewish family led by a priest named Mattathias and his five sons.

 

The generals and a Hellenistic Jew tried to sweet-talk and coerce Mattathias and his family into offer sacrifices, knowing his influence would bring many Jews to the Hellenistic side, but Mattathias would not hear of it. The generals grew more and more angry, and they marched him to a Greek altar erected in the town. Forcing him to the altar in the sight of all of the Jewish people in the town, they ordered him to give in, on pain of death.

 

But Mattathias and his son Judah Maccabee would not forsake his faith. In a miraculous burst of energy quite unexpected for a man of his age, he grabbed the sword from the general’s hand and ran the general and his men completely through! He tore down the Greek altar with a strength comparable to the righteous anger of the prophet Samuel when he lopped off the head of the captured King Agag in the Old Testament!

 

Mattathias and his sons drove off the soldiers with a loud battle cry led by Judah Maccabee —” Whoever is for the Lord, follow us!” And just like that, in a matter of moments, the rebellion of the Jewish people had begun!

 

THE THEME: COURAGE

When you think of courage, what do you think of? Do you think of a person? Of a storybook character? A time when you were faced with your own fear and you conquered because you chose to be courageous?

 

No matter how we associate it, courage is the ability to do something that frightens you! Now, just because we feel courage doesn’t mean there is no fear present. On the contrary, for courage to be present, there must be fear that instills the courage! Courage means we feel the fear and we choose to act on our convictions anyways. Courage comes from our worldview and what we truly believe in our heart. It means we choose to be brave over and over and over again! It means we persevere through the power of the Holy Spirit, even when we are faced with our greatest adversity!

 

Courage requires us to stand up against wrong and stand up for what is right. It means we must be willing to get out of our comfort zone and embrace our faith in the One who will always conquer! We see this courage in the Maccabees and their incredible faith in God and belief in their cause!

 

Today, we are constantly battered by things that require us to stand up and be courageous. We cannot stand by the sidelines and allow the injustice! We must always remember that in order to be truly courageous, we stand upon and fight for the truth of the Bible: that is true courage. In order to see the gospel prevail, we must speak out against injustices, those things that do not glorify God. We must be deeply convicted like Judah Maccabee and Mattathias and stand strong in the face of adversity.

 

As we continue the story of Hanukkah, ask yourself,

 

  • In what ways has God been your strength and courage in the last year?
  • In what ways has God been asking you to grow in new strength and courage in the next year?
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Hanukkah Day 2: Conviction & Antiochus Epiphanes

The Story – Antiochus Epiphanes

Imagine: Jerusalem is captured by a foreign nation, and suddenly, everything in your life changes. King Antiochus, the ruler of the Syrian Empire has taken your home! Quiet, dedicated religious life in Israel turns to chaos as the new conqueror flips Jewish life upside down.

 

Antiochus is an evil ruler and a very narcissistic one at that. He is so full of himself, he declares he is a god on the earth. He calls himself Antiochus Epiphanes: god incarnate! Antiochus has conquered much of the Mediterranean coastline from Egypt to Greece. He is fascinated with Greek culture and wants his entire kingdom to assimilate into the Hellenistic culture. This political push made its way through the city and into the unsuspecting Jewish countryside. Antiochus threatens death to any Jew who would not comply to his assimilation culture.

 

Over time the setting of Jerusalem changes. Greek gymnasiums and temples begin to dot the landscape of Israel, Greek learning is instituted to replace Jewish teachings, and Jewish culture is oppressed. Through trickery, deceit, social and political pressures, Antiochus has seduced important leaders in the Jewish community to join him, including the High Priest of Israel, Jason! Jews are forced to bend to his religious compromise. All Jewish religious rites and traditions are to be forfeited on pain of death. He strategically focuses on rooting out any practices consistent with God’s Word, such as Temple worship, and the Sabbath. The oppression grows so great, mothers and children are killed if the parents attempt to circumcise or bar mitzvah their children in the Jewish tradition.

