Who's Knocking?

".....knock and the door will be opened to you."  Luke 11:10

I remember with fondness, sitting in those pint-sized children's chairs on Sunday mornings.  I remember my loving teachers, the Bible stories, and the fascinating figures on the flannel graph.  I remember the offering time, and the "birthday pennies" that children would drop one-by-one into the little, white, church bank while we would count aloud, and.....I remember the songs.....on big, colorful visuals that we took turns holding.  I loved Sunday School. 

I loved Sunday School songs.  I took them to heart, and they are imbedded in my memory to this day. The chorus of one song, in particular, brought a life-changing picture to my mind, "Behold, behold, I stand at the door and knock, knock, knock."  When we sang about Jesus knocking on the doors of our hearts, all the children would knock on our chairs in time with the music.  I didn't just sing the song or picture it in my mind.....I believed it!  I wanted Jesus to live in my heart, and I wanted to follow him! 

From my youth, I can remember nothing other than having a faith in Jesus as my Savior.  I praise God for His goodness to me in raising me in a Christian home, in a Christian church and in a Christian school.  I've been loved and guided and influenced by extended family, books and radio ministries and many, many people who have poured into my life.  I've participated in youth groups, Bible studies, mission trips, and many other wonderful, faith-enriching activities.  I never doubted my beliefs, or questioned the doctrines I had grown up with.....until.....

It was in my forties that I started to question a point of doctrine that I had always believed in.....the doctrine of infant baptism.  As an artist, being very aware of symbolism, I had noticed that the symbolic image of water being sprinkled on a baby pictured cleansing from sin, yet what I really saw taking place was a child being dedicated to the LORD.  My questioning took me on a journey from doctrine, to Scripture, to history.....looking, searching, seeking.  "If scripturally baptism signifies repentance,cleansing from sin, and spiritual rebirth," I wondered, "who started the practice of baptizing incognizant infants?  Why, when, and by whom did this ritual begin of replacing circumcision with baptism?  Was this really taught by Jesus and His disciples?"  I had an inquiring mind and I wanted to know!

One question led to another and I started to wonder about other things too, like Sunday-sabbath and traditional Christian holidays.  I wondered why the Christianity of today resembles the Roman Catholic Church in its traditions so much more than it mirrors that of the early church.  Was Jesus Catholic?  So, why don't we follow the practices of Jesus and his disciples?  Why are we are called Christians, meaning followers of Christ, if we not following Jesus by imitating him?  Isn't that what defines a disciple?  If we are grafted into Israel, why then have I grown up so disconnected to Israel and the biblical traditions?  

 

In my studies, I began to see that the Jesus I had invited into my heart, the Jesus that I had been following all my life looked very much like me.....a Christian.  But why, I wondered, did I not look very much like him?  Why didn't I even know his real name?.....his prophetic, God-given, birth name....."Yeshua".....meaning "Savior!"  Very truly I have grown up, barely cognizant of Jesus being Jewish.....when in fact, Rabbi Yeshua obeyed faultlessly all the laws and customs that God had given by everlasting covenant to his people through Moses.  Why have I not worshiped on the Lord's appointed day or honored the Lord's appointed festival days as Yeshua did and taught?  Why do these days of prophecy, fulfillment and things to come go largely unnoticed in the church?

These questions and more, I've been asking, researching, seeking and finding answers to.  I've been growing in my understanding and appreciation of biblical holy days as I've begun to celebrate them.  While I don't believe everything I've grown up with is wrong, I don't think it's all right either.  I'm willing to admit that the slithery Serpent has found footholds, even in the church.  He has caused us to call into question the infallible, enduring Word of God in much the same manner he provoked Eve in Paradise with, "Did God really say.....?"  I am willing to admit that paganism has been very influential in shaping our Christian traditions.  I am willing to admit that some traditional teachings have been based on biases against the Jewish people.  

Bean-bags were tossed while singing the Wordless Book Song

Although the journey is not an easy one, as for me, in the same manner that the church would expect a convert to Christianity to surrender from his old way of thinking and living, and live a new life, I am willing to surrender from traditions and teachings which I find untrustworthy.  My foundation remains the solid rock of Scripture, the same Scripture that I have always trusted, the same Scripture  Rabbi Yeshua and his followers followed and based their teachings on, the same Scriptures which Rabbi Shaul (Paul) endorsed when he said, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." -  2 Timothy 3:16

If you've heard him knocking, 
if you've opened the door of your heart.....

.....then you, too, have a Torah-observant, Jewish guy dwelling within you!

   

*The 4'x16" collage/painting was a piece I worked on at a community children's outreach event a number of  years ago.  It features the Wordless Book Song, a favorite of mine from my Sunday School days.  Of course, I fashioned it into my heart theme, as well!