Rom 14:17  For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

One of the biggest lies I have ever believed as a Christian is materialistic evidence of righteousness. Growing up we were relentlessly harangued on a counterfeit prosperity gospel. A fundamentally unsubstantial doctrine of materialistic gain as a sign of spirituality infiltrated the church, and I fear I was the recipient of the brunt of it. I felt an inordinate amount of pressure on me to “manifest” my well doing by having a comparable amount of wealth.  This ideology has its roots in a mentality of lack.

Matthew 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

We have made Matthew 6:33, in practice, a means to an end. Seeking the Kingdom has become synonymous with gain and has caused us to feel entitled to the things we need. Our faith journey, our prayer life, and our thought patterns too often revolve around the things we need from God, as opposed to having the fullness of God. With the value the church has placed on having materialistic things, our prayer lives has become increasingly overwhelmed with demands. Growing up poor, as a young person I constantly struggled with the reality of God’s kingdom because I apparently lacked the basic evidence of said Kingdom, namely money.  The perpetual cycle of not having, and praying to get to give, to get had me in a whirlwind of frustration of never having enough, yet having to always give to get more. The lack mentality will have us ever wondering if we are sowing enough, ever fixated on when our breakthrough is going to make its debut- in glitter and gold.

I do believe in tithing, sowing, generosity and giving. Yes, God will supply our needs. Yes, He is aware of and concerned with our needs.  But there is a position we come to relationally, where we find our needs met in Him. I have come to realize that God wants to give us all of Him. I firmly believe He is enthusiastically encouraging our hunger and thirst after Him. He stirs our hunger, so we can have our fill of Him. He does not take away so we can seek Him more so that we can in turn have more things.  We will have our needs supplied through riches in glory, by Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19  But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

There is no bypassing Him, our righteousness, peace and joy is found in Him. When we find security in His peace and joy, our supplies will follow. We do not possess more of the kingdom when we possess more things, the things come as a result of possessing kingdom, and they aren’t synonymous with the kingdom. God wants to have a relationship with you. Matthew 6 says “and” all these things will be added unto you, not “so that” all these things will be added unto you. There is a state we enter into when we are in the kingdom of God where we experience righteousness, peace, and joy regardless of our physical circumstances. Often times in my pursuit of breakthrough and provision, in my limited view of His heart, God was the barrier between me and the things I needed. The point of my life was to see how much I could acquire, as an attestation of my righteousness. Because I was fixated on material gain, God became a threat to my wealth. What if I pray and don’t receive? What if I spend time studying the word and stay poor for all to see? What if I fast and pray and don’t make rent? With thoughts like that there was no right standing with Him, no peace, and no joy. Because when we do to get, we are no longer in a covenant, but operate as a slave under the law. Seeking His kingdom comes naturally to a believer. It is meant to be easy to receive from the Father. God does not operate as a vending machine; put in the right amount, press the right buttons, and you get what you want.

Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

This is one of the most practical Scriptures you will find in aiding your prayer life. When we realize God is a person and wants to have fellowship with us, our prayer life starts sounding a little more intentionally sincere. In reference to Philippians 4, your prayer life should include the words “please” and “thank you.” When we talk to God it moves Him when we are sincere in our need of Him, acknowledging Him as our provider. Philippians encourages us to demand less, but ask more. One of our good friends calls this having spiritual manners.

Abundance will look different to different people.  The issue will never be how much stuff you got, but indeed how much Kingdom you portray. This life should only ever be about containing and manifesting the fullness of God. I want to be so bold and say that we could potentially come to a place where what we possess and don’t posses no longer has any bearing on how righteous we are perceived. When we are concerned with elevating people’s hearts to the full knowledge of Christ, instead of their financial status, we have embraced Kingdom principles.

Written by
Franciska Merrick

Something I’ve been thinking about. Jesus says that not one part of the law will pass away until heaven & earth passes away.

Not one part! Which means the whole thing is intact & ongoing or it passed away. Plain & simple.

Here is the verse with some before & after scriptures :

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
Matthew 5:17-22 ESV

Problem with thinking the law is still intact is that we have to obey it all….all! Jesus after then made it worse by saying our inside feeling & thought is the sin & not just the act! There’s got be more to what Jesus was saying here right?

Problem with thinking it has passed away is that it says it will not until heaven & earth passes away & until all is accomplished.

We can maybe say all was accomplished on the cross but then what’s up with this heaven & earth statement? Is it a literal heaven & earth? If it is we better keep the law, the whole law(Law & Prophets)! Many of us just read through it without thinking twice.

The Bible mentions “Heaven & Earth” on multiple occasions.

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.
Isaiah 65:17 ESV

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
Revelation 21:1 ESV

These verses show us that God promised a new heaven & earth.Rev 21 (above here) even says there is no more sea? Does this mean no one will swim anymore? 😜

Here is another promise :

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Matthew 24:35 ESV

He also promises that heaven & earth will pass away & in Luke 21:33.

Both these passages(above here) in Mat & Luke saying heaven & earth will pass away is found in the same chapter that speaks of the temple being abolished & the Jews being killed (all part of the tribulation).

So Jesus came to fulfill, He did the law & lived a sinless life so everyone in Christ could be perfected in the Spirit, that’s why He says He did not come to abolish the law. But when does heaven & earth pass away? When is it all accomplished? It is when the former things are destroyed :The Old Covenant, Temple, Old Traditions.

