Sunday, October 2, 2016

What’s on my TO-DO list? with David Brickner from Jews for Jesus of San Francisco, California, United States for Sunday, 2 October 2016

What’s on my TO-DO list? with David Brickner from Jews for Jesus of San Francisco, California, United States for Sunday, 2 October 2016
From David Brickner
Read How the upcoming feasts of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot portray God’s salvation story.
A triple play by David Brickner
With the World Series ‌coming up, some might wonder if by “triple play” I mean that most rare event that makes baseball fans cheer ecstatically. I am an avid fan, but I’m actually referring to a Jewish triple play—because it’s rare that all three of the Fall Feasts of Israel occur in the month of October. Don’t worry, I’m not going to pronounce the end of the world... though there is plenty of prophetic significance to these feasts.
Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot form a pageantry of gospel drama, a portrait of God’s salvation story—not just for Jews, but for all who’ll receive it.
A good way to remember these three holidays is by three “Rs”—repentance, redemption and return. They sum up the biblical theology animating these three festivals. (See Leviticus 23:23–43.)
Rosh Hashanah, referred to in the Bible as the Feast of Trumpets, is all about repentance. The blast of the shofar (a ram’s horn trumpet) called ancient Israelites to attention—it could announce a call to war, the arrival of royalty, the changing of the guard, or it could begin a solemn assembly. In this case, it’s a solemn assembly that begins a period of repentance, both individually and for the nation. The Feast of Trumpets launches a period known as the Days of Awe—ten days to contemplate and reflect—days that lead inexorably to the Day of Atonement.
It is customary, during Rosh Hashanah synagogue services today, to read the Akedah, the Genesis 22 account of the binding of Isaac. (See Genesis 22:1-19.) The story begins with the words, “Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham.”
Though the Akedah is not specifically about repentance, it’s a great metaphor for this somber day. Like Abraham, the Jewish people enter a time of testing and self-examination. We walk with him up the side of the mountain. We carry with us the burdens of life like the wood and knife—and the voice of Isaac echoes in our imagination, “But where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Can we share the faith of our father Abraham as he answers, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb”? We know the rest of the story; the ram is caught in the thicket by its horn—the shofar. That horn, that trumpet, reminds us that God graciously provides all things, including forgiveness, for those who truly repent and believe.
Repentance leads to redemption, the story powerfully enacted in the pageantry of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Leviticus 23:27 commanded the Israelites concerning this time: “you shall afflict your souls.” The rabbis interpret this as a complete and total fast from sundown to sundown.
Our souls were afflicted as we humbled ourselves on Yom Kippur, anticipating the highest drama on the holiest of Holy Days—the only day of the year when the high priest could safely enter the Holy of Holies. In this sacred and solemn place he would sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant, to make atonement for the sins of the people.
Throngs of afflicted souls anxiously awaited the high priest’s return from the Most Holy Place. If God would regard sin in the heart of the intercessor, He might strike him down, rejecting the sacrifice made on behalf of the people. As soon as the people saw the priest exit that Most Holy Place, they rejoiced as though they were witnessing a glorious resurrection from the dead. God had indeed forgiven sin, and atonement had been secured for another year.
The Day of Atonement included another powerful redemption image: the Azazel, or scapegoat. The high priest would place his hands upon the head of that goat and confess the sin of the nation, picturing a symbolic transfer of the sin of the people onto the innocent animal. A scarlet cord was tied about the goat and the animal was led through the midst of the crowd out of sight, into the wilderness to die. As the Psalmist declared: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).
Sadly, the powerful pictures of redemption in the stories of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur have become veiled from the eyes of most Jewish people today. Abraham declared in faith, “God will provide for Himself the lamb,” and yet for Jews who do not know Jesus, there is no lamb. For those afflicted in soul there is no Temple and there is no great High Priest to come back to us from the Most Holy Place. But we are not left without hope. There is still one more festival to celebrate: Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, the promise of return.
Sukkot is a unique holiday in that God actually commanded the people to rejoice for seven days! This harvest festival celebrates the final ingathering of crops in the land. Yet God promised more than crops; He was talking about people, the fruit of His work of grace and salvation. “For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean ... ” (Ezekiel 36:24– 25a).
