MAKE ME A BLESSING. By David Brickner, Executive Director

Transcription

1 VOLUME 10:5761 JUNE 2