A Walk Through the Valley

Used with permission via http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com

Ok, so I have been Googling the whole Jewish sacrifice issue and apparently I am not the only one who has questioned this.  There are many websites out there to answer this.  The most common answer I found is that the Jewish people say sacrifices were to take place in the temple and since there is no longer a temple they just pray instead.  I don’t think I have read far enough in my studies because in Leviticus the sacrifices were in the tabernacle and the tabernacle traveled so I would (in my simple mind) assume that if that tabernacle could travel (and it did, Numbers tells us of the Levites carrying it and the ark and such) then why could these Jewish people not set up other tabernacles?  They have synagogues but I guess these aren’t considered places to do this…I really don’t understand.  Maybe it isn’t for me to understand.  I found one site that said they don’t believe Jesus was a sacrifice because He wasn’t burned and therefore His aroma did not go up to heaven (as the animal aromas did).  Hmm… Nope, that doesn’t work for me either.

Anyways, obviously I am not Jewish so I can’t say anything more about it… It is just all puzzling, but praise God because Jesus is the Messiah and I have the Truth!

I just finished Leviticus and will be starting Numbers tonight.

While tedious to read through, I have to admit that I found the book of Leviticus to be fascinating.  All the laws and requirements were so interesting.

Now, I know basically nothing about Judaism other than Sabbath observance, Passover, Hanukkah, and a few other tidbits, so while reading through Leviticus I thought it was really cool to use the Study Bible to understand a bit more - and for some things I got answers, for others I still have no clue.  But one thing that I really began to wonder through it all was about the sacrifices and offerings and such.  You see, as Christians we believe that Christ was the ultimate and final sacrifice.  If the Jewish people do not believe Christ was the Messiah then I just don’t understand how they reconcile that with not performing any of the offerings and sacrifices anymore.  I mean seriously, if Jews across the world were still sacrificing sheep and such I am sure PETA would have let us all know.

Now, I understand that Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) is kind of held as a year end day of forgiveness for sin (ok that is a very simple way to describe it but I am not Jewish), but Biblically…or should I say according to the Torah the Jews would need to be doing all these offerings and such.  Yet, they no longer do that… Just an observance I made.  If anyone out there is Jewish I mean no disrespect or offense by it.  In fact, perhaps you can enlighten me as to what you believe.

How far would you go to serve the Lord?  Would you drop everything if asked and serve Him wholeheartedly today?  If you were called to Him, would you forget the house and the cars and the phones and the computer (gasp!) and leave it all behind to follow him?

Matthew 4:18-20

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

Simon Peter and Andrew left it all.  They didn’t hesitate.  “At once they left their nets and followed Him.”  They didn’t wait to bring in the fish, they didn’t go back to say goodbye to anyone, they didn’t pack an overnight bag - they left and followed Jesus the moment He called.

Luke 5:10-11

   Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

“Left everything and followed Him.”  They didn’t go make sure they had everything in order, they didn’t go put the mail on hold, they just left and followed Him.

Luke 9:59-62

 59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”
      But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

 60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

 61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family.”

 62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Do you have excuses?  Do feel God telling you to follow Him and you keep making excuses?  Has the world got you in its grips?  Maybe what you are being told to drop is some certain sin.  Maybe you are having a problem with anger.  Maybe God is telling you to drop it, leave it behind, place it at the foot of the cross and forget about it - move on and follow Him.  Don’t look back, don’t think about what you have to do, just leave it and follow Him.  Maybe you are in an adulterous affair, maybe you are a habitual liar, maybe you drink away your life, whatever it is, is God telling you to leave it?  Are you making excuses like the men above - “Let me bury my father…Let me say goodbye to my family.”  Let me just see this person one more time.  Let me have one last drink.  This little lie won’t really hurt.  Yelling isn’t going to be the end of me, my rage isn’t going to matter… 

Excuses, excuses, excuses.

Jesus didn’t ask for excuses.  He asked you to leave it all and follow Him.  Don’t look back.  Don’t think about what you leave behind.  Follow Him.  “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”  No one who can’t let it go and give their life over to God is fit for service.

How far would you go?  What would you leave? 

What is holding you back?

Have you seen the latest findings from the Pew Forum religion survey?  Let me just highlight one of the results for you:

“Most Americans agree with the statement that many religions – not just their own – can lead to eternal life. Among those who are affiliated with a religious tradition, seven-in-ten say many religions can lead to eternal life. This view is shared by a majority of adherents in nearly all religious traditions, including more than half of members of evangelical Protestant churches (57%).”

Source: Pew Forum Survey Results

More that half of the Evangelicals surveyed agree that other religions lead to eternal life - salvation - eternity.  Are you shocked?  Are you annoyed?  Does this bother you at all?  IT SHOULD!!!

John 14:6

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

If you are a Christian then you need to get this one thing straight - and yes I am being harsh but I believe that a point needs to be made and it needs to be made bluntly - Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to salvation.  The ONLY way.  There is no other.  No other religion, no other god, no other way.  You can’t be good enough, you can’t work hard enough, you can’t do anything on your own to get there.  If you are a Christian and believe otherwise then wake up because the reality of it all is that you are NOT a Christian, you are living a lie.

This is what the modern church has turned into folks, and it is scary!

Heather posted this over on her blog and it literally brought me to tears.  Please, grab a box of tissues and spend the next eight minutes watching this…

My cardboard testimony:

Me by myself: Selfish overachiever

Me with God: Humble servant still learning