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(Matthew 18:19,20)
Section 2 - Lesson 17
The Loss of Our Hebraic Roots:
Blessing Food To Make It
“Holy”
Displacing Communion As Covenant Renewal
Rise of the Hellenized “Holy
Man”
Construction of the Hellenized “Holy
Place”
Interpersonal Discussion Replaced by Pulpit
Sermons
Worship Becomes A Soulish Experience
The Loss of Our Hebraic Roots
Blessing Food To Make It
“Holy”
“While they were eating, Jesus took
bread, gave thanks and broke it...”
(Matthew 26:26).
Plato’s dualism brought forth a custom that you probably have
followed since your earliest memories: blessing your food at
mealtime (and probably “the hands that prepared
it!”). This practice came about because the physical
substance of food was considered evil; it had to be
spiritualized through prayer to make it good.
It’s fully appropriate to thank God for your
food; in fact, it was commanded of the Israelites (see
Deuteronomy 8:10) to demonstrate their awareness and
appreciation that all good things come from His hand. This is
the Hebraic pattern: to bless God with a
grateful heart. During the Last
Supper, the celebration of the Passover, Jesus followed the
pattern of His ancestors (Matthew 26:26, above).
Many Christians, in error, bless the food they’re
about to eat in an attempt (unconscious or not) to make the
food holy by prayer. Our Hebraic forefathers would never pray
to “make holy” that which God had already created
and declared to be “good”!
Don’t be fooled by the traditions
that have developed because of dualism. If God has made that
which you’re about to eat and has provided it for your
benefit, it must be good already! Hebraic prayer focuses only
on blessing God, the Creator and Provider of all our needs. For
example, “Blessed are you, Lord our
God, King of the universe, who
brings forth bread from the earth
and fruit from the vine.” God
alone is worthy of thanksgiving and praise.
Do you believe that physical matter is
evil? Yes or No? Do you bless the food, or bless God? How might
you change your prayer before meals?
The Loss of Our Hebraic Roots
Displacing Communion
As Covenant Renewal
“And he took bread, gave thanks and
broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body
given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’
In the same way, after the supper he took
the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my
blood, which is poured out for you’” (Luke 22:19,20).
Hellenist dualism has invaded Christ-endom
with a sinister enslavement pertaining to sharing in the
Lord’s body and blood. For
centuries, the primary effect of blessing
physical objects has prevented most
Christians from sharing communion in their homes.
Within the early Hebraic Church, groups of
extended spiritual family gathered in their homes as the
apostles had taught, sharing in communion together. They
gathered the first day of the week especially to celebrate
their union in Christ and their union with one another as His
redeemed by sharing the loaf and the cup.
The impact of Hellenized Gentiles who
became followers of Jesus changed that. Dualism viewed bread
and wine as too “earthly” to be the body and blood
of Jesus. The physical elements had to be spiritualized. A
“holy” man, the priest, had to be present in a
“holy place” in order for the bread and wine to
become spiritually acceptable before God.
During the fourth century, a distinct
priesthood had become entrenched within Christianity. Not only
were these men singled out as “holier” because of
dualism. They were also patterning the obsolete Levitical
priesthood of sacrificial offerings that Jesus had fulfilled!
Thus, the “sacrifice” of the Mass—the
perpetual offering of Jesus at the altar—became embedded
within Roman Catholicism.
The elements of bread and wine were
declared to become the body and blood of Christ through transubstantiation in
order to represent the holiness of God. Only the priests, those
who had separated themselves from the world’s defilement,
could carry out this consecration.
Transubstantiation states that even though
the bread and wine still appear to be a physical substance, they in fact become
the body and blood of Jesus by
means of the priest’s prayer.
Sharing communion was transformed into a
“sacrament” under the control of the priests. To be
“ex-communicated” meant that you were forbidden to
receive the sacrament of communion, and were out of fellowship
with other believers.
Transubstantiation added to the host of
sacramental controls that only the “holy” clergy
could conduct on behalf of the “common”
congregants. The system of clergy control through sacraments
would keep worshipers subjugated for centuries.
