A question of identity – is the biblical faith Jewish?June 7th, 2010 Whether speaking at churches or sharing with a Jewish person on the street, I have said time and time again that faith in Yeshua (Jesus) is the biblical Jewish faith. Recently, I have come to realize that is not strictly true. The Covenant with Moses was not just for Israel but also for the stranger among them. This is clear from the many verses where the alien to Israel is included:
There is also the Scriptural testimony of those aliens who entered that covenant, such as Rahab the Canaanite, Ruth the Moabite and Uriah the Hittite. In the same way, the whole of Scripture is not addressed to the Jewish people alone but to everyone who wants a covenant relationship with the Lord Almighty. I have come to realize that the most important issue of identity, Scripturally, is not identity as Jew or Gentile, male or female, rich or poor or anything else – it is identity with Yeshua. With Yeshua’s death and resurrection came the end of the Covenant with Moses as promised by God through the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:31-34). If we now want a true covenantal relationship with God we must identify with the mediator of that New Covenant – our Messiah Yeshua. That’s true regardless of what your background is. It is clear to me that it cannot be said that faith in Yeshua is the ‘biblical Jewish faith’; rather it is the ‘biblical faith,’ pure and simple! Contributed by Daniel Muller, General Director of New Covenant Forum. Posted in Blog, Evangelism, Goyim for God, Jesus and Jews, Jews and Jesus, New Covenant, This, That, The Other Thing | No Comments » The Gospel Message: Telling it like it is!May 17th, 2010
This report was dated the summer of 1963. The Gospel Preachers worked for an organization called the South African Jews Society. These people understood that Gospel Proclamation is not a right to be earned – it is a responsibility to be discharged. Love does not keep silent – love is audible, seen, and courageous. We all are afraid of being vulnerable, of rejection, of being labeled as religious bigots. A Rabbi once claimed that those who tell Jews the Gospel are no better than Spiritual Nazis. Some shun these discomforts in the name of love. Too many of us keep silent in the face of our obligation to have an audible love that speaks of God’s salvation in Messiah. Silence cares more about self and your own sensibilities than another’s salvation. I say that it is a badge of honor to bear the reproach of Messiah. Scripture says: For Zion’s sake I will not be silent Get up on a high mountain and say – Behold your God! In Canada we have economic stability, universal health care, powerful neighbors, and low crime. But in Canada the public square is naked – people of religious conviction are marginalized. The public religion is pluralism. The status quo is worshiped. Religious tolerance has deteriorated into a shrill insistence that anyone who challenges another’s belief is intolerant. There is little patience in Canada for the concept of absolute truth, yet high praise for the blurring of distinction. Pluralism should mean that we recognize the rights of people to believe differently. We can co-exist peacefully and still debate religious ideals and values. In Canada, we have decided to tolerate what God has decided not to tolerate – for our own sake, not for His. This kind of conformity counteracts the message of the Gospel and the preaching of the Gospel and I believe that God’s people need to counter it. Missionary work among the Jewish people is something that brings workers into confrontation with the Jewish people and with Jewish culture. We are told: “You can’t be Jewish and believe in Jesus,” “You are destroying Jewish values,” “You are finishing what Hitler started”. It is easy to marginalize direct evangelism in Canada by claiming that it is inappropriate, offensive, and insensitive to our mindset. If there were a better way to evangelize we would do it, but the direct approach is the most honorable, is transparent and is the way of integrity. The direct method keeps us honest and honours the message. I don’t consider myself an offensive person, but I am a Jew for Jesus. That says it all. And that offends people. All who labor for the gospel among my people need friends. A friend is more than someone who will send money or lend a hand or stand up for you. A friend is more than someone who will nurse you in sickness. A friend is more than a comrade or a companion or one with a shared interest. A friend says, “Do you see what I see?” Do you see the same truth? Do you care about the same truth? Friends stand side by side and look ahead and their eyes are fixed on the same truth. The condition of friendship is that you want something else. Friendship must be about something. We need friends to care with us that the Gospel is for the Jews! Contributed by Andrew Barron, Director of Jews for Jesus Canada Posted in Evangelism, Goyim for God, Jesus and Jews, Jews and Jesus, This, That, The Other Thing, Uncategorized | No Comments » Passover: remembering redemption and the alternativeApril 7th, 2010 Published in the Contact – Issue 2010-1 Passover is one of the most important holidays on the Jewish calendar. It is certainly one of the most celebrated. Even Jews who are not very religious in practice, will annually celebrate the Passover Seder, the special ceremonial meal that recounts God’s redemption of the Jewish people from servitude in Egypt. Throughout the Passover Seder, the miraculous deeds of God are recounted, praised and glorified. God sent Joseph into Egypt to prepare the way. Then, after the Israelites became enslaved, God protected Moses while other infants his age were killed. God later met Moses at the burning bush. God sent Moses to Pharaoh to proclaim freedom for his people. God brought down ten plagues on the Egyptians, culminating in Pharaoh’s release of the Israelites. God caused the Egyptians to be generous at Israel’s departure. God divided the sea so that Israel could pass beyond the reach of the Egyptian army who themselves were destroyed as God drowns them in the sea. All of these amazing things God did to redeem His people Israel from bondage and slavery to Pharaoh. All these things the Jewish people rejoice in, and rightly