2026 April « New Mexico Prayer Connect

My Former Manner Of Life In Judaism

Subject: “My Former Manner Of Life In Judaism” – May 2026 New Mexico Prayer Connect/PATH, NM/COG, NM – El Paso, TX & (SWIM) SW Indian Ministries Newsletter!

“My Former Manner Of Life In Judaism”

Galatians 1:13 For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it;

14 and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.

“In time past” or “of my earlier career” is what Paul the Apostle/Saul of Tarsus, a previous Pharisee is speaking of here, while writing under the influence of the Holy Spirit to the church/ecclesia/the called out ones in Galatia, located in modern-day Turkey. I personally could speak ‘of my former manner of life,’ what some would call my B.C. days, meaning: Before Christ, but I wouldn’t want to throw you off track by hanging out my dirty laundry, for you might get a judgmental spirit and the word of God would say, ‘Such were some of you,’ so I’ll spare you my past shortcomings, because now, according to scripture, I am ‘a new creation in Christ/Messiah!’ The bible warns us of doctrines of men and demons, but Paul wrote most of the books in the new testament and many of the doctrines of God in the body of Christ today come to us from him, so much so that Martin Luther brought a reformation to the world through Paul’s writings in Romans, standing on the truth that we are saved or come to salvation “In Christ Alone!”

While writing his letter to the church in Ephesus, situated in the Central Aegean region of Turkey, where the Temple of Artemis (Known as the Artemision): One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, where the Ephesians cried out for two hours, “Great is Artemis,” marking a major religious uproar against Paul the Apostle’s ministry, because Demetrius the Silversmith feared Paul’s preaching would ruin their trade and diminish the goddess’s reputation. She was not just a deity, but the central economic and religious force in the region and some scholars believe the reverence for her was transferred to the Virgin Mary, who was proclaimed Theotokos, meaning “God-bearer” or “Birth-giver to God,” confirmed at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD (this term is central to Eastern Orthodox and Catholic theology, affirming that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine). Common synonyms include “Mother of God” and Dei Genitrix. Wouldn’t you like to see Christians today be as passionate for our heavenly Father?

If you have ever travelled on ‘The Roman Road,’ in just reading Romans 1-3, we can clearly see that both Jews & Gentiles need to be ‘born-again’ and come to Salvation/Yeshua/Jesus, to enter into the promised ‘New & Better Covenant,’ referenced in Ezekiel and Jeremiah. That being said, Saul’s/Paul’s ‘former’ life in Judaism was death to him, rubbish, he counted it all loss, since he came to intimately know his LORD/Yahweh on the road to Damascus. He was called out of darkness, into His marvelous Light and out of a religious system, into a right relationship with his Creator, Who gave him and all of His children, “The Ministry Of Reconciliation.” It’s his revelation in the book of Ephesians that brings us to understand God’s heart for ‘the One New Man,’ both Jew and Gentile, One in Messiah, as prayed for by Jesus in John 17.

God’s heart and my heart is for unity, His and our Oneness, so that He can & will command ‘The Blessing,’ according to Psalm 133, but the only Way to get there, is through obedience to His Word, perfect, acceptable will and Way! Each and every one of us must lay down our religious systems, doctrines of men and demons, die to self, come alive in Christ and walk in His Holy Spirit, bearing the good and lasting fruit that’s mentioned in Galatians 5, so forgetting those things that are left behind, let us press forward to those things which are ahead of us, the great and precious promises, that are yes & amen in Jesus. The bible tells us that the great women and men of faith in Hebrews 11 are incomplete without us and that God has greater things instore for us, but this can only happen when we walk in The Light that’s been given us and do our part to come into the fullness of God, His Way!

America is celebrating it’s 250th year in 2026 and clearly acknowledging our Judeo/Christian foundations, so be sure to attend a National Day of Prayer gathering on the first Thursday in May. Mother’s Day is May 10th and on the 17th our nation is being rededicated to God in Washington, DC! Visit https://www.10days.net to register for their free gathering in Santa Fe, NM, from the 21st-24th, which happens to be Pentecost Sunday, with Memorial Day on Monday the 25th. If you would like to have a prayer gathering in or around NM, don’t hesitate to connect me!

