Action is the Only Truth
By
Gary Primo
The title is a quote from the writings of Marcus Aurelius. I binged his name and this is what I learned:
Marcus Aurelius
Philosopher
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoic philosopher. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good Emperors (a term coined some 13 centuries later by Niccolò Machiavelli), and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace and stability for the Roman Empire. He served as Roman consul in 140, 145, and 161.
But this article is not about Marcus Aurelius. I believe that the quote I have selected can be applied to our spiritual lives also. Of course, there are a number of righteous men of action from the past who I could use as examples, but for the sake of time, I will only name a few.
The Example of Noah
Genesis 6:6 - Yahuwah regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.
7 So Yahuwah said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.”
8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of Yahuwah.
As we all know, Noah was selected by Yahuwah because he was the most righteous man on the face of the earth. Yahuwah told Noah to build a huge ark and that he was planning to destroy all that He created, via a flood of global proportions. We know the rest of the story.
However, think about the situation that Noah was in. He lived in a world ruled by fallen angels and their giant spawn. Immorality was likely worse than it is today. There was no hope for them. If Yahuwah had not chosen to destroy them, they probably would have ended up destroying themselves. But that may have taken longer than Yahuwah was willing to wait.
Can you imagine being the only righteous person living in that time. There had to be much hatred born against him, not to mention the ridicule. No one had likely built that big of a ship before, and they likely did not believe it would even float. Also, because of the fact that no rain had ever fallen on the earth up until the flooding began, the people did not even know what rain was, which made Noah’s claims even that much more laughable. But Noah did not quiver. Yahuwah told him what to do and he rolled up his sleaves and got to work.
It took Noah approximately 100 years to build the ark and prepared it for its journey. In the end, Noah, his sons, and their wives, and all the animals he collected were the only survivors of that flood.
There is a great deal that we can identify with Noah about. When we receive a calling from Elohim, we must not try to avoid it, but should spring into action immediately. This is what Yahuwah expects from His children - do not question His motives or methods, just do as you are commanded. I don’t think any of us would like to experience a trial such as Jonah’s, when he attempted to escape his destiny.
However, we have all indeed been called for a very specific task, that of spreading the Gospel. I am talking about each and every one of us. We are not to be putting the burden on any church leader. That leader is busy enough working out his own salvation without the congregation expecting him to work out their salvation also. Ours is not a calling for fence sitters, it is a call to action. And, of course, we prove our faith by our actions; therefore, we can call our calling “active faith”.
Like Noah, we face much opposition and ridicule. As with the prophets of old, the world hates us because we present them with truth and the world cannot handle the truth. It goes against their human nature. There is a second cleansing of the earth coming, cleansing by fire, which we are continually warning everyone about. Yet, our warnings fall on mostly deaf ears, just as in Noah’s day.
The Example of Moses
Ex. 3:1 - Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of Elohim.
2 - There the angel of Yahuwah appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.
3 - So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
4 - When Yahuwah saw that he had gone over to look, Elohim called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”
5 - “Do not come any closer,” Elohim said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
6 - Then he said, “I am the Elohim of your father, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac and the Elohim of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at Elohim.
7 - Yahuwah said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.
8 - So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.
9 - And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.
10 - So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
11 - But Moses said to Elohim, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
Yahuwah commissioned Moses to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt to a land He would bring them to. Their success and victory over the Egyptians were duly noted and they went on to drive the inhabitants of Canaan out of their land. They faced overwhelming odds and armies that were much more advanced than they were. Yet, they prevailed with assistance from Yahuwah. They put their faith into action.
We must realize that when Yahuwah calls us for a special purpose, we are never alone. Yahuwah is right by our side at all times. We are to take courage by that fact and not try to run away.
At first, Moses baulked at Yahuwah’s command. He also refused to circumcise his son, an act that almost cost his son’s life. Moses did not wish to be in the forefront. He would have been quite content remaining where he was, tending his father-in-law’s sheep (his comfort zone). However, he finally conceded and listened to Yahuwah. And, Yahuwah demonstrated via great miracles, that He was totally backing up Moses.
Neither will we be disappointed if we are doing Yahuwah’s work. Our work will be greatly rewarded. Yahuwah loves a righteous man, and it is His great pleasure to reward all who serve Him in carrying out His commission.
The Example of Jonah
Jonah 1:1 - The word of Yahuwah came to Jonah son of Amittai:
2 - “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
3 - But Jonah ran away from Yahuwah and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from Yahuwah.
4 - Then Yahuwah sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.
5 - All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own elohim. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
6 - The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”
7 - Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.
8 - So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”
9 - He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship Yahuwah, the Elohim of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
10 - This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from Yahuwah, because he had already told them so.)
11 - The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”
12 - “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”
13 - Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before.
14 - Then they cried out to Yahuwah, “Please, Yahuwah, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Yahuwah, have done as you pleased.”
15 - Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.
16 - At this the men greatly feared Yahuwah, and they offered a sacrifice to Yahuwah and made vows to him.
