For the Law was given through Moses, but grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ. ~John1:17
Category: LOVE Church
My Shelter for the Feast of Tabernacles~
Originally posted on September 15, 2013
The Feast of Tabernacles [the most important of all the feasts God commands]
- The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast if Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD. ~Leviticus 23:34
- On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do customary work on it. ~Leviticus 23:35
- You shall keep a feast to the LORD seven days. ~Numbers 29:12
- The priest shall celebrate the eucharist daily for eight days, with the first day being most important, and so on; in addition to the regular daily eucharist. ~Numbers 29:13-39
- On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, a solemn assembly, and you shall offer an offering to the LORD. it is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it. Leviticus 23:36
- And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit (foliage) of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. ~Leviticus 23:40
- You shall dwell in booths for seven days, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. ~Leviticus 23:42-43
- It shall be a statute forever in your generations. ~Leviticus 23:41
Occurring this year (2013) September 19th at twilight and ending September 27th at nightfall.
The Veil, Mended
Originally posted on September 11, 2013
Recently, a very astute and learned fellow and I discussed the bible, and I mentioned that I felt confession to a priest was one thing I think the Catholic church got right (along with some sacraments and rituals), but he countered with the popular protestant belief that when Christ died the veil was torn, making priests no longer a necessary bridge between God and man. That simply having the concept of Jesus in one’s heart and mind was enough to make one holy in God’s eyes. Current Christians, protestants and Catholics alike, have adopted the notion that there are two tiers: God and man. Priests have been relegated to ceremonial status, or are respected as teachers; but are not really considered to be any more holy than any other man.
However, there is a hierarchy of holiness, if you will, that does exist. As one transcends the ladder unto Heaven where God resides, he becomes more holy. As he becomes more holy, he obtains more Godliness. The highest man can go would be to be like Jesus, which is the goal of all good Christians. As one obtains more Godliness he also obtains more power, by the grace of God, in the forms of omnipotence, omniscience, and omnibenevolence. The primary purpose of a priest’s life is to serve the LORD. But priests also have the ability to minister to man on God’s behalf. Jesus gave priests the power in God’s name to go forth and forgive sins, exemplified at the last supper, especially in John 20:21-23:
So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
So for man to think that it is enough to think he is sorry for a sin, or to feel sorry for a sin, and that Jesus’ perfect death erases any need for a priest, is not scriptural and is not serving him fully; he is not going to reap the reward that true repentance and confession and forgiveness from a priest would allow.
I found a Catholic commentary on this subject and wanted to share it as it describes the benefits of confessing to a priest:
“The Advantages [of Confessing to a Priest]~
Is the Catholic who confesses his sins to a priest any better off than the non-Catholic who confesses directly to God? Yes.
First, he seeks forgiveness the way Christ intended.
Second, by confessing to a priest, the Catholic learns a lesson in humility, which is avoided when one confesses only through private prayer.
Third, the Catholic receives sacramental graces the non-Catholic doesn’t get; through the sacrament of penance, sins are forgiven and graces are obtained.
Fourth, the Catholic is assured that his sins are forgiven; he does not have to rely on a subjective “feeling.”
Lastly, the Catholic can also obtain sound advice on avoiding sin in the future.
During his lifetime Christ sent out his followers to do his work. Just before he left this world, he gave the apostles special authority [The last supper washing of feet of the apostles and eating of the body and blood of Christ illustrates the ceremony of the consecration of priests in the Old Testament Torah] commissioning them to make God’s forgiveness present to all people, and the whole Christian world accepted this, until just a few centuries ago. If there is an “invention” here, it is not the sacrament of penance, but the notion that the sacramental forgiveness of sins is not to be found in the Bible or in early Christian history.” ~Taken from http://www.catholic.com/tracts/the-forgiveness-of-sins
I’d like to add that Jesus himself stated he did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. He made a new covenant, yes, but he replaced the need for daily animal sacrifice, and instead of priests taking on the people’s iniquity, he took it on himself. The sacraments set forth by Moses were not abrogated by these things.
~Mary
God has called me to Serve Him
Originally posted on August 23, 2013
I had the urge many, many months ago to shave my hair off. I didn’t, though I wanted to. The same urge returned with more fervor a few months ago. I had the clippers in hand and a friend told me not to. Then one day my entire family went on a two week road trip and I awoke one morning after spending much peaceful time meditating on God and His Word, and I just knew it was time, and that He was asking me to do it. For Him.
