I have found that many believers, both those that are new in Christ and some who have walked with Him for some time, are confused about the nature of the soul and often think and speak of it as interchangeable with their spirit.  Hopefully the following will help clear up this crucial misunderstanding.

Genesis 2:7

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (KJV)

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

There are three aspects of man as God created him.  These are body, soul, and spirit.

Body:  soma (Greek): the lowest part of man, the physical man, the fleshly or natural man.

Soul:  nephesh (Hebrew), psykhe (Greek): inner nature or man, the person or one’s self.  Includes the mental, emotional, sensual, and creative.  Soul also refers to the life one has as a person.  The soul or life is in the blood.  The soul of a person is also capable of exercising free will.

Spirit:  ruahh (Hebrew), pneuma (Greek): wind, force or breath.  Also breath: neshamah’ (Hebrew).

The spirit is the life force in all living creatures or souls.  This would include both animals and humans.  At death, the spirit leaves the body and goes back to the true God who gave it.  Upon that moment, all conscious thoughts, purposes, and plans cease and the body goes back to dust.  Only God can restore or give back one’s spirit.

When the Lord released the great flood, which destroyed all life on earth except Noah, his family, and those animals that entered the ark, He said…

Genesis 6:17:  

“For behold, I, even I, will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy and make putrid all flesh under the heavens in which are the breath and spirit of life; everything that is on the land shall die.”

1 Corinthians 15:45: 

So also, it is written, “The first man Adam became a living soul; The last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving Spirit.”

There are hundreds of scriptures that support the inter-relational nature of soul and spirit.  In this blog, however, I want to make a point about the importance of KNOWING the difference between soul and spirit, how they interact, and most importantly, being sure that our spirit is aligned with the Holy Spirit and our soul (our mind, our emotions and our will), is placed in it’s proper position, under the AUTHORITY of the Holy Spirit’s leading.  This can only be done by prayer and most of all, through supplication, or submission to the Will of God.

Although I generally don’t include outside sources, other than scripture, in this blog, I wanted to include the best description of the nature and the interaction between body, soul and spirit that I have read.  This has impacted me greatly in my walk and the ministry the Lord has given me and so I felt the need to share it with my readers.  It explains eloquently, the reason to rightly divide soul and spirit.

THE FUNCTIONS OF THE SPIRIT, THE SOUL, AND THE BODY

Man is composed of two independent kinds of material: spirit and body. When the spirit entered the body of dust, the soul was produced. It is impossible for the spirit to control the body directly. Hence, it requires a medium. This medium is the soul, which was produced when the spirit touched the body.

The spirit mingled with the body and brought forth the soul. As such, man became a living soul. Hence, the soul is the result of the union between the spirit and the body; it is the personality of a man.

The body is the outer shell of the soul, and the soul is the outer shell of the spirit. Before man fell, it was the spirit that controlled his entire being. When the spirit wants to do something, it communicates this to the soul, and the soul motivates the body to obey the command of the spirit. This is the meaning of the soul as the medium. Luke 1:46-47 says, “My soul magnifies [present tense] the Lord, and my spirit has exulted [perfect tense] in God my Savior.” The spirit must first exult, before the soul can magnify the Lord. The spirit first communicates the exultation to the soul, then the soul communicates to the body.

The body is the “world-consciousness,” the soul is the “self-consciousness,” and the spirit is the “God-consciousness.” There are five organs in the body, which afford man the five senses. This physical body enables man to communicate with the physical world. This is why it is called the “world- consciousness.” The soul includes that part known as man’s intellect, which helps to make man’s existence possible. The part of love generates affections toward other human beings or objects. The part that can be aroused is the part that originates from the consciousness. All these are parts of the man himself; they form the personality of man. Hence, they are called the “self-consciousness.” The spirit is the part with which man communicates with God. With this part, man worships God, serves Him, and understands his relationship with God. Hence, it is called the “God-consciousness.”

The spirit has knowledge, but this knowledge is different from the knowledge of the mind. Because the spirit is different from the mind, only a spiritual man can know himself. First Corinthians 2:11 says, “For who among men knows the things of man, except the spirit of man which is in him?” Although man knows things through the mind, unless his mind is RIGHTLY DIVIDING SOUL AND SPIRIT, it is actually not trustworthy and cannot know “the things of man.” The mind may have knowledge, but only by man’s spirit can he know the things of man and know himself. Hence, God’s Word states the fact: “For who knows the things of man, except the spirit.” This spirit is the part with which man fellowships with God. “But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding” (Job 32:8). “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly” (Prov. 20:27). The spirit of man is the part with which man fellowships with God.

The soul can be stimulated, and it can be disquieted (Psa. 42:5). It can feel sorrowful (Matt. 26:38). In short, the soul is everything that the personality entails. Hence, we can say that the soul is the personality. Many portions in the Bible do not call man a man, but a soul. For example, when the house of Jacob went down to Egypt, there were seventy people (Gen. 46:27). But the Bible says, “All the souls…were threescore and six” (Gen. 46:26).

The body is like a servant; it is under man’s control.

The soul is the meeting point; here the spirit and the body join. Man communicates with the spiritual realm through the spirit. He communicates with the world of senses through the body. The soul is in between. On the one hand, it communicates with the spiritual realm through the spirit, and on the other hand, it communicates with the physical world through the body.

