Category: Theology

In the 1980s it seemed that I was growing in understanding the Bible in new and more accurate ways.  One of those understandings had to do with the Bible’s teaching on the Last Days or Eschatology.  When I finished Wheaton College, I was a skeptic about such teaching and much else.  Then my spiritual father of dear memory, Dr. Chaplain Evan Welsh, at Wheaton in 1970 gave me a book on the Gospel of the Kingdom that began to clarify the Bible for me.   It was based on the idea that Matthew, Mark, and Luke present us with a unified understanding of the Kingdom of God.  The coming of Yeshua into the World meant that the Kingdom of God had come, but in an unexpected way, an “already not yet way.”  The Age to Come had broken into this World in the ministry of Yeshua, in the miracle manifestations of his life and teaching and that of his disciples, and then even more with the outpouring of the Spirit at Shavuot or Pentecost.  The Kingdom was where God’s rule was made visible.  Now we are in between the ages period.  The Gospel is now the invitation to enter the Kingdom as it is a presently constituted and to live in and from it in the power of God and through the death and resurrection of Yeshua and the outpoured Spirit, and to be part of Kingdom communities of the Spirit that manifest this Kingdom.  However, at the and of the Age, Yeshua will return and His Kingdom will come and be established on earth.  This is the fullness of the Kingdom.  Therefore, when we speak of the Last Days today, we should distinguish between the Last Days that began in the first century and the last of the last days that will come just before the Second Coming of Yeshua.  This is an amazing key to understanding the New Testament. 

However, in the 1980s we came to new understandings of much more.   This included the teaching of what I call today the five pillars, the things God will accomplish before the return of Yeshua.  This includes bringing his people including his leadership into unity (John 17:21), the world revival that will fulfill the not yet part of the Spirit being poured out (Acts 2, Joel 2:28-30) the completion of the witness of the Gospel of the Kingdom in every ethnic group (Matt. 23:14, 15), the effective witness to the Jewish people making them jealous for Yeshua (Romans 11:14,15), and the leadership of the last days people of God that will be zealous for the previous four.   

There are also details about the last days, the lineup of the nation, Israel being a back in the Land as a key to making Israel jealous, the coming of the antichrist, and so much more described in the Bible.  Putting all this together is a bit dicey, but we think we have a very good presentation. 

Our book Israel, the Church and the Last Days, was the product of a course I jointly taught with Asher Intrater in our school, Messiah Biblical Institute in the late 1980s.  Both of us wanted to teach the course on the last days.  We did not know the other’s views.  When we compared notes we saw that we had the same basic understanding.   Therefore, we team-taught it and wrote the different chapters in the book.  The book has been revised.  The well-known leader, Dr. Jack Hayford, said it is one of the best presentations he had seen.  It is not a difficult book to understand.  You are getting a very brief summary here.  I would encourage you to avail yourself of the opportunity to read this book.

The Book of Revelation provides us with some of the most controversial debates on the interpretation of the Bible.  Yet we are told that we are blessed if we read the book and it is so important that there are great penalties for adding or subtracting from the book.  Certainly, the people to whom it was first sent must have been able to have a basic understanding of it.  Some years ago, Merrill Tenney, the dean of Wheaton Graduate School, wrote his very helpful Interpreting Revelation.  You had to read very carefully to know which view he held as he well presented the four basic views of the book, Symbolic, Historicist, Preterist, and Futurist.  The first says it is a manual of spiritual warfare for believers in every generation and should not be about literal references either to historical or future events, though the conditions at the time of writing could be understood to some degree.  Then there was the historicist that thought the book spanned the course of history from the first century until the second coming.  The third states that it was all past and its prophecy complete at the end of the first century.  Popularizers today say, “The Tribulation is past.”  Wow! I am sure glad that that is over!  But seriously, I don’t think that this view is credible.  The final one is the futurist interpretation that the book is mostly about the end-time events just before the return of Yeshua.  The great Dr.Richard Longenecker taught this view to our class when I was in graduate school and most Evangelicals in the 20^th century held this view.  After much study, I came to believe a combination of the symbolic view and the futurist view.  The symbols are such that the book is meant to strengthen all of Yeshua’s followers who are going through times of great trial and persecution.  They could be the last generation before his return.  They are to see themselves in the pages of this book.  However, I also came to believe that the last generation before Yeshua returns will find this book fitting their situation more than any other.  They will experience the progression of the events symbolized in this book.

