Restoration Ministries International Sharing the Hebraic Foundations of the Earliest Followers of Jesus Preparing Today's Followers of Jesus to Fulfill Their Part in His Kingdom |
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EBOOK & PRINTABLE MATERIALS (pdf format) AUDIO & VIDEO (streaming & download) |
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To Love And Be Loved
Intimate Relationships vs Religious Systems
[click here for a printable copy]
Introduction
We wanted to develop a useful tool for you
to carefully scrutinize the type of Christianity you embrace.
Is your spiritual life based upon a personal, viable trust in
God? Or, are you dependent on religious forms and ritual
practices?
The Hebraic Restoration is built on relational priorities. That is, certain relationships are more vital to you
than others. In the Restoration Diagram, below, everything in
your relational sphere begins with how you relate to our Father
and His Son, Jesus, in the way the Bible calls for. In
priority, your walk of love-grounded obedient trust is the most
crucial of all your relationships.
Out of the depth of your relationship with
the Father and Son all your other relationships exist. As you
move outward from the center in the diagram past your home and
home fellowship, the relationships diminish in relational
priority. You only have so much time and opportunity to expend
your life, and the first three relational rings need to take
precedence. Keep in mind that the quality of each subsequent
relationship as you go outward in the diagram depends on the
quality of the relationships nearer the center.
Let’s return to our initial premise.
NOWHERE does the Bible indicate that our God established a religion. On the
contrary, His ongoing desire is to relate to His creation as chosen ones called-out by
Him. In the beginning, He formed Adam in His own image to be
able to relate to Him in a way uniquely different from the rest
of His creatures. Eve was then created from Adam and for Adam, to
share that same relational privilege.
Abraham, whose intimate walk with God is a
model for the Hebraic Restoration, related to God in
trust-filled obedience. So profound was his trust in the one
true God that he abandoned all that he knew in Mesopotamia to
journey to a land he had never seen. Such trust in God
underwent the most severe testing: to offer in sacrifice his
only son of the promise, Isaac.
Now that’s trust! And that trust-based life that looked to God to
bring forth life from a dead womb and to restore it to life if
need be was credited to Abraham by God as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). This man’s obedient
trust moved God to entered into an eternal Covenant to call out
Abraham’s descendants to live in the land He promised to
them..
Abraham is known as “God’s friend” in James 2:23. No wonder the Bible reminds us
of the relational connection with Abraham for all who
trust in Jesus!
The reason the promise is based on trusting is so that it may come as God’s free gift, a
promise that can be relied on by all the seed, not only those
who live within the framework of the Torah, but also those with
the kind of trust Avraham had — Avraham our
father for all of us. This accords
with the Hebrew Scriptures, where it says, “I have
appointed you to be a father to
many nations.” Avraham is our father in God’s sight because he trusted
God as the one who gives life to
the dead and calls nonexistent things into existence. (Romans 4:16,17).
Jesus, who was delivered over to death
because of our offenses and raised to life, makes those
who trust righteous. Have you ever asked yourself why Abraham
would be called the father of all who put their trust in Jesus?
Paul clues us in:
But the words, “it was credited to his account . . . ,” were not written for him only. They
were written also for us, who will certainly have our account credited
too, because we have trusted in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead (Romans 4:23,24)
Think about this trust level in regard to
your own relational connection to Abraham in the spirit.
Other key figures mentioned in the Older
Testament related deeply and personally to God.
• “Moses was a very humble man,
more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3); “The
LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend” (Exodus 33:11a).
• “I
[the LORD] have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he
will do everything I want him to do” (Acts
13:22).
• “Enoch walked with God, and then he wasn’t there, because God took him.” (Genesis 5:24). “By trusting, Enoch
was taken away from this life without seeing death — ‘He was not
to be found, because God took him away’ — for he
has been attested as having been, prior to being taken away, well pleasing to God” (Hebrews 11:5)
Each of these examples is but a shadow of
the relational intimacy our Lord shares with those inhabited by
His Spirit through loving obedient trust! This is the union our
Lord has always sought. If you relate to Him in the way He
desires, you’ll live far differently than someone who
just “practices religion”. You’ll have
nothing in common!
Stop for a moment and consider this:
How would your Father describe your
relationship with Him? A church attendee? A busy
committee/activity participant? A schedule-keeper for
prescribed “Christian duties”? His trust-filled,
eager to please child? Go ahead, describe yourself:
It Takes Two To Relate
Often overlooked when people discuss
relationships is an obvious fact: You can’t have a
relationship by yourself. As you relate, someone is relating
back to you. This is crucial when you consider your
relationship with the One True God: There really is a loving Someone relating to you as
well! Don’t lose sight
of this.
