John Fenn, Self-centered/Righteous? #4 (Giving Tzedakah)

Hi all,

I've been talking about tzedakah, often translated as 'righteousness' in our Bibles, and how tzedakah in Hebrew culture and the Bible is both vertical AND horizontal. Tzedakah states for a person to be right with God vertically he must also be right with his fellow man 'horizontally'.  

 

Giving and tzedakah

The word tzedakah means righteousness, but it so emphasizes the horizontal it is often translated as almsgiving, giving, or charity. Such is the importance of righteousness, that it also means 'giving to others'.

 

Think of that contrast for a minute - we've been taught in traditional church that righteousness means 'right standing with God', but the very word of tzedakah means 'giving to others' which is a natural part of the flow from a person in right standing with the Father. 

 

Contrast why people give money, skills, talent, resources

In modern church culture people sometimes give to get - whether 100 fold return or trying to bribe or manipulate God as a means of meeting their need. Sometimes people give to remind Him they have a need and it is urgent. We've been told to "plant a seed, give to get, and God will help, you bet."

 

Relatively rare is the person who gives purely out of love of God and appreciation for the work of ministry someone is doing, with no return expected. That is where the true blessing is. The Rabbi's noted the same human nature in their day, and stated the most pure form of giving is to help bury the dead, for that is the one way of giving there is guaranteed no way for a person to get something back from them, lol. I prefer to say "giving is its own reward".

 

In tzedakah giving is a natural outflow of our right standing before God as a way of life, not an event. In Jesus' day it was taught that people who received alms - the lepers, the lame, the blind, the widows, the Levite's and priests - were expected to take from what they received and give part of it to someone else in need, so the cycle of giving and receiving in Israel never stopped, but made a big circle.

 

The tithe of the Old Testament was actually in 4 parts over the course of 6 out of 7 years: First fruits, First tithe, Tithe of the tithe, and Second tithe. There were no tithes given in year 7.

 

In years 1, 2, 4, 5, the Second tithe was taken to Jerusalem and offered to the Lord in the temple, and then taken back and eaten by the people who brought it, in a big party inviting all the poor, immigrants, Levite's, and priests to come and eat*. On years 3 and 6 that Second tithe didn't get taken to the temple, but stayed within the community, the party being for the local people only. Deuteronomy 14:22-29, 15:1-11

 

The First fruits once offered to the Lord in the temple went for the priest's consumption, and the first tithe went to them and the rest of the Levites. Then the Levites gave their tithe from that to the priests, and their second tithe was then given to the people. The priests and Levites were considered to be on the same level as the poor as they weren't allowed to own businesses and could therefore expect support from the people they served, but they also tithed on the tithes they received, back to the people - so you see it all moved in a big circle back to the people.

 

That means tithing and giving was never to support a huge structure and bureaucracy, but has always been for the direct support of God's people, including ministers.  

 

In Acts 2 through 6 we see people giving among themselves and to leadership to the point there were no needs in their midst, similar to the above - everyone who came up short on their obligations had their needs met by others - but when the church moved out of homes and into the auditorium in the 300's AD, it turned the relationships with people into relationships with buildings and programs.

 

Accountability therefore in the auditorium is measured by attendance, giving, and volunteering, while accountability in the healthy, family based churches that meet in homes, is as Jesus stated - if your brother has an issue with you, go to him and settle it. It is that simple, but requires maturity and love of all.

 

Understanding tithing and tzedakah

Unfortunately in some streams of the faith tithing has been given equal importance or even greater than water and Holy Spirit baptisms and the Lord's Supper. God relates to us through the blood of Jesus, not our bank accounts. You aren't cursed at giving 9.99% and suddenly become blessed at 10.01%.

 

The tithe isn't even taught in the New Testament letters because the NT was written by apostles doing home church and writing to people in home church, therefore giving all they had as needs arose governed by love and respect was how they lived. Christ is in you, so you and He have to get together and decide how you are to give money and to whom; resources, talents, skills, time, and to whom. You and He get together. The NT is all about Christ in you, the hope of glory. So talk to Him about it.

