Chag sameach Rosh Chodesh kol beit Yisra'el and Mishpachah! Another biblical month has ended and a new one - the third of this year - began at sunrise this morning. Each of these 'new month-days' begins astronomically at the new moon and is described in Scripture as the 'Head of the Month' or, in Hebrew, Rosh Chodesh. A new annual cycle of months begins each spring, at the spring equinox, with the first month alone being given a name, Aviv, which means 'Blossoms' because it at this time in the Holy Land that the flowers burst forth as winter ends. There are 12 to 13 months a year, each of which is 29 to 30 days long. The calculation of the months decides or sets the days of each set of 4 Sabbaths and the timing of the seven annual festivals, and together all these mark out the rhythm and pace at which Yahweh's people are called to live the spiritual in all areas of life.

These cycles were made to match our natural biological rhythms and vice versa, something that the ladies with their distinctive monthly cycles are perhaps the most aware of. So we were designed to optimally function in this pattern. This calendar of new moons, sabbaths and annual observances, instituted by our Heavenly Father at the very beginning of time, and easily plottable from the First Exodus for those who can be bothered to find out how Israel used to live, is not an option but a mitzvah or a command and once you have understood it, you are, as one who professes belief in Elohim (God), obliged to follow and live it. Those who refuse, having obtained a sure testimony, are walking in disobedience and therefore in our Heavenly Father's displeasure. They are out of harmony with the created order and it is they who ultimately lose out on multiple counts.

Today many of us, who observe this divine moed or appointment of Yahweh according to the mitzvah (commandment), changed clothes. I always put on a new set of clothes at Rosh Chodesh to indicate that I am willing to make a course correction in my life if it's needed. Some of us call Rosh Chodesh the 'Day of the Nevi'im (Prophets)' because we learn in Scriture that this day was set-apart to consult the nevi'im (prophets) to seek revelation and advice. And though, of course, Israel's nevi'im (prophets) used to minister every day of the week, including, and importantly, on the sabbaths and special annual gatherings or festivals, it was always understood that today was an especially blessed day for getting important issues resolved that had perhaps not found resolution at the other times of the month. In other words, Yahweh, in His loving-kindness, knowing how hard we struggle with the perplexities of life and the questions these raise, decided to provide 12 to 13 days a year in which to render the veil between heaven and earth thinner to enable the resolution of some of the harder questions we face. This isn't just a day on which to assemble and get a pep talk or a sermon - today is a day to get answers to pressing questions through those called to transcend the veil and live on both sides of it which we may have struggled unsuccessfully on our own to get. And ultimately, all believers are called to do that. But in the meantime, while we grow, we need prophetic tutors.

I guess you could say, then, that this sacred, holy, set-apart day has been given to further enable Yahweh's people to better commune with Him, facilitated and aided by His servants the nevi'im (prophets). And if there are no authentic nevi'im (prophets) - whether they're absent altogether or whether there are those claiming to be nevi'im (prophets) but aren't - then aside from being a timing mechanism to establish the correct positioning of Yahweh's feasts and appointments, Rosh Chodesh can serve no purpose whatsoever; and anyone claiming to believe in a 'Restoration' in truth has not found it yet...at least not in its fullness. Ironically, neither the Campellite Churches of Christ denomination nor the Mormons (and doubtless some other groups too), both of whom claim to be 'Restorationist' churches, observe Rosh Chodesh. Why not? Because they're not 'restored' churches.

A community or church without prophetic revelation to guide it, is anchorless and has no idea where it is going. It is like a boat without a tiller or rudder aimlesslty drifing in the sea of time, tossed about by every spiritual current and gust of wind. A symptom of such aimlessness on the part of spiritual communities naming Christ is that there is therefore a lack of constancy, something we have talked about a lot in our current Book of Revelation course. The 144,000 are, above all else, constant, like the Elohim (God) they serve. If the Torah is our life-chart then prophetic revelation is our direction-finder to set us straight whenever we deviate from the course Yahweh has set us on; and that, as I think we all know, is very, very common. If no course corrections are made over a longish period of time then, in spite of having this book called the Bible securely in our hands and oft read for guidance, then it is not long before Christian souls start getting lost and find themselves storm-tossed on various strange beaches and dangerous rocks.

