Copyright 1999 Kenneth Garrison
All
rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce provided that proper
attribution is given. For additional copies, write: Tzemach
Institute
for Biblical Studies,
Published
by Tzemach Institute for Biblical Studies,
Email:
tzemach@tzemach.org Questions
to the author may be sent to the mailing address above or via email at:
ken@tzemach.org
ISBN
0-9669174-0-5
Library
of Congress Catalog Card Number: 98-96867
Unless
otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New American
Standard Bible Copyright
1960, 1962, 1963, 1968,
1971,
1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation.
Used by permission.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part One: Hebraic
Roots - A Background
1. Redemption and God's People
Reference
Covenants and Election
Election and Salvation
2.
Two Covenants - Two Peoples
3. Separation of the Church from
4. The Further Separation
5. Doctrinal Development by the Church
Challenges and Reactions
Lack of Central Authority in the Church
Gnosticism
Rejection by
Greek Philosophical Influence
Legal Embrace of
Evolution of Church Doctrine
Definition of God
Replacement Theology
The
Law
Judgment and
6. This Gospel of the Kingdom
The
Another Gospel
7. A National or a Universal People?
The Church
and Universal Identity
The
Church's Role in
Challenge
8. Redemptive Activities at the Climax of
the Age
The
Beginning of a New Era
The
Dragnet
Church Identity
Prophetic Fulfillment in the Twentieth Century
Population
Technological Advances
Globalism
Ingathering of the Exiles
Summary
Part Two: Establishing Hebraic
Roots
in the
1. Introduction
2. The Ben-David Covenant
3. Functions of the
4. The Formation of the
Role
of the Pastor
Role
of the Individual Member in Body Faith
Faith Righteousness and the
Faith in the Ministry of Messiah Jesus
Faith and Body Life
Ministries to the
Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Baptism of the Holy Spirit
The
Importance of Assembling with the
5.
Worship and Hearing
6. Church Identity
7. Summary
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
Further Information. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
"Hebraic roots" have been discovered and realized in the
experience of the Fellowship
Church
where I have served as pastor for the past 21 years. I would like to thank the congregation
who
has been bold in spirit and strong in faith to venture forth in this discovery
process. In
addition,
I would like to express thanks to the many individuals who contributed directly
to the
preparation
of this work: Jon Klein, Larry Dorcik and Pam Cook
for their work in reviewing and
proofreading
the text; Dr. Irving Teitelbaum for his review of the
text from a Jewish perspective; Lee
Underwood
for formatting the text; and Gloria Marxvach for the
cover design. Finally, I
would like
to
thank my wife, Jo, for her perseverance while experiencing much of the basis
for this work
alongside
myself and for her encouragement in the long process of writing this text.
INTRODUCTION
Often I think about what it would have been like to have been one of
Jesus' disciples. What
would
it have been like to have been taught and discipled
directly by the Master, Himself? In a
similar
way, my mind often considers what it would have been like to have been a part
of the early
Church
in
Peter,
John and the other disciples. They
were Spirit-filled believers; they had been taught directly
by
Jesus, Himself, and they were ministering in the midst of the people of
Obviously,
this early Church was fully integrated into the fabric of
prophetic
destiny of the people of
denomination
of Judaism.
How distant the Christian Church of today appears from that simple
beginning. My
experience,
as a pastor, leads me to think of the divide between the Church and
too
great to attempt to bridge. Yet the
Holy Spirit has repeatedly given powerful witness that this is
God's
will for us today. Indeed, we
represent the first generation since Peter, John and Paul which
has
the opportunity to discover its roots in
Hebraic Roots was written to outline the path to establish the true
Biblical roots of our faith.
The
information contained herein is readily documented historically. The conclusions drawn are
not
based on obscure interpretations of the Scriptures or of history. They flow quite readily from
the
simple information available to us.
The steps outlined have been tested in a local church
setting
and have been found to provide a great opportunity of witness both in the
Jewish and
Gentile
communities. In other words, the
steps outlined here work.
We live in a new age of opportunity in the world. Prior to the regathering
of
focus
of ministry was toward the nations.
