Jesus Without Christmas

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Pete Rambo

Terrific article that should be shared with family and friends. Helps explain our position in a peacable way. Share it around!

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

How to KNOW the will of God…

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Pete Rambo

Recently, I was reading a dynamite blog post about the Biblical definition of righteousness.  In the middle of the post was an absolute gem of an explanation about how to KNOW the will of God.

As a former pastor (ten years in the pulpit), I can assure you, the author of the following quote is spot on when they claim that the question ‘how can I know the will of God?’ is probably asked more than any other among Christians.  Well, quite simply, here is the answer:

For many years, it was our constant desire to DO what pleased the Father, but like everyone else we knew in the church, we were never sure what the ‘will’ of the Father was!

The most common question we hear from Christians is, “How can I know what the Will of the Father is for my life?”

The ‘official’ answers given have ranged from “just love God and

Continue reading →

Posted in Debate/Discussion | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Joseph Torah Portions

Posted on December 13, 2014 by Pete Rambo

Many here know that the Joseph portions are my very ‘favoritest’ of all the portions.  Here for this week and the next two are posts from last year:

Jesus / Yeshua as pictured in Joseph. Part 1.

Jesus / Yeshua as pictured in Joseph. Part 2.

Jesus / Yeshua as pictured in Joseph. Part 3.

Enjoy and share any new thoughts you may have…

Posted in Joseph | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ‘RIGHTEOUS’?

Posted on December 13, 2014 by Pete Rambo

Wow!! LOVE. LOVE, LOVE this piece. It is long but it covers so much ground and connects so many incredible pieces!! One in particular will get its own post in a day or two!!

This is a MUST READ with time spent processing all of it! Thanks, Sue & John for a job well done!

Blessings and Shalom!

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

We Delight in YOUR Shabbat!!

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Pete Rambo

Posted in Sabbath | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Who Wrote the Gospel of John?? (Not John?)

Posted on December 7, 2014 by Pete Rambo

Anyone who has even a rudimentary grasp of Greek knows that ‘James’ did not write  the Book of James.  Rather, it was Ya’acov, or Jacob.  The name wasn’t changed to James until the 16th century if I am not mistaken.  Typical tampering by scribes, but we’ve talked about that before.

So, yesterday I was not overly surprised when a friend stated that the Gospel of John was not written by John, but has rather been mis-attributed to him by church fathers.  Still, I wanted to look into it deeper, so I asked them to send me a link for consideration.

The following article is long, but I find it compelling and worthy of further study.  Understanding a change of authorship in no way undermines the content, however it continues to bring into question the traditions we have been given by our fathers.  Please take the time to read and consider this information and then post up comments and thoughts after processing!

 

The Authorship of the 4th Gospel: The Disciple Whom Yeshua Loved

 

Blessings.

Posted in Debate/Discussion | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Fox Byte 5775 #8: VaYishlach (And He Sent)

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Pete Rambo

This is an excellent and rich commentary on Ya’acov’s wrestling match in this week’s Torah portion. I definitely encourage all to take the time to read and ponder their own wrestling match as well as the larger picture of Christendom as well as Judaism asking, ‘What is Your name?’

Shabbat shalom!

Albert J. McCarn's avatarTHE BARKING FOX

וַיִּשְׁלַח

Florida State University, where the seeds of my first great crisis of faith matured. (FSU Westcott Building, Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons)Florida State University, where the seeds of my first great crisis of faith matured. (FSU Westcott Building, Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons)

There was a time I wrestled with God.  The wrestling match began in my teenage years, when I detected certain inconsistencies in the instruction handed down from my elders.  From my Southern Baptist church and family I learned that God had given free will to every human being, and that we could choose whether to follow Him or not.  From my Presbyterian school I learned that God had foreordained everything, and that a process called predestination somehow influenced the choices we make.  This was not the only inconsistency encountered in my Christian upbringing; there were and still are many.  The question of free will and predestination, however, shaped the context of my wrestling with God from the beginning. …

View original post 2,867 more words

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Sabbath – A Day of Delight

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Pete Rambo

Here is an excellent short summary article on the Sabbath that every Christian should read and process. I recommend reposting/sharing. (Lots of other good stuff on Jane’s site, too!

janediffenderfer's avatarjanediffenderfer.com

Foreigners Shabbat

by Scott and Jane Diffenderfer

(This article was originally published in the Jan./Feb. 1996 edition of First Fruit of Zion magazine. Edits have been made for this 2014 update.)

