My wife had an interesting dream this morning which forms the subject matter of today's short teshuvah message.

In the dream she saw people feverishly constructing some really large boxes. While they were thus engaged, others would come and wait, and wait, but they were never noticed so they eventually left. Some of these people came for ministry, some were friends, and some were family members like children and wives. All were ignored because these people were far too busy building their boxes, which represented their personal ministries. All the while Yah'shua (Jesus) was standing there, watching the the whole thing, and from time to time the busy workers would look up at Him, give Him a smile or a nod, as if looking for recognition for what they thought was the wonderful work they were doing for Him. This went on for some considerable time until finally Yah'shua raised the large staff He was holding and then banged it on the ground. As He did so, all the work on the boxes - which were empty - simply crumbled and fell to the ground.

One of the great errors of Mormonism and other quasi-Christian groups, churches and organisations like it is not just its many false doctrines but the fact that it views itself as a box that must be filled with people...and that this is the Kingdom of Elohim. The box consists of a collection of doctrines, truths, principles and organisation which is presented as a package to be accepted and then embraced as 'the truth'. The people are put in the box and then believe they are saved 'because they are in the box called 'the truth', the 'one and only true church', 'the kingdom'. and so forth. Yah'shua (Jesus) is 'added' to the box to give it legitimacy And it's a terrible lie. It's not what the Gospel is at all.

I can say this with some confidence because this is much how I onced used to view the Gospel, at least in part. However, Yah'shua is not in the box-construction industry. He wants people to come home to Him individually and personally (an activity that requires no church, organisation, synagogue, ministry, or anything like that) and be spiritually regenerated. Our job is to point people to Him. In recent times, when I have been working with people coming for help and have sought direction from Him as to how best to help them, His message has always been the same: "Bring them to Me". We are not in the first instance to bring people to a church, messianic synagogue, ministry, organisation, prophet, apostle or even similar boxes with different labels like 'Israel', 'Messianic Israel' 'the Kingdom', 'the Truth', and so forth. When we do this we set up these organisations, communities and people as substitute christs. We in effect turn ourselves into little popes and little authoritatives apostolic churches.

Only when a person has gone to Yah'shua, surrendered to Yah'shua, been born again by Yah'shua, been regenerated by Yah'shua, and are fully owned by Yah'shua are we allowed to gather people to fellowship by attraction (never by force, saying they'll be lost of they don't). But even then, we are not in the box-making business. Yes, at a certain point, we are to induct people into making communal Sukkot covenants so that they then become a part of the community which is Messianic Israel, but even that isn't strictly speaking an 'organisation', 'association', 'synagogue', or 'church' because Yah'shua's 'box' (if I can even reasonably call it that) is a living organism. The Body of Messiah is a volunatry association of believers who belong to Messiah Yah'shua and are being discipled to obey the commandments whilst all the while remaining IN Messiah. Associations like 'baptist', 'methodist', 'messianic', 'catholic', 'mormon', 'independent' have no formal status in heaven. You won't find any of these kinds of people there. All you will find is people who are IN Messiah to differing degrees and belonging to different resurrections and inheriting different rewards based on the degree of their surrender and obedience to Christ. That's all. What exists is a Heavenly Family. Yes, it's organised and structured and teaching emet or truth, but it's not an imprisoning box. And what's supposed to exist down here on earth is a reflection of that Heavenly Family. Just as one day Yah'shua returns all His delegated authority back to the Father, so we too, who have been given callings as ministers, must return these back to Christ as well. All glory goes to Yahweh, not to us or our boxes.

I suspect - though I am only speculating here - that what will happen this October, is that all box-type ministries, churches and organisations will crumble, at least in some way - Yah'shua just won't recognise or empower them anymore. And that could include this ministry if we are found wanting. The only legitimacy any organised group of believers has lies in whether they are helping other people the way the Bible teaches or not. If they're not, they're just empty shells.

As part of this ministry's teshuvah we want to publically apologise for anyone we may have neglected or forgotten. If you need help, please get in contact with us in our main discussion network or drop us an email. We are first and foremost here to help people with their problems, not to build up our organisation.

Have a blessed day in Messiah!