This past service, we heard from Pastor Mark who talked about the prelude to a few miracles in the New Testament.

Matthew 14:15-21 talks about when Yahshua fed well over 5,000 people. There are two significant things to note from this story. The first one is that the disciples were the ones who actually passed out the food. Yahshua blessed the meal, but let them distribute it. With His blessing, we are able to do miracles! The second thing is that we simply need to use what we already have. If you only have a few loaves of bread and some fish, then use it! The quantity of what we bring to Yahweh does not matter as long as we surrender it all to Him.

Can’t we all just get along?

This week during our Sabbath service, Pastor Mark D. Vlad spoke on the topic of unity. 

Philippians 2:1-2 tells us to fulfill Yahshua’s joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. This does not always mean doctrinal unity, because doctrinal unity is based on our personal walk with Yahshua. Over time we grow and our doctrinal beliefs can change based on revelation and maturity. Paul tells us to be like minded in love and in faith. If there is an issue where we cannot agree on something, we need to set it aside until Yahweh gives us wisdom on the subject. The enemy uses disagreements to tear the body of the church apart, something we see far too often in the body of Yahshua. 

The Church. What is the purpose of the church and its members?

Caleb Oliva brought the first of a two part message to us at the beginning of the month, covering three of the 5 major functions he believes make up the church, both the building and the members.

Grace. It’s what we are saved by, but how does that change the way we view our relationship with Yahweh? This Sabbath, Pastor Mark D. Vlad shared a different perspective on what grace means for us as believers.

Throughout the scriptures, we see tellings of incredible followers of Yahweh, people like Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. We know that these were people that Yahweh loved, and that showed great faith, some of whom are even said to be men after Yah’s own heart. What we don’t always remember is that these men also had moments of making terrible decisions.

When we look at prayer, there are three different aspects that we look at. Why we pray, how we pray, and what to pray for. During our Sabbath Service this weekend, Caleb Oliva walked us through these different sides to prayer.

During Sabbath this week, Eean Johnson-Schaar took a look at how anxiety and fear have no control over us when we stand firm in our faith in Yahweh.

We looked at 1 Peter 5:8, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

A roaring lion can insight fear and anxiety, however a lion who roars while hunting often is feeling threatened. The fact that we exist as children of Yahweh is frightening to the devil. When we are being attacked, our first instinct can be to run, but the scriptures tell us to stand firm in our faith.

This week during our Sabbath message, Pastor Mark spoke about what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. The passages we discussed were not referring to the Kingdom where Yahshua sits at the right hand of Yahweh, but rather the Kingdom of Yahweh that is within us (Luke 17:20-21) When we look at the following parables, that is where they take place and apply.