What was the significance of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples?

Jesus washing the feet of the disciples was done to show them that those whom are leaders in the called-out Assembly are not to act as lords over their fellow believers, but to serve them with a foot-washing attitude, be willing to wash a fellow believers feet if that is what it takes to bring them closer to the lord Jesus Messiah.

We, in the lord Jesus are all of us priests, unto his God and our God, and we are to act as he did on this earth. Jesus always served those he came in contact with in an attitude of love, even when he spoke in judgment against what some religious leader were doing wrong it was always done in love and as a servant of his God and Father and in loving service to them also.

The greatest of all he said will be the one who acts with a servant attitude and always serves others the way he did toward others. What a beautiful example we have in Jesus and how thankful we should be that what has been written in the N.T. is for us to live by and follow as the sons of God, children of Abraham believing all that God has revealed to us as he did! May we all take upon ourselves the servant attitude of mind that Jesus had and has now as our High Priest and Paracletos.

Phillipians 2:5....let this mind be in you that is also in the anointed one Jesus,

Romans 12:2 and be not conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, for your proving what is the will of God — the good, and acceptable, and perfect.

Phillipians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

1 Peter 3:8: inally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

If we could love our brothers and sister as God has shown how much He loves us by giving His son to be a sin offering sacrifice in order that we could be reconciled to Him and have all our sins forgiven. Precious grace poured out on us who had nothing in us that would cause Him to act in the wonderful gracious way He has toward us who deserved nothing but death.

The question is: "Did Jesus go to hell between His death and resurrection?"

First let's define what the word "hell" means. In the N.T. Hades - hell is the grave, in the ground, under the surface of the earth, or in a tomb where the dead are placed as in New Orlean's.

Jesus was buried in a tomb and he remained in that tomb as a dead person until he was resurrected and appeared to his disciples who recognized him immediately.

Eccl:9:5: For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing.......

Psalm 115:17: The dead praise not Yahovah, neither any that go down into silence.

From these verses, and there are many more, we see that the dead are buried in the ground or tombs, that after they have died they know nothing, that they go down into silence, and will remain asleep in death until they are resurrected.

Now because the dead know nothing, they don't know how much time will have passed between their death and resurrection, so when they are resurrected it will seem like a split second - the same feeling we have after being suddenly awakening by a loud noise. In that moment we don't know how much time we have been asleep.

Those who are dead in the lord Jesus will be resurrected when he returns and the loud noise they hear will be the sound of a loud trumpet calling them out of their graves/tombs and it will seem like a split second from the time that they died, even though hundreds of years may have gone by.

The apostle Paul knew this when he said he was torn between staying with his brethren [alive] or being with the lord [dying and knowing that for him in his recollection it would seem that in the next split second he would be rising to meet the lord in the clouds when the trumpet sounded at the end of this age].

As for the Roman Catholic Church and her daughter churches teaching about an ever burning hell, like "Dante's Inferno"; that teaching is of pagan origin and has nothing to do with the revelation God has given through the inspired scriptures upon which we base our hope!

I am very comforted knowing that my personal friend's who have died in the lord Jesus are now in their graves awaiting there sound of the trumpet when they and I will be resurrected at the return of the lord Jesus.

I would not be very comfortable at all knowing that my mother, relatives, and friends were resurrected at their death and were now in heaven looking down at all the mistakes, faults, etc., that I have made, will most probably make in the future. That cloud of witnesses is not anything that I would want observing my every move.

I know with whom I have to do with and am comfortable having Him witnessing my actions knowing He will guide me in grace by His spirit to enable me to bring glory to His name - Yahovah and to his son's name Yehoshua - Jesus God's anointed one. Knowing that my God and my Father and His beloved son watch and know every move I make and every move all that are His makes is a great motivator to help myself and all of us walk on the narrow path that leads to age upon age lasting life in His soon coming Kingdom. May that day come soon.

GOD'S COMMISSION TO ISRAEL

​Through the example of Israel being a light to the Gentile nations, which they were commissioned to do: God wanted all the nations to come to "fear" Him.

Note: The word "fear" here does not mean terror or fright, for there ​are two usages ​for ​the word "fear".

Exodus 20:20, illustrates the two usages in the same verse: "Fear not, but rather fear Yehovah". Therefore, it is urged not to be frightened or scared; instead, put your whole trust and faith in Yehovah. In the latter sense, the fear of Yehovah is the beginning of everything: of understanding, of living, of personal separation - holiness unto Yehovah leading to a personal relationship with the living God. This is what the goodness of God was driving Israel to: a key way to bring all the nations to believe in Him. Therefore Israel was to be a witnessing , proclaiming and evangelizing nation. The Gentiles through them had to be brought to the light.

As we know Israel failed to do what Yehovah had commissioned them to do and Christendom not realizing what it meant to be grafted into Israel did not carry out the commission Yehovah gave them to do which was to provide a witness and testimony to all the Gentile nations of the goodness of the one true God Yehovah. Instead they proclaimed a triune pagan god and a god/man that they claim was the son of God, which he ​was not. Jesus was never a god/man!

However, God always has a remnant to carry out His will on this earth and that is what we have been so graciously been called to do. We are the true Israel that is to take the message that Yehovah gave to His son Jesus to give to us to take to the world. That message declares how much Yehovah loves all men/women and gave His uniquely begotten son to be a sin offering sacrifice in order that all those come who believe in him, and to walk in faith-obedience obeying all the words his God and Father gave to him to give to those that are his will gain entrance into the coming Kingdom of God.

As the Israel of God we are, as members, a royal priesthood, individual temples because of His indwelling presence in us. Our duty is to do His will on this earth carrying the good news of the message Jesus preached to the world and thus be a light unto all men/women, leading them to trust and believe in Yehovah. 

