Last week we at Fathers House celebrated Shavuot –The Feast
of weeks which is also known as Pentecost. The command for this Feast, which
can be found in Leviticus chapter 23, is to meet as a sacred assembly. We did
so on both Tuesday and Wednesday evenings to praise and worship and to wave the
two loaves which again is a command for this feast. We shared in the bread and wine
and were taught about how Yeshua fulfilled this particular Feast. The Holy
Spirit met with us as we sat in His presence in silence as He ministered His
amazing Shalom. We were so touched by His being with us that it was an
unforgettable and for me another life changing experience with Him.
This leads me back to my previous blogs on the subject of
needing to be in fellowship with like minded believers. Yeshua made this statement
about being together;
"Again, I tell you that
if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for
you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name,
there am I with them." Matt 18:19-20
How much clearer does Yeshua need to be? We have to learn to be in
fellowship with each other in agreement in our prayers and He will answer. Of
course agreement only comes when we are in line with Scripture and our prayers
have to match up because God would never go against His word. The point here
however is that we need to be together.
I am in contact with a number of believers who are not in fellowship
anymore for various reasons. Some say that they feel God has told them to pray
alone or to be separate. Some now are attending Synagogues where Yeshua is
denied and some say that there are no fellowships with whom they can meet in
agreement. All these dear believers are sincere and loving and many are hurting
but should they be isolated from the Body of Yeshua?
I do not agree that God in any circumstances would tell a believer to
remove him or herself from fellowship and pray alone. This does not agree with the
advice of Yeshua or Paul as I have explained in my previous blogs and as Yeshua
has stated in the verse in Mathew. This idea aligns itself more with Monasticism
and does not allow for the persons gifting to be exercised or their fellow believers
gifting. We are all called to be intercessors and to pray without ceasing but
we all have different gifts as well which God gives us to make the Body of
believers function. My question is if you are on your own and you have a
teaching, pastoral, or Prophetic gift, who are you teaching? Who are you shepherding?
To whom are you Prophesying?
Then there are those now who are attending Synagogues and say that the
teaching on the Feasts and many other aspects of Scripture are far superior. I
have every respect for the Synagogue and applaud the building of relationship with
the Jewish people. I think it is wonderful to visit Synagogue occasionally and
I value their desire for correct teaching and a deeper understanding of Torah-(Gods
Divine Regulations- the Law). Are these believers in agreement with the
Synagogue who would not teach that Yeshua fulfilled The Torah? Are they exercising
their God given gifts?
I have friends who are not meeting together because there are no
other believers in their area who meet on a Sabbath, or keep the Feasts or
support Israel. When Shirley my wife and I began meeting with other believers
fourteen years ago we didn’t understand anything at all about the Sabbath or
the Feasts but as the Lord spoke to us about these things we changed to follow
Gods timings; Sabbath and His Feasts. We taught that we should bless Israel and
were aware that not so many people did. Now there are thousands of like minded
people who bless and support Israel. Many people now keep Sabbath and the Feasts.
So the answer to them is to try and find people in your area with whom you can
meet with. You may want to contact me to see if I know anyone in your area who
would value your fellowship.
During the second half of this year I will be holding Sunday Seminars to
teach about the end times and how we can identify the false messiah and the
times we are in. These seminars will be at Fathers House on 9th
June, 7th July, 15th September and 3rd
November. I will be discussing the areas of deception which will cause many to
fall away and how we can stand in these times. I feel one of the many tactics
of satan is to isolate us, make us impotent and ineffective by removing our God
given ability to bless the wider body of believers.
My prayer is that as we move towards the Feasts of Trumpets, Atonement
and Tabernacles in the autumn many of you will have found fellowship in which
you can be in agreement and be functioning as the Body of Messiah and as we are
called to do. I will conclude by quoting the scripture in Acts 2 which tells us
that at the Feast of Shavuot they, the Apostles and the first followers of
Yeshua were all in one place meeting as a Sacred Assembly.
When the day of Shavuot came, they were all
together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from
heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They
saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each
of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in
other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4
Love in
Yeshua
Mike
Fryer
Mike this is so ture. I pray that all those who are isolated might find others with whom to Worship and have fellowship
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Having kept God's Feasts and Sabbaths for a number of years now,I can honestly say that my understanding of the truths contained within these special times deepens year by year, and the spiritual impact on my life just becomes richer and stronger.
ReplyDeleteIf you are isolated from those who are of the same mind, pray that God will bring such ones into your life - He is faithful and able to do what may seem impossible!It's time to be rightly aligned and to decide which path to take; it may require faith and courage to step out but you will be richly rewarded.
Mike, thanks for your writing. I agree with your writing and recognize also the problem of believers who are alone. It is important to come together and worship our Messiah Yeshua.
ReplyDeleteI am a Gentile believer and with another believer, one's who are friends to the Jewish Community and for nearly four years we have attended as visitors a Synagogue and still do so. Visiting a Synagogue and our participation in the life of the Jewish Community has after our new life in Messiah Yeshua been profound. It is extraordinary to have what I can only describe as a G-d given love for the Jewish people. with whom we Gentiles have entered into a Hebrew Covenant through our Jewish Messiah that G-d sealed in His blood for the redemption of both Jew and Gentile. When I first entered the Synagogue to welcome the Shabbat with a few Jewish members I felt literally clothed in light and without difficulty sang the Shabbat songs in the Hebrew transliteration. Such experiences and even struggles and hurt because we are not MOT's (member's of the tribe)has given us a chance to show love and from time to time share our testimony and the light of Messiah who is within us. On Shavuot the book of Ruth is read and here we find the theology in the heart of Ruth, she forsook her pagan god's and joined herself to G-d's people the parallel with Romans 11:1-26 is to be our attitude to the Jewish people and through whom we have found their and our Messiah. Just as there are thousands of denominations so as we see many return to consider the Hebraic Roots of the faith there is diversity and disunity in the UK and in Israel amongst Messianic Congregations and it is with real sadness that believer's are struggling. My suggestion is that a poor and incomplete foundation of knowing G-d's word from an Hebraic perspective within its Hebraic culture with sound teaching has created problems and disagreement amongst the body of believer's. The reasons for isolation, separation and disunity is complex and it will take more than scriptural exhortation to bring wholeness to the body of Messiah but I hope our prayers and love will be the means to bring about healing and community for all believer's Jew and Gentile as it was in the first century Ecclesia. To G-d be glory in the body of Messiah.
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