The Church reached out with the ministry of
reconciliation
to whomever called on the name of the Lord. Now that
authority
of a sovereign Jewish state, we have entered a new age. We have opportunities available
to
us today that no prior generation has had.
The message of world deliverance by the hand of
God
is now appropriate. The
establishment of God's literal Kingdom in
in
addition to the message of individual reconciliation to God, we can boldly
proclaim God's
Kingdom. To be effective in doing this we must be
established on a solid Biblical foundation.
The Bible is the only remnant of God's authority left to us. For us to have an effective
witness,
our faith must be Biblically consistent.
Therefore, we must establish Hebraic or Biblical
roots
in our faith. It is my hope that
you will prayerfully read and implement the steps outlined in
this
book and that the Lord will bring a fresh and bold anointing in His Church
through you in this
day.
Kenneth E. Garrison
Pastor,
Part One:
Hebraic Roots - A Background
1. REDEMPTION AND
GOD'S PEOPLE
In order to understand the need for "Hebraic roots", we must
understand the overall
redemptive
plan of God and how He is accomplishing His plan. One of the simplest ways of
looking
at the problem of man is by considering the subject of authority. When man fell in the
Garden,
he became his own individual point of authority. Today, there are literally billions of
points
of
authority in the world. Each person
struggles with a continuing series of questions to resolve,
and
each is resolved relative to his own self-interest. Every individual then is pitted against
every
other
for survival.
God is moving to establish a single authority instead. Before the fall, man functioned under
the
singular authority of God. God's
redemptive activity has been aimed at reestablishing His
singular
authority. Throughout the ages God
has been working in different ways to accomplish this
goal,
but these efforts have always been directly related to this goal. Zechariah prophesied that in
the
end: "And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord
will be the only one, and
His
name the only one". (Zechariah
14.9) Paul drew the same conclusion
when he stated: "And
when
all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to
the One who
subjected
all things to Him, that God may be all in all". (1 Corinthians 15.28) So when we consider
what
God is doing, we must do so in light of His overall redemptive purpose.
Reference
In the original creation man existed directly under God's
authority. Indeed, he was created
to serve
as
the link between God and His creation.
We get a glimpse of this arrangement in Psalms 8: "O Lord, our
Lord,
how majestic is Thy name in all the earth, Who hast displayed Thy splendor
above the heavens!
When
I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which
Thou hast ordained;
what
is man, that Thou dost take thought of him? And the son of man, that Thou dost
care for him. Yet
Thou
hast made him a little lower than God, and dost crown him with glory and
majesty! Thou dost make
him
to rule over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen, and
also
the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes through the
paths
of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how
majestic is Thy name in all the earth"! (Psalm 8.1,3-9) For man to
function
effectively in this position, he was required to submit to the authority of
God. He perceived
every
thing and every event relative to the person and purpose of God. Each situation was judged
"good"
or
"evil" relative to this perspective.
Two trees are described in the Genesis account: (a) the "Tree of
Life" and (b) the "Tree of the
Knowledge
of Good and Evil". Both trees
denote communion or communication: The "Tree of Life"
denotes
communion with God, and the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil"
denotes communion
with
Satan. Man originally lived in open
communion with God. He submitted to
God's authority. He
functioned
in the capacity for which God had designed him to function. He saw everything to be "good"
or
"evil" relative to God.
He ate of the "Tree of Life".
We are told that God commanded man not to eat of the "Tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil".
He
cautioned man that in the day that he ate of this tree, he would die. Eventually, man did choose to
eat
of this tree. The Bible gives us no
hint as to the period of time that man existed in the garden prior to
this
event. Since man stood in the
direct presence of God having intimate communion with Him, he was
continuously
renewed. Therefore we would
conclude that he lived in a perpetual state.
When man did eat of the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and
Evil", two things occurred which are
described
in the Genesis account. First, man
was driven out from the presence of God.
This constitutes
spiritual
death and would ultimately lead to physical death. The second thing that changed was that
man,
for
the first time, perceived all things and every event "good" or
"evil" relative to himself.
He saw himself
naked
and he was afraid. When God
encountered man in this condition, He asked, "Who told you that
you
were naked?" (Genesis 3.11a)
God recognized that man had initiated a line of communication with
the
one that the Bible calls "the accuser of the brethren", (Revelation
12.10) otherwise known as The
Satan. Man initiated this line of communication
which now would dominate every aspect of his being.