Cutting hair during hard times, or change is not unusual for me, or other people. I have cut my hair short, for example, after the birth of a child, or some other life event that seemed noteworthy. It wasn’t a external idea so much as an internal one; I felt changed and needed to represent that in my body somehow. Some express this same sentimentality regarding tattoos, how you can want to mark your skin to express on the outside some deep change on the inside. So clipping my hair entirely off was an extreme manifestation of that same feeling.
But it was more too. I had been going deeper and deeper into my study of God’s Word, and I had been opening myself up to His Holy Spirit, and I had been offering to him more and more of myself in this process. Until I finally decided to offer everything of me to Him. Shearing off my long, pretty hair was a symbol that I would give Him anything of myself, even my looks; my prospects for finding an earthly mate; my vanity; my pride; and essentially, my ego. I realized I wanted to only be a vessel for Him to fill with Him, not me. There is a purification inherent in it too because my hair had been through a lot over the years, increasing bouts of dyeing, stress, greying, and it wasn’t feeling healthy anymore, though I was feeling completely reborn and new.
Being a priest to me means that I serve the LORD. It means I think about Him all the time, and I come before Him ceremonially every day and worship Him. It means I delve into His Word constantly and I try to ascertain His Truth. It means I serve Him first. It means I listen to His will for me, and I try to implement it at all times.
In doing this, it necessarily means that I testify because I love Him so much I cannot keep quiet about Him. It means that I offer myself to others selflessly as I offer myself to Him. It means that I do whatever it takes to reunite people to Him because He misses them and wants them to come back to Him. It means I share insights into His Word and Spirit when I receive them, because He gives them to me. It means that I strive to unconditionally love everyone because He unconditionally loves me.
I do not believe everyone is a priest who accepts Jesus Christ as the Lord Messiah. I believe the priesthood is a higher level than mere believer. It is a place for those who are willing to sacrifice the majority of worldliness in exchange for Godliness. It is for those willing to sacrifice fleshly desires for spiritual fruits. It is for those willing to lay themselves on God’s great altar and give themselves entirely up for Him, and His will.
Love,
~Mary
The Holy Eucharist
Originally posted on August 16, 2013
To be celebrated daily by the Priest:
The Word of God
Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
And blessed be His kingdom, now and for ever.
Amen.
Bless the LORD who forgiveth all our sins. His mercy endureth for ever.
Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of Thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love Thee, and worthily magnify Thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Shema
Hear, O Chosen Ones: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart; you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. [deuteronomy 6:4-9]
Therefore, you shall love the LORD your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always. And it shall be that if you diligently obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled. Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them, lest the LORD’s anger be aroused against you, and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce, and you perish quickly from the good land which the LORD is giving you. Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth. [Deuteronomy 11:1, 13-21]
Speak to the children of God: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the LORD and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God.” Amen. [Numbers 15:37-41]
Pick up your cross and Bible and carry them wherever you go, for all to see, so that we might always and everywhere proclaim our adoration and worship of the One Great LORD Almighty~
Holy God,
Holy Mighty, Father Abba,
Sovereign Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Glory be to God on high,
and on earth peace, good will towards men.
We praise Thee, we bless Thee,
we worship Thee,
we glorify Thee,
we give thanks to Thee for thy great glory!
God’s Creed
I believe in one LORD, one God,
Father of all creation, I AM WHO I AM,
Who has always existed and will always exist.
He is Warrior and Nurturer, Master and Friend.
I believe that, by the grace of God,
The Holy Spirit infuses us with
Guidance and wisdom if we only
Draw close to Him and allow Him to enter us fully.
I believe in all His Law and all His Prophets,
And that His Word is The Truth inasmuch as
It bespeaks His divine will,
Which is also the perfect plan for our lives.
That by God’s divine will, Jesus Christ was sent
To be our Lord Messiah,
The perfect propitiation for our sins,
And that by proclaiming and acknowledging
His sacrifice for us, we may be redeemed unto God.
I believe that through Love, Faith, and Obedience
We can draw close to our LORD
And enter His realm, which is unconditional Love.
