Letters Letter From the Editor Letter From the Editor Welcome to Volume 2.5 of Morning Star! Our Feature theme this month is Messianic Studies. This is a very special issue, one the staff has been looking forward to for some time now. These articles, all written by Jewish believers in Jesus, are excellent resources for both teaching and witnessing. This issue contains terms that some readers may not be totally familiar with. Here is a mini-glossary: Adonai = Lord, God Diaspora = Jews living outside of Israel Mashiach, Moshiach = Messiah, Savior, Christ Messianic Jew = Jewish believer in Jesus Midrash = Ancient Rabbinic commentary on the Bible Ruach ha Codesh = the Holy Spirit Shabbat = Sabbath Shalom = Peace Tanach, Tenach = Old Testament, Hebrew Scriptures Yeshua, Y'shua = Jesus Yisrael, Yisroel = Israel Also in this issue we have a close up look at the ministry of Jews for Jesus as well as an interview with the executive director, Moishe Rosen. And if that isn't enough ... in the Resource area, you'll find a mega-list of Messianic congregations from across America and overseas. Please remember folks ... We do not solicit funds for this magazine ministry, but we are totally dependent upon you, our readers, for material. We do not have a writing staff! Please consider writing, or asking a friend to write, an article, story or personal testimony for an upcoming issue. Besides writing for one of the regular columns, we need articles for these upcoming Feature themes: Vol 2.6 - WITNESSING IN THE WORLD TODAY (Success stories, tips or problems concerning witnessing at work, home, school) Vol 2.7 - FREEDOM FROM SUBSTANCE ABUSE (Have any of you been set free by the Lord from a problem with drugs or alcohol? We need your testimony!) Vol 2.8 - MARRIAGE AND FAMILY IN THIS CHANGING WORLD (Are any of you readers married? Do you have kids? Older parents? Specific topics are open!) I hope to get flooded with articles. (A trickle would be fine!) Finally, here is an excellent resource for those interested in Messianic music: LAMB & Friends Catalog P.O. Box 1053 Havertown, PA 19083 800-835-2246 Ext.184 Fax 215-477-1087 Please make good use of this magazine! Make lots of copies and tell people about it! In service to our Lord Jesus, Toby Trudel Letters From Our Readers Letters From Our Readers "I finally got around to unstuffing this issue and today I've read through it. Quite honestly, I was so impressed that I felt it necessary to tell you how good I thought it is - right now, before I forget. I'm using an Apple, and received your latest issue thru CompuServe. As much as I dislike HyperCard, I found it very easy to read and use. Your format and articles are wonderful, thought provoking, and current. By all means keep up the good work! My next step is to go back on-line to see if there are any issues I've missed ..." Melvin E. Rupp, III (Compuserve 76675,264) Commentary Commentary THOUGHTS UPON THE VISIT OF A KING By Glen Allen Green Franklin, Tennessee I suppose it only natural that we suffer an anti-climax, a letdown of sorts at this time of year, for Christmas has come and gone. Packages have been opened, special loved ones have returned to distant homes. Holiday recipes are put back in holiday cookbooks. The mail no longer brings colorful cards from friends and family, rather instead; dull, dreary bills. The tree has long been denuded and discarded, it's ornaments carefully packed and set aside in the back of some forgotten closet. The toys are quiet, lost, (or broken!) Christmas has indeed come and gone. The birthday celebration is over. We turn to face a new year, even as our world turns to bring it to us. We flip the calendar, take a deep breath and march off into the new challenge. And yet, do you not occasionally find yourself humming music from the birthday party? Can't you still smell the holiday aromas? Don't you still feel the joy at unexpected times during the day; joy over the arrival of the King? Sure, these sensations will dull with the passing days. Other problems will crowd these feelings out. And yet - you did feel it once again this year did you not, that feeling that it really was true that the King of Glory had come? It hit me the other day. I was looking through the strewn cassette tapes by the stereo; past the Big Bird Sing Along, past the Wee Songs Bible tape, and there it was, my favorite Christmas carol cassette still unpacked. I popped it in and listened again to the familiar notes and words, "Hark, the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king.' I looked in Webster's New World Dictionary. "Herald" - "one who announces significant news; to announce, foretell." The herald angels sang. The announcers, foretold significant news - the arrival of, The King. Have you ever met a king? I mean a real king (or queen for that matter.) If you had the chance how would you react? What kind of impact would it have on your life? Would it change you at all? I can answer all these questions, for shortly after Christmas I had a chance to meet a king, (sort of). I had heard that he would be coming to my homeland and beyond all hope I received an invitation to have dinner with him. Excitement? Anticipation? You bet! With each passing day I read news of his coming. Anticipation grew. We worried about silly things. "What do you wear to meet a king?" We made stupid jokes about what we would say when we met him. "Ask him if he likes your records." We were keyed way up when the big night finally arrived. We followed other pilgrims to the place set aside, took our seats and waited. You could tell we were in the right spot. The signs were everywhere evident that indeed the king, (sort of), would soon arrive. After several hours the moment had come. There were strange noises in the air. The soldiers, his bodyguard, were suddenly more tense (if possible.) The scribes had taken out their pens. It was time. Electricity cracked through the building and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was the moment, because I heard the voice of his herald say, "Ladies and gentleman, the President of the United States." The images remain. A strong, tall man. Smiling, wind-burned cheeks. A thousand points of light (flashbulbs). My daddy's moving invocation. A strong speech on the Soviet dissolution. Huge grins all around from Republicans and Democrats. Much Joy! They led us to a special receiving line. We awaited our turn and studied the Secret Service men. Serious, capable men. We were led into a guarded room, they took my coat, I turned a corner, and there was the king, (sort of). Mr. Bush was smiling and as we walked toward him he made a special point to greet Micah and Cody ("look at these guys here") as he took their hands. I stuck out my hand, babbled what an honor it was to meet him or something like that. We posed, the camera snapped, and off we went to eat our barbecue. Later, after supper, he made a special effort to go down the long rows of tables and shake hands and sign autographs (the boys have two of them!) He was patient, kind, and for lack of a better description, just a great guy! Soon it was time to go. The doors opened. He waved good-by and left for more quail hunting, concerns in far-off Asia, and, another new year. We gathered ourselves, got in the car, and drove the 15 miles back through Bee county to my parent's house. What a night! What memories, especially for the boys. Regardless of your politics it is extraordinarily exciting to meet the most powerful man in the world, the leader of your country, the Commander in Chief. The power of the office had been evident all around. Several Secret Service men wore overcoats. Underneath they had machine guns slung over shoulders. They were grim reminders of the value we place on this man. One agent had a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. It contained the codes needed to launch our nuclear forces. He is never far from the president. The president - our equivalent of an earthly king ... The great power ... A great man ... And yet, not the greatest man - nor the greatest power. "Glory to the newborn king." Later that night I heard myself humming the carol again. What a contrast between those two kings, the President and the Messiah! Earthly power - heavenly power. One temporal, one eternal. One's arrival acclaimed with throngs and musical bands - the other, with angels and shepherds and common farm animals. One who works to solve problems, the other, the solution to the problem. One, a page of history - the other, the author of history. Staff List Morning Star Staff MORNING STAR STAFF EDITOR IN CHIEF Toby Trudel - Nashua, NH SENIOR EDITOR - Biblical Department Geoffrey Kragen - Roseville, CA SENIOR EDITOR - Christian Life Department Teresa Giordanengo - Canonsburg, PA SENIOR LITERARY EDITOR Al Murillo III - El Paso, TX ASSOCIATE EDITORS Jerry Johnson - Modesto, CA Clark Stephens - Huntington Beach, CA Dale Strand - Dublin, CA J.C. Trudel - Naples Park, FL Mike Wilkinson - Citrus Heights, CA Dr. Charles Wootten - Matoaca, VA SENIOR PUBLISHER - DOS and WINDOWS Editions Steve Paulovich - Pembroke, NH NETWORK DISTRIBUTION: AMERICA ONLINE Network: Jerry White - Germantown, MD COMPUSERVE Network: Jorge Lopez - Lubbock, TX GENIE Network: Mike Wilkinson - Citrus Heights, CA DIRECTOR OF BBS DISTRIBUTION - USA Walter H. Bauer Jr. - Sugar Land, TX INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION: ISRAEL Sharon Sanders c/o Christian Friends of Israel P.O. 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Chung Mei Ln #87 Taichung, Taiwan 407, Republic of China INTERNET: David.Hupp@p0.f886.n2000.z12.misgate.gmi.org OFFICE SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN Patrick Auriemma - Nashua, N.H. -------------------------------- MORNING STAR is produced and published monthly, by a staff of born again believers in Jesus, located across the United States of America. Correspondence to MORNING STAR may be sent via the U.S. Postal Service or one of several computer networks. POSTAL ADDRESS: P.O. Box 7755 Nashua, NH - USA 03060-7755 ELECTRONIC MAIL LINKS: INTERNET: MStarMAC@aol.com (Toby Trudel) AMERICA ONLINE: MStarDOS (Steve Paulovich) GENIE: M.Wilkinson1 (Mike Wilkinson) COMPUSERVE: 70743,603 (Jorge Lopez) FIDONET: 1:106/3118 (Walter Bauer) CHRISTIAN FAMILY NETWORK: 8:3003/5 (Walter Bauer) CHRISTIAN DISTRIBUTION NETWORK: 8:2000/2005 (Walter Bauer) POLICENET: 150:402/53 (Walter Bauer) To receive a free copy of the MS DOOR program, which allows viewers to read the magazine onscreen, contact: Alan Graff P.O. Box 131 Wheelersburg, OH 45694 INTERNET: Alan Graff@aol.com FIDONET: 1:2260/50 Features The Jewishness of the New Testament The Jewishness of the New Testament THE JEWISHNESS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT By Al Brickner Rabbi Isaac Lichtenstein was curious when he observed one of the teachers in his school reading a book printed in German. Asking the teacher what he was reading, the book was passed to him. He leafed casually through the pages until his eye fell upon the name, "Jesus Christ." Realizing that the little book was a New Testament, he sternly rebuked the teacher for having it in his possession. He furiously cast the book across the room. It fell behind some other books on a shelf and lay forgotten for nearly 30 years. An outbreak of intense anti-Jewish persecution arose some years later in Rabbi Lichtenstein's native Hungary, and he was not surprised that the attacks were carried on in the name of Christianity. In the midst of the pogroms. he was startled to read the writings of men who, in the name of Christ, sternly denounced the anti-Semites and defended the Jews. Among these were prominent figures such as the honored Biblical scholar Franz Delitzsch, professor at the University of Leipzig. He was intrigued by statements which spoke of the message of Christ as one of love and life to all people. At this time, the little New Testament flung in anger into a dusty corner years ago, was found. For the aging rabbi it had been a closed and hated book which he thought to be the source of venom aimed at his people. Was it really what he had supposed it to be? He opened its pages and began to read. Rabbi Lichtenstein later wrote in "Two Letters: or What I Really Wish," describing the experience which flowed from his reading of the New Testament: ÒI had thought the New Testament to be impure, a source of pride, of overweening selfishness. of hatred, of the worst kind of violence. But as I opened it, I felt myself peculiarly and wonderfully taken possession of. A sudden glory a light, flashed through my soul. I looked for thorns and gathered roses, I discovered pearls instead of pebbles, instead of hatred, love; instead of vengeance, forgiveness; instead of bondage, freedom; instead of pride, humility; instead of enmity, conciliation; instead of death, life, salvation, resurrection, heavenly treasure." A Closed Book The story of Rabbi Lichtenstein is true. It epitomizes two poles of experience that Jewish people have had so far as the New Testament is concerned. For the majority, the New Testament is a closed and unfamiliar book because it is identified with the age-long persecution of the Jewish people in the name of Christianity. Because most Jews believe that the New Testament promotes anti-Semitism, they think there could be nothing in it which could sustain Jewish !life and values. Thus, the common Jewish assessment of the New Testament is formed by a preconditioned impression. In many ways, Jewish experience seems to support this assessment. However, the majority of the Jewish people do not feel inclined to verify the assessment by an investigation of the New Testament itself. The Message Is Jewish Yet there is a growing number of Jews who, like Rabbi Lichenstein, have been prompted, for one reason or another, to investigate seriously what the New Testament actually contains. This writer is among them. We have come to recognize through careful investigation that the New Testament is something different than what we had first supposed. First of all, we have discovered that its authorship and cultural background are Jewish. The beginning scenes of the New Testament are centered in the land of Israel, then called Palestine, at the time of the Second Temple. Even as the focus widens from the original setting, the action takes place primarily among Jewish communities in the Diaspora. The New Testament writers, with perhaps the exception of Luke, are all Jews. The early Apostles and followers of Jesus are also Jewish. Fulfillment of the Jewish Hope The basic theme of the New Testament is uniquely a Jewish one: the fulfillment of the messianic hope. This expectation was peculiarly the possession of Israel. An early passage in the Gospel of Matthew portrays Gentile wise men recognizing that the promised deliverer is to be ÒKing of the Jews.Ó In the early stages of the spread of the good news about the Messiah, it is only Jews and those Gentiles who are under the influence of Judaism who are prepared to receive and understand the message about the advent of the long-expected Redeemer. The primary centers for the initial preaching of the message are the synagogues in the communities of the Diaspora. In page after page of the New Testament, by direct quote, by free paraphrase, and by allusion, there is one primary literary treasure that is invested with supreme authority: the Hebrew Scriptures. When Jesus or the New Testament preachers intone, "It is written," or "Thus saith the Lord," they rest upon Jewish Holy Writ as the final court of appeal. Jesus challenges the religious leaders with "You search the Scriptures ... it is these that bear witness of Me." (John 5:39). Peter proclaims to the Jewish throng: "And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days." (Acts 3:24.) The initial New Testament proclamations are laced with passages from Moses and the prophets, indicating that what is taking place is the fulfillment of the Jewish hope. When one investigates the general content of the New Testament, if he is somewhat acquainted with the Hebrew Scriptures, he will find himself in familiar territory. Angelic communications remind one of the experiences of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua and many other ancient Hebrews. Supernatural births recall the nativity of the patriarch, Isaac. Miracles represent God's confirming activity as He reveals Himself, even as they did in the days of the patriarchs, Moses, the prophets and the kings of Israel. They are not capricious acts of arbitrary power, as in pagan mythology, but they bear profound moral connections through which God trains His people in the ways of faith. Also, as in the Hebrew Scriptures, there is prophetic activity and inspired preaching when the Spirit of God enables men to speak His message. None of these occurrences are strange to the spiritual life and heritage of Israel. The great themes of the New Testament are the same as those of the Hebrew Scriptures: God's holiness, righteousness and mercy; man's alienation and estrangement from God through disobedience; God's seeking love, forgiveness and reconciliation. There are also the great themes of faith, sacrifice, redemption, hope, love, peace, joy, the ultimate triumph of God's Kingdom and His judgment and reward. One can read and compare them. There is nothing presented in the former which is not unfolded in the latter. Only the perspective differs. In the Old Covenant, the emphasis is upon promise and in the New Covenant the emphasis is upon fulfillment. The one stresses preparation and the other consummation. A Suffering Messiah At this point, some might object that there are themes central to the New Testament which are non-Jewish. Many contend that the idea of a suffering, dying and resurrected Messiah who is at the same time divine is alien to Jewish belief. It is supposedly traced to pagan Egyptian and Greek sources. In addition, it is alleged that the manner in which the New Testament traces the rise and spread of the Messianic community remolds it into a Gentile phenomenon, ripping it from the Jewish context. The ancient rabbis wrestled with evidence in the Tenach that Messiah was both to suffer and die and to reign as a triumphant and glorious king. Because of this problem, they developed the idea that there would be two messiahs, Ben Joseph who would suffer and die, and Ben David who would triumph and reign. In the Talmud (Sukkah 52 a and b) there is a suggestion that the passage in Zechariah 12:10, which speaks of a pierced one, gave rise to this explanation. In the Musaf service for the Day of Atonement, there is an ancient prayer which refers to Moshiach Tzidkenu (Messiah our Righteousness) as one who is Òwounded for our transgressions.Ó The concept of a suffering and dying Messiah is not strange to Jewish lore. While the resurrection of the Messiah, as declared in the New Testament, seemed to take everyone by surprise, there are passages in Holy Writ which are seen as promising MessiahÕs resurrection. Psalm 16:10 declares that God will not abandon His Holy One to the grave. Isaiah 53:10,12 portrays the Lord as prolonging the days of the Suffering Servant and causing GodÕs good pleasure to prosper in His hand because He has willingly poured out His soul unto death. There are passages in the prophetic writings which give evidence that the Messiah is to be divine. In Isaiah 9:6, the Messianic King is called by the awesome names; Wonderful Counselor; Mighty God; Eternal Father; Prince of Peace. In Jeremiah 23:6, the Righteous Branch that is to be raised to David is given the name, "The Lord Our Righteousness." In Micah 5:2. where there is the announcement of Messiah's birthplace. He is spoken of as coming from eternity In Daniel 7:1314. Messiah is seen coming in the clouds of Heaven and receiving an eternal dominion over all peoples. The rabbis who developed the mystical lore, such as that contained in the Zohar. observing these and other passages. speculated that the Messiah was to be divine. Though Jesus Himself declared that salvation is from the Jews (John 4:22), He also declared that other sheep which are not of the Jewish fold would also be added to the flock of the Messianic Shepherd (John 10:16). This vision is not strange to Jewish expectation. God declared through Isaiah (Isaiah 49:6) that Messiah would be a light to the Gentiles and His salvation would spread to the ends of the earth. Isaiah 60:1-3 proclaims that Gentiles shall come to the light that spreads from Israel through the Messiah. So the New Testament vision is not a Gentile aberration. It is rather the vision of the ancient Hebrew prophets who proclaimed that God would bring the Gentiles into the blessings of Israel through the Messiah. In all of these ways, we Jews who have been prompted to investigate the New Testament carefully have come to recognize its basically Jewish character. But we have also discovered something else. THOSE PASSAGES WHICH ALLEGEDLY PROMOTE ANTI-JEWISH SENTIMENT, UPON CLOSER INVESTIGATION, ARE NOT REALLY ANTI-JEWISH AT ALL. Family Dispute There is conflict in the New Testament over the Messianic claims of Jesus, but it is mainly conflict between Jews who accept those claims and Jews who do not. In other words, it is a family dispute. When one looks closely at the ways in which the term. Òthe Jews," is used, especially in the Gospel of John as well as in some other New Testament writings, it can be seen that it is often used to represent the coalition among the Jewish leadership that had purposed to oppose Jesus. In those passages where this conflict is in view, the term refers to these opposed leaders. The New Testament reveals that Jesus was so popular with the people that His opposers had to operate in secret. This indicates clearly that the term, "the Jews," did not refer to the general populace. Certain harsh statements pronounced by Jesus and the New Testament preachers are not vindictive but prophetic rebukes, in the same vein as the words of Isaiah when he calls Israel "offspring of evildoers, sons who act corruptly!" (Isaiah 1:4.) Though anti-Semites who professed to be Christians have used these seemingly harsh statements as a pretext to persecute Jews, they did so in contradiction to the express teachings of Jesus and the Apostles. Jesus wept over Jerusalem and lamented her coming destruction at the hands of the Romans, which He announced prophetically (Matthew 23:37-39). He taught His followers to love those who opposed them and to pray for those who shamefully treated them (Matthew 5:43-46). The writings of Paul are often cited to show the anti-Semitic nature of the New Testament. How can this be in light of the fact that Paul taught Gentile believers at Rome that, though many Jews opposed the Gospel, they were loved by God for the sake of the forefathers (Romans 11:28)? Believers are not to be boastful or arrogant against the natural branches (the Jewish people), but they are to make them envious of the Messianic blessings by showing them compassion and kindness (Romans 11:11,12, 17, 30-31). Jesus taught that only the merciful were to receive mercy, only the forgiving could expect forgiveness and that love would be the hallmark of His true disciples. We see nothing in the New Testament that is non-Jewish or anti-Jewish. It is to the contrary. Woven with the warp and woof of Jewish hope and prophetic promise. If one can accept the revelation of Moses and the prophets with utter seriousness, there should be nothing really strange in the New Testament. The real challenge of the New Testament, as we see it, is not about Jewishness, but about faith. It is not a question of "Is it Jewish?" We believe that careful investigation will verify its Jewishness. The real question is, "Is it true?" That, as we have stated, is really a question of faith and it holds a challenge for all people, Jew and Gentile alike. Is the O.T. Still the Word of God Today ? Is the O.T. Still the Word of God Today ? IS THE OLD TESTAMENT STILL THE WORD OF GOD TODAY? (From -The Roots of Our Faith" series - Christian Friends of Israel) By Chuck and Karen Cohen Jerusalem, Israel The Holy Scriptures contain warnings that in the last days, many deceptions and winds of false doctrines would blow against the congregation of Yeshua. In Romans 11, Paul described us as part of an olive tree. Since that is the case, we need to develop strong, deep roots. A tree without a well-developed root system is easily felled by strong winds. Therefore, in order not to be swayed by every wind of doctrine, let us allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen the roots of the faith, in our theology as well as in our daily walk. If we view ourselves as the Olive Tree, then the Spirit of God is the life-bearing sap which brings nourishment and water from our roots in the Tanach to the fruit-filled branches of the New Testament body. Without roots a tree is cut off from its source of life. This fact mirrors the state of much of the organized Christian Church during its history. (Many old and resurgent heresies, such as Gnosticism and Replacement "theology" come from a misunderstanding or a misuse of the Word of God in the Tanach.) The recognition of the current validity of the Old Testament to our walk with God today, is of the utmost importance to keep us scripturally balanced. When our Messiah walked the earth, there was no New Testament! When Peter preached to the Jews on the day of Pentecost (Shavuot), he preached from the Tanach! When Yeshua defeated Satan in the wilderness, He quoted the "Law of Moses" (Deuteronomy) three times, and the devil fled! Paul preaching to the Gentiles used the Tanach. In fact, in the letter to the Romans, Paul uses Old Testament verses as his proof texts about 50 times to validate New Testament doctrines. This shows that the basis of Paul's doctrine and revelation of Messiah was found in the Tanach. Consider the following questions: Do we really believe in the same scriptures that Yeshua and the apostles based their faith upon? If the Tanach was the Word of God then, is it still the Word of God today? Is it as much the Word of God for us today as is the New Testament? The answers to these questions need to be settled in our minds and hearts so we can understand the total revelation of Himself that God has given to us. How often have you heard someone say, or said yourself, "I'm a New Testament believer." We prefer not to claim to be cut off from our roots! We are Bible believers. We recognize that the written revelation of God begins at Genesis 1:1 and goes to the end of the book of Revelation. In fact, if Genesis 1:1 is not the tent peg of our faith, that is, faith in God Who is the Creator of all, then everything else we believe is built on sand! Realizing, then, that the New Testament refers to the Old Testament when using the term "scriptures", consider these verses: John 10:5 - "the scripture cannot be broken" John 10:39 - "Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life and they testify of Me." 2 Timothy 3:16,17 - "All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." There are two fundamental questions we can answer which will fully convince us of the truth that the Tanach is still God's Word for us today. 1. "What is the New Testament view of the Tanach?" 2. "How did Yeshua view the Tanach?" What is the New Testament view of the Tanach? According to Walter Kaiser Jr., in his excellent book "Toward Rediscovering the Old Testament", there are approximately 300 direct verse citations, 200 unacknowledged and 1,100 reworded or paraphrased verses used in the New Testament from the Tanach. Thus, about 1,600 verses found in the New Testament for doctrine, to teach and encourage, to warn and prove that Yeshua is the Messiah are taken from the Old Testament. Consider that the New Testament does not make a distinction between what God says and what the Tanach says. If the Tanach states something, the New Testament writers assume that it is God Himself who states it, even if it is not directly credited to Him. Here are a couple of examples. In Acts 4:24-25 the apostles are praying, "Lord, You are God ... Who by the mouth of Your servant David has said, 'Why did the nations rage ...'", etc. They are thinking of Psalm 2 which was written by David. They correctly assume that it was God Himself who wrote this through David, His servant. Paul, in Galatians 3:8 states, "the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham saying, 'In thee shall all nations be blessed"' Notice, Paul claims that the scripture says this when, in the original account (Gen. 12:1-3), it is God Himself speaking. Here are other examples: Matt. 19:4,5 with Gen. 1:27; 2:23,24; Rom. 9:17 with Exodus 9:16. We have already mentioned 2 Tim. 3:16,17 which is the New Testament statement on the relevance of the Tanach for believers. Do we really grasp what God's Spirit is saying here about the benefits of "the Old Testament?" Let us examine this verse in detail. "All scripture is given by inspiration of and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." Now consider: "All scripture..." - that means both the Old and the New Testament. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God..." - is God-breathed by the Holy Spirit (2Peter 20,21) and just as accurate as if God Himself used the pen. "All scripture ... is profitable for doctrine ..." - profitable means useful; doctrine means teaching. Paul is urging the church to study the Tanach to get her doctrine and teaching material! He knew we cannot have solid doctrine without this part of God's Word. For example, we cannot fully understand salvation and what occurred at the cross without understanding Leviticus 16 (Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement) Isaiah 53 (the Suffering Servant) and many other pictures in the Tanach that fully reveal Calvary. "...profitable (useful) for ... reproof (rebuke) ..." - this is an act of mercy on God's part. (sec Prov. 1:23; 3:11.) Has God ever rebuked you using the Tanach? "... profitable for ... correction ..." - correction literally means "restoration to an upright position or right state; setting straight that which has become bent or twisted." The Tanach can be used as a tool in the hand of God to restore us to Himself after we sin. "... profitable for ... instruction in righteousness ..." this pictures the submission of a disciple to the rules of instruction given by his teacher. It implies growth from childhood to maturity, from weakness to strength. Note also that this righteousness is a righteousness which is by FAITH. The New Testament constantly uses Old Testament saints and/or verses to prove that "the just shall live by his faith", a verse originally found in Habbakuk 2:4. (see Rom. 1:1617; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38. Also Rom. 4:3 and 10:5,6. In Rom. 10:6 Paul uses Deut. 30:12-14 to describe "the righteousness which is of faith.") "That the man of God may be perfect (mature), thoroughly furnished unto all good works." To one who is born again, spiritual maturity is the fruit of the study of the Tanach. In this chapter, verses 14 and 15, Paul encourages Timothy to "continue in all the things you have learned". This includes "the holy scriptures (Paul's name for the Old Testament) which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Messiah Yeshua." Hallelujah! People can get saved by reading and/or hearing God's Word in the Tanach and seeing that Yeshua is the promised Messiah! We can preach the Gospel out of the Old Testament, just like Peter on the Day of Pentecost! Can you, using only the Tanach, present the gospel message of Yeshua the Messiah? It is amazing how many Jewish people will listen to scriptures from "their" Bible! (see Acts 28:23) HOW DID YESHUA VIEW THE TANACH? Yeshua saw the Tanach as the Word of God. I n Matt. 5:17,18 He warns us against even thinking that He has come to do away with the Tanach. He states that it will stand as God's Word until all has been fulfilled, which means until there is a new heaven and earth (Isa. 65:17). In Mark 7:1-13 Yeshua reveals that a lack of respect for God's Word revealed in the Tanach is the basis for the Pharisees' hypocrisy. In Verses 7-10, He accuses them of teaching man's tradition as opposed to "the commandments of God ... making the Word of God of no effect ..." Consider in what ways we in the church may be guilty of the same thing. Here are other verses where Yeshua says that the Tanach is God's Word: Mark 12:24, 29-31,36; Luke 10:25-28; 16:29-31; John 10:35. Yeshua also used the Tanach to settle arguments. In Matt. 12:1-7, when some Pharisees saw His disciples on the Sabbath plucking heads of grain to eat, Yeshua's defense was the story of David using the shewbread to feed his hungry men. Also see Matt. 21:15,16; 22:29-46; John 5:39, 45-47. Yeshua had faith in God's Tanach! When tested by Satan in the wilderness, He defended Himself by quoting verses from Deuteronomy. Yeshua actually used "the Law of Moses" as a sword to defeat the enemy (Luke 4:1-13)! His teaching used Tanach quotes frequently, both directly and indirectly. For example, His teaching on His return (Matt. 24:29-31) is taken from many Tanach scriptures: Isa. 53:10; 34:4; Dan. 7:13; Zech. 12:12; Isa. 27:13; Deut. 30:4 and Zech. 2:6. Even His ethical teachings are rooted in this same soil. See Matt. 7:12 and 19:16-l9 as classic examples. Finally, the basis of his own role as the Messiah depended entirely on the conviction that He must fulfill the Tanach. There are so many scriptures in the Gospels to support this that we will cite only three and list a few others. In Matt. 11:3-6, in answer to John the Baptist's question as to whether He was the one who should come, Yeshua says 'yes' by telling John's disciples to report what works they see Him do - works listed in several prophecies from Isaiah 29:18,19 and 34:5,6. In Luke 4:16-19 Yeshua announcing His ministry, while in a synagogue quoted Isa. 61:1-2. Then He said, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears" (Luke 4:21). And in John 5:37-39 Yeshua declares that we need to -search the scriptures (the Old Testament) for ... they testify of Me." That is where He points us for proof of His Messiahship. Here are a few of the many other examples: Matt 22:41; 23:37-39; 26:24; 27:46; 31:54-56; Luke 12:49-53; 18:31-34; 22:22,37; 24:25-27, 44-49. CONCLUSION There is no doubt that the New Testament authors viewed the Old Testament as the Word of God, which was still valid for them in their walk with the Lord. There is not one sermon or teaching, in the New Testament lacking a solid doctrinal foundation in that soil. In future lessons we will explore the basics of the Gospel and show how ALL OF THE GOSPEL is rooted and grounded in God's Word as found in the Tanach. That is where the seeds were planted, the tree watered and weeded, pruned back and watched until the fullness of time. Then the fruit was ripe - and our Messiah appeared - "a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel." (Luke 2:32) (More lessons from "The Roots of Our Faith" series will appear in future issues of MORNING STAR.) Jewishness and the Trinity Jewishness and the Trinity JEWISHNESS AND THE TRINITY By Arnold Fruchtenbaum "Shema Yisroel Adonai Elochenu Adonai Echad" (Hear O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.) Rabbi Stanley Greenberg of Temple Sinai in Philadelphia wrote: "Christians are, of course, entitled to believe in a Trinitarian conception of God. but their effort to base this conception on the Hebrew Bible must fly in the face of the overwhelming testimony of that Bible. Hebrew Scriptures are clear and unequivocal on the oneness of God The Hebrew Bible affirms the one God with unmistakable clarity Monotheism, an uncompromising belief in one God, is the hallmark of the Hebrew Bible, the unwavering affirmation of Judaism and the unshakable faith of the Jew." Whether Christians are accused of being polytheists or tritheists and whether or not it is admitted that the Christian concept of the Tri-unity is a form of monotheism, one element always appears: one cannot believe in the Trinity and be Jewish. Even if what Christians believe is monotheistic, it still does not seem to be monotheistic enough to qualify as true Jewishness. Rabbi Greenberg's article tends to reflect that thinking. He went on to say, "... under no circumstances can a concept of a plurality of the Godhead or a trinity of the Godhead ever be based upon the Hebrew Bible." It is perhaps best to begin with the very source of Jewish theology and the only means of testing it: Hebrew Scriptures. Since so much relies on Hebrew Scripture usage, then to the Hebrew we should turn. GOD IS A PLURALITY The Name Elohim It is generally agreed that Elohim is a plural noun having the masculine plural ending "im." The very word Elohim used of the true God in Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," is also used in Exodus 20:3, "You shall have no other gods (Elohim) before Me," and in Deuteronomy 13:2, " Let us go after other gods (Elohim)... ." While the use of the plural Elohim does not prove a Tri-unity, it certainly opens the door to a doctrine of plurality in the Godhead since it is the word that is used for the one true God as well as for the many false gods. Plural Verbs Used With Elohim Virtually all Hebrew scholars do recognize that the word Elohim, as it stands by itself, is a plural noun. Nevertheless, they wish to deny that it allows for any plurality in the Godhead whatsoever. Their line of reasoning usually goes like this: When "Elohim" is used of the true God, it is followed by a singular verb; when it is used of false gods, it is followed by the plural verb. Rabbi Greenberg states it as follows: "But, in fact, the verb used in the opening verse of Genesis is "bara," which means 'he created' - singular. One need not be too profound a student of Hebrew to understand that the opening verse of Genesis clearly speaks of a singular God." The point made, of course, is generally true because the Bible does teach that God is only one God and, therefore, the general pattern is to have the plural noun followed by the singular verb when it speaks of the one true God. However, there are places where the word is used of the true God and yet it is followed by a plural verb: Genesis 20:13: And it came to pass, when God (Elohim) caused me to wander (Literally: THEY caused me to wander) from my father's house ... Genesis 35:7: ... because there God (Elohim) appeared to him ... (Literally: THEY appeared to him.) 2 Samuel 7:23: ... God (Elohim) went ... (Literally: THEY went.) Psalm 58 Surely He is God who judges ... (Literally: THEY judge.) The Name Eloah If the plural form Elohim was the only form available for a reference to God, then conceivably the argument might be made that the writers of the Hebrew Scriptures had no other alternative but to use the word Elohim for both the one true God and the many false gods. However, the singular form for Elohim (Eloah) exists and is used in such passages as Deuteronomy 32:15-17 and Habakkuk 3:3. This singular form could easily have been used consistently. Yet it is only used 250 times, while the plural form is used 2,500 times. The far greater use of the plural form again turns the argument in favor of plurality in the Godhead rather than against it. Plural Pronouns Another case in point regarding Hebrew grammar is that often when God speaks of himself, he clearly uses the plural pronoun: Genesis 1:26: Then God (Elohim) said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness ..." He could hardly have made reference to angels since man was created in the image of God and not of angels. The Midrash Rabbah on Genesis recognizes the strength of this passage and comments as follows: Rabbi Samuel Bar Hanman in the name of Rabbi Jonathan said, that at the time when Moses wrote the Torah, writing a portion of it daily, when he came to the verse which says, "And Elohim said, let us make man in our image after our likeness," Moses said, "Master of the universe, why do you give here with an excuse to the sectarians (who believe in the Tri-unity of God)" God answered Moses, "You write and whoever wants to err, let him err." (Midrash Rabbah on Genesis 1:26 [New York NOP Press, N.D.]) It is obvious that the Midrash Rabbah is simply trying to get around the problem and fails to answer adequately why God refers to himself in the plural. The use of the plural pronoun can also be seen In the following: Genesis 3:22: Then the LORD God (YHVH Elohim) said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us" Genesis 11:7: "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language." Isaiah 6:8: Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" This last passage would appear contradictory with the singular "I" and the plural "us" except as viewed as a plurality (us) in a unity (I). Plural Descriptions of God Another point that also comes out of Hebrew is the fact that often nouns and adjectives used in speaking of God are plural. Some examples are as follows: Ecclesiastes 12:1: Remember now your Creator ... (Literally: CREATORS.) Psalm 149:2: Let Israel rejoice in their Maker. (Literally: MAKERS.) Joshua 24:19: ... holy God ... (Literally: HOLY GODS.) Isaiah 54:5: For your Maker is your husband. (Literally: MAKERS, HUSBANDS.) Everything we have said so far rests firmly on the Hebrew language of the Scriptures. If we are to base our theology on the Scriptures alone, we have to say that on the one hand they affirm God's unity, while at the same time they tend towards the concept of a compound unity allowing for a plurality in the Godhead. The Shema Deuteronomy 6:4: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! Deuteronomy 6:4, known as the SHEMA, has always been Israel's great confession. It is this verse more than any other that is used to affirm the fact that God is one and is often used to contradict the concept of plurality in the Godhead. But is it a valid use of this verse? On the one hand it should be noted that the very words "our God" are in the plural in the Hebrew text and literally mean "our Gods." However, the main argument lies in the word "one," which is the Hebrew word, ECHAD. A glance through the Hebrew text where the word is used elsewhere can quickly show that the word echad does not mean an absolute "one" but a compound "one." For instance, in Genesis 1:5 the combination of evening and morning comprise one (echad) day. In Genesis 2:24 a man and a woman come together in marriage and the two "shall become one (echad) flesh." In Ezra 2:64 we are told that the whole assembly was as one (echad), though, of course, it was composed of numerous people. Ezekiel 37:17 provides a rather striking example where two sticks are combined to become one (echad). Thus, use of the word echad in Scripture shows it to be a compound and not an absolute unity. There is a Hebrew word that does mean an absolute unity and that is YACHID, which is found in many Scripture passages, (Genesis 22:2,12; Judges 11:34; Psalm 22:21: 25:16; Proverbs 4:3; Jeremiah 6:26; Amos 8:10; Zechariah 12:10) the emphasis being on the meaning of "only." If Moses intended to teach God's absolute oneness as over against a compound unity, this would have been a far more appropriate word. In fact, Maimonides noted the strength of "yachid' and chose to use that word in his "Thirteen Articles of Faith" in place of echad. However, Deuteronomy 6:4 (the Shema) does not use "yachid" in reference to God. GOD IS AT LEAST TWO Elohim and YHVH Applied to Two Personalities As if to make the case for plurality even stronger. there are situations in the Hebrew Scriptures where the term Elohim is applied to two personalities in the same verse. One example is Psalm 45:6-7: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever: A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions." It should be noted that the first Elohim is being addressed and the second Elohim is the God of the first Elohim. And so God's God has anointed him with the oil of gladness. A second example is Hosea 1:7: "Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah, will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword or battle, by horses or horsemen." The speaker is Elohim who says he will have mercy on the house of Judah and will save them by the instrumentality of YHVH, their Elohim. So Elohim number one will save Israel by means of Elohim number two. Not only is Elohim applied to two personalities in the same verse, but so is the very name of God. One example is Genesis 19:24: "Then he LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the LORD out of the heavens." Clearly we have YHVH number one raining fire and brimstone from a second YHVH who is in heaven, the first one being on earth. A second example is Zechariah 2:8-9: "For thus says the LORD of hosts: "He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. For surely I will shake My hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent Me." Again, we have one YHVH sending another YHVH to perform a specific task. The author of the Zohar sensed plurality in the Tetragrammaton (1) and wrote: "Come and see the mystery of the word YHVH: there are three steps, each existing by itself: nevertheless they are One, and so united that one cannot be separated from the other. The Ancient Holy One is revealed with three heads, which are united into one, and that head is three exalted. The Ancient One is described as being three: because the other lights emanating from him are included in the three. But how can three names be one? Are they really one because we call them one? How three can be one can only be known through the revelation of the Holy Spirit .- (Zohar, Vol III, 288; Vol II, 43, Hebrew editions. (See also Sonclno Press edition, Vol III, 134.) GOD IS THREE How Many Persons are There? If the Hebrew Scriptures truly do point to plurality, the question arises, how many personalities exist in the Godhead? We have already seen the names of God applied to at least two different personalities. Going through the Hebrew Scriptures we find that three, and only three, distinct personalities are ever considered divine. 1. First, there are the numerous times when there is a reference to the Lord YHVH. This usage is so frequent that there is no need to devote space to it. 2. A second personality is referred to as the Angel of YHVH. This individual is always considered distinct from all other angels and is unique. In almost every passage where he is found he is referred to as both the Angel of YHVH and YHVH himself. For instance in Genesis 16:7 he is referred to as the Angel of YHVH, but then in 16:13 as YHVH himself. In Genesis 22:11 he is the Angel of YHVH, but God himself in 22:12. Other examples could be given. (2) A very interesting passage is Exodus 23:20-23 where this angel has the power to pardon sin because God's own name YHVH is in him, and, therefore, he is to be obeyed without question. This can hardly be said of any ordinary angel. But the very fact that God's own name is in this angel shows his divine status. 3. A third major personality that comes through is the Spirit of God, often referred to simply as the Ruach Ha-kodesh. There are a good number of references to the Spirit of God among which are Genesis 1:2; 6:3; Job 33:4; Psalm 51:11; 139:7; Isaiah 11:2; 63:10,14. The Holy Spirit cannot be a mere emanation because he has all the characteristics of personality (intellect, emotion and will) and is considered divine. So then, from various sections of the Hebrew Scriptures there is a clear showing that three personalities are referred to as divine and as being God: the Lord YHVH, the Angel of YHVH and the Spirit of God. The Three Personalities in the Same Passage In the Hebrew Scriptures you will also find all three personalities of the Godhead referred to in single passages. Two examples are Isaiah 48:12-16 and 63:7-14. Because of the significance of the first passage, it will be quoted: "Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last. Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand has stretched out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand up together. All of you, assemble yourselves, and hear! Who among them has declared these things? The LORD loves him; he shall do His pleasure on Babylon, and His arm shall be against the Chaldeans. I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him, I have brought him, and his way will prosper. Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit have sent Me." It should be noted that the speaker refers to himself as the one who is responsible for the creation of the heavens and the earth. It is clear that he cannot be speaking of anyone other than God. But then in verse 16, the speaker refers to himself using the pronouns of "I" and "me" and then distinguishes himself from two other personalities. He distinguishes himself from the Lord YHVH and then from the Spirit of God. Here is the Tri-unity as clearly defined as the Hebrew Scriptures make it. In the second passage, there is a reflection back to the time of the Exodus where all three personalities were present and active. The Lord YHVH is referred to in verse seven, the Angel of YHVH in verse nine and the Spirit of God in verses 10, 11 and 14. While often throughout the Hebrew Scriptures God refers to himself as being the one solely responsible for Israel's redemption from Egypt, in this passage three personalities are given credit for it. Yet no contradiction is seen since all three comprise the unity of the one Godhead. Conclusion The teaching of the Hebrew Scriptures, then is that there is a plurality of the Godhead. The first person is consistently called YHVH, while the second person is given the names of YHVH, the Angel of YHVH and the Servant of YHVH. Consistently and without fail, the second person is sent by the first person. The third person is referred to as the Spirit of YHVH or the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit. He, too, is sent by the first person but is continually related to the ministry of the second person. If the concept of the Tri-unity of God is not Jewish according to modern rabbis, then neither are the Hebrew Scriptures. Jewish Christians cannot be accused of having slipped into paganism when they hold to the fact that Jesus is the divine Son of God. He is the same one of whom Moses wrote when the Lord said: "Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off" (Exodus 23:20-23). New Testament Light In keeping with the teachings of the Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament clearly recognizes that there are three persons in the Godhead, although it becomes quite a bit more specific. The first person is called the Father while the second person is called the Son. The New Testament answers the question of Proverbs 30:4: "What is His name, and what is His Son's name If you know?" His Son's name is Y'shua (Jesus). In accordance with the Hebrew Scriptures, he is sent by God to be the Messiah, but this time as a man instead of as an angel. Furthermore, he is sent for a specific purpose: to die for our sins. In essence, what happened is that God became a man (not that man became God) in order to accomplish the work of atonement. The New Testament calls the third person of the Godhead the Holy Spirit. Throughout the New Testament He is related to the work of the second person, in keeping with the teaching of the Hebrew Scriptures. We see, then, that there is a continuous body of teaching in both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament relating to the Tri-unity of God. (1) "Personal Name of God of Israel," written in Hebrew Bible with the four consonants YHWH. Pronunciation of name has been avoided since at least 3rd c. B.C.E.; initial substitute was "Adonai" ("the Lord"), itself later replaced by "ha-Shem" (the Name). The name Jehovah is a hybrid misreading of the original Hebrew letters with the vowels of "Adonai." Encyclopedia Dictionary of Judaica, 593. (2) In Genesis 31 he is the Angel of God in verse 11, but then he is the God of Bethel in verse 13. In Exodus 3 he is the Angel of YHVH in verse two and he is both YHVH and God in verse four. In Judges 6 he is the Angel of YHVH in verses 11,12, 20 and 21, but is YHVH himself in verses 14, 16, 22 and 23. Then in Judges 13:3 and 21 he is the Angel of YHVH but is referred to as God himself in verse 22. The Mystery of Isaiah 53 The Mystery of Isaiah 53 THE MYSTERY OF ISAIAH 53 By Michael Rydelnik (From THE CHOSEN PEOPLE magazine) An Old Testament passage thousands of years old still sparks debate between Jews and Christians today. To whom does this mysterious passage refer? Isaiah 52:13-15; 53:1-12: "Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonished at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." One of the key Old Testament passages debated by Jewish and Christian scholars is Isaiah 53. Jewish sources say the suffering servant depicted here refers to the nation of Israel. Christians contend it refers to the Messiah. Can the suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 be Israel? The text of the passage itself plainly says no. Here are the reasons: The Pronouns In Isaiah 53:1-9, there is a clear distinction in pronouns. The speakers uniformly identify themselves in the first person plural (we, us and our), while the Servant is consistently described in the third person singular (he, him and his). Isaiah the prophet, a Jew, in speaking of himself and his own nation Israel, uses the pronouns we, us and our. He describes the Servant as someone other than himself and his people in using the pronouns he, him and his. Since the speakers are plainly Isaiah's people Israel (we), the Servant whom they describe (he) must be someone other than Israel. They both cannot be Israel. The People In Isaiah 53:8, Isaiah declares that the Servant was put to death "through the transgressions of my people". Obviously, Isaiah's people are the Jewish people. If the Servant died for the children of Israel, the Servant cannot also be the children of Israel. The Sufferer's Innocence. The passage repeatedly claims the innocence of the Servant. Isaiah 53:4-6 says that His suffering was not for His own sin but for the sins of others. Verse 9 specifically states, "He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth." However, the prophets, especially Isaiah, never characterize Israel (or any nation) as perfectly innocent. Isaiah says of Israel, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as a filthy garment" (Isaiah 64:5). Since Isaiah affirms the Servant's innocence while at the same time affirming Israel's guilt, Israel cannot be the Servant. The Servant's Willingness Isaiah 53:7-12 describes the Servant as a voluntary and unresisting Sufferer. He is characterized as willingly accepting His suffering (verse 7), rendering Himself as a guilt offering (verse 10), and laying open His soul unto death (53:12). Certainly the Jewish people have suffered immensely at the hands of anti-Semites, who must still answer to God for their awful deeds. But despite the enormity of Jewish suffering, they never received it willingly. The Servant's Death The passage says that the Servant was "cut off out of the land of the living" (53:8) and that "he hath laid open his soul unto death" (53:12). Were the Jewish people ever, as a whole, put to death? No, we joyfully sing, "Am Yisrael Chai!" ("The People of Israel Live!"). In fact, in Jeremiah 31:34-36, God promises that the children of Israel will exist forever. Thus, since the Servant was "cut off," it is impossible to say that Israel is the Servant. The Servant's Substitution One of the main points of the passage is that the Servant died as a substitute for the sins of others. Nowhere do the Scriptures teach that Israel would suffer for the sins of others, only at the hands of others. For this reason, Israel is not the Servant in Isaiah 53. The evidence is clear. The characteristics of the Servant cannot and do not apply to the Jewish people. The only One who fits the description is the Jewish Messiah, Messiah Yeshua. Y'shua... Why That Name ? Y'shua... Why That Name ? Y'SHUA ... WHY THAT NAME? By Stuart Dauermann (From ISSUES magazine, Vol 3:10) Recently, the subject of names became very important to me, as my wife and I anticipated the birth of our first child. Being from an Ashkenazic background, our choices of names were narrowed-and aided-somewhat by the tradition of naming one's children after deceased relatives. But even then we discovered, as multitudes of other Jewish parents had before us, that we faced a dilemma. How could we name the child after relative "A" without offending "B's" side of the family? Oh yes, names are important - so important that choosing them can give you a headache! It's not only for the sake of family peace that names are important. Names matter also for the sake of the psychological well-being of the child. Who could succeed in life with a name like Murgatroyd Farnsworth? Who could live happily ever after with a "handle" like Cinderella Lipschitz? And why bother living at all with a name like Brentwood Klotz? Yes, names are very important . The story is told of a mother who was dressing her child in his best clothing in preparation for his very first day of public school. "Now, be sure to smile at the teacher, Tattele." "Don't get your shirt dirty when you eat, Tattele." And with all of this coaching ringing in his young ears, he was off to school. That afternoon, when he returned, his proud mother could hardly wait to hear the glowing reports of her young genius' first day in the halls of academia. "Nu, Tattele, so tell me what you learned today?" Looking chagrined, he replied, "I learned that my name is Irving!" Names Matter Names are very important. They matter to children, to parents, and to families alike. Names also mattered to the sages of Israel. They reflected on the one hand that "It is the custom of the righteous to name their children from some event which has occurred" (Exodus Rabbah on Exodus 2:22). On the other hand they said, "The ancients, because they could avail themselves of the Holy Spirit, named themselves in reference to (forthcoming) events ..." (Genesis Rabbah on Genesis 10:25). Naming a person with reference to a future event is in accord with how God Himself engages in granting names. The names which God has bestowed tell much about the destiny of their bearers and of the Jewish people as a whole. For example, God changed Abram's name to Abraham in order to signify that he was to become the father of many nations (Genesis 17:5). Jacob was given a new name when his lifetime of struggle culminated in a nighttime wrestling match with a heavenly being. This heavenly being declared that Jacob would henceforth be called Israel - one who strives with God - because he had striven with God and prevailed (Genesis 32:28). What Names Tell Us In Biblical times, the correlation between a person's name and his very being was recognized as total. A striking example may be found in the experience of Moses as recorded in Exodus, Chapter 33. Moses asks God for a more intimate revelation of Himself: "Then Moses said, 'Now show me your glory.' And the Lord said, 'I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence.'" God responded to Moses' request to know Him more fully by promising to reveal His Name to Moses, thus equating knowledge of the name with knowledge of the person. Against such a background, it is not surprising to discover that the rabbis of Israel sought diligently to ascertain the name, or names, of the Messiah; for to know the Messiah's name would mean to have a more intimate knowledge of the Messiah himself. In exploring this matter, the rabbis drew upon their intimate knowledge of the Jewish Scriptures. In some cases they deduced the Messiah's name from passages which were clearly Messianic. In other cases, their deduction involved texts which would not normally have bee considered applicable, but which were thought to have a hidden Messianic meaning. The following passage from midrashic commentaries are typical: Rabbi Abba B Kahana said: His name is "The Lord" (see Jeremiah 23:6). The school of Rabbi Shila said: The Messiah's name is "Shiloh" (see Genesis 49:10). The school of Rabbi Hanina said: His name is "Hanina" (see Jeremiah 16:13). The school of Rabbi Jannai said His name is "Yinnon" (see Psalm 72:17) Others say, "The Messiah is called by eight names:" Tzemach (Shoot), Pele (Miracle), Yinnon (Will Continue), Yo'etz (Counselor), El (God), Mashiach (Messiah), Gibbor (Hero), Avi'Ad Shalom (Eternal Father of Peace) (1) It is fascinating to note, however, that when the Messiah of Israel DID enter human history, God chose for Him a name which was different from all the names which the rabbis postulated. Yet this name summarizes and encompasses much of what the Scriptures have to say about the Messiah. What The Scriptures Say The naming of the Messiah is recorded in the first chapter of the Gospel According to Matthew. In that account, Matthew describes an angel's visit to Joseph, who was to become the guardian of the Messiah. (Angelic visitations preceding the birth of significant figures in Biblical history are not unusual. The births of Isaac and of Samson, for instance, were each preceded by an angelic visitor.) In Matthew's account, the angel speaks to Joseph of the birth of the Messiah in these words: "She (Miriam) will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Y'shua, because he will save his people from their sins." Much may be learned about the Messiah from considering this brief text. The name Y'shua is necessarily the name of a human being: "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Y'shua." Although it may seem obvious to many that the Messiah would be a human being, it is necessary to reaffirm this fact because we live in a day when religious thought is influenced by science fiction. And indeed, many allusions to a Messiah figure can be found in sci-fi films and books. But no, the Messiah could neither be an angel, nor some kind of extraterrestrial humanoid. He had to be a man. This is necessary for a number of reasons: First, he had to be a man in order to satisfy the demands of prophecy. The prophets predicted numerous times that the Messiah would be born as a human being. Isaiah wrote of him: -For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders ... Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end." Clearly the Messiah would be a human being. Secondly, he had to be a man in order to satisfy the demands of God's justice. The Scriptures reveal that one of the Messiah's tasks was to offer Himself as a "korban" - a sacrifice - for the sins of His people. Although this understanding seems foreign to many Jews today, it was once widely accepted. For example, in the Midrash on the Book of Ruth, an allegorical interpretation is given to explain Ruth 2:14: "At mealtime Boaz said to her, 'Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.'" The following is written: "The fifth interpretation (of Ruth 2:14) makes it refer to the Messiah. 'Come hither' means approach to royal state. 'And eat of the bread' refers to the bread of royalty; 'And dip thy morsel in the vinegar' refers to His sufferings as it is said, 'But He was wounded because of our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5).'" If the Messiah was to suffer because of our transgressions, as our substitute, it is appropriate that he be a man. Thirdly, the Messiah had to be a man to satisfy our need for a compassionate high priest. While it is well known that the Messiah would be a king, not so well known is his function as a priest - i.e. one who represents his people's cause to God. Yet this is what the prophet Zechariah declared in Zech. 6:13, where he said that the Messiah would sit as a priest upon his throne. (2) In order for him to be a compassionate high priest, he needed to be one of us. More Than A Man Not only is Y'shua the name of a man, but Y'shua is necessarily the name of one who was to be more than a man. Indeed, the Jewish Scriptures say that the Messiah would be called God. Two passages often used by the rabbis in reference to the Messiah clearly teach this: "The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up to David a righteous branch, a king who will reign wisely and do what is right and just in the land. In his days, Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness" (Jeremiah 23:5-6). "And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). (3) Finally, Y'shua is necessarily the name of the only one through whom we can find salvation. An examination of the meaning of the name and its background in the Jewish Scriptures reveals why this is so. Y'shua means "the Lord saves." It involves a combination of the name YHWH (the Ineffable Name) and the Hebrew root YASHA'. (4) YASHA is related to an Arabic word, "to make wide, to make sufficient" as contrasted with TSARAR, meaning "narrow." Wideness came to connote "freedom" or "safety" which led to the root YASHA', having the meaning: to be delivered to a position of freedom or safety. In the Tenach, God is presented as the source of salvation, "Our God is a God who saves" (Psalm 68:20). Human agents are effective only as they are empowered by God. Ultimately, salvation had only one source - The Lord: "... And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me. Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other" (Isaiah 45:21b,22). Although many of our people assume that the Tenach speaks only of salvation from physical distress, this is not so; the concept developed in the sacred writings to specify the promise of salvation from sin: Salvation From What? "They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their dwelling places where they sinned, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God ..." (Ezekiel 37:23). "Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness" (Psalm 51:14). "Help us, O God, our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and atone for our sins, for your name's sake" (Psalm 79:9). Indeed, in Jeremiah 17:14 salvation is portrayed as a means of healing the effects of sin in our life and our relationship with God: "Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise." Jeremiah also specifies that God's chosen agent of salvation is the Messiah. We see this in the passage quoted earlier (Jeremiah 23:6). The Inevitable Name The divine choice of Y'shua as the name for the Messiah has a "holy inevitability" and an iron-clad logic. Salvation comes only from the Lord. The Messiah is the One through whom God accomplishes and culminates salvation. No wonder, then, that the angel told Joseph, "You are to give him the name Y'shua - the Lord saves - for he will save his people from their sins." It is Y'shua who brings us deliverance from the distress of our sins, bringing wholeness instead of woe. "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). Why should the name Y'shua be important to us today? "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). (1) Quoted in "The Messiah Texts", Raphael Patai, Avon, NY, p. 21-22. First quote from Lam. Rab. 1:51 p. 36 ad Lam. 1:16; second from Midrash Mishle, ed. by Solomon Buber. Published in Vilna, 1893, p. 87. (2) See Numbers Rabbati Soncino edition, page 734 for evidence that ancient Jewish opinion applied this passage to Messiah. (3) That ancient Jewish opinion accorded these passages Messianic significance may be seen by examining the Midrashic passages quoted earlier in this article. (4) Material on word derivation from "Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament", Harris, Archer, Waltke, eds.; Moody Press, Chicago, 1980, pp. 414-416. Teshuvah Means Repentance Teshuvah Means Repentance TESHUVAH MEANS REPENTANCE By Josh Moss (From the JEWS FOR JESUS NEWSLETTER) The weekly sermon by a rabbi to his congregation is a comparatively modern custom. In earlier times a rabbi's role was not pastor of a congregation, but spiritual judge of the community. He was expected to deliver rulings in Jewish law, not homilies. There were two exceptions - two Sabbaths when the rabbi would address the congregation. The first was "Shabbat haGadol", the Sabbath before Passover. At that time the rabbi would explain the intricacies of the dietary laws pertaining to the Passover season so that no one would transgress the law through ignorance. The second was "Shabbat Shuvah", the Sabbath between Rosh Hoshana, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The rabbi would explain the meaning of TESHUVAH (repentance) and exhort the congregation to repent. He would take his text from Hosea 14:1: "O Israel, return to the LORD, your God, For you have stumbled because of your iniquity..." As taught in the Hebrew portion of Scripture, teshuvah contains a positive as well as a negative aspect. Teshuvah means "turning." The negative aspect focuses on turning AWAY from our sinful actions. However the positive aspect focuses on the concept emphasized in Scripture - turning TO God. In repentance one seeks reconciliation with the Holy One. In addition to turning, returning or repenting, teshuvah also has the connotation of responding or giving an answer. Teshuvah is our response to the realization of who God is and what He has revealed to us about His character. In Y'shua's parable about the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) He taught the meaning of sin, repentance and God's love for sinners. The prodigal demanded his inheritance prematurely and went off to a distant country, where he lived wildly. He squandered one third of the wealth his father had saved throughout a lifetime. When a famine occurred, the young man had no resources left. Impoverished, humiliated, working as a slave to feed pigs, he was hungry. When he came to his senses he thought, "How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.'" That is teshuvah from the sinner's point of view. We see teshuvah from God's point of view in the rest of the parable. While the young man was still a long way off, his loving father saw him, felt compassion for him and ran to embrace him. The essence of teshuvah is found in the words of the young man when he said, "I will arise and go to my father." Or in the words of the Hosea passage, "O Israel, return to the LORD your God." Repentance is a turn toward our Creator. It so conceived is the substance of Y'shua's moral teaching and the purpose of our lives on earth. Repentance is the key to making sense of the Bible. Teshuvah or repentance is a challenge to all of us. Whatever our failures were yesterday, nothing can stop us from turning completely to God today. The opportunity afforded us by teshuvah is an obligation we cannot safely pass by. We cannot write off anyone as unredeemable, because they may still repent. Because of repentance, we cannot write ourselves off. If we will turn to God, He can change us. In 1978 Rabbi Wiener of Temple Israel in New Jersey brought a message so unusual that it was quoted in several Jewish newspapers around the country. He said that with all the attention in the media at that time about born-again Christians, he wanted to talk about the Jewish way of being born again - teshuvah. His statement was widely quoted. He came very close to the truth. The idea, which is mentioned in the Tanach and called teshuvah, is the root idea Y'shua developed when He said, "You must be born again." However, the rabbi's concept of teshuvah was not the concept of teshuvah that we find in the Jewish Bible. He saw it merely as a decision to live a more Jewish life and to do more good deeds . In "The Condition of Jewish Belief", Rabbi Wiener wrote, "Most often and basically, I think of the 'mitzvoth' (good deeds) as the visible extensions of the Jewish soul. They are the means by which a Jew can connect himself with this soul and through this soul with the wellsprings of life, ultimate reality, God, or whatever you want to call it." No disrespect intended, but Y'shua did not come to bring us into a relationship with "whatever you want to call it." The goal of repentance is reconciliation with a person - the personal, holy God who has revealed Himself in the Scripture and in the Messiah Y'shua, not a mystical god or a god of our own imagination, however we choose to conceive him. Repentance is not a New Year's resolution to change this or that particular thing we do not like about ourselves. That would be a completely negative view of teshuvah. Repentance is a whole-hearted turning from self to the God of the Bible. Without faith in God, repentance in the biblical sense is impossible. Hebrews 11:6 says, "... he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." It doesn't matter if your faith in God is as small as a mustard seed. God will receive you if you come to Him. But a New Year's resolution, or search for enlightenment, or an attempt to find "whatever you call it," or a Jewish person trying to be more Jewish, does not constitute repentance. First and foremost, true repentance as spoken of in the Bible is a positive step, not a negative one. It is an approach to God - our response to the reality of His person. Yet repentance does involve turning from sin. This aspect is illustrated by the young man in Y'shua's parable. When he came to his senses, he realized that his basic problem was not the famine or that he had mismanaged his money. His basic problem, the root of all his problems, was that he had alienated himself from his father. If he had a right relationship with his father, his other needs would take care of themselves. If we are going to turn from our sin, first we must realize the true seriousness of sin. Sin at its root is alienation from God. Its cause is our pride and sell will - our desire to live for ourselves and be our own god. The various action we call sinful are merely manifestations of our condition of being sinners. The young man in the parable could never have demanded his inheritance from his father and left home if he had the slightest respect for his father's feelings. Likewise, all the sins we commit show our basic disrespect for the honor of God. We commit sins because we are sinners. We commit acts that displease God because we are alienated from Him. Sometimes people complain because God doesn't take a more liberal attitude toward sin. They say, "If God is loving, why doesn't He just overlook our sins? Why does He demand that we repent and receive Y'shua?" Imagine this question in the context of Y'shua's parable. What if, when the son demanded his inheritance from the father, that father had actually followed his son into the distant land? What if he had followed his son everywhere he went, just to be physically at hand in case his son needed anything? Would the alienation in that family have been in any way ameliorated? No. The son chose alienation, and there was nothing the father could do until the son chose to repent. God cannot reconcile us to Himself without our repentance. Unrepentance is proof that we do not want to be reconciled. Do you want to believe that there will be stealing, lying or greed in heaven? Do you think there will be gossip and unkind speech in heaven? If we will not repent of these things, how can God receive us into His presence? Sin is the cause of our alienation. God could not remain righteous and have a different attitude about sin. We cannot purge OURSELVES of our faults, but when we repent, we renounce our sin and allow God to begin to purify us. That is a lifelong work of repentance, which will only be complete when we get to heaven. If not for the famine, that boy in the parable might never have been forced to face up to his wickedness. He might never have repented. It took physical hunger to make him realize that he needed to be reconciled with his father. If I were that father, I might not be so compassionate. I might very carefully question the boy's motives for returning. Yet this father gladly received his lost son, as gratefully as though he had received him back from the dead. Likewise, God is not too proud to receive a sinner who comes to Him with less than ideal motives. If a person comes to God because loneliness, distress, financial reverses or other trials have shown him his need, that person will forever thank God for the trials that brought him face to face with reality. If life is comfortable and we feel no need to reach out to God, He may show us mercy by bringing famine into our lives. He may remove the things that distract us from dealing with what is truly important. He may bring us to the place where we realize that our most basic need is to be reconciled with Him, where we say as the prodigal did, "I will go to my Father and say, 'I have sinned against You.'" Some elements in the traditional Jewish High Holiday liturgy are very enigmatic. One, the 'Kol Nidre' recited at the beginning of the Yom Kippur service, states that all of our promises of self-reformation are vain and worthless, and we ask forgiveness for our impulsiveness in making them. After this confession, you would expect that the tradition would offer us an alternative, but it does not. The tradition does not KNOW any alternative. The rabbis rejected the alternative of believing that the sacrificial principles of atonement taught in the Torah were fulfilled in the Messiah, Y'shua. Therefore there is nothing left but an attempt to do better. Yet a mere attempt to do better is not teshuvah. Saying we will do our best to change is a deception. We have trivialized that phrase. We really mean we will do whatever is convenient for us, whatever will ease our conscience. Few have any idea of what doing one's best really could mean. Only when we place ourselves completely in God's hands can He take over and show us what our best can be. Teshuvah is not self-reformation. Teshuvah means turning away from sin and toward the living God. The third aspect of repentance is illustrated in the part of the parable where the son determines, "I will arise and go to my father and will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants'." The son determined to return to the father ON THE FATHER'S TERMS. He did not return to gain favor while retaining his independence. Ready to be reconciled, he gave up any preconception as to what his relationship to his father would be. He trusted only in his father's mercy. Teshuvah is abandonment of self into the merciful hand of God. In the parable we see the father coming out to meet his son while he is still a long way off. When we seek to reform ourselves but ultimately retain control of our lives, God cannot come in and transform us. But when we completely abandon our lives to the mercy of God in Y'shua, we have the promise that God's Spirit will come to live in us and give us the power to live a new life. True repentance does not ask "What am I prepared to do?"- but "What am I prepared TO LET GOD DO IN ME?" If there are any preconditions - things we will not allow God to do in our lives - if ultimately we wish to retain control while asking God merely to help us change certain things of which we are ashamed - we cannot expect His help. Repentance means coming back to God without conditions. The prodigal completely abandoned himself to his father's mercy. If he had dispatched a message asking his father to send cash it would not have been repentance. He would have been using his father. Likewise, expecting God's help to do what we want while we remain little lords in our own lives is not repentance. It is more comfortable to observe a hundred rituals than to face our sin in all its ugliness and admit there is nothing we can do to earn God's favor. It is much easier to be very religious than to repent in the biblical sense. To repent is to abandon ourselves totally to God. God's love for us is deeper than any human bond, and we owe Him our total selves in return. We may consider ourselves to be good, but if our relationship with God has broken down WE ARE NOT GOOD. Hopefully it will not require famine in our life to help us see that we need teshuvah. If we say in our heart. "I will arise and go to my father" - if we desire to be reconciled with Him more than we desire anything else, and without conditions - the good news is that the Father is already coming out to meet us! Why Doesn't My Rabbi Accept Jesus ? Why Doesn't My Rabbi Accept Jesus ? WHY DOESN'T MY RABBI ACCEPT JESUS? By Harold A. Sevener (From THE CHOSEN PEOPLE magazine) Perhaps he does! Shocking isn't it. But have you ever asked your rabbi about his belief in Jesus. There are many rabbis and Jewish scholars today who are reading and studying the New Testament. Many are reading Christian theologians and writers. Some are even re-examining the historical and messianic claims of Jesus. You may find out that your rabbi does not hold the stereotypical opinion of Jesus that many Jewish people believe their rabbis hold. Rabbi Hershel J. Matt, rabbi of Temple Neve Shalom (Conservative) in Metuchen, New Jersey, wrote, "Christianity can properly be viewed as a second and equally valid form of God's covenant with Israel - the missionary arm of Israel, serving to bring under the covenant those who, unlike the Jewish people, are not yet under it." ("The Condition of Jewish Belief") Ellis Rivkin, professor of Jewish history at Hebrew Union College, said: "Of these messianic claimants, only one-Jesus of Nazareth-so impressed his disciples that he became their Messiah. And he did so after the very crucifixion which should have refuted his claims decisively. But it was not Jesus' life which proved beyond question that he was the messiah, the Christ. It was his resurrection." ("The Meaning of Messiah in Jewish Thought") Richard J. Israel, Director of the B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation and chaplain to Jewish students at Yale University, stated, "It strikes me that we have gotten ourselves into something of a bind by renouncing Torah's divine significance and then trying to prove that Judaism in humanistically superior to Christianity. We have managed to achieve this sleight-of-hand by carefully selecting our citations and our Christian theologians, thereby conjuring up an image of an ascetic, quietistic, irrational Christianity. Over and against this, we have picked our own scriptural verses and theologians so that they will be sensible, down-to-earth, practical people, concerned with the redemption of this world, in time, exclusively through our own efforts with just an occasional bit of inspiration from the Lord. In so doing, we have quite thoroughly ignored the opposite themes in each of our traditions." ("The Condition of Jewish Belief") Rabbi Arnold J. Wolf, rabbi of Congregation Solel (Reform) in Highland Park, Illinois, wrote, "Judaism makes contact with other religions not to compare whose God is bigger or whose theology is more coherent, but rather to try to hear what other men have heard of God. Fortunately, and not unexpectedly, what they have heard is very often the same as what we have heard: 'Love your neighbor as yourself; I am God.' But their problem and ours is not so much to learn what is good as to do what is good." ("The Condition of Jewish Belief") Dr. Pinchas Lapide, in his book "Jewish Monotheism and Christian Trinitarian Doctrine", a Dialogue by Pinchas Lapide and Jurgen Moltmann, translated by Leonard Swidler, Philadelphia, Fortress Press 1981, when asked if the Messiah, when He did reveal Himself, would be identical with Jesus of Nazareth, wrote, "I cannot imagine that even a single Jew who believes in God would have the least thing against that ... Should the Coming One be Jesus, He would be precisely as welcome to us as any other whom God would designate as the Redeemer of the world, if He would only come." Similarly some years back, Hans Joachim Schoeps, eminent Jewish theologian, said: "The church of Jesus Christ has preserved no portrait of its lord and savior. If Jesus were to come again tomorrow, no Christian would know his face. But it might well be that he who is coming at the end of days, he who is awaited by the synagogue as by the church, is one, with one and the same face." (Commentary, February 1950) These rabbis and Jewish scholars have not accepted Jesus as the Messiah, nor have they accepted Him to be their personal Savior. Who knows... maybe with further study and research they will. What is significant is that these rabbis and Jewish scholars are reading the New Testament. They are reading Christian theologians. They are searching for what makes Christianity real. Now, if it's alright for the rabbis to study the New Testament, to search for the reality of God within Christianity, what about the average Jewish person? What about you? Have you read the New Testament? We believe the New Testament to be true. We believe that Jewish people should read it for themselves, and that they should read and search the writings of Christian theologians, the same as their rabbis are doing. We are convinced that in reading and searching the Scriptures, they speak for themselves, showing that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Perhaps you should ask your rabbi what he believes about Jesus. You might be surprised. Biblical Department New In Christ New In Christ "New in Christ" is a regular MORNING STAR column written primarily for people who wish to learn more about the basic teachings of Biblical Christianity. The editorial staff at MORNING STAR encourages all readers to freely use this information to help new Christians grow in their walk with the Lord. In this issue, we continue the "Letters From God" series, by Pastor Dale Strand of Dublin, California. LETTERS FROM GOD (#5 - For people who think life is cruel) No question about it. Life is tough. And I get a kick out of some of My children who, in their excitement about sharing Me with their friends, sometimes say that knowing Me will solve all the person's problems. Far from it. In fact, in many cases you simply exchange your old problems for a whole new set of problems. But the difference is, you can give them all over to me and let Me work them out for your good (see Romans 8:28). The fact of the matter is, that when you live in accordance with instructions in "The Manufacturer's Handbook" (the Holy Bible), you will face EVERY problem with an entirely new perspective. Because, instead of them being obstacles to fight with and fret over, they suddenly become opportunities that I have personally selected in My divine training program designed just for you, to help take you from the place you are, to the place I want you to be. There's growing and maturing and pruning involved. There's sanding off the rough edges. There's changing attitudes and mindsets. There's replacing old, corrupt habits with new, wholesome habits. And that sometimes hurts. But the beautiful blossoms and fruit developed through the process becomes a wonderful by-product of a Holy Spirit-controlled life. Life ain't easy (Hey! God said, "ain't"!). And knowing Me won't necessarily make it any easier. But, instead of going it alone, I'll be with you all the way, every day, caring about you, loving you, guiding you. Because you see, I came that you might have life, and have it more abundantly than you ever thought possible. Give Me a chance to show you exactly what I mean. It'll blow you away! Bible Study Bible Study This issue features the fifth in a series on the Epistle of 1st John. Future studies will include Psalms, and books from both the Old and New Covenants. "CHRISTIANS DON'T SIN DO THEY?" (1 John 2:28-3:10) In many churches claiming to be Christian, the concept of sin is not welcome. "After all," some would say, "God is love. God is not judgmental, but accepts us for who we are." Within these churches, sin is redefined. People are allowed to accept their sin as alternate lifestyles. It no longer matters how people live. Scripture is twisted to support both aberrant theology and sinful lives. At the other end of the spectrum, there are those who hold that Christians can no longer sin. "Because we are new creations, we don't sin." As Dr. Ironside once said to a man claiming to have reached sinless perfection, "I wonder what your wife would say about that." Both positions represent extreme views. Most believers recognize that they do continue to sin. Unfortunately, with this understanding can come an attitude of acceptance. It becomes easy to believe that since sin is simply part of the human condition, it is not really that serious. We drive our cars by grace, not by law, as we speed down the freeway. We accept too much change in the grocery store. We don't lie, but "stretch" the truth. We don't realize that sin is sin. Sometimes, we don't take sin as seriously as we should. Consequently, we may slow to recognize the sins of those who claim to speak for Christ. John addresses the problem in this section of his first epistle. He wants to make sure believers don't fall into the trap of accepting the teachings of false prophets, just because they claim to speak for the Lord. How we live DOES MATTER. Works may not be the basis of salvation, but they are its fruit. John warned that the false prophets came in the spirit of antichrist. Now he discusses the distinctions between being children of God and children of the Devil. vs. 2:28-29: John starts by showing that the foundation of our hope is our relationship with the Lord. He again addresses the recipients of the letter as "dear children." These are believers, so therefore his call to continue in Christ isn't related to salvation. He notes that for believers to stand confidently before the Lord, they must walk faithfully with Him. To "continue," is the same concept as "abiding," and focuses on our daily walk with the Lord. John had warned about the teachings of the false prophets. They had claimed that that was the basis of relationship with God was some type of esoteric knowledge. To them, lifestyle was not an issue when it came to salvation. Along with the Gnostic heretics, they taught that how one lived here on earth did not affect one's salvation. John taught exactly the opposite. As believers abide in Christ, they live to serve Him. The quality of our walk IS relevant. James said: "But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do" (James 2:18). If these believers lived a righteous life, they would have an expectation of standing confidently before the Lord. One day they would hear the worlds, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" (Matthew 25:21). vs. 1-3: What a blessing it is to be a believer. John is amazed at the great love of God. This love is shown not only through the gift of salvation, but by believers being His children. For a Jew, as John was, the concept of being a child of God was overwhelming. Previously, there had been no personal relationship between God and the individual Hebrew. But through the work of Christ on the cross, God has become our Father. Jesus referred to this when he said: "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name'" (Matthew 6:9). The child of God has direct access to the Father through prayer. It means that we are no longer slaves to sin. In dependency on the Holy Spirit, we can chose to be obedient. And finally, we can look forward to an eternity in the presence of God. However, there are struggles in the life of the believer. Some come from living in a fallen world. Because the world hates God, it will hate His children. As Jesus put it: "Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also" (John 15:20). Nevertheless, God's love is great. We have never fully experienced that love. However, someday we will be like Him. John doesn't understand all the implications of this and neither do we. Some suggest correctly that we can look at the resurrected Christ. This will give us a clue. (see Luke 24) Like Christ seen in His resurrected body, one day we will be perfect. This truth should cause all believers to say, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20). The quality of our daily walk does make a difference. In response to the marvelous love of God, we are to live a pure life. We should desire to live worthily of Him. Those who are truly God's children respond to Him in love. Love of God is obedience. "Whoever has my (Jesus') commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him" (John 14:21). vs. 4-6: John now presents a very important concept. First, to sin is to break God's Law. The law encompasses at least all of the five books of Moses. But John is probably referring to Christ's summary of the Law: love God, and love one another. The punishment for violating the law is death. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Followers of Christ have no reason to fear God's judgment. Christ came to take away sin. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree" (Galatians 3:13). We know that Christ is without sin. John says that no one who lives in Christ continues to sin. In fact, the presence of sin proves there is relationship with God. Does John mean then that Christians never sin? Remember what John said back in chapter 2:1. "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, ... ." Since obviously John says Christians do sin, what does he mean by saying we don't? Paul explains it he wrote in the book of Romans. The unrighteous are slaves to sin. "Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? " (Romans 6:16). While in specific situations they may not sin, their lives are typified by sinful behavior. Paul continues, "But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted" (Romans 6:17). The believer may sin, but his life is no longer typified by sin. As believers, we can choose not to sin. We will sin, but we are not slaves to sin, so for us sinning is a choice. For the unrighteous, sinning is not a choice. John refers to this distinction when he says we no longer sin. John also uses this argument to show the fallacy of the claim that how one lives doesn't matter. Believers are to walk righteously before the Lord, enjoy the blessings of God, and choose obedience to Him. vs. 7-10: John didn't want the believers to be misled by persuasive false teachings. The false prophets claimed to speak for God. They claimed knowledge and relationship. "But wait," says John, "their lives don't confirm their statements." Their message of self-fulfillment and self-centeredness is contrary to the truth of God's word. This is sin. This is evil. Individuals who practice evil are not of God. They are of Satan. As Jesus said to those who rejected God's truth during His ministry: "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44). Anyone who claims to speak for Christ, as the false prophets did, and teaches falsely, is of the spirit of antichrist. They ignore the fact that Christ came to overthrow the work of Satan. John wants to make sure that these believers understand what is actually at stake when they listen to the honeyed words of the Devil's children. Again, John reminds us that the difference between the righteous and unrighteous is whether one is a slave to sin or righteousness. The fruit of the believers' life testifies whom they serve. The behavior of the false prophets was the evidence that they carrying out the work of Satan. We are blessed because we are believers. Too often, we take our salvation for granted. John had to interrupt himself with an exclamation of joy for the many blessings of God. We too must not forget these blessings, and express proper gratitude for them in our daily prayers. We have received the gift of salvation. Therefore, we can expect to spend eternity in God's presence. We look forward to the day Christ returns. We will no longer be beaten down by the suffering that comes with living in a fallen world. "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 7:17). We can go to God our Father in prayer, as we saw in Matthew 6:9. He loves us and desires to meet our needs. (Remember that His primary concern is for our spiritual wellbeing, not our personal comfort.) The believer, recognizing all that God has done for him, should then in turn respond to God. We worship Him because of all He has given us. More than that, we desire to live in a way that is pleasing to Him. Our lives are acts of worship. The only question we must ask is: what kind of worship are we giving? We please God by obeying Him and keeping His word. The walk of the believer is to be one of separation unto God. Although we are in the world, we are not to be part of the world. Jesus prayed, "My prayer is not that you take them (His followers) out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world" (John 17:18). We are God's representatives in this world. As such, our lives are to be different. Finally, not only are we to live righteously, we must also be careful to examine the lifestyles of those who claim to be fellow believers. In the coming studies, we will note John's concern that we not only love God and each other, but also take a personal, firm stand for God's truth. We must be willing to identify sin and call it such. We must be willing to recognize evil as evil, even when it comes in the disguise of righteousness. Special Studies Special Studies GOD REVEALED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT By Dr. Charles A. Wootten The Old Testament shows God to be real and alive. He spoke to man, both audibly and through His Word. God is the Lord and King over this world, the world of His creation. He is Judge and Ruler over His dominion. In Scripture, believers have seen God display all of His attributes of perfection so that all may bow down and worship Him. Scriptures show Him as Saviour reaching out in His sovereign love to rescue His children from the guilt and power of sin. Those who accepted His mercy and His judgments were adopted as His sons and were blessed accordingly. In the Old Testament era God revealed His Godhead, the Tri-unity, in which there are three persons, The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit The Godhead works as One providing salvation. The Father purposed it, the Son secured it, and the Holy Spirit applied it. God is revealed in those who responded to His revelation in trust and obedience, faith and worship, prayer and praise, submission and service. In studying the life of our Lord Jesus Christ we find these same truths revealed. The interesting thing about the revelation of the truth of Jesus Christ is that there are testimonies about Him outside of the Biblical accounts. The best known, and the most lengthy, is by a famous historian named Josephus. "Now about this time lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one should call Him a man; for He was a worker of miracles, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with joy. And He drew to Himself many of the Jews, and also many of the Greeks. This was the Christ. And when at the instigation of our chief men Pilate had sentenced him to the cross, those who had loved Him at the first did not fall away. For He appeared unto them alive again on the third day, as the holy prophets had declared these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning Him. And even now the race of Christians called after Him is not extinct." (Josephus, Antiquities, 18:3:3). Many have disputed this passage in Josephus' writings. Yet, as we shall see, it tallies with the eyewitness Scriptural accounts. In the Scriptural accounts of Jesus the majority of His biography lies in the four Gospels. The remainder of the New Testament gives very little other revelation. We find one new and beautiful saying of His, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35, NKJV). Also in reference to the institution of the Lord's Supper we find in the writings for the first time these words, "... in remembrance of Me" (I Corinthians 11:24). In I Thessalonians 4:15-17 there is the substance of Jesus' teaching on His Second Coming. "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord" (NASB). I Corinthians 15:5-8 lists a more complete record of His resurrection appearances than the Gospels: "... and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to me also" (NASB). In this vein Acts 1:1-14 gives the fullest account we have of His ascension and His instructions preceding it. The main reason there is very little revelation of the Person of Jesus Christ in the letters and other writings is that readers had already been instructed in the facts of the Christian faith. There really was no need to reemphasize these facts. The most obvious point is that all of them expected the Second Coming to occur any moment so there really was no need to write for posterity. Yet the epistles are full of allusions to the recorded facts of Christ's earthly years; and since there must have been many facts told by witnesses besides those preserved in the Gospels (John 20:30), we can see the immense mass of information from which we can frame His entire earthly life. In succeeding columns we shall endeavor to point out His character as well as His genealogy and His relationship to the Godhead. Anee M'Amin Anee M'Amin THE LORD'S BAIT By Gail Siegel (From "The Christian Courier" - Vol 2, No. 2 & 3) I knew I was Jewish because my parents told me I was, but I had no idea what it meant to be a Jew. I don't remember our ever keeping a kosher table or observing the Sabbath. We did celebrate some of the major holidays, such as "Passover," but never went to the Synagogue as a family, and Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah meant nothing more to me than two days off from school. I knew the Jews had been persecuted in Russia and Germany but I didn't know why and, at the time, didn't care. In fact, I didn't care much about anything except having fun. When I left New York in 1977 and moved to San Diego, California to find the "man of my dreams," I thought I had it "all together." So, of course, when my mother and brother told me they had come to know the Lord and tried to convince me that this was what I needed to do, I began calling my brother "Jesus Freak," "Bible Bob," and "Cultist." I was not about to become religious - I was having a great time with parties, drinking and drugs. Who needed God? My family continued to pray for me and, after four years of partying my life away, I returned to New York to "find myself' and to "seek my destiny." Obviously, the "man of my dreams" never materialized. Drugs, however, were still the controlling force in my life and I believed they always would be. I stayed with my mother and brother for about a year and then moved to Beacon, New York. Sunday was the day I liked to do my laundry. The path to the laundromat took me directly past a church. I could have chosen another route, but for some reason I always took that particular street. Each time I passed by, I would wonder what it would be like to join everyone inside. (I remembered going to a church for basketball games and dances as a teenager, but we never went into the church itself except once for a friend's funeral.) In pondering over all this (as I passed the church week after week), I'd realize all of a sudden that I was back home and another Sunday had gone by without my finding the answer to that question. I decided to go back to California and, after three unsuccessful attempts to do so, in March of 1984 I finally moved to Sacramento. One cold, foggy night in December of that year, some friends and I were trying to determine what the true meaning of Christmas was. None of us knew anything except that it was Jesus' birthday. Who was Jesus? A Christian friend at work shared various scriptures with me about Jesus' birth and my heart began to soften a little. I spent Christmas Day with her at her mother-in-law's. We took pictures to remember the day and when we looked at them a few weeks later, we were shocked. Two of the pictures appeared to have a cross hanging from a hook which was extended from a beam in the ceiling. Mary raced over to her mother-in-law's house to investigate. Sure enough, there for all to see was the cross and the hook. We'd never noticed anything on that wall; was it just not evident to our eyes before? It is stated in 1st Corinthians 1:22 that "Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom." Was this my "sign" that I hadn't even asked for? Or had I? I began to question the meaning of my "sign." Several people suggested that God was calling me and wanted me "now!" They said the cross signified Jesus' dying for my sins and the hook was His shepherd's staff; that He was the great shepherd gathering His lost sheep and that I was one of the lost sheep He was calling. Another interpretation quoted Mark 8:34 "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me." It appeared that hook was holding the cross out to me as a sign for me to "take up my cross and follow Him." For years I knew and accepted the fact that Jesus was a Jew; I'd even taunted the Gentiles about it "So, Jesus was a Jew; big deal!", I would say. Now, I wanted to really know why it was a big deal. Who could I turn to for advice? With my brother out of the country as a missionary, I called my mother. She contacted "JEWS FOR JESUS," an organization whose sole purpose was to bring "Y'shua" to the Jewish people. A meeting was arranged by Sue Perlman, assistant to Moise Rosen, founder of the organization. Through Sue, I met with Lyn and Alan Bond, Moise's daughter and son-in-law and also with Michael and Cecilia Butcher, Sacramento's co-laborers in Messiah. Michael and Alan shared scriptures with me and answered my many questions. However, I was still afraid I would have to give up my Jewish identity, my music and my way of life. I wasn't ready to give up anything, especially my freedom. In Mark 8:35-36, it says: "For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's shall save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?" The truth was that I was scared. I believed Jesus to be the Messiah but a battle raged inside of me. Part of me wanted to receive Him and part of me didn't; it was like a battle between good and evil, God and Satan. Cecilia Butcher's closing words would return to me in the weeks that followed. She said, "When you are ready to make the commitment that will change your life forever, read 1st Corinthians 15:3,4 - "For what I received I passed to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the scriptures'." While deciding what to do, my friend from work introduced me to Bible studies and continued to share the word of God. Then, on March 16, 1985, during a phone call with my mother, I couldn't hold back any longer. I repeated Cecilia's instructions and prayed to receive "Y'shua the Messiah as my Lord and Saviour" - "I, Gail Elissa Siegel, believe that Y'shua died for my sins, was buried, and rose on the third day according to the scriptures." And then I added what my mother had written me ... "O God of my fathers - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob ... the god of my own Saviour, Y'shua ... I hand myself over to you now ... I surrender all. Take me as I am and make me as I ought to be; for the sake of Thy glory alone, so help me God." I was immediately overcome with a peace and calm I'd never known before. I quickly called the Butchers to share the joyous news with them. The Lord couldn't have chosen a better person to pray me to Him than my own mother. I've been what is known as a "completed Jew" (Hebrew-Christian) for almost two years now and I praise God for His perseverance and love for me. As I look back, many things are clearer. I now know why I wanted to be part of that group who went to church on Sunday while I did laundry. (It's ironic that I was doing laundry on Sunday, trying to clean my clothes when it was my heart that needed cleaning and changing. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." I also know why my return to California was always delayed. Timing wasn't right; the players weren't in position and my heart needed softening. That didn't happen until I came to the cross (the sign of the cross in the Christmas pictures), the cross dangling on the end of a hook just like bait fishermen used to entice and catch fish. (Jesus said, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.") Jesus had been fishing for me for a long time. He was the "Bait" I finally couldn't resist. He died in my place for my sins; I was the worm that should have been dangling there. (In Psalm 22, verses 6-8, David mentions himself as being the "worm" reproached by people who were advising him to commit himself to the Lord and be rescued.) I've been rescued, but what about you? Are you still being swept along in the downstream current to destruction, or are you ready to take the bait? "Take up your cross" and follow Him upstream to freedom and new life! The WORD for Today The WORD for Today In Hebrews 10:25 we read "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching." The responsibility of all Christians is to encourage one another. This new series is intended to help provide some guidelines in the process of encouragement. The book, ENCOURAGEMENT, THE KEY TO CARING, by Lawrence J. Crabb, Jr., and Dan B. Allender, is recommended reading with the series. Each message can be read in conjunction to the related chapter in the book. The series can be used as the basis of a group study in your church. Please let us know if you find the material helpful or if you have any questions or suggestions. The article presented here is the second of fourteen messages given by Pastor Geoff Kragen. They were presented at Foothill Bible Church in Lincoln, California. A LOVING TONGUE "Encouragement is the kind of expression that helps someone want to be a better Christian, even when life is rough." (1) How do we encourage one another? The most basic way is through our words. Many have experienced the uplift which comes from someone saying, "You really did a great job." Conversely, many have suffered the pain of hearing, "You're really stupid. How could you do that?" Words, even unintentional, can really hurt. The old saw "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me" isn't true. Words can comfort; they can also hurt. The focus of this article is the importance of words. Here we will examine the teaching of Scripture about speech and its power to do harm and to do good. Then we will consider the way we would like others to talk to us. Finally, we will explore how we can encourage others with our speech. Scripture has much to say about the tongue. "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit" (Proverbs 18:21). The tongue can serve the cause of pain. "Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:5-8). What are the reasons destructive words are used? Harmful words may be used because of a lack of sensitivity and/or ignorance. We tell our children that they are stupid, instead of saying their actions are stupid. We may talk this way because that is how we were treated. We talk down to one another because of what may have been modeled in our homes or in society. Young people see a lot of TV where kids treat their parents like idiots. Another reason we use words hurtfully is because someone has hurt us and so we hit back. This is a self-centered approach versus a God- centered approach. Marriages have been destroyed by harsh words. Relationships end as a result of insensitive words. Words are used in worship ... but, "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness" (James 3:9). Think of the irony of this. This identifies the divided nature of the believer, who tries to serve God while struggling with sin. On the other hand, words also can be a blessing. "A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver" (Proverbs 25:11). The parent tells the child who just struck out: "I'm proud of you because you did the best you could." Words can be used in love to identify negative behaviors. Also, words can express love towards someone who is behaving improperly. What is a major factor in the positive use the tongue? The Psalmist said: "The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just" (Psalm 37:30). The basis of a supportive tongue is righteousness. As we walk with the Lord and depend on Him we will live out His righteousness. And as we depend on Him we will have the needed words. We will speak with love and healing. "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" (Proverbs 12:18). The foundation stone of a helpful tongue is love. Are we willing to allow God's love to flow through us to others? If we are, then we will be willing to control our tongue for the sake of others. The tongue is simply a reflection of the heart. If our concern is centered around our own "rights," then we will use our tongue to protect ourselves and maybe even attack others. If our concern is loving others, then our desire will be to use our tongue to lift up and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ. The problem is that frequently we don't know how to help others. We want to encourage, but we take the wrong approach. We use the wrong words. I should make an aside here. Sometimes the only thing we need to do to encourage others is to listen to them. We don't need a tongue, we need ears. As someone once said, "Isn't it amazing? - We have one tongue and two ears and because of the one, the two don't have much to do." So, before giving advice, prayerfully consider whether keeping your mouth shut may be the best choice. It is always all right to ask if someone wants advice. However, it is frequently better to give somebody a shoulder to cry on rather than words. "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:12). Or maybe we should read this "So in everything, "say" to others what you would have them "say" to you ..." The love command requires that we treat others in the way we ourselves would want to be treated. If we are hurting, what would we like someone to say to us? By taking this approach, we can often gain some wisdom in how we can encourage others. Some basic word don'ts: Don't give advice unless it is asked for. Don't tell someone you understand how they feel. You don't. If someone has lost a child, unless you have also gone through the same experience, you don't know how they feel. And even if you have, everyone responds differently, so you still may not understand. Don't tell someone they shouldn't feel that way. This is especially difficult for believers. First, an obvious point: It does no good to tell someone this, because they DO feel that way. They need help in understanding why they feel the way they do. Second, the expressed feelings may make you feel uncomfortable. As a result, you may say something to change the subject. You may accidentally use words that make the person feel rejected. For example, someone may be angry with God because of the loss of a loved one. God understands that their anger comes out of pain. Anger is a normal part of the grieving process and must be allowed for proper recovery. As they work through the pain with the Lord, He will help them deal with the anger. Telling someone that it is sin to be angry with God just adds guilt and more anger. If someone expresses suicidal feelings, you may feel frightened, which is understandable. I had a friend show up one evening at our door, bleeding from inside the arms where there were self-inflected cuts. I called the person's therapist for some direction. As expected, I was told to let the individual spend the night. My thoughts were, "Great, what will I find in the morning, a dead friend?" The point of this is: don't deny a person's feelings, instead listen and try to accept them. Keep in mind as noted in the last article (MORNING STAR, Volume 2, Issue 4), helping someone is risky. If the Lord gives the opportunity for us to come alongside someone in real pain, chances are we will be made very uncomfortable by that pain. Some basic do's: Pray! This is the most important thing we can do. First, pray that the Lord will help you not to be concerned with protecting yourself. To reach out with words of comfort, our focus must be on the needs of others, not our own emotional comfort. This isn't easy to do. We don't like being around people in pain. But when Paul spoke of individuals within the body, he stated, "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it" (1 Corinthians 12:26). We are not to separate ourselves from the sufferings of others in the church. Second, pray for wisdom in the words that you provide. Since the Lord desires you to encourage, He will have the Holy Spirit provide the words you need. I had a friend who had a major memory problem as a result of having used drugs. But on one occasion, when he was witnessing to someone, he presented one verse after another. The Holy Spirit provided him what he lacked in his own ability. Next, study the Word. I don't mean study to help you encourage, but study to continue to learn more about the Word. The greater your knowledge of the Word, the more resources you will have available to help others, and also to help your own spiritual growth. "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). This isn't stated to discourage the new believer from encouraging others. It is a reminder to us all that we must never stop growing in the word. Another "do" is to think about how you express your words before you speak them. This is something we probably all need to start working on. After all, it is a bit difficult to call a time out in the midst of a crisis. Learn to observe the way you express yourself toward others. A good place to practice this exercise is in conversation with a loved one. When we need to make a point with someone, do we stop to think about how they will receive it? Are we concerned with actually being understood, or simply letting out our feelings? The reason I ask these questions is because we frequently talk without thinking. My wife will come up with a good idea for something she wants to do. Initially, instead of speaking supportively, I focus on the negative side of the situation. It is simply the way I process. The problem here isn't that we shouldn't look at the pros and cons of a decision. But, by starting with the cons, she may feel that I'm not being supportive. She may believe I don't want her to do what she is considering. This may not be the case. By using words that focus on the negatives, it is inevitable that she draws this conclusion. So, I have to take this into consideration in how I express myself. When you are trying to encourage someone you know, you must consider the best way to express yourself so what you are saying is actually heard. Don't focus on expressing yourself in your style, but instead be concerned about speaking in a way that fits your listener's hearing style. Using Scripture: This can be a very tricky issue. After all, we all believe that "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness ..." (2 Timothy 3:16). Sometimes, the problem is the way we use Scripture. While the Scripture is a two-edged sword, we sometimes seem to use the flat of the sword to beat someone over the head. Because we want to encourage one another in love, we must be careful in how we use scripture. For example, if someone is very stressed out over their financial situation, here is a verse which is normally used. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4: 6-7). Having read this, we'll say, "Since Paul gives this as a command, clearly you are in sin because you are stressed. Therefore repent and stop worrying." Certainly the basic thrust of the statement is true, but how would you feel if someone said this to you? A more helpful approach would be to encourage the individual to focus on how God has helped him in the past. Prompt the individual to see that God has never failed him. Be willing to pray with the person, helping him focus on who God is. As the focus moves from the problem, (stress over finances), to the solution (trusting the Lord to meet needs), then the overwhelming fear may be alleviated. As the fear decreases, the individual may be able to look at the situation to see what he can do, and trust the Lord for the problem. To put it bluntly, we sometimes throw Scripture at a problem as a way of avoiding the hard work of dealing with it. On the other hand, Scripture and Scriptural principles are the most important tool we have in helping people. Let me give you two examples. Frequently, I have clients who are suffering from depression. Many times well-meaning Christians will say to this type of sufferer, "Scripture calls us to rejoice in all things. Ask for forgiveness for depression. Stop being depressed." Conversely, a more appropriate response would be to go to the account of Elijah after his confrontation with Jezebel. He was depressed. God didn't say he was in sin. What God did was to provide opportunity for rest, time away from people, and nourishment. He allowed Elijah to recover. Sometimes people are depressed because they are worn out. It helps them know that it is OK to be depressed. They need to take care of themselves. (This is a separate issue from chronic or severe depression which requires counseling and often medical intervention.) The second problem in the use of Scripture is similar. This occurs when trying to help the person who is in major emotional pain and is dealing with grief. I know people who don't allow themselves to grieve. For whatever reason, they have come to believe that it is wrong to cry. However, we can turn to Scripture and show how Christ grieved over the death of Lazarus. He wept at the tomb. He wept over the sin of Jerusalem. Scripture is our greatest resource. It must be used with wisdom, desiring to encourage spiritual growth. It should not be used as a weapon to beat the truth into people. Here, as in all other aspects of this discussion, we must not be concerned with using words to show we are right. Words must be used to encourage and help with truth, truth which is given out in love. (1) Crabb, Jr., Lawrence, J. and Allender, Dan B., ENCOURAGEMENT - KEY TO CARING, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1984, p. 10. Prayer Guidelines Prayer and God's Will by Michael Wilkinson PRAYER AND GOD'S WILL Article 12 of the "Prayer and..." Series by Michael Wilkinson "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him" (1 John 5:14-15). These two verses tell us quite a bit about God's will for our prayers. First, we are reminded that we can have confidence in Him when we ask. When we pray, we should remember that He wants us to pray confidently. "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). Then we are reminded to ask according to His will. Although we do not always know what His will is, we can ask for wisdom in discerning His it. "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5). We can also say "if it is Your will" when we pray. James also teaches us to say this when we look ahead to the future: "Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will do this and that'" (James 4:15). When we pray in this way, we are to know that He hears us. Also we can receive the petitions we ask of Him. The key is to depend upon His will. Does this mean that God will never say "No" to anything we ask? Before I answer that question, please consider the following verses about the faith of three men who were asked to disobey God by worshiping idols: "They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, 'O king, live forever! You have issued a decree, O king, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego - who pay no attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.' Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, 'Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold which I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?' Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve IS ABLE TO save us from it, and HE WILL rescue us from your hand, O king. But EVEN IF HE DOES NOT, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods, or worship the image of gold which you have set up'" (Daniel 3:9-18). These men had the confidence that God was able to do what they asked of Him, and that they therefore would have what they needed from Him. Yet their confidence and faith in God INCLUDED the possibility that God's will was to do other than what they certainly wanted Him to do. This is certainly one of the most astonishing examples of faith under pressure ever recorded. Here is another one: "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). Whoever this 'messenger of Satan' was, it was apparent that Paul wanted nothing to do with it. Yet when God said, "My grace is sufficient for you," Paul did not complain, because he now understood that the Lord's will was that Christ could work through him and through his infirmities. The above examples tell of people accepting God's will when they had made proper requests of Him. Sometimes, however, God is compelled to say "No" because we do not ask for what is proper. "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures" (James 4:3). The problem here is not pleasure, but selfishness. And God says "NO!" Yet God is pleased to provide us pleasure when it is His will as well as ours. "Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE FULL" (John 16:24). And even Nebuchadnezzar knew that no one should argue with God about what He does. He wrote, "All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?'" (Daniel 4:35). So we know that God may indeed say "NO" if it is His will to do so. Yet we are called to pray, and to trust in His will as he answers our prayers. In conclusion, please consider the faith of the apostles in the following verses: "In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1:11-12). SCUD Warnings SCUD Warnings by Jerry Johnson S piritual C ounterfeits U ndermining D octrine W A R N I N G S By Jerry Johnson THE SAGA OF HARRY K. FERDMAN Newsclipping: MAN NOT SURE OF OWN WIFE AP - MIDTOWN, NEV. Police today picked up a 47 year old Caucasian male, Harry K. Ferdman, at the Midtown Mall after it was reported that he had approached many women, claiming that they were his wife, Ida Mae. One of the victims, Susan Spitworth, stated that Mr. Ferdman had approached her from behind, took her arm and started to walk and talk with her while referring to her as Ida Mae. When she insisted she was not his wife, Mr. Ferdman pulled out his wallet claiming he had a picture of her as proof. Mr. Ferdman then opened his wallet and asked Ms. Spitworth to identify who she saw. Upon looking into a small pocket mirror Mr. Ferdman had in his wallet, Ms. Spitworth stated she saw herself and Mr. Ferdman stated that was all the proof he needed. Mall security indicates that Mr. Ferdman had approached no fewer than fifteen women before a Mrs. Ableton, aged 78, incapacitated him with a karate chop to his shoulder and mall police were then able to apprehend him. Mr. Ferdman's wife of 28 years, Ida Mae, was contacted by local police and she confirmed that throughout the course of their marriage Mr. Ferdman would suddenly be attracted to another woman and then approach that type of woman, claiming she was his wife. "I must admit it has been frustrating and we've had to move repeatedly over the years", reported Mrs. Ferdman, "and there were times when women would take advantage of him and get him to take them on a shopping spree. I love him dearly, but I do wish he'd recognize me!" Local psychiatrist, Albert Cranium, currently has Mr. Ferdman under observation and has stated, "the first challenge is to get him to quit calling me Ida Mae". II Timothy 3-5 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. In other words, there are going to be an increasing number of Harry K. Ferdmans out there ... people creating a Frankenstein of theological tidbits, pop psychology and emotional demands that they assume will fulfill their emotional wants and calling it Jesus. It may be a "blue jeans kind of Jesus" or a "greed is good kind of Jesus" or a "he loves me so much I can do what I want Jesus", but this won't be a Biblically revealed Jesus. "Why not?" It's WIFM Christianity. "What'em Christianity?" W hat's I n it F or M e Christianity. I believe it's a by-product of a generation in which we can comparison shop for products, services and interest rates, bank at ATMs at will and get fast food in minutes (even though we're ALWAYS in the slowest line). This "I can pretty much have what I want pretty much when I want it" mentality has wormed its way into our expectations to such an extent that it is not unusual for people to move from church to church, much like shopping in a mall, for messages that suit their perceived needs. A recent poll indicated that the Baby Boomer generation is returning to church, but to see what they could get, not what they could give. And I believe that attitude has extended itself to people "shopping" for a God that suits their perceived needs. If the Biblically revealed Christ makes them feel too uncomfortable about an aspect of their life or if they don't get enough "warm fuzzes" off of him then rather than submit to God for internal changes, they'll look for teachers, preachers or a church that will present a more palatable version of God. This is similar to the way that Harry K. Ferdman kept changing his perceived wife according to his desires. This also presents itself in a far more subtle manner. You see, the sneaky thing about SCUDs is that they often present themselves as being very reasonable and rational. For example, isn't it generally held that your job, family, hobbies and/or "ministry" should ideally bring you a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction? Don't most people wish they could make the statement, "It's amazing that I get paid for doing what I love to do anyway"? "Just wait a minute! Are you telling me it isn't reasonable for us to hope for fulfillment and satisfaction in our contribution to society through our jobs, our contributions to our creativity through our artistic interests and our intertwining of our lives with another?" No. I'm saying that considering that we were called to have fellowship with God (I Cor. 1:9) and that we were created for His pleasure (Rev. 4:11), for us to look for satisfaction and fulfillment elsewhere BEFORE we find it in God will ultimately frustrate us. Let's say a Porsche was a sentient, intelligent being. (I know, there are some out there that believe that is true) If you filled the passenger area with fertile soil you could grow beautiful flowers and if you let the engine warm up in neutral you could bake a potato to perfection on the exhaust manifold. The Porsche might get a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction from producing nice flowers and well baked potatoes, but ultimately it would become dissatisfied because that wasn't what it was created to do. Likewise, we can derive pleasure from the "stuff" we do in life and much of this stuff is noble, right and appropriate. But if we look to our jobs, families, "ministries" and hobbies to be our principle source of fulfillment and satisfaction it's much like looking to McDonald's to fill a need for a well turned out 12 course gourmet meal. You just won't get it there. God designed us to need Him. Anything short of a deep, rich relationship with Him will not satisfy in the long haul. Believe me. I know. I am a generally dissatisfied and restless individual and God is currently trying to help me to understand that of course I'm not satisfied with what my job supplies me; my family, as much of a joy as they are, can't MAKE me joyful; and my hobbies and ministries won't make me fulfilled. I was never designed to have those things create full satisfaction and fulfillment in me. And neither were you. We were designed to gain our most fundamental joy, satisfaction and fulfillment from an on-going relationship with the only, almighty God, JUST AS HE GAINS THOSE THINGS FROM HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH US. He didn't send His son to die for some principle. He sent His son to die for people he wants to spend eternity with. Frankly, we cheat ourselves when we bank on circumstances or a positive mental attitude or a comfortable redefinition of God to fill our lives. Stuff, even really neat stuff, just can't take God's place. And what I head-know, but don't yet heart-know, is that once I derive my fundamental joy, fulfillment and satisfaction from Him, all the rest that may be gained from family, job and ministry will be delightful frosting on the most excellent cake possible. We must hold to the stance that the whole of scripture is true and that to take one small piece or verse and build a whole church or lifestyle on it creates imbalance. The Word of God is the only accurate textbook that exists that explains what it's all about. We can study it, expound on it, dig into it, ignore it or twist it, but the fact remains that God chose the scripture to function as the level in our lives. Only by comparing our opinions, experiences and beliefs regarding God to the Bible can we tell whether we are on the level or off tilt. Feelings aren't an accurate judge. Neither are opinions, nor logic, nor a group consensus, nor a cleverly written article or book. Our generation has already seen more redefinitions of who Jesus is than probably any other generation, and it's going to get worse. You see, God gets pleasure when people love Him intensely enough to know Him well and be able to recognize Him. Right, Ida Mae? Bible Quiz Bible Quiz BIBLE QUIZ Messianic Prophecies! Fill in the blank with the name of the person who made the prophecy. 1. ___ said the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. 2. ___ said the Messiah would be born of a virgin. 3. ___ said the Messiah would be taken out of Egypt. 4. ___ said the Messiah would be a mighty prophet in word and deed. 5. ___ said the Messiah would have his hands and feet pierced. 6. ___ said the Messiah would be despised and rejected. 7. ___ said the Messiah would make a triumphal entry into Jerusalem. 8. ___ said the Messiah would be made an offering for sin. 9. ___ said soldiers would cast lots for the Messiah's garments. 10. ___ said the Messiah would be betrayed and sold for 30 pieces of silver. Answers: 1. Micah, Micah 5:2 2. Isaiah, Isaiah 7:14 3. Hosea, Hosea 11:1 4. Moses, Deuteronomy 18:18,19 5. David, Psalm 22:16 6. Isaiah, Isaiah 53:3 7. Zechariah, Zechariah 9:9 8. Isaiah, Isaiah 53:10 9. David, Psalm 22:18 10. Zechariah, Zechariah 11:12,13 Christian Life Department People Profile People Profile We would like to welcome Moishe Rosen to the pages of Morning Star. We have appreciated his willingness to allow us to reprint material published by Jews for Jesus in previous issues of this magazine. Today we look forward to being able to let our readers learn more about Moshe Rosen, and Jews for Jesus, through this interview conducted by Morning Star Senior Editor, Pastor Geoff Kragen. Geoff: Could you start by giving our readers a little background on your Jewish upbringing. Moshe: I was brought up in a traditional Jewish home in Denver, Colorado and received standard Jewish training at a Cheder through my Bar Mitzvah in 1945. I was a student at the Hebrew Educational Alliance and so my Bar Mitzvah was held there but my father and his family were members of the Ostrover congregation. I wasn't much different than the other poorer Jews on the west side of Denver. I was a member of A.Z.A. and later BBYM which were Jewish fraternal groups. I didn't believe in God and I didn't know anyone who really did. Some gave lip service but most didn't have any kind of serious devotional life. If they were observant they would give ethnic loyalty as the reason. Nominalism was the order of the day. Until I started high school, I really didn't know but three gentiles and none of them were Christians. They seemed kind of lonely and somewhat alienated. Somehow I got the impression that we Jews were in the majority. Geoff: What was it like going up Jewish in Denver, Colorado? Moshe: I don't have a basis of comparison. I came from lower class Jewish people who were more comfortable with blue collar workers. There were so many important factors other than 'place." The depression was on and it was very hard on us. Our family was close. My father worked hard but he still spent much time with my brother and me. My mother was a great story teller and taught me not to be afraid to consider anything. My family moved to Denver when I was two years old in 1934. Denver had an older more settled Jewish community than Kansas City where I was born. During the highest period of Jewish immigration, immigrants would be turned back by a medical examination if the doctors discovered what they called "a spot on the lung." This commonly meant tuberculosis. Jewish philanthropists established the Jewish Consumptive Relief Society in Denver, the National Jewish Hospital and the Home for Jewish Asthmatics. My grandfather and his brother settled in Denver in 1903 because my great uncle had a spot on the lungs. That great uncle lived to be 96. But it's important to realize that this was an older established Jewish community. A few Jews from the great cities of the East came out for health reasons. The west side of Denver was teeming with Jewish life in much the same way as the Lower East Side and that continued until I left Denver in 1954. In one sense it was a ghetto. The schools closed for Jewish holidays. But on the other hand it was a culturally rich community of 22,000 Jews who had Yiddish Theater, two dozen synagogues, two Jewish community centers and every sort of Jewish club under the sun. One could have a rich full Jewish cultural life without ever going to a synagogue, but most of us did go to synagogue and unlike a lot of my contemporaries, I continued attending synagogue on a more or less regular basis until my later teens. Geoff: How did you come to become a disciple of Y'shua Hamashiach (Jesus the Messiah)? Moshe: One of the reasons why I continued attending synagogue from time to time while most of the young men my age dropped away had to do with the fact that I believed that there was a meaning or significance that went beyond common understanding. I had some mystical sense of destiny and whereas I would describe myself as an agnostic, I felt that there was something deeper in the Jewish religion that could explain that meaning and that sense of destiny. However, the more involved I became with religious Jews and the Jewish religion, the farther away was the understanding. My mother didn't believe in God in any conventional sense of the word nor did my father, but they did practice the Jewish religion as a way of working out our peoplehood. Yet, my mother seemed to sense that there was something supernatural beyond what we could see, feel or hear. I recall a particular Sunday afternoon when my girlfriend (who later became my wife) were on our way to a movie in downtown Denver. On the corner of 15th and Champa was the May Company and each Sunday a man in a clerical collar would stand and preach and sometimes he would sing. I never stopped to listen to him nor did anyone else for that matter. But I was impressed with the fact that though he was a person of some bearing and dignity he was exposing himself to ridicule by his preaching to the wind. I was only 15 years old but after I saw him several times, I remarked to Ceil, "I wish I believed in something strongly enough that I had the kind of strength to be willing to do something like that." At 17 I encountered my first real witness. Someone attempted to tell me about Jesus in such a way that I might believe. It was a young man only a couple of years older than me and what he said fascinated me. Instead of going home I went with him and stood on his front porch. His father came out and we talked for an hour and a half. Most of his witness was about things to come, but I could see in his father's eyes that he was talking about something he could actually visualize. I remember the gospel. The strange thing about it was when Orville (the son) told me that "all had sinned and come short of the glory of God," instead of feeling insulted, I felt a certain sense of comfort because before that time I knew that if there was a God I was certainly a sinner. I didn't realize that I shared that condition of being with all of mankind. Most of what was told me that night made sense, and because it made sense, I feared that I might come to believe it and I knew that if I did believe it I would be disowned and disinherited. We were a poor family but my father was well on his way to becoming wealthy and I had a part in the family business. I knew that my friends would desert me and that I would be despised by my former friends as being a traitor so I decided that I didn't want to hear anymore and I certainly didn't want to risk allowing myself to be persuaded. If any of the readers think that's an unreasonable fear, they ought to look at the way some of the self appointed guardians of the Jewish faith malign believers on the computer bulletin boards throughout the country. That attitude of hateful intolerance is encouraged to those who are regarded as being apostates. You can understand why I did not want to discover that it was true. Geoff: Often major problems arise in a family when a member becomes a Messianic Believer. How did your family respond to your decision? Moshe: So far as I was concerned, whether or not Jesus was the Messiah was not an issue that I could trust myself to decide. Yet I knew in my heart of hearts that even if all of the rabbis got together and all of the Jews agreed that Jesus was the Messiah that I personally wouldn't believe it because the nature of truth is that each of us must discover it on our own. The way that God reached me was through my Jewish wife. For one thing she had really studied the Jewish religion far more. She had been impressed by the words of Christmas carols and after our first child was born, she began to pray that God would show her what was true. For a while she contemplated an all-out attempt to be an observant Jew but her experience as an observant Jew didn't give her any sense that she was relating to God. She obtained a New Testament, read it and believed it and one day Hannah Wago a missionary from the American Board of Missions to the Jews came to our home and Ceil accepted Christ. It's not only with Jewish believers that there are family problems. When anyone becomes a true believer in Y'shua there will be problems. First of all, to have new life in Christ is to resign from the world and it's system. No longer can we take part in what might be some of our cherished pastimes. No longer can we entertain certain unproductive attitudes. No longer can we put ourselves or our families first, but we are to be servants of the Savior and in a sense we become very much other than what we were before. As I mentioned previously, it's the nature of the Jewish family and the Jewish religious leaders to try to intimidate Jews from considering Christ. So, generally speaking there's a lot of hostility and verbal abuse. As soon as my father found out, he disowned me. My wife was an adopted child and an only child and her parents were much more patient, but when her father started to become interested in the gospel, her mother who was the dominant member of the family cut us off completely. We don't know when they died or where they died. We never saw them again. My own parents sought some kind of reconciliation after a year but things couldn't become the same. But a comment on the problems. If there are not problems with family, if there are not problems with old friends, a warning flag should be raised as to whether or not the new person in Christ is really telling what he should tell and stand where he should stand. Geoff: When did you first become interested in presenting the claims of Y'shua to other Jews? Moshe: In a sense, your question is a puzzle to me. "When did you first become interested in presenting the claims of Y'shua to other Jews?" That interest comes along with the new birth, the commitment to belong to the Lord. It wasn't just Jews, it was everyone that I had a commitment to. I never thought I would be good enough to be a minister and when God called me several months after I was saved and when He showed me that He wanted me to serve, I didn't complain. I felt honored, but I didn't know how to do it and the Lord used the American Board of Missions to the Jews for that. Not only did they have a part in my coming to the Lord, but they also paid for my education through the time I graduated from Northeastern Bible College. Geoff: What brought about the decision to establish Jews for Jesus? Moshe: There was not so much a decision to establish Jews for Jesus but rather just to continue what I was doing. In a sense, the baby had grown too large for the American Board's cradle and needed a different vehicle. So far as I'm concerned, I just continued doing a similar ministry to what I was doing before. There were certain principles of operation that I believed in that were very important to me that at that time were not shared by my friends in the American Board of Missions to the Jews. Furthermore, since 1969, I looked and studied to discover what the principles of effective evangelism might be. It became apparent that I would not rightly be able to utilize the structure that I was in to do those things. However, it didn't occur to me that I might have to leave until Dr. Daniel Fuchs who was a dear friend and mentor of mine told me that he was going to do me the greatest favor of my life and dismiss me. He was right. Geoff: Many Christians believe that it is inappropriate to try to lead Jews to a relationship with Y'shua. Why is this important, and why is there a need for Jewish missionary organizations? Moshe: I can't imagine what kind of Christian would feel that it would be inappropriate to try to lead a Jewish person to Y'shua. I know that there are a number of nominal Christians but if Y'shua is the Savior at all, he must be the Savior of all because God doesn't have first class and coach on his flight to heaven. I have seen people do all sorts of mental gymnastics to excuse themselves from the responsibility of the bringing of the gospel to the Jewish people. Usually I don't stand around and listen. I'm more concerned about some evangelical Christians who want to love the Jews so much that they don't want to offend my people by telling them about Jesus. Listen, I would rather be offended and have salvation in Christ, then to be comforted all the way into hell. I don't know how to say this kindly, but I think that there are a number of pseudo-Christians who are the tares among the wheat and some of them are even in leadership. They walk like Christians walk and they talk like Christians talk, but they're sterile. They produce neither fruit not spiritual progeny. To them, belief in Jesus, his death and resurrection is nothing more than a strongly held opinion. For me, a true Christian has a profound conviction on a "live or die" basis. One is never "almost" a Christian anymore than one is "almost" alive. To believe in Jesus means that we're committed to obeying whatever he shows us and looking for escape from duty with theological contortions as a device. It only means that the individual who accepts such devices never really heard the voice of God thundering within his or her own soul with a prefaced statement, "Thus saith the Lord..." Geoff: How has the ministry of Jews for Jesus changed over the years, and what is your primary focus today? Moshe: In one sense, Jews for Jesus is not only the same as we were when we began, but we see ourselves in an apostolic or prophetic tradition. We are doing essentially what was done in the book of Acts when it comes to proclamation and we're enduring what the apostles had to endure in the book of Acts. But if those same apostles were alive today, they would be experimenting with communication and using whatever was available to them. They would use radio, television, billboards, print media. The way that Jews for Jesus has mostly changed is that now a group of 70's hippies can wear business suits and are comfortable with advanced degrees and their hair is a little bit grayer. We are and always have been highly theoretical and experimental when it comes to communications, but unlike some of the others, we develop our techniques out of statistical studies of responses to what we're doing. Geoff: Are there any plans for future change in your ministry or that of Jews for Jesus? Moshe: I didn't have a plan to begin with. I was a follower all the way and a stumbling follower of the Lord at that. I keep discovering new opportunities and about the time that I realize they're opportunities the Lord sends us some people who can meet that opportunity. We would like to do a lot more with television and video, but don't have the "know how." If anyone wants to find out more, they're welcome to get the Jews for Jesus Newsletter. We send it free for a while. Ministry Profile Ministry Profile JEWS FOR JESUS - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE By Moshe Rosen, Executive Director (From the JEWS FOR JESUS JOURNAL Vol 1, No.1) In 1954, about a year after my wife Ceil and I became believers in Jesus, I felt God's call to minister to my Jewish people. I enrolled in Bible college and in my senior year became a full-time missionary under what was then the world's largest Jewish mission board. For 10 years I labored in Los Angeles and saw more than 200 Jewish people commit their lives to Christ. In 1967 the same mission moved me to New York to serve in an executive capacity. There I discovered certain factors that I felt were hindering Jewish evangelism agencies from being truly effective. With only minimal results, we all had allowed ourselves to think we were successful. I saw that we needed to face the reality of our failure and rectify the situation. How It All Began In 1970 God moved me to the San Francisco Bay Area under the same mission board, not as an executive, but once again as a field missionary. I wanted to try some new ways of communicating. I rented a small office in suburban Corte Madera and set out to work with only a secretary and a handful of newly-saved Jewish "hippie" volunteers. Those Jesus People had no preconceived ideas about Jewish evangelism. They only knew that they loved the Lord and wanted to tell everyone about Him. It was God's time for us to pioneer some new evangelistic strategies based on the recent insights I had gained in New York We had to stop trying to avoid conflict. Most of the workers in Jewish evangelism were well-meaning Gentile Christians who, above all, sought the goodwill of the Jewish community and tried to avoid friction at all costs. Yet as soon as the missionaries' efforts began to be effective, the Jewish leaders reacted with a show of displeasure and accused them of insensitive or offensive methods. Usually the real problem was the offense of the cross, not insensitive methods. Fearing the potential effectiveness of the missionary work, the Jewish community leaders chose to find it offensive. As a result, the missionaries often aborted promising projects for fear of further antagonizing the Jewish community. There was no way - however tactful, loving and sensitive - to tell Jewish people that they needed Jesus without risking the displeasure of the Jewish community leaders. Having committed myself to the idea that disapproval and rejection were a normal part of Jewish evangelism, I taught my helpers that we all must bear the cross and risk rejection. Once they oriented themselves to handle rejection, they began to win many Jews to the Lord. We had to find more effective materials and literature. Jewish people are generally quite literate. This calls for quality literature, but most of the evangelistic material at that time was poorly written. Though scripturally accurate, it failed to communicate. It