 

It is very clear that givers, those who give as a matter of lifestyle as a natural outflow of their tzedakah - righteousness - are blessed with what is, having lived in it for decades, a covering of protection and timing that non-givers don't have. When you live a lifestyle of tzedakah you'll find you'll give way more than 10% and not even keep track - because it is your lifestyle!

 

Jesus said those who give will have it given back to them*, and Paul said givers 'have all grace abound' in their lives, and have their giving multiplied*. Besides all that, Paul said it is right that if ministers share spiritual things which are the highest truths, then those who receive those truths should give back (lower creation) material things*. Luke 6:38, II Corinthians 9:8-11, I Corinthians 9:7-14.

 

In my "Through Jewish Eyes" series I even mention a term used by the Lord in Isaiah 40:1-3 that is directly connected to tzedakah as it relates to giving to others: "Comfort, comfort to my people says the Lord. Speak words of comfort to Jerusalem and announce to her that her warfare is finished, that her iniquity is pardoned: For she has received of the Lord's hand double for her sins. The voice of one who cries in the wilderness; Prepare the way of the Lord..."

 

To our ears, not understanding tzedakah as it relates to giving, speaking comfort to Jerusalem because she has received double for her sins because her iniquity is pardoned, is not understood.

 

The custom of righteousness being demonstrated by giving is seen in 'receiving double'. If a person was bankrupt before the year of release, they would write down on papyrus all their debts with a total amount, and tack that paper to their front door or gate in the hopes someone with one of the tithes mentioned above, would take some or all of their tithe and pay off their debts. If they did so they doubled up the paper and sealed it with their seal, marking the debt paid in full. It was called 'receiving double' for their debts. 

 

What the Lord says in Isaiah 40:2 is to speak comforting words to Jerusalem because her iniquity has been pardoned, because she has received of the Lord's hand 'double' for her sins. He is the Person who gave of His own resources to pay their debt, directly linking righteousness to giving.

 

He paid out of His own 'pocket' so to speak, our debts. Not because He wanted something, not because He had needs, but because He IS righteous, and that is why He gave. Vertical and horizontal.

 

In this series I've explained why it is impossible for a true disciple, not just a believer, but a disciple, to be continually self-focused, self-centered. To be righteous before God one must also be righteous within relationships with others. It is by our love they will know us. That isn't love held silently and secretly in our hearts for others, but love demonstrated to others. That is tzedakah - righteousness.

 

New series next week...until then...blessings!

John Fenn

www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com

 

 

 

New CD/MP3 Series

 

What Jesus Taught Me About Holiness

Based on a 50 minute visitation with the Lord and unlocking key elements in the Word, this teaching totally upended all John thought he knew about holiness, and it changed his life. Most people think holiness is a sect involving long hair and dresses, no make up, and a generally bland life, but in fact it is simple and core to our being. Rather than rules and regulations, understanding holiness is actually the key to walking in love and learning to live from the inside out. (2 cd/MP3, $12/set or MP3 $10)

Into the Fray

Into the Fray

Posted: 05 Aug 2015 03:01 AM PDT

Matt Mikalatos has written a new book called Into the Fray: How Jesus’s Followers Turn the World Upside Down.
I caught up with Matt to discuss his new book.
Enjoy!

