BUILDING ON THE FOUNDATION
There are many many Brethren who are BABES or LITTLE ONES in the knowledge of the will of YAHWEH that can only digest the milk of the word. There are also many Brethren who are more mature in the knowledge of the will of YAHWEH who increasingly digest the strong meat of the word. But, we must all understand that All Brethren must start out as Babes or as little children in the Messiah.
Mat.
18 (3)
And said, Verily I say unto
you, Except ye be converted, and become as little
children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom
of Heaven. (4) Whosoever therefore shall humble himself
as this little child, the same is
greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. (5) And whoso shall
receive one such little child in My
name receiveth Me. (6) But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a
millstone were hanged about his neck, and that
he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
To become a BABE or a LITTLE CHILD in the Messiah, one must do what YAHshua said to do.
Mark 1 (14) Now after that John was put
in prison, YAHshua
came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of YAHWEH, (15) And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of YAHWEH is at hand: REPENT and BELIEVE ye THE GOSPEL.
Repent means to return from ones ways to YAHWEH'S ways. The gospel (good news) is that YAHshua died for the atonement for sins of the whole world and is now, risen from the dead, He is Mediator of the New Covenant.
Regardless of what organization they start out growing in, All who truly repents of their sins and accepts the death of the Messiah as the atonement for their sins, receives baptism in the name of the Messiah becomes a part of a very special Assembly. The Apostle Peter tells who they become through YAHshua.
1
Peter 2 (5) Ye also, as lively stones,
are built up a Spiritual House, a Holy Priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices, acceptable to YAHWEH by YAHshua Messiah.
(9) But ye are a Chosen Generation,
a Royal
Priesthood, an Holy Nation,
a peculiar [exclusive; unique] people;
that ye should show forth the praises of HIM
who hath called you out of darkness
into HIS marvelous light:
The above scriptures confirm that everyone in body of the Messiah is part of the Royal Priesthood!
The Apostle Paul tells us that ALL grow into a Holy Temple in the Sovereign for a habitation of YAH-WEH through the spirit. He also mentions the foundation for it.
Eph. 2
(19) Now therefore ye are no more
strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the
household of YAHWEH;
(20) And are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, YAHshua
Messiah Himself
being the Chief Corner Stone; (21) In
Whom ALL the building fitly framed together groweth unto a Holy Temple in the Sovereign: (22) In Whom ye also are builded
together for a habitation of YAHWEH through the Spirit.
Paul discusses different building materials to build on the foundation with in the following scripture.
I Cor.
3 (10)
According to
the grace of YAHWEH
which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation,
and another buildeth thereon. But let
every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. (11) For other foundation can no man lay than
that is laid, which is YAHshua Messiah. (12) Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood,
hay,
stubble; (13) Every man's
work shall
be made manifest: for the day shall
declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of
what sort it is. (14) If any man's work abide which
he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. (15) If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but
HE himself shall be
saved; yet so as by fire.
It is obvious that the gold, the silver, and the precious stones represent nonperishable things. The wood, the hay, and the stubble represent perishable things.
Examples
of nonperishable
things are
the TRADITIONS or CUSTOMS
of YAHWEH, the RUDI-MENTS of the KINGDOM OF YAHWEH,
and the COMMANDMENTS
of YAHWEH.
Undisputable!
Examples
of perishable
things are the TRADITIONS or CUSTOMS of
men, the RUDIMENTS of the world, and COMMANDMENTS of MEN as seen in
the following scriptures.
Colossians 2 (6) As
ye have therefore received Messiah YAHshua the Sovereign, so walk ye in Him: (7) Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye
have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. (8) Beware
lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of
men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Messiah.
Matthew
15 (6)
Thus have ye
made the commandment of YAHWEH of none effect by your TRADITION.
(7) Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of
you, saying, (8) This people draweth nigh unto ME with
their mouth, and honoureth ME with their lips;
but their heart is far from ME. (9) But IN VAIN they do WORSHIP
ME, teaching for doctrines the COMMANDMENTS OF MEN.
The wood, hay and stubble which are the TRADITIONS or CUSTOMS of men, the RUDIMENTS of the world, and COMMANDMENTS of MEN WILL NOT come through the fire. However many of those BABES or LITTLE ONES shall be saved; yet so as by fire as was stated in verse I Cor. 3:15 above.
Regardless of the sincerity, on Judgment Day all of the worship that was done with the wood, hay, and stubble (TRADITIONS or CUSTOMS of men, the RUDIMENTS of the world, and the COMMAND-MENTS of men WILL BE LOST. Many of those BABES or LITTLE ONES in those organizations building with those perishable things will be found almost naked. They can be saved yet as of by fire.
Does that mean that everyone in all assemblies will still be saved? No.
Mat. 7
(21) Not every one that
saith unto Me, Sovereign, Sovereign,
shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven;
but he that doeth the will of My FATHER which is in
Heaven. (22) Many will say to Me in that day, Sovereign, Sovereign,
have we not prophesied in Thy name?
And in Thy name have cast out
devils? And in Thy name done many
wonderful works?
(23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work *iniquity.
*Iniquity (word # G458) means illegality i.e. violation of law. He referred to violating YAHWEH'S law.
As BABES or LITTLE ONES in the Messiah grow spiritually, they learn more and more of which laws to quit violating to be more in the will of YAHWEH. We all experience that continually.
