The Christian Letter, Volume One: Chapter 61
When I restored my old chair the task overwhelmed me. It was more work then I at first thought it would be, but through much effort, the old chair became comfortable once again. Albeit it still has a squeak here, and is a little uneven there, the chair is hundreds of times better than it was. My life, however, is a much longer process. My Father only spent six days creating, but He still works on me. His focus and determination is great in His desire for us, His original purpose, of someone to honestly love Him back. The restoration I did on my chair took a few months, while the restoration of the believers has been going on for centuries … or has it yet begun?
The key to a great restoration is to be able to make what you are restoring as close to the original as possible. The more exact, the more valuable. At one point in time, people weren’t allowed to read the Scriptures for themselves, as it was a common belief that only priests could understand the Scriptures. During the ninth and tenth centuries, men began to insist that laymen be allowed access to the Scripture. Men like Huss and Tyndale faced persecutions and death at the hands of the church in their protest for the rights of men to have access to the Word. After the deaths of many, and failure to sway the masses against this demand, reluctantly men were granted access to the Scriptures again. The Word is restored. It was worth every death and tear, but do we treat the Word as such?
In the sixteenth century, Luther, a prominent Catholic priest, was in Rome doing penance for his salvation by patiently climbing St. Peter’s staircase, where he recited Scriptures by memory at each stair. On one step he recited, “The just shall live by faith.” He pondered this statement, and wondered, ‘If it is by faith, why am I trying to work my way to heaven climbing these stairs and other such menial tasks.’ He left, posted his thesis on the Wittenberg door, and the protestant reformation began. Rome wanted to, and tried desperately, to execute Luther, but popular opinion and much intervention prevented them from silencing his mouth. Faith became believing on grace and the work of the Messiah. The concept of Faith is restored.
Soon after, a group of men note that in Acts 2 it says, “Repent and be baptized.” The Catholic Church had instituted the concept of sprinkling children at infancy as one of the steps of salvation. A conscious choice of accepting the Messiah, and allowing for death, burial, and resurrection, in the form of total submersion, is restored to the body of believers. However, not only the Catholic Church persecuted and murdered the Baptists, but the Lutherans did as well, because they saw this as moving back to “works” as a means of salvation. Ah, but baptism is His work, not ours. While more has been restored, the fabric is being pulling apart at the seams, the new wine is leaking from the old wineskins.
In the 1940’s, Helen White led another group. Looking at the Ten Commandments they began to question, “Why do we set apart Sun-Day when it is clear in Scripture that the Father only ordained the seventh day?” Who changed it? Research reveals that the Catholic Church brags that it was the Pope who changed the day of Sabbath to the day of the Sun. The Catholic Church also notes that, since other churches all honor Sunday, they acknowledge, even if unknowingly, that the Pope has authority on earth, and the Catholic Church is their mother. The sanctity of the Ten Commandments, and the honoring of the Father’s appointed times is slowly restored. To a few, yes, His joy is restored. The rest of the world, even to this day, persecutes those who love His Word enough to rehearse.
Recently believers have taken note that the Messiah was a Jew Who loved the Torah. From early on in Christianity, embracing a Jewish Messiah would be difficult, as to this day anti-Semitism is strong. From the changing of His title to Christ, to even murder, the removal of all Jewish aspects from the Messiah has been swept under the carpet, until now. The concept of the Hebrew Messiah is slowly being restored. Along with it, His Name, and with His Name comes the restoration of Longsuffering.
Acts talks about the Father restoring the tabernacle of David. David’s tabernacle was unique in that it had worshippers assigned so that praises went up twenty-four hours a day. The concept of true worship has yet to be restored, as with many other things that will bring more separation and blind rage.
It seemed strange to people less than a hundred years ago to dance in church. It was labeled as cultic, because anything other than fundamentalist Christianity was, and is, taught to be a cult. The concepts I am presenting contradict what mainstream Christianity teaches. Two hundred years ago, I would have been killed for what I state in these letters to you. And twenty years from now, I may be killed for what I state in these letters to you. In the past, buying relics to shorten the stay in purgatory was considered truth. Those who opposed such thinking were often burned to death. Today, many arrogant men scoff at such foolishness, yet Christians for over a thousand years believed it. What if Luther did not make a stand? What if you don’t? … What if you don’t?
The most recent movement is the Messianic movement. Alas, many times when Christians start searching for their roots, I find that they go from one side of Babylon to the other side of Babylon. They go from Churchianity to Judaisome and thus make Messyaniacs (no, those are not misspellings) with as much luggage as they can haul. In other words, some groups try to be both when they should be neither. I pray they forfeit the man made Judaism they are mimicking, and grab tight of the Jewish faith of the Messiah they are actually yearning for. Yet, that wouldn’t really be restoring … it would be returning.
The restoration of the church is dead! It can be restored no more. Now is the time to forget restoration and take the plunge. Let us run! Let us return. Forget the doctrine of men and grab tight of the hem of the Merciful Law Keeper, the Messiah Yahoshuah, and Follow Him. … Return to the faith of the Messiah!
“The woman of Shomeron therefore said to Him, ‘How is it that You, being a Yehudite, ask a drink from me, a woman of Shomeron?’ For Yehudim do not associate with Shomeronites. Yahoshuah answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of Elohim, and who it is who says to you, “Give Me to drink,” you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’” (John 4:9-10). The restoration of the church is dead! The returning has begun, and it begins, not with a law kept, or a false doctrine destroyed, but with the fruit of the Spirit and Word, and the conclusions of both.
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Be Blessed and be a Blessing
Shalom
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Additional Scripture References:
2 Corinthians 5:15-21, Isaiah 49:8, Job 33:26, Zechariah 8:23, Colossians 1:21-23, Romans 5:10