ISSUE: #49

MEM

Message

On our web site [click here] we have a place for readers to ask questions. Sometimes we will get questions from sincere and truth seeking individuals. Sometimes a question will be asked that reflects anything but a humble attitude. We do try to answer all requests; sincere or not. There are questions asked with no return address; therefore we have no one to whom to reply. We recently received a question with no way to return an answer. Our group has decided to answer such questions and place them on our web site anyway. You might take a look and see if there are questions and answers that may be helpful to you. Or you might want to challenge us with a Scriptural question of your own.

Saying all this we would like you to know we are only human, seeking the truth as well. Can we be mistaken? Yes. But let it be a challenge to you to seek truth as well. We also hope to be humble enough to admit we do not always know, or it is our opinion, or as far as we understand… Please allow us the chance to grow as well. What we may have understood four years ago may have been modified as we grow in grace and knowledge of our Master Yeshua the Messiah. If you find any discrepancies or contradictions please bring it to our attention.

Our core group consists of three, plus their wives. One does most of the MEM; one does all the labor of getting the MEM out, posting web articles, maintaining our web site, (our ‘Webmaster’); he also proof reads everything. The other is the ‘Answer Man’, the one replying to the questions (he also proof reads all articles); as a result it is easy for me to say, "ask questions", I like to keep him challenged.

Getting back to that recent question: "Who was the first preacher mentioned in the (Bible) and what did he preach?" I thought it was a fair question. Of course one does not know if it is a trick question. Fair enough, what do you think?

Was it Philip?

Acts 8:35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.

Maybe Paul or Barnabas?

Acts 14:6-7 …and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, and the surrounding region; and there they continued to preach the gospel.

What did they preach?

Romans 15:19 in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

The same gospel Yeshua preached.

Was it the disciples?

Luke 9:1-2 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

Was it Yeshua (Jesus)?

Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

What about John the Baptist?

Luke 13:18 So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people.

We find Solomon was a Preacher:

Ecclesiastes 1:1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

Ecclesiastes 12:9-10 In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out and arranged many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly.

We see it could have been one of the many prophets who were empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach repentance to the people of Israel; to return them to their Creator. As well it could have been Moses who brought the Word of God, the Torah, to Israel.

We read of one that goes back further than Moses:

2Peter 2:5 …but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;

So it could have been Noah as he proceeds all the above. I would like to go back a little further, back to the beginning.

Genesis 1:26-30 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Then He walked and talked with them (taught them what they should do):

Genesis 2:16-18 The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."

When they disobeyed, the Creator did not abandon them but preached the gospel to them:

Genesis 3:6-15 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate… Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked… They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

So I believe our Creator, the one who became our Savior, preached the good news to our first parents. That one would come from her seed that would bruise (strike, crush, tread upon) the one responsible for deceiving mankind; consequently freeing us from the serpents dominion.

Praise YHVH, to whom is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever and forever. Amen

Proverb

Proverbs 8:17 "I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me.

Proverbs 2:3(NLT) Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.

Asking questions is a good place to start.

Saying (s)

Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to error that counts. Nikki Giovanni

How do we respond to a mistake? I suppose it matters if it is ours or someone else’s. A right heart will seek to correct it; it may take humility and the ability to ask for forgiveness or direction, or understanding. It was Yeshua that said:

Matthew 7:7-11 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"

Bible Quiz

1. Who spoke "While we wait for the blessed hope- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ"?
2. In which book is the word "Selah" often found?
3. During the reign of Hezekiah, what country fought against Judah?
4. Instead of themselves, about whom did the apostles preach?
5. From Jerusalem, how long did David reign over Israel and Judah?
6. Who asked Deborah to go into battle with him?
7. Who said, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

Humility

"Pride has its root and strength in a spiritual power, outside of us as well as within us; as needful as it is that we confess and deplore it, it is satanic in origin… The hopeless struggle against the workings of self and pride within us may indeed become still more hopeless as we think of the power of darkness behind it; the utter despair will fit us better for realizing and accepting a power and a life outside of ourselves, the humility of heaven brought down by the Lamb of God to cast out Satan and his pride.." Andrew Murray

Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

2 Peter 1:4 …He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

Did you know:

Food Fact – Tofu is created from the soybean.

Animal Fact – Dogs do not sweat like humans to keep cool; they pant.

People Fact – The national spelling bee was started by the Louisville, Kentucky newspaper: The Courier-Journal.

Sports Fact – The first Super Bowl was held in 1967.

On April 14:

- 1828 Noah Webster copyrighted his first dictionary edition.

- 1865 President Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth.

- 1912 The cruise liner "Titanic" hit an iceberg.

In the year 1928:

- Herbert Hoover is elected president.

- Richard E. Byrd begins an expedition to the Antarctic, which he finishes in 1930

- The first television called a Davin, is sold for $75, in addition, GE introduces a T.V. with a 3-inch by 4-inch screen.