Note :

These things(Temple) were not destroyed in the New Testament, even after the cross, everything in the NT was written before the destruction happened in 70AD. That is why you still read about the apostles doing things that were according to the law or event feasts of the Old Covenant at times even though as Paul said, it is fading away. For this same reason Jesus tells the Jews to teach the commandments & not to slack in them, then He makes it worse by implying our sin happens internally before the act. So there are believers today that still want to enforce the law from the Old Covenant, but only some of the laws. This is in direct opposition to what Jesus said here, He said : Not an iota, not one dot shall pass away!

If they are questioned to why they are not keeping the whole law, they say that they cannot since there is no more Temple or system in place. So isn’t it interesting that Jesus says in Mat 24 & Luke 21 that heaven & earth will pass away & that those are in the very chapters that He says the temple will be destroyed! Not so much coincidence if you ask me.

So what is heaven & earth? By simple interpretation, it is the whole system that the Jews held onto via the Old Covenant, the way they did things for God & interacted with God via physical objects & places.

Why this truth has not hit every ear across the world is because of Mat 24 & Luk 21 that speaks of a coming of the Lord and so this whole chapters gets flung into our future & way out of context. I won’t write on the “Coming of the Lord” here, but I can tell you that this “coming of the Lord” from these two chapters was a coming in Judgement like the comings from the Old covenant where the prophets would say God would be coming upon them, but what it looked like was not the imagery the prophet said it would be. It would be another nation attacking them by surprise. Just food for thought.

Is everything that was prophesied in the New Testament also fulfilled? No, Jesus will still return according to Acts 1:9-11. The glory of God will still fill the earth through His Children as well.

Point is, you are either stuck keeping the whole law & believing in the tribulation & Jesus coming that way or you believe the law passed away & Jesus is coming more like in Acts 1 or some other way according to scripture in the New Testament.

Got any questions on Heaven & earth? Contact us through our contact page. Blessings

Carlo Merrick

He must increase, but I must decrease.”
John 3:30 ESV

Is this verse for you today? Please bear with me. John, the prophet that declared the coming of the Messiah said this while the Messiah was being revealed. Now Johns disciples was saying that people are now going to Jesus & being baptized by Him(although it was His disciples I’m sure).

Lamb & Pig life.

We all know the pig was seen as an unclean animal in the Old Testament, not worthy to be eaten for food.

But also we have the lamb that was seen as pure & clean, worthy of sacrifice to forgive sins!

Today we have our lives that are in either of these natures. We either live the life of the pig or the lamb nature.

This might not be a 100% theologically correct metaphor to use but it will bring truth out clearly if you can bear with me. We have the pig nature that we grew up with, from being a baby, growing & learning to the time until we get born-again. The pig nature speaks of that what became of Adams nature once He listened to the lies of the serpent & ate from the tree. It also speaks of that what the New Testament calls the “flesh“ nature that comes through the carnal mind, it is the place that enables us to sin successfully while we were clearly meant for more than what sin could offer.

But then when we get born-again we get transformed by the Holy Spirit to be a new creation, we change into a ‘lamb’. The lamb nature speaks of being pure, holy, justified, righteous (in right relationship with the Father) & in the Spirit.

Now that is a basic explanation of which our two natures consist of. Our problem as Christians is that we have born-again people that totally believe they still have a pig nature. They look like the blond Mangalica pig in their own minds, having fur that seems like that of a sheep, but they are still pigs with only an outward appearance of something similar of that of a sheep. Unfortunately when that is our mindset, most of the time we live our life according to that, having a good religious confession & a life that looks like the world.

Just to throw in some Bible into the mix to bring perspective:

Romans 8

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.[a] 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you[b] free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,[c] he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus[d] from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

12 So then, brothers,[e] we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons[f] of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God..

The flesh here is the pig nature that Jesus condemned. This nature could not do what God wanted & brings death according to these verses. The pig nature cannot please God, doesn’t matter how religiously we dress it up. The pig will never be like the lamb, we have to deal with this truth now.

Verse 5 of Romans 8 says : ‘For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh’ so you live that way before you think that way. I was taught through church that it’s first a renewing of my mind before I could be spiritual. But as it speaks here of the flesh(pig nature) we know we lived in sin quite naturally before ever thinking about it. This is because we have a core belief that we are pigs way before we reason about it. We believe we are just people, an insignificant form of life, worth only what we can produce & then receive recognition for. This is a perspective from the pig nature that stands condemned from the start. The pig cannot produce anything that is good from itself. So we have to be able to accept our origin from the Spirit as a lamb so that we can live & then think accordingly .But now we have this piece of scripture in John 3 where Jesus talks to a Pharisee :

John 3 : 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again[b] he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Jesus says no one can see the kingdom unless they are born again. Born again meaning born of the Spirit (Lamb nature). Interesting part for me is that Jesus says then we can see the kingdom. Where you also taught that it was heaven one day? That is probably ok to say that, but I believe He is talking of a Spiritual kingdom that we see manifest through us, so we are the ones who proclaim that His kingdom has come & then healing the sick & doing the works because of this.