17 - Now Yahuwah provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Yahuwah’s hand is readily apparent in Jonah’s story. Jonah found out the hard way that it is not very wise to refuse Yahuwah’s command. But there he was facing off with a city that was notorious for its great evil. As with all the prophets that came before him, Jonah feared that they would tear him apart, if he preached against them. But, quite surprisingly, Nineveh repented and was saved from destruction.
We do not know the effect of our preaching if we do not preach it. We may have the attitude that no one listens anyway, so why bother. This is not the attitude that Yahuwah is looking for or expecting. He expects us to conquer our fears and do His work. Cowards will have no place in the Kingdom!
The Example of Yahushua
Luke 2:41 Every year Yahushua's parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover.
42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom.
43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Yahushua stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.
44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends.
45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.
46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.
48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”
Of course, Yahushua was the greatest prophet of all. He was also the Son of Elohim and the Kinsmen Redeemer. Yahushua was the Beginning of the creation of Elohim. He was conditioned from birth for the role He would play in creating the universe and becoming the Saviour of the human race. He knew His end from the beginning, yet never baulked when it came to carrying out His mission in absolute obedience to His Father. He was the perfect embodiment of total righteousness – an example we are to emulate. Many lack the self confidence to think they could ever attain the full righteousness of Yahuwah; but that is exactly what Yahuwah expects of each and every one of us. This is what Yahushua prayed for in the account of John.
John 17:11 - I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one;
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you
22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—
23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.
Unity with Yahuwah is what our calling is all about. Yahushua mentions these same words 3 times throughout His final prayer – that we might share the very same oneness with the Father that the Son has. Would He have made such a request if it were not entirely possible? For it to become a reality, we have to first believe it is possible. Then, we have to do the work to make it become a reality.
John 10:33 - “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be Elohim.”
34 - Yahushua answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “elohim”’?
35 - If he called them ‘elohim,’ to whom the word of Elohim came—and Scripture cannot be set aside—
36 - what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy
The Jewish leaders accused Yahushua of blaspheme because He likened himself to the Father. His answer came straight from the Old Testament (below) and the priests could not deny it.
Ps. 82:5 - “The ‘elohim’ know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 - “I said, ‘You are “elohim”; you are all sons of the Most High.’
7 - But you will die like mere mortals; you will fall like every other ruler.
And, of course, we are told this very same thing in the opening pages of Genesis.
Gen. 1:26 - Then Elohim said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 - So Elohim created mankind in his own image, in the image of Elohim he created them; male and female he created them.
Most refuse to believe they are elohim. Whenever I mention this fact to friends and relatives, they think I am nuts. All of you have certainly faced similar criticism. Part of Satan’s success is that his deceptions are laced with bits of truth. When Satan confronted Eve, he told her that they were already elohim and capable of determining right from wrong themselves.
Gen. 3:2 - The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,
3 - but Elohim did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”
4 - “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.
5 - “For Elohim knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like Elohim, knowing good and evil.”
Adam and Eve did wish to be elohim but did not want to do it Yahuwah’s way. They wanted to become elohim by their own means, which is what Satan led them to believe they could. Yes, we are already elohim (in embryo), yet we need to grow into the full stature of Yahuwah, just as the Son, Yahushua, did. For that to happen, we must force ourselves to leave our comfort zones, whatever those might be. We cannot afford to let anything get in our way of attaining the full stature of the Father. Only Yahushua has attained this fullness so far, and His is the only model we should be emulating.
Conclusion
If you are like me, we all likely take time to reflect on our spiritual status - likely after we slipped up in action or word, wondering, “What is wrong with me?” “Why does this sin still dog me?” The only answer I can give is, “because we are at war with our own nature”. Our human nature is the main thing we have to conquer before we can become full elohim. We must work tirelessly to not only subdue it, but eradicate it from us entirely; making room for the righteous spirit of Yahuwah to fully indwell and guide us.
We must also back up our words with action – i.e. do not preach love but preform hateful acts. Do not bring one face to “church” on the Sabbath and wear an entirely different face the other six days of the week. Prove our faith by our actions. Always do good – not only to others in the faith, but out of the faith, also. Be a shinning light in your community, attempting at all times to reflect the person and nature of the Father (which is exactly what Yahushua did).
Part of our education is learning righteous patience. We know we are not yet fully elohim but should retain patience in our learning. We all have a special purpose and need patience in waiting for that purpose to be revealed to us. For example, I stressed for years wondering what my purpose was. I knew I was not a very good speaker. I have one of those boring, monotone voices that puts everyone to sleep. However, writing was something I thoroughly enjoyed, so I started up my website.
Everyone has a purpose, whether it is attending to the poor or speaking before a crowd of thousands. All are parts of the same machine, and the actions of one part coincides with those of every other part. It takes all these different purposes to perform the whole job. None are any more or less important than another. There are no grounds to feel inferior to anyone else, thinking they have a more important task.
And, of course, we all have the job of preaching the Gospel. That can be done in whatever environment we find ourselves in. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but practice makes perfect and builds confidence. We cannot remain in our comfort zones and do Yahuwah’s work. Do not believe the bunk that your only purpose is to pray (for the ministry) and pay. We all have a much higher calling than that. Believe it and become it!
Yahuwah bless and help us to grow into His fullness.
GP.