I’m weird. I’m different. Most of my weekends are currently spent in churches. On Saturdays, we try to go to a Messianic congregation in Denver (about 60 miles away) at least a couple of times per month (and try to watch the online messages when we can’t make it), and on Sundays, we attend our local church. We do this because we feel the need to learn at the hand of an experienced Messianic teacher and mentor, but on the other hand, we want to maintain close ties with those within the church. We suspect that many in the Church are looking for what we have found — and if all the Messianics leave the church, who will be there to help them?
Besides, the pastor of our church has some pretty good things to say. Take, for example, the sermon he gave a couple of weeks ago about Joshua (and Caleb, but I want to talk about Joshua and this is my blog, so… 
). Most of us are familiar with Joshua’s words that are recorded in Joshua 24:15 –
…But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
What some people don’t focus on is the first part of that verse:
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
It’s all about choices. Joshua challenged his people with that statement. Were they going to serve the gods their fathers served in Egypt (the other side of the River Jordan, or the “flood”), the gods that the Amorites worshiped in their new homeland — or were they going to serve the Lord?
Regardless of where you live in the world, you must make the same choices today. I live in the United States, a country where many things that the Lord calls “sin” are becoming not only legal, but mainstream acceptable. I choose to serve the Lord, which means that I agree with what he says is right and wrong.
I also acknowledge the fact that you can decide for yourself about who (or what) will be your “lord” and control your life. In fact, to do otherwise would be saying that God is not in control of nations and government (see Romans 13 for more on this).
I don’t hate you if you choose to live in contrast to God’s principles for life. Heck, chances are good that we’d get along quite well together! But I’ve made my decision; I’ve made my choice.
And yes, that does, in a way, make me the “weird one”. I live in a land that is changing. Since my God is the one who ordained the government, then these changes are taking place for a reason. But many of these changes go against the principles laid out by the Lord, and I have chosen to do my best to obey Him. That puts me at odds with many who prefer a “license” to live as they please. It makes me the “weird” one.
By all means, take advantage of the laws enacted by my (or your) country. But if you ask me for my opinion about the things you do, my opinion will be shaped by the Torah and Mitzvot because that’s what God has for me (and you too, to be perfectly honest — but as Joshua pointed out, you have a choice). I also ask that you not try to tell me that my God has approved of “stuff” that His word and commandments say is “sin”. If God calls it “sin” and you call it “OK”, then we worship different gods — and outside of pointing out the blatantly obvious by saying that you’d probably be happier reading somebody else’s blog, let’s leave it at that.
My intent is to commit my life to learning and proclaiming the words of my Lord and King, the benevolent, loving Creator of the universe. My choice is to serve the Lord and to live my life in a way that will convince others that this is the way they, too, should pursue.
So who will you choose to serve this day? Do you consider following the Lord and his Mitzvot to be evil? Of is it the other way around?
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