But when we are born(according to the flesh), the first things we get to know is that we are human & automatically conform to the patterns we see in the lives of those around us. Wanting to be different & standing out in a crowd is things we either learn later or decide for ourselves that our surroundings just are not worth conforming to.

Just like that we as born-again people need to accept that we are lambs & will be that way forever more. This way we can live accordingly, conforming to the ways of the lamb nature.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.

Rom 12:2  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God.

Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given to me, to every one who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. But set your mind to be right-minded, even as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.

(Verse 1 & 2)How are supposed to present our bodies as “Holy, Pleasing to God” if we are pigs? We come as lambs before our God as the sacrifice. We are not to conform to the world but are transformed by the renewing of our mind (learning the ways of the lamb nature that we have been changed into) & then able to show what is the good and pleasing will of God.

(verse 3)Very important that we see one another according to the right-mind,  not comparing yourself to them or them to you. Everyone is at their own place of growth of renewing their mind according to the lamb nature, so have grace on them & encourage them in it as it being their true nature.

Check what the Spirit does even to our natural bodies in this next verse :

Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of the One who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the One who raised up Christ from the dead shall also make your mortal bodies alive by His Spirit who dwells in you.

Not everyone that is a Christian has this mind set & if not they can still act in selfishness, fear, anger & still think that it is who they are. This is the problem, we acknowledge a pig nature that Jesus killed on the cross & then we ask God to help us kill it still now. We can put-off these acts by the Spirit in us & renewing our mind to our original purpose of being God’s lambs. His Son being the perfect example of the Lamb nature subjecting the carnal mind like we see in this verse.

Luk_22:42  saying, Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.

We have the enemy who was destroyed by Jesus at the crucifixion, but he still accuses the people in the world. The pig nature stands in agreement with the enemy’s accusations & therefore we can have no place for this! He has no place in the lamb nature, as the Holy Spirit is the enforcer of the lamb nature that cannot stand accused.

As Rom 8 says : 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God..

And

Joh 14:30  ….. for the ruler of this world comes, and he has nothing in Me

The problem with the pig nature is that it gets its life from your past. It is the only place that it can draw from & once we give place to that, the enemy can also take the opportunity to accuse & lie to us.

See the end of Romans 8 :

Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Rom 8:39  nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

See that present & things to come is listed, but the “Past” is not there? Because embracing the past is you giving life to a nature that died & the past absolutely does not accept the love of God for you, even though from Gods side, He still loves you the same. The past is where the pig nature was in charge, un-forgiven, condemned, perceived as the very life that exists.

The past is the mud bath that the pig nature thrives in. This is Pauls take on dealing with the past.

Php 3:12  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I am pressing on, if I may lay hold of that for which I also was taken hold of by Christ Jesus.

Php 3:13  My brothers, I do not count myself to have taken possession, but one thing I do, forgetting the things behind and reaching forward to the things before,

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be of this mind. And if in anything you are otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this to you.

Renewing our minds should also be forgetting what lies behind us. The way things were, the way they worked then. Many of us were taught that we were forgiven of sins & that is correct, but we were taught that those sins were the acts of the flesh (pig nature) that we are still part of. As Romans 8 said earlier, to set their minds on the flesh is death, so to think that way produces death. Sin & the pig nature are also synonymous.

Rom_6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under Law, but under grace.

We have been released from the pig nature & given the grace of God to live by. Lastly let’s look at the following.

2Co 5:14  For the love of Christ constrains us, judging this, that if one died for all, then all died;

2Co 5:15  and He died for all, that the living ones may live no more to themselves, but to Him who died for them and having been raised.

So the pig nature is a dead nature that consist of memories and lies & by receiving Christ we now do not live for ourselves (since the life we had was dead  & we left it behind)  and we are lambs now made alive in Him by His Spirit.

2Co 5:16  So as we now know no one according to flesh, but even if we have known Christ according to flesh, yet now we no longer know Him so.

2Co 5:17  So that if any one is in Christ, that one is a new creature; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

2Co 5:18  And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

2Co 5:19  whereas God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and putting the word of reconciliation in us.

2Co 5:20  Then we are ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as God exhorting through us, we beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

2Co 5:21  For He has made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

This is so amazing right? That God wants to call those that have not yet accepted Him (living according to their dead pig nature) through us to be reconciled to Him so they can be made alive in Him. So you never have to acknowledge their pig nature as a threat, as you have have left that nature behind with your past & no longer has relevance. You wake up as a lamb, go to work as a lamb, come home to your family as a lamb and go to sleep as a lamb. My point is that you are a new creation, born-again, spiritual person first, the living it out comes after. Allow yourself to grow in grace & don’t allow the flesh to accuse you or the enemy to lie to you through the past or religion (pig with sheep fur).

Rom 5:17  For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one, much more they who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ.)

Thankx for reading. Bless You

Carlo Merrick

You know the hardest thing to preach or teach about these days is finances. But I would like
to share this with you so you may be liberated and also challenged to live out what you believe God
will do for you because of His heart for you.

I will not be using the typical scriptures but I would like to bring a plain & simple concept across.
For me the Gospel will always be simple,otherwise for me, it is probably not the Gospel.