Today, like I do every Rosh Chodesh, I asked Yahweh what He wanted me to tell you. I received no answer until around 5 a.m. this morning. I know better than to present you with anything until He has clearly spoken; experience has taught me that, if I am tuned to Him, that He always gives me an answer, because today is the day which I, as a minister, am called to wear the navi's (prophet's) hat, whether I like it or not. And though foretelling or predicting the future is certainly part and parcel of the navi's (prophet's) writ, it is neither the only nor even the main part. The main job of the one ministering on this day is to forthtell what Yahweh wants congregations and individuals to hear. And ideally, though it's not always the case (particularly in times of apostacy), there should always be confirmations by two or three witnesses in such a gathering as this one, so as to add legitimacy to the message. When I asked Him at the crack of dawn to tell me what to speak about, He gave me one word only: "You". That is, me, because any revelation received and shared contains something of the revelator himself. And my job, and the job description of every minister on this New Month Day, is simply to be His mouthpiece or to be silent.

I love Rosh Chodesh if for no other reason than Yahweh extends a special gift of grace - undeserved loving kindness - and allows me to see some things I wouldn't ordinarily be allowed to see. Normally I would answer your specific questions today but as no one has fielded any, I am going to obey His davar (word) to me this morning and tell you about 'me'. I wasn't sure what exactly he meant by that until I started preparing this message. You see, I, like you, am being sent spiritual instruction from heaven every day...if we will but choose to listen. That is, however, a choice. Hearing itn't automatic. Most don't want to listen to Him, either because they're too lazy to invest the time and effort to do so, or because they're scared of the responsibility of hearing right because they don't want to deceive themselves and others. But like all things, practice makes perfect. So just do it, and do it with real intent devoid of insincerity and superficiality.

To help you fine-tune your skills in hearing Heavenly Father speak to you through His Ruach (Spirit), I want to throw some words into that mental net called your brain which I hope will then sink into your heart and edify your spirit. These aren't just any old words but were given by revelation a very long time ago. They should be meditated on and thoroughly digested. These are not words that were given to me personally but to a very wise philosopher-king of old while he was still in right-relationship with Yahweh, a man operating in a gift given Him by the Almighty at His personal request, a gift which it pleased the Almighty to give to him and which he used to great effect in the service of his country (1 Ki.4:29-34; 5:12). This will also be, in part, I hope, a deeper revelation to you as to what precisely it is the Ruach haQodesh or Holy Spirit actually imparts, and what a 'Spirit-filling' really results in. These words are largely descriptions of qualities which those who love Yahweh obtain in ways that others can see, so there is nothing abstract about them. These things you can observe and delight in. The man imparting this knowledge was Solomon, the book in which it is recorded is the Wisdom of Solomon [1] and the Name of the Ruach (Spirit) who imparted it to him, and who seeks to impart the same to us, is known in Hebrew as Hochmah and in Greek as Sofia. This is one of the many Names of the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit); She will help you in your quest to discern all truth.

I am going to let Solomon introduce this material and then share the actual teaching with you. I am using the Jerusalem Bible translation which I consider to be especially beautiful:

"May Elohim (God) grant me (Solomon) to speak as He (Yahweh) would wish
and express thoughts worthy of His gifts,
since He Himself is the guide of Wisdom (Hochmah, Sofia, Ruach haQodesh),
since He directs the sages (wise ones).
We are indeed in His hand, we ourselves and our words,
with all our understanding, too, and technical knowledge.
It was He who gave me true knowledge of all that is,
who taught me the structure of the world and the properties of the elements,
the beginning, the end and the middle of the times,
the alteration of the solstices and the succession of the seasons,
the revolution of the year and the positions of the stars,
the natures of animals and the instincts of wild beasts,
the powers of spirits and the mental processes of men,
the varieties of plants and the medical properties of roots.
All that is hidden, all that is plain, I have come to know,
instructed by Wisdom who designed them all."

Then he goes on with his instruction that I particularly want to share with you this morning:

"For within Her is a spirit intelligent, qadosh (holy),
unique, manifold (having many variations), subtle,
active, incisive, unsullied (unpolluted),
lucid (clear), invulnerable, benevolent, sharp,
irresistible, beneficient (doing good, active kindness), loving to man,
steadfast, dependable, unperturbed,
almighty, all-surveying,
penetrating all intelligent, pure and most subtle spirits;
for Wisdom is quicker to move than any motions;
She is so pure, She pervades and permeates all things.

