When and how did you come to know or hear of Messiah Yahusha
(Jesus)?
We all did not know Messiah at one point until someone spoke
of Him or you read a verse about Him in scripture. What the pastors/priests/parents
don’t tell us, is there are minimum requirements we must abstain from when
accepting the Messiah as our saviour.
I believe the reason why this was not taught to us is
because there are all sorts of denominations (different churches) which teach
some scripture parts and exclude other parts to suit their church doctrine.
This is called religion!
Following, obeying and worshipping the Creator is not a
religion, it is a relationship.
When Paul and the disciples took the Good News of Messiah to
the other nations which did not know Him, they all agreed that there would be four
things the new believers should not do to be accepted into following the
Messiah.
Why did they agree on these four things the other nations
should abstain from? It was to bring
them slowly into the truth so they could grow from a baby (little wisdom) to an
adult with full wisdom and truth.
Here is a simple example: If I
told someone who wanted to breed dogs for competitions the requirements to
achieve this would be; will need a degree, must be strong built, will mostly only
sleep 2 hours a night, work many weekends, little to no salary, travel most
times, and need to groom the dogs daily and so on! This person most properly
would run away. But if I told the person the basic requirements to start off so
the dogs can slowly grow and become confident in performing competitions would be
the following four steps:
1 - Spend time with the dogs to
know their habits. 2 - Groom them regularly to bond with them. 3 – Hard training
once a week to keep them fit and slim. 4 – Feed them healthy food daily to keep
them alert and strong.
Once these four steps are successful been carried out the
person would have acquired more wisdom by this time to move to the next level in
achieving a champion dog at the highest level of competition.
This is the reason Paul and the other leaders instructed the
new believers, as a minimum to abstain from 4 things to be accepted in the
congregation. They are written in Acts 15:20 and 29;
Verse
20 but that we write to them to abstain from the defilements of idols,
and from whoring, and from what is strangled, and from blood.
Verse
29 that you abstain from what is offered to idols, and blood, and what
is strangled, and whoring. If you keep
yourselves from these, you shall do well. Be strong!
They wanted new believers to abstain from these basic
requirements so they could enter the congregation every Sabbath where they would
study scripture and learn the will of Yah. They would hear His Word, and progressively
start changing their lives to the Messiah’s way.
If the leaders told the people from the start what they
should not do, most of them would turn away and go back to worshipping false
gods.
These 4 habits the nations (gentiles) were involved was the
basic steps to becoming cleanse of sin; therefore, they were called necessities
as seen in verse 28.
These are the 4 minimum requirements (necessities) according to scripture a new
believer shall not do to prevent defilement:
1 – Idols.
2 – Whoring.
3 – Strangled.
4 – Blood.
It would be ridiculous to think these are the only 4
requirements that a new gentile believer needed to follow, as it does not
mention murder, blasphemy or even belief of Yahusha.
The Apostles are simply making basic rules that will allow
them to meet together with a clear conscience. These 4 points are not the only
requirements that a new gentile believer will have to learn, but they are a
starting point, as in verse
21 it clearly states that the gentiles will “hear the commands (Torah)
each Sabbath that they meet” with other believers.
Let us look at each one separately!
1 – Idols: 1 Corinthians 10:14 therefore, my beloved ones, flee from
idolatry. 1 Corinthians
10:20-21 says you cannot worship idols/demons and also the Almighty at
the same time. Is there any idolatry worshipping today? Many are doing it unknowingly!
Money, work, sport and movie/music/sports star just to name a few. Think about
it this way; anything you are obsessed with (worldly things) and must have can
be seen as idolatry. Anything more important than the Most High.
2 – Whoring (Adultery): Messiah said in Mark 7:20-21 what defiles
a man (woman), whoring is one of many that defile a person. In 1 Corinthians 6:13 Paul
says your body is made for the Master (Messiah – who’s Spirit lives in you) and
you will be destroyed if your body is used for whoring. In verse 18 it says; flee
from whoring! 2
Corinthians 12:21 repent of your whoring before it is too late. Jude 1:7 Sodom &
Gomorrah is a reminder to us as to what happens when whoring does not stop.
What about whoring today? Sex with animals, men with men, married man with
another married woman and woman with woman is this not whoring!
3 – Strangled: Means one way of eating meat with blood.
Heavenly Father says life is in the blood, therefore He instructs us to remove
the blood from whatever meat we eat. Have you not heard people say when they
braai or eat out at a restaurant; if I still see the blood when meat is cooked
then it is still alive. Father says no to this because there where blood is
there is life. Blood represents life! Messiah’s crucified blood gave us life.
4 – Blood: Matthew 23:35 so that on
you should come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of
righteous Abel to the blood of Zekaryah, son of Barachias, whom you murdered
between the Dwelling Place and the altar. Matthew 26:28 “For this is My blood, that of the
renewed covenant, which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins. We shall
not shed other people’s blood for harm or murder – any innocent blood.
What does the Old Testament or the Torah (Instructions) say
about these 4 necessities;
1 – Idols: Exodus 22:20 “He who slaughters (worships) to a mighty one
(idol), except to Yahuah only, is put under the ban.
2 – Whoring (Adultery); Numbers 25:1-2 and Israel lived in Shittim. And
the people began to fornicate (whore) with the daughters of Moab. And they
called the people to the sacrifices of their gods. And the people ate and bowed
themselves to their gods. Remember Sodom & Gomorrah was destroyed because
of whoring.
3 – Strangled: Genesis 9:4 “But do not eat flesh with its life, its blood. Leviticus 3:17 ‘An
everlasting law throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you do not
eat any fat or any blood.’ ” Deuteronomy
12:22-23 “Only, as the gazelle and the deer are eaten, so you are to eat
of it. The unclean and the clean alike eat of it. “Only, be firm not to eat the
blood, for the blood is the life, do not eat the life with the meat.
4 – Blood: Genesis 4:10 and He said, “What have you done? The voice of your
brother’s (Abel) blood cries out to Me from the ground. Genesis 9:5-6 “But only your blood for your
lives I require, from the hand of every beast I require it, and from the hand
of man. From the hand of every man’s brother, I require the life of man.
“Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood is shed, for in the image of
Elohim (Almighty) has He made man.
Now the question is; are we abstaining from these 4 simple
requirements or are we just like the gentles (other nations) that mix the clean
(true gospel) with the unclean (false gospel).
It is simple; you are in or you are out, there is nothing
in-between.
These are hard words but the Word of Yahuah is clear; you
cannot worship two Masters!
If you have ears to hear – hear!
