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Bible Study-25 (Leviticus 5-8)

Torah: Tzav (Command)To Approach God

One question that is repeatedly asked is,”How do I approach God”?  There is always a new experience being set forth as the answer to this quest.  Sometimes it is a new “baptism”. At another time it may be experiences with angelic beings.  Others maintain that it is accomplished by fasting.  However, we are gradually realizing that God has outlined a specific plan of “approach” to His presence.  This plan has been set before us in the Scriptures; yet, we have not recognized it.  We will outline God’s plan for our approach to Him.

Adam and Eve walked in the presence of God in the garden; approach to God was not a problem.  After the transgression, they were sent out of the garden and the approach to God was prevented by the Cherubim.  From this time forward, man has sought the answer to the question of how to approach God.  One Bible teacher, several years ago proclaimed that we can never understand just how far Adam fell until we begin the return to the presence of God.

Korban

We ought to refer to Levitical offerings and sacrifices as “Levitical Korban”.  Each “Korban” ought to be understood as an essential step to be walked out in our approach to God.  We must embrace the concept that the steps of “Korban” are based on an orderly, surrendered, consecrated faith-walk rather than a ritual offering which magically confers upon us special position or experience.  So rather than appeasing God with some “offering or sacrifice”, these steps of “Korban” represent the Godly empowerment for maturation in salvation that we must experience in order to draw near to God.

Real Life Experiential Approach to God

We will describe the approach to God in the sequence that we experience it.  The Book of Leviticus lists each of the five steps of Korban from the perspective of God, i.e. from God out to man.  Our experience is just the opposite.  We start our approach to God from the position of sin and trespass and proceed through the steps of “Korban” to the “Olah” (unfortunately called the burnt offering).

The first step is the “Ahsham Korban” (also called the guilt or trespass offering).  The real life experience associated with this step of approach is becoming aware of, admitting to, dealing with the consequences of, and repenting from sin which has resulted in damage or harm to others.  We make repentance toward God and seek His forgiveness.  We seek forgiveness of the people hurt, and we make restitution for damages that they have experienced.

The second step of our approach to God is called the “Chatah Korban” (also called the sin offering) and this consists of becoming conscious of and admitting to sin patterns against God.  This is accomplished by our repenting from the activity and seeking forgiveness from the Lord.  Both the “Ahsham Korban” and the “Chatah Korban” require a blood covering.  To accomplish the purpose of this “Korban” we must believe that our sins and transgressions are thoroughly covered and that we are accepted in spite of our record of transgressions.  We must believe that even our sorry record of sin can no longer hinder us from approaching God.

The third step of our approach is the “Shelamim Korban” (also called the peace offering) which deals with our communion with God.  We surrender ourselves in praise and worship as we glorify His name.  We experience His presence and, therefore, His peace.  We come to the point that experiencing the presence of God is not an exceptional experience, i.e. we are “at home” in His presence.

The fourth step is the “Menchah Korban” (also called the meal or grain offering) which consists of making a “gift” of our time, talents and possessions to God.  This step constitutes dedicated service unto the Lord.  Jesus confessed, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work” (John 4:34b). This reflects the “Menchah or Gift Korban”.  Paul likewise exhorted the Roman church to “…present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice (Korban), acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Romans 12:1b).

The final step is the “Olah Korban” (also called the burnt offering) which signifies utter and complete dedication to the Lord.  In this state of approach we “go up” (as Olah implies).  We think of Elijah the prophet during the era of the Kings and Enoch in the pre-flood era in association with this “Korban”.  They literally “went up” to God.

In the next study I will relate how true Christian worship and real discipleship serve a believer in the steps of “Korban”.  These steps are not accomplished in a week-end seminar but rather in a disciplined walk throughout the lifetime of the believer.  Since the “rapture teaching” is very popular with Christians, the “Olah Korban” ought to be of particular interest.

May the peace of the Holy One be upon you and may you experience a fruitful week.  Shalom.

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Bible Study-22 (Exodus 30-34)

Book of ExodusIn this section of the Bible we will consider three different themes: Shabbat, the Golden Calf incident and what I will call the “test of Messiah”.  The first subject is the Shabbat.  God declared:

“But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying “You shall surely observe My Sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.”  (Exodus 31:13), and,

So the sons of Israel shall observe the Sabbath, to celebrate the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.  It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever, for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed.”  (Exodus 31:16-17)

 

So the Shabbat is a special sign signifying not only the God of the Bible but also His covenanted people among the human community.  Note that the seven day period ending with rest on the seventh day follows the pattern God set in the creation event.  So by observing Shabbat, God’s people declare that they serve the God responsible for creation.

