The Feast and Celebration of Purim….A Hebraic Heritage for Christianity to Embrace

It’s never been a more exciting time to be a Christian than it is today! As the world’s geo-political unrest plays out before our eyes each day, I find comfort as I await the Celebration of the Hebrew Holiday called The Feast of Purim. For those of you who are not familiar with Purim it is celebrated on the 14th & 15th of the Hebrew month called Adar (March 15th & 16th, 2014). This Celebration was established so that the Feast of Purim would be celebrated and remembered throughout all future Jewish generations as a memorial to the Jewish people and how they were miraculously saved from the evil plot of a bitter, evil man who was a hater of the Jews, his name was Haman!

In a few days the Jews and some Christians will be remembering and celebrating the incredible story written about in the book of Esther! Clearly we see today in the country of Iran, a severe anti-Semitism and anti-Christian culture which was also experienced some 2,500 years ago. The Biblical and Historical accounts tell us that in Ancient Persia (Iran), a Jewish man whose name was Mordecai found favor with God and arose to be named Prime Minister of Iran. The book of Esther tells the story of how a Decree made by Haman with the intent to destroy all the Jewish people living in the Persian Empire was issued. This decree could have been a fatal Holocaust situation for the Jewish people at that time.

The Feast of Purim is observed around the world every year by reading the Hebrew Scroll, which I have learned from my study with my Jewish friends is called Megillat Ester.  Our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrate this very special day by sending gifts of food to one another, making charity contributions and having carnivals and dressing up for elaborate plays that teach the story of Esther to future generations.

Theater, Plays and dress-up is one of my family’s favorite ways to teach our younger children about Esther and Mordecai. Rabbi Paul said in Colossians 2:16-17 that the Jewish feasts and celebrations were actually a shadow of the things to come through our Messiah. As we study these feasts and celebrations we as Christians have the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the Bible and a deeper relationship with our Messiah.

In my home we are busy making my daughter Jessica’s dress so she can be Princess Esther and my son Joshua’s valor outfit to dress up as Mordecai! As a family we will teach the miracle of Purim to our kids and then venture out to celebrate this Feast with our local Jewish friends who so graciously extend love and ancient historic teaching to my family. I always look forward to learning the spiritual significance of the Hebrew terms associated with each Festival and Feast. I look forward to this year’s Purim Celebration and my opportunity to learn more Hebrew as well as a deeper spiritual understanding of what is meant by the Hebrew words Megillah Reading, Al HaNisim (thanking G-d for the great miracle of Purim) and Mishloach Manot (Giving Gifts!), Matanot LaEvyonim (Charity) and Se’udat Purim (Festive Meal!).

It’s important for all of us to understand that Esther resisted the call to act on behalf of her Jewish people because she was afraid. In that day and culture she would have been killed for going into see the King “uninvited.” As Christians sometimes we feel this way when we take a stance that we know is not popular in our culture, or we stay in churches when we know the organization is no longer black & white but moving into gray areas or we don’t stand up for the Jewish people. Not Standing up for the Country of Israel is the same as Not Standing up for the Jewish people, in your hometown or anywhere in the world for that matter.

Queen Esther’s Uncle Mordecai realized and understood Esther’s fears and sent her these famous words:

“Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13-14).

There are times in all of our lives that we are called to make decisions and usually we revert to thinking about “what people will think” “what people will say” or “we evaluate how much we have invested and decide it’s just not worth it to rock the boat.”  Just like you and me Queen Esther had to make a very conscious decision to help the Jewish people. She knew that she could lose her life if she went before the king. Remember, our Messiah Jesus said “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the Gospel’s, the same shall save it,” (Mark 8:35).

When you answer the call of God in your life and you fully commit to living a life of Holiness and Righteousness as defined in the Living Word of God, only then and only then do we stand up to the Haman’s of this world.

Our Jewish Messiah Jesus said “Not my will, LORD, Your will be done.”  (Luke 22:42)

In my current Seminary adventures I have had the opportunity to study and analyze a current Christian movement that has been heating up over the last 10 years, called “the emergent church.” I noticed the emergent church discussions always became heated and biased just like all controversial topics typically do. I witnessed Theologians, Pastors and Colleagues on both sides of the fence argue fiercely for and against this movement.

As seminary students we critically examined evangelical mainline denominations and this movement of believers to emerge from a preexisting ideology and church structures. Now if you don’t know what I’m talking about I’ll give you a brief explanation here about what the emergent church is becoming as defined in seminaries and in the literature, papers and studies.

The literature reports that an “emerging church is or consist of Christians involved or previously involved in mainstream evangelical churches that have emerged from preexisting ideologies and church structures.” Now my professional expertise is in Integrated Healthcare so I am skilled at seeing the best of both worlds but I never deviate from the fundamental biochemical laws that God created the body to operate under. For example no amount of medication will EVER fix basic mineral deficiencies that cause disease!

What I mean when I make this analogy is that I understand many Christians are disenfranchised by conventional ecclesial institutions and desire to have innovative ideas and want to strive to connect members and community. I believe it’s important to “understand” what people are saying before you criticize anyone as none of us have it all correct all the time!

The research reports that the bottom-line in this movement is “a denial of the clarity of Scripture.” The vocabulary in my seminary courses use terminology to describe this emergent movement as “post-Modern or post-Christian.” This post-Modern or post-Christian term is the term emergent leaders also use to communicate concepts of who and what they are and what they are not.