Then some years ago, during a prayer time, I believe I was given an interpretive key.  It was that the book of Revelation followed the pattern of Passover-Exodus in the book of Exodus.  This included a seven-point outline of the progression of the book.  Since that time, more scholars have looked at the symbolism of Passover and Exodus as the primary symbols for interpretation with other Feasts also referenced.  The parallels are amazing, the Anti-Christ and Pharaoh, the false prophet-magicians of Pharaoh and the true prophets, Moses and Aaron, and the prophets in Revelation 11 and the false prophet in Rev. 13.  The progression of the plagues are parallel to the plagues in Egypt but now of greater intensity and worldwide in scope.  There is so much more including the ultimate deliverance of God’s people at the return of the Lord just as Israel was rescued at the Red Sea.  Those who have read this book have said that it was enormously helpful.   The book has received very positive responses.  So do read the book of Revelation and do not be put off by the symbolism.  I explain many of the symbols to enable you to better understand this book.

Some of my followers know that from the age of 19-22 ½ for 3 ½ years, I want through a very difficult time of skepticism.  I sometimes called myself an agnostic, but was an agnostic looking for a positive faith, a place to stand, that would give meaning.  The childhood faith from 12 ½ to 19 years when I was in my first semester as a Sophomore in College, just seemed to fall apart.  Those were wonderful years for me, but now I would pursue the study of philosophy and religion on a serious level, ending up as an assistant in the department in Philosophy of Religion at Wheaton College in Illinois.  When I graduated, I had made progress. It seemed to me at the time that Christianity (this was pre-Messianic Judaism) was the best option among religions. It had the most evidence to its credit.  Yet, I was not convinced it was enough.  Maybe there still was no true faith. I was reading so many books and looking to see if there were credible miracles to prove the supernatural realm.  I did eventually find some.  I continued my studies for two years in graduate school emphasizing the philosophy of religion and theological studies.  Finally in the Spring of my first year, 1970, I was sufficiently convinced that I recommitted my life to Yeshua.  All of that study and searching amazingly led to credibility with the professors such that in the fall of 1971 I was appointed a visiting professor in apologetics (the evidence for our faith) and philosophy at Trinity College (today Trinity University).  For three years I taught the upper-class students. 

I continued to teach over the years and from time to time was called to teach this course as a visiting professor and have done so in recent years.  Finally, I put my teaching into a book, The Biblical World View, An Apologetic.  The book is unique.  It is not the longest apologetics book, but it has a unique comprehensiveness.  The book puts together and integrates the subjects in ways that I have not seen in any other book.  For example, the book covers the basics of how to know something is true and how to weigh evidence for making a truth decision. It integrates the relationship between spiritual experience and rational reflection on the evidence.   The book also deals with culture and how cultural directions from alternative world views show an inability to bring fulfillment and happiness or how they fail and why.  We deal with the basic evidence for the existence of God, including the evidence of design that is now so clear in the cosmos as a whole, and also with the microcosm, especially biological cell life that shows with great certainty the wisdom of the creator.  Cell life cannot be in any way explained by chance evolution. Contemporary authors are quoted to bolster the case.

We then present an answer to the problem of evil.  Is God all-powerful and good?  We put this issue in the framework of creation, fall, and redemption as the ultimate explanatory terms for our faith.  Then we present the historical evidence of our faith from the Bible, fulfilled prophecy in Yeshua, and wonderfully the historic evidence for the life, death and resurrection of Yeshua. We include the evidence of the outpouring of the Spirit in Acts 2 and the book of Acts as the only explanation of the expansion of the faith in the first century.

