Missionary Renegade: September 2015 Newsletter from Word of Messiah Ministries in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States for Sunday, 30 August 2015

Monday, September 14, 2015

September 2015 Newsletter from Word of Messiah Ministries in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States for Sunday, 30 August 2015

September 2015 Newsletter - eShmooze
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Forever in the Book of Life
The High Holy Days are here again! Rosh Hashanah will begin the evening of September 13th, and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), the evening of September 22nd. These holy days are observed as days of solemn personal evaluation of one's soul before God. In the traditional Jewish community, Rosh Hashanah is seen as the Day of Judgment: when God evaluates an individual's deeds to determine whether He will write that person's name in the Book of Life for the coming year (Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 16a).
Read more...Forever in the Book of Life

The High Holy Days are here again! Rosh Hashanah will begin the evening of September 13th, and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), the evening of September 22nd. These holy days are observed as days of solemn personal evaluation of one’s soul before God. In the traditional Jewish community, Rosh Hashanah is seen as the Day of Judgment: when God evaluates an individual’s deeds to determine whether He will write that person’s name in the Book of Life for the coming year (Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 16a).
The Open Books
According to tradition, on Rosh Hashanah three books are opened before God in heaven. One book is for the absolutely wicked. Their names will not be written in the Book of Life for the coming year. Another book is for the perfectly righteous. Their names will definitely be included for the year (This book couldn’t be very big!) Finally, the third book is opened for those ordinary people who are neither perfectly evil nor perfectly good.
After the books are opened on Rosh Hashanah, people have ten days to do good deeds to merit being placed in the Book of Life for the coming year. These ten days are called “the Days of Awe” and they end at Yom Kippur. On Yom Kippur, people return to synagogue in order to repent of their sins with the hope that they have been forgiven by God and that their good deeds have been sufficient for their names to be written into the Book of Life for the coming year.
Therefore, on Yom Kippur, to be made right with God is the desire of every religious Jew. It is believed that repentance with fasting, charity, and good deeds produces forgiveness. Though fasting on Yom Kippur is not a specific scriptural command, the day is so commonly identified with the practice that it is simply called, “the fast,” in the New Covenant (Acts 27:9).
The Need for Forgiveness
Yet, however sincere a person may be in their fasting and good deeds, these things are never stated in Scripture to be enough to merit forgiveness of sins. Instead, God’s provision for a person to be forgiven and restored to Himself has always been by means of vicarious blood atonement. Today, however, this concept is considered archaic by most people, including those in traditional Judaism.
Some rabbis contend that the Bible provides a way of atonement without a bloody sacrifice, even in biblical times. At any rate, with the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in AD 70, there has been no acceptable place for blood sacrifice. Thus, the rabbis have concluded that from this point on, God no longer required blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. But what does Scripture say on this subject? The texts are clear:
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.” – Lev. 17:11
Has God changed His view of sacrifice, or have we merely changed our view of sin? Perhaps people have accepted an idea of sin as a minor infraction, where a day of fasting is seen as sufficient to get right with God. However, is this acceptable to God, the offended party? He states that sin is awful and catastrophic to His honor, our well-being, and our relationships. Since His view on sin has not changed, neither should our view of sacrifice. To offend an eternal God’s holiness is an eternal offense, and therefore requires an atonement of life. Thus, while the topic of blood sacrifice may seem bizarre or primitive, it is meant to teach us the real horror of sin: sin kills.
God’s Provision for Forgiveness
Before the Temple was destroyed and the means of animal sacrifice no longer available, God provided One who is “greater than the Temple” (Matthew 12:6), the Messiah whose death would provide the final sacrifice for sin. In fact, His was the sacrifice that all the animal sacrifices were pointing toward:
“For the law… can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect… For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins… We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah once for all… For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” – Hebrews 10:1-14
It would be wrong to conclude from the destruction of the Temple that blood atonement for forgiveness of sins is no longer required by God. Rather, the Messiah of Israel has come and made final and eternal atonement. That is why Yeshua declared from the cross, “It is finished.” (John 19:30). God wants restored relationships between Himself and all people, Jew and Gentile alike. For that, there has to be redemption by blood, repentance by the believer, and rest in His love and forgiveness. Do you have this? If not, come to Yeshua, our perfect sacrifice.
Written in His Book
It is not good deeds during the Days of Awe that will gain entrance into the Book of Life, but faith in God’s finished work of atonement in Messiah. By faith in Him, the New Year greeting: “L’shana tova tikatevu,” or “May you be inscribed (in the Book of Life) for a good year,” can be fulfilled in your life. May your name be, “written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.” (Revelation 13:8)
God has promised life to those who by faith accept God’s way of salvation in Him; not only for the coming year, but for all eternity. (Rev. 13:8, John 17:3, John 3:16…)
“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” – John 10:10
Good News in Focus