The soul is in between the spirit and the body; it binds the spirit and the body together as one. The spirit rules over the body through the soul and subjects it under God’s power. The body can induce the spirit to love the world through the soul.

In conclusion, the soul is the source of the personality; man’s judgment, intellect, and love all are of the soul. The spirit is the part with which man communicates with the spiritual realm. The body is the part with which man communicates with the physical realm. The soul is in the middle of these two parts. It exercises its judgment to determine if the spiritual realm is to rule or if the physical realm is to rule. Sometimes the soul rules through its intellect and stimulations; this becomes the rule of the psychological world. Unless the soul yields its rule to the spirit, the spirit cannot rule. Hence, the soul has to authorize the spirit to rule before the latter can rule over the soul and the body. The reason for this is that the soul is the origin of the personality.

(Collected Works of Watchman Nee, The (Set 1) Vol. 01: The Christian Life and Warfare, Chapter 5, by Watchman Nee)

“Unless the soul yields its rule to the spirit, the spirit cannot rule.”  This to me has been a true revelation and I have applied it to my life as completely as I have been, and continue to be able, to do.

As the whole man consists of body, soul and spirit, and we have now seen that the soul consists of a person’s mind, emotions and will, it stands to reason that, in order for us to achieve this, we must use our WILL to truly yield the soul to the authority of the spirit and the spirit under the authority of His Holy Spirit!

As David (a man after God’s own heart) said:

Psalm 103:1

Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

The apostle Paul reminds us in his first letter to the church at Corinth, that we are to: “bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”.

Finally, Jesus Himself tells us:

Genesis 3: 22-24 – Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.  So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

In pulpits across the planet, Christians are taught that sin and death entered the world when and because of Eve and Adam’s disobedience to God in eating an “apple” which He forbade them to eat.  The implication is that we should always obey God and usually through the adherence to, and application of the 10 Commandments as they were given to Moses much later in the Bible.

Certainly, the timing is right, and disobedience to the Lord God is the paramount reason that sin and death abound in the world today, but the nuances of the Lord’s Word is often lost to the flock in this simple teaching.  Perhaps this is the reason why so many today are quick to hurl judgment at others while being unwilling to examine themselves by the words of the One True God we can know in Christ Jesus (Jesus Messiah).

We were created to be eternal beings, but only once we allow a relationship with God that can only be had and solidified in a desire for, understanding of, and receiving into relationship with God the Father through the death and resurrection of the Son through the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

You see, by actually partaking of the fruit of the tree of the KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL, our progenitors became people WITHOUT EXCUSE for making bad choices and they passed this legacy down to us.  This is why we could not be given the additional gift of eternal life from the other special tree in the Garden of Eden, the Tree of Life, at least not in an unsaved condition.

Let’s ponder why it is that God did not prohibit Adam from eating of that tree, but specified only the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil… Could it be that God, the loving Father, knew that it is in a child’s (childlike Adam’s) nature to disobey and so He not only prohibited the eating of that fruit but allowed the enemy, in the form of a serpent, to lie to and convince Eve to seduce Adam into the disobedience that would allow sin and death to come into the Garden?

Before you shout “heresy!” consider this…  Jesus’ death on the Cross was never God’s Plan B but the foundational purpose of the entire Creation!  This leads me to believe that in order for mankind to begin the journey that would culminate in God’s True Israel (those Jews and Gentiles that give their lives to Christ) becoming the family of God in Heaven, they HAD to have a knowledge of good and evil so that they could make REAL choices.  This is also why we cannot blame God for the awful condition of the world (sin, disease, crime, hatred, bigotry, etc.) but we MUST accept responsibility ourselves.

There is certainly now and has been throughout history REAL EVIL in the world.   There are those today and throughout the story of mankind that have reveled in causing anguish, death and destruction upon their fellow men and women.  There are many of these who perpetrated atrocities in the VERY NAME OF GOD and even in the NAME OF JESUS!

So… how do we differentiate the true Good from the real evil?  Simply by adhering to the Word of God.  How do we know what the Word of God says, let alone what it MEANS?  By having a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus, the Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit which begins in the DESIRE of a person to KNOW God and not merely to have power over other persons (which is all empty religion accomplishes).  Although it is surely ONLY God’s Grace and Mercy that sent the Messiah/son to die for all mankind, it is the true desire of individual people to have a relationship with God that opens the door of the heart at which Jesus knocks.

Jesus certainly knew the difference between the lost and the wicked.  Note that throughout the Gospels, the lost are the broken sinners (the drunks, the fornicators, the homosexuals, the demon-possessed, the prostitutes, even the tax collectors) and the truly wicked (the religious Pharisees).  He dined with the former in fellowship and forgave them, taught them and loved them, while the latter he physically scourged out of the Temple and reviled them calling them a “brood of vipers”.

It is little wonder why the wicked religious and political leaders of today (not all certainly but FAR too many), have little regard for the poor (Jesus template for how to love Him was how you love THEM) and great regard for personal wealth and privilege (Jesus said you cannot serve God and Mammon/money).  A true shepherd after the Chief Shepherd’s heart will always love, tend and feed the flock while the false shepherds will uncaringly FLEECE them for profit.

