betWeen A Twelve Tribes n c Freepapertwelvetribes.org/sites/default/files/publications/normal-christian... · and dance as in Psalm 150, using the prescribed musi- ... to give up

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What is the Difference betWeen a

normal christian anD a

normal Disciple?

He said, “Follow me,” and immediately they left their nets behind...

FREE

A Twelve Tribes Freepaper

2 www.twelvetr ibes.org

We w h o w r o t e t h i s pa p e r actually live together like an extended family, sharing all things in common, just as the first dis-

ciples did in the first century. The Bible plainly says re-garding the first church, “All who believed were together and shared all things in common” (Acts 2:44). It goes on to describe how they were of one heart and soul, and that there was not a needy person among them, for they gave up all their possessions to meet the needs of their spiritual brothers and sisters (Acts 4:32-35). Some people say this was only for back then, but we’ve been living this way for over 40 years. You can come and see for yourself at any of our addresses, which are printed in the back of this paper and on our web site, www.twelvetribes.org. In each of our communities, there are one or more houses in a cluster, some in cities and some on farms. Several families and single people live together in each house, according to the size of the house. We like large houses because we like to live together. Married couples have their own rooms, plus as many adjacent rooms as needed for their children. The single men share one or more rooms, as do the single women. We all share a common kitchen and dining room, where we take our meals together “with gladness and sincerity of heart.” 1

In at least one house in the cluster we have a large gathering room where we gather together every morning and evening to worship our Creator in song and dance as in Psalm 150, using the prescribed musi-cal instruments that we are learning to build and play. We are all free to speak from our hearts the things

we are learning, as our heavenly Father teaches us through one another, according to the gift and grace given to each person.2 As a spiritual priesthood, we pray together for the pressing needs of our people and for our Father’s will to be done on earth. After our morning gathering we have breakfast together and then go to work in our various places, doing the deeds prepared for each one of us.3 We work together in our own cafés, farms, cottage industries, and trades, not as independent contractors or employ-ees of outside companies. All income from our various endeavors goes into a “common purse” from which all of our needs are met equitably. We don’t have our own independent income or debts to carry by ourselves, except for the debt of love that we owe to our Savior, which we repay by loving and caring for one another. We love and cherish our children. We teach them at home, using a curriculum we are developing ourselves, to give them the basic skills they need to read, write, and speak effectively, to live together in peace, and to fulfill their created purpose. Our children’s training goes far beyond the classroom, however, as they are fully integrated into every aspect of our socially and spiritually rich tribal life. They learn to cook and sew, build and farm, care for animals, sing and dance, play musical instruments, and most importantly, extend hospitality to the constant flow of guests who are drawn to the light of our life of love. Together we are experiencing and demonstrating the restoration of all things spoken of by the prophets of old,4 and by our Master Yahshua,5 whose life, death, and resurrection make this life possible. t

1 Acts 2:46 2 1 Corinthians 14:26; 1 Peter 4:11; Romans 12:6 3 Ephesians 2:10 4 Isaiah 49:6; Jeremiah 30:20; 31:1,4,13,14; Malachi 4:5-6 5 Matthew 5:17-19; 17:10-11; 22:37-40; Luke 1:17; 24:44 (Yahshua is the original Hebrew name of the one called Jesus in most English translations of the Bible; see “The Name Above All Names” on page 45 for more about this name.

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What is the Differencebetween

A NormalChristian

A NormalDisciple?

and

Igrew up in a Christian family, and of course we went to church every Sunday. But at some point in my youth, I started actually reading the Bible, becoming personally interested in what it said.

The vibrant life in Acts 2 and 4 seemed so wonderful, but also so distant and unlike my life as a Christian. In the book of Acts, it says all the disciples were together daily, sharing all things in common, and great grace was upon them all. All of us Christians were together only on Sunday, sharing only 10% of our money, supposedly. And as for great grace, well, sometimes I wondered whether God was with us at all.

I wondered, like so many others, whether it was even possible to live like those early disciples. But was it really optional? Was it really up to each person to

choose whether he wanted to live like that? Although there were a few obscure groups that lived in commu-nity, nearly everyone said, “That was for back then,” and everyone agreed that giving up one’s possessions was not required.

What is required to be a Christian? Is it different from what was required to be a disciple “back then”? Let’s compare two groups of people to find the differ-ences between them. One group is the Normal Chris-tians: a usual or typical member of Christianity in the 21st century — “now.” The other group is the Normal Disciples: a usual or typical member of the church in the 1st century — “back then.” Granted, our compari-son doesn’t include the Christians over the past 1900 years, but since I want to know today whether the life


of Acts 2 and 4 was just for back then, we’ll take a look at the ends of the timeline — Normal Christians now and Normal Disciples back then.

Paul tells Timothy to be a “good soldier” — one of several metaphors he uses to describe a normal disciple:

No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. (2 Timothy 2:4-7)1 A soldier does not get entangled in the affairs of civilian life. An athlete competes according to the rules. A farmer is hard-working and shares in the crops. Their daily life tells who they really are. Each of these people is wholeheartedly pursuing a specific goal and can reasonably expect a future reward. A soldier pleases the authority

over him, gaining promotions and medals by his deeds. An athlete gains the crown of victory. A farmer gains an abundant harvest. Each lifestyle tells you who’s who and what they are seeking.

A normal disciple gives up every-thing. Luke 14:33 apparently applies to disciples, but not to Christians.2 Back then, Peter had to leave his nets behind to follow the Son of God. He walked away, leav-ing his father and his livelihood behind.3 Back then, Barnabas sold his land and laid the proceeds at the apostles’ feet.4 Back then, the rich young ruler was told

to give up all, but he refused.5 The rich young ruler was qualified to be a Christian, but not a disciple.

A normal Christian hangs on to his life in this world. A 2015 study showed that Christians own 55% of the wealth worldwide,6 which isn’t so surprising, considering how many there are.7 Some well-known

1 See also 2 Peter 2:20-22 and 1 Corinthians 9:25-27.2 Luke 14:33 — “So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.”3 Matthew 4:21-22 — “Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” 4 Acts 4:36 — “Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.”5 Mark 10:21-22 — “Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ he said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.” (The story starts in verse 17)6 http://www.deccanherald.com/content/453467/christians-hold-largest-percentage-global.html7 About one third of the world’s population claim to be Christians.

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pastors live in million-dollar mansions and own private jets. In fact, many Christians are millionaires. Certainly, not all Christians are extremely wealthy, but it is “usual and typical” for Christians to retain their individual assets. A normal Christian hangs on to his assets in this world.

A normal disciple is under authority, which keeps him on the narrow way. Matthew 8:5-10 tells how a soldier is: under authority, having no time to just putter around. An athlete receives the direction of his coach-es. In the same way, a normal dis-ciple is under authority at all times.

“If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” (John 12:25-26)The normal disciples in Acts 2

didn’t live separate lives. They didn’t “go to church” once or twice a week, but rather “every day they continued to meet together” and every day they “ate together with glad and sincere hearts.” 8 It wasn’t like it was in the book of Judges when there was no king in the land, and every-one did what was right in their own eyes.9 There was apostolic authority correcting and directing all nor-mal disciples.10 In contrast, normal Christians consider themselves free to choose what job they will have, where they will live, what they will do with their time and money, and what church they will attend on Sunday.

A normal disciple lives a life of obedience. That was the Great Commission: “Make disciples ... and teach them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”11 Every normal disciple was taught to know and obey the Master’s commandments.

To follow Yahshua,12 you have to hate your life in this world, hating anything that would cause you to hold on to your old life, your own job, clothing styles, habits, even your own culture. If you claim to be a disciple and don’t obey Yahshua’s commandments, it means you are a liar.13 Yahshua is only the savior of those who obey Him,14 and the Holy Spirit is only given to those who obey Him.15

A normal Christian is nearly indistinguishable from an “unbeliever.” Normal Christians are found in nearly

every occupation — in politics, the military, show business, sports, and on and on. Nor-mal Christians wear the same clothing and hair styles, go to the same movies, watch the same football games, listen to the same music, and read the same books as the rest of the world. They may try to “be good,” but the com-mandments are not even seen as attainable, and are often explained away.

So there is a marked dif-ference between a normal Christian and a normal disciple. It’s not easy to be a normal dis-ciple — or a farmer, an athlete, or a soldier. It’s not easy, but it is possible. It requires a choice. It requires devotion to live that kind of life. It requires effort towards a goal. Only then will the farmer, the athlete, the sol-

dier, and the normal disciple receive the sought-after reward.

Otherwise, the Scriptures are irrelevant. t

A normal disciple lives a life of obedience.

That was the Great Commission: “Make disciples ... and teach them

to obey everything that I have

commanded you.”

(Matthew 28:19-20)

8 Acts 2:46-47 9 Judges 17:6 — “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.” 10 See 2 Corinthians 13:10, 1 Thessalonians 2:6, and Titus 2:15 for references to authority in the church. 11 Matthew 28:19-20 — “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 12 Yahshua is the original Hebrew name of the Son of God. See “The Name Above All Names” on page 45. 13 1 John 2:4 — “The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 14 Hebrews 5:9 15 Acts 5:32


“How can I express all that is in my heart toward Him?” the woman ponders as she wrestles with

her own anxious thoughts. “What do I have to offer?”Never rich, always poor... she firmly takes in hand the alabaster flask and gazes upon it with serious intent, remembering the many years of toil spent to gain its precious contents. Yet now it holds such little worth in comparison to Him. Even among the rich it is a trea-sure eagerly sought after — what she could live on if she were to sell it.

With determined steps she ap-proaches the crowded room. An indebted friend, known in the town of Bethany as Simon the Leper, had graciously invited Yahshua and His disciples into his house. Though their conversation is at times somber, her heart is as light and fresh as the evening breeze. She lis-tens intently, her hopes centered on Him and how to do all she can for Him.

Watching, wait-ing for the opportune moment, she is deeply moved by the over-whelming love He expresses, though she cannot grasp the deeper meaning of His imminent departure. Sensing the urgency of the moment, her only thought is to be by His side to serve Him. “I must do all that I can to express the love, respect, and devotion I feel in my heart for Him.”

Having thought and deliberated long over what she is about to do, she slips in quietly but confidently and kneels by His side. Deliberately, she raises her calloused hands which bear the mark of the hard-working poor, seemingly uncon-scious of all the wide-eyed onlookers. Time stands still. She breaks the sealed flask and instantly the aromatic

scent of the precious spikenard wafts into the evening air, filling the room with its delicate and sweet fragrance.

Generously she pours the flask’s cherished contents upon His head in highest admiration and honor for who she recognizes Him to be. Then, with the graceful movement of one truly humble, she bows to anoint His feet with the remaining portion of this rare ointment.

Radiant in her countenance, she wipes His feet with her hair.

Still holding the flask, she gazes upon the feet that brought the message of

such good news to her. Though it escapes her notice, some in the

room grimace. Far from being happy with her gift, they are

incensed and offended by her actions — especially one man.

Affectionately con-sidered by Yahshua as a friend and brother, Judas is strangely disturbed by the lavish display of the woman’s embarrassing love. Shattering the hushed stillness with his indignant reaction, he rebukes her sharply, “Why are you wasting that fragrant and ex-pensive oil? Do you not

realize that it could have been sold for as much as

three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”

Stunned, but not sur-prised by Judas’s response,

Yahshua says, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has

done a good deed to Me. The poor you have with you always, and when-

ever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not always have. She has done all she

could. She has anointed my body beforehand for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will be told in memory of her.” t

1 Yahshua is the original Hebrew name of the Savior. See “The Name Above All Names” on page 45. 2 Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:1-9; John 12:1-8

Why this Waste?

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od, reveal yourself to me! I want to know what your will for my life is!” she prayed as she hoisted her large backpack onto her back. Today was going to be different, she determined. She was going to wit-

ness for Christ today. She walked to the bus stop, praying for a divine encounter. She sat next to a woman on the bus who was reading her Bible. Confirmation! God does love me! She gently inquired about what church she went to, but after two more sentences, she had to get off and go her own way. A twinge of loneliness crept up to Melissa’s heart, but she tried to remind herself that Jesus was with her. Plus, youth group was the following night and they were going to have a late night worship time. Just as she awoke from daydreaming, her stop came.

She waited for her next bus, trying to not inhale the smoke wafting towards her. She was street smart. No one can

hurt me... except, if she was honest, she would tell you that some people did make her uncomfortable. She pulled

out her “Now-and-Laters” that she just got up-stairs and chomped down on one. Yum. A

small nervous habit? If it was, she didn’t know it. I don’t have any cavities... right now, and I have sealants, so it’s fine.


Climbing onto the strangely empty bus, she realizes it will be a quiet ride. She would have read her Bible... maybe, but she hadn’t finished her

homework. With a little pit in her stomach, she tried to speed-

read through the chapter and whip out a couple of paragraphs in

response... Not the best, but it’s ok.

Off the bus, she hoisted her bag and walked briskly through the park and over the bridge. She prayed as best as she could as she looked up at the trees. Fears were gone as she saw the rose bushes and the squirrels scurrying about. But then, once she reached the big metal doors of her high school, dread silenced her joy. It always felt as if she left Jesus outside... no mat-ter how hard she tried. “I just want to be a ‘bulldog for God’ and witness for Him.” But when she tried, she’d always end up isolating herself, and so from time to time, she’d just give in to all that peer pressure and do what felt good. As long as it wasn’t a big sin, you know, like drugs and stuff.

