Paul's Passover Purpose
Passover was relevant to all first century believers: It was a constant reminder that we are no longer slaves in the bondage of sin, but are now spiritually free to follow and honor the Lord because Messiah, our Passover, also has been sacrificed.
(Continue to read more...) Paul’s Passover Purpose
Paul’s Passover Purpose by Sam NadlerThe congregation at Corinth, like any congregation, had its problems. (There were people in it!) Unfortunately, none of us are perfect, so when we come together for fellowship and worship, sometimes our imperfections come with us. “The First Church of Corinth” was in need of maturity: you name it, they were probably doing it! To help correct this predominantly Gentile congregation, Paul wrote to the Corinthians why their immorality (see 1 Corinthians 5:1-5) was detestable and culpable before God, and amazingly uses the Passover to drive the point home. “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are, in fact, unleavened. For Messiah, our Passover also has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:6-8).
A ‘Puffed-Up’ Lump
Paul speaks about “boasting” as leaven. What did he mean? Traditionally, families that celebrate Passover clean out the leaven/yeast products from their homes before the feast can be enjoyed. This, of course, is from Exodus 12:15: “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.” (See also Deuteronomy 16:4) Why? Leaven (yeast) is a natural rising agent in breads and is a biblical picture of natural corruption. Though the loaf is no larger in substance, it swells in size. Like pride, this produces an inflated, false sense of growth (1 Corinthians 8:1). This is why there were no offerings with leaven given in the Temple (Leviticus 2:11). Messiah used the idea of leaven to symbolically represent the corruption of false teaching (Matthew 16:6, 11, 12).
“Let us keep the feast” Even the Gentiles Understood Passover!
There are three insights we get from this portion. First, Passover was understood by all first century believers. Paul could readily refer to Passover regarding spiritual areas of their lives because they all understood the issues of Passover. The apostles’ method of discipleship included teaching on the Feasts of Israel as the basis to understanding the salvation experience (Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits), their sanctification and growth in the Holy Spirit (at Pentecost), and their future hope in Messiah (Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Tabernacles). In fact, these feasts are literally “appointed times” (mo’adeem, Leviticus 23:4); God’s appointed times to meet with His redeemed people. I sometimes wonder if Paul could so easily use such references in our congregations and churches today as he did in the first century. Paul, and the other apostles might well be shocked at the lack of teaching and awareness regarding the Biblical Feasts among New Covenant believing churches.
A Present Picture
Passover was relevant to all first century believers: It was a constant reminder that we are no longer slaves in the bondage of sin, but are now spiritually free to follow and honor the Lord because Messiah, our Passover, also has been sacrificed. We are to no longer live as slaves to sin but live as new creations through Messiah’s gracious atonement. Passover clearly demonstrates that we are free from bondage and not that we might foolishly do as we please, but, that we might follow God into the ‘Land of Promise,’ and be pleasing to Him. Passover is a present picture of living the fulfilled life, not merely a record of some ancient biblical event.
For All Believers, For All Time
Passover was observed and celebrated by all New Covenant believers. Paul was not telling the Corinthians that they should start keeping the Passover, they already were. The point is that they needed to do it properly. Paul’s point is that Passover should be celebrated with a pure heart, otherwise it is a demonstration of hypocrisy. Paul understood that, for believers, Passover was to always be celebrated as Moses taught. In 1 Corinthians 5:8, Paul uses the very same Greek word that is used for ‘celebrate’ in the Greek version of Exodus 12:14: “Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as feast to the LORD; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.” When Paul wrote to the Corinthians (and us), “Therefore let us celebrate the feast” he may have been thinking of this very verse that Moses shared with Israel. We can see clearly the messianic fulfillment of the Passover in Yeshua, and we should celebrate it with the eternal perspective of Messiah, and to His glory.
Tradition or Truth?
Some have suggested that Paul’s use of ‘old leaven’ might refer to ‘the Jewish traditions.’ Thus we would need to celebrate Passover only in the Lord’s Supper, not as the Jews do, for that would be “old leaven”. This idea is wrong for two reasons: First leaven refers to moral corruption, not traditional observance because Yeshua, himself, celebrated Passover according to the customs of the day, and He certainly never sinned; Secondly, “old” in the Greek is the same word as in Ephesians 4:22, “in reference to your former manner of life.” Thus, this old yeast (5:7) refers to the old self that is crucified with Messiah (Romans 6:6). Paul is telling believers to keep celebrating it without impurity: not as in the former manner of life with malice and wickedness (an evil attitude and wicked activities). We’re to celebrate it with purity, with the unleavnened bread of sincerity and truth: that is, with a pure attitude and in accordance with the truth of God.
You Mean, We Gotta?
Am I saying that, Biblically, all believers are required to celebrate Passover in a traditional Jewish style? No, we are certainly free in Messiah (see Col. 2:16, 17). I am saying that, Biblically, celebrating Passover is normative for followers of Messiah; it gives insight on the spiritual truths of the Scriptures and is a healthy reminder to live pleasing to the Lord. Those New Covenant believers and congregations that do choose to celebrate Passover and study their “Jewish roots” discover great truths and blessings. They more clearly recognize God’s faithfulness, and “they do not support the root, but the root supports them” (Romans 11:18).
