11 Novermber 2006: Blessings

I shall be with you and bless you...and all nations on earth will bless themselves by your descendents in return for Abraham's obedience. (Gen. 26:2...5)

God's promise to Isaac at first glance appears to have been for the past, and not for today, but that is just appearance. All nations will bless themselves by his descendents doesn't seem to be for us, or is it? There is one descendent of Isaac by whom many in the nations count themselves blessed, and that is our Adonai Yeshua haMoshiach (Lord Jesus Christ) who has come into the world.

Now let us be aware of this word bless. I do not have my Hebrew scriptures close by to check this out, but most often the word be blessed means to speak good of, or to make happy. In other words God will speak good of Issac (and God's word is power) and the nations will be made happy by the descendants of Isaac.

This blessing may be divided up in several ways. The Jews were to prepare the way for the coming Messiah. Their scriptures explained what sin was, and led people to attempt to lead a holy life. By seeing the impossibility of living a holy life on our own, the scriptures reveals our need for a saviour. In the century preceding and following the death of the Messiah, many attempted to follow the Jews because they recognised that the Jews were different, they had holiness of life, that many others did not have. Many of these people became Christians because they saw that through Yeshua, they had the power to conquer sin and death in their lives. In this way all nations will be blessed (or at least those that choose to follow Messiah).

There is though a second way that the nations will be blessed. Consider the Jesiwish nation today. Current estimates are that there are about fourteen million Jews in the wolfd today. This would give the Jews about 0.2% of the world's population. Now for comparison, 21.06% of the Nobel Prize winners have been Jewish. Of these 158 winners, of these 115 were in practical sciences such as chemistry, physics and medicine (in other words they will have real physical affects at some point in time.) I think it is fascinating that a group which only has two tenths of the world's population contributed one fifith of the Nobel prize winners. Is this a coincidence. I think not. God still has his chosen people, and they are still to be a blessing to the nations of the world. They have done this by contributing the faithful remnant of Torah observant Israel for the birth of Messiah, and by contributing to the well being of the world even today. The book of Revelations seems to indicate that the Jews will still have a role to play in the end times.

What does this mean for us? First we must learn to be obedient to God. God desires to speak well of us that we may make the world may be happy. Christians have done this in the past, fightting against and defeating the slave trade (especially Wiberforce), stopping sati (forcing widows to jump on the funeral pyre with the deceased husband) and in general raising the status of women and children in the world. In other words, to use the words of Yeshua, we are to be salt of the earth. We are to make a difference.

Today, Christians do not seem to be making a difference. Mark Foley apparently did not forgive someone who mistreated him, and became that very thing he did not forgive. (Many critisise Mr. Foley for making laws against this very type of behaviour and then indulging in it. I think that Mr. Foley sponsored these laws because it was a bad experience for him being on the receiving end of pedophile behavior and he wanted to protect children. In other words he was really against pedophiles. He was trapped into the behaviour by his lack of forgiveness, much as a drunk hates drunks but cannot breat the addiction ((sometimes also for lack of forgivness)). Just recently the head a an Evangelical group has fallen apparently admitting to bestowing favours and drugs upon a homosexual prostitute. St. Paul adresses this very behaviour, "I do not understand what I do, for I don't do what Iwould like to do, but instead I do what I hate... So I am not really the one who does this thing, rather it is the sin that lives in me...for even though the desire to do good is in me, Iam not able to do it. I don't do the good I want to do; instead I do the evil I don't want to do." (Romans 7:15-19).

What is the anser to this problem? First, we must make the effort, to truly want to submit ourselves to Yeshua as Lord. Far too many people want him as fire insurance, not as Lord. Knowing him, that is accepting him in truth as Lord, we must develop our relationship with him, especially through study of his word and meditaion on the same. (how ever long you take reading the word, spend that much time in silence afterwards so that the Lord can shew you what he wants to. Talk to him. Formal prayers are fine, but also develop informal prayers. Talk to him as a friend. Spend as much time listening to him as you do talking. Spend time with other Christians. If you have a weakness, then confess it to a friend, and ask him to hold you accountable. Let us say you have a problem with internet pornagrphy. Tell your priest or a good spiritual friend and have him or her ask you. Have you done this this week or month. Often, knowing you will be asked that question will keep you out of trouble. Take your sins to God as well, and ask him (and your presbyter or bishop) and seek the spiritual roots of your besetting sin. Often it is unforgiveness. And for heaven's sake, if there is someone who has hurt you, forgive them. You often become what you do not forgive.

