|
Author: Elisabeth Elliot
The world cannot fathom strength proceeding from weakness, gain proceeding from loss, or power from meekness. Christians apprehend these truths very slowly, if at all, for we are strongly influenced by secular thinking. Let's stop and concentrate on what Jesus meant when He said that the meek would inherit the earth. Do we understand what meekness truly is? Think first about what it isn't. It is not a naturally phlegmatic temperament. I knew a woman who was so phlegmatic that nothing seemed to make much difference to her at all. While drying dishes for her one day in her kitchen I asked where I should put a serving platter. "Oh, I don't know. Wherever you think would be a good place," was her answer. I wondered how she managed to find things if there wasn't a place for everything (and everything in its place). Meekness is not indecision or laziness or feminine fragility or loose sentimentalism or indifference or affable neutrality. Meekness is most emphatically not weakness. Do you remember who was the meekest man in the Old Testament? Moses! (See Numbers 12:3). My mental image of him is not of a feeble man. It is shaped by Michelangelo's sculpture and painting and by the biblical descriptions. Think of him murdering the Egyptian, smashing the tablets of the commandments, grinding the golden calf to a powder, scattering it on the water and making the Israelites drink it. Nary a hint of weakness there, nor in David who wrote, "The meek will he guide in judgment" (Psalm 25:9, KJV), nor in Isaiah, who wrote, "The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord" (Isaiah 29:19, KJV). The Lord Jesus was the Lamb of God, and when we think of lambs we think of meekness (and perhaps weakness), but He was also the Lion of Judah, and He said, "I am meek and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29, KJV). He told us that we can find rest for our souls if we will come to Him, take His yoke, and learn. What we must learn is meekness. It doesn't come naturally to any of us. Meekness is teachability. "The meek will he teach his way" (Psalm 25:9, KJV). It is the readiness to be shown, which includes the readiness to lay down my fixed notions, my objections and "what ifs" or "but what abouts," my certainties about the rightness of what I have always done or thought or said. It is the child's glad "Show me! Is this the way? Please help me." We won't make it into the kingdom without that childlikeness, that simple willingness to be taught and corrected and helped. "Receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21, KJV). Meekness is an explicitly spiritual quality, a fruit of the Spirit, learned, not inherited. It shows in the kind of attention we pay to one another, the tone of voice we use, the facial _expression. One weekend I spoke in Atlanta on this subject, and the following weekend I was to speak on it again in Philadelphia. As very often happens, I was sorely tested on that very point in the few days in between. That sore test was my chance to be taught and changed and helped. At the same time I was strongly tempted to indulge in the very opposite of meekness: sulking. Someone had hurt me. He/she was the one who needed to be changed! I felt I was misunderstood, unfairly treated, and unduly berated. Although I managed to keep my mouth shut, both the Lord and I knew that my thoughts did not spring from a depth of loving-kindness and holy charity. I wanted to vindicate myself to the offender. That was a revelation of how little I knew of meekness. The Spirit of God reminded me that it was He who had provided this very thing to bring that lesson of meekness which I could learn nowhere else. He was literally putting me on the spot: would I choose, here and now, to learn of Him, learn His meekness? He was despised, rejected, reviled, pierced, crushed, oppressed, afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. What was this little incident of mine by comparison with my Lord's suffering? He brought to mind Jesus' willingness not only to eat with Judas who would soon betray Him, but also to kneel before him and wash his dirty feet. He showed me the look the Lord gave Peter when he had three times denied Him--a look of unutterable love and forgiveness, a look of meekness which overpowered Peter's cowardice and selfishness, and brought him to repentance. I thought of His meekness as He hung pinioned on the cross, praying even in His agony for His Father's forgiveness for His killers. There was no venom or bitterness there, only the final proof of a sublime and invincible love. But how shall I, not born with the smallest shred of that quality, I who love victory by argument and put-down, ever learn that holy meekness? The prophet Zephaniah tells us to seek it (Zephaniah 2:3). We must walk (live) in the Spirit, not gratifying the desires of the sinful nature (for example, my desire to answer back, to offer excuses and accusations, my desire to show up the other's fault instead of to be shown my own). We must "clothe" ourselves (Colossians 3:12) with meekness--put it on, like a garment. This entails an explicit choice: I will be meek. I will not sulk, will not retaliate, will not carry a chip. A steadfast look at Jesus instead of at the injury makes a very great difference. Seeking to see things in His light changes the aspect altogether. In PILGRIM'S PROGRESS, Prudence asks Christian in the House Beautiful, "Can you remember by what means you find your annoyances at times, as if they were vanquished?" "Yes," says Christian, "when I think what I saw at the Cross, that will do it." The message of the cross is foolishness to the world and to all whose thinking is still worldly. But "the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength" (1 Corinthians 1:25, NIV). The meekness of Jesus was a force more irresistible than any force on earth. "By the meekness and gentleness of Christ," wrote the great apostle, "I appeal to you.... Though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:1, 3-4, NIV). The weapon of meekness counters all enmity, says author Dietrich Von Hildebrand, with the offer of an unshielded heart. Isn't this the simple explanation for our being so heavy-laden, so tired, so overburdened and confused and bitter? We drag around such prodigious loads of resentment and self-assertion. Shall we not rather accept at once the loving invitation: "Come to Me. Take My yoke. Learn of Me--I am gentle, meek, humble, lowly. I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28-29 paraphrased). |
|
|
|
RESTORATION OF HEADSHIP
Shabbat shalom dearly beloved:
This week we will talk about one of the most important subjects of restoration. That is the restoration of True Headship in Man.
