In my early years as a babe in Christ, I followed many preachers that were a part of the "Prosperity Message" and although it was exciting and interesting, this message and these preachers are one of the main reasons my Husband no longer considers himself a Christian, and is no longer tolerant of the Faith, the main reason I too left the faith for a long period in my life. I found that this article is much needed , in today's world. I have come to believe that the prosperity message is a terrible distortion of what the true message of the Gospel is. I believe that much of today's message from various Preachers are missing the mark. Many preach about what is sin and spend all their time trying to expose to sinners their terrible sins, and try to legislate through Governmental laws the morals of all whether or not they are of the Faith of Christ. I believe the primary message should be Christ Jesus/ Yahshua the Messiah, and our need for Him, once a person is saved , then maybe the Church can focus on Discipleship of the new Believer.
Here is the article :
The following article is located at: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/decemberweb-only/gc-prosperitystatement.html
A Statement On Prosperity Teaching
From the Lausanne Theology Working Group, Africa chapter at its consultations in Akropong, Ghana, 8-9 October, 2008 and 1-4 September 2009
posted 12/08/2009 04:14PM
NOTE: This is a statement, offered as a discussion starter for further reflection (theological, ethical, pastoral and missiological, socio-political and economic) on the phenomenal rise of prosperity teaching around the world at large and Africa in particular. The points below are a digest of many points made in the course of the discussion of three papers at the Oct. 2008 and ten papers at the Sept 2009 consultations.
We define prosperity gospel as the teaching that believers have a right to the blessings of health and wealth and that they can obtain these blessings through positive confessions of faith and the "sowing of seeds" through the faithful payments of tithes and offerings. We recognize that prosperity teaching is a phenomenon that cuts across denominational barriers. Prosperity teaching can be found in varying degrees in mainstream Protestant, Pentecostal as well as Charismatic Churches. It is the phenomenon of prosperity teaching that is being addressed here not any particular denomination or tradition.
We further recognize that there are some dimensions of prosperity teaching that have roots in the Bible, and we affirm such elements of truth below. We do not wish to be exclusively negative, and we recognize the appalling social realities within which this teaching flourishes and the measure of hope it holds out to desperate people. However, while acknowledging such positive features, it is our overall view that the teachings of those who most vigorously promote the 'prosperity gospel' are false and gravely distorting of the Bible, that their practice is often unethical and unChristlike, and that the impact on many churches is pastorally damaging, spiritually unhealthy, and not only offers no lasting hope, but may even deflect people from the message and means of eternal salvation. In such dimensions, it can be soberly described as a false gospel.
We call for further reflection on these matters within the Christian Church, and request the Lausanne movement to be willing to make a very clear statement rejecting the excesses of prosperity teaching as incompatible with evangelical biblical Christianity.
1. We affirm the miraculous grace and power of God, and welcome the growth of churches and ministries that demonstrate them and that lead people to exercise expectant faith in the living God and his supernatural power. We believe in the power of the Holy Spirit.
However, we reject as unbiblical the notion that God's miraculous power can be treated as automatic, or at the disposal of human techniques, or manipulated by human words, actions or rituals.
2. We affirm that there is a biblical vision of human prospering, and that the Bible includes material welfare (both health and wealth) within its teaching about the blessing of God. This needs further study and explanation across the whole Bible in both Testaments. We must not dichotomize the material and the spiritual in unbiblical dualism.
However, we reject the unbiblical notion that spiritual welfare can be measured in terms of material welfare, or that wealth is always a sign of God's blessing (since it can be obtained by oppression, deceit or corruption), or that poverty or illness or early death, is always a sign of God's curse, or lack of faith, or human curses (since the Bible explicitly denies that it is always so)
3. We affirm the biblical teaching on the importance of hard work, and the positive use of all the resources that God has given us—abilities, gifts, the earth, education, wisdom, skills, wealth, etc. And to the extent that some Prosperity teaching encourages these things, it can have a positive effect on people's lives. We do not believe in an unbiblical ascetism that rejects such things, or an unbiblical fatalism that sees poverty as a fate that cannot be fought against.
However, we reject as dangerously contradictory to the sovereign grace of God, the notion that success in life is entirely due to our own striving, wrestling, negotiation, or cleverness. We reject those elements of Prosperity Teaching that are virtually identical to 'positive thinking' and other kinds of 'self-help' techniques.
We are also grieved to observe that Prosperity Teaching has stressed individual wealth and success, without the need for community accountability, and has thus actually damaged a traditional feature of African society, which was commitment to care within the extended family and wider social community.
4. We recognize that Prosperity Teaching flourishes in contexts of terrible poverty, and that for many people, it presents their only hope, in the face of constant frustration, the failure of politicians and NGOs, etc., for a better future, or even for a more bearable present. We are angry that such poverty persists and we affirm the Bible's view that it also angers God and that it is not his will that people should live in abject poverty. We acknowledge and confess that in many situations the Church has lost its prophetic voice in the public arena.
However, we do not believe that Prosperity Teaching provides a helpful or biblical response to the poverty of the people among whom it flourishes. And we observe that much of this teaching has come from North American sources where people are not materially poor in the same way.
