The One New Man

You can not imagine how utterly amazed I was when I listened to someone teach on how the gardener of an olive grove could produce a higher yield of olives from non-producing branches.

The gardener will break off non-producing branches and let them dry out in the sun for two or three years. He will then engraft other branches, even wild branches, in their place. The new branches will grow, or not, into the tree, yet they will often have a low yield. On the third year, the gardener will take the dead natural branches, that he broke off previously, and re-engraft them back next to the wild branches. The wild branches will actually take on the DNA of the native branches, and together, they will give a much higher yield of olives! Got olives?

Many of us Biblical Zionists point to Romans 9, 10 and 11 as our megaphone

to herald our Hebraic Roots – and rightfully so! But more important, is the Apostle Paul’s admonishment of our behavior as root dwellers. Paul concludes his point of the previous eleven chapters of Romans, especially his climaxing revelation of ethnic Israel being re-engrafted, with the word therefore. This means that our response or posture to his point being given should be:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

 
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

 
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

 
Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord. Therefore if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty,

give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do

not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Rom 12

 
Got olives? It’s not enough just to know something – our faith needs to

bear fruit as evidence to the truth we’re sportin’. 

Let’s move on and see if we can’t find clues to the Mystery of Christ within the Old Testament Scriptures that reveal engrafted Gentiles into the Israel of God.