Justin & Antoinette Courtois are the current caretakers of
Bashan… They have been working on the land over the past 8 years
learning and helping others learn how to live a more natural life in
a self-sustained environment.
Hello from both of us up here on the Mesa.
Some of our friends asked us to put this page together so that you
would know who we are and what we believe in… Here it is:
Our mission and belief is that we are to help restore and teach
others to restore the ancient pathways of the Creator in every
aspect of our life…
In the way we live with the creation
In the way we live in relationship with others
In the way we live in our relationship with God
In the way we live with the creation
God gave man a unique position; we were created in His image and
then
entrusted with the stewardship of all that He made… We are the
caretakers
of the earth, of our human family, the animals and plant life that
live
upon it and are sustained by it, this is our job our highest
calling… to
do what God originally intended for us to do, be stewards in His
Kingdom.
We believe in living with the land as naturally as we possibly can,
we are
not purists and we eat meat… We do not hunt nor do we kill any of
our
animals, we believe that there is enough meat available for us to
purchase
without killing more animals for our own consumption. We try to
encourage
as much wild and naturally growing vegetation as possible as we
believe
that they are the provision of the Creator for our use as well as
the
animals that live here on the mesa. We practice water collection for
basic
needs of watering plants and trees, and have seasonal ponds that
collect
water and help replenish the water table for the future
sustainability of
the land.
In the way we live in relationship with
others
There are no masters we are all servants and serve one another in
whatever
capacity we are able.
We desire to live in a community-minded environment, and believe
that
many hands make the load light. We believe we are our brothers’
keeper,
if we see a need we meet it, with a full heart of love and
commitment to
one another… we serve. We watch our speech, what we say and how we
say it,
our actions, what we do and how we do it, and guard our attitudes
with all
diligence. Our attitude toward others is one of honor and respect,
from the child to the aged adult, man or woman, rich or poor no matter
what
color…we are all created and equal in the sight of our God and
worthy of
honor. Even in correction, we strive to correct with respect.
In the way we live in relationship with God
The first thing I would like to say is that we are all on a
journey. The
choices we make and directions we take will ultimately determine
where we
end up. We are in a continual process of life, growing, moving, and
having our being moved according to what we choose to give ourselves
to…
If we have given ourselves to Yahweh, we will find that though He
remains
the same yesterday, today, and forever… we are always in process. I
used
to think that my doctrinal beliefs were theological sitting ducks, I
had
them all neatly lined up in a row… but as I have walked on this
journey
with Him for some time, many of my ducks have died and been replaced
by
other ducks… Of all the things I have learned and those that have
remained
the same, I know and am sure theology is not one of them… I am in a
process of learning and re-learning. At the base of it all is my
deep
unquenchable desire to be with my Father, to hear His voice, walk in
His
ways on this journey in His life... That is all I am sure of! The
following is for you… a list of what most people want to see, a
statement
of faith… but while you read this remember, there are many
statements of
faith out there, but statements are only statements… they are not
always
connected to lives that are surrendered to the will and direction of
God…
true faith is something lived and you can only really know if
someone’s
faith is real when you have seen it in daily life and practice.
Our relationship with God is not based on our own opinions or on the
teachings of men… our relationship with Him is based solely on His
grace
toward us in that He provided a way for us to be free from the
curse of
sin and death through His covenant promises and it is because of
that
grace that we have found life in Him and have gained entrance into
His
eternal Kingdom... the Kingdom of His beloved son Yeshua the
Messiah. In
Him we live move and have our being.
Statement of Faith
Yahweh…
The Elohim of our Fathers and Father of us all…
We believe in the One true and living creator of all things. Who
was is
and always will be. 1Co 12:6 There are various kinds of workings,
but the
same Father, who works all things in all.
Messiah…
We believe Yeshua is Messiah, the only begotten Son of the One true
and
living Father of us all, He was conceived by the spirit, born of the
virgin girl Miriam, came to live on earth in a flesh and blood
physical
body, and lived a life without sin. He came to teach and lead the
people
back into a right relationship with the Father, to give himself as a
sacrifice offering that by and through his shed blood many would
come to a
true saving knowledge and relationship with Him. Yeshua died, was
placed
in a tomb, and in three days he was raised from death to new life.
He is
now seated at the right hand of the Father and has been given rule
and
reign until the final enemy is placed under his feet at which time
he will
give all things back into the Father's hand that the Father may be
all in
all. 1Co 12:5 "There are various kinds of service, and the same
Messiah."
The Ruach HaKodesh / Holy Spirit…
Is whom Messiah sent into our lives for the purpose of empowerment.
Spirit's assignment is to bring conviction
of sin, and supply believers who obey the Father (Act 5:32) with the
power
to walk in a manner worthy of His call.
All gifts of ministry are the product and work of the Holy Spirit.
1Co
12:4 "Now there are various kinds of gifts, but the
same Spirit."