At youth group, they’d dim the lights low and the worship team would play electric guitar and drums so no one had to see or hear each other. They could just worship to their heart’s content.

Sometimes she’d feel awkward but she never told her youth group leader.

Melissa felt led to skip lunch sometimes (not knowing it was also anorexia tempting her bones). She’d either make pottery up on the third floor, for which Ms. B praised her exceedingly, or go out under a tree and pray. Peace would cover her like a baby’s blanket. Standing up, hoping to not be late, her peace fled away like the wind. The leaves swirled around her. She almost cried, but she didn’t have time for that.

The flyers went up. “I’m really doing it! A Bible Study in the most liberal school around!” She made it sound inviting. “Come, make friends!” It was

called “Circle.” She didn’t know why. She just wanted to live a more open life, having heart-

to-heart conversations with a group of people with the same mind. Well, like-minded

they were not. One was a Catholic, one was a Pen-tecostal, and she was a middle-of-the-road Protes-tant. The other girl was “Non-Denominational.”

It only lasted a couple of weeks. Melissa was a senior and she wasn’t interested in learning about the myriad of “Christian” faiths. She put four sugars in her coffee as she went on the Internet again to search for scholarships. Such a rat race!

Nicholas College or bust! She stuffed way too many possessions into the trunk of her parent’s rented van. After the roller coaster ride of two years in school, she was headed for Indonesia to study abroad. No, it wasn’t a missionary trip. (She later found out that most of the people there were already converted.) She was going to live in the mountains along with some locals, have classes, hike, and, to some extent, live like a Papuan. She’d been to other foreign countries before, so it wasn’t a surprise for her to see poverty, disease, or even hear of witch-doctors, but what struck her, mak-ing a long-lasting impression, was the gatherings they had. They’d meet in a circle, talk and sing and

she didn’t feel that feeling of having to keep up appearances, as she had in church growing up. (Her father would always stop the arguing right before they went in.) It felt

Once she reached the big metal doors of

her high school, it always felt as if she left Jesus

outside,no mat-ter how hard she

tried.

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like a big family. Oh, did the tears roll down when it was time to say goodbye... There it goes again, the peace and security, left in Papua this time.

Back in America, materialism was reaching its annual peak. It was Christmas time. “Oh, no,” she thought, “I want nothing to do with this.” She held her breath until the season passed. Her posses-sions, far less this time, soon went into the trunk of her parent’s car. Her cat, Misty, hesitantly rubbed up against her legs, but then quickly scampered away. She wasn’t used to Melissa anymore, and her lug-gage still smelled like Papuan grass.

Four hours later, she kissed her mother goodbye. The school looked a little different. She went to chapel the next morning. Row by row, all the students looked up and sang, not caring whether there was love or hate in their hearts for the person two rows back. One heart and one mind? She thought. She started only going because she had to.

The little house church she began going to was nice for a while, until the self-condemnation started turning her hair gray. She didn’t sleep well at night. She felt like a dud of a Christian. Eventually, she found excuses to slip away from their “fellowship.”

The next Christmas break, her mother eagerly brought her to her newly found treasure — the Common Ground Café! Golden upside-down basket lamps lit up all the angles of wood. It was beautiful, but Melissa was there for another reason.

Her mother had told her these people were Chris-tians who lived together. She privately confided in a couple having their lunch break. “I know that I don’t love Jesus enough,” she said. She went on, spilling out how she felt paranoid about overeat-ing, with a zip-locked half of a sandwich sitting on the table in front of her.

They did not preach at her. Actually, she hardly remembered what they said; all she felt was com-

passion and acceptance and she knew she’d never felt that before in all her young life. She’d never seen such sweet smiles and such a life that backed up the words of the Bible. The couple hand-ed her a folded invitation to their house for a Sabbath Celebration. She dared to consider moving in with them, but her friends told her not to do anything stu-pid. College life swallowed

her back up again.Her last semester was filled with vigorous

studying, anxiety, and too many cookies. She only had one friend, who was soon to be lost, too.

She graduated and was forced to return home to Boston. Receiving your Bachelor’s degree does not guarantee you a job better than Brueggers Bagels, so she chose not to work. Pottery! She’d

All she felt was compassion and acceptance and she knew she’d never felt that before in all her young life.

“To we Christians nowadays, the Sabbaths are strange, and the new moons and festivals are just a memory of what was

formerly beloved by God. But alas, we frequent the Saturnalia and New-Year’s and Midwinter’s festivals and Matronalia. Presents come and go — New-Year’s gifts — games join their noise — banquets join their din!

We do everything that the nations do.Alas, they are more faithful to their own sect than we to ours.

They would not have participated in the Lord’s day, nor Pentecost, even if they were invited, for they would be afraid of appearing to be Christians.

But we are not the least bit worried about appearing to be heathens!”~ Tertullian, 197 ad


revert to her old idol. All she met was misery and despondency. One night, she stayed up late search-ing the Internet for “How to live the true Christian life.” Misty jumped up onto the desk. “Not now,” she whispered, “Go away. I have to get to the bottom of this,” swatting her away.

Scarfing down a piece of banana bread slath-ered in peanut butter and honey, it hit her. Those people at the café! She looked up twelvetribes.com and rapidly read their FAQ. She wanted to decide for herself. She was filled with life as she read, each explanation causing her heart to leap. She was no longer interest-ed in her mother’s unfound-ed concerns. She opened up the well-worn invitation. It tore in her hands as she read for the last time. “I’m going,” she said to herself, and went to bed.

The next night came quickly. “Bye, Mom! Don’t worry!” she called out as she left, taking the bus and then the train to their house. The whole time, it had only been fifteen minutes away from where she grew up. She immediately noticed how impeccably clean the house was. The children were kind and happy. Every new find drove her love deeper. She made friends that night.

Had it really only been one night? In their gatherings, where they met in a circle, they spoke openly about the deep things they were learning. They were actually being healed and sanctified by their heavenly Father!

They had a lovely meal together and she told them she’d be back. A few days later she moved in. No, her family did not understand. Her brother tried to deprogram her, and his wife screamed at

her. Melissa’s sister wept. None of her family knew anything about them, though.

A sacrifice is something you give up for some-thing that is greater. Melissa cared for her family, but she would not deny the chance to live a life that was pleasing to God. She chose to follow Yahshua. 1

es, this story is about me. Now, my friends call me Amtsah Tamiymah, which means “determined and sincere.” I’m thankful to be enrolled in the “University of Yahshua,”

where I’m learning how to be pleasing to God. I’ve been a disciple now for nearly seven years, and like peeling away the layers of an onion, the Creator of the universe is taking His time, healing me more and more deeply.

I want to bring honor to Him, and I would never have been able to do it without my faithful broth-ers and sisters!

We learn a lot, every day!Come and visit us!

A sacrifice is something you

give up for some-thing that is

greater. She loved her

family, but shechose to follow

Yahshua.

1 Yahshua is the original Hebrew name of the one called “Jesus” in most English Bibles. See also “The Name Above All Names” on page 45.

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Christianity Today:

Consider the following research results from a popular Christian research group:1

1) In a representative nationwide survey among born-again adults, none of the individuals interviewed said that the single most important goal in their life was to be a committed follower of Jesus Christ.

2) Born again Christians spend seven times as much time on entertainment as they do on spiritual activities.

3) Desiring to have a close personal relationship with God ranks just sixth among the 21 life goals surveyed, trail-ing such desires as “living a comfortable lifestyle.”

4) October, 2006 — “Born-again Busters (adults in their twenties and thirties) were somewhat less likely than their unsaved peers to illegally download music, to smoke, to view pornography, to purchase a lottery ticket, or to use profanity. However, young believers were actually more likely than non-believers to try to get back at someone and to have stolen something. Moreover, on 8 of the 16 [negative] behaviors, the profile of born-again Busters was virtually identical to that of non-born again Busters.”

5) In 2008 — “In fact, when evangelicals and non-evangelical born again Chris-tians are combined into an aggregate class of born-again adults, their divorce figure is statistically identical to that of non-born-again adults: 32% versus 33%, respectively.”

6) September, 2011 — “Research indicates that most young [single] Christians are just as sexu-ally active as their non-Christian peers, even though they are more conservative in their attitudes about sexuality.”

Meg Flammang, project director of another Barna study conducted in 2002, said the following of the Christian divorce crisis:

We have found that in a lot of ways Christians are not living different lives than non-Christians, when we look at their behavior… It’s hard for Christians to understand because it seems contrary to what people think would happen…We would love to be able to report that Christians are living very distinct lives and impacting the community, but ... in the area of divorce rates they continue to be the same.2 t

1 “The Year’s Most Intriguing Findings,” Barna Research Studies, 2010-2011. 2 J. Rossomando, “Born-Again Christians No More Immune to Divorce than Others, says Author,” CNSNews.com, January 21, 2002.

The Light of the World?

Light


What would a society or culture be like that was actually based on the teachings of the Bible? The popular Christian author, C. S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, de-scribed it this way:

All the same, the New Testament, without going into details, gives us a pretty clear hint of what a fully Christian society would be like. Perhaps it gives us more than we can take. It tells us that there are to be no passengers or parasites: if man does not work, he ought not to eat. Everyone is to work with his own hands, and what is more, every one’s work is to produce something good: there will be no manufacture of silly luxuries and then of sillier advertisements to persuade us to buy them. And there is to be no “swank” 1 or “side,” 2 no putting on airs. To that extent a Christian society would be what we now call Leftist. On the other hand, it is always insisting on obedience — obedience (and outward marks of respect) from all of us to properly appointed magistrates, from children to parents, and (I am afraid this is going to be very unpopular) from wives to husbands. Thirdly, it is to be a cheerful society: full of singing and rejoicing, and regarding worry or anxiety as wrong. Courtesy is one of the Christian virtues; and the New Testament hates what it calls “busybodies.”

If there were such a society in existence and you or I visited it, I think we should come away with a curious impression. We should feel that its economic life was very socialistic and, in that sense, “advanced,” but that its family life and its code of manners were rather old-fashioned — perhaps even ceremonious and aristocratic. Each of us would like some bits of it, but I am afraid very few of us would like the whole thing. That is just what you would expect if Christianity is the total plan for the human machine. We have all departed from that total plan in different ways, and each of us wants to make out that his own modification of the original plan is the plan itself. You will find this again and again about anything that is really Christian: Everyone is attracted by bits of it and wants to pick out those bits and leave the rest. That is why we do not get much further: and that is why people who are fighting for quite opposite things can say they are fighting for

Christianity.3

C. S. Lewis died knowing that he had not found the life he described here. He understood with the mind how things should be, but he never experienced it. What about you? Have you found the abundant life that Yahshua, the Son of God, promised? We hope that what you read in this paper will kindle a hope in you that such a life does exist in the Communities of the Twelve Tribes, and that you can be a part of it. t

What is a “Christian Culture”?

1 swank – smartness in style or bearing.2 side – affected superiority; arrogance.3 C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, NY, 1952, p. 64-68.

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1st John May

Cause You

Trouble

A heron flew across the still lake, flapping its wide wings for an awkward land-ing in some reeds by the shore. Its reflection

in the water could be seen by a single figure on shore, reading at a picnic table. Tim’s Bible and notebook were open, and had been open for hours. Tim was the new program director at Camp Pocono Plateau, and he had come up three weeks before his new job started to take walks in the woods and pray and study. It would have been easier to just read some camp books from the Christian bookstore about how to reach kids’ lives for the Lord, but Tim had a deeper mission, and one that he wasn’t about to start talking about yet.

The pages were filled with verses about topics that he had heard all his life — baptism, salvation, belief — but he was looking up the verses to find out what was actually written about these things. Tim plugged in his music and put on some Larry Norman tunes. “Good ol’ Larry wasn’t afraid to say the truth,” Tim thought to himself. Tim’s findings were both exciting and frighten-ing to him. It was like finally solving a cryptogram; the conclusions were coming quicker and easier. But now he was left with the next question: What do I do now?

His job as the program director would be to give the “campfire talks,” leading the young people to the Lord who came to summer camp. Salvation, he real-ized, was a whole lot more than asking Jesus into your heart and going back to your same old life. There was baptism, which was done after you believed, not sprin-kled as a baby. That belief alone made him a heretic in the United Methodist church, which owned the camp. But even this concept of salvation seemed like more than just going to heaven when you die. Tim resolved to be a hidden heretic that summer, not to deny the truth, but also not rock the boat too much too soon.

Fall leaves fell on the path leading from the dorm to the science center. Tim was late to his 8 o’clock, creating a wake of leaves

as he ran. His junior year was starting nice — good friends, interesting classes, lots to do. The guys on his dorm floor played lots of basketball, but also gathered around in rooms and talked about their lives and the problems they saw in their churches, and how we were going to change it all. It was a Christian college, and Tim’s friends were all Christians, too, but with a variety


of plans and aspirations. Kevin wanted to become a college professor with a PhD, hoping to drive out liberal thought from the seminaries. Charlie and John were studying business, and were content to get mar-ried and support a local church. Tim wanted to be a missionary doctor. Mike was going to spend a quarter in Washington, DC, getting involved in politics.

Tim’s first class today was Christian Apologetics. It was a mixture of philosophy and logic, learning to defend their faith in rational and logical ways, in hopes that someone could be persuaded to follow Jesus. Tim knew that “faith” didn’t work that way, but all the stu-dents had experienced the ridicule from non-believers for believing things that weren’t factual, so this class was giving them some ammunition to fight back. Tim always enjoyed engaging people of different beliefs in conversation, and trying to persuade them to the truth. He learned the errors of the Muslims, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Mormons, and the atheists. He hoped to meet one of them this weekend, when his drama group was planning a trip to Indianapolis to do their evangelistic skits right on the streets.