In later centuries Lutherans would change
Roman Catholic transubstantiation to consubstantiation, in which
the body and blood of Jesus co-exist with the substance of the bread and wine.
Still later, other Protestants would declare communion to be no
more than a “spiritual commemorance”.
Yet “spiritual commemorance” as
though you were recalling a historical act would deny the
seriousness of obedience to Jesus’s command: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Yes,
indeed! I tell you that unless you
eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves” (John
6:53).
Since Jesus never violated “a jot or tittle” of the Torah, He was not referring to ingesting
human flesh and blood, which would transgress God’s Word
(see Deuteronomy 12:23). When Jesus shared this discourse, His
hearers wanted Him to provide them with endless physical bread
as God had supplied manna to their forefathers in the desert.
But Jesus, the “true
bread from heaven”, was far
more concerned with their spiritual well-being. For their spirit to be alive for
eternity with Him, they’d need a transformation of focus:
absorbing His very life into themselves!
To be alive in
Jesus would call for identification
with His forthcoming death and resurrection as their atoning
sacrifice: “Whoever eats my
flesh and drinks my blood lives in
me, and I live in him” (John
6:56). The promised Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9) would live in
any who were willing to turn from their sin and call upon Him
as their Messiah and Lord.
Jesus dispels the notion of ingesting
Himself by differentiating not only the substance of the
“bread” but also its effect: “So [I am] the bread that has come down from heaven — it is not like the bread the fathers ate; they’re dead,
but whoever eats this bread will live forever!” (John 6:58).
Jesus was referring to an ongoing,
internally-motivated relationship with
Himself that far surpasses the need for daily food. And that
sort of staying power in a life journey with Him would require
far more than a “commemoration” of His last
Passover meal!
Wherever the earliest followers of Jesus
gathered, they remembered the sacrifice and victory of Jesus as
they shared the bread and wine.
They knew they were partaking
of His body and blood
in a very real spiritual sense
because Jesus had said so!
Nothing had to be “made holy”
by a “holy man”.
Just as He had confronted His apostles who
had had difficulty trying to mesh the physical dimension with
the spiritual truth behind it, Jesus confirms our need to grasp
this reality through His Spirit in us: “It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh is no help.
The words I have spoken to you are Spirit
and life” (John 6:63).
You may remember the concept of Hebraic Logic that
we mentioned in Lesson 8. Because of their deep awareness of
God in their lives, these Jewish followers of Jesus
didn’t have to understand the perceived disparity between
the Law and what Jesus spoke. They took Him at His Word!
The apostle Paul admonished the Gentile
followers of Jesus in Corinth about the serious nature of
partaking of the body (which he would have taught them represented the
sacrificial Passover Lamb) and blood (the required ratification of the New Covenant)
of Jesus in a communal gathering:
For whenever you eat this bread and drink
this cup, you proclaim the
Lord’s death until he comes.
Therefore, whoever eats the bread
or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be
guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
A man ought to examine himself before he
eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats
and drinks without recognizing the
body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.
That is why many among you are weak and
sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep [died] (1 Corinthians 11:23-30).
Notice the consequences of failing to examine
your heart and your relationship with those with whom
you’re sharing this proclamation of our Lord’s
sacrifice on our behalf: a judgment that brings about illness
and even death! Communion was
definitely more than just a spiritual
commemorance!
It would never have occurred to these
followers of Jesus that some human intermediary had to make the bread
and wine “holy” in order for it to become
spiritualized. Nor would they have thought they needed a
“holy” place in which to share communion, since the
Lord’s last Passover supper had taken place in a home
setting.
“They
broke bread in their homes and ate
together with glad and sincere hearts” (Acts 2:46) because they were following the pattern of
their risen Lord. They simply believed what Jesus said: “This is MY Body... This is MY
blood.”
A key Hebraic principle about communion has
been lost because the dualist influence never dealt with covenants.