The Word…
We believe that the Word of Yahweh as it is understood in its
original
intention... according to the proper understanding
and purpose formed in the mind of the Father, was given to our fore-Fathers (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) to convey to us
first by oral tradition then written down for the sake of keeping an
accurate record for the glory of Yahweh, His
Kingdom and how we are to live in it. We believe that noting in the
NT is
new in it's own right but was already
established in the Tanak (Torah, the Prophets, and the writings i.e.
the
OT), and is a reiteration and or given for the
purpose of re-establishing a proper understanding of what was
written for
our instruction from the beginning.
(Rom.15:4; 2 Tim.3:16). Messiah was the living expression of the
heart and
mind of the Father, The living Torah in
physical form.
Salvation…
“Those who believe on, commit themselves to, and rely upon and put
their
trust in Yeshua shall be saved.”
Though Salvation is a free gift purchased by the Blood sacrifice of
Messiah and is received by faith in that sacrifice, true saving
faith
costs us something…it is the same faith as that of Abraham our
Father who
was willing to give his all to Yahweh, even his only son. True
saving
faith costs us our own life, our lifestyles, purposes and intents,
it is a
total surrender of one’s self. We do not treat the sacrifice of
Messiah
as cheap or of little value. He gave all for us we give all for
him. We
strive to live, as our Father desires us to be; holy and blameless
in a
crooked and perverse generation, in so doing we represent Him in a
proper
light to the world around us. Though we have not arrived nor
attained to
perfection nor do we claim to have attained it, the one thing that
we do
is press on toward the high call of Yahweh in Messiah.
We believe that salvation is a process, a way of life, a walk, a
relationship… not a destination we have arrived at…
It begins with repentance… teshuvah which means a complete turning
around…
you were heading down the path of the independent self in a
direction away
from the purposes and intents of the Father in your life and now you
have
turned around and are going in the opposite direction walking with
Him on
His path as a willing obedient child dependant on Him for your daily
life
and in relationship with His people on a regular basis.
When a person comes into true repentance they are baptized/immersed
into
death (being made dead to the old life) by the waters of baptism and
brought back out and birthed into new life. One’s baptism is a
commitment
of life it is a statement… I have been reconciled to Yahweh, “Old
things
have passed away and all things have become new.”
This whole process is likened to a new birth. We were born in the
flesh
at our physical birth… but now we are born of the Spirit into the
life of
our Father. But the process does not stop there. As with any newly
born
infant we must be fed, learn, grow and continue on in the process
until
eventually we become mature… This is our Walk; it is a process that
will
continue on to that final day when Yahweh will judge the heart of
every
man.
The Church…
We do not attend organized institutional church groups and believe
that
for the most part they are counter productive to the Life Yahweh
intends
for His people. We do not condemn those who are still associated
with them
nor do we treat them as outcasts but understand that we are all in a
process of growth and that Yahweh will bring those who have a love
of the
truth according to His word into a full understanding of what it
really
means to be His people. We believe that the Family of the One True
and
Living Father of us all is made up of a called out assembly, those
who
have surrendered their self-lives for the sake and glory of the
Father and
have come out of the world and have separated themselves from it’s
thoughts, attitudes, and actions. We are to live in the world, not
be part
of its lifestyle. This does not mean we are to hide away or be
ignorant of
things in the world in fact just the opposite… in it and involved,
but not
of it, in other words we have a different source, purpose and
direction in
life.
There are no distinctions in the body… we are all one in His life.
Members one of another joined together to form His body. Living
stones
individually chosen and organically connected together by His life
giving
spirit built up into a dwelling place for Him… Each member is placed
in
the body for the purpose of building up and edifying the body as a
whole,
every member is a supply of life and has a voice… We are to exhort,
admonish, and encourage one another daily so that none is hardened
by the
deceitfulness of sin.
We are to see to it that all grow into the fullness of faith into a
mature
man (the one new man, Jew and Gentile together, one faith, one hope,
one
baptism)… being established and fully equipped for the work of His
ministry.
Eternity…
We do not pretend to know the things Father has not revealed to us.
We do
not know the eternal destiny of any person; it has not been given to
us to
know. We do know that we are called to strive toward the upward
call of
Yahweh in Messiah. We are to buffet our bodies and lead them to the
obedience of Messiah. We do know that some will not obtain the
prize. We
do know that there will be those who will join the devil and his
demons in
the lake of fire… And we do know that the fruit of one’s life will
expose
the root of their source whether it is of Yahweh or not… “by their
fruits
you will know them.”
We do know that Messiah is preparing a place for those who are
worthy to
be called his bride… We do know that he as appointed King will rule
and
reign on earth until the final enemy is placed under his feet at
which
time he will give all things back into the Fathers hand that the
Father
may be all in all.
We do know that Yahweh has promised to give us a future and a hope…
and a life that is not of this world. 1Co 2:9 “Things that eyes have
never seen
nor ears have ever heard, things which have never entered into the
heart
or thoughts of men… these are the things that the Father has
prepared for
those who love him.”
Blessings to you all,
justin & toni
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