Relationships are person-to-person. They
don’t demand a certain form or ritual to bind them
together. Relational interaction is an issue of a heart because
we connect to others through our emotions. Someone to whom you
are emotionally attached, including God, is someone you value
in your heart. And, heart connectedness defies logical
analysis.
Stop for a moment. Bring to mind the
people for whom you care the most. Did your thoughts of them
inspire feelings? When you think of our Father and His Son,
Jesus, do you also experience intimate emotion, such as
gratefulness, security, devotion, longing?
So many who call themselves
“Christian” are enmeshed in religious forms and
ritual, not unlike those who follow pagan religions. A god who
is boxed in by prescribed rituals and forms is a creation of
your mind or someone else’s! That kind of god is a
“foreign deity” who has little or no involvement in
your life apart from ritual gatherings. Such a deity concept is
a far cry from the reality of intimate relationship with the
Father and His Son, Jesus.
We have written many times about
God’s relational command in the Older Testament to love Him. The Hebrew
word for the love He commands is ahav. This word means you have a passionate devotion
for Him, a deep yearning to be in His presence. Isn’t
this the intensity of love that Jesus calls for when He relates
the greatest commandment? “‘Love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two
commandments” (Matthew 22:
37-40). This is the kind of love that takes action!
The Hebrew letters for ahav mean “a
window into the Father’s heart.” When you choose to
lovingly relate to Him as He requires, our Father reveals
Himself to you in a dynamic and intensely personal manner. Has
this been your ongoing experience? Please stop and answer this
question.
Religion Is Man-made
The concept of religion is so familiar to
people, and evokes quite an array of emotional response when
they think about their own experience. But religion is a man-made system. You can’t find God establishing religion in
the Bible.
Through religion, man establishes
institutionalism with its accompanying organization and
management. (Today’s church can “thank” the
Romans for their imposed domination that choked out relational
connectedness.) Direction and control rather than the
relational intimacy of extended spiritual family are the
currency of religion.
At the top of the control paradigm is one
individual, or a few, who manage many others. The few establish
and enforce the rules (through creed or tradition) that govern
the participation of others. Allegiance to a particular creed
of belief or behavior binds each religious system together.
Keep this in mind: Religion in itself
would not exist if people weren’t misled into believing
that their distinct religious ritual and specific creed made
them acceptable to God. And note: Religion
can exist without any relationship with God.
Jesus criticized the religious hierarchy
of His day for establishing a religion with man-made rules that
left God out:
• “They
worship me in vain; their teachings
are but rules taught by men.” (Mark 7:7).
• “You
diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess
eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (John 5:
39,40).
• “Woe to you, teachers of the
law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea
to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you
are” (Matthew 23:15).
How do you know you are in a religious
system? When “rule keeping” is more highly valued
than personal, intimate relationship with God.
Sadly, with the over 22,000 competing
denominations and sects in Christiandom today, man is still
establishing religions. And each group
believes they are more correct than the others.
The bounty of non-Christian religions in
the world can exist without having the true God. As much as any false
religion insists they worship a ‘god’ or
“gods”, there is NO other God except the ONE TRUE
GOD of the Bible.
We once had a conversation over dinner
with a dozen Japanese Buddhists. These men openly acknowledged
that Buddha was not from the beginning (as the true God is.
They readily admitted that they pray to Buddha, but
“Buddha doesn’t answer prayer.” Sounds silly
doesn’t it?
Not to them! Because their focus was on
the form and practice of their religion. They had no
relationship with the one true God. But this is no different
for many who call themselves “Christian” but are
more committed to their creedal identity than to a relationship
with God.
Jude offers fair warning against God-less
systems that divide people over man-made creedal practices: “In the last times there will be scoffers
who will follow their own ungodly
desires. These are the men who
divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit” (Jude 1:
18,19).
What a contrast with the fiery heart of
Moses as he urged the Israelites, “Therefore, choose life, so that you will live, you and your descendants, loving ADONAI your God, paying attention to what he says and clinging to him —
for that is the purpose of your
life!” (Deuteronomy 30:19b,20a).
What Did You Embrace:
Relationship or Religion?
You may be wondering, “What does the
issue of false religions have to do with Christians?” Simply
this. First, there is no biblical foundation for
“practicing religion” as a way of approaching the
God of the Bible. He relates to people based on the condition
of their heart and spirit:
• “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).
• “For this is what the high
and lofty One says — he who lives forever, whose name is
holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit
of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite’” (Isaiah
57:15).
• “‘Has not my hand made
all these things, and so they came into being?’ declares
the LORD. ‘This is the one I
esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word’” (Isaiah
66:2).
