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The Chosen People? by Sam Nadler
As believers, this brings us to a foundational issue. We agree that the lack of proper discipleship results in the lack of effective evangelism. People are often reluctant to share that which they do not understand, and the lack of Jewish discipleship results in a lack of Jewish evangelism. By Jewish discipleship, I mean discipleship in a proper, balanced, biblical understanding of God’s promises, plan, and purpose for the Jewish people. Many believers are confused about such issues as, “Can a Jewish person be saved without faith in Yeshua?” “Are the Jewish people still the ‘Chosen People’?” “Does the Promised Land (Israel) still belong to the Jewish people?”
These questions tend to create a spiritual ambiguity in the minds of many, which produces an uncertain, rather than fervent witness to Jewish people. Let’s clarify the issues raised by these 3 questions:
“Can a Jewish person be saved without faith in Yeshua?”
No. No one can be forgiven of their sins and accepted by God without personal faith in Yeshua. It was to Jewish men that Yeshua said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Think of it this way: If there was some other way for Jewish people, or any people, to be saved other than through faith in Yeshua, then God the Father would have been a fool for letting His Son die on a cross! If keeping the Law of Moses could save someone, Yeshua would have told people to keep the Law. But instead, Yeshua declared that people needed to trust in Him: “If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me.” (John 5:46)
"Are the Jewish people still the ‘Chosen People’?"
Yes, according to the Law of Moses (Deut. 7:6; 14:2), the Prophets (Isa. 41:8; Amos 3:2), the Writings (Psalm 33:12; 135:4), and the New Covenant (Rom. 9:3-5; 11:1-2). But isn’t the Body of Messiah called a Chosen People as well? Yes, 1 Peter 2:9 declares all believers in Yeshua to be “a chosen generation (or people), a royal priesthood.” Please note that Peter refers to the Body of Messiah as “A chosen people,” but not as “The chosen people.” Though Israel is chosen for a specific purpose (see next paragraph), during this present time of Israel’s national unbelief, they are ‘sidelined’ from being God’s instrument of service until they return to God and confess Yeshua as the Messiah (Mt. 23:38, 39; Hosea 5:15). For the present time, the Body of Messiah is the spiritually active instrument of ministry, “a royal priesthood” for service and worship. Though Israel is chosen to be a “witness people” for the Lord (Isa. 43:10-12; 44:8), they cannot be an active witness until they first believe in Yeshua as Lord (Rom. 10:14, 15). Israel is chosen as a people for God’s purpose, which, in the past, was to bring Messiah into the world (Rom. 9:5), and in the future, to bring about the return of Messiah to planet earth (Matt. 23:39; Zech. 12:10). This will happen when the Jewish people collectively confess their national sin of rejecting Messiah (Isaiah 53). Though nationally chosen for God’s purpose, each individual Jewish person still has to have personal faith in God’s salvation on God’s terms to be saved. Otherwise they are as lost and unsaved as any pagan (Jer. 9:25, 26).
"Does the Promised Land (Israel) still belong to the Jewish people?"
Yes! The present spiritual condition of Israel does not change the promises of God, for even though Israel is nationally unfaithful, He is still faithful. This is Paul’s argument in Romans 11:1-2, where he writes, “I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite... God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew.” Israel returned to the land after the Babylonian exile, but that wasn’t to be their last return. In fact, Isaiah prophesies Israel’s return to the same land for the second time in Isaiah 11:11-12: “Then it will happen on that day that the Lord will again recover the second time with His hand the remnant of His people... from the four corners of the earth.” The Jewish people’s present return to the land is the fulfillment of this promise in Isaiah.
Now this doesn’t mean that everything the present Israeli government does is praiseworthy, but it does mean that Israel is entitled to the Land, and we, as believers, must support them in this. Even though this and their status as the Chosen People remains unchanged, each Jewish person can only be saved through personal faith in Messiah. For all people, Jew and Gentile, Israeli and Arab, there is no peace apart from the Prince of Peace.
