The Salt that is Us

In the Sermon on the Mount, Yah’shua issued a statement that has often been used by the institutional church to burden the believer with the weight of performance: "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men" (Matthew 5:13).

For centuries, religious traditions interpreted this as a threat—a warning that through insufficient effort, sin, or "backsliding," one might lose their "saltiness" and be discarded by God.

Vibe Check

This post is all about How to Know the Real Deal. It is about Yah'shua, Love, and Discernment, all to be found in our new identity in Christ!

So hey, if you’ve been following our blog post journey, you know everything comes back to the One and Only King, Yah'shua (the Hebrew name for Jesus). It’s all about His finished work—the ultimate, accomplished, mic-drop act of love that changed everything forever.

We live in a world of filters, deepfakes, and confusing signals. You’re constantly being told what to believe, how to feel, and who you should be. You've got to have a spiritual "Vibe Check" running 24/7.

The One Who Prepares the Way

Whenever we are faced with a challenge so daunting that it feels like an insurmountable wall stands between us and our inheritance, that feeling of needing to "go out and come in" to conquer a land, a financial mountain, or a health struggle, often leaves the human heart paralysed by fear and inadequacy. But for the beloved of Christ, this is not our reality!

The Holy Spirit, abiding within, reminds us that we do not walk a path yet to be cleared. We walk a path already conquered and prepared by our King-Lover. The truth that "YHVH goes before you" is not an Old Covenant hope; it is a New Testament declaration of Christ's finished work that secures our complete, righteous and victorious dominion.

The Context of the Limits of the Law’s and the Judge’s Limitless Leadership

Unmixable Truth

 

Why Old Skins Can't Hold New Wine

Have you ever encountered a truth so profound, so liberating, that it utterly transforms your understanding? Yet, often, our age-old drawback comes from religion – the man-made traditions, rules, and needless works we bind ourselves to without even considering their true origin. Just like the Pharisees and scribes of Jesus' day, we can inadvertently "make the word of God of none effect through your tradition" (Mark 7:13, KJV).

Jesus, in His infinite wisdom, often taught through parables, simple stories designed to cut through this religious fog and reveal layers of divine wisdom. Today, we're diving into one such profound parable from Luke 5:36-39 (KJV), a passage that brilliantly illustrates the radical, unmixable difference between the Old Covenant of Law and the New Testament of Grace.

Wives and Submission, Husbands and Heading

The Divine Pattern of Marriage

What may be corrupted as a military instruction, is actually a divine guideline for sensible living in a marriage. The Apostle Paul's words in Ephesians chapter five, particularly the part for wives to “submit” to their husbands and for husbands to be the "head" of the wife, present a profound and often misunderstood picture of the marital relationship. To truly grasp this divine pattern, we must go beyond a modern-day, surface-level reading and examine the original Greek, focusing on the finished work of Christ, which transforms all human relationships and ultimately finds its glorious consummation in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

The Almond Tree Perspective

Have you ever read a familiar Bible verse and had its meaning completely transformed by a new understanding? The book of Jeremiah offers one of these moments. When we connect Jeremiah 1:12 with the New Testament revelation that Jesus Christ is the living Word of God from the very beginning, a simple promise becomes a profound, personal declaration of God's love and absolute grace. The focus shifts from a generic promise to the person of Jesus Himself.

The verse in question reads: "Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it." (Jeremiah 1:12, KJV).

The Holiest Day Fulfilled

Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, is revered as the holiest day of the year in Jewish tradition. For followers of Jesus, this is a profound truth, but not in the way that many might think. This is not a day to be observed, but a day to be celebrated as a shadow completely fulfilled by the reality of Jesus Christ.

Many people, including Christians, feel obliged to follow Jewish traditions and celebrate these feasts. However, this comes down to a fundamental choice: do you celebrate the shadow, or do you embrace the Person? The Old Covenant law and its festivals were given to Israel to point them to their need for a Savior, not as a means of salvation. They are a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24). You are either under the law, striving to do the works of men to achieve your own salvation, or you choose to receive the free gift of grace—Jesus Christ Himself.