This emergent movement, doctrine, and its collection of leaders can now be defined as a type of theological liberalism which is very prominent in all theological universities. The problem with liberal theology in our seminaries is that it appears to be less and less of the traditionalist and historical orthodox doctrine. We abandon historical orthodox doctrine in favor of metaphorical beliefs that are compatible with post-modernity.  One could say it almost ceases to be recognized as Christian.

In my opinion, this all leads back to the fact that the emergent church movement is nothing more than a Philosophy that attempts to assault Scripture. This current assault on the Bible today is nothing new and is actually nothing more than hundreds of Philosophies all re-packaged and it does nothing more than lead us right back to the never ending Conservative-Liberal arguments that have forever been in the church and in society dating all the way back to Greece, and we know the outcome of those societies!

Issues concerning Israel, homosexuality, feminism, definitions of marriage, abortion, stem cell research, cloning, genetics, evolutional debates, divine judgment and I could go on and on are now heavily debated inside the believers world and it is not the issues dividing us but “what side” people are on and it is dividing believers and weakening the Christ-family. As people and culture demand change men and women of God not only want to accommodate the culture but they want to change with the culture. Everybody’s Happy! Right?

Some say all roads lead to god and nobody is right or wrong and it’s just an unending conversation. As a student of Bible History and Prophecy I can assure you that history repeats itself again as men continue to try to elevate their minds of reason. “My personal bottom-line is either Scripture is Divine Authorship or it is not.”

You are either for the Word of God or you are not. In government we have progressives and conservatives and the big question with most people is what side are you on. This is a very large problem going on across our nation that will take diligent study to get a handle on so let’s bring it down to the basic unit which is the family as defined by God. The real question is not what side are you on BUT what side is the God of the Judeo-Christian Biblical Tradition on? This is the question that should guide parents as they raise the next generation and stand accountable for the gift of children God has placed within their care for life.

If you’re a parent you need to teach your children “how to think” not “what to think” and if you call yourself a Cover-to-Cover Bible Believing Christian saved from the penalty of sin by the blood of Jesus Christ then you have a Biblical responsibility to raise your children to KNOW the Word of God. Discernment “knows right from almost wrong.”

Gallup polls state fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels. Barna Research Group states 60% of Americans can’t name five of the Ten Commandments. A survey of graduating high school seniors revealed that 12% thought Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife. Another survey of high school seniors revealed that over 50% thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife. I expect Biblical ignorance in secularized America but to see Biblical ignorance among Christians! Choose whatever statistic or survey you like, the general pattern is the same. America’s Christians know less and less about the Bible and it shows in their voting patterns, life styles and health.

The REAL Christian family discernment that SHOULD be going on in America is the awareness of the Christian suffering throughout the world and the fact that Israel is the only Democratic Country in the whole Middle East where Christians are not persecuted. Language has always been critical in forming culture and communication but we must always define terms before we use them so that we all understand what each other means by a certain word. I recommend spending time finding out what is meant when Islamic political and religious leaders use the term “jihad.” Find out what they mean by this term and how it is defined. As Walid Shoebat has reported “when tactic terror groups like al-Qaeda, Hizbullah, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas invoke this term, ARE they referring to anything BUT war against the infidel?” What the definition of an “infidel” would be another good question that needs to be answered.

Mr. Shoebat educates anyone who will listen about Islam which is a religious and political culture we as Americans know nothing about or understand. He goes on to say on his website that it is best-left to the Muslim theologians and experts on Islamic jurisprudence to define just what the distinctions are between “moderate Islam” and “radical Islam.”

For American parents it is your job to raise your children as solid biblical thinkers that show up on our American College Campuses knowing how to defend Christianity and Israel. Biblically Literate University Students become our countries future leaders and they must understand the ideology of the Leftists and Progressives and also the far-right folks as defined on the world scale.

Today in 2014 North Carolina joins 6 other states to pass a “foreign laws” bill on Sharia Code. Many Americans and law makers do not have understanding of Sharia Code and why foreign laws would even be in American court systems. Take the Sharia Code in Syria for example and its non-Muslims imposed tax on Christians living there. This code also forbids any crucifixes, the restoration of destroyed churches, church bells, or praying in public. Mr. Shoebat states that “this sounds a lot like what the the Leftist are trying to establish in America.” The word Sharia is defined as an Arabic word that means path to follow. It’s a personal, moral and legal code collectively.

I hope we all realize that we are not living in ordinary times and we pray for peace and understanding between religions as well as sound doctrine, peace and understanding within religions systems. The basic unit is family and raising children who will grow up to know and understand the times and like Queen Esther answer God’s call and will not conform or remain silent. It is every parent’s responsibility to teach children how to think and how to have a Biblical World View as well as have discernment from a Biblical perspective.

It is my pray that as you read the book of Esther over the next few weeks your love for Israel will deepen. I pray you search out knowledge of Biblical Instruction, History and Prophecy and that education will guide your family as you journey down your path together. Every generation will forever depend on the decisions you make today.

Have a Wonderful Celebration and Feast of Purim!

References

Barna Research Group

Gallup (www.gallup.com)

Walid Shobat (www.shoebat.com)

Public Theology for a Global Society (Max Stackouse)

The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations by Kimball, D., Warren, R., McLaren, B., and Hendricks, H. 2003)