By understanding these critical, sometimes volatile issues, and having biblical answers to address them, believers in Messiah can have a boldness and confidence to share their faith with Jewish people. Outside of God’s miraculous, heart-changing power found in the Good News, there is no solution to the present and future problems we see in the Middle East, and the world.
So get involved! Share this with your friends! You can help get the message out. Since God has not forsaken the Jewish people, let us not forsake our responsibility to proclaim Yeshua to Jewish people.
Blessings Here and Around the World:
Here in Charlotte, we welcomed 500 people to our annual Passover banquet outreach. Many people brought pre-believing Jewish family members and friends to this event where they heard the Good News clearly throughout the evening. Some who have celebrated Passover their entire lives saw for the first time that each element of the Seder, from the removal of leaven to the finding of the Afikomen, points to Messiah, and the redemption He has provided. Praise the Lord for those who accepted Yeshua as their Messiah, and please pray for the follow-up that will be taking place!
During this season, we’ve been thrilled to see our materials being used to spread the Good News across the country and around the world! Last month, a group in Singapore ordered 20 “Messianic Passover Haggadahs,” 5 “Messiah in the Feasts of Israel” books, and 3 “Feasts of the Bible” DVD’s to utilize as they reach out “to the Jew first” in their community.
We see God at work in so many ways as we reach out during Passover. Here, Miriam Nadler shares a blessing she recently encountered:
“Just a few weeks ago, I presented the Messiah in the Passover at a luncheon for a church group of seniors. They had prepared a delicious lunch and a lovely setting for their 100 guests. As I was preparing to speak, I was introduced to a visitor who had been invited by a neighbor. It turns out that Sally* had just moved back from Israel after living there most of her life. I was surprised and delighted as we spoke about her life in Israel, sprinkling in a mixture of Hebrew phrases, and exchanging our common love for the Land. Sally explained that her husband had recently died and she was now relocating to the states to be closer to her grown children and grandchildren.
Although Sally had never before considered the fact of Yeshua as the Messiah and Passover Lamb, she told me after the luncheon that she would like to get together and talk further about what she had heard. We exchanged numbers and have been in touch by email as we plan a time to meet. Please pray that the Lord would draw her with His love and tender mercies to accept Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the World.”
*name changed to protect the privacy of the individual
Devin Baucom, leader of “Hope of Israel Monroe” Messianic Congregation Plant in Monroe, NC, saw much fruit through their Passover outreaches as well:
“Passover for HOI Monroe began early this year with our “Preparing for Passover” fellowship meeting. Members, friends, and visitors came together for a Passover primer to move our attention from the events of Purim to focus on Passover preparation, and the blessings of Messiah’s fulfillment. I challenged the group to invite friends and family into their homes for a personal and impactful Seder, and to look for every opportunity to share the blessing of Passover with all those they come in contact with through the season. Many families are committed to opening their homes as a place of witness, and one family did this in a special way. They opened their doors to family and acquaintances, Jews and Gentiles, believers and pre-believers, as they all participated in a large home-style Passover Seder. As the story of redemption was laid out, the tears flowed freely as the reality of what Messiah Yeshua did laid heavy on their hearts.
At a Passover outreach I was invited to lead at a local church, some 80 individuals were in attendance. As the evening came to a close, I invited the room to consider how the same Messiah who became the Passover Lamb and the Bread of our affliction is also the Redeemer for our hearts as well. During a time of invitation, 12 hands were lifted indicating those who had made a first time commitment to Messiah as their Redeemer and Lord. Praise the Lord for what He is doing this season!”
Through the months of February - April, Sam has travelled to dozens of churches conducting Messiah in the Passover presentations. Tim James, who accompanied Sam on several of these ministry trips writes:
“I have been amazed at the responses from non-Jewish believers at the many churches in which Sam ministers as they embrace God’s priority through His redemptive program. I’ve had the opportunity to talk to some following the service who had never heard of such teaching before. ‘Well, aren’t you glad you were here today!’