The van drove down the inter-state, passing the exit sign for downtown. Driving down one of the streets, Tim and his

friends prayed out loud, asking God to show them where they should go. The street opened up to a large stadium where thousands of youth were standing around. Along the street were protesters, carrying signs. This was the place!

The protesters’ signs carried shocking messages: “Ban the Bible!” “Christians are Bastards!” “How Much Sin Can I Get Away with and Still Get to Heaven?” Tim sized them up as some kind of anti-Christian, probably Satanists or something. These were the kind of people that Tim liked to talk to. He went up to one of the

protesters, took a paper, and asked a question: “Why do you want to ban the Bible?”

The man replied provocatively, “The Bible is used as a license to sin,” and handed him a paper titled “Sa-tan Worship.” Tim listened intently, looking for a chink in the armor, groping for some open door to this man’s soul, but no door opened. The protester must have found the conversation too calm, so he excused him-self and went on passing out his papers. Tim looked down at the paper, reading it closely. He couldn’t figure it out. These men were using verses in the Bible to ex-pose Christianity, even the words of Christ, but weren’t Satanists. Tim shoved the paper into his pocket, deter-mined to develop a response to its bleak message.

The gym closed at 10 pm and the guys returned to the dorm for Kool-Aid and show-ers. Homework could be done also, for those

who needed to. Kevin crashed on the couch. Tim threw him the Satan Worship paper. “What do you think of this?” Tim asked.

Kevin browsed through it, sizing it up. “Ugly graph-ics, lousy layout,” and threw it back.

Tim continued, “Yeah, but did you read it? What do you think of what it says?”

“It’s got the error of sinless perfectionism. Your dad’s church promoted it for a while, but now they have women bishops, even homosexual pastors. John Wesley would hang his head if he were alive today. Yeah, this paper says you’re not saved until you’re sin-less. Pretty depressing situation; not much chance of a winning church softball team.”

Tim thought for a moment. He grabbed his Bible, looking up one of the verses. “So what does this mean, Kev?” he asked. “No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.” (1 John 3:6)

“You gotta read the NIV to get the right interpreta-tion.” Kevin said smugly.

“Alright, that was the NASB.” Tim picked up a differ-ent Bible. “Here is the NIV. ‘No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.’ ” Tim read it again. “Are they just wa-tering it down because it’s too hard the other way?”

Kevin took the offense, “So are you saying that you don’t sin anymore?”

Tim shook his head. He waited a few more seconds, then got up to take a shower. “I just don’t know.”

Salvation, Tim realized, was a whole lot more than

asking Jesus into your heart and going back to your

same old life.

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The chapel was empty, except for Tim sitting in the balcony. In an hour, the student body would fill it up with the normal rou-

tine. For now, there was time to read. He was reading through the book of 1 John again. Each time he read it, he was more and more convinced that it described a different kind of life than he was experiencing. “Salva-tion,” he thought, “what does it mean? Is it just making it to heaven, or being changed in this life to be like your Savior?” He wrote down a verse in his notebook: “Anyone who claims to know Him but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in Him?” (1 John 2:4) He asked himself, “But keeping His com-mandments is being under the law, isn’t it? No one can keep all the commandments, right?”

Tim scribbled next to the verse: “The Great Conun-drum.” If 1 John 2:4 was true, it seemed to eliminate a vast number of people from the flock of two billion souls. That itself was a stunning thought, but the Savior did say that the way was narrow and few would find it. But then, what about everyone else who didn’t make the cut? With the standard so high, God was cruel and unfair, almost menacing, casting almost all of humanity into eternal hellfire? Shouldn’t the test have a curve, if it was so hard to get right? So then, you let more people into heaven, and you’ve lowered the standard to lukewarm, and obeying His commandments be-comes a nice option.

The whole book had verses that seemed to con-tradict the typical sermons he had heard all his life. A little further in chapter 2, he copied another verse: “The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” (1 John 2:6) It all pointed to the fact that a saved disciple would have the power to obey His commandments. He felt more and more like a spy in enemy territory. He alone carried the knowledge in a hostile land that might call him a heretic.

The whistle blew and the lifeguard yelled, “Everybody out of the water for buddy check!” Summer camp was in full swing, with

a hundred screaming children splashing around. The counselors were having their afternoon meeting at a picnic table in the shade.

Part of Tim’s job was to set the tone for the other counselors in the daily devotions and Bible lessons with the children. It was easy to talk about the fruits of the Spirit or putting on the whole armor of God. Such topics made for easy art projects and lively skits. But today at the meeting there was division.

Across the table, Jack and Robin were obviously troubled. They hadn’t spoken for several meetings, and Jack looked off in the distance. Today, Camp Director Mike was at the meeting to restore order.

“Tim, you’ve really brought a heavy spirit to the staff. Your questions about 1 John and the pamphlets you’ve been passing around are causing people to doubt. You’re affecting others. It needs to stop.”

Tim looked at Jack. He felt as if Jack was only just beginning to understand, even though they had many great conversations. Why is this happening? Camp Director Mike looked at Tim, waiting for a response.

“I don’t want to bring a heavy spirit. I just want to find salvation, whatever that means. I’ll stop talking

about the Bible.”“No, just your interpretation of

the Bible,” he said and continued on for another few minutes with some hermeneutical monotony. Tim wasn’t listening.

The meeting dismissed, and Tim walked by the camp van. There in the

window was a publication that someone had picked up when the van went to some Billy


Graham event in Philadelphia. Tim grabbed the paper and put it in his pocket.

The airplane turned a steep angle and prepared to land at the second most dangerous airport in the world — Teguci-

galpa, Honduras. Passengers on the left side could see a woman hanging out her T-shirts to dry.

Tim was in Central America as a teacher. His plans of being a missionary doctor weren’t working out. Medical school didn’t accept him, but more important-ly, Tim was sure he couldn’t tell people about salvation. He wanted to. With all his heart, he wanted to, but he had to have salvation before he could share it. And before that, he had to know what salvation was.

And so when the call came from his roommate, Steve, inviting him to come and teach high school in Honduras, it was as good an idea as any. Secretly, he thought he might find the answers to his questions if he just got away from his materialistic American culture. As the months went by, he found himself more and more alone and without hope. Life was more simple in Honduras. You could ride buses anywhere in the country for a couple of coins. A bag of fried plan-tains with shredded cabbage on top was a great treat. But the country was bound up in centuries of Roman Catholicism. People wore rosaries and crossed their hearts in front of statues of Mary, but had the same selfishness within as Americans.

To add to Tim’s isolation, he had come to the con-clusion that his own salvation was not real. He contin-ued to read his Bible, and began seeing verses he had never seen before. Beliefs he had been taught started unraveling, and a whole new understanding of the Scriptures was forming. Salvation, as the early church understood it, was not going to church one day a week until you die and go to heaven. It was a life together, a

full-time life of discipleship. Disciples learned to walk just like their Lord, actually overcoming sin in their lives and being set apart from the world.

Tim counted the $100 bills onto the table. It was half of what he had saved during a whole year in Honduras, and the full tuition

for summer school at Linguistics School in Eugene, Or-egon. By paying in cash, Tim wanted to feel the weight and value of the courses he was taking.

The linguistic classes were run by missionaries, mostly of Wycliffe Bible Translators, known to go into far-away places where there wasn’t even a language, and produce a Bible for the people.

One missionary sat down next to him at lunch. He had taken note of Tim’s motivation, and hoped Tim might join his organization. “Tim, have you considered what you might do after the summer?”

Tim was glad to open his heart to anyone who asked. He wasn’t worried about appearing as a heretic. He knew it was the truth. He knew he wasn’t saved.

“I’m really looking for salvation; that’s the main thing I want to do,” Tim started.

“Well, if you’re here, you must already be saved. That’s a funny thing to say,” said David.

“No, I have read certain things in the Bible that show me that I’m not experiencing in my life what the first disciples did. I don’t know how to get there, and honestly, I don’t know if anyone here does either. I know the verses about calling on Jesus’ name and you’ll be saved. I know Ephesians 2:8-9 about being saved by grace through faith. But there are other vers-es — many other verses — that say our lives should be different once we’re saved. The life of a disciple is not just staying the way you are. It’s being changed into the likeness of your Savior. Whoever claims to know Him must walk as He did. Can I show you some verses?” Tim asked.

David was nearly blown-away. “Sure.” “1 John 4:17 — ‘As He is, so also are we in this world.’

It means now. He cared for the poor, and we need to care for the poor. He overcame temptation, and we need to overcome temptation. He was always with his brothers and sisters, and we need to always be with our brothers and sisters. Do you see it? 1 John 3:2 — ‘When He appears, we shall be like Him.’ Does that mean we are changed beforehand or in that instant?”

Each time he read 1st John, he was more convinced

that it described a different kind of life than he was

experiencing.

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David replied, “It must be then, when He appears.”“Wrong,” Tim sprung back, “look at the next verse.

‘All who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure.’ The purification happens now. That’s what I’m saying. Look at verse 7. ‘Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, the one who does what is sinful is of the devil.’ We’ve all been led astray! I’ve been taught that we are positionally righteous, and forgiven, even if our exter-nal deeds are full of sin, but it’s not true!”

David was getting uncomfortable. “Yes, but we are saved by grace.”

“Right, but what is grace?” Tim pleaded. “Is grace just being able to be forgiven, or is it actually having the power to overcome sin, and to love as our Savior did? Couldn’t God give us the power through the Holy Spirit to live as the disciples did in the New Testament? Isn’t that expected?”

“So, it sounds as if you’ve found the truth. You’re saved and we’re all not,” David turned on the offensive. “I don’t know of any denomination that is going to agree with what you are saying.”

“I know, I know. And that’s my whole problem. No, I don’t believe I’m saved. I believe that if I die, I will go to the Lake of Fire. My life doesn’t line up with the life of a normal disciple in the Bible. But I’m not going to stop until I find what I’m looking for. That’s why I can’t join your missionary group.”

“Well, I respect your decision, but I can’t say that I agree with you. Let me know how your life goes.” David said farewell.

The traffic whizzed by the bicyclist rid-ing down Route 30 towards York, Pennsylvania. Tim had finished Linguistic Classes and returned

home to his parents’ house to get a job and figure out what to do next. The bicycle was now his transportation to and from work, as well as the transportation on his continuing search.

The paper he had retrieved at camp years ago was still in his files. Their big message was that a person needed to be baptized to be saved. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t experiencing true salvation. He called the number and asked if he could come and visit. The church in York was a simple collection of zealous and strict Christians. Several families lived together in a large house, and met together often. There was a lot that appealed to Tim.

Tim sat in his basement, reading over the book, trying to weigh his decision to join or not join. On one hand, he wanted to be saved and know that he was cleansed of the guilt he felt. On another hand, he was afraid of compromising and joining another lie, another misrepresentation, after coming so far. He decided to join the church in York.

A freezing wind blew around the sta-dium in Urbana, Illinois. Tim and others from the church in York were at an event, passing

out papers and preaching their gospel. Lots of college students were walking around. But there were other groups there, too, passing out their literature. Tim grabbed one of their papers and put it in his pocket to read later. The cold was intense, and he pulled his coat up tighter to his neck and kept walking and passing out papers for the church in York.

Later that evening, Tim emptied his pockets and looked at the other paper he had received. It was from the “Twelve Tribes” and talked about loving God with all your heart. For whatever reason, the paper didn’t interest Tim and he threw it away. He had been saved for three weeks now. Tim really thought his life was different now.

Tim knocked three times on the front door. A woman answered. “Could I ask if you know Jesus as your Savior?” She wasn’t

interested, and closed the door in Tim’s face. It didn’t matter. Persecution and rejection were expected for a normal disciple of Jesus. Tim looked back at the row of houses that he had just visited. Some had taken papers, but no one had really responded. This only increased his determination. He walked back to his car.

Is grace just being able to be forgiven, or is it also

having the power to overcome sin and

to love as our Savior did?


Tim had just returned from a large event in To-ronto. Their church traveled all over the place to events to witness to people. Most of the income from their meager collection was used on travel or on printing. Tim had called it his own “Summer of Evangelism.” De-termined to see growth and new people come to the church in York, he had stepped up his own personal determination to limit his personal projects and hob-bies to maximize evangelism time. There were others in the church who were just as zealous, if not more.

Persecution and closed doors didn’t bother him. But other things did, like the lack of clarity about doctrines, the lack of new people for years, despite tremendous effort, the lifelessness of many of the con-gregation, the depressed hopelessness of some of the mothers, and the undercurrents among the leadership in the church. Those undercurrents were churning, get-ting ready to explode in a blast that would shatter the church in York.

Ronn slid open the filing cabinet. In the very back, there was an unlabeled folder. Ronn opened it and took out some

of his papers from “The Twelve Tribes.” The church in York frowned heavily on Ronn’s interest in this outside group, and Ronn was often in trouble for disagreeing. So this private stash of papers was kept private. But in the recent months of increasing trouble in the church, Ronn had opened this folder many times. He now won-dered whether there was something wrong at home, and something very right with this other group.

Tim knocked and came right into the room, as Ronn looked up nervously. “Oh, it’s you.” He relaxed.