He
would receive a continual appraisal of every situation judging them as
"good" or "evil" relative to
himself,
becoming the center of his own private little world. He would struggle for what he perceived
to
be
scarce resources in order to provide for himself. Obviously, he would have to compete with
every
other
person for these same resources.
Without the blessing and wisdom of God at his disposal, these
resources
would be depleted. His capacity to
compete would be diminished with age, ultimately leading
to
death. This sequence of the death
process is referred to as the "curse".
This then is the condition that all subsequent generations have been
born into. Because it is all
man
has ever experienced, he considers it natural and normal. He has lost sight of the role for which
he
was
created. This lofty station seems
like a fairy tale as he continues to struggle for survival all of his days.
Even
though man may from time to time acknowledge some responsibility for the
stewardship of the
earth
and the creation, he is always compelled to struggle for his own private
survival.
Only an intervention from outside of mankind could significantly change
the situation. Man is
hopeless
on his own. We maintain that such
an intervention is in process. We
call that process
"redemption". The account of "redemption" is
recorded in the Bible. God, from
the time that man was
driven
out from His presence, has been patiently working to bring all things back into
order, i.e., under
His
authority again. Since, by God's
own design in creation, man was created to serve as His authority
figure
in the world, man must be the one brought into submission to God.
Therefore, when we consider what God is doing, we must do so in light of
His overall redemptive
purpose,
because all He does is consistent with this purpose. So if we study His covenants, we must do
so
in light of His purpose of establishing His singular authority in the
universe. If we consider the
subject
of
individual salvation, we must do so again in the same light.
Covenants
and Election
We now will consider the concept of covenant. In modern legal terminology, a covenant
is a
contract. We make many contracts throughout our
lifetime. A contract is simply an
agreement between
two
or more parties which defines the purpose and conditions of that
relationship. A Biblical covenant
does
the same thing. In the Scriptures
we can clearly see three covenants that God has made as a part of
His
redemptive plan. These are the (1)
"Abrahamic Covenant", (2) the "Mosaic
Covenant", and the (3)
"Ben-Davidic
[son of David] Covenant". In
each case God chose the party He would enter into covenant
with,
He revealed Himself to the one chosen, and He specified the terms and
conditions of the covenant.
The
covenant partners either accepted or rejected the covenant.
The covenant partners of God are designated as the
"elect". Election means
simply that a person or
persons
have been specifically selected to enter into covenant relationship with
God. God always
chooses
those who are to become His covenant partners. Therefore, we may say that the one
elected
never
chooses himself, but is chosen by God.
A natural conclusion that we must draw from considering
this
process is that it is not "fair" when considered purely on humanistic
grounds. Therefore, we say that
God
exercises His sovereignty in the election.
We also conclude that not all human beings are elect in
terms
of God's covenants.
Election
and Salvation
Most people believe intuitively that God is "fair". As a result they feel awkward with the
concept of
election. Often there are attempts to relate the
concept of election with the concept of salvation (being
saved
from eternal separation from God).
In order to be "fair", doctrines are developed that indicate
that
the
election of God is now universal, i.e., everyone is "elect". In fact, election is not related to
salvation.
God
chooses people to become His vessel in the world to work out His purpose of
establishing a single
authority
in the universe. Those elect have a
unique opportunity to become "co-workers" with God but
this
does not guarantee their individual salvation. Those not elect in accordance with the
covenants,
nevertheless,
have the option of salvation.
Indeed Peter boldly proclaimed that God is patient: "not
wishing
for any to perish but for all to come to repentance". (2 Peter 3.9b) Paul declared that God:
"desires
all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth". (1 Timothy 2.4) We, therefore,
conclude
that the concept of election and the concept of salvation are not related. One may be elect and
not
saved. On the other hand, one may
be saved and not elect.
2. TWO COVENANTS - TWO
PEOPLES
earth. The respective covenants stem from the Abrahamic covenant and together encompass those elect
in
the world; those through whom God has chosen to accomplish His purpose. The original covenant was
made
by God with Abraham. This covenant
was later confirmed to his son, Isaac, and his grandson, Jacob.