Our Father created the Sabbath for man to be a day of delight. It is a special time, set apart at the end of each week, to enjoy fellowship with Him. On Sabbath, we are free from our work routine to slow down and rest. This time allows us to concentrate on our family, to pray, worship, and play together. It is the one day of the week when we finally get the chance to dig deep into His Word, and receive new insight, knowledge, and understanding. Our Father has taught us so much about His ways as we have learned to keep the Sabbath, and we have been so very blessed. We do not keep it legalistically, as though we…

View original post 2,506 more words

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Lion of the Tribe of Jew.. D’uh!!

Posted on November 30, 2014 by Pete Rambo

lion of JudahWhat is not to get?  I just don’t understand.

Professing believers in Jesus and even whole denominations having vitriolic antipathy or even hate toward the Jews and Israel is a mystery to me.  Do they not know, do they not understand that even now, at this instant, the Holy One of Israel is still a Jew? He will always be a Jew!

It would seem that their Semitic denying Messiah is a figment of their imagination.  Jesus.  False Messiah.  Cast in the image of Chrysostom and Martin Luther among others.

The everlasting, unchanging Word of God attests over and over that Salvation (Yeshua), the Son of David, will sit on the throne forever!  And, He will Continue reading →

Posted in A Thought... | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

‘…to God who appeared to you…’

Posted on November 29, 2014 by Pete Rambo

5_large-stone-for-a-pillowNext Shabbat I have the pleasure of teaching the Portion at the fellowship we are currently attending, so this morning I was reading ahead and pondering anew Vayishlach.  While there are several terrific pieces I plan to study as I prepare, verse 35:1 reminded me of a post I put on here about two weeks ago, “Ya’acov saw Elohim (God) face to face…”  It is a passage that affirms Ya’acov’s very personal encounter with the Living One.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֔ב ק֛וּם עֲלֵ֥ה בֵֽית־אֵ֖ל וְשֶׁב־שָׁ֑ם וַעֲשֵׂה־שָׁ֣ם מִזְבֵּ֔חַ לָאֵל֙ הַנִּרְאֶ֣ה אֵלֶ֔יךָ בְּבָרְחֲךָ֔ מִפְּנֵ֖י עֵשָׂ֥ו אָחִֽיךָ׃

As we did before, here is the Schottenstein Interlinear Chumash‘s rendering,

35:1 God said > to – Jacob >> Arise > -go up > [to] Beth-el > and dwell > there >> and make > there > an altar > to the God > Who appeared > to you > when you fled > from > Esau > your brother.  (Capitalized ‘Who’ is their emphasis)

Continue reading →

Posted in A Thought... | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

R. Shapira – The Mystery of Jacob’s Ladder

Posted on November 29, 2014 by Pete Rambo

Excellent teaching.  A bit mystical in places but neat/deep connections to Messiah through some of the rabbinic writings as well as Scripture.  Enjoy!!

Posted in Guest Post | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Little Hebraic Thanksgiving Trivia

Posted on November 27, 2014 by Pete Rambo

Interesting trivia I learned from a Hebraic Roots Network email.  Quote follows:

_________________________________

 

A Little Hebraic Thanksgiving Trivia

Here’s a little Hebraic trivia to send you into Thanksgiving. Did you know that in the Hebrew language most words have multiple meanings? There is less vocabulary in Hebrew than in English, therefore each word has to work a little harder. For instance the Hebrew word, hodu, means to “give thanks.” However, it also means, “turkey.”

William Bradford, the leader of the Puritans who helped settle New England in the 17th century, was a strong advocate of the Hebrew language. Some suggest that he proposed a vote on adopting Hebrew as the official language of the new colony. The facts are a little sketchy on the vote, but there was enough Hebrew influence at the founding of this country, that some Hebrew later ended up on the seals of several Ivy League colleges.

Maybe, just maybe, the connection to the Hebrew language is why turkey is the traditional meat at Thanksgiving. After all, it could have easily been venison. But, the same word for turkey means to give thanks. And now you know the rest of the story.

Almost 400 years later, the Hebraic Roots Network is taking the foundations of the Christian faith around the world. We are changing lives as we restore the true Gospel to people around the world. Your financial support during our Fall Fundraiser will help us do even more. We hope that you will consider giving a financial gift to HRN at this time.

We give thanks to the God of Israel for you! Hodu l’Adonai ki tov.

