A Final Call

The first church was born by a group of 120 disciples who devoted themselves to such prayer (Acts 1:13-15). Renewed Covenant expressions of the Body of Messiah are formed the same way today.
We must never forget that the church is organic. It cannot be constructed by the hasty impulses of the natural man. The birthing of a church requires the kind of travailing prayer that marked the lives of Nehemiah and Daniel.
These men entered into prayerful travail over the present disorder in which they lived. As a result, Yah was faithful to bring others to stand by them. Only then did He fulfill the vision He deposited within their hearts (Neh. 1-2; Dan. 9-10).
Prayer, then, is critical for receiving the power of the Ruach ha Kodesh. A power that is necessary for birthing and nurturing a local expression of the Body of Christ. Again, the church is not made with the hands of human clay. It is made by the breath of the Eternal Spirit.
Recall how the temple of old was built without the sound of earthly machinery (1 Kings 6:7). This incident establishes a crucial principle. Namely, that the church of Yeshua can never be formed by the toil and sweat of the natural man. It must be birthed from heaven. It is only by the Holy Spirit that the church is built, not by the cleverness of our schemes and plans and committees and campaigns. We are often too clever to admit that we depend on our own strength rather than on the Holy Spirit . . . but we do. If we are willing to be deeply involved in the battle locally for those elements that reflect God's end and God's way, He will be faithful to respond. Paul's prescription for church building sums it up rather nicely: "My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Meshiyach be formed in you" (Gal. 4:19). In this light. The extent to which Yah can use us to the establishing of the church is the extent of our subjection to Him, and our freedom from the bonds of tradition and other human entanglements which would hinder His working. Then the church will not need to be cajoled into existence. The Spirit Himself will bring to birth the urge that brings an assembly into being . . . erecting a building, or establishing the observance of the Lord's Table or a certain mode of gathering has never yet made a church. Without a burning vision of the Adonai's way, and the urge of the Spirit to obey, any pattern will remain but an empty sham. Travailing prayer does not rule out the indisputable fact that Yah uses men to plant His church. That the first-century church was built through apostolic ministry is a consistent practice throughout the NT. Strikingly, every church mentioned in Scripture was either directly planted or immensely helped by a traveling worker. It is a Divine pattern.Therefore, believers who enter into travailing prayer should seek the help of an apostolic worker (or "church planter") who will lay the foundation for the new church. Apostolic workers are Elohim's instrument for imparting a revelation of Yeshua to the hearts of men. They are the ones specially called and gifted by Yah to lay the foundation. If we will be true to NT principle, then, we will accept the role of such people. For without apostolic ministry, we will never see a restoration of Yah's house.

A Final Call

We live in an hour when the Ruach ha Kodesh is beckoning His people to embrace His ultimate intention regarding His beloved church. This intention rests upon forming a people who are filled with the new wine of Yah's Spirit for the single purpose of preparing them to be a glorious Bride for His Son. Within this context, He is summoning His people to re-examine the old wineskin of church practice.Therefore, the need of the hour is for Adonai to raise up multitudes of those who "had understanding of the times " (1 Chron. 12:32).In these times when doing has so largely eclipsed the Biblical emphasis on, and the priority of, being and becoming, it would seem to be equally necessary and important to have those with the spiritual understanding and discernment to know what to do and not to do!

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Comment by Daniel Baumet on October 31, 2010 at 11:48pm: I would then reread my last comment Barry ,,, if you dont get the message ..

Comment by Pamela Jones on October 31, 2010 at 6:03pm: Daniel,
From sole, to soul, sounds like kindred spirits to me?! :-)

Comment by Pamela Jones on October 31, 2010 at 5:56pm: Daniel, I believe you are sincere in your faith, and devout in your way. So I respect your religious differences from mine; but do not accept that for those who practice Christianity from a framework of a denomination are in apostasy. They in their own way are as genuine a Christian and/or Messianic Jew as anyone I know.

I don't have to stamp my approval on other religions or decide who or which are the right ones. It's enough for me to live my life as Christlike as I know how, and let God be the judge of mine and other souls I share this life with. But if I smell a snake, and see a wolf in sheep's clothing as in false prophets aka false teachings aka cults, then I do feel a duty to say if I disagree but can't stop others from believing as they will.

Comment by Daniel Baumet on October 31, 2010 at 5:50pm: Hey Pam .. dont you find it funny that the "Sole man " turns out to be the "Soul Man"

Comment by Pamela Jones on October 31, 2010 at 5:47pm: Yes Daniel, you are forgiven. By grace we are saved, and not by our works (thank God for that!)

You can be a darling sometimes. Please forgive me for saying that.

Comment by Daniel Baumet on October 31, 2010 at 5:44pm: This time Pam I will use your word s..
" The group will have an ELITIST view of itself in relation to others, and a UNIQUE CAUSE. e.i. THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES RIGHT - everyone else is wrong. "

I argue we are right the rest of the world is wrong ...

THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES DOING GOD'S WILL - everyone else is in apostasy.

We who are followers no matter what Shingle we hang on the roof, ARE the only one who is doing Gods will and those that cloak them selves in religiosity no matter what the shingle they hang on the roof ARE IN APOSTASY!

