Saint Maurice: A living oath to the living God

"Emperor, we are your soldiers but also the soldiers of the true God. We owe you military service and obedience, but we cannot renounce Him who is our Creator and Master, and also yours even though you reject Him. In all things which are not against His law, we most willingly obey you, as we have done hitherto. We readily oppose your enemies whoever they are, but we cannot stain our hands with the blood of innocent people (Christians). We have taken an oath to God before we took one to you, you cannot place any confidence in our second oath if we violate the other (the first). You commanded us to execute Christians, behold we are such. We confess God the Father the creator of all things and His Son Jesus Christ, God. We have seen our comrades slain with the sword, we do not weep for them but rather rejoice at their honour. Neither this, nor any other provocation have tempted us to revolt. Behold, we have arms in our hands, but we do not resist, because we would rather die innocent than live by any sin.'' [1]

Psalm 19, The glory of God

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. * 4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, * 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. 6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. 7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. * * 8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. * 10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. * 11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. 12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. 13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. * 14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. *

Definition of Love

Although the Scriptures clearly define love, it has been given all manner of modern definition by various institutions and religions. Most souls think of love according to its attributes because love is rather difficult to define. Many Christians assert that "God is love" and one of the popular clichés is to "just love the Lord."

But the manner of how one "loves the Lord" brings up much opinion and debate, especially since Christians often teach a love that is quite the opposite of what Scripture teaches. For example, "And by this we know that we love the children of Elohim, when we love Elohim and follow his commandments. For this is the love of Elohim, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not burdensome. Because, whoever is born of Elohim overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith" (1 John 5:2-4).

The definition of love is best understood through Mashiyach's life and teachings: "If you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15); and, "He who has my commandments with him and keeps them, he is who loves me and he who loves me will be loved by my Father. And I will love him and reveal myself to him" (John 14:21); and, "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept the commandments of my Father, and I abide in His love." (John 15:10). Abiding in His love is clearly connected to "keeping the commandments." The "commandments of my Father" always refers to Torah; and Y'shua taught that "if you love" him, you will keep the Commandments.

Mashiyach Y'shua clearly kept the commandments of his Father, but yet only a tiny minority of Christians would even consider the importance of these same Commandments - even though the name "Christian" comes from the same root haMishchah (the anointing) which means to be "Mashiyach like." Y'shua is the Word of YHWH, and about this Spirit of Mashiyach Moshe wrote: "And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My Commandments" (Sh'mot/Exodus 20:6); and, "Therefore you shall love YHWH your Elohim and keep His charge and His Statutes and His Judgments and His Commandments, always." (D'varim/Deut. 11:1).

There are dozens of places in Scripture where "love" is tied in with keeping the Commandments. Unfortunately, those Christians who truly "love the Lord" according to Scripture are labeled as Legalists and Judaizers for keeping the Commandments, and often encounter persecution from "the Church." This is because in Christianity "love" is defined by status quo, so to be a good Christian each one must fashion their "love" according to the values of a core group or denomination. In recent times, many good, YHWH-fearing Christians have become ashamed to even be called "Christians" after being attacked by so many Christians for keeping the Commandments. Many opt instead to be labeled as "Believers" because they realize that love requires sacrifice, and that love is not a cerebral ideology that neglects the Commandments.

"And owe nothing to anyone; but to love one another. For he that loves his neighbor has fulfilled Torah. For this likewise, which it says: You shall not kill; nor commit adultery; nor steal; nor covet; and if there is any other commandment, it is completed in this sentence: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no evil to one's neighbor because love is the fulfillment of Torah." (Romans 13:8-10). Rav Shaul is clearly teaching that these four Commandments are examples of how a person demonstrates love to their neighbor; this kind of love is the fulfillment of Torah. "For the entire Torah is properly understood in one Miltha (Word/Manifestation): 'You will love your neighbor as you would yourself.'" (Galatians 5:14). The many other definitions of love that lack the Commandments also lack the connection to Justice and Righteousness. Man's interpretation of "love" often reverts to carnal instincts like anarchy, excess, sensuality, emotionalism etc.

The Brit Chadasha literally means Covenant Renewed, a "making new" of the Covenant of Love that YHWH had formerly established between Himself and his people. Although there is a change of priesthood in the Renewed Covenant, YHWH's Word and Commandments remain eternal, love has never changed; if anything love has been magnified. "You have heard that it has been said that you should not commit adultery. But I say to you that all who that looks at a woman as lustfully at once has committed adultery in his heart." (Matt. 5:27, 28). Y'shua "raised the bar" but he also said, "And because of the growth of iniquity, the love of many will grow cold." (Matt. 24:12). Therefore, as the Commandments grow within the heart, true love will also grow. Love, therefore, is a voluntary and personal choice to do the right thing and keep the Commandments.

Joshua teaches that loving YHWH means "to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments": "But take diligent heed to do the Commandment and the Torah, which Moshe the servant of YHWH charged you, to love YHWH your Elohim, and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and to cleave unto Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul." (Joshua 22:5). He declared "...as for me and my house, we will serve YHWH." (Joshua 25:15).

To love YHWH means to keep His Commandments. There is no other substitute a person can make to demonstrate their love to YHWH or to each other, because true love is righteous; it is Set-Apart and does good towards YHWH and all of His creation.

