One Root . Many Branches . Same Tree
GLOW Ministries International
Jesus
(Yeshua - Hebrew form / Iesous - Greek form)
God (YHVH)
Here is what we believe in and what our teachings are based upon. We are Word centered and hold onto all the tenets of The Faith. We do not discriminate against any denomination and believe that every one has their own strength and weakness and have been used by the Lord like a fishing net to bring in His people around the world. A river is purest at its source and along the way it collects silt... the time has come when the Lord is cleansing us of these sediments so that we may be forged as One.
We believe in YHVH (There are many personal names for God in Scripture, YHVH being One, in our English Bibles it may appear as LORD in all caps) - that He is the One True God (Deut 6:4-5) and Maker of all things (Gen 1-2). No one made Him, He has always been from eternity to eternity (Isa 57:15).
Time which has a beginning and an end, is like a shofar held to His lips. His voice echoes through all history and all that He has revealed in repeating patterns is for our benefit to understand and learn to be ready for Him. And these patterns beginning with Creation (the broad end of the shofar) build into a spiral repeating more often and more clearly as time draws to an end (like birth pangs - the narrow end of the shofar). That is why He has declared the end from the beginning (Isa 46:9-10).
He gave us appointed times (feasts) to learn His times (Ecc 3:1-11), He gave us covenants to learn Who He is (Jer 31:31-34), He gave us laws and instructions to learn how to be true children and citizens of His Kingdom (Ps 103:7), He gave us patterns for the Tabernacle and the Temple to teach us how to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth (Ex 25:8) - and then He gave us His own Heart.
He is Aleph (Beginning) and Tav (End) and our journeys must begin with Him and end in Him if they must have purpose and true life.
He gave us a temporary sacrificial system (as recorded by the levitical system of the Old Testament) to atone for our sins when we were unable to keep His laws, until Messiah became the perfect and permanent sacrificial atonement for us (Heb 10).
We believe in Jesus the Messiah, the only Son of God - the Word of YHVH made flesh, by Whom and for Whom everything was made (Gen 1 and John 1:1-5). He being fully God, was not made but is equal to YHVH in every way (John 10:30). He is the One the Old Testament prophesied about and is the True Witness of YHVH, making known YHVH to us (There are too many to list, but what Jesus had absolutely no control over was the place of His birth which was prophesied in Micah 5:2). He is the Second Adam Who reclaimed a kingdom lost by the first Adam - 1 Corinthians 15:45 & Romans 5:12-14 (which was taken by the adversary through an act of deception). This He accomplished by an act of complete servanthood and sacrifice in this manner (Philippians 2:5-11 & the Gospels in line with Old Testament Prophesies):
He was conceived by the Power of God - the Holy Spirit, Who is the River of Life, overshadowing a simple virgin called Mary (Miriam). This was necessary so that He will be fully in the image of man and born as the Promised Seed of the woman Who will crush the head of the usurper. He was born during the Feast of Tabernacles and is therefore Emmanuel and lived a sinless life in a world full of temptation because He consistently chose to know and do good, not evil. Thus He shows us how to obey YHVH's laws and receive their blessings.
When the appointed time of God came during the Feast of Passover, He offered His life up as the Lamb of God, suffering and dying on the cross under Pontius Pilate. Having been buried for three days and nights, He arose from the grave and appeared in the flesh to many witnesses. He ascended back to the heavens as the Head of the First Fruits of the harvest of many more children added to God's family. He sent the early rains of His Spirit on Pentecost on the first disciples gathered in the Upper Room. He is now seated at the Right Hand of the Father making intercession for the rest of the harvest to come into full maturity. Many trumpets have been announcing His soon return as the Lion of Judah and Rightful King of all, and they get louder as His appointed time approaches. On the Day of Atonement He will have a people restored to Himself and to one another so that He may judge the living and the dead and bring in the everlasting reign of Righteousness and Tabernacle with us forever.
OUR BELIEFS
The Holy Spirit
Salvation
We believe in the Holy Spirit Who is fully God and proceeds from YHVH (John 14:26) and the Son (Luke 15:26) to the rest of the children of YHVH's family as a seal of their adoption (Ephesians 4:30) into the New Covenant through Messiah (Romans 8 & Ezekiel 36:22-32).