Instead of asking, “what is your book about,” I’m going to ask the question that’s behind that question. And that unspoken question is, “how are readers going to benefit from reading your book?”
Matt Mikalatos: It’s tempting to read the Bible as a theological guidebook rather than a communication from God. We tend to engage with our minds, leaving our emotions at the door so we can see “what it really says.” Certainly this can be a legitimate way to engage essays and arguments, but the narrative parts of the Bible are meant to be experienced and felt. They are stories. “Into the Fray” will hopefully allow readers to engage with the book of Acts as a story… to experience the wonder, insights and even entertainment that story was meant to evoke in the original readers, and to let that story be transformative rather than prescriptive.
What does the title, Into the Fray, mean exactly?
Matt Mikalatos: Way back in 2006 my wife Krista and I were in Mexico City during (Mexican) Independence Day. The road outside our hotel was blocked off, and the President came down to the square and gave a speech. Tanks rolled by, with coils of bullets hanging from the machine guns. People sold hot, fresh chalupas in the colors of the Mexican flag on the street.
All the tourist attractions were closed, but on the news we saw that there was a big riot going on down at the Zocalo. It’s hard to explain exactly why, but something about that riot was magnetic. So we got on the subway and made our way to the riot, listening to the people chant the name of the man who had supposedly had the election stolen from him. I got my picture taken with an eagle perched on my shoulder. We ate some churros. We watched with some fascination as a shaman from a mountain tribe danced and told fortunes. We dodged the column of police when they showed up. It was a wonderful, enjoyable, thrilling, frightening, life-giving day.
I originally wanted to call the book “Take Me to the Riots.” In many ways, the book of Acts is the story of the Holy Spirit pushing the early church to get out of their hotel rooms and into the wider world around them. Conflict came immediately, not because of some counter-cultural agenda or culture war, but because the message of Jesus was transforming people everywhere they went – sometimes the “wrong” people – and the conflict came more often from within the religious community rather than from the outside.
So the idea of the current title, “Into the Fray” is to say, this is about the followers of Jesus entering into the story of the people around them and stop trying to protect themselves, their communities and their theologies. “Into the Fray” is a reminder that we’re called to never be satisfied inside any four walls, but rather to get out into the real world to tell others the story of Jesus.
Can you describe what this book does specifically? It doesn’t really rehearse what’s in the book of Acts, for example.
Matt Mikalatos: To help modern day readers experience the emotional weight of the book of Acts, each chapter takes a story and retells it as if it happened in the modern day. So, for instance, we have Felipe chasing down a limousine on a deserted highway to talk with an effeminate government official from Africa, and Esteban beaten to death with bricks in the middle of a debate. We have Paul snuck out of the city in the trunk of a Ford Focus under a pile of grocery bags, or sharing Christ with a crowd of Hindus by quoting from the Bhagavad Gita.
Basically, “Into the Fray” reimagines key portions of the book of Acts and places them in our own context, allowing us to sidestep for a moment all the cultural and historical baggage so we can get to the heart of the story. Between the stories I share some thoughts about their significance for the church today, and how the central character of the book, the Holy Spirit, uses these stories to move us forward and outward.
I tried not to shy away from the hard questions (Ananias and Sapphira are in here, for instance), but rather to embrace them and ask, “What was important about this story that caused it to be included?” I’m told the Greek word for entertainment means “to inform with delight.” That’s what this book attempts to do: to entertain the reader with the story of Acts in the most provocative, interesting and life-changing way possible.
Tell us a bit about the experiences that shaped the insights in the book.
Matt Mikalatos: My whole life, I’ve heard God clearest through stories. When I was a kid it was Narnia, Middle Earth, T.H. White and comic books. As an adult it’s Frederick Buechner’s novels, Flannery O’Connor, Leif Enger’s Peace Like a River, Steinbeck, Carter Beats the Devil and a hundred others. I’ve studied stories my whole life, torn them apart and put them back together, retold them, shaped them, embraced them. I was a writing major in college. Evangelicals have recently become enamored with story. We’ve largely focused on one school of story theory: Robert McKee’s Story curriculum.
What’s interesting about McKee (translated through Don Miller and any other number of influential Christian essayists) is that his story theory is largely from the point of view of a critic. He’s not a storyteller, he’s an audience member telling the storyteller how to be better. Which is why we like it, I think: it’s still an intellectual exercise.
It still feels like exegesis and good theology. But story is emotional, and messy, and doesn’t give easy answers. So one thing that has shaped me is a love for story itself and a desire to see Acts (or the Gospels, or Jonah, or Genesis) as a story first and a theological handbook second (or maybe third or fourth). I think there is enough power in the story that it doesn’t always need to be explained or dissected so long as it has been experienced.
Second, I would say this. I’ve been on staff with a Christian non-profit for over fifteen years. I’ve spent a lot of time with both believers and non-believers (especially college students) and I’ve been to many, many churches all over the world. I’ve been an elder at my church. Something that consistently amazes me is how complicated we make evangelism.
We have seminars and studies and encyclopedic tomes defending the resurrection, but we rarely talk about the good news the way it’s shown in the book of Acts: this viral story that is transforming everyone who hears it. There’s beauty to that, the idea that the book shouldn’t be called “The Acts of the Apostles” but rather something like “The Holy Spirit Tells a Story.” Everyone knows how to tell their own story, and in many ways that is what the good news is for those who follow Jesus.
People love quoting pithy and thoughtful phrases and sentences of books they’re reading on their Facebook walls and Twitter feeds. Why don’t you give us 3 to 5 of those phrases or sentences from your book.
Matt Mikalatos: Great! Here are a few that are short enough for Twitter or Facebook (I’m @mattmikalatos on Twitter). It’s not possible to include the story bits in such a short form, but here are a few thoughts:

1. Those who speak of being “gospel-centered” have marked out a bull’s eye that is not the center. Christ himself is the center.
2. When majority culture in the church neglected the minority the apostles gave authority to minority members of the church.
3. Those who follow the rules instead of following Jesus eventually wander away from the faith.
4. God surprises the people of faith by constantly widening the circle of who is “in.”

And for the people who love the longer updates on Facebook (I’m at facebook.com/mikalatosbooks):

5. We’ve become so adept at telling people what they should believe and how they should act and placing that all in brightly colored package that we call “Christianity” or “gospel” or “church” that we’ve missed the fact that there are people in the world who don’t realize the news about Jesus is good.

Give us two or three insights from the book that would be helpful to Christians.
Matt Mikalatos: We spend a decent amount of time drawing lines and deciding who is “in” and who is “out” theologically. The book of Acts, in many ways, is the story of the Holy Spirit coming to the church over and over and erasing those lines and saying, “The circle you are drawing is too small.” In fact, the Holy Spirit demands his followers go out into the deserts and the byways and the distant pagan cities and bring all those outsiders and outcasts and sinners into the family. The watchmen who guard the entryways are the Pharisees.
Also, there’s a lot of controversy right now about multi-ethnic and multicultural churches, and whether they are of value, sustainable, or even if they are possible. The book of Acts makes it clear that there was only one person who thought a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural church was valuable enough to fight for it. That one person was the Holy Spirit. It took him decades to convince the church, and to be honest, we are still learning the same lessons two thousand years later. We’re still sorting out what is cultural vs. what is “Christian” in our churches, and we’re forcing the Gentiles to get circumcised.
Third, I’d say we’re afraid to contextualize the good news to our audiences. We’re worried that we’ll change the words a little and stray from the meaning. Oh, we say we’ll “become all things to all people” so that by all means some may believe, but in practice we’re “evangelicals to all people so that some people might learn the religious jargon and come to Jesus.”
Paul quoted from poems about Zeus and told the people there was a seed of theological truth in them. Why are we afraid to do the same with pop culture and the Quran and the Bhagavad Gita? Is it possible we could start with Shiva saying “all beings are in me” as well as Paul could start with “in Zeus we live and move and have our being” and have just as compelling, powerful and persuasive gospel presentations as Paul did?
What do you hope readers will walk away with after they finish your book?
Matt Mikalatos: I hope they’d walk away knowing how to tell a story instead of start an argument. I hope they’d be both inspired to talk more about Jesus and less afraid to do so. I hope they’d have new eyes for the outsiders, and a new love and compassion for those who are far off. And I hope they will experience a fresh awareness of how beautiful the good news really is.
What else would you like readers to know about your book?
Matt Mikalatos: Everything on earth has a temperature at which it bursts into flames. Wood, for example, combusts at 572 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat. Oxygen. Fuel. Put those three things together and you have the makings of a fire that will sweep through forests and grasslands and cities.
Imagine a forest. You’re sitting in the woods, lush and green. There are small animals moving about in the underbrush and green-tinted sunlight filtering through the trees. Somewhere an old log catches fire somehow. Maybe it’s the sunlight, or someone has thrown a match. There’s a sound of air being sucked into it, a whoosh, and the whole forest hits the flash point. The flame moves as fast and as powerful as wind, lighting the bushes, the trees, the fallen pinecones and needles. Everything is on fire simultaneously. The air moves, hot and fast, like a wind, and you are caught in the middle of it, scalding hot air, flames, fuel. And it’s spreading.
It was like that. One moment everyone was huddled in an upper room. The next, boom! An explosion. Flames burst into the room, and a sound like wind, and all of them began to tell their stories.
The Holy Spirit was the flame and the oxygen, and they were the fuel. The fire burned and spread and consumed every heart it touched.
That’s where this book starts, two thousand years ago. We can go there again. We can be part of it. Co-workers with the Holy Spirit as he makes way for a new and expanding kingdom. Let’s get caught up in his good story.