It vastly enriches those who preach it, but leaves multitudes no better off than before, with the added burden of disappointed hopes.
While emphasizing various alleged spiritual or demonic causes of poverty, it gives little or no attention to those causes that are economic and political, including injustice, exploitation, unfair international trade practices, etc.
It thus tends to victimize the poor by making them feel that their poverty is their own fault (which the Bible does not do), while failing to address and denounce those whose greed inflicts poverty on others (which the Bible does repeatedly).
Some prosperity teaching is not really about helping the poor at all, and provides no sustainable answer to the real causes of poverty.
5. We accept that some prosperity teachers sincerely seek to use the Bible in explaining and promoting their teachings.
However, we are distressed that much use of the Bible is seriously distorted, selective, and manipulative. We call for a more careful exegesis of texts, and a more holistic biblical hermeneutic, and we denounce the way that many texts are twisted out of context and used in ways that contradict some very plain Bible teaching.
And especially, we deplore the fact that in many churches where Prosperity Teaching is dominant, the Bible is rarely preached in any careful or explanatory way, and the way of salvation, including repentance from sin and saving faith in Christ for forgiveness of sin, and the hope of eternal life, is misrepresented and substituted with material wellbeing.
6. We rejoice in the phenomenal growth of the numbers of professing Christians in many countries where churches that have adopted prosperity teachings and practice are very popular.
However, numerical growth or mega-statistics may not necessarily demonstrate the truth of the message that accompanies it, or the belief system behind it. Popularity is no proof of truth; and people can be deceived in great numbers.
7. We are pleased to observe that many churches and leaders are critical and in some cases overtly renounce and cut the links with specific aspects of African primal or traditional religion and its practices, where these can be seen to be in conflict with the biblical revelation and worldview.
Yet it seems clear that there are many aspects of Prosperity Teaching that have their roots in that soil. We therefore wonder if much popular Christianity is a syncretised super-structure on an underlying worldview that has not been radically transformed by the biblical gospel. We also wonder whether the popularity and attraction of Prosperity Teaching is an indication of the failure of contextualization of the Gospel in Africa.
8. We observe that many people testify to the way Prosperity Teaching has in fact impacted their lives for the better—encouraging them to have greater faith, to seek to improve their education, or working lives. We rejoice in this. There is great power in such testimony, and we thank God when any of his children enjoy his blessing.
However, we observe equally that many people have been duped by such teaching into false faith and false expectations, and when these are not satisfied, they 'give up on God', or lose their faith altogether and leave the church. This is tragic, and must be very grievous to God.
9. We accept that many prosperity teachers mostly have their roots in evangelical churches and traditions, or were brought up under the influence of evangelical parachurch ministries.
But we deplore the clear evidence that many of them have in practice moved away from key and fundamental tenets of evangelical faith, including the authority and priority of the Bible as the Word of God, and the centrality of the cross of Christ.
10. We know that God sometimes puts leaders in positions of significant public fame and influence.
However, there are aspects of the lifestyle and behaviour of many preachers of Prosperity Teaching that we find deplorable, unethical, and frankly idolatrous (to the god of Mammon), and in some of these respects we may be called upon to identify and reject such things as the marks of false prophets, according to the standards of the Bible. These include:
Flamboyant and excessive wealth and extravagant lifestyles.
Unethical and manipulative techniques.
Constant emphasis on money, as if it were a supreme good—which is mammon.
Replacing the traditional call to repentance and faith with a call to give money.
Covetousness which is idolatry.
Living and behaving in ways that are utterly inconsistent with either the example of Jesus or the pattern of discipleship that he taught.
Ignoring or contradicting the strong New Testament teaching on the dangers of wealth and the idolatrous sin of greed.
Failure to preach the word of God in a way that feeds the flock of Christ.
Failure to preach the whole gospel message of sin, repentance, faith and eternal hope.
Failure to preach the whole counsel of God, but replacing it with what people want to hear.
Replacing time for evangelism with fund raising events and appeals.
First Draft by Rev. Dr. Chris Wright (Chair, Lausanne Theology Working Group); edited by Rev. Dr. John Azumah (Member, Lausanne Theology Working Group); in collaboration with Rev. Prof. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Chair of the Akropong consultations.
This is a collated digest of points made by many contributors, through the written papers and the discussion that followed them.
Related Elsewhere:
Related ?"Did Jesus Wear Designer Robes?" by J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
A LESSON IN TONGUES
There is so much controversy over Tongues within the body of Christ, one group says it is carnal the other says it is a gift of God. So let us ask God who is correct. Let the Bible answer these questions.
Jude 20 – “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.”
What great benefit is received by praying in the Holy Spirit? When I pray in the Holy Spirit, I build myself up.
Acts 2:4 – “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”How many people were filled with the Holy Spirit? All of them.
What did they all do as a result of being filled with the Holy Spirit? They spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
1 Corinthians 14:14 – “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.”What part of you is praying when you pray in an unknown tongue? My spirit is praying.
