The New Testament Cannot Overturn the Old

I read this title in a chapter of a book last week and thought, "well, why would I think the New Testament could overturn the Old? Don't they kind of go together?" I kept reading and in the process, flushed out some misconceptions that I have harbored since childhood. Though I believed the OT to also be the inspired Word, I never put a lot of effort into understanding it. Whether it was that the prophets were too hard to understand or I was just tired of the same old stories in Genesis and Exodus, or Numbers and Leviticus are too boring, I always found myself running back to the New Testament.

I thought I knew where it all began. . .that lush garden where Adam and Eve walked with God. . .and screwed up. . .but seriously, there's so much more to it than that. If you persevere and keep reading, the richness of the Torah grabs you. It draws you in and helps you understand how a God who loves His people sets them up to succeed. And they do. . .and then they don't. . .and they do. . .and don't and on and on. It's fascinating and infuriating.

So why, until the past year or so, have I missed the fact that the richness of the OT is for me as well? That the people of the NT (specifically Jews, but also Gentiles) actually knew what the OT said and put it into practice! Clearly they were a part of the NT, so obviously it wasn't written for them! I'm not saying it all makes perfect sense, but reading the NT and knowing more of the OT has put things in a new perspective. The NT has come to life. It is helping to see things and understand things as the disciples would or Gentiles that are being introduced to what Jesus was saying. So, instead of being ignorant of the times, the context begins to fill in. The colors begin to sharpen and the fuzziness of it all begins to become more clear as the background comes to life.

Where am I starting? Well, I have a reading plan that has me in Exodus, but I'll admit to getting a little too hungry to stop there. Some days you'll find me in Leviticus, but lately I'm committing to starting at the beginning with some weekly jumps to the Gospels to see where Jesus pulls it all together.

Hope you are enjoying the journey. The springboard for today's title-check out Boundary Stones by Aaron Eby.

Plumbing Challenge

Each month brings more progress on our "hub", otherwise known as The Gathering Place. As we drive by and check inside, we are able to see the progress that has been made as walls go up, wire is run, and concrete is poured. This week we add on the passing of a few inspections that we needed for us to continue. What is ahead?

Our Plumbing Challenge is here. In order to have supplies bought, installed, and to have the inspection completed, we need $4300. Someone has generously stepped up and has pledged to match what our Gathering Community can come up with-up to the half way point. So are we, Gathering Family, up to the challenge? We have until January 31st to come up with our half. Are we willing? Do we believe in what we are doing and why we are doing it? Are we willing to back it up with our dollars as well as our time?

I can't wait for January 31st! I can't wait to see how our community comes together not only in fun, in learning, or in serving, but in giving generously out of the joy of our hearts.

May the offering we give, give off a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

Seeds

The kingdom of heaven is like. . .a man scattering seed upon the ground. Seeds. . .there's a lot that goes into them to actually produce something, right? Someone has to prepare the soil, there's a seed scatterer, a waterer, some sun shared, sometimes fertilizer, and not to mention the pruning and harvesting-whether it be by hand or machine.

Look at your life-can you see all of these things evident in it? Can you see how God orchestrated the entire process? I can in mine. I experienced the preparation-welcome or not at the time! Someone first planted that seed. Many, many people watered it and watched-waiting for so long to watch it grow! Through that whole process I had a small part, but after that first growth, the responsibility came. It was my turn to start planting seeds. At the same time, I had to allow someone to prune me-someone to hold me accountable and challenge me and humble me.

So as I go through that process, I still wait for that wind to blow, speaking where I need to scatter the seed, where I am to water or spread some sun, and also the people that I need to prune so that the harvest might be so much more.

Where are you? Are you allowing someone to prune you? That sounds pretty weird. Haha. But, are you? Is someone honest enough to help you pick off what is holding you back from growth and encourage you on? Is your spirit humble enough to accept this? Do you give God access to Yourself?

Are you scattering seed, watering, or pruning for someone else? Is there some place that God is calling you and you are hesitating?

Or is someone scattering seeds upon you or watering you? Ahhh. . .the struggle that each part brings, but the excitement and passion that it all brings!

The kingdom of heaven is like. . .

More Pictures

The Wall

As we approached The Temple in Jerusalem, I had many thoughts running through my head. I was told that each one of the original stones that Herod the Great used to build the Temple weighed between five and six tons. Each Stone was placed on the wall with such precision that you couldn’t even slide a piece of paper in between the stone next to it. There had to be thousands of these stones used to build the Temple. Here was the amazing thing: Engineers today don’t have the technology to do what Herod did in building this wall. Crazy!

While inside the Temple we visited the Western Wall. This too was an amazing sight. It was here that once again I saw the reverence that people have for the one true God of the universe. I met a man who told me he spent two hours praying at the wall, two more hours studying scripture then three working for a non-profit organization all before heading to work. He did this every day except for Shabbat (Sabbath). Seven hours of his daily life was wrapped around loving God and loving people, all before his work. I wonder, is this a cultural issue or is this a heart issue? Does our culture, or maybe a better question, could our culture even contemplate such a lifestyle?

The Wedding

Sunday, we discovered "The Wedding". If you need to be clued in, http://www.thegatheringcc.com/ will have a link to the sermon for you from 11/15.

Exodus 19-The Wedding, a courtship. What? I can honestly say I never thought of that one before. But the language speaks for itself if we truly see what is coming to light. God is making a contract with us, a wedding contract. The contract being the Ten Commandments. And Israel has a chance to respond, and they do, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient"-Exodus 24:7. Israel says, "I do".

God has been pursuing us for years, whether we believe in Him or not. Look at your life, I'm sure you'll find moments big and small that you can't explain and that just make no sense. He's been pursuing us and asks the question, waiting anxiously (well I think so anyway) for our answer. He's waiting for us to say, "I do and I will".

For those who have said it, have told God, "I do", has it been hard? Would you say it again if you knew what it was going to require? I'm guessing it would be a resounding "yes", though our thoughts travel back to those times when we just didn't think we were going to make it through. "I do" comes with a deep, lasting commitment where each day we have to get up and say it again. The morning will come and we'll hit the snooze and say "God, I don't want to do this again. Just give me a day off". But how did the story end? God REDEEMS his people so that He can REVEAL Himself so that He can rule when we take RESPONSIBILITY. That part is ours. We take on our responsibility so that we can become light for Him.

So the question is. . .Are you willing to say "I do"?

Recommended Reading

Recommended Reading

· New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus: David Bivin
· Restoration: Todd Bennett
· The Law and Grace: Todd Bennett
· Our Father Abraham: Marvin Wilson
· Listening to the Language of the Bible: Tverberg/ Okkema
· Boundary Stones: Aaron Eby

Websites:
www.jerusalemperspective.com
www.ffoz.org
www.eshavbooks.org
www.egrc.net
www.hebrew4christians.com
www.skipmoen.com