so. Beyond that there were the miracles in the wilderness, the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai, the sending of manna for eating, the defeat of the Amalekites (Exodus 17:8-16), the clothes and sandals that lasted 40 years (Deuteronomy 29:5), and, finally, the fall of Jericho and their entry into the Promised Land. For all these reasons, Passover is a time of great rejoicing. And yet there is a shadow on the proceedings. There are four cups that are drunk during the Passover Seder – a ceremony that might take four or five hours. In order these cups are: The Cup of Sanctification Of the four, the cup of redemption is the most important – reminding us of the blood of the Passover lamb that was sacrificed so that Israel could have redemption from Egyptian bondage as they put the blood of the lamb on their doorposts. This is the same cup that Yeshua used when he said, “this cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. (Luke 22:20)” Yeshua points to himself as the new Passover Lamb that brings redemption – not from bondage and slavery to Pharaoh, but bondage and slavery to sin and death, as promised in Jeremiah 31:31-34. All four cups are drunk after reciting the appropriate prayers, and all of them remind us of the unalloyed joy of God’s salvation – all, except the second cup, the Cup of Plagues. Something different is done with this cup. In Jewish tradition, a full cup represents complete joy; and so all the cups at the Passover table are to be filled to the brim. Before drinking the Cup of Plagues, however, we place our finger in our cup and let 10 drops fall onto our plates as everyone at the table recites the 10 plagues that were poured out on the Egyptians: one drop per plague. In this way we diminish our joy. We mourn the loss of the Egyptians, whose destruction came for our benefit. Does it seem right to express sorrow for the enemies of God? We must remember that God’s wrath on the Egyptians doesn’t mean he didn’t love the Egyptians. Many centuries later, through the prophet Isaiah, God talks about a time when Egypt will be blessed (Isaiah 19:25). We also know that though Egypt didn’t follow God, neither did the Israelites throughout most of their history and God eventually punished them for their disobedience. The Scriptures describe the grief with which God punished Israel, and yet God always holds out the promise of redemption to them when they turn back to Him (2 Chronicles 7:14). In all this there is an application for believers hinted at by the Apostle Paul when he writes: We who are believers in Messiah Jesus, came to be believers while we were yet enemies of God. The Gentiles among us are like the Egyptians, just as the Jews among us are like the prodigal nation Israel. Yet God loved us and brought us out of bondage and into eternal life. As children of God, should we not therefore sorrow over those who remain enemies of God? Should we not mourn for those who are destined to live eternally without God’s presence? Should we not strive to reach out to those who are enemies, so that they might know Him as father and friend? There are great lessons, I think, in this second cup of the Passover Seder – the Cup of Plagues. Through this cup, sorrow for the lost is expressed even in the midst of the joy of the redeemed. Certainly we have joy in the redemption that was obtained through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, however our joy cannot be complete while there are still those who are suffering. Furthermore we should cherish our salvation all the more as we remember the alternative – that from which we were delivered – the pain of death and separation from God for eternity – the sufferings of hell. Let us remember God’s admonition to Jonah, who wanted to see the Ninevites die instead of allowing God to redeem them: Let us cherish our salvation, and let us express God’s love for the lost by being the messenger of the Good News of Jesus Christ! Contributed by Daniel Muller, General Director of New Covenant Forum. Posted in Blog, Goyim for God, Jesus and Jews, Jewish festivals, Jewish holidays, Messiah in the Tanach, This, That, The Other Thing | No Comments » Jews and Gentiles Approaching HaShemMay 6th, 2009 In his discussion about the futility of trying to gain merit with God through law-keeping, the Apostle Paul (Rabbi Shaul) wrote that it is through Messiah Yeshua that the “blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles” (Galatians 3:14). It seems obvious that Paul is not negating ethnic or gender realities – and in the context of his time, he also acknowledges the fact that slavery was a functioning institution. His point was simply that these categories are not significant in terms of one’s standing before God. All are lost in sin, and all need salvation which is available through Messiah Jesus alone. When Paul wrote to the believers in ancient Ephesus he said that it was always God’s plan to bring both Jew and Gentile together as one. “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two…” (Ephesians 2:13-15). Jew and Gentile alike stand equal before God, and all alike must come to God in the same way – through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the long-promised Messiah of Israel and the Savior of all who believe in him. Contributed by David Daniels, former General Director of New Covenant Forum and Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Richmond Hill. Posted in Goyim for God, Jesus and Jews, Knowing God | No Comments » Targeting Jews?May 5th, 2009 As I stepped out of my car one morning, upon arriving at work, I heard a voice calling to me. I turned to see a young Jewish man (a Lubavitcher as I learned later) approaching me. “What kind of a place is this? It looks like a synagogue, but any knowledgeable Jew would know that a synagogue would not have the words “New Covenant” in their name, unless they attended a synagogue like _______ (he named a large reform synagogue). But then, those are probably the Jews you are targeting.” “Oh, targeting Jews,” I responded. “Well, if you know anything at all about evangelical Christians, you will know that we ‘target’ the whole world. We are interested in talking about Jesus with anyone who is open to speaking with us.” I then went on to explain that many evangelical ministries focus on specific people groups, and that the ministry I represented was committed to sharing the gospel with anyone, giving a particular focus to the Jewish community. We often face objections from both Jews and non-Jews about our desire to explain the gospel to Jewish people. But we are convinced that Christians have a responsibility to share their faith with everyone, including the Jewish community. The New Testament Scriptures are clear, all people should hear the gospel. It was Jesus himself who commissioned his followers to “go and make disciples of all nations” [Matthew 28:19 NIV*] The Apostle Paul (the former Rabbi Shaul before coming to believe in Jesus as Messiah and Savior) wrote:
