The Clarion, Aug. 2024
Welcome
August is such a time when we are in the middle of summer, and we are enjoying ourselves, and telling ourselves that ‘we never want summer to end.’ We love the flowers and the birds and our vacations. Here is a sandiegram called the Butterfly. Copyright 2010
The Butterfly
Like the butterfly who emerges from the cocoon,
so it is with us when we leave the cocoon
of our old ways and become a new creation in God.
Like the butterfly who soars to new heights,
so shall we soar to new heights in the Lord.
Like the butterfly who is free,
so are we free when we leave our sinful past and abide in God.
Like the butterfly who has new life,
so it is with us when we accept Jesus as the Lord of our lives.
This Summer let’s be a butterfly and let’s come out of our cocoon. God wants us to be born again, to leave our old ways behind and become new creations. We must be free so that we can serve the Lord with gladness of heart. Oh, we must soar like an eagle and be new as a butterfly, letting our beauty be seen and yet being as delicate in flight as we soar to new heights. Today let’s take the butterfly as our example and let’s shed our old cocoon and spread our wings and be free to serve the Lord in the newness of life.
The Hidden Meaning Behind the Miracles of Yeshua : Part Two
Before we go to Yeshua’s next great miracle we want to look first at what led up to His first miracle. We see that the first thing Yeshua did was being baptized by John in the Jordan River. Now, in Judaism being baptized is what they call an immersion into a mikvah. A mikvah is a ritual immersion into a natural collection of water, like rain water, or in this case, a river. It is for purification as we see that people came out to immerse, because they had repented of their sins, and in Yeshua’s case, He was about to begin His ministry. A man began either his profession or in Yeshua’s case His ministry at the age of thirty. It is said of John the Baptist this in Isaiah 40:3-8 and in Mark 1: 2-5, “Behold, I am sending My messenger before you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one calling out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make His path straight!’ John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.” And they did come, even Yeshua. Now as we see in Matthew 4, we see Yeshua being led by the Spirit into that same wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights. He fasted and prayed. This could have been the forty days leading up to Yom Kippur, when one stops to consider his deeds and repents and this is what we see happening in Matthew 3 with John at the Jordan. Now after forty days of fasting the Devil comes to Him and tempts Him. Yom Kippur is a time of fasting and praying, it is the holiest time of the year. It would only be natural that the Devil would come at this time to tempt Yeshua and God would test Him. But at sundown, Yom Kippur would end, and we see the angel coming to Him and ministering to Him. It is believed that Yeshua was born on the first day of Sukkot, which follows Yom Kippur five days later. So now it would be time for Him to choose His disciples and that is what we see happening in John 2. Next we see Yeshua and His disciples at the wedding in Cana. You can read about the miracle in part one of this series. What we do not know is how long after the wilderness experience did this wedding happen, it could be months. What we do know is that Yeshua began His ministry with the same message as John the Baptist, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
But Yeshua was rejected when He went back to His hometown of Nazareth.
Luke 4 tells us that on the day of the Sabbath that Yeshua went to the synagogue and He stood to read the scroll from the Prophet Isaiah 61:1-3. This was once part of the reading portion called Nitzavim that was read right before Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets, which announces the “Coming King.” It was just what the Nazarenes needed to hear about Yeshua. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord anointed Me to bring good news to the humble; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the cloak of praise instead of a disheartened spirit. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
So this timing would be right, because now we see Yeshua standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, which is also called the Sea of Galilee and also Lake Tiberias, and this brings us to the next miracle. Luke 5:1-11 tells us, “Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the Word of God, He was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret; and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little distance from the land. And He sat down and continued teaching the crowds from the boat. Now when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon responded and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they caught a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to tear; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, to the point that they were sinking. But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Yeshuas’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; and likewise also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Yeshua said to Simon, “Do not fear; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.”
This takes place after Yeshua told the crowd in Nazareth that He was the fulfillment of Isaiah 61:1-3. So you may say that Yeshua tells us the hidden meaning, which was to become “fishers of men,” but there is still a deeper meaning. Let’s take a closer look. The Scripture tells us that Peter, his brother Andrew and James and John were fishing by Lake Gennesaret, in the Sea of Galilee,and Yeshua comes along and tells these fishermen how to fish. Well, they see the crowd that is with Yeshua, so they do as He asks. Now this could have been during the time of the Fall Feasts, (which speaks of Yeshua’s second coming) then Yeshua would have wanted the people to see that He was truly the Messiah, the Son of God, the One that was sent to gather the people, which is recorded in Revelations 7, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
So He most likely would have wanted the crowd to understand about the kingdom, like in the parable called a Dragnet in Matthew 13:47-50. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they pulled it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. So it will be at the end of the age: the angels will come forth and remove the wicked from among the righteous, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
He also would have wanted the people to understand that there is man’s way of doing things and then there is God’s way. Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” Simon and his friends were fishing all night and caught nothing. We must realize that they did not just throw out one little net overnight but a series of nets that would have encompassed a large area of water. So they were tired and being that this was their only source of income, left them discouraged. But Peter did what Yeshua asked, he threw the nets on the other side of the boat, and they had a catch that overwhelmed them. Yes, God is the God of abundance and when Peter did it God’s way, he was blessed abundantly. The world’s way leads us to disappointment, but God’s way leads us to blessings. Both ways took work and determination to see results, but the results of doing things God’s way opened the eyes of not only Peter and his friends, but the whole crowd that was standing along the shoreline. Yeshua said, “Now go out and fish for men.” And Peter did, on the day of Pentecost Acts 2 records this, “But Peter, taking his stand with the other eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: ‘Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, know this, and pay attention to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you assume, since it is only the third hour of the day; but this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel.’ After quoting Joel, Peter went on to say, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Messiah—Yeshua whom you crucified. Brothers, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. So because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. It is this Yeshua whom God raised up, a fact to which we are all witnesses.” After Peter gave the salvation message it says, “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” So maybe you too, need to throw your net on the other side and begin doing things God’s way instead of man’s way, and you too may bring in an abundance of blessings.
