http://ffoz.org/blogs/ Timely updates, teaching, videos and inside information about what's happening at First Fruits, written by staff members and guest contributors. en Copyright 2012 Tue, 08 May 2012 11:39:12 -0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.361 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss The New Testament (Apostolic Scriptures) can be compared to a pile of laundry. Some pieces are socks, some are shirts, some are pants, and so forth. Imagine you open your closet door and see this pile of clean laundry on the floor. You fish around in it looking for something to wear, and with a little bit of effort, you can put together an outfit. It might be wrinkled and... http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/05/shameless_self-promotion.html http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/05/shameless_self-promotion.html Torah Club Tue, 08 May 2012 11:39:12 -0600 Dan Savage's talk at the National High School Journalism Conference went viral over the past couple of days and was also featured on main news sites such as CNN. In his address he states, We can learn to ignore the bullshit about gay people in the Bible the same way we have learned to ignore the bullshit in the Bible about shellfish, about slavery, about dinner, about farming, about menstruation,... http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/05/is_the_bible_bs.html http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/05/is_the_bible_bs.html Tue, 01 May 2012 13:45:51 -0600 ***This was first published on my personal blog: BoazMichael*** On Saturday night a group of us gathered together for the Meal of Messiah, which is a unique Seder that takes place at the close of the week of Pesach. It was a wonderful time--a time of singing, eating fish, and contemplating on the future work of the Messiah. At the conclusion of our Seder we went directly into Havdalah--a time,... http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/04/becoming_a_better_boss.html http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/04/becoming_a_better_boss.html Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:24:18 -0600 With the freedom of Passover on everyone's mind I would like to spend a moment reflecting on a time of great tragedy. The annual Shoah (Holocaust) memorial falls this year on April 19th and should be a time of remembrance and activism for every disciple of Yeshua. First Fruits of Zion is supporting this activism through one of our strengths--publishing. For years I have wanted to create of book that... http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/04/remembrance_and_repentance.html http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/04/remembrance_and_repentance.html Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:07:15 -0600 In issue 94 of Messiah Magazine I discussed the yarzeit (anniversary of the death) of Simon Peter as it is recorded in rabbinic literature. Since then I have become interested in trying to discover yarzeit dates for the rest of the Apostles. Unfortunately, this is almost impossible to do for most Apostles because there are simply no records. One exception is Yaakov HaTzaddik (James the Just) the brother of... http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/04/passover_and_the_death_of_jame_1.html http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/04/passover_and_the_death_of_jame_1.html Teaching Team Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:35:30 -0600 Passover is coming! The Torah instructs us about many things on this holiday, including: We are to treat this season a holy and festive time (Leviticus 23:4-6). There are special foods that we are to eat (Exodus 12:8) and not eat (Exodus 12:15-19). We are to tell our children on that day about how God took us out from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 13:8). Since ancient times, all of... http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/03/hosting_your_first_passover_seder.html http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/03/hosting_your_first_passover_seder.html Teaching Team Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:36:26 -0600 The apostle John says that "the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother" (1 John 3:9). Robert Lancaster, my father now for more than forty years, spent a good deal of his life as a pastor. Since retiring from the ministry, he continues to minister into people's lives by sending out, short,... http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/03/devils_children.html http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/03/devils_children.html Teaching Team Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:30:54 -0600 I've had an incredible amount of difficulty compartmentalizing my life. It seems that my social, family, and ministry life all blend together. Actually, they do blend together. Over the years, I've taken little time for myself, for rest, or for personal renewal. Near the end of the completion of the Delitzsch Hebrew Gospels I kept hearing from friends and even strangers, "When was the last time you had a vacation?... http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/02/vacation_time.html http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/02/vacation_time.html Tue, 28 Feb 2012 13:19:13 -0600 Every disciple of Yeshua should visit the Holy Land at least once. Why not join me and my brother Steven Lancaster of biblical backgrounds for a fabulous study trip to the holy land of our Master Yeshua this fall. Set aside October 28- November 12this year for an adventure with God in His Promised Land. This is not just a tourist trip. It is a serious study tour. We will... http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/02/visit_israel_with_ffoz.html http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/02/visit_israel_with_ffoz.html Events and Administration Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:57:20 -0600 With all the kissing going on today. I though I would give you a KISS and say that I love you all and am committed to our relationship. This is the editorial letter in the current edition of Messiah Journal, entitled, A Simple Vision. I received a copy of Steve Job's biography as a gift for Hanukkah. I have been an Apple user for many years and have participated as... http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/02/a_kiss_from_me_to_you.html http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/02/a_kiss_from_me_to_you.html Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:02:08 -0600 Many people get the feeling that rabbinic kosher laws are complicated and overly stringent, but the biblical kosher laws are as simple as "these are the animals you can eat, and these are the ones you can't." But the Bible's food laws actually go far beyond this. The Scriptures go so far as to limit what parts of the animal may be eaten. For example, certain fat portions called chelev... http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/02/eating_biblically_lets_chew_th.html http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/02/eating_biblically_lets_chew_th.html Teaching Team Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:58:12 -0600 Almost every Sunday that I am in town I attend a local Southern Baptist church with my wife. We enjoy the fellowship with other believers and it affords us the opportunity to build bridges, connect, and discuss perspectives. The last few months we've been working through the books of Numbers and Deuteronomy, which has been "home turf" for me. This last week we discussed the dietary laws--it was a... http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/02/kosher_sunday_school.html http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/02/kosher_sunday_school.html Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:22:06 -0600 Messianic blogs and websites are buzzing with the news of self-styled "Messianic Rabbi" Ralph Messer's recent desecration of a Torah scroll at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA. A YouTube video shows Messer wrapping the scroll around Bishop Eddie Long in a mock coronation ceremony. Fortunately, representatives of the Messianic Jewish world have universally condemned Messer's actions. Ordained congregational leaders from both the UMJC and the IAMCS have... http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/02/messer_and_the_messianic_mess.html http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/02/messer_and_the_messianic_mess.html Teaching Team Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:25:25 -0600 God willing, we will be shipping our newest book, Biblically Kosher, next week. Biblically Kosher is a book that examines in detail what the Bible (both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament) says about food. Many people say that they keep "biblically kosher" or have a "Leviticus diet" because they avoid eating the unclean animals listed in Leviticus 11. But the Bible actually says much more about what to... http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/01/biblically_kosher_release_upda.html http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/01/biblically_kosher_release_upda.html Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:02:11 -0600 "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction" is the third of Newton's laws of motion. Most of the time when this formula is used, it is outside the context of physics--and is applied to choices that we make that bring certain consequences or results. This morning at our weekly FFOZ chapel service I passed on a challenged to our staff to make a six-week commitment to the "wayward ones."... http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/01/a_six-week_challenge_shovvim.html http://ffoz.org/blogs/2012/01/a_six-week_challenge_shovvim.html Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:53:18 -0600