 

Antiochus desecrates the temple in Jerusalem and erects an altar to Zeus where he slaughters pigs by the hundreds in direct assault and defiance of the Jewish cleanliness rituals. He erects statues all over Jerusalem and a statue of himself in the temple and orders the people of Israel to bow before the statues.  Many Jews compromise and bow down to the Greek Statues of Athena, Zeus and Antiochus out of fear for their very lives and the lives of their children.

THE THEME: CONVICTION

Conviction is a strongly held belief or opinion. Time and time again in history, God’s people have had to choose whether or not they would stand convicted. Over thousands of years, the Jewish people were sold as slaves, Israel was conquered, and people were murdered for their faith. After Jesus resurrection’, many early Christians were martyred. During the 16th century, many across Europe were killed for reading William Tyndale’s Bible in English. During the Holocaust, millions of Jews were killed by Adolph Hitler. Even today, many are still persecuted for their belief in Jesus. In each and every generation, there were people who stood strong, knew what they believed, and fought back!

 

In the events of Hanukkah, the Jewish people were one such example of conviction! Antiochus’ horrible actions would foreshadow Hitler’s future annihilation of the Jewish people in the 1940’s. Many others over the centuries would come against God’s people.

 

Today, the world tells us our God is not enough. We face new challenges and struggles every day as our world falls apart. But in the midst of compromise, this is our hope: Jesus is our Savior and our King! We can stand on our convictions in the face of danger, sorrow, pain and even death. Why? Because we know we serve a good God who has conquered death for us! We can engage our culture with a deep conviction in the truth of Jesus. So, when you stand facing your greatest fear, you can stand on the love and mercy and incredible sacrifice of our Messiah Jesus!

 

So, as we continue the story of Hanukkah, ask yourself:

 

  • In what ways have you chosen to be convicted in the last year?

 

  • How is God calling you to be convicted in the next year?
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Hanukkah Day 1: The Hanukkah Story

The Hanukkah Story

Today begins the first day of Hanukkah in 2021, when we begin to light candles and tell the story of Hanukkah and the Maccabees. Hanukkah, or the Feast of Dedication is a captivating story of bravery, courage, miracles and victory! But what is the Hanukkah Story? Why is Hanukkah explained from this story in history? Hanukkah was a defining moment in the life and history of God’s people. A small band of Jewish rebels changed the course of an entire nation! These brass soldiers decided Yahweh was more important than anything else.

 

The story of Hanukkah began in the 400 years between the writing of the Old and New Testaments. God was not silent in those years. He was still at work fulfilling His promises and preserving His people, as the story will show.

 

Now, as we step into the story, imagine yourself as a Jew living in Jerusalem in the 2nd century B.C.. You walk the busy streets through the marketplace, cows lowing in your ears, and sheep baaing. You smell smoke as the priests burn sacrifices in the Temple to Yahweh. The bustling city is the heart of the religious world for the Jewish people, and it is your home. You love this city, and the people in it.

 

But over time, this beautiful city becomes transformed as the Hellenistic Greek culture seeps in. The changes are slow at first and you hardly notice them. But as time passes by, you see an Acropolis pop up next to the Jewish temple. You see pigs in the streets instead of sheep and cows. Greek culture, statues, clothes and sports begin to dominate the Jewish city. Soldiers enter the Holy City of Jerusalem, and the entire capital is thrown into chaos! You hear people screaming, animals in a panic, and the yell of soldiers rushing through the streets trashing the marketplace! Your entire life has changed as fires burn high in the sky: your beloved city transformed into ruin right before your eyes.

But how did we get here? How did this happen? The story begins just a few decades earlier in Babylon, as Alexander the Great, the ruler of the known world dies of typhoid fever in his tent at the young age of 32. This death set off a series of actions that would affect the nation of Israel, just a few hundred miles away. When Alexander died, his kingdom was divided into four sections and given to his four best generals. One of these generals was the founder of the Syrian Empire, and he passed on his empire to his grandson, Antiochus IV.

 

Like many rulers before him, Antiochus vowed to conquer nations! He began this through the assimilation of Hellenistic culture through the powerful leaders like the High Priest Jason, and when the nation of Israel rebelled against the assimilation, they were forced into it instead. And so it was Antiochus who entered Jerusalem on that fateful day, capturing the nation of Israel.