Sin is the transgression of the law and we have to stop sinning or transgressing HIS law if we expect to abide in Him, see Him or know Him.
I John
3 (4) Whosoever committeth sin
transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. (5) And
ye know that He was manifested to
take away our sins; and in Him is no
sin. (6) Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath
not seen Him, neither known Him.
Replacing the TRADITIONS or CUSTOMS of YAHWEH, the RUDIMENTS of the KINGDOM OF YAHWEH, and the COMMANDMENTS of YAHWEH with the TRADITIONS and or the CUSTOMS of MEN, the RUDIMENTS of the world, and the COMMANDMENTS of MEN is not in accordance to the laws of YAHWEH. Therefore, it is iniquity.
Consequently, we do have many
Brethren out there even though they are still just BABES in the Messiah. It
can also be very dangerous to remain a Babe. As the parable in Matthew 25
relates, if you don't use that which you have been given you are subject to
have it taken away from you and given to someone else.
Therefore, we as Brethren, must share the word with one another with LOVE. We must be extremely careful not to exalt ourselves above any of the BABES or LITTLE ONES lest we make judgmental errors concerning some of those who have repented according to their knowledge and accepted the Messiah's death as the atonement for their sins. IF we are not careful, we may offend or cause them to stumble even farther from the truth.
We
make a serious mistake when we make others feel that they cannot be saved unless
they are obedient to all the laws that we understand that we are to obey. This turns them off and then we don't have
a chance to witness any further to them.
WE must also try to keep these scriptures in mind.
Romans
14 (4) Who art thou that judgest another man's
servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up:
for YAHWEH
is able to make him stand.
(10) But why dost thou judge thy
Brother? Or why dost thou set at nought thy Brother? For we shall all stand
before the judgment seat of Messiah.
(13) Let us not therefore judge
one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock
or an occasion to fall in his Brother's way.
II
Timothy 2 (23) But
foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. (24) And the servant of YAHWEH
must not strive; but be gentle unto
all men, apt to teach, patient, (25) In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if YAHWEH
peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
Even though there are many organizations which have built upon the foundation of the Messiah dying for our sins with mostly wood, hay and stubble, we can still rejoice and not condemn them because they do preach that the Messiah's death is the atonement for man's sins. The Apostle Paul felt the same way.
Phil. 1 (15) Some indeed preach Messiah even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: (16) the one preach Messiah of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: (17) but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel. (18) What then? Notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, Messiah is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
Many of those congregations
neither know the name of the Messiah nor of our Heavenly Father. They know very
little about the laws of the Kingdom of Heaven.
However, they at least get the message that it is through the risen Messiah's
death that we have the opportunity to accept His death as the atonement for our
sins. Many of their members have repented according to their knowledge and accepted the Messiah's death as the atonement for their sins. I was one
of them and YAHWEH
had mercy on me. Because of His mercy I became one of YAHshua Messiah's LITTLE
ONES before I was called out of that Babylonian system and her worship
with mostly TRADITIONS
and CUSTOMS
of MEN, the RUDIMENTS of the world, and the COMMANDMENTS of MEN. He graciously led me to grow in the
grace and the knowledge of our Savior YAHshua Messiah &
His Father
YAHWEH's Kingdom of Heaven. HalleluYAH!!!
After accepting the Messiah's death as the atonement for ones sins and truly repenting, everyone should be baptized in the name of the Messiah for remission of sins and to receive the Holy Spirit. When and if they outgrow their organization in the grace and knowledge of the Messiah and that organization refuses to grow with them, then maybe it is time to move on to wherever the Spirit of YAHWEH leads them and come out of Babylonish assembly where you were called. YES! YAHWEH has people starting out in Spiritual Babylonish assemblies. If HE didn't have any in them, He would not send out the command for them to come out.
Re.
18: (4) And
I heard another voice from Heaven, saying, Come
out of her, MY people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive
not of her plagues. (5) For her sins have reached unto Heaven, and YAHWEH hath remembered her iniquities.
We will all be greatly rewarded if we will heed the following advice given through the Apostle Paul.
II
Thessalonians 3 (6) Now we command you,
Brethren, in the name of our Sovereign YAHshua Messiah, that ye withdraw yourselves from
every Brother that walketh
disorderly, and not after the tradition
which he received of us. (7) For yourselves know how ye
ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; ... (14) And if any man obey not our word by this epistle,
note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. (15) Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a
brother.
I
Thessalonians (14) Now we exhort you,
Brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the
weak, be patient toward all men.
The
above article was based on my first sermon at EDCF in April of 1998 at the
Feast of Unleavened Bread. I have now revised it and I am adding the following
Addendum to it. T.A.H.
Many more people do not know about the name of Messiah, the name His Father or about the laws of the Kingdom of Heaven. Many of them will get their start on their journey to the truth in Babylonish congregations that have been building with mostly perishable things upon the true foundation of the Messiah dying for their sins. If most of us in the Sacred Names Movement would admit it (I do & I did) we started out on our journey to the truth in one or more of those Babylonish Congregations as BABES or LITTLE ONES in Messiah. So, if we condemn those congregations to eternal death we are also condemning ourselves as well as all the LITTLE ONES in Messiah who are being called out by YAHWEH now to start on their journey to the truth and those whom He may be calling out in the future.
While knowing that YAHWEH and YAHshua Messiah are gracious, loving, merciful, forgiving, longsuffering and righteous,
these verses come to mind when wondering how many more will be called and when.