The wicked will be cast into outer darkness and eternal torment on the Day of Judgment is what the Bible tells us.  So much for the wicked.

However, many people will say “but wait! I’m not a wicked person.  I’m a good person.  I just don’t want to have anything to do with religion. (or in the case of Christians “I don’t really need to go to Church, read the Bible, defend the poor, blah, blah, blah…) I don’t want to say I’m a sinner.  I don’t sin.  I don’t even think that there is such a thing as sin so how can you judge me?”   Really?  Jesus said that there is NO ONE good but the Father in Heaven.  Proverbs 3:7 says “Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil”.  This implies that by believing your own desire to be right rather than seeking God’s perspective, you have done evil.

The Apostle James says “To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin”.  This great truth eliminates all the other excuses that people have for not taking care of the poor, their neighbors and even their own family ESPECIALLY if they call themselves Christians.

Jesus, the Son of Man and Son of God, accepted His purpose to be vilified, scourged and hung to die on the Cross to be a propitiation, a SUBSTITUTE for each one of us wretched sinners and endured the shame for the JOY that was set before Him!  What was that JOY?  The sure knowledge that those that would desire a relationship with God could and would come to Him and lay their burdens/sins at the Cross in humility and rise up to an earthly life of Godly power through prayer and supplication, and on THROUGH death unto ETERNAL LIFE.  THAT is why God allowed sin and death to enter the world though the disobedience of the first Adam… So that despite the BAD choices many who knew the difference between good and evil would make, there would come out of the world the true FAMILY OF GOD who would make the GOOD choice to follow Jesus and forever LIVE!

In the Might of His Spirit, in His Love, with blessing,

John Henry Raskin

Roadhouse Rabbi

With the new “christian” administration’s War on Compassion (I’m reading between the lines here but you have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to see it), I feel compelled to take the Trumpet that God gave me and blow it very loudly to wake up the sleeping Body of Christ.

Why are you more concerned about your “safety” and your comfortable lifestyle than you are about God’s Word?  Are we not called to be defenders of the weak?  God does not need us to defend Him in the schools, or the Government buildings by assuring that the word “God” is used regularly there.  Our children will know God when they see us taking up our crosses daily and walking with the integrity we have in Christ Jesus!

The Lord gave us clear instructions as to how we are to conduct ourselves.  America has been blessed by God not for it’s merit but by Grace alone.    Should we not also display Grace as we have been given it?  It is time for America to bless God in the way that He has requested.  God has placed us as a lampstand to be a light of freedom in the darkness of ignorance and evil that has always existed worldwide. We honor God not by paying lip-service to Him or “defending” the unborn at the expense of the mother (never mentioned in the Bible), but by honoring and giving wholeheartedly to the poor and the disenfranchised among us and loving our neighbors as ourselves.  If we as believers can also get out there and help bring down the barriers to adoption of unwanted children, perhaps these mothers will not be so quick to abandon their unborn children.

John Henry Raskin, Roadhouse Rabbi

I will admit that I am always perplexed and not a little disturbed when people who have heard me preach and even those who have come to know me, will say to me “now John, I know you are very religious…” This is the preamble, undoubtedly, to some observation about the nature of religion and/or their perception of religious people.  Depending upon the specific nature of their question, my response varies, but will always contain some version of my strongly held belief that as a committed follower of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, it does not glorify my King for me to be religious in the usual, worldly sense.  After all, the Pharisees who facilitated Jesus’ death on the Cross were, arguably, the most religious people of their time, and Jesus was extremely vocal about His distaste for their narrow, self-serving adherence to legalism which was more about shutting people out, than inviting people in, to the Kingdom of Heaven.

I will usually then go on to point out that the only time religion is mentioned favorably in the Bible is by James, the (half) brother of Jesus, who said:

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” – James 1:27

Now religion as the Pharisees practiced it, and as many “religious” people do today, is more about tradition and ritual than it is about honoring God.  In fact, most who practice religion in this way do so because their parents practiced in this way and their grandparents before them and so on.  This in fact, is why it makes sense that there are baby baptisms, and other rituals claiming for the Kingdom a child too young to make their own decision about having a relationship with God.  What God desires from His people, I will always tell my friends, is a true relationship with those who want to have one with Him.

“You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:13

‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.” – Matthew 15:8

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”. – James 4:8

What God truly desires from us, in fact, is faith.  His Word says as much.

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” – Hebrews 11:6

So here is my premise, and one that I share freely when trying to draw for my friends the distinction between their perception of my religion and my real relationship with God.  A true man or woman of God is faithful as opposed to religious.   We walk with God, following as He leads, hearing from His Spirit and worshiping Him in our spirit in obedience in accordance to His truth.

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” – John 4:24

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” – Hebrews 11:1

This takes exactly the faith that I am talking about.  That faith which sees those things that God reveals in the Spirit although they don’t (yet) actually EXIST.  This is the nature of miracles.  It is the faith of the believer, not just to believe what the Spirit shows him, but to WALK OUT that belief and then and only then, does the CO-OPERATION between God and the believing saint CAUSE those things to come into existence!

