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Showing items filed under “Going Deeper”

Talking Torah Part 4: How Not to Bully Others With Your Words

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Remember the feeling when you walk into a store and you get bombarded with salespeople?  Remember how it feels to have someone working hard to show you all of the benefits of a product, and how it is so much better than what you have, yet they’re trying too hard and you really aren’t interested?  Most likely, you don’t like that feeling and you get put off by those people.  You don’t want to be that person, especially when it comes to discussing...

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Talking Torah Part 3: How Not To Bully Others By Your Actions

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You know how your friends and family sometimes seem to get when you have tried to talk to them about the Torah?  Some may be receptive while others may refuse to talk about the subject or even become hostile, showing a side you would never have thought existed.  It doesn’t always have to be that way, if you’ve taken them into consideration and checked your attitude, then it may have something to do with actions. We do not recommend having deep discussions relating...

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Testing and crowns

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Why are there seemingly so many trials and tribulations throughout our lives that each of us must walk through? What possibly could the purpose be of a loving Father, if indeed it is 'he' who sends them? Or is it simply, as some say, 'from the devil' - the enemy of old? It sounds much 'holier' if we claim it's from the enemy and we are being persecuted for His sake, doesn't it? But is that really true all the time? There are many scriptures that encourage us, as those who love Him, that...

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Commandments, Statutes, Ordinances, and Judgments...What's the Difference?

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Deuteronomy 6:1-2 6 “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which Yahweh your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, 2 so that you and your son and your grandson might fear Yahweh your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. “What is the...

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Who is the Bride?

Question:I do not fully understand the implications of the remarriage of Israel to the Father by way of the Son.  Are we Yeshua's Bride or the Fathers? Can we be both? This is a fantastic question.  We learn in Jeremiah 3:8 that YHWH divorced the House of Israel and we also understand that the House of Israel will be brought back into covenant despite the divorce (i.e. Jeremiah 31:31-33; Ezekiel 36:26-27). We cover this process in depth in the teaching “The Lost...

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Subjecting Ourselves to Governing Authorities?

What does Paul mean when he says we should subject ourselves to governing authorities? When we read Romans 13, it has been interpreted that we are to submit ourselves to any random government.  While we do promote being a good citizen in the eyes of a secular government, it is not likely that Paul was only speaking of governments that teach and obey the Torah. First, let’s read: Romans 13:1-7 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority...

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Why Bother?

It is often asked, “If the law of God is just there to prove we can’t keep it, then why bother trying?” This is a good and fair question based on a snippet of Scripture being misunderstood.  The Law of God instructs us on how to live; in doing so, it does point out our sin, with sin being defined as breaking the law of God (1 John 3:4).  The curse of the law, or rather the penalty of it, is death (Romans 6:23); this is known as the law of sin and death (Romans...

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Tribes and Troubles Part 2

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2 weeks ago we discussed the benefits of living in a tribe.  This week we go over the greatest danger of them.  One Very Real Danger Despite the great benefits derived from being part of a tribe, there can be some dangers, dangers that can tear what should be a unified people, apart.   The largest danger comes from ourselves and our approach to the differences we have with others.  Remember there are 3 things that come from 2 or more gathering together: View 1, View...

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Determining a Sabbath Rest

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Why does scripture say to not go out of our place on the Sabbath? Exodus 16:29See! The Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.” Some have interpreted this particular scripture to mean that one is not to leave their dwelling place on the Sabbath. The important word here in English is “place.” In Hebrew, the word for “place&rdquo...

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God’s Authority vs the Husband’s Authority

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As more and more people come to an understanding that the Torah still applies today, friction is not uncommon, even within the same household.  A bigger question sometimes comes up, one about authority, headcoverings, etc.  What happens if a husband and wife have different understandings regarding this topic?  Should they get divorced? The short answer is “No”, they should not get a divorce.  When it comes to authority, the Word of God is the ultimate...

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Matthew 11:11 - How is the Least Greater than the Greatest?

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August 14, 2014 A question common to Matthew 11 is that of what Yeshua meant in verse 11. Matthew 11:11 Verily I say to you, Among those born of women, there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptizer: yet the small one in the kingdom of heaven, is greater than he.   On the surface it appears Yeshua is saying John the Baptist is next to nothing in the kingdom of heaven.  Yet this seems to contradict the context of previous passages where Yeshua is identifying John the...

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The Parable of the Tenants

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Mark 12:1-12/(Matt. 21:33) A couple of weeks ago, in the Torah Portion we read Mark 12:1-12, also known as the Parable of the Tenants.  I have read this parable dozens of times growing up in church, and even in the last several years after receiving the revelation of Torah.  I had likely heard many sermons on it as well, yet for some reason I never really understood what Yeshua was speaking about. Verse 12 says the Pharisees perceived that Yeshua had spoken the parable against...

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Forgive and Forget - Part 1

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Many of us are familiar with the mantra “forgive and forget”, but what does this mean?  In a fallen world full of people who live in the flesh, it’s easy for us to offend or take offense whenever sin is involved.  Yet Yeshua tells us that we are to forgive those who sin against us.  Does forgiving someone mean to forget or ignore what happened?  As followers of Yeshua, how does this work? What does it mean to “turn the other cheek”?  We...

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Judaizers...Is That What We Are?

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It is not uncommon for us, as 119 Ministries as well as other followers of the Torah, to be labeled as “Judaizers” or for it to be said we are “Judaizing”.  Yet how many know what they are saying?  What does it mean to be a Judaizer?  Are we Judaizers? What a Judaizer IsAccording to one article on NewAdvent.org, judaizers are/were: “A party of Jewish Christians in the Early Church, who either held...

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The Heart of the Matter...Expanded

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 1 Samuel 16:7 …The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. Why does the Lord look at the heart? What should have been in the heart even here regarding King Saul? Deuteronomy 30:14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. From the very beginning, the Lord has desired obedience from the heart. This is why, in Mark 12:30, Christ quoted from Deuteronomy...

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What is the "Fear of God"? Part 2

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Exodus 15:11"Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders? Psalm 65:8 They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy. Psalm 111:9 He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name. Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may...

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The Heart of Torah - Part 2

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In part 1 of “The Heart of Torah” (CLICK HERE to go back and read it) we discussed where our focus should be, and what happens when we lose that focus.  This time, in part 2, we are going to discuss what the “The Heart of Torah” is and what it means to walk in it, or follow it. What Is the “Heart of Torah”?Yeshua spoke about the importance of the heart of Torah with His statements to the Pharisees regarding helping a neighbor’s donkey out of...

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