A Reclaimed Species

A Reclaimed Species
The Kedoshim
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Dearly beloved of God,
At the beginning of July, I sent this message to you, because the Lord used it to change the way I thought and prayed. A few weeks later, I simplified it to share at a large retreat. I think this version is clearer in its simplicity, and so I am re-sending it to you. Why? Because it is important for us to understand and be reminded of who we are. When I know who I am in Yeshua (Jesus), I can better navigate the adversity around me.

So it was with Daniel and his friends in 530-605 BC. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were strong young sons of Israel who were taken into exile into a pagan land to serve the pagan king Nebuchadnezzar. The king’s chief officer gave them new names after the pagan gods – Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; But they did not forget their true names that reflected who they really were:

• Daniel – God is my Judge
• Hananiah – God is gracious
• Mishael – Who is like God?
• Azariah – God is my Helper

Rather than prisoners in exile, these men became faithful ambassadors of the God of Heaven!

I’ve written extensively at Shale Fragments about who we are in Him.[1] This writing is a small but powerful addition to those thoughts. So, first, let me tell you about the setting where I shared this message, because it was a reflection of the very message I was to give:

The Setting
The retreat was held in a barn in a rural, misty setting. This barn was no small structure. The massive, high beams were a cathedral that covered a very special gathering – a distinct species – the kedoshim.

The barn had not been completed and so had never been used. It had no walls. Only the middle of the roof was in place allowing us to see the tops of the trees and the sun breaking through the mist from the deluge of rain that had come the night before and into the morning. The beams of the roof were glorious, like an arch of His favor over us. Through the mist in the air, the unseasonably cool breeze, Cynthia’s gentle prayers, the dancers’ fire-like flags, and the whirring of Lorna’s flags like the sound of angels’ wings, Father gifted us with a tangible awareness of His presence. I was honored to share this message under this structure – the host and hostess’s first-time offering of it to the Lord!

The Message
Jesus said, “You must be born again to see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)  Who is born again?

The Apostle John tells us – Whoever receives Yeshua the Messiah and His sacrifice on our behalf, He gives the right (exousia – privilege, power, authority) to become (ginomai – arise, be born into) children of God… (John 1:12-13)  Our Father births us into His family – the kedoshim.

Kedoshim is the Hebrew word for holy ones, saints, the faithful, believers. I love the word kedoshim. It gives me a strong sense of the family I belong to. We are the kedoshim – a very special tribe. We are so different from one another all over the world! But we are one. A species shining up to the heavens like stars from the globe. We are a reclaimed species. So, what is a species? Here is the Webster’s New World College Dictionary definition:

A species is a distinct kind or class; a naturally existing population of similar organisms that interbreed among themselves and are given a unique name to distinguish them from all other creatures.

I’ve heard Christians say, “The only difference between you and me is that I am forgiven” when talking with someone who doesn’t know Jesus. Dear friends, we are indeed gloriously forgiven, but we are so much more! Do we understand the enormity of our new birth that brought us into this transformed family? As followers of Yeshua, we have been imbued with the Ruach, the very breath of God we call the Holy Spirit “that we might know the things freely given to us by God.” (1 Corinthians 2:10-12)   This is amazing! – Almighty God indwells us and shares His thoughts with us so we can share life with Him! Indeed, we are distinct and wonderful! And no one is excluded! All are welcome to receive Him!

The following verses unfold to reveal this truth that we have been birthed into a new species with a distinct name – the kedoshim! Please follow along with each of these 5 steps:

Genesis 1:1-3
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over (the Hebrew for moving over means brooding over) the surface of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” 

1.  Elohim, Creator God, birthed light by His word!

Genesis 1:26-27
“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky… and over all the earth…’ God created man in His own image… ; male and female He created them.”

2.  God created every living thing with the ability to reproduce after its own kind. Daisy blooms gave seed for more daisies. Kangaroos gave birth to baby kangaroos. Camels gave birth to baby camels. And so it was with every living thing producing after its kind, after its own species.

Then, Elohim created mankind in His image to govern His world. Man and woman were His species. They were not God, but His children, made in His likeness. They would reproduce more expressions of Himself to share His love and light with each other and the world.

But mankind turned away from Elohim and fell into sin. They were no longer expressions of His likeness. So, He gave His Son to take the penalty of the sin of all people to reclaim them. By receiving Father’s gift in Yeshua, we would receive the Ruach and be born again, reclaimed that we might express and reproduce His likeness once again.

James 1:18
“In the exercise of His will He brought us forth (apokue’ō – to breed, give birth) by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.” Born after His kind.  

3.  God willed to birth us by a word of truth from His mouth. The early disciples were the first fruits of this kind, this species – His new harvest of reclaimed creatures! And, then…

John 17:20
Yeshua prayed to the Father, “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word.”

4.  That’s you and me! We believed through the word of the kedoshim who went before us! We have also been reclaimed, made new in His likeness by the word of truth! Created a distinct kind!

2 Corinthians 4:6
“For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

5.  God birthed transforming light into our hearts, making us a new species after His kind!

Now, let’s look at the definition of species again and tweak it in light of these Scripture verses:

Dearly beloved of God, we are a distinct kind, a set-apart class; a supernaturally existing population of similar creatures with a unique name that distinguishes us from all other creatures!

November Leaves
The art image for this writing is taken from The November Art Card, I am Holy, from the Who I Am Journal Collection. On the back of this card, I write, “In November, the last leaves cling to the storm-blown trees against the cold dark skies – a symbol of our vibrance and difference in the world. Lord, wrap me in Your warm, holy light! I am Yours!”

Every time you see the fall leaves, remember who you are in Him - distinct, shining against the darkness, an expression of your Father!

And they will call them, “The holy people, the redeemed of the Lord.” (Isaiah 62:12a)

[1] For more on Who You Are, please see the writings Acute Anchor Awareness, Choice Children, Parts 1 and 2, Roadmap to Revelation, His Fullness, Kedoshim, Talmidim Favor, all the Who I Am Art Card Stories, and more.

² For more on the Holy Spirit, see my writing called HIS SIGWORK, Principle 3 of 10 - Spirit of God

Shale Fragments™ - devotionals by Beth Ann Phifer is a division of Flower Girl Greetings, LLC. ©2020, All Rights Reserved.
Blessings and love in Him,
Beth Ann