Shabbat shalom kol beit Yisra'el and mishpachah and I'd like to welcome back our Pesach Season visitors who are staying on an extra day so as not to break the sabbath by traveling. It's good to keep you here with us a bit longer!

Today I am speaking in English again after delivering my sermon yesterday in Norwegian, the first time I have preached in that language for at least 10 years! My accent has certainly become hybridised with Swedish now so I am sorry if I was incomprehensible to some of you. I have to relearn all the facial and oral contortions again! A big thank-you to my translator who slogged away for a couple of days at short notice.

For those who may have forgotten, the Omer Count to Shavu'ot (Weeks, 'Pentecost') began last Yom haBikkurim (Day of Firstfruits), today being the first of the seven sabbaths in the count to be followed by 50 more days. Shavu'ot (Weeks) will be on 12 July for this congregation. For those of you who may have forgotten, an omer is a sheaf of grain (Lev.23:11-12,15; Dt.24:19). It is also the word used in ancient Israel for a dry measure equal to a tenth of an ephah (Ex.16:16-36), about the size of a bowl. An omer-measure of barley was presented at the Temple in Jerusalem at Yom haBikkurim, and this was done until an offering of wheat was made at Shavu'ot. The idea of counting each day represents spiritual preparation and anticipation for, first, the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and, second, the giving of the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) at the first Messianic Shavu'ot - commonly called 'Pentecost' by Christians - following the resurrection of Messiah which also took place at Yom haBikkurim. The next order of business, then, is anointing, this summer. Those of you who want to be baptised and become Sons or Daughters of Torah by covenant might want to start setting yourselves ordinance goals so that you can take advantage of Shavu'ot for your confirmation.

So here we are again, assembled for the second sabbath in a row. This only happens once or twice in the Divine Calendar and is called the double sabbath but it means a lot of work for preachers! Interestingly, I was listening to Ravi Zacharias the other day - he's my favourite Christian philosopher - and he made an observation which caused me to nod my head in emphatic agreement. Paraphrasing, he said an international speaker like himself, changing venues around the world all the time, could re-use old anecdodtes and narratives as no-one would be any the wiser if he repeated himself, except, of course, for those of us who follow him on YouTube! But he felt sorry for pastors who had to create completely fresh material every week for their congregations. That's not to say that we don't duplicate material sometimes, but we can't get away with it very often as people would get irritated or bored. Then our only excuse as pastors is that there are new people in the assembly who haven't heard it before!

No, but seriously, it is a huge challenge sometimes, you have no idea. Years ago I learned that you just have to let Yahweh have control and let Him decide what He wants you to talk about, and then let the Ruach (Spirit) guide. There's really no other choice. This has often been very frustrating, though, as it has meant having to wait until the last minute to get a theme and working late into the night. That gets harder the older you get, of course. And once or twice He has told me not to preach at all on a particular sabbath!

Anyway, Ravi Zacharias' remark got me thinking about about Ken Peters, a low-profile navi (prophet) from the 1980's who saw a vision of the end-times, including the resurrection. Though I think he has been misinterpreted by some wanting to use him to justify their own doctrines, it's worth listening to his testimony. So much of what he said back then has already come true. He saw much of the technology which exists now but which didn't materialise until the 1990's and after. But there was one one thing in particular that struck me and that was his description of the appearance of people coming out of the graves. The men, he said, were very masculine, and the women, very feminine, as one would expect of the genders being restored in their pristine glory. I mention that only to say that I am looking forward to an improved set of muscles and a better body constitution! And all those who are suffering from one physical issue or another will, I am sure, agree with me too. We can look forward to young, immortal bodies!

Physical health is one thing, of course. I was shocked and amazed a couple of days ago to learn that an experienced deliverance minister was not only living in our local village but was literally no more than a 5 minute drive away by car! With true believers so few and far between, I asked myself, how could it possibly be that we have never met? What could Yahweh's purpose be in this? When I dropped the person in question an online message saying 'Hello' and 'welcome to our home', I was met by total silence even though I know she was there because she messaged one of the brethren around the same time. I still haven't had a reply.