In
this covenant God initiated the redemptive process that He intended to carry
out in the world. While
promising
a number of blessings to Abraham, God revealed His redemptive aims by saying that
through
Abraham,
God would bless all the families of the earth: "And in you all the
families of the earth shall be
blessed". (Genesis 12.3b) Most of the provisions of the Abrahamic covenant were confirmed by God
when
He established His covenant with
priests"
(Exodus 19.6). He would set
and
honor". (Deuteronomy
26.19) God would give to
Isaac
and Jacob. (Exodus 23.31) And God
would continue the redemptive process through this elect
vessel,
the nation of
Later (around 1000 BC) God made a covenant with King David who served as
a type of the coming
Messiah. God promised David that his son would
stand in a very special position of anointing: "When
your
days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your
descendant after you, who
will
come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and
I will
establish
the throne of his kingdom forever".
(2 Samuel 7.12-13)
These covenants that God made with
with
Abraham. Each represents God's
choice of an individual or a people to serve Him as He pursues the
redemptive
process. We will investigate some
aspects of the covenants that God has made.
In order to set the stage for discussing the covenants, there are four basic
premises that need to be
stated:
(1) Subsequent to the Abrahamic Covenant, God
has established two basic covenants
as
recorded in the Scriptures: One with
Jesus. The latter covenant was initially stated
to David (2 Samuel 7.8-16) and made with the "Ben-David",
Solomon. It is being fulfilled through Jesus.
(2) Individually a person can relate to God through only one covenant at
a given time.
(3) There has developed, therefore, two great peoples; one associated
with each
covenant.
(4) God intends for these two peoples to complement one another to
affect His
purpose
of redemption. Each functions
differently but shares a common identity.
With these basic premises we now consider the nature of these
covenants. The characteristics of
each
are outlined in Table 1. Note some
of the dissimilarities between these covenants. The focus of the
Mosaic
covenant has always been centered around the nation of people in the
of
the Ben-Davidic covenant has always been on the King. Throughout the centuries the Jewish
people
have
looked persistently to the day of their regathering
to the
Seder
which is closed with the prayer "L'Shannah Haba'ah B'Yerushalim"
meaning "may we celebrate this
festival
next year in
Its
concern is for serving the King and ultimately being gathered to Him.
The message or ministry of Israel is different from that of the
Church. When the people of
are
living in their land, they become a nation under God's specific authority and
are to be witnesses to all
other
nations relative to the blessing secured by serving God. While dispersed,
God's
judgment to all other nations. (Jeremiah
25.15-29) When
Church
is "The Kingdom of God".
When
comfort
and encourage
message
of personal reconciliation to God.
(2 Corinthians 5.18) Basically, in the diaspora,
testimony
that God will shake or destroy the nations (national units), while the Church
extends the hope
of
salvation to the individuals of those nations. Over the centuries both groups have
largely lost track of
their
original message and function. Each
has adopted a basic mentality of survival in the dispersion.
There are some questions which always arise when we speak of
covenant
with God. Do we conclude that all
Jews are saved? Expressed in another way, will all Jews live
eternally
with God after physical death, if we say that
no!
individual
Gentiles, will have to stand before God and give an account for their lives
upon parting this
present
life. (Malachi 3.16-18) Judgment is
always in the hands of God and we must leave it there. It is
sufficient
to say that, "it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes
judgment". (Hebrews
9.27) Each of us, whether from Jewish or
Gentile backgrounds, are directly accountable unto God in
judgment.
Another question that often arises is focused on the concept that
obsolete
according to the statements recorded in Hebrews 8:7 and
been
faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second". (Hebrews 8.7) And, "When He
said,
"A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and
growing
old
is ready to disappear".
(Hebrews 8.13) At first
reading, this would appear to be the case.
However, if
so
interpreted, this Scripture would be in direct conflict with other Scriptures
which indicate that God's
covenant
with
Scriptures
indicate the eternal nature of God's covenant with
portion
and, hence, the book of Hebrews as unscriptural. Realizing this, we must consider other
interpretations
of Hebrews 8:7 and
Since the book of Hebrews
was written to individual believers from Jewish backgrounds, hence the
name
Hebrews, and since these believers were evidently considering a return to
Judaism; we conclude
that
the exhortation relative to the "old" covenant is applicable only in
their own individual lives.
