To
all,
Previous to this letter, I sent a video in on
"Christian Palestinianism", Which I am hoping
will be posted simultaneously with this letter.
The exact opposite of Christian
Palestinianism is also occurring in the
churches, and in fact they feed off of each
other. This is the movement to the extreme of
becoming Judaizers. The mask that it hides
behind goes by the moniker of the "Hebrew roots
movement". Please do not get me wrong here
though, as I am not labeling all "Hebrew Roots"
groups as Judaizers, but rather those who have
taken it to the extreme.
This is a classic action/reaction cycle that
we see in modern politics today. You will have
one group of people rising up in your church
defending the Palestinians, which will be
followed by the reactionary group of Judaizers.
The result is division in the church. This can
occur in the inverse as well. These attacks,
however, will invariably follow one another, in
a way that seems almost to be orchestrated.
Where "Hebrew roots" groups stray from the
"Way" is when learning about the Hebrew roots
goes from understanding the Torah to see how
Christ fulfilled the Law, to Making the Torah
something we must fulfill ourselves. Obviously
this has the makings of legalism, and denies
God's grace.
Though the names of the groups above have
changed, you will see that there is nothing new
here from what the Apostles dealt with in the
early church. Grace as a license to sin, and
those of the circumcision party have always been
around in the churches. In a way we walk a tight
rope between these two extremes, and at times we
will stray towards one, and then towards the
other. Losing our balance, so to speak. The
prize, However, is at the end of the tightrope,
and so long as we walk by faith in Jesus who is
standing at the other end waiting for us, then
we will reach that prize. Just as Peter
walked on water briefly, we must keep our eyes
fixed upon Jesus, or we will fall away.
Even when we lose our balance, and we
yell "Lord save Me", (Repentance) he will reach
out and rescue us from this as he did with
Peter.
16 But I
say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not
gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the
desires of the flesh are against the
Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are
against the flesh, for these are opposed
to each other, to keep you from doing the
things you want to do. 18 But if
you are led by the Spirit, you are not
under the law. 19 Now the
works of the flesh are evident: sexual
immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry,
sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of
anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,
21 envy,
drunkenness, orgies, and things like
these. I warn you, as I warned you before,
that those who do such things will not
inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, 23 gentleness,
self-control; against such things there is
no law. 24 And those
who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified
the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If
we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in
step with the Spirit. 26 Let us
not become conceited, provoking one
another, envying one another.
God
Bless, and may this edify the church.
David
H.