Walking in the Spirit

G-d’s plan made it possible through the atonement of Israel’s Messiah Yeshua for all people to be spiritually transformed, to be made positionally righteous before G-d, and therefore capable both to be in relationship with G-d and also to live according to G-d’s expectation of order. The sign of this spiritual transformation is the immediate indwelling of G-d’s Spirit of Holiness within the true believer which at the moment of decision makes them righteous before G-d. The Spirit then works within the true believer to progressively change their actions and values into alignment with G-d’s expectations as long as they continue to submit to the Spirit’s leading, guiding and conviction in their lives.

It would seem based on this spiritual transformation that from the moment a person chooses to accept Messiah Yeshua’s atonement that they would be not only spiritually transformed from G-d’s perspective, but also from an obvious human perspective; that all sin (anger, lust, jealousy, disrespect, laziness, bitterness, etc.…) would just disappear, and that the believer would never again be tempted to do anything displeasing to G-d. But this doesn’t happen. I personally know believers who have murdered, committed adultery, have stolen from their employers, who gossip, lie, and who hold serious bitterness against other people. How is this possible? Are they not transformed? The problem is not because of what G-d has done, it’s because of who we are, and our sinfulness and lack of obedience to G-d’s instruction in the Scriptures.

The Spirit of G-d desires to work in the life of a believer to progressively change their actions and values from the inside out, but only as long as the true believer continues to submit to the Spirit’s leading, guiding and conviction in their lives. We need to understand and see sin the way G-d understands and sees it. We need to recognize how influenced we are by the values and priorities of the world and repent of choosing the world and its ways over G-d and His ways. May we remain sensitive to G-d’s Spirit of Holiness!

Forward for Messiah!

Kirk Gliebe

Rabbi & Director

Spiritual Dissidents

It’s been pretty snowy in Chicago lately. Makes sense; its Winter of course. But do you know some people in Chicago don’t prepare for winter? No shovel, no salt! They are seemingly oblivious to what season they’re in. The same can be said regarding the state of our world and the state of our spiritual preparedness as followers of Messiah. Are we oblivious to the fact that our world, including America, is spiritually bankrupt? Have we forgotten that the Scriptures told us that this would be the case before Messiah ‘s return?

Recently I was encouraged to read a book called “Live Not By Lies” by Rod Dreher. The author warns that the societal shifts currently occurring in America are reminiscent for Christian immigrants from the former Communist Eastern Europe of their own experiences within an oppressive secular state. Dreher tells the stories of clergy, laity, martyrs, and confessors from the Soviet Union and the Eastern Block, and offers their practical advice for how we should be more aware of what is going on and be preparing ourselves to live as spiritual dissidents in our own time.

A few weeks earlier I had read the following chilling statement from an Orthodox Rabbi in a Jewish Magazine, “At the root of anti-Semitism, then, in all its protean forms, is intolerance for a Jewish view of G-d and His relationship with man. Given the current global rejection of Divine authority, religion and any and all absolute values, the projection from rabbinic thought would be that there will be much more anti-Semitism ahead before it gets better.” His call is for American Jews to prepare themselves for harder times and growing anti-Semitism because of the growing secularization of our society.

No one likes to suffer or be labeled as an outsider, yet isn’t that what G-d has called us to as followers of Messiah Yeshua? We must not focus our hope on political solutions to fix serious spiritual problems. Instead we must heed the call of the Scripture which says, “Therefore, to make the people holy through His own blood, Yeshua also suffered outside the gate. So let us go to Him outside the camp, bearing His disgrace. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the one that is to come (Hebrews 13:12-14 TLV).

Despite the moral and ethical bankruptcy of our society today, we know that G-d is moving our world to where he wants it to be before Messiah Yeshua returns. Let’s be prepared and keep proclaiming a bold spiritual message of hope to those around us as Messiah’s spiritual dissidents!

Forward for Messiah!

Kirk Gliebe

Rabbi & Director

I’m Hopeful for the Future!

