IS IT TIME FOR SPIRITUAL SPRING CLEANING?

 IS IT TIME FOR A SPIRITUAL SPRING CLEANING?

In the modern church, we do not often observe ancient paths?
We have replaced them with our modern ways and we like them well enough, but there is a pearl of deep wisdom to be discovered in the ancient paths. Following them may bring a deeper revelation about God our Heavenly Father and his plan of redemption for Adam's race.

The ancient congregation in Israel followed a tradition taken directly out of the  Scripture and those paths predate the modern church observance of Ash Wednesday, Lent, and Easter by a few millennia, the latter has a similar stated purpose but is a clever counterfeit. 

This ancient path encourages all to repent, to hunt down and eradicate all sin in preparation for the first coming of the Messiah. Preparing our hearts to receive the grace freely given through His 1. death 2. burial 3. resurrection

This pattern came directly out of the Scriptures, whereas Lent, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday were first established in the 6th century A.D. by Rome and have prevailed through the centuries by promotion within the Roman Catholic church. The Roman church’s influence began to wane during the reformation in the 16^th century. but certain protestant denominations who have moved away from literal biblical interpretation, have embraced these modern additions that are mixed with pagan roots.

If this Scripture-based tradition appointed by God right after the Exodus of the Hebrew children from Egypt were practiced instead of the Roman counterfeits it may prove to be impactful to reviving us.

What am I talking about?

It is the 13 days leading up to Passover (which falls on April 1, on the Roman calendar this year 2018 A.D.) The first thirteen days of the biblical year are like the first fruit of the new year. And Scripturally speaking, all first-fruits belong to God. You do not see this truth displayed in the Roman calendar.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple His Father’s house (of old leaven) 

We see Jesus Himself walking out this practice in John chapter 2 while he walked upon the earth, it is recorded in the Gospel according to John, chapter 2 verses 13-22 that on the 12th day of Nisan He twisted together a scourge and drove the money changers (leaven) from his Father's house.

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”  John 2:13-16

We get our Western tradition of "Spring cleaning" from this ancient practice from the Appointed Times of the Lord, but we can miss the whole point of it.
It can become a tradition limited to the natural realm, removing yeast = clearing out our barns and sheds of unwanted things. While we may clean our houses during the spring, getting rid of the old tattered pieces of our lives;

We might actually miss the importance of the Spiritual reality of letting the Holy Spirit cleanse His tabernacle by driving the "money changers" out of our (internal lives)

Can't you hear the apostle Paul as he says?

 Have you forgotten that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you, and that you are not the owner of your own body?  1 Corinthians 6:19

This year 2018 March 16th through March 31st is the appointed time to remove the spiritual leaven from your house/his house. Use a search function and find out when they fall in the current year.

What does it mean to remove leaven?

Two kinds of "leaven" are referred to by Jesus in Scripture, Mark 8:15

1. the "leaven of Herod" 
2. the "leaven of the Sadducees and Pharisees"

The 'leaven' of Herod is symbolic for:

• Lusts of the flesh 
• Our 'old man' 
• Worldliness
• Paranoia 
• Political Intrigue 
• Murder 
• Humanism
• Lust for Power 
• Lust for Position
• Boastful Pride of life

The 'leaven' of the Sadducees and Pharisees was hypocrisy.
Living one way, while speaking another.

God is looking at the integrity of our hearts in the inner man.
Seven times Jesus says, "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites." in the book of Matthew chapters 23 & 26.

One could argue that cleaning your house once a week means that you would never have to do a spring cleaning. And yet we all feel the need in the spring to clear the cobwebs of life and remove things that have built up slowly over time. To do a deep cleaning that sets us up for the newness of life. 

What then is more powerful than taking almost two weeks, in order to prepare the way of the LORD into our hearts.  One time a year to examine ourselves, searching out the deeper "WHY" motives of our hearts that might be off-base. Rather than staying in the shallows seeking only "WHAT" things we do that may be off-base. 

In the fast-paced, fast food, instant gratification environment of our modern 'current era' lives. we tend to examine ourselves for 30 seconds before taking communion, once a month. Do we really think that will produce the same effect as a 13-day deep-diving expedition of our hearts

I wanted to share this with you.

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Various writings from the past
The Road Not Taken

At Home In MN  

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