New Moon Meeting: May 2005, 3:20 EST
The Tie That Binds

Zahakiel: Let’s open with a prayer.

Almighty and loving Father,

We thank you for this time you have appointed for your Family. Even as we are still enjoying the blessings of our recent gathering, we thank you for this occasion to continue our communcation, and our study of your Word, and your will for our lives.

Grant us the continuing presence of your Holy Spirit, and bless our fellowship today as we look into the topic you have provided.

Bind your people together in love, and in unity, that the world may know that you have sent your Son, and keep us through the dark days that we know must come before the dawning of the Day.

In Yahshua’s name I pray,
Amen.

Barb: Amen.
Qinael: Amen.
Jeanie: Amen.
Crystle: Amen.
LeaKatheryn: Amen.

Zahakiel: All right, now, as most of you know, either from experience or because you have been told, this last feast was a very great blessing. We always say that the last feast was the best of them all, and so naturally, we know that the next one will be still greater :) We have as many people studying for baptism as we probably ever have, and we expect even more travelers in the fall. But aside from that, we all felt the sweet influence of Yahweh’s Holy Spirit among us from as early as the first day of our meetings.

This feast had a very special blessing for me, in addition to the more obvious benefits of gathering with my Spiritual family. During one of our conversations around the campfire, something of great significance occurred to me, or Yah revealed it; and that is what I want to talk about today. It has been noted by the members of the congregation that feasts are a time when Yah is particularly felt among His people. This is, of course, as it should be. But at the same time, while the feasts are something to which we should look forward, the time in between them need not really be a “valley” either. The way of our Father in Heaven is a living way, and every day should be more blessed than the one before it.

This has certainly been my experience; but in some ways my experience is not the same as those who are in Tennessee all the year round. Since that is the site of our camp meetings, those who live there get to experience feast-time, and “ordinary” time; and while they should be different, one need not be better, or more of a blessing, than the other. This is leading up to our topic this month because what Yah showed me was, in order to have that “feast experience” all year round, it is vital that the individuals in the Church have a strong relationship with each other.

Obviously, we already have that, to some degree. We call each other “brother” and “sister,” and we have the faith of Yahshua between us – common doctrines, common beliefs. But a relationship the way Yah would like to have His people experience is something deeper than even that. It is one that perhaps has never been realized on the earth since the days of the Apostles.

Zahakiel: I think the closest it’s been since then is probably the early days of the Millerite/Advent movement. But for us, we are called to something even more precious. Yah desires that His people walk in a genuine and consuming affection, one for another; He desires that we have complete trust for each other, always assuming the best of the motives of those around us in the family; for as the Scriptures say of love, it “believes all things.”

There is a difference, of course, between being trusting and being gullible, but among the children of Yah there should be absolutely no need for suspicion. We would certainly never _give_ others the least reason for suspicion. The topic for this month’s study, then, is “Relationships.”

We will look at what the Bible says about this matter, and then we will look for practical ways to use this knowledge. A part of the problem with mere “doctrines” is that on their own they really only lead to an intellectual (head) knowledge, while Yah would have us accept these things on a deeper level. As Paul writes, “with the heart man believeth unto righteousness.” (Romans 10:10)

Most of you have probably seen these initial few verses many times before, but I would like for you to not merely pass over them and think, “Yes, I know these.” I want you to look at them, and consider them, as if for the very first time, and think of them in the setting of the “real” people that you have in your congregation, that you meet twice a year at the feast, or that you are just getting to know either in person or over the internet.

These are the people of Yah.

Zahakiel: The first of the verses, an obvious one for this topic, is: “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (John 13:34) John’s Gospel appears to focus the most clearly on statements regarding love from Yahshua. It is no surprise, then that John makes much of this topic in his own epistles.

Here is a verse that is most often repeated in CSDA discussions: “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His Seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” Which verse is that?

Qinael: 1 John 3:9.

Zahakiel: Right. 1 John 3:9. It should be just on the tip of all our tongues by now :) But there are two verses that immediately follow it that are just as important.

Here are the three together: “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His Seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” (1 John 3:9-11)

(Say when you’ve read it)

Qinael: Done.
Barb: Finished.
LeaKatheryn: Done.
Crystle: Finished.
Jeanie: Done.
Dumah: Yes.

Zahakiel: Three verses later, John repeats the thought, as he tends to do: “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.” (14) It is interesting to see how closely John associates the concept of victory over sin with love for our brothers and sisters. Interesting, but not a surprise. Paul does it as well, in as dramatic a fashion: “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised) and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.” (Hebrews 10:23-27)

At first glance, those two paragraphs don’t seem to fit together very smoothly. The truth is, the concepts they are portraying depend upon each other to be complete. It’s about the relationship the members are to have with each other. Paul asks those who were intent on causing division, for example, “Is Christ divided?” (1Cor 1:13) In fact, he gives Christians this advice, “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.” (Romans 16:17)

A lot of our recent studies have been about, or touched upon, unity. And we can all agree that unity is a good thing... A house that is divided will not stand, as the Scriptures tell us. A finger or a hand that is separate from the Head (because it is not connected at its right place in the Body) does not live very long on its own. But Relationship, and the things that go along with it, these are what make unity possible. And it involves all those concepts we looked at during our feast studies. Agreement, communication, committment, and the other chapters.

Zahakiel: Those verses from John’s letter, and the Epistle to the Hebrews point out a vital truth: those who believe themselves to be independent of the earthly Church simply do not endure long on their own. I am not speaking of being separated by physical distances, necessarily, because for the sake of the Gospel we have to be scattered in all points of the world, here a few there a few, because the workers at this time are not many. But even though we may be far away from each other, if we have a relationship after the manner of Christ and His Father (one on earth for a time and one in Heaven), we will endure to the end and ultimately be saved.

It is faith that saves us, and not Church Membership... that is important to know; but Yah gave us a Church, and not for any idle purpose. And how we relate IN that Church reveals to us (and to others) the quality of our faith. Opportunities to express our relationship with each other do not always fall into our laps automatically. We must follow the advice of Scripture and “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

Zahakiel: Of course, there are lines there as well… and if we go about the place trying to “be helpful,” we are likely to get into an officious mindset and just become a nuisance. But, if we have the “mind of Christ,” (1Cor 2:16) we will know when the other members of our Body truly need help, and we will be available to assist. Does everyone understand the distinction there?

Qinael: <nods.> I do.
Crystle: Yes.
Jeanie: Yes.
LeaKatheryn: :)

Zahakiel: Good. Now, speaking of the “mind of Christ,” if we truly want to see the kind of relationship we are to have one with another, we must examine the relationship between the Father and Son, because this is the great Example we are given to follow.

The Father says of the Son, “Behold my Servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my Spirit upon Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.” (Isaiah 42:1)

The Son says of the Father, “And He that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please Him.” (John 8:29)

There is a common Spirit there, a common affection, a principle the Bible calls “Agape,” and we will examine that shortly. But some may ask, “How can we have the very same relationship with each other that the Father and the Son have?” It is true, they have had more “time” (if we can even apply the word) with each other. They have never participated in sin, in envy or ungodly wrath, and these are the very things that separate people. But with conversion we are told, “old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

When Christ says, “I and my Father are one,” (John 10:30) He has set an example so that I can say, “I and my brother are one.” In fact, this was the very prayer for unity given by the Son of Yahweh: “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” (John 17:21)

How can we become new creatures, so we participate in this relationship? It is by faith, by believing that we have already been given the power by the proclamation of the Word. If we want to keep the love and closeness we experience at the Feasts going all year round, this is something that every member of the congregation, and each of those studying with us, is going to have to understand on a deeper level than ever before.

Zahakiel: As Paul and John tell us, it is necessary for our walk of victory; and if it was necessary in their day, how much more will it be for we, who are called to go through the Time of Trouble? We must believe, and not just with our heads, that when the Messiah said, “It is finished,” He truly meant that His work of providing atonement for us was completed, in terms of the earthly work – and that we now HAVE “all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” (2Peter 1:3)

Here is a most important passage for our study of relationships; it is a few verses long, so let me know when you have read it all:

“Seek ye Yahweh while he may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto Yahweh, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ saith Yahweh. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to to the eater, So shall my Word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.’” (Isaiah 55:6-11)

Qinael: Finished.
Pastor “Chick”: Ok.
Jeanie: Done.
LeaKatheryn: Done.
Barb: Done.
Crystle: Finished.