He is like the nervous system of the Head and the circulatory system of the Heart that connects it to the rest of the Body bringing the Body life, fresh breath, power and ability to know Yeshua though we have not beheld Him face to face as yet (John 14:26). He enables us to grow into Yeshua's likeness and bear the fruit and gifts (Galatians 5:22-23 & Hebrews 2:4), to grow the whole Body into maturity and glow as a witness to a world still in darkness (Acts 1:8). Above all - it is He Who is building us as One in Unity as an answer to the final prayer of Yeshua that the Kingdom may come in (Ephesians 4:3-4).
He came as the early rains of Pentecost on the first disciples of Messiah and will come again as the latter rains at the appointed time of Pentecost to bring in the fullness of the harvest into the storehouse, the whole becoming First Fruits for the world, for without the rains at their appointed times, the harvest will not mature (Joel 2:23 & Deuteronomy 11:13-14).
However He is also present in the lives of the Old Testament elect resting upon chosen ones as a mark of the anointing YHVH placed on them. He too was present at Creation and through all time (Genesis 1:2 & Isaiah 63:11) and eternity, being God, so He did not make His foray into history only in Acts 2.
He has a seven fold nature (Isa 11:2) which is referred to as the Seven Spirits of God - He is first of all Holy, He is also the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and fear of the Lord.
We believe that salvation isn't a free ticket to heaven after a sinner's prayer has been said. It is a process that involves these three stages:
Salvation of the spirit:
This comes through saving faith which believes in Yeshua alone! No one can do anything or be good enough to win this as a trophy. When a person fully understands that they have broken God's laws and there is a penalty of death for that, they repent and turn to the only Way to receive Life by an act of faith in Him, they are saved. Having accepted Yeshua as Lord is only the beginning, the first step. (Ezekiel 36:25-27)
Sanctification of the soul:
This comes through sanctifying faith which is an active faith that lives out the Truth of God's Word. It goes beyond believing and begins to work out that belief system so that a person's life is changed from the inside out. The believer subjects himself/herself to the teaching of Yeshua, learning it diligently on a lifelong basis. They are baptized to indicate their commitment to do this.
Then, they continue to grow into Yeshua's likeness by examining the quality and the quantity of the Fruit of the Spirit in their life. They also grow in their giftings and use it to bless others, becoming salt and light to the world around them. At this point they obey God's Laws not because that will save them but rather because of their deep love and fear of God being displayed in their obedience to Him. They persevere in this journey by progressing forward and upward into Christ's likeness. (Philippians 2:12)
Glorification of the body:
This comes through justifying faith which is the result of saving faith and sanctifying faith. We will all be like Yeshua after His resurrection and the extent to which we reflect the glory will be determined by the extent to which we cooperated with God and were transformed in the one life we were given. So each of our eternal bodies which we inherit will reflect differing glory based on the level of sanctification we permitted. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
It is for all three facets of this salvation that Christ came to redeem us and all three require our faith and cooperation with God. Therefore it is said, the righteous shall live by faith in Hebrews 10:38.
Law and Grace
We believe that by definition Law and Grace cannot be separated from each other. Both are guardrails for our journey with God (Matthew 5:17; Romans 8:7-8; 1 John 2:1-6). Law without grace is legalism and grace without law will result in lawlessness.
Law:
The Hebrew word for God's written Law is Torah. The pictogram of this word defines torah as 'the covenant of the nail connects heaven to the humble bringing them revelation!' God doesn't owe us anything, yet He chooses to give the humble revelation and this is an act of His grace. Law therefore reveals God to us and if we don't want it, we are saying we don't want God's revelation! A foolish choice indeed! Is that why many Christians are struggling to hear God today because they walk by grace alone disregarding knowingly or unknowingly, the laws of their God? Knowing the Truth of God's law enables us to walk in the Way of His Kingdom thus discovering the Life of the King which is both eternal and abundant.
Grace:
The richest of the Hebrew words for God's Grace is Checedh and is closely associated with Davidic promises, covenant and truth. One of the places it appears is in Deuteronomy 7:9,12. The pictogram of this word defines checedh as 'the fence of God's laws is a shield of support for the humble ones.' Again, by definition grace cannot be removed from the law. It is the covering given to those who walk in God's laws. Those who disregard God's laws should not assume that grace covers them.
God's Word is Grace and Law perfectly met and in Christ, the two kissed. Therefore we obey God because we love Him and we walk in His grace because we fear Him.
