Oasis Elim Online Weekly Shabbat Gathering Invitation

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Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:23–25)

Many Hebraic Christians are having difficulty finding a local fellowship to attend of like-minded believers in Yeshua and his Torah-Truth. It’s a spiritual wilderness out there! For those who YHVH is calling to walk the more biblically aligned, upward-focused Spirit and Truth path (John 4:23–24), it is a niche market, so to speak. That is, there are few people who are willing to leave the comfort zones of traditional Christianity or even a low-level Hebraic, Torah-centric walk. If you are wanting more as you are attempting to fly higher in your spiritual trajectory, but can’t find meaningful fellowship, or deep, Spirit-filled and led, meaty biblical teachings, then perhaps Elim Fellowship Online is the place for you.

For the past five years, we have been meeting online via Zoom (a free app) that is accessible via any WiFi connected device (e.g., home computer, tablet or smartphone). We meet weekly on the seventh day Sabbath (on Saturdays) and on the biblical feasts at 2:30 PM US East Coast Time (or Eastern Standard Time). Yeshua and Torah-lovers from many US states and several other countries join us weekly. We pray together, midrash, sing, share biblical insights and do formal teachings each week.

If YHVH is speaking to you about the need (and the biblical command) to assemble on his divine appointments (i.e., the weekly Sabbath and biblical feasts, Lev 23:2–3; Heb 10:23–25), then please send Nathan Lawrence an email at hoshanarabbah@earthlink.net or hoshana.blog@gmail.com. Please state your name, where you are from, plus a brief testimony of how you came to Yeshua (your salvation testimony) and your interest in and involvement with the Hebraic, pro-Torah roots of our Christian faith. We will then go from there with additional details on how to connect.

 

An Option to the LGBTQ+ Lifestyle That Brings Greater Meaning & Fulfillment 

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Whether you believe man was created by God or evolved from a lower life form, humans are social creatures and need each other; no one is an island and able to survive for very long alone. Because of this, we all need love and physical intimacy, which often leads to sexual relationships. This is true whether one believes in the traditional family and marriage or not including those who have chosen the LGBTQ+ lifestyle. One thing is certain: physical intimacy is a crucial aspect of human survival, and without sex between a man and a woman the human race will become extinct. For those choosing a non-traditional approach to sexual expression, a question must be asked. Is there another and perhaps a better way to meet this basic human need for intimacy and sexual fulfillment while, at the same time, helping to preserve the human race? 

 The obvious and main purpose of sex is more than just as a recreational activity and for pleasure; rather, it is to propagate the human race. Beyond that, it is a beautiful, physical and psycho-emotional experience that brings two people together in a most intimate way. Love and intimacy between humans can bring the highest joy—at least on a human, physical level. As a believer in God, I see this as the Creator’s design and the Bible, the Word of God, advocates and celebrates sex and physical intimacy in a traditional marital, biblical context.

The human need for sexual expression and intimacy is universal. I have travelled widely to many countries and obviously different cultures view sex and sexuality differently. Not long ago I was in Norway, Holland, England and Scotland. Rainbow flags along with gays and lesbians were everywhere! The so-called pride flag is now universally displayed in the West. Recently I flew home from southern California and in the airport concession store there was a man or woman (not sure which) behind the counter who was wearing a tee-shirt advertising his/her “queerness” and transgenderism. I could not help asking myself why do people feel the need to advertize their sexuality? Who are they trying to convince about the rightness of the LGBTQ+ lifestyle? Themselves? Perhaps they feel that if they get enough people to jump on the LGBTQ+ bandwagon, this will somehow legitimize their non-traditional and non-biblical lifestyle. These are questions that need to be asked. How many flags and tee-shirts does one see advocating traditional marriage and heterosexuality? None. Perhaps those who hold to traditional views have nothing to prove because they know what is best for the human race and what brings the most fulfilment and joy in life, and, therefore, neither have to prove nor convince others of it. Is it because thousands of years of humans existence prove that traditional marriage and family is the best thing for the human race, or is this merely an antiquated idea without merit?