A leading reason many unbelievers refuse to believe in a God who loves them, and sacrificed His Son (Himself) for them, is because of their perception of religion as men using the threat of a vengeful God to control other men.  This is understandable given the way “religion” has been applied and practiced throughout history by power mongers who used religion for their own ends.  Yet throughout history real men and women of faith have worked behind the scenes, pulling innocents out of the fire, feeding, clothing and sheltering the poor and hungry, and preaching the truth of the Gospel to the captives in darkness, to set them free.

There is another reason that causes people to shun a relationship with God, and also, frankly, often causes those who want to believe, from fully grasping that relationship with God which would spur them to action.  The Bible is full of promises of protection from enemies, freedom from disease, hunger and all kinds of trouble, and yet we/they find themselves going through trials constantly.  This then causes a dichotomy that creates a dissonance between their “reality” and the reality of God’s promises.  They just can’t seem to reconcile it.  Here is where faith comes in.

Faith IS the bridge between God’s promises and man’s reality.  Faith IS the bridge between sinful earth and Holy Heaven.  Faith (and specifically faith in Jesus Christ the Son of Man and the Son of God) IS the bridge between sinful man and a Righteous God.  God Himself built that bridge when He sent Jesus to die at our hands FOR our sins.  God Himself made the ultimate (and final) sacrifice for us, who did not deserve it, that we may have a way back to Him.  Jesus, without sin, did what only He could do to save us, sinners beyond self-redemption.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8

We are all prodigal children, sinners who have fallen into idolatry at the very least.  Our Heavenly Father, knowing that there was no way that we could come to Him in our fallen state, came to us in the person of the Son of Man, the Messiah.   Jesus came to us to be our sacrifice, the propitiation for sin, because He loved us so much.

“And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” – Luke 15:20

Nothing pleases a loving father more than when his son or daughter acknowledges and receives that love, and even more so, demonstrates that love by loving their siblings in a real and palpable way.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” – John 13:34

It is the acknowledgement of this great gift of love (Jesus’ sacrifice) and our gratitude and expression of love towards God that allows us to receive this great salvation (eternal life AND temporal joy, peace and strength while we live) and the outpouring of that love towards our fellow men and women, that glorifies God and reveals our true Kingdom nature.

“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for our brethren.” – 1John 3:16

So… when I said “yes” to my Lord Jesus Messiah did I become a “religious” man?  No.  I maintain that I become, for the first time, a man faithful to my true purpose.  I crossed the bridge that God had made in faith.  Now I am a Kingdom man pouring light and salt into a dark and tasteless world.  Thank You Father for Your Grace, Mercy and Love towards me.  The question isn’t how religious am I, but how much do I love God and love other people.  Who will cross that bridge of faith with me?  That is the real question.

In Joy and the Love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

John Henry Raskin

Roadhouse Rabbi

Luke 2: ⁷ And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

⁸ And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

⁹ And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

¹⁰ And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

¹² And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men

Matt. 1:22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

When I said “yes” to Jesus at age 43 and received Him as Lord of my life, one of the first things I remembered was Linus’ speech from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” telling Charlie Brown and all the little kids who ridiculed him the true story of the birth of Our Savior from the Gospel of Luke.  He ended by saying,  ”…and that, Charlie Brown, is what Christmas is all about”.  The year I first heard this was 1965 and I was a 13 year old Jewish boy who had recently gone through my “Bar-Mitzvah”.  I remember hearing the words of Luke in Linus’ little innocent voice and having a moment of hope that Messiah had come.  That hope was delivered 30 years later when I stopped resisting and said “yes” to my Lord through the orchestration and power of the Holy Spirit.  The Bible says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God.  …and so it was for me.

We often hear people say at Christmas time that “Jesus is the reason for the season” and we who believe and follow Him know that this is true.  He is truly Immanuel, “God with us”.  He promised us, His disciples, that He would never leave us or forsake us.  Moreover, He extended His invitation to eternity and the Abundant Life of the power and joy of the Lord in this life and forever to EVERYONE, such as would receive Him as Lord of their lives.

Jesus is all that the Bible represents Him to be.  The eternal God, having taken on the form of a man, tempted as we are yet sinless before the Father, having come into human life as a helpless babe, to grow in stature before God and faithful men, to be reviled and hunted by religious power-mongers who refused to recognize Him but tested Him, tortured Him and finally killed Him and Who, in victory, finally and forever, was resurrected to be the Risen Lord who rules and reigns from the Throne of Grace.   His gift of salvation and the Holy Spirit is available to everyone, without exception.  All anyone has to do is believe and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and then walk that out in Love.

Here is what I desire to bring to the unbelieving world in this coming year… That in me they may get a view through the window of Heaven, that I would be a vessel of His Grace and Mercy to be poured out on all those that the Lord puts in my path, to be an ambassador of the true Kingdom, extending His Hand of Grace at the end of my own arm to the undeserving, as He did for me.

This is the message I will bring:

What we are all longing for, deep down inside, is not just Christmas, but Christ; not only merriment, but the Messiah; not our own goodwill, but God’s Will; not expensive presents, but His Presence in our lives.  Anyone or anything short of that will disappoint, but He will never disappoint.

For Him it is all about you.  For us, let it be all about Him by loving each other this Christmas and throughout the year.  That is what this season is all about Charlie Brown. It is about Immanuel, God is with us.