1 Corinthians 14:2 – “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.”When a person speaks in an unknown tongue who is he speaking to? God.
When a person prays in an unknown tongue, do people understand what is being said? No.
When you pray in an unknown tongue, your spirit is speaking what? Mysteries, secret things (New Century Version), intimacies just between me and God (The Message).
1 Corinthians 14:4 – “He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.”When a person speaks in unknown tongue he is doing what? They are edifying themselves ( building them self up)
1 Corinthians 14:16 – “Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?” When you are praying in tongues you are doing what ?You are blessing God and giving God thanks.
Paul told us:
He said that he used his ability to speak in tongues to pray, and to worship God. [verse 15].
He was thankful to God for the ability to pray and worship God in other tongues [verse 18].
He found this to be a deeply spiritual and edifying experience [vs. 4].
Jude agrees with Paul’s assessment of the edifying power of praying in tongues [Jude 20].
And he urged all of us to speak, pray, and worship God in other tongues, “I would that ye all spake with tongues…” [vs. 5].
Paul indicated two different functions of speaking in tongues:
Prayer from man to God. Our spirits speak to God in private, no one understands but God.
And Messages from God to man. Which is a Gift of God, for others, and they will understand it.
When man prays to God in tongues, “no man understandeth him.”
When God speaks to man through other tongues, no man will necessarily understand the tongue, unless God simultaneously gives the interpretation to another.
This same pattern of private prayer and public Gift is demonstrated in the New Testament, throughout the Early Church, resurfacing again and again during revivals over the course of centuries of Church History, and continuing among the 537 million born-again Christians who currently speak in tongues.
Jude 20 – “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.”
What great benefit is received by praying in the Holy Spirit? When I pray in the Holy Spirit, I build myself up.
Acts 2:4 – “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”How many people were filled with the Holy Spirit? All of them.
What did they all do as a result of being filled with the Holy Spirit? They spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
1 Corinthians 14:14 – “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.”What part of you is praying when you pray in an unknown tongue? My spirit is praying.
1 Corinthians 14:2 – “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.”When a person speaks in an unknown tongue who is he speaking to? God.
When a person prays in an unknown tongue, do people understand what is being said? No.
When you pray in an unknown tongue, your spirit is speaking what? Mysteries, secret things (New Century Version), intimacies just between me and God (The Message).
1 Corinthians 14:4 – “He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.”When a person speaks in unknown tongue he is doing what? They are edifying themselves ( building them self up)
1 Corinthians 14:16 – “Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?” When you are praying in tongues you are doing what ?You are blessing God and giving God thanks.
Paul told us:
He said that he used his ability to speak in tongues to pray, and to worship God. [verse 15].
He was thankful to God for the ability to pray and worship God in other tongues [verse 18].
He found this to be a deeply spiritual and edifying experience [vs. 4].
Jude agrees with Paul’s assessment of the edifying power of praying in tongues [Jude 20].
And he urged all of us to speak, pray, and worship God in other tongues, “I would that ye all spake with tongues…” [vs. 5].
Paul indicated two different functions of speaking in tongues:
Prayer from man to God. Our spirits speak to God in private, no one understands but God.
And Messages from God to man. Which is a Gift of God, for others, and they will understand it.
When man prays to God in tongues, “no man understandeth him.”
When God speaks to man through other tongues, no man will necessarily understand the tongue, unless God simultaneously gives the interpretation to another.
This same pattern of private prayer and public Gift is demonstrated in the New Testament, throughout the Early Church, resurfacing again and again during revivals over the course of centuries of Church History, and continuing among the 537 million born-again Christians who currently speak in tongues.
DISCOVERING GOD'S GRACES
Cardinal in the winter storm
Devotional from 'Streams in the desert' the emphasis are mine.
"Show me wherefore thou contendest with me" (Job 10:2).
Perhaps, O tried soul, the Lord is doing this to develop thy graces. There are some of thy graces which would never have been discovered if it were not for the trials. Dost thou not know that thy faith never looks so grand in summer weather as it does in winter? Love is too oft like a glowworm, showing but little light except it be in the midst of surrounding darkness. Hope itself is like a star--not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity. Afflictions are often the black folds in which God doth set the jewels of His children's graces, to make them shine the better.
It was but a little while ago that, on thy knees, thou wast saying, "Lord, I fear I have no faith: let me know that I have faith."
Was not this really, though perhaps unconsciously, praying for trials?--for how canst thou know that thou hast faith until thy faith is exercised? Depend upon it. God often sends us trials that our graces may be discovered, and that we may be certified of their existence. Besides, it is not merely discovery; real growth in grace is the result of sanctified trials.