Zahakiel: The Almighty says to mankind in general, “My ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” How can we have a relationship with someone who says this? A relationship is a “meeting of minds,” and so, if we are going to have a relationship with Yahweh, we need to find a way to make our thoughts like His. But we look at the examples He uses of the difference... As high above us as heavens are over the earth, this is the distance we would have to climb to enter a relationship with Yah. We cannot do it; of ourselves, we cannot even understand the Most High in order to honestly say, “I love Him.”

I think there are many people today in Christian Churches who have never understood this, and it tells on their religious experience. Many, I might even dare to say “almost all” Christians have been taught to say, “I love God.” And of course… who would not love someone/something that is Love personified? Every good thought, every good emotion, they attribute to Yah, and thus they love the image they have of Him. But when unpleasant times come, they either see it as a test, or an attack from Satan. It may well be the case that this is so, but it may also be that Yah is trying to reveal Himself to them more fully, and if His true nature does not line up with what they think He “should be,” they reject it.

This is not a relationship.

This is why Sundaykeepers reject the Sabbath, really. They think, “MY God doesn’t care about the day of worship,” or “MY God will not punish anyone for ignoring the commandments.” Of course, to think that, they would have to ignore the purpose of the commandments anyway.

And again, this is why some Sabbathkeepers do not understand the Trademark, “MY God raised up this Church, and MY God is going to preserve it, even if we employ the strength of His enemies to do what we perceive His will to be.” What’s the problem with that mindset?

Qinael: The God is theirs, as opposed to their being God’s.

Tiffany: Not relying on Yah to hold it up.

Dumah: It is not a true relationship.

Zahakiel: Right. All those things.

If we say “My God,” we may mean, “The God I serve.” But often it means, “The God that I expect/believe/demand Him to be.” And so when you present a doctrine, a verse, a teaching, that reveals some new aspect of Him, they think, “This is not MY God...” and they go away. But a relationship is about learning who Someone is... even of that someone surprises you from time to time. And as Tiffany said, in the case of the Trademark, if we have a relationship with Yahweh, we will believe Him when He says that the gates of Hell will not prevail against His Church, and we will leave the matter of defending it to the Husband.

It is, really, because they are evaluating Yah based upon their thoughts about Him, and not His thoughts about Himself. Again, this is not a true relationship. His thoughts are higher than theirs, and His ways DIFFERENT from theirs. The advantage the true Christian has is, he or she goes to the Book that the Almighty wrote about Himself, and can read those thoughts. And can learn those ways.

If we wish to enter into a relationship with Yah, and thus learn how to be in a relationship with each other, we first have to KNOW Yah, and to really know Him so that when we say, “I love Him,” it is not as a student to a distant, respected teacher. It is not as a slave to a kindly master, or even as a poor man to the millionaire who suddenly decides to give him all his money. When we say, “I love Him” about Yahweh, it should be as a wife says it of her husband. Nothing short of this intimacy will allow us to truly experience Agape. And again, HOW this is done is quite impossible in man’s own strength.

John, who is the apostle most openly concerned with this very topic in his writings, records that “We love Him, because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) If Yahweh had not sent the Son, His thoughts would have forever remained too far above us for a relationship to ever occur. But we read of the Son’s mission, and what He accomplished with His death: “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Yahshua the Messiah, by whom we have now received the atonement.” (Romans 5:6-11)

(Say when)

Pastor “Chick”: Ok.
LeaKatheryn: When.
Qinael: Done.
Barb: Done.
Crystle: Finished.
Jeanie: Ok.
Dumah: Ok.

Zahakiel: One result of this reconciliation is, as we mentioned before, that “we have the mind of Christ.”

But here is a bit more of that passage, so you can see how well it fits into the overall thought here, and the concept of having a relationship with Yah: “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of Yah; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1Cor 2:12-16)

Take your time with it, but let me know when you are sure you see how this system works.

Qinael: Done.
Pastor “Chick”: Ok.
Jeanie: Done reading.
LeaKatheryn: Finished.
Crystle: Finished.
Barb: Finished.

Zahakiel: Okay, so to summarize: The Isaiah 55 passage tells us that the mind of Yahweh is too far above us for any man to reach; but in Christ the thought is completed. We can now receive “the spirit which is of Yah; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.” Did everyone get that from those combined passages?