Mat 6:24  No one can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Mat 6:25  Therefore I say to you, Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Mat 6:26  Behold the birds of the air; for they sow not, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them; are you not much better than they are?
Mat 6:27  Which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his stature?
Mat 6:28  And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They do not toil, nor do they spin,
Mat 6:29  but I say to you that even Solomon in his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Mat 6:30  Therefore if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much rather clothe you, little-faiths?
Mat 6:31  Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, With what shall we be clothed?
Mat 6:32  For the nations seek after all these things. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.
Mat 6:33  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.
Mat 6:34  Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow; for tomorrow shall be anxious for its own things. Sufficient to the day is the evil of it.

Such an amazing passage, I don’t know why this never gets used for finances?! It clearly deals with most of the things finances are for. Money,Food, drink, clothes are core needs we all have, even though our list has grown since bible times.

Can I ask you where will you find His kingdom? Where will you find His righteousness?

Here :

Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

The kingdom? is within us. The righteousness? is what we have become in Christ Jesus.

So He says in Mat 6:33 seek FIRST the KINGDOM OF GOD and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS and all these thing will be added to you.

The problem I see today is not that people aren’t sowing,tithing or something like that, but it is that people do not believe that they deserve
Gods provision for them! It is from that place that people usually try sow or tithe and see if it works for them or not since there are always testimonies of
people giving & people receiving. But then the real question should be, are you worthy of the blessing & provision God wants to give?

The answer is always yes! As it says in Mat 6:32 that “your Heavenly Father knows that you have need of these things”, He gives us the assurance of being our Father and in verse 26 it says that we are so much better than birds yet God takes care of them.

Why do we struggle so much with finances and feel unworthy?! He reminds us in Mat 6 verse 27 and 34 not to be anxious. I believe our feeling of
unworthiness takes us to being anxious & that is opposite to what His kingdom or righteousness affirms in us.

Seeking first, should be discovering who God is for you & through you as a son, since your Father knows your needs, you will know(trust) His provision.
Truth is your that your provision is ready for you as a son. Slaves don’t get the blessings, but sons do. Sons also give, in fact they love giving because they
act like their Father.

Now please don’t hear me say that you shouldn’t give, but if you don’t give, why should you be any less blessed?! But if you are blessed, why not give?
It all starts with us & His Kingdom within us wants to draw blessings toward us. His righteousness puts us in the place of a son that
is in right relationship with the Father that wants take care of us.

Like I said, a simple message : Because of what you believe, act on it as if its true. Your Father wants to provide for you, what kind of life
do you want to live and what will you do with your finances? It is not about how much you give or get in return, it is about the truth that you are a son & you
live it out. The world is watching you everyday.. first,it will always be about the people(sons & daughters) of a Father, then comes the part where the Father
takes care of them.

Mat 7:8  For each one who asks receives; and he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, it shall be opened.
Mat 7:9  Or what man is there of you, if his son asks a loaf, will he give him a stone?
Mat 7:10  Or if he asks a fish, will he give him a snake?
Mat 7:11  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him?

Jesus says here to the people who were not born again yet,”if you being evil know how to give good gifts, how much more shall your Father in heaven”.
Today born again people are not evil like these were that Jesus was talking to, but we are the children of His Kingdom of His Righteousness, so how much more does He want to give!

Thankx for reading. Bless You

Carlo Merrick

My reis deur die dieptes van die Hebreeuse Wortels Beweging en hoe GENADE alleen my daaruit gered het.

Die Torah Pad…

Vir omtrent ses en ‘n halfjaar was ek intensief betrokke in die Hebreeuse Wortels Beweging. Vir meer as vyf jaar het ek Bybelse Hebreeuse klasse landswyd aangebied. Vir drie jaar was ek ‘n Messiaanse bedienaar in verskillende bedienings, met verskeie funksies.

Wanneer ek my storie vertel, dan getuig ek net aangaande dit wat ek gesien, gehoor en beleef het in my wandel. Ek kan nie namens enige ander persoon praat nie, ek is ook bewus dat ons almal mense is en ons ervarings en perspektiewe verskil. Daarmee wil ek graag meedeel wat ek ervaar het. Dit wat ek deel word beoog om die Liggaam van Christus te stig, nie om klippe te gooi nie, maar eerder een broer wat deel met ander broers en susters in ‘n liefdevolle wyse.

Die hele Skrif is deur God ingegee en is nuttig tot lering, tot weerlegging, tot teregwysing, tot onderwysing in die geregtigheid, sodat die mens van God volkome kan wees, vir elke goeie werk volkome toegerus.         

2 Timoteus 3:16-17

NUWE OPENBARINGS – NUWE WANDEL

My eerste aanraking met die Hebreeuse Wortels Beweging (HWB) ook bekend as die Messiaanse Beweging, was in 2008. Dit was gedurende my tyd as ‘n vrywillige werker by die Volle Evangelie Kerk (V.E.K). Die mense het anders geklink en gelyk, maar tog het hulle dieselfde Bybel gehad as ek en boonop het hulle dit beter geken as ek. Hulle het ‘n antwoord uit die Skrif gehad vir alles wat hulle doen, sowel as nie doen nie. My vrywillige werk by die V.E.K. het dus geëindig a.g.v. ‘n verloop van omstandighede waar ek teologiese verskille gehad het met die kerk.