God trains His soldiers, not in tents of ease and luxury, but by turning them out and using them to forced marches and hard service. He makes them ford through streams, and swim through rivers and climb mountains, and walk many a weary mile with heavy knapsacks on their backs. Well, Christian, may not this account for the troubles through which you are passing? Is not this the reason why He is contending with you? --C. H. Spurgeon
To be left unmolested by Satan is no evidence of blessing.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
What a blessing this is for me this morning! For a Believer, there are never any accidents in our lives, NEVER! We are not in this world for comfort or riches, we are here to grow into what God would have us be, and that is it. I had wondered if I had any faith anymore? I feared that maybe I had lost what little I thought I had of God's gift of faith. There have been many an article that could have destroyed all of my small faith in God, the bible and my Lord. But you know there is as much evidence in God, the bible and my Lord as there is not. I have chosen to see God in it all! It is the only explanation of this existance to me, it is the only one that truly made sense to me! I have had continuing disability haunt me, continuing pain and distress haunting me, but I praise God because of them, for they forced me to examine what it is I believed, these trials forced me to see the silver lining in it all, and I truly thank God that I still believe, and that His faith a gift to me is still intact and growing, PTL!
In His Hands!
Shalom
Not in the tumult of the rending storm,
Not in the earthquake or devouring flame;
But in the hush that could all fear transform,
The still, small whisper to the prophet came.
0 Soul, keep silence on the mount of God,
Though cares and needs throb around thee like a sea;
From supplications and desires unshod,
Be still, and hear what God shall say to thee.
All fellowship hath interludes of rest,
New strength maturing in each poise of power;
The sweetest Alleluias of the blest
Are silent, for the space of half an hour.
0 rest, in utter quietude of soul,
Abandon words, leave prayer and praise awhile;
Let thy whole being, hushed in His control,
Learn the full meaning of His voice and smile.
Not as an athlete wrestling for a crown,
Not taking Heaven by violence of will;
But with thy Father as a child sit down,
And know the bliss that follows His "Be Still!"
--Mary Rowles Jarvis
Monday, December 14, 2009
#3 - God Is One
Here is a Jewish foundation teaching that I believe we all need to learn, I know that it woke me up and is helping me understand how things really should be seen. It is hard to comprehend that both good and evil are of God, if we only believe this life is all there is then God is truly not all that good, but if we understand that this life leads us to perfection and One with God then it all begins to make since.May you be blessed as well
#3 - God Is One
Good, evil, success, failure. Life is full of challenges that distract us from the underlying truth that the only reality is God's existence.
by Rabbi Noah Weinberg
Everyone is familiar with the Shema, the Jewish Pledge of Allegiance: "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one" (Deut. 6:4).
"Oneness" is crucial to a proper understanding of God. In fact, Maimonides writes that the highest level of wisdom a human being can attain is to comprehend the oneness of God.
Why is "God's oneness" so central to our belief? Why do we declare the Shema twice each day and aspire to say these as the last words before we die? Does it really matter whether God is one and not three?
ATTACHMENT VS. AUTONOMY
Before the creation of the world, only God existed. There was no separate entity in any form.
Even after creation, everything in the world remained part of God.
The only difference is that through the miracle of creation, God gave each human being free will. With this, we have the unique ability to think for ourselves and to act upon those thoughts. It's as if from within God, we maintain a certain autonomy.
Through the miracle of creation, God gave each human being free will, a certain autonomy.Yet we're still part of God. Because that's all there is.
So what was the purpose of making us a separate entity from God?
Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (18th century Italy) explains in his famous book "Path of the Just": The purpose of creation is to earn pleasure. The ultimate pleasure is attachment to God. Where is this pleasure most manifest? In the eternal World of Souls, where we have absolute clarity of God's unity, and recognize that we are totally attached to Him, as we always have been.
The autonomy of this world -- free will -- can mislead a person into thinking there is something else outside of God. Therefore it is a constant, lifelong challenge to overcome this illusion -- and see that the only existence is God. That God is one.
EVIL IS NOT INDEPENDENT
Constant Mitzvah #2 -- "Don't believe in other gods" -- spoke about the Yetzer Hara, our self-destructive inclination to move away from God. We said that it is a mistake to follow the Yetzer Hara, because it is an illusion, a temporal gratification that is ultimately dissatisfying.
This mitzvah of "God is one" goes much further. If the Yetzer Hara exists, it must also be part of God. And if it's part of God, it is by definition good. Which begs the obvious question: How can the Yetzer Hara be good?
Think of an athlete, a world-class high-jumper. When the coach raises the bar, is he trying to make life difficult -- or is he drawing out the athlete's potential? Of course the coach wants the athlete to succeed! And if he's a good coach, he knows the right time and amount to raise the bar. Of course, the athlete might fail to clear that height. But the coach knows that with enough concentration and effort, the athlete will succeed.
The coach knows that with enough concentration and effort, the athlete will succeed.Since the purpose of creation is to earn eternal pleasure, the purpose of the Yetzer Hara must be to enable us to earn additional pleasure. So although the Yetzer Hara seems to be pulling us away from God, it actually provides opportunities to grow closer. Evil gives you another struggle for truth -- so you can take pleasure in that discovery.
Without "challenge," there is no appreciation in doing the right thing. Instead, you're just doing what you'd naturally do anyway. All the challenges, all the nuisances, are only designed to bring out the best in you -- not hinder you.
It is an axiom of Jewish thought that God never gives you a challenge which is too difficult.
Learn to read life's messages properly. When your Yetzer Hara comes and tells you to sin, he's really saying, "Here's a challenge. Let's see you overcome this one!"
