24/04/2021

Shabbat Word

24/04/2021

Shabbat Shalom!

Covid-19 continues to ravage the world. Every night, I pray this Psalm for the continued well-being, security and prosperity of Yahuah’s people, Yisra`el, His land, Yisra`el, His set apart city Yerushalayim and my family spiritual and physical.

Psalm 91:1-16

91:1) He who dwells in the secret place of Ha`Elyon,

Will rest in the shadow of Shaddai.

91:2) I will say of Yahuah,

“He is my refuge and my fortress; My `Elohiym, in whom I trust.”

91:3) For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler,

And from the deadly pestilence.

91:4) He will cover you with His feathers.

Under His wings you will take refuge.

His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.

91:5) You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,

Nor of the arrow that flies by day;

91:6) Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,

Nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday.

91:7) A thousand may fall at your side,

And ten thousand at your right hand;

But it will not come near you.

91:8) You will only look with your eyes,

And see the recompense of the wicked.

91:9) Because you have made Yahuah your refuge,

And Ha`Elyon your dwelling place,

91:10) No evil shall happen to you,

Neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.

91:11) For He will give His angels charge over you,

To guard you in all your ways.

91:12) They will bear you up in their hands,

So that you will not dash your foot against a stone.

91:13) You will tread on the lion and cobra.

You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot.

91:14) “Because he has set his love on me, therefore I will deliver him.

I will set him on high, because he has known my name.

91:15) He will call on me, and I will answer him.

I will be with him in trouble.

I will deliver him, and honour him.

91:16) I will satisfy him with long life,

And show him my salvation (yeshu`ah).”

Psalm 31:14-25

31:14) For I have heard the slander of many, terror on every side,

While they conspire together against me,

They plot to take away my life.

31:15) But I trust in you, Yahuah.

I said, “You are my `Elohiym.”

31:16) My times are in your hand.

Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.

31:17) Make your face to shine on your servant.

Save me in your lovingkindness.

31:18) Let me not be disappointed, Yahuah, for I have called on you.

Let the wicked be disappointed.

Let them be silent in She’ol.

31:19) Let the lying lips be mute,

Which speak against the righteous insolently, with pride and contempt.

31:20) Oh how great is your goodness,

Which you have laid up for those who fear you,

Which you have worked for those who take refuge in you,

Before the sons of men!

31:21) In the covert of your presence you will hide them from the plotting of man.

You will keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

31:22) Praise be to Yahuah,

For he has shown me his marvelous lovingkindness in a strong city.

31:23) As for me, I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before your eyes.”

Nevertheless you heard the voice of my petitions when I cried to you.

31;24) Oh love Yahuah, all you his holy ones!

Yahuah preserves the faithful,

And pays back him who deals proudly in full.

31:25) Be strong, and let your heart take courage,

All you who hope in Yahuah.

A Word

Sink or Swin

I was nineteen when I experienced my first hurricane at sea. I was an Engineer Cadet on the M.V. Orbita out of Liverpool, UK, bound for Bermuda. Since that storm, I have been in many a ‘blow’ around the world. Yet, one of the worse storms was when I was at anchor in Naples Bay in the Mediterranean Sea. The weather forecast predicted strong winds, so the Captain had put out two anchors instead of the usual one anchor. However, we were not expecting such extreme weather. The wind and seas got up rapidly and we started to drag our anchors towards the shore. It took all the skill of the Captain and Navigation Officers to raise the anchors and head us back out to sea. However, it was not before the anchor capstan was all but destroyed. Looking back at the episode, it was a series of events that conspired to cause us harm; the wind from a particular angle, force and the shape of the bay. It made us appreciate the ‘Old Timers’ who relied upon weather ‘eyes’.

Read: Acts 27:1-44

 In this account, Rav Sha`ul (Paul) was on a grain ship on his way to Rome when he predicted that a storm was due. The ship’s crew thought that they knew better and sailed on rather than seek a safe haven. They tried everything that their combined experience had taught them. Sha’ul told all the passengers and crew that no one would be lost. Eventually, the ship was driven upon shoals and the ship started to break up.

“But the centurion, desiring to save Sha`ul, stopped them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should throw themselves overboard first to go toward the land; and the rest should follow, some on planks, and some on other things from the ship. So it happened that they all escaped safely to the land.” (Acts 27:43, 44). These two verses tell of two types of people; those who could swim and those who could not. In v34, Sha`ul told all on board that no one was to be lost, but to those who could not swim, that seemed highly unlikely. This can be likened to how Believers (those who have accepted and acknowledged Messiah Yahusha as their personal Saviour) handle times of trouble.

Those who could swim, jumped in and headed for the shore, confident in their ability to make the beach. This confidence was a result in all the hard work they had put into learning how to swim. They had probably never experienced such violent surf, but all those hours swimming in lakes and rivers meant that they were prepared.

Those who could not swim had to rely on any piece of flotsam or jetsam. It seems that the ship had been run aground well and stuck before it broke its back. It is not unusual for a ship to be pulled off the shoal by the back surge of the surf. If that had have happened in another case, the non-swimmers may well have been lost.

Life is not all plain sailing. In fact we have been warned through the Master (Matt. 13:21) and Sha`ul (2 Tim. 3:12) that persecution will certainly be a part of our lives. It is not so much as ifthe storm breaks, but when. The storm may be family, friends, finances or health this time but next time it may be due to something else.

Are you prepared to be shipwrecked?