The Bible
Fellowship of Believers
We do not enter into fellowship to see what it has for us, we enter with the heart of sacrificial servanthood to see what we can lay at another's feet out of a heart of love. We do not expect perfect people because the fellowships we gather in around the world are to aid in the sanctification of God's people. We come in knowing that with patience, love and endurance we will be perfected.
We make it our aim to love one another in covenant unity, live peacefully with others (but choosing not to be silent should they step on the laws of our God and attempt to hinder us in our obedience to Him), extend grace and honour to even the undeserving, uphold integrity, accountability and dignity in an age when these are discarded easily, sharpen one another as iron sharpens iron - without taking offense for we are all learning, settle disputes according to Scriptural teachings within the community, with regard to judgment we judge all teaching, prophecy and ourselves and let God judge the hearts of another. Above all we guard our tongues in which lies the secret of power over life and death. (Philippians 2:2,5; Hebrews 3:13; Luke 6:37; 1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 John 4:7-8; 2 Corinthians 13:11; Romans 1:12; 1 Corinthians 12:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:14; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Proverbs 27:17; Hebrews 10:24-25)
We value unity greatly for the work given to us is not the work of one person but it will take the entire fellowship scattered to the ends of the earth to rise from their places and work to the fulfilment of all prophecy that we may hasten the return of our King.
The Lost Tribes
We believe that Israel split into the Northern (Ten Tribes) and the Southern (Two Tribes) Kingdoms in the time of Rehoboam, son of King Solomon (See 1 Kings 12). Both were judged by God for their idolatry, the Southern Kingdom being taken into captivity by Babylon and the Northern falling into the hands of the Assyrians. After 70yrs the Southern Kingdom returned to the land but the Northern Kingdom was 'lost' in the nations into which Assyria carried it (The Book of the Kings and the Prophets carry the whole account). Many of these people retained their identity for a long time in the diaspora and that is why in Scripture when it says 'to those who are near' it refers to those who had returned to the land and now called themselves the Jews (from Judah of the Southern Tribe) and when it says 'to those who are far' it refers to the Northern tribes in the diaspora who were slowly taking on a gentile identity through years of intermarriage (See Ephesians 2).
In the years following the destruction of the Temple in AD 70 by Rome, the diaspora spread even further north, south, east and west and all the way to the ends of the earth through centuries of intermarriage and travel (in fulfilment of Genesis 28:14; Isaiah 43:1-21). Over time the ten northern tribes lost most of their identity, forgot their roots, their God, their brothers and sisters. Likewise the two southern tribes could no longer recognize their brothers and sisters in the guise of 'the gentiles' just like Joseph's brothers did not recognize him in his Egyptian garb (Isaiah 60:8-10; Jeremiah 29:13-14).
NOTE: After the exile of the Northern Ten Tribes of Israel in the 8th century BCE, the Scriptures generally differentiate between "Judah" and "Israel", as between "the House of Judah" and "the House of Israel". The latter is also commonly referred to as "the House of Ephraim" or "the House of Joseph". The "House of Jacob" refers to all the Tribes of Israel. The “House of Israel”, in some instances, when it appears not paired with a reference to Judah, could also refer to all 12 Tribes. The context should confirm which is meant.
Clarification: We have nothing to do with replacement theology which believes that Israel was replaced by the church due to her rejection of the Messiah. But due to the above mentioned use of terms for the lost tribes as the House of Israel, the confusion arose. The Church is the House of Israel, lost sheep who recognized the Shepherd's voice and when we are restored to the House of Judah and the tribes associated with it, then all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:25-27). The church also has in her midst right now 'foreigners' who may not be from the lost tribes but feared the God of Israel and chose to follow Jesus as Messiah, as the mixed multitude who left Egypt with Israel. The Lord considered them part of His house and they too were subject to His ways as seen in Exodus 12:38,49; Numbers 15:14-16.
Meanwhile the Gospel was spreading from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth and Christ became the prophesied 'sign' which God raised up to draw back the hearts of the lost sheep of Israel (Deuteronomy 4:27-31; Isaiah 11:10-16; Jeremiah 33:14-16; Ezekiel 34 that is why Jesus called Himself the Way and that He had come for the lost sheep of Israel). That is why when the Gospel is preached it moves some hearts and not the others… it is going forth now to seek the lost sheep of the House of God who are hidden in the nations and to draw them after One Shepherd as first fruits from among the nations. So we must continue to spread the good news till the last lost sheep is found but at the same time, we must understand that the time has come for those who are found to begin to gather into the Ark of Salvation - see Hosea 2:1; Genesis 6-9 (so a pair of every unclean creature and seven pairs of clean creatures gathered into the Ark to represent all life before God - so we are the first fruits being gathered from every Tribe and Tongue).