In the Power of His Love and Truth,

John Henry Raskin

Roadhouse Rabbi

When my adult daughter Chelsea, was a little girl, from age 3 to around 8, she had a series of pet hamsters.  As most people who have had rodents for pets know, they don’t live very long lives.  There was one hamster whom we named “Spiffy”, who had a really strong and engaging personality.  Spiffy was intensely curious and had no fear.  Once I saw Spiffy back a 12-pound cat up in fear and confusion when he bared his teeth at her as if to say, “stay out of my face or you are going to be sorry”.

Spiffy and Chelsea and I would spend a lot of time together around Chelsea’s bedtime, where we would read and act out story books, do comedy routines (often with Chelsea as the ventriloquist and Spiffy as her “dummy”) and sing songs (while Spiffy danced).  Spiffy’s personal favorite pastime was one we liked to call “taking a walk of a thousand miles on a single hand”.  For this I would hold Spiffy in the palm of my left hand and he would start walking towards my fingers.  When he reached the end of my fingers, Spiffy would always keep walking, and my right hand would come up, just as an injurious fall would have been evident had I not, and Spiffy would just keep on truckin’.  He would then walk to the end of my right hand and again, just keep walking, apparently confident that the “road” he was traveling was steady and sure.  My left hand would then come up on cue and Spiffy would have an uninterrupted journey as I kept repeating the motion with my hands, sometimes for 15 minutes and many “hamster miles”.

Spiffy passed away at a little over two years old (about average for hamsters) and shortly thereafter, as it was, I gave my life to Jesus.  As I have said in previous blogs, I don’t know how He did it, but the Lord revealed Himself to me at the perfect time in my life to say “yes” to Him and mean it.  There were several “yesses” as it happens.  The first “yes” was to my friend Tony’s question “John, do you believe that Jesus is the Messiah and that He died on a cross for your sins because you cannot stand before a Holy and a Righteous God without a Savior?”  The second yes came almost instantly after that, as the Holy Spirit hit me and showed me the 43 years of my life previously… This time I said a resounding “yes” to this question… “Are you through with living life as your own master and may I now take My rightful place as Lord of your life?”  The third “yes” came a couple of years later, after He had given me a new heart and my mind was beginning to be renewed, in love with the poor and hurting around me.  That question was… “Will you take up YOUR cross and follow me?”  That one was harder, because now I had steeped myself in God’s Word for two and a half years and I mean DEEP, and so I knew exactly what that yes would require, and potentially cost me.  Again, the Lord knew His servant and as it turns out, I was prepared to answer that question also with a “yes” that truly meant, “yes”!

So you ask, what does all this have to do with a hamster named Spiffy? Well, it was something the Lord showed me right after I said yes for the third and final time. He said “John, some have the faith of a lion. Some have the faith of an eagle. I have given you the faith of a hamster. Whenever you come to the end of my Hand, so that you cannot see where the next resource of money, friendship, wisdom, strength, or support of any kind is coming from, you will know to just keep walking. Be like Spiffy. Have hamster faith.” I have been at the end of all these things several times since and God has never failed, in twenty-one years, to bring up His other hand exactly at the perfect time because I have never failed to just keep walking, praying and joyful sure, but mostly WALKING. The ministry which He has birthed in this servant has thrived. Many have been saved. Many have been encouraged. Soldiers for Christ have been raised up and started cadres of their own. It has been an amazing journey of a thousand miles on One Hand.  

Thank You Jesus.  Thank you Spiffy.

Isaiah 40:31 – But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew
their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and
not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Psalm 63:8 – My soul follows close behind You; Your right
hand upholds me.

Isaiah 41:10 – Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed,
for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold
you with My righteous right hand.

With love and gratitude for Jesus and His Whole Body,

John Henry Raskin, Roadhouse Rabbi 

Now that the 21^st century is well into it’s 16^th year, it is becoming increasingly more evident that the enemy of our souls, the prince of the power of the air, the god of this age, satan, to whom has been given power over the unbelieving world, has been ramping up for an ever greater assault on seeker and believer alike.  As the darkness encroaches ever more brazenly, we see the world reacting to the tune the enemy is playing, fear.

Now I have to ask why it is that there are some who profess their religion as Christianity who are in the forefront of this fear-fest, reacting to every news report, rumor, political-pandering from the Left or Right that comes from dubious or downright suspicious sources, with terror, anger, judgment, violence, or all of the above.  The Christian Religious Right is screaming that we must “fight fire with fire” and “make America great again” while the Christian Liberal Left is celebrating the LGBT life options as if homosexuality and sexual re-assignment are not put in the same sin-category by God Himself as Adultery, Blasphemy, Idolatry and Fornication.

Politically, this can be seen as Left and Right thinking. Obviously this reactive thinking pits these two ideologies against each other, thereby pitting people (including Christians) against each other.   But please believe me when I say this in the authority that is directly from the Source of all Truth AND Love… THIS IS A LIE FROM THE PIT OF HELL.  Politics and Religion have become two sides of the same accursed coin.  They both fall into divisive categories, pitting God’s children against each other.

Let’s call it like God sees it!  The Right and the Left extremes are the lieutenants of satan.  The people that follow them are pawns of the evil one.  It has always been satan’s lie to men that they can be self-reliant and don’t need a relationship with God.

The extreme Political Right worships money through self-interest and self-reliance (NOT God –reliance) Jesus calls this idol Mammon and says you cannot serve Him and also this idol.

