Why I Don't Argue Semantics

Today I'm sharing why you don't see much in the way of semantics arguments here or on any Land of Honey social media. What I mean by that is I am definitely going to talk about Scripture's instructions and that we should all be following them, but I am not going to get bent out of shape about how you are following them (so long as you are actually keeping the commandments). So you can bet I am going to encourage you to keep the seventh day Sabbath, but I'm not going to tell you that it has to be evening to evening or sunlight to sunlight or midnight to midnight. I recognize that there are areas of Scripture that we don't fully understand yet and that there is room for self expression in some of the commands. 

Plus, is it just me or do we have enough division in the faith community already? There is a time and a place for correction and teaching particulars but it's nauseating to see so many Hebrew ministries (and individuals) waste much time attacking or arguing with others who have very similar beliefs to them. It's sad to see people isolating themselves from other believers because 2% of their theology doesn't match up. So many Hebrew small groups fall apart after a short time over tiny differences. How is this edifying to anyone in or out of the community?

When I see things getting nasty in Scripture debates it makes me think of the cooking competitions my brother and I would watch together in high school. Several popular shows would include very specific challenges for the contestants. Instructions were not just, "make us something delicious to eat." It would be more like, "Cook spaghetti with one hand tied behind your back," or "Create a vegetarian spaghetti and use potato chips in it." And episode after episode, the contestants could be so unkind to each other. Comments like, I look at what the others are doing and I'm not impressed or When spaghetti was invented they didn't intend for it to go in the oven, so only someone ignorant would try that. As contestants, it really wasn't their job to decide who could cook or not, their job was to do their best.

On a side note - we were always baffled when someone would blatantly disregard the rules to make something else entirely. It never went well for them. The dish they created might have been spectacular but the judge didn't care because the rules weren't followed. It wasn't what was asked of them.

Unfortunately the faith community can often look like contestants on a cooking show arguing about who made the best spaghetti. And you know what? That's really not their job. Their opinion does not matter, the judge will decide if it's good or not. Their job is just to make spaghetti.

There are a lot of ways to make spaghetti.

You could spend hours making marinara from homegrown tomatoes. Or you could open a jar of sauce.

Toss in some peppers. Or spinach.

Use whole wheat or gluten free pasta instead of regular.

Garnish with fresh basil. Or use cheese. Maybe both!

You could serve the sauce on top the pasta. Or mix it all together.

And whatever combination of choices are made, all of these dishes would still be considered spaghetti. As with spaghetti variations there are a different ways to uphold YHWH's instructions. I'm definitely not saying you can make any old dish you want and present it to the judge and expect him to be pleased. No, you can't make ravioli because you like it better and call it spaghetti. Nor does macaroni and cheese count. If you want to win the spaghetti contest, you are going to have to make some sort of spaghetti. How you do that though is going to depend on what ingredients are available to you, your cooking ability, and your taste preferences.

YHWH has rules for a reason and wants us to do our best following them. But within those instructions there is room for self expression. I doubt YHWH expected Shabbat in the wilderness thousands of years ago to look exactly like Shabbat in Yahusha's time or in 1700s France or today in your part of the world. Obviously, yes the theme of resting carries through and ties all of these times and places together. Shabbat for Yahusha often looked like healing people, but sometimes it was spent walking with the disciples. Maybe for you it looks like watching a live stream service online or snuggling with your kids and reading Bible stories to them. YHWH gave simple and straightforward commands so that we could uphold them no matter the culture we live in or the season of our lives.

So that's why I don't get to hung up on calendar debates or if you said the traditional blessings at the traditional time. I have my preferences, but I don't know everything. Neither does any other ministry or person. We can only do our best and be willing to change as we learn more. And show kindness and patience to people who see things differently than us.

"Observe the waters and know when they flow together, they sweep along stones, trees, earth, and other things. But if they are divided into many streams, the earth swallows them up and they vanish away. So shall you also be if you are divided."
-Testament of Zebulun 9:1-3

I am N - Suffering with the People of YHWH

"By faith Moshe, when he became a man, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. And he chose to be in suffering with the people of Elohim and not to live indulgently in sin for a short season: and he considered the reproach of the Mashiyach a greater treasure than the hoarded riches of Egypt." -Hebrews 11:24-26 Aramaic English New Testament

After filling action packs at our Yom Teruah party I have worked at being intentional about supporting and sticking up for those persecuted for their faith. Yes, in Western society it is easy to turn a blind eye to the violence against believers in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and elsewhere, adopting the attitude of 'God didn't place me there, so that's not my problem.' Moshe had that same choice--the sole Israelite man of his age--he was placed in a lavish and luxurious situation, far above the suffering of his own people. The famous 'Hall of Faith' passage praises his faith that put aside the lifestyle of Egypt, choosing to suffer with the people of YHWH. We have that choice as well.

Voice of the Martyrs was founded in 1967 by a Messianic Jewish couple, Richard and Sabina Wurmbrond who fled Romania, after repeated arrest, and imprisonment, work camp and torture for their faith--first at the hands of the Nazis, then by Communist powers. One of the first acts of the organization was Scripture balloon launches into communist China and North Korea.

Today Voice of the Martyrs carries on great work sending Bibles into restricted nations, offering aid to persecuted Christians in the form of warm clothing, soap, blankets, and sending in front line workers to share the Besorah in nations where truth is restricted and even illegal. 

Recently our congregation got involved with VOM's I am N campaign. In areas occupied by ISIS and Islamic extremists the Arabic letter 'N' is often painted on the homes of believers to indicate that they are Nazarenes or followers of Yeshua of Nazareth. Typically once the 'N' is painted on a home the occupants have very little time to get out or to convert to Islam before their home and often they themselves are destroyed.

When you purchase an I am N wristband or shirt 50% of the proceeds will support believers facing the brutality of Islamic extremism. Wearing the band or shirt is a great conversation starter to share about what is happening to persecuted believers around the world, and an excellent reminder that we need to pray for our brothers and sisters daily who face this kind of terror.

Like Moshe did, we can turn away from some of the comforts and luxuries of our lives so that others can experience the salvation of Yeshua. I don't think we can overstate how important it is to YHWH that we do everything we can to help His people. Voice of the Martyrs has a huge list of ways to get involved--from adopting a front line worker to volunteer positions to filling action packs--please consider the best way for you to stand and support those persecuted for their faith.