THE THEME: STORY

Story: Yahweh reveals his kingdom through stories! Stories change lives; stories challenge; stories inspire. Story is a part of every culture and it always captures the deepest parts of our hearts, because we see ourselves in the characters. We hold our breath as the protagonist Christian journeys to Heaven in Pilgrim’s Progress. We cheer when King George slays the dragon in the classic fairytale, and we cry in relief with Frodo and Sam when they finally destroy the ring and return to their home in the Shire.

 

Narrative story is the powerful medium God chooses to reveal his Word in the Bible, and it is through the stories of God’s miracles in these historical accounts that our lives are forever impacted. The Hanukkah story show us how God revealed himself through incredible miracles as he saves his people from annihilation.

As we begin Hanukkah, ask yourself these questions:

  • What story has your life told so far?

 

  • What story do you want your life to tell by the time it’s over?

 

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Torah Portion: Bereshit – Genesis 1:1-6:8

MESSIAH IN TORAH

TORAH PORTIONS – OCT 17, 2020

PORTION SUMMARY

In the Beginning – Genesis 1:1-6:8

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Yahweh creates the world in six days. Each day’s creative fruit is unique but Yahweh declares every aspect of His creation “good”.

Day one: darkness and light. Day two is the formation of the heavens, separating the waters so there’s an upper and lower water. Day three lands, seas, and vegetation are created. On day four, the sun, moon, and stars are set into place.

 

On day five comes fish, birds, and reptiles. Day six brings the creation of animals and humans, the only element of creation made in God’s image and given dominion. On the seventh and final day of creation’s week, Sabbath is made, sanctified from all other days, and Yahweh rests.

Genesis 2:4-25

Yahweh then revisits humanity’s creation and commission. Man is formed from the combination of the dust of the earth and Yahweh’s living breath. He is instructed to eat from all trees and commanded not to eat from the Tree of Good and Evil. If they do, they will die. Seeing man’s need for companionship, Yahweh takes a rib from Adam and forms Eve. They are married and become one flesh.

Genesis 3:1-24

The serpent then deceives Eve. She eats from the forbidden tree, thinking she can become like God by doing so. Adam follows her into sin and rebellion by eating himself. Adam and Eve cover themselves with leaves and hide from Yahweh’s presence when He comes looking for them. Death sets in. A curse is pronounced on Adam, Eve, and the serpent in ways unique to them. In the first recorded act of sacrifice and atonement, Yahweh kills an animal and cloths Adam and Eve in it. Then, Yahweh banishes them from His presence in the Garden.

Genesis 4:1-24

Two sons follow: Cain and Abel. Cain rebels against God and, in reaction to God’s judgment, kills Abel. He is cast out and becomes a wanderer on earth. Sin continues to spread on the earth, represented by Lamech’s murder of a young man. Interestingly, Lamech is Cain’s distant descendant.

Genesis 4:25-6:8

Seth is born, the third child of Adam and Eve. Adam’s generations begin to fill the earth. Corruption infects not just individuals and families but society as a whole. From Seth’s lineage comes righteous Noah.

DEVOTIONAL: THE MESSIAH IN TORAH

This devotional is not a comprehensive discussion of the Torah portion. Its purpose is to identify themes that point to and reveal Jesus the Messiah.

This section takes us from the beauty of perfection to the depths of death and loss. We forfeited what we were created to be, lost what we were created to do, and became a stranger to the One we were designed to know intimately. The narrative moves from the grandeur of creation to the devastation wrought by rebellion and selfishness. Yet, in the loss there is the promise of the Messiah, seen in the following ways.

The Word of Creation: “In the beginning, God…” is how the entire sacred record begins. Here, Yahweh speaks all things into being. His spoken word was the agency of creation. Then John’s Gospel begins with the same words, “In the beginning…” There is a connection. In the beginning was the Word, the One through whom all things were made (John 1:2-3). Jesus is the means through which the Father’s creative power flowed. He was there, possessing the fullness of the Father’s nature, working in perfect unity, and bringing the universe into existence. By John’s words we see Jesus is the Embodied Word of God, carrying both the nature and purpose of the Father within Himself.