Met die afloop daarvan was ek genader deur ‘n persoon wat aangebied het om my te onderrig in basiese Bybelse Hebreeus, sowel as die agtergrond van die Torah en die Tanakh (OT) en verskeie onderwerp studies. In Augustus van 2009, het my reis van nuwe openbarings begin. Dit het my vir die volgende ses jaar lank laat dieper delf in elke rigting vir meer kennis. Die ontnugtering en skok van hoe afvallig die Sondag kerk geword het, was een van die eerste hoof onderwerpe in ons studies. Heidense feeste soos Kersfees, Paasfees en Sondag aanbidding, was ontmasker en ontleed, met diep gesprekke oor Kerk geskiedenis en sistematiese teologie. Ek het vinnig verbitterd geraak teenoor die Sondag Kerk waaruit ek nou gekom het: “Hoekom leer hulle mense nie die waarheid nie?” het ek gedink. Geleidelik het daar ‘n hardheid in my gemoed gesak en ek wou nie eers meer ‘n “Christen” genoem word nie.

DIE BOOM VAN KENNIS…

Studeer, studeer en studeer, was wat ek vir maande lank gedoen het. Ek het dus vinnig verlief geraak op Bybelse Hebreeus. My heidense Kerk fondasie was stelselmatig afgebreek en vervang met ‘n Torah gebaseerde Hebreeuse perspektief, sodat ek die Skrif reg kon interpreteer.

Maart 2010 was ek op my eerste toer Israel toe. Dit was ‘n wonderlike belewenis. November 2010, het ek in geskryf by ‘n Suid Afrikaanse Hebreeuse Wortels Instituut om verder te studeer. Junie 2011, het ek begin om Bybelse Hebreeuse klasse aan te bied, ek het oor die volgende vyf jaar meer as 20 klasse landwyd aangebied. 2011 was ek amptelik aangestel as ‘n Hebreeuse navorser vir die Instituut waar ek studeer – ek het in Desember 2013, by die Instituut bedank, a.g.v. verskeie onreëlmatighede.

November 2011, behartig Brad Scott van Wildbranch Ministries my Messiaanse troue in Johannesburg. Oktober 2012, het ek vir die tweede keer Israel toe gegaan. Januarie 2013, ontvang ek my Honneurs Graad in Messiaanse Judaïsme. Oktober 2013, was ek aangestel as ‘n Leraar in ‘n Messiaanse gemeente in Vanderbijlpark. In November het ek ‘n derde Bybelse Hebreeuse kursus aan die Universiteit van Johannesburg voltooi.

DIE MESSIAANSE FOKUS

Die Torah pad het ‘n heel nuwe dimensie aan geneem teen die tyd wat ek voltyds by ‘n Messiaanse bediening begin het. Die hoof was ‘n man met ‘n visie wat diep spore wou trap vir die Messiaanse gemeenskappe. “Ons moet die mense Torah gehoorsaamheid leer” het hy gereeld vir my gesê. Ons het die mense geleer hoe om Shabbat te onderhou, Kosher te eet, die feeste te vier asook hoe dit Yeshua se koms vooraf proklameer, ons moes die mense Torah leer want,

“My volk gaan te gronde weens gebrek aan kennis; omdat jy die kennis verwerp het, sal Ek jou verwerp, sodat jy vir My die priesteramp nie sal bedien nie; omdat jy die wet van jou God vergeet het, sal Ek ook jou kinders vergeet.

Hosea 4:6

Ons dienste was in ‘n V.E.K. gebou wat ons gehuur het vir Saterdae, waar ons weekliks die Torah parasha (porsie) bedien het. Ons fokus was op die restourasie terug na die Handelinge Gemeente. Die gemeente was ongeveer 80 lidmate sterk en was daardie tyd die grootste waarvan ons bewus was in die Vaal Driehoek.

Ongelukkig was die fokus nooit om Geestelik te groei, die eenvoudige Evangelie te verkondig aan ‘n verlore wêreld of om net die Here se aangesig te soek in lofprysing en aanbidding nie. Die fokus was verwerwing van kennis, die herstel van die Torah en om Christene uit die Babiloniese kerk sisteem te lei.

IDENTITEIT – ISRAEL (HUIS VAN EFRAIM)

Met my eerste tree op die Torah pad, het ek in aanraking gekom met die konflik oor identiteit. Ek was geleer dat ek nie eintlik ‘n heiden was nie, maar wel van die “Huis van Efraim” of ook bekend as die “Tien Stamme”. Ek sou eers jare later die ware vrug sien wat hierdie leerstelling sou voortbring in my lewe.

Die kerk het tradisioneel geglo dat dit Israel vervang/verplaas het, onderworpe aan ‘n leerstelling wat “Vervangings Teologie” genoem word. Die HWB se lering van die “Twee Huise” is inderdaad ‘n omgekeerde “Vervangings Teologie”, waar almal wat in Yeshua glo Israel word en nie die nasies in die vlees bly nie. In Efesiërs 2:11-22 en Romeine 11 verduidelik Paulus die eenheid in die Messias van Jood en nie-Jood, maar word tog hierdie Skrifte asook menigte ander verdraai om ‘n “Twee Huis” lering te staaf.

