The Clarion, April 2025
Welcome
Spring is here and we must think about how God so loves us that He gives us so many new beginnings, every day, every month, every season, every year. There is no reason that we need to stay in our sins or in our darkness. The days are getting longer and the light is shining earlier and longer. God gives us hope, the hope of better days, the hope of a future, a hope of salvation. God has given us a way to seek Him and ask of Him. We can come before a holy God, because He has made Himself approachable through the shed blood of Messiah. Our sin separates us from Him and with this the access to Him, but repentance from the heart that humbles oneself can be washed and reconciled to Him once again. Romans 6: 4-8, 12-14, “We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Messiah was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His. We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Messiah, we believe that we will also live with Him.” “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.” Titus 3:3-6 says, “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Messiah Yeshua our Savior, so that being justified by His mercy we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
As we remember Yeshua’s death and resurrection let us also die with Him so that we will be raised with Him, new beginnings in newness of life.
Yeshua our Example of a Life in the Spirit, Part 4
Let’s continue our series in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
As we have seen God is the embodiment of the fruit of the Spirit. God wants us to be like Him. We were created in His image. On this earth we are to be His witnesses, like the light in the darkness, we are to show the world God. We want to look at kindness. The definition of kindness is the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. So once again we see that kindness, like love, joy and peace, is to be given to others and not kept to ourselves. Similar words used interchangeably with kindness are grace, gentleness, patience, goodness, graciousness, hospitality, to name a few.
Proverbs 3:1-4 tells us this, “My son, do not forget My teaching, but have your heart comply with My commandments; for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and a good reputation in the sight of God and man.”
And again in Proverbs 19:22a, “What is desirable in a person is his kindness.”
In Romans 2:4, Paul speaks about the one who judges others, “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and restraint (self-control) and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance.”
Ephesians 2: 4-7 says, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Messiah, and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Messiah Yeshua, so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Messiah Yeshua.”
Titus 3: 3-6a says this, “For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He richly poured out upon us through Messiah Yeshua our Savior.”
We must do works of kindness. We must extend a hand to others and show them kindness. It is like the hand of God, who in His great love, showed us kindness and till this day is still extending His hand to others through us. Yeshua went about doing good through His acts of kindness, even upon the cross, He extended His kindness to the man next to Him on the cross, and invited him to be in Paradise with Him. But kindness and goodness go together, so we now want to look at the fruit of goodness. Goodness is the act of kindness. If you have a kind heart, then goodness will be your hands carrying out what’s in your heart.
Exodus 33:18-19 tells us this, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.’ Then Moses said, ‘Please, show me Your glory!’ And He said, ‘I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion to whom I will show compassion.”’
Paul writes in Romans 15:13-14 this, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. And concerning you, my brothers and sisters, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.”
It seems as though goodness is not only about giving to one in need, but also with knowledge and understanding, one may need to be counseled or even admonished.
2 Thessalonians 1:9-12 says, “ These people will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified among His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—because our testimony to you was believed. To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will consider you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, in accordance with the grace of our God and the Lord Messiah Yeshua.”
Paul knew that in doing right, one must do it out of his own love, and not be forced to do goodness or else it simply is not an act of goodness.
Philemon 1:12-14, “I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart, whom I wanted to keep with me, so that in your behalf he might be at my service in my imprisonment for the gospel; but I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion, but of your own free will.”
God told Moses that He would make all His goodness pass before him. When we have God in our hearts and we are living out His Word, His Commandments, we then begin to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We begin the process of holiness by the washing of regeneration and the renewing that only the Holy Spirit can bring. When we begin to see the fruit of the Spirit grow within us, then we know that we are beginning to live in the Spirit. Remember what Proverbs 3 told us, to bind kindness and truth around our neck and put them in our hearts.
God wrote His Commandments upon two tablets of stone and He will now write upon our hearts, as Ezekiel 11:19-20 says, “And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, so that they may walk in My statutes, and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.”
Again in Ezekiel 36:26-27, “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and bring it about that you walk in My statutes, and are careful and follow My ordinances.” This is the new covenant that we now have and should walk in.
Let’s look at gentleness. Psalm 18:35 says this, “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand upholds me; and Your gentleness makes me great.”
To be gentle is the quality of being kind, tender, or mild-mannered. As you have just read, gentleness does not make you weak but great. Remember Yeshua was the Lamb of God. He went to cross in a gentle manner, not like a lion roaring and look at what He did. He gained us our victory, through His gentleness. God’s gentleness makes us great!
Galatians 6:1-3 says, “Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you are not tempted as well. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Messiah. For if anyone thinks that he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”
2 Tim 2:22-26 says, “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, skillful in teaching, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”
James 3:13-18, “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, free of hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
Doing God’s work means you have to have gentleness, goodness, and kindness.
Hebrew Corner: Timothy
Last month we read that Timothy was martyred during the end of reign of Domitian in 97. Timothy was a Greek on his father’s side, but his mother was Jewish. The Apostle Paul met him during his second missionary journey and he became Paul’s companion and missionary partner along with Silas. Timothy’s name appears as the co-author on 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians,
1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon. Young Timothy was mentored or correctly discipled by Paul. The Book of 1 Timothy begins, “To Timothy, my true son in the faith.” 1 Timothy 4:12-14 says, “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. Until I come, give your attention to the public reading, to exhortation, and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was granted to you through words of prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.”
Paul would often write Timothy and encourage him in the faith as 1 Timothy 1:18-19 tells us, “This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.”
Paul wrote to the Philippians about Timothy, “I have no one like him.” When Paul was in prison and awaiting martyrdom, he summoned his faithful friend Timothy for a last farewell. Much of the book of 1 Timothy has to do with framing a congregation and its leadership. 2 Timothy is more about being strong in difficult times. 2 Timothy 1:3-6 says, “I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelled in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”
Paul was without doubt, persecuted for his faith and in 2 Timothy 3:10-12, Paul encourages Timothy to endure persecution. “Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! Indeed, all who want to live in a godly way in Messiah Yeshua will be persecuted.”
This is a message that we all need to take to heart.
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