Revelation Ministries

THIS WEEK AT VCM 4.13.2025 -

THIS WEEK AT VCM 4.13.2025

Here is David Cassidy’s post this morning - in case you’re not on X. David is the pastor of Spanish River Church in Boca Raton Florida. After reading this for the third time this morning - I’ve concluded that it is the the best thing I’ve read all year - and in a very very long time:

“I believe gathering for worship is the single most radical act any Christian can make today.

Answering God’s call to rise from mere individualism or the boundaries of family, tribe, class, or politics and identify in public with the Church of history, the Church of heaven, and the Church right now; to offer oneself in sacrifice to the One who for love sacrificed all on the Cross; to publicly acknowledge personal and institutional sin, one’s need for forgiveness, instruction, spiritual nourishment and renewal; to confess in public with others the truth of the ancient Faith so vehemently despised - this is truly a most radical step in our anti-God, anti-church, anti-Christ culture of death, shame, and narcissistic self-love embodied in the secularist fundamentalism that demands you stay in bed, chill, keep quiet, and find fulfillment in the pursuit of your personal dreams.

Its also the sane response of any heart healed of leprosy, liberated from the asylum of self-seeking, and raised from the dead.

Gathered worship is wisdom on the march, preparation for heaven, the reforming of our souls, rooting us in love, and growing us in truth.

Online & pods are fine if you’re sick or otherwise confined, but gathering with others is how we and the world are transformed. It turns out that authentic radicalism can be both “boring” and “thrilling” all at once - get up and gather with others at the table, under the word, to praise, pray, and proclaim the goodness of the Lord.”

Some light reading from this morning’s selection in the One Year Bible- from 2 Corinthians 11:19-21 - “…after all you, who think you’re so wise, enjoy listening to fools! You put up with it when they make you their slaves, take everything you have, take advantage of you, put on airs, and slap you in the face!” Ouch.

Btw, this is why I have been reading from the OYB for the past 26 years - it forces me to read books I would otherwise avoid…but, since the daily selections include portions of the Old and New Testament plus Psalms and Proverbs, it stays interesting and relevant. Also, after you’ve read certain books dozens of times, you begin to hear “echoes” from the rest of Scripture that illuminate passages that are otherwise difficult. This is due to what theologians call the Unity of Scripture - there is a consistent and coherent inspired message throughout - a redemptive plan that unfolds progressively - with Jesus from start to end.
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.” (ESV) John 5:39

This is going to be long. But please bear with me. Or not - either way - may the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

There's are "teachers" online who posts dozens of videos - sometimes calling themselves "rabbis" and telling Christians (the mostly speak in churches and market their resources to Christians) that they are obligated to "keep" Torah - the first 5 books of the Bible - stressing that Christians are obligated to keep the Sabbath (on Saturday) and observe all of the Jewish Festivals. Obligated - is the key word.

I knew folks like this existed and were roaming about the Church - just like in the 1st century. (This sort of legalism and "judiazing" was one of the great heresies of the early Church - along with Gnosticism.) Much of the New Testament is directed against Judiazers and Gnostics. Judiazers taught that Christians were still under the Law and Gnostics believed that Jesus had not physically risen from the dead.

But I always wondered - why? Haven't they read verses like Colossians 2:16-17? "Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ." The substance belongs to Christ! So, if we want the substance, we MUST come to Jesus for it!

Now I understand - they really have read their Bible, but in a very peculiar way - because last Sunday I was accosted by a visitor who persistently asked me "when in the Sabbath?" She repeated the question dozens of times. I said, first of all, "...there is a very clear verse in the New Testament that forbids you to judge other believers in Jesus on this very thing"

I opened my Bible - but she wouldn't look - she said, yes, I know this verse. She continued to ask me - and so I said, "have you read Matthew 11:28-30 or Hebrews 3-4 - heck, the whole book!" I said to her, Jesus is the very embodiment of the true Sabbath Rest - this is why he calls the tired and weary - those worn down by the legalism and burdensome hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Scribes to come to Him - "I will give you rest..." If you are seeking peace, wholeness and righteousness apart from Jesus, you are lost.

But this person persisted..."when is the Sabbath" so, since she wouldn't look at my Bible, I answered, "Today", "Today is the Sabbath" - "that's what God calls it in Hebrews 4 since that chapter plainly teaches that the Sabbath Rest in Jesus is always available to those who approach the throne of Grace 'with confidence...to find mercy and grace to help in time of need.'"

And I added - "when I say that the Sabbath is "Today' - I mean what the author of Hebrews meant - God, literally calls the Sabbath - "Today" - because anyone can enter it at any time and on ANY DAY - I said - "if you ask me that tomorrow, Monday, I will give you the same answer "Today", and if you asked me on Wednesday, I would say "Today." I don't have to wait until Saturday, or Sunday, or any special day to experience Sabbath Rest.

It is always available to me in the person of Jesus Christ. "Please understand me,"" I continued, "I am not telling you that Sunday is the Sabbath - quite literally - Jesus is the Sabbath and I can experience that Sabbath rest in Jesus each and every time I come to Him for help."

I was unprepared for her answers. To my absolute shock, she said, "you cannot use the New Testament of answer me." Then, i understood where these folks are coming from. Now, and after encountering these online teachers, I know why. There are people who call themselves believers in Jesus (Yeshua) who actually believe that the 5 Books of Moses, the Torah, are more authoritative than the New Testament! They also believe that Paul invented Christianity and that He and Jesus were at odds theologically! I suppose nothing surprises me these days. I suppose they haven't read The Acts of the Apostles where Peter and James and the entire Jerusalem Council endorse Paul's Gospel of Salvation by Grace through Faith.

Look, I'm one who loves to celebrate the Jewish Feast days - because they add richness and meaning to our faith - a Hebraic understanding of the Bible is important. We do a "Christ in the Passover" Seder every single year and every Pentecost and Tabernacles we mention the significance of those Feast days to Christians today. It is entirely another thing to say that Christians MUST celebrate these days in order to remain righteousness - which I find mind boggling since there is no Jerusalem Temple or Desert Tabernacle for that matter, standing making the true observance impossible.

People who say these things HAVE NOT UNDERSTOOD THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST - AND WHY IT IS GOOD NEWS! MY RIGHTOUSNESS IS LITERALLY BOUND UP IN THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST - it is the righteousness of faith which Paul mentions in Romans!

Romans 3:21-22

21 "But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it
22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction. (between Jew and Gentile.)

When Paul the Apostle - who was hand-picked by Jesus to preach the Gospel to Gentiles - when he speaks of the Law - he is thinking "Torah." And Paul is quite clear on how the Torah relates to believers - here are a few verses:

1. Romans 7:6:

"...But now we are released from the law (Torah), having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code."

2. Galatians 3:23-25:

"Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law (Torah), imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian."

3. Galatians 4:9-11:

"But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? You observe days and months and seasons and years! I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain."

4. Galatians 5:1-4:

"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace."

Be watchful of these things - because there is so much toxic religion out there - it is completely foreign to the Gospel of Jesus - the Gospel of Grace...

1 Timothy 1:6-7

6 "Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions."

Titus 1:10-11

10 "For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. 11 They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach."

PLEASE, READ YOUR NEW TESTAMENT REGULARLY - AND USE CHRISTOLOGICAL LENSES TO INTERPRET THE OLD TESTAMENT!

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."