Qinael: <nods.>
Barb: I follow that.
Pastor “Chick”: Yes.
LeaKatheryn: :)
Jeanie: Ok.

Zahakiel: Okay, just making sure :) I do not want to move on until this is understood.

Crystle: Yes.

Zahakiel: We were looking earlier at a passage from 1 John, in which we are told, “We love Him, because He first loved us.” That’s chapter 4, verse 19. Of course, we devoted an entire study to the book of 1 John a couple months ago, but we never looked at it from the angle of relationships, and so we are able to find something new, at least by way of emphasis, every time. What follows that statement from 4:19 is quite important for this topic.

The next two verses tell us, “If a man say, ‘I love God,’ and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.” (1 John 4:20, 21) You remember earlier my claim that “most” Christians say, “I love God” because of training, rather than the intimacy that the Almighty sacrifices His Son to obtain. If we keep before us the price that Yah paid to allow us this intimacy, we will find that we can never say, “I love Him” without truly realizing our great need FOR that relationship, and our entire lack of worthiness to have received it. No man who has seen the Cross in his spirit’s eye will ever say, “I deserve to go to Heaven,” or “I have arrived.” No, any claims we make to victory or growth in Christian perfection rely wholly on the merits of that Sacrifice, the life, death and resurrection of Yahshua.

It is impossible for one to say, “I love God” honestly and with a saving understanding unless he has accepted the doctrine of Victory over sin, and this is why I said “most” Christians do not do this. John tells us, “Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not; whosoever sinneth hath not SEEN Him, neither KNOWN Him.” (1 John 3:6) Let us not dilute the meaning of this verse. The one who commits known sin is still in that Isaiah 55 position, infinitely below the stream of Yahweh’s thoughts, and never able to enter into a relationship with Him.

It is not that he knows Yah “sometimes,” when he is being faithful, and knows Him less at other times. That is not possible any more than you can be married “sometimes,” but not when it does not suit you. The Bible says he “hath not seen Him,” meaning that he has never had that relationship to which he has been called.

While we never claim equality with Yah to the extent that we posses His authority, we can indeed partake of the divinity of Christ, (2 Peter 1:4) and reflect Him. We can “know” His thoughts concerning us. And if we know the thoughts of Yah concerning us, we will know His thoughts concerning our brothers and sisters. This is where relationships come in on a human level.

Zahakiel: As we draw close to Yahweh, we draw near also to each other. Now, the Scriptures are full of practical instructions about how to relate to the human family. “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds.” (Col 3:9)

“Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.” (Rom 10:12) Remember, read all these as if for the first time.

“Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; the elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.” (1 Timothy 5:1, 2)

That last verse has some additional significance, because it shows that some in the family do merit a measure of respect by the congregations similar to that which a child would show parents. “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. For the scripture saith, ‘Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn.’ And, ‘The labourer is worthy of his reward.’ Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.” (1 Timothy 5:17-19)

Here is where issues of “trust” come in, as we began this study by discussing. And of course, just as there is a difference between trust and gullibility, so there is a difference between “privacy” and “secrecy” when talking about interactions. Privacy simply means that some things are our own, and are a part of our individual experiences. Secrecy is when we try to deliberately hide things from others… and this always, always leads to problems in the Body of Christ. It is a “relationship-breaker” as can be seen even within worldly marriages with which we are familiar.

Thinking back, every disfellowship that has ever been necessary from the CSDA Church that I know about, and every unpleasant meeting, has really been because of secrecy. Things that are privately held are never even known to the congregation, and so of course they don’t cause any problems. But if someone is trying to hide something, Yah is going to make sure that the very thing is brought to light… not so that we can have unpleasant conversations, of course. It is so that we can address the matter in love, and hopefully restore the brother or sister who, for some reason, is not in a relationship with the others to the degree that he can trust the brethren with his true thoughts, feelings, or actions.

The degree to which a people deviate from the closeness shared by the Father and Son, this is the degree to which problems of this type will bother a congregation.

At the feast we went over the second half of the book “The Two Temples,” and in one of the discussion sessions, three questions were examined that I consider most highly important to the topic of the relationship between Yah’s children. I bring them up here, because as pastor has said, the relatively short sessions we had, and with twelve questions a day, we can never really do close heartwork with each of the issues they raise for every individual member. So they are things we should always be considering for ourselves, and so when the time comes up that there is an opportunity to share, or to receive, the soil has been worked and ready for the seed.