He will make straight our paths,
And grace us with abundance for
‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love Him.’
Amen.
The Prayers of the People
Almighty and everliving God, Who in Thy holy Word hast taught us to make prayers, and supplications, and to give thanks for all men: Receive these our prayers which we offer unto Thy Divine Majesty, beseeching Thee to inspire continually the Universal Church with the spirit of truth, unity, and concord; and grant that all those who do confess Thy holy Name may agree in the truth of Thy holy Word, and live in unity and Godly Love.
Give grace, O Heavenly Father, to all Priests, that they may, both by their life and doctrine, set forth Thy true and lively Word, and rightly and duly administer Thy holy commandments, statutes, judgments, and sacraments.
And to all Thy people give Thy heavenly grace; that, with meek heart and due reverence, they may hear and receive Thy holy Word, truly serving Thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of their life.
We beseech Thee also so to rule the hearts of those who bear the authority of government in this and every land, that they may be led to wise decisions and right actions for the welfare and peace of the world.
Open, O LORD, the eyes of all people to behold thy gracious hand in all Thy works, that, rejoicing in Thy whole creation, they may honor Thee with their substance, and be faithful stewards of Thy bounty.
And we most humbly beseech Thee, of Thy goodness, O LORD, to comfort and succor all those who, in this transitory life, are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity.
And we beseech Thee to grant us grace so to follow the good examples of Thy Prophets and Saints, that with them we may be partakers of Thy heavenly kingdom.
Grant these our prayers, O Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake, our redeemer, mediator, and advocate. Amen.
Confession of Sin
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
please have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.
And now, as our Savior Jesus Christ hath taught us, we are bold to say,
“Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy Name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.”
The Breaking of the Bread
Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us!
[wave offering of bread and wine]
The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for us, preserve our body and soul unto everlasting life. I take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for me, and feed on him in my heart by faith, with thanksgiving.
The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for us, preserve our body and soul unto everlasting life. I drink this in remembrance that Christ’s blood was shed for me, and am thankful.
The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ keep us in everlasting life. Amen.
Lord God, Almighty and everlasting Father, You have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The LORD bless you and keep you,
The LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you.
The LORD look upon you with favor,
And give you peace.
Let us go forth in the name of Christ. Thanks be to God!
Biblical circumcision is NOTHING LIKE MEDICAL CIRCUMCISION!!
Originally posted on July 28, 2013
Please do not confuse, as most everyone does, current medical circumcision with spiritual circumcision!! They are very dissimilar. Medical medicine is basically atheistic and allopathic, where man places himself and science above God’s wisdom. It is barbaric and traumatizing and should never be done. It is better NOT to circumcise your son than to circumcise him via modern methods!
Spiritual circumcision with a Rabbi, or a trained Priest, is much gentler and humane, done with prayer in the presence of the Holy Spirit, in fulfillment of the demand God made to Abraham in exchange for all He gave His chosen people, those who worshiped Him and obeyed his commands and statutes.
LOVE Church Beliefs~
These are the basic beliefs the LORD God has instilled within me as His Truth, and where He desires to re-infuse Christianity with His holy message.
❤ GOD’S LOVE extends along a continuum with compassion at one end and warrior at the other end; He can nurture a babe, yet smite an army. ”The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and fouth generation.” ~Exodus 34: 6-7.
❤ His Covenant is The Ten Commandments, which are encompassed by, but not surpassed by, The Great Commandments.
❤ He demands that we follow all His Law as laid out in the whole Bible, but the most important thing is faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
❤ Yeshua is the divine Messiah as foretold in the word of God preceding Christ Jesus; a redeemer of man via his crucifixion as the perfect lamb of God, the ultimate sin offering; a high priest; and a teacher of the true essence of agape love.
❤ God is the only true Healer, but we have been given the gift of healing and the mission to do so by His grace, in Jesus’ holy name.
❤ Hell exists in the earth but is only accessible by those God sends there. In this place, those souls sent to Hell will be given a final chance to repent and accept God’s love, whereby they will be lifted up into Heaven in the final days. Otherwise they will be finally cast into the Lake of Fire forevermore.
❤ Heaven is where God resides.
❤ There have been many prophets and teachers of God, reaching various levels of enlightenment or Godliness.