“Are you reading your Twelve Tribes freepapers again, you heretic?” Tim teased.

Ronn smiled. They’d had many talks about the pros and cons of this other group. He knew that they thought alike about the problems in the church in York, as well as in Christianity in general.

“I’m going, by the way,” Tim dropped the bomb. “I’m even going to go to the leaders and ask for their permission to go and visit.”

“They won’t let you go,” Ronn said. “They’ll never approve of that.”

“They have to. I’ll say it’s a matter of my conscience to go and check it out. The Queen of Sheba came to King Solomon to see if the stories were true. Jesus said that. So there’s no harm in going for a visit to see if the freepapers are true.”

Ronn shook his head and warned, “Our pastor says that they are a bad group and will deceive you. They say they are a cult.”

Tim quipped back, “Yes, and? Everybody’s in a cult. The Catholic church is a cult. Christianity is a cult. I’m going to visit the Twelve Tribes.”

Driving under the silvery glow of moonlight, Tim cruised along the dark inter-state that runs the entire length of Vermont.

At the very north was Island Pond, home of one of the oldest communities of the Twelve Tribes. In the morn-ing, he sat down for breakfast with Ehud.

Ehud opened up his Bible to 1 John 3 and started talking about the basis for the community. He ex-plained how when a person is truly saved, the love of God is poured into his heart, and he will obey the Mas-ter’s greatest commandment to love one another. This means sharing all of your material goods, all of your time, all of your life. The result of obeying the gospel is community, and community is the place where you can do the deeds that you were saved to do. Only in community can you obey His commandments.

“So the community is the visible Body of Christ?” asked Tim. He was trying to process all of these new things, looking for errors, trying hard not to be de-ceived. But his heart was telling him that this was the truth he had been looking for.

“Yes, well, we would say Messiah instead of Christ, because we use the Hebrew words for things, like Yahshua instead of Jesus. It’s what the angel said to Mary. He spoke Hebrew, you know, and Yahshua is a Hebrew name,” Ehud said.

The result of obeying the gospel is community, and community is the place

where you can do the deeds you were saved to do.

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“One of the things that I saw early on was that the book of 1st John exposed a false concept of salvation. Being saved didn’t just mean going to heaven when you die, but it meant becoming like Yahshua in this life,” Tim explained his heart-felt conviction that no one ever agreed with. “I want to do his will, and I believe other people do, too. But there’s really no way to obey Yahshua in the system of Christianity as it presently is.”

Instead of bristling as so many others had, Ehud nodded his head saying, “Exactly! That’s because Chris-tianity is not what Yahshua started. It’s something else that started later. The Bride of Messiah is the Twelve Tribes. Here look at this verse in Revelation 21:10 and 21:14. In the next age, there isn’t heaven with people floating around on clouds. In the next age, there is Israel and there are the nations. In this age, it is Israel and the nations. Israel is the Bride of Messiah, who will truly be a spotless bride made up of those who are completely devoted. Disciples spend their time prepar-ing themselves to be the Bride of their King.”

Tim and Ehud talked for hours. Tim realized that if what Ehud was saying was true, it all made sense. The light turned on. The Bride of Messiah would be a spot-less bride, formed of completely devoted people who obeyed His commandments. And then there were the nations, composed of people who never had a chance to hear the gospel. It answered the Great Conundrum. If these things were true, then the implications were far-reaching. In spite of his efforts, he was still in a deception. Now the choice was whether to humble himself again, and admit he was still lost, in hopes of finding the true salvation that was here in the Body of Messiah. The reason he never experienced salvation is because he never had the place where he could put the words of Christ into practice.

Ehud said, “Here, look at 1 John 5:13. “The King James says it best, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” Ehud continued, “I don’t doubt your sincerity or your experience, but you don’t have faith. Faith comes by hearing the good news spo-ken by a disciple who is already living it out.”

Tim longed to believe, but he didn’t yet believe to the point of completely trusting his entire life, surren-dering all his possessions, aspirations, time, and money.

Nor could he really do so until he encountered the good soil where all the disciples were together and obedient to His commands. Only in the Community, like the life described in Acts 2:44, can disciples do the works that were prepared for them to do, in order to build up the Body of Christ in a visible and tangible way. Only in the Community can disciples give up everything and still have a place to live. Only in the Community can disciples obey the commandments of Jesus and the directions of the New Covenant Scriptures, such as “encourage one another daily.” Tim believed in the name of the Son of God, yes. But he did not know that he had eternal life, because he did not fully believe in Him to the point of utter surrender. But he wanted to believe. He wanted to do God’s will. So, should he hold on to his old life, or give it up?

The choice wasn’t hard. Tim returned home for a few weeks to pack his bags and tie up loose ends, and then traveled back to the Twelve Tribes to move in. Within two weeks, he had surrendered his whole life to be a disciple of Yahshua. Through a great search, Tim finally found his heart’s desire.

This story began in 1996. My life here in the Twelve Tribes Communities continues to be a means of salvation as I learn to walk as

our Master Yahshua walked. Please come and visit, I’d love to meet you and talk with you.

P.S. Ronn is here, too!

The Bride of Messiah must be a spotless bride,

formed of completely devoted people who obey

His commandments.


TheEsotericHave you ever felt left out? You’re

around a group of people who really know each other well, and seem to almost have their own secret language. I mean, they’re speaking your own native tongue, but you realize that you’re not getting a lot of what they’re saying, even though the words them-selves are familiar to you. And it’s not just the words, but they have a way of being, a different look, a dif-ferent walk even. Maybe they’re not even trying to ex-clude you. Maybe they’re really friendly and hospitable, but you still feel left out.

That’s how you might have felt if you’d been around Yahshua and His disciples. They were always together. They had that special kind of friendship that comes from honest and deep communication, from going through struggles together, receiving correction, forgiving and being forgiven. Under the teaching and warm authority of Yahshua, those rough and ready men were changing, and everyone who knew them could tell. But sometimes the things Yahshua said gave people the impression that He didn’t consider every-one in their very religious nation to be on good terms with God.

One day, not long before He was crucified, some-one approached Him and asked, “Lord, are only a few being saved?” or in other words, “Are you the only ones?” He did not reply, “Of course not! The Jews are God’s chosen people. We’re all going to heaven.” In-stead, He said:

Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the

esoteric adj. (from the Greek esoterikos “belonging to an inner circle”) 1: designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone; 2: requiring or exhibiting knowledge that is restricted to a small group; 3: limited to a small circle.

O n e s

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Esoteric door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, “Lord, open to us,” then he will an-swer you, “I do not know where you come from.” Then you will begin to say, “We ate and drank in your pres-ence, and you taught in our streets.” But he will say, “I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!” (Luke 13:24-27)The fact of the matter was that Yahshua had some-

thing that no other teacher or religious leader in Israel had, and He was only able to pass it on to those who followed Him and entrusted their very lives to Him, obeying His every word. There were many who were impressed by His teaching and the miracles He did, and even said they believed in Him, but He would not entrust Himself to them.1

Yahshua demanded exclusive loyalty from His dis-ciples. It was all or nothing. As Peter said after watching a rich young man turn away sadly at the Master’s call to forsake everything, “See, we have left everything and followed you!”2 Indeed they had, and the standard was the same for everyone, rich or poor.3

The Water of LifeThe eternal life that the Master

had to offer was freely given, but it cost everything:

I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. (Revelation 21:6)

Let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17)

The word translated “freely” in these two verses is the same word in the Greek, and in this context it means “without a cause to hold back.” In other words, Yahshua will give freely (without a cause to hold back) to whoever will drink freely (without a cause to hold back). Conversely, He will withhold the “water of life” from anyone who has a cause to hold back from for-saking everything to follow Him — possessions, career, house, lands, unwilling relatives, even his own life.4

The “water of life” is the Holy Spirit,5 and “holy” simply means set apart — that is, the Holy Spirit is set apart only for those who can drink freely, who obey the Master’s commandments,6 who are utterly surren-dered to Him and have no conflicting loyalties. Only to them does He reveal Himself and grant eternal life.

They are His chosen ones,7 His elect,8 His brothers,9 and ultimately His bride.10

A Band of BrothersSo let’s go back to Yahshua and His small band of

brothers, the first ones to entrust their lives to Him. Yes, it is true, He did lose one of them — the one who had been responsible for the money bag, their com-mon purse. They didn’t all have money in their pockets — not even Yahshua. He had appointed Judas to take care of what little money they had between them, and all of their needs were met out of that one purse. It was a test for Judas, and he did not pass the test.

Whether pilfering the money bag11 to satisfy his own desires was what gave him a bad conscience, leaving him susceptible to receive accusations against Yahshua, or whether getting offended at Yahshua left him susceptible to the temptation to pilfer the money bag is not clear. But divided he was, and his counte-

nance grew darker over time. It all came to a head during what turned out to be their last meal together.

Yahshua, knowing what was working in Judas, laid aside His outer garments, put a towel around His waist, and like a common slave, began to wash His disciples’ feet. Embarrassed that his Master, whom he loved and respected so much, would take such a low place, Peter objected, “You shall never wash my feet!”

Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to

Yahshua had something that no other teacher had,

and He was only able to pass it on to those who followed Him,

entrusting their very lives to Him, obeying His every word.

1 John 2:23-25; 8:30-47 2 Mark 10:28 3 Luke 14:26-33 4 Mark 10:29-30; Luke 14:26-33; Matthew 10:37-39; John 12:25-26; Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-37; Philippians 3:8 5 John 7:37-39 6 Acts 5:32; Hebrews 5:9 7 Matthew 22:14; Colossians 3:12; Revelation 17:14 8 Matthew 24:22,24,31; Luke 18:7; 2 Timothy 2:10; Titus 1:1 9 Hebrews 2:11; Matthew 25:40; Romans 8:29 10 Ephesians 5:25-27,32; Revelation 19:7-8; 21:2,9; 22:17 11 John 12:6; 13:29


wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. You are clean, but not every one of you...” (John 13:8-10)Of course, He was not speaking of physical clean-

ness, but of having a clean conscience, and unhin-dered fellowship with Him and with each other.

Then He went on to wash Judas’ feet, tenderly caring for him just as He did all the rest. It was the op-portunity for Judas to humble himself and confess his sin, but instead he hardened his heart. Grieved in His spirit, Yahshua continued preparing His disciples for how they would need to be after He was gone, making it unbearable for Judas:

When He had washed their feet and put on His outer garments and resumed His place, He said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

“I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ I am telling you this now, before it

takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.”

[John asked,] “Lord, who is it?”

Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” … So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. (John 13:12-19,25-27,30)

With Judas gone, Yahshua could finally express the deepest things in His heart to His disciples, those whose hearts were completely His. He could entrust Himself to them.12 What He spoke in John 13:31 through 17:26 are the secrets of the kingdom, the eso-teric knowledge that would be revelation only to the few who were truly willing to do His will, at the cost of their own lives. It was not just that they would be will-ing to die physically for Him (they weren’t yet ready for that), but that they were willing to live for Him, not tak-ing a thought for themselves, but spending their very lives to accomplish His will on the earth. He was about to leave them, and then what would they do? Go back to their former homes and professions, and just go to church on Sunday? May it never be!

Marching OrdersNo, the words He spoke to them were their “march-

ing orders” to define who they were and what they were to do for the rest of their lives — full time. Here are a few of the things He said to them:

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35)

If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (John 14:15)

Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.

If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (John 14:21,23)

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. (John 15:8)

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. (John 15:12-14)

The disciples treasured these words, remembered them, and after the three dark days of their Master’s execution and His suffering in death, He confirmed

With Judas gone, Yahshua could finally express the deepest things in His heart to His disciples,

those whose hearts were completely His.

12 In contrast to the “believers” in John 2:23-25, who would all have been like Judas, given the chance.

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these words and added to them over the next 40 days until they were saturated with the Gospel of the King-dom.13 Then He ascended to His Father and sent the promised Holy Spirit to remind them of everything He had taught them, and to give them the power to do it.

The Day the Holy Spirit Came Upon ThemTherefore, it is very significant what happened on

that day of Pentecost, the Feast of First Fruits, when the Holy Spirit came upon them. By His power and inspira-tion they preached the Gospel of the Kingdom for the first time since their Master had left them:

Those who received their word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. (Acts 2:41-45)

First there were twelve who were together with the Master, sharing all things in common. Then, by the time the Master ascended, there were 120 who were together, all in one accord, waiting for the promised Holy Spirit.14 Then there were 3000 who were together, sharing all things in common. They were all devoted to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship — the very same teaching and the very same fellowship that the apostles had experienced with their Master, and which He had commanded them to pass on.15

Then some time later (whether weeks or months is not clear) the number of these esoteric ones had grown to about 5000 men16 (plus the women and children), and they are described in this manner:

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resur-rection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distrib-uted to each as any had need. (Acts 4:32-35)

Now, if you have ever tried to live togeth-er in peace with even just a few people, or even with your spouse, perhaps you can grasp what a miracle it was for thousands of people to live together, sharing all things in common, and still be “of one heart and soul.” To say that “abun-dant grace was upon them all” was certainly an understatement! Any good-hearted person com-ing in contact with them would surely feel a tug on his heart-strings to belong to such a people and experi-ence those warm bonds of love and trust. You would want to know what those people had that you didn’t have, which made them able to live together in peace and unity. You would feel left out.

