Tzephanyahu

Very interesting. Thank you ejected. I can add that in as well.

Shalom all, May I ask for your assistance? I have put together an online source for evidence of a Global Flood for non-believers. However, I would greatly appreciate feedback on it to see if I've missed something or its unclear. It is from an apologetic standpoint for non-believers, but I'm sure some Christian's would get some use from this information too. Faithandtheword.com/idb/mind/real-argument/global-flood/investigation/ Thank you for reading and thank you in advance for your help. Love & Shalom

Shalom brothers & sisters, We say “bless you” to each other a lot. But what is that exactly? Blessing the person is blessing them with… what? Um, blessings… Erm.. Nondescript from God… Err, you know, just a nice…. blessing. I think blessing is actually giving selfishly, caring for someone or even just listening to them. You can bless a person with a gift, by doing something for them or helping them with something. We associate blessings with miracles, but that's how Yahweh blesses. As for us, we can give and help selfishly and freely out of love. Maybe we have inherited our Father’s traits of being able to ‘make things be’ with our words. After all, we are created in His image. We can surely give someone a good day, helpful advice or make them smile with just words - so surely we can give our creative words to God as well. So, why do we say “bless you God”? Aren't we just saying that to God without giving Him anything? But what can we give or do for the Master of the Universe? We can give him thanks, appreciation, recognition, words of love, adoration and share our thoughts with Him. These things we can give the Father freely and out of love, which He wouldn't have otherwise. We can “bless” Him with our words. Not giving him a gift per se, but our love creatively. The sacrifices of the patriarchs and in the Levitical system were a gift to God. Not that He needed it, but it was the free will offering itself that counted. Have we stopped giving gifts when we just say “bless you God” instead of actually offering a true sacrifice of praise? Well, what about when we say “bless you” to our brothers and sisters? “Bless you” and then no gift or warm, personal words to help. How is that a blessing? I think we have fallen into a bad and lazy habit here. Saying “bless you” or “blessings” does reflect our heart intention, but it fails to actually bless someone. We may as well say to each other “hope God looks out for you!”. Instead of saying “blessing”, as if we're calling them down from God, we should DO the blessings for each other. We should give to each other, speak loving encouraging and personal words to each other, share each others burdens - physically and mentally. That's a blessing. “Blessed is he…” the Messiah says in the beatitudes. That is to say, Yahweh will reward him with life, peace and fullness. That's a blessing. So maybe next time we see a friend instead of saying “bless you”, we should say “is there anything I can do to help you?” or “it's such a joy to see you again!”. Love & Shalom

Amen! Moses' praise there is beautiful. Love & Shalom

Shalom Alison_P, It's an interesting question as the symbol of the cross can be taken in different ways. However, ultimately I think it comes down to this - you either wear a cross as a reminder to you, as a statement to others or as a protective charm. If you wear as a reminder to you: This should not be so. God and His word should be on your mind several times throughout the day, if not all the time. If the crucifix is there to remind you, work at keeping God and Jesus in your mind without needing to see the crucifix. If you wear it as a statement to others: This should not be so. A cross around the neck is not accepted by non-believers as a respectable statement. To Jews it can be seen as a symbol to beware of! How is this doing any good? Our "light" should shine forth to let people know who we are, that is, our kind deeds and loving ways. We should act so respectable and loving that people want to ask us "Hey, what is your secret?" If you wear it as a protective charm: This should not be so. Don't believe the movies. Demons would have no issue confronting you and a little piece of shaped metal. Your faith and His name is your defence, not a crucifix. Therefore, in all these reasons, wearing a cross is unnecessary and in some instances a hindrance to others. It's nice to have a "thing" to wear to show your faith, but it should really be "good deeds" that we put on. Love & Shalom to you

Shalom brothers & sisters, We say “praise you God” and “praise you Jesus” a lot, but what are we really telling Him? “Praise you God” means we are praising God, right? But are we praising Him by saying “praise you” to Him? Is that really praise? We read this in the Bible but isn't it usually an instruction as in we should “Praise Yahweh”? Imagine if someone came to you and said “praise you!”. Besides the awkwardness, what have they told you? They have indicated that you are praiseworthy, but they didn't really say why. This could be the same reaction from God when He hears it from us... Praise should be specific. That's what makes it heartfelt. I think some of us have got into the bad habit of using the word 'praise' as a substitute for actual words of praise. Just tell Yahweh that your grateful for something, even if it's just for another day. Or tell Him your amazed at one of His creations, even if it's just for the clouds. Do it daily. Even though that it may seem simple, surely it's much more significant to Him than just hearing "I praise you!" Imagine if someone came to you and said “you are the most amazing person ever. You're so kind, loving and creative”. Besides the awkwardness, what have they told you? Love & Shalom to you all

Shalom Tyler, The TaNaK or Old Testament is vital. The New Testament doesn't make sense without it. As for the relevance, it's all relevant for us to learn. Not all of it talks to the jews, not all of it talks to gentiles. All of it speaks of Messiah. Blatantly and crptically. As for the Torah i believe that Father would have us keep all of the Tem Commandments at least, and even more. Not all because some isn't relevant but the Spirit will guide you in these things for you individually is you study and meditate on the Torah. But the first and foremost is to love Yahweh and love your neighbour. If you cannot do this, don't bother with the rest. If you can or are trying you best, let the Spirit lead you to the next step. Make sure motive is not for righteousness though but to please Father, to learn about his ways and to care for others. Remember, its a step at a time. Take your time, be open to the Spirit of Yahweh and to change. Remember you are saved by mercy, not by following Torah. Most importantly, love him and your neighbour. The Old Testament and the New Testament highlight this is the whole Torah summarised. The rest of it is "guidance for life". From the Creator of the universe, surely that's worth a constant study! Love & Shalom

Shalom Tyler, As previously a Christian, then a messianic, then a Christian again i can appreciate your question. Rest assured, we are saved BY faith, not works. But, if we have faith then we should have works or otherwise - how is the faith working in our lives. The best I've heard it said is that "we aren't saved BY good works but FOR good works" Love & Shalom

Shalom Whisperpoetry, Do you mean what is the difference between the ceremonial law and moral law? Or which one should we keep? Love & Shalom