This blog is dedicated to exploring true biblical Christianity. We are especially interested in the Hebrew Roots of the faith, and we seek to understand the biblical truths and customs which have been lost in today's modern churches.
On our Facebook page, we issued a challenge... Are you up for it????
Scripture indicates that YHVH is looking for those who will worship Him in Spirit AND in Truth! (John 4:23) Let's seek to be those people!
Let's learn the truth about our traditions. The challenge is this... Spend at least one hour researching the history and origins of Easter (April 20th this year). Use any credible source and cross-reference what you find to make sure of its truth. You may be surprised what you find out!
If you are participating in this challenge to believers, please like our Facebook challenge post. (Our Facebook Page Here!)
Test our claims and see if they are true! If they are, join us in celebrating Passover this year - the BIBLICAL celebration of Christ's sacrifice, and First Fruits - the BIBLICAL celebration of His resurrection.
Truth will always lead you closer (not further from) Yeshua (Jesus Christ). Regardless of your denominations and traditions, don't be afraid to dig into the truth of your faith!
In just a couple of days, we will be celebrating Yom Teruah and beginning the Days of Awe! If you, like me, are new to these observances, you may enjoy this video as much as I have! This is a great, basic presentation relevant to all - but especially Christ's people!!! Don't miss this!
What better way to spend this time of year than growing in our understanding of spiritual things? Normally, I am leery of books and other materials claiming to teach spiritual warfare. It's very difficult to know whether or not the teacher actually knows what he/she is talking about or if they are parroting what they've been taught to believe!
Bill Schnoebelen, however, has my attention! His testimony is too much for me to go into here, but he has spent years of his life involved in major occult groups and practices. Now, though, he is a follower of Yeshua, and (if I'm not mistaken) he is Torah observant! Either way, though, he definitely is educated - both formally and experientially.
If you're interested, you can easily find many of Mr. Schnoebelen's teachings on YouTube. I especially recommend his testimony! This is a long series, but you may start here:
Once you pass the introduction to the video, Mr. Schnoebelen spends a few moments giving a quick rundown of his history. You may want to check that out, even if you can't watch the entire video!
In the spirit of educating ourselves spiritually, A Bride Bejeweled will be giving away "Blood on the Doorposts (An Advanced Course in Spiritual Warfare) written by Bill Schnoebelen in 1994. (Click here for Amazon link and preview.) As with our last book giveaway, the winner is free to choose either a hard copy or e-book version of the book! (You must be willing to provide either a mailing address or e-mail address (in case of an e-book) for the delivery of your prize.)
You can enter in multiple ways, and some entries can be repeated daily! Check out our rafflecopter giveaway widget on the side of the page to enter!
I'm sure you've noticed (as every year), it's only August, but the stores are stocking their shelves with Halloween (and even Christmas!) items. It seems to me like they start earlier each year! Even though, in my mind, 2+ months away is too early to start worrying about it, if it's gearing up, then we should discuss it.
If you were a reader of my blog this time last year, then you already read my first post on Halloween. If not, please do so. If you're unfamiliar with the origins and symbolism associated with our traditions, please look into it! It's vital that, as believers, we should be EDUCATED about our faith and our traditions! Because Halloween is an annual tradition for many of us, we should know what it means and why.
Halloween, as you will quickly see, is a pet-peeve of mine. It hasn't always been, though. I celebrated as a child and went trick-or-treating like all the others. As an adult though, after deciding to serve YHVH (God) with my life, I've made a much different choice. I will share this choice with you here, in hopes that you, too, will perhaps consider your personal choice again in the light of this information.
It takes absolutely ZERO insight, discernment, or enlightenment of any kind to see Halloween's "true colors". It amazes me, now, how ugly the whole thing is! Spider webs, gory skeletons, goblins, witches, etc. - we decorate our businesses and homes with blood, guts, and gore! It's creepy! Yet, this time of year (again coming earlier and getting longer), it can hardly be escaped! Stores proudly showcase macabre merchandise that they would never have under any other circumstances. Fashions and behaviors that are normally viewed as odd, fringe, even disturbing are now celebrated and accepted by all! It's easy to understand why many enjoy this holiday and either ignore or enjoy the darkness of it. What isn't so easy to understand, though, is why most Christians are among them!
Please, if you call yourself a Christian, look into this! We are celebrating a high holiday of Satanism/Paganism in which horrible acts are commited, and the whole time we're encouraging and instructing our children to take part!