In other words, let holiness be our watchword. Ask God to bless you that you may be a blessing. And those Jews whom God uses to bless us, we need to pray and witness to them, for even though God is using them, they still need to know Yeshua as Lord and Saviour. (BTW two of those Jews on the list did accept Jesus).

Shalom b'Yeshua haMoshiach


Mar Michael Abportus
mjthan@quik.com

All Saints Sunday: 5 November 2006

Ecclesiasticus 2:1-11

The fifth of November being the first Sunday after All Saints Day is celebrated by some as All Saints Sunday. and several of our readings reflect on what a saint is. Starting with the the Writing for today, we find several things about saints. First, if you desire to serve the Lord, prepare to be tested. (Ecc. 2:1) Why is it that God tests his saints? Partly because he wants us to be truly saints. As we are told in verse 4, the value of gold is determined by the fire, and the value of men in the oven of suffering. This is a theme repeated in the Tanakh, that as silver and gold are tried and refined, so God tries and refines us through suffering. Even Yeshua himself learns obedience through suffering according to the New Tesatament. In other words, we are tried, not so much to test us, but so as to strengthen us and make us truly into saints.

As we go through the saints of the Tanahk, we note that many of their lives were marked by suffuring, Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Josehph, Job, but most especially the prophets, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Elijah among them suffered at the hands of men. St. Paul himself talks about how God's grace is made perfect in our weekness. In other words, through suffering we learn to lean on the Lord and not on ourselves, to truly seek him and to allow him to work through us.

Those who are true saints who have left writings for us have a consistant message. They do not see themselves as saints, they see their sins and know the necesity of God to forgive them, and to transform our lives. The reading from Ephesians especially (Ephesians 1: 3-14) reminds us that being a saint is not something we do ourselves but something that God gives to us through his Holy Spirit.

Now I would remind you that in some circles that there is some false teaching going on. It goes something like this. "I'm just a poor sinner. If I sin, it will be OK because God understands that I am a sinner." This is a theology that leads the church to be powerless today. Please not that many of the Epistles of the New Testament are adressed to the Saints at such and such a location, they are not adressed to the sinners in Corinth, etc, but to the saints.

How does one become a saint. Paul explains in I Corinthians 6:9-11: Surely you know the wicked will not possess God's Kindom...people who are immoral etc. will not possess God's Kingdom. Some of you were like that. But you have been purified from sin, you have been deidicated to God; you have been put right with God by the Lrod Jeuss Christ and by the Spirit of our God. In other words, once we have accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour, and are baptised into the church, we are no longer sinners, but saints, washed clean by the blood of the lamb, which is why All Saints Sunday (or All Saints Day) is one of the four days which we reserve for Baptism at Benim Avraham.

So you have done so but still sin. Confess it to the Lord. If your sin is habitual, then confess it to a priest or spiritual director who can help line you up. Each morning as you get up, remind yourself that you are a saint and need to live a saintly life or you put Jesus and the church to shame. Ask the Lord to fill you with his Holy Spirit and set you free and make you a true saint, a holy member of the body of Christ, and he will do it. Saints of God, let us arise.

King David: 9 September 2006

II Samuel 11:1-12:23

I remember well when I was in Conroe High School studgying the Greek myths and tragedies. As if it were yesterday I remember our English teachers getting it across to us that the heroe always had a character flaw that would doom him to failure. At the time, young and foolish as I was, I thought that this was a Greek precocupation and had to do with their understanding of all things, including the Gods being controlled by fate. Now I come to see that we all have at least one character flaw that dooms us eternally unless we allow Jesus into our heart and the Ruach haKodesh to control our lives.