GOOD AND EVIL ARE THE SAME DIRECTION
We misunderstand evil because we take it seriously. We think it's an independent voice. But that's an illusion.
For example, what if you say, "I'd really like to learn Torah today, but I have a headache which prevents me from learning."
This is a misunderstanding of "God is one." Is the headache a nuisance that blew in from Mars? Of course not! This headache was especially designed to bring you closer to God -- no less than prayer, charity, or any other mitzvah opportunity.
So why a headache? There are many different aspects to spiritual growth, and there's a certain lesson that a headache is coming to teach you. Part of your job is to figure out what that lesson is.
Everything in life is part of the same system, stemming from the same source, with the same purpose. Obviously, there are different pieces to the puzzle, different spiritual muscles which need to be flexed and exercised. But "bad" and "good?" It all has the same goal.
In the times of the Temple, a person who emerged from a difficult situation -- e.g. someone who was sick and then got better -- would bring a "Thanksgiving Offering." We could understand thanking God for getting better, but God is also the one who made us sick in the first place!
For that we are thankful, too. As difficult as it may seem at the time, the sicknesses and ordeals was somehow what this person needed in the overall scheme of life. Because of that ordeal, he is now a stronger person, a wiser person, a more compassionate person.
Because of that ordeal, he is now a stronger person, a wiser person, a more compassionate person.We humans tend to look for the easy route, happy to find an excuse to "give up." A headache makes it harder to concentrate -- so we think that gives us an excuse to stop. But really, since it's all part of "God is One," it's an opportunity to take on a new challenge.
This applies as well to setting goals in life. Of course we need to set milestones in order to make meaningful progress. But we mustn't set these plans in stone. They should be flexible enough to accommodate new challenges. That's God's way of steering and guiding us. He may "change the weather" to make sure we're heading in the right direction. But if plans are so clearly defined that they can't accommodate changes, that's a lack of belief in "God is one."
We must constantly battle the illusion that the forces of good and bad are fighting each other. In reality, every occurrence in life is all pointing in the same direction. "Bad" is a challenge which brings us closer to God -- by giving us the chance to make the right choice and earn that closeness.
OTHERS ARE ALSO OUR RESPONSIBILITY
The Talmud asks: "Why was Adam created alone? So that every person should say, 'The whole world was created just for me.'"
Isn't that a bit egocentric?
On the contrary. It is a recognition that everything in the world -- including the needs of every other human being -- was created for you. If someone needs help, it is part of your challenge. Everything on earth, including all the problems, as well as the beauty, offers new opportunity. All of it was tailor-made by God.
Every experience you encounter is something that you need to learn from, at the time you need it most. Look around at absolutely everything and ask, "What is this saying to me? Why was this sent as part of my road to perfection?"
If God is giving you many responsibilities at the same time, then you have to figure out which one He wants you to choose. What's the proper balance? The dilemma itself was sent by God, in order to help you grow. It's not the result of some opposing force that's getting in your way. It's not that there are different aspects of life and we have to learn to compromise one for another: "I would have liked to, but..." There is no such thing. You're given the whole array of possibilities, and based on your capabilities, there is one clear answer for you.
The key is to be objectively honest with yourself, and not choose physical or emotional comfort over facing the challenge.
Here's an example. We say: "I know I ought to learn Torah and help others, but if I do, I won't be able to earn a living." Are you saying there are different forces? Let's put it all into the equation: God has given you the responsibility of supporting a family; God has given you the responsibility of helping repair the world; God has given you the responsibility of getting to know Him through His Torah.
Now how do you manage all that? What does God want you to choose? And in what proportion and when? Those are your questions.
We say the Shema twice each day to review the concept of "God is one." That's because we have to live with this reality 24 hours a day -- and fight the constant temptation to say: "I'd like to learn, but I'm tired. I'd like to do this mitzvah, but I'm not feeling well."
"God is one" demands that we put everything, including the headache, into the equation, and work out the right approach. We don't lead dual lives, one for ourselves and one that's religious. It's all one.
EVEN DEATH CAN BRING YOU CLOSE TO GOD
The Talmud tells the amazing story of Rebbe Akiva. Almost 2,000 years ago, the Romans tried to obliterate Judaism and made the study of Torah illegal. Rebbe Akiva could not bear the idea of abandoning Torah, so he gathered together his disciples and taught them Torah.
The Romans arrested Rebbe Akiva and executed him by brutally tearing the skin off his body with iron forks. As he was being tortured, Rebbe Akiva joyously recited the Shema -- "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One."
His bewildered students asked, "Rebbe, how can you praise God amidst such torture?"
Rebbe Akiva replied: "All my life I believed that a person has to give 100 percent to God. Now that I have the opportunity, I joyously perform it!"
Didn't Rebbe Akiva want to live? Certainly "dying" is not the goal of life! We seek to become closer to God -- and once you're gone, you can't achieve any more. It would seem that death is one aspect of life that moves us in the opposite direction. Everything else can be seen as a challenge, an opportunity, a way of getting closer to God. Except death. Death stops the growth process. You've only reached the level you've attained during your lifetime -- and that's it for eternity.
