Shalom Saints,
It was after dark and I was riding with Joyce through the Bronx to Olga’s house to have our fortunes told. This was 1972-73 and obviously the Lord hadn’t caught hold of me yet! I had just met Joyce a couple of months earlier on the job. She swore that Olga would give me a good reading and cure a minor female ailment.
When we arrived at the tall Brownstone building, we were ushered into the basement of the building where the lights were very dim and Olga was in a room behind the curtains. Joyce went first and then it was my turn. I walked into the room and sat across from Olga. The only light was a dim candle on the table between us. I told her my story and she then moved a large goblet of water back and forth in front of the candle and began my reading. She said, “You have known many men, but none of them have been a man to you.” Huh!! Was that it??
Then she told me to get several herbal type incense rocks, burn them, stand over them, and let the smoke penetrate my body. This remedy took a doctor’s visit and some medicine to cure!!
I had gone to a witch under the pretense of a psychic-reader. Then I went to a peddler of pharmakeia to undo the curse brought on by the first witch.
Arthur talks about how we must discern the spirit of a person. We cannot just follow someone because of what they say. We must know Father’s instructions, the Torah, to avoid those that enter into the spirit realm in ways other than by Messiah.
Summary of the Teaching
With no excuses… Arthur says there can be no worship without sacrifice. What is the highest sacrifice within the means of every Saint? It is to become a living sacrifice. Being a living sacrifice is walking out our faith daily. However, Peter and Arthur remind us that it is very difficult to walk out your faith if you are not equipped. Praise Yehovah that both of these Apostles determined that their life’s work would be equipping the Saints. Let us freely receive what they are teaching us about how to walk as the Messiah did so that we can become equipped and then help others to become equipped.
(Arthur has a teaching on True Worship)
Peter addresses in his second letter:
- How to grow as believers in the faith and in accordance to the faith in Messiah
- How to guard against and combat false teachings, false teachers, false prophets and prophecies
- To encourage the saints to be watchful of the coming return of Messiah
Within the first four verses of this letter, Arthur uncovered a treasure trove of information, wisdom, and revelations of the “precious faith” that we share with Peter.
- Sowing and reaping are always in operation. When we serve, we voluntarily lay down our lives and will for the Messiah’s will. Thus, we are sowing.
We must always discern the spirit and not become blind followers of men! How will you know if your teacher veers off the path of righteousness? Listen to Arthur discuss this.
- The Father does not force us to follow Him. “Giving the Lord a try” is testing the Lord. It is not diligently seeking Him or putting our faith in Him. However, when we walk with our Messiah, we realize the Father’s thoughts are not our thoughts and that His way is better than our way.
- The Entertainment Industry is controlled by the world. We must be careful that we do not choose for entertainment that which Yehovah has said is abominable.
- Growing in Yehovah is building precept upon precept. Each step is important and essential. Yehovah will not put on us more than we can bare so some things we desire may have to wait until we get the wisdom to handle them.
Arthur closed out the teaching with a beautiful prayer that echoed an earlier verse sung by David Salinas. Arthur asked our Father to help us to fully embrace what He has already given us and to help us to be mindful every moment that:
I’m Your child and
You are my Father …
Buzz on the Teaching
Arthur reminded us that the Entertainment industry is controlled by the world.
However, I am so tired of having televised abominations thrown up in my face! Now I know that I can flip the channel or turn it off; I just need to vent with some people that I know feel my pain. I also know that I should expect the world to do what it does best – reject holiness and wallow in depravity. But here lately, I have been taken by surprise at what they have slipped in on some “G” rated programs.
We had televisions at home in the early fifties. As a chubby adorable child of about 4, I nestled on the floor at my maternal Grandma’s feet. Grandma always wore ankle length dresses with a full apron with pockets. So my head was cradled in her apron and leaned up against her knee. We would watch television. We liked seeing John Cameron Swayze’s Timex commercials, “It takes a licking and keeps on ticking!” We would look in amazement as the watch was unharmed by impact and water tests. I clearly remember when we saw the first toilet tissue commercial on Television. Grandma was dumbfounded as to why anyone would put that kind of commercial on TV even though it was only Mr. Whipple squeezing the Charmin!
When I got older and especially with children in the house, I had to, and still do, watch television with the remote in my hand. Many of the programs and commercials are ridiculously sinful so I just click them off.
I prefer reading over watching television, but in the past few years I figured I had found a way to peacefully watch the little TV that I do watch. My main shows were Home and Garden TV (HGTV) before bedtime, and on occasion, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.
I noticed that after the Gay Marriage legislation passed, HGTV would feature “partners” every so often, maybe weekly on some of their shows. Two weeks ago, I turned on HGTV and there were two husbands looking for a house, so I turned off the program for half an hour until the next show. The next show was another two husbands! So I figured, I’ll wait for another 30 minutes and catch the Tiny House show that should be a safe program. Don’t you know there were two wives looking for a tiny house with their baby girl!!
Last week, I turned on Wheel of Fortune in the middle of the program. A middle-aged gentleman was winning and he was good at figuring out the puzzles with only a few letters showing. I was looking forward to seeing how he would do on the Final Puzzle. After the commercial, Pat Sajak asked the man, “And who do you have with you today?” The camera panned to the audience, and the man said, “My husband.”
It took me by surprise! Not Wheel of Fortune, not Vanna White’s show!!
Well, I realize that as we grow precept by precept in righteousness, the world is not standing still. It is growing precept by precept in unrighteousness. Nothing and no one is stagnate.
We are constantly making choices about how we spend our time. Choose wisely.
Until next time… Blessings to You and Yours,
Sharon