In the 1st Century (AD/CE), the Church was seen as a part of Israel as Paul declared, “included in the commonwealth of Israel” (Ephesians 2:11-12).  In the 2nd and 3rd centuries (AD/CE) Church leaders did not want to be identified with the Jewish People.  In order to distinguish themselves as a separate people they began to set aside the first day of the week for worship.  Sunday became the Christian Shabbat.  I don’t know if they realized that by making this decision they were choosing not to identify with the God of creation.  In the process, they did define another god.  Later Moslems followed the same pattern in choosing a different Shabbat and another god for themselves.  Christians moved the Shabbat forward one day while Moslems moved it back one day.  Shouldn’t serious Christians correct this mistake (sin) and honor the God of creation on the day that He specified.  One simple reason to do so is that the “false prophet” of Revelation has two horns (authorities) and looks like a lamb but speaks with the voice of Satan.  The most likely identity of the two horns is institutional Christianity and Islam.   Some Christian leaders are now proposing the institution of a new religious manifestation called Chrislam, a union of Christianity and Islam.  This looks very much like the “false prophet” of the book of Revelation.

The episode of the “Golden Calf” reveals something almost amusing about human nature.  How difficult it is for us to face our sin?  After Moses was delayed on the mountain, the people decided that he had been consumed.  They felt free to ignore the commandments recently received and requested that Aaron make an image of God.  Aaron did so.  The people worshipped the Golden Calf.  When Moses confronted Aaron concerning this sin, Aaron responded in a most human way.

“And Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, that they are prone to evil.  “For they said to me, Make a god for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what had become of him.  And I said to them, Whoever has any gold, let them tear if off.  So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.” (Exodus 32:22-24)

 

Earlier we are told that Aaron “fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it into a molten calf”.   So Aaron’s explanation was – we threw the gold into the fire and out came this calf.  This sounds like something a four-year old child would say, but, I’m afraid, it is typical of the response of most people when caught in sin.

Finally, I would like to consider the “test of Messiah”.  When God saw that the people had rebelled by worshipping the Golden Calf, He decided to destroy the people and raise up another people to serve Him.  He said to Moses,

“Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them, and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.”  (Exodus 32:10)

 

This must have been flattering to Moses.  God would make him the patriarch of a people through whom God would fulfill His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  However, Moses crucified any personal pride and ambition.  He appealed to God on the basis of the only Bible that He had in that day.  Moses said,

“Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Thy servants to whom Thou didst swear by Thyself, and didst say to them, “I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.”  (Exodus 32:13)

 

Moses appealed to God on the basis of the revealed revelation of that day.  He asked God to be faithful to the promises which He had previously made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  This is the test of Messiah.

Consider how much different history would be if the early church had passed the “test of Messiah”.  Six hundred years before the time of Jesus at the time of the dispersion God declared through Jeremiah,

“Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The Lord of hosts is His name:  If this fixed order departs from before Me, declares the Lord, then the offspring of Israel also will cease from being a nation before Me forever.  Thus says the Lord, If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out below, then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, declares the Lord.”  (Jeremiah 31:35-37)

Two hundred years after the time of Jesus, Origin, who is considered one of the “Fathers of the Church”, wrote concerning the Jewish people,

“One fact, then that proves that Jesus was something divine and sacred, is this, that

Jews should have suffered on His account now for a lengthened time calamities of such severity.  And we say with confidence that they will never be restored to their former condition.  For they committed a crime of most unhallowed kind, in conspiring against the Saviour of the human race in that city where they offered up to God a worship containing the symbols of mighty mysteries.  It accordingly behooved that city where Jesus under went these sufferings to perish utterly, and the Jewish nation to be overthrown and the invitation to happiness offered them by God to pass to others,–the Christians”. (See Hebraic Roots, pg. 50)

Instead of maintaining what the Bible clearly said, they declared that God had rejected His people and started over with them.  By doing so they initiated an entity which would forever be in conflict with the people of Israel.  It is a sobering thing for a Christian to learn that the Jewish People consider Christians their most ancient and ardent foe.  In these last days real spirit-filled believers must repent from this ancient historical sin and humbly identity with God’s people, Israel.  (For a full discussion of these subjects, please get my book “Hebraic Roots”.  Contact the office at Fellowship Church  at 407.699.1011)

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Passover, Firstfruits & Easter

Passover, First Fruits & EasterThis year, the Biblical festival of Passover began at sundown on Saturday, April 12, 2025.  The celebration continues with the Feast of Unleavened Bread through April 20th, while the Christian festival of Easter is celebrated on Sunday, April 20th.
Since these festivals are based on the same Biblical events, I would like to describe both festivals and discuss how they have come to mean different things. First we will describe the festivals associated with Passover.

Everyone knows, I suppose, that Passover commemorates the deliverance of Israel from the land of Egypt some 3500 years ago. Egypt at that time was the most powerful nation of the ancient world. God moved with such boldness and strength that the infant nation of Israel was freed from the grasp of Egyptian slavery and set on their journey to the promised land. From that time until today, God’s people have rehearsed this deliverance each year at the time of the first full moon of spring (As spring occurs in the northern hemisphere).

Biblical festivals were declared by God to be His festivals (Leviticus 23:37). God’s festivals recur around the number seven. The weekly festival of Shabbat occurs at the end of the seven day week. Passover which happens in the middle of the first month initiates the timing of the other festivals which occur later in the year. Following Passover is the festival of Firstfruits which happens during the week initiated by Passover. Seven weeks from the celebration of Firstfruits comes Shavuot (Christians know this festival as Pentecost). Seven months from Passover the last of the yearly festivals occurs. This is called Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles.