Thanks & Blessings with Shalom,

Mark Tross

Coordinator for NM Prayer Connect

Http://nmprayerconnect.weebly.com

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CHRIST/MESSIAH/The Anointed ONE, Our PASSOVER LAMB!

CHRIST/MESSIAH/The Anointed ONE, Our PASSOVER LAMB!

Leviticus 23:5 In the [a] first month, on the fourteenth day of the month [b] at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. 6 Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work. 8 But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work (NASB).’”
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Footnotes

Leviticus 23:5 I.e., Nisan = March/April
Leviticus 23:5 Lit between the two evenings.

Hopefully The SON has come to dwell in your hearts, since HIS Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday! The PASSOVER will be celebrated by most Jewish people at sundown on April 1st, then the Feast of Unleavened Bread, while most in The Church will be washing one another’s feet on Maundy Thursday and remembering the ultimate sacrifice of Yeshua/Jesus/Salvation on The Cross Of Golgotha/Calvary, known to most as Good Friday. HE fulfilled the Sabbath Day, by resting in the tomb that Saturday and the Feast of First Fruits, by overcoming sin and death, being resurrected, very early, on the first day of the week!
Exodus 12:13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you [a] live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will come upon you [b] to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt (NASB).
Feast of Unleavened Bread
14 ‘Now this day shall be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as [c] a permanent ordinance. 15 For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove dough with yeast from your houses; for whoever eats anything with yeast from the first day until the seventh day, that [d] person shall be cut off from Israel.
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Footnotes

Exodus 12:13 Lit are
Exodus 12:13 Lit for destruction
Exodus 12:14 Or an eternal
Exodus 12:15 Lit soul.

Not only was there a great deliverance from bondage in Egypt, because they applied the blood of the sacrificial lamb to their doorposts, but all of the things written in The Bible are there as examples for us today. From the fall in the garden, GOD had given great and precious promises, all of which are yes and amen, because of the promise of The Father, that a Savior would be coming!
Malachi 4:5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord (NASB).
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Malachi 4:5 in all English translations.
All of the Jewish Bible’s types and shadows became reality, when the fullness of time had come and GOD sent HIS ONE & Only Begotten SON into the world to save sinners. John The Baptizer, coming in the spirit and power of Elijah declared, “Behold, The LAMB Of GOD, Who takes away the sins of the world!” While the Old Testament Passover Lamb would cover Israel’s sins for a year, The New & Better Covenant, which went into effect at Jesus’ death, according to the book of Hebrews, ushered in the expiation, the complete and total taking away of our sins, casting them into the sea of forgetfulness, as far as the east is from the west and never to be brought up again, cleansing us from all sin and unrighteousness, as if we had never sinned at all.
Luke 2:41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover (NASB).
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Luke 2:41 in all English translations.
John 5:1 After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
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John 5:1 in all English translations.
John 6:4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near (NASB).
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John 6:4 in all English translations.
From HIS miraculous virgin birth, as prophesied by Isaiah The Prophet and others, the circumcision of HIS foreskin on the eighth day, Yeshua’s bar mitzvah at age 12, at Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem, becoming a son of the commandments, to keeping the feasts throughout HIS Life and fulfilling all the requirements of the 613 commandments in the law perfectly, Jesus became the perfect PASSOVER LAMB!
Luke 22:8 And so Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it (NASB).”
Read full chapter
Luke 22:8 in all English translations.
Matthew 26:23 And He answered, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me. 24 The Son of Man is going away just as it is written about Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good [a] for that man if he had not been born.” 25 And Judas, who was betraying Him, said, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” Jesus *said to him, “You have said it yourself (NASB).”
The Lord’s Supper Instituted
26 Now while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and [b] after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
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Footnotes

Matthew 26:24 Lit for him if that man had not
Matthew 26:26 Lit having blessed.