❤ Man is made in the image of God, and God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent.
❤ God’s Word via the 66 books of the Bible is perfect and it aligns with His One Perfect Truth, and it is our task to study and understand it wholly.
❤ God is transcendent and immanent.
❤ There is Divine Will and free will, with Divine Will being our perfect path.
❤ Love for God, faith in God, and obedience to God, brings us into God’s Realm which guards us. Illustrated by the circle of God’s Realm, enclosing the cross of Jesus, surrounded by the pomegranates of the Law; as expressed in the command in the Torah to love the LORD your God, to hold fast to Him [have the faith of Jesus], and to walk in all His ways [the obedience of the Law].
❤ God’s Word and His Holy Spirit guide and guard one’s love, faith, and obedience to God, and brings us into God’s LOVE Realm.
❤ If you draw closer to God, and become born again of the Spirit through the acceptance of Jesus Christ Lord Messiah, God WILL change you,and you will become more like Him.
❤ There is a Hierarchy of Holiness where His chosen ones will become more like Him, and can achieve the highest level of glorification in Heaven, near Him, as the saints do.
❤ If we all lived in God’s LOVE Realm, there would be Heaven on earth.
LOVE Church and the Trinity~
Originally posted on June 29, 2013
I am led today to reinfuse Christianity with God’s Word and Holy Spirit which He has spoken into me. I am displeased, and I believe God is too, with most current religions and church doctrine, one of the most heretical being the Christian church itself in how it worships Jesus as God, and makes graven images to him (crucifixes, etc.), and does not advocate following all God’s Law.
God has revealed to me physically and in my spirit that this worshiping Jesus is serious idolatry and violates the first two commandments. And that those He chooses to follow Him, need to learn and understand all His commandments, statutes, and judgments as the One and Only Holy Law for man. Not in order to limit man, but in order to lift him up and grace his life with abundance, which God longs to give us!
Jesus never commanded his disciples to worship Him. Indeed in Satan’s presence, He admonished anyone who would worship anyone but the Father:
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” ~Matthew 4:10
Some claim that because Jesus did command to be honored in John chapter 5, that He is implying here that He should be worshiped. But the Greek word for honored in this text is not among the numerous Greek words used to denote worship in the New Testament. In fact, the Greek word used here for honor is ‘timao’, Strong’s entry 5091, which is used also in the context of “Honor they father and thy mother”. So to be more precise, Jesus is relating the concept that He most certainly deserves honor, as one is also called to honor their parents, not that He deserves to be worshiped.
In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge, so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him. ~John 5:22-23
Another place people claim that Jesus allows for worship of Himself is when Doubting Thomas comes to believe that Jesus is the Resurrected One in the Upper Room and exclaims, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) to which Jesus replied, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” (John 20:29). This simple phrase my Lord and my God (God here is the Greek Kyrios) could be Thomas addressing both Jesus as Lord and Father God in this exclamation, or Thomas could be referring to his understanding that Jesus is the Kyrios or Messiah who is indeed risen again, and is God the Son. But it doesn’t mean Thomas was worshiping Jesus in this scene, only recognizing His resurrection.
Another argument for worshiping Jesus is that since He acknowledged He had the power to forgive sins–which was a Godly task–that He has the authority of God and as such should be worshiped as God. However, this is a fallacy that says by what Jesus’ actions are, makes Him worthy of being worshiped. This is not how it works. We worship God alone because He is the sovereign GOD, El Shaddai, not because of what He does but who He IS. In the same chapter of John where Thomas became a believer, Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20:22-23). So here Jesus is clearly giving power, through the Holy Spirit, for believers to forgive sins also, but we know that believers are not to be worshiped.
We are called to be thankful to the depths of our soul for Jesus’ sacrifice for us, redeeming us unto our Father, and making those who accept Him born again in the Spirit, and able to have eternal salvation. Jesus only has the power and authority to judge and to bridge the chasm between us and God. He alone was able to ensure we are able to receive the Holy Spirit inside of us.
BUT: John 9:38 Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus. also, hebrews 1:6And when he brought his supreme[c] Son into the world, God said,[d]
“Let all of God’s angels worship him.”[e]
But we should offer worship alone to God the Father, Almighty ALHYM.
~Song of Mary~ 