One of the curses of the internet is that reputations can be made or crushed in a moment. Rumours spread rapidly. But not only the internet, of course. And as we all know, lies spread quickly and emet (truth) can take a long time to catch up. Satan is extremely busy trying to divide believers and set them against one another, knowing that there is strength in unity. This he often does by pitting doctrinal interpretations against each other and making purity in teaching more important than simply loving others as people.

Now admittedly there is a lot of heresy out there and we do have to be on the alert which is why I think Christians and Messianics need to come to a general agreement on the core essentials. When persecution comes to our doorsteps and we need each other more than ever before, this will be essential. When Count Zitzendorf's revival began in Germany in the 18th century, people from all sorts of background were drawn to him because of the super-abundance of the Ruach (Spirit) that he had, coupled with an obviously humble and loving character. They came from all sorts of Christian traditions. The necessary Methodist revival was born out of this spiritual move of Elohim (God). Doctrine is important, as I have said so many times, but coming into doctrinal agreement doesn't take place in a day. It takes time, lots of study, agonising in prayer and communion with Yahweh. So while we are seeking for unity, what are we to do in the meantime? Hold each other at arm's length until one or the other caves into a position?

It has been said by some that we have too much doctrine. I'm not sure I agree with that summation as how can anyone ever have too much emet (truth)? But to make perfect doctrinal accord a test of fellowship is not, I think, what Yahweh had in mind. I have close fraternal relationships with Messianics, Anglicans, Adventists, Baptists, Methodists and quite a few others. We simply agree to disagree and to love one another in the meantime, making the basis of our fellowship shared core beliefs. And no matter who you meet, there will always be some common ground. Our first duty is to find that ground and make an effort to build on it.

Before I look at what I think are the essential doctrines of true Christian/Messianic fellowship, let me first say that I don't want to create a rigid box. Yahweh is full of surprises. In the days of communist persecution in Romania, all kinds of believers were thrown together - Eastern Orthodox, Protestants and, yes, even Jehovah's Witnesses! Unbelievably, they all prayed together because their need for intervention was greater than their differences. I mention that because over the years I have developped a relationship with a Jehovah's Witness Elder locally over the years. Over time he has lowered his barriers and we have interacted as members of the same species, something very rare because you know how Witnesses feel about other Christians, I'm sure.

I have found it very helpful to keep three different spheres of relationship in mind when dealing with people, no matter who they are - even those we might not regard as Christians (like Jehovah's Witnesses) because of their cultic tendencies and I want to talk a little bit about that now. Before I do that, I want to remind you of a saying of Paul, and though the instruction is to those seeking marriage companions, it is in general applicable to any kind of relationship, the common factors being yoking and intimacy:

"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Messiah and Belial (Satan)? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of Elohim (God) and idols?" (2 Cor.6:14-16, NIV).

Although this passage is correcty applied to those making decisions as to who to marry, in reality the application is much wider. We must remember that Paul always has at the back of his mind the Torah and in particular the regulations about "mixtures". Here are three examples from Deuteronomy:

"Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled.

"Do not plough with an ox and a donkey yoked together.

"Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together" (Deut.22:9-11, NIV).

Yahweh is very concerned about unsuitable 'mixtures'. Some of His mitzvot (commandments) may not always be obvious to us but that does not mean we should dismiss them simply because we don't understand them. The ox and the donkey combination may, perhaps, be obvious as to their unsuitability because they are of two altogether different temprements, the one being pliable and the other stubborn and resistant to commands. Thus the two animals would tend to work against one another, causing the ploughman difficulties.

In the New Testment example I just shared, the Corinthian qodeshim (saints, set-apart ones) are being warned not to cooperate with false teachers, notwithstanding their charming and persuasive ways. To do so would be to become unequally yoked, like the ox and the donkey. It would, I am sure you would agree, be absurd for us to cooperate in evangelism with a Jehovah's Witness, assuming they would ever wish to do so (which of course they wouldn't because of their total exclusivism). To become unequally yoked in this way would destroy the harmony and fellowship that unites Messianic Evangelicals in Messiah.

There are potentially deadly consequences for this kind of cooperation. That's why we are not - and can never be - ecumenicals. Later, in the same epistle, Paul warns most emphatically against such cooperation:

"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Messiah. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light" (2 Cor.11:13-14, NIV).

