Church WithOut Walls International-Europe
  • Home
    • Privacy Verklaring
  • DE
    • Weekly Thoughts (D) Wöchentliche Gedanken >
      • Weekly Thoughts (D) Wöchentliche Gedanken - PDF
  • EN
    • Weekly Thoughts >
      • WEEKLY THOUGHTS >
        • John's Monthly Newsletter
      • Weekly Thoughts serie in PDF format
    • About John Fenn
    • About Wil & Ank Kleinmeulman
    • Books written by Ank Kleinmeulman >
      • About Ank - author
    • Online Bibleschool
  • F
    • Pensées Hebdomadaires
    • PDF à lire et/ou imprimer
    • A propos de John Fenn
    • A propos de Wil & Ank Kleinmeulman
    • Vidéo en anglais
    • Nous contacter
  • FI
    • Viikottaisia ajatuksia >
      • WEEKLY THOUGHTS / Viikottaisia ajatuksia
      • Weekly Thoughts / Viikottaisia ajatuksia - PDF
    • John Fennistä
    • TV7
    • Kontaktihenkilö Suomessa
  • LT
    • Weekly Thoughts (LT) Savaitės Mintys >
      • E-Book
    • Straipsniai >
      • Kaip mes suprantame, koks turi būti surinkimas
      • Krikštai
      • Kaip veikia 5 tarnavimo dovanos namų surinkimuose?
      • Grįžimas prie paprasto tikėjimo
      • Garbinimas
      • Namų surinkimai Naujajame Testamente
      • Išgelbėjimas
      • Tikėjimo išpažinimas
      • Kaip prasidėjo CWOWI?
      • Dažnai pasitaikantys klausimai
    • Video LT
  • LV
  • NL
    • Weekly Thoughts - nederlands >
      • WEEKLY THOUGHTS (NL) Wekelijkse Gedachten >
        • Weekly Thoughts NL pdf
    • Over / bio van John Fenn
    • Over / bio Wil & Ank
    • Wat wij geloven
    • Onderwijs - Online Bijbelschool
    • Onderwijs - MP3
    • Boeken van Ank Kleinmeulman
    • Doneren / gift overmaken?
    • Conferentie
    • Artikelen >
      • Hoe “Church Without Walls International” is ontstaan
      • Hoe een samenkomst van een CWOW huisgemeente eruit ziet
      • Waarom samenkomen in een huis?
      • Wat is een huiskerk en een huiskerk netwerk?
      • HuisKerken: Waarom – Wat – en Hoe?
      • Ank deelt over Wat & Hoe van Huiskerken (VIDEO'S)
    • Lokaties van Huiskerken (in NL)
  • PL
  • RO
    • Gânduri săptămânale >
      • Gânduri săptămânale - PDF
  • RU
    • Джон Фенн
    • Сид Рот «Это сверхъестественно»
  • Locations
  • Donate
  • Events
  • TV
  • Contact

We can't improve on this! #2, Messianic movement 1 - how far is too far?

4/20/2019

0 Comments

 
Hi all,
We all agree with the statement that Christ is in us, but then we may wonder, "Can I enhance what I have in Him?
 
Today, the Messianic movement: How far can we go in learning about Jewish roots without getting into error? 
 
There was a man who was generous in all things, well-liked, never married, a business owner, and solid in character who loved the Lord very much. But having an interest in learning more about the Jewish Jesus, he went to a local 'messianic' congregation. 
 
After his first visit 2 of the leaders made an appointment to visit him in his home, and in that visit and many, many, more visits, often 3-5 nights each week, they taught him. They told him he was incomplete in his faith, disobedient to the Lord for not observing the Mosaic law, and made him afraid he was missing God. 
 
They taught him to ignore the book of Galatians, the letter of I John, and more. At first, he would frequently call and/or email me to get my opinion on what they taught him, but they were there and I am in another state...and he was won over by them, for they were relentless. 
 