What they had was the water of life, of which they had drunk freely, because they had heard from the apostles the same gospel the apostles had heard from their Master, which called for the utter abandonment of their former lives and possessions. Since they had no cause to hold back from drinking, Yahshua had no cause to withhold from them the water of life — the Holy Spirit who gave them the power to love one another and live together in peace.

Where Did it Go?Yes, it is true. The common life of the first-century

church did come to an end. Many Christians say that God sent persecution to break the community apart because they had become introverted. That view is hard to reconcile with the dramatic and steady growth of the church all the way up to the time when the se-vere persecution began with the stoning of Stephen.17 It is also hard to reconcile with Yahshua’s promise that persecution would be a result of obedience to the gospel,18 which it certainly was in Jerusalem. The effect of the persecution was the establishment of communi-ties all over Judea, all following the pattern of the first community in Jerusalem.19

13 Acts 1:3 14 Acts 1:14-15 15 Matthew 28:19-20; John 17:20-23 16 Acts 4:4 17 Acts 6:7 18 Mark 10:29-30; John 15:18-20; Matthew 5:11; 10:23


No, the demise of the common life described in Acts 2 and 4 was actually a result of the object lesson of Acts 5:1-11 being forgotten. Right after the account of Joseph, the Levite from Cyprus, selling his field and laying the proceeds of the sale at the apostles’ feet, there is the contrasting account of Ananias and Sap-phira. They made a show of laying the proceeds of the sale of their property at the apostles’ feet, but they secretly kept back some of the money for themselves. The Holy Spirit revealed their deceit to Peter, and when Peter confronted them about it, they dropped dead, with this effect:

And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. (Acts 5:11)

The vibrant life of the community was utterly dependent upon the self-sacrificing love of each and every member. Yahshua had commanded his disciples:

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righ-teousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:31-33)

Community is the only context in which this com-mandment can be obeyed, where everyone is busy caring for the needs of others, building up the Body of Messiah,20 and not taking a thought for themselves,21 and in the process, everyone’s needs are met.22 But as soon as someone starts trying to meet his own needs or desires, as Judas did, and as Ananias and Sapphira conspired to do, then someone else’s needs go unmet, and the breakdown of community has begun.

Selfishness destroyed the first-century church as the esoteric knowledge of the true gospel, which burned in the hearts of the first disciples, was gradually replaced by another gospel that made room for self.23 That other gospel would more honestly be called The Broad Gate.

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is broad and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. But the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matthew 7:13-14)

The true gospel is the narrow gate, and those who find it are few — the esoteric ones. Are you looking for that gate? Don’t be left out. We know the way; we’ll bring you home! t

19 1 Thessalonians 2:14 20 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Ephesians 4:12-16 21 1 Corinthians 10:24; Philippians 2:4 (only the New Revised Standard Version is faithful to the original Greek manuscript in its translation of this verse: “Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.”) 22 Acts 4:34 23 2 Corinthians 11:2-4

The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life,

and those who find it are few. —Matthew 7:14 C

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THEGREAT

OMISSIONC

MI remember the exciting days in seminary when veteran missionaries would come to speak in the chapel services, telling of the great challenges of tak-

ing the gospel to every tribe and tongue and nation. Our hearts would pound with the anticipation of being sent out to some remote corner of the earth to do our part in fulfilling the Great Commission. It made us want to study harder and finish with high marks so as to be most attractive to the leading missions organizations, such as Wycliffe and Youth with a Mission. We imagined that there, on the mission field, was the place to serve God in the most radical, whole-hearted manner possible.

In our idealistic zeal, some of us dared to ask un-comfortable questions as we puzzled over things in the scriptures that didn’t seem to match up with what we were seeing and hearing. Especially problematic was the Great Commission itself:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

(Matthew 28:18-20)

We heard a lot about the “Go” part. That was excit-ing. The world was a big place, full of opportunities. And we heard a lot about the “make disciples” part — how to

make the gospel clear and simple, so that we could get to the “baptizing them” part. That’s what got people excited in the churches back home, giving them confidence to keep support-ing the work with their tithes and offer-ings. But when it came to the “teaching them” part, something was missing.

Oh, there was certainly no lack of teaching materials being developed for the mission field, but the emphasis was on teaching Christian doctrine and moral principles. Somehow the “obey all that I have commanded you” part never got much attention. That was the uncomfortable part. It was more encouraging to skip to the “lo, I am with you always” part, and think about Jesus coming back as soon as we could get the gospel to all the remote cor-ners of the earth.

But, try as I might, I could not escape that nagging question: What about all the things Jesus commanded them, His first disciples? After all,

that was who He was speaking to, wasn’t it? Peter and Andrew, James and John, and the others. What had He commanded them? Deep inside I sensed that the reason it was an uncomfortable subject in seminary was because we could hardly teach anyone else to obey what we ourselves had not obeyed.


For starters, I was haunted by the way it all began for those first disciples:

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two broth-ers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Go-ing on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. (Matthew 4:18-22)

It was the same for all of the twelve — they all left everything and followed the Master. Of course, we com-forted ourselves with the excuse that we were going to serve the Lord full time, either as pastors or missionaries, but what about everyone else? We weren’t about to com-mand everyone to “leave their nets” to follow Him, unless they felt they were being called to the ministry. But that still didn’t wash. Leaving everything behind had been the starting point for those first disciples, not a higher calling for the chosen few after they had been saved for awhile.

Even the twelve didn’t realize that the call to dis-cipleship was the same for everyone until one day a rich young man came running up to the Master and said, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”1 He wasn’t inquiring about going into the full-time ministry; he was asking for eternal life. That’s why the Master’s answer was so startling, not only to him, but also to the disciples:

“Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! … It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?”

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impos-sible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:22-27)

You can see that the disciples were about to come into a greater understanding. It was not unusual in their day for a radical teacher to have a small, devoted group

of disciples surrounding him, but this was entering into a different realm — salvation itself was at stake. These poor fishermen could not imagine that rich people would give up everything to follow Yahshua, but He gently reminded them that there was a power beyond a man’s own natural understanding that could lift him out of his lonely exis-tence — that is, faith. Peter “got it”…

Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left every-thing and followed you!”

Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or wife or children or lands, for My sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions — and in the age to come, eternal life. (Mark 10:28-30)1 Mark 10:17

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There was no getting around it: forsaking one’s life and possessions was not just a more radical step for the over-zealous few, but was the very starting point for any-one who would follow the Son of God. He couldn’t have said it more clearly or emphatically than He did here:

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate2 his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not take up his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. Likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:26,27,33)

It is crystal clear, then, that the first thing Yahshua commanded His disciples was to forsake everything in order to follow Him, and upon that foundation of

obedience He could give them more commandments. Unless they began with obedience, there was no point in commanding them to do anything else, for they would not be able to obey it anyway, being just natural men. As He had explained to the disciples, the faith that they had received to leave all and follow Him is what opened up to them the power to do the impossible,3 for that is what set them apart as His special people to whom He could entrust Himself.

There were many who claimed to believe in Him, but He would not entrust Himself to them, for they would not entrust themselves to Him.4 They were excited to witness the miracles He did, but were content to continue living their independent lives in the world. So how in the world could they obey His commandments? For example,

“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:31-33)

How could a man not worry about how to provide for himself and his family? In those days, if a man did not labor diligently to wrest a living from the reluctant earth,5 he and his family would either starve or be reduced to beggars or slaves. How do you suppose Zebedee the fisherman felt when his two sons, James and John, suddenly left him to “seek first the kingdom of God” by following this preacher, Yahshua of Nazareth?6 How irresponsible! But they had come under the “God-spell,” trusting that God was going to take care of them, somehow.

And take care of them He did, not by beggary or social welfare programs, but by the miracle of the love that was poured out in their hearts when they truly surrendered their lives and clung together as a commonwealth, looking after each other’s needs and not their own.7 Their life together was the only context in which they could obey the “new commandment,” which was the distinguishing mark of Yahshua’s disciples:

2 “Hate” in this verse is explained in Matthew 10:37-39 — “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”

3 Mark 10:27 4 In John 2:23-25, “believe” and entrust” are exactly the same word in the original Greek text. 5 Genesis 3:17-19 6 Matthew 4:21-22 7 Philippians 2:4, NRSV (Other translations in-sert the words merely and also, which are not in the original Greek text, but make the verse much more comfortable.)


“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples.” (John 13:34-35)

The greatest expression of obedience to this com-mandment is seen in the results of Peter’s preaching on the Day of Pentecost, fifty days after the Master’s resur-rection:

Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple courts, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:44-47)

Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need. (Acts 4:32-35)

This was another passage that haunted me in semi-nary, and the attempts by my professors to explain it away didn’t sit right with me. To me it was simple: Peter preached the same gospel that he himself had obeyed,8 and 3000 people responded in the very same way he had responded — they all gave up everything to follow Yahshua by following the apostles who had followed Yahshua.9 The result was a community — “all who be-lieved were together and had all things in common.” 10

Obviously, Peter had simply obeyed the Great Com-mission: “make disciples … teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” We don’t have a record of everything Peter spoke to those who wanted to be saved, but only the assurance, “And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation!’”11 Those who heeded these many other words were baptized and received the Holy Spirit, “whom God has given to those who obey

Him.”12 Their obedience resulted in the abundant life of love and unity that is so vividly recorded in the next few verses.

The Spirit they received empowered them to love one another just as their Savior had loved His first dis-ciples, to whom He had given that new commandment: “Love one another just as I have loved you.”13 How had He loved them?

You must remember that He gave that command-ment on the night before He was crucified. His disciples had been with Him night and day for the past three and a half years. They had experienced His tender care for them daily in countless ways, even to the point of Him washing their dirty feet that very evening, like a common servant. “Love one another just as I have loved you.” What do you think His disciples understood when He said those words to them that night? How had He loved them? That is how they taught the 3000 to love one another: By laying down their lives for one another every day.14 The new com-mandment can mean nothing less.

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him. Who-ever does not love Me does not keep My words.” (John 14:15,21,24)

I did not learn this in seminary. I was not taught to fulfill the Great Commission, nor was I even able to do so, as I myself was a product of the Great Omission. I was not taught to obey His commandments. But since I was willing to obey them, the Father drew me to His Son, that is, to the true Body of Messiah, where true disciples were obeying His commandments, laying down their lives for one another every day. There I heard the true gospel and was finally able to do what I had always wanted to do — become one of Yahshua’s disciples by giving up every-thing and following Him. I have received His Holy Spirit, and I am learning how to love my brothers and sisters. As we learn to obey Him more and more, He is revealing Himself to us more and more, just as He promised.15

It’s much better than seminary. It’s eternal life!

8 Mark 10:28 9 Acts 2:42 10 Acts 2:44 11 Acts 2:40 12 Acts 5:32 13 John 13:34 14 1 John 3:14; Luke 9:23; Hebrews 3:13; Acts 2:46-47 (note the word daily) 15 John 14:21

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Christian Denominations?According to a report published by the Center

for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, in mid-2015

there were over 45,000 Christian denominations worldwide.1 Furthermore, that number is increasing at the rate of 2.2 new denominations per day. This is a rather shocking statistic, considering the earnest prayer of Yahshua,2 the Son of God, just before He was crucified:

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one... The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (John 17:20,22,23)Knowing how important this prayer was,

and sensing that the church was losing ground, the Apostle Paul strongly urged the church in Corinth:

“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.” (1 Corinthians 1:10)Obviously, Paul’s appeal and Yahshua’s

impassioned prayer for perfect unity have carried little weight in the hearts of the Christian leaders over the centuries who started each of those 45,000 denomina-tions. Without a doubt, each one thought he was justi-fied in leading away his following.3 So just what is it that causes Christians to divide, and what is the “glue” that could have held them together?

In a word, it is glory — or the lack thereof.Yahshua said, “The glory that you have given me, I

have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one.” So whatever He meant by glory, He expected that it would enable His disciples to be one, just as He and the Father are one. Surely Yahshua and His Father don’t belong to different denominations.

So what exactly did Yahshua mean by the word glory?

In Hebrew, His native tongue, the word translated as glory literally meant weight, as a measure of the

1 http://www.gordonconwell.edu/resources/documents/StatusOf-GlobalMission.pdf 2 Yahshua is the original Hebrew name of the Son of God; see also “The Name Above All Names” on page 45. 3 Acts 20:29-30

“Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven

leavens the whole lump?” (1 Corinthians 5:6)

04 5 0 0Why are there


value of something. As applied to a person, glory is one’s inner worth which demands the respect of others.

Yahshua had received great inner worth from His Father, being filled with His word, and confirmed audi-bly at His baptism, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”4 In Hebrew, the word translated as father literally means source. His Father was the source of His glory, His inner worth, and everything He did or said expressed that glory:

It was not just what he said, but how he said it;

It was not just what he did, but how he did it;

It was not just what he saw, but how he saw it;

It was not just what he heard, but how he heard it.

When people saw Yahshua, they were seeing His Father.5 Anyone who sincerely desired to be connected to his Creator was drawn to Yahshua. The glory upon Him demanded their respect. He had the words of eternal life, so where else could they go?6

“Well,” you may say, “that’s all fine and good. But He was the Son of God, and we’re just ordinary people.”

