Why do you often spell out “God” and “Lord” in your sermon messages instead of vocalizing the words?
We often spell out “God” and “Lord” to show a distinction between the common and proper titles / names for Yahweh. In the case of God, according to some sources, including the Britannia, God may refer to a molten image. Also, according to some scholars, the proper name of the supreme deity of the ancient Teutonic people was “God.” We further explain in the Restoration Study Bible, “…Today, Elohim has been falsely replaced with the generic title ‘God,’ which is neither correct, based on the Hebrew, nor honoring to Yahweh, based on its etymological roots. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘It has been also suggested that the word might mean a “molten image” from the sense of to “pour”‘ (Vol. 12, 1911). See [Oxford English Dictionary]. Additionally, according to others, the term ‘God’ was the proper name for the Teutonic Supreme Being. ‘In all Teutonic tongues the Supreme Being has always with one consent been called by the general name God.’ (Teutonic Mythology, Vol. 1, Jacob Grimm, p. 13, 1882).” note on Genesis 1:1.
Regarding Lord, this comes from the Old English hlāford and refers to a bread-keeper. Also, many biblical sources state the Baal means “Lord.” While the Old English etymology certainly is demeaning, the latter, i.e., meaning of Baal, is of more concern.
“Baal means lord, in the sense of owner, possessor…” (Fausset’s Bible Dictionary, Baal).
“ba’al; Heb. ba’al, ‘lord, possessor…'” (The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Baal).
“BAY uhl (lord, master)-the name of one of more false gods, a place, and two people in the Old Testament” (Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Baal).
“(ba’-al:) (ba’al; or Baal): The Babylonian Belu or Bel, ‘Lord,’ was the title of the supreme god among the Canaanites” (International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Baal).
Interestingly, Jeremiah 23 describes a time when believers would forget Yahweh’s Name for Baal (Lord). “The anger of Yahweh shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly… Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal [Lord],” verses 20, 27.
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The first sin mankind committed was against a food law, when Eve ate of the fruit that Yahweh had forbidden. Many people do not know that there are other biblical commands against eating what was never meant as food for us. Let us learn about them now.
Is there a verse in the Bible that addresses organ donations/transplants?
There is no scripture that speaks directly about organ donation. The closest passage is Lev 17:14: “…because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, ‘You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.’” Also see Leviticus 7:26; Deuteronomy 12:16-24; 15:23. Yahweh commands that we abstain from eating blood. We believe that this command would also apply to organ donations and transplants. For this reason, we discourage organ donations and transplants.
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Troubles are all a part of life; it’s something that no one can escape. If you are alive, then you have problems. So with that in mind, what can we do about it? Should problems just hit us as we passively take them or are there some action steps in dealing with these challenges?
To answer these questions let’s look at an example from Yahshua in Mark 4:35-41. The passage reads, “And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, what manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
First consider where Yahshua and His disciples were. It reads that they passed over to the other side. The other side of what? We know that they were in a boat and their destination according to Mark 6:1 was the country of the Gadarenes, which is called Gadara. Therefore if you reference a map of the area, Yahshua and His disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee. This is not surprising, since Yahshua used this sea many times during His ministry to travel to the various cities in the area.
Continuing on in the passage, a great storm came upon these men so much so that the disciples thought they were going to sink. Most of the disciples of Yahshua were fishermen. Simon Peter, Andrew his brother, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother were all fishermen by trade.
Luke 8:22 says that Yahshua was in the boat with His disciples, so at least one of these men in the boat with Yahshua must have been a fisherman. Fishermen are used to dealing with the sea and the storms that come upon them, so this must have been a really huge storm for these men to panic under such conditions.
Fearing for their lives, they woke Yahshua from His sleep. Yahshua, waking ever so calmly, said, “Peace be still,” and the storm ceased. He then responded to His disciples by saying, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” Yahshua could not understand why they were so afraid. He was with them, so they ought to have had faith that everything was going to work out okay. He rebuked them for their lack of faith and trust in Him.
Personal Storm
The disciples in these verses faced a literal storm, a physical danger. Now we may not face an actual storm like these men, yet I would say that we are all going through some metaphorical storm right now, represented by a trial or trouble we are having to weather. Perhaps it’s finances, relationships, health, job, or some other part of life troubling us.
Also, we all face the looming storm of evil that is attacking our freedoms and morality in this country. We have our own problems that we face daily, and then we have to feel the crushing weight of things seemingly getting worse day by day with violence and wickedness increasing while morality is decreasing.
