From
Awe to Zeal: a sermon
The classical meaning of “awe” as in “awful” is, “The power to
inspire dread.”
For I am Yahweh: I love fair judgment; I hate robbery for a
holocaust.[1] - Isaiah 61:8
The
road to holiness necessarily passes through the world of action. - Dag Hammerskjold
A door closing always
opens another of opportunity.
Snyder
Bible Home
“Awake My Soul” hymn
“A Beautiful Life” gospel song “The Savior, What a
Noble Frame” hymn
My Statement Regarding Polygamy in the BYSW
Spiritual Gifts Revelation 1: Charismata Theory, Assessment, Problem-solving
Spiritual Gifts Revelation 2:
Miracles by the Book
Both by Jack Snyder 2008
Get
Real:
A Wake-up Call in the Eleventh Hour: 
What is real
anymore in this world of false props and plastic personalities? Christianity at
its root has never changed a bit, but WE have. Now it's time to return, GET
ZEAL and GET REAL! Pete Snyder has
served in overseas education for the past 26 years - mostly in the western
frontier of
Gulf War Prayer: Father,
Lead us from death to life, from
falsehood to truth.
Lead us from despair to hope, from fear
to trust.
Lead us from hate to love, from war to
peace.
Let peace fill our hearts, our world, our
universe. Amen.
New Literal Version, John 2:13
Now the Passover[2]
of the Jews was near, and Yahshua went up into
18 So
the Jews answered and said to him, What sign to us do you show for these you
do? 19 Yahshua answered and said to them, Destroy this holy-place[6]
and in three days I will raise it. 20 So the Jews said, In forty and six years
this holy-place was built and you will raise it in three days? 21 But Yahshua[7]
spoke about the holy-place of his body.
22 So when he was raised from a corpse[8],
the students of his remembered that he said this, and they believed the
writings and the word that Yahshua spoke.
23 Moreover, when he was in Jerusalem in the Passover at the feast, many
believed into the name of him observing of him the signs that he was doing; yet
Yahshua did not trust himself to them because he knows all;
25 and because he had no need that anyone witness about people for he
knew what was in people.
With “Jesus” instead of “Yahshua” -
John 2:13 Now the Passover of the Jews was
near, and Jesus went up into
18 So the Jews answered and said to him, What sign to us do you show for
these you do? 19 Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this holy-place and
in three days I will raise it. 20 So the Jews said, In forty and six years this
holy-place was built and you will raise it in three days? 21 But Jesus spoke about the
holy-place of his body.
22 So when he was raised from a corpse, the students of his remembered
that he said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus
spoke.
23 Moreover, when he was in Jerusalem in the Passover at the feast, many
believed into the name of him, observing of him the signs that he was doing;
yet Jesus did not trust himself to them because he knows all; 25 and because he
had no need that anyone witness about people for he knew what was in
people.
Psalms 69:
For the choirmaster: 1. Save me, O El, for the waters have closed in on my very
being. 2. I am sinking in the deepest swamp and there is no firm ground. I have stepped into deep water and the waves
are washing over me. 3. I am exhausted
with calling out, my throat is hoarse, my eyes are worn out with searching for
my god. 4. More numerous than the hairs
of my head are those who hate me without reason. Those who seek to get rid of me are powerful,
my treacherous enemies. (Must I give
back what I have never stolen?)
5. Elohim, you know how foolish I am, my offences are not hidden from you. 6. Those who hope in you must not be made fools of, Yahweh Sabaoth, because of me! Those who seek you must not be disgraced, God of Israel, because of me! 7. It is for you I bear insults, my face is covered with shame, 8. I am estranged from my brothers, alienated from my own mother's sons; 9. for I am eaten up with zeal for your house, and insults directed against you fall on me. (NJB)
Jeremiah 7:21.
Yahweh Sabaoth, the Elohim of Israel, says this, Add your burnt offerings to
your sacrifices and eat all the meat. 22. For when I brought your ancestors out
of Egypt, I said nothing to them, gave them no orders, about burnt offerings or
sacrifices. 23. My one command to them was this: Listen to my voice, then I
will be your God and you shall be my people. In everything, follow the way that
I mark out for you, and you shall prosper.
24. But they did not listen, they did not pay attention; they followed
their own devices, their own stubborn and wicked inclinations, and got worse
rather than better. 25. From the day your ancestors left Egypt until today, I
have sent you all my servants the prophets, persistently sending them day after
day. 26. But they have not listened to
me, have not paid attention; they have deliberately resisted, behaving worse
than their ancestors. 27. So you will
tell them all this, but they will not listen to you; you will call them, but
they will not answer you.
28. Then you are to say to them, This is the nation that will neither
listen to the voice of Yahweh its Elohim nor take correction. Sincerity is no
more: it has vanished from their mouths. (NJB)
1. Each day I'll do a golden deed By helping those
who are in need;
My life on earth is but a span, And so I'll do the
best I can.
