John 13:35
“By this all men will know that you are my disciples if there will be LOVE among you one to another.”
YESHUA says that the world would know that we are His disciples if we have loved one another. So, ask yourself, are you loving your brothers and sisters? If not, how can you be His disciple when YESHUA says this is the qualifier for it? We know this scripture shuts down most of the Hebrew Israelites who hate the so-called white man as Esaw because they aren’t loving a brother who is walking with YESHUA simply because he or she is European. Even outside of the aspect of race, love has been missing amongst the Torah observant community for a while now. There is no love in how they present themselves as they run around pointing the finger about the Name, calendar, and interpretations of the Torah. People should be seeing YESHUA and not you! I have fellow brothers and sisters who do not use the same calendar or Name but that doesn’t stop me from fellowshipping with them. There is a lot of name-calling, false accusations and a lot of belittling brothers and sisters to make them feel stupid all while puffing themselves up to be the most knowledgeable. None of us has all the answers which is why we humble ourselves and go the our Father YAHWEH through YESHUA for revelation and They will give THE RUACH HA’KODESH the words to speak to us as He leads us into all truth. Humble yourselves because at one time you were lost and be patient with others as someone else was with you in the beginning of your walk. If you treat your own brothers and sisters this way, how can you be a light to a gentile who is lost and seeking the truth?
1 John 4:20
“And if anyone will say, I love ELOHIM, and yet hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother who is visible, how can he love ELOHIM who is invisible? And this command we have received from him, that whoever loves ELOHIM, must love also his brother.”
If you can’t love your brother, you cannot love YAHWEH! Remember that! Put your differences aside and love your brethren and unite. You can have all the Torah knowledge in the world but if you don’t have love, it does not mean anything as we know the whole Torah is summed up in love.
Mathew 22:36-40
“Teacher, which Commandment in Torah is the greatest? And YESHUA said to him, that “You should love Master YAHWEH your ELOHIM with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you might and with all your mind. This is the first and the greatest commandment. And the second is like it. That “You should love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang Torah and the prophets.”
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
“If I could speak in every tongue of men, and in that of Messengers, and there be no love in me, I should be like brass that resounds, or the cymbal that makes a noise. And if there should be in me the gift of prophecy, and I should understand all the mysteries, and every science; and if there should be in me all faith, so that I could move mountains, and love should not be in me, I should be nothing. And if I should feed out to the poverty stricken all I possess; and if I should give my body so that I may boast; and there should be no love in me, I gain nothing. Love is patient, and is kind; love is not envious; love does not shout loudly; and is not boastful; and does nothing that causes SHAME; and seeks not her own; is not passionate; and thinks no evil; it does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; it bears all things, believes all things, hopes for all, and endures all. Love will never cease. But prophesying will end; and tongues will be stopped; and knowledge will disappear. For we know but partially; and we prophesy but partially. But when completeness will come, then that which is partial will disappear. When I was a child, I talked as a child, and I reasoned as a child, and I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I laid aside the things of childhood. And now we see, as by a mirror, in dark reflection; but then face to face: now I know partially; but then will I know, just as I am known. For these three things are abiding: faith, and hope, and LOVE; but the greatest of these is LOVE.”
Unity
The scriptures make it clear that unity is important, because if the believers are always divided and fighting, then how do you except unbelievers to follow YESHUA based off your behavior? We are called to be the light of the world.
Unity is defined as the state of being united or joined as a whole.
Psalms 133:1
“See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in UNITY.”
Testament of Joseph (12 Patriarchs) 17:3
“For ELOHIM delights in the UNITY of brothers, and in the purpose of a heart that takes pleasure in LOVE.”
Acts 1:14 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“These, all of them, were steadfast in prayer with ONE SOUL (Unity), and with the women with Maryam, (his) mother of YESHUA, and with his brothers.”
Acts 2:1
“And after the fifty days of Shavuot were fulfilled, all were assembled as ONE.”
Acts 2:46-47
“And everyday they were steadfast in the temple with ONE SOUL. And at home they were breaking loaves of bread. And while they were receiving food, and rejoicing in the simplicity of their hearts, they were praising ELOHIM while finding favor before all the people. And everyday our Master YESHUA would add to those who lived among the congregation (Unity).
Acts 4:32
“The assembly of those men who were believing had but ONE SOUL AND ONE MIND, and no man among them concerning the possessions that he possessed would say that they were his. Rather, everything they had was in common.”
They were all united and did not consider their possessions to be their own but gave to those who had need.