Zahakiel: The three “big” questions that stood out in my mind, and also from the conversations we had about them, where these: “Do I feel uncomfortable being emotionally familiar with other people?” “Do I believe that the other members of my congregation are supremely interested in my well being and comfort?” And finally, “Do I fear being chastised for voicing my opinion?”

When I asked that first question, I was somewhat surprised that some of the people studying with the Church did not even understand what I meant by “emotionally familiar.” I had to explain to several people, who came asking before the open discussion, that it meant, feeling free to say what you truly think and feel. Trusting that others will value your thoughts, feeling that you have something worthwhile to contribute to conversations with Church members, and being willing to deal with others in a like fashion.

The second question, “Do I believe that the other members of my congregation are supremely interested in my well being and comfort,” really gets at the way we perceive the Church, and ultimately how we perceive Christ Himself. What kind of people has He consented to lead? What kind of people has He given me for my own growth? Can I really be open with them, or are they out to promote their own well-being?

As long as we are asking questions like this, without knowing the answers, it makes it impossible for US to act the part others would like us to act. Do you see how that works? As long as you are asking yourself, “Can I really trust the Church members?” you are unable to really allow someone else to trust you fully… because there exists suspicion in the equation already.

The third question, “Do I fear being chastised for voicing my opinion?” This really gets to something deep. Everyone in the Church has had to learn things, and sometimes they are not easy lessons. We are a people dedicated to utmost purity in thought and deed, and we are always seeking the will of the Almighty on every matter. That being the case, if anyone has pride or fear, correction is going to be a most unpleasant experience, and there are many who have left, being offended when we attempt to share something useful – usually as diplomatically as possible. But, some people aren’t really interested in humbly learning the Walk…and by their fruits they are quickly known.

If we end up not talking, or not sharing our thoughts and feelings because, “I might say something wrong,” then we must come to truly believe this Scripture: “Yah is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

This does not only refer to “temptations” in terms of common, daily things; it also refers to our dealings with people. There is no one who can “force” us to become impatient or lose our temper. There is no one who can “drive us off” from Yah’s Church. If we are offended at what a brother or sister says, we have the opportunity to talk it out and get it resolved; but the important thing is not to turn loose of the relationship. But of course, the steps, and the verses, and the questions, these are still just the “things” of relationships; as I mentioned earlier, there is something deeper, more fundamental.

Zahakiel: We can study all these matters, and end up with the “right” answers, and the right actions, but there is still Agape that we must learn to accept. We may have the outward appearance but lack the inner beauty. On the other hand, in spiritual things if we have the inner purity, it will inevitably show on the outside. As the Messiah said, “cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.” (Matthew 23:26)

This is not true of a physical cup and platter, of course... for the inside can be clean but the outside dirty. But with people, spiritual beings, this is quite the case. Agape, translated into English in the KJV as “Charity” is given a full treatment in 1 Corinthians 13. I think I once read Ellen White to say that this is a chapter we would do well to read every day. It is certainly a good reminder of who we become in Christ.

So, here is our “daily” reading of 1 Corinthians 13 :)

And remember, read these words as if for the very first time...

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not agape, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not agape, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not agape, it profiteth me nothing.

“Agape suffereth long, and is kind; agape envieth not; agape vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

“Agape never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

“And now abideth faith, hope, agape, these three; but the greatest of these is agape.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-13 – and say when you’ve finished)

Pastor “Chick”: Ok.
Qinael: Finished.
Dumah: Done.
Clair: Done.
Barb: Done.
LeaKatheryn: Done.
Crystle: Finished.

Zahakiel: This is not a chapter merely to be studied; it is a chapter to be “eaten,” to be taken in and made a part of ourselves. THIS is the “mind of Christ” on relationships, and this is what His people do concerning each other. And yes, just like the fruit of the Spirit, EVERY born again believer has all these characteristics already.

But consider the importance of growth. When we tell someone to “act like a human being,” we do not mean we want him or her to roll around on the floor screaming. Yet, some perfectly legitimate human beings roll around on the floor screaming, and they are perfectly justified in their humanity by doing so. They are babies, and they are acting exactly as we would imagine.

