B.E.S.T. Shabbat

For this reason, I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. (2Ti 1:6) To listen to the audio-only version click below    One of the power tools of the kingdom of God is the ability to activate within our specific gifting. Gifting and purpose are inextricably linked. “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God.” (1Pe 4:10) We see from this verse that the gifts we walk in are a testimony of the manifold, multifaceted grace of God. Grace, as we remember, is the Hebrew word “chen”. Chen is the word picture of a fence which guards or surrounds the seed of God’s word, plan, and destiny. Keep that in mind as we develop the understanding and application of the gift of God. Peter tells the congregation that there is an interconnectedness of our giftings and that we are stewards which tells us there is an accountability for how we live out our gi...

““Hear, Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!” (Deuteronomy 6:4) To listen to the audio-only version click below  Giving Opportunity Message   Listening is the key to entering the reality of the Kingdom of God. Last chapter we examined the ancient Hebrew letters that make up the word, sh’ma . Reviewing, the letters are “shin”, “mem” and “ayin”. Ayin, in ancient Hebrew, is the picture of an eye, which clues us in that perspective is a key to listening. How we see someone greatly impacts how open we are to listening with an open heart and mind to their input. One could argue that the major purpose of higher education is to empower the degree recipients to be credible in the larger conversation of society. The recent pandemic has clearly demonstrated how vulnerable we all are to the “experts”. These voices often ran counter to just basic logic, common sense if you will. Their declarations of safe and effective practices were often ludicrous. Even to this day, you c...

“For we know in part and prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away with.” (1 Corinthians 13:9-10) To listen to the audio-only version click below  Giving Opportunity Message   Today, we are going to take a prophetic snapshot of some insights and understanding that hopefully will illuminate the hour we are in and give us some guidance on how to live and what to do. As the apostle Paul has told us, we acknowledge in advance, that we know in part and prophesy in part. We are waiting for the perfect One who will make all things new and partiality itself will disappear. Partiality is inevitable when we view ourselves through the lens of our identity, our roles in life and the strategies we have developed to survive. William Shakespeare once said, “all the world is a stage and all the men and women merely players”, We all have many roles but transcending the roles is our true self and that is to whom I want to speak to today. First, I am go...

""For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.""   Jdg  13:5 (NASB)   Click here to listen to " Samson " God provides deliverers for His people even in their times of rebellion . Let’s look at Judges 13:1   "Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, so that the LORD gave them into the hands of the Philistines forty years."   Jdg  13:1 (NASB)   The Hebrew word for “evil” is “ra ” and is composed of the letters,  reysh , which  means  head or authority, and ayin , which means sight or perspective. So  “ evil ”  is  related to  the perspective of authority.  Looking at today’s conflicts, we can see that there is much evil being promoted through the perspective of those in authority. Whether it ’s the “health exp...

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything, worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Php 4:8-9) Click here to listen to " Aligning Our Inner Conversation " Last session we began to look at compassion as the key to aligning our inner conversation with the conversation of God and bringing forth light and order which is life to our world. We recognized that there is also a background conversation that is destructive to our lives that draws us to chaos and devastation, what the scripture calls tohu bevohu, formlessness and void, chaos. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. (Gen 1:2) Formlessn...

"For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it." 1Co 9:19-23 Click the link to listen to " Compassion the Key to Faith " We have been exploring the realm of true faith. What is faith? How do we operate by faith? How can we transform in faith? Today, I want to look at the role of compassion in the activation and transformation of our faith. Kee...

"The eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body also is full of darkness. "Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness. "If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it will be wholly illumined, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays." (Luke 11:34-36) Click here to listen to " Learning to See In the Dark " Last week we spoke about offenses which have the effect of anchoring us to the kingdom of suffering operated by the prince of darkness. We realized that only by forgiveness, releasing the attachment to the pain and the lies of the enemy, can we be free to walk on the storms of our lives. We have the privilege, as sons and daughters, to choose life or to choose sin leading to death. We are free in Yeshua but we have the choice to agree with that freedom or remain in the bondage of offense. The key is all in our perspective. Our p...