Yes, but that is the miracle of true salvation. Re-member, Yahshua said, “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one.” Those who are truly baptized into Him7 receive His glory, His inner worth, having been adopt-ed by the same Father.8

True salvation connects us to the very Source of in-ner worth, giving us access to the same grace and the same wisdom that sustained our Master in His times of need.9 That inner worth is expressed in what we say and how we say it, what we do and how we do it, what we see and how we see it, and what we hear and how we hear it. Glory engenders respect. Those who have glory recognize and respect it in others, and that cre-ates oneness, for they esteem others more highly than themselves.10

Those who seek their own glory11 show that they actually have none, for the glory of our Master is only given to the humble, and is only recognized by the humble. True leaders are the most humble of all, and have the most glory, which fosters the increase of unity:

And he gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some shepherds and teach-ers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13)

Ironically, it is always the leaders in the churches of Christianity who start the new denominations, seeking to make a name for themselves. That is why there are 45,000 denominations today, and 45,002 tomorrow, and 45,004 the next day... Ichabod. It means the glory has departed... long, long ago. t

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling

to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain

the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit —

just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all,

who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6)

1 http://www.gordonconwell.edu/resources/documents/StatusOfGlobalMission.pdf 2 Yahshua is the original Hebrew name of the Son of God; see also “The Name Above All Names” on page 45. 3 Acts 20:29-30 4 Luke 3:22 5 John 14:9 6 John 6:68 7 Romans 6:1-5 8 Romans 8:15; Hebrews 2:10-11 9 Hebrews 5:7; Proverbs 2:3-5 10 Philippians 2:1-3 11 John 7:18

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Give up everything for the faith? Give up anything for the faith? Such questions never con-

fronted me while growing up in the very large denomination my family belonged to. They did become an issue for me later on, though, and that for an amazing reason. But as a teenager, I simply stopped going to church. My high school and college years were unremarkable, but then my story took a surprising turn... well, actually, there were two or three surprises...

I was as surprised as any agnostic to find myself drawn towards the Christian faith. My attraction towards a young woman aglow with her newfound faith played a big part — that and the influence of some sincere Christians on campus. They deeply impressed me and gave me hope that my life could make a difference.

As earnestly as I could, one early morning in an empty parking lot, I gave my life to Jesus, asking him to forgive my sins and come into my heart. I was now a Christian on my own, not just because I’d grown up as one. I would probably still be a Christian if it weren’t for one thing. It was the second great surprise of my life.

One summer I did something that we just didn’t do in the church I had grown up in. I opened up the Bible and read it from beginning to end, one book a day. Some days it was a lot of reading. Wow! I was never the same again. The disquiet I felt at reading the New Testament never left me.

No matter how committed or content I seemed at church, at Sunday school, or as I signed checks and mailed them off to some far-away ministry, I did not ever have true peace in my heart. If the Gospels had just been left out of the New Testament, I think I would have been

content with my life. But they were there, and what they said was not the gospel I had been presented with. What did this all mean?

True gospel? False gospel? For a long time, I did not sense that I even had a choice to make. The Christian gos-pel was the only one I had heard. It was the only one any-body had that I knew of. Why it was different from what I read in the Gospels, I didn’t know, but I couldn’t deny the fact that it was. I could only wonder how a religion so great, so long-lasting, and with so many adherents could have so little to do with its charter documents, its alleged foundation.

The SurpriSeS

of My

Life


So many disturbing words confronted me from the pages of the Gospels: You must hate your life in this world.1 You must give up all your possessions in order to

be His disciple.2 You must put away the sword.3 You must despise what is highly esteemed

among men.4

Were these the words of a cult leader to his deluded followers, or of the Son of God to His would-be disciples? Actually, I did not for a moment think it was the former. But I wondered, if people would be honest with them-selves about the Gospels, would they say that He was to them as the Gospels say He must be? Because if He were truly their Lord and Savior, wouldn’t they be doing what He said? And what of me? Shouldn’t I be doing what He said? Was He my Savior, or was I just fooling myself that He was? Maybe I had believed in vain, as Paul feared of the Corinthians.5

Thinking things through, I began to realize that the Epistles weren’t what I thought, either. There was another host of impossibles there. Were they just given to condemn us? I had heard teachings that said, more or less bluntly, that not only was the Old Covenant law given only to condemn us and cause us to see our sinful condition, but that so were the “hard sayings” of the New Testament. Were the commandments actually meant to be taken seriously? Paul and John seemed to think so. Do not be bound together with unbelievers.6 Among the works of the flesh are factions.7

Submit to your leaders.8

You must not love the world or the things of the world.9

If you do not love your brother, whom you can see, you do not love the Father, whom you can’t see.10

It very much seemed, to paraphrase the Christian apologist, Josh McDowell, that the New Testament must be the work of madmen, evil men, or godly men.11 I believed that Jesus was the Savior, and that the men who followed Him were godly, but where was I to become His disciple? Among the multitudes who were not doing any of His “hard sayings”? I didn’t think so. I keep reading, pondering, and praying. There wasn’t much else to do.

Then one day, when I was alone in the sanctuary of my church, I experienced the third surprise of my life. Actually, there was no one else in the building. As Sunday school superintendent, I had keys to the place. So I cried out with all my heart to God, on my face in His sanctuary (as I thought it was), but I heard nothing. Not a hint that I was even heard; not a hint of response from Him could I detect in my spirit. Strain as I might, I heard nothing.

God was not there... or He was silent.I knew then that I would not continue going to this

place, to this empty building, where He was not. I looked around at the cavernous, empty space. Just why should He answer me there? What was in such a place for Him? Was it a place for His word to dwell? Where? In space? He already had space. He had a universe of space. He needed a people — a people who would do His will.

That is what had led me to cry out to Him in the first place. I had recently met a people who seemed to actu-

ally be doing His will on the earth. So what I re-ally wanted to know was whether I should stay where I was, or go and join myself to them. What decided the matter for me was the gospel.

Together Again: The Marked Difference

Somehow there was within me a powerful urge and desire to keep the words of the Son of God. I can only thank God for this desire. My part was to respond. If you have made it this far reading this article, I presume the same desire is in you, too. I had come to the firm conclu-

God was not there... or He was silent.

1 John 12:25 2 Luke 14:33 3 Luke 22:51 4 Luke 16:15 5 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 6 2 Corinthians 6:14 7 Galatians 5:20 8 Hebrews 13:17 9 1 John 2:15 10 1 John 4:20 11 McDowell’s particular questions were, “Was He a liar? Was He a lunatic? Was He Lord?” Christianity: Hoax or History?, Tyndale House Publishers, pages 8-10.

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sion that I could not (nor could anyone) keep His words alone. It is only together, as they were together in the first community in Jerusalem,12 that we are able to keep His commandments.

No “born-again” Christian I knew ever had to give up anything dear to him. Yes, many will say, “I gave up drugs and booze and stopped being immoral.” It is very good to stop doing the things that degrade you and hurt others. Most religions teach such right things, and quite often their members behave as well or better than Christians. Who in his right mind would hold up the Christian nations of the West as models of moral-ity? Models of decadence, immorality, greed, and violence, yes. In these, they set the pace for the whole world.13

But disciples give up everything. They cast their lot with their brothers and sisters, “putting all their eggs in one basket,” as the old saying goes. That is why disciples live together in com-munity. They love both the Savior and His words about giving up everything:

So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:33)

Disciples hate their lives in this world. That’s why they give them up. That’s why they are so thankful to hear that giving up everything is exactly what the Savior calls them to do. More than that, hating “your life in this world” is prerequisite to gaining eternal life!

He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:25)

As Christians, all the things of this world that we clung to only served to divide us, just as the rest of the world was divided — rich and poor, black and white, male and female. We were as divided as the world around us. Those divisions between Christians: personal, denomi-national, cultural, economic, and national, are why the prayer of the Savior in John 17 seemed as if it would never be answered:

That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that

You sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. (John 17:21-23)

Did He really mean these words? Surely He was a righteous man! Wasn’t He righteous enough to have His prayer answered?

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:16)

Was His prayer “effec-tual and fervent” or wasn’t it? Was He righteous or wasn’t He? These are questions that demand an answer. Couldn’t you

also say that John 17:21-23 is a judgment, a verdict, that demands evidence? What if there is no evidence? Must not the judgment be vacated, the verdict annulled?14

I believed He was Lord, and I believed He was righ-teous, and I believed His prayer was fervent and effectual. It was worth my possessions, my job, my place in the world, my life, my everything to see this righteous man’s prayer answered. So on October 23, 1982, my wife and I forsook everything and were baptized into the true Body of Messiah, entering into a lifelong covenant with others who had done the same.15 I have not been disappointed.

12 Acts 2:44; 4:32-35 13 See “Christianity Today: A Light to the World?” on page 27. 14 Josh McDowell’s most famous books are Evidence that Demands a Verdict, Vol. I and Vol. II. So where is the evidence? 15 The addresses of our communities are listed on the back of this freepaper. Come and see for yourself!

So likewise,

whoever of you

does not forsake

all that he has

cannot be

My disciple.

(Luke 14:33)


The Gospel of the CrOss

Throughout the ages, the symbol of the cross has been lifted up, meaning different things to different people. To some it has been a sign of hope, forgiveness, and a mark of God’s finished work. To others it has been a sign of terror. But it is crucial to know exactly what it meant to the One who came bearing its message — the Son of God Himself.

A follower of the Son of God must come to know the most essential aspect of His teach-ing and preaching: the cross. The glory of the cross is not merely in what He did on the

cross for us, but what He expects from us is also clearly shown on the cross. It is not merely what it gives to us, but what it demands from us. To some, the cross repre-sents His finished work, but for those who respond to the true gospel, it represents the daily challenge facing the true disciple.

The gospel is not the true gospel unless the cross is central and supreme. First and foremost, His teachings are instruction on how to deny yourself, take up your own cross, and follow after Him. This means laying down your life for your brothers, which is the greatest expression of the new commandment in John 13:34-35. Those who take up their cross and come after Him must enter into the emptying process of pouring out all they have on His Body, just as Mary of Bethany poured out her alabaster jar on His physical body.

The Cost on the CrossBy this gospel of the cross, the cost of true disciple-

ship is revealed. The cross is where you pay the price of

being a follower of the Savior of the world. His gospel boldly confronts very real obstacles which must be over-come to truly follow Him and entrust the totality of your life to Him in utter surrender. You must give up your life, meaning your possessions, career plans, dreams, aspira-tions, opinions, and even family members who would hold you back, in order to give yourself in sacred service to God. This is the call out of seeking your own food, clothing, and shelter, and the call into seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

All who heard Yahshua’s call had to face the cost of His message. To some it was riches, to some it was com-fort, to some it was family, and to some it was religious principles. But for all, the cross is the place to deny your-self and pay the full price of sacrificial love. The cross is the only way to follow Him and obey His commands. It is the narrow way, and it is the only way that leads to life.

The rich young ruler proved that he hated the cross of Messiah by turning away, not overcoming his fears and ambitions in order to pay the price. Because he was not willing to pay that much, the rich young ruler walked away sad — and alone. He wanted a broader way than Messiah was calling him to.

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The Circle of DisciplesThe true gospel calls you to the cross,

which calls you into absolute servant-hood and surrender to the will of God, which is where the true glory of the cross is revealed. The cross clears away self-life and brings about fellowship, which cre-ates community, just as it did in the first century. Fellowship means full participa-tion, contribution, and distribution of all that you have and are for the establish-ment of the Kingdom of God. This fellow-ship, this practical, visible love for one another’s daily needs, is what the Master said would be the light of the world.

This community of “cross bearers” produces what Yahshua talked about as the new family of God. When His own mother and brothers came to rescue Him from His extreme life of devotion, He looked around the circle of those who were devoted to Him and proclaimed, “Here are My mother and My brothers, for whoever does the will of My Father is My

All who believed

were together

and had all things in common. And they sold their

property and

possessions and

distributed the

proceeds to all, as any

had need.

(Acts 2:44-45)

brother and My sister and My mother!”1 He was establishing the church. The circle of disciples is the church, and is the foundation of the Kingdom of God. This circle of “cross bearers” is His Body on earth.

Membership in this new family comes from not shrinking back from the call of the cross, the call to abandon self-oriented pursuits in order to be free to serve. Thus all of His servants are together, building on the same foundation. Without the authoritative, unwavering demand of total surrender on the cross, true love and unity are impossible. The life record-ed in the Book of Acts marked a people who had earnestly embraced the gospel of the cross:

All who believed were together and had all things in common. And they sold their property and possessions and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. (Acts 2:44-45)

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common... There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. (Acts 4:32-35)

The apostles did not do something whimsical in establishing the first community. This pattern of community is not just a novel idea or a fad, but it is the only way the Body of Messiah can be, according to the Word of God. The call to community for a believer is not optional or merely a more excellent way. It is actually the cause and effect of the cross — both His death and ours.

The recipients of the gospel of the cross are brought into unity and oneness that becomes the irrefutable witness of a “city set on a hill.” This love and unity cannot be faked or achieved in any other way than through the cross. These believers make up the citizens of the Com-monwealth of Israel.2 This community of believers who love God and one another with all of their hearts is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.3 It is the Restoration of All Things.

Anyone who does not have this love unto laying down his own life for his brothers and sisters should not think that the blood of Messiah has yet freed him from his sin, because those for whom He died no lon-ger live for themselves. So to love one’s neighbor4 as oneself cannot be in part, half, or even most — it must be all things together in common with the other believers.

1 Mark 3:20,21,31-35 2 1 Peter 2:9-10; Ephesians 2:12 3 Matthew 22:37-40 4 The context of the command to love one’s neighbor as himself is Leviticus 19:16-18, which makes it clear that neighbor is referring to one’s brothers and sisters in the faith, who dwell together, not in the general sense of one’s neighbor in the secular world.