The Hebraic followers of Jesus
recognized that, as they shared
the body and blood of Jesus,
they were renewing their Covenant with the
Father.
The earliest followers of Jesus knew from
the Older Testament that God’s covenants with man need to
be renewed from time to time. Covenant
renewal reaffirms that the
stipulations under which the covenant was initially agreed to
are still viable.
Renewing a covenant was a serious
enactment, for those who broke a covenant could face death (see, for
example, Ezekiel 17:15). That’s why Paul is so forceful
in his warning to the Christians in 1 Corinthians 11:23-30. In
their casual observance of covenant renewal, they were guilty
of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. For some,
that sin was resulting in death.
From God’s perspective, partaking of
communion as covenant renewal is still valid today. Sadly, the
majority of Hellenized Christians are oblivious to the reality
of this truth. Remember, when you receive the body and blood of
Jesus in your spirit, you are renewing
your Covenant with our Father
through the ratification of Jesus’s blood.
The precious covenant
renewal with our Father calls us to
remember that which Jesus has accomplished on our behalf until
He comes back for us. And at that time, Jesus will share with
us the 4th cup of the Passover celebration, the “cup of
consummation”, which He’ll drink with us in His
Kingdom! (See Mark 14:25.)
[Please see our Jesus In Your Home Video, Section 2, Segments 7 & 8: The
Gospel Of The Covenant, or our
Hebraic Article, The Gospel Of The
Covenant Is The Pilgrimage To Salvation, for more on covenant renewal.]
Describe what you have believed receiving communion
to be. Do you need a “special” person to conduct
communion in your midst? Yes or No? If your answer is
“Yes”, describe why.
Describe how you ensure that you (and your
family, if applicable) have no unconfessed sin before you
partake of communion.
Have you ever experienced consequences from
partaking of communion lightly or with known sin in your heart?
In view of what we’ve just shared
about communion, has your understanding changed? Yes or No? If
yes, as you renew your covenant with our Father in Jesus in the
future, how will it be different for you?
The Loss of Our Hebraic Roots
Rise of the Hellenized “Holy
Man”
“But you have this in your favor:
You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate...
Likewise you also have those who hold to
the teaching of the Nicolaitans” (Revelation 2:6,15).
We discussed this topic in an earlier
lesson. This system of clergy dominance—the elevation of
an intermediary between our Lord and His children—is the Nicolaitanism against
which God wars. (See Revelation 2:6,15.)
[For further examination, explore our
Hebraic Article, I Hate
Nicolaitanism; also our book, Pastoring By Elders.]
By relying unquestioningly on the writings
of the Hellenized “Church Fathers” and on centuries
of revisionist writings through Church Councils, today’s
Christian colleges and seminaries are gripped by a malignant
Greek influence. They’ve failed to apperceive the Hebraic
foundations upon which the Newer Testament was founded, and
have given way to a major flaw, professional clergy.
Plato’s dualism penetrates
the seminarian pursuit of a
“spiritual calling” as a
clergyman.
According to the Random House Diction-ary,
“clergy” is defined as a group or body of ordained
persons in a religion, as distinguished
from the laity. Note that this word
is never found in Scripture!
If you recall, because of Plato’s
influence the Hellenist culture viewed manual labor as
degrading. Individuals were encouraged to seek the higher life
of spiritual pursuit. As a result a clergy class modeled after the Greek pagan priesthood developed throughout Christen-dom. Yet,
it’s important to recognize that the clergy role and
responsibilities were derived from pagan
priests.
Tragically, the pattern of true biblical
elder who served a shepherding role of zaken (zah-KEN) in the
earliest Church was forsaken. The older, wiser men who had
represented the Father’s care for His children and were
known in their faith community as men of God passed from
influence. They were replaced by young, educated and
inexperienced men. Dualist thought viewed these younger men as
less tainted by the world because they were on a higher
spiritual level.
The dualist influence continues today.
Hellenized seminaries infer or even teach that those who
choose to engage in full-time ministry as an occupation
spiritually transcend those in secular vocations because of
their “higher call”.