If you've read my "Cancelling Christmas" article, then you understand the biblical reasons that many believers are turning away from many of our traditional holidays. To state it quickly, in Deuteronomy 11-12, YHVH gives instructions to the Israelites (His people) on how to worship. He explicitly tells them NOT to repackage pagan practices! Anything that has ever been pagan was and always will be an abomination to God!!!! We can't "clean it up", "turn it around", or just go "so far." He requires us to worship Him in Spirit and truth - not ignorance and "bathed" occultism!
I honestly believe that YHVH is very displeased when His people (especially His churches) participate in the world's ways - either willingly or ignorantly avoiding the truth of those ways. IGNORANCE IS NOT AN EXCUSE! We have more than enough intelligence and resources to know the truth, and we must make an effort at it! The truth that we know, we are also held accountable to!
If I could declare war on Halloween, I would; but, honestly, what good would that do? What the rest of the world does is a moot point when God's people aren't doing right themselves! If you are His, I beg you... be intelligent and informed about your actions! Do your research, stay in prayer, and decide for yourself how your family can best serve and honor YHVH this year - every day.
In my February post entitled "A Line in the Sand" I posed the question, "If I am HIS child, if I am HIS servant, why am I the one defining the boundaries?" It is from this launching point that I write today, though I had not intended to wait so long for my follow-up. If you have not read that article, please do so before reading this one. I sincerely want anyone reading this to understand where I am coming from as what I'm about to say could be easily misunderstood.
As I mentioned, several months ago (though still less than a year), my faith was greatly changed - and deepened - as I was challenged to re-evaluate all of my boundaries and beliefs. It was one of those times in my life when I felt as if God were "force-feeding" me, in a sense. He seemed to be saying so much to me through His Word and through sermons, etc., and He seemed to be saying it so quickly, that I could hardly keep up! Times like that are rare and amazing, but at the same time, they can seem overwhelming as well. Little did I know then that He was getting ready to turn my world upside down!
I share this story with you in hopes of connecting with some of you who have experienced or are currently experiencing the same. I hope my experience and perspective will encourage you in your faith and maybe even take you a little deeper! I welcome your comments and input.
I was presented (via sermon) with Deuteronomy, chapter 12. Here, YHWH (God) is about to take the Israelites into the Promised Land. He, however, warns them concerning the pagan religions that they will run into when they get there. He explicitly instructs them to keep His ways and not to try to "repackage" their ways or use their items of worship for Him. This was the first time that I had been presented with His line in the sand concerning proper worship of Him.
It was then that I began to realize... How we worship matters! Not only that, it isn't up to us! These, to me, were radical ideas. I had always believed that my heart, my sincerity, my intention was the ultimate factor in any worship. Now, I've got a preacher I've never heard of showing me where the Bible says otherwise!!! Needless to say, that presented a small problem in my faith. I had to, at that point, (as I mentioned in the previous article) either abide by his boundaries, or create my own. It was either obedience or rebellion - not both!
Be careful! Otherwise, your hearts will deceive you and you will turn away to serve other gods and worship them." Deuteronomy 11:16, ISV
Why was this such a big deal? I continued to learn about the origins of many of our modern-day "Christian" ways - pagan origins! I'll use Christmas as an example. The tree, the lights, the gifts, Santa and His elves, even the date of Christmas are all pagan in origin. None of it points to or represents the birth of Christ, as we are taught. The same can be said for Valentine's Day and even Easter. I'm not sure how these were all brought into our Christian tradition, so I won't argue that point, but when you see where it comes from, one thing is certain - they are all pagan holidays that have been repackaged ("Christianized") for us.
When I try to reconcile that with Deuteronomy 12, I can't. If they began pagan, then they are unacceptable to YHWH!!! No matter how sincere I am, no matter how much I love and serve Christ, how I worship/celebrate Him must be done God's way. Wow.... bombshell. I don't know any better word for it.
So, I did what I have heard of others in my situation doing (although I don't know any of them personally). Yup, I cancelled Christmas. I don't even know if I did it well, especially when it came to the sensitive issues of the holidays with my family, but I did it. We celebrated Hanukkah instead. And I don't think we did that well, either! Neither I nor my husband had any Hanukkah experience, so we did the best we could. Then, we skipped Valentine's Day altogether and celebrated Passover, not Easter.
How was it? At the same time wonderful and eye-opening, challenging and awkward. We intend to continue to learn about and celebrate the biblical holidays, that we've always considered to be Jewish. As for now, our celebrations are novice at best, but over time, we'll learn. I'm not sure anyone who knows understand why - and I'm pretty sure they don't like it, but we have to be obedient to God.