Have a totally blessed Thanksgiving,

Your HRN Team

Posted in A Thought... | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Blowing the Shofar Atop the Blue Ridge Mountains

Posted on November 25, 2014 by Pete Rambo

Following is the beginning of a terrific article from one of my favorite stops in the blogosphere.  Read and go see the conclusion as well as a terrific link with a good study on the shofar.

_________________

Blowing the Shofar Atop the Blue Ridge Mountains

This past Sunday I finally spent some quality time with a Messianic man who really loves the shofar.  We met up early in the morning at a mall parking lot.  And then together we started the long drive to the mountains.

mountainsHe likes to go up to the Blue Ridge once a year, to blow the shofar and pray.  He had invited me this year after a mutual friend had introduced us.  On the way there, he told me about why likes the Shofar.  It was apparently the sound of the shofar that jarred him out of his spiritual slumber and set him on a path to learning about the Messianic faith.  Long story short, up until a few months ago he was a pastor at a Christian church but now he wants to start a Messianic ministry, the symbol for which is going to be the shofar.

He’s a very interesting man.  About 60 years old, African American, and extremely charismatic (in every sense of the word).  He meets all kinds of people because he’s always visiting churches and asking for permission to the blow the shofar.  And then that naturally opens up all kinds of conversations.  In fact, we were on our way to meet up with some of those people.

As we approached the foothills of the Blue Ridge, we met up with a group of Latinos…  Continued here.

Posted in Guest Post | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Say NOTHING!!

Posted on November 20, 2014 by Pete Rambo

These are heady days watching world events.  Daily we see prophetic events or portents that declare time may be very short.

Yehuda_GlickAmong the most recent developments is the attempted assassination of Rabbi Yehuda Glick, chairman of the Temple Mount Heritage Foundation, and previous executive director of The Temple Institute.  Glick is perhaps the foremost proponent in Israel of rebuilding the Temple and beginning anew Temple sacrifice.

For years the Temple Institute has been preparing for this eventuality, but the assassination attempt, rather than stifle or scare the discussion has forced it to the forefront of the Israeli collective mind.  Make no mistake, this is becoming a defining issue at a defining moment.

Christendom has long proclaimed all sacrifice over and done with and will likely therefore condemn any altar service in Israel on the Temple Mount.  Before outright rejecting any and all sacrifice, I would ask my brothers to take a deep breath and consider the wiser course of action is to SAY NOTHING!  Let me explain.

First, we have discussed some major parts of the ‘sacrifice’ issue before.  Further, we have discussed the fact that Scripture articulates sacrifice in the Millennial Kingdom.  Both of those articles pose significant challenges to the traditional understanding in Christendom. Continue reading →

Posted in A Thought... | Tagged , , , , | 25 Comments

Rabbi Itzhak Shapira needs our help!!!

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Pete Rambo

I am so excited about the work that is being done by our friends over at Ahavat Ammi Ministries!!  Ahavat Ammi logo-2xFollowing is an email I received with updates of the terrific things they are working on as well as a request for consideration for support.  Enjoy and pay them a visit!  (Pun intended…  lol!)

__________________

Dear Friends, Rabbis, and close partners of Ahavat Ammi Ministries,

As we heading towards the end of 2014, I wanted to give you  a brief strategic overview of our major projects as I am getting ready to leave the country for another extensive outreach global event.

During 2014, we have seen record number of Jewish people who received Yeshua as their Jewish Messiah while seeing at the same time incredible move of G-D among the nations at the same time. We are entering now the most critical time in our existence as a standalone organization as I believe that G-D wants us to bring the Good News in a proper Jewish context to the thousands and more.  With that being said, let me highlight to you some of the projects that we are working on. I need to stress again to you how critical your support is during these days. We are a standalone organization that is not supported by any church organization as we operating by the grace of G-D and your faithful support. I have decided several years ago to devote my entire life to the Besorah of Yeshua as I put my successful Career aside to focus in the global Message of Restoration during these last days. We love you deeply, and we believe that by the hand of G-D and your heart to stand with us we were able to produce great fruit. Here is what we have to look forward to as we are asking for your help and prayer:

  • After almost 16 months, we have finished the translation of the Return of the Kosher Pig to Hebrew! The book had a global impact in English, and we have felt by the spirit of G-D that we would like to make the book available for FREE in the Hebrew language to reach tens of thousands of native born Israelis!  We are thrilled as we sense that the project will bring hundreds and maybe even thousands of Israelis to Yeshua. We are asking for your support for this project.

Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment