Archive for June 27th, 2009

Opposition to Boycott of Israel

Saturday, June 27th, 2009 | Author:
This news release may be of interest to our group, so I am passing it on to you.   Skip
CBM Divestment Boycott began June 20 in US
 
On this past June 20th (UN World Refugee Day), a grassroots boycott of Israeli-made products, a tactic that has been occurring in Europe since the recent war in Gaza, began here in America.  The group spearheading this effort nationwide is the BOYCOTT DIVESTMENT CAMPAIGN, a coalition of anti-Israel groups that is based in Pittsburgh, PA.  Together with other groups, churches and universities, their aim is to portray Israel as an Apartheid State in the vein of South Africa – a baseless charge that reflects ignorance of history and, most often, anti-Semitic sentiments. To understand their aims in their own words, the following is a quote from their website:  “We invite you to organize in your community and deshelve, sticker, boycott, and protest the presence of Israeli products!  We aim to change those US policies that sustain Israel…”  

Emails requesting help have already begun circulating.  Rabbi Isaac Jeret of Congregation Ner Tamid of South Bay Los Angeles started an email circulation, asking everyone to help his community, because the divestment campaigners were targeting and picketing a local grocer, Traders Joe, for their long-standing commitment and support of the Jewish community.  

Please watch this youtube video to see this group in action at a European supermarket:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfK7Yal64S0  (It’s in French, but that doesn’t hinder your understanding of what they are doing.)

Here in the US, according to their website:

The United Methodist General Conference will take a vote later this month on whether to adopt the “divestment” policy to boycott all Israeli-made products and companies that supply such products.  On July 2, 2008, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) voted 431-62 “to begin gathering data to support a selective divestment of holdings in multinational corporations doing business in Israel/Palestine.”  In Feb, 2009,Hampshire College in Massachusetts approved the vote to divest from five US corporations involved in the “Israeli military occupation,” as put forth by the student groupStudents for Justice in Palestine.  There is also a campaign underway asking the City of Seattle to divest from corporations that sell military equipment to the Israeli army for use in the “occupied territories.”

HOW CAN YOU HELP ISRAEL

 
1.  Prayer – Prayer is the most powerful weapon we have in our arsenal against the enemy! “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure.” Psalm 122:6 Please pray for misinformed church and university governing bodies, who are ignorant of history and buying into the modern day propaganda.  George Santayana (1863–1952), a US philosopher and poet, once said: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”  This now famous quote holds alot of truth. Take a 90-second look at Middle East imperial history from 3000 BCE to 2006 CE to see who really has ”occupied” Israel since Adonai called it the promised land:  http://www.mapsofwar.com/ind/imperial-history.html

2.  Stay informed of this immediate concern by reading reports from various Israel-advocacy organizations like www.StandWithUs.com and www.BridgeHouston.org.  

3.  Wherever you may shop over the coming days and weeks - for groceries and otherwise - please consider (a) going out of your way to purchase Israeli products and/or (b) thanking store managers or proprietors for carrying Israeli products.  Let them know that one of the reasons you are patronizing their store is because of their principled and courageous determination to continue selling Israeli products in the US. 

 
Thank you for supporting Israel.
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How It Works: At God’s Table Finances

Saturday, June 27th, 2009 | Author:

A really great thing happened today.  I opened the mail and there was a check from Eddie, a reader.  What’s great about it is this:  it was exactly the same amount that I sent last week to Kelly, another reader.  It’s a God thing.  I sent the money without knowing anything about Eddie’s contribution.  He sent the contribution without knowing anything about Kelly’s circumstances.  All I did was act as the broker.  The deal was God’s.

THAT’S HOW IT WORKS.  The community takes care of the community.  I was so happy!

At God’s Table SERVES its members.  So, if you need help, or if you can offer help to others, please let us know.  I need to buy some video equipment for the trip to Israel.  Actually, I need to rent or borrow it, but if I have to I will buy it.  We want to record every teaching session so everyone in the community can have access to all the good news.  So, if there is someone out there who sells, rents or has professional video gear, let me know.  I would rather do business with the community than anyone else.  That goes for everything else too.  How can I help?

Just think about it.  We are here to serve each other.  The only thing that prevents that is not knowing each other and each other’s needs.

Skip

PS – There was a problem over the past couple of days and several posts didn’t go out.  If you haven’t read them already, be sure to look at the Previous 5 Article Updates listed below. -Patrick, Skip’s Tech Geek.

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Saturday Night Special

Saturday, June 27th, 2009 | Author:

Just working on a few images that I thought you might enjoy.  God’s palette is incomparable.

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A Fence Surrounds Him

Saturday, June 27th, 2009 | Author:

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El Cristo Camaleón

Saturday, June 27th, 2009 | Author:

27 de junio Jesucristo es el mismo ayer y hoy y por los siglos. Hebreos 13:8


Mismo – ¿Cuántas veces has escuchado a alguien mencionar este versículo o algo similar como defensa para la inamovilidad de la Palabra y el carácter perpetuo de nuestro Señor? Los cristianos somos dados a enseñar que Jesús nunca cambia. La mayoría del tiempo lo que queremos decir es que Su misericordia, perdón y gracia permanecen constantes. Pero existe una inconsistencia lógica aquí que desafía nuestra doctrina tradicional. Veras, si Jesucristo fue el mismo ayer, hoy y mañana, entonces El es el mismo rabino judío observante de la Tora que nos llamo a la restauración con Dios dentro del marco de referencia hebreo. El guarda el sábado. El vive según la revelación a Moisés. El camina, habla, ora y come la Palabra de Dios – las Escrituras hebreas. ¿Cómo podemos obviar con confianza toda Su perspectiva hebrea y al mismo tiempo declarar que éste versículo en Hebreos es el fundamento de la iglesia? La respuesta es sencilla. La mayoría de los cristianos creen en un Cristo camaleón.