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LEAN ON YOU OWN UNDERSTANDING?

First let us understand that our own understanding comes from a heart that is deceitful above all things, blind to its own faults, etc.

Jeremiah 17:9: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

Proverbs 14:12; 16:25 "There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death".

As a result of being in the flesh, the natural man acts accordingly.

For a regenerate man the following it true:

Proverbs 16:9: "A man’s heart devises his way: but Yehovah directs his steps".

Job 32:8: "But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding".

We need to look outside of self to God, and not lean on our own faulty understanding of things, for God knows the end of a matter from the beginning.

Job 12:13: "With Him is wisdom and strength, He has counsel and understanding".

How do we begin to get right understanding?

Proverbs 9:10: "The fear of Yehovah is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding".

Psalm 111:10: "The fear [reverential awe and respect] of Yehovah is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do Hhis commandments: His praise endures for ever".

Psalm 119:130: "The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding unto the simple".

Proverbs 2:6: "For Yehovah gives wisdom: out of His mouth comes knowledge and understanding".

Jesus didn't do anything without the guidance and direction of his God and his Father whose Spirit was in him without measure.

John 5:19: "Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, the son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do: for what things soever he does, these also does the Son likewise".

John 5:30: "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father who has sent me".

Jesus did nothing without being in subjection to his Father's will. He carried out to perfection the commission he had been given and when he had done all he cried out "It is finished". What an example for all of us who are in him!

John 6:63: "It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life".

In the flesh we cannot have a right understanding on how to proceed according to the will of our God and our Father. Only as we maintain close communication with Him in prayer, seeking more of the direction of His holy spirit and submitting to His spirit guidance, can we achieve real and true understanding in order to conduct our lives according to His will.

May our God and our Father give a all of us more of His spirit to carry out all He has called us to do as we totally commit to walking in faith-obedience before Him!

 Bruce Lyon Elder: Restoration Fellowship Assembly

WHY GOD GAVE ISRAEL AN EMPIRE

In the days of Moses, when Israel came into existence as a nation, God explained His purpose for making the Israelites a people of influence and power. He told them:

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to me above all people; for all the earth is mine. And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation…” (Exodus 19:5-6).

God intended to use them as a model nation. He had Moses tell them: “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of Yehovah your God which I command you… Be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people’” (Deuteronomy 4:2, 6).

God wanted Israel to set an example that would teach other nations the benefits that come from obeying Him; faithfully keeping His laws. When He established Israel as a great nation He gave Solomon wisdom that exceeded the understanding of the other rulers in the region. Solomon became internationally famous for his wisdom (1 Kings 4:29-34), and his subjects apparently were at peace within their lands.

God intended that the wisdom of His way of life and His laws be made available to other nations. He gave Israel a magnificent opportunity to spiritually enrich and bless “all the families of the earth,” as He had promised Abraham.

But neither Solomon nor the people he led kept their eyes on that objective. The physical benefits of prosperity, wealth and fame became their chief focus. They lost sight of the reason for their existence as a nation.

The problem was human nature. Solomon increasingly yielded to his own weaknesses until, at the end of his life, he had abandoned the great God who had given him an empire.

God’s desire for Israel to be a model nation carried with it grave responsibilities. God had no intention of allowing Israel; the nation He created to be the world’s model of righteousness to escape the consequences of abandoning His ways and sinking to the level of the surrounding nations

God then conditionally promised to Solomon to establish the throne of his dynasty over the people of Israel living in their Promised Land forever.

In case Solomon were to fail to follow God with integrity, God explained the consequences. “If you or your sons turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples” 1 Kings 9:6-7, NIV).

God had warned them: “Then the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known; wood and stone. And among those nations you shall find no rest, nor shall the sole of your foot have a resting place; but there the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and anguish of soul. Your life shall hang in doubt before you; you shall fear day and night, and have no assurance of life” (Deuteronomy 28:64-66).

All of these proclamations of God have been fulfilled up to the present day. However: God looks out for the long-term good of those with whom He is working (Hebrews 12:5-12). His ultimate goal, of course, is to bring everyone to repentance (2 Timothy 2:24-26; 2 Peter 3:9), to acknowledge Him and willingly choose to live according to His laws.

Since physical Israel failed to carry out God’s intended purpose for them to be a model nation to be a witness and testimony to the nations of the world they have been for the time being set aside.

However, when Jesus came on the scene of world history according to God's plan of salvation and lived a life as the only perfect man who lived according to every word His God and His Father gave him to do including willingly going to his death on the stake to become a sin offering sacrifice for humanity. Then God was able to graft into Israel all those who became disciples of the lord Messiah Jesus, both Jews and Gentiles. All those who completely committed themselves to walking in faith-obedience obeying all the words his God and Father gave to him to give to us.

Now as the true Israel those who are the disciples of the lord Messiah Jesus have the same commission that Israel of old had. To be a witness and testimony as a holy nation of priests carrying the message that God gave to His uniquely begotten son to give to us to proclaim the coming Kingdom of God and the name of the lord Jesus.

However, Christendom has utterly failed in carrying out this message to the world and like Israel of old have been led astray to worship a false triune god and a false Messiah they claim to be a god/man.

All is not lost however because by God’s amazing grace there is a faithful remnant that are members of the true Israel and are also members of the household of God and members of the body of the Messiah Jesus, the called=out Assembly. These are Individual temples of Yehovah and collectively members of the temple of Yehovah. This remnant is carrying out the commission given by the lord Jesus to preach the coming Kingdom of God to the nations. May that day soon come!