Author Archives: The Olive Tree Messianic Synagogue

Train Up A Child: Where We Went Wrong

It would be nice if knowledge of Scripture, even a deep education in it, equated to righteousness and a heart of faith. But since it doesn’t, we need to educate differently. We all want respect. We want to be seen and known for who we are as individuals. The LORD does this for us. Shouldn’t we be willing to do the same for one another? When we dedicate, initiate, and train others, we can’t walk in with a one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter curriculum. Let’s heed the true words of the Proverb and honor the soul of the student. They will hold those lessons for life.

The Appearance of Evil

Imagine Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians signing off saying, “And be sure to stay away from things that can be misperceived! Only do things that are approved by literally everyone, okay? I love you! Buh-bye!”

Why does this sound so silly to me now, and yet I have 100% bought into this misconception up until this very moment as I write this blog? I have mitigated my behavior based on, not my own conscience of action, but based on who could or couldn’t see me. In other words, I’ve done things that I don’t mind the LORD seeing, but I wouldn’t want certain others to see. Some would call that evil in and of itself. And they’d probably cite [1Th 5:22 KJV] 22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

Isolation: The First “Not Good” Thing

Coming around in this new Torah cycle, something in B’reisheet (Genesis 1:1-6:8) stuck out to me in a new way. We know the common refrain: “And it was good.”, “It was good.”, “It was good.” But how closely have we paid attention to the very first “Not Good” of Scripture? It’s not been overlooked, byContinue reading “Isolation: The First “Not Good” Thing”

What Does Evil Have to Teach Us? – Proverbs 16

“The Lord has made all for Himself, yes, even the wicked for the day of doom.”
…
I propose to you, therefore, that the L’rd creates those who are prone to cause strife so that they may be like our tutors, helping to teach us right from wrong by showing us what true wrong looks like. Through experiencing the strife they cause, we learn what not to be like, and gain a greater appreciation for goodness.

Building a House or Tearing it Down – Proverbs 14

“The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands.”
…
Well, in psychology it is often said that the house represents the self. One’s house is one’s personal space, a place that we can customize and make to represent us.

In high school I was in a psychology class where the teacher told us each to design a house, and she didn’t first explain that the house represented the self. After she explained that, she had us analyze each other’s houses a bit, and then told us a story about a student she’d had years ago.

Hypocrisy and Repentance – Romans 2:21-24

So, we see here that part of the importance of us following G’d’s Torah is not just so that we may be blessed, but so that His name may not be cursed among the nations. We, as His followers and His chosen people, represent Him. Time and again, I’ve heard anti-religious people reference the way that Believers act as the reason why they don’t believe anymore. Sometimes, these anti-religious people rejected any authority telling them they can’t do whatever they want. Other times, they were pointing out true hypocrisies.

Do We Take it To Court? Proverbs 25

There have also been cases of religious leaders intimidating people and thus intentionally making it difficult for them to go through the process of Matthew 18. Where they meet to discuss the matter that the offended party wishes to talk about, and the religious leader immediately makes the meeting a hostile one by shouting, throwing accusations, and otherwise biting back in exceedingly cruel ways.

In circumstances like that, outside authorities definitely needed to be called in to handle the matter, because leadership is held to a higher standard.

While 1 Timothy 5:17 says, “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching,” and 1 Timothy 5:19 says, “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses,” we must also know that 1 Timothy 5:20 says, “Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.” If a religious leader abuses their position, cause harm to others, and this has been confirmed by the mouths of two or three witnesses, then this must NOT be kept a secret.

The Wisdom of Community – Proverbs 18:1,2

The first half of this suggests to me the importance of community, especially when it comes to spiritual matters. There was a time when I spurned religious community. I made all sorts of excuses, ranging from, “They’re all judgmental,” to “They’re hypocrites,” to “I don’t fully agree with them.”

The funny thing about that was, in coming to those conclusions, I myself was being judgmental and a hypocrite, and who cares if I fully agreed with them? The point is not to find people we 100% agree with on all matters (that’s never going to happen). The point is to find people who will help us in our walk with the L’rd. Their gait may be a little off, but so is mine, and so is yours, and so is everyone’s. In isolating myself, I sought after my own heart’s desires, and the heart is wicked and full of deception, as the Scripture tells us.