Aquí la palabra griega es solo un pronombre (autos). Con el articulo definitivo anteponiéndolo (ho), el significado es “el mismo.” Podríamos verlo como “el mismo igual.” En otras palabras, no hay cambio en identidad en el tiempo. Literalmente, el versículo lee “Jesús Cristo ayer y hoy el mismo igual aun de los tiempos.” ¡Jesús no cambia! Pero nuestra interpretación de El si cambia, ¿no es cierto? En algún lugar en el camino, El dejo de ser el judío sabio, el rabino, el hombre cuya posición teológica estaba más cerca de los fariseos que cualquier otro grupo, y el Mesías judío. De alguna manera El se convirtió en el líder de una nueva religión llamada Cristianismo, una religión que comprende el mundo desde la perspectiva de la filosofía griega, la cual rechazo el lugar de la Ley en la vida del creyente, que ceso de la observancia a la Tora y declaro que Jesús (nombre desconocido a quién llamamos Señor) era más semejante a nuestra manera europea de vida que lo que era a su cultura semítica de origen. Aun así, Jesucristo es el mismo ayer, hoy y para siempre.

La Biblia camaleón ciertamente es flexible. Es capaz de cambiar de colores para encajar cualquier contexto cultural que sea necesario. ¿No te gusta la adoración en el Shabbat? Solo emite un edicto papal que el dia del Señor ha sido cambiado oficialmente. ¿No te gusta que te digan que el homosexualismo es pecado? Solo redefine la palabra griega arsenokoites. ¿Deseas vivir según tus propias instrucciones? Solo separa la ley de la gracia. ¿Deseas excusas para continuar tu conducta pecaminosa como creyente? Introduce la idea del “cristiano carnal.” Estoy seguro que puedes añadir a la lista. Si Yeshua HaMashiach es el mismo ayer, hoy y por los siglos, entonces ignorar lo que dice, hace y manda es blasfemia. Desvestido de su cultura, El se convierte en lo que queramos que sea – y en nada substancioso. Todo este pasaje es sobre copiar Su conducta. Si no lo ves como es, ¿Cómo sabrás que cosa copiar? Me recuerda de la canción de los Beatles “Ayer todos mis problemas parecían lejanos, Hoy parecen que vienen a quedarse. Oh, cuanto creo en el ayer.”¿Cómo quieres que te sirvan a Jesús? ¿En tu plato cultural, o en el de Él?

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The Chameleon Christ

Saturday, June 27th, 2009 | Author:

Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever  Hebrews 13:8

Same – How many times have you heard someone mention this verse or something similar as a defense for the unchanging teaching of the Word and the unchanging character of our Lord?  Christians are quite fond of telling the world that Jesus never changes.  Most of the time what we mean is that His mercy, forgiveness and grace remain constant.  But there is a logical inconsistency here that defies traditional doctrine.  You see, if Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, then He is that same Torah-observant, Jewish rabbi who calls us back to restoration with God within the Hebrew frame of reference.  He keeps the Sabbath.  He lives according to the revelation to Moses.  He walks, talks, prays and eats God’s Word – the Hebrew Scriptures.  How can we confidently ignore all His Hebrew worldview and at the same time assert that this verse in Hebrews is foundational to the church?  The answer is simple.  Most Christians really believe in the chameleon Christ.

The Greek word here is really just a pronoun (autos).  With the definite article before it (ho), the meaning is “the same”.  We might think of it as “the self same.”  In other words, there is no change in identity over time.  Literally, the verse reads, “Jesus Christ yesterday and today the self same even to the ages.”  Jesus doesn’t change!  But our interpretation of Him certainly did, didn’t it?  Somewhere along the way, He stopped being a Jewish sage, a rabbi, a man whose theological position was closer to the Pharisees than any other group and the Jewish Messiah.  Somehow He became the leader of a new religion called Christianity, a religion that understood the world from a Greek philosophical perspective, that rejected the place of the Law in the life of a believer, that ceased observing the Torah and that claimed that Jesus (a name unknown to the one we call Lord) was closer to our Western European way of life than He was to the Semitic culture of His birth.  Nevertheless, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

The chameleon Bible is certainly flexible.  It is able to change colors to fit whatever culture and context is necessary.  Don’t like worshipping on the Sabbath?  Just issue a papal edict that the Lord’s day has been officially moved.  Don’t like being told that homosexuality is sin?  Just redefine the Greek word arsenokoites.  Want to live according to your own instructions?  Just separate law and grace.  Want excuses for continuing sinful behavior as a believer?  Introduce the idea of the “carnal” Christian.  I am sure you could add more to the list.  If Yeshua HaMashiach is the same yesterday, today and to the ages, then ignoring what He says, does and commands is virtually blasphemy.  Stripped of the culture, He becomes whatever we want Him to be – and nothing substantial at all.  This entire passage is about copying His behavior.  If you don’t see Him as He is, how will you know what to copy?  Reminds me of the Beatles.  “Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away.  Now it looks as though they’re here to stay.  Oh, I believe in yesterday.”  How do you want Jesus served to you?  On your cultural dinner plate or on His?

Topical Index:  culture, yesterday, forever, chameleon, Hebrews 13:8

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