Rabbi’s Reflections – Monday, July 6, 2020
Shalom,
Rabbi Trail: World War One was not called WWI when it happened. It wasn’t until there was WWII that “The Great War” became WWI. In the same way, “The Jerusalem Council,” reported in Acts 15, will not become JCI until there is JCII. End RT.
JCI happened when all of the Jewish leaders of the body of Messiah at the time gathered in Jerusalem to decide how to deal with the non-Jewish people who wanted to be a part of what God was doing in the world at that time. JCII will happen when all of the non-Jewish leaders of the body of Messiah at that time will meet in Jerusalem to decide how to deal with the Jewish people who want to be a part of what God is doing in the world at that time. In light of these postulates, consider affirmation #5.
5. We affirm our willingness to share our resources with Messianic Jewish congregations, mission organizations and theological training institutes so as to empower them to fulfill their God-given purpose.
What we’re talking about through the entire TJCII vision is blessing. The Gentile Church has a desire to bless their Messianic Jewish brothers and the Messianic Jewish brothers have a desire to bless their non-Jewish brothers. This is called “mutual blessing.” Part of every blessing is a pledge of resources. Affirmation #5 is exactly that, a pledge of resources.
God does that (pledge resources) to us when He says… Deuteronomy 31:6 Chazak! Be courageous! Do not be afraid or tremble before them. For Adonai your God—He is the One who goes with you. He will not fail you or abandon you.”
In some ways, Messianic Jews are the older brothers of non-Jewish Christianity, and in other ways the opposite is true. In the beginning, all the followers of Yeshua were Messianic Jews. But the reality of history is that for most of the past 2,000 years the preponderance of the “followers of the way” in the world have been non-Jewish as it is today. The modern expression of protestantism started about 500 years ago. The modern expression of Messianic Judaism started about 50 years ago. So Messianic Jews and non-Jewish believers are all both the older and younger brothers of the family of God.
When the older brothers (whichever you want the “older brothers” to be at the time) want to bless the “younger brothers,” a pledge of resources should be part of that blessing. Today, two thirds of the major denominations of Protestant Christianity are teaching, preaching and practicing Replacement Theology. This error is the result of what Coach Bill McCartney (founder of Promise Keepers) calls a “blind spot” in his book by that title.
You can’t see a blind spot (which is why it’s called that). God has a future for Israel and Jewish people, but the majority of Protestant Christianity can’t see it. (I know this will sound self-serving and I also know I don’t mean it that way. If someone else would say it, I wouldn’t have to.) Please pray that the Gentile Church will love Israel through her Messianic Jewish brothers and that love will be a witness to draw all of Israel into the family of God.
Week 28
Memory Verse: Deuteronomy 29:28(29) “The secret things belong to Adonai our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever—in order to do all the words of this Torah. TLV
136 7/6 Monday: Esther 5-7
137 7/7 Tuesday: Esther 8-10
138 7/8 Wednesday Nehemiah 1-2
139 7/9 Thursday: Nehemiah 3-4
140 7/10 Friday: Nehemiah 5-6
Question of the day: Why couldn’t I get past the first 4 words of the reading today?
Answer: There is so much in these 3 chapters. I am so glad I will have two more opportunities to write about them. “On the third day…” This points to the value and importance of prayer. Esther invited the entire Jewish community to fast and pray with her for three days. This wasn’t a casual, “Wouldn’t it be nice if you would fast and pray with me.” This was the result of Esther saying to the Jewish community of Shushan, “I am risking my life here and I need your support.”
Yeshua was in a similar situation in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was praying for strength. He was praying for the strength to submit His life. He asked His inner core of 3 disciples to pray with him, 3 times.
Matthew 26:37 And He took along Peter and Zebedee’s two sons (James and John), and He began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then He tells them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.”
Listen carefully to Yeshua’s message here.… Matthew 26:40 Then He comes to the disciples and finds them sleeping; and He tells Peter, “So couldn’t you keep watch with Me for one hour? 41 Keep watching and praying, so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Our prayers in times of national crisis are important. Do you see where I’m going with this? There are many layers of importance; I’m counting three.
1. We, ourselves, are kept in right relationship with God through our prayers.
2. Our prayers have the power to draw God’s attention.
3. His angels are activated by our prayers.
We are in a national crisis, not so different from the days of Mordecai and Esther. Nothing is functioning according to God’s design. Disease in the form of pandemic, economic dysfunction and social unrest are all tearing away at the structure of society. Without much prayer, we ourselves will lose our way along with the rest of the lost.
God calls us to pray so that His purposes will be accomplished and we will remain faithful. Stay thirsty (for Him) my friends.