"She is a breath (ruach) of the power of Elohim (God),
pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty;
hence nothing impure can find a way into Her,
She is a reflection of the eternal light [of Christ],
untarnished mirror of Elohim's (God's) active power,
image of His goodness.

"Although alone, She can do all;
Herself unchanging, She makes all things new.
In each generation She passes into qadosh (holy, set-apart) souls,
She makes them friends of Elohim (God) and nevi'im (prophets);
for Elohim (God) loves only the man who lives with Wisdom.
She is indeed more splendid than the sun,
She outshines all the constellations;
compared with [natural] light, She takes first place,
for [natural] light must yield to night,
but over Wisdom evil can never triumph.
She deploys He strength from one end of the earth to the other,
ordering all things for good" (Wisdom of Solomon 7:15-8:1, JB).

This, brethren and sisters, is the spirit of Rosh Chodesh by whose qualities, each month, we are to reset our own spirits that may have wandered away from these things. These are the qualities and characteristics of the Ruach haQodesh (Holt Spirit) that animate and direct all true nevi'im (prophets) and all true talmidim (disciples) of the Master Yah'shua the Messiah (Lord Jesus Christ), put into words by the earthly mesiter or master of wisdom, King Solomon himself, before he departed from his own counsel and fell. And if he can fall, so too can any one of us. That is why we need to be reminded of these things regularly.

So if any of you is becoming dull of mind, heart or spirit, then a re-tune into Wisdom - Hochmah or Sofia - which is one of the Names of the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit), who is our Heavenly Mother, is urgently needed. And if you have become possessed of any spirit that opposes these qualities, then you are under the influence of one or more false spirits, and must needs make urgent life course-corrections...which is another way of saying 'repent'; for that, as you must know, is what the Hebrew teshuvah means...to change direction. And that, brothers and sisters, is what Rosh Chodesh is all about.

There is an urgent need for some course correction right now. Storms such as are coming are best faced head-on, and not sideways. When Mount Krakatoa, in the Sunda Strait of what is today Indonesia, exploded back in 1883 between 20 May and 21 October, it generated a huge tsunami that killed some 36,000 people. The volcanic ash it spewed out blackened the sky for years. In the middle of all this there was a Dutch steamer at sea that was caught up in the drama. In fact, they made a docu-movie about this in 2006 called, Krakatoa: The Last Days, that's worth seeing. And though the instinct of everyone on board was to try and outrun the wave by fleeing from it to safe harbour - an impossibility - the captain knew better, and to the horror of crew and passengers alike, steamed directly towards and into the monster wave. Because of the captain's presence of mind, that boat survived, as we shall if we do not lose our composure or abandon our wits and common sense, and embrace all that Wisdom would teach us. Therefore I make mention of this to you today because this is what I choose to do.

You see, I have been going through such an overwhelming health crisis, as most of you know, that part of me just wants to run. But the message I have been given clearly is that I must face what is, and rather than run, steam directly ahead, all the while trusting in Yahweh's deliverance. In many desperate matters like this we really have no other choice unless we are willing to recklessly pursue a death-wish which Yahweh absolutely forbids us to do! However, rather than just be resigned to whatever it is that is distressing us, His message to us - and my message to you - today is: head directly into that storm with courage and faith and do not look back! - do not, I repeat, look back, because the past is dead and can give you nothing whatsoever other than more grief; the present is the only real thing, and the future is our only true hope - a future in Christ. Yahweh is fully and squarely in the present - meet Him there.

May you be resolute and strong in this, exercising much faith, because on the other side of the rapidly approaching tsunami of evil and chaos, for which you should now be well and truly prepared, lots of good things - very, very good things - are waiting us all. But if you flee and get caught side-on, you will be deluged and not survive. So face forwards boldly in Christ, never waivering, and not doubting in His provision. That is my message to you today in Yah'shua's (Jesus') Name. Amen.

Endnotes

[1] Though apocryphal, the Wisdom of Solomon is regarded by messianic Evangelicals as inspired and is treated as secondary canon by us on par with the other wisdom literature of the Bible like Proverbs and Ecclesiastes