Let us talk about having right relationships. That is having relationships that are a blessing, having relationships with people in which friendliness and friendship is there and genuine love for each other occurs. You would think that in Christianity this would be the world’s easiest thing. Something funny happens in Christianity. How do I know this? Well, I know this because it happens in me. This is something I have wrestled with in the past and to some degree still do. Thankfully because I am aware of it, I am working hard on myself. I still see in myself, and in others, that what I consider to be truth (right doctrine) is very important to me. It is very important to me to be right in what I believe about G-d, His Word, and His Son. I have studied very hard in the Word of G-d to understand it. Once I think that I understand it then I am very confident of what I understand, and that is as it should be. I am confident of what I believe. Yet, I believe very differently from most Christians. I will hear ministers who are very different than I am, and they are very confident too. But what I have noticed is the confidence that we both have in what we believe builds a wall between us. That is sometimes the “truth” that I know, that I think I am sure of in G-d’s Word, creates in me an intolerance for other Christians and other people in general. Now, is that not a paradox? What I have discovered here is sometimes the truth that I know, rather than being an engine that drives love in me and produces loving relationships actually drives me from relationships. In other words, because of the truth that I know, I look at other people that do not believe like I believe and I do not bring those people into my heart by truly loving them. Is that not strange? I will say it again, sometimes the “truth” I know rather than being the engine that produces loving relationships drives me from loving relationships. I think all of us know that we are supposed to be loving. We know we are supposed to be kind to people. Why is it when we settle upon something that we believe and say, “This is what I believe; this is the truth,” that it is so hard for us to be truly kind and compassionate and loving to others and have friends that do not believe like us? I think it has to do with how we hold our doctrine in our heart. We actually elevate our doctrine over love. We elevate our doctrine over our relationship with people. Well, guess who does not do that? How about G-d? I know that nobody has more truth than G-d. G-d is the truth. When He had Scripture written, every syllable was true; and yet, I know that G-d has worked with me when I did not believe the truth on a lot of things. I see when I talk to other Messianic’s and even other denominations, that the L-rd is working through them and people are getting saved and blessed under their different beliefs . What is very apparent to me, and I hope to you, is that G-d is working in them just as He is working in me! What does that tell me? It tells me that G-d values the relationship more than the truth that they hold. Last week I was studying and I saw something that changed a point of Scripture that I had believed for a long time. This happened last week. We are changing all the time. We are getting better all the time! All of us think that we are learning more all the time; at least I hope that we are. If what we know is holding us back from being in genuine-fulfilling friendship / relationship with people, then something is wrong with the way we are relating to our doctrine. We are putting our doctrine above the love of people. A way has to be there to do both. Let’s look at [b]Matthew 9:9 and 10: “As Yeshua passed on from there he spotted a tax-collector named Mattityahu sitting in his collection booth. He said to him, "Follow me!" and he got up and followed him. While Yeshua was in the house eating, many tax-collectors and sinners came and joined him and his talmidim at the meal.”[/b] That to me is an amazing truth. Tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Yeshua. Notice it does not say Yeshua sent out the twelve to round up tax collectors and sinners. That is not what happened. All Yeshua did was go to dinner. He went and called Matthew and had a dinner, and the tax collectors and sinners came. That tells me they were very comfortable with Yeshua. They were comfortable being around him. Now, did he teach them things that were true? Yes, Absolutely he did; then, why is it when I try to teach people things that are true, sometimes people run from me. What is the difference here? I think the difference has to be in what you believe in your heart about people. For years, I kind of held the position that something was wrong with people if they did not believe the truth, or somehow they were less intelligent, or somehow they were less valuable. I am not even sure what I believed, but I know I thought they were not as good as I was. I thought they were not as valuable as I was. I was proud, and I elevated myself because I believed what was right, but I see that all over Christianity. And so many Messianic’s are out there that separate themselves from other Christians because what they believe is right. I do not see that in the life of Messiah Yeshua, and it breaks me. We talk about being broken on the “Rock of Messiah Yeshua.” Beloved, this is a point of breaking. If I do not have sinners who want to be around me, then I am not being like Messiah, because Messiah had sinners who wanted to be around him. This happened throughout his whole ministry. Let us look at a difficult piece of Scripture. [b]Matthew 11:16 and 17 - "Oh, what can I compare this generation with? They're like children sitting in the marketplaces, calling out to each other, we made happy music, but you wouldn't dance! We made sad music, but you wouldn't cry!” [/b] What is he talking about here? He is talking about people who are judging other people. People who are evaluating other people based upon what they believed and based upon their behavior. He said, “Do you know what the people of this generation are like. They are like children.” They said, “I played the flute, and you would not dance. We sang a dirge, and you would not mourn.” Let us translate that. “I taught the dead were dead, and you did not believe! I believe this, and you do not!” We become dissatisfied with people that are not on the same page with us doctrinally. Maybe I should say, “I have been dissatisfied with people or have kept people at arms length that are not on the same page with me doctrinally.” Beloved, this should not be happening. [b]Matthew 11:18 and 19 - “For Yochanan came, fasting, not drinking -- so they say, He has a demon. The Son of Man came, eating freely and drinking wine -- so they say, Aha! A glutton and a drunkard, A friend of tax-collectors and sinners! Well, the proof of wisdom is in the actions it produces."[/b] What a great verse. What is the wisdom of G-d? How about love your neighbor as yourself. How about to love like Messiah loved? We should love as Messiah loved and not criticize each other for their doctrine. Now, does that mean I do not think doctrine is important? No, I do think that doctrine is important. In fact, I see the importance of fellowshipping with like-minded believers. When like minded believers are together great power is there. I understand the practical reality that you need to fellowship with people that believe like you do. [b]Psalm 133 - "Oh, how good, how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in harmony. It is like fragrant oil on the head that runs down over the beard, over the beard of Aharon, and flows down on the collar of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon that settles on the mountains of Tziyon. For it was there that ADONAI ordained the blessing of everlasting life." An interesting tight rope is there for the minister of G-d and for the believers to be taught truth and believe it; and yet, they should not hold that truth above love in relationships. [/b] Let me show you something out of Hebrews. I want to remind you about what we just read about the religious people during the time of Messiah. They said, “We piped unto you, and you did not dance. We sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.” The people of Messiah’s time, like me, like our ministers today, and like so many believers, criticized others. “We did this, and you did not do that!” We criticize others when they do not conform to what we believe. We, as a whole, have just got to stop. It has to stop in me. It has to stop in others. I have got to be able to see people through Messiah’s eyes and realize that the person is more important than the doctrine they hold. That is why Messiah gives revelation across the board. He gives revelation to Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, Messianic’s, people with Spirit & Truth.