This is well seen in the Tanakh, where almost everyone has obvious and distressing flaws. Look at King David. He consorted with the enemy, killed his soldier for his wife, and was a terrible father, yet received promises from God that were ultimately fulfilled in Yeshua haMoshiach. What was so wonderul about King David. We are told that it was the condition of his heart.

Briefly looking at one episode in David's life, his encounter with Bathsheba. To summarise in brief. David, while his army is at war is walking on the roof of his palace when he spies Bathsheba bathing on the roof of her house. David calls her to his house, and has a one night stand with her, which results in her pregnancy. Daavid to cover up his sin, calls Uriah the HIttite, Bathsheba's husband in and arranges for Uriah to be albe to spend the night with his wife so as to cover his sin. Uraiah, behaving in a more righteous way than David (men were to abstain from sex while fighting) stays outside of his own house, leaving no good explanation of Bathsheba's child, so David arranges for Uriah to die in battle and even has Uriah carry the orders with him for his death. Nathan confronts David over his sin. David's response is characteristic, "I have sinned."

In other word, David takes full responsability for his sin. This is a very important reason why David is a man after God's own heart. He recognises his sin, and he accepts responsability for it. He does not make excuses. He does not respond, everone else is doing it. What he does is to fast for the life of his son, but after his son dies, he accepts God's punishment.

The Tanakh in addition to pointing the way to Jesus and our salvation clearly lays out God's spiritual laws, one of which is responsability. From my experience in modern America, I see few people willing to take responsability for their actions. It is all too easy to blame sickness, weakness or everyone else for our iniquities. Unfortunately, sin must be punished (even though Jesus pays that punishment), and even though Jesus bore our sin for our justification, sin results in consequences that must be dealt with. The consenquences for David were great problems with his children, and eventual splitting of his kingdom under his grandson. Of course for the punishment of sin to pass to Jesus, we must aknowledge that sin.

Christtians must be very careful to aknowledge sin. Unaknowledged sin is an opportunity for Satan to gain a foothold in your life. Aknowledged and confessed sin is an opportunity for God to work in our lives. Let us all seek then to imitate David, not in sinning but in aknowledging and confessing our sins to God that we may enjoy his mercy.

Shalom b'Yeshua haMoshiach


Mar Michael Abportus
mjthan@quik.com

20 May 2005

Moshe said, “If you will listen intently to the voice of YHWH you God, do what he considers right, pay attention to his mitzvoth, and observe his laws, I will not afflict you with any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians: because I am YHWH your healer. (Sh’mot [Exodus] 15:26)

The Red Sea has been crossed, Moshe and Miriam have praised God, and they are preparing to follow the pillar of fire by night and pillar of smoke by day to cross the desert. YHWH has thoroughly demonstrated to the Hebrews and Egyptians who is truly Lord, yet we find this little reminder here. One would think that after the miracles performed on their behalf by YHWH working through Moshe, that the people would have obeyed instantly, but apparently not, even after all those miracles they must be reminded, and reminded and reminded and reminded. Now it is important to note, with the warning comes a conditional blessing, “if you will listen intently…I will not afflict you.”

Today there is a divide in Christianity. There are two schools of thought. If I have faith in Jesus, then I am saved, or I am saved by my works. Neither, yet both are true. Faith is what saves us, but we are saved to do works. James tells us, that faith without works is completely dead, or in other words, if Jesus is your Saviour, then he is your Lord as well. As I look around me, the number of people who tell me they are Christians flusters me. I think of one who tells me at least his live in girl friend and children hear about Jesus. While hearing about Jesus is well and good and important, that lady and the children will not see or understand Jesus, unless they see the power in this man’s life. Jesus commands our obedience. What does a live in girl-friend learn of Christian commitment? What do the children learn of obedience when their mother enters the country illegally, drives without a license and lives with someone without being married to them? The point is of course that they learn nothing except to disobey.

Obedience is both hard and easy. Do you really want Jesus as your Lord? You must make the decision whether he is to be your ultimate boss or not. Jesus is either Lord of all or he is not Lord at all. The decision is ours. Once we make that decision and surrender to him, he will give us the power to overcome all, as long as we keep our eyes on him, obeying where we can (and trusting him to help us obey when we cannot obey under our own strength), asking his help when we need it, and studying and obeying his word.