The extreme Political Left worships sexual idolatry, claiming their “rights” to live whatever way they want without being “accountable” to God or other people, up to and including passing their children through the fire to kill them that they might continue to wallow in their own dark desires.  These acts were and are abominable to God and His Word says as much.

Now let me be clear that as a shepherd to a poor flock, and a leader in men’s Bible Studies my friends (Jesus’ friends) come in every shape, size and color, every sexual orientation, and every condition of health, wealth, politics, religion and intelligence. I will always personally love the sinner (whatever the sin) but I will add God’s Truth to the mix by calling their sin (and mine) for what it is, sin.  We who really are followers of Jesus are called to speak the truth always, and in the Grace and Love of the Holy Spirit.

The Lord revealed to me a long time ago through the book of Job, that while satan is surely the enemy of our souls, he is also just another card in God’s glorious Deck (call him the Joker), to be allowed to put us through temptations and trials to get us to the Valley of Decision, where our decision is our own choice.  When we choose to say yes to our own evil desires, we invariably go through more trials, but when we say yes to Jesus, the lover of our souls, we may still go through trials, but find that through them we have grown and are better equipped to resist and overcome when satan comes around again with the next temptation.

Here’s what I believe about the true Body of Christ, God’s Israel, the Called according to His Purpose… If we have confessed the Lord Jesus Messiah, as our personal Lord and Savior, and take up our cross daily as He asked us to do, and put on the full Armor of God through the washing of His Word and submission to His Will every day, then we have power in this place that is far greater than those who follow the lies of the prince of the world or those who are just sitting on the fence waiting for something they don’t understand to save them.

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. – 1 John 4:4

With this power, in Christ Jesus, given to us through the Holy Spirit, we are able to RESPOND in the spirit instead of REACT in the flesh to what is happening around us.

Let me break this down…  The nature of the flesh is to REACT to circumstances that happen constantly around us.  The flesh only knows two ways to REACT.  Fight or flight.  When something perceived as “bad” comes along we can either run from it to flee or run towards it to fight it.  We see people do these things every day.  When something scares them, they either go into denial (hide from it) or they look for a weapon to fight against it.   Left-flight and Right-fight.

While it is true that we are here on earth in the flesh, our true nature is spirit and is perfected in Christ Jesus.  We do not have to REACT in the flesh!   As walking followers of the Lord, as His servants in whom the power of the Holy Spirit lives, we are able to RESPOND in the spirit!  We are not called to look down upon each other, or to build walls against each other and certainly not to hate each other.  We are called to submit to God in all things, and in His Love, to submit to one another while bringing His Truth to light for the edification of all the world!

People are NOT your enemy.  Brethren I implore you.  Do not be deceived.  We are ONE in Christ Jesus.  To have fellowship with God and fellowship with each other is why we were created.

Please read and meditate upon these scriptures below in this order and let the Holy Spirit speak to you of the hidden things of God…

2 Timothy 3:1-4
But know this, that in the last days, perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

2 Timothy 4:3,4
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, they will turn their ears away from the truth

Isaiah 5:20-21
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight.

Proverbs 4:27
Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.  

Ephesians 6:12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Romans 12:19
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.  

Matthew 5:38,39
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

2 Timothy 1:7
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

1 Peter 5:8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

2 Corinthians 4:1-3
…As we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.  But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 

Ephesians 2:1-4
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.  

Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

1 Corinthians 16:13, 14
Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.  Let all that you do be done with love. (My personal Battle Commission)

These are perilous times beloved.  We are called to be the Light and Salt in this dark and tasteless world.  Let us pray without ceasing.  When we see, hear or feel something that our spirit tells us is wrong, let us not fear it, let us not hate it, let us not ridicule it or be disgusted by it.  Let us instead PRAY down the walls of the enemy with whatever faith we have in the Love AND Truth of the Living God remembering that we are ONE in Christ Jesus!

In His ever present Grip of Grace,

John Henry Raskin, Roadhouse Rabbi

It is Memorial Day 2016.  It’s a great day to remember, think and write about my dad, Bernard Raskin, Staff Sergeant, Communications, 507^th Regiment, 82^nd Airborne, Normandy on D-Day, 101^st Airborne, Battle of the Bulge, American hero.

This blog is a perfect place to remember this man as he not only lived his life as a friend, mentor and inspiration to many in his worldly persona as a free-thinking, secular Jewish man for the preponderance of his 94 years, but because he gave his life to the Lord Jesus, Messiah, three weeks before he died.

My dad Bernie had many laurels in the world, and yet was one of the most humble, inclusive, friendly, caring and egalitarian people I have ever known.  Here is an excerpt from his obituary from 2008.

“Bernard was born in Seattle Washington to Henry and Mary Raskin, on September 24, 1913.  Bernie was a Journalism graduate of CCNY in New York City and fought bravely in World War II with the 507th Regiment, attached to the 82nd Airborne Division on D-Day and the 101st Airborne at the Battle of the Bulge.  Bernard was awarded both the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

A gifted publicist and writer, Bernard was Vice President of Public Relations for the National Maritime Union, and the Editor of it’s weekly paper, The Pilot, throughout much of the 50’s,60’s and 70’s and was also active as a public relations officer in the early days of the AFL-CIO. He had interacted with Mayors, Governors and Presidents, and had notably been a part of a delegation of American Labor dignitaries to Communist Russia to meet with then-Premiere Nikita Kruschev in 1960.  His brother, A.H. Raskin was the Op-Ed page editor of the New York Times, and a noted authority on the American Labor Movement.