Lighter Side

You Know you have had too much of our digitized world when:

• You try to enter your password on the microwave.
• You haven’t played solitaire with a real deck of cards in years.
• You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
• You e-mail your son in his room to tell him that dinner is ready, and he e-mails you back "What’s for dinner?"
• Your daughter sells Girl Scout Cookies via her web site.
• You chat several times a day with a stranger from South Africa, but you haven’t spoken to your next door neighbor yet this year.
• Every commercial on television has a website address at the bottom of the screen.
• You buy a computer and a week later it is out of date and now sells for half the price you paid.
• The concept of using real money, instead of credit or debit, to make a purchase is foreign to you.
• You consider 2^nd day air delivery painfully slow.
• You consider being organized as multiple colored post-it-notes.
• You hear most of your jokes via e-mail instead of in person.

The Garden Path

I don't believe that people are born with a green thumb or brown thumb, or in one case, a self-proclaimed black thumb. I am told that I have a green hand. However, I firmly believe that any person can grow a plant despite past experience. The secret is twofold. First, you have to know what the plant needs to flourish and second, do it. That's pretty much it. Okay, that sounds way too simple you say? Well, I have discovered that if I find out what a plant needs to be happy and make an effort to try to fulfill that demand, the plant will live. How do you find out how to make a plant happy? There is an incredible amount of information on the Internet, books at your local library and that next door neighbor who has the incredible yard. Chances are, most people who love plants, also love talking about them and sharing information and sometimes the plants themselves.

Not all my plants have a happy ending. In fact this morning, I have confirmed that I have neglected my Mexican Heather plant to death. This tender perennial, which means that it can't handle frost or cold but lives for more than one year, bit the dust because I didn't keep it moist enough. It is a bit brittle now and I have to dump it in the compost. I am sad, BUT I know what I did wrong and next time I bring one inside in the fall, I will remember to water more and perhaps give it a bigger pot.

The Story of Harry

One might think this episode about Harry seems make believe. Things like this just do not happen in an ordinary Christian’s life. Let's review for a bit.

Harry’s parents came from Europe to America and had to learn a new language, English, and the way of a new nation. They did not try to change the laws of their adopted nation but adapted to the land of their choice.

They may have brought a little of their culture with them and remained tied to their Christian heritage by being faithful to their church, which was established in the new land. They worked hard and contributed to their family, community, church and nation. They worked the soil with their hands. Thankful for the bounty afforded them they increased by providing food for themselves and others.

They were a close family with strong moral values. Harry was active in the local church for years. When his father died he returned home to care for his aging, semi-invalid mother. Harry willing worked with and tutored local youth; using the family farm as a place for social gatherings, especially for the youth.

Harry’s desire to serve and know YHVH better lead to an understanding of the Seventh Day Sabbath and the Creator’s other commanded Holy Days. In this process he suffered humiliation and intimidation from friends and family. Through much prayer and seeking the truth through Bible study he barely wavered. He suffered a few doubts occasionally as it seemed to him that he was the only one striving to be obedient to the sure Word of God.

In YHVH’s great mercy he led Harry to a group of seekers after the truth. Together they were able to successfully face challenges with the encouragement and gifts Elohim granted their group. Did that mean Harry’s problems were over? Not if the Accuser has anything to do about it.

When Harry returned home one day from picking up some things at the market, a man was waiting for him on their front porch. Smiling he greeted Harry and handed him an envelope. Later Harry opened the envelope to find an injunction against him because of the accumulation of ‘junk’ on his property. The town council agreed with the neighbors that the old rusting farm equipment and patches of overgrown weeds was an eye sore to the community. The whole ‘mess’ was to be cleaned up within 15 days or face a $1,500 fine and a possible jail sentence.

At first Harry’s anger started to well up within him. He took the injunction to his bedroom and spread it on the bed then kneeled down and prayed. O YHVH, all my life I have tried to serve you and the community. I have tried to open up our land here for the neighbors to play and enjoy the old farm equipment. Photo buffs have come and taken pictures of the antique machinery and barns. The house and barns are kept in good shape and painted; only a few spots were grown up with grasses around equipment I can no longer move by hand. Why have I been singled out for such punishment? Our homestead is the only peaceful country setting in the hustle and bustle of this modern hectic life.

Harry waited silently. Trying to push out justifying thoughts, he was finally able to find the peace he sought. With a humble attitude he thought how he might meet the demands of the injunction. O YHVH, please help me to see our homestead as the neighbors see it. I did not realize I was setting a poor example for you. Please forgive me and give me the strength to comply with the order.

It was not easy to rent large dumpsters and struggle to dismantle equipment and throw it away. Not only was it physically draining on his aging body, it was often an emotional struggle to cast away memories of his family, his childhood, and the many youth outings. Then his new found fellowship group rallied around one day to assist him with the giant purging operation.

Harry thanked the Creator for the strength and assistance to make the deadline. After much though he considered if there were things in his spiritual life that were cluttering his relationship with his Heavenly Father. "Thank you Father," Harry prayed, "help me to see excess baggage or clutter that is a hindrance to my growth and witness for you. Blessed be Your Name."

Quiz Answers

1. Paul - Titus 2:13

2. Psalms

3. Assyria - 1 Kings 18:13

4. Jesus Christ as Lord - 2 Corinthians 4:5

5. Thirty-three years - 2 Samuel 5:5

6. Barak - Judges 4:4-8

7. Yeshua - Matthew 14:31