The humble of heart who seeks to relate to
God will always find Him. The humble of heart who trusts in
Jesus as His Covenant requires will experience Him in
relationship. This is what the Bible affirms. (Please read
The Gospel of the Covenant is
the Pilgrimage to Salvation, under Hebraic Articles,
for more on the scriptural basis for a relationship with our
Lord.)
To re-cap: Religion is a man-made
creation, appealing to mankind because in it he can define his ‘gods’. Religion never emphasizes a love relationship of
obedient trust in the One True God of the universe. If there
were such a relationship, there would not be over 22,000
competing denominations in Christiandom. The proud intellect of
man is behind religion and ALL of its various forms and
practices.
God’s commands were given to the
Israelites in the Older Testament to describe how to relate to Him and to
each other. His laws depicted for them the freedom and boundaries entailed
in their relationships.
The commandments of God that point to freedom are
designed to help people affirm and grow in their relationship
with God and with each other. Jesus summed up the essence of
all the freedom commands with the greatest commandment: to
love. All the law and the prophets are summed up in LOVE.
The commandments that establish boundaries reveal
areas that will harm relationships. These are the
“prohibition” commands, such as “Do not
steal, do not covet”, designed to steer you from
impinging on others and disrupting the relationship.
“For in Christ Jesus...
The only thing that counts
is faith expressing itself
through love” (Galatians 5:6)
The apostle Paul plainly proclaims to the
Galatian believers that the only thing that counts is your
faith — your relationship with God — expressing
itself in love. And the love Paul is referring to is evidenced
by action and change into Christ’s character as He works
in and through His people.
The apostle isn’t saying that the
fruit of faith-based love is “one of the many things
that counts.” Think about that. Love is the outflow of
your obedient trust relationship with our Lord.
The August 29, 2004, Parade magazine
featured an article about a noteworthy high school football
coach. The article, He Turns Boys
Into Men, by Jeffrey Marx, commends
Joe Ehrmann, a former NFL star in the mid '70's. Not only are
Ehrmann’s goals for developing boys into men impressive,
but the article also reminded us of how destructive the
Hellenist influence we've written against so many times is on
men in the US.
As we were leaving Israel after completing
our research, a Jewish follower of Jesus told us, "You're going to the hardest place on earth
for anyone to embrace the Hebraic foundations. Hellenism owns
the Church in the United States." Those words have come back to haunt us many times as we‘ve
done seminars over the years. The all-too-frequent phone calls
from unloved, unappreciated wives, and from men who are
all-cranial with no evidence of loving gratefulness in Jesus
have corroborated that statement.
When Bible knowledge consumes the head and
nothing flows from the heart, people have missed the intimacy
of relationship that our Father stresses throughout both
testaments.
Sue and I don't know Joe Ehrmann's
spiritual bent, but we were intrigued by his comment,
"Masculinity ought to be defined in terms of relationships,
and taught in terms of capacity to
love and be loved."
We’d like to quote Ehrmann’s
five goals for developing men of character and integrity.
(We’ve included applicable Scriptures next to each goal):
“1. Recognize the "three lies
of false masculinity." Athletic ability, sexual conquest,
and economic success are not the best measurements of manhood.
(Matthew 11:29)
2. Allow yourself to love and be loved.
Build and value relationships. (John 15:13)
3. Accept responsibility, lead
courageously and enact justice on behalf of others. Practice
concepts of empathy, inclusion, and integrity. (Isaiah 58:6-23;
Amos 5:24)
4. Learn the importance of serving others.
Base your thoughts and actions on "What can I do for
you?" (Philippians 2:3,4; Matthew 20:26-28)
5. Develop a cause beyond yourself. Try to
leave the world a better place because you were here.”
(Psalm 15)
“If we judged ourselves,
we would not come
under judgment”
(1 Corinthians 11:31)
It’s vital that you examine and
judge your own faith practices. In the next few pages we
compare different aspects of the Hebraic,
relational way of interacting with
God and each other, and Hellenistic,
religious forms. Prayerfully go
through the comparison to discern if you have been told the
whole truth during your faith pilgrimage.
One of the main difficulties in any
discussion about “faith” is to admit that you might
be wrong. To get started, ask yourself:
• In what or whom have you put your
trust?
• Is your faith based on the creed
you were taught? Is it founded on the godliness and piety of
your church authorities?
• Or, is your trust in the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Head of His Church? Is it really? If so, then affirm
that reliance on our Lord in your heart.
