B.E.S.T. Shabbat

"And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way , show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them .""   Mat 8:2-4 (NKJV) Click here to listen to " The True Community of Faith " In these troubled times,  what the world needs to see is a church that looks like Yeshua.  As people try to  distance  themselves from  infection  by avoiding touching others who might be infected, we see  a Savior who was willing to touch the untouchables  and ,   in that touch ,  to heal them.   Leprosy  was believed to be transmitted by touch. More recent research indicates that it is airborn e and transmitted through coughing or sneezing similar to the cold or the

"Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who greatly delights in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house,  and  his righteousness endures forever. Light arises in the darkness for the upright; He is gracious and compassionate and righteous. It is well with the man who is gracious and lends; He will maintain his cause in judgment. For he will never be shaken; The righteous will be remembered forever. He will not fear evil tidings; His  heart is steadfast , trusting in the LORD. His heart is upheld, he will not fear,  until  he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries."   Psa  112:1-8 (NASB) Click here to listen to " The Steadfast Heart " As  evil tidings run amok in our world, there is a response that the Lord makes available to us which is  called the steadfast or established heart .  Yeshua spoke of the opposite, the troubled heart:

"Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of  that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus . Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do:  forgetting what lies behind  and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the  upward call of God in Christ Jesu s ."  Php 3:12-14 (NASB) Click here to listen to  " The Upward Call " Each of us has been chosen, by our Abba-Father  for a call .  These times that we live in  with all of the fears and  shaking that is going on can make us feel that we are  just trying to survive .  This is NOT our destiny! We have been  “laid hold of” by Christ Jesus . I want you to see that picture. Think of it like  He has knocked at the door of your house  and has taken you into His custody .   But unlike a prisoner of the law, you and I are prisoners of grace .   What does it mea