In his retirement for the past thirty years, Bernard was a poet, play-write and humorist, and was active in writer’s groups in both Del Mar and in Newhall California, where he participated in many publications at Mira Costa College and the Newhall Senior Center.”

As I was blessed to be this man’s only son and his best friend in the last 10 years of his life, I can attest to my dad’s honesty, integrity, genuineness and will say without irony that he exhibited most, if not all of the Kingdom qualities that Paul describes in the “called according to His purpose” as those that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit imparts.   These are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control.  Bernie Raskin exhibited all of these before he ever became a professed believer in the Lord Jesus.

I have eluded in past blogs, to my heartfelt and experience-tested belief that the “called according to God’s purpose” are the called even before they say “yes” to Jesus through the heart-agreement and verbal assent with the Holy Spirit that lives, albeit in some dormant until that day, within them.  The angels bear them up, and the Lord opens doors for them for peace and not for evil, and they do good works prepared beforehand for them just as do those of us who have come to faith and received our salvation by calling on the Name of Jesus.  (Psalm 91:9-12, Jer. 29:11, Eph. 2:10, Joel 2:32)

Many that we walking believers meet in our daily lives are those very “saints before the fact”.  My dad was one of those who really could be called a good person who loved his neighbor, cared for the poor, and was a humble and meek true gentleman who had integrity in all of his business and personal affairs, giving freely of his talents and abilities to those whom God put in his path.

For years, my dad professed to be an atheist, but when pressed, he would always allow that he was really more of an agnostic, one who did not know if there was such a thing/person as God, but who would always want to do the right thing by his fellow man regardless.  I believe now, having walked with the Lord for over 20 years, that God bears with those undecided “future saints” in their unbelief, because they have love for their neighbor, as did the Samaritan man in Jesus’ parable.  Is it because God, in His transcendence, who foreknew the saints, and resides with them in His glorious Sabbath rest even now, knows us before and after our heart conversion on earth simply as His saints? (Romans 8:28-30)  I like to think this is so, although knowledge of that is too high for me.

My dad, who lived with me for the last 8 years of his life, always listened intently to my stories of God’s healing and restorative miracles among my poor flock with tears of gladness and true hope.  Yet, when I asked him if he wanted to become a believer in Christ in truth and with his mouth, he would always gently decline, citing his loyalty to those who died in the concentration camps of the holocaust as his primary reason.  I find this to be an overriding factor in the decisions of many secular Jewish Americans in refusing to open their hearts to Messiah.  I have spoken of this in previous blogs and will go deeper in future ones, but suffice it to say that this is a world-constructed wall of the enemy that we, the Body of Christ, must make it a daily practice to come against and pray down.

In any event, to the Glory of God and my father’s eternal benefit, he had a conversation with my beautiful wife Donna, whom he loved, when he was well into the beginning stages of what was to be his demise, about the love of God and how accepting Messiah as his Lord and Savior did not negate his identity as one of God’s Chosen People, but simply solidified it in the act of using his free will to choose Him back.  Two weeks later, after his last transfusion, literally minutes before receiving his final death sentence from his Hospitalist, to my joy, my dad asked me what he could do about “my Friend”.  I smiled at him and said “you mean Jesus?” and he said “yes”.  I then led him gently to the Lord and gave him some scriptures to meditate upon which he began to do when the Hospitalist knocked on the door, asked me into the hall, and told me that my dad had 2 weeks to live.

Three weeks later, my dad died in my arms.  He was in a medicated coma, but the last time he looked at me I said to him, “Dad, I know how much you love me and you love looking into my face.  Just know that when you take your last breath and leave this place, you will be looking directly at the One who loves you even more than I do and who is far more beautiful.  You will be looking into the Face of Jesus, the Lover of your soul.”  Moments later he was gone.

Happy Memorial Day to all of you who served.  May you all know the love of the Living God in peace forever.

In His Love Abundant and Unchanging,

John Henry Raskin, Roadhouse Rabbi

Well… the Word of God says that it “rains on the just and the unjust”.  The storms of life do happen to everyone.   This saint just found out something this week that rocked my physical world.  As a commissioned Executive Recruiter, for the past 20 years, I have been blessed to have been successful enough for us to maintain our very comfortable lifestyle and it has afforded us the privilege of giving hospitality to the saints and supporting a good number of worthy and Godly enterprises and missions in our neighborhood and around the world.

