Basically put, I've deceived others into thinking I'm something that I'm really not.

That's a dark hole to be captured in, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that this is a hole that many Christians are embedded in, but don't want to admit it. We would all rather talk about, make fun of, label, rebuke, and post Facebook statuses and Tweets of other people's sins.

Why? Because it makes us feel better about ourself.

Humility is not popular. We would rather hear, "Be a better you" or "You know, deep down inside, you're really a good person." 

I'm tired of the lies. 

It's still a true statement that he that exalts himself will be brought low, but he that humbles himself will be exalted. 

I'm a pastor. I didn't walk into a room and sign up for this job, it just kinda follows me like a scent or something. So sure, this means I have the responsibility to teach the whole council of Scripture, including teaching against sin. It's just that I'm not naive. I know I deal with sin in my own life. I don't like it, I hate it in fact, but I have struggles with sin of my own.

It's taken me a while, but I now see that a key in pastoring isn't to act like you're the holiest man in the church. We feel the need to pretend to be holy when we want people to look to us rather than focus on Christ. That's just the truth. Pride takes over in so many situations.

Yeshua the Messiah is your hope. I'm not. Your pastor isn't. Your pastor is a sinner. If that surprises you, you've probably been fed the same crock of lies I was. In church nonetheless. 

It is freeing to admit and confess your sins and struggles. Holding them in and pretending they don't exist will kill you. It will eat you up slowly.

Daily confession and repentance is in order. 

I'm thinking we should help one another. This starts by recognizing that you, fellow saint, fellow believer in Messiah, have struggles just like your neighbor. They may be in different areas, but they are there. When you talk and deal with others, quit acting like you've "got the victory" and start being real. Recognize the sin in your own life that you battle. Work on it all together.

Point people to Yeshua, the perfect lamb. Stop trying to get people to stare at you.

References: Luke 5:8; 6:37; 7:6-7; 18:9-14

I wanted to write a quick encouraging word to all those who may be reading. If you are struggling with a particular sin in your life do not give up. Generally, when a person commits a sin for the first time it is very difficult, but the second time it is a bit easier. From then on it becomes more easy each time and eventually you feel as though you are doing nothing wrong. Going from feeling complete remorse to feeling nothing is not good at all - you have given in to Satan's ways. I want to encourage you to repent and commit to Yahweh and fight the sin you've been struggling with. You can be an over-comer - it may take time - but the Spirit that lives within you is far greater than any spirit the enemy has in opposition to Yahweh's. Start today, tomorrow may just be too late.

Matthew Janzen

While studying to teach the book of Ruth at the local congregation I attend, I noticed something in the first chapter that spells out for us what is happening today in the lives of so many individuals who attend churches - false repentance. What I mean is this; there are multitudes of people who feel a worldly sorrow for doing "bad things" and these people may even weep buckets of tears over what they have done. However, in the end they always go back and do the same things all over again.

What caught my attention (in this regard) was the account of Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth in chapter 1 of the book. As Ruth, after losing her husband and two sons, journeys back to Bethlehem, she (weeping) tells her daughters in law (Orpah and Ruth) to stay in the land of Moab rather than coming with her. All three of them weep and the two daughters say that they will go with Naomi. Shortly thereafter the discussion continues and Orpah and Ruth cry some more. This time Orpah goes back to Moab, but Ruth clings to Naomi, venturing to an unknown land, people, god, etc. We hear much of Ruth after this, but Orpah travels into the oblivion and is never - to my knowledge, mentioned in Scripture again.

Orpah had false repentance. Yes, she cried tremendously, but there was still a longing to her to go back to what she was used to. I think Naomi may have been testing the two girls to see where there heart was. If they truly wanted to turn their life over to the Elohim of Israel they would continue on with this bitter 'ol woman that Naomi was at the time. As we know, Ruth did stay with Naomi and made awesome promises too her and to Yahweh. Orpah went back to her old ways.

Do we not see this happening with people today? We see people who have committed sin, sometimes heinous, and they feel sorry for what they've done, but it's not a righteous sorrow. They still do not realize that they've wronged the sustainer of them and the universe. They ask for prayer, cry sometimes greatly, and you think that something great has happened. You may see them for a little while at church, but soon thereafter you don't see them anymore and they go back to their old way of life. What happened here was visible repentance, but not true repentance. They didn't change their direction; they didn't really have an encounter with Yahweh in their heart of hearts.

On the other hand we may experience true repentance with people who never even shed a tear. I'm not against crying, I'm just saying someone can really have an encounter with God and it be a "dry encounter." Crying and outward sorrow doesn't automatically equal true repentance. If a person is practicing sin and they confess, repent, and believe and you begin to see a true change in a persons life, but they never weeped over their sin, don't be presumptuous and think that they weren't serious enough. Yahweh works with different people in different ways. If there is a change of life then it is Yahweh. If they stay on the Biblical course then it is Yahweh. If it seems like they are sorry but they continue to do the things that God hates then it was a work of man.

Matthew Janzen

I saw a note on the web yesterday that stated "Jesus Loves Sinners." I agree with the statement, but I fear that most who use such a statement also abuse the words. Many people read that line and feel that it excuses them when they sin or else it allows them to continuously continue in sin so that the Messiah can love them more and more. This is not what is taught in the ministry of Yeshua. I would like to just look at one example.

In Luke 19:2 we read that there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector. Tax collectors then (as is often the case today) were looked down upon because of the way they abused people in stealing money from hard working citizens. They are listed in with prostitutes in the gospels as being people with whom many Judahites would not associate with. Yeshua however, comes to save sinners, whether they be thiefs by tax collection, prostitutes, adulterers, idolaters, etc.

When we continue reading through Luke 19:3-7 we find that Yeshua told this man that He was coming over to his house that day, but all the people murmured and said amongst themselves, "This Yeshua is going to go and be a guest in a man's house who is a sinner!"

What happens next is astonishing. We see that there must have been some type of conversation between Yeshua and Zacchaeus because in Luke 19:8 we read the following:

"And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 'Behold, Lord, that half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." {ESV}

Something had pricked Zacchaeus' heart so that he felt the need to correct the wrongs / sins he had committed or was committing at the present. What was the response given to his statement by the Master?

"And Yeshua said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.'" {Luke 19:9, ESV}

After Yeshua saw the heart of Zacchaeus was truly repentant, i.e. he desired to turn away from the sins he had been committing and change towards acting justly and piously, He told him that salvation had come to his house.

The point is that yes, Yeshua does love sinners, but He loves them in this way. He desires to heal them of their sickness and disease of sin. He doesn't love them in a way that wants to keep them bound in slavery to sin. He comes to them to deliver them of sin; He comes to them preaching repentance from sin. Let us never confuse the statement, "Jesus loves sinners" thinking it somehow means we can just go on and on and on sinning without batting an eye.

Matthew Janzen