The Promise: After the fall, Adam and Eve are without hope. Reconciliation isn’t within their grasp, which is why they hid from God (Genesis 3:7-10). Yet, Yahweh moves toward them, initiating divine redemption. The curse of death He promised cannot be avoided but it can be broken. He promised a Redeemer – a Seed would come through Eve who would destroy the serpent. When the serpent is destroyed, man’s attachment to death would finally and forever be broken. Intimacy would be restored; isolation would be gone forever.

The Second Adam: God created us in His image, but it was lost through Adam’s sin. Adam, in turn, created humanity in his broken, defiled image (Genesis 5:1-3). All of us are stained with sin (Romans 5:12-17). However, God’s promise of a son to Eve was assurance of redemption and restoration. 2,000 years ago, Jesus entered time and space for this very purpose. Just as Adam was the well from which all humans have drunk so Jesus was offered on the cross to become the wellspring of life to those who trust in Him. Where Adam destroyed his descendants, Jesus redeemed them. In Him, redemption has been realized.

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Pentecost

Counting the Omer

Starting on First Fruits, our congregation counts every day for 50 days in preparation for Pentecost. As each day passes, we cross off numbers and celebrate the fact that we are one day closer. “Closer to what?” our children ask, their eyes full of wonder. Excitement grows and anticipation builds. Aren’t countdowns exhilarating? Is that why God instructs us to count? So we can return to the awe and thrill we once experienced as a child?

After many days of counting, the day finally arrives–Pentecost. Pentecost, the day in which the apostles received the gift of the Holy Spirit and human relationship with God completely changed. With the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, access to Yahweh became available to all. His presence is no longer restricted by geographical locations or heritage. But rather, we now carry His presence inside of us.

The Invitation

Pentecost is an invitation. During this season, we are invited to move more deeply into His presence. We are invited to experience His power in new ways.  And, we are invited to step into our call as disciples.

Now for those of you who haven’t been watching The Chosen and need a refresher of what life as a disciple is like, I’ll give you a brief overview. A disciple is called. A disciple trades the life they imagined for themself for the one Jesus has for them. And, a disciple receives access to unending power.

Walking in Power

Stepping out in new power sounds pretty great, right? So how do we start? Simply, by saying yes. And not so simply, saying yes despite uncertainty and fear.

Where excitement grows, so often does tension. And as we anticipate The Lord unveiling new power in our lives, we face the constant reminder that when left to ourselves, we are grossly inefficient for the tasks set before us. We are human. We are frail. And no matter how long we walk with The Lord, we won’t reach perfect completion on this side of eternity.

So praise God that He knows all of our limitations and chooses us anyway. We are not left to ourselves. Instead, we receive the Holy Spirit with the promise that we can return to Him over and over again as we walk into uncharted territory. The Bible is filled with the constant promise that we will never be alone; the Holy Spirit is God in us. Thus, we can celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit with the expectation that what was dry can be refreshed. And where we are weak, we walk with His power.

Invitation to Respond

Pentecost is the yearly invitation to receive new power. Whether you are celebrating your first Pentecost or you have attended 75 Pentecost services, The Lord is inviting you to experience Him in a new way.

Where do you need a refreshing dose of power?  Where is He asking you to say “Yes” where you have before settled into “I am unqualified or “this is impossible?”

We believe that the Lord has new power for you and that He wants to meet with you in this Holy season.

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Call to Worship

If you have ever attended a Sabbath service with us at TwentySixEight, you have probably heard the blowing of a shofar. In Jewish traditions, the shofar (a trumpet made from a ram’s horn) is blown during battles and Biblical holidays. It signifies repentance, power, and calls listeners to attention.

In addition to these major events, we like to blow a shofar each Sabbath as a call to worship. The sound of the trumpet lets us know that something is happening—something wonderful. It is an invitation to once again give our attention to The Lord and usher in His presence.

