Awake, Awake O Sleeper
“The synagogues of the Jews are homes of idolatry and devils…they are worse than even heathen circuses. The very idea of going from a church to a synagogue is blasphemous and to attend the Jewish Passover is to insult Christ. To be with the Jews on the very day they murdered Jesus is to insure that on the Day of Judgement He will say to you, “Depart from me for you have had intercourse with my murderers.” The Jews do not worship God, but devils so that their feast are unclean. God hates them and has always hated them. But since the murder of Jesus He allows them no time for repentance.” John Chrysostom
It’s no wonder that the world and many in the church hold such disdain in their hearts for the Jewish people. This is a sad thing indeed. Do we forget that Jesus (Yeshua) was Jewish! Do you know that He reigns over the cosmos as a Jewish Man? The above quote is from a very influential early church father and it was unfortunately, only one of many such quotes during a period of vehement hatred for God’s chosen people. This is where, I believe, the church started to distance herself from the Biblically prescribed feasts and holiday’s and started to join in with the pagan rituals of the day. As a consequence Christians now, blindly observe the pagan festival Saturnalia (Christmas), the goddess Ishtar worship (Easter) and countless other pagan rituals that neither honor God nor bring others into a deeper understanding of Him. Many more continue on, ignorantly believing that Jesus died on Friday and rose on Sunday when it is clear that he was in the belly of the earth for 3 days and 3 nights. (Mt. 12:40) Why do we continue to believe and live these lies when they contradict what the Bible teaches? Is it because we love our traditions and nobody wants to rock the boat? Perhaps, but I wonder if Jesus had something to say about that, I don’t remember Him ever being afraid of rocking any boats?
“They worship Me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commands of men. Disregarding the command of God, you keep the tradition of men.” He also said to them, “You completely invalidate God’s command in order to maintain your tradition!” (Mark 7:8-9)
Are we going to continue living the same powerless faith we’ve been living; forming doctrines around why we don’t have any influence in the world? Or will a remnant arise and take hold of all that God has promised us? I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I do know this; God gives more to the hungry.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be filled.” (Mt. 5:8)
“For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Mt. 7:8)
“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to investigate a matter.” (Prov. 25:2)
We must begin a passionate pursuit of the Knowlege of God. He is not far away but rather intimately involved in the affairs of men and longing for us to search Him out and lay hold of His great and many treasures! Instead of giving up and accepting the contradictory, powerless faith that has been handed down to us by our fathers, let us join the true followers of “the Way” and get back on that narrow path and search out the One, True God of Israel.
“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, listening closely to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and lift your voice to understanding and if seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.” (Prov. 2:1-5)
I am not calling for an all-out dismantling of what we believe Christianity is or should be, but rather for those who will not leave their cognitive abilities at the door when they come to faith in Messiah! We should not blindly believe something without first doing our own homework on the issue. The stakes are too high to simply believe what a particular man, denomonation or creed has told you about God. Our faith is an individual journey, one that we all must take, but when many individuals who are on the same journey, actively pursuing Truth come together with a common purpose the whole world will be turned upside down and we will see the salvation of our God.
