Subject: [ETI Informal All 1AD.05.09.13] True Spirituality
From: "James R @ ETIMin" <[email-masked]>
To: "Lists @ ETI Min" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2005 11:47:59 +0200

Restoration RecordsGreetings

The following article contains some challenging points.

Warm regards and blessings

James

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Restoration Records 
To: [email-masked] 
Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2005 6:55 PM
Subject: True Spirituality

       

      * Hear Oh Yisrael Yahweh Our Mighty One Yahweh Is One 

      * *And You Shall Love Your Neighbor As Yourself

      True Spirituality

      Restoration Records Preface:  The article below is by the Union of Nazarene Yisraelite Congregations but  Restoration Records very much agrees with the points being made by it. [*]  

      We would add that the Matt 5:20 admonishment by Yahshua that appears at the end of the article is not an indirect endorsement by Yahshua of any actual righteousness possessed by the Perushim (Pharisees) as some teach.  Rather, Yahshua is dealing with the issue of kavanah.  Kavanah is a Hebrew word that means  concentration, attention, awareness, dedication, devotion, intention and thus in spiritual matters it means something done genuinely from the heart with proper reverence for YHWH foremost notwithstanding what men think.  

      Matt 5:20 is thus an outright rebuke and exposition of the Perushim's de facto unrighteousness and lack of kavanah.  For the Perushim correctly speak and teach publicly of the righteous works of the Torah but then do not comport themselves in accordance with same.  (See also Matt 23)

      In Hebraic thought, a person's cumulative actions - particularly ones that are private or at least "less public" - become a public declaration of one's true kavanah i.e., intentions.  [This valid principle has made its way even into western thought today.]

      Yahshua at Matt 5:20 and elsewhere in the Brit Chadashah (NT) is exposing the obvious lack of kavanah towards YHWH amongst most (not all) of the Perushim because they either do certain works of Torah for personal rather than for kingdom gain, or more often, because they neglected altogether to do the righteous works of Torah - especially privately and without fanfare - after having taught about them publicly.  

      In this way, Yahshua defines the litmus test for righteousness in accordance with the true Torah standard.  

      The true Torah standard always is founded upon one's genuine private heart condition, attention, dedication, devotion, and intention towards YHWH which then is revealed to men by one's cumulative actions.  [We say "cumulative actions" because under Torah standards, until one sees two or three witnesses no matter can be established.]  

      Thus, the ultimate test of righteousness is to do privately or in less public settings that which one also teaches publicly.  Moreover, Yahshua emphasizes that to inherit the kingdom, even righteous works of Torah done with unrighteous motives, or righteous works of Torah merely taught but not actually executed avail one nothing at all for purposes of eternal life.   

      True Spirituality

      By Rabbi Edward Levi Nydle/Levi bar Ido

      www.uonyc.org 

      1 The Mishle of Shlomo ben Dawid, melech of Yisrael; 

      2 To know chochmah and discipline; to perceive the words of binah;

      3 To receive the discipline of chochmah, tzedakah, and mishpat, and equity; 

      4 To give insight to the simple, to the young man da'at and discretion.

      5 A wise man will listen, and will increase learning; and a man of binah gets wise counsel: Mishle (Proverbs) 1:1-5

      27 Pure and undefiled service to Abba YHWH is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world [1].  Ya'akov (James) 1:27

      Many today within the Nazarenes have a problem living up to the moral and ethical teachings found in the Torah.  They are meticulous in their outward observance of the Torah mitzvot, but fail to understand that the inner moral teachings of the Torah must be observed just as scrupulously as the outward expressions.  

      25 Woe to you, sophrim and Prushim, hypocrites! For you make clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of extortion and unrighteousness. 26 You blind Prush, cleanse first that which is inside the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Matt.23:25-26 

      23 Woe to you, Sophrim and Prushim, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the Torah, mishpat, rachamim, and emunah: these needed to have been done, and not to leave the others undone. Matt. 23:23

      Spirituality is not defined by your Halakah of the mitzvot, but rather by one's behavior and character.

      Not everyone who says they are spiritual is so just because they dress the part on Shabbat. Many who claim to be spiritual are not what they think they are and many who walk humbly before their Elohim are the truly righteous.

      13 Who is a wise man and endued with training among you?

      Let him show a tov lifestyle with his mitzvoth in meekness of chochmah. Ya'akov 3:13

      Being Torah observant must start from the inside and work its way outside. When the Mishkan was built, they started with the ark and then proceeded to make the other furniture. This is the opposite of what is being taught in many congregations. Until we embrace the true message of the Torah in our heart, life, character, and morals we cannot call ourselves spiritual. 