Our Hebraic ancestors recognized the worth
of a manual trade. They recalled that before the Fall, Adam and
Eve had been given work in the Garden to care for it (see Genesis
2:15). Even rabbis were expected to participate in a trade:
Jesus was a carpenter; Paul, Aquila and Priscilla were
tentmakers; noted Jewish teachers Hillel and Shammai were
woodcutter and carpenter, respectively.
Anchor this truth so that you won’t give
in to feeling that you’re a “second class
citizen” in God’s Kingdom:
Setting aside an individual for some
“higher spiritual call” is a direct result of
Hellenism within the Church.
The pastors of the earliest Church, who
were the biblical elders esteemed for their maturity and
wisdom, had jobs. Those who were beyond physical ability to
work were supported by their families.
Did you know that the root word for
“work” and “worship” is the same in
Hebrew: avodah? When you put into practice Paul’s direction to “strive
eagerly to lead a quiet life, to
mind your own business and to work
with your hands” (1 Thessalonians 4:11), you’re worshiping
God in your gratefulness to be able to sustain yourself and to
bless your family.
Physical labor is no disgrace! Heed the
Hebraic encouragement of A.W. Tozer in his classic, The Pursuit of God:
It is not what a man does that determines
whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it. The motive
is everything. Let a man sanctify
the Lord God in his heart and he can thereafter do no common
act. All he does is good and
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For such a man, living
itself will be sacramental and the whole world a sanctuary. His entire life will be a priestly ministration.1
Are you in a faith community in which
clergy exist? Yes or No? If yes, describe the biblical
foundations for the existence of clergy.
If you’re in a faith community with
clergy, do you expect them to live a holier life than you
do? Yes or No? How does your view affect your own
responsibilities for personal holiness?
How are you able to serve God in your
occupation (even motherhood) in such a way that you are
worshiping God?
The Loss of Our Hebraic Roots
Construction of the
Hellenized “Holy Place”
“The God who made the world and
everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not
live in temples built by hands” (Acts 17:24)
“Don’t you know that you
yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit
lives in you?” (1
Corinthians 3:16).
The majority of Christians today take for
granted that their Sunday worship should take place in a
“holy building” set aside for that purpose. But
erecting a special “temple” in which to encounter
God with others has more to do with Plato than with Jesus. As
well, “holy”
buildings are a throwback to the Covenant of Moses and the
Levitical priesthood.
You may recall that in Lesson 4 we
discussed how Jesus, as the Initiator and Fulfillment of the
New Covenant, became a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. This
new, everlasting Priest doesn’t serve in a temple made by
man. Rather, His temple is every Spirit-indwelled person who
has trusted in Jesus according to the stipulations founded in
the Older Testament (see John 7:38,39).
Plato’s influence that sharply
separated the physical and spiritual realms is seen in the
design of “church buildings”. Steeples, stained
glass and high vaulted ceilings direct man’s attention
upward. Here in this hushed place he can focus on leaving
earthly reality behind, and strive to obtain a soulish union
with a distant God “somewhere up there”.
The design of “holy buildings”
appeals to man’s soul, that is, his mind, will, and
emotions. He can revel in the atmosphere of beauty and serenity
with a feeling of divine awe and inspiration. Yet, unless he is
walking in obedient trust through the indwelling Spirit
communing with his spirit, his worship won’t penetrate
those vaulted ceilings.
The early Hebraic followers of Jesus
understood that the one true God could be known and experienced. They
didn’t have to hunt for him on some supposedly higher
spiritual plain. God had revealed Himself through that which He
had made:
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine
nature—have been clearly seen, being understood
from what has been made, so that
men are without excuse” (Romans
1:20).
More profoundly important to us today, our Father also revealed Himself through His Son, Jesus.
Fully man as well as fully God, Jesus is in union with His
Father: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). And the Father and Jesus continue
to reveal themselves through the Holy Spirit Who abides in
union within the human temple of each one who embraces the true Gospel.