The result was he left his house church which his family also attended, choosing even to break all contact with his family. He became immersed in all things the leaders of his messianic congregation told him to do. Today, he has restored relationships with his family, but in a very limited way. His only fellowship is with members of his synagogue.
 
He hasn't corresponded with me since, not even when I've visited his family in their house next door - I am saddened by the loss of a friend, but it was his doing, not mine. And from what I hear, he is intellectually full, but spiritually empty and longing for more.
 
I could tell you dozens of stories of men and women who over the course of weeks and months, gradually followed the same path as my friend above, becoming immersed in the messianic to the exclusion of all else. Many of course maintain balance. But how does an earnest and godly desire to know more about the Jewishness of Jesus become an unhealthy obsession?  (My series this month, 'Spiritual Addictions 2' covers the path to spiritual addictions in detail)
 
Paul wrote in Romans 10: 2-4:
"I know what enthusiasm (zeal) they have for the honor of God, but it is misdirected zeal. 3 For they don’t understand that Christ has died to make them right with God. Instead they are trying to make themselves good enough to gain God’s favor by keeping the Jewish laws and customs, but that is not God’s way of salvation. 4 They don’t understand that Christ gives to those who trust in him everything they are trying to get by keeping his laws. He ends all of that." (TLB)
 
Let's look at the progression a person takes down this path. The first thing Paul mentions is that they have a zeal for God. The Greek word is 'zelon' which can mean zeal, jealousy, even fury. The root word, 'zeo', means 'to bubble or boil over'. It means committed to something while also having a strong emotional desire for the object of their desire. 
 
These people are zealous - boiling over in their desire for God and all things God. But he says, it is misdirected zeal. It is 'not according to (revealed) knowledge.' 
 
The word he used to say it 'is not' according to knowledge, is the simple word 'kat'. 'Kat' is a negative, meaning 'against' - in this case 'against knowledge'. Their zeal is so overpowering they ignore what is revealed, in favor of a more complicated 'higher' knowledge - or at least their zeal tells them it is a more advanced knowledge.
 
Because of this misdirected zeal, ignoring what they have, which is Christ Himself in them, Paul says they go about trying to establish their own righteousness. Their messianic approach becomes a structure by which to approach God, or see Him through that structure; Not accepting Christ died for them to make them right with God, and Christ is already in them. 
 
It is like the movement some years ago of the 'open heaven' meetings. Many a well meaning Christian went to a conference advertising they will have an open heaven, willingly ignoring that Christ is already in them and we can come boldly to the throne of grace. They were zealous but not according to revealed knowledge. 
 
The reason many were willing to ignore what they knew to be true in favor of a 'fad' movement, is because they wanted short answers and a quick fix to their problems or situation. Christ in them would have them walk through the issues, growing in Him, and growing as a person - but that is hard, hard work. Unpleasant work. It is much easier in their zeal to run to an 'open heaven' meeting, which seems so spiritual, and hope a quick fix will come. It doesn't work that way. 
 
People run to formulas and ritual because they don't know the Lord well enough. We are told the Christian faith is about walking in Christian character in II Peter 1: 5-8, and walking in the fruit of the Spirit/spirit in Galatians 5: 22-23, which cause us to live godly lives. We can do this because Christ is in us. Christ in us is everything!
 
There is nothing wrong with learning about our Jewish Jesus, the culture of the Bible, and the festivals and fasts - but if a person in their zeal leave the simplicity of Christ and revealed knowledge in favor of ritual and external laws which Christ already fulfilled, they fall into error. And that is what Paul was correcting in Galatians 3, which we will cover next week. 
 
Next week - How Paul taught them to stay balanced in their knowledge of the Jewishness of Jesus
Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com
 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

      John Fenn

      If you want to subscribe

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

    RSS Feed

Church WithOut Walls International.eu (C) 2023
to donate
Photo used under Creative Commons from widakso