Refrain:
Life's evening sun is sinking low, A few more days
and I must go
To meet the deeds that I have done, Where there will
be no setting sun.
2. To be a child of God each day, My light must
shine along the way;
I'll sing His praise while ages roll And strive to
help some troubled soul.
3. The only life that will endure, Is one that's
kind and good and pure;
And so for God I'll take my stand, Each day I'll
lend a helping hand.
4. I'll help someone in time of need, And journey on
with rapid speed;
I'll help the sick and poor and weak, And words of
kindness to them speak.
5. While going down life's weary road I'll try to
lift some trav'ler's load;
I'll try to turn the night to day, Make flowers
bloom along the way.
- William M. Golden, 1918
The
Savior! what a noble flame was kindled in his breast,
When
hasting to
Goodwill
to men and Father’s zeal, his ev'ry thought engross:
He
longs to be baptiz'd with blood, he pants to reach the cross.
With
all his suff'rings full in view, And woes, to us unknown,
Forth
to the task his spirit flew, 'Twas love that urg'd him on.
Master,
we give back what we can! Our hearts shall sound as One,
Salvation,
to the dying Man, and to the rising Son!
And
while thy bleeding glories here engage our wond'ring eyes;
We
learn the lighter cross we bear, and hasten to the skies.
-- William Cowper, The Olney Hymns
Zeal in the Times
This week I visited a lady who’d lived long enough to see the two great
world wars, feel the depression in between and have all three significantly
affect her life. Further, she knew the
Korean Conflict, the Cold War, the Gas Wars, the Redemption of Eastern Europe –
and was now surviving the War on Terror in a spacious apartment. She’s lived a long life, but not on the
bleachers but in the trenches, keeping current on world affairs unto this
day.
After telling about the places she’d been, our attention was drawn to
current events. Instead of reminiscing
about the various wars and hardships of the past, she looked me in the eye and
said in marked tones, “These are awe-full days.”
These are indeed the days of awe.
Consider the front page of the New York Times dated last Sunday
(July 17, 2005):
- Suicide Bomber Ignites Tanker, Killing
59.
- Death toll from the July 7 bombings in
And
that’s just four headlines on one day.
“Awe” was the term this lady used to describe it. The classical meaning
of “awe” as in “awful” is, “The
power to inspire dread.” The lady was
right. Since the campaign of “Shock and
Awe,” the entire world has held its breath for a Beast comprised of religious
“zealots for terror” positioned around the globe. This Beast’s gospel is “holy war” and method
is “kill the infidel”; that is, anyone outside its homicidal little clique,
children included.
{Swiftly}
The perpetrators of holy war seldom do their own dirty work. They cannibalize children and disenfranchised
young people, converting them into suicidal killers, promising money for the
most naïve, pie in the sky for the most superstitious. Religious zeal has literally consumed
thousands of youth; their “righteousness” written in nonexistent heavenly
tablets; the outcome of their soul sacrifices? Carnage, bloodshed, death.
Indeed, this is an awe-full world.
A
House of Prayer for All
Have you
ever been so zealous that you acted on principle? Let me restate that. Have you ever been so zealous for truth
that you acted on principle? Was your
action premeditated? Did you think
carefully before you acted or did you act out of the hysteria of the
moment? Before you acted or spoke out,
did you pray or consider the Heavenly Father’s will in a particular
situation? Did you consider that there
might be casualties of your zeal?
There’s nothing wrong with acting out of
religious “zealousy”; in fact, we count upon the zealous in any church
plan. There’re many folks here who are zealous here– and some consumed by zeal in not so dissimilar
ways from Yahshua – and religious terrorists.
First, consider the similarity of Yahshua’s
zeal and that of the terrorist – Yahshua did exactly what he saw the Father
doing; and the terrorist does exactly what his father tells him to do. Of course, these “fathers” are quite
different: Yahshua’s father is the Creator and the terrorist’s father is the
destroyer.
It’s pretty simple to tell the difference in
the dispositions of these fathers by the outcomes of the zealotry they
inspire. For the terrorist, religious
zeal manufactures blood, fire, death and destruction. Yahshua’s violent zeal didn’t kill anyone,
but was instead a sign to the impoverished, spiritually hungry masses, that
Yahweh hadn’t forgotten them even though the sons of devils who ruled their
religion had.
What are the outcomes of our religious
zealotry in this assembly? Is it “shock and awe”? Is it destruction? Is it pain, hurt and dismay? Is it spiritual homicide? Does it take passive / aggressive forms? Do your religious acts of enthusiasm build up
or tear down? Are you out to get
someone? Have you been “got” so many
times your passion’s gone?