Now the passage says, “I will not afflict you…because I am YHWH your healer, so if you want God to afflict you, then ignore his word. If you want his power in your life follow and obey it. There is a Rabbinic belief about the 613 mitzvoth (commandments) found in the Tanakh or Old Testament. God does not indicate that any are more important than any others, nor for the most part does he indicate rewards for any particular Mitzvoth. This is so that we will obey them all equally out of love for God, and not seeking the reward. It is like tithing. If we tithe seeking God’s blessing on our lives(especially financial as the prosperity Gospel churches preach), then we will receive little or no reward. If instead we tithe because we love God and want to spread his kingdom, the blessings as He promises will be abundant. More than likely they will not be financial, (especially if one hasn’t learned to manage money yet). The primary blessing that God gives us is shalom, a deep inner peace that comes from truly walking with Jesus. As I read the lives of the saints, I am always impressed at their tranquillity and joy in being able to die for the Lord. I especially recall the martyrs of Uganda, who went to their deaths (rather than submit to abominable sexual acts with the king) singing hymns, and the blessing followed them, as the church in Uganda is one of the fastest growing in Africa. We must learn to obey out of love, not in self seeking. We must seek the healer not for healing but for Himself. We must ask him to bless us, but not for our happiness, but that we may be a blessing to further the Kingdom, and we must love Him enough to seek with all our lives to glorify his name. Doesn’t it seem that after we have been delivered from sin and death, we could learn to obey Him?


Shalom and blessings in the Name of Yeshua

+Mar Michael Abportus
mjthan@quik.com

15“'Seven days shall you eat matzah; even the first day you shall put away yeast out of your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Yisra'el. 16In the first day there shall be to you a holy convocation, and in the seventh day a holy convocation; no manner of work shall be done in them, except that which every man must eat, that only may be done by you. 17You shall observe the feast of matzah; for in this same day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall you observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance forever. 18In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat matzah, until the twenty first day of the month at evening. 19Seven days shall there be no yeast found in your houses, for whoever eats that which is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Yisra'el, whether he be a foreigner, or one who is born in the land. 20You shall eat nothing leavened. In all your habitations you shall eat matzah.'”Exodus 12:15-20 (World English Bible)

Lent is drawing to an end and we are approaching Easter and Passover. I would like to comment on several pre-Passover customs at this time. As many of you know, Passover will begin the evening of the 12th of April, which is the 14th of Nissan according to the Hebrew Calendar. A week before Passover, spring cleaning begins, and all the good plates, silver ware etc. are cleaned up and prepared for the feast. The 14th of Nissan, the entire family goes about the house looking for leaven, traditionally with a candle, a brush and a dust tray. (We ourselves use a flashlight). To encourage the children, whoever finds the most leaven is given a reward. (Pieces of leavened bread a strategically hidden before hand). For the eight days of the holiday there is not bread to be found in the house (and indeed in remembrance our communion bread will be unleavened for celebrations of the Eucharist these eight days).

Leaven is symbolic of evil. Indeed, even Jesus told his Talmidim (disciples) to be careful of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, referring to false teaching and example. When we become Christians, it is time to part ourselves from all evil. The preparation for Passover reminds us to remove all evil from our lives and our homes. The preparation for Passover for those who celebrate it, is a good time to seek anything evil and remove it from our homes. This could be books, magazines, movies, etc. As we look for the leaven in the house, I also look to see if there is anything that would detract from my Christian witness, and remove it and burn it with the leaven. I also take part of the day and analyse my style of life, my thoughts, and habits, and when I find things that are not befitting Jesus, I write them down, and on Good Friday give them to Jesus by nailing them to a cross which we have for that purpose (they are later burned). Our minds and thoughts must be subject to Christ.

Naturally, while we can remove evil things from our houses, it is much harder to remove evil from our minds. This is done by doing it symbolically, and by developing different habits of thought. If you have some habit, which leads to sin, impure thoughts, etc., then you much get rid of that habit. Some habits are more difficult to deal with, and must be given to the Lord to deal with.