When we say, “act like a human being,” there is a certain standard in our minds that we are trying to communicate. We generally mean by that expression that we wish the target of our statement to act calmly, reason rationally, and think logically. We would not expect a baby to do these things. So it is with new Christians; they are fully “Christian,” but they have some education to undergo before they can “act like a Christian,” meaning according to the standard we would consider normal based on what the Bible says about us.

Taking these concepts of relationships, and actually applying them, takes some learning. In our camp meetings, we find that these are the ideal times to practice what we have learned about how to relate to each other. But of course, we cannot afford to practice having Christian relationships 16 days out of 365 (and a quarter). Even in our communication online, by email, by telephone, even in the way we pray for each other… let us be always seeking to apply the love of Christ to our own experiences. Let us ALWAYS be contemplating the unity and relationship experienced by the Father and Son. And do not allow yourself to think it impossible that we here on earth can experience that very love. No, claim it… claim it by faith and walk in it, regardless of what you are tempted to believe or to doubt. The Word says it, and we are invited to participate in this Agape. If we seek ways to foster the relationship we have between Yahweh and His people, we can be guaranteed that He will give us the opportunity to develop it, provide it for others, and enjoy it ourselves.

Let me close with this thought, for I believe it sums up much of what we have discussed, “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently; being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1 Peter 1:22, 23)

I do not think I can overstate the importance of this topic for our Christian growth, and our very success as missionaries and evangelists of a remnant people. What we do as the Church of Christ sets an example for the rest of the world of Yahshua’s love and righteousness. It is a very, very great responsibility! Therefore, if anyone has any questions at all on this matter, if any think, “I would really like to have a closer relationship with my brethren,” do not ignore these things. Speak to me, or to pastor, and certainly to Yah Himself. Ask why it has not been so in the past, and ask how it can be so from this very moment, and forever more after this. So, before we close, are there any questions about this topic worth sharing in the open room?

Pastor “Chick”: Praise be to the Father and His Son.

Dumah: I believe that this would apply in many ways to our relationships with others at large as well...correct?

Zahakiel: Yes, it would.

Tiffany: What does it mean in 1Ti 5:19, “Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses”?

Zahakiel: It means that there is a measure of respect in the Body for the “elders,” just like in a human family. And so you don’t automatically believe something bad you hear about someone.

Of course, that should apply to anyone in the Church; but there is even more of an aversion to it regarding those whom Christ places in these positions.

Dumah: When I see that someone is going to bring up negative things about someone else, especially a leader, I ask them if they have spoken with the person first before I’ll listen further. Many times things can be resolved quickly that way.

Tiffany: Do not receive an accusation from an elder except it be before witnesses? This is how I am taking it, but not too sure that this is correct.

Clair: I had thought it to mean... Don’t even listen to an accusation against an elder without two or three wittnesses.

Zahakiel: Not from an elder, AGAINST an elder :)

Qinael: For example...

If someone comes up to you and tells you, say, David (an elder) is a Jesuit, without there being two or three people to substantiate something, do not receive that accusation.

Zahakiel: Yeah, there’s a practical one. Does that help, Tiffany? The verse is talking about an accusation about an elder, not something an elder tells you.

Tiffany: I understand. Thank you. :)

Zahakiel: Okay, good. Any further questions?

If not, let’s close with prayer... and then I will be around if there are other things that occur.

Zahakiel: Almighty and gracious Father,

Thank you for the sacrifice you have provided for us so that, although your thoughts are above ours, and your ways not our ways, you have provided an atonement, a way to bridge the gap between us...so that we can have the mind of your Son, and thus know your mind as well. We thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit, by which we are one with you, and so one with each other. We thank you for revealing yourself to us, and that you have given us a people with whom to live on earth, so that we will be properly prepared for the life to come in Heaven. We thank you for the society of humans in this world, to prepare us for the society of angels in the next.

Continue to guide our steps, to search our hearts, and reveal to us what you find there, so that we may develop the qualities that will keep us safe, by your grace, through the time of trouble. Bless us with your presence, and with the fulfillment of your promise that you will never leave nor forsake us, and may our relationship be just that which you would most fervently desire us to have.

In Yahshua’s most holy and blessed name,
Amen.

Pastor “Chick”: Amen.
Qinael: Amen.
Barb: Amen.
Crystle: Amen.
Tiffany: Amen.
Clair: Amen.
LeaKatheryn: Amen.
Dumah: Amen.