Then we present the evidence from faith experience today; the power of Gospel transformation in the lives of people.  We also present contemporary miracles that happen in the name of Yeshua where there is no possible natural explanation.  We give wonderful examples.  Then finally we give the case for the trustworthiness of the Bible as the foundation for our faith. 

I am sure that if a person spends the time to go through this book, they will be much more grounded in faith and will be more able to interact with the many questions that arise.  I encourage you to acquire this book.  This book fits the issue of know why you believe. My other books are to help you know what to believe.

Some of my readers are familiar with the Barna Group founded by George Barna and the important work they do by surveys that tell us where the Church and its members are.  One of those areas of the survey is on basic discipleship, including knowledge of basic doctrine.  My readers can do an internet search of Barna and easily find the progression of studies from year to year.  My Anglican friend form Graduate School days from 49 years ago, David Virtue (who publishes Virtue online) sent a summary of an update.  As usual, it was sad and alarming.  Even such basic knowledge as salvation by grace versus works was unclear among the Evangelicals surveyed. A majority said that one could be saved by being a good person!

It raised some questions.  I am puzzled. Where did the pastors go to Bible school or seminary if they did?   Did they not think it important to emphasize basic truths so that everyone would know the truth and would at least be able to answer the basic questions of our beliefs.  When I was 12/ ½ I started attending an evangelical Reformed Church congregation.  I was not there for a month before I learned that salvation was only by grace through faith.  I prayed to receive Yeshua by faith, April 1960.   One of the first verses we had to memorize in Sunday school was Titus 3:5, 6, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us.”  Eph. 2:8,9 were next, “By grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves.  It is not by works lest any man should boast.”  Forgive the King James.   Of course, there was John 3:16.  When I was 15, I attended catechism classes every Saturday morning for a few months.  We memorized the answers to questions about our faith which established basic doctrine in our hearts.   I also recalled outreaches some 30 years ago.  There was a two question test.  “Why when you die should God let you into his heaven?”   Of course, it was on the basis of grace and the atonement for our sins by the death of Yeshua.  There was the basic presentation of the Gospel in the Four Spiritual Laws, which I would correct by a more Kingdom emphasis.  However, the basics were there.  I wrote Growing to Maturity to disciple in basic knowledge and growth.  Then knowing that catechism was very helpful I wrote the Growing to Maturity Primer as a catechism in a Messianic Jewish contest. 

What happened?  Barna is not even talking about deep discipleship but that people in Evangelical Churches are not clear on the Gospel itself and salvation by grace through faith. What do pastors in such churches teach?   Friends, help me out here?  How can congregations really grow if the people do not understand the Gospel?

Yeshua commanded the disciples to go and make disciples of all the nations, immersing them and teaching them to observe all that He commanded them.  The goal of discipleship is to “be conformed to the image of His Son,” (Romans 8:29).  This is God’s destiny for all who are in Yeshua.  When a person enters the Kingdom through the preaching of the Gospel, they enter a whole new realm of resources to enable them to grow.  Salvation by faith, when unpacked in meaning, includes pledging our allegiance to Yeshua.  We then have the gift of being immersed in the Spirit, have his living presence, and the gift of the Word of God by which we can grow in understanding.  The Word actually has real power to change us through the Spirit. 

As a young pastor, I was troubled by the number of people in my congregation who just seemed so far from biblical responses to others, their spouses, to their children, to fellow members in the congregation (48 years ago).   Since that time, I have seen such a plague of divorce among those who profess faith in Yeshua.  I came to believe and still believe that the primary issue is the failure to disciple and to become disciples.   I often assert one axiomatic affirmation, that two people who are conformed to the image of Yeshua will have His love for each other and divorce becomes impossible.   

So, how does discipleship take place?  I came to understand 45 years ago that preaching is not the key to discipleship.  Spirit-inspired preaching can bring people to repentance and to a commitment to discipleship, but usually, discipleship is a matter of mentoring by a person who has grown to a significant level of spiritual maturity.  Since that time studies have overwhelmingly confirmed my conclusion.  The key is to establish structures of small groups with mentor-leaders who can disciple and then those who are discipled can disciple others.  Discipleship includes establishing a solid devotional life first of all, then learning how to know the presence and leading of the Spirit.   The Word will also show sin that requires repentance. There is deliverance ministry, how to build faith, corporate worship, and commitment to life in the Body.  The most effective disciple-makers  I have ever known finds himself discipling pastors who have never really been discipled. 

Why are we not obeying what Yeshua commanded and understood that discipleship is one who has learned to obey all that he commanded?  It is because it is much easier to give a weekly message and depend on that.  Secondly, when leaders embrace the call to disciple, they will sometimes find people who are unwilling to deal with some serious sin patterns in their lives.  There is a protective wall of self-defense.   This calls us to emphasize prayer and the conviction of the Spirit to bring a person to the humility to address the areas of life that are resistant to the ways of Yeshua.

When I began to see the centrality of discipleship, I first created seven lessons on discipleship that I first used with a couple I led to the Lord and another who came to us as new believers.  These seven lessons eventually were expanded into the book Growing to Maturity, which was published by the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations in 1982.  It has been through several editions and its latest edition now is published by Lederer/Messianic Jewish publishers.  It is also in Russian, Spanish, and Hebrew.  It has been the most used book for discipleship in the Messianic Jewish world.  It is also a foundational doctrinal manual.   I have been amazed to find so many still use this book and write to say how helpful it is.  It is strange that there are not many other examples of such books.  This book presents its theology from the original Jewish context of the Bible and does give the foundations for understanding the Bible.   If you do not have a copy of this book, do obtain a copy. 

Decades ago Derek Prince, the great Bible teacher, and leader told of his conversation with a friend after Israel became a nation.  The friend states that the issue of Antisemitism was a sociological issue, that Jews were persecuted in the nations because they were different. Having their own nation would solve the problem, he asserted.  Derek Prince responded that if the problem of Antisemitism is primarily a sociological problem he would be right, but if it is primarily a spiritual problem, then the establishment of the State of Israel would eventually produce the worst Antisemitism that the world had ever seen.  Why would he claim this?  It was due to his theology, a theology that I share.  Basically, God’s faithfulness to the Jewish people, their preservation, and their return to their Land is a necessary condition for the triumph of Yeshua and his rule of the whole world.  The confession of Yeshua by Israel through its leadership in Jerusalem leads to the Second Coming, the defeat of the Devil and the Antichrist, and the ultimate rule of Yeshua over all nations.  (Romans 11:15, 25-29, Roman Catholic Catechism Paragraph 674).  Yes, the Roman Catholic Catechism affirms these texts and their implications.  Therefore, if Satan can thwart the plan of God through destroying the Jewish people or their significant presence in their ancient Land, he wins.  This is the only explanation that really makes sense of the situation that a small population out billions is a world focus in current events and a focus of hatred for so many. 

Recently, research surveys have shown a great increase in Antisemitism.  It Is not only the growth of the white supremacist and far-right nationalists.  Their Antisemitism is familiar and maintains the same terrible lies that were present from the 19th century and early 20th century leading up to Hitler.  That the Jews are an inferior race, inherently evil, control the world banking system, plot to control the world, and the source of all evil ideologies.  (Yes, some Jews were key communist leaders but many other ethnic groups produced communist leaders.  These ideas were also rooted in America, as exemplified by Henry Ford, and only became unacceptable after the terrible war against Hitler.  But now these ideas return.  They also include anti-black ideas and a general disdain of all non-white groups. 

The second influence is from the Islamic World.  Muslims have immigrated to the Western nations and those not promoting a reformed and moderate Islam are carrying their deeply held anti-Semitic views with them.  Thomas Bostom destroys the thesis that life was good and more tolerant for Jews in the Muslim controlled governments in the past.  His book Islamic Anti-Semitism is the most important and comprehensive source.  The number of Jews slaughtered under Islam is greater than in non-Islamic countries and only the Holocaust changed these statistics.  His new introduction makes this very clear. 

However, the characteristic of the present time is new forms of anti-Semitism not before seen in history.  There is the new black anti-Semitism.  It is influenced by the intersectionality views of the leftists who state that the Palestinians are oppressed like the blacks oppressed by whites, from slavery onward.  Jews are connected to whites and not accepted as a minority group.  It is even claimed that Jews were a key part of the slave trade.  Pop artist Jason Wiley writes on Twitter that Jews are “snakes, cowards, at war with black people, responsible for the slave trade and deserve to be shot.” The slave trade claim is not true but propaganda from Islamic sources. Actually, the Arabs were a key part and very few Jews were involved. Muslims owned many black slaves. This lie has led beyond anti-Israel rhetoric to anti-Semitism.  One of the new features is the black celebrity anti-Semites.  Rapper Ice Cube raps, “Get rid of that devil.  Real simple. Put a bullet in his Temple. Cause you don’t’ want to be a n**** for life crew with a white Jew telling you what to do.”  Ice Cube has supported the very anti-Semitic Nation of Islam’s Louis Farrakhan.  With Farrakhan, the prejudice connects to Islamic sources.  Influential rapper Jay Electronica wrote that “Jews are imposters and black people are the “true children of Abraham.”  Theories that the Jews are not really connected to ancient Israel abound.  If this were true, God’s promises would be null and void.  But this replacement of Jews by blacks is growing, including the black Hebrews, etc.   He writes’ And I bet you a Rothschild, I get a bang for my dollar/ the Synagogue of Satan wants me to hang by my collar.”  Yet this album includes many biblical references.   For Hitler, of course, the blacks were also to be eliminated. It is interesting that Twitter censors conservatives and fact checks but does little about this anti-Semitism. Wiley referenced above was given a week suspension, but Twitter banned a feminist writer for life for referring to a trans-woman as “him.”  Jewish leaders are protesting loudly and promoting a boycott.  There are also top black sports figures that are saying such things.  There are many other examples in a column by Shmuley Boteach in last Friday’s Jerusalem Post. It is such a shame since there was a great black/Jewish alliance for civil rights. 

Former Ambassador Zalman Shoval notes a new kind of bigotry among progressives, a very different source than the old white supremacy.  Bari Weiss, who recently left the New York Times, has suffered snide remarks from some of the staff for “writing a lot about Jews.” She wrote about anti-Semitism.  The latest report of the American Anti-Defamation League notes that the wave of anti-Semitism sweeping through America in 2019 was the worst it has been in the last 40 years. Some on the radical left are claiming that the Jews control the world’s money just as was claimed by white supremacists.  Today, Knesset member David Bitten warned that the Coronavirus has spurned a new wave of Christian and Muslim anti-Semitism, and that the Knesset must urgently put together a committee to fight anti-Semitism. Bitan cited a study done at Oxford University, which said that 19.1% of the public in the United Kingdom believe Jews caused the outbreak of the virus.  Again I note, this is the United Kingdom!! The idea of the Jewish cause of the virus is spreading, despite the overwhelming evidence of Chinese origin.  

One thing for sure, with the internet, evil heartedness, gullibility, and a lack of grounding in the Bible’s teaching on God’s love for the Jewish people, the devil is able to inspire every kind of stupid idea, and then the idea gains traction.  Those who are polar opposites on political issues and their vision for society, white supremacists and leftist radicals, can agree on anti-Semitism.  I am not claiming that all radical leftists are anti-Semites, but with intersectionality and other canards, there are a growing number of anti-Semites on the left and many claim that it is more dangerous than the right, especially with their acceptance of Islamic propaganda.  Who has more political power in the United States right now? White supremacists or radical leftists?  You decide. 