Do not take the attitude that God must convict you of a sin before you must deal with it. I have certain friends who smoke (as we all know smoking is bad for the body, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and the New Testament tells us we should not damage the Temple of the Holy Spirit). These people knew smoking was bad for them, that the money they spent on cigarettes would have been better used buying food for their kids, but would not quit because God had not convicted them. If something is obviously a sin (by being found in the Bible), then God doesn’t need to convict. We must accept his word and follow it. There are some things that God must convict us of, either through our ignorance or lack of thought, and he will, but if the Bible sets a standard, we must abide by it, or we are in danger of hardening our own hearts as did Pharaoh and make ourselves incapable of hearing his word, or his conviction. There are many in the world today who pick and choose what we need to do, instead of accepting God’s word. We risk our destruction. There are many examples of people in the Bible (I am thinking of Saul) who lost their relationship with God by disobeying his clear word.

On another train of thought, all firstborn Jews, on the 14 of Nissan fast until the Passover Seder. The reason for this is to remember the first born of Egypt who died for our freedom. Likewise at the Seder, when remembering the plagues which befell Egypt, we remove some wine from the cup so it will not be full, in remembrance of how the Egyptians suffered. Let us remember then, as we clean the sin from our lives with the power of Jesus, that we must have compassion even upon our enemies whom we must feed when hungry and clothe when naked.


Shalom and blessings in the Name of Yeshua

+Mar Michael Abportus
mjthan@quik.com

25 March 2006:

Exodus 7:1-10:28

Please take the time to read the above lesson.

We are now entering the fight between Moshe and his brother Aaron against Pharaoh for the children of Israel. More properly we are entering the fight between YHWH and Pharaoh and Pharaoh’s world system or Kosmos. Do not think that any of these plagues were accidents. Each one was aimed at a specific aspect of Egyptian religion. YHWH is not only demonstrating to the Egyptians that He is God, but he is demonstrating to the children of Israel that He is God.

Let us look at the first plague. The Nile is turned into blood. It is important that we realise what the Nile meant to the people of Egypt. Every year the Nile flooded, and that flooding would leave a rich layer of alluvial soil which made Egypt different from many other nations. Egypt had rich crops of a variety that would have been the envy of any other civilisation. That the flooding was caused by the melting of snow off the mountains was a mystery to the people of Egypt and they attributed the flooding to the gods, and in fact at several times in their history worshipped the Nile as a god. In addition, the Nile provided an abundance of fish for all, and was the main source of transportation for the country. Ninety percent of the population lived less than ten miles from the Nile. When the Nile turned to blood, God demonstrated that he was mightier than the Nile and had the entire Egyptian economy in his hands, and I am quite sure terrified the people of Egypt.

The second plague was frogs. Frog gods were said to accompany the god of the Nile as he came down the river in the floods. Frogs were associated with fertility, and there were several frog or frog headed gods: Heket, Ogdoad-heh, , Hek, Nun, Amun, and Heka, the last maybe most important as she was the goddess of magic. When YHWH used the Egyptians own frogs against them, he was demonstrating that he was superior to the powers of Egypt.

The third plague was lice. While I cannot link these in any way to Egyptian mythology, the magicians themselves tell Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God,” in other words something beyond their powers and beyond their Gods.

The following plague is probably gnats, which after the lice certainly made life miserable. We note at this point the magicians have given up and no longer try to imitate Moshe.

The next plague was death of livestock. We note in passing that there were three Egyptian bulls that were considered incarnations of gods, and at least one cow goddess, so once again the Lord is demonstrating his superiority to Egyptian gods. (We might remember that Moses told Egypt the Hebrew sacrifices would be abhorrent to the Egyptians, the Egyptians did not sacrifice cows or any thing they worshipped, but sacrificed wine and bread. Mummies of animals that had died naturally were also given to the Gods.)

