Jews for Jesus Real Time for Tuesday, 30 Wednesday, 2014

Jews for Jesus Real Time for Tuesday, 30 Wednesday, 2014

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From David Brickner ➤   Read Good news on Yom Kippur! Sundown October 3 begins the holiest day of the Jewish calendar: Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It's the time to seek God's forgiveness for all our sins over the past year. Those who observe the day will fast from sundown to sundown, many attending three different synagogue services throughout the day and night. Whether God even exists, much less listens and responds to us is a question in many hearts and minds. Even the concept of sin—apart from great crimes that most people don't commit—is often a point of confusion. Within the liturgy of the services a prayer, often chanted by the cantor or sung by a choir, opens a Biblical window of understanding into what seems an inscrutable mystery to many Jewish people. The song, titled "Mi Chamocha," or "Who is Like You?" poses a question asked by Moses in Exodus 15:11, as well as by the prophet in Micah 7:18. The question: "Who is a God Like You?" is rhetorical. We're not looking to compare others with Him, but rather to fix our eyes on Him, to understand His uniqueness and His greatness. This was a lifelong passion for the prophet Micah, whose very name means, "who is like the Lord." The prophet's name was a constant reminder of his passion for God and his quest to know Him more deeply. There is no greater quest because there is no one greater than God, as the prophet and the prayer so beautifully illustrate: Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob And mercy to Abraham, Which You have sworn to our fathers From days of old. (Micah 7:18–20) Micah's closing hymn of praise reflects back on the previous "Mi Chamocha," the Song of Moses from Exodus 15, which emphasizes God's power and strength. This picture points out the uniqueness of God's forgiveness, mercy and grace, both in terms of who He is and what He will do. Many people find forgiveness very difficult indeed—not so with God. It is the natural outworking of His nature. It is part of His character. Knowing that God wants to forgive our sin is a powerful truth that can set us free from bondage to fear and a whole host of other pains and sorrows.  But that forgiveness comes in a specific context—a personal relationship with God. Micah tells us the forgiveness He extends is to the "remnant of His inheritance." Israel is God's inheritance. They belong to Him, but have strayed from Him. Only a remnant of His inheritance is willing to acknowledge their sin and accept God's terms for atonement, and they are the ones who receive His mercy and forgiveness. John's gospel tells us: "He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:11–13). It is so important to know what God has promised. Otherwise, we live by mistaken notions of who God is and what He will or won't do. As it is with Israel, so it is with the rest of humanity. God will forgive those who repent and receive forgiveness on His terms. The fact is, God is passionate; He is angered by sin and rebellion. But it is not His intention to stay angry. God actually delights, takes pleasure in showing mercy—and He has made a way to do it without compromising His righteousness. So when we ask for God's mercy we are not struggling to persuade God to reluctantly stay His hand. Rather, we are acknowledging and calling upon this marvelous aspect of His character. What else can we know about what God is like? He will again have compassion on us; in Hebrew, "yashuv yerachamenu." He will return his rachamim, His grace to us. The Hebrew root word rechem means "a mother's womb." God's love is like the love that a mother feels for the child of her womb. Forgiveness and pardon from the Lord do not merely lift the burden of guilt and sin, they bestow the fullness of God's blessing, the riches of His love and the resources of His kindness to us. Without those resources we are empty vessels without much to give. But once we receive his "rachmones" we are overflowing with spiritual strength and fulfillment that can bless others and change the very world we live in. Micah also points out that our merciful God will defeat sin. This is a powerful promise mentioned in many books of the Bible. God will wage a war against sin, and will defeat sin as surely as He defeated the armies of Pharaoh. He promises to tread sin under foot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. What a marvelous picture! Do we look upon sin as our enemy? Going all the way back to the story of Cain and Abel, God warned Cain concerning his worst enemy: "sin is crouching at the door and its desire is for you" (Genesis 4:7b). So it is for us; sin is a rapacious, vile disease that threatens to hurtle us into an abyss of darkness and despair. Yet how often do we give in to its potent desire? But here is the wonder of it all. God does not leave us alone to battle the sin that would overtake us. Sin is God's enemy and He has promised to defeat it. I believe that God has done this on a personal level for all who trust Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah. "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus died in our place. He shed His own blood to pay the penalty for our sin. He has broken the power of sin. But one day He also will forever banish the presence of sin. I look forward to that day, don't you? But will it really happen? Well, yes it will because our God keeps His promises. Micah ends his hymn by reflecting on that fact. It is so important to know what God has promised. Otherwise, we live by mistaken notions of who God is and what He will or won't do. Or worse, we just pretend He is not there at all. How sad, how foolish, and yet this is how most people live, both Jews and Gentiles. My heart breaks especially for my own Jewish people; so many will sit in synagogue this month without a shred of understanding about who God is and what He is offering. That heartbreaking fact propels and compels me—and all my Jews for Jesus colleagues—to be His witnesses so that our people will hear: "The good news this Yom Kippur is this. God is ready to love you and forgive you and cleanse you and heal you. And He does it all in the person of His Son the Messiah." Please pray with and for us that the gospel seeds we are