We are a worshiping congregation who takes seriously the fact that God is enthroned on the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). In times of abundance, worship is especially easy. It is easy to praise God when we see His glorious works around us.

But what about when glory seems like a distant promise for someone else? What of worship then? Can we really give God glory when our lives seem to be falling apart?

Yes.

The people of the Bible were not immune from troubled times. In fact, book after book describes our ancestors facing seemingly impossible tasks. But throughout the pages, we are shown examples of how to praise God, no matter the circumstances in which we are living.

Habakkuk 3:17 says, “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.“

“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.”

Hard times are an inevitable part of life on this side of eternity. They come in the form of sickness and disease. Maybe you have lost your income. Or your home. Maybe your struggle with depression or your anxiety seems like a losing battle.

Trials of this life come. But they do not have to rob us of the joy God has for us. Worship is the act of giving your heart. What we worship pinpoints what we give our affections and allegiances to. We worship something by clinging to it.

If worship portrays where our affections and allegiances lie, should our worship ever stop? And shouldn’t we cling tighter to The Lord when all else feels uncertain?

We worship Yahweh because He is good. Psalm 23 reminds us that even in the midst of the valleys of this life, we are never alone. And that where The Lord is, comes overflowing goodness and mercy.

We are a people who raise a hallelujah, knowing that God is in control and that God is good.

While we may not be physically together to hear the shofar blown in our church building­– here is your call to worship. You are invited to cling to Yahweh once again. And why not start with the latest song from Tribes & Tongues? You can listen to it here.

 

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Tithing 101: Why is Tithing Important?

TITHING 101

Tithing: Let’s talk about one of the historically most uncomfortable & avoided topics amongst friends—money. While 1 Timothy 6:10 reminds us that the love of money is the root of all evil, the evil is not in the money itself. God isn’t disgusted with money. He doesn’t ask His children to abandon the concept of money all together.  He doesn’t ask us to live outside of the culture in isolation and poverty. Rather, Yahweh shows that His heart for us is fruitfulness. He shows that tithing is the pathway to financial fruit. Let’s start with some of the basics.

WHAT IS A TITHE?

The word Tithe means 1/10th. Biblically, tithing is the practice in which we give 10% of our income back to the Lord through our local congregation.

WHAT ARE TITHES USED FOR? 

Historically, tithes were used to support the livelihood of priests in order to make room in their daily schedule to serve Yahweh and His people. Today, not much has changed. Churches use tithes to support pastoral staff and maintain the church building. Often tithes are used in conjunction with projects/programs to support the Church’s mission.

WHAT IF I CAN’T AFFORD TO TITHE? 

We have all been in that spot when it seems that our money is spent before we even get it. In such cases, it is easy to assume that God’s heart for us is to reduce the financial strain and thereby release us from our duty to tithe. But the reality is that God promises provision and abundance through tithing, not by avoiding it.

In Malachi 3:10, the Lord says, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

That is a pretty powerful promise. But the Lord’s goodness extends far beyond the surface. The phrase “open the window of heaven….and pour down for you a blessing” reference the opening of the heavens and the pouring out of rain that came down during the days of Noah. With that in mind, go back and read His promise.

That’s a lot of rain! And coincidentally, that’s a lot of blessing!

God’s storehouse is so much bigger than we can even fathom. By trusting Him with our finances, He promises to take care of our needs. And by tithing, we are invited to witness His generosity and faithfulness in new and practical ways.

Proverbs 3:9-10 reinforces this idea, “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with your first fruits of all your produce. Then your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will be bursting with wine.”

IS IT GENEROUS TO TITHE?

No. Tithing does not indicate a generous heart on our end. Rather, tithing is done out of obedience to Yahweh and His instruction.  And it is through obedience with our money that we are able to receive His financial fruit.

And that brings us back to 1 Timothy 6:10 where we are reminded that the love of money (not money itself) is the root of evil. The love of money would keep us from being obedient. The love of money would keep us bound up in the infertile soil of self-sufficiency rather than trusting Yahweh. That is the root of evil. And through it we receive counterfeit abundance, outside of God’s plan for our lives.

