Fulfilling the Great
Commission
by brother MattithYah,
4/24/2004
Shabbat Shalom
b'Yahshua HaMoshiach. (Sabbath Peace
In Yahshua The Messiah.)
In some of Yahshua's last
words to us before He ascended to the Father, He gave to us some of
the most important instructions we have ever heard.
MattithYah 28:19. Go therefore,
and teach all nations, immersing them in the Name
(i.e. authority) of the Father and Son, (i.e. water immersion) and
of the Set-Apart Spirit (i.e. immersion in the fire of Yahweh's
Spirit), teaching them to guard all (i.e. to observe, watch over, be
zealous for) that I have commanded you (i.e.
theTorah).
In these days which are now
surrounding us; days in which prophecy is being fulfilled and in
which knowledge is being increased, one of the duties facing Yisrael
is that of the great commission, and along with it comes the
question of how we best preform such an important task.
Indeed, the message of Scripture rings
clear.
MattithYah
22:9. Go therefore into the highways, and as many
as ye shall find, bid to the marriage [of the
Lamb].
Dealing
with the lost is complicated. They can be grouped into two
categories:
1. Those who believe in Elohim but live in sin and
don’t actually know Yahshua. These people have good hearts and, even
though they do have addictions to sin, they really do care.
You may need to serve them a meal when they are weary from the
world. You may need to help them when things get
difficult. However, it is essential to guard your heart around
them or you can be easily led into their ‘fun’ thereby sinning
against the Almighty. You must keep your distance here.
Remember that Solomon had wives who turned his heart away from
Elohim! If he, the wisest man on earth, can be fooled, how
much more can the rest of us?
2.
Those who, in a literal sense, whether or not it is obvious, worship
haShatawn. These are people you must avoid. Stay clear of them
for they are without knowledge, without true wisdom and the cruelest
people on this earth. This is where Hitler came from. These
are the Taliban and Palestinian bombers who have no heart but one of
blood-curdling cruelty. Not only are they in other countries
but the United States of America is infested with them. They are
teens, men and women. Their cruelty knows no bounds or age.
You must realize how truly dangerous they are because they can con
and act sweet, but their hearts are far from Elohim. They only
seek to torture, kill and take from you. Here is a chilling
thought - many of them say they are Christians or that they ‘believe
in God.’ Oh, how many they have fooled! You will know them by
their fruits. Learn to discern the difference between a true
believer and a counterfeit. Never get involved with them -
Ever.
People often say we must be ‘salt and light.’ They get
themselves tangled up into inappropriate situations, foolishly
thinking they can help ‘save’ these lost souls. Did
you know that devout Jews don’t believe in evangelism? They
live their lives, obey Torah, keep Shabbat and are the light of the
world by their actions. They do not try to convince others of
their ways! The Ruach HaKodesh does this, not mortal
man! Look with me at Zechariah 8:23: “Thus saith Yahweh of
hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take
hold out of all languages and nations, even shall take hold of the
skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have
heard that Elohim is with you.” [1]
Messiah Yahshua said,
"You are the light of the world; a city set on a
hill cannot be hid." Notice he did not say that we were
a town cryer or a foghorn; He said that we were a LIGHT; a fire for
truth if you will, and a fire is SEEN long
before it is heard. This relates very much to the
great commission and how we MUST be SHINING to the ends of the
earth; NOT screaming to it. As the nations lay their eyes
on the light of truth as it is shining from our lives, they will
instincitively be drawn to partake, but what will happen if the
light has turned into flames hissing and cracking and burning
them with the words, "You are a sinner. Get over
here and partake of me"? Yes, this will happen, but this is
not for us to do. Yahweh Himself will burn men with the fire
of truth in the end times, and even then, it will not turn their
hearts. Instead, they will blaspheme.
Revelation 16:8. And the
fourth messenger poured out his vial upon the sun; and power
was given unto him to scorch men with fire. 9. And men were
scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of Yahweh, which
hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him
esteem.
This is also what Messiah
was alluding to in:
MattithYah 13:5. And some seed
fell on rocky places (hard hearts, heart where the truth came to
them, but they did not come to it) where they did not have much
soil (i.e. belief) and immediately they sprang up, because they had
no depth of soil (or belief). 6. But when the sun was up
they were scorched, and because they had no root, they
withered.
Clearly we see
that proselytizing and attempting to force the truth on people
will not work, and will waste our time, so how do we fulfill the
great commission? I recently
received a forward from Yosef ben Ruach (Norman Willis), of
NazareneIsrael.org, which helps us to understand how we may best
achieve this goal. Allow me to quote several portions of his
message below.