These are serious issues that should not be downplayed, yet focusing so much on these is not the solution. Stressing too much on the storms we face can lead to a lack of faith. It did for the disciples and it can for us, too. We are not exempt from falling into this pattern.
It all comes down to what we focus our energy and thoughts upon. If we can change our focus then we can stop worrying so much about what hits us in life and more about trusting in Yahweh.
Realize Who Is in Your Boat
What can we do to keep our trust in Yahweh? We can remember who is in our boat. The disciples were in the boat with Yahshua, the son of Yahweh, who was given authority from Yahweh Himself. With one word Yahshua could have called a host of angels to His and the others’ aid. And even if one of these men had fallen out of the boat and drowned, Yahshua had the authority to bring him back from the dead.
Don’t forget what Yahweh can do, and what Yahshua can do through Yahweh His Father. Because this same Yahshua who was in this first century boat is the same One who is with us through the good and bad in our lives. We don’t need to go at our problems alone. We have a Heavenly Father and a Savior there for us. In Romans 8:35, 38-39, Paul spoke these words of the love of Yahweh and Yahshua toward us.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Messiah? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword…for I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of Yahweh, which is in Messiah Yahshua our Master.”
When going through troubles, focus on His power, His Word, and His promises. The promises He made to us are throughout the Bible:
• Psalm 50:15 reads, “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”
• Psalm 34:7 says, “The angel of Yahweh emcampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.”
• Psalm 103:17 tells us, “But the mercy of Yahweh is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children.”
This is just scratching the surface of the promises He makes to us, which are true and sure. It can bring great comfort in knowing that Yahweh is there for all of us.
Trust and Believe
Looking back at the scene of Yahshua and His disciples in the boat, the second thing the disciples needed was trust and belief in Yahshua. If they would have looked at Him, seen Him for who He was, and then believed, they would not have panicked.
Thinking about the promises of Yahweh and what He can do are amazing, yet it is incomplete by itself. It must be combined with belief and trust that He can do these things and that He truly is the most powerful being in the universe.
Without this faith, this belief in Yahweh, it is impossible to please Yahweh, according to Hebrews 11:6. If we want to please Him, we must believe.
The Israelites coming out from Egypt were constantly plagued by unbelief. Despite the fact that they saw the plagues in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the manna falling from heaven, and many more miracles, they still lacked faith.
Hebrews 3:12, 16-19 speaks of unbelief: “Take heed brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living Elohim…for some, when they had heard did provoke, howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”
You see, it goes back to where our focus lies. The Israelites could not get past this and were always eager to complain about what they were going through. They could have looked to Yahweh for help, and for salvation, but instead were too caught up in their problems.
Now because you remember that Yahweh is with you and you believe that He can do all things, does this mean that you will not face any more troubles? Of course not. The Bible says that in the coming tribulation many saints will be killed for their convictions.
Life is filled with unfairness. It seems that those who do wrong get away with what they’ve done, while those who try to do what is right are continually beset with challenges. If you look at it just from where we are now and the perspective of this time, then yes, things can be drummed up as being quite bad at times.
Keep hope and keep your trust in Yahweh because though life may be challenging, Yahweh will set all things right in the Kingdom. If you keep your mind on the eternal, the life where things will last, then it is easier to handle the problems in this life.
Yahweh’s Work for Good
No matter what happens or has happened to you, Yahweh does this for a reason. Romans 8:28 reads, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love Elohim, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
We must believe this to be true, that Yahweh works out the bad things for good to those that love Him. It doesn’t say that it will be easy, or that difficulties are fun, but everything will work out in some way whether it is in this life or in the life to come. But for this to happen we must love Yahweh, we must trust in Yahweh, and we must believe in Him fully with all our heart, soul, and mind.
Yahweh can do all things. He has allowed trials to come into your life, and He can make them go away. No matter what happens, we need to keep our faith in Him.
In the book, The Hiding Place, author Corrie ten Boom speaks about her imprisonment in Nazi concentration camps as she helped save many Jews from imprisonment and death. While she was in the camp, she and her sister, Besie, got moved to another building that was infested with fleas.
Corrie was frustrated with the situation, but her sister kept reminding her of the passage in 1Thessalonians 5:16 about rejoicing in everything. Corrie, though, could not find any way to be thankful for the fleas.
While in this new building Corrie and Besie started to speak about the Good News from the Bibles they had hidden from the guards, reaching many of the women and giving them hope. Typically the guards would not stand for such activity, especially one that was religious, yet these guards did not bother their meetings. They continued on, yet still wondered why they were given this strange treatment.