John 13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that His hour had come that He would depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them [a] to the end. 2 And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had handed all things over to Him, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, 4 *got up from supper and *laid His outer garments aside; and He took a towel and tied it around Himself (NASB).
Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet
5 Then He *poured water into the basin, and began washing the disciples’ feet and wiping them with the towel which He had tied around Himself. 6 So He *came to Simon Peter. He *said to Him, “Lord, You are washing my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing, you do not realize right now, but you will understand later.” 8 Peter *said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no [b] place with Me.” 9 Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus *said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet; otherwise he is completely clean. And you are clean—but [c] not all of you.” 11 For He knew the one who was betraying Him; it was for this reason that He said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12 Then, when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done for you? 13 You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’; and [d] you are correct, for so I am. 14 So if I, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I gave you an example, so that you also would do just as I did for you.
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Footnotes

John 13:1 Or to the uttermost; or eternally
John 13:8 Or part
John 13:10 I.e., not each one
John 13:13 Lit you say well.

1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes (NASB).
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1 Corinthians 11:26 in all English translations.
The Temple was cleansed twice by JESUS in Scripture. GOD’s WORD is no longer written on stone tablets, but according to Romans, upon our hearts. The SON has come to dwell, tabernacle, abide in our hearts and if you’re born-again, by The Holy Spirit Of GOD, HE has given you The Mind Of CHRIST! There’s nothing we can do in the flesh to redeem us, because GOD wants us to have a circumcised heart. Paul The Apostle writes, “Know ye not that you are The Temple Of GOD?” We are living stones, being built up into The Temple Of The Living GOD, The Body Of MESSIAH, The Church, HIS Bride and HE wants us to be without spot or wrinkle.
1 Corinthians 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little [a] leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? 7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. 8 Therefore let’s celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (NASB).
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Footnotes

1 Corinthians 5:6 I.e., fermented dough.

Exodus 12:19 For seven days there shall be no dough with yeast found in your houses; for whoever eats anything with yeast, that [a] person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. 20 You shall not eat anything with yeast; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread (NASB).’”
Read full chapter
Footnotes

Exodus 12:19 Lit soul.

Psalm 119:11 I have treasured Your word in my heart,
So that I may not sin against You (NASB).
Read full chapter
Psalm 119:11 in all English translations.
YESHUA/Jesus/Salvation Is The WORD Of GOD that became flesh and dwelt among us. HIS Mother Mary, when told that she would birth The CHRIST Child, kept and treasured these things in her heart. How about you? GOD wishes that none would perish and that all would come to repentance! Many are going the way of destruction, they’re in the valley of decision, but they don’t know it and they won’t know it, unless somebody tells them. If you’re a disciple of JESUS, you are called to make disciples. Pray for those you know that do not yet know HIM, ask them to come to Church with you. As we celebrate The Resurrection this month and count up the fifty days to Pentecost, do your part, as the book of Ephesians tells us, so we can all come into the fullness of GOD! Register today for PROJECT 2026 @ https://prayerattheheart.org and find plenty of free materials for you to share The Gospel, The Good News, at home, work, school, and play. Pray for those in government, the media, the education system, your church, family, the military, our economy and teach your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren to pray the prophetic WORD Of GOD and through HIS great and precious promises that are all yes and amen In JESUS! If you or someone you know would like to hold a prayer gathering in or around New Mexico, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Thanks & Blessings with Shalom,
Mark Tross
Http://nmprayerconnect.weebly.com
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Mark Tross
Listen to Mark Tross on Spotify. Audiobooks & MORE read by Mark Tross, Author, Conference Speaker, Radio & Television personally, blogger, newspaper and internet writer, Bishop with The Church Of God, Cleveland, TN and Coordinator for New Mexico Prayer Connect . Cover art photo provided by Janine Joles on Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/@joyful_janine
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