Look to the fruit of your zealotry and see
your father. Is your father the Creator
or the Destroyer? Is your father the
spirit of selfishness, or poverty, or narcissism, or lust, and have you brought
forth the deeds of your father in your homes and this church?
Or do your fruits include unity, diversity,
good intentions, love and mercy, forward thinking, his will be done? If the latter, you’re OK; HIS will be done
through you. But if the former things,
all the inner intentions of your zealotry will become public knowledge in the
judgment. Church business is Heaven’s
business. One who tests the Creator’s
mercy enough times may end up like Mullah Omar, in a spiritual prison facing a
death sentence.
A Violent Man
Yahshua could be a very violent man;
he was a leader of violent men. He taught
peace and love, it’s true; but his fervent direction and deeds always
originated in the mind of his Father Yahweh.
He didn’t trust the intentions of men and women, “for he knew
what was in people,” and, that if people weren’t intentional and obedient
to the Heavenly Father, their deeds couldn’t but betray those of the
Destroyer. It was to this destroyer that
Yahshua framed his most famous rebuke: “Get thee behind me, Satan!”
So Yahshua was committed to the zeal of
reform because his Father was committed.
Yet he was never violent for the sake of violence, nor angry for anger’s
sake. He never lost control. He never spoke any words in the heat of the
moment that weren’t both true and measured. He never shed the blood of man or
animal. He did only what he saw his
Father doing; so we must see his violent action here in the Temple court
through his Father’s righteous judgment.
You see, our Savior regarded all of
One of the most important reforms called for
by the Almighty was in the matter of visitors and strangers who chose him over
the devil as Father. The prophet says of
such:
Isaiah
56:6. Strangers who adhere to Yahweh, to love his name and become his
servants, who observe the Sabbath and cling to the covenant: 7. these I shall
lead to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer …
for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples. (This chapter should be studied in detail because it’s for
our time.)
The
And shouldn’t our churches, built upon the
smoking ruins of the
Convenience
Costs
But prayer wasn’t exactly what motivated the
Administrative Council of the Temple; money for manipulating others was
their thing, just like it is now for terror-mongers. The
Furthermore, “graven images” were
prohibited. Money with images – coins – had to be exchanged for money without faces before purchases could be
made. A door closed always opens a door of opportunity. The
There were only a couple of minor losers, inconsequential in comparison with the profitable innovation of the majority. One loser was “strangers” and visitors, including Romans who became believers. By law they couldn’t sacrifice; they didn’t care to. They only came to pray, just as “Romans” like us do at the Wailing Wall today. But that which Yahweh had set aside for all people was converted into a smutty sty by order of the status quo.
Think about trying to assume an attitude of prayer with the hubbub of thousands of animals and the stench of tons of manure – and the sickening slime to kneel in – ¿how could anyone feel close to the Heavenly Father in that heat and stink? Yet the Council kept to a skin of the Law by insisting that visitors still could pray – if they could stand it. So besides convenience and profitability, the Council’s scheme served a third purpose – to get rid of visitors and strangers who dared follow the Commands without being in the Club.
Our author records Yahshua crying to the pigeon salesmen, “Take them all away! Don’t make my Father’s house a house of merchandise.” The first gospel has him saying, “My house will be called the house of prayer; but you’ve made it a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13). No person of good will and reverent heart was to be excluded for any reason.
O yeah, the other loser was Yahweh, who usually gets robbed by a den of thieves – until he finally rises and shakes himself[10]. “Will a man rob G*d?” he says through the prophet Malachi. “Yet ye have robbed me.”
Judaisms
“The Jews” are spoken of in derogatory terms throughout John’s gospel. Not understanding which “Jews” are meant has led to hatred between the Jews, Christians, and later Moslems, ever since this gospel started circulating. In Yahshua’s day, there were many “denominations” of Judaism. (Bible scholars don’t speak of Judaism anymore, but Judaisms, of which Christianity is one.) Our Savior wasn’t a member of the same Judaism that ruled Temple religion. In fact, he and his were so frustrated with the corruption that the true Jew broke off from the false. Shame leads to disintegration and disassociation. Yahshua was the instrument of his Father’s shame – and his Father’s retribution.
A Bible example of religious disassociation is found in Revelation 2:9 (RSV). The Risen Savior addresses the Smyrna Assembly, saying: “I know your tribulation and your poverty and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” Disputes were ongoing in those days as to who were the “true Jews” and the false, the “true vine”[11] and the false, the “true light” and the false.
