Word of Messiah Ministries June 2014 Newsletter

Word of Messiah Ministries June 2014 Newsletter

Planter's Manual  

By Sam Nadler

Messianic Life Lessons from the Book of Ruth 

By Sam Nadler

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Passover Blessings

Thank you so much for your prayers for our many outreaches for 
Passover season. The Lord's blessing was just wonderful and abundant! From the many meetings that were listed in the Shmooze Letter and on the Word of Messiah website, there were at my meetings alone, 24 recorded responses to my invitations to trust in the Messiah for salvation. Pray for the follow-up that is going on right now. (I'm personally following on two Jewish men.)
Besides those blessings, there were many more. It is harder to numerically gauge the many believers that that were more appreciative of the Passover as foundational to their faith in Messiah, and how they realized the effective testimony it is for sharing Messiah, the Lamb of God. When they saw Jewish people responding to the Good News of Messiah, some were stunned to finally see how they could fulfill their calling as Gentile followers of the Jewish Messiah to make Israel jealous and desirous for Yeshua (Romans 11:11)!
Whenever possible, I try to have a time of Question and Answer, for I know that the truths of the Passover and its relevance today for all believers in Messiah often contradicts certain church traditions and other non-biblical views on these biblical matters. Often, because of the confusion caused by the traditions, I'm often asked, "Isn't celebrating Passover putting us under the Law?" I simply explain, "Of course not! Passover is a New Covenant feast, since Messiah is the fulfillment thru the New Covenant writings. We celebrate it unto Him, for in Yeshua is all our righteousness before God, even as Moses and the Prophets testified (Romans 3:21-22).
Time permitting, I usually ask them to turn to Acts 20:6, where Paul is observing Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits as testifying to His death, burial and resurrection. But we notice that though Paul observed Passover week, he observed it from Europe.
For the careful bible student this would be odd since the torah of Moses stated quite clearly that these the festivals of Passover, Shavuot (Pentecost) and Sukkot (Tabernacles) had to be observed in Jerusalem, where the Temple was constructed and where the Lord God "placed His name" (Deuteronomy 16:16-17). But with the New Covenant, Yeshua taught us that in Him we would not necessarily worship in Jerusalem, for the Father seeks those who will worship Him "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:22-23). So Paul celebrated Passover week unto Messiah in Europe, for Yeshua is the fulfillment of all the appointed times of the Lord, and that Passover, as well as all the other feasts, are now New Covenant celebrations and observances.
At one of Seders (Passover banquet) I conducted, I was asked by the pastor's wife another common question, "Why don't we Christians celebrate Passover in our churches today?" I answer as graciously as I can, "Well, some of the church traditions teach that Christians are not to observe Passover according the biblical (lunar) Roan (solar) calendar."
If time is permitting, I explain that as soon as the last apostles left this earthly scene (John circa 95 AD), various bishops stepped to fill what they saw a 'power gap' with the apostles. These bishops attempted to assert their authority even wanting the same respect shown the apostles.
But along with this unwarranted assertion of authority, came non-biblical traditions and ungodly attitudes that the apostles never taught nor would have permitted, that is, replacing the Jewish people as Israel with the increasingly non-Jewish Church, and replacing any semblance of biblical expression of faith through the festivals with non-biblical tradition and celebrations.
And this was done quite intentionally so as not to associate with the "filthy Jews" (Constantine's Letter to the Bishops; all this is detailed out and footnoted in my seminar "Share Messiah" that can be downloaded at our website).
This ant-Jewish attitude developed along with a false interpretation of scripture, called "Allegorical" that stated and assumed that the Scripture is an allegory that only certain ordained priests of the Church are qualified to interpret properly.