But since sex and sexuality is a major issue for most people in the LGBTQ+ community, let’s discuss sex. In light of society’s preoccupation with sex, let’s step back and view this as an outsider seeing it from the aerial perspective. Suppose one were an alien from outer space and suddenly dropped onto this planet, one would think that sex was the main focus of most humans 24/7—especially in America and the West. The themes of much of our current popular music revolve around romance and sex. The present preoccupation with Wokism, DEI and LGBTQ+ lifestyles often center around sexual orientation. A large percentage of movies contain sex scenes. Our educational system is now teaching our youngest children about sex, and children are becoming sexualized at younger and younger ages. Often advertising attempts to grab people’s attention via sex-themed content because, after all, sex sells. Pornography is everywhere, and so is sex trafficking and pedophilia. The U.S. is the largest producer and consumer of pornography in the world. YouTube and similar online video platforms contain voluminous amounts of graphic videos lauding and promoting every kind of sexual expression—especially the so-called gay lifestyle for young boys and girls. Young, photogenic models are employed to promote the so-called gay lifestyle. Clothing styles and cosmetics are designed to be sexually alluring, and the list goes on and on. Unless you live off-grid somewhere in the tundra of Alaska or Siberia, every day each of us is literally bombarded by and forces to swim in a sea of explicit sexual allurements. This seems like brainwashing on a mass, societal level! Is sex and sexuality really such a big deal that is often the driving force behind advertising? Does sex and sex alone promise to bring the long-lasting meaning and fulfillment in life that most people are searching for? If sex is so important and is the main focus in the lives of so many people that purports to bring so much joy and happiness, then why is our society falling apart? Why the drug addiction? Why the high divorce rates and broken families? Just look at the fruits of the lives of those who promote sexual libertine lifestyles. The personal lives of popular singers and actors are typically a chaotic dumpster fire full of grief, scandal, broken marriages and families, lawsuits and addictions of all kinds sometimes ending in suicide and even murder. What is there about this lifestyles that is so alluring?

Now let’s step back again and take an aerial view of the issue of sex and sexuality by asking an important questions. What really is the big thing with sex that it should garner so much attention and focus? Why is our culture including those in the LGBTQ+ lifestyle placing so much emphasis on sex and sexual orientation?

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Isaac and Rebekah—Profiles in Faith

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Isaac—A Character Sketch

Isaac was successful and blessed. (Gen 26:12–14, 29)

Isaac was obedient to his father.

  • At age 37 Abraham bound Isaac to the altar (in Heb. this event is called the akeidah or the binding, Gen 22).
  • Isaac was obedient to marry Rebekah, his parents’ choice, unlike Esau who married a heathen girl.
  • He trusted and had faith in his parents, even as he trusted his life with his father at the akeida.
  • He had deep and personal relationship with YHVH (e.g., Gen 24:63; 26:24).
  • Here we learn that obedience to and faith in and love for our parents leads to devotion to YHVH. Honoring one’s parents is the beginning step in learning to honor YHVH and to entering into relationship with him. That is why the fifth commandment to honor one’s parents is placed after the commands to love Elohim. In Genesis 24:63 and 25:21, (see The Stone Tanach rendering of this verse as well as The ArtScroll Beresheis, p. 1048, which says Isaac prayed abundantly and urgingly, i.e., persistent prayer, a penetrating prayer or request), we see that Isaac had a deep and personal relationship with his Creator.

He had strong faith.

  • Though childless and barren, Isaac and Rebekah kept their faith in the promises of YHVH alive (Gen 25:19–26). In verse 21 we see Isaac seeking YHVH for the answers to life’s dilemmas and tough problems (he had a vibrant and abiding relationship with his Heavenly Father). The same can be said of Rebekah (v. 22).
  • Though the local Philistines opposed Isaac in the digging of wells and even vandalized his property, he was a peacemaker and refused to feud over his legal rights to these wells. He avoided strife and quarreling with his neighbors (Gen 26:15–22). After digging the third well, YHVH brought comfort to Isaac’s weary soul (Matthew Henry’s Commentary, p. 38).
  • Isaac was charitable toward his unsaved neighbors. Though Abimelech and his people had wronged Isaac, he did not rebuke them for stealing the first two wells. Was this a sign of Isaac’s meekness or weakness? Some biblical scholars say no (e.g., Matthew Henry) and some say yes (e.g., Gleanings in Genesis by Arthur Pink, p. 233). Whatever the case, Isaac was meek and operated under a philosophy of peace through strength (Gen 26:16, 29). He was willing let his neighbors defraud him, even as Abraham did of Lot, trusting that YHVH would bless him in the long run. He repeatedly turned the other cheek when wronged in honor preferring others (Rom 12:10) 

What are some comparisons between the three patriarchs?