Keep this in mind the next time someone
asks you, “Where do you go to church?” If you are a
Spirit-indwelled follower of Jesus, YOU are His temple, and
those with whom you gather—even two or three!—are
His called-out ones, His Church!
Does a building with a steeple and stained
glass have an emotional effect on you? Yes or No? If yes, how
do you change when you’re inside the building?
How do you regard yourself as a
“temple” of the Holy Spirit? Has this biblical
reality caused you to change in any way in your spiritual
journey?
The Loss of Our Hebraic Roots
Interpersonal Discussion
Replaced by Pulpit Sermons
“For I resolved to know nothing
while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I
came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.
My message and my preaching were not with
wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the
Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on
men’s wisdom,
but on God’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:2-5).
When Greek oratorical skills replaced
Hebraic role modeling and interpersonal discussion, the Church
suffered the loss of God’s approach to life’s
difficulties: discussion that leads to practical application of
biblical truth. Through the influence of John
Chrysostom, a fourth century
theologian from Antioch, oratory (and anti-Semitism, as we
mentioned earlier) rose to new heights.
The perceived “holy man” was
able to separate himself from the “laity” by teaching at them from
behind a pulpit. The lecture-type sermon lacked discussion.
Without the interaction that comes from questions and
responses, Bible truth became theoretical and conceptual.
For centuries, Greek rhetoric, the structure and
style of what is taught, has been the main teaching pattern in
the Christendom. Today, modern seminary homiletics,
hermeneutics, oratory—all the related fields that
today’s pulpits so depend on—find their origins not
in the first century Church but in the Hellenist teaching
tradition.
Note: At the
retreat center we frequently asked people what the previous
Sunday’s sermon was about. Almost no one could remember.
The Hellenized sermon was conceptual but not practical,
taught academically with perhaps humorous stories, but
not from personal experience.
We’re familiar with the Hellenist
approach to seminary education because we ourselves attended
one! At our seminary, a poster in the hallway showed a man with
a funnel going into his head. All the religious courses taught
at the seminary were being dumped in for cognitive recognition.
Most seminaries also teach future clergy
that the ideal sermon contains an introduction, three memorable
points, and a conclusion. Does this sound familiar—the
three point sermon? If so, ask yourself: “How much of
what I hear, sermon after sermon, do I retain?” And more
importantly, “How much of this type of teaching have I
been able to apply to my life in such a way that I am more conformed to the
character of Christ?”
How very opposite from the interactive
Hebraic style of practical application and the informal manner
in which Jesus taught His disciples! And how often we see Paul
teaching people in their homes, discussing truths and applying
them in such a way that they can be shared with others (see
Acts 20:20, for example).
The teachers of the Hebraic stream taught
from personal experience, that is, as an outflow of their way
of life. The Book of Hebrews affirms that how an individual
chooses to live is what qualifies him to teach: “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word
of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate
their faith” (Hebrews 13:7).
You may also remember from Lesson 2,
Preface, that discussion is the
Hebraic methodology of pursuing truth and applying it. In fact, the rabbis
of the Hebraic Stream taught that whenever two or three
discussed God’s Word, the Holy Spirit was with them to
give both understanding and application.
Jesus commends the connection of mutual
discussion and agreement by promising His presence when this
takes place: “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” (Matthew 18:19,20).
The presence of Jesus as you pursue truth
through discussion stirs you to put your intentions into
practice! Studies show that you can retain only 20% of what you
hear, but 70% of what you discuss and 90% of what you demonstrate.
That which you discuss is likelier to lead
you to follow through with action
than are empty words
that fall to the ground forgotten.
The Loss of Our Hebraic Roots
Worship Becomes A Soulish Experience
“Yet a time is coming and has now
come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit
and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father
seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit
and in truth” (John 4:23,24).
As we’ve shared previously, most
people have no idea that steeples, stained glass and other
architectural features that are identified with
“church” emanate from Hellenism. The difference
between your own “earthly” dwelling and the
glorious “house of God” again exalts the spiritual
realm and denigrates the physical reality that God Himself
formed.
