When we come back to the knowledge of our true selves there is first joy. The joy that comes from discovering something unique and fascinating about yourself and the world around you. This is how I felt when my eyes were first opened to the fact that the people, my people, who are called Blacks and American Indians are the biblical Israelites. It fascinated me that I and my people shared in this great heritage. It was truly a revelation. However, as the years went on and I studies and learned more about our heritage I began to see a pattern among us-the newly awaken. We, like most, new converts became more in love with the idea of belonging verses being.
There's a difference between the two. The first is focused on the fact that the person is now apart of something: a new movement. The excitement of the crowd can easily take you into many directions. You begin to focus on this class or that holy day or that teacher. You start to do what you see everyone else doing, because you believe it's what you do when you belong to the group. One can easily take things at face value and miss the deeper meaning of the matter with this type of mindset. Who we should truly be following and what we should be doing can be lost if we focus only on belonging.
But Being is quite another road. To be requires sincerity, a complete lack of duplicity. In reference to being an Israelite, Yahawashi or Christ, said it best, "... an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.( John 1:47) " To be an Israelite then is to live a life that is govern not by the crowd or the particular branch of Israelites you happen to be apart of, but by every word that proceeds from the Father-Yahawah. An Israelite is one who walks in integrity towards God. It is a life devoted to the Holy scripture-one of obedience and sincerity to God. An Israelite is not one outwardly first, but one inwardly foremost, as the apostle Paul has stated in the book of Romans( Rom. 2:29).
The true journey of discovery begins when we seek an inward change through the process Christ calls " to be Born Again"( John3:3). This phrase was adopted and had become widely popular by the Christian Evangelical movement of the 1970's and 80's. It is still in common use among them today. However, what I'm speaking of is different from this movement's definition of being born again. Their general concept of being born again focuses on the conversion experience, where the new believer accepts Jesus into his or her heart, as they say, and becomes a new creature in Christ. Their old self is gone and now only Christ remains. This usually occurs in minutes at the alter as the new believer confesses his allegiance to Christ. In general this is the extent of the new believers understanding of being born again. His new life is one of going to church and being among other born again believers. The focus here also is on belonging rather than being.
The Born again concept I'm referring to that the Israelite should strive for is one of personal transformation through the application of the incorruptible word of God(1 Pet.1:23). It is a learning process in which one, through diligent study of the scriptures begins to learn and do the things that pleases God. To be born again calls for the transformation of the mind from what it was before-the product of this corrupt world system, to a holy mindset based on the Bible. Born again is the renewal of our minds and not a conversion experience or belonging to a particular group( Rom 12:2).
When we, the newly awaken Israelites, are born again our minds are not only changed by understanding our ancient and modern history form a biblical perspective, but we also recognize the responsibility God has given us in representing Him in truth and righteousness. In truth because he has been faithful in his word and promises to us-that he would never forsake us, or leave us comfortless no matter how far we may be form Zion( John 14:18). For example, God prophesied in his word that we would go into captivity for our sins, but that he would redeem us and restore us once again in the last days( Deut. 30:1-3). And God in faithfulness to his word is fulfilling this before our eyes today in the resurrection of his holy people Israel, as they return to Him. And we can represent God in righteousness, because our righteousness is from God and not of ourselves. It is derived from the fact that he sent his only son Yahawashi, who in our English translation of the Bible is called Jesus, to grant us forgiveness of sins and salvation (Acts 5:30-31). And it is God that has seal our hope in Christ in that he rose Christ to life again on the third day after he gave his life for us-his holy flock. Therefore, because we know, believe, and hope in these things, we strive to please the Father and Christ by walking in obedience to the word of God. We forsake the evil that is in the world and the sin nature that is in us by the everlasting power of God, which transforms our mindset to a holy mindset. This then is how we are Born Again. An Israelite that is truly born again shines like a light in the midst of darkness among all the people they find themselves among today because they walk in the truth and righteousness of God.
Also, once we come to the true knowledge and understanding of ourselves, we should, and desire to, share the Hope that God has given us with others. This hope is the Faith that we have in the word of God that brings us back to the right order of having God as our Father and Christ as our king now and in New Jerusalem. It is the Hope of forgiveness of sins, the salvation of God, and the peace of God that is obtained through faith and obedience to God
Our first duty in sharing, according to Christ, is to our fellow Israelites- who are lost to the truth written in God's word due to our captivity, oppression, and forced ignorance( Matt. 10:6, Rom 1:16). A key reason for this first duty is that it is natural to love your countrymen, God has put this in every man's heart. It's called self-love. And we, whom God has awaken, should love our fellow Israelites, and desire to see them receive the blessings of God as we have. The other reason for sharing this hope, which is also an Israelite's second duty, is that the Bible prophecy's that the Israelites were chosen of God to be a blessing to all nations( Gen 12:3). We were chosen to be the priest and teachers to the nations to show them the way of righteousness and the faith of God that leads to Christ, that they may also hope in the salvation of God(Acts 26:17-18). Furthermore, we were called by God to be his witness throughout the earth for all generations ( Is. 43:9-10). Even Christ stated that Salvation is through the Jews or Israelites( John 4:22). The nations will receive mercy and grace from God through His witnesses; the children of Israel that are with Christ. Because they were sent by God to preach His message throughout the earth ( Rom. 10:14-15).
What we are witnessing today with the reemergence of the descendants of the ancient Israelites here in the Americas and other parts of the world is a fulfilling of prophesy in preparation for the second coming of Christ. They are being risen up again in order to teach the gospel as it is written that the faithful among the Israelites and the nations may turn to God in truth and understanding (Is 60:2-3).The New Testament has commissioned us, the children of Israel, both in the gospels and the book of Revelation, with the work of preaching the gospel ( God's message or word), as it is written in the Bible, in it's entirety to the whole earth, that all humanity may know God's truth(Acts 1:6-8, Rev. 14:1-3). For it is through them that the final gathering of the Body of Christ will occur before the last judgment (Zech. 8:23).
To be an Israelite, then, is an honor and a responsibility. It is an honor because of the grace and kindness God has demonstrated to us throughout the ages to this very time we are now living in. It is an honor to be counted among the saints and illustrious men and women of God. But, we today can not be content with just belonging to this body of heroes, who faithfully served the everlasting God. Nor can we be satisfied with the emotions of reawakening to our true identity. We must seek to be, and not just to belong. We must be truly born again by the renewing of our minds through the knowledge and understanding of the holy scriptures of God who created us. We must seek God daily through His word that we may gain the understanding of his will and the courage to obey it( Eph. 3:4). And after we have done this for ourselves, we then have the responsibility to go out into all the world and share God's good news. Only then will we be an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.
Shalam,
May God be with you always, may His light shine on you and those with you, till we meet as One.
Zarach
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