So why spend so much time on the road in order to do a 45-minute Passover presentation at a church? ... Why not! As the Body of Messiah takes to heart the Jewish roots of our faith, it will more effectively bear fruit for God's Kingdom. And as Rav Shaul (the apostle Paul) taught us, there is greater blessing in the act of giving than in receiving (Acts 20:35). Whether it be at a log cabin church in rural NC or an urban church in NYC, God’s faithfulness is made evident as believers get together to partake in the Feast and learn about the value that God places on our redemption through Passover.
Here’s a challenge for those who love the God of Israel during this season: Don’t withhold what you know, or look down on others who don’t know — Be a giver… even on the road! “You are to talk about them … when you are traveling on the road” (Deut. 6:7, CJB)”
Tim shares about an added blessing he had this Passover season:
This year, my wife, Laurel, and I were blessed to be invited to the US headquarters of WEC International Missions agency outside of Philadelphia, PA to lead a Seder for the missionaries there. This is a missionary sending hub where many are trained to go to the ends of the earth with the Good News, but this evening, they focused on something closer to home.
After the Seder, we talked with several of the missionaries, and were blessed to hear that many of them have a heart for the Jewish people. It was clear to us that God has strategically placed the WEC headquarters in their community. There is a large synagogue right across the street from them, and half of their neighbors are Jewish. As they heard about the opportunities that the Feasts of Israel provide for outreach, they are contemplating ways they can bring the Good News to their Jewish neighbors.
I can't help but wonder what it would like like if every believer in Yeshua took Paul's words from Romans 1:16 literally and brought the Good News "to the Jew first." Life from the dead? (Romans 11:15)
When Sam was asked to be the guest speaker at Ariel Ministries' Messianic Servant Leadership Conference, he gladly accepted the invitation as an opportunity to invest in Messianic leaders, coming alongside them in the development of long-range evangelism and congregation planting efforts in Texas and surrounding states. Ariel Ministries graciously welcomed Sam and Miriam to their San Antonio, TX headquarters on Friday, April 17th for the weekend conference. Miriam was able to come with Sam in order to minister to the wives of the leaders, and to lead worship for the different sessions.
After the conference opened with worship and prayer, Sam challenged the leaders with a biblical principle that stands in contradiction to what we are taught by our culture: Leadership is not based on having an alpha personality, but on agreed responsibility. In Scripture, we see that God called many different types of people to be leaders (Moses, Nehemiah, Paul, Timothy…). Leaders are not to be dominated by their personality, but only by Yeshua's leadership, that they may be like Him in all ways in order to become all things to all people. We see throughout God's Word that the terms "elder" or "overseer" were only a description of a person's responsibility, not a title or status symbol.
Sam took time to describe the qualities that godly leaders are to have and the responsibilities they are to carry out. True leadership is perfectly modeled in Yeshua, who came "not to be served, but to serve" (Mark 10:45) Likewise, human leaders are not to rule with an iron fist, but lead as servants; loving, encouraging, and caring for those they are privileged to lead (Mark 9:35). I John 4:17 states, "As He is, so also are we in the world"; we who follow Him live out His values. What we believe impacts what we value, and this impacts what we do. Leadership models the values that God would have in His community to demonstrate His faithfulness and love.
Yeshua is our perfect Priest, Prophet, and King. A leader demonstrates these roles as he leads his congregation in prayer (role of priest), in the ministry of the Word (role of prophet), and in wise management as an overseer (role of king). As an overseer, a shepherd must know where he's taking his flock. He plans for his community to grow first through contact making (evangelism), then disciple making, member making, and finally leader making.
Why does God talk so much about leadership in the context of congregations? God's love is best revealed through a healthy community, as those created in His image reveal His nature through loving one another. Before synagogues or churches existed, there were communities, and elders of these communities. God looks upon congregations today as communities. A congregation is only as strong as the families that make it up. A leader must first be a leader who is above reproach at home; if he is not leading at home, he is unqualified to lead the community of God (I Timothy 3:4-5, Titus 1:5-9).
The time of teaching on Friday was followed by a time of reflection, as Sam encouraged the leaders to evaluate their own leadership qualities. Each leader has different areas in which they are weak; these areas are not an opportunity for discouragement and defeat, but for extra prayer and attention. Through this, they were able to encourage each other to press on to the high calling God has for each of them as leaders.
During the different sessions on Saturday, Sam went deeper into these matters, challenging the leaders to put the truths they were learning into practice, as those in a congregation are to imitate the faith of their leaders (Heb. 13:7). The truth is that people follow practice, not principles; they will take note of their leader's way of life, how he lives when he's not teaching. This is what will make the greatest impact on their lives. Likewise, a leader is to teach his flock how to implement truth as well – to not just teach them about prayer, but to get them to pray, and to disciple them so they can witness to and disciple others. When a person comes to faith in Yeshua through the outreach of a congregation, the role of the congregation in this person's life has just begun. This new believer must be discipled so they can become a fully functional member of the community, and eventually, a leader themselves. The undiscipled believer is the dysfunctional member of the body of Messiah. Leadership development is not a problem if a congregation is continually making disciples.
Over meals throughout the weekend, Sam and Miriam ministered to the leaders and their wives in smaller groups, encouraging them in their calling, and giving counsel in areas of struggle. They also talked with them in anticipation of the 'Growing Healthy Messianic Congregations Conference' coming up in October which Sam will lead in San Antonio.
At the conference were leaders who held many different roles in their respective congregations. From Beth Simcha Messianic Congregation in San Antonio, five leaders were able to attend together. Beth Simcha's Congregational Leader, Randy Shapiro, remarked that the conference was one of the most helpful events he'd been to in a long time, and that the teaching made a big impact on him personally as a leader. Especially meaningful for him and the leaders with him was the emphasis on the need for leaders to continually be maturing in the qualities that they are teaching to others through discipleship. He felt the conference "hit the nail on the head" as Sam challenged the leaders to refocus on the key elements of their calling - the ministry of prayer, ministry of the Word, and ministry of overseer - standing firm against the temptation to get caught up in secondary matters.
Another one of the Messianic leaders in attendance, Rabbi Stuart Fabricant of Shoresh David Messianic Congregation also in San Antonio, remarked that he benefited from the insightful delivery of God's Word over the weekend. When asked, "Do you know more about servant leadership now, having attended this conference?" he replied, "Very much so; I want to put it into practice." We are encouraged as we receive such feedback from these leaders, as implementation is the key to leadership. God's Word makes it clear that the blessings are found not in the knowing, but in the doing (John 13:17).
God is working in Texas, and all over the world, raising up Messianic leaders and congregation planters. It is our prayer that each of these leaders can be discipled and trained in the truth of God's Word, so they in turn can make disciples, so that more outreach can be done, and more Messianic congregations planted, for the glory of His Name!
May 3, 10:30 am - Waxhaw Bible Church, Waxhaw, NC
May 16 - Hope of Israel Roanoke, Roanoke, VA
May 17, 10:30 am - Harvest Ministries, Roanoke, VA
May 23, 7:00 pm - Shavuot Service, Hope of Israel Congregation, Charlotte, NC
May 24, 11:00 am - East Belmont Baptist Church, Belmont, NC
To schedule a speaker click here or call 704.544.1948
"The Life of Joshua"
Mp3 Message Series by Sam Nadler
Success: how would you define it? How does God's view of success differ from the world's view? In this 12 part series, Sam Nadler takes a look at the dynamic and victorious life of Joshua, where we learn how to enter the Promised Land of life! Through these messages, you'll learn vital principles of discipleship and leadership, discover traps that hold many believers back, and experience the 'overcoming life' that Yeshua came to bring us.
for $10
Word of Messiah Ministries
704-544-1948
info@wordofmessiah.org
shmooze@wordofmessiah.org |
Word of Messiah Ministries
PO Box 79238
Charlotte, North Carolina 28271 United States
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