"Who is your spiritual father or mother?"

"Who is your spiritual father or mother?"
September 3, 2015

Some time ago, I was meeting with a group of about 15 pastors and Christians leaders.  I ask asked them this question:  "Who was/is your spiritual father or mother?"

As we went around the group, only two could identify someone who had played that role in their lives.  And, all the rest said, "I sure wish I had had someone like that!"  

In the American church we have focused on developing discipleship programs and courses and classes and manuals. But, for Paul, discipling was radically different.  It took place in the context of a relationship of the heart.

In this week's assignment, we'll look at what this meant for Paul and what it means for us.  This is Lesson Four (September 2015), Assignment One in our Leader 101 Course.

Click on the picture below to find out more...

Why You Should Read More Books & How You Can Do So Quickly

FrankViolaBlog - Why You Should Read More Books & How You Can Do So Quickly

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Why You Should Read More Books & How You Can Do So Quickly

Posted: 20 Aug 2015 05:24 AM PDT

Most of you are influencers of some sort. Many are pastors, teachers, authors, bloggers, professors, and people who are involved in some kind of ministry. (So says this year’s blog survey,)

Recently, I caught up with Dave Frederick – a Vineyard pastor and President of Leaders Book Summaries – to ask him about why it’s critical for those who have influence to read many books. Here’s the interview along with a free perk at the end for my subscribers.

Why is it important for those who influence others to read many books?

Dave Frederick: If you want to influence or lead other people, you have to keep learning and growing. You can’t really lead people beyond where you are yourself. Reading allows you to benefit from other’s experiences and grow in wisdom without having to recreate the wheel every time. And it’s a great way to gain information that you need to help yourself, and others, move forward. None of us knows all we need to; the most effective leaders keep investing in their own growth so they have more to pass on.

What would you say to a leader who says, “I don’t read any books except the Bible?”

Dave Frederick: I would say, “That sounds very spiritual! But I don’t think it is either biblical or wise.” Paul didn’t live that way. He asked Timothy to bring “the scrolls, especially the parchments” (II Timothy 4:13) which would have been reading material, and he was familiar with writers of different cultures—he quoted them at times when he preached. Also, Proverbs is clear that we should pursue wisdom, and reading is one of the best ways to do that. As far as I can see, the most effective, impactful spiritual leaders throughout history have all been readers. You would be hard-pressed to find any that didn’t read the Bible and other material as well.

How does Leaders Book Summaries help busy people to read more books?

Dave Frederick: It’s really just simple math. A typical person will take 4-6 hours to read a full book. They will take 15-20 minutes to read a summary, and they will still get all the key information. Interestingly, a Carnegie-Mellon study found that people who read good summaries often retain more of what they read than those who read the whole book. I don’t think the goal is just to read more—although summaries enable you to do that—but rather to learn more. And reading summaries helps you do that as well.

What if a person says, “I want to read more books, but I’m not a leader.” What is your response?

Dave Frederick: So what? Reading, learning, growing—those things are for everyone. If you want to become a leader, reading is a great way to invest in yourself, but even if you don’t, hopefully you still want to become all you can be—and the wisdom you can gain from reading will serve you well.

What are some of the most popular books you’ve featured in summary form?

Dave Frederick: That’s a hard one! We summarize all the current top leadership books, and try to make sure that we get all the older classics as well. It’s probably easier to talk about popular authors: John Maxwell, Andy Stanley, Henry Cloud, Patrick Lencioni, Larry Osborne, the Heath brothers, Kouzes & Posner, Bill Hybels, and so many more—if they are writing good material, we try to summarize it. We want to get the best material out there into people’s hands. If you go to the website, you can actually see all the books we have summarized.

What has the response been to Leaders Book Summaries?

Dave Frederick: Overwhelming! We have had thousands of people sign up. Many churches have gotten subscriptions for all of their leaders. The truth is, no one is out there wondering what to do with all of their extra time! So having a way to invest in yourself and grow, without having to spend hours and hours, really addresses a felt need.