This year, ‘let us keep the feast.’ We invite you not only to come to enjoy our annual Seder banquet, but invite a Jewish friend to Passover to hear that Messiah is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
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Southwest 2018 Planters Conference
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Southwest 2018 Planters Conference by Sam Nadler
Word of Messiah’s “Developing Healthy Messianic Congregations Conference was conducted in Phoenix, Arizona on February 11-12, 2018. It was hosted at Arrowhead Messianic Congregation and attended by Messianic leaders from Texas to Southern California, all of whom love Yeshua and want to see the Good News proclaimed to all people, even “to the Jew first and also to the Gentile” (Romans 1:16).A week earlier, I had contacted the various leaders to pray with them, and understand the strengths in the ministries (so their strengths can assist those that need help in those same areas), and what areas for them need ‘special attention’ as well. After praying with each of them, I then reorganized the whole presentation and materials to more fully address each of their areas of need during the conference. In that way each leader can return home with a plan to further reach out to the greater Jewish community around them.
Admittedly, since it is a ministry training conference and not a relaxing family conference it’s a pretty intensive time, as we go from 8:30 am to 8 pm on the first day and then 8:30-5 pm on the second day. As I explained to them, “The text book I wrote is used by Israel College of the Bible as semester course for Planting congregations. But we’re going to cover much of the material in 2 days –unless everyone would like to extend this for a few weeks?” Everyone appreciates that we all need to roll up our sleeves and get to work.
Since we work so closely with each participating leader, the responses we receive reflect the value of the conference for them. When asked what was most helpful in the conference, one leader wrote:
“This material brought a lot of Biblical principles together in an easy to understand way. I feel very edified and thankful that I took the time to attend because this conference enabled me to refocus the vision of where and what God is doing in our congregation. I found it most vital to renew the importance of discipleship for a healthy congregation which enables us to grow into the likeness of Messiah Yeshua.”
The material over the 2 days addresses many areas that are needed by the participating leaders and, in many cases, they have not been exposed to many of the biblical principles and practices that address their problems. So, it’s not uncommon for leaders to return and attend the other Word of Messiah conferences. One of these leaders wrote: “This was my second time through this material as I attended one of your conferences several years ago. For me this presentation addressed with even more clarity many of the issues and challenges that we are going through. One of the most helpful aspects revolved around your teaching on ‘problem solving.’”
Debbie Holford reports: “I listened to the story of another lady from California, I was awed again by God’s perfect timing and the commitment of those He had called. Faced with a restart and additional responsibilities, this conference provided the encouragement and practical help they need to move forward. ”
What is especially exciting for the participating Messianic leaders is the emphasis on Yeshua, the equality of Jewish and Non-Jewish believers in the congregation, the whole bible approach and the focus on reaching the Jewish people with the Good News.
We focus on Yeshua as the Head, and the congregation as the local Body that lives out the will of the Head. Since His redemptive Will is seen in Messiah’s redemptive work as prophet, priest and king, we then show how the scriptures instruct us in how to effectively express these 3 functions in both the responsibilities of the elders and in the self-sustaining structure of the congregation. It is the whole bible that reiterates these matters for both the nation of Israel (Exodus 18) and for the local congregation (Acts 6). There is One Book, One Author and One People in Messiah.
Since the congregation is the local expression and testimony of God’s faithfulness in Messiah, outreach “to the Jew first” is explored and applications made, even though discipleship is the same for both the Jewish and non-Jewish people that come to faith.
Since our mandate from Yeshua is to “make disciples” not just decisions, a great deal of our time is spent on the matters pertaining to discipleship. It is jarring for many leaders to realize that their congregants may be merely acculturated and not discipled in the faith, and just how this problem accounts for much of the disunity and discontent that some congregations experience. To further apply these discipleship principles and practices in the congregation, we provide three breakout sessions: for children’s ministry led by Mrs. Debbie Holford, women’s ministry led by Miriam Nadler, and men’s ministries led by me.
By the end of the conference, there is a real sense of spiritual unity and comradery as we recognize what the Lord has accomplished over the two days knitting our hearts together in love so that we may all return in the grace of God and edify those we’re privileged to serve and further our outreach to the greater Jewish communities where we are located.
Please keep in prayer our follow-up as Word of Messiah will work with several of the attending congregations to assist them with application of the principles and address the further training each may need to more effectively reach out to the Jew first! Also please remember to pray for all the Word of Messiah ministries coming, especially the many Passover outreaches that will be conducted.
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Upcoming Events
Passover Banquet
Friday Evening
March 30th at 5::30 PM
Renaissance Hotel
2800 Coliseum Centre Drive
Charlotte NC 28217
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Renaissance Hotel
2800 Coliseum Centre Drive
Charlotte NC 28217
Sam NadlerSam's Speaking Events:
Mar, 4, 10:00 am: Smith Grove Baptist, Forest City NC
Mar.10, 5:30 pm: Newlife Community. Asheville NC
Mar,11, 10:00 am: Newlife Community, Asheville NC
Mar 18, 10:00 am: Calvary Baptist, Manhattan NY
Mar 18, 5:00 pm: Calvary Baptist, Bethlehem PA
Mar.24,5:30 pm: First Assembly of God. RockinghamNC
Mar 25, 10:00 am: Unity Baptist, Gastonia NC
Mar 28,6:00 pm: Carmel Baptist, Matthews NC
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As many Jewish people have come to faith in Yeshua (Jesus) in the past century, questions have arisen regarding everyday life issues faced by Messianic believers. Messianic Wisdom gives practical, scriptural counsel that will help steady and assure you in critical areas including: Understanding your identity as a Messianic Jewish or Gentile believer in Yeshua; Torah and the Messianic believer, Choosing a place of worship, Sharing your faith with unbelieving family members, Messianic marriage, Faith and finances, and the celebration of holidays, Bar Mitzvahs, and other events in Jewish life. This is teaching vital for the world-wide Messianic movement today! 203 pages
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