So if there's one thing a person should not want, it's death. That's why Rebbe Akiva's students were puzzled. They asked, "Rebbe, we understand the power of dying in sanctification of God's Name. But where does the joy come from? There's nothing left of you to grow!"
There's no question that Rebbe Akiva wanted to live, and that he appreciated life more than we ever will. Yet Rebbe Akiva was teaching his students that even though it seems death goes against the whole growth process, sacrificing even the growth process for God is in itself the highest level of growth! Are you willing to give up all those opportunities to come close to God simply because that's His will? This gets you as close as you can get. You're actually moving at hyperspeed in the right direction.
Sacrificing even the growth process for God is in itself the highest level of growth.When something stops us from learning or growing comfortably, we are tempted to view it as emanating from another source. But Rebbe Akiva taught us a key lesson in "God is one." Regardless of circumstances -- even if it makes it more difficult to learn, to grow, and to be aware -- it is still an opportunity, another step in coming closer to God.
Of course, a headache is different than dying. But philosophically, it's the same concept.
WITH GOD IS ONE, THERE'S NOTHING TO FEAR
In the afternoon service on Shabbat, we say, "You are one, and Your Name is one, and who is like Your people Israel." This prayer speaks about the End of Days, when the Jewish people will be united, working in harmony for one goal, and when all humanity will recognize that everything comes from God.
In daily life, we're often torn because one day we're moving in one direction, and the next day another. But how about when we see the singular purpose to everything? The prayer tells us the result of this exalted state is Menuchat Shalom -- total tranquility. Peace of mind.
We get caught off-guard with different challenges than we expected. That's when we start picking up the wrong messages. But if you know the truth, you won't fear any surprises. If you know that whatever "gets in your way" is all part of God's plan, then actually nothing can get in your way.
This outlook brings a deep sense of security. If you know that everything God sends is for your good, then there is nothing to fear.
King Solomon says there's only one thing to fear: Forgetting the oneness of God.
The Shabbat prayer also speaks about Menuchat Emet V'emunah -- true peace and security. On Shabbat, we step back from our daily efforts to shape the world -- and instead let things flow in their natural order. That is when we most intensely perceive that God created the world and there is one purpose to everything.
The clarity of "God is one" gives us this peace of mind seven days a week. Of course, we still have to struggle to figure out what's right, and then we have to find the strength to stand up for that. But at least we don't feel like we're fighting against some outside force. Your goals can never get derailed because "things didn't work out." There's simply no such thing. Difficulties are merely a new challenge in your journey toward perfection.
The only possible setback is self-imposed -- by not focusing on how the challenges are sent by God to guide us.
So why is "God is one" so important? Because in reality, there is nothing else. God is everything.
#3 - God Is One
Good, evil, success, failure. Life is full of challenges that distract us from the underlying truth that the only reality is God's existence.
by Rabbi Noah Weinberg
Everyone is familiar with the Shema, the Jewish Pledge of Allegiance: "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one" (Deut. 6:4).
"Oneness" is crucial to a proper understanding of God. In fact, Maimonides writes that the highest level of wisdom a human being can attain is to comprehend the oneness of God.
Why is "God's oneness" so central to our belief? Why do we declare the Shema twice each day and aspire to say these as the last words before we die? Does it really matter whether God is one and not three?
ATTACHMENT VS. AUTONOMY
Before the creation of the world, only God existed. There was no separate entity in any form.
Even after creation, everything in the world remained part of God.
The only difference is that through the miracle of creation, God gave each human being free will. With this, we have the unique ability to think for ourselves and to act upon those thoughts. It's as if from within God, we maintain a certain autonomy.
Through the miracle of creation, God gave each human being free will, a certain autonomy.Yet we're still part of God. Because that's all there is.
So what was the purpose of making us a separate entity from God?
Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (18th century Italy) explains in his famous book "Path of the Just": The purpose of creation is to earn pleasure. The ultimate pleasure is attachment to God. Where is this pleasure most manifest? In the eternal World of Souls, where we have absolute clarity of God's unity, and recognize that we are totally attached to Him, as we always have been.
The autonomy of this world -- free will -- can mislead a person into thinking there is something else outside of God. Therefore it is a constant, lifelong challenge to overcome this illusion -- and see that the only existence is God. That God is one.
EVIL IS NOT INDEPENDENT
Constant Mitzvah #2 -- "Don't believe in other gods" -- spoke about the Yetzer Hara, our self-destructive inclination to move away from God. We said that it is a mistake to follow the Yetzer Hara, because it is an illusion, a temporal gratification that is ultimately dissatisfying.
This mitzvah of "God is one" goes much further. If the Yetzer Hara exists, it must also be part of God. And if it's part of God, it is by definition good. Which begs the obvious question: How can the Yetzer Hara be good?
Think of an athlete, a world-class high-jumper. When the coach raises the bar, is he trying to make life difficult -- or is he drawing out the athlete's potential? Of course the coach wants the athlete to succeed! And if he's a good coach, he knows the right time and amount to raise the bar. Of course, the athlete might fail to clear that height. But the coach knows that with enough concentration and effort, the athlete will succeed.
