Y Not I

This weekend I was blessed to be able to attend services at another congregation, one that is just starting out, and of which I know the Rabbi very well. I actually came out with the music team I am part of from my congregation and we were given the honor of playing the praise and worship for the service. First of all it was a real blessing to meet the members and guests of this fledgling congregation, it was also a wonderful blessing to here the message that was spoken.

The Rabbi gave a message about unity. It was an excellent message for a group that is just beginning and is looking for why to come, why to belong and what are we going to do here. How will they live out the faith and how will they share that with the community around them, especially the Jewish community to which they have a heart for? Rabbi spoke about how unifies the Jewish communities are, not just in that area, but globally. Whether Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, secular or something else, they are all unified that Jesus (Yeshua) is NOT the Messiah promised in Hebrew Scriptures. Meanwhile, the Church, while trying to share the Good News of Messiah seems to be able to agree on virtually nothing. The message was not that one denomination is correct or better, but that unity is what it will take to reach the Jewish people.

This is an excellent message and a lesson that should be taken to heart. I know from experience. Way back when 25 years ago or so, when I was someone unaware of G-d or the things of G-d, I worked baking bagels. I worked along side one man and was friends with another who worked there, coming in towards the end of the baking cycle and he packed the bagels and delivered them to area markets. Both of them were Christians and both where sharing with me about G-d’s plan of salvation. I would argue with the one as we baked bagels and with the other one in the morning, as I rode the truck with him making his deliveries. The one thing that stood out to me was how these two did not agree on most things, and one day I let them have it. “You are trying to convince me of something, yet you yourselves do not agree about it,” I told them. This really shut them up and made me feel very good. I felt like I hit them hard with strong logic and maybe even showed them the folly of their beliefs. They spoke amongst themselves, I found out later, and decided that I was correct and they should put aside their differences and leave the sharing to one person and let the other support him. As now can be told, they were ultimately successful at sharing with me Messiah, and I came to a saving faith and prayed the prayer and asked Yeshua to forgive me and to be my Messiah.

I think all the doctrinal stuff is important and interesting, however I do feel it has taken a great level of importance than is necessary. What is most important is salvation and I think most Christian agree on the principles of salvation. Even if there are small differences I think they/we should be able to put that aside in most cases and come unified with what faith is about. Once saved, it seems, is where much of the differences come forth, and I think that is better left to an agree to disagree mentality. We can discuss these things amongst ourselves, but do so in love and without the negativity so often associated with it. I think we truly need to accept fellow believers as fellow believers, brothers and sisters of the faith. This is why I think things like the concept of election are not as important as what we do with our lives.

It seems like there is much to be done in the way of forgiving each other and moving on in unity, not as one organization as Catholicism might state, but unified, maybe even with Catholics about salvation coming from faith in Messiah, and then the Jewish community would see a force, a force of G-d that would be one that they would need to reckoned with. And from there we could start to see all Israel say, Baruch Haba BaShem Adonai, Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the L-RD (Matthew 23:39).

The message was closed out with the verse I just in the title from the story of the tower of Babel, Genesis 11:6, which indeed shows what can be done when unified.

So go forth this week and seek out unity. Thank you Rabbi Eric for that wonderful message and crystallizing for me the truth and giving it words better than I could come up with myself.

I urge you to pray on these things.