| Signs of the Times? |
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| Written by Batya Wootten | |
| Wednesday, 24 May 2006 | |
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Shalom Friends, For decades, I watched as many good people came out of the Church. Their numbers, as well as the level of good character of those who were fleeing, seemed to increase every year. It also seemed, and still seems to me that the Church system, as it stands, is one that constricts the growth of the congregants and enlarges the position of the pastor. To my way of thinking, a pastor should be like Ed Sullivan on talent night. The people would gather, not to see Sullivan per se (although they liked him and his style), but to see the “Really big shew...” he had arranged for them that night. The Ed Sullivan Show was not about its host, but about the talent the host was raising up. Most pastors don’t seem to realize that, like Sullivan, they too are called to be talent scouts. Sure they must carefully guard the mike, and they too need to teach and encourage the sheep, but their primary job is to raise up their congregants and their talents. Because they do not realize this simple principle, many people are leaving their congregations. Frustrated, the people feel like the proverbial old American Indian, “Me know ‘How,’ me want ‘Chance.’” There is a time and a place to teach people the simple things, the “how” of our walk. People who do that are to be honored and upheld—because we will always need to have the first steps in place for those who seek to cross the river of life. But after a while, if the people are not given a chance to flex their muscles, one of two things will happen: the people will sit in their pew pens and their little muscles will atrophy, or their muscles will itch for exercise and they will go off to find it. (See Hebrews 6:1-3 for a list of the elementary essentials of our faith.) That is what is happening in our day in the churches, and in many Messianic congregations. The people are so hungry for a chance to be who they are called to be that they are leaving and seeking opportunities on their own. After discussing this matter with my friend, Sandy Bloomfield Demelli, she loaned me a book by George Barna, Revolution. Barna proves my point with his many polls. For this reason the man is being crucified by some as a destroyer of the church, but he also is being hailed as a hero by those who are fed up with an unbalanced church system that determines your spiritual temperature based on how often you come through their doors. My friend, Anita Robertson, posted a note to our Messianic Israel Talk Group about an article in her local paper that tells of the sizable numbers who are leaving their churches—but not leaving their faith behind. I told Anita to read Barna. He confirms what they are saying. Another friend of mine, Chaun, wrote to me about a dream she had. It was about a Messianic conference that featured a “‘smoke and tobacco free’ prostitute” offering her wares. The prostitute represented the people at the conference. In the dream, when the prostitute was ministered to in love, she was set free. A Smoke and Tobacco Free Prostitute would tend to feel that she was a “step above” other prostitutes, and in one way that would be true. But she is nonetheless a spiritual prostitute, and we all know what Abba thinks of us spiritually prostituting ourselves. Chaun’s dream is telling us that we Messianics are behaving like prostitutes. We are so proud of our supposed knowledge, and yet we still don’t get it. Nonetheless, the Father wants to show love to this fallen woman. He wants her to be comforted, lifted up, and encouraged to come up higher... Sad to say, there is much prostitution in our movement. Knowing about so much of it on a first hand basis prompted me to write the following in my new book, Redeemed Israel, Reunited and Restored. In the chapter, “Return, O Virgin Israel,” I mention the “Wilderness Experience” that Abba seems to draw all of into as we learn that we are part of the people of Israel, and being called to return to a true and pure faith:
It seems that in the Messianic movement, I am always crying out for people to have mercy. However, I also know that in YHVH’s economy, mercy and justice are held in perfect balance, and, during our sojourn on earth we are supposed to learn how to judge between good and evil—because we will ultimately judge even the angels (Lev 19:36; Deu 25:13; Prov 16:11; 20:10,23; 1 Cor 6:1-3; Heb 5:14). We therefore must beware having standards that fall below those of our Father, because He will not lower His standards. The “greasy grace theology” touted by many in Christian camps does not encourage us to discern between good and evil. Letting everything slide, because Jesus has supposedly “saved us,” will not work. Taking the “judge not” attitude will not cut it, because, not judging is a judgement in itself. Such action will result in our being judged as judges who judge nothing. We will have failed the test in learning how to rightly discern good from evil. Neither will the legalism and haughtiness over supposed knowledge that is found in many Messianic circles bring people to repentance, because it is “the kindness of God” that leads us to repentance. Moreover, He will be merciless to those who show no mercy, because mercy always triumphs over judgment (Rom 2:4; James 2:13). Balance. That is a key answer in all difficult questions about the ways of the Almighty. There is sin in our camps. And we will not be part of the company who brings redemption to the whole house of Israel unless we learn to properly deal with the sin that is present in our camps. We must realize that, as we stand, we are but prostitutes who think more highly of ourselves than we ought. We all need to repent. We need to lift the bar a little. Each of us needs to try to take another step up on Jacob’s ladder. In Ephraim Frank’s latest email letter, he speaks of us possibly entering into the “time of Jacob’s trouble.” I don’t know if that is the case, or if “trouble” is always with us, but I do know that attitudes toward the State of Israel are changing for many. This is seen in an article by a famous Christian Arab commentator, Joseph Farah. He has a well deserved reputation as being a staunch supporter of Israel, and yet, he is now ready to give up on her. Farah is frustrated because Israelis will not believe their God, the Bible, and the promises He made to them in that Bible. Like many who love Israel, we have marched in her streets during Tabernacles and been overwhelmed with the experience of people touching people, of Christians showing love to Jewish people and them responding in kind. It is truly an exhilarating experience. And yet... The fact is that Jerusalem, even with all of her great Biblical history, without her Great King, without Messiah Yeshua, she is just another city. Moreover, Israel, without her Messiah, without her Divine Messianic Redeemer, is not really Israel (Psa 49:7-9,15; 130:7-8; Mat 12:18; John 1:45; Gal 3:13). Yes, we mus continue to encourage our Jewish brothers in the Land. We cannot give up on them or be harsh as we appraise them while sitting in places of comfort. But it is nonetheless time for us to raise the bar. It is even time for Ephraim to arise! (Perhaps brother Judah is being beaten down at this time so their hearts will be opened to the idea of receiving their prodigal brother, Ephraim, as he seeks to return home. If so, Ephraim now needs to become a "mighty man," filled with the Spirit. See Zechariah 10:6-12.) In his book, Restoring Israel's Kingdom, my husband, Angus, teaches that we first need to know what our goal is, and then we need to keep our eye on that goal. Our goal is to restore the Kingdom to Israel, via her Messiah (Acts 1:6). Times are changing, and to change with them, we now need to raise the bar. We need to set our standards a bit higher. This time, in our love for Israel, in our desire to return home, we must be certain to maintain our love for her Divine Redeemer, Messiah Yeshua. We must not deny that He is who He claimed to be, as some who have gone before us have done (see the telling article, "The Other Side of Evangelism"). We must instead ask Yeshua to teach us how to be faithful to Him while showing love to brother Judah. We also need to learn to walk as our Messiah walked. He was a man like us, yet He did not fall into temptation. To even speak of walking in the footsteps of our Redeemer means the bar has been set pretty high. Jacob’s ladder reaches pretty high too, even into Heaven, into the Olam Haba, the Kingdom to Come. But, if we will repent, and seek empowerment from the Ruach HaKodesh, if we will ask the Holy Spirit to fill us in a manner like that of the Book of Acts, we can walk the walk, we can find the strength to take yet another step up. In Messiah Yeshua, we can climb Jacob’s holy ladder.
Blessings to You and Yours, |
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