Teachings
The roots of the Bible
Faith
Yaakov, Béla Orbán
Many evangelizations are going on everywhere in the world, many missions are made in order to convert the unbelievers or those who believe in other gods.
In this so called "modern" world, this evangelization is mostly done with methods of the world, in other words, by using the same propaganda and advertising techniques as those used in the world of business to trap customers. Some are promising successes, happiness, wealth, cures and all the gifts and blessings that can satisfy physical, psychical and material desires of the people.
All the marketing techniques are used on the market of "evangelization". These promises mainly take aim at the satisfaction of the desires of the flesh and the heart.
Another method which is often used "to lead people unto faith", is often by threatening them and by generating fear.
We also must talk about "the order of mission" (Matthew 28: 19-20), which is although often done by a good will and voluntarily, yet comes from a wrong interpretation of the Writings and testifies of religiosity although the will is consciously pure.
(Indeed, this order of mission was mainly addressed to the Jewish apostles of those times whose mission was to teach and to spread the Writings which only included the Torah and the prophets at that time. But from this moment, this teaching should be extended by the testimony of the Messiah and His Grace through the example of the holy life of those disciples so that other people should also accept our Lord Yeshua HaMashiach).
Despite of that, the main and most important message of today’s evangelizations could be summarized in only one word: Fear!
Fear the consequences of sins, fear because of the difficulties readable in the prophecies related to the last times, and then fear because of the Apocalypse...
Reactions to these threats can be rather variable.
Some convert and join a church or an assembly and becomes the members of it. But can we really speak about conversion or repentance, and can we regard them as legitimate believers?
Perhaps it would be better to use the word "Messianic" or "from-of Christ" rather than "believer" or "faithful", which tends to lose its original signification for pretty long time now.
But instead of talking about the need of changing definitions, I would prefer to write about Faith and some of its characteristics in the following lines.
What characterizes the faith of the one who claims to be a believer?
- The one who believes discovers day by day the hugeness of God, His Creating, and Almighty and Eternal power.
- The one who believes grows in humility, and his confidence in God doesn’t stop growing. Weakness disappears since then.
- Although many are those who show piety and a merciful face, few are those who really live in humility before God. Many are only Pharisees simulating weakness and devotion hoping to obtain grace by the fulfilling of the Laws. Many are those who put their life in order by fear, awaiting grace from a superior power without giving their life entirely and directly to the rule of God through Yeshua HaMashiach. In many cases these conversions are only provisional resignations where the acceptance of the divine power is only partial.
The one who believes and lives under the rule of God has the following characteristics:
- The faithful is never proud, haughty or arrogant. He knows that everything that occurs in him, through him and by him is miracle. He can only be the tool, the witness or the participant in these miracles, which come only from the single Will of God. These miracles are not achieved by thanking
s to him, but only by the action of the Holy Spirit, Its Creative Spirit and in the name of Yeshua HaMashiach.
- The faithful faces his mission with the confidence of a child. He or she will never do it with any thought of supremacy above others but in humility and with the testimony of a noble pride and the force of a lion.
The faithful fulfilling his mission does it always with pride but will always remain humble and respectful! These two concepts are summarized in the following one:
I HAVE LIFE!
For the People of God this testimony through our lives and our actions proofs that:
IT IS NOT ME WHO IS IN GOD, BUT GOD WHO IS IN ME.
In the centre of my own being the rule is between the hands of the anointed King Yeshua HaMashiach whose Holy Spirit works, purifies and releases me essentially.
Then, by filling up my heart, He achieves the process of sanctification so that I should be ready for the day when I will have to face God.
When experiencing such happiness and this certainty of the eternal life, the faithful wants immediately to share and transmit it to his neighbours, because he loves others since it is the One living in him who loves through him from that moment. God loves every human and has called each of them to reach the eternal life... Thus we become humble servants although we are proud, so that through our testimony others can also have a life full of testimonies.
After having treated the topic of the characteristics of the faithful, it is also necessary to talk about faith’s characteristics...
What is faith...?
When the spirit of a man identifies itself to the Spirit of God, it is henceforth led and ruled by the Spirit of the Messiah (of Christ), who reigns him. Thus, gradually after his spirit, his soul and heart (his feelings and thoughts), his body and flesh (his desires and acts) also start to obey the will of God, the reign of Yeshua HaMashiach and submit also to the rule of the Holy Spirit...
FAITH....: EXISTS
FAITH....: CREATES
FAITH...: CARRIES
Faith cannot come from somebody or something...
Faith cannot be generated...
Nobody can carry it but faith does bring and carry its own testimonies.
Testimonies of faith are the visible fruits in the faithful’s life which don’t belong to them but point at the Holy Spirit, who points at the Messiah, who Himself points at the Eternal God.
They all point at the One who lives and acts in us.
In us, by us and with us..., for the reign and for the blooming of the kingdom of God.
The People of Israel exist still today according to the Will, the Promise and the Project, in a word, according to the Word of God. The life of Israel is nothing else like the faith, which it has in God.
This faith was received from God to be able to obey His Word through generations and generations. This faith was reinforced directly by God, by His Word, His prophecies, then throughout several millennia, by the testimony of many achieved prophecies, all this evidence of the fidelity of God safeguarded and reinforced the faith of the Chosen People.
The faith is thus nothing other but the listening of the call of God with conversion, repentance and the act of following Him. The faith and the testimony of the faith of the Chosen People is that: God lives among His People...
Our faith is also this one, when God comes to seek us, recalls us to the house, leads us on our way and lives in us.
Our faith is thus Life itself...
Our Life is Yeshua HaMashiach...
Our testimony: Yeshua HaMashiach lives in us.
The consequence is that others can also see from outside:
IMMANUEL
You can be the witness of Yeshua HaMashiach and Yeshua HaMashiach is the witness of God:
GOD IS WITH US
The proof that your spirit is really obedient to the Spirit of God is when the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Messiah (of Christ) testifies you before God...
When this testimony is done, then you become member of the People of God and the eternal citizen of the Kingdom of God...
It is where the Spirit of God calls you; it is there that calls you the Spirit of Christ, of the Messiah, the Holy Spirit...
He calls you so that you believe...
He calls you, because He is faithful and His gift is FAITH...
He calls you so that you have LIFE..., ETERNAL LIFE!
Translated from hungarian by Richard (Zeev Shlomo)
Copyright © 2005-2012 SHOFAR - BUDAPEST, Jewish congregation believing in Yeshua HaMashiach
JHVH NISSZI Ministry www.kehilatshofar.com