Therefore,
for them as individuals, the first covenant (their lives as Israelites before
personally receiving
the
revelation of Messiah Jesus) has gone out of existence as they became
individually a part of the new.
Remember
one of our basic premises: one can be an active participant in only one
covenant at a given
time. What we must not conclude is that the
covenant itself is going out of existence in a general sense.
In
other words, we must not interpret Hebrews 8 as indicating that God has
abrogated His covenant with
the
nation of
did
conclude. This has, in turn,
provided the basis for the concept that the Church has now replaced
We conclude therefore that God has two major active covenants to
accomplish His purpose in the
earth. Each covenant has a great people who
have been joined to God by the covenant.
We must always
remember
that existing in one of God's covenants does not mean that we are special of
ourselves, or that
God
loves us or is concerned about us more than for any other people. Each covenant represents a
unique
opportunity for righteousness in God's purpose. The true outworking of either covenant
should
complement
the other in order for God's purpose to advance.
With this understanding firmly in mind, we are to rejoice in our calling
and open ourselves to
becoming
more fruitful vessels for the outworking of His purpose. As believers in Messiah Jesus we have
a
special opportunity relative to
Church. Today is the day of great
opportunities. Men and women of
true faith must realize this and act
on
it.
================================
Table
1. God's Redemptive Covenants
COVENANT:
Mosaic:
TRAITS:
Land, Circumcision, Law
PEOPLE:
PURPOSE:
In the
In the dispersion: Announce judgment to the nations.
ULTIMATE
GOAL: To return to the land and live there under God's authority.
COVENANT:
Ben-Davidic
TRAITS:
House, Throne, Kingdom
PEOPLE:
Church
PURPOSE:
With
With
ULTIMATE
GOAL: To be gathered to the King.
================================
3. SEPARATION OF THE
CHURCH
FROM
Today when we consider the Church and
evident
to those of us who have embraced a vision of establishing churches with Hebraic
roots, that both
the
Church and Synagogue are content with the separation. In fact, any suggestion of change makes
both
groups very uncomfortable. We want
to investigate (1) how this separation took place and (2) who is
responsible
for it. Finally, we would like to
(3) establish a Biblical vision of mutual cooperation which we
believe
God originally intended.
The first church was established in
backgrounds. We believe from our study of the book of
Acts that they were observant Jews in every sense
of
the word. They evidently worshiped
in the
at
the ninth hour, the hour of prayer".
(Acts 3.1) They studied in
the synagogues, "But going on
from
Perga, they arrived at Pisidian
Antioch, and on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat
down". (Acts 13.14) They obviously participated in everyday
Jewish life. Nevertheless, they
were
different. They each had experienced God's Holy
Spirit bringing them into His presence.
They enjoyed
this
awesome sense of communion with God.
Notable miracles occurred through them. They became
distinguished
as the sect called "The Way".
(Acts 9.2) "The Way" implied the way of direct communion
with
God. Messiah Jesus declared that He
was, "the way, and the truth,
and the life; no one comes to the
Father,
but through Me". (John
14.6) The early Church was
experiencing this awesome communion with
God
in Messiah Jesus.
We conclude that the earliest
distinguished
or separated the Church from
two
to ten years. During this time
there were conflicts between the Church leaders and the leaders of
other
sects, but this type of opposition was typical of that experienced between the
various sects.
The second major step taken by God to further separate the Church from
God
expressly intervened by revelation to Peter convincing him to go to the home of
Cornelius. Peter
went
and while he preached concerning Jesus, the household of Cornelius boldly
received the same
anointing
that the Jewish believers had received on "Yom Hashavuot"
(Day of Pentecost). "While Peter
was
still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were
listening to the message. And
all
the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift
of the Holy Spirit
had
been poured out upon the Gentiles also.
For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and
exalting
God". (Acts 10.44-46a) Those present from Jewish backgrounds
were amazed that God had
poured
out this distinctive anointing upon these Gentiles. Peter, on the basis of what he saw God
doing,
openly
received them into fellowship. He
immediately baptized them. This
step was very momentous
because
these Gentiles were openly received within the fellowship without the customary
steps of
conversion
that were required by the Scriptures for Gentiles to be accepted within
great
conflict was initiated.