The coach knows that with enough concentration and effort, the athlete will succeed.Since the purpose of creation is to earn eternal pleasure, the purpose of the Yetzer Hara must be to enable us to earn additional pleasure. So although the Yetzer Hara seems to be pulling us away from God, it actually provides opportunities to grow closer. Evil gives you another struggle for truth -- so you can take pleasure in that discovery.
Without "challenge," there is no appreciation in doing the right thing. Instead, you're just doing what you'd naturally do anyway. All the challenges, all the nuisances, are only designed to bring out the best in you -- not hinder you.
It is an axiom of Jewish thought that God never gives you a challenge which is too difficult.
Learn to read life's messages properly. When your Yetzer Hara comes and tells you to sin, he's really saying, "Here's a challenge. Let's see you overcome this one!"
GOOD AND EVIL ARE THE SAME DIRECTION
We misunderstand evil because we take it seriously. We think it's an independent voice. But that's an illusion.
For example, what if you say, "I'd really like to learn Torah today, but I have a headache which prevents me from learning."
This is a misunderstanding of "God is one." Is the headache a nuisance that blew in from Mars? Of course not! This headache was especially designed to bring you closer to God -- no less than prayer, charity, or any other mitzvah opportunity.
So why a headache? There are many different aspects to spiritual growth, and there's a certain lesson that a headache is coming to teach you. Part of your job is to figure out what that lesson is.
Everything in life is part of the same system, stemming from the same source, with the same purpose. Obviously, there are different pieces to the puzzle, different spiritual muscles which need to be flexed and exercised. But "bad" and "good?" It all has the same goal.
In the times of the Temple, a person who emerged from a difficult situation -- e.g. someone who was sick and then got better -- would bring a "Thanksgiving Offering." We could understand thanking God for getting better, but God is also the one who made us sick in the first place!
For that we are thankful, too. As difficult as it may seem at the time, the sicknesses and ordeals was somehow what this person needed in the overall scheme of life. Because of that ordeal, he is now a stronger person, a wiser person, a more compassionate person.
Because of that ordeal, he is now a stronger person, a wiser person, a more compassionate person.We humans tend to look for the easy route, happy to find an excuse to "give up." A headache makes it harder to concentrate -- so we think that gives us an excuse to stop. But really, since it's all part of "God is One," it's an opportunity to take on a new challenge.
This applies as well to setting goals in life. Of course we need to set milestones in order to make meaningful progress. But we mustn't set these plans in stone. They should be flexible enough to accommodate new challenges. That's God's way of steering and guiding us. He may "change the weather" to make sure we're heading in the right direction. But if plans are so clearly defined that they can't accommodate changes, that's a lack of belief in "God is one."
We must constantly battle the illusion that the forces of good and bad are fighting each other. In reality, every occurrence in life is all pointing in the same direction. "Bad" is a challenge which brings us closer to God -- by giving us the chance to make the right choice and earn that closeness.
OTHERS ARE ALSO OUR RESPONSIBILITY
The Talmud asks: "Why was Adam created alone? So that every person should say, 'The whole world was created just for me.'"
Isn't that a bit egocentric?
On the contrary. It is a recognition that everything in the world -- including the needs of every other human being -- was created for you. If someone needs help, it is part of your challenge. Everything on earth, including all the problems, as well as the beauty, offers new opportunity. All of it was tailor-made by God.
Every experience you encounter is something that you need to learn from, at the time you need it most. Look around at absolutely everything and ask, "What is this saying to me? Why was this sent as part of my road to perfection?"
If God is giving you many responsibilities at the same time, then you have to figure out which one He wants you to choose. What's the proper balance? The dilemma itself was sent by God, in order to help you grow. It's not the result of some opposing force that's getting in your way. It's not that there are different aspects of life and we have to learn to compromise one for another: "I would have liked to, but..." There is no such thing. You're given the whole array of possibilities, and based on your capabilities, there is one clear answer for you.
The key is to be objectively honest with yourself, and not choose physical or emotional comfort over facing the challenge.
Here's an example. We say: "I know I ought to learn Torah and help others, but if I do, I won't be able to earn a living." Are you saying there are different forces? Let's put it all into the equation: God has given you the responsibility of supporting a family; God has given you the responsibility of helping repair the world; God has given you the responsibility of getting to know Him through His Torah.
Now how do you manage all that? What does God want you to choose? And in what proportion and when? Those are your questions.
We say the Shema twice each day to review the concept of "God is one." That's because we have to live with this reality 24 hours a day -- and fight the constant temptation to say: "I'd like to learn, but I'm tired. I'd like to do this mitzvah, but I'm not feeling well."
"God is one" demands that we put everything, including the headache, into the equation, and work out the right approach. We don't lead dual lives, one for ourselves and one that's religious. It's all one.