There was no question in Paul’s mind but that the gospel message – salvation, the forgiveness of sins – is a message that must be shared with all, beginning with the Jewish community. How tragic it would be if we failed to share the message of Messiah Jesus with those who have been “entrusted with the very words of God” [Romans 3:2 NIV]. While we ”target” Jews no more than any other people group – we speak with far more Gentiles than Jews – we make no apology for seeking to “Encourage Conversation about Jesus” with the Jewish people we meet. Without reservation we believe Jesus is our only hope of salvation. It was the Apostle Peter (a Jewish believer in Jesus) who declared to the Jewish religious leaders of his day:
As long as God gives us the ability, we will share this wonderful news of salvation in Yeshua (Jesus) with everyone who is willing to listen, including Jewish people. We’d love to talk about this with you. Contributed by David Daniels, former General Director of New Covenant Forum and Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Richmond Hill. NIV = The Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.Posted in Atonement, Goyim for God, Jesus and Jews | No Comments » Did Jesus really rise from the dead?April 23rd, 2009 A few months ago, publishers of SEVEN magazine asked me to write a cover article entitled ”Easter: Is it for Real?” for their March 1, 2009 issue. You can read the full article, and the whole issue, online. Scroll down the page for the appropriate PDF of the magazine. Below is a brief overview of the article.____________________“Could you come over and explain the real meaning of Easter to our boys? I don’t want them to think that Easter is only about the Easter Bunny and chocolate eggs.” Though expressing no open commitment to the Christian faith, this young couple instinctively knew that the story of Jesus dying and rising again was at the heart of Easter, that it was something important for their young boys to know. Christians, at least in the evangelical branch in which I was raised, tend to make a great deal of fuss over Christmas, while observing the surrounding events of Jesus’ death and resurrection with relatively little fanfare. And yet, Easter presents a great opportunity to talk about the heart of Christianity – that Jesus lived, died and rose again to make atonement for our sins. A couple of years ago, while discussing Judaism and Christianity with an orthodox rabbi, he challenged me: “Prior to his crucifixion and alleged resurrection, why would a first century Jew have believed that Jesus was the Messiah?” In calling the resurrection “alleged,” my rabbi friend was stating he did not believe it to be true. However, though I doubt he meant to do so, his comment underscored the importance of the resurrection as the crucial, watershed issue in establishing the credibility of Christianity. Given its vital importance, are there reasonable evidences for believing Jesus actually rose from the dead? There are four common lines of evidence for the physical resurrection of Messiah Jesus.
Jesus really died. It may seem strange to raise this as evidence, but many refute the resurrection by claiming that Jesus never really died. The empty tomb – Where is his body? To this day, no one has ever produced the body of Jesus. Jesus appeared to many people in different places. Aside from the factual evidence above, the circumstantial evidence for Messiah’s resurrection is simply too great to ignore. As Christians we are committed to the truthfulness of Scripture – both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament scriptures. It is God’s Word – we believe what it says. But not everyone shares our commitment to the veracity of Scripture. So is there anything else to which we can appeal? There are several matters demanding plausible alternative explanations, if we are to deny the resurrection of Jesus. Here are just a few.
The conversion of hardened skeptics is significant. The worldwide existence of the Christian church cannot be ignored. However, as valuable as apologetics is, I believe one of the best defenses for the reality of the resurrection is the testimony of a transformed life. The New Testament says “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Just as Jerusalem’s citizens marveled at the bold witness of the early Christians, our culture also takes note of those who live authentic lives. When Christian faith truly informs a believer’s life – in marriage and family relationships, in one’s work ethic, in one’s interests and ambitions – the surrounding community takes note that something powerful is at work in that life. This was surely true in ancient Thessalonica, for Paul wrote to them: “…your faith in God has become known everywhere…we do not need to say anything about it … they tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath” (1 Thessalonians 1:8-10). As important as it is to be informed about the reasons for believing in the resurrection, Christians must also be transformed by that resurrection power residing in them through God’s Holy Spirit. It is that empowering presence of God’s Spirit in one’s life that compels the Christian to share the great news that Jesus really did rise from the dead. Please read the full article . And as always, I welcome your comments and questions. Contributed by David Daniels, former General Director of New Covenant Forum and Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Richmond Hill. Posted in A Gentile perspective, Atonement, Goyim for God, Resurrection | No Comments » |
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