was stodgy, uninteresting and never used in large enough quantities. (The largest number of any tract ever printed by a missionary society was 10,000 - a meager amount in terms of mass distribution. Without substantial distribution over a short time, it is impossible to gauge a tract's effectiveness.) We devised a new form of gospel tract. Based on contemporary issues, ours were humorous, easy to read, good-natured and not at all "preachy." They were also inexpensive to produce. We called them "broadsides." Using a mimeograph machine, we printed, hand-folded and gave out 50,000 broadsides a month. We distributed them wherever we found crowds - at shopping areas, on campuses and in theater districts. With our address and telephone number on the back, the broadsides were our initial contact material. They invited inquiries, and recipients responded by the hundreds. The Name "Jews for Jesus" We didn't name ourselves. One day in a brainstorming session we invented a slogan to proclaim in short, cryptic terms that Jewish people could, and many did, believe in Jesus. The slogan was simple and direct: "Jews for Jesus". We painted or embroidered it on the denims most of the young people wore. Then we silk-screened 500 posters with the same three-word slogan and plastered them all over a couple of the Bay Area college campuses. We didn't explain the posters, but let them speak for themselves. Ten days later we distributed tracts with the same title and created quite a stir. Some thought the slogan was our name, and soon they were calling us Jews for Jesus. We had to bridge the culture gap. Jewish missions in general had neglected the principle of indigenousness: winning those of a specific nationality, tribe or social segment to Christ and training them to witness to their own people within the framework of their own culture. A communication gap existed between the missionaries and the Jewish people they wanted to evangelize. The missionaries expected Jewish believers to behave like Gentiles when they came to Christ, almost as though eating non kosher food or totally ignoring Jewish holidays would prove that they were Christians. Heeding Paul's example to be as Jews to those who were Jewish, we began to use elements of our own Jewish culture in evangelism. We wrote Jewish melodies to sing praise to Jesus and on Jewish holidays such as Passover and the Day of Atonement we pointed to Him as the Lamb of God and our atonement for sin. Instead of retreating from our Jewishness, we valued it. This showed those we wanted to evangelize that coming to Christ did not mean abandonment of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and that Christ is the fulfillment of the Hebrew Law. We had to raise our profile. Until 1970 it had been relatively easy for Jewish community leaders to state that Jews did not believe in Jesus. This false premise seemed true because generally the Jewish believers were not visible. Even though numbers of Jews received Christ, they tended to assimilate, leaving their testimonies unheard in the Church and in the Jewish community. By banding together, using teamwork and a high degree of mobility, we raised the image of real Jews believing in the real Jesus. As we began to make our message known throughout the country, it became apparent that there were thousands of us. No longer could anyone say, "Jews never believe in Jesus!" In 1973 we became an independent entity. God had given a vision of what could be done, and it was working. To be most effective, however, it was necessary for us to form a new and separate missionary organization. Within three years we became the largest mission to the Jews in modern times. We have preserved and fostered the courageous evangelical and evangelistic distinctions that first made us an effective missionary organization. Having recently embarked on our 20th year of ministry, we are pleased that many other Jewish mission groups have begun to incorporate some of our innovative approaches in their own outreach efforts. Jews for Jesus Policies and Standards From our earliest days we have prayerfully and carefully maintained certain policies and standards. By these distinctions we maintain integrity as an organization and faithfulness to the charge entrusted to us by our praying friends and supporters. ¥ As much as possible we seek new frontiers of ministry rather than duplicate what is already being done by other Jewish evangelism agencies. ¥ We maintain a strong commitment to serve the whole Church as an arm of outreach and a Jewish voice heralding the gospel to our fellow Jews. Therefore we emphasize only those doctrines of salvation commonly held by evangelical Christians. ¥ As much as possible we seek biblical methods of ministry. In missionary deployment we send out teams or apostolic bands for mutual spiritual and emotional support. In the face of opposition we conduct ourselves with assurance. In proclaiming the gospel we maintain a respectful attitude toward law and authority but persist in asserting our civil rights. ¥ Knowing that loving confrontation is an essential condition of evangelism, we are committed to the more difficult methods of proclaiming the gospel that sometimes result in opposition. We do the difficult thing because it is the right thing, and by God's grace it works. ¥ We communicate to Jewish people as Jews communicate with one another. We use Jewish rather than Gentile cultural elements because Jewish people do not easily understand or relate to church "jargon." ¥ While maintaining our Jewish cultural identity, we do not in any way negate our identity with the Church, the body of Christ. We are not a separate sect, and we have always maintained a very strong tie with the Church. Our ministry is an arm of the Church to reach into the Jewish community, and we require that all of our workers be members of good standing in sound local congregations. ¥ We continue to develop and use materials to communicate the gospel through secular modes of communication. These include broadcast and print media, literature, drama, music, liturgy, rhetoric, poetry and graphic arts. ¥ Committed to good stewardship, we use diligence in spending ministry funds. Whenever possible we pay our bills early to take advantage of early-payment discounts. We always give priority to direct evangelism and take great care to use donor-designated money only for its expressed purpose. ¥ We do not send out emergency appeals. We feel we should not extend ourselves to spend beyond what the Lord provides through His people. Whenever God leads us to undertake a new outreach project, we place that need before our ministry friends and pray that in His providence He will move some of His people to support it. ¥ At all times we exercise the highest possible business and ministry ethics. We belong to the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability, the National Association of Evangelicals and the Interdenominational Foreign Mission Association (IFMA). Designed to make good ministries better, IFMA maintains probably the strictest standards of all mission associations. We also belong to the World Evangelical Fellowship, an international organization of those who hold to and promote evangelical causes, the Evangelical Alliance of Great Britain, and the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism (LCJE), a body of missionaries from the more conservative denominations and independent mission organizations. The purpose of LCJE is to discuss and make available materials and knowledge that will improve the field of Jewish evangelism. What Does the Future Hold? We have branches in San Francisco; Boston; Chicago; Dallas; Ft. Lauderdale; Miami; Los Angeles; New York; Washington, D.C.; Buenos Aires, Argentina; London, England; Paris, France; Johannesburg, South Africa; Toronto, Canada and Odessa, Ukraine. To be most effective, we would rather not grow much larger than we are now. Instead we hope to be an example of courageous evangelism, commitment and concern for our fellow Jews and to help other mission organizations come alongside and share our blessings. As Jews for Jesus becomes more international, we want to form independent organizations that will not have to rely on expatriate missionary personnel. We hope that eventually much of our international work will become indigenous and self-supporting - one in heart, mind and dedication with us, yet independent in operation. Believing that the final act in God's drama of redemption will take place in Israel, we are prepared to become involved there when we detect the same kind of ripe-unto-harvest conditions that we have already seen in other fields around the world. Until now most evangelistic efforts in Israel have borne only a small amount of fruit, but we look forward to a great moving of the Holy Spirit in that land and an endtime harvest. With God's help we plan to continue the projects we have found effective in communicating the gospel. These include literature, gospel ads in secular newspapers and magazines, witnessing campaigns, Jewish gospel music and, most of all, one-to-one witnessing in small Bible classes. We also want to test new methods. As we develop the ability, we will try video presentations, audio tapes and computer communications. Hopefully we will also continue to write new books and other literature. We have a burden for meeting the spiritual needs of mixed-marriage Jewish-Gentile families. Most modern Jews are ethnically loyal but seem to have drifted away from practicing the Jewish religion. Generally they have embraced a secular mind-set that often leads to a lack of serious religious affiliation and an increasing rate of intermarriage with non-Jews. Later, when one or both mates who once regarded religion as unimportant become spiritually hungry, they need answers for themselves and their children. To fill this need, we would like to put more emphasis on evangelistic ministry to children and teenagers. We already have a camp program, but we hope to supply more instruction and activities for young people that will lead them to life-changing commitments of faith in Y'shua. These are some projects that will continue to keep us busy, and of course we want to remain open to new ideas God may reveal to us. As long as He continues to give us the vision, the resources and, above all, His mandate, we plan to keep on proclaiming the bold yet loving message of Christ until He returns to take us all to our heavenly reward. This sign greets visitors to our San Francisco headquarters building: JEWS FOR JESUS EST. 32 A.D. Give or take a year Education Education INSTITUTE OF HOLY LAND STUDIES By Halvor R.T. Ronning Interim Director This year is the 25th anniversary of the Institute's location at the Bishop Gobat School on Mt. Zion overlooking the Hinnon Valley. During the special reception and celebration that was held during October of 1992, we recounted how our founder Dr. Douglas Young walked to this location over 25 years ago, and prayed the prayer of faith, asking God for this location. What tremendous blessings have come from that seed! Over the years more than 9,000 students have had their vision broadened, their interpretive skills enhanced, their knowledge increased and their appreciation for the roots of the Christian faith expanded. Their love for Israel and the Holy Scriptures has increased and been spread into countless fields of service: scholarship, teaching, missions, family life, preaching and to their own personal pilgrimage. The future of the Institute is bright and we are hopeful of your desire to participate in this ministry through your generous giving. The goal of our short-term programs is that our students will become more alive to the reality of the Bible as it can be experienced in the Land of the Bible. The goal of our long-term programs is to confront the Bible student with the evidence. The more evidence, the more potential for a student to come alive to the profound realities of Biblical revelation. Dr. Douglas Young, our founding father, envisioned highly trained Christian graduate students. Such Christians, educated in the evidence, could serve their various denominations both as interpreters of the Biblical past and also as interpreters of God's plan for the present. The more God's revelation is scrutinized the more real it becomes. Hiking the land is an incomparable way of scrutinizing the land. As you see the evidence geographically, historically, archaeologically, and linguistically, you can sense for yourself the confirmation that Bible events are not cleverly devised myths but realities that have been "seen and heard" and are relevant for you today. Studying the Bible in Israel among the people of the Bible and in the land and languages of the Bible is an incomparable opportunity for you. THE INSTITUTE OF HOLY LAND STUDIES OFFERS YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO: -STUDY SCRIPTURE IN CONTEXT. Biblical characters come alive as you study the strategy of ancient Egyptian and Assyrian armies and counter strategy of the Israelites. You can almost hear the gallop of steeds, the clatter of chariot wheels, and the cries of warriors engaging in fierce battle. -VIEW BIBLICAL SITES. Standing on the site where Sampson lived or viewing the ruins of ancient Megiddo will add new understanding to Biblical texts. Evidence of the times and culture of the prophet Jeremiah and King David will stir your spirit and renew your interest in the Old Testament. -UNDERSTAND ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT. The Arab-Israeli conflict takes on a personal dimension as you observe the impact of human suffering and the dilemma of a nation in quest for peace. Gain a genuine perspective of the obstacles and the challenges to peace. -EXPERIENCE MODERN AND ANCIENT CULTURES. Walk the streets of Jerusalem shoulder to shoulder with direct descendants of Abraham, sail across the Sea of Galilee, or browse in open markets and you will experience the mesh of ancient and modern cultures. SHORT-TERM STUDY PROGRAMS: -GEOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL SETTING OF THE BIBLE. An intensive three-week course will introduce you to the geography, history, and archaeology of Israel. You will begin to feel at home on the playing field of Biblical history. 1. Assignments using materials furnished by the Institute should be completed prior to arrival in Israel. This work provides the necessary Biblical background and regional introduction for study in Israel. 2. At the Jerusalem campus, students attend preparatory lectures designed to integrate assignments with field study. 3. Five regional studies, each culminating in a field trip of one to three days, constitute the main body of the program. 4. Special studies and walks in Jerusalem emphasize important aspects of the city in Biblical and modern times. (4 semester hours of credit) -JESUS AND HIS TIMES. This two-week course emphasizes the geographical, historical, and cultural setting of Israel in New Testament times. (2 semester hours of credit) -PASTOR/LAYMEN STUDY TOUR. This introduction to Biblical settings will enrich your knowledge and appreciation of Scripture and expose you to the land of Israel and the work of the Institute. (non-credit) -ARCHAEOLOGY: FIELD EXCAVATION. Participate in an archaeological dig in Israel in the summer: dig, wash, sort, and reform pottery in conjunction with lectures, readings, and/or reports. (1-2 semester hours of credit) -SPECIAL GROUPS. The Institute will tailor a program to meet the needs of your group (dependent on adequate size). Both short and long-term programs are negotiable. Please contact the Jerusalem office. LONG-TERM STUDY PROGRAMS: Long-term courses at the Institute of Holy Land Studies emphasize the history, geography, archaeology, and languages of the Bible. -TWO-YEAR M.A. DEGREE PROGRAMS: 1. Biblical History - Emphasis on Biblical studies in history, geography, archaeology, and Hebrew. 2. Hebrew Language - Intensive study of modern and Biblical Hebrew, comparative semitics and Bible translation. Optional concentration in New Testament backgrounds. 3. Middle Eastern Studies - Emphasis on the post-Biblical world of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. -CERTIFICATE IN BIBLICAL EXEGESIS: This one-year program provides a solid foundation for anyone involved in translating, interpreting, and teaching the Biblical message. -NON-DEGREE GRADUATE STUDIES: Graduate students may take one or two semesters of graduate level classes. -JUNIOR/SENIOR SEMESTER OR YEAR ABROAD-UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES: College juniors and seniors may take a semester or a year abroad. This program provides a basic understanding of the land and people of the Bible and the Middle East. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. Students from associated schools may study at the Institute under a consortium plan and thereby make use of any available aid funds. Funds received under the GSL (U.S.A.) and Student Loans Guarantee Act (Canada), as well as assistance under the Veterans Readjustment Act of 1966, may be applied toward study at the Institute. Scholarships and work-study grants from the Institute are awarded according to academic excellence and financial need. ASSOCIATED SCHOOLS. The Institute of Holy Land Studies credits are accepted by approximately 100 associated colleges, universities, and seminaries by prior agreement and as general practice by some of the more prestigious universities in North America and elsewhere. APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION: -ACADEMIC PREREQUISITES. Most of the Institute's short-term study programs are designed for those who are prepared to enroll for credit. The application for admission includes academic records and required background information. Students entering these programs are expected to have a GPA of at least 2.5 on a four-point scale. -GENERAL PHYSICAL/MEDICAL PREREQUISITES. All applicants must complete a medical information form. Since field work involves strenuous hiking in normally inaccessible places, the course work is not feasible for those with physical disabilities. The Institute does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, national/ethnic origins or most handicaps. -PREPROGRAM DEADLINE. Applications should be in the U.S.A. office three months prior to the program desired. Applications received after the deadline are subject to a late application fee and may be placed on a waiting list. A preprogram deposit is required at least by the deadline or with the late application. GROUP TRAVEL RATES Individuals or groups coming from North America may take advantage of reduced travel rates negotiated by the Institute. Write the Institute's U.S.A. office for information and for group leader benefits. The Institute offers you more than a tour or a pilgrimage. It offers you the challenge of the land and its people. FOR APPLICATIONS, BROCHURES AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT THE UNITED STATES OFFICE. ISRAEL CAMPUS: American Institute of Holy Land Studies Mt. Zion, P.O.B. 1276 91012 Jerusalem, Israel UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ADDRESS: Institute of Holy Land Studies 4249 E. State Street, Suite 203 Rockford, Illinois 61108 Phone (815) 229-5900 Fax (815) 229-5901 Praise and Prayer Praise and Prayer PRAISE AND PRAYER is our international prayer link column. Send your praise report or prayer request to MORNING STAR for publication in our next issue. Call on your brothers and sisters worldwide and together we will call on God! PRAISE REPORTS: Denise from Florida thanks the Lord that her sister Jamie is doing well in her pregnancy. She also thanks the Lord for providing for their every need, in unbelievable ways, while her husband is unemployed. We are trusting God for a job for her husband. Bruce praises the Lord in Texas because the church he attends did a Christmas Pageant for a whole week and 43 People came to the Lord because of that ... Bless GOD!! Dee in Texas praises God for bringing many new people into their Spanish speaking congregation as a result of their Christmas outreach program. She also thanks the Lord for strengthening her own faith and spiritual life in the process. Ray in California praises the Lord that he and his wife are no longer a mixed marriage. God lead them to a New Church Home. Keith from Florida praises the Lord for everything He has done for him and his family. Ron from Pennsylvania thanks the Lord that an 84 year old Jewish man named Morris Abrams accepted Yeshua as Lord and Savior. He was ready because a Christian nurse had prepared him by sharing the Gospel with him. We thank and praise the Lord for the way He took care of the young Lay Minister named Morten in Norway. Lars, our Morning Star correspondent, lives with Morten. The doctors diagnosed him as having a rare virus, but he is fine now! He thanks everyone for the prayers on his behalf. Amy from Alabama thanks God for the temporary (better) job that just fell into her lap six weeks after she quit her job at the end of October. He provided this job for her without application and without interview; totally amazing what the Lord can do!! Lenora in Texas thanks God for the miracle in her husband Ignacio's life. He was an alcoholic, and this marks the third year he has not touched alcohol of any type. God did an instant miracle in his life three years ago this New Year's Day. We are praying now for his salvation. Ed from Maryland is thankful that his parents celebrated their 50th anniversary together. The Lord has truly blessed them. Geoff in California praises the Lord for the gift of His Son and also for His blessings in the counseling ministry. He has touched many lives. He also is thankful for a Godly spouse, Janette. Steve from New Hampshire says that his first praise is that the Lord stands by him, a sinner saved by His grace. He also praises Him for his wife Janet, and for our families. PRAYER REQUESTS: Pray for N.T. who fears people. Ray in California requests prayer for Gail, as she is going through some trying times. Denise's church in Florida has been without a Pastor for a year and there is some disunity there. Pray for this church and all churches. Tom asks for prayer for the family of a friend who died on November 30th in a mid-air collision of two Air Force planes. Please remember Tom in prayer also. He and the decedent were friends for 16 years. Pray for Gail from Washington who is trying to start a support group for the abused. Dee in Texas asks for prayer for her friend Tom, who has recently been seeking a job. He wants a job where he is able to serve God best. Deb from Maryland requests prayer for her sister Lynne because her husband just decided to leave home. Pray that the Lord will restore their marriage and save them too. Pray that God will give Deb wisdom in counseling her sister in this situation. Iggie from Virginia thanks God for being very good to him. He asks for prayer that the Lord will help him find ways to use His talents to honor the Lord. Geoff from California asks that we pray for the adoption group he has been involved with. It doesn't seem to be going very well. This has been very stressful for all involved. Secondly, Janette and I continue to be under serious stress related to our financial situation, (long term). Continue to pray for Lars Storstrand, our Morning Star Correspondent in Norway. He was falsely accused of slander. The police went into Lar's apartment and took away the computer and all his equipment. They have not returned his computer to him as yet. He needs these items in order to make a living for himself. There is a possibility that he will be taken to jail and that he will have to pay fines all because of this false accusation. Please pray fervently for this young man. We need to unite as the Family of God and fast and pray and intercede for Lars. He covets our prayers! Pray for Toby as he attends the annual conference of Christian Friends of Israel this Feb 5-7, 1993. This is held for the first time in the USA in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. Remember Spencer from NewYork. He has received a POTENTIAL offer for employment as a speaker for a local Christian Radio Station. He says that he would appreciate everyone's prayers for insight and wisdom on this. Pray for LaVerne who has the flu. Pray for all the people in Russia. The situation there is getting shaky once again. Raymond, in Rhode Island, asks for prayer. He is underemployed and has 5 children. He is asking the Lord's direction as to whether or not he needs to relocate. He has done radio and TV production. Also, please pray for his mother. She has cancer. Pray for Rev. Halverson, chaplain to the U.S. Senate and pastor of 4th Presbyterian in Washington D.C. who was hospitalzed this past week with a serious illness. Rev. Halverson is a strong evangelical voice in the U.S. Capitol, with many people from both parties liking, respecting and listening to him. Pray for Mark Scott in Philadelphia. He popped a disk in his neck and has MAJOR problems with his left hand now. If it doesn't get better it will ruin his career. He's an Interventional Radiologist. Pray for Rob in Philadelphia, that the Lord will help him with his workload at this time. Pray for Ben and Danny in the Air Force from Nancy's church in Florida, who have been sent to Egypt with the Somalia relief effort. Pray for their safety and for the families they left behind. Pray that the Word of God reaches the people in Somalia! Pray for Danny in Fort Worth, Texas, that the Lord will help him in his financial needs. Also pray for the salvation of all the people that the members of his little church are asking into the church. Pray for Grace from Virginia who needs the healing of feelings between herself and her parents. Continue to pray for Thelma Scott's mother, Mrs. Fisher from Memphis, Tennessee. She had a stroke on October 31st and is still in the nursing home. This dear lady taught a Sunday School class for over 50 years. Pray for Jim in Florida who is beginning a job search in Tampa. He has two widows (Grandmother Doris and Great Grandmother Frances) in his family who need help. A three weeks old baby in California, named Sara, has been diagnosed as having SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) related problems. She will have to be monitored for at least six months to make sure she doesn't die. Please be in prayer for her and her mother Carlalee too. Pray for Wayne's family physician, Dr. Newman from Washington, who has cancer. We are thankful that he is a Jewish Believer. Pray for Kyle in Indiana who gets panic attacks from stress. Al from Texas tells us that Sarah Baker, who was in a vehicle accident in Texas, went to be with the Lord last week. It seemed like everything was progressing steadily until all of a sudden, everything "just seemed to go haywire," as one of his friends put it. Also, those who choose to continue in prayer know that while keeping Sarah's family in mind, Sarah's mother has requested prayer for Sarah's close friends, especially those unsaved, that they might, through all this, come to be keenly aware of what things are important and what things are not, so that they might receive Jesus. Dominic in California is still not working a "REAL " job, but teaching hours are increasing; pray that God continues to provide and allows his wife to stop working night shift at the restaurant as a waitress. Samantha requests prayer for her fiance Kris who suffers from panic attacks. Pray for Kathy Payton and her two children. She lost her husband Saturday to a heart attack. He was living for Jesus. Pray for Harry in Illinois, that the Lord will open doors for a job in his field as a physicist. Pray for "PJ" and her babies who both have heart defects. Pray for Ken in California and his family and job situation. Pray that God would heal his relationships and build his self-esteem. Robert from North Dakota asks us to pray for his brother Mike who is on drugs and gets violent at times, even attacking his parents. Pray for full missionary support for Ron, Jackie and Richard Elkin involved with AMMI ministry in Philadelphia. The Elkins are also in need of finances for many house repairs which have been put off due to their missionary expenses. Pray for the witnessing campaign in Pittsburgh next June 21-26. This is a ministry focusing especially on getting the Gospel out to the Jewish people. Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem. (Psalm 122:6a) CFI Reports CFI Reports CFI REPORTS is our monthly column dedicated to the ministries of CHRISTIAN FRIENDS OF ISRAEL in Jerusalem. Our October 1991 issue of MORNING STAR (Volume 1.1) presented a summary of the various CFI ministries and explained the foundational principles and objectives of CFI. In this month's column we present the 1992 4th quarter issue of "A Christian Voice For Soviet Jewry. This is the newsletter of PROJECT OPEN GATES, a CFI ministry which provides support and assistance to immigrating Soviet Jewry. If you want to assist in this worthy cause, please write, call or fax: Christian Friends of Israel Project Open Gates P.O. Box 1813 Jerusalem, 91015 Israel Tel: 972-2-894172 Fax: 972-2-894955 There is a GREAT need for clothing, shoes, bedding, toiletries and other basics for these immigrants. Donations are very much appreciated and will be used solely for this branch of the CFI ministry. To receive "A Christian Voice For Soviet Jewry" (quarterly) send $10 (U.S) to the address above. ------------------------------------------------------------ A CHRISTIAN VOICE FOR SOVIET JEWRY A Quarterly Report from Jerusalem - 4TH QUARTER 1992 -... The Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country ...