So, Derek Prince was certainly correct. The problem is spiritual and cannot be fought without the spiritual taking the primary place in the fight.  It is for the Church to pray its heart out, stand with Israel and the Jewish people and to counter every argument that is raised against the teaching of the Bible. (To paraphrase Paul’s words).  This is the taking down of strongholds.  There will be a final battle of good and evil and Israel will be in the middle of this battle, but those on the right side of the battle must raise their banner high. 

 

 

 

I have been recently involved with leaders from around the world to produce a statement on integrity for five-fold and charismatic ministry leaders.  It is gaining great traction.  We have great hope, but it raises a large question for me.  Why does it seem that charismatic leaders are so lacking in integrity, including prophetic statements that do not come true with no repentance, financial mismanagement, supporting power ministers who are not sufficiently vetted, and then fall into sin, bizarre practices and amazingly weak approaches to interpreting the Bible?  What goes on under the name of spiritual warfare sometimes seems more like wishful thinking and magic than biblical faith. 

I first want to say is that I don’t think it is true that most charismatics, and I include Pentecostals, lack integrity.  We get this impression due to some people who have large platforms, either a large church from which they become famous, or have a large traveling ministry and platform with today’s great media presence.  Many pastors of large churches are not well known nationally or internationally.  However, I know many leaders in church streams and denominations with great integrity and who have built very good structures for integrity. When such people show a lack of integrity, we get the impression that they are the charismatic world.  Here are some reasons as to why this integrity gap takes place.  

1. The rejection of denominational structures often came without a commitment to learn from the integrity standards and processes of the denominations.  There was disrespect or dishonoring.  This is one reason why Pentecostal leaders tend to do better than their fellow charismatic leaders, but again, I can name many such leaders of very good streams. 
2. There is a lack of leadership discipleship into the best practices for integrity.  This includes being very clear on maintaining biblical standards for leadership as in I Tim. 3 and Titus 1. 
3. There is a lack of education in biblical hermeneutics (interpretation) and how the whole Bible is our authority and is to be applied.  There is an amazing level of interpretive error on the issue of the authority of the Hebrew Bible.  Preachers and teachers speak of Jesus as their key to understanding, and then from this understanding, the parts of the Bible that do not fit are canceled out.   Of course, this is not really Jesus but their idea of a very indulgent Jesus.  The second issue is that leaders are not trained on how to build doctrine on a contextual interpretation that gives authority to the whole Bible.  Craig Keener’s book Spirit Hermeneutics could be a great answer.  Keener shows how the Holy Spirit can speak all kinds of things from biblical texts, but that the meaning of the text is contextual meaning and we can only build doctrine on that basis. 
4. One of the biggest issues is the desire of charismatics to see the power of God. Many will say that the fruit of the Spirit is more important than the gifts, and that character is more important than power.  However, the desire for revival and power is so great that when a minister who shows something of the power falls morally or ethically, there is an unwillingness to deal with it due to a fear of undercutting the power of God.  I think this was a big part of the Todd Bentley phenomena.  Yet, deal with it we must, or great ruin will follow.  We need to remember that the great revivals were revivals of holiness, characterized by deep repentance form sin.  Power and holiness must come together for deep revival. Let us not be take away from integrity due to miracles or suspend our judgment.  The miracle may be due to the faith receptivity of the recipient and the mercy of God and not the power minister who is in sin. Discipline must never suspened due to manifestations of power.  My book Due Process, A Plea for Biblical Justice Among God’s People, deals with these issues. 

 

Psalm 72 is attributed to David and is written for Solomon.  The Psalm is called an Enthronement Psalm, one that would be recited at the enthronement of the King according to some scholars.   In Christian interpretation, the Psalm is all about Jesus.  In classical Judaism, it is ultimately about the Messiah.   There are things in the Psalm that cannot be true of a mere human King no matter how great.  At least we can say that some of the hopes have never been fulfilled by any King of Israel no matter how great, not even David and Solomon.    It can be hyperbole, but of the Messiah, it is literally true. There are some things in the Psalm that do not fit the Divine Messiah King.  