DIE EEN HUIS WORD TOE TWEE HUISE

“As ons sê dat ons Israel is, maar geen begeerte of poging wys om terug te gaan na ons beloofde land nie, dan bedrieg ons onsself”, het ek gereeld aan die gemeente gesê. Augustus 2014 het van ons gemeente se leierskap Israel toe vertrek om uit te vind hoe ons kon terugtrek Israel toe. Die uitkoms van ons ondersoek in Israel het daartoe gelei dat ons een moontlike weg terug land toe gesien het. Dit was in samewerking met Kol hator wat ons sou help proseliteer en Ortodokse Jode word. Hul raad was as volg: ” Verwerp net die Christen Jesus openlik voor die Rabbi’s, omdat julle eintlik in die Joodse Yeshua glo”.

Terug in Suid-Afrika was ons voorgestelde plan nie goed ontvang deur die ander leierskap nie, in Oktober 2014 was daar ‘n gemeente skeuring. Die meerderheid van die gemeente wou nie proseliteer nie. Saam myself en die hoof was daar ‘n klein groepie mense wat bereid was om hierdie pionier roeping aan te durf. “Die Twee Huise moet verenig word voor die wederkoms van Yeshua, sekerlik sal net ‘n oorblyfsel die werk kan voltooi”, het die hoof gesê.

LITTLE ISRAEL KIBBUTZ

Einde 2012 het die idee om ‘n Kibbutz (landbou gemeenskap) op te rig gekom vanaf die hoof van die gemeente. Ek het dit sterk ondersteun in my eie kapasiteit. In April 2014 het die Kibbutz vorm gekry op ‘n plot in Meyerton. Aanvanklik was die visie om ‘n Messiaanse sending gemeenskap op te rig vir jongmense. Dit het egter gou verander in ‘n Proseliteer Gemeenskap waar ons voorberei sou word vir ‘n Ortodokse leefwyse in Israel. Die sou plaasvind onder leiding van Kol hator se Rabbi Avraham Feld en Ovadyah Avrahami. Die visie was om as ‘n gemeenskap saam te proseliteer en Ortodokse Jode te word, sonder om Yeshua te verloën in die proses.

Ongelukkig in die volgende paar maande sou ek skeuring op skeuring beleef a.g.v. hierdie lering. Na ses maande aan die einde van Mei het ons die Kibbutz op Meyerton toegemaak, die eksperiment was dus ‘n flop.  

Aan ‘n man wat partyskap verwek, moet jy jou onttrek ná die eerste en tweede vermaning, wetende dat so iemand op ‘n verkeerde pad is en sonde doen en selfveroordeeld staan. 

Titus 3:10-11

WEER ‘N KEER OM DIE BERG…

Die voormalige hoof stel op daardie stadium toe voor ons begin ‘n nuwe bediening saam, weereens met die “Twee Huis” lering as ‘n fundamentele leerstelling. Ons het ‘n kerk gebou gehuur straatop van die vorige gemeente, “ons gaan die Handelinge se Sinagoge weer herstel” of so het ons gedink. Geen Lofprysing of aanbidding nie, maar eerder die Amida gebed soos dit in Sinagoges gebid was in die eerste eeu. Daar was bedien oor die Torah porsie, na die diens was daar ‘n uur en ‘n half se “Midrash” studie oor die spesifieke porsie.

As ‘n leier in ons gemeente, het ek ‘n opregte begeerte gehad om te sien hoe ons herstel word terug na die dae van die Handelinge gemeente, die wonders en tekens, die krag van die Gees en tot die verstaan van die eerste eeu se Joodse volgelinge van die Messias. Tog het dit nie gelyk asof ons enige vordering toon nie. Inteendeel ons het net meer intellektuele kennis vergader en geensins die krag of die vrugte gevind as bewyse nie. Êrens het ons iets gemis. Verskeie vrae het by my afgespeel – was daar dalk meer te verstaan van die Torah? Dalk meer Hebreeuse kennis wat ons benodig? Ons vrugte asook die demonstrasie van krag en glorie het dan nie vermeerder in gelyke verhouding met ons kennis nie.

Uiteindelik het die Here vir my en my vrou gewys, na ‘n reeks Goddelike gebeurtenisse in ons persoonlike lewens dat Hy ‘n nuwe seisoen vir ons beplan. Vroeg in Januarie 2016 het ons bedank uit die Messiaanse bediening waarby ons betrokke was.  Ons Hemelse Vader roep ons terug na Sy Hart en so begin ons opnuut wandel in ‘n pad van intimiteit met ons Eerste Liefde.

DIE GOEIE

Hebreeus is ‘n wonderlike taal, dit is voordelig om te gebruik en te verstaan in Bybelstudie. Die verstaan van die Ou en Nuwe Testament as een verhaal in geheel help gelowiges om die groter beeld van God se verlossings plan in te sien. Hoe Israel en die Kerk saam deel vorm van God se plan word duideliker wanneer mens die Joodse wortels asook die Hebreeuse aard van die Nuwe Testament verstaan.

DIE SLEGTE

Paulus waarsku dat “die kennis maak opgeblase, maar die liefde stig” 1 Kor. 8:1. Ongelukkig is Hoogmoed een van die duidelikste kenmerke van die HWB. Paulus word uitgemaak as ‘n valse apostel in baie groepies, omdat sy interpretasie van die Torah nie volgens hierdie groepies verstaan of aanvaar word nie. Paulus sê mos,

“hulle wil leraars van die wet wees, alhoewel hulle wat hulle sê, of die dinge wat hulle beslis beweer, nie verstaan nie.”

