Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus, as quoted in Matthew 18:3
Time and time again, we are told how a relationship with Yahweh is like that of a parent-child relationship...
Firstly, he gave the Commandment with a promise, "Honor your Father and Mother, so that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your Elohim gives you."
Exodus 20:12
Israel was reproved for ignoring the foundational principal..."Isn't He your father who has bought you? He has made you and established you."
Deuteronomy 32:6
The Psalmist defines this relationship for all who trust Him..."Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him".
Psalm 103:13
Yahweh compares His steadfastness to that of the most tender..."Can a woman forget her nursing child...yet I will not forget you!". Isaiah 66:13
Yahweh spoke through Isaiah to compare His love to that of a mother..."As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you, and you will be comforted in Jerusalem". Psalm 103:13
Time and time again, Jesus refers to His Father as Our Father, too..."Your Father feeds... Matt 6:26..."Your Father gives"...Matt 7:11..."Your Father knows..." Luke 12:30.
And Jesus taught His disciples to say, as they pray..."Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy..."
Luke 11:2
We are to look to him as a our parent, trusting, dependent and accepting of all that He tells us...Because He has proven Himself trustworthy, and we are to trustingly look to Him for the answers to life's questions...
Who...What...When...Why... Where...and How.
Moses gave the people of Yahweh
613 Commandments...
TEN of which were in the form of a Covenant of Love.
Incorporated within the 'Image of God in man" is the recognition that these 10 articles of the Covenant with the Redeemed of Israel from Egypt stand alone and apart from all else that Moses gave as prescriptions for relationship, fellowship and worship. These TEN stand apart. They provide us all with a summary encapsulation of what I would like to call the "Creation Ordinances" (and I am surely not the originator of this concept).
It is commonly held that the first four commandments are to train our understanding and direct our conduct in a relationship with Yahweh, and the last six, our relationship with others, our neighbors. When Jesus was asked 'Which of these are the greatest?" He gave the summation from the book of the Second Reading of the Law, Deuteronomy...
"Love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."
Deut. 6:4-5, Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30-31, Luke 10:27
Even a cursory reading of what is referred to as the Decalogue (The Ten Commandments) in Exodus 20 or Deuteronomy 5 will substantially answer the requirements of the Covenant that has been established since creation and codified in the tablets. Let's look at them in the common order: Who, What, When, Why, Where and How of Worship. This may force us to both take some articles out of order, and to look at both chapters within their contexts to more fully enlighten us on the Law of God.
Who?
Prologue, Commandment 3: "I AM Yahweh...who brought you...out of the house of bondage."
He fully desires to be worshiped in a personal manner, BY HIS HOLY NAME and distinguished as the Redeemer of Israel.
What?
Prologue, Commandments 1 & 2: "I AM Yahweh your God..."
He fully desires to be worshiped also as 'Israel's God', the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the Elohim that is at once three and ONE. We are to worship Him alone, and in spirit and truth - without graven images, as do the pagans consistently.
When?
Commandment 4: "Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy."
Our routine of worship is to be of the utmost simplicity. Yahweh rested from His work on the Seventh Day and so shall we. For us to observe His rest, on His day, is all that He requires.
Why?
Commandments 2, 3, 4, 5: "That we might be blessed...guiltless...distinct...secure."
This Covenant of Love is established that the People of Yahweh may be clearly identifiable as a special people on the earth; ones always under the shadow of His wing and kindness of His love.
Where?
Commandments 1-10, Deuteronomy 6: "In your land, In your home, and In your community"
This Covenant of Love is established that the People of Yahweh may be clearly identifiable as a special people on the earth; ones that teach these Commandments diligently to their children, speak of them about their dinner tables, carry them in their hearts to bed and rise each morning to begin their day. These articles are to be on their minds, their hands and their doorposts for public display.
How?
Deuteronomy 6: "Hear, O Israel, Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is One, and you are to love Yahweh..."
Can it be any clearer, or any more consistent with the testimony of the Son of Yahweh that by LOVING Him we WILL fulfill the Law of God, we will keep His Commandments, and we will love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Surrender and be consumed by Yahweh!
How Do We Then Live?
Let me begin by saying that:
- We thoroughly enjoy the fellowship of other believers, and participate often in acts of service with many from a variety of Christian denominations; and
- We judge no one for taking a path different than we have taken. Peter was reproved for asking about the future for the Apostle John, "What is that to you?"
- We seek only to follow the LAMB, wherever he will lead us, and we need no intercessor by Christ, and no teacher but His Spirit.
That being said, we are seeking the most basic forms for worship to be discovered in His Word. We firmly believe that:
- He provided a calendar that has be consistent and accurately defining the Cycle of Sabbaths for over 6000 years (defined thoroughly in the Resources below);
- In those periods of worship, He has not required busyness, He has required stillness. He has not asked us to go, go, go, but to stop, stop stop.
- And that worship is a way of life, not a confinement to a church. Fellowship is to happen at every meal, and celebrated joyously and festively.
- And finally, that whereas at least one of the Festivals of Israel will be clearly carried into the Millennium, we should be well practiced at knowing and practicing each as they related to Christ, "the Lamb of Yahweh, that has taken away the sin of the world"
Thoughts & Reflections on Various Worship Topics...
John Calvin was a true servant of God...leaving a long and likely misinterpreted legacy...
Prisms are amazing tools of true science, taking white light and expanding it into full view...
It may not be intentional, but all church buildings are attempts to set up a new Temple, ignoring the truth...
Resources from the More Experienced...