Here are things that cannot be true of mere human King or at least have not nearly been fulfilled by any King of Israel no matter how great, even David and Solomon.  

Let them fear You while the sun endures and while the moon lasts, throughout all generations. (v. 5) 

Let Shalom abound till the moon is no more.” (v. 7)

May he have dominion from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. (v. 8)

Let all kings bow down before him and all nations serve him. (v.10)

On the other hand, it does not say he will be everlasting in the following verse. 

Long may he live. (v. 15) 

Also, “Give to the king Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the King’s son.” This is showing his human dependence on God.  

Solomon foreshadows the Messiah, and this Psalm as others (Ps. 2, 22, 45, 69) take us beyond the reality of the Israelite human King directs our hope to an everlasting Divine King.  The hyperbole points us to Yeshua.  

However, what is really remarkable to me is the description of the heart of the ideal King, his identification, and care for the needy, poor, and marginalized.  This produced a tradition in England that the King was to defend the weak over against the dukes and barons who would take advantage of them.  This Psalm as well as the prophets and the teaching of Yeshua tell us that though God loves all, his first priority is the poor. This is the heart of Yeshua, and we are called to share this heart.

May he vindicate the people, 

Save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor. (v. 4)

For he rescues the needy crying for help

Also the poor and the one with no helper, 

He will take pity on the poor and needy,

And the souls of the needy, he will save. 

From oppression and violence, he redeems their soul,

For precious is their blood in his sight. 

The Bible gives us this vision of the Messiah.  It shows itself to be the greatest social justice literature in the world, especially as applied in the teaching of Yeshua.   It is social justice based on the Biblical world view of God and his redemption through Yeshua.  That is why I wrote a book on Social Justice. 

I have been a follower of Yeshua since April of 1960, 60 years. I have also kept up with some who were in High School and those who were in my Church Youth Group.  For two years in my last two years of high school, I served as the Vice President of the high school group. The four officers were given a lot of responsibility to develop and implement the program with the supervision of the Youth Director.  Some of the youth from that era have left the faith but most have remained committed.  In my secular High School, most of those I knew did not follow Yeshua, but then some of them, in their adult years, came to Yeshua.  Then there were the college and graduate school years and 48 years in pastoral ministry, 28 years as a congregational leader, and then also as an overseer of congregations for a partially overlapping 42  years now.  I have come to a conclusion about life.   

My basic conclusion is that those who live as radically sold out to Yeshua live a much more successful and fulfilled life than those who do not.  I am not speaking about merely nominal believers, even those that attend congregational services.  I am not speaking about every individual.  I am speaking about what I have observed in the lives of people over the last 50 years.  Of course, there are agnostics and atheists who live in loyalty and fidelity and have been relationally successful.  Their success might be better than nominal believers.  However, the percentages of successful living, in my experience, is greatly in favor of those who have given their whole lives to God and are committed to obedience to His commandment through the power of the Spirit at work in them.

I will just give one example but can give many. One is the issue of lasting marriage and the problem of divorce.  There are several surveys that say the divorce rate among believers in Yeshua is the same or worse than the world.  Maybe so.  However, the divorce rate in our congregations that I oversee is minuscule.  It is due to the radical commitment that has been embraced by the members.  What happens where there is such a radical commitment?  The focus is on pleasing the Lord, not the self, and not on fulfillment in this life.  When that is solidly established, then the parties in the marriage grow more and more into His likeness. They thus learn patience, forgiveness, mutual servanthood, compassion, empathy and so much more. The fruit of the Spirit is more and more evident.  The parties to the marriage grow more and more into the likeness of Yeshua.  If both marriage partners grow more and more into the likeness of Yeshua, they will have His view of the other and His love for their partners.  Two people who are becoming more like Yeshua will love each other more and more.  This also includes accessing the promises of God to enable fidelity.  The Bible calls this to “reign in life” in Yeshua.   Life is better in the Kingdom and in community with radically committed fellow followers of the King.  The key is to access his presence and power to live in his ways. 

 

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