When we look back at Passover we remember the mighty deliverance of Israel from Egypt. The deliverance has become the basis of hope for all people who find themselves in bondage. Additionally, this festival points forward to the deliverance of the whole human community from Satanic bondage. Paul described the struggle against this captor as:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

John later declared the ultimate victory over this captor:

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (Messiah) and He will reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15)

The festival of Passover initiates a week long observance of Unleavened Bread. Because Israel left Egypt in a great hurry they did not have time for their bread to rise so they ate unleavened bread. God’s people remember this during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. During this week, following the Shabbat, is the festival of Firstfruits. The ancient Israelis were farmers and their festivals were often symbolized through agricultural means. In Israel, small grain crops (wheat and barley) are sown in the late fall. By early spring these crops have grown to full height and began to produce heads but has not fully matured and ripened. At Passover the Israelis would cut a bundle of wheat or barley and bring it to the Priest in the Temple. The Priest would wave this bundle of grain before the Lord with the prayer that God would produce a great harvest. This was observed on the first day of the week following Passover during the week of Unleavened Bread. We read in the Gospel account of the resurrection of Messiah Jesus which occurred on the first day of the week. Since Jesus was crucified just before Passover, this happened during the week of unleavened bread. As Jesus was being raised up, the Priest in the Temple would have been waving the Firstfruits offering for that year. Later, Paul declared:

“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.” (I Corinthians 15:20)

Seven complete weeks from the day of the Firstfruits offering when Jesus was raised from the dead, His followers were celebrating Shavuot in the upper room in Jerusalem when they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Christians call this event Pentecost. These believers were empowered with the Holy Spirit and ushered into Kingdom or resurrection perception and power. Later Paul would call this an “earnest” or pledge of the promised resurrection to come. Obviously, due to the implication of Messiah Jesus being declared as the Firstfruits of resurrection, we are looking forward to the day of His coming when those who belong to Him will be raised up in a similar manner. Indeed, we are praying for a great harvest.

The Biblical meaning of these festivals is rich with significance. Why would anyone want to change them and, hence, take the chance of loosing their meaning? Christianity, after the 2nd century, did this very thing. Christianity of this era wanted desperately to distinguish itself and separate itself from anything associated with Israel. They began to define themselves as “catholic” or universal so not to be seen as a part of national Israel that God had designed them to be. They changed their Shabbat to the first day of the week in the place of the last day of the week that God had prescribed. They substituted “Good Friday” for Passover which they no longer celebrated and renamed Firstfruits as Easter. In doing so they opened the door for all kinds of pagan influences like the fertility symbols of eggs and “Easter Bunnies”. Many of these changes were authorized by the First General Council of the Church held at Nicea. Emperor Constantine who convened and presided over this council was a sun worshipper. As a result I am suspicious of the origin of the “Sunrise Service”.

We believe that these are the “last days” leading to the return of Messiah Jesus. Is it not the time to forsake “pagan” practices and return to the things that God specifically prescribed for His people? Forces in the Middle-East are now aligned in a posture eerily like that predicted by Ezekiel (Ezekiel 38:1-6). In a very short period of time, we could be in a position for the final conflict prophesied in the Bible (the battle of Armageddon). We believe that Jesus will return and enter this struggle on behalf of Israel.  I, for one, by the grace of God, will identify with Israel as these events occur. Who will you be identified with at His coming?

*If you are interested in joining us for our Annual Community Seder, please visit this link: 2025 Community Passover Celebration.

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Bible Study-16 (Exodus 10-13)

Torah portion: Bo (to come; to go)In this section of the Bible we have the account of the ultimate judgment of Egypt which led to the exodus of Israel from Egypt. God demonstrated that He was able to deliver His people from the strongest world power of that day. In the process, God executed judgment of the gods of Egypt in order to demonstrate His power.

“For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments – I am the Lord.” (Exodus 12:12)

As we consider the plagues which were brought upon Egypt, we realize that each plague was aimed at one of the Egyptian deities. For example, one of the prominent gods worshipped by the Egyptians was the sun. The plague of darkness for three full days revealed the impotency of the sun as a god. Also, the Pharaoh was seen as a god. The death of the first-born of Pharaoh demonstrated the dominance of the God of the Bible over the supposed god, Pharaoh.

I maintain that one of the most important revelations given to us through Biblical revelation is that God intends to deliver the entire human community from the bondage of satanic domination. I believe that this will be accomplished at the coming of Messiah Jesus and the establishment of the Kingdom of God. The exodus account is most likely prophetic of this greater deliverance. [Read more…]

Who We Are

Fellowship Church is a non-denominational congregation of believers in Messiah Jesus who love, worship and serve the Holy One of Israel with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. We are located in Winter Springs, Florida.

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Fellowship Church
5340 Red Bug Lake Road
Winter Springs, Florida 32708
407.699.1011