Then Yahveh God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”
So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” Genesis 3:9-12
Rosh Katan- Shoving responsibility unto the woman.
In this passage of scripture we can see that the first reaction of Man when Elohim calls him to accountability is to hide and to shove the responsibility of the sin to his Woman. Though it is true that the woman used her influence wrongly by enticing him, Man made his own choice to follow her in sin and by not calling her to accountability. In other words he became Rosh Katan or a “small head” in Hebrew, which means; someone that will not take responsibility!
Man lost dominion over the earth, now the earth will resist the Man. Provision will not come easy causing great frustration.
Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:17-19
Woman lost the freedom and the co-equality with Man. Now Man will rule Woman. This will cause constant strife and misery in the relationship. Abuse will become the order of the day in the relationship of Man with Woman with conniving and manipulation to gain lost authority and freedom, which will rule the relationship from Woman to Man. What was given for free, and taken for granted, now has been withheld. Adam sinned, (Woman and Man) and Man relinquished his responsibility to the Woman. In Hebrew this is called Rosh Katan, which means a Small Head. That is a person that plays it down in the area of responsibility so as to have it easy. Rosh Katan never amounts to anything because they are always evading responsibility.
To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” Genesis 3:16
Man became “Rosh Katan” and through it an inferiority complex set in. From now on Man will want to assert his headship by forcing his ruling over Woman and showing that he is a “Macho”, by putting the Woman down. Many “respectable” Church Theologians and ministers that have not truly understood or believed the Gospel of the Kingdom and the FREEDOM that Y’shua has purchased for women, have spoken horrible and ungodly things against women in order to ascertain their position of “inferiority”. These terrible doctrines and attitudes in the Church have perpetuated misery in the family and have been the cause of persecution and even extermination of Women that dared to “break out of the mold”.
The following are only a small sample of quotes by Church Leaders that have shaped the beliefs of the Church towards women and caused untold pain and misery. Taken from “10 Lies the Church Tells Women” by J. Lee Grady:
“What is the difference whether it is in a wife or a mother; it is still Eve the temptress that we must be aware of in any woman …. I fail to see what use woman can be to man, if one excludes the function of bearing children” St Augustine of Hippo (354-430)
“…. Woman is defective and misbegotten, for the active power in the male seed tends to the production of a perfect likeness in the masculine sex, while production of woman comes from defect in the active force.” Thomas Aquinas
“God maintained the order of each sex by dividing the business of life into two parts, and assigned the more necessary and beneficial aspects to the man and the less important, inferior matters to the woman.” Early Church Father John Chrysostom (A.D. 347-407)
“Men should not sit and listen to a woman …. Even if she says admirable things, or even saintly things, this is of little consequence, since they came from the mouth a woman” Origen (A.D. 185-254), The Early Church Father
“Even the single woman is not to make any decision without a male head.” Letha Scanzoni, Author of the 1974 Book All We’re Meant to Be
“Do you not know that you are (each) an Eve? The sentence of God on this sex of your lives in this age; the guilt must of necessity live too. You are the Devil’s gateway: You are the unsealer of that (forbidden) tree: you are the first deserter of the divine law: you are she who persuaded him whom the devil was not valiant enough to attack. On account of your desert – that is, death – even the Son of God had to die.” Tertullian (A.D. 155-220)
”Woman must neither begin nor complete anything without man: Where he is, there she must be, and bend before him as before a master, whom she shall fear and to whom she shall be subject and obedient.” Martin Luther.
In general The Gospel of Y’shua concerning Women has not been understood. He came to set Humanity FREE and that includes Woman!
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in the Messiah Y’shua. And if you are Messiah’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:28-29
On the other hand in order to escape her miserable predicament and outcome of the Curse, Woman would try to assert her lost authority by using sexual appeal, conniving and manipulation. What a MESS! And this state of affairs has been ruling the marriages, the family and the society! But Glory be to God that through Y’shua the Messiah ALL things have been RESTORED to their original intent. True believing and forgiven Men can now be co-equal with their wives without any need to ascertain their authority by force. It is enough for the Man to take all the responsibility for the success in his relationship with YAH and with his wife.
Only the taking of responsibility bestows true authority! That is restoration of TRUE Headship. Not the “imposing of authority but the taking of responsibility.”
Once redeemed Men become the GIVERS that they are called to be, authority comes easy; “Not by might, nor power but by My spirit says Adonai!”
Y’shua became a curse so we can break away from the CURSE imposed upon us in the Garden of Eden. He said “It is finished”
The Messiah has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:13-14
Once Man submits himself to the true Gospel of Messiah, the true Good News of the Kingdom, he will want to break away from the pattern of the Curse in his relationship with Woman. That will bring Freedom and Joy to the relationships, fulfillment to the Marriage, the Family and of course wholeness to The Body of Messiah! Then the world will be able to look in and become jealous to have the freedom that we have and to enjoy the Heavenly Relationships that we enjoy! Right now, the world is doing much better than the Church in this area! Without the redeeming blood, they are trying to go back to the original pattern of relationships, while in the Church ungodliness, hidden misery and religiosity reins in the relationships of husbands and wives. Some times the worst condition of marriages is among the pastors as they need to maintain the supposed “holy façade” of a “godly marriage” according to their deathly religious theology.
However under the surface, the husband is constantly angry with his wife because she does not “submit”. Most pastors keep their women hidden in order to keep them “in their place” of inferiority allowing them to do nothing to attract attention to her. The seemingly “submissive” wife for the most part feels abused, rejected and even hates her husband secretly! However on Sundays, they dress well and put on the eternal “plastic smile” as if things are really going well!
This is totally contrary to Messiah’s relationship with His own Bride upon whom He bestowed ALL His authority! He died in order to display His Wife! He is not afraid of His Wife receiving all the attention. He is sitting in Heaven interceding for her! No one can see Him, but everyone can see her, and the more she shines and succeeds, the more Glory He gets!
“Modern mainstream Christian thinking would never support spouse abuse, nor would it suggest that women forfeit political rights to conform to a patriarchal form of government. Nevertheless, we still use the Bible to minimize women’s rights and to limit them from having significant spiritual influence.
It’s no wonder that so many Christian women struggle with low self-esteem, depression, eating disorders and compulsive behaviors. It’s no wonder that religious homes in the United States are ranked among the highest in incidents of domestic abuse – second only to the homes of alcoholics.” From 10 Lies the Church Tells Women by J. Lee Grady
Y’shua is the ULTIMATE TRUE MAN. He is the Last Adam. Pastors, leaders and all men would do well to follow His pattern with no fear and see the Kingdom Come in their marriages, families and congregations. Men that are truly free; love to see their wives fulfilled, successful and shining. They are not threatened by strong, talented women. They are not afraid of “loosing their authority” if women are “too successful”, no! The very success of their wives bestows glory upon such a selfless man that gives up his life for her. These awesome, Godly men say to their women like Adam when he saw his Lady for the first time- “You are now bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh”, or in modern terminology, “Your success is my success”. Men that keep their women “subdued” and inferior become inferior themselves. When you see a happy, fulfilled, shining woman, you will know that there is a TRUE MAN with her. One that is not threatened but like Messiah thrives in the success of his wife! Those men are to receive the highest honor just like Y’shua receives the highest honor when His bride exhibits the beauty, authority and power of His Kingdom! That is the restoration of TRUE HEADSHIP!
Beloved it is time to stop “the circus” and come back to the True Gospel of the Kingdom concerning the relationship between Man and Woman. It is time that we show the world the TRUE Unity in marriages and the TRUE Freedom that only Messiah can give! This will bring more people into The Kingdom than any evangelistic tactic! People out there will want to have what we have. They will recognize the signature of TRUE LOVE AND ENJOYMENT in our marriages! This will release unity, passion and fulfillment. It will affect the children who will be made free from their rebellion! And of course it will affect all of society that is made out of COUPLES!
Dear Men, let True Headship be restored to you today as you take the responsibility for your relationship with your wife to be like the relationship of Messiah with His Bride. Who did not impose authority but rather took responsibility for our sin by dying for us. He did not impose authority, He released and bestowed authority upon His wife. He took all the responsibility and still does by interceding for her! Heavenly Marriages are at your reach.
Husbands, love your wives, just as the Messiah also loved the church and gave Himself for her, Husbands, love your wives, just as the Messiah also loved the church and gave Himself for her, …. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. …….. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning the Messiah and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. Ephesians 5:25,28,32,33,
Let Your Kingdom Come and Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven!
Next issue we will discuss the response of Women to truly Restored Men
Shabbat Shalom
From your friends in Israel
Bishop Dominiquae and Rabbi Baruch Bierman
“FOR ZION ’S SAKE I WILL NOT KEEP SILENT”
Watch the live broadcast from the mountains of Jerusalem by Bishop Dominiquae Bierman
Shabbat 29th October 10am Israeli time
(Repeated at 12pm , 2pm , 4pm and 6pm )
http://www.kad-esh.org/MAP%20Revolution%20TV.htm