How can people join to check it out and is there a cost?

Dave Frederick: You can go to the website (studyleadership.com) and sign up. We have month-to-month and annual subscriptions—all the costs are outlined there. Or, you can just click this link—we are offering your readers a free first month so they can check out the service with no risk. You can’t get that through the normal website, you have to use the link.

Is there anything else that you do besides the summaries?

Dave Frederick: Yes! This year we have added a new service we call LeadersTips. These are short, 2-3 minute videos that cover one specific tip for leaders—one specific idea or insight that will help you become a better leader. We do one per week, and they are free to our subscribers. It’s just another way to serve people.

Any final comments?

Dave Frederick:  Our goal is simple: we want to help people become who they are called to be and do what they are called to do. That’s what we are called to do. Both the summaries and the videos serve that purpose. As God’s leaders step into their identity and develop their skills, I think the church, and the world, will be affected. It’s exciting to me that we get to play a small part in helping that happen.

Check out studyleadership.com

John Fenn, Self-centered/Rightness #2 (Why Healing)

Hi all,

Shortly after the USSR fell apart, I led a team to the city of Ekaterinburg, a city of over 1 million people sitting astride the Ural Mountains over 1,000 miles (1600km) east of Moscow, to help start a church. Over the course of the week we went to the main train and bus station to hand out advertisement about the meetings where I would be sharing the gospel. Those were innocent days that were too short-lived. 

 

Their sudden exposure to the west brought confusion concerning fashions and a desperate effort to catch up. Having no context to set the decades of western styles in proper order, people would often wear clothing from various decades all at once: One man was wearing bell bottom jeans from the late 1960's with a pastel linen jacket from the early 1980's "Miami Vice" era (US TV show) topped by a baseball cap with an American team's emblem on it. One young woman was wearing a 1960's mini-skirt with old work boots and a woman's jacket from a polyester pants suit and had the big hair style of the 1980's.

 

It was all very sweet and innocent, and I was deeply touched by the hearts of the Russian people and their rich culture. I baptized about 400 people who had believed on the Lord that week and cherish those days.

 

Tzedakah

I've been talking about the Jewish understanding of righteousness, tzedakah in Hebrew, because tzedakah says if a person has right standing before God they will live that rightness in a flow outward to their fellow man. Church culture teaches right standing with God, while leaving off the (horizontal) flow to our neighbor.

 

But, if all we understand is the vertical, we can be like the crowd at the bus station where no one had the context to understand how each decade of style fit together. They could not be sure what to identify themselves with, and I see many Christians like that. Whe have Christians wearing 'streams of the faith' styles from many decades all together, having no context to establish to Whom they belong, therefore they seek an identity with some movement to prove their walk with God.

 

Someone may clothe themselves with the intercessor movement of the 1990's like a jacket, while wearing doctrinal shoes ready to walk through the Tribulation, with spiritual pants trying to relive the Toronto blessing. Or, they can wear the 'pre-tribulation rapture' hat with the inner healing coat and have their feet shod with the cowboy boots of simple church. But no matter the 'spiritual clothing' they cover themselves with for others to see, it is still all about them and their lives in a self-centered faith.

 

Why Jesus healed

Jesus' life in the gospels was living tzedakah as a flow of being right before the Father, and therefore He did healings and miracles as evidence of His righteousness - not just to prove who He was, - but as evidence His life was righteous and what He said about the Father was right and people could therefore believe in Him.

 

Acts 10:38 says "...How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power

(vertical), who went about doing good and healing (horizontal) all that were oppressed of the devil."

 

Today the fact Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and power and went about doing good is lost on us. Many want to have a greater anointing which they equate with a personal breakthrough or answered prayer or bigger ministry, but no one ever says they wanted to be anointed as Jesus was, to go about doing good.

 

Jesus did not go about 'doing good' trying to brand Himself as the newest product from heaven, He went about doing good because He IS good. And so is the Father. When He said He is meek and lowly in heart, He was telling the truth. He is meek and lowly because the Father is first meek and lowly.