1 Timotheus 1:7

Wanneer die fokus verskuif word na kennis, sal hoogmoed volg, hoogmoed veroorsaak argumentasie, argumentasie lei na twis, waarvan die uiteinde skeuring en verdeeldheid van die Liggaam is. ‘n Huis wat verdeeld is, sal nie staande bly nie.

Henru Pieters binne Zichron Ya’aqov se Sinagoge, Augustus 2014.

DIE LELIKE

Ek het self beleef hoe vriende van my uit die Sondag Kerk gaan, op soek na iets meer, in die HWB ingekom het vurig vir Jesus en die Bybel. ‘n Paar jaar later het ons vir hulle gaan kuier, glad nie bewus waarmee hulle tans besig was nie. Dit was op daardie punt wat ons onsself in ‘n leeukuil bevind het, hulle het Paulus ontbloot as ‘n valse apostel en ook bevind deur hul studies dat Jesus nie die Messias is nie en dat die Nuwe Testament ‘n onbetroubare bron is wat deur die Katolieke kerk verdraai is. Die hartseerste vir my was, dat hierdie nie die enigste gevalle was wat ek self teëgekom het nie.

“en elke gees wat nie bely dat Jesus Christus in die vlees gekom het nie, is nie uit God nie; en dit is die gees van die Antichris waarvan julle gehoor het dat hy kom, en hy is nou al in die wêreld.”

1 Johannes 4:3

PAULUS EN DIE VALSE LERAARS

Ek staan tans met meer waardering vir Paulus se konstante worsteling met die Joodse leraars wat rondgegaan het en al die gelowiges onder die nasies geleer het dat hulle moet die Feeste, Sabbatte en die Torah onderhou. Paulus verwys kontant na hierdie broers as valse leraars Gal. 3:2, Kol. 2:4-23 en Fil. 3:1-7. Paulus het nooit wetteloosheid verkondig nie, maar hy het ‘n intieme wandel deur die Heilige Gees in reinheid en eenheid gepreek.

DIE GOD BOKSIE

Die mense wat gewoonlik die meeste sukkel met die Godsdienstige Gees, sal die eerstes wees wat die werke van God in ‘n boksie sit en geen ander manifestasie van God of werking sal aanvaar buite hul God boksie nie. Die kerk net na Jesus het ook gesukkel om te verstaan hoe God nog ‘n plan het met Israel, al het hulle die Messias verloën. Paulus skryf,

“O Diepte van die rykdom en wysheid en kennis van God! Hoe ondeurgrondelik is sy oordele en onnaspeurlik sy weë! Want wie het die gedagte van die Here geken, of wie was sy raadsman gewees? Of wie het eers iets aan Hom gegee, dat dit hom vergeld moet word? Want uit Hom en deur Hom en tot Hom is alle dinge. Syne is die heerlikheid tot in ewigheid. Amen.”

Romeine 11:33-36

DIE FARISEËR GEES

Mattheüs 23 het Jesus die Fariseërs baie reguit aangespreek oor hul skynheiligheid en hul Godsdienstigheid. Wanneer die uiterlike meer beklemtoon word as die innerlike, word ruimte gegee vir ‘n Godsdienstige Gees om te seëvier. As ‘n sisteem, leerstelling of ‘n persoon, mense leer om afhanklik en vasgebind te word aan enige iets anders as aan Jesus, dan is dit die perfekte geleentheid vir die Godsdienstige Gees om kop uit te steek. Enige beheer wat uitgeoefen word oor mense a.g.v. ‘n leerstelling, kom uit ‘n Godsdienstige Gees.

Die elemente wat in die HWB die meeste op gefokus word, is onder andere;

Die Feeste van die Here, Shabbat, Kosher eet, Torah studie, Hebreeuse name, Tsitsit en Tallit (soms ook die Kippah) dra, baarde groei en om die korrekte Hebreeuse interpretasie van die Nuwe Testament te hê. Wat vir my skokkend was, is die feit dat ek mense gesien het wat al die bogenoemde beoefen het, maar geensins wedergebore was nie. Hulle het net een Godsdiens verruil vir ‘n ander, maar niemand om hulle kom egter agter dat hulle nog in die vlees is nie.

Foto: Henru Pieters, Augustus 2014 “First Aliyah Museum” Zichron Ya’aqov.

WAT SAL ONS DAN Sê?

Is alles dan verkeerd wat geleer of beoefen word in die HWB? Dit is een van die vrae wat ek gereeld gevra word. Nee, alles is nie verkeerd nie, daar is waarheid omtrent baie dinge, maar ongelukkig is meer waarheid nodig om ‘n sterker misleiding te hê. Die goeie kant van die Boom van Kennis, sal nooit lewe kan voortbring nie.