As time passed, Besie got sick and had to be moved to the camp hospital. Corrie, wanting to visit her sister, sneaked through the camp and into the hospital. Besie was overjoyed to see Corrie and had even more exciting news of her own. Besie had found out why the guards left them alone and gave them the freedom they had in that building. It was because of the fleas. The guards didn’t want to get the fleas on themselves and so they stayed away.
If that’s not a story of good coming from a terrible situation then what is?
Let’s use these lessons to guide our thoughts and actions and to keep our focus off of everything that is going wrong and to think on Him who can make things right.
Don’t ignore problems, just take action according to your belief and faith in Yahweh rather than reacting with fear and frustration
No other day in the Scriptures is given more prominence than the weekly Sabbath. Yet, in our society the first day of the week has far outdistanced the Sabbath in the number of people who acknowledge it. Does it make any difference to Yahweh which day is kept? Did the Savior change the day of worship by His resurrection, or are many deceived today?
Are there historical references to the Messiah of the New Testament?
Yes, there are several historical records confirming that Yahshua the Messiah existed as a person in the first century. Additionally, some of these references verify that He was able to perform great wonders, i.e., miracles, as we also see from the biblical record.
Below are a few quotes from a chart within the Restoration Study Bible entitled, “The Messiah from Historical Writings:”
“Nero fastened the guilt…on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of…Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil….” Tacitus, Annals 15.44.
“They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ…and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food–but food of an ordinary and innocent kind,” Pliny, Daily Lives of Christians in Ancient Rome.
“About this time there lived Jesus [Yahshua], a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he…wrought surprising feats…. He was the Christ. When Pilate…condemned him to be crucified, those who had…come to love him did not give up their affection for him. On the third day he appeared…restored to life…. And the tribe of Christians…has…not disappeared,” Josephus, Antiquities 18.63-64. (While most scholars attribute this quotation to Josephus, parts of it may have been added later.)
“On the eve of the Passover Yeshu [Yahshua] was hanged. For forty days before the execution took place, a herald…cried, ‘He is going forth to be stoned because he has practiced sorcery and enticed Israel to apostasy,’” The Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 43a.
“The Christians…worship a man to this day—the distinguished personage who introduced their novel rites, and was crucified on that account…. [It] was impressed on them by their original lawgiver that they are all brothers, from the moment that they are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and worship the crucified sage, and live after his laws,” Lucian, The Death of Peregrine.
“But [Yahshua] having persuaded a few among you, and those the worst of men, has now been celebrated about 300 years; having done nothing worthy of remembrance; unless anyone thinks it is a mighty matter to heal lame and blind people and exorcise demoniacs in the villages of Bethsaida and Bethany,”Julian the Apostate (quoted in the polemic of Cyril of Alexandria against Julian).
Most Bible believers identify with a Messiah who was never known or called by the name they use. The question becomes, does His Name really matter and will it hinder salvation to call on a substitute name for the One who died for our sins?
Can a man divorced and remarried qualify as a minister? Also, what if the divorce and remarriage occurred before baptism?
Paul in 1Timothy 3 and Titus 1 states that a minister (i.e., elder or deacon) must be a man of one wife. “A bishop [elder] then must be blameless, the husband of one wife…. Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well,” 1Timothy 3:2, 12.
While the meaning of the phrase “man of one wife” is debated, it is generally assumed to refer to a man married only once or to a man who has not been divorced and remarried. As we explain in the Restoration Study Bible, “This expression denotes a man that has been married but once or a man that is not divorced and remarried. The New Revised Standard Version reads, ‘married only once.’ The New English Biblesays faithful to his one wife. The Jerusalem Bible says he must have been married once. Moffatt reads, He must be married only once. Smith-Goodspeed says only once married. The Anchor Bible explains, ‘Literally a man of one woman (1Tim. 5:9 contains a mirror image of the expression.)’ It has also been historically noted that both remarriage and polygamy were practiced during the time of the Messiah. OT priests were also prohibited from marrying a divorced woman (Lev. 21:7). This is also a standard found for priests in the Millennium, the one-thousand year rule of Yahshua the Messiah (Ezek. 44:22),” note on 1Timothy 3:2. Since baptism only washes away sin and not previous marriages, it would not matter whether the divorce and remarriage occurred before or after baptism in regards to ordination. In both instances, a person divorced and remarried, whether before or after baptism, would be disqualified to serve as an ordained minister.
There is no scripture that speaks directly about organ donation. The closest passage is Lev 17:14: “…because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, ‘You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.’” Also see Leviticus 7:26; Deuteronomy 12:16-24; 15:23. Yahweh commands that we abstain from eating blood. We believe that this command would also apply to organ donations and transplants. For this reason, we discourage organ donations and transplants.