If someone warned you that sometime in the future you would end up in deep water, would you not try to learn how to swim? At the very least, it would give you a chance of survival.

In the account above, with Sha`ul saying that none would be lost and all get to shore can be likened to all on board being Believers and the shore being the Kingdom of Father.

Those who could swim can be likened to those Believers who have spent time studying Scripture, praying, listening to preachers and serving and spending time in Father’s presence. When trouble strikes they are confident to dive straight in and head for safety. There is no short-cut to learning how to swim. It takes a good Teacher (Father’s Spirit) and many hours of practice. In this case, practice does make perfect in the Biblical sense of becoming complete.

Those who could not swim can be likened to those Believers who are satisfied only to go to ‘church’ and rely on others in times of trouble. They have to latch on to any scrap of wood that happens to float by. They cannot lose their Salvation but when trouble strikes they are tossed to and fro and barely make it to safety.

However, unlike the above account when all are saved, when a ship crashes ashore there are usually three types of people on board; those who can swim, those who cling on to debris, and those who cannot swim nor catch hold of anything that floats. This third type of people drown; they are lost.

If you are not a Believer that has studied Scripture etc. (swimmers) nor a nominal Believer (floater), then you must be one destined to be lost for all eternity. The Bible clear warns that a storm is about to strike. This may even be the loosing of your physical life, but your soul lives on in punishment if you have not acknowledged that everyone is a sinner and this leads to eternal punishment. However, this punishment has been taken upon Himself by Messiah Yahusha, if only a person repents of their sins and seeks the forgiveness offered by Father through His Son, Yahusha, acknowledging that He and He alone can take away our sins. This is called ‘being born again’ or ‘being saved’.

“For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost.” (Matt. 18:11).

The next time you see a storm or people swimming, take heed of this warning and please learn how to ‘swim’.

HalleluYah

Ameyn

Father, we thank you for the power of your Word and that Word was made flesh in the Messiah Yeshua so that in believing in His life, death and resurrection we may have eternal life with you.

If you want to accept Father’s offer of salvation through the Messiah Yeshua, you need to ask Him in prayer along these lines. You may use these or your own words but they must be genuine as Father knows our very hearts and nothing is hidden from Him.

“Father, I am a sinner who needs forgiveness of my sins through your Son, the Messiah Yeshua. Please forgive me of all my past sins as I accept that, Messiah Yeshua my Saviour, has taken upon Himself my punishment. By your Spirit, help me to live a life worthy of His sacrifice. Thank you, Father, for making the perfect way back to you.”

Remember, the Judge looks into your heart, mind and future.

If you have honestly said such a prayer as this, and truly renounced the sin in your life and accepted Father’s salvation through the Messiah Yeshua, then please drop us an e-mail or call us at FGA to let us know. This helps build up our faith and offers an opportunity to prayerfully support you. Even if you have Believing friends or family, we at FGA would be privileged to pray for you. Please contact us at ezra710@firstgenerationassembly.com. Having believed and prayed, now please find a local faith-based church to attend. Drop FGA an e-mail or call us so that we can rejoice with you and pray and support you over the coming weeks.

If you have sincerely called out to Father for forgiveness, then eternal life is assured. Salvation does not take away the day-to-day questions of life, nor is it a short-cut away from trials or tribulations. Nevertheless, knowing your eternal life is secure, any temporary trial can be overcome by looking at the completed work of Messiah Yeshua.

All blessings to you.

“Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water;

But a man of understanding will draw it out.” (Prov. 20:5).

Breaking Matzah

Our Saviour welcomes all His Family to join in this memorial. If you have accepted Messiah Yeshua as your Master and Saviour please take the next few moments to seek Father and to ensure that all is right between Him and you and between you and your Brothers and Sisters. If not, please put this right before continuing.

If you have not yet accepted Him into your life, then we encourage you to seek Him while it is still possible, as time is running out. When He returns or if you pass away then it will be too late. Please do not partake of the matzah and wine as in doing so, it gives thanks for the broken body (matzah) and shed blood (wine) for and a witness of salvation.

On the night of the Master’s betrayal, He took the matzah, blessed it and broke it saying ‘This is my Body broken for you; take and eat it as a memorial to Me.’

Bless the matzah saying: Blessed are you, O Yahuah our `Elohiym, King of the Universe, who brings forth matzah from the earth.

Break and eat the matzah (sharing it if within a group setting):

After the meal He took the Cup, blessed it saying ‘This is my Blood poured out for you for the remission of sins; take and drink it as a memorial to me.’

Bless the wine saying: Blessed are you, O Yahuah our `Elohiym, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

Drink the wine (sharing it if within a group setting):

Thanksgiving prayer: Blessed are you, O Yahuah our `Elohiym, King of the universe, who gives us, in Yeshua, all that we will ever need. In your lovingkindness and mercy, you rebuild broken lives. You bless us, in Yeshua, with a perfect blessing. Ameyn.

 Dates to remember

04/04/-22/05/2021 – Counting of the Omer

13/05/2021 – Rosh Chodesh 3^rd. New Moon

Father willing, we will meet again next Shabbat.

“Y’varekh’kha Yahuah v’yishmerekha,

Ya’er Yahuah panav eleikha vichunekka,

Yissa Yahuah panav eleikha v’yasem l’kha shalom.”

(May Yahuah bless you and keep you)

(May Yahuah make His face to shine upon you and show you His favour)

(May Yahuah lift up His face toward you and give you peace.).