Jesus may very well have had this promise in mind when He stood in the Temple during Sukkot and declared: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37–38).
When Jewish people turn to Jesus, the redemption story is fulfilled in their lives as their hearts are sprinkled clean.He isthe Lamb that God Himself provided, He isour great High Priest who made the sacrifice, as well as becoming that sacrifice. And He promised that in the last days He would return to His people and right all wrongs: “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God’” (Revelation 21:3).
I hope this month you will remember repentance, redemption and return—the wonderful triple play of God’s salvation story. Remember the Jewish people, most of whom have no idea of how these feasts point to Jesus. Remember our missionaries who will be conducting special events and outreaches around these holidays. Your prayers will surely make a difference as we do all we can to connect with those whom God is seeking to save this month.
The rest of this newsletter edition is available by pdf. It includes bits from our branches in Los Angeles, Israel and Johannesburg, articles on Feasts and Fasts (plus a special offer), Simchat Torah (another Jewish holiday), “For Your Jewish Information,” a cartoon, and of course prayer prompters. Enjoy!
Find out more about David Brickner, his writings, speaking schedule and possible availability to speak at your church.
by david brickner executive director
nl topics jewish holidays
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As the Odessa Jubilee Campaign continues, we have been blown away with how God is working. We especially wanted to tell you about one of our campaigners named Mark, and share some of the encounters he has had on the streets.
During our 2003 campaign in Tashkent (the capital city of Uzbekistan), missionaries from Jews for Jesus visited Mark’s home, and his entire family came to believe that Yeshua was the Messiah of Israel. Mark was only 16 years old. Three years later at the age of 19, Mark made Aliyah, getting his citizenship in Israel, and became very involved in a Messianic congregation in the city of Haifa. He shares his story of how he met Yeshua with everyone he knows, and we are so excited that he joined us to participate with Odessa Jubilee!
Meet Mark, an Uzbekistani and Israeli Jewish believer
Mark reports from Odessa:
“On Rishel’yevskaya Street I met a man named Vlad*. Vlad told me that before his mother died, she told Vlad that his father (her first husband) was Jewish. His father resides in Israel, and Vlad wants to find him. I told him about our branch in Israel and said, “Let us ask God to help you in this matter.” I continued to share with Vlad about the message of repentance and he wanted to pray to God and ask Him for forgiveness. We prayed and parted ways, and I continued on the outreach. Later that same day, I met Vlad again. He was very glad to see me and he said, “My son is also willing to talk to you about faith… we really want to stay in touch with you, and we want to learn more.”
Another day, Mark was walking along Zhukovsky Street and he approached a man who looked very stressed out. Mark explained,
“Tolik* said that he and his wife were both Jewish. His pregnant wife had left him three days ago; she did not answer the phone and he did not know where she went. He really wanted to find her.... I said, “Jesus can change the things both of you did wrong. Jesus is able to pull you out of the problems you and your wife have immersed yourselves in.” Gradually, we came to a sinner’s prayer. Tolik repented before God. Then he said, “Listen, my wife and I used to attend a church. But after we were married, we were attending the church less often, until we ceased going to church at all.” Then Tolik said, “Now, I will return to God.”
If you are a person of prayer, pray for Vlad and Tolik to return to the God of their fathers. Read more stories and prayer requests from our Odessa Jubilee Campaign!
Or, read more about how YOU can repent and be reconciled to God.
*Not their real names
Sharing the gospel on the streets of Odessa
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An Israeli woman reads from a Hebrew painting of Isaiah 53
Missionary couple Yoel and Adel Ben David were the force behind our most recent outreach in Tel Aviv, a collection of the Multitudes art work in a secular gallery. Multitudes is a series of paintings by artist Steffi Geiser Rubin, which depicts the Gospel of Matthew in twenty illustrations that focus on the Jewish context and identity of the Messiah. Yoel was overjoyed as he watched Israelis stream into the venue to view the ancient Messianic texts of our people artistically and beautifully communicated. Here is what he said about two French Jewish women he spoke with during the event:
“Leah* was fascinated by the idea that Jesus could be thought of in a Jewish context. She listened with wide eyes as I explained that Jesus was not only written about by Jews, but that also much of his life is described in the Tanakh [Old Testament]. Her friend, Rachel,* was not as interested. She did not like the idea that a Jew could believe in Jesus and felt that it was an affront to the memory of those Jews who were persecuted by Christians. I told her that I understood her perspective, but that in this gallery we weren’t looking at the Christianity of the Middle Ages or any other time period, even though there is much to learn there too. We are looking at Jesus, someone who not only taught people to love their enemies, but lived it out even to death. Pray for Rachel and Leah, and for all of the “Rachels” and “Leahs” that we meet.