So where do we draw the boundaries? How intimate can we be with those who are of similar or radically different belief systems? How much 'mixing' is permitted? To answer that question I want to present a Venn diagram to you which I know some of you are familiar with though for others this may be new. I find it very helpful in seeking right perspectives and balances in how I deal with other people:

As you can see there are three circles: blue, green and orange, which are all overlapping. The blue one describes who or what we have faith in, the green one describes our relationship to people as fellow human beings, and the orange one the laws or rules we live by. I call these the Evangelical, Humanist and Messianic spheres.

You will find, in your dealings with people, that individuals lay different emphases on these three spheres. The reasons for this can be varied but they will include our natural disposition, the way we were brought up by our parents, and what we believe about Elohim (God) and the Besorah (Gospel). People with big hearts, who gravitate towards people, will definitely major on the green 'compassionate humanist' sphere. They are people who love liberty and gain wisdom through their interactions with others.

Those who have been born-again, who have been spiritually regenerated, who have met the living Messiah, will find themselves very much in the middle of the blue, 'Immature Christian' sphere. Genuine believers with big hearts for others who are repelled by rules or law in general, may be said to be 'lawless, liberal friends'.

Then there are those who are sticklers for rules and law - those who dwell in the orange sphere. If they are not born-again, then you are almost certainly dealing with a legalist. The lives for law for law's sake. Someone who lives in this sphere alone can be quite suffocating for one who is born-again or a compassionate humanist. Most of the Jehovah's Witnesses I have met tend to be like this, though not all. They worship their institution and are spiritually dry. You can meet law-abiding atheists who have a heart for people who can make good, agreeable neighbours. A lot of messianics, who major on Torah but minor in inter-personal relationships, and especially those who have not been born again, can likewise be very suffocating people to know.

If you have ever met a conservative fundamentalist - and there are plenty of those in the Evangelical churches - then they are likely of the two circles on top. The fact that that are not very Torah-obedient does not mean that 'law' is not important to them. It simply means that they have substituted Yahweh's laws for man-made tradition. They are 'conservative', which can be good or bad, depending what laws they obey and depending on what their relationships with other people are like.

The Scriptures teach that true believers have a balance between all three spheres. The unbalanced will tend to play off various spheres against one another. Liberals hate law. Legalists tend to be scared of human relationships. You get the picture. Though we call ourselves 'Messianic Evangelicals' it would be more accurate to call ourselves 'Messianic Evangelical Humanists'. That is, at least, what we aspire to be.

There are, unfortunately, believers who react negatively to the word 'humanism' because they associate it with atheism. And, yes, there is a branch of humanism which is atheistic, and not all humanists are nice people - not all humanists are compassionate. But there is most definitely such a thing as Christian Humanism, a subject I spoke of about seven years ago. In fact, I introduced this Venn diagram at that time, I believe. It is as important as salvation by emunah (faith) and living Yahweh's Torah in the overall scheme of things. These three have to be in balance, the result being a complete person in Messiah.

We face numerous challenges in our dealings with people, whether believers or unbelievers. Paul, echoing Moses, warns us not to mix Christianity with atheism, Torah with Torahlessness, or compassionate humanism with the militant type of atheistic humanism which is Marxism. We have to be wise. Wisdom is the fruit of correct mixtures. We are to love all people but we must not be yoked intimately - mentally, emotionally, or physically - with just anyone. We have to know where the boundaries are so that we don't get sucked into darkened spheres and so be changed detrimentally by them.

I cannot give you a rule book on how to handle this. We learn by experience but I can give you some important pointers. Now I can have a close relationship with big-hearted Baptists who have been born-again, who love people and understand the need for structure but I cannot obviously partake in their fellowship when they are engaging in what Scripture calls idolatry. Paul warned against that. "What agreement is there," he asked, "between the temple of Elohim (God) and idols?"

To break a known mitzvah (commandment) like participating in Christmas worship or eating pork is idolatry. A big-hearted but immature, lawless believer will scoff at that and insist that the 'personal relationship' is the main thing and will be inclined to be lax, but that is not Yahweh's view. That is not honouring Messiah and someone who cannot respect your stance on Torah, for instance, is actually demonstrating a lack of ahavah (love). We can't force anyone to believe or act as we do, however right we may think we are, but neither must we compromise the emet (truth) we know. The flesh will find all sorts of excuses to compromise given half the chance.