This had to be done as part of God's salvation plan because in the Abrahamic covenant is tied in a land agreement that everywhere Abraham treads will be given to him (Genesis 13:14-17; Genesis 15, 17). Now Jesus is Lord of all but He is also an obedient Son, the heavens will retain Him until the restoration of His people is complete for then He gains legal authority over all the lands of the earth, the tribes and tongues, for representatives from each has declared Him Lord and King (Acts 3:19-21; Psalms 110; Psalms 97). Then satan can be tied up for a 1000 years and the nations experience righteous rule (Rev 20:1-3). This is one of the reasons why Jesus didn't take up Kingship of all the earth and establish His earthly kingdom immediately after His resurrection (Psalms 2) .
This realization of the restoration of the Lost Tribes to their siblings is what drives us now, for apart from this unity… the Kingdom cannot be ushered in. The Jews in the modern day country of Israel are mostly from the southern tribes with a few of those from the ten lost tribes who managed to maintain their identity. Not all follow God nor accept Christ as Messiah, not all they do is right or godly. Never the less they are the remaining ones to reach and unite with.
To our Jewish siblings: Please recognize your lost brothers and sisters in gentile garb. We no longer look like the Israelites of old. We are now like Joseph's coat - of various colours, tongues and tribes. God has multiplied us in the nations of our exile and used the prophesied sign to draw us back to Himself as promised. Forgive us for the years of our arrogance like our father Joseph and the evil we committed against you. We too forgive you as Joseph did his brothers for casting us out from your midst when we brought news from our Father to you. Let us lay aside our hostility and recognize that in the Messiah there is a way to be united and bridge our differences. We need you to teach us and you too need to learn from us. Teach us - and the Lord will cause us to connect the dots and make sense with what He has given to us, remembering the things of old. You have one perspective and we have the other… but both eyes are needed to see Truth. Let us no longer be like Leah with weak eyes who didn't behold her husband properly. But let us together become as Rachel, beloved of her Husband.
To our Christian siblings: Please realize your true hidden identity like Esther hidden in the courts of the Persian king for such a time as this. We were like Joseph sent ahead to gather bread for the whole house of God. Let us unite and put aside arrogance - the truth is we do not know everything. We need our Jewish brothers to teach us the things we have forgotten and misunderstood due to the vastness of time and cultural differences that lie between us. We have a key to the Kingdom but they hold the other key and it will take both to open the power of the Kingdom here on earth. Understand this - we were gathered into the churches regardless of our denominations - churches were the nets God used to bring us into the Ark of safety - Jesus Christ. But that is not the end… now it is time to arise and work together across denominations, putting aside our differences so that we can gather in our families and our southern brothers and sisters into this Ark before the end of time as we know it. We need to begin humbling ourselves and laying aside our quarrels and tearing down one another so that we can all survive the chaos that will soon descend upon the earth. This time let us carry through to completion what was attempted and fought for by the reformers through the ages - 'By Scripture Alone', willing to humbly lay aside any tradition that contradicts the Word of God and is causing the ancient brothers to stay divided.
What we are seeing, is the work of many and not one person, organization or denomination. Hear us and muster into unity as one, then God will empower us once again and turn the tide for us… for thus far our power was being broken among the nations we were driven into for the evil that we did against God (Daniel 12:7). We are now almost to the end of this judgment and soon God will turn the tide for His Name's sake. Unity will unleash the power of the Spirit in an unprecedented manner as promised, so let us not delay anymore nor allow anything to hinder us (Ezekiel 37:15-28; Ezekiel 39:23-24).
Much more of this is covered in our teachings from God's Word. If you read this and are moved, please connect with us!
The Third Temple
We believe that in the end times, there will be people who will attempt and even succeed in raising a temple after the pattern of the old and they will try to reinstitute the sacrifices not realizing that Messiah has become the final sacrifice for all time (Isaiah 53:1-12) and giving the abomination that makes desolate an opportunity to defile the place (2 Thessalonians 2:1-17).