Die sterk misleiding in die HWB is dat die fokus nie bly by ‘n eenvoudige verhouding met Jesus nie, maar meer gekompliseerd word, tot op die punt dat die eenvoudige man op die straat nie die “Ware Evangelie” kan verstaan en gered kan word nie. Die fokus gly so stelselmatig na, kennis van die Woord asook die “regte name, kalender, gebruike, ens.”, dat iemand vir jare besig kan wees met dinge wat jou elke week verstom laat staan oor hoe “wonderlik” so en so is, maar dat jy nooit besef jou verhouding met Jesus is besig om tot niet te gaan nie.

Dit is nie meer ‘n geheim dat die tradisionele kerke begin leegloop nie, mense is op soek na meer, maar meer van wat? Ek glo ons almal is op soek na meer van die Here se teenwoordigheid, net soos Dawid gesê het;

“Een ding het ek van die HERE begeer, dit sal ek soek: dat ek al die dae van my lewe mag woon in die huis van die HERE, om die lieflikheid van die HERE te aanskou en te ondersoek in sy tempel”

Psalm 27:4

Kennis van die Here, hoe wonderlik en diep Sy Woorde is. Om verstom en in bewondering te wees is sekerlik die naaste plaasvervanger vir die Here se teenwoordigheid. Met opregte harte en rein bedoelings soek mense na ‘n dieper verhouding met God, maar dan word hulle mislei deur mooipraatjies en die wysheid van mense, net om vasgevang te word in ‘n baie sterker en dieper strik.

Die demonstrasie van die Gees en van krag sê Paulus is waarmee ons die Evangelie moet bedien.

DIE HOOGSTE PRIORITEIT

Die vraag tans in my hart is dus: “Hoe sou hierdie fokus van die HWB opweeg in die Vervolgde Kerk”? Dit wat werklik die belangrikste is vir ‘n mens en wat ook vir God die hoogste prioriteit is, sal altyd jou verhouding met Hom wees. Ken jy Sy stem vandag? More is dalk te laat vir jou. Is jy bereid om vandag te sterf vir jou baie eenvoudige geloof in Jesus as jou verlosser?

Ons is nie in ‘n verhouding met ‘n boek nie, maar met ‘n Persoon. Die Bybel is ‘n wonderlike, kosbare boek, maar ons lees en studeer daarvan moet eindig by die Persoon van Jesus, nie by Godsdiens nie.

Vir meer inligting kontak Henru Pieters gerus by henru.pieters@gmail.com

Rabbi Avraham Feld en Ovadyah Avrahami stigters van Kol hator

Kol hator se diagram oor die evolusie van die Hebreeuse Wortels Beweging

As Christians we often get confused about when we can say yes or no. Some of us feel like we can never say no and we have to always say yes whereas others may feel like saying no is the only thing we are allowed to do.

It is when we talk about people, the ones we are to love as our neighbours as we love ourselves that we get confused. Because if we are to love them how do we say no? Isn’t that rejecting them?

Let’s take a quick look at what Jesus did, as He is the perfect example for us as sons & daughters of God.

John 2:23-25 And as He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, at the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the miracles which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all and did not need that anyone should testify of man. For He knew what was in man.

Interestingly the word translated as “commit” in the Greek also means “to have faith” , “believe” or “Trust in”. So there were people at some stage that Jesus knew He could not trust in or believe in. This doesn’t say it couldn’t change, but this was the situation.

Then there was this episode where Jesus forgave a man’s sin & would heal him :

Mar 2:8 And instantly knowing in His spirit that they reasoned so within themselves, He said to them, Why do you reason these things in your heart?

My point with this is Jesus had discernment. This is something all Christians need to have and exercise daily! If we don’t, we don’t exercise our spirit. That’s why we call it “discernment of spirits” so only our spirit that is one with God through Jesus Christ can tell us what spirit we are dealing within other people.

Now all that being said, we need to have a clear view on God’s love for us. I don’t just mean have an idea, I mean you need to be lost in His love for you & it must be your ultimate reality every day. This is our only way we can love ourselves, because then, it is not selfish, but then it is because of a great value you see in
yourself as God sees you.

Rom 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.

God has made clear that His Spirit declares us as His children. So that’s a good point on why He loves us! a good Father always loves His children! Our Father God is an amazing Father! So if you agree with His spirit in you, you should be able to love yourself from the inside out.

Funny enough, how we love our neighbour is the way we love our self, right?

Now that you live from the love of God for you, you can look at your neighbour through love. You do not switch your discernment off, you keep it on as you measure them with love, you can easily see them the way God sees them, so you can help them & also if you need to say no to them. The ones you need to say no to will require you to give up the love that you have for a need they have. They will need you to do things that will require you to change your identity to a lower value. The love you get from God & who that makes you to be is never up for grabs!

This might be a hard thing to hear, but at times other believers or even family members might do this. People just sometimes have unhealthy needs because of a lack of value they have for themselves or for you. If you comply with those needs it will hurt you & it won’t help them either.

So a good way to always know is this : Ask yourself – Does this require me give up my value? Then you know it’s a “no”. Also if this makes me ignore their value? It’s also a “no”. Know that value & love go together perfectly! The spirit within you will always let you know if you are giving away value. This is a big part of how
discernment works, it always works from love, this is how you love people well & yourself.

Let God love you today & don’t let anyone convince you of anything else.

1Co 2:11 For who among men knows the things of a man except the spirit of man within him? So also no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

Mat 7:6 Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

Thankx for reading. Bless You

Carlo Merrick