"In all the
years that have passed since coming to know YHWH, if there is one
thing YHWH has taught me is, it is this: "A man's deeds always speak
louder than his mouth." We as believers
(especially new believers having just come into the Kingdom) are
always zealous to share the wonderful news of our new- found
Messiah: And that is good. I believe the zeal to share the
Good News with those who have not yet come to know Him is second in
importance only to obedience to His voice. However, what I have learned to be equally, if not more
important than the zeal to share the Good News, is that there is a
right and a wrong way to channel that zeal. One has to channel
that zeal so that it has the longest and deepest, most lasting
effect upon all those around us. What is the most effective
thing we can say to those of whom we lovingly desire to know the
truth of The Messiah? The most effective thing I have ever said to
someone, was nothing. Of all the words I have ever uttered, of
all the scriptures I ever quoted, of all the reasoning, arguing,
debating and discussing, nothing has ever had more of a profound
impact on someone as when I said nothing. A picture may speak
a thousand words, but a man's deeds and actions speak volumes. And
never have I seen YHWH open up the hearts of those around me as to
when I spoke not with my words, but with my heart (through my
actions.) [. . . .]
"The challenge before Ephraim is to speak the truth of
the Messiah, without ever saying a word. Ephraim needs to
speak without speaking. Your actions, dear brothers, are going
to speak louder than anything you could ever possibly say. It
will be through your zealous dedication to the Torah and your
overwhelming desire to do the written Law, that Judah will want to
know "Why, why, why?" [. . . .
.] To the
Jewish mind, who would ever want to go to a synagogue, keep the
Torah, keep Shabbat & the Festivals, or be active in the Jewish
community, but a Jew? Who would want to take upon themselves
the "yoke" of Torah and be a part of the most hated and persecuted
people on earth, but another Jew? [. . . . .] The point is that it is only a small step to go from
saying, "Only a Jew would want to keep Torah" to saying "Only a Jew
or an Ephraimite would want to keep Torah: Therefore these non-Jews
who are coming back, must be Ephraimites." And that is
actually what is happening. The Talmud teaches that Ephraim is going
to come home some day, although there is no general consensus on how
they will return, or why. The thing is to give them the
answer, calmly and quietly, as friends.
"Because of
the history involved (and because of prophecy) the Jews have an
incredible resistance to Yeshua, or anyone who has anything to do
with Him. They are caught in this paradox, then, between
their belief that anyone who wants to keep the Torah of Moshe must
be Israeli, and their desire to have nothing at all to do with the
"Christians." The Jews are not stupid: They are very smart
people, and if this thing hangs in the balance then the thing that
will impress them the most, and the thing that will witness the most
(without ever opening your mouth) is when the Jews see people who
are not Jewish (but who think they are Ephraimites) coming and
keeping the Torah, even though the rest of the world will soon hate
them for it. Jews are like one big family that
way. Anyone who wants to come be in this stew-pot
together with them will earn their respect.
"Just the
mere presence of true Torah-observant believers will speak more than
we could ever say with our mouths. The point is that if our
actions and deeds do not shine bright enough to make the Jews want
to ask us why we are different, then we really have no right to talk
anyhow. But the beauty of it is that if our actions do shine,
then we will never need to say one word more, than to answer the
questions we are asked. Ephraim need not set out to say
anything at all. All she needs to do is to come back into her
inheritance [...] and faithfully obey the Torah. She just
needs to focus on letting her light shine, and when Judah sees that
she is real, and that she is true, and that she is who she says she
is, and that she has no other agenda than to come back to [. .
.] do the written Torah, that is when Judah will come asking
questions. It is THEN that we should be ready to give an
answer to all those who ask, of the reason for the hope that is
within us (1 Peter 3:15.)" [2]
Proverbs 10:19. When words are many,
transgression is not absent, but he who restrains his lips is
wise.
1 Corinthians 9:5,9,10. So I
thought it necessary to appeal to the brothers to come to
you..... as is written, "He scattered abroad, He gave
to the poor, His righeousness remains forever." And He who
supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, shall supply and
increase the seed you have sown and increase the fruit of your
righteousness.
And above all, when
we speak the truth in wisdom, may we speak the truth in love.(Eph
4:15), for I can convert the whole world, but if I have not love, it
is a vain thing.
1
Corinthians 13:1-3. Though I speak with the tongues
of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become [as]
sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have [the
gift of] prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge;
and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and
have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my
goods to feed [the poor], and though I give my body to be burned,
and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
And though I may win all
the world to Messiah, and have not love, what have I accomplished,
"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall
gain the whole world, and lose his own
soul?" (Mark 8:36)
Ephesians 4:11-15. And he gave some
[to be] talmidim; and some, prophets; and some, emmisaries; and
some, rabbis and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints,
for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Messiah: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of Elohim, unto a perfect man, unto the measure
of the stature of the fulness of Messiah: That we [henceforth] be no
more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind
of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness,
whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the
truth in love, may grow up into him in all things,
which is the head, [even] Messiah.
Indeed, when it all
boils down to it, we find that the great commission hinges upon the
two greatest mitzvot (commands) in the Torah.
MattithYah 22:37-39.
Yahshua saith unto [us], Thou shalt love Yahweh
thy Elohim with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself.
Shabbat Shalom
Aleichem.
Sabbath peace be unto you, and may Yahshua richly
bless you as you fulfill HIS COMMISSION
.
Baruch Haba Bashem hwhy. Blessed be the Name of
Yahweh.
--Brother MattithYah
Endnotes:
[2] A Man's Deeds Always Speak
Louder Than His Words.
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