  • Abraham was the man of the altar. He built altars as a form of worship to YHVH. The altar is mentioned more times in connection with Abraham than the other two patriarchs. Abraham established a pattern of worship in his life, thus setting an example for his descendants to follow.
  • Isaac was the man of the well. Wells are mentioned seven times in connection with Isaac. In the Bible, water wells along with springs and rivers are a metaphorical picture of salvation, of a blessed life, of the Holy Spirit, of the Word of Elohim and of abiding in the presence of and receiving spiritual life from Elohim. 
  • Jacob was the man of the tent. ­The tent is mentioned more times in connection with Jacob. A tent speaks of the home as a place of habitation and raising a family.
  • When all taken together, the lives of Abraham, Isaac an Jacob teach us the importance of a life dedicated to worshipping YHVH and putting him firsts in one’s life, of abiding in his presence and seeking the spiritual life that he has to offer through his word and Spirit, and then creating a home atmosphere where these values are passe onto our children. 

What are the spiritual implications of the altar, the well and the tent in the Tabernacle of Moses?

The Abrahamic Covenant is the covenant of salvation (by grace through faith, see Rom 4). The spiritual significance of the altar, well and the tent are expressed in the layout of the Tabernacle (or tent) of Moses in the wilderness, which is a picture of the steps one must take to receive YHVH’s free gift of salvation or redemption from sin’s death penalty. In one’s spiritual journey toward YHVH Elohim, one must come to the altar of sacrifice (a picture of the cross), and then to the bronze laver (a picture of baptism or immersion for the remission of sins, spiritual cleansing, the washing of the water by the word, and receipt of the Holy Spirit). Afterwards, one enters the tent or tabernacle to commence a deeper and more intimate relationship with YHVH. Do we not see this progression in the lives of the patriarchs? They went from the altar to the well, and then into the tent (later the Tabernacle of Moses wherein were the 12 loaves of bread representing the 12 tribes of Israel) from which sprang the 12 sons or tribes of Jacob the tent-dweller?

This shows us how we come into a spiritual relationship with our Father in heaven: We have to start with an encounter with Yeshua at the cross. From there, we ritually cleansed through baptism which among other things, pictures our being the washed in the water of Elohim’s Word and being filled with and led by his Holy Spirit. From there, we enter into an intimate relationship with YHVH as we come into his home (the tabernacle is a picture the new heavens and the new earth with the holy of holies picturing the New Jerusalem).

Rebekah—A Character Sketch

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Society’s Descent Into an Idiocracy—The Revolution of Stupidity Resulting In a Nation of Idiots

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The world is full of people who have been on a plane and so now think they are pilots, have watched a war movie and now think they are war heroes, have seen television and think they are movie stars. So now we have people who do not know how to think, know nothing about logic or critical thinking, who now think they are Einsteins because they can type on a keyboard. (Michael Savage PhD., best-selling author, American talk show host and podcaster)

Stupidity has nothing to do with intelligence. Rather it is one’s choice to be ignorant by ignoring facts, closing one’s mind to truth, and refusing to think critically. A person chooses to be stupid by making choices based on emotions and group think rather than on reason and critical thinking. This is true of anyone whether they are atheistic, agnostic or religious or a Bible-believing Christian.

(The following points are based on a work by the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) and is from: http://www.behindthemodernfacade.com/2026/09/the-revolution-of-idiots-how-ignorance.html with commentary and amendments by J. Nathan Lawrence)

Text and Commentary

Critical thinking did not die of natural causes. It was murdered, and we all took part.

We replaced thinking with reacting.

Opinions are formed in seconds and defended with tribal fury.

Emotion has replaced logic as the test of truth: I feel, therefore it is true.

Questioning someone’s feelings is taken as a personal attack

The system succeeds, because it relieves people of the effort of thinking.

Understanding complex arguments requires patience, self-questioning, and tolerance for uncertainty. Agreeing with someone who echoes one’s existing feelings is easier and more gratifying than thinking critically by questioning what others say or believe and then challenging them.

 As a result, the public mind is trained to react rather than to reflect.

Information is rapidly consumed, repeated, and shared without being examined.

Algorithms intensify this pattern by promoting content that provokes strong emotions and keeps people engaged, rather than content that is accurate or intellectually valuable.

Algorithms reward emotional engagement, not clarity. Real debate has become impossible, because disagreeing first requires understanding, and understanding requires thought.

It is easier to label an opponent and dismiss him than to have a debate based on facts and logic.

Complex realities are forced into simple binaries—good or evil, right or wrong, friend or enemy.