Safetyzoneforteens.com Is Social Media Really Good For Us?
Today we have so many teens and young adults who are suffering from all kinds of attacks on their lives. No, not physical, but emotional. If someone can get you to feel small and insufficient, then they feel powerful and significant. We have a real problem in our society in which we must be above another, we must have power over another, we must conquer at all costs. This is what Social Media has created. What we have done is create a monster. We are against bullying, and yet we create a platform for bullying. This country, more and more, is against freedom of speech and yet Social Media is open to any kind of speech, hate speech, violence speech, speech that leaves people insecure and depressed and feeling all alone. Social Media in many ways is good, but not when it is used as a weapon, not when it ruins peoples’ lives or causes someone to commit suicide. We can not create a hostile society. People fight internet wars for all to read and even take part in. Someone needs to be a peacemaker. When you see bullying online, step up and be a peacemaker, a friend, even if you do not know the person, stand with them, because one day it could be you, and you would want someone to stand with you. Always look for the good in someone. Always stand with the underdog, as they say. Be a champion for those who may be different in the eyes of those who think they are high and mighty. Yes, you may also become a victim, but you will have the satisfaction that you have done a good deed by not allowing someone to stand alone. Today we are not in the business of doing good deeds. It seems to be a lost virtue. What will people say if you help an elderly person, or a handicapped person, or even one who is not like the social elites? We all have faults, we all have a handicap of some sort. No one is perfect, No one! If you have found that Social Media causes you to be depressed or feeling inadequate or sad, then do not go on being part of it. No one should take their life because someone thinks you are one way or another. This is true for those who go to school and are bullied by a certain group of people or you go to work and you do not measure up to the social butterflies there. There is more to life than what someone thinks you ought to be. Just be yourself and know that God loves you. Before He created the world He knew you and loved you, and no one can get higher or mightier than God. So today if you have thoughts of suicide, let go of the thought, and think on this, I am not going to give anyone the satisfaction of me committing suicide or changing who I am, because I am me and I am who I am and there is no other person I need to satisfy except myself. I am loved by no one greater than my Creator and His love surpasses anything in this world. I tell you, you can be strong and you can be determined if you know that God the Almighty stands with you. Today you may not be bullied, and so you may not be able to relate to how that feels, but you can stand with one who is being hurt every day by words that hurt, and defend those who are weak and depressed and need a friend. You will feel better about yourself, and you will make someone feel wanted and needed, and you will give them a purpose for living. One day you may need a friend, and you will have a friend in the one you gave a helping hand to.
Hebrew Corner: The Martyrs: Thomas
Thomas was one of the twelve apostles. He was also called Didymus and also the Twin. He was called Judas Thomas in Syria, but probably known best by his nickname Doubting Thomas. Thomas appears several times in the gospels.
John 11: 5-16 tells us, “ So when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let’s go to Judea again.” The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and yet You are going there again?”…
“So Yeshua then said to them plainly, “Lazarus died, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let’s go to him.” Therefore Thomas, who was called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s also go, so that we may die with Him!”
John 14:1-7 says this “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be. And you know the way where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; how do we know the way?” Yeshua said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.”
John 20: 19-29 tells us this story, “Now when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were together due to fear of the Jews, Yeshua came and stood in their midst, and said to them, “Peace be to you.” And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Yeshua said to them again, “Peace be to you; just 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, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.’ But Thomas, one of the twelve, who was called Didymus, was not with them when Yeshua came. So the other disciples were saying to him, ‘We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”’
According to Eusebius’ record, Thomas and Bartholomew were assigned to Parthia and northwest India. The Didascalia (dating from the end of the 3rd century) states, “India and all countries, even to the farthest seas… received the Apostolic ordinances from Judas Thomas, who was a guide and ruler in the church which he built.” According to Syrian tradition, Thomas was martyred in 72 AD by a thrust of a spear.
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