HaShaliach

While I have been involved in several Bible studies for the second half of 2009, I have not even attempted to write another article for the front page of this community. But, not that we are embarking a new secular year, it seems like this would be a good time to change the words that greet folks who visit here through the front page, rather than accessing the forum directly.

Therefore, now is the time and this block is the place that is appropriate from yet another 'new beginning'.

While I think there yet remains some areas concerning the Old Testament Law (see the thread, "What is the Law of God") that need to be discussed, I think it is time to pick up with a couple of  other important tasks that have been dangling around for much of this past year.

In addition to working on  several 'promised' translations, a study on a few selected of verses, and another major study on Mathew chapters 5-7 (a long time overdue), and a whole host of troubling questions and subjects that keep challenging the disciples of Jesus Christ, I feel like I am running out of time to address all of these many different issues. So, I am into carefully selecting what I can address and what I must defer elsewhere.

Looking around the Gentile Christian and Messianic Jewish world and I can see the problems that we all face, and I know that there is no way that this one old mountain man has the ability to adequately address all of them – and seeing that there is such a great cloud of men and women who are so much better equipped to tackle these growing number critical issues than I am, my heart fails within me. Then I remember that there are a  number of very gifted men and women members of this community – if you can get them to move a little – who are quite capable of responding to today's issues and the questions that beset so many believers.

Yes, also I look around and see men such as Ravi Zacharias, R.C. Sproul, Eliyahu ben David, Dr. Michael Youssef, A.W. Tozer, C.H. Spurgeon, Sid Roth (to name just a very few), knowing that I can never hope to achieve their level of biblical knowledge, spiritual understanding and wisdom, nor match their ability to communicate and to teach the wonderful word of God, or to assist in the opening up the hearts and minds of men to the richness and the beauty of God's word to mankind. Nor am I capable of presenting the Gospel of the Kingdom of God in such a way as to prepare the way for the Spirit of God to manifest Himself in the lives of individuals or even in the outer edges of an assembly. Which leaves me with this alone: I work point others to such men and women as I can who have the ability (gifting) and the Spirit (authority) to present the gospel of our God and Savior to those whom the Spirit has  called and drawn toward the Messiah. And, for me to share some of the things that I think I have learned over a number of years of study during my attempt to live and to walk in that same Spirit. The purpose of such an undertaking as this is, is to assist others in moving more quickly through their own studies and lessons to be learned as they travel through the process called 'living'.

If I can encourage one person to dig a litter deeper into the word of God for themselves, rather than attempting to live on the studies (ideas, conclusions, assumptions, etc.) of another, if I can get just one more person to seek out and take responsibility for their own salvation, rather trying to get 'saved' through the efforts and spiritual growth of someone else, then I will have fulfilled my mission. Then, if I can achieve these goals, and perhaps assist in the adding of just one or two more names to the Lamb's Book of Life, then maybe I can face my God.

With all of that said, there is only one thing worse than simple spiritual pride, and that is false modesty.

Shalom V'Shalom