Nuance is dead, and a complex world gets crushed into simple binaries: right or wrong, with us or against us. Left or right. Liberal or conservative. Democrat or Republican. As a result, the herd mentality and hive mind prevail at the expense of independent and critical thinking. This is the lure of a pure democracy, which is glorified mob rule. The majority opinion rules whether it is right or not. Might makes right. Thus dissenters are attacked, labeled, vilified, extirpated either verbally or literally by imprisonment, lynching or a firing squad. History records this scenario playing itself out again and again in totalitarian regimes over the millennia and especially in communist countries in the last one hundred years. Have we forgotten history? Or are have we become just that stupid due to our being willingly ignorant? 

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A Loving Message to Those in the LGBTQ+ Lifestyle or Who Are Considering It 

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You don’t have choose to be gay or transgender…there  are other (better) options!

Life is a series of choices like forks in a road. Which way will you go? Your life is the sum total of the choices that you will make and the consequences which are the results thereof. Thus, would it not be prudent to stop and think before making deciding which way to go? This goes for everyone including those choosing the LGBTQ+ lifestyle. Will this be the right choice and can I live with the consequences for the rest of my life?

Let’s ask ourselves another important question. Am I making decisions based on my feelings and emotions or based on logic and reason? Each of us has an emotional and rational part. What one do we follow? If we ignore one or the other, we might be missing an important piece of the puzzle that gives us the whole picture versus a narrow or incomplete view of it.

The thing about feelings and emotions, as wonderful as they can be, is that they are transitory, ephemeral and often momentary. They come and go and change over time. How you feel this moment will likely change the next moment depending on many life factors that evolve over time—especially as you grow older. Feelings are powerful and can overshadow our more rational side. You may feel like you are making a rational decision, when in reality it is based on your emotions. That is why it is important to stop and let the dust of emotions settle, so your mind can present a clearer picture pertaining to the choices you are about to make.

When considering entering the LGBTQ+ lifestyle, here some questions to ask yourself. What is your purpose on this planet and what brings you the deepest fulfillment? What is your deepest psychological and emotional need? What is your ultimate destiny? What is your chief goal in life? It is material possessions? Fortune? Mental enlightenment, intellectual stimulation and the acquisition of knowledge? Or the strong desire for power, fame and social prominence? How about pursuit of pleasure? Or satiating the sex drive? Having a good time with friends? Food? Physical intimacy? The goals we choose will determine where we end up at the end of your life. When you are on your death bed, will you look back on your life with regrets, wishing you had made different and better choices? These are things that most young people who have their whole lives ahead of them think little about. But life is fleeting and goes by quickly, and no one knows how long they have before they die—when life will end.

If you have chosen the LGBTQ+ lifestyle or are thinking about going in to it, here are some things to think about. What is important to you? Is it your sexual orientation or your gender? Is this the thing that you are most passionate about in life? Is this your main identity that describes who you are? Who you want to be remembered as? Is this the thing in your whole life that will bring you the most fulfillment, meaning and purpose? Will it still be as important to you in ten or twenty years, or when you are 50, 60 or 80 years old? Now consider this: what happens when you die? If there is an afterlife, what will be your fate? Will it be a good or bad one? How can you be sure?

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A Loving Biblical Message to Those in the LGBTQ+ Lifestyle (Pt 1)

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In this video, Nathan poses questions to someone in the LGBTQ+ lifestyle or who is thinking about going there. This message is especially directed at young people including pre-teens and older. Nathan talks about life changing choices that we make when we are young and the often irreversible impacts whether positive or negative that they will have on us for the rest of our lives. He asks the listener to stop and then move past feelings and emotions, which are transitory and ever-changing, and to engage one’s critical thinking skills and to consider the consequences of the choices we make as this relates to one’s purpose and meaning in life as well as one’s destiny, legacy, and the afterlife.

Comments are welcomed on Nathan’s Bible study blog at https://hoshanarabbah.org/blog/.

This and other videos by Nathan are available as podcasts on Spotify and Apple podcast under “Hoshana Rabbah.”

If you are interested in participating in Hoshana Rabbah’s weekly Shabbat online fellowship (Oasis Elim Online), send an email to hoshanarabbah@earthlink.net for more information.

 

O the Mercy of YHVH—His Good, Better & Perfect Will For Our Lives Explained

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In Romans 12:2 we find a curious statement:

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

What does this mean? In this teaching, from the life of Abraham, Nathan explains how YHVH’s people may not always be walking in his perfect will, but he is merciful despite this, even though finding his perfect will for our lives should be our aim and goal.

This and other videos by Nathan are available as podcasts on Spotify and Apple podcast under “Hoshana Rabbah.”

If you are interested in participating in Hoshana Rabbah’s weekly Shabbat online fellowship (Oasis Elim Online), send an email to hoshanarabbah@earthlink.net for more information.