      2 Keep my mitzvoth, and live; and my Torah as the apple of your eye. 3 Bind them upon your fingers; write them upon the shulchan of your lev. Mishle 7:2-3 

      18 But those things that proceed out of the mouth come forth from the lev; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the lev proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies:Matt.15:18-19 

      11 Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man. Matt.15:11

      There is a relationship between the outward expression of your faith (Torah observance)

      and the work of the Torah on the heart. Character is not subjective as taught in the schools of the academic world.

      We cannot attempt to define honor, character, respect, ethics, and morality. The Torah has already done that for us. The ancient sages have said, "Lo Hamidrash Halkar Eleh HaMa'aseh (It is not the learning but the doing that counts)." 

      Unless we learn the practical application of what we learn in our studies, we will never truly be spiritual.  Learning Torah is not just about how to observe the Shabbat, Kashrut, Taharot HaMishpacheh, and the other mitzvot. The books of the Wisdom (chokmah) Literature such as Mishle and Kohelet were written specifically to teach us musar and midot. It does not require in-depth commentaries and Midrashes to understand these books.  Shlomo did not call his writings halachot. Shlomo used the Hebrew word musar. His words are not philosophical precepts but words of Divine Wisdom of the highest morals and ethics. 

      We can try to rationalize our actions and words but our character must be of the highest caliber and unquestionable. Anyone who claims to be religious but lacks these attributes is not spiritual at all and is a hypocrite. Being spiritual is a matter of the heart before it becomes a matter of a good report before the world. The mitzvot are spiritual and deal with the human character. Anyone who keeps the Shabbat and lacks character, discipline, honor, truthfulness, and faithfulness should not be called Torah observant, regardless of their outward appearance. 

      5 But all their mitzvoth they do to be seen by men: they make large their tephillin, and lengthen their tzitziyot, Matt.23:5

      To be called Torah observant you must embrace all that the Torah is. Torah observant means that there has been an inner transformation of the inner man more so than any external observance of the mitzvot. 

      The mitzvot are really easy to observe, but Scriptural musar dictates that we chose the hard path that at times becomes painful and requires sacrifice of self . Personal discipline must be cultivated if we are to develop strength of character and fulfill the heart of the mitzvot. We have to learn to face adversity and trials in order to learn the personal discipline that is required to overcome the world.  We need to learn to surrender to all the Torah and reap the benefits of living the life of inner shalom that the Torah offers. If we only increase our outward observance of the mitzvot without any inward change in order to convince ourselves and others that we are spiritual, then we are no better than the hypocrites of Yahshua's day. 

      18 But Yahshua perceived their wickedness, and said, Why do you try Me, you hypocrites? Matt.22:18

      Only those who overcome will stand in the day of adversity. All others will fall away because they have succumbed to their self- deception of a false spirituality.  As talmidim of our Master Yahshua we must hold ourselves to the higher standard of holiness demanded by the Torah. 

      This will transform our communities and congregations.

      We need to learn to change ourselves before we can attempt to help others address the changes they need in their lives.  When we learn to be spiritual, then we can convince others to be so as well.

      20 For I say to you, except your tzedakah shall exceed the tzedakah of the sophrim and Prushim, you shall in no case enter into the Malchut ha shamayim. Matt.5:20

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

      *  Restoration records does not agree with all UONYC doctrinal positions. Key among these disagreements are their views regarding what they call the "deity" of Yahshua and that Nazarenes should follow Pharisaic rabbinic halachah in most instances.  

      [1] In a Hebraic mindset, it is not merely believing that displays a man's character, but his performance of what he believes, as opposed to a mere mental assent to facts. Restoration Scriptures- notes

                            ______________________________________________________________________

      Restoration Records is a ministry serving believers on Yahshua HaMashiach (Yahshua The Messiah) who are interested in the scriptural message of proclaiming "the restoration of all things" (Matt 17:11; Mark 9:12; Acts 1:6; 3:19-21) and in scripturally-based praise n worship psalms. The ministry is led, and the related websites www.restorationrecords.com and www.kahalyahshuahamashiach.org are published by Yochanan Mascaro. ______________________________________________________________________

      The following information is a reminder of your current mailing list subscription: 

      You are subscribed to the following list: Restoration Records 

      Using the following email: [email-masked] 

      You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL: http://www.restorationrecords.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi?f=u&l=restorationrec&e=[email-masked]&p=10852704 

      If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address. Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism.