Missionary Renegade: June 2015 Newsletter from Word of Messiah Ministries

Saturday, May 30, 2015

June 2015 Newsletter from Word of Messiah Ministries - eShmooze

June 2015 Newsletter from Word of Messiah Ministries - eShmooze
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Shavuot: God's Perfect Timing

Traditionally, both Jews and Christians have thought of Shavuot as a "birthday". For the traditional Jewish community, this feast was first celebrated around the time when God gave Israel the Torah at Mount Sinai, about fifty days after leaving Egypt (Ex. 19:1). Therefore, Shavuot is considered "The Season of the Giving of the Law." It is considered the spiritual birthday of Israel since the Torah brought twelve tribes together into one corporate people. Shavuot: God's Perfect Timing by Sam Nadler in Faith In Yeshua, Jewish Feasts, Lamb, Passover, The Feasts Of Israel, Pentecost
You shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete Sabbaths. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord.” (Leviticus 23:15-16)
Traditionally, both Jews and Christians have thought of Shavuot as a “birthday”. For the traditional Jewish community, this feast was first celebrated around the time when God gave Israel the Torah at Mount Sinai, about fifty days after leaving Egypt (Ex. 19:1). Therefore, Shavuot is considered “The Season of the Giving of the Law.” It is considered the spiritual birthday of Israel since the Torah brought twelve tribes together into one corporate people. From Shavuot’s fulfillment in Acts, we can also call it, “The Season of the Giving of the Spirit” since the Holy Spirit makes all believers, from many tribes, to be one family in Messiah. Happy birthday, Body of Messiah!
The word Shavuot literally means “weeks.” This feast is also called Pentecost, from the Greek word meaning “fifty,” as the feast occurs fifty days after Passover. This year, it will begin at sundown on May 23rd. Does the name “Shavuot” indicate that the feast would be celebrated for weeks on end? No! It is called “weeks” because of the special way we find out each year when it is to be celebrated. Unlike the other Feasts of Israel, the Feast of Shavuot is dateless! In order to celebrate Shavuot, one has to count “seven weeks” from “the day after the Sabbath” of the Passover, and the next day, the fiftieth day, would be Shavuot.
Why don’t the Scriptures just give us the date for Shavuot? Many of us would have been inclined to say to Moses, “Forget counting fifty days; just give me the date and I’ll put it in my iphone, so I can remember to show up and worship!” But no, God commanded everyone to count fifty days regardless of how busy their schedule may be. Why? Allow me to explain...
Can you imagine if your mother never told you the date of your birthday? Rather, she told you to celebrate it fifty days after the anniversary of your Uncle Murray’s death. When you were young, this might have been ok, but in high school, it would be embarrassing not to know the date of your birth! “Hey Joel, when’s your birthday?” “Well it’s fifty days after my Uncle Murray died.” Eventually, you’d insist, “Mom, can’t you just tell me when my birthday is? Why do I have to count fifty days from the day Uncle Murray died?” Your mom’s reply would bring her purposes to light, “Because, your Uncle Murray left you his fortune, and I never want you to forget your Uncle Murray!”
In counting fifty days in order to celebrate Shavuot, Israel would be constantly reminded of Passover. God’s people were never to orient themselves around the giving of the Torah, but around the true foundation of their life as a people at Passover.
Shavuot may have been the time when God made Israel one people in the Law, but Passover was when God redeemed them from bondage and destruction through the blood of the lamb. Passover was and is to be the foundation and head of the year. It celebrates Israel’s redemption from bondage, and redemption is the foundation of our salvation. Thus, the foundation of Israel’s redemption was provided only in Passover, not Shavuot. Every year as Israel counted the weeks from Passover to Shavuot, they remembered that their redemption as a people was found in the Lamb of Passover.
In the same way, we are never to forget our Messiah who gave His life for us, and with that, the unspeakable riches of new birth in Him! Like Israel’s redemption from bondage, our foundation of faith as believers in Messiah Yeshua is forever tied to Passover and our redemption in the Lamb of God. We are not set apart to God just because we look to the Holy Spirit, but when we look to Yeshua as the true foundation for our spiritual lives. Through Him we are a first fruits offering (Lev. 23:16), for God’s use only.
Every Shavuot believers may thus remember Passover and the Passover Lamb, Yeshua. Though Pentecost is the “birthday celebration” of the Body of Messiah, we are never to look to the Holy Spirit as the foundation of our faith, either individually or as a body of believers. Our security is experienced only when we look to Yeshua as our foundation of faith. Our confidence is in the Lord, and in Him alone. Place your faith in Messiah’s eternal atonement for your sins, and receive new life in Yeshua, the Author and Perfector of our faith (Heb. 12:2) You are secure looking to Him!
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Share Messiah
For many who have been through the teaching of Sam's "Share Messiah Seminar," the fruit continues to grow as they bring the Good News to the Jew first, but not to the Jew only! "Share Messiah," available to watch on wordofmessiah.org, is a ten-session training seminar designed to equip believers to lovingly and effectively share their faith in Messiah. Share Messiah by Sam Nadler in Faith In Yeshua, Gentiles, Jewish, Messianic Prophecy, Sharing Faith
For many who have been through the teaching of Sam’s “Share Messiah Seminar,” the fruit continues to grow as they bring the Good News to the Jew first, but not to the Jew only! “Share Messiah,” available to watch on wordofmessiah.org, is a ten-session training seminar designed to equip believers to lovingly and effectively share their faith in Messiah. It’s not, however, for those who merely want to learn information in order to store it away, but for those who will put it into practice. No matter your weaknesses, fears, or limitations, if you’re not sharing your faith, you are missing out on the fullness of what God has for you; for, the more you give your faith away, the more you have to give! We hope you are encouraged in your own witness as you read these stories of how God has opened doors of opportunity to ordinary people willing to be used by an extraordinary God.
No need to convert
Through “Share Messiah,” Maria gained a great deal of understanding about historical reasons why many Jewish people are resistant to the Good News, and, in light of this, the importance of humility and love in witnessing to them. Recently, God gave her an opportunity to share His love with one He had prepared to hear it:
“Because I love the Jewish people, I like to know what is going on in the Jewish community. One day, I was at a local conservative synagogue listening to a presentation on how to stand up for Israel when confronted with negative and false accusations. The information was valuable, but perhaps even more valuable was the conversation I had with the Jewish gentleman sitting next to me.
At first, the man thought that I must be Jewish because of my interest in Israel. After letting him know several times that I was a Gentile, and then sharing my testimony of how I grew up as a Catholic and later came to faith in Yeshua, he finally believed me. I shared with him my sadness over the fact that many Gentile believers have been arrogant in thinking that the church has replaced Israel, and how it is wrong and unbiblical to believe that God is finished with His people. This seemed to put him at ease, as he agreed with me wholeheartedly, and became glued to every word I said.
The gentleman had many questions for me, which his friend next to him was not too happy about. His mouth opened wide in disbelief when I told him that I celebrate the Feasts of Israel because they are feasts that God established, and that all the feasts of Scripture point to Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel. (His words were, “How cool is that!”)
He told me that he has read the New Covenant (New Testament), but that he could never forsake his Jewishness. I told him that he did not need to; that his Messiah is Jewish. He quickly asked me if I wanted to convert to Judaism. I answered him that I did not need to change who I was anymore than he did, because both Jews and Gentiles can place their trust in Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah, without forsaking their identity. He then explained that he did not believe that a man could become God. I was thankful for the teaching from “Share Messiah” which prepared me to understand and address Jewish objections to Yeshua, and I agreed with him on this point: no man can become God, but God, his God, can do anything, and He came down in the flesh to restore humanity back to Himself. I explained that through His atonement sacrifice, salvation is available to the Jew first and also to the Gentile.
I praise God for the opportunity He gave me, and pray for this man almost every time I pass his synagogue on my way to work in the morning; that God through His Spirit will sustain and grow the seeds that were planted in his heart.”
Truly the Jewish Messiah
Linda and her husband live in Puerto Rico, and were able to view the “Share Messiah Seminar” online. As they applied what they were learning through the seminar to their witness, Linda wrote to us with this praise report:
“After many months of planting seeds of Messiah’s love, and praying for my two Israeli friends, *Shimon and *Avi, God opened up more opportunity to share the Good News with them. Recently, they asked me why most Jewish people don’t believe in Yeshua. I was so excited that they would ask this, and told them that I don’t fully know the answer, but that many of their people do believe in Him, and that most early believers in Yeshua were in fact Jewish. I shared with them that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were looking toward the Messiah to come, and many Jewish people today have the same faith, looking toward the Messiah who came.
Our community is predominantly Catholic. My Jewish friends asked about Mary (Miriam), and why so many people pray to her. I told them that there was nothing divine about Miriam; that she was just an ordinary Jewish girl who trusted God. When they heard this, they were shocked! “Jewish?” they asked. “Yes,” I told them, “as was Yeshua, and the rest of His family and close followers.” After hearing this, they were more open to further conversation about Yeshua. When they asked why He is so often portrayed on a cross, I explained to them that He died for their sins.
We talked more about sin, God’s requirement of sacrifice, and His provision of the perfect Lamb. They seemed to truly want to know what the Good News is all about and why they hadn’t heard it before! I also was able to share a great truth I learned from the “Share Messiah Seminar,” “Yeshua’s only credentials to be the world’s Savior are that He is the Jewish Messiah. If He’s not the Jewish Messiah, He’s not anyone’s Savior!”
I left Shimon and Avi with some Scriptures from Isaiah to study on their own, and will continue to follow up with them as God opens the door to do so. I’m praying that the seeds planted will grow and that their eyes will be opened to see their Messiah.”
*Names changed to protect the privacy of the individuals
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His Victory is Ours: 15th Annual Messianic Women's Retreat
During the first weekend of May, 82 ladies from several Messianic congregations on the East Coast came together in beautiful Blowing Rock, NC, for the 15th Annual Messianic Women's Retreat, led by Miriam Nadler, head of women's ministries at Word of Messiah, and Natalia Fomin of Hope of Israel Congregation's Sisterhood ministry. The theme of the retreat this year was "Women of Destiny Living a Life of Victory." For many who are going through hard circumstances, or just day to day life, it's easy to forget, and at times it may seem outright crazy to think of ourselves as being victorious. His Victory is Ours: Women of Destiny Living a Life of Victory by Laurel James in Discipleship, Events, Messianic
During the first weekend of May, 82 ladies from several Messianic congregations on the East Coast came together in beautiful Blowing Rock, NC, for the 15th Annual Messianic Women's Retreat, led by Miriam Nadler, head of women's ministries at Word of Messiah, and Natalia Fomin of Hope of Israel Congregation's Sisterhood ministry. The theme of the retreat this year was "Women of Destiny Living a Life of Victory." For many who are going through hard circumstances, or just day to day life, it's easy to forget, and at times it may seem outright crazy to think of ourselves as being victorious. This was a weekend of renewed perspective, as our focus was redirected again and again to the author of our victory: Yeshua!

At the opening session Friday evening, Miriam led us in worship, and introduced the theme song for the weekend, "Miriam's song of Praise," taken from Exodus 15:20-21, praising God for the victory He brings over all our enemies as we trust in Him. After this, Natalia blessed us with an excellent message about our triumph in Messiah, from our theme verse, 2 Corinthians 2:14: "Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Messiah, and displays through us the sweet fragrance of the knowledge of Him in every place."
Natalia described how, as he wrote this verse, Paul was drawing on his knowledge of the Roman "triumphant procession" which took place when an enemy was defeated. Yeshua has truly defeated the powers and authorities of this age by His atoning sacrifice and victorious resurrection (Col. 2:15), and when we trust in Him, His victory is our victory as well. But what about our continuing struggle with sin and the defeat it brings into our lives?
One illustration Natalia shared to address this issue stuck with us the whole weekend, and helped us to grasp the truth behind it – A man who lived in the jungle came home to find a huge anaconda snake in his house. Neighbors ran to help, and one of them shot the snake in the head. At that point, the snake was defeated, but continued to wreak havoc as it thrashed around, causing more and more damage to the house before it was finally still. – Our enemy, Satan, has already been defeated, and soon his defeat will be permanent. However, in the meantime, our struggle with spiritual evil will continue as it attempts to thrash our lives. Though it may seem like the enemy is in control, we must trust that he is actually in his death throws, and live in light of this truth!

