"Once I was blind, and now I can see!"
Many people I speak to in NCAY give me a similar testimony. When asked if they believe this gathering is from Elohim (God), or whether it is man-made, or whether it is true, or any other number of related questions, they invariably answer: "I don't know." It is not a question they can answer because it is not within their province to know, even though they have been exposed to it, in many cases, from the beginning. But most will honestly tell you: "Once I was spiritually blind, and now I can spiritually see!"
It is not, of course, the 'NCAY' which has given these people spiritual sight, but the Master whose Assembly this is. 'Seeing' the Master is not, however, just a matter of reading about Him in the Scriptures. When Yah'shua (Jesus) was on the earth it was not just His words which moved the hearts of people but His very presence. Some were healed by His Davar (Word) but others were healed just by coming into His presence. He Himself said that He was the incarnation of the Kingdom of Heaven, and that those who approached Him drew near to the Kingdom.
Yah'shua (Jesus) is not physically visible today. He has left us Scriptures, modern revelations, and inspired apostolic council, all of which enable people to draw near to Him on the invisible plane. But He is also revealed by the chayim (life) of the Body, the Messianic Community (Church), and the Ruach (Spirit) which it carries. For some reason which we cannot adequately explain, people are drawn close to Him by simply being in our presence because we have become vessels for His Ruach (Spirit). And those vessels have been carved out by the keys of knowledge, administered through the covenants, being lived out in our daily lives.
Of course, this witness is not perfect, for perfection of the Body is in the process and will last as long as we live, but there is enough sprinkling of perfection, here and there, in unexpected deeds of ahavah (love) and kindness, in obedience and submission, in worship and song, that are sufficiently powerful to draw people into an atmosphere that enables them to find the Messiah for themselves.
Yahweh Does Not Contradict Himself
Today in NCAY there are some people who are saying, like the Pharisees: "Now give Elohim (God) the praise; this man (Yah'shua/Jesus), we know quite well, is only a sinner" (v.24). They are saying: "Give Yah'shua (Jesus) the praise; this group (NCAY), we know quite well, only it is man-made." If ever the Name of Elohim (God) is abused, this is an example of it. If Elohim (God) fills a man or woman with the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit), and that man or woman preaches the Besorah (Gospel) and is the means of saving souls, then that man or woman is a servant of Yahweh. But if the one who is converted then says: "Praise the Lord, I am converted; but this man (or woman) is of the devil because he believes in this or that," then what sort of a person is that convert? Is he really giving Elohim (God) the praise? No he is not, because he is declaring Elohim's (God's) righteousness to be evil. He is contradicting himself, and Yahweh is not an Elohim (God) of contradiction.
I have often told you the story of a book of scripture produced by another church which we do not accept but which we feel contains many inspired and beautiful truths. We have read this book to fellow Christians who, recognising that it is the Davar Elohim (Word of God) being spoken, have praised Elohim (God)! And yet, when afterwards they have been told what the book is, they cry: "It is from the devil!" Is such a person true and honourable? How can a bitter fountain bring forth sweet water? They contradict themselves.
What we need to do, though, is to get to the roots of such a problem. What actually is happening? What is happening is that people are accepting only half the emet (truth) -- the emet (truth) part which appeals to them. The Pharisees could not deny that the blind man could now see. Logic alone would have compelled them to admit that the one who healed was Himself of Elohim (God). But they couldn't. Why not? Because He had called the Pharisees to repentance because of their hypocricy! And so it is today.
A Heathen's Testimony
We, of the New Covenant Assemblies of Yahweh, go around and preach the Besorah (Gospel). The people see the fruits. One woman in recent times said to us: "You are living purer lives than us." She saw the fruits and had to acknowledge them. But because she could not accept the whole Besorah (Gospel) she decided instead to say that we were evil and has become our worst persecutor. The contradiction of people would be unbelievable if we didn't understand about human nature. Thanks to the revelations Yahweh has given us, I believe we have a pretty good understanding of that nature.
Today, because we are not converting people in droves, there are some of our number who have concluded that something must be terribly wrong with us. So they have adopted a position not unlike the Pharisees. "Yes," they say, "much good has happened to us, but since we believe now that the Community (Church) is not built on the right foundation, we cannot believe it is of Elohim (God). What has happened to us has come directly from Elohim (God) independent of the Community (Church). Let us get rid of it!" A contradiction in terms.
The Community That Will Not Go Away
Maybe some of the people will try to "get rid of NCAY." I can promise you that it won't go away. They will. And, when they have eaten 'humble pie', they'll either be back or have crossed so many lines as to be beyond recovery. NCAY is not just an 'institution'which you can 'leave' -- it is a family of people who carry with them Elohim's (God's) Davar (Word) written on their hearts by the pen of the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) and sealed by the covenants they have made with Yahweh. Externally there is an organisation, scriptures, priesthood offices, proceedures, and many other things, which are an outward reflection on the physical plane of the process of writing the Torah (Law) on the heart inwardly. They are as inseparable now as the body is from the spirit. People have yet to fully understand the relationship between the two. They see the fruits and can say: "Once I was blind, but now I see" but must also honestly add: "I do not know if this Fellowship is of Elohim (God)." Only time, emunah (faith) and patience will finally give them that answer.
Well, the blind man had the opportunity to have the second question answered too. He was excommunicated from the Synagogue by the Pharisees just as we are 'excommunicated' by society and (sometimes) our families because of what we believe, stand up for, and live. They will never receive us back, just as the Synagogue never received the talmidim (disciples) of Yah'shua (Jesus) 'back'.
When Yah'shua (Jesus) learned that the blind man had been thrown out of the Synagogue, He asked him: "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" The blind man answered: "Who is this, sir; tell me, that I may believe in Him." To which Yah'shua (Jesus) replied: "You have seen Him!" Now note this carefully -- He didn't say: "You have seen Him with your eyes", or, "You have already met Him," but "you have SEEN Him." This word "see" is important. It isn't just a reference to the physical eyes but to the spiritual. To "see" spiritually is to believe. This blind man had already BELIEVED though he had not known it. The blind man replied: "I do believe, Lord." Not, "Let me hear you preach the Besorah (Gospel), and then I will believe." He believed because of the PRESENCE - the PAROUSIA. He believed because he already knew. His act of submission was instant. And what did that blind man do next: he worshipped Yah'shua (Jesus).
Knowing the Truth
I don't know if you are comprehending what I am telling you but it is vitally important. This sinner knew that Yah'shua (Jesus) was the Son of Elohim (God) not by the seeing of his now functioning eyes, not by the hearing of the Davar (Word), but by the Master's presence. And that, friends, is what is now drawing people to this work -- not the revelations themselves, but by the spiritual presence of the Master which came because these revelations, and the covenants associated with them and administered to the people, created the inner vessel that allowed the Ruach (Spirit) to gain entrance to our hearts in a deeper way. Do you see, then, that all these things -- the Davar (Word), Elohim's (God's) presence, the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit), the qodeshim (saints, set-apart ones), the covenants, the keys of knowledge, are all a part of one stable, integrated whole? You can't divide them without being contradictory and denying the Master in some way.
May the Master of the New Covenant and of this work bless you so that you can comprehend these things and finally be free of blindness, is my prayer, in Yah'shua's (Jesus') Name. Amen.
This page was created on 16 April 1998
Last updated on 5 March 2018
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