The Yom Kippur Context

Final Feasts Fulfilled

It's incredible how many believers feel a need to celebrate the Jewish feasts, seemingly missing a crucial point. What’s even more amazing is how perfectly and completely Jesus fulfilled every one of these festivals. They are but a shadow, with Christ as the substance.

Each year, around September, the Jewish feast of Rosh Hashanah is celebrated. The date changes annually on our Western calendar because it's not synchronized with the Hebrew calendar. This observance, along with the others, points to a deeper reality now found in Jesus Christ.

What Is Rosh Hashanah?

All things pertaining to Life and Godliness

Have you ever considered the sheer magnitude of what Christ accomplished for us? It's not merely a "get out of hell free" card, but an invitation into a life of profound partnership with the Divine, marked by dominion and infused with divine virtue. Peter's opening words in his second epistle are a stunning declaration of this reality, anchored firmly in the finished work of Jesus.

Wholeness and Healing the Inheritance for those Called

God the Healer: Receiving Wholeness Through Christ's Finished Work for the Ekklēsia

In the vast tapestry of divine revelation, one of the most comforting and profound truths is that God is our Healer. From the earliest covenants to the glorious finished work of Christ, the Lord consistently reveals Himself as the one who restores, makes whole, and delivers from sickness and infirmity. This isn't a peripheral aspect of His character, but a central declaration of His benevolent heart towards humanity. Understanding God as our Healer is not merely an intellectual exercise; it is an invitation for His beloved Ekklēsia—the called of God—to experience His boundless compassion and the complete provision made for us in Jesus Christ.

Many are called … few are chosen. Are You?

For Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen: The Message of Grace

Jesus uses a phrase that often causes confusion, if not condemnation, in the hearts of believers. In Matthew 20:16 and Matthew 22:14, He says, "...for many be called, but few chosen."

This phrase follows two of His most powerful parables: the parable of the workers in the vineyard who are all paid the same wage regardless of when they started, and the parable of the wedding feast where one guest is cast out for not wearing the proper garment.

Is this phrase a warning of exclusion, a looming threat that implies our salvation is conditional upon our performance? Or is it a profound revelation of God's unchanging nature and His redemptive plan?

Legalistic preachers often use this text to condemn their audience, preaching, "Get right with God or get left behind!" or "Repent, or you won't be chosen!" This mindset forces people into a law-abiding, Pharisee-like way of thinking. In doing so, they miss the very heart of the Gospel and risk causing believers to fall from grace by returning to a works-based system (Galatians 5:4).

So, what is the true meaning behind Jesus's words?

Baruch Ha Ba Ba Shem Adonai - Revisited

Baruch Ha Ba Ba Shem Adonai: Embracing Wholeness in the Name of Jesus

One of my earliest memories when I became intimately aware of the love and presence of Christ was the ancient Hebrew blessing, Baruch ha ba ha Schem Adonai (בָּרוּךְ הַבָּא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה)? It's a phrase bursting with deep and intuitive meaning: 

"Blessed be He who cometh in the Name of the LORD."

The original Hebrew text cuts right to the heart of it: "Blessed be He who cometh in the Name of Yahveh." This isn't just a greeting; it's a deep declaration of authority, identity, and divine purpose. It is a very personal statement, using the Personal Name of the Blesser Himself.

But who is it that comes in His Name?

Two Minds, One King

Two Minds, One King: Overcoming Double-Mindedness in the Fullness of Grace

Have you ever found yourself in a state of internal tug-of-war? One moment, you're confidently declaring God's promises and appropriating your inherited dominion in Christ, the next, a whisper of doubt or fear creeps in. One day, you're walking in victory, the next, old habits or worries resurface. This isn't just common; it’s what the Bible calls double-mindedness. In the world of Psychology, this inner turmoil is known as cognitive dissonance.

Cognitive dissonance is the mental distress or psychological angst someone feels when battling contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values.

When Jesus marvelled

The Bible records two distinct occasions when Jesus marvelled (θαυμάζω, thaumazō, meaning to wonder, to be amazed, to be astonished). These two instances stand in stark contrast, revealing what truly caught the attention of the Son of God.

To understand our own positions, it may be a good idea to take note of this.