This Monday, doing a bit of forensic accounting because of a glaring discrepancy in my “draw balance”, I discovered this earth shaking truth.  My trusted partners in NY had changed my commission structure without my understanding or buy-in seven years ago and it had slowly but surely eroded my income. The total was, suffice it to say, a LOT of money (six-figures).  It is to my shame and regret that I did not catch this discrepancy sooner, but Donna and I are standing on God’s Word that Joseph spoke to his brothers “you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.” Genesis 50:20

The last couple of years have been hard for my business.  New technologies that help large corporate HR departments recruit employees while frustrating relational recruiters like me, and the current trend toward “in-house” recruiting vs. using contingency recruiters, have begun eroding my long-standing client base.  By the time a search goes out to me, it is generally because it has been so picked over that almost every viable candidate in the reasonable geographic perimeter has been contacted.  Nevertheless, I have always said that I am at the “cutting edge of God’s Will” as a commissioned recruiter who is also a volunteer pastor, doing the Lord’s work and calling every minute of the day.  In this He has always been my “Just In Time” God and delivers the right candidate at the right time, with just enough lag-time to remind me that it is He not me, who provides the increase.

So… the combination of the possibility of losing a huge piece of earned income coupled with the decline in normal business is like two barrels of the same shotgun facing us.  Here is why we are not worried…

I am equally yoked with a strong woman of God who stands in the midst of this storm with me in the same faith and trust that I have in our Redeemer Who lives.

Donna and I serve a God who loves us and who has promised us “a future and a hope” Jeremiah 29:11

Although it rains on the just and the unjust, when it rains on the unjust it may wash out their house, but when it rains on the just, it simply waters our crops.

We have great friends, soldiers and saints, who are joining us in fervent prayer for God to be glorified in the outcome of this trial.

Should we be left holding this particular empty bag, (and the dialogue is still going…  I believe my partners to be “honorable men” who made an error of judgment affecting us all, so pray with us dear friend that they will yet do what is right in God’s eyes), the Lord’s promise remains that if He has called us to this fire, He will not withdraw His hand and will keep us in the midst of the flames as He did Amaziah, Hananiah and Mishael (more popularly known as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, their detestable Babylonian names).

We are excited to see what the Lord will do with and through this hard set of circumstances.   If nothing else, it is a great opportunity for us to walk it out, in the light of the Lord and the Power of God in faith believing, before the Family of God and unbelievers alike, to the victory of the Lord, bringing Him Glory and His servant’s joy.  In other words, it gives us the opportunity to model what we have preached for so long, that God is faithful, He is great and greatly to be praised, come what may!  We get to walk it like we talk it.

In His Loving Grip,

John Henry Raskin, Roadhouse Rabbi

In previous blogs, I have mentioned my passion for the work that I have been specifically called for and privileged to do as a “Field Lieutenant” in the glorious Army of God.  It has been my joy, over the years, to be able to identify, raise up, and strap the Armor of God on many of His called who may or may not have known who they were/are in Christ Jesus prior to this contact.   Many of these soldiers were raised up from the homeless flock, and many others from the various Men’s Ministries that I have been associated with over the Spirit-activated years of my life.

One of the greatest gifts that God has given me to facilitate His Will is the ability to “see” these future servants/soldiers of God in the Spirit, through meeting their eyes on first contact.  I have thought about how to describe this sensation that always precedes what the Holy Spirit is about to do in awakening these saints to their Kingdom nature.  It is like this, I think… There is an immediate sensation of recognition that goes both ways upon meeting these individuals (both men and women), as if we have met before.  Because I have asked diligently, for many years, for the Spirit of God to sensitize me in my spirit to what His Spirit is desiring to do in me, I believe that this ability is a gift, given through the Holy Spirit, to bless many to the Glory of the Father.

Romans 8:29

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

What I have come to believe is that how this works is that we recognize each other as citizens of Heaven who have known each other before and are together in eternity even now.  How these folks take that first meeting is also like a “shock of recognition” as many have told me afterwards.  It makes sense, when you think about it, because although we are currently wearing these bodies, walking through this dark place (ideally being a source of light and salt here), simultaneously (in a way we cannot now understand) in the eternity in which Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, we are in our perfected Bodies with Him and with the entire Family of God, His Israel, in the perfect Sabbath who IS Christ Jesus.  In this sense it is “now forever” in Christ Jesus, and when we are aligned with His perfect Will through our true submission and obedience, we are truly His Hands and Instruments of His Grace right here on earth!.

Ephesians 2:10

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

There is unspeakable Joy in raising up soldiers to the Lord and being in the spiritual battles with them that our Commander-In-Chief, Jesus calls us into together.  These battles are the very trials that the world sees as trouble to be avoided at all costs, dire illness, separation between friends, division of doctrine through Pharisaical (demonic) religiosity, loss of income, etc.; these are the very filters that test and purify the saints and soldiers and those under our protection.  We battle together, an elite cadre, soldiers tested in training (His Word) and on the battlefield (prayer and support of those in need), working together, locking our Shields of Faith to make an impenetrable Wall of Protection, and we see the miracles of God’s promise on a daily basis.

James 5:15

“And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”

We who are battle-tested and who have served together, even if only in one vigil/battle have a bond that is greater than human friendship and loyalty.  We are united in Agape Love, because we have done the Will of the Father together to the Glory of God the Father! Hallelujah!

Deuteronomy 30: 11-14

“For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off.  It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us ,that we may hear it and do it?’  Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’  But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

Leviticus 26:8

Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you.

1 Chronicles 19:13

Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the Lord do what is good in His sight.”

Psalm 31:24

Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord.

Our Battle Commission

1Corinthians 16:13,14

Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.  Let all that you do be done with love.

In Love and unspeakable Joy, to all who read this, His blessing,

John Henry Raskin, Roadhouse Rabbi