Those who lack compassionate humanism often do so because of fear - the fear of being 'contaminated' by, say, lawless believers. Jehovah's Witenesses are afraid to be around other believers which is why they keep to themselves. I am sure you get the picture.

How and when we draw the lines with people of different beliefs and dispositions is largely a matter of experience. We will make mistakes. How many of you have been tempted to break a mitzvah (commandment) like eating pork or acting in a sexually inappropriate manner with someone you're not married to? How many of you have reasoned that there is no harm in breaking your Rechabite covenant not to touch alcohol because you're afraid to displease or appear 'different'? How many of us are prepared to deny Messiah in order to be liked by someone or not to appear 'strange'? In days of persecution the way we resolve such questions will be crucial.

So what are the 'essentials'? Well, everything is actually important but sometimes we have to establish priorities without being disobedient to Yahweh. Since cooperating with other believers is going to get more and more important in days of persecution, I feel it is so important to remind ourselves of what matters doctrinally for the chief purpose of sharing in the same Ruach (Spirit). And though it is almost certainly true that the apostles didn't write it, the Apostles Creed is 100 per cent biblical and 100 per cent core - essential, salvific doctrine. I believe that anyone who can agree to these basic tenets can build up a meaningful relationship in Messiah with others.

I learned the Apostles' Creed growing up as an Anglican, albeit it using traditional Protestant terminology. Let's quickly run through it. I am going to read it using our own messianic wording:

• 1. We believe in Yahweh-Elohim, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth [1].
• 2. We believe in Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ), His Only Begotten Son, our Master [2].
• 3. He was conceived by the power of the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) and born of the Virgin Mary [3].
• 4. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried [4].
• 5. He descended to the dead [5].
• 6. On the third day He rose again [6].
• 7. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of Elohim (God) the Father Almighty [7].
• 8. He will come again to judge the living and the dead [8].
• 9. We believe in the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit) [9],
• 10. the universal Body of Messiah [10],
• 11. the communion of the qodeshim (saints, set-apart ones) [11],
• 12. the forgiveness of sins [12],
• 13. the resurrection of the body [13], and
• 14. the life everlasting [14]. Amen.

Any church, community, ministry or group that minimises or denies one or more of these 14 points has a major issue that they need to resolve. Because this is core stuff, we cannot cooperate in evangelism on the streets or elsewhere with anyone who disagrees with any point.

We believe in a Creator, our Heavenly Father, not in random evolution, so we can't cooperate with theistic evolutionists. We believe that Yah'shua (Jesus) is truly Elohim (God), the incarnate Son. We believe in His divine conception and in the virgin birth. So we can't cooperate with anyone who believes that Joseph was Yah'shua's (Jesus') physical father or that he had relations with Mary before the birth of Messiah. We cannot possibly cooperate with anyone who denies Yah'shua's (Jesus') divinity.

We believe He literally died, went to Sheol to preach to the dead, and was resurrected. We can't possibly cooperate with anybody who denies the physical resurrection - for example, like the Jehovah's Witnesses, liberal Christians or New Age Christians, who believe the resurrection was either merely 'spiritual' or non-corporeal or just a 'figure of speech'.

We believe Yah'shua (Jesus) sits in glory and exaltation at the right-hand of power of the Father and that all authority has been given to Him to be the Judge of the living and the dead. We cannot possibly cooperate with anyone who believes that He is merely a glorified man and not Elohim (God) who has returned to His former position of glory. We cannot cooperate with those who treat Yah'shua (Jesus) as an ordinary man who 'became' Messiah by discovering his 'christhood', or who believe they can do the same themselves.

We believe in the Ruach's (Spirit's) ministry to the Universal Body of Messiah consisting of all those who have truly yielded their lives in submission to Messiah and have chosen to die to self. In other words, we cannot cooperate with anyone who merely believes in a Social Gospel, who denies the supernatural elements of the emunah (faith). We can't cooperate evangelistically with those who compromise with Babylon in any way.