5 John 12:6 6 Acts 2 and 4

This is the unarguable, unconditional demand of true sacrificial love — the example made on the cross. The common life must be in deed and truth, not merely in word and tongue. It must be voluntary servitude moti-vated by our desire to please Him. This pattern of giving and serving are what we must follow in order to truly say that we are taking up our cross and following Him.

When Yahshua walked the earth with His disciples, of course they had a common purse. Being the keeper of this common purse, Judas fell to covetousness5 and ultimately betrayed the Son of God. The error of his way was not the fault of the common purse, but it was his rejection of the demands of the cross. Judas’ betrayal was a rejection of the call to deny himself.

The Dominion of Self-LifeSelf-life is Satan’s domain. The cross is where Yahshua

prevailed and shattered Satan’s tyranny on earth, al-though it was not discerned as such to the natural eye. On our cross is also where Satan’s power over us is bro-ken and we are transferred out of the kingdom of dark-ness and into His marvelous light.6 Self-life is at enmity with the cross, the church, and God. God, through the work of the cross in us, puts an end to self-life and brings about the church.

The Son of God was like a grain of wheat that went into the ground and died in order to bear much fruit — many more like Himself. His absolute declaration was: “He

who loves his life will lose it, but he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” So the cross is the place to die to the old man, the old way, the old thoughts, the old pleasures, the old pastimes, the old ambitions, and bring you into a new life of seeking first His kingdom. Picking up your cross demands the end of all self-life, which severs you from the grip of the god of this world. Division, alienation, loneliness, and a solo “walk with God” is a clear indication that you have not yet understood how or where to pick up your cross and die.

Many will say that all they have really belongs to God, and if He asked for it they would give it, but God truly knows their hearts. If they are not compelled by the clear words of Messiah that are recorded in the Scriptures, and spoken by His true sent ones, then how would God ask them? This is evidence that they have not yet received the true Savior and His message. Anyone who does not daily take up his cross and lay down his life for his broth-ers should not think that he has come to true repentance, or that the blood of Messiah has freed him from his sin.

This is the gospel of the cross that we boldly pro-claim, having the confidence that this is truly our life. We are not ashamed of this radical gospel of the cross, for it is the power of salvation to all those who believe. The way of the cross is revelation given by God to those who are willing to do the Father’s will. Those who respond to Yahshua’s sacrifice will no longer live for themselves, but only for Him, that the Kingdom of God would come on

earth as it is in heaven. So we welcome you to deny yourself, leave your nets behind, pick up your cross, and fol-low Him — with us! t

And He said to them,

“Follow me, and I will

make you fishers of

men.” Immediately

they left their nets

and followed Him.

(Matthew 4:19-20)

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What if...?V

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It Is not a questIon of whether a believer can lose his salvation. Once a person is sealed with the Holy Spirit, it is irrevocable:

In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14)

But the same apostle who wrote that comforting passage also passionately expressed this desire:

…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. (Philippians 3:10-12)

In the apostle paul’s mInd, there was a goal that required tremendous effort on his part to reach, and to which he had not yet attained, and which he could fail to attain. What was the resurrection he had to strive for? Are not all believers resurrected at Messiah’s coming, unless they are alive when He returns?

Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with Him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4-6)

Clearly, paul understood that reigning with Christ during His millennial kingdom on the earth was not a foregone conclusion for a believer, but depended on how one lived his life in this age. It was possible to be among “the rest of the dead” who did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This possibility of being disqualified to rule with Him is mentioned in many places in the New Testament. For example:

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and

Following are a number of scripture passages whose significance seems to be overlooked by many Christians, but have dire consequences if ignored...


blameless and above reproach before Him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. (Colossians 1:21-23)

What If you don’t ContInue In the faIth, stable and steadfast? Will you still be blameless and above reproach before Him?

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. (Revelation 2:11)

What If you don’t overCome? Will you be “hurt” by the second death? What does it mean to be “hurt” by the second death?

You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. (Revela-tion 3:4-5)

What If you have defIled your garments? Will you still walk with Him in white? Will you still be worthy? If you don’t overcome, will your name remain in the Book of Life — the register of those who are counted worthy to rule with Him?

So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him. (Hebrews 9:28)

What If you are not eagerly WaItIng for hIm?

For, “Yet a little while, and the coming One will come and will not delay; but My righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” (Hebrews 10:37-38)

evIdently It Is possIBle for one of His righteous ones (to whom He imputed His righteousness when they first believed) to be among those who shrink back when He returns. Let’s back up a few verses to see how this is possible:

For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. (Verse 36)

What If you don’t do the WIll of god? What if you lack endurance? Will you still receive what is promised?

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. (Verse 35)

hoW Can you throW aWay your confidence? And if you do, what will be your reward?

For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Verses 30-31)V

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Who are “hIs people” who are judged and fall into the hands of the living God?

How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? (Verse 29)

hoW does one spurn the son of god or profane the blood of the covenant or outrage the Spirit of grace? Is this talking about believers?

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judg-ment… (Verses 26-27)

have you reCeIved the knoWledge of the truth? What if you do go on sinning deliberately?

For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlight-ened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then fall away, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding Him up to public shame. (Hebrews 6:4-6)

What does It mean to “fall aWay” or to hold the Savior up to public shame? What becomes impossible? Will such a one be “hurt” by the second death? What is the second death? Did you know there are actually two distinct types of “second deaths” mentioned in the Scriptures? The second death for unbelievers we all know about — eternity spent in the lake of fire.1 But the second death for disciples — which will be for the foolish virgins only2 — is to miss the millennial kingdom rule of Messiah on the earth. These foolish virgins will spend a thousand years in death with the unbelievers3 to pay for their unconfessed sins. They did not give themselves to purification in this age and so their souls were not saved from death.4 They are unable to be presented to their King as whole and complete and so will miss out on the kingdom age.5

Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in hu-mility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. (James 1:21)

What If you don’t put asIde all fIlthIness and WICkedness? What if the standards of His word do not become part of your very nature, as expressed in your behavior? What will happen to your soul?

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and

1 Revelation 20:14-15 2 This is graphically illustrated in the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13 3 Luke 12:46 4 James 5:19-20 5 James 1:4

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are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowl-edge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsight-ed that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal6 kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-11)

What If you don’t add vIrtue7 and self-Control to your faIth? What if you don’t diligently increase in steadfastness and godliness and love? Will en-trance into the Kingdom still be richly provided to you?

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him. (James 1:12)

What If you don’t remaIn steadfast? Will you still receive the crown of life? If you don’t stand the test, what is the proof that you love Him?

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. Whoever has My com-mandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him. (John 14:15,21)

What If you don’t keep hIs Commandments? Do you still love Him? Will He still reveal Himself to you? Or will you be shown to be a liar?

Whoever says “I know Him” but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1 John 2:4)

Is the truth In you?

Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death. (John 8:51)

What If you don’t keep hIs Word? WIll you see death? t

6 This word actually means age-lasting, that is, the kingdom of the millennial age. 7 virtue — behavior showing high moral standards.

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The Tare Field

One day Yahshua’s disciples came to Him and asked, “Master, why do you speak to the people in par-ables?” He had just told them the parable of the sower, and they were not sure whether they under-

stood what it meant. When they were alone with Him, He was usually very straightforward in what He said to them, but when there were religious people around, especially leaders, He tended to tell little stories.

He understood that it is hard for religious people to grasp spiritual concepts outside of their deeply ingrained patterns of thinking, especially if those concepts are expressed using the same basic vocabulary and make reference to the same sacred scriptures. So He told them simple stories drawing from the neutral ground of nature, agriculture, animal husbandry, and fishing, hoping to get past their religious filters and reach their hearts. Those parables reach right down to the present day, having the power to penetrate even the fiercely defended walls of Christian doctrine and tradition with the simple but often uncomfortable truths of the gospel.

Take this very revealing parable, for example:24 The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the tares appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?” 28 He said to them, “An enemy has done this.” So the servants said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” 29 But he said,

“No, lest in gathering the tares you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, ‘Gather the tares first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ” (Matthew 13:24-30)

Obviously the man who sowed the good seed is Yahshua, and “his men” are the apostles, prophets, evan-gelists, shepherds and teachers of Ephesians 4:11, who are supposed to be tending the field, as 1 Corinthians 3:9 says. But while they are “sleeping” (not paying atten-tion) Satan is at work in the field, sowing tares among the wheat.

The tares appear to be wheat to the undiscerning eye, but in time it becomes clear that they don’t bear the same fruit. They are Satan’s crop, and he fosters their growth, while Yahshua is concerned for the wheat, not even allowing His servants to weed out the tares, so as not to inadvertently uproot the wheat.

However, the tares do not realize that they are tares, nor do they realize that the evil one is the source of their inspiration, for Satan is a master of disguise, making himself appear to be an angel of light, and his servants ap-pear to be ministers of righteousness!1 It is Satan’s servants — men who appear or claim to be Yahshua’s servants — who plant the tares in the field. They may not even realize that they are serving Satan, for some, Paul says, have unwittingly fallen into Satan’s snare, having been taken captive by him to do his will.2

1 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 2 2 Timothy 2:26


Are You a Wheat or a Tare?So how can you know whether you are a tare? One

way is to consider the fruit of your life, whether it match-es the fruit that the Scriptures say should come forth from a true disciple. It is hard to be objective in judging the fruit of your own life, but if there is cause for you to wonder whether you are truly saved, there is another way to tell, which you can be more objective about, with a little help from the Scriptures. You can take a close look at the seed from which your faith grew. Was it the same gospel that Yahshua and His apostles spoke, or was it a different gospel?3 Could it have been genetically modified by Satan’s servants?

Contrary to the thinking of many, the heart of the gospel is to be found in the Gospels, not in the Epistles. The Epistles were written to address prob-lems in the churches, mostly caused by them drifting away from the foundation that was laid in the first disciples by Yahshua, as recorded in the Gospels. If the gospel you heard was lacking any of these founda-tional teachings of Yahshua, then it could not possibly have transferred you out of the domain of darkness and into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son.4 Here are the parts that are usually left out by Satan’s servants. Please read all of the verses carefully! You must hate your life in this world (John 12:25;

Matthew 10:39; Luke 9:24-25). You must hear the gospel from the lips of a righ-

teous disciple, who isn’t seeking his own glory (John 7:17-18; 13:20; Matthew 10:40-41; Luke 10:16; Romans 10:13-17).5

You must forsake your life in this world (ca-reer, possessions, aspirations, friends and rela-tives who seek to hinder you from following Yahshua (Luke 14:26-33; Matthew 10:37-38; Mark 10:21,28-30; Luke 9:23-26).

You must die in the waters of baptism, calling on Yahshua to save you (Romans 6:4-6; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38).

You must let those who preached the gospel to you lay their hands on you and pray for you to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:17; 19:5-6).

You must submit your life into the hands of your

new brothers and sisters, receiving like a little child their instruction and direction for your daily life (Matthew 18:2; Mark 10:15; 1 Peter 2:2; Hebrews 13:17; Ephesians 5:22).6

You must do the deeds prepared for you to build up the Body of Messiah, serving your brothers and sisters out of love, and taking no thought for yourself (Matthew 6:31-33; Ephesians 2:10; 4:11-16; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 John 3:16; Philippians 2:3-4,14).

You must be devoted to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship (sharing all you have and are), the breaking of bread, and the prayers (John 6:53-56;

15:5; Acts 2:42). You must keep Yahshua’s com-mandments (John 14:15; 15:10-14; 1 John 2:4; 3:22; John 8:51). You must live together and share

all things in common (Acts 2:44).

Satan’s ServantsProbably you have realized by

now that the gospel you received had few if any of the ingredients listed above. That is because toward the end of the first century the church began to fill up with tares through the “ministry” of:

Those who did not love Messiah (1 Corinthians 16:22);

Those who were seeking their own glory (John 7:18; 3 John 1:9-10);

Those who tickled men’s ears (2 Timothy 4:3); Those who caused divisions (Titus 3:10; Acts

20:30); Those who had stained their garments (Revela-

tion 3:4). By the end of the first century, only a few overcomers

were left among the many tares. Instead of tares among the wheat, it became wheat among the tares, until all the wheat were either uprooted or died out. Satan’s servants soon established themselves as a professional clergy droning over a silent laity (except for rote liturgical

3 2 Corinthians 11:4 4 Colossians 1:13 5 You cannot be saved by saying a prayer after reading a tract or some verses in the Bible. Faith is the Holy Spirit persuading you through the words and witness of someone who is full of that Spirit, and who can take you under his wing and guide your feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:79). 6 The sovereignty of Yahshua over you has no more reality than the authority of His people in your daily life.

By the end of the first century,

only a few overcomers were left.

Instead of tares among the wheat, it became wheat among the tares.

431-888-893-5838

responses) who had been persuaded that “the faith” was a matter of embracing certain doctrines rather than the utter surrender and devotion of one’s entire life.

So now, 1,900 years later, the tare field has grown to 2.4 billion tares in 45,000 varieties (denominations),7 none of which preaches the original gospel that bore the first fruits of pure, golden wheat described in Acts 2:42-47 and 4:32-37.