The Mystery of Shavuot

Shavuot in Hebrew means "weeks." Why would the festival be called 
that? It is not because the festival lasts for many weeks! Rather, it is because of the way you find out when it is to be celebrated. Unlike the others, the Feast of Weeks is "dateless," and the timing points us back to Passover, and ultimately, the death and resurrection of Messiah. On Shavuot, the people of Israel were to bring a two-loaf offering as a "Firstfruits to the Lord" (Leviticus 23:17). However, there is already a "firstfruits" offering on the calendar, during the week of Passover. And now there is a second firstfruits offering? At some point, one might think, shouldn't it be called "secondfruits"? Not at all. 
Firstfruits are the portion of the crop or produce which is set apart unto the Lord, for His use only. The day after the Sabbath during Passover, the priests in the Temple gave a "first firstfruits" offering of the barley harvest (Leviticus 23:10-14).
The observances could not be practiced after the Temple was destroyed in 70AD. Still, one part from that tradition remained: "the counting of the omer," or the numbering of days until the Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot, was to be celebrated.
While the "first firstfruits" were from the barley harvest, the firstfruits offering of Shavuot were from the wheat harvest (Exodus 34:22). The barley offering from the day after the Sabbath of Passover was considered the poor man's food, whereas the wheat of the Shavuot offering was considered rich man's food (Psalm 81:16). So also, Messiah became poor that we might become spiritually rich in Him (2 Corinthians 8:9).
The earlier firstfruits offering was given on the day of Yeshua's resurrection and pictures Messiah as our firstfruits offering from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:21-23). The second firstfruits offering is a different picture altogether. This offering is a picture of the believers in Messiah, His called-out ones. Acts 2 shows how this happened "when the Feast of Pentecost (Shavuot) had fully come."
Yeshua's followers thus comprise a second firstfruits offering in Him. This is referred to in the book of will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of firstfruits among His creatures."
As Yeshua is the Firstfruits offering of the resurrection, so also we are a firstfruits offering in His new creation, the Body of Messiah. When my son Josh was born, the midwife exclaimed, "I see the head." I did not need to ask if there was a body- where there is a head, there is a body. We learn in Ephesians that Messiah is the Head, and we are the body (Ephesians 1:23; 4:15-16). Messiah was raised from the dead to be our Firstfruits offering, and we are presented as "a kind of firstfruits among His creatures," as the body of Messiah.
The Symbol of Firstfruits 
Giving the firstfruits of the crop honored the Lord and recognized Him as Provider. Thus firstfruits were for God's use only, a reality which could never be changed. The significance of believers being firstfruits is that we are to be totally dedicated to the Lord: we are for God's use only, set apart as saints unto Him. Just as we learn in Passover that Israel is God's "firstborn" of the nations (Exodus 4:22-23), Israel is also the firstfruits of His increase, a nation called to be holy unto the Lord. Along with the privileges of being God's firstfruits also came responsibilities, as we read in Luke 12:48, "to whom much is given, much is required." Consequently we are expected to live in such a way that the Lord is honored in all that we do.
The fulfillment of Shavuot firstfruits are New Covenant believers, both Jews and Gentiles. This is why the Holy Spirit was given-to empower followers of Messiah. Believers today are people of both privilege and responsibility to live faithfully for the Lord. Through faith in Messiah we have eternal salvation and new life as children of God. What a privilege to have the enablement of the Holy Spirit to live dedicated and holy lives to the glory of God. Though there is "no condemnation to those who are in Messiah" (Romans 8:1), there is chastening and discipline from the Lord for every child of His that we might grow in righteousness (Hebrews 12:6-8).
As believers we are to present ourselves for God's use only. We experience His spiritual blessings when we yield ourselves to the Lord, and in living for Him fulfill His purpose for us.
The Holy Spirit's work in us leads to His work through us. The Lord provides us with the full resource of the Spirit so we may live fully in Him and for Him. He doesn't put us to work without the resource to accomplish the task. He will continue to give us the resources to be used for His purposes and His glory. Happy Shavuot!
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Word of Messiah Ministries
PO Box 79238
Charlotte, NC 28271 United States
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