"Consider how I love your precepts: quicken me, O YHWH, according to your lovingkindness." (Psalm 119:159). Love is a reciprocal giving and sharing that is based on being true to the Word of YHWH, and "great peace have they which love your Torah: and nothing shall offend them." (Psalm 119:165). Peace is established by love because love is the action of doing what is Right, Set Apart, Just and Good.

One of the greatest perversions accomplished against the Word of YHWH was to superimpose a false religious definition of love based on Church theology which, in the eyes of millions of Christians, has rendered the Torah null and void. The unpleasant realities of "Christian love" through the centuries have spoken volumes in times when "Christian nations" like Spain, Germany and Poland brought hatred upon Jews and other races or religions that were not "Christian." Today members of the World Council of Churches are launching new crusades against the Jewish "occupation" of their homeland of Israel - the very lands YHWH gave to the Jewish people as an "everlasting possession" (Genesis 15:18); and from which He promised they would never again be removed (Amos 9:15).

Christian love is fashioned after "tolerance," rather than temperance and self control and discipline and accountability to one another and the Word of YHWH. Crime and decadence has escalated in "Christian nations" like the USA that would embarrass Sodom and Gomorrah. Y'shua said that the land of Sodom would fare better than some cities that had the truth presented to them but rejected it (Matthew 11:23, 24). The United States claims to be led by "Christian" Presidents and approximately 65 percent of the nation claims to be Christian. The reality is that Christian America has one of the largest per capita crime rates in the world and twice the homicide and rape statistics of many European countries, under "Christian" leadership and "Christian" government.

What's more, Christians have an extremely high divorce rate simply because Christianity has defined love according to man's opinions. Most Christian leaders teach that Torah is taboo because "Jesus nailed it to the cross" and gave them the Commandment to love, so they teach carte blanche Torahlessness for the "forgiven." Sin is hidden under "Christian grace" because the new "Christian definition" of love provides unlimited pardon of willful and repetitive sin. Religious "Christian" love is based on "doublethink" that replaces YHWH's love with a religious tradition about love, but in reality this has desensitized people's hearts to one another and to Mashiyach. In reality, this kind of Christian love is tyranny because it is simply love of the status quo; it is certainly not love according to Mashiyach and the Set Apart Scriptures!

James wrote, "And if in this you fulfill the Torah of Elohim, as it is written, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you will do well:" (James 2:8). The majority of Christian theologians translate the word "fulfill" as "bring to an end" but it clearly means to bring to a reality, perform or do, as in a person's duty to love their spouse by their actions, where the actions of love is love demonstrated. To fulfill Torah means to have the love of the Father dwelling within the soul, and this means to not only welcome His Commandments but to delight in them as obedient children.

"There is no love that is greater than this that a man lay down his life for the sake of his friends. You are my friends if you do all that I commanded you." (Yochanan 15:13, 14) Y'shua speaks according to the Spirit of YHWH in him rather than his own soul; therefore, "all that I commanded you" is specifically referring to Torah.

By Andrew Gabriel Roth (http://www.therefinersfire.org/definition_of_love.htm)

One Heart

And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 11:19-21)

The ingenuity of Technology

I went with my colleague up to PTA using a Tazz, the traffic was hectic during the time periods we used to travel. We had workshops that lasted for three days and every time i thought of the traffic my bones wanted to melt because of the traffic, PTA seemed to be in Mafikeng from JHB. However, yesterday i made a call to PTA over the telkom line. The person could hear me and i could hear them it was as if i was in two places at the same time, it was as if i was in PTA whiles in JHB. This is amazing, i mean just being in JHB i could talk with someone in PTA, i did not have to go through the traffic congestion, i could just be in JHB and still cause effect in PTA. I mean, think about it, when a person speaks to you and me we can hear them irrespective of all the other signals in the air(considering that a sound is a signal), our ears can filter out other things and hence allowing us to hear one another what a design (This was taken from Richard Feynman). I woke up this morning and my eyes could distinguish out of different spectrum of light what is what. I cannot find words to express this ingenuity, its just spectacularly amazing, its really still a wonder to me....

What’s In A Name

This has never crossed my mind as it does now, the name Jesus is a transliteration from a Greek word (Iesous) where else his original name was in Hebrew (Aramaic), this questions if the name Jesus has meaning.

"‘Iesous’ is a GREEK word and is NOT, and I say NOT of Hebrew origin. ‘Jehoshua’ is the correct translation from the Hebrew. So why was the SON OF GOD called ‘Jesus’ if his true name was ‘Jehoshua’(Yah’Shua)?" ref: http://www.gem-international.org/kingdomlife/noraname.htm

please check out the full version of this historical account that led to the development of the name Jesus, it is quiet clear throughout the Bible that names were important (Saul was changed to Paul, Abram to Abraham, etc) names had a meaning. Please check out this site:

http://www.gem-international.org/kingdomlife/noraname.htm

Lets look at the beginning, what happened, lets return to the language of the holy scriptures so that we can relate and associate soundly with what the word of God is saying in today's generation, season and time.

Part of inspiring others...

"Part of inspiring others, ..., is making human connections. When he was secretary of state, he said, he would sneak away from his security detail and go into the garage next to his building to engage with the workers there. When he asked them how they determined who got the best parking spots, the parking lot attendants put it simply: Those who drove into the lot and greeted the attendants with a friendly wave or smile in the morning got the choice spots. Those who did not take the time to treat the attendants like human beings got the less desirable spaces." Colin Powell. (ref: http://news.stanford.edu/news/2009/march4/colin-powell-speaks-030409.html)