A Seed Kept Over for PlantingAs Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us a seed, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.” (Romans 9:29)There was, however, a seed preserved — kept over

for planting, as it were. The Son of God Himself proph-esied that there would have to be a restoration of all things before He could return.8 That restoration began about 40 years ago when the seed of that original “wheat” was planted in the fertile soil of a totally surren-dered heart and began to produce a crop just like the first fruits: All who believed were to-gether again and shared all things in common.9

Like golden sheaves of wheat, or juicy clusters of grapes, the fruit has slowly but surely multiplied, so that there are now over 40 com-munities in 10 different countries, all sharing the same faith and culture. In every place whole-hearted disciples live together in unity, laying down their lives for one another in love, serving night and day with one goal in mind: to bring our Master Yahshua back to this earth. But He cannot return until His bride has made herself ready:

Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure — for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. (Revelation 19:7-8)Since His bride is the church, which is His body on

earth, that is just another way of saying:But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacri-fice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, wait-ing from that time until His enemies should be made a footstool for His feet. (Hebrew 10:12-13)Our Master Yahshua’s enemies are the very spir-

its that overcame the first church and turned it into a tare field, and they have to be put under the feet of the restored Body of Messiah, His bride. She must grow to full stature by doing the righteous deeds prepared for her to do,10 through which she will be purified of all iniquity11 as the daily circumstances expose the way the evil one tries to divide, defile, and lead her astray, just as he did the first-century church.

The Other WomanAt the same time as Messiah’s bride is being puri-

fied of every unclean thing, whether in thought, word, or deed, there is another “woman” who is being “purified” of everything clean and pure:

And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls,

holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on

her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of harlots and of earth’s abominations.” And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints... (Revelation 17:3-6)

Do you know who this woman is? She also was once a pure virgin, betrothed to the Prince of Peace, but she was led astray.12 When she was about 300 years old, she married a prince of war, who ironically promised her peace. She outlived him and many suitors after

him, gaining power and wealth with every romance, and ruthlessly crushing anyone critical of her

ways. When she was about 1400 years old, she gave birth to several daughters, who, though critical of her, turned out to be just like her in more ways than not. They were just as bloodthirsty as their mother, slaughtering those who aspired to truly follow their mother’s first betrothed Husband.13

7 http://www.gordonconwell.edu/resources/documents/StatusOfGlobalMission.pdf 8 Mark 9:11-12; Acts 3:21 9 Acts 2:44 10 Ephesians 2:10; 4:11-16 11 1 John 3:2-3; Revelation 19:8; Daniel 12:3,10 12 2 Corinthians 11:2-4 13 See The Mystery of the Black Box for details of the affairs of this harlot and her daughters, available at: http://twelvetribes.org/publication/mystery-black-box

At the same time as Messiah’s bride is being purified

of every unclean thing, there is another woman

who is being purified of everything clean

and pure.


Now, one by one, these daughters and their count-less offspring are coming back into a superficial family alliance with their aged matriarch and with each other, for their mutual benefit and common political goals. When the opportunity presents itself, they will help the old harlot climb up on the back of another prince so powerful and ruth-less that he will be called the Beast. She will do her best to enrich herself at his expense and use him to do her dirty work, as she has done with every lover since her first marriage. Especially, she will be thirsty for the blood of the saints — the bride of Yahshua — and turn the Beast against them.

But eventually the great harlot will come to the end of her ride...

And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the harlot. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire. (Revelation 17:16)

This brings us back to the parable we started with...

Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the tares first and bind them in bundles to be burned...” (Matthew 13:30)

“Come Out of Her, My People”This is a very grim tale, but it is true. It is going to

happen. And it is not only the mother harlot who will be burned, but all who are allied with her, all who were taken in by another gospel that lacked the so-called

“hard words” of Yahshua — the entire tare field: the fallen religion of Christianity:

Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean

spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. (Revelation 18:2)

But there is a way out for those whose eyes are opened to her true nature and their own grave danger:

Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, My people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.”

(Revelation 18:4-5)

The One we serve sees and understands the plight of all the

sincere ones who are willing to do His will, but are trapped in Christianity. They have been “sold a bill of goods” — led to believe that by embracing the right doctrines and saying the “sinner’s prayer” (or whatever their Christian tradition called for) they were saved and going to heaven. Our Master Yahshua sees those sincere ones who are willing to do His will as “His people,” and He calls them to “Come out of her!”

Are you one of them? If so, you can be set free from the false gospel that could only make you a tare, and receive the true word of life that will make you a new creation — a golden head of wheat. Please come!

This is a grim story, but it is true.

It is going to happen.

But there is a way out...

451-888-893-5838

The Name Above All Names

In the days of John the Baptist and the Son of God, the preserved language of the devout Jews was Hebrew. So, when the angel

Gabriel brought the good news to the Hebrew virgin, Miriam (or Mary in English), that she would give birth to the Savior of the world, and told her what His name would be, what language do you suppose he spoke? Hebrew, of course! And certainly Miriam and Yoceph (or Joseph in English) named the child just as the angel had commanded them — Yahshua.

In Matthew 1:21, your Bible probably reads, “… and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” But the name Jesus is a modern English adaptation of the Greek name, Iesous, which is itself a corruption of the original Hebrew name Yahshua. The name Jesus or Iesous has no meaning of its own, but the Hebrew name Yahshua literally means, “Yahweh’s Salvation,” or, “I Am Salvation”1 which makes sense out of what the angel said in Matthew 1:21, “… and you shall call His name Yahshua, for He shall save His people from their sins.”

If you look in a pre-1769 edition of the King James Bible, you will find the name Jesus in these two passages:

Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom

God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David… (Acts 7:45, KJV, 1611 Edition)

For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. (Hebrews 4:8, KJV, 1611 edition)

However, if you look in any modern translation of the Bible, including the New King James, you will find that in place of the name Jesus they use the name Joshua, for in the context it is clear that it is speaking of Moses’ successor and not the Son of God. But in the Greek manuscript the name in both verses is Iesous.

You see, Joshua is the popular Eng-lish transliteration of Moses’ successor’s Hebrew name, which meant, “He will save.” This name looks forward to the name of the Son of God, for Joshua was the prophetic forerunner of the Messiah, bringing Israel into the Promised Land and leading them to victory over their enemies. But since the translators obvi-ously know this fact, why do they only translate Iesous as Joshua in these two verses, and as Jesus everywhere else?

The NIV New Testament even has a footnote supporting this fact under Matthew 1:21: “Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua.”

But the fact is, the name of God’s Son was not even written or

pronounced as Jesus in English until the 1600s, simply because there was no “J” sound or letter in English before then.2 The modern letter “J” evolved from the letter “I” which began to be written with a “tail” when it appeared as the first letter in a word. So in Old English the name now written as Jesus was actually written and pronounced much like the original Greek Iesous. Eventually the hard “J” sound crept into the English language to accompany the different way of writing the initial “I” in the name.

You may also find it interest-ing that in Acts 26:14-15, it says that the Apostle Paul heard the name of the Son of God pronounced “in the Hebrew tongue” by the Son of God Himself. Paul certainly didn’t hear the Greek name Iesous or the English name Jesus, but rather the Hebrew name, the name above all names — Yahshua.3 t

1 Yah is the personal name of God (meaning “I AM”), and shua is from a Hebrew root word that means “to save.” God identified Himself to Moses as YAH (“I AM”) in Exodus 3:14, as in Psalm 68:4 (“by his name YAH”), and as most familiar in the word Halleluyah (“Praise Yah”). And in John 5:43 and 17:11, Yahshua says that He came in His Father’s name, “the name which You have given Me” (NASB), so it is not surprising that the Father’s name would be incorporated into the Son’s name, Yahshua. 2 Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford University Press, 1971), pp. 1496,1507 3 Philippians 2:9; Acts 4:12

A page from the 1611 King James Bible.Note the lack of a “J” in the Savior’s name.


“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

This, of course, is the teaching of our Savior, the King of Kings. So whose teaching is the modern Christian gospel that is the opposite of this?

Many Christians believe that you can just ask Jesus into your heart, receive the free gift of salvation, find a Bible-believing church of your choice, and you are on your way to heaven.

Many Christians think the Holy Spirit is leading them to oppose and refute anyone who says you must obey the commandments and teachings of Messiah in order to enter the Kingdom of God, despite verses like John 14:21 and Luke 14:33, which say clearly that you must do something.

Many Christians would say that the pattern established by the apostles in Acts 2:44 was “only for back then” and doesn’t apply to us now. Apparently that way was too narrow for today, but somehow the new, broader way is still supposed to lead to life.

But hadn’t Yahshua, who had just risen from the dead, just spent 40 days with them, teaching many things concerning the Kingdom of God? And hadn’t these apostles just spent ten days in the upper room waiting for the power of the Holy Spirit to come upon them, as they had been commanded by Yahshua? Then this power came upon them, along with tongues of fire and miraculous signs before all the people, and they spoke the many other words about how to be saved from the perverse religious generation they had been steeped in.

How could the “way that leads to life” be made any broader than today’s widely-accepted Christian gospel? How can one believe that this broad way isn’t leading

471-888-893-5838

Where Is the Narrow Way?

to destruction, as Yahshua said it would? How is this modified gospel, which so many Christians worldwide firmly cling to, any different from the error of the many religious people who rejected Yahshua in Jerusalem and had Him crucified, thinking they were adhering to the Scriptures?

If you don’t believe in the narrow way, but seek to save your life in this world rather than lose it for him, then where are you going? Where are you leading others? And what spirit is inspiring this change?

The true gospel is what saves, and the so-called hard sayings of Christ are good and necessary. For these words of His are what cut us out of the world, free from our old life, and transform us into a new creation. His “unreasonable gospel” establishes the family of God — the visible community of believers — that is a vital part of the healing process. We must love the true gospel with all of its parts, or else we may receive another Jesus

(2 Corinthians 11:4), a false Jesus who cannot save anyone.

We are so thankful for the salvation that we are experiencing after getting on the narrow way we read about in the Bible through the teachings of Yahshua and His apostles. We are so thankful to be together, learning how to love more and more. Our Master Yahshua, who died for us, is counting on mankind to respond to His message and establish the light to the nations that is necessary to bring about the end of this age. It is the life of togetherness and unity that Yahshua prayed for with all His heart in John 17:21-23.

We are calling to all our brothers and sisters who are still lost in the confusion of Christianity to come and follow Messiah together with us who have been gathered together by the true, narrow, hard, but wonderful gospel of Yahshua, the Messiah. t

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NEW HAMPSHIRECommunity in Lancaster, 12 High Street, Lancaster, NH 03584 6037884376Simon the Tanner Family Outfitters, 55 Main Street, Lancaster, NH 03584 6037884379

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VERMONTCommunity in Island Pond, 126 South Street, Island Pond, VT 05846 8027239708 Simon the Tanner Family Outfitters, Cross & Main Streets, Island Pond, VT 05846 8027234426Community in Rutland, 134 Church Street, Rutland, VT 05701 8027733764 The Yellow Deli & Hiker's Hostel, 23 Center Street, Rutland, VT 05701 8027759800 Basin Farm, 175 Basin Farm Road, Bellows Falls, VT 05101 8024639264

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CANADACommunity in Winnipeg, 89 East Gate, Winnipeg, MB R3C 2C2, Canada 2047868787

The Yellow Deli & Bakery, 490 Des Meurons, Winnipeg, MB R2H 2P5, Canada 2044535156Mount Sentinel Farm, 2915 Highway 3A, South Slocan, BC V0G 2G0, Canada 2503596847The Yellow Deli, 202 Vernon Street, Nelson, BC V1L 4E2, Canada 2503520325Fairfield Farm, 11450 McSween Road, Chilliwack, BC V2P 6H5, Canada 6047952225The Yellow Deli, 45859 Yale Road, Chilliwack, BC V2P 2N6, Canada 6047024442New Sprout Farm, 7191 Howard Rd, Merville, BC V0R 2M0, Canada 2503375444Common Ground Café, 596 Fifth Street, Courtenay, BC V9N 1K3, Canada 2508971111

BRAZILComunidade de Londrina, Est. Major Archiles Pimpão 5000, 86040020 Londrina, Paraná, Brazil (Mail to: Caixa Postal 8041, 86010981 Londrina) 554333571212Comunidade de Campo Largo, BR 277, km 107,5 s/n˚ (Sentido Ponta Grossa Curitiba) Caixa Postal 1056, 83601980 Campo Largo, Paraná, Brazil 554135552393

ARGENTINAComunidad de Buenos Aires, Batallon Norte 120, 1748 General Rodriguez, Buenos Aires, Argentina 542374843409

ENGLANDStentwood Farm, Dunkeswell, Honiton, Devon EX14 4RW, England 441823681155

CZECH REPUBLICPreserved Seed Farm, Mšecké Žehrovice č. 150, 27064 Mšecké, Czech Republic 420321123575Community in Skalna, 481 Česká, 35134 Skalna, Czech Republic 420910117288

FRANCECommunauté de Sus, 11 route du Haut Béarn, 64190 Sus, France 33559661428

SPAINComunidad de San Sebastian, Paseo de Ulia 375, 20013 San Sebastian, Spain 34943327983Sentido Común, General Etxagüe N9, 20003 San Sebastian, Spain 34943433103Comunidad de Irún, Caserío Barracas 88, 20305 Irún, Spain 34943632316

AUSTRALIAPeppercorn Creek Farm, 1375 Remembrance Dr, Picton, NSW 2571, Australia 61246772668Community in Katoomba, 196 Bathurst Road, Katoomba, NSW 2780, Australia 61247822131The Yellow Deli, 214 Katoomba Street, Katoomba, NSW 2780, Australia 61247829744

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