- (Jeremiah 23:8) NEW IMMIGRANT NEEDS GOING UNMET "I'm living in an empty room," began Dr. Maria P., a 73-year-old widow who'd immigrated alone to Israel just weeks earlier, after burying the last of her family members. Her eyes filled with tears and she was unable to continue. "I'm ashamed to ask for help," she turned and explained to the translator, herself also a new immigrant from the former Soviet Union. "No, you have come to Christians," the translator replied. "They want to share everything they have with you." "I know," said Maria. "I met them when I came here through Finland" (where many believing families are receiving emigrating Jews into their homes). She began to open up about her needs: a hearing aid, and some simple furniture for her bare rented room. For a woman her age, starting again alone in a new land with no savings, they were unattainable. "But no one is obligated to help me," she felt compelled to add. "On the contrary," answered a CFI volunteer. "We received the Bible from the Jewish people. What a great obligation we have!" (See Romans 15:27). At a moment like this, there's not a believing family that wouldn't do anything they could for Maria. It's a God-given window in history: as the Jewish people return to their land as the prophets foretold, also created is the daily potential for reconciliation between the followers of Jesus and the people from whom he came. But we must be found ready. For Maria, we weren't. "We want to help, but you'll have to wait," the volunteer told her. "One month, or more. We don't have anything to give right now." It's a painful situation that CFI volunteers have experienced dozens of times in recent weeks. There's Euvgenia, another widow, 87, two months in Israel. She sits alone in her hotel room with a broken bottom denture, waiting for word that we can help her with a low - cost replacement. Meanwhile as she eats she chews away at her gums - and soon there may be nothing left there to mount a denture on. Or there's Elizabeta, 77, who says her dream is a wardrobe - "let it be a small one" - for the rented room where she lives alone. Asked to wait a month or two, her reply: "If I'm still alive." Not just the elderly are turning to Christian friends. Reuvim came to the CFI center in late November, two weeks after landing in Israel, looking something like artists' portrayal of Jesus with his long brown hair and beard. The 31-year-old, with wife and child, fled the civil war in their native city of Dushanbe near Afghanistan. He'd exchanged one war for another, settling in Kiryat Arba, a small Jewish enclave surrounded by hostile neighbors in the territories. They and their belongings were on the floor in their empty apartment - and again we could only tell them, "Wait." Then there are single moms like Laura, alone with a son, 17. "He's a good student, but it's hard for him to learn at home," she told us. Their tiny mobile home is in chaos for lack of a clothes cupboard. "I only request a part. I understand all is not possible," she said. "It's hard to wait." The list goes on ... open-hearted people who've turned to us in the hour of the greatest need they've ever known - and found us unprepared. OUR RESPONSE At CFI we're working to creatively stretch the resources that are entrusted to us. For example, the immigrant dentists working with us agree to accept prices 50 percent below the inflated market rate before we'll begin to refer patients to them. But we also see a crying need to better communicate to you the reality of what we're seeing in Jerusalem. It's no longer enough for only CFI volunteers to know the immigrants and their lives. We want to introduce you to them. To hear their stories to share in their suffering, to personally sense the historic opportunity God has given us to reach out to them. For each donor to Project Open Gates who requests, we want to send information on the family you've helped. Who they are, what their problems are. To forge a crucial personal link. Pray for them, write to them, perhaps build an enduring relationship with them. Many of these families are crying out for friendship which the CFI volunteers simply haven't time to give. Person to person, face to face, family to family, it's an opportunity for each of us to participate in tearing down the millennia-old wall of separation between Christians and Jews. Please see the enclosed response form if you want to take part. ALIYA UPDATE Indications are that the needs will only increase in 1993 along with the number of immigrants, as rising civil conflict in the former Soviet republics drives out still-reluctant Jews. Israeli officials are planning on 100,000 to arrive in 1993, up from 60,000 in 1992. WHEN NEEDS *ARE* MET When there are resources on hand to help - as there have been for thousands of immigrants now - the name of the LORD is glorified in Jerusalem. Yephim, a frail 71-year-old former biology Professor from the Ukraine, literally stumbled into the CFI center one day, nearly falling down. He told us, after recovering, that his only son had been killed in the Afghanistan war, his wife following shortly from a heart attack after receiving the news. Alone in the world, Yephim was frightened when rumors of a pogrom against Jews swept his community. He sought to go to the promised land - America - but found the door firmly closed, so came to Israel. The transition was hard for Yephim, who left behind a car and a good apartment for a cramped hotel room in Jerusalem. "America!" he called out longingly in our office, gesturing emphatically with his hands. "I want to live here in my own land, but it's very difficult. I have no relatives, no prospects, nobody can help me." But with God's help, CFI helped him, with a good new suit and urgently-needed dentures. Yephim left moved and encouraged, kissing the volunteer's hand with repeated "spaseefas" (thank you's). Then on Yom Kippur fire swept through the 2nd floor of Yephim's hotel - his floor. His clothing, his eyeglasses, even his new dentures were gone. Like the others affected, he went from office to office but could find no emergency assistance. When he came to us, we were again able to pass on gifts that believers in the nations had sent in: more clothing, free eyeglasses, free dentures. Yephim seemed overjoyed. His words on leaving: "Now I understand what Christians are." HEBREW LIVES ON! It's one of the stiffest challenges the new immigrants face: the Hebrew tongue, with its unique alphabet which reads "backwards," unrelated to the familiar Slavic, Germanic, or Latin languages. For the elderly, it's well-nigh impossible, a major struggle simply to tell one's telephone number. Yet CFI volunteers have been repeatedly amazed when the most elderly of the elderly walk in and reel off a string of fluent Hebrew. After the communists took power in the 1917 revolution, study of the language had been strictly banned as part of an attempt to suppress ethnic differences in the Soviet Union. How then did they learn? OUTLIVED THE REVOLUTION Among the immigrants are those so aged that they outlived the revolution. For instance, Zalman was born in March 1901. He was able to learn Hebrew until the age of 15; then for the next 75 years he spoke not a word. But when he finally re-entered a synagogue to pray again, he "remembered everything like yesterday." David, born in January 1907, reports the same phenomenon. He learned at a Jewish school in Kiev until the revolution; now he learns at a Hebrew ulpan in Jerusalem, where they say he is an excellent pupil. "Everyone is surprised that I do so well. I remember very well what learned so many years ago." Another immigrant, Israel, was born only three years before the revolution - but in Latvia, which was not seized by Stalin until 1939. Hebrew was his mother tongue, and so strong was his commitment to his people that he attempted to escape the Soviet Union for Israel by crossing the border with Iran. It cost him 12 years in Stalin's camps; now, finally, he is teaching Hebrew to others in Jerusalem. Like his ancestors before him, each of these men has in the twilight of his life emerged triumphant from the contest with those who would eradicate his Jewish identity. They are a sign to us of the faithfulness of God to his ancient covenant with Israel, a covenant which still will be fulfilled. "My covenant I will not break, Nor after the word that has gone out of my lips." (PSALM 89:34) Music Column Music Column A MUSICAL LOVE STORY BELOVED THIEF is a MUSICAL LOVE STORY written by Zola Levitt. Zola is a Jewish believer thoroughly educated in the synagogues and brought to the Messiah in 1971. He holds a Master of Music degree and a Doctorate in Theology. Zola and his associates also undertake church speaking engagements, civic groups, university conferences and the like, giving updated Middle East reports and general Bible teaching. Zola has acted as lecturer and tour host on a score of trips to Israel, Egypt, the sites of the seven churches, Mediterranean islands and European capitals. He formerly taught a course on "Christ in the Old Testament" at Dallas Baptist University and gives seminars at other educational institutions. Zola's songs utilize the characteristic music of the Holy Land and the words of Old and New Testament Scripture to convey a universal message. The musical play, BELOVED THIEF, begins in a marketplace in Jerusalem where the chosen people are seen singing WE ARE THE CHOSEN. David has spotted Dvorah and we are treated to a case of love at first sight (I SAW HER!). In the next scene we go home with Dvorah and share the thoughts of her heart (I SAW HIM TODAY). Soon the nervous prospective bridegroom arrives and pours her the fateful cup. He departs, saying, "I GO TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU." Joined by her sisters and bridesmaids at an ancient "pajama party", Dvorah awaits the return of her "thief in the night." The girls, trimming their oil lamps, sing THROUGH THE NIGHT, anticipating the midnight wedding procession. In the meanwhile, the groom is seen at his father's house building a "mansion" - the bridal chamber for the upcoming honeymoon. He sings WAIT FOR ME, and he stands with bowed head as a voice from above sings "IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE," ending Act One. In the second act we attend a Hebrew Christian worship service where we hear the exciting YISRAEL AHAVATI (ISRAEL MY LOVE). We are given stirring testimonies by Esther, the bride of Cana (WATER INTO WINE) and the Man Born Blind (NOW I CAN SEE!). Dvorah overhears Esther's lovely prayer, (ALONE WITH YOU) and asks about the faith in Messiah. Esther witnesses to her young friend (ON A HILL) and the Man Born Blind makes a heartfelt appeal (FOLLOW ME TO GALILEE). Dvorah is swept away by her salvation experience, singing the touching LORD, REMEMBER ME. The narrator explains why we must leave our story at this point - awaiting the bridegroom's coming. Our own heavenly Bridegroom still tarries but we eagerly anticipate that shout in the night. The entire company assembles to sing BELOVED THIEF, a tribute to the One who lived out this magnificent love story and who will come to take us to our mansion in His Father's house. "Behold the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." Believers everywhere appreciate the stirring image of Matthew 25:6 and the fact that the Lord will come as a bridegroom to wed His bride, the Church. But are we really aware of how carefully and lovingly God in Heaven has prepared this elegant love story? The people of Israel have lived out this very beautiful Gospel parallel for ages. In their culture at the time of Messiah, a bridegroom was obliged to bring to his prospective bride a contract of marriage and to pay a price for her. She accepted his proposal by drinking a cup with him. He pledged to go and prepare a place for her at his father's house and she promised to await her "thief in the night." The entire story is told in this delightful musical play set in first century Israel. The great moment of the coming of the heavenly Bridegroom is portrayed in exciting Israeli music and drama. Rejoice with all of us who are betrothed to the "BELOVED THIEF" and await that triumphant shout! WE ARE THE CHOSEN We are the Chosen, the people of God, Chosen by Him to be given His law, Justice and mercy we get from above, And in this world we have to count on Him to get love. Who likes the Chosen, the people of God? Who doesn't think we're incurably odd? Who says that some of His best friends are Jews? Oh Lord, we wish those people were the ones You did choose! Almighty Jehovah, haMELECH HAOLAM* We are the loneliest folks in Christendom. We know You promised You'd give us Your land, Oh Lord, You love mountains and Lord, You love sand! Israel is ours by the Word of the Lord, But God, You never told it to our neighbors next door! You gave us the Bible, the Word of the Lord, We'll love it and share it all over the world, We'll teach them to worship, we'll teach them to trust, And then they'll come to Israel just to teach it to us! And all of those Gentiles, You made them as well, Just why there's so many we never could tell, They're children of God and we honor that fact, We love them as You told us and we keep our bags packed! *The King of the universe WAIT FOR ME Ah, wait for me and I will come for thee, A time alone and then you'll be my own. For on the night when all is finished here, And when my father says, "It's done", Ah, in that night I'll call to you, "Your bridegroom comes." Ah, wait and see, my tender bride-to-be, How quickly he will cry aloud for thee. The Bridegroom comes, the Bridegroom comes, How we yearn, the Bridegroom comes, We're all His own, yet each of us alone, A bride to be cries, "Come tonight for me." And He will come, He promised He would come, A time alone and then we'll be His own. For on the night when all is finished there, And when His Father says, "It's done", Ah, in that night He'll call to us, "Your Bridegroom comes." "IN MY FATHER'S HOUSE" In My Father's house are many mansions, Places there for all to dwell, And His children will fill those lovely mansions, And His children of faithful Israel. So I must go, yes, I must go, But if I go I'll prepare a place for you, And I'll return, I'll cry aloud, I'll call your name and you will follow Me. Follow Me to My Father's house and to our mansion, Where at last we'll sanctify our love, All around our friends and those who love us, Like those mansions in My Father's house above. In heaven above we'll sanctify our love. YISRAEL AHAVATI In the land He gave to me, YISRAEL AHAVATI*1 My heart and soul and mind are free b'YISRAEL AHAVATI*2 God the Father, comfort me, YISRAEL AHAVATI, God the Son, I wait for Thee b'YISRAEL AHAVATI. Where's a land as fair as thee, YISRAEL AHAVATI, YERUSHALAYIM*3 graces thee, YISRAEL AHAVATI, See your Sea of Galilee, YISRAEL AHAVATI, Who could keep from loving thee, YISRAEL AHAVATI. You are lovely Israel, you have always been my love, Yes, I've loved you, Israel, as He loves you from above, But one day, my Israel, when your King returns my own, Then my heart, my Israel, will be His and yours alone. Brother, sister, don't you see, when He died He died for me, When He comes the King He'll be b'YISRAEL AHAVATI, Peace and love and joy and bliss, no greater love has man than this, Won't you pray a prayer with me b'YISRAEL AHAVATI. 1* Israel my love 2* In Israel my love 3* Jerusalem ALONE WITH YOU, LORD Alone with You, Lord, alone with You, Those times when I'm alone with You, Those are the moments, those special moments, Those precious moments when I am true to You. To talk with You, Lord, to talk with You, Closed eyes, I try to talk with You, Those are the prayers, Lord, those special prayers, Lord, Those precious prayers, Lord, when I am true to You. How I long for the day, it seems so far, far away, When we'll meet there in heaven face to face, For it is You, You alone who knows my heart like Your own, And how I've failed, and when I've failed, How Your love has prevailed. Alone with You, Lord, alone with You, That time when I'm alone with You, That gold and silver, those precious stones, But best of all, Lord, I'll be with You alone. BELOVED THIEF My Bridegroom's coming, we've made our vows, And then we'll go to His Father's house, My veil is ready, my lamp I'll light, He said He'll come like "a thief in the night." I wait in darkness to hear His cry, The clock strikes midnight, the time is nigh, My heart is empty, alone within, Is this the moment the Thief breaks in? Beloved Thief, claim Your bride, Come, my Prince, to my side, So long I've waited, so long my Love, Come and steal me from above. The angels gather to see me wed, The chamber's ready, my Bridegroom said, Prepared and waiting are robes of white, To grace the bride of the Thief in the night. Zola's books and music and other study materials are available through your local Christian bookstore. A listing of his material may be obtained by writing Zola Levitt Ministries, Inc., a teaching and evangelistic association guided by the standard of Romans 1:16: "To the Jew first and also to the Gentile." Used with permission: Zola Levitt Ministries, Inc. P.O. Box 12268 Dallas, Texas 75225 Chef's Corner Chef's Corner GOOD FOOD ... THE WAY TO ANYONE'S HEART! Jewish cookery stresses the value of fresh-water in preference to salt-water fish. The reasons are not difficult to ascertain, for fish cookery in the Jewish fashion is inherited largely from Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary, all inland countries which do not have access to salt water. Fish dishes, therefore, were created from what was available - carp, whitefish and pike, the locally caught fish. Calorie counters will find fish appetizing and satisfying although low in calories and fat. GEFILTE FISH ... Fillet 2 pounds whitefish, 2 pounds pike, and 2 pounds winter carp, but reserve the head, skin and bones. You may use any combination of fresh-water fish although this combination is most popular. Combine head, skin, bones, and 2 sliced onions with 1 quart of water, 2 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook over high heat while preparing the fish. Grind the fish with 3 onions. Place in a chopping bowl and add 3 eggs, 3/4 cup ice water, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 3 tablespoons matzo or cracker meal, and 2 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Chop until very fine; this is important for fluffy fish. Moisten hands; shape mixture into balls. Carefully drop into fish stock. Add 3 sliced carrots. Cover loosely and cook over low heat for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the cover and cook additional 1/2 hour over low heat. Taste to correct seasoning. Cool the fish slightly before removing to a bowl or platter. Strain the stock over it, and arrange carrots around it. Chill. Serve with horseradish. Yield: 12 servings. ISRAELI CUCUMBER SALAD is a creamy, crunchy and aromatic fresh salad we think you will make often ... Put 4 scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a glass or wooden bowl. Then use the edge and bottom of a heavy drinking glass to mash the scallion and salt thoroughly. Add the juice of one lemon, freshly squeezed, and mix thoroughly. Add 1 large cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced, and 8 to 10 red radishes; mix well. Add 1/2 cup sour cream ( don't substitute) and mix well. Garnish with 1 tablespoon chopped chives and serve. Yield: 4 servings. LEMONY GLAZED CARROTS ... Cook 1 pound carrots, halved lengthwise, in boiling water (salted) until tender; Drain. Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in skillet; slowly stir in 3 Tablespoons Lemon Blend concentrate and 3/4 cup water. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and becomes clear. Add carrots; simmer until carrots are glazed and heated through, turning frequently. Yield 4-5 servings. RUSSIAN CHEESE ... Force 2 cups cottage cheese through sieve or food mill; add 2 tablespoons minced green pepper, 2 tablespoons minced chives, 1 tablespoon celery seed, 2 tablespoons minced pimento, 1 tablespoon minced fine sweet pickle and 1 tablespoon salt. Mix well and serve ice cold after it has seasoned 2 hours. MANDEL BREAD ... Beat together 3 eggs, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/2 cup oil. Add 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 cup chopped almonds or walnuts, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Divide into 4 loaves. Place on cookie sheet. Bake in 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 1/2 hour. Cut and dip into sugar and cinnamon. SPINACH CREPES WITH CHEESE SAUCE ... CREPES: Melt 3 tablespoons butter or margarine in 8-inch skillet. Combine 3/4 cup flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add 3 eggs, 1 cup milk, and melted butter. (Set aside skillet) beat with rotary beater until smooth. Heat buttered skillet over medium heat. For each crepe pour 2 tablespoons batter in skillet; immediately rotate pan. Cook until light brown; turn and brown other side. Stack between sheets of waxed paper or paper towels until ready to use. Note: Crepes may be frozen. SPINACH FILLING: Cook 1 bag fresh spinach or 2 packages frozen spinach with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon onion salt in a little water. Drain into bowl and save liquid. Place spinach in electric blender and set control button to chop. Chop spinach with 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon liquid. Spread 2 tablespoons spinach on each crepe. Roll and place in baking dish. To make SAUCE, heat 4 tablespoons margarine or butter in saucepan. When melted remove from burner and blend in 4 tablespoons flour. Return to burner and stir till mixture boils. Add 1 cup scalded milk and cook till thickened. Add 1/2 cup grated mild or sharp Cheddar cheese. Cook till cheese is melted. Season to taste. Pour sauce over crepes. Bake in 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. BLACK BOTTOM CUPS ... Combine 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, 1 egg, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/8 tsp. salt and 1 cup semi-sweet morsels in a bowl. Sift together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa, 1 tsp. baking soda, and 1/2 tsp. salt and add to 1 cup water, 1/3 cup oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat well. Place paper liners in muffin cups. Fill each 1/3 full of the chocolate mixture. Top each with heaping teaspoon of cream cheese mixture. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes. POGATCHELS (HUNGARIAN COOKIES) ... Cream 1/2 pound butter and 3/4 cup sugar. Add 1 cup sour cream and 2 egg yolks. Add 4 cups sifted flour with 4 teaspoons baking powder and pinch of salt. Refrigerate 1 or 2 hours. Roll out and cut into desired shapes. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit about 20 minutes or until done. HAMENTASHEN ... a traditional food of Purim. PASTRY: Sift 2 1/2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt together. Combine 2 beaten eggs with 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup shortening, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and juice of 1/2 an orange; add flour mixture. Knead until smooth. Roll out on floured board to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into circles with glass tumbler. Place a spoonful of filling in center of each. Draw up 3 sides to form a triangle, pinching edges together. Bake in 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven until golden brown. FILLING: Cook 1/2 pound prunes, pitted and chopped, add 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cloves, juice of 1 lemon and 1/2 cup chopped nuts. Note: Prepared fruit filling may be substituted (cherry, apricot, poppy, pineapple). Potpourri Potpourri IF JESUS IS THE MESSIAH ... WHY? We're often asked ... If Jesus IS the Messiah, WHY? 1. Why all the suffering in the world? 2. Why isn't there real and everlasting peace? 3. Why all the persecution in the name of Jesus? 4. Why don't the Rabbis believe in Him? 5. Why doesn't He make it plain that He is? We can answer each of these questions, if you're prepared to listen. Of course, if you're looking to merely disprove Jesus' claims, no answer will satisfy you. But if you're a seeker of truth willing to accept the truth, even if the truth is in Jesus, please read on ... You ask, why all the suffering in the world? Why not? 1. Sin causes suffering. If sin hadn't been introduced into the world, there would be no disease, avarice, or hunger. Pain would be unknown. To put an end to suffering means to eradicate sin, and that will only come about on the day of judgment, when our earthly bodies are done away with and all who have accepted Jesus are made perfect. For those who don't know Christ, suffering will NEVER END! Why isn't there real and everlasting peace? 2. The scriptures say, "Where do all the fights and quarrels among you come from? They come from your passions, which are constantly fighting within your bodies. You want things but you cannot have them, so you are ready to kill; you covet things but you cannot get them, so you quarrel and fight." (James 4:1,2) The fighting inside of us can't help but come out in how we relate to others. In order to rid ourselves of this inner war, we need inner peace. There are individuals who have this inner peace through Christ and that, too, comes out in how they relate to others. But until every person experiences Messiah's peace, world peace is not possible. But why all the persecution in the name of Jesus? 3. Persecution against individuals and groups of people has been carried out under many banners; The banner of justice and morality, the banner of freedom, the banner of a better world. That it also be carried out under the banner of Christ is only another indicator of man's need to justify sinful acts. Why don't all the Rabbis believe in Him? 4. For the same reason you don't! To consider believing in Jesus means to deny the orientation of your life up to this point, it means to admit you've sinned against God and that all your knowledge, all your good intentions, all your noble Deeds aren't adequate to give you a relationship with your Creator. And that's a pill harder for a Rabbi to swallow than for you! But why doesn't He make it plain that He is? 5. He made it very plain! You can read His own words in Matthew 16:15-17, John 4:25-26 and John 11:25-27. That is, if you feel courageous enough to open up the New Testament. If these answers make you angry, let us assure you, that is not our intention. The truth is not usually the most convenient thing to hear. But if it speaks to you - we challenge you to speak to God. Used with permission: Sue Perlman Jews for Jesus 60 Haight Street San Francisco, California 94102 Phone (415) 864-2600 Men looked for God in Rome, but He was in Bethlehem. They looked for Him in the great, but He is in the small. He works through mustard seeds, robin's eggs, and little children. Don't overlook tiny beginnings. A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: But a broken spirit drieth the bones. (Proverbs 17:22) Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. Resource Area Book Reviews Book Reviews In this issue of Morning Star, we would like to provide a series of capsule reviews related to books on Jewish people, Judaism and Messianic Judaism. THE CHOSEN By Chaim Potok Simon and Schuster, New York, 1967 THE PROMISE By Chaim Potok Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1969 For the Gentile reader who desires to learn more about the Jewish community in the United States, the books of Chaim Potok are a good place to start. These novels introduce aspects of Judaism in the context of stories that are highly compelling. Two of his most famous works are THE CHOSEN and THE PROMISE. These novels follow the struggle between the Orthodox and Hasidic communities of Brooklyn as lived out in the lives of Danny Saunders and Reuven Malter. In THE CHOSEN, the conflict between the two boys is carried out against a backdrop of the distant war in Europe. THE PROMISE picks up with the young men now studying for their careers. Reuven, whose background was Orthodox, is studying to be a Rabbi. Danny, who came from the even more strict Hasidic community, has rejected the role of spiritual leader and instead is studying to become a clinical psychologist. These books show the struggles between different aspects of contemporary Judaism. Additionally the Christian can see how far these people have moved away from G-d while seeking to serve Him. These books should touch the hearts of all those who can recognize that the Jews are still G-d's chosen people, even though they have lost touch with their Lord. In these books and others by Chaim Potok, readers can discover the cultural and religious aspects of contemporary Judaism. At the same time, the reader will enjoy some of the best fiction written today. HOLY DAYS - THE WORLD OF A HASIDIC FAMILY by Lis Harris Summit Books, New York, 1985 A work of non-fiction which goes into even more detail on Hasidic life is HOLY DAYS - THE WORLD OF A HASIDIC FAMILY by Lis Harris. This work should be of interest to both the gentile and also the Jew who is unfamiliar with this aspect of Judaism. Harris describes Hasidism this way: "Hasidism is a revivalist-pietistic movement that began in Poland in the first half of the eighteenth century. Its innovativeness lay in the way it redefined traditional Jewish values by placing prayer, mysticism, dancing, singing, storytelling, and sanctification of daily life on an equal footing with Talmudic scholarship. (Talmud is the name given to the oral law of the Jews and the commentaries on it written by Palestinian and Babylonian scholars from the third to the fifth centuries A.D.) 1 This book is a highly readable account of Ms Harris' exposure and immersion into the Hasidic community of Brooklyn, New York. As a secular Jew, she wanted to discover more of this community to which she felt vague ties. Her experiences, and the warmth with which she presents them, makes this book accessible and enjoyable to most readers. HEBREW CHRISTIANITY - ITS THEOLOGY, HISTORY, AND PHILOSOPHY By Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum Canon Press, Washington, D.C., 1974 This is the classic work on the modern Messianic Jewish movement. Fruchtenbaum was involved with the American Board of Missions to the Jews, (currently called Chosen People Ministries.) This work covers a wide range of topics. These include a discussion of the fact that when a Jew becomes a follower of Y'shua Hamashiach, (Jesus the Messiah), he remains a Jew. This truth can be a problem for both Jew and Gentile Christians. Both hold, (for different reasons), that a Jew who follows Y'shua is no longer Jewish. The author also describes the history of Messianic Judaism, who Messiah is, and other aspects of theological issues related to the movement. Finally, Messianic Judaism is examined in its relationship to the local church, missions, Judaism, and the state of Israel. This book is an excellent work for those of us who are Messianic believers but are not familiar with our roots. It is also recommended to Gentile believers so that they will have a better understanding of this movement and its place in the church. Messiah's body is made up of both Jew and Gentile, and the Messianic Jew has much to offer to the local church. May this work be a blessing to both Messianic and Gentile believer. CELEBRATE THE FEASTS By Martha Zimmerman Bethany House Publishers, Minneapolis, MI, 1981 One of the blessings of being a Messianic Believer is being able to celebrate the Jewish feasts. And as such, we are able to see how they are fulfilled in the work of Y'shua. There are many works dedicated specifically to Passover, and how all its aspects were fulfilled by Messiah. While most Jewish Missionary organizations have some kind of Passover Haggadah (order of service), this work goes further in reviewing of a number of other feasts as well. These include: Sabbath, Passover, Shavouth (Festival of First Fruits), Rosh Hashanah (Festival of Trumpets or New Year), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Sukkoth (Festival of Booths). Ms. Zimmerman approaches each feast in a specific way. First, she explains the significance of the feast. Next, she provides the materials necessary for the celebration of the feast, and finally, she explains how to celebrate it. This book is designed for the entire family and is especially appropriate for children. It provides them with a living illustration of Biblical principles. Included in the book are readings, prayers, illustrations, photographs, food lists, and even recipes. Additional resources include a yearly Bible reading schedule, and a chart that compares the Old Testament cycle of the week with the New Testament cycle of history. This chart shows how specific feasts were fulfilled in Y'shua's life and ministry. The enjoyment of this book should not be limited to just Messianic Believers. Gentile believers will also be blessed by what is found here. Quoting Gene Getz, from his forward: "Martha Zimmerman has captured in a unique way how these Old Testament experiences can be made relevant in Christian homes today. She has written out of experience and careful research, and her suggestions and ideas are invaluable. ... This is a book that has the potential to revolutionize a Christian family, both in its knowledge of the Old Testament as well as its understanding of who G-d is and what He can do in people's lives." 