God by this time has proved he is Lord over all these false Gods and Lords, and the next few plagues demonstrate his Lordship over mankind and nature. The next plague is of sores which leave the people miserable, but just as miraculously they are healed. The following plague truly demonstrated YHWH’s supernatural power, burning hail. By this time, some Egyptians are beginning to believe in the Lord, and bring their livestock and slaves in to protect them. Next we have the plague of locusts which destroys what the hail had not (it is noted that the wheat and buckwheat were not destroyed by the hail because they had not yet come up. YHWH, blessed be his name is truly God of nature.

The last plague we will consider for today is darkness. YHWH is getting up close and personal here. Ra or Re, the Sund God, is considered the chief of the Egyptian Gods. Pharaoh is a manifestation of Horus, the son of Ra, a God of the power of the Sun. The plague of darkness proves YHWH superior to Ra or Horus or to the supposed supernatural powers of the Pharaoh.

But these manifestations are not only to demonstrate to the Pharaoh that YHWH is true God, but to the Hebrew people themselves. As Dr. Tony Evans has said, “The problem is not just to get the people out of Egypt, but to get Egypt out of the people.” The Hebrews had lived for close to four centuries in Egypt, among a people whose god blessed them in abundance, especially with the mysterious yearly Nile floods. The people had to learn freedom, and dependence on the Lord of Hosts. Slavery, amazingly enough is easier and more desirable to stick with than freedom, especially after four centuries. Those of you familiar with the Torah will remember that the Hebrews cried often to return to Egypt where they had meat, leeks, and melons for the asking. Christians have the same problems; we want to go back to Egypt, to serve the gods we served there, gods of sex, carnality, food, liquor, drugs, addiction to internet, pornography, etc.

During this time of Lent, it is good to ask ourselves, “do we want to return to Egypt?” “Do we recognise that YHWH is God over all of our gods and lords which we have made?” “Do we recognise that God is God of and over nature, fully in control?” In other words, most of us are out of Egypt, but is Egypt out of us? Do we allow Jesus to be Lord of our lives? He cannot be Lord of our lives in truth unless we recognise that he is Lord of All. When we learn to truly trust him by giving him our selves, our souls, our bodies, our time and our money, or will we just give him lip service? It is time for us to decide. Remember what Corrie ten Boom said about revisiting our sins. “It is as God has thrown our sins into the deepest part of the sea, and placed a sign that says, ‘No Fishing!’ God has won the victory. All we need to do is follow and obey.

Shalom and blessings in the Name of Yeshua

+Mar Michael Abportus
mjthan@quik.com

19 March 2005: Moshe Rabeinu

As we approach Peshach or Passover and Easter, it is a good thing to consider Moshe Rabeinu (1393?-1273? BC), more well known to us westerners as Moses. There is still speculation about the exact years in which he lived. According to the Rabbis, Moses was born and died on the 7th of Adar. Moses lived in Egypt for 40 years, towards the end of which, he killed an Egyptian who was mistreating one of the Habiru (Hebrew) people. Moshe then spent the next forty years taking care of sheep in the desert. The end of this period he has his encounter with the burning bush. His last forty years he spent combating Pharaoh and leading the Hebrews to freedom.

We can look at this in a different way. During Moshe’s first forty years he attempted to save his people through his own efforts. His second forty years were spent learning to depend on God. His last forty years were spent in allowing God to use him to save his people.

Forty is an important number in the Bible. Forty is a number which symbolises trials, temptations and preparations. Moses spends forty years getting to know God in the desert. The children of Israel spend forty years in the desert to prepare to enter the promised land. Yeshua (Jesus) spent forty days in the desert to prepare for his ministry, and of course we have forty days of Lent.

Moses, when he encounters the burning bush approaches to see this strange sight. God instructs him to remove his sandals and come no closer because he is standing on holy ground. Today, the Cohen (Jewish priest) removes his shoes before giving the Aaronic blessing. In both the Coptic and Assyrian churches, the congregation remove their shoes in memory of this verse, and that their church is holy ground. I myself usually remove my shoes before entering the church, or at the least before approaching the alter, in memory of this verse.