Yahweh’s heart for us is made evident in these two verses. His desire is not for us to live in lack, demanding poverty in return for salvation. On the contrary, He indicates a desire for us to walk in true abundance as we worship Him, rather than our own means. He invites us into a relationship in which we are a son or daughter, walking in the love and constant provision of a Father.

So if you are new to tithing and a little nervous, we want to encourage you to taste and see what a good, good father we have. Put Him to the test if He will not pour out his provision on you until you have no more need.

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Five Steps to Count the Days

COUNTING THE DAYS

Counting the Days is a fifty-day period during which Yahweh instructed Israel to mark each day from Unleavened Bread to Pentecost by counting them. It symbolizes God’s desire to build anticipation in us for the blessing of Pentecost.The keynote of this fifty-day period is marking each day by remembering to count them.

The fifty days between Passover and Pentecost is a time of anticipation and preparation. Yahweh led Israel to Mt. Sinai to receive his Torah. And, 1,500 years later, Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they had received power from heaven (Acts 1:8). Each year, when we count the days, we prepare ourselves to experience the transforming power of God’s Word and Spirit.

Yahweh promised he would meet with and speak to his people (Exodus 29:38-46). With holiness and pure passion, God longs to dwell among us. And as he dwells with us, he wants to reveal his heart to us. To speak to us. To show us the beauty of his glory. If we’re willing to prioritize his presence, he will meet with us. And if we take the time to listen, he will speak to us.

Of course, we believe these promises are fulfilled through Jesus, our Messiah. Through his death and resurrection, he entered God’s presence for us. There, he rests in his Father’s presence, interceding on our behalf. Because he’s there, we’re invited to come boldly into God’s presence to see his face, hear his voice, and receive his grace (Ephesians 2:18; Hebrews 4:15,16).

More than any other way, God speaks through his Word and prayer. While there are many ways we can approach God, these following practices are designed to cultivate the habit of God’s presence and attune our ears to his voice. They help us prayerfully engage God’s Word through prayerful reading and responding. Because God’s Word is living and active, reveals the beauty of his ways, and shows us his heart, we can expect to encounter him as we interact faithfully with his Word (Psalm 1:1-6; 19:7-11; II Timothy 3:15,16; Hebrews 4:15,16).

Personal Prayer: Lectio Divina & Praying the Psalms

There are two exercises intended to cultivate personal prayer: Lectio Divina and Praying the Psalms. Consider spending fifteen minutes in the morning and evening using these exercises to create awareness of God’s presence and voice. During your personal prayer time, use scripture passages of your choice.

 

FIVE STEPS TO PRAY FOR COUNTING THE DAYS

You can use the following exercises individually or to cultivate family prayer. Consider spending five-to-ten minutes in the morning OR evening using this exercise for your family prayer times. During your family prayer time, use the short scripture passage in the Counting the Day Guide.

 

STEP 1: REVIEW YOUR PRAYER GOALS

Before you begin to pray together, take a moment to review your prayer goals for the season. What one thing are you asking God to do in your personal life during the Counting the Days? What one thing are you asking God to do in your family life during the Counting the Days? What one thing are you asking God to do in our congregation during the Counting the Days? What unsaved person are you asking God to save during the Counting the Days?

 

STEP 2: READ 

Download our Counting the Days Guide here. Find the scripture verse from the Counting the Days Guide that corresponds to today’s date. Keep in mind that each day of counting goes from sunset to sunset. The reading guide marks the sunset of the first day. Read the scripture passage aloud twice. Sit in silence for a moment inviting God’s presence into your prayer time.

 

STEP 3: LISTEN

Read the scripture passage aloud again. As you read, listen for one word that sticks out to you. After a moment of silence, have everyone share their one word without comment.

 

STEP 4: CONNECT

Read the scripture passage aloud again. After a moment of silence, have each person share how the one word that stuck out to them connects to one of your family prayer goals for Counting the Days.

 

STEP 5: PRAY 

Read the scripture passage aloud again. Have each person respond to the word that stuck out to them and one family prayer goal by praying their heart’s desire back to God.

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