One Torah for All

 

One Torah shall be to him that is home-born, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.

Exodus 12:49

 

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Unity:  A Scriptural Definition

 

Qorintyah Aleph (1st Corinthians) 12:19 
And if they were all one member, where is the body?

The question Shaul asks is a very important question, a question that is ignored by many today in the believing community.  There are many groups that have existed since Mashiach, and even groups today, that attempt to force, as well as enforce, uniformity and conformity amongst its members.  Those who do such things wrongly believe that unity is attained when every single member looks, acts, and talks the same as the others.  This is simply not true. 

Please recall from the Torah portion B’midbar, that each person was to camp, as well as march, under his own degel, i.e., standard, banner, or flag.  This strongly implies that each family and each tribe had certain characteristics that may not have been true in other families and tribes.  YHWH does not desire for each one of us to look alike.  What He desires from His people, is for each one of us to be the person He has created us to be.

Qorintyah Aleph (1st Corinthians) 12:18 
But now Elohim has set the members each one of them in the body, even as it pleased Him. 

YHWH has created each and every one of us to do a very unique task and to fit into the body of Mashiach, which is Israel, in a very special and distinctive way.  If a person fails to be the person YHWH has created him to be, then he has failed to do YHWH’s will in his life.  However, this task can be quite formidable when those around him are attempting to squeeze him into a mold of their own design.  Many leaders get the idea that a follower of Mashiach should look exactly like them, and then those leaders attempt to squeeze everyone into that same idea or mold.  This does not please our heavenly Father at all!  In fact, this is nothing short of idolatry.

Romans 12:2 
And be not fashioned according to this world; but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, and you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of Elohim.

A true leader of YHWH is one who helps each person be who YHWH has created him to be.  He is such a man who allows YHWH to be sovereign over each person and does not attempt to be sovereign over another; or as Yeshua said:

Matithyah (Matthew) 20:25-28 
25 But Yeshua called them to Himself, and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
26 Not so shall it be among you; but whosoever would become great among you shall be your minister;
27 and whosoever would be first among you shall be your servant;
28 even as the Son of man came not to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Notice that Yeshua states we are not to lord it over one another.  We are to serve one another and we are to do this in His love.  As He laid down His life for us, we are to lay our lives down for one another.  This we are to see exemplified in, and from, those YHWH raises up to be our leaders.  One will most likely not see this in self-proclaimed leaders.  If one is not seeing this in his leaders, he had better go find one who is living this life and serve shoulder to shoulder with him.

Ephesians 4:11-16
11 And He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and some, teachers;
12 for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of ministering, for the building up of the body of the Mashiach;
13 till we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of Elohim, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Mashiach;
14 that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;
15 but speaking truth in love, we may grow up into Mashiach, who is the head, 
16 from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in due measure of each several part, makes the increase of the body to the building up of itself in love.

YHWH gave some to be leaders as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors, and some as teachers.  Those so equipped are to help equip the body of Mashiach to be the body of Mashiach.  Let us list what these leaders are to do according to the above passage.

1.  Help perfect the set-apart ones
2.  Minister to the set-apart ones
3.  Build up the set-apart ones as the body of Mashiach

They are to do this until we all reach that level of unity in our faith in Mashiach.  We have not reached this level of unity, so where are those who are doing this equipping?  Mostly what we see today, are those who are simply bilking the sheep.  What we see mostly today, are those who are attempting to bring uniformity into the body of Mashiach rather than bringing unity.

Yechezqel (Ezekiel) 34:1-10
1 And the word of YHWH came to me, saying,
2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, ‘Thus says Adonai YHWH; “Woe to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves!  Should not the shepherds feed the sheep?
3 You eat the fat, and you clothe yourself with the wool, you kill the fatlings; but you feed not the sheep.
4 The diseased you have not strengthened, neither have you healed that which was sick, neither have you bound up that which was broken, neither have you brought back that which was driven away, neither have you sought that which was lost; but with force and with rigor have you ruled over them.
5 And they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and they became food to all the beasts of the field, and were scattered.
6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill; yea, my sheep were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and there was none that did search or seek after them.­ ” ’ ”
7 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of YHWH;
8 “As I live,” says Adonai YHWH, “surely forasmuch as My sheep became a prey, and My sheep became food to all the beasts of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did My shepherds search for My sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not My sheep;
9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of YHWH;
10 ‘Thus says Adonai YHWH; “Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require My sheep at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the sheep; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves anymore; and I will deliver My sheep from their mouth, that they may not be food for them.” ’ ”

Truly, there is nothing new under the sun!  As it was in the days of Yechezqel, so it is today.  There are so many who have set themselves up as shepherds of His people only to live off the sheep and do nothing to feed the sheep of YHWH His true and good word!  The word of YHWH will set a person free to serve YHWH, whereas the traditions of man serve to enslave a person to another man.

Unity comes about when His shepherds do the task YHWH has called them to do without fleecing the flock!  Unity comes when the shepherds allow YHWH to be sovereign over each person.  Unity comes when the shepherds stop “lording” it over His people and live to serve His people.  The true shepherds of YHWH will speak His truth in love rather than tickling the ears of the people with “feel good” words that simply placate the people instead of calling them to action for YHWH.

We are to help one another and to lift one another up and help one another grow into a mature person in Mashiach.  If one is more concerned about his fellow having the right beliefs, how can he help him grow up in Mashiach?  While this may be a concern at times, what should be more of a concern is how one is living and conducting his life.  If one is living according to the standards of Torah and has accepted Yeshua as Mashiach, then he is part of Israel.  As such, we need to grow, and care for and nurture one another, and stop beating one another up for not believing exactly the same thing in exactly the same way!

ABBA YHWH, unify us in the love of Mashiach that those looking at us would know we are Your people by our love for one another; in the name of Yeshua our Mashiach.  Amein.

Zerubbabel ben Emunah
www.onetorahforall.com
zerubbabel@onetorahforall.com

 

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