EVEN DEATH CAN BRING YOU CLOSE TO GOD
The Talmud tells the amazing story of Rebbe Akiva. Almost 2,000 years ago, the Romans tried to obliterate Judaism and made the study of Torah illegal. Rebbe Akiva could not bear the idea of abandoning Torah, so he gathered together his disciples and taught them Torah.
The Romans arrested Rebbe Akiva and executed him by brutally tearing the skin off his body with iron forks. As he was being tortured, Rebbe Akiva joyously recited the Shema -- "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One."
His bewildered students asked, "Rebbe, how can you praise God amidst such torture?"
Rebbe Akiva replied: "All my life I believed that a person has to give 100 percent to God. Now that I have the opportunity, I joyously perform it!"
Didn't Rebbe Akiva want to live? Certainly "dying" is not the goal of life! We seek to become closer to God -- and once you're gone, you can't achieve any more. It would seem that death is one aspect of life that moves us in the opposite direction. Everything else can be seen as a challenge, an opportunity, a way of getting closer to God. Except death. Death stops the growth process. You've only reached the level you've attained during your lifetime -- and that's it for eternity.
So if there's one thing a person should not want, it's death. That's why Rebbe Akiva's students were puzzled. They asked, "Rebbe, we understand the power of dying in sanctification of God's Name. But where does the joy come from? There's nothing left of you to grow!"
There's no question that Rebbe Akiva wanted to live, and that he appreciated life more than we ever will. Yet Rebbe Akiva was teaching his students that even though it seems death goes against the whole growth process, sacrificing even the growth process for God is in itself the highest level of growth! Are you willing to give up all those opportunities to come close to God simply because that's His will? This gets you as close as you can get. You're actually moving at hyperspeed in the right direction.
Sacrificing even the growth process for God is in itself the highest level of growth.When something stops us from learning or growing comfortably, we are tempted to view it as emanating from another source. But Rebbe Akiva taught us a key lesson in "God is one." Regardless of circumstances -- even if it makes it more difficult to learn, to grow, and to be aware -- it is still an opportunity, another step in coming closer to God.
Of course, a headache is different than dying. But philosophically, it's the same concept.
WITH GOD IS ONE, THERE'S NOTHING TO FEAR
In the afternoon service on Shabbat, we say, "You are one, and Your Name is one, and who is like Your people Israel." This prayer speaks about the End of Days, when the Jewish people will be united, working in harmony for one goal, and when all humanity will recognize that everything comes from God.
In daily life, we're often torn because one day we're moving in one direction, and the next day another. But how about when we see the singular purpose to everything? The prayer tells us the result of this exalted state is Menuchat Shalom -- total tranquility. Peace of mind.
We get caught off-guard with different challenges than we expected. That's when we start picking up the wrong messages. But if you know the truth, you won't fear any surprises. If you know that whatever "gets in your way" is all part of God's plan, then actually nothing can get in your way.
This outlook brings a deep sense of security. If you know that everything God sends is for your good, then there is nothing to fear.
King Solomon says there's only one thing to fear: Forgetting the oneness of God.
The Shabbat prayer also speaks about Menuchat Emet V'emunah -- true peace and security. On Shabbat, we step back from our daily efforts to shape the world -- and instead let things flow in their natural order. That is when we most intensely perceive that God created the world and there is one purpose to everything.
The clarity of "God is one" gives us this peace of mind seven days a week. Of course, we still have to struggle to figure out what's right, and then we have to find the strength to stand up for that. But at least we don't feel like we're fighting against some outside force. Your goals can never get derailed because "things didn't work out." There's simply no such thing. Difficulties are merely a new challenge in your journey toward perfection.
The only possible setback is self-imposed -- by not focusing on how the challenges are sent by God to guide us.
So why is "God is one" so important? Because in reality, there is nothing else. God is everything.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
A STORY OF LOVE
A story J. Preston Eby tells in his book God is love. It was a story of an incident which occurred in mid-nineteenth century Russia.
A Russian nobleman accompanied by his faithful servant of many years was making his way home across the frozen steppes of Russia in a dogsled. They had traveled many, many miles across the barren wastes and were now but twenty miles or so from home, when the servant spied something which, indeed, brought great terror to their hearts. About a mile or two behind them they could make out the form of a huge pack of wolves that had scented them and was now descending upon them. They gave the reins to the dogs, cracked their whips, and shouted whatever the Russian equivalent of 'mush' is. The dogs strained their muscles and tried to go faster. Yet, irresistibly, the wolf pack closed the gap until finally there were only a hundred or so yards behind them . . .then only fifty . . . then only ten . . . then only five. Their eyes glowed like coals out of hell and their large yellow fangs were visible. The growling deep within their throats and the panting noises of their breathing, could be heard as they drew closer and closer. There was no hope; there was no place of escape. Suddenly, the servant threw himself off backward from the dogsled, with predictable results. The onrushing pack converged and stopped, tearing the servant to pieces while his master escaped. I thought to myself, 'What a wonderful illustration of love!' but upon more mature reflection, I realized that it only vaguely glimpsed the real meaning of love. It hardly touched the fringe of its garment. Ah, it would have come closer if the nobleman had thrown himself off for the servant! 'Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.'" (1 John 4:10)
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