Moses does not jump at the opportunity to save his people. Perhaps the memory of the slain Egyptian gives him doubts. Perhaps he did not want to confront the Pharaoh, of whom the Midrash and Talmud suggest grew up with Moses, perhaps he has finally realised that he is not worthy. But God is not concerned with our worthiness. He is concerned with our brokenness and our willingness to be used by him. Moses was a murderer, yet God used him. Samson was a philanderer, yet God used him. You and I are sinners (or were before we accepted Jesus, but now we are saints, we’ll save that for another day). Moses was broken when he fled Egypt, Sampson when his eyes were removed. Are we broken? Have we come to the point that we realise that we are not worthy, nor will we ever be ready for God’s gift of eternal life to us? Do we really appreciate what a wonderful gift this is?

When we are truly broken, and realise that we have no power to help ourselves, nor do those things that God wants us to do, then we are ready to be used by God. “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up.” (James 3:16) His strength and power are truly manifest in our weakness.

But Moshe hesitates. He tells Adonai YHWH that he is slow of speech. (An aside on this, according to the Talmud, Moshe was a very intelligent child, so intelligent in fact that the Pharaoh became worried that Moshe would supplant his son. Pharaoh’s counsellors suggested that they test Moshe by putting a piece of gold and a burning ember in the crib. If Moshe took the gold, they would know there was danger. Moshe began to reach for the gold, but an angel of YHWH (blessed be the name) pushed Moshe’s hand to the ember which he took and put in his mouth burning his tongue). Anyway, the Lord reminds Moshe that it was the Lord YHWH who created Moshe and gave him his mouth, and of course arranges for Aaron to speak for Moshe. The point that we need to take is that if YHWH calls us to do something, he will give us the power to do it. The Lord sent me to Honduras. It took me a year to learn Spanish, but I was preaching in my first week of travel in Mexico. I was sent to the Miskito Coast. In six months the language was learned. Brothers and sisters, this was not me, it was the Lord. When he gives us a job, he gives us the ability to complete it. This is not just a job in missions or ministry. This is in holiness as well. God calls us to be holy as he is holy.

Friends, I am deeply disappointed by seeing all the smokers rush to the door of their church (close by our house) so they can get that cigarette. I am appalled by gluttony that I see in Christian brothers (and myself, but I am in battle, 22 pounds down and 42 to go). I am disgusted that George Barna’s statistics show that Christian youth are more likely to be involved in sex than non-church attendees. Oh Lord, forgive us, have we done such a sorry job teaching our children.

There are two problems. One, we have lost the power of self-discipline. When I was in high school, contraception methods were pretty primitive. The birth control pill had not yet been invented, yet one girl in four years in a class of 900 plus got pregnant. Times they have changed. My first year in a regular public high school, fourteen of about 200 students that I had were pregnant. People tell me times are changed we cannot go back. My response is balderdash. First we need to remember that sex is a gift for use in marriage only. Secondly we need to know that God will give us the power to overcome any sin in our life. Any sin. Sexual sin, addiction, any sin.

When I gave up my snuff, I had been using it fourteen years. The good Lord showed me that it was messing up my witness with the youth group with which I worked. I was reminded on Christian radio that God was bigger than my tobacco habit. I laid my can of tobacco on the altar, asked the Lord to take away my desire and have been free ever since (twenty-three years now).

Brothers and sisters, God is calling you to personal holiness. You know where if you are listening to him. He will give you the power to conquer sin in your life. God is also calling you to work for him. I do not know where, but you do. Have no doubts. God will give you the power. Twenty-two years ago I left Conroe, Texas on my motorcycle with $90.00 in my pocket. About 10 weeks later I arrived in Honduras still with money in my pocket. God had cleared a way for me miraculously to make it all the way to Honduras. A week after I showed up at the Episcopal School in Tela, the teacher had to leave on an emergency trip because her father was dying. It is amazing how God moves.

Don’t be afraid. Don’t argue with God. Don’t tell him you cannot do it. Be like Samuel and tell him, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” Tell him, “I cannot do it on my own, but with you at my side all things are possible.

Moshe Rabeinu, (once he got going) displayed faith. Note, before each of those miracles, except the food ones, Moshe had to obey God, and trust God to do the rest. Let us all go out and do the same.

Shalom and blessings in the Name of Yeshua
+Mar Michael Abportus
mjthan@quik.com