Dead Bones and Life

Listening to the song “Rattle” by Brandon lake, I was reminded of our powerful 2020 hindsight following the cross and the finished work of Jesus that makes the dead come alive … just by touching …

The Story of the dead bones

The account in 2 Kings 13:20-21 is a curious one, often overlooked in the grand narrative of the Bible. It tells of a dead man, hastily thrown into Elisha's tomb, who, upon contact with the prophet's bones, is miraculously revived. “So Elisha died, and they buried him. And the raiding bands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year. And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they saw a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.” (2 Kings 13:20-21, KJV).

At first glance, this story might seem like a strange, almost macabre miracle, a testament to the lingering power of a prophet even in death.

Ho shi Yah na - Baruch ha ba ha Schem Adonai!

Ho shi Yah na - Baruch ha ba ha Schem Adonai!

Blessed Fulfillment: Yah'shua, He is Yahveh!

We recently explored the profound meaning of "Baruch ha ba ha Schem Adonai – blessed be He who comes in the Name of the Lord." The original Hebrew reveals an even deeper truth: "Blessed be He who comes in the name of Yahveh." And who is "He"? None other than Yah'shua! He is Yahveh!

Called by name

The Echo of His Voice: God Calling by Name, From Old Covenant Whisper to New Testament Proclamation

Sometimes a call is in a name. Sometimes a call is in another Name.

I have written much about the importance of names, words and meanings as well as what it means to be called on this blog (see here, here and here). Recently I felt a new hunger to understand what it means for the beloved to be called by name.

Logic is all we need

The Word Made Flesh: Experiencing Logos as Grace in Our Lives

In the IT world we define “logic” as a system of reasoning used to design, develop, understand and maintain a system of intelligence and operations. It's the foundation for processing information and making decisions based on underlying principles.

I asked AI for some English language expressions where the word "logic" is used to get some sort of understanding of how we humans see "logic". Here is the result:

A sound mind in a sound body.

Logic is the gatekeeper of reason.

Logic is the foundation of truth.

Logic is the bridge between the known and the unknown.

Logic is the tool that allows us to understand the world around us.

Logic is the key to solving problems and making sound decisions.

Logic is the antidote to irrationality and prejudice.

Logic is the light that guides us through the darkness of uncertainty.

Logic is the compass that points us in the right direction.

Logic is the foundation of all human progression.

… and it struck me that logic is the basis for soundness, truth, knowledge, understanding, survival, certainty, and even life. There is a distinct correlation between our understanding of “logic” and Logic Himself!

The Blueprint in the genealogy of Jesus

In the previous post we looked at the gematria construct of Matthew 1:1-17 and the balance of probabilities that any heptadic narrative anywhere in the world could have been written in this way. We discovered that it is not humanly possible. In fact, we discovered that it is beyond the computing abilities of a thousand ultra-futuristic advanced supercomputers working together to achieve this. And that was just on the construct!

In this post we’ll focus more on the genealogy and the meaning of names of the ancestral human lineage of Yah’shua (Jesus). We’ll look at the prophetic meaning of these names, how history is really His-story and how Matthew 1 was cleverly constructed.

The Divine Blueprint: A Closer Look at Matthew 1:1-17

Despite many caveats, the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 continues to fascinate and intrigue. The meticulous structure, the specific names, the construct itself and the underlying numerical patterns suggest a divine hand at work. The heptadic structure, in particular, is striking and points to a deliberate, divine design.

However, it's important to remember that the Bible is the written word of God, whilst Jesus is the living Word of God abiding within. First and foremost we should hear Him. Also, the Bible as a book of faith and revelation, is not primarily intended to be a mathematical textbook. While numerical patterns and symbolic meanings can enhance our understanding of the text, they should never overshadow the core message of the gospel.

The ultimate purpose of the genealogy in Matthew 1 is to establish Jesus' messianic lineage, to follow the lineage leading to Him and stand in awe of the Old Testament prophecies and promises culminating in Grace manifested in the flesh. The genealogy and its very construct, is a testament to God's faithfulness and His plan for redemption.

By studying the genealogy of Jesus and the underlying numerical patterns, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the intricate details of the biblical text. However, it is essential to approach such studies with humility and a willingness to hear from the Word Himself.

Let’s get really technical!