2 THE ARTSCROLL LIBRARY Mesorah Publications, Lt., Brooklyn, NY. 1-800-MESORAH Contemporary Jewish scholarship is lacking in many ways. This is primarily due to the rejection of historic interpretation of Old Testament literature to prevent its application to the ministry of Y'shua Hamashiach. Nevertheless, pastors and Bible teachers can benefit by the works of Orthodox Jewish sources for insight into Old Testament material. One of the best sources for this type of commentary is The Artscroll Library from Mesorah Publications. Included in the current catalog are: Talmudic material, works of the Jewish feasts and much else for the practice of modern Orthodox Judaism. This will be of little interest to most Christians. But the commentaries also include studies on Psalms, Esther, Ruth, Lamentations, and many others of the Old Testament books, which can provide insight and thought that will benefit any serious student of the Old Testament. While a lot of what is written in these books is clearly unsound when examined in the context of the entire Bible, they still will provide a perspective that deepens our study of G-d's word. Having taught Bible for over twenty years, I have been blessed by the addition of a number of these volumes in my own library. If you are interested in examining the catalog, contact the publisher at the "800" number listed above. For Christians interested in expanding their knowledge of both contemporary Orthodox Judaism, Biography, Children's literature and Jewish History, there are a number of books that are helpful. As you can see there is a tremendous amount of material available to help believers, both Messianic and Gentile to develop a greater understand of the Old Testament, the Jewishness of Y'shua, and the Jewish roots of our faith. We hope that these reviews will give you a desire to explore this rich world of books. 1. Harris, Lis, HOLY DAYS - THE WORLD OF A HASIDIC FAMILY, Summit Books, New York, 1985, p.11. 2. Zimmerman, Martha, CELEBRATE THE FEASTS, Bethany House Publishers, Minneapolis, MI, 1981, p. 7. NewsDesk Morning Star NewsDesk MORNING STAR NEWSDESK - FEBRUARY 1993 DOOR SHUT AND DOORS OPENED After being forced off the Family Channel (CBN) following 14 years of broadcasts, due to high rate increases, JEWISH VOICE BROADCASTS has found new doors opened for sharing the Gospel. A well-known TV agent offered to put the program on TV 47 in New York City and reduced the rate substantially. This station reaches over 25 million people in the states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. This is the first Messianic Jewish program on a full broadcasting station in New York City. (JEWISH VOICE BROADCASTS Newsletter - January, 1993) MESSIAH HAS ARRIVED ... NOT Habab activists are proclaiming throughout Israel that their leader, the Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson is the Messiah. A convoy of 12 Habad "mitzva tanks" - large vans bearing pictures of the rebbe and signs reading "Welcome King Messiah" made its way from the Lebanese border through Jerusalem to Kiryat Malachi. The convoy stopped at many sights along the way, distributing doughnuts, vodka and literature explaining that Schneerson is the messiah. (JERUSALEM POST INTERNATIONAL) EC JOBLESS RATE RISES Europe is facing job losses in the New Year on a scale not seen since the 1930's. An exclusive investigation by THE EUROPEAN shows that more than half of Europe's top 100 companies are planning to slash their workforces over the next three years. A further eight million workers are likely to lose their jobs, bringing Europe's total to 23 million. (THE EUROPEAN 12-26) RUSSIAN INFLATION HITS 2,500 PERCENT Russia is teetering on the verge of hyper-inflation as the country begins its second year of independence. A new 10,000-rouble note which came into circulation this week is the most potent symbol of inflation, now roaring ahead at the annual equivalent of more than 25,000 percent. It is worth just over 20 dollars (Ecu16), less than a fifth of its value when prices were "freed" last January. A kilo of butter now costs 700 roubles compared with ten a year ago. Prices for other staples, including meat, eggs and potatoes have also increased by similar amounts. A loaf of bread can now cost up to 45 roubles. Russians earn an average 8,500 roubles a month. (THE EUROPEAN 12-26) MAKE OR BREAK FOR MAASTRICHT TREATY Leaders of the 12 EC nations will be pinning their New Years hopes on the Community emerging from 1993 in less turmoil than it enters it. The fate of the Maastricht Treaty is in the hands of the Danish electorate which holds a second referendum in April or early May. This new vote will present the concessions won at the Edinburgh summit to the Danish voters. Ironically, the decisive vote comes during Denmark's six-month EC presidency. If Denmark says Yes, then the pressure will be on Britain to ratify so that the treaty can come into force in early July. If it says No, Britain is likely to side with the Danes and, with Maastricht officially defunct, the other ten nations will be tempted to press on their own. (THE EUROPEAN 12-26) FOLLOW THE MONEY TRAIL Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement in the territories - responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Border Policeman Nissim Toledano, and the killing of four other soldiers over a 5-day period - reportedly receives funding and support from Iran to the tune of $30 million per year. Informed Palestinian sources say the Iranians are also training 3,000 Hamas men in Lebanon, Sudan and Iran, and there is growing cooperation between Hamas and Hizballah, the Iranian-backed terrorist organization in Lebanon. (THE JERUSALEM REPORT - Dec 31, 1992) Ministry and Product Info Ministry and Product Info The following is a list of Messianic congregations across the United States and in other countries. In some cases, the actual meeting place may differ than the postal address, so it is recommended to make contact by phone or mail beforehand. ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM - BETH-EL CHAI MESSIANIC CONGREGATION Rabbi Samuel R. Rubin 200 Vestavia Parkway, #2700 Birmingham, AL 35216 (205) 979-6214 MOBILE - CONGREGATION TREE OF LIFE Steven Goodman Mobile, AL (205) 639-9418 MONTGOMERY - BETH DAVID Ben Alpert PO Box 20357 Montgomery, AL 36120 (205) 281-8906 ALASKA FAIRBANKS - BETH B'RIT Paul Welton PO Box 80488 Fairbanks, AK 99708 (907) 479-0751 ANCHORAGE - BETH HALLEL James E McIntosh Anchorage, AK (907) 337-3293 ARKANSAS - BETH DAVID MINISTRIES Art Miller PO Box 1779 Daimond City, AR 72630 (501) 436-7475 ARIZONA PHOENIX - BETH SHILOH Carl Ramsay Phoenix, AZ (602) 942-8056 PHOENIX - CALVARY CHURCH OF THE VALLEY Shelly Volk Phoenix, AZ (602) 948-7310 TUCSON - CONGREGATION BETH SAR SHALOM Steve Shermett Tucson, AZ (602) 790-5656 CALIFORNIA BEVERLY HILLS - AHAVAT ZION SYNAGOGUE Messianic Rabbi: Stuart Dauermann 432 South Beverly Drive Beverly Hills, CA 90212 (310) 551-0659 CANOGA PARK - SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL CONGREGATION Chris Melisko 7041 Owensmouth Ave, #102 Canoga Park, CA 91303 (818) 716-5941 CITRUS HEIGHTS - SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL FELLOWSHIP Artis Clotfelter PO Box 7452 Citrus Heights, CA 95621 (916) 722-6615 COLTON - BETH SHALOM MESSIANIC CONGREGATION Rabbi Rene Bloch 170 West "F" Street Colton, CA 92324 (619) 955-6095 DIAMOND BAR - TEMPLE AVIV JUDEA Michael Davis PO Box 4212 Diamond Bar, CA 91765 (714) 861-0444 FRESNO - CONGREGATION B'NAI YESHUA Jim Morgenstern PO Box 5752 Fresno, CA 93755 (209) 222-6023 INDUSTRY - KEHILAT MASHIACH Rabbi Tom Blackburn Industry, CA (818) 913-4959 IRVINE - ADAT HA MASHIACH MESSIANIC CONGREGATION Congregational Leader: Robert Gorelik 17101 Armstrong Irvine, CA 92715 Phone: (714) 786-8261 Fax: (714) 859-0597 LOS GATOS - TSEMACH ADONAI Morris Barenfus Los Gatos, CA (408) 479-0751 MONTEREY - SAR SHALOM MESSIANIC FELLOWSHIP Ernie Batt Monterey, CA (408) 624-3789 PLEASANT HILL - BRIT HADASHA FELLOWSHIP Pastor Galen Peterson PO Box 2321 Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 (510) 676-1033 SAN DIEGO - KEHILAT ARIEL Messianic Rabbi: Barney Kasdan PO Box 178755 San Diego CA 92117 Phone: (619) 279-4847 SAN DIEGO - TREE OF LIFE Paul Liberman PO Box 19381 San Diego, CA 92119 (619) 589-2405 SAN DIEGO - CHOSEN PEOPLE MINISTRIES FELLOWSHIP Irvin or Cordelia Rifkin Murrieta Temecula County Area San Diego, CA Area (619) 583-3336 SAN FRANCISCO - CONGREGATION TIFERET ISRAEL Pastor Scott Rubin PO Box 16206 San Francisco, CA 94116 (415) 985-7015 SANTA BARBARA - MESSIANIC HERITAGE Ralph Remick Santa Barbara, CA (805) 967-4130 SANTA CRUZ - TSEMACH ADONAI Rabbi Morris Barenfus Santa Cruz, CA (408) 438-2436 SHERMAN OAKS - ADAT Y'SHUA HA ADON Elders: Bob Kern & Kevin Kohut PO Box 6010-724 Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 (818) 609-2972 SHERMAN OAKS - BETH ARIEL FELLOWSHIP Messianic Pastor: Louis S. Lapides PO Box 55173 Sherman Oaks, CA 91423 (818) 788-6702 VENTURA - TEMPLE BETH SAFAR Joseph Mireles Ventura, CA (805) 984-3565 WEST COVINA - KEHILAT MASHIACH Thomas Blackburn West Covina, CA (818) 913-4959 WESTMINSTER - BETH YESHUA MESSIANIC SYNAGOGUE Rabbi Fred Butler 14200 Goldenwest Street Westminster, CA 92683 (714) 891-5326 COLORADO COLORADO SPRINGS - KEHILAT SHA'ARIT YISRAEL Rabbi Jeff Brodsky 6060 Hollowtree Court Colorado Springs, CO 80918 (719) 599-3807 DENVER - CONGREGATION ROEH ISRAEL Spiritual Leader: Burt Yellin 8556 East Warren Avenue #1 Denver, CO 80231-3337 Phone: (303) 337-6254 FAX: (303) 337-0021 FT. COLLINS - ADAT ELOHIM CHAIM Rabbi Danny L. Miller 4820 S. College Ave. Ft. Collins, CO 80525 (303) 785-2125 CONNECTICUT WEST HAVEN - JOY OF ISRAEL CONGREGATION Tony Eaton 755 Campbell Ave. West Haven, CT (203) 932-9929 FLORIDA ALTAMONTE SPRINGS - SHALOM YISRAEL Harvey Permison PO Box 1569 Altamonte Springs, FL 32715 (407) 644-1116 BOCA RATON - CONGREGATION AYTS CHAIM Ira Brawer PO Box 811323 Boca Raton, FL 33481 (407) 634-0200 BROWARD COUNTY - SON OF DAVID FELLOWSHIP Winn Crenshaw Broward County, FL (305) 345-8636 CLEARWATER - CONGREGATION OHR CHADASH Dr. John Fischer 2289 Hercules Ave. N Clearwater, FL (813) 442-9839 DELRAY BEACH - AYTS CHAYIM Rabbi Ira Brawer 6578 Winding Brook Way Delray Beach, FL (407) 637-0200 FORT LAUDERDALE - BETH YESHUA Nick Pallozzi 5430 North State Road 7 Ft Lauderdale, FL 33319 (305) 484-4930 FORT LAUDERDALE - CORNERSTONE Marvin Pressman 2450 Giffin Road Ft Lauderdale, FL 33312 (305) 966-4663 JACKSONVILLE - BETH JACOB Robert Cohen 5111-6 Baymeadows Road Suite 234 Jacksonville, FL 32217 (904) 260-9777 LAKE WORTH - TEMPLE OHAV SHALOM Marvin Aranove PO Box 6034 Lake Worth, FL 33466 (407) 439-0600 LAUDERDALE LAKE - TEMPLE ARON KODESH Harvey Koelner 4751 N.W. 24th Court Lauderdale Lake, FL 33313 (305) 485-8491 MELBOURNE - KOL MASHIACH MESSIANIC SYNAGOGUE Alan Levine PO Box 360252 Melbourne, FL 32936 (407) 255-2557 MIAMI BEACH - BETH MASHIACH Allen Kurzweil PO Box 414376 Miami Beach, FL 33141 (305) 940-3933 MIAMI - EMANUH CHAIM Keith Nellis Miami, FL (305) 382-4445 OCALA - MISHKAN MESSIANIC CONGREGATION Messianic Rabbi: Jerry Keyes 6675 SE Maricamp Road Ocala, FL 32672 (904) 687-4434 ORMOND BEACH - BETH JUDAH Dennis Richards PO Box 5025 Ormond Beach, FL 32175 (904) 672-8443 PALM HARBOR - CONGREGATION OHR CHADASH Dr John Fischer PO Box 669 Palm Harbor, FL 34682 (813) 442-9839 PORT ST. LUCIE - SH'MA YISRAEL Bill Rothschild PO Box 8473 Port St Lucie, FL 34985-8473 (407) 871-1911 SARASOTA - BETH SHILOH Judah Hungerman 4500 Swift Avenue Sarasota, FL 34231 (813) 954-8646 SUNRISE - MESSIAH IS GOD FELLOWSHIP Marshall Koniuchowsky Sunrise, FL (305) 746-8915 TAMPA - BETH ISRAEL W Haim Levi 13137 North Dale Mabry Highway Tampa, FL 33618 (813) 264-1957 WEST PALM BEACH - KOL MASHIACH Alan Levine PO Box 360252 Melbourne FL, 32936 (407) 255-2557 WINTER PARK - CONGREGATION SHALOM YISRAEL Rabbi Harvey Permison 1199 Clay St. Winter Park, FL (407) 260-5994 GEORGIA ROSWELL - BETH HALLEL Messianic Rabbi: Robert Israel Solomon 950 Pine Grove Road Roswell, GA 30075 Phone: (404) 641-3000 FAX: (404) 641-3095 SNELLVILLE - JEWISH BELIEVERS IN JESUS David Zauber Snellville, GA (404) 985-5132 HAWAII HONOLULU - KEHILAT HA MELECH William Eckmann PO Box 90629 Honolulu, HI 96835-0629 (808) 732-4851 WAIPAHU - KEHILAH BAYITH HA SHEM Yaakov Abregana PO Box 570 Waipahu, HI 96797-0570 ILLINOIS BUFFALO GROVE - LIGHT OF ISRAEL Congregational Leader: Rev. Roy Schwarcz PO Box 7122 Buffalo Grove, IL 60089 (708) 808-9838 BUFFALO GROVE - VINEYARD CONGREGATION Eliezer Maass 1578 Anderson Buffalo Grove, IL 60089 (312) 520-0616 CHICAGO - ADAT HATIVKAH Rabbi Barry Budoff 6554 N. Rockwell PO Box 59056 Chicago, IL 60659 (312) 761-8872 CHICAGO - ESCHOL ECHOD Lawrence Guttman Chicago, IL (312) 756-1890 GLENVIEW - OLIVE TREE CONGREGATION Pastor Daniel J. Strull 900 N. Milwaukee Ave. Glenview, IL 60025 (708) 390-7788 HAZEL CREST - BETH EMETH Ascher Carl 3223 175th Street PO Box 135 Hazel Crest, IL 60429 (708) 335-4440 HIGHLAND PARK - CONGREGATION B'NAI MACCABIM Pator Mike Becker 1713 Green Bay Rd. PO Box 223 Highland Park, IL 60089 (708) 432-8580 ROLLING MEADOWS - TEMPLE SHALOM YISRAEL Rabbi Daniel Rabe 2720 Kirchoff Rd. Rolling Meadows, IL (708) 885-1211 SCHAUMBURG - SHALOM FELLOWSHIP Pastor: Rev. Daniel Rabe PO Box 68687 Schaumburg, IL 60168-0687 Phone: (708) 885-1211 FAX: (708) 885-1275 INDIANA GAS CITY - THE TEMPLE OF JOSEPH Raymond E Barrick Gas City, IN (317) 674-3628 INDIANAPOLIS - CHARAM YESHUA Rabbi Jeffrey Adler Indianapolis, IN (317) 726-6653 NEW HAVEN - BET HA SHEM MIDRASH Shmuel Wahli New Haven, IN (219) 749-2288 KENTUCKY WINCHESTER - KEHILAT SIMCHA Michael Brechner Winchester, KY LOUISIANA BATON ROUGE - BETH MESSIAH Bert K Robinson PO Box 40723 Baton Rouge, LA 70835-0723 (504) 922-5126 DERIDDER - TABERNACLE OF DAVID 1812 N 171 Highway Deridder, LA 70634 (318) 463-5748 FARMERSVILLE - BETH YESHUA MESSIANIC FELLOWSHIP Rick Trimble Farmersville, LA (318) 726-4363 MAINE AUBURN - BETH ISRAEL HA YEHUDA Rick Irving PO Box 681 Auburn, ME 04210 (207) 767-2365 MARYLAND BALTIMORE - EMMANUEL MESSIANIC CONGREGATION Congregation Leader: Barry Rubin 7019 Queen Anne Rd Baltimore, MD 21207 Phone: (301) 484-0484 FAX: (301) 764-1376 FREDERICK - EL SHADDAI CONGREGATION Pastors: Ted Simon & Keith Intrater New Design Rd. & Crestwood Blvd Frederick, MD 21702 (301) 695-4496 GAITHERSBURG - BETH MESSIAH CONGREGATION Pastor Daniel Juster PO Box 75 Gaithersburg, MD 20898-7538 Phone: (301) 977-0156 FAX: (301) 670-3820 OWING MILLS - CONGREGATION ROSH PINA Rabbi Marvin Morrison 3408 Walnut Ave. Owings Mills, MD (410) 484-4374 PIKESVILLE - CONGREGATION ROSH PINA Congregational Leader: Marvin Morrison PO Box 21485 Pikesville, MD 21208 (410) 484-4374 ROCKVILLE - BETH MESSIAH CONGREGATION Rabbis Daniel Juster, Andrew Shishkoff and Jerry Miller Corner of Ardennes & Halpine (next to Twinbrook Metro Station) Rockville, MD (301) 977-0156 ROCKVILLE - SON OF DAVID FELLOWSHIP Scott Brown 19100 Muncaster Rd Rockville, MD 20855 (301) 989-2532 SILVER SPRING - SON OF DAVID CONGREGATION Scott Brown PO Box 10555 Silver Spring, MD 20914-0555 (301) 330-2730 MASSACHUSETTS DENNIS - BETH SHUVA Paul Rothfeld Dennis, MA (508) 385-2788 NEEDHAM - CONGREGATION RUACH ISRAEL Rabbi Richard C. Nichol 754 Greendale Ave. Needham, MA 02192 Phone: (617) 449-6264 FAX: (617) 444-0285 PITTSFIELD - BETH SHALOM Charles Miville Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-5552 SHARON - BETH EL SHADDAI CONGREGATION Gary Derechinsky P.O. Box 50 Sharon, MA 02067 (617) 255-9931 WORCESTER - MELECH YISRAEL Rabbi Philip Rothberg Worcester, MA (508) 792-0822 MICHIGAN SOUTHFIELD - SHEMA YISRAEL Spiritual Leader: Mr. Loren Jacobs 19421 W. Ten Mile Rd. PO Box 804 Southfield, MI 48037 (313) 358-3850 SOUTHFIELD - CONGREGATION BETH MESSIAH Harold Brickner Southfield, MI (313) 559-1535 MINNESOTA ST. LOUIS PARK - SEED OF ABRAHAM MESSIANIC CONGREGATION Messianic Pastor: Ed Rothman 9500 Minnetonka Blvd. St. Louis Park, MN 55014 Phone: (612) 933-2243 FAX: (612) 931-9872 MISSOURI CREVE COEUR - BETH TIKVAH Rabbi Harvey Smith 12939 Conway Rd. Creve Coeur, MO 63141 (314) 878-7975 ST. LOUIS - BURNING BUSH MESSIANIC FELLOWSHIP Don Maness PO Box 39415 St Louis, MO 63139 (314) 752-1115 NEBRASKA LINCOLN - BETH MESSIAH Richard Segal PO Box 30007 Lincoln, NE 68503 (402) 489-7491 OMAHA - ADAT ETZ CHAYIM Robert Chenoweth PO Box 241503 Omaha, NE 68124 (402) 397-7209 NEW HAMPSHIRE DERRY - BETH ASAPH James White Derry, NH 03038 (603) 432-2789 HANOVER - LION OF JUDAH Daniel Gruber PO Box 776 Hanover, NH 03755 (603) 643-4151 NEVADA LAS VEGAS - ETZ HACHAIYIM Rabbi Jack Bono P.O. Box 85336 Las Vegas, NV 89185 (702) 383-0700 NEW JERSEY BRICK - Beth Zion David Balton PO Box 4324 Brick, NJ 08253 CHERRY HILL - Hope of Israel Congregation Kenneth Alpren Cherry Hill, NJ (609) 667-4673 CLARK - Congregation Ari Yehuda PO Box 984 Clark, NJ 07066 (908) 464-5352 ENGLEWOOD - BETH HA KEREM Messianic Pastor: Michael Bologh 70 West Ivy Lane Englewood, NJ 07631 (201) 567-2262 FREEHOLD - Monmouth Worship Center Art Levy Freehold, NJ (908) 577-9150 GARFIELD - Beth Israel Jonathan Cahn 2 Lincoln Place Garfield, NJ 07026 (201) 472-3059 LIVINGSTON - BETH MESSIAH CONGREGATION Congregational Leader: Larry Feldman 46 Melrose Drive Livingston, NJ 07039 (201) 535-3954 VENTNOR - El Shaddai Michael Lax PO Box 2409 Ventnor, NJ 08406 (609) 823-0543 NEW MEXICO ALBUQUERQUE - ADAT YESHUA Spiritual Leader: Russ Resnick PO Box 80203 Albuquerque, NM 87198 (508) 848-9205 NEW YORK BAY TERRACE - KEHILAT YESHUA Congregational Leader: Dr. Michael Schiffman PO Box 4691 Bay Terrace, NY 11360-4691 Phone: (718) 352-9535 FAX: (718) 352-0821 BROOKLYN - MESSIAH'S CONGREGATION Steve Schlissel Brooklyn, NY (718) 332-4444 BUFFAL0 - CONGREGATION B'RITH HADOSHAH Pastor/Rabbi: Rev. Frank Lowinger 2608 Elmwood Ave. Buffalo, NY 14217 (716) 873-8986 FOREST HILLS - APPLE OF HIS EYE Marc Danzis PO Box 1060 Forest Hills, NY 11375 GLENHEAD - NEW COVENANT COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS David Harwood Glen Head, NY (516) 674-4673 HOLBROOK - BETH EMANUEL Rabbi Ashley Crane 5070 Expressway Dr. S. Holbrook, NY 11741 (516) 467-3526 HOWARD BEACH - BETH TEFILAH Spiritual Leader: Robert Korn PO Box 353, Station "B" Howard Beach, NY 11414 (718) 845-3881 KENMORE - B'RITH HADOSHAH Frank Lowinger 2608 Elmwood Avenue Kenmore, NY 14217 (716) 873-8986 MASSAPEQUA - SHAAREI HASHAMAYIM Rabbi Ron Corbett 65 Roosevelt Ave. Massapequa, NY (516) 783-6441 MINEOLA - BETH YESHUA Bill O'Brian 147 Jericho Turnpike Mineola, NY 11501 (516) 746-2951 MONSEY - BETH AM MESSIAH Rob DeMaggio Box 549 Monsey, NY 10952 (914) 426-3855 NEW CITY - BETH-AM MESSIAH Rabbi Robert DeMaggio 53 Maple Ave. New City, NY 10956 (914) 638-2921 NEW YORK CITY - KEHILAT YESHUA Rabbi Michael Schiffman 346 E. 69th St. New York, NY (718) 352-9535 NORTH BALDWIN - BEIT SHUVA YISRAEL David Rosenberg PO Box 55 North Baldwin NY 11510 (516) 223-8323 PLAINVIEW - OLIVE TREE CONGREGATION Congregational Leader: Rev. Michael Rydelnik 88 Southern Parkway Plainview, NY 11803 Phone: (516) 939-2277 FAX: (516) 939-0321 ROCHESTER - PETAH TIKVAH Spiritual Leader: Rev. Richard Chaimberlin 165 Doncaster Road (716) 427-2483 ROCHESTER - SHEMA YISRAEL Congregational Leader: Jonathan Bernis 1326 N. Winton Road Rochester, NY 14609 Phone: (716) 288-0670 FAX: (716) 288-0428 ROME - KEHILAT BEN DAVID Stephen Galiley Rome, NY (315) 337-1914 SCHENECTADY - SEED OF ABRAHAM Barry Feinman PO Box 9094 Schenectady, NY 12309 (518) 482-1569 SOUTH OZONE PARK - BETH TEPHILAH Rabbi Robert Kom 133-40 Hawtree Creek Rd. South Ozone Park, NY (718) 845-3881 WEST SAYVILLE - BETH YESHUA Rich Saxon West Sayville, NY (516) 563-4033 YONKERS - LIGHT OF ISRAEL CONGREGATION Rich Freeman P.O. Box 741 Yonkers, NY 10710 (914) 962-0527 NORTH CAROLINA CHARLOTTE - BETH SAR SHALOM FELLOWSHIP Bill Caldwell 1300 Cross Beam Drive Charlotte NC 28217 (704) 357-9000 RALEIGH - BETH LECHEM Rufus Masengill Raleigh, NC (919) 733-0405 WILMINGTON - BAT TZION George Holland Wilmington, NC (919) 763-2180 OHIO AKRON - BETH SAR SHALOM FELLOWSHIP Wayne Kaipainen Akron, OH (216) 836-0540 CINCINNATI - BETH MESSIAH CONGREGATION Michael Wolf 6019 Montgomery Road Cincinnati, OH 45213 (513) 531-1215 CINCINNATI - KEHILAT MASHIACH Rabbi Jeffrey Adler 115 W. Forrer St. Cincinnati, OH 45215 (513) 733-0312 CLEVELAND HEIGHTS - TIKVAT YISRAEL Rabbi Walter Lieber 3565 Mayfield Rd. Cleveland Heights, OH (216) 321-7395 COLUMBUS - BETH MESSIAH CONGREGATION Congregational Leader: Howard Silverman PO Box 297736 Columbus, OH 43229 (614) 436-5171 COLUMBUS - OLIVE BRANCH CONGREGATION Don Marx 720 Collingwood Ave. (Whitehall Section) Columbus, OH 43213 (614) 486-3421 DAYTON - SH'MA YISRAEL Howard Tockman 1319 Epworth Avenue Dayton, OH 45410 (513) 254-2661 S. EUCLID - TIKVAT YISRAEL CONGREGATION Messianic Pastor: Mr. Walter Lieber 13967 Cedar Road #202 S. Euclid, OH 44118 (216) 321-7395 TOLEDO - ADAT ADONAI Rabbi Kevin Williams 3925 W. Central Ave. Toledo, OH 43603 (419) 531-6906 TOLEDO - CONGREGATION YACHDAV Ron Giauque PO Box 9042 Toledo, OH 43697 (419) 535-0908 YOUNGSTOWN - BETH YESHUA CONGREGATION Rabbi Robert Diamond 1314 Churchill-Hubbard Rd. Youngstown, OH 44505 (216) 759-3161 OKLAHOMA OKLAHOMA CITY - BET AMI Charles Stalsworth 2425 N Warren Avenue Oklahoma City, OK 73107 (405) 943-5208 OREGON PORTLAND - KEHILAT HA-MASHIAH Elders: Mr. Bob Morris, Mr. Bob Alsman 16230 S.E. Mill Street Portland, OR 97233 (503) 761-4534 PORTLAND - LION OF JUDAH FELLOWSHIP Rusty Tanzer PO Box 18049 Portland, OR 97218 (503) 245-1165 PENNSYLVANIA BETHLEHEM - LEHIGH VALLEY MESSIANIC FELLOWSHIP Glenn Blank Bethlehem PA DALTON - ETA CHAIM MESSIANIC FELLOWSHIP Rabbi Bruce Booker P.O Box 89 Dalton, PA 18414 (717) 822-5131 HARRISBURG - RO'EH YISRAEL Milton Maiman Harrisburg, PA (717) 238-6255 NEW CASTLE - TIKVAT T'ZION 334 E. Moody Ave. New Castle, PA 16105 Congregational Leader: Ron Banjak (412) 652-3702 or 962-7100 PHILADELPHIA - BETH YESHUA David Chernoff 7501 Haverford Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19151 (215) 477-2706 PHILADELPHIA - CONGREGATION BETH MESSIAH Pastor: Rev. Herbert Links 1907 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 568-1030 PHILADELPHIA - MESSIAH'S LIGHTHOUSE David Stuart Philadelphia, PA (215) 698-9089 PITTSBURGH - BETH MESSIAH SYNAGOGUE Rabbi: Ruth Harris 3245 Beechwood Blvd. Pittsburgh, PA 15217 (412) 521-9436/653-9207 PITTSBURGH - PITTSBURGH MESSIANIC FELLOWSHIP Abe Sandler PO Box 81843 Pittsburgh, PA 15217 (412) 733-7064 SOUTHAMPTON - THE COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN CENTER Michael Goldbloom 995 Jaymor Road PO Box 1215 Southampton, PA 18966 (215) 322-1223 WARMINSTER - BETH SHILOH MESSIANIC SYNAGOGUE Messianic Rabbi: Dr. Harris Brody PO Box 2955 Warminster, PA 18974 (215) 443-9078 PUERTO RIC0 SAN JUAN - B'NAI ISRAEL Irwin Marks PO Box 360752 San Juan, PR 00936 (809) 799-7827 RHODE ISLAND WARWICK - SH'EARIT YISRAEL Rachel Epstein PO Box 1000 Warwick, RI 02888 (401) 781-3600 TENNESSEE KNOXVILLE - BETH TEFILLA FELLOWSHIP Jerry Mabry 9208 Kingston Pike - Suite 377 Knoxville, TN 37922 (615) 579-1133 MEMPHIS - B'RIT HADASHA Rabbi Gary F. Shansky 1625 W. Massey Rd. Memphis, TN 38119 (901) 685-9267 NASHVILLE - BETH CHAIM PO Box 158485 Nashville, TN 37215-3485 (615) 298-4070 NASHVILLE - YESHUAT YISRAEL PO Box 40206 Nashville, TN 37204 (615) 256-7437 TEXAS AUSTIN - BET SHALOM Robert Pill Austin, TX (512) 444-1687 CEDAR PARK - ADAT YESHUA CONGREGATION Tom Schiffour Cedar Park, TX DALLAS - BARUCH HA SHEM CONGREGATION Congregational Leader: Martin Waldman 6304 Beltline Road Dallas, TX 75240 Phone: (214) 386-0121 FAX: (214) 386-4770 DALLAS - BETH SAR SHALOM Steven Cohen PO Box 670054 Dallas, TX 75367 (214) 691-7381 EL PASO - DERECH OLAM Michael Washer El Paso, TX (915) 532-9168 EL PASO - KEHILAT BEN DAVID Pastor Yossi Laster 5500 Doniphan Drive, Suite B El Paso, TX 79901 (915) 584-1133 FORT WORTH - BETH YESHUA CONGREGATION Messianic Rabbi: Rev. Stanley L. Eisenberg PO Box 16595 Fort Worth, TX 76162-0595 (817) 921-3195 HOUSTON - CONGREGATION BETH MESSIAH Pastor Richard Freeman 11727 N. Evelyn Circle Houston, TX 77071 Phone: (713) 729-5816 FAX: (713) 721-7769 HOUSTON - CONGREGATION OF MESSIAH JESUS Pastor Gus Elowitz 5747 Greencraig Drive Houston, TX 77035 (713) 726-1053 HOUSTON-ALIEF - CONGREGATION AM ECHAD Uri Zahora PO Box 29 Houston-Alief, TX 77411 (713) 639-3134 PASADENA - BETH HA SHEM MINISTRIES Larry Deutsch PO Box 3232 Pasadena, TX 77501 (713) 477-8351 SAN ANTONIO - BETH SIMCHA CONGREGATION Rabbi Randy Shapiro 3910 West Ave. San Antonio, TX 90212 (210) 493-7482 SAN ANTONIO - ROEH ISRAEL Roi Garcia PO Box 790514 San Antonio, TX 78279-0514 (512) 344-5772 SAN ANTONIO - YESHUA'S MESSIANIC FELLOWSHIP Elliot Hass San Antonio, TX (512) 699-9490 VIRGINIA BURKE - OHEV YISRAEL MESSIANIC CONGREGATION Rabbi David Chansky 9800 Old Keene Mill Rd. Burke, VA 22015 (703) 451-2869 CHESAPEAKE - OR CHADASH Jim Wallis PO Box 13535 Chesapeake, VA 23323-0555 FAIRFAX - OHEV YISRAEL David Chansky Fairfax, VA (703) 451-2869 RESTON - LION OF JUDAH CONGREGATION Michael Gress PO Box 3235 Reston, VA 22090 (703) 437-6451 RICHMOND - TIKVAT YISRAEL Rabbi Jamie Cowen Richmond, VA (804) 320-0624 RICHMOND - YESHUA CHAI MESSIANIC CONGREGATION Rabbi Ray Gordet PO Box 8362 Richmond, VA 23226 (804) 741-9550 VIRGINIA BEACH - BETH MESSIAH SYNAGOGUE Rabbi Dr. Joseph Rosenfarb 3220 Monet Drive (near Farmer's Market) Virginia Beach, VA (804) 479-1626 VIRGINIA BEACH - STAR OF DAVID CONGREGATION Dr David Hargis PO Box 64061 Virginia Beach, VA 23464 (804) 523-6642 WASHINGTON BELLEVUE - CONGREGATION EMMAUS Saul Wallach 515 116th Avenue NE Suite 225 Bellevue, WA 98004 (206) 454-9958 BOTHELL - BETH DAVID Tai Mostovoy PO Box 2124 Bothell, WA 98041 (206) 488-7263 LYNNWOOD - ZION FELLOWSHIP Dr Richard Perkins PO Box 337 Lynnwood, WA 98046 (206) 745-1184 SEATTLE - BETH HA SHOFAR Messianic Pastor: Roger A. Ludington 13001 37th Avenue South Seattle, WA 98168 (206) 246-5345 TACOMA - BETH SIMCHA Frank Stiller University Professional Square 2607 Bridgeport Way W Ste 2K Tacoma, WA 98466-4725 (206) 566-7211 WISCONSIN SHOREWOOD - BETH HA MASHIACH Reagan Stoddard PO Box 11678 Shorewood, WI 53211 (414) 962-2224 WEST VIRGINIA BRIDGEPORT - B'NAI AVRAHAM Chayim Nelson Bridgeport, WV (304) 842-6799 *** INTERNATIONAL CONGREGATIONS *** CANADA MONTREAL - Beth Messiah Fellowship Winnie Marriner 514-332-9214 MONTREAL - Kehilat Shear Yashuv Percy Johnson PO Box 86 Cartierville, Montreal, Quebec H4K 2T4 514-332-9214 TORONTO - Beth Sar Shalom Congregation Rob Styler 588 Durie Street Toronto, Ontario M6S 3H1 416-767-8955 DOWNSVIEW - OLIVE TREE CONGREGATION Ben Volman P.O Box 1215 Sta. B Downsview, Ontario M3H 2TO 416-736-1698 DOWNSVIEW - Congregation Melech Yisrael Baruch Goldstein Box 1337 Station B Downsview, Ontario M3H 5V6 416-785-7612 ETOBICOKE - Congregation Ner Tamid Malvern Jacobs Suite 440100, Cavell Avenue Etobicoke, Ontario M8V 3V6 416-253-9920 VANCOUVER - Elie Nessim Kehillath Tsion PO Box 2902 Main Post Office Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 3X4 GERMANY JERUSALEM-KIRCHE (CHURCH) Rektor: Paul-Gerhard Pawlitzki Schaferkamps 30 2000 Hamburg 36, Germany Phone: 49-40-44-190-208 FAX: 49-40-410-6973 ISRAEL ELIAS CHURCH (BETH ELIJAHU) Elder: Shlomo Drori PO Box 525 31004 Hairfa Israel Phone 972-4-52-35-81 RISHON-LE-TSION - GRACE AND TRUTH CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY Pastors: Rev. Baruch Maoz & David Zadok PO Box 75 75100 Rishon-le-Tsion, Israel Phone/FAX: 972-3-966-1898 TEL AVIV - IMMANUEL CONGREGATION - YAFO PO Box 1783 61016 Tel Aviv, Israel Phone: 972-3-820654 FAX: 972-3-826409 KFAR SABA - KEREN YESHUA Albert Israeli P.O. Box 637 Kfar Saba, Israel JERUSALEM - MESSIANIC ASSEMBLY OF JERUSALEM Senior Elder: Victor Smadja 56 Prophets Street Jerusalem, Israel JERUSALEM - ROEH ISRAEL MESSIANIC CONGREGATION Leader: Rev. Joseph Shulam PO Box 8043 91080 Jerusalem, Israel Phone: 972-2-231019 FAX: 972-2-249258