Church and State

Motherhood is universally understood by all human beings, in all cultures, in all places, and in every generation from time immemorial. Today we will look a one of the mothers mentioned in the Scriptures. Like all mothers, she is faced with many challenges and yet overcomes them by her faith in God. She is one of many mothers in the Bible who are presented as role models for all woman who become mothers. To all our mothers we say with resounding joy, utmost respect, honor, and with our deepest gratitude, Happy Mother’s Day! You are loved, cherished, and indispensable to our community.

Everyone agrees that Pentecost marks the birth of the Church. However, few recognize that it was the first Pentecost at Sinai where its was birthed (acts 7:37-38). In addition to this first Pentecost, the second one ushered in the age of the outpoured Spirit. Thanks to Jesus, we (Jewish and Gentile believers) not only have the Torah written on our hearts, we have the fullness of the Spirit residing in us to empower us to fulfill the law in our lives! What an amazing holy day this is. Jesus , thank you for the Law and the Spirit!

When the prophet John saw Jesus he exclaimed, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" Who would have guessed that the Lamb that would be slain, would not only rise again, but would become King of kings and Lord of lords? The world who mocked Him, tortured Him, and crucified Him, would now answer to Him for what it did. But for those who would repent, humble themselves, and ask Him for forgiveness, to them He would bless, forgive, and redeem. Those whom He saved would be exalted as His children and join Him in ruling and reigning over creation. This is the story and glory of Passover and where it ultimately leads to.

In the month of spring when life emerges everywhere, God ordained that this would be the beginning of the year for His people. It is marked by an eight day celebration known as the week of Passover! It memorializes Jesus as savior, redeemer, and deliverer of Israel as well as all others who embrace Him as their Lord and Savior! This holy week is filled with joy, festivity, fellowship, and rest. Jesus is the reason for the season! It is all about Him, His people, and His redemption. Join us as we explore Jesus as the fulfillment of Passover.

Passover is the first of the annual holy days of our Father in Heaven. It is a week-long memorial to Him as our Savior and Deliverer from slavery in Egypt which is a picture of our slavery to sin and shame. Passover is fulfilled in Jesus! In this memorial, Jesus is revealed, exalted, and glorified among all who keep it. God commands us to observe it because He loves His Son who accomplished our redemption by His own bloody sacrificial death on the cross. As we keep it, we are kept. It centers us and our children in Jesus the Savior of the world. Happy holy week of Passover!

Easter is the day that approximately 1.4 billion Catholics and 1 billion protestants will celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. People ask us every year why we are not celebrating Easter. The short answer? It’s complicated! We do celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus but in a different context and on a different date! As Messianic Jews and Gentiles, we follow the biblical calendar. This is the calendar that God gave to Israel and as members and citizens of Israel (Eph. 2, Rom.11), we embrace and celebrate this ancient calendar with its revelatory holy days. Holy days matter, so join us in this overview of the Biblical calendar and why it is life changing for those who believe.

God is a God of order. He expects all of his children to honor and respect authority. The story of Esther give us a paradigm of how to relate to secular authorities as well as address abuses of power. We learn from Esther, that God gives us authority and power to use for the benefit of the oppressed and persecuted. How we exercise power is as important as the power itself. Join us as we explore the proper use of authority and power through the story of Esther.

We are called by God to influence our world for Him. The great commission outlines how we are to do it. Our national context determines the strategies in accomplishing it. Join us as we look afresh at our great commission and how to best accomplish it at this time, in our national context.

Last sermon, we established that all authority is from God and is to be submitted to for His glory. The question is, what do we do when authorities ask or command us to do something that violates the Word of God? Do we obey or disobey? What would Godly disobedience look like? In the Bible story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, we are given a classic and model example of what it looks like to challenge and resist abusive, civil authority. It is a story of hope and faith amid persecution and civil tyranny. You will be surprised and inspired to see what can happen when we honorably challenge and resist unjust laws and abusive civil leaders.

If there is one area today that is misunderstood by the followers of Jesus, it is the relevance of the Church and the state. More and more believers are checking out of their responsibilities to the Church and the state. It is time to turn around and return to our churches and constitutional republic before it’s too late! We are on the precipice of being uprooted and destroyed as a nation. It is time to return to our churches and constitutional republic before it’s too late!