After these things, the Church began to be spread throughout the
dispersion. Paul made numerous
missionary
journeys throughout the
Gentile
cities. Much of our New Testament
is made up of letters from Paul to these newly-established
churches. During this era the Church continued to
see itself and to be seen as a part of
of
Judaism, although the distinction between
We conclude that God sovereignly chose to
distinguish the Church from
sanctified
from the nations by God's covenant with them. The Church was even further sanctified
or
distinguished
from
provide
a vessel of anointing within
do
not believe God intended to initiate a totally separate group unrelated to
identity.
World events also began to play a significant role in further separating
the Church from
desperate
to overthrow Roman dominance in order to establish an independent Jewish
State. In 66 AD
the
Zealots gained an upper hand and war broke out. (Marvin Wilson, "Our Father
Abraham", Grand
Rapids
and
prophecies
spoken forty years earlier by Jesus,
"But when you see
recognize
that her desolation is at hand.
Then let those who are in
those
who are in the midst of the city depart, and let not those who are in the
country enter the city;
because
these are days of vengeance, in order that all things which are written may be
fulfilled". (Luke
21.20-22) Jesus instructed His followers to flee
in such an event and they did so.
The general community
of
multitudes
from
sixty-five
years until the final humiliation of
Revolt".
The era from 66 AD until 135 AD was most difficult for both
the
was
now lost. Intense persecution of
Jews and Christians led both groups to develop a defensive attitude
about
themselves. The Jewish people could
not overlook the fact that the Church had forsaken the revolt
against
independent
of
As men from Gentile backgrounds came to leadership positions in the
Church, the tie with
was
further weakened. We see in
Ignatius' epistle to the Magnesiums, written around
110 AD, that the
Shabbat
was soon ignored and worship was encouraged on the first day of the week.
"Wherefore if they
who
were brought up in these ancient laws came nevertheless to the newness of hope:
no longer
observing
Sabbaths, but keeping the Lord's day in which also our life is sprung up by
him, and through his
death,
whom yet some deny." (Magnesium 3.3)
This was called the "Lord's Day" because the resurrection
occurred
on this day of the week. The Jewish
people were soon seen as having been cut off from God's
plan,
and the Church began to develop the theological argument that it had replaced
become
the "New Israel".
Eventually, the Biblical feasts or festivals were replaced by Christian
festivals.
Finally,
in the time of
changed
from the Biblical revelation of the Holy One of Israel who had anointed His
unique Messiah by
His Ruah Hakodesh (Holy Spirit) and
subsequently anointed His chosen vessel (the Church) with the same
spirit,
and was re-defined as the Holy Trinity (three coexistent and coequal
manifestations making up the
Being
of God). Since such a definition
was directly contrary to Biblical revelation, this action sealed the
separation
between the Church and
With
the
Law,
the "Mishna", was codified by 200 AD. Over the next several centuries this was
supplemented by the
"Gemora" to form the "Talmud".
Thus, today, we see these two entities in the world: the Church and the
Synagogue. Each denies
union
with the other; both are comfortable with the separation. However, it seems obvious that God
never
intended such a separation.
According to Paul's exhortation to the Romans, the Church must see
itself
grafted into the rich olive tree or it will be cut off. He specifically exhorted the Church, "Do not be
arrogant
toward the branches: but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who
supports the root,
but
the root supports you. You will say
then, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in."
Quite
right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your
faith. Do not be conceited, but
fear;
for if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare
you". (Romans 11.18-21)
Elsewhere,
Paul described believers as being part of "the
Obviously,
God intended the Church to share a common identity with that of
a
simple extension of
God
never intended two trees. He
intended one and that was
people,
and branched out in anointing with worldwide scope in introducing God's Kingdom
into the
world. Today, God is calling for the Church to
repent from its separate identity, to humble itself, and to
acknowledge
its ties with
4. THE FURTHER
SEPARATION
Why did the Church further the separation of itself from
us understand this, we will consider the story of Jeroboam