We continued to focus on our victory in Yeshua through our sessions Saturday and Sunday mornings, as Miriam shared about the first and the last songs in the Bible, both songs of victory. In each of these songs, there is one focus: the Victorious One! In the first song, the Song of Moses and Miriam, found in Exodus 15, the people of Israel, whom God had just rescued from bondage, responded in praise to Him for His powerful victory over their enemies.
In the last song, the Song of the Lamb, in Revelation 15, those who are victorious over the enemy of this world will praise God in His throne room in heaven. These people will have just been through hell on earth, many having been martyred for their faith, yet there's nothing in their song about themselves or their bravery; every word is about God. Miriam shared that, "Self is obliterated in light of the glory of God!"
As we studied the content of these songs, we saw that focus on God also reveals the enemy for who he is. In Exodus 15:9-10, which describes how Israel's enemies boasted before they were defeated, Miriam called us to notice the many times the words, "me" or "I," are used. From this, she challenged us to be mindful of our focus, as the enemy can get a foothold into our lives when we begin to be focused on ourselves, through pride, or subtle low self-esteem or self-loathing. Our own flesh is the most subtle, effective pawn of the enemy, but we need not let it defeat us!

The theme of victory carried over into every part of our weekend schedule:
Each morning, we woke up to devotions led by Debbi Herts, from B'nai Avraham Congregation in VA. She led us to consider passages we knew well in a new light as they related to our life of victory in Yeshua.
On Saturday afternoon, we were incredibly blessed to hear the testimonies of five of the ladies at the retreat. Each have very different stories and life circumstances; some are Jewish and some aren't, some came to know Yeshua at an early age and some didn't until later, yet all have one thing in common: because of what Yeshua has done for each of them personally, they are overcomers, and have experienced His victory in their lives, which they joyfully testify to. Holly Jensen from Hope of Israel Congregation in Charlotte, NC, put into words what many were feeling as we listened to these ladies' stories: "I was greatly encouraged by the testimonies given. It's wonderful to hear how God has changed lives and truly made such beautiful things out of so many broken pieces!"
Throughout the weekend, we had numerous opportunities to respond in worship to the One who gives us the victory. We had many who led us in worship: Miriam and her team, joined by Teresa Thomas, a Messianic recording artist from Lynchburg, VA, as well as the members of the Hope of Israel youth band. There were also many opportunities to worship through dance, led by Debbie Bateman from Hope of Israel.
Many would agree that the biggest highlight of the weekend was the blessing experienced by being with so many other women who love the Lord and freely share His love with others. It was a breath of fresh air to spend uninterrupted time to fellowship with each other. After our group sessions together, we broke into small groups to discuss the truths we learned, and their specific applications for our lives. Kim Rogers, from Hope of Israel shares: "I think the community aspect of the retreat was really encouraging. Everybody was willing to share and pray and grow together in life, and I was just really blessed by the openness. Life is tough, but trusting in the Lord will give us our peace in victory"

Eleven of those who came on the retreat were middle and high school students, who participated in all aspects of the retreat and were there to serve as well, several of them helping to lead us in worship. Rebecca, Lauren, and Sahara, who recently celebrated their Bat Mitzvah at Hope of Israel Congregation, were thrilled to come on the retreat this year for the first time. They remarked: "It was amazing… awesome… spectacular! The theme about living victoriously was very encouraging. We loved the worship especially, and also our small group. Yes, we'll definitely come back next year!"
In closing, we can't talk about the retreat without mentioning the annual, much-anticipated retreat talent show, led by Laurie Taylor from Hope of Israel. Let's just say that it was, once again, incredibly memorable!
All who came on this retreat returned home reminded that victory isn't found through lack of problems, but in trusting Him and yielding to Him in the midst of problems, knowing the enemy is defeated. We are victorious daughters of God, headed for the throne room; on a path of victory led by Yeshua. As we look to Him, and praise Him for His victory, may we spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Him to everyone around us!
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Sam will be Speaking:
May 31, 10:45 am - First Assembly of God, Rockingham, NC
June 7, 11:00 am - Calvary Chapel, Richmond, VA
June 14, 8:30 am - Messiah Lutheran Church, Charlotte, NC
To schedule a speaker click here or call 704.544.1948
"Honoring God with My Life"
Book & Audio Book by Miriam Nadler
Do you want to live a life of true satisfaction and reward?
In this expositional study on Titus 2:3-5, you will discover how to live a life according to God's calling and His design. Whether you are younger or older, you can fulfill your divine purpose and calling as a woman, wife, mother, and friend. You will enjoy meeting women of the Bible like Hannah, Abigail, Lydia, and Tabitha who serve as examples to us. "Honoring God with Your Life" is meant not only to help you to grow and mature in the qualities from Titus 2:3-5, but to equip you to mentor and disciple other women. Audio book read by the author, Miriam Nadler