planting will penetrate and grow in the hearts of many Jewish people in the coming days. ➤   Watch David explains Days of Awe, asks prayer for ministry-wide outreach <iframe width="670" height="377" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/43f959bdvYo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Read Top Stories How cookies point Israelis to Bread of Life  Cookies point to The Bread of Life Details   Category: RealTime September 2014 Published on Thursday, 18 September 2014 23:39 As the second week of Massah training drew to a close, it was time for the team to plan their own unique outreach. They baked “fortune cookies” containing verses from the Hebrew prophets and the New Testament. They also prepared a tray of “candy on a stick” with verses attached. Team leader Eli says, “The team was excited to bring their ‘blessing treats,’ as they called them, to the streets. As they distributed the sweets they talked to over 100 people—more than the other outreaches. They had some great conversations.” Lena: “I walked up to a group of three people and gave them each a cookie. As one girl ate hers, I asked which verse she had gotten. It was 1 John 4:18: ‘Perfect love casts out fear.’ She looked at me and said, ‘This verse is from God; I have been in complete fear and it has been affecting my partner. I am always afraid.’ She told me that she had ‘fought’ with God long ago. I told her God is waiting for her, and would be happy to hear from her. She said that she was touched to see how real my faith is.” Alex: “People kept asking what the verses meant, so that was an opportunity to explain about God’s love and Yeshua. Some, like the Ethiopian eunuch (we had studied that passage last week), wanted to understand the Scriptures and needed someone to explain it to them. It was great to see the thirst of the people that took the verses, including some atheists. “I told one guy how the Jesus film helped me realize that Jesus loves me, and He chose to die for me and my sins. Now I tell about His love to others. He started crying and it was clear he was searching for hope. “An atheist took one of the cookies and got the verse, 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know’ (Jer. 33:3). I explained the verse to him and he got really excited. He asked for another cookie, opened it up—and got the same verse! He was shocked and couldn’t believe it. I told him God is speaking to him. I believe it touched him and maybe he will consider God’s existence once again. “Another guy told me that he had been asking for a sign from God as to whether He existed or not, and he felt maybe God was answering through these verses.”  Please pray that these verses will work their way deep into the hearts of those we met, and that they will be saved. Published on Thursday, 18 September 2014 23:39 (May contain information that is dated.) What question did college students stop to answer?  Rosh Hashanah campus outreach Details   Category: RealTime September 2014 Published on Tuesday, 30 September 2014 16:47 Jeremiah Zaretsky Arielle Randle What could be better than combining Rosh Hashanah greetings with campus outreach? Here are a couple of examples of how the two fit together. In Chicago, Arielle Randle reports, "We gave out free apples and honey as well as gospel tracts for Rosh Hashanah at Northwestern University, which has the third largest Jewish undergraduate population in the country! God blessed us with a gorgeous day to hand out 200 apple slices with honey, and about 700 'Back to school' broadsides. Pray for Genna, a Jewish student who told me she considers herself more of a 'spiritual Jew' than a 'religious Jew.' Pray she'll take the challenge to open the New Testament and that she'll be amazed to read in Romans 7 how God wants us to serve Him in the newness of the Spirit and not the oldness of the letter of the law." In Florida, Heather Drake reports, " the Florida Atlantic University administration wouldn't let me distribute real apples and honey so I gave out 'paper apples' and invited people to use the to write down something that they'd like to start over new in their lives. It turned out to be a great conversation starter. The last person I talked to was Sam, an unbelieving Jewish student. He asked, 'What's this all about?' I told him that I wanted to know what area of his life he wanted to be made new. He was really impressed with the question and we talked a bit about what changes have already taken place in his life. Before leaving he said, 'You know, I came over here to argue with you but for some reason I don't want to argue with you anymore. I hate it when people push leaflets and pamphlets at you and don't want to really know anything about you. I feel like we made a real human connection.' Sam said he would look for me again on the campus." All set to wish students at FAU a happy new year! Stay tuned for more news of holiday outreaches! photos of Jeremiah and Arielle by Simone Parkas, table at FAU by Heather Drake Published on Tuesday, 30 September 2014 16:47 (May contain information that is dated.) See & share this creative gospel video! Truth in Question  Truth in Question Details   Category: RealTime September 2014 Published on September 12, 2014 If you agree that truth can't be voted in by religious majority or dictated by prestigious authority, don't miss this performance! The rhythm and rhyme of these heartfelt words point to truth in general and Yeshua (Jesus) in particular. Looking for a fresh way to invite people to consider the gospel? Please share this video! If your comment does not pertain to this specific article/blog please click here to send us a message. Comments not related to this article will not be posted. We reserve the right to delete vulgar, racist, or hateful content, as well as inappropriate and off-topic posts. For extended discussions, use our forums. Comments are moderated and will not appear immediately. <iframe width="640" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/MZLmxIH3tYI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Support Jewish Evangelism Your financial support, prayers and willingness to spread the Word make the work of Jews for Jesus possible. Please consider giving now to help share the gospel and introduce Jewish people to their Messiah. Thank you!   Become a partner today

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