Am I saying that if you celebrate Christmas, Easter, etc. you're not a real Christian? No, I've been a real Christian for years now, and I celebrated those holidays up until this past December. And, I'm not saying that this is a salvation issue. We can only be saved by Christ on the cross. I have, however, come to see it as a worship issue, and I believe YHWH will continue to bring His people to that same crossroads. We are all going to have to choose one side of that line or the other. It is difficult for me to see Christmas trees in churches, believers celebrating Halloween, and many other things that I, over time, have come to view from a different perspective. I know, however, many sincere believers that do these things, and I do not doubt their commitment to their faith.
It is my heart, however, to write about the challenges of faith in hopes of both challenging and encouraging others. I do believe this to be an issue for modern-day Christians, and I hope you will consider this prayerfully. There are many resources and ministries through which you can do your own research, but I'm posting here the one that He used to wake me up. It is long, but it is well worth it, and I encourage you to take the time to watch.
Most of us (including myself) have celebrated Halloween at one time or another. Whether we just went trick-or-treating, went to parties, played pranks, or got into more troublesome activities, we likely just saw it as innocent fun. Even today, many sincere believers take part in traditional Halloween activities unaware of what it is that they are truly celebrating.
The seemingly innocent activities of Halloween commemorate horrific and ungodly activities that we would never take part in or even condone from a distance. During the last several years of my Christian walk, the Lord has brought to my attention the truth behind these things, and I have come to the conclusion that I can not in good conscience continue to take part.
As your sister in Christ, let me challenge you to stop and take a good look at what is going on around you and what you are possibly participating in. Simply research the background of Halloween, and (although you will find variations in minor details) you will see the true nature of this evening. I encourage you to give serious thought and prayer to your own decision as to whether or not your family will continue celebrating.
This is a topic I feel very passionately about, and I understand from experience that rejecting Halloween can have its difficulties- both because old habits are hard to break and because others may not understand. Being seen as odd or over zealous is a real likelihood, but we should seek to please God and not man.
I have included two videos (parts of a larger whole) because I feel they are a very good account of the roots of Halloween. I also felt it would be convenient for you to be able to watch them directly from here. However, you will have no difficulty finding additional information on your own from varying sources - some Christian and some not; but be guided by truth - not man's opinion. If you, likewise, decide that this is no longer going to be part of your life as a believer, let me encourage you to share what you have learned with others. We are called to be lights in the darkness, and we should especially take that call to heart concerning Halloween!
I recently read this FREE e-book and thought I would share it with you. It was a short read, but it made some very good points concerning the true meaning of "The Kingdom of God". I would certainly recommend it to you, and if you're interested, you can pick it up here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-kingdom-primer-steve-shirreffs/1107395005?ean=2940032834908. If you do read it, leave a comment and tell us what you think! Enjoy!
In my previous post "Divine Spark", I mentioned a documentary titled "God of Wonders." For anyone interested in seeing it, here it is on YouTube! Enjoy! :)
Personally, one of the best things I’ve found to deepen my
own faith (apart, of course, from scripture itself) is to read and learn about
past heroes of Christianity. I’ve found
that I come away inspired to a deeper commitment to God, and in the case of
this Dietrich Bonhoeffer biography, I come away also with an intriguing look at
the questions and theologies that he wrestled with. Reading Bonhoeffer’s own material has
challenged me to think more deeply and take serious consideration of many of
the theological/ethical questions he addresses.
It’s amazing to me how relevant these questions are today, even after
things in our world seemed to have changed so much.
In, Bonhoeffer:
Pastor, Prophet, Martyr, Spy, Eric Metaxas presents an exhaustive
account of the life and person of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian and
pastor during the time of Hitler. The level
of detail given about Bonhoeffer’s life is so extraordinary that it leaves the
reader feeling as if they actually know and understand him. What I enjoyed even more, though, was the
ease with which this quite lengthy biography read. The language is
conversational, and I never felt that making my way through the 500-600 page
book was tedious. In fact, I couldn’t
put it down!
If you’re looking for a faith-building book to read, let me
suggest this one! It will not only
provide a good biographical story, but leave you considering more deeply
questions of pacifism, civil disobedience, spiritual responsibility, and
following God at all costs. I got so
much out of it that I’m willing to purchase it again, just to have it on my
Nook!