However, God does have a temple in mind, not built by human hands. We are His holy temple, being built up together as One holy nation of priests and kings unto Him. The Tabernacle and the Temple patterns both hold the key to understanding how we as humans are made to worship our Maker in spirit and in truth. We are to be ready to serve in the Millennial Temple which is the Third Temple, more glorious than the one raised by King Solomon and whose glory will outshine it. See 1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 Peter 2:65; Haggai 2:9; Ezekiel 40-45; Isaiah 2:2-4; Micah 4:1-3.
The Kingdom of God
We believe that the Kingdom of God enters the hearts of those who believe in Jesus and accept His Lordship by an act of their will (Luke 17:21).
It then spreads like yeast hidden in three portions of dough as in the parable Jesus said (Matthew 13:33).
Finally it will be visibly and eternally established here on earth and all the nations will come under the reign of Christ (Daniel 2:44).
The Body of Christ
The Bride of Christ
We believe that there is a connection between how the Body of Christ functions and the original role of Adam in Genesis.
Adam was made in the image and likeness of God and before Eve was taken out of his body, her unformed substance was nourished by his body which hid her. She was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, so we say his body sustained her. A word study of the words 'image' and 'likeness' reveal that Adam was created to represent God's full power and glory on earth. The study of the pictogram of Adam shows that one of the purposes he was made is to be 'the strength of the Leader of the humble over the waters of life or chaos.'
A proper study of Genesis 2:4-9, 15 and comparing it to Genesis 1:9-13 reveals that Adam was created on Day 3 after God formed the dry ground and before God brought forth plants from the earth. At this point Adam is given the mandate to serve the Lord by tilling the ground. That is why when Christ first came, He came as the Servant because Genesis is one of the books of God's laws and servanthood is decreed to come before rulership. Close to the end of creation, on the sixth day after the animals were made, Adam fell into a deep sleep and God broke his body and took the substance to make for him a bride (Genesis 2:18-24). When Adam awakened from his sleep, the Lord gave both him and his bride the authority to rule over all creation and the mandate to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:26-31, that is why this portion is in the plural).
Now we understand how beautifully everything lines up in God's plan as revealed in His Word! So Christ came first as a servant and became the Head of the Body that will soon follow (just like in child-birth the body follows the head). He shows the Body how to grow into His full stature. The Body is made to reveal and represent the full power and glory of God to the created order and when its members humble themselves, they receive God's strength over life and also to subdue the chaos that surrounds them. But this is not the work of one but of two, for two are required to seal a covenant or as a witness to anything. The Body needs power and there is an enemy who seeks to destroy it.
So towards the close of time, God has permitted a large part of the Body to fall asleep. The Body has been secretly nourishing a part of itself that will be broken and led forth to become the Bride (so Jesus broke the bread and spoke of the wine poured out for us, to remind us when the time comes). When the Bride is fully ready, then the Body and the Bride will be united in purpose, filled with power to go forth and establish Christ's kingdom here on earth with Christ their Head leading the way. They will subdue the evil forces that are creating chaos and wrecking lives on earth.
We believe that the Bible is God's inspired, inerrant and infallible Word.
(2 Peter 1:21; 1 Corinthians 2:13; Deuteronomy 29:29)
There is no part of it that can be neglected or we will be the poorer for it. The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed and the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed. There are repeating prophetic patterns that occur through it that will help us understand the end times that we are living in. The key to understanding Revelation lies in the other 65 books and the key to understanding much of the New Testament clearly lies in the first five books of the Old Testament.
Scripture must interpret itself and when in doubt while studying it, look for all references for the word or incident elsewhere in scripture.
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness that we may be complete, equipped for every good work. (1 Timothy 3:15-17) It is by these words that we govern our lives and live as citizens of God's Kingdom. A proper return to the roots of its study and practice, will lead us from our places of division to the place of unity.
We believe that there is a connection between how the Bride of Christ functions and the original role of Eve in Genesis (please refer to Biblical teachings section).
The Bride will comprise of believers from both Houses of Judah and Joseph who have put their faith in Messiah and who have been called during the end times to arise and help the Body accomplish its God-given destiny. Neither is better than the other, each has their own unique purpose to fulfil in God's plan and assists the other to work in unity. While the Body establishes God's order, the Bride will protect and nourish it, together they will be empowered by God and anointed by Him to restore all things, thus being a witness to Who He is. The Bride must love the Body and the Body must embrace the Bride and not cast her away.
The first Adam and first Eve failed, but Christ the second Adam, the fullness of His Body and His Bride taken from His Body will not fail. A cord of three isn't easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12)!