A couple of months ago, I received a call from Or HaOlam, a Messianic Congregation which is being established in Richmond. We scheduled a time for me to visit them in order to provide assistance for their new congregation, but due to an unforeseen snowstorm, the date was rescheduled for the end of July instead.
Over the next several months, I continued to talk with the group of five elders who are planting Or HaOlam concerning ideas for congregational development. Our interactions were friendly and encouraging, and I was immediately impressed by their character and concern for people.
As July drew near, we discussed the agenda for my upcoming visit. It was obvious that their greatest desire was for their congregation to be clear in their focus on the Good News. Although some believing groups may think that they’re being effective by not being up front about their faith in Messiah, this mindset always proves to be false. I was happy to see that this group is unashamed of the Good News of Messiah, impressed that they are seeking to build a loving, Messiah-centered community, and encouraged to work with them!
When I arrived in Richmond, I met with four of the elders, and heard more about their stories of faith and the events that led to the planting of the congregation. That evening, we talked through some of the basics of congregational life, dealing with the matters of outreach (evangelism) and discipleship, and focused on the necessity of congregations to reach out to the unsaved community around them and disciple those the Lord brings their way.
The next day, I spent the morning giving a seminar to the five elders and their wives. Not all of them are Jewish, but all share the same passion to proclaim Messiah to the Jew first and also to the Gentile. They told me how many people in the new congregation have gone through past trauma and hurt and, as a result, are dealing with a number of personal and doctrinal issues. Each of these men and their wives were very desirous to care for the people in their community. As we discussed these issues in light of Scripture, they understood that God’s Word teaches that we’re not permitted to hold onto bitterness, resentment, or anger. We must forgive as we’ve been forgiven, and realize that forgiveness is not based upon the repentance of the offender, but upon the resource of forgiveness we have in the death of the Messiah. Gaining insight into the biblical responsibility of eldership in these situations helped them to see their way through the problems in order to address each of the issues.
That afternoon, a number of people from the community attended as I went over the importance of reaching out with the Good News and the fact that all members of the community need to go through discipleship so they are on the same page with God and each other. The people had a variety of questions, and it was a joy to my soul to hear them express their strong desire for Jewish and Gentile believers to have unity in Messiah.
Saturday morning, Or HaOlam’s service conducted by the elders was warm and welcoming, Yeshua-oriented, Bible-based, very Jewish, and had equal involvement of Jews and Gentiles. I had been asked to give the message, and in light of the timing of my visit and the needs of the congregation, spoke about Tisha B’Av, a Jewish holiday where people mourn to commemorate tragic events in Jewish history that are traditionally understood to have occurred on that day, such as the destruction of both the first and second Temples. In Zechariah 8:19, God promises to turn Tisha B’Av and other days of fasting into days of feasting when Messiah returns and is exalted. Likewise, healing for those who have been chafed, offended, or hurt comes only through recognizing what Messiah can do. He alone can bring transformation to our lives and is able to turn broken pieces into masterpieces!
A number of people responded to the invitation to yield their heart to Messiah and the entire group was very responsive to the message. Afterwards, during Oneg (time of fellowship after the service), I interacted with them and others in the congregation, encouraging them in the things of God.
Later, I met again with the elders and their wives. The elders expressed their concern that, “We don’t have a leader.” When they said this, I replied, “Who says you don’t have a leader? At the service I saw all five of you leading and you all did a great job. You’re all leaders and can do this together. There may come a point when the work will require more time than any one of you can give and, at that time, one of you may need to be raised up to handle those responsibilities.”
rip was not an exaggeration at all. These five men are the strongest core group of elders I’ve seen in any of the congregation plants I’ve worked with. They each have valuable insight in God’s Word and are strong, competent leaders.
It is our prayer that more Messianic leaders like these men be raised up so that more Messianic congregations can be planted in order that more Jewish and non-Jewish people can hear the Good News and come to know Messiah Yeshua!
With this in mind, I look forward to our upcoming “Growing Healthy Messianic Congregations” conference this October in San Antonio, TX.
Please keep Or HaOlam, its leaders, and the upcoming conference in your prayers.
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Pastor Spotlight
Tim White is the pastor of Calvary Chapel of Richmond, VA. Here, he shares why he loves the Jewish people and leads his church in supporting and taking part in Jewish evangelism:
"My love for the Jewish people began after I came to faith in Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, and started studying the Scriptures. Romans 10:1 states, "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved." Psalm 122:6, Genesis 12:3, and Romans 11:1-36 also stood out to me as I searched the Scriptures.
As I saw the heart of God in these verses, it became abundantly clear to me that we as Christians are to have an intentional love and care for Jewish people and Jewish ministry. I see in Scripture that God has a 2-pronged approach; He desires to reach both Jewish and Gentile people. We are all saved by the same Gospel.
Our church has been blessed in our ministry as we've included Jewish evangelism in our giving. As we've grown in Jewish understanding, education, and evangelism, we've seen fruit: Jewish and non-Jewish people who wouldn't normally come through the doors of our church have come as we've held events such as Passover Seders and special presentations about Israel and Jewish ministry.
Word of Messiah has been a tremendous blessing to our fellowship, helping us to understand the value of a Jewish perspective on Scripture and how to reach Jewish people with the Gospel."

Sam will be Speaking:
September 5-7 - Messianic Men's Retreat, Montreat, NC
September 13, 9:30 am - Southlake Presbyterian, Huntersville, NC
September 20, 10:30 am - Christ Covenant Church, Shelby, NC
September 20, 5:30 pm - All Saints Episcopal Church, Gastonia, NC
September 27, 11:00 am - Gospel Lighthouse, China Grove, NC
To schedule a speaker click here or call 704.544.1948
Jonah:
Finding and Following God's Will
Book and Mp3 Seminar Bundle
People need direction. God fulfills this need by providing His Word, a spiritual map to guide and direct our lives. As we follow His Word, God's goal is for each of us to find joy in His presence and enjoy Him forever. But how will you respond? Jonah's response to God's Word was to run away! Read and listen about the depths that a faithful God will go to rescue a rebellious prophet, a sinful nation, and a lost humanity, and discover the freedom found in knowing and following God's Will for your life.