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It’s not the limp of Jacob I’m referring to here—not the limp of a man who has just wrestled with God and prevailed, a man fighting for a new name, a new identity, a new calling, even a new destiny. No, that would be a welcomed limp, as it bears the scars of a testimony of overcoming with God. I pray we would all live with the tenacity of Jacob, the fortitude necessary to emerge as Israel. He fought to the very end; “I will not let You go until you bless me!”

Is this not the exact opposite circumstance I am referring to here, scars that remind us that we have indeed already been blessed, but cannot see the blessing, will not see the blessings, two inches in front of us? You have been given all things needed to live a godly life, blessed with every spiritual blessing, imbued with resurrection power, and yet you still walk around like you have a defect, as if you were lame in the feet, a spiritual cripple. In other words, you are walking around with a limp when—indeed, you should be sprinting freely into your destiny, a useful tool for bringing the Kingdom and doing greater works!

It’s time for a spiritual hip replacement. Yes, it’s a major surgery and you will need lots of recovery time and rehab. But fear not, the surgeon is a world-renowned expert and His scalpel—well, it’s sharper than a two-edged sword!

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Get yourself in a quiet place in which you can think without any distractions. I want to ask you three critical questions that you should enjoy contemplating. Are you there?

Here’s the first one: Why does the blood of Jesus “save” you? Now, don’t give a snap answer; really think about it. Ready for the next one?

Here’s number two: What is the relationship between the righteousness of faith and the righteousness of the law? Again, take your time! Are you ready for the last question?

Here’s your final question: When God first commands us to love our neighbor, what specifically does He say we should do to demonstrate that love? Take as much time as you need.

These three questions can be challenging for many Christians. And they are not intended to put you on the spot, but rather to demonstrate the critical importance of knowing God’s Word, and more specifically, the Hebrew Roots of your faith.

If you enjoyed the challenge of answering any of these questions, you will thoroughly enjoy the upcoming message: Blood, Law, & Love

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It is not uncommon for man to walk around with secret sins, hidden deep within his heart. In stark contrast, leprosy was a horrific wasting disease which essentially rotted the body from the outside. There can hardly be a better depiction of sinful decaying flesh. And there is simply no way to hide it.

In the days shortly after the Levitical Priesthood was consecrated, we see provisions made to evaluate and manage this horrible affliction. At the first sign of a lesion, the person shall be brought before the priest. Through a series of assessments and isolation periods outside the camp, and various sacrifices, the priest would declare the afflicted clean or unclean.

So, is it any wonder why, when Y’shua first encounters a leper begging for mercy, desperate to be made clean, He simply and profoundly declares him clean? He partakes in no elaborate evaluation process, requires no quarantine or reassessment. Why? Because He is the Royal High Priest and the ultimate sacrifice for all lepers, even those of us you are instead decaying on the inside.

After He cleanses the leper, with unmistakable intention He says, “Go and show yourself to the priest.” And let’s not miss His assertion. He is not directing the “once leper” to go for an evaluation, but instead as a witness. “Offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them,” He instructs. And tell no one along the way, this particular testimony is for the “whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”

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Glory? The high renown or honor won by notable achievements. A small sample of many possible synonyms would be fame, prestige, distinction, preeminence, and acclaim. Even magnificence or great beauty, praise, worship, and thanksgiving are excellent descriptors. But when considering the glory of Yahweh, not even all of these words aggregated come close.

And yet, here is the promise when you choose to obey Him; “the glory of Yahweh will appear to you.” What is not worth trading for that? In other words, obey God by all means and the payoff will be immeasurably above your cost.

But there’s more. The promise too is that His very glory will be revealed in you. Let’s take pause and consider the magnitude of this promise. His glory WILL BE REVEALED IN YOU! What’s that worth to you? I hope your answer is this: “I have spent enough of my past lifetime doing the will of the pagans. I will no longer run with them in the same flood of dissipation, nor live the rest of my life in the flesh for the lusts of men. From now on I live for the will of God.”

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There is no doubt God has called many people to represent Him. However, the Scriptures also reveal that only some of them will answer to the higher call of the “chosen”. It seems that the free “ticket to eternity” comes with some fine print. The good news about the Good News is that if you don’t meet the requirements laid out in the fine print, your ticket does not get voided. Praise Yahweh for that!

That is good news; however, you also don’t get to participate in the assignments of the chosen! Yes, those are quite exciting. When the first priests were consecrated, Aaron and his sons, there were anointing rituals performed that pointed to corresponding assignments that we, the many of the Royal Priesthood, would one day be commissioned to do. It is in these assignments we find our opportunity to step up from “called” to “chosen.”

I think I can characterize those assignments with three little words; hear, do, and go! Paul said it like this; “How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? If you take on these assignments you will transform from the many who are called to the few who are chosen. By the way, that is also how you go from a convert to a disciple!