Ofer talking with a visitor
Meanwhile, the rest of our staff were wrapped up in their own conversations. Tatyana Bolotova, who had prayed that she might be able to connect to some Russian speakers at the event, met a Russian Jewish woman named Julia,* who is searching for God in the midst of chemotherapy. Julia asked Tatyana about one of the paintings which portrays Pesach [Passover]; she had never heard about the connections between Yeshua [Jesus] and Passover. The two women agreed to stay in touch and continue their discussion.
Ofer Levy had a chance to connect with one of the gallery staff. He reported:
“Ori* was curious about how I came to have faith and what distinguishes followers of Yeshua. I explained that my life was changed after reading the gospel of John as a young adult. Ori answered that there is no tangible proof to explain my faith and I responded by saying that ‘Faith is the evidence of things not seen [Hebrews 11:1],’ and that the prophets foretold in detail the coming of the Messiah, His suffering and death, as well as His resurrection [1 Peter 1:10-11]. I said, ‘The disciples witnessed Yeshua’s glory as they lived alongside Him, just as you and I are conversing right now. They left us their reliable testimony in the Brit HaChadashah [New Testament], which is the key to unlock the prophecies found in the Hebrew Scriptures.’ Ori continued to ask more questions about how the prophecies find their fulfillment in Yeshua. Pray that we will meet again!”
Visit our store to see the full Multitudes collection, or continue to read stories of Jewish people who have heard about Jesus through this incredible artwork!
*Not their real names
Art: a language the whole world speaks
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Join the Movement
Find out how you can be a part of our fall initiatives to reach the Orthodox population in Israel, European Jews over social media, and more!
RealTime
RealTime delivers breaking news and views on Jewish evangelism, as well as inspiring perspectives from executive director David Brickner. Check back often for the latest updates. You'll find reasons to praise — and opportunities for prayer.-------
Hours left with David Brickner from Jews for Jesus of San Francisco, California, United States for Friday, 30 September 2016
I just wanted to send you a quick reminder that today is the last day - in fact only hours remain - for you to help us reach a very specific $50,000 goal.
Due to the increase of ministry over the summer, and the decrease in summer giving, we now face a projected $300,000 budget shortfall.
We still have incredible ministry opportunities before us. By meeting our $50,000 goal, we will be able to accomplish these opportunities and reach Jewish people with the Gospel in ways like never before.
But we can’t do it without your help.
With $49,632 already given by faithful donors, your help is greatly needed!
Please make a special gift online right now by clicking here: http://www.jewsforjesus.org/fall16
I know you have a shared desire to reach our Jewish brothers and sisters with the message of Jesus Christ. Together we can have an eternal impact on the Jewish community.
With only hours left, I hope that you will partner with us and give a gift.
Your brother in Him,
David
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Last day! with David Brickner from Jews for Jewish of San Francisco, California, United States for Friday, 30 September 2016
We continue to praise God for the great work He helped us accomplish over the summer. As a result of all the incredible opportunities we had, we are reaching more Jewish people than ever before right where they are!
But, today we need your help. Due to the increase of ministry over the summer, and the decrease in summer giving, we now face a projected $300,000 budget shortfall. We still have incredible ministry opportunities before us that we want to accomplish but we need your help to do so.
Today is the last day to give to help us reach a very specific $50,000 goal.
With $30,550 already given by faithful donors, your help is greatly needed!
Would you help us reach more unsaved Jewish people with a bold proclamation of the gospel and help us meet our financial goal?
You can securely give your gift here:
http://www.jewsforjesus.org/fall16
Thank you for taking a moment now to make a gift that will help us reach those who need to hear the gospel most.
Would you give a special gift right now?
Your brother in Him,
David
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Jews for Jesus
60 Haight Street
San Francisco, California 94102, United States
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