Hopefully this is obvious to you all yet such cooperation is a reality as more and more churches get sucked into ecumenism that is saturated with Catholicism and the occult

That's evangelism, but what about friendships? There are lots of compassionate humanists with whom we can get on and befriend. But, again, you can only 'mix' so much. You can only go 'so deep'. You also have to deal with people who change. Over the years we have had deep relationships with people who initially shared all three spheres but who either became progressively lawless or who finally abandoned Messiah altogether. The relationships weakned, became less deep. Some turn hostile, forcing you to be completely separate because they're out to harm or destroy you. That is the reality of life. You lose deep friendships and you make new ones. People who were once your brothers and sisters become your enemies, and those who were your enemies become your brothers and sisters. It is so very rare to find constancy. That is why born-again, Torah-obedient, compassionate humanists are rare, priceless gems! They are few and far between, and we must cherish them. They are Remnant stuff!

As Messianic Evangelicals we desire with all our hearts to interact, and have fellowship, with all those seeking for the same things. Many do not want to grow but simply remain where they are and can hold us back if we are not careful, so sometimes we have to make painful choices and just move on and leave them in their ruts. I am sure most of you can relate stories.

We all crave friendship and fellowship. That need is built into us. Our friends can be casual acquaintances to those who would die for you. There are so many levels of commitment. Sometimes friends are closer than siblings. Friends share affection, companionship, confidences, consideration, devotion, esteem, faithfulness, fellowship, harmony, helpfulness, loyalty, partnership, support, sympathy, trust, and understanding. Friends are special. Above all, Yahweh is our very best friend and His friendship is a rôle model for all other friendships. Human friendships are, needless to say, fraught with risks. There are pressures and temptations that we have to navigate our way through. But the most important thing to know is this: when friends get together in Christian/Messianic fellowship and are united in the same avahav (love), emunah (faith) and tiqveh (hope), not only is this most blessed but we have the assurance that Elohim (God) is there in our midst. Why is He there? Because we are unmixed. We have chosen His way and therefore Him. And He offers friendship to the godly.

I pray as we separate and return to our homes that Yahweh will bless you all and inspire you for the exciting and challenging days ahead. May you find balance and harmony, stay unmixed fro0m the world, and delight in the purity of divine fellowship is my prayer in Yah'shua our Messiah (Jesus Christ). Amen.

Endnotes

[1] Eph.4:6; 1 Cor.8:6; Ps.86:10; 145:3; Rev.1:8; Heb.11:3; Gen.1:1-3; Neh.9:6; Ac.17:24-26
[2] 2 Pet.1:16-18; Jn.10:30,36-38; Col.1:15,17-19; 2:3,9; 1 Cor.8:6
[3] Mt.1:18-25; Lk.2:8-11
[4] Lk.23:13-25,32-34,44-46; Mt.27:57-60; 1 Cor.15:3-4; Is.53:4-8
[5] Mt.12:38-40; Ac.2:22-28; 1 Pet.3:18-19
[6] Mt.27:62-66; Lk.24:44-47; Rom.1:2-4; 1 Cor.15:12-14,19-20
[7] Jn.20:17; Lk.24:49-51; Heb.1:1-3; 9:24; 10:12-13; 12:2
[8] Ac.1:10-11; Mt.24:27,36; 25:31-34,41,46; Jn.14:1-3; 1 Thes.4:15-18; 2 Pet.3:10-13
[9] Jn.14:16-18,7-15; Ac.1:8-9; 1 Cor.6:19-20; Gal.5:22-23,25; Eph.4:30-32
[10] Eph.1:22-23; Gal.3:26-28; Eph.2:18-22; 1 Cor.12:13-14,27
[11] Ac.2:42-47; 1 Cor.10:16-17; 1 Jn.1:5-7; Gal.6:2,10
[12] Mt.26:26-28; 1 Jn.4:9-10; Rom.5:6-10; 1 Jn.1:9; 2:1-2
[13] n.6:39-40,44; 5:28-29; 1 Cor.15:23,42-44,50-54; Phil.3:20-21
[14] Jn.11:25; 3:14-16; 1 Jn.5:11-13; Jn.10:10; 1 Pet.1:3-5; Rev.21:1,3-4

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