For an individual who reads and believes in the Scriptures, our current world easily seems out of order. But that is not G-d’s original plan. G-d’s perfect creation, as we live in it now, has been made imperfect because of mankind’s sinfulness. G-d, knowing our disordered and imperfect state, determined to redeem and restore his creation. As the Scriptures teach,  G-d’s plan for redemption has two phases: first the spiritual restoration of individual people and then the full physical and spiritual restoration of all of creation. Phase one of G-d’s plan made it possible through the sacrificial atonement of Israel’s Messiah Yeshua for all people to be spiritually transformed, to be made positionally righteous before G-d, and therefore capable both to be in relationship with G-d and also to live according to G-d’s expectation of order.

Even though people today can come into right relationship with G-d individually through faith in Messiah Yeshua’s atonement, the true believer is still subject to living in a world that is imperfect and in outright rebellion against G-d and G-d’s expectation of order. No long lasting political, economic or moral solution for the real issues that plague our world is possible because of the spiritual brokenness of mankind. Our world needs phase two of     G-d’s plan: the full physical and spiritual restoration of all of creation. In order for this to happen, G-d will impose himself and his expectation of order upon sinful mankind and his imperfect creation to bring this renewal. G-d will intervene in our world to bring final and complete judgement on sin and rebellion against him. All those at that time, both living and dead, who are not in right relationship with G-d through their personal faith in Messiah Yeshua’s atonement for their sin, will be subject to this judgement, a judgement of complete and total separation from G-d for eternity. All those at that time, both living and dead, who have come into right relationship with G-d through their faith in Messiah Yeshua’s atonement for their sin, will be blessed both spiritually and physically into a full and complete relationship with G-d as they live out G-d’s expectation of order on an earth that has been restored to its original perfection which will continue for eternity. At that time Israel will be the leader of the nations with Messiah Yeshua reigning as King over all G-d’s creation from Jerusalem.

True believers today seeking to impact their world for positive, Scriptural change, should focus their attention on living out G-d’s expectation of order in and through their lives as a public witness for G-d, regardless of personal loss or cost, and also to actively work to strengthen other true believers in Messiah Yeshua as individuals or as communities through the use of their spiritual gifts, resources and time. Live your life today focused clearly on the reality of Messiah Yeshua’s imminent return tomorrow. Live out values and priorities in your daily life today that demonstrate your personal investment in G-d’s eternal kingdom and his award for you tomorrow.

Forward for Messiah!

Kirk Gliebe

Rabbi & Director

In the Beginning … there was Order

Don’t we live in interesting times? By the time you read this the election should be over but the disorder in society will not. Below are reflections I’ve written out as a reminder that only G-d’s order endures:

The Scriptures teach that a G-d of order, in creating a world in perfect order, dictated to his creation an expectation of order for those who wished to be in relationship with Him.

The Scriptures teach that G-d’s world in perfect order was corrupted through the rebellion of his perfect creation, and that the disorder of our world is perpetuated by this ongoing rebellion of G-d’s now imperfect creation against G-d’s expectation of order.

The Scriptures teach that G-d provided a perfect plan to restore the world to perfection, a plan that includes most importantly the person and actions of our perfect Messiah Yeshua.

The Scriptures teach that suffering, conflict, confusion, prejudice, sickness and death in this now imperfect world are the direct results of this perpetuated rebellion against G-d and His order by His now imperfect creation, and that His imperfect creation will not ever regardless of secular effort be able to bring lasting order to this now imperfect world.

The Scriptures teach that spiritual perfection for imperfect people can be found today for those who humbly accept Messiah Yeshua’s atonement for themselves, making a restored relationship with G-d possible for those who desire to live according to G-d’s expectation of order.

The Scriptures teach that the complete renewal of perfect order for G-d’s world and creation will come about by G-d’s effort only with the return of Messiah Yeshua. מרנאתא (Maranatha)!

Forward for Messiah,

Kirk Gliebe

Rabbi & Director

Fight Loneliness: Obey G-d!

The current pandemic is clearly causing serious health problems for many people who’ve contracted the coronavirus, but less appreciated is that it’s also causing some very serious mental health issues for those who haven’t tested positive for COVID-19, loneliness being chief among them. At a time when many have separated themselves or been separated from friends and family out of virus fears, loneliness can seem like a natural side effect. Yet even prior to the pandemic, people in the United States reported experiencing more loneliness than ever before. Recent research suggests loneliness can be lethal according to a report by the American Psychological Association. Here’s how it happens: Persistent loneliness causes stress, which increases the body’s production of a protein called fibrinogen. An excessive amount of fibrinogen can clog arteries, increase blood pressure, and make people more susceptible to heart disease.