You see this now in church
denominations. Groups that hold
essentially the same tenets will no longer stand each other, or even be
called Christians[12],
because those in authority are such wretched examples. Ask the church dropout why he quite: “Too many hypocrites!” “Too many bosses,”
he’ll say. “Too zealous about the wrong things,” he’ll say. And in many cases, he’s right. Whatever’s being done to exclude,
disenfranchise, impoverish or shame those who’re trying to come into the
Covenant is not of G*d nor of Methodism, but of the Destroyer. That which the
Savior spoke to the church at
Revelation 3:18. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that
thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that
the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve,
that thou mayest see. 19. As many as I love,
I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
But, did you know, there are millions trying to live by the Scriptures who won’t accept labels because of what the institution has become. The books of doctrine remain, and the institution claims their books, but they neither preach them nor follow them. They hold their books up as infallible then nail them to a cross. But those who are zealous for the law of liberty actually seek the Father in their activities, read the books and attempt to obey them!
Reform
Activists[13]
The Prayer
Room: A True Story
I knew a new minister who moved to a new assignment. A trustee showed him around the church. They came to a room packed to the ceiling with boxes, loose papers, junky old toys, broken furniture and all kinds of debris. The paint was defaced with crayons. The light overhead buzzed like a blue angel. Evidence of vermin lay all around. The minister said to the trustee, “What a messy storage room you have.” Br. Bud said, “It’s not a storage room, Rev. Goober. It’s a prayer room. Pastor Soandso consecrated it, but when he left, nobody came in anymore.”
The new minister felt righteous zeal, and he went into action a few days later. He started cleaning up the prayer room. Around there, that was a bold act. The trustee, Br. Bud, came by another day and said, “Rev. Goober, you hadn’t ought to do this. Some folks aren’t going to like it. You didn’t get Council approval to clean up this here room.” Rev. Goober thought, “Since when does the Man of G*d need approval to clean up a prayer room.” ¿Since when? Since zealots for destruction took charge. Rev. Goober said, “Br. Bud, you can tell those folks I’ve got a painter coming in tomorrow.”
In a week, that part of the church building was cleansed, painted and furnished. Rev. Goober paid for it. ¿Then do you know what happened? Almost every day thereafter, strangers and visitors started stopping by that lovely little room for rest and prayer. It was cool there; and the body and blood of our common Savior was offered to all who entered in. Some of the church people started coming too, and Br. Bud came almost every day. In a few months, a dozen zealous new members were received just because someone cleansed ONE LITTLE ROOM.
Some folks still didn’t like it. And they didn’t like outsiders coming into their
church. One lady said, “Those people are
common and don’t pay the bills.” She
were happy when Rev. Goober moved a few years later. Soon after that, the prayer room filled with
debris again. A few years later, the
church closed. {This story’s true and
came to pass in
Responding
with Zeal
There were mixed responses to Yahshua’s
cleansing of the international prayer room located in the
There was another breed of zealots too; those who had “zeal for law”; practicing the ancient faith authentically in spite of the institutional. Among these “zealots” were Yahqov, Yahuda and Shimón, Yahshua’s brothers, among many other who continued in the Temple[14], zealots with whom we may still keep company.
In Acts 21:20-22. James says,
“You see, brother, how many thousands are among the Jews who’ve
believed; they’re all zealous for the Torah.” {An expansion of this section
is here.[15]}
Of
you’re a child of the Father who desires the truth – an unconventional thinker,
an establishment reject – a zealot unwilling to endure the mask of falsehood
and the practice of dead tradition – a stranger who desires nothing greater
than to have favor with G*d and man and nothing more than authentic
spirituality and is zealous for it, FEAR NOT.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE; and you’re not alone here. You, whoever you are, have a powerful
advocate in the Holy Spirit. That Spirit
wants the same as you, true worshipper, and will support you even if the
institution closes its doors to you.
Now
for those who haven’t considered the underlying origin of your zeal, I urge you
to think, or better, pray, before you speak or act, considering what’s best
for the future – what’s the will of Yahweh for the congregation, then act from
the conviction of the Spirit rather than from your own lusts or the devil’s
design. Allow “zeal for the Father’s
house” to consume you rather than zeal for “your church.” Know his will and do it, and he’ll set you
free from your hard feelings.
Attack the evil; leave the person alone – within both the public
forum and your private clique. Call your
friends to prayer instead of to tales – now that’s an act of righteous
zealotry. And, if you feel offended in
anything I’ve said this morning – please forgive me. Much of what I’ve said has come forth from my
own zeal.
Awake, my soul, stretch every
nerve, and press with vigor on;
A heavenly race demands thy zeal and an immortal crown.
A cloud of witnesses around hold thee in full survey:
Forget the steps already trod, and onward
urge thy way.
'Tis Yah's all animating voice that
calls thee from on high;
'Tis his own hand presents the prize to
thine aspiring eye.
Then wake, my soul, stretch every
nerve, and press with vigor on;
A heavenly race demands thy zeal, and
an immortal crown.
- Philip Doddridge (1702-1731)