Coming away to a special building helps you feel good about your religious experience. In fact, everything
about the Hellenist influence on Christianity flows outward
from man’s perspective, since man is deemed the center of all things.
Your soul, your mind, will and emotions, are catered to so that
the cares of your daily life can be shelved and forgotten for
an hour on Sunday.
Sadly, the Satanic trap of this deceit is
that few sitting in pews ever wonder if God is pleased by the
forms and expressions that are offered.
Over the centuries a subtle element of
demonic Hellenism has sought to elevate mankind above their
“earthly prison” through various forms of praise
and worship. Certain forms of chant, hymns and musical
instruments that are pleasing to the people of the period have
become hallowed as the only approved way to worship among
particular faith communities. The soulish appeal of these
styles has made them acceptable.
In recent decades a lively and expressive
form of worship has proliferated in many Christian communities.
This style of music has been derived from what has proved
successful and appealing to secular audiences. This practice of
using worldly means to worship a holy God is syncretistic, incorporating
that which has no foundation in God’s Word. Since its
biblical validity is never questioned, secular intrusion has
been readily accepted in worship services, regardless of
whether God accepts it.
The dramatic beat and frequently sensual
presentation are designed to induce a soulish high. Using music
to conjure a particular mood for worship is manipulative, and
unacceptable to a holy God—especially when the
individuals leading worship are seductive in their attire and
vocal style.
Note: We
were gathered in a corporate time of worship when one of the
elders stepped forward and asked the worship team to stop. With
anguished heart he shared that the Spirit had made clear to him
that unconfessed sin was rampant in our midst. A holy fear fell
on us all as we dropped to our knees as a body and cried out in
repentance.
Forty minutes later a cleansed and joyful
congregation joined together to proclaim the praise of the One
Who had revealed the darkness that had been entertained, and
called us back to His wonderful light!
Just because some form of
“spiritual” expression makes you feel good
doesn’t make it pleasing to our Father. Remember, Eve
yielded to what appealed to her flesh but defied the command of
God: “When the woman saw that
the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the
eye, and desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate
it” (Genesis 3:6).
Closely connected to syncretism in worship
is a disregard for the importance of personal holiness when you
approach God. Peter apperceives Psalm 34:16 when he warns, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and
his ears are attentive to their
prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1
Peter 3:12). What makes anyone think that our holy God, who
refuses to respond to the prayers of wicked people, will accept
their worship?
If you think you can “worship”
our Lord while harboring unconfessed sin and iniquity,
you’re ignoring vast portions of biblical truth. Nor can
you rely on some soulish experience as proof that you’re
in God’s presence. Only holiness opens your spirit to worship Him in Spirit
and in truth.
Our Father calls for each person to examine his
or her own heart so that hidden sin of any sort can be
confessed and turned away from, and fellowship restored. The
Lord chastised the people of His day: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far
from me. They worship me in vain” (Matthew 15:
8,9). Does He have a different standard for His people today?
Not at all!!!
The requirement God established in the
Hebrew Scriptures as an example for us today still applies:
“Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? He who has clean hands
and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:3,4). Apperceiving your scriptural
mandate for approaching God means that you’ll put aside
trying to conjure up a soulish mood for worship. If you want to
experience the power of God in your worship, come before Him
with a clean heart!
Followers of Jesus walk in a legacy of
worshipful service to our God that began with our Hebraic
forefathers. Ponder the significance of each designation of His
called-out ones from God’s perspective to get a clear understanding of
why He’s seeking true worshipers:
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging
to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of
darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).
Let’s each agree with Ephesians 4:24
to “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
What does worship mean to you? Describe
what you believe is acceptable to God in terms of your heart
condition.
Have you participated in corporate worship
when you sensed there was large-scale unconfessed sin that was
tainting the gathering? Yes or No? If yes, what did you do?
Describe an instance when you were present
with others to worship and you sensed “conjuring of
mood” going on.
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