 

When He turned water into wine He didn't advertise the fact but let the groom and bride receive the honor. Did you get that? Jesus though the Son of God in the flesh, allowed an unamed bride & groom receive the credit and honor for the wine. Sometimes He would tell people not to tell anyone when He healed them. Those are His values. That is His humility. That is how He expressed tzedakah - righteousness.

 

In John 9 we have the healing of a man born blind that illustrates the Jewish understanding of righteousness being vertical AND horizontal. The man is brought before the rulers who had already stated in v24 they believed Jesus was a sinner. The blind man answered in v30-33 with his statement of tzedakah:

 

"Now we know that God doesn't hear sinners, but if any man is a worshipper of God AND does His will, him will He hear. Since the beginning of the world it has not been heard that any man has opened the eyes of one born blind. So if this man were not of God, He could do nothing." 

 

Why have we been given the name of Jesus?

Healing and the things of the Spirit therefore aren't side-show attractions at the Christian Carnival, with people gathering to see a leg grow out or go to a meeting to see the latest 'manifestation' where God allegedly turns people into blathering idiots, causes them to bark like a dog, or shake like a leaf in the wind.

 

NO! Healing is part of God the Father's own tzedakah (right-ness), that He pours out to us because He is righteous. And in the flow of living water from the throne from Him through us*, that righteousness is to be demonstrated and proven by healing acts of love towards our fellow man! *Revelation 22:1; John 7:38-39

 

Last week I was on a flight after visiting the Seattle/Vancouver Island/Vancouver areas. When I was seated I noticed the flight attendant holding her finger to her left ear. She kept rubbing her left ear, and I asked the Father if He wanted to heal her as clearly something was wrong. When I got the chance I asked if she was okay, and she said when the cabin door had opened after the previous flight there was a jet next to them that started its engines at that moment, and the sudden loud noise made her deaf in that ear.

 

I started to offer to lay hands on her but she dismissed my concern before I could ask outright to lay hands on her, quickly turning away to attend to preparations for take off. So I prayed this, "Father, I know every good and perfect gift comes down from you to us, and she is just doing her job and sustained this injury, would you touch her and heal her out of your mercy and because I'm asking you to?"

 

About 10 minutes later she walked down the aisle past me and I asked how she was doing, and she said, "It went back to normal just like that! Thanks for asking"...and I smiled in my heart at the Father's goodness, and the expression of tzedakah I was able to be part of.  

 

Today we have 'healing evangelists' who make a great show of what they do. Today we have people who run to this meeting and that looking for the spectacular, thinking that is supernatural. Today we have people flocking to 'revival centers' where they think God is concentrating His presence, so they pick up their ear plugs at the door for what is called 'worship', and wait to see who will flop, shake, rattle and roll as a sign God is in their midst. And He graciously does what He can to meet people where they are, but there is a better and higher way...

 

We have been given the name of Jesus not to make a show, but to change people's lives where they live, as discreetly as Jesus turned water into wine and kept quiet*, as nonchalantly as miraculously reattaching Malchus' ear* after Peter had cut it off, as graciously as healing Peter's mother in law so she could attend to her guests.* What we find in house church is that most of the gifts of the Spirit operate outside the meetings, in day-to-day life, just as we see in Matthew through Acts. It is a Biblical understanding - God lives in people, not in temples made with hands* and it is within those relationships tzedakah is best demonstrated. (John 2, Luke 22:50-51, Mark 1:30-31, Acts 17:24)

 

Let us remove the 'spiritual clothing' from the various streams which cause us to be self-focused, and start living our right-standing with the Father as He intended, in a flow outward in tzedakah (righteousness) alleging and proving He is good and Jesus is His Son, with evidence to support those claims by our own lives, and the good He does through us.

 

Next week; Understanding marriage/divorce/adultery/remarriage in tzedakah

 

    Blessings,

        John Fenn

www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com

 

 

 

New CD/MP3 Series

 

What Jesus Taught Me About Holiness

Based on a 50 minute visitation with the Lord and unlocking key elements in the Word, this teaching totally upended all John thought he knew about holiness, and it changed his life. Most people think holiness is a sect involving long hair and dresses, no make up, and a generally bland life, but in fact it is simple and core to our being. Rather than rules and regulations, understanding holiness is actually the key to walking in love and learning to live from the inside out. (2 cd/MP3, $12/set or MP3 $10)