Comment by Daniel Baumet on October 31, 2010 at 5:27pm: Pam I did not use your words .. I used the brothers words .. if you made the statement earlier forgive me I did not wade through to find yours I simply am responding to his challenge to by wary of those claiming to have the sole path to God . As you know Yeshua Himself claims to be "The (Sole, lone ,only ) way ... so useing the definition we who are followers then would be cultists .. lol
I as a follower of this ( as the world would call Him ) insane man ... accept that fully , and reject the ideal today being taught even fro "Christian " pulpits that Jesus was not the only way . there are many paths .. as you know I say .. "In their World .. " lol
Am I forgiven??

Comment by Pamela Jones on October 31, 2010 at 5:18pm: With over 38,000 churches in the world today teaching Christianity, it's safe to say they're not all alike, nor are they all cults. Christianity is not a cult, as you have twisted my words. Religions may be cults, if that is how they operate.

The following is a Universal Definition of What a Cult is. I'm surprised Daniel, for yourself who proclaims to be both a minister -and- a rabbi, AND a prophetic one at that, that you would label my words as saying Christianity is a cult. If you read anything I've written for understanding, there is no way you could derive that from what I've said. The Gospel of Jesus Christ may not be a religion per se, but most Christians DO IDENTIFY WITH A RELIGIOUS GROUP, IF ONLY TO FELLOWSHIP. You describe yourself as a Netzari Messianic, so you identify yourself with a particular religious sect yourself. True Christianity is a lifestyle for true Christians, whether of one religious denomination or another. What separates a cult still from mainstream Christianity is the philosophy that it is THE ONLY WAY TO GOD, AND ALL OTHER CHURCHES ARE FALSE AND BASE. So YES, there are cults that proclaim to be Christian, but Christ himself did not come to force us to belong to any group that practices mind control or intolerance.

Messianic Judaism regards the Netzari as a fringe group within Messianic Judaism. Whether that makes your religious order a cult, remains to be seen. From a statement of faith shared in an earlier comment, regarding Netzri Judaism, if that is paramount in your views of what is truth, then to me that is a warning that it may be one. But I am not a student of Netzari Messianic Judaism, nor do I wish to become one.

UNIVERSAL DEFINITION of a CULT ----
CULT - Any group which has a pyramid type authoritarian leadership structure with all teaching and guidance coming from the person/persons at the top. The group will claim to be the only way to God; Nirvana; Paradise; Ultimate Reality; Full Potential, Way to Happiness etc, and will use thought reform or mind control techniques to gain control and keep their members. This definition covers cults within all majopr world religions, along with those cults which have no OBVIOUS religious base such as commercial, educational and psychological cults. Others may define these a little differently, but this is the simplest to work from. THE 'ORTHODOX BIBLE-BASED CULT'

A group is called a cult because of their behaviour - not their doctrines. Doctrine is an issue in the area of Apologetics and Heresy. Most religious cults do teach what the Christian church would declare to be heresy but some do not. Some cults teach the basics of the Christian faith but have behavioural patterns that are abusive, controlling and cultic.

This occurs in both Non-Charismatic and Charismatic churches. These groups teach the central doctrines of the Christian faith and then add the extra authority of leadership or someone's particular writings. They centre around the interpretations of the leadership and submissive and unquestioning acceptance of these is essential to be a member of good standing. This acceptance includes what we consider non-essential doctrines e.i. not salvation issues (such as the Person and Work of Christ.) The key is that they will be using mind control or undue influence on their members.

An excellent book on this subject is "Churches that Abuse" by Dr Ronald Enroth.

Using these guidelines of definition, Bible-based, Psychological, Educational and Commercial aberrations can easily be identified.

OTHER IDENTIFICATION MARKS
(a) The group will have an ELITIST view of itself in relation to others, and a UNIQUE CAUSE. e.i. THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES RIGHT - everyone else is wrong. THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES DOING GOD'S WILL - everyone else is in apostasy.

(b) They will promote their cause actively, and in doing so, abuse God-given personal rights and freedoms. This abuse can be THEOLOGICAL, SPIRITUAL, SOCIAL & PSYCHOLOGICAL.

Comment by Daniel Baumet on October 31, 2010 at 4:46pm: May the wonder of God's handiwork sweep over you. Isaiah 6:3
(ESV)

Comment by Daniel Baumet on October 31, 2010 at 4:42pm: Barry again lol ..
To quote your words .. "I always shy away from any group that proclaims to have the only way; as that is a red flag to me that it may be a cult, and not a religion." Two things come to mind ..
1/ Then by your own words Christianity is a Cult .. as the founder claims to be the Sole way to Heaven and Salvation!
2/ I repeat my self "Christianity is not a Religion (nor is a True Messianic ) it is a life Style .. a way of life a way of living a community sense of dwelling while even Abraham felt no more than a sojourner .. a vagabond, a wanderer .. and looked for that Higher promise .. I refuse to this day to plant a root on any thing temporal .. rather choosing to hold until that which is Celestial be revealed .