Romans 12:16-17
“What estimation you make of yourselves do likewise to your brothers. And do not indulge in arrogant thoughts but UNITE yourselves with the humble minded. And be not wise in your own estimation. And repay to no man evil for evil; but let it be your study to do good before all men.”
Romans 14:19
“Let us strive after peace and after the edification of one another.”
Romans 15:5-7
“And may the ELOHIM of patience and of consolation grant to you to think in HARMONY ONE WITH ANOTHER, in YESHUA the Messiah; So that, with ONE MIND AND ONE MOUTH you may glorify ELOHIM, the Father of our Master YESHUA the Messiah.”
1 Peter 3:8
“To summing up is that you all be in HARMONY, that you be sympathetic with them who suffer and affectionate to one another, and be merciful and kind.”
2 Corinthians 13:11
“Finally, my brothers, rejoice and be perfected and be comforted; and may HARMONY and quietness be among you; and the ELOHIM of love and of peace will be with you. Ask for the peace of one another with a holy kiss. All the holy believers ask for your peace. The peace of our Master YESHUA the Messiah, and the love of ELOHIM, and the fellowship of the RUACH HA’KODESH be with you all. Ahmein.”
As we see from all the scriptures presented, they all dwelled together in unity, harmony, and love, there wasn’t constant fighting over every matter contained within the Torah.
Don’t put anyone to shame
We have to stop talking about people and their actions by voicing it to others. We should not get a preconceived idea of what the person is like before we ever meet them. When you do this you are planting a seed in someone’s head that they are awful person. We know how the brothers of Joseph treated him and he did not shame them which we will see in the scriptures below. We always feel the need to defend ourselves because of what others have done to us, just pray for them and do not put them to shame.
1 Corinthians 13:5-6
Love is patient, and is kind; love is not envious; love does not shout loudly; and is not boastful; and does nothing that causes SHAME; and seeks not her own; is not passionate; and thinks no evil…”
Testament of Joseph 10:5-6
“My brothers knew how my dad loved me, and yet I did not exalt myself in my mind; although I was a child, I had the fear of ELOHIM in my heart. For I knew that all things would pass away, and I did not raise myself against them with evil intent, but I honored my brothers; and out of respect for them even when I was being sold, I refrained from telling the Ishmaelites that I was a son of Jacob, a great man and a mighty.”
Testament of Joseph 11:1-5
“Therefore my children, you also have the fear of ELOHIM in all your works before your eyes, and honor your brothers. For everyone who does the Torah of YAHWEH will be loved by Him. And when I came to the slave-market with the Ishmaelites, they asked me, saying, ‘Are you a slave?” and I said that I was a home-born slave, so that I would not put my brothers to shame.”
Testament of Joseph 15:1-4
“Now after twenty-four days the Ishmaelites returned; for they had heard that Jacob my dad was mourning much concerning me. And they came and said to me, ‘Why did you tell us that you were a slave? Behold, we have learned that you are the son of a mighty man in the land of Canaan, and your dad still mourns for you in sackcloth and ashes.’ When I heard this my bowels were dissolved and my heart melted, and I desired greatly to weep, but I restrained myself, that I would not put my brothers to shame. And I said to them, ‘I do not know, I am a slave.”
Testament of Joseph 16:1-6
“Now the Nophite woman said to her husband, ‘Buy the youth, for I hear,’ she said, ‘that they are selling him.’ And immediately she sent a eunuch to the Ishmaelites and asked them to sell me. But since the eunuch would not agree to buy me at their price he returned, having tried them; and he told his mistress that they asked a large price for their slave. And she sent another eunuch, saying, ‘Even if they demand two minas, give it to them. Do not spare the gold, only but the boy, and bring him to me.’ The eunuch therefore went and gave them eighty pieces of gold, and he received me. But he told the Egyptian woman, ‘I paid a hundred pieces of gold. And though I knew this I held my peace, lest the eunuch should be put to shame.”
Testament of Joseph 17:1-2
“Therefore my children, you see what great things I endured that I would not put my brothers to shame. Therefore you also should love one another, and HIDE ONE ANOTHER’S FAULTS with patience.”
Let us be patient with our brothers and sisters and not air out their faults/flaws to others which puts them to shame. We would not like it if the shoe was on the other foot and they were putting all your flaws out for the world to hear. Let us pray for them and walk in love, let us walk in unity and stop with the fighting and the division so that YAHWEH’s Name will be praised. There is no way that we can make His Name a praise when we are not loving each other and walking in unity and we know that YAHWEH is love!
As always may our Father YAHWEH bless you in YESHUA’s Name!