If you relate to our Lord with
wholehearted trust as He calls for, then you are indwelled by
His Spirit! Believe the promise of Jesus Himself:
• “If you love me, you will keep my commands; and I will
ask the Father, and he will give you another comforting Counselor like me, the Spirit of Truth, to be with you
forever..The world cannot receive
him, because it neither sees nor knows him. You know him,
because he is staying with you and will be united
with you...But the Counselor, the
Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything;
that is, he will remind you of everything I have said to you (John 14:15-17,26).
God intended for the Spirit to be given to
every person who embraces the true Gospel. Peter’s words
were sweet music to his listeners at Pentecost: “Turn from sin, return to God, and each of
you be immersed on the authority of Jesus the Messiah into
forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit! For the promise is for
you, for your children, and for those far away — as many as ADONAI our God may call!” (Acts 2:38,39).
The apostle John further defines the
distinction between those who have the Spirit of Christ and
those who don’t: “We
are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does
not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and
the spirit of falsehood” (1
John 4:6).
So it comes down to this. Do you really
have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you? How else can you
determine the truths of God if you haven’t the Spirit of
truth? His indwelling presence will guide you into the reality
of relating to our Lord as He wants you to — in truth
that translates into righteous living:
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through
me’” (John 14:6).
“Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so
that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God” (John 3:21).
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32).
As you go through the comparisons below,
take the time to re-affirm in your heart your trust in Jesus.
Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into the truth God wants you
to live by. And be confident in our Lord’s promise to
you. Insert your name as you receive His promise: “If I, _________, lack wisdom, I,
________, should ask God, who gives generously to me,
__________, without finding fault, and it will be given to me,
_________” (James 1:5).
Even asking him to give you wisdom in this matter is
a sign of your trust in Him! And He won’t fail you.
If you are already transitioning from religion to relationship, it’s a move from mind to Spirit. The tentacles of your mind’s systematic rationale and attempts to box God into your intellect must be removed one at a time — and they don’t let go easily! As you grow in reliance on the Holy Spirit and in your commitment to experience His love and to share it with others, your relational connectedness with our Lord and with others will blossom and bear much fruit. Followers Of Jesus Hebraic Restoration Relating to God from your heart is based on understanding the Covenant relationships He establishes with man. His covenants delineate how to relate to Him. (Again, see The Gospel of the Covenant is the Pilgrimage to Salvation, under Hebraic Articles at the website.) Foundational Premise: • Seeks growing intimacy with God (Ephesians 1:17-19) • Lives by the Spirit to glorify God (Philippians 1:9-11; John 15:4-8) • Relies on the prophetic voice of God. Synagogues began in the homes of prophets during the Babylonian captivity. In the prophetic, God speaks through man to define His ways (Amos 3:7). The Hebraic Stream of Judaism was prophetic. For instance, 200 years before the Incarnation they taught “you must be born again.” • Leads by godly example (Luke 6:40; John 13:14; James 3:13). Leaders first role modeled as a way of life the truths they shared. Leaders recognized by servant heart and righteous character (1 Timothy 3:2-7). Trained disciples to be like teacher in character as well as content (Matthew 23:11; Luke 6:40). • Group discussion was key method to confirm truth for life application. (Acts 28:22,24,30,31; 2 Corinthians 13:1). • The individual is highly valued. Discipleship is based on personal familiarity with disciple and permission to guide his life to glorify God (Proverbs 27:23; Romans 12:2,3). ************************************** • The Hebraic leader first lives out what he will share with others. The discussions of a Hebraic teacher with his disciple are conducive to equipping them to walk out their trust in Messiah and obey His commands (Matthew 7:24). Their motivation emanated from personal experience with a heart devotion that encouraged obedient trust in God. ************************************** Hebraic Influence on Christian Maturity Active — Appeals to the affective, demonstrative right side of brain [Please indicate each item that identifies your experience and total them below.] Process Oriented Biblical Application __Doers of the Word Ministry Activity __Small intimate groups __Leader as facilitator __Cooperative, participatory planning __Spiritual gifts shared Fruit __Love, acceptance, forgiveness __Transparency encouraged __Active participation __“How you serve” vital __Each believer trained to serve __Produces mature believers
*************************************** • Righteousness is a vital component for fellowship. Biblical fellowship is based on what is pleasing to God rather than ourselves. Righteousness through loving obedient trust assures your prayers will be answered in God’s timing. Answered prayers produces testimonies that glorify God. (See Chapter 11, The Home Fellowship: Promoting Righteousness, in our book Restoring the Early Church online). • The home is the key arena for spiritual development. Next to your relationship with God, marriage and family hold a priority that no other worldly involvements competes with. (See Chapter 9: Marriage, and Chapter 10: Family, in our book Restoring the Early Church online.) • God is experienced as testimonies to His intervention and response to prayer are frequent. |
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