Millennials, called by some the loneliest generation, are especially at risk of experiencing social isolation according to recent data from YouGov, which found that members of Generation Y have far fewer social relationships than their forebears: 30% of respondents said they didn’t have a best friend; 27% said they had few close friends; 22% said they had no friends at all, and an astonishing 25% said they didn’t even have any acquaintances. What a sad commentary on the state of our society!

Thankfully, the Scriptures provide a solution for loneliness for those who are willing to live according to G-d’s Instruction: Seeking relationship with G-d and seeking relationship with others within a spiritual community is an imperative, not a suggestion when convenient! Something to think about!

Forward for Messiah,

Kirk Gliebe

Rabbi & Director

Happy Jewish New Year!

 

One of the benefits of being Jewish is that so much of our calendar is dictated to us! Some of the most important dates occur in the month of September, our Fall Festivals.
 
In Leviticus 23:23-44 we read about the details of New Years (Rosh Hashanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and finally the Festival of Tabernacles (Sukkot). Rosh Hashanah is not the original name for the first Holy Day; that day was actually called in Hebrew, Yom HaTeruah which literally means “the Day of Blowing”. The blowing of a shofar or ram’s horn is central to this celebration as a way of calling people to prepare themselves for the next two Holy Days. This is a time of reflection, when religious Jewish people focus on repenting for sin. The goal is to make amends, repent and do good deeds; to earn spiritual merit so that on Yom Kippur, that great Day of Atonement when Jewish tradition says the Book of Life is opened and everyone’s life is evaluated, G-d might decide that they have earned enough merit for their sins to be forgiven and for their names to be written in the Book of Life for one more year. How much merit is needed and how can one know for sure that they will be forgiven? Sadly, a Jewish person cannot answer these questions with certainty.
 
This lack of assurance is one of the reasons that we should take seriously our personal responsibility to share about our faith in Messiah Yeshua’s atoning sacrifice, for we know our eternal future, and in love and concern we need to share this hope with our Jewish friends and family. Make time this month to mail out Jewish New Years cards. Call your Jewish friend and ask about how they will be celebrating these important Holidays. Most importantly, pray for the salvation of the Jewish people you know and share with them the hope you have of assured forgiveness of sin!

Forward for Messiah,

Kirk Gliebe

Rabbi & Director

Loyalty & Knowledge

Our nation has been through quite a lot the last few months. Despite the pandemic, the unemployment and the political and social instability we seem to actually be doing pretty good. So good in fact that I haven’t personally seen much evidence of new spiritual brokenness and seeking after G-d among people, something that I have been praying quite regularly for. I guess people are doing well over all, and G-d isn’t really relevant went things are going well, right? Of course wrong, but for the “spiritual but not religious” age we are living in, let’s be honest, seeking a deep passionate faith in an all-powerful G-d isn’t really high on people’s priorities.

The Scriptures, especially the prophetic books, put a big emphasis on just this issue: “it’s not what you’re doing, it’s how serious your commitment to G-d really is!” We often recall King Saul’s disobedience in offering a sacrifice, and Samuel’s rebuke – “It’s better to obey then sacrifice”, but the prophets take it a step further and state, “It’s better to be in serious committed relationship with G-d then to sacrifice”. In my recent reading of Hosea I was reminded of this, and especially was impacted by the Hebrew words translated “loyalty” and “knowledge” in Hosea 6:6:

For I delight in loyalty and not sacrifice, knowledge of G-d more than burnt offerings. (TLV)

The Hebrew word for “loyalty” is chesed which has the meaning of deep commitment from one individual to another! The word “knowledge” is da’at having the meaning of intimacy of relationship. Deep commitment and intimacy is really what matters to G-d. Not our religious habits and customs, no matter how Scripturally aligned they might be!

May we be renewed in our loyalty to G-d and our passionate desire to know him more intimately each and every day. May we be humbled before G-d and spiritually refreshed in the knowledge of his commitment to us.  This is what G-d desires from us and this is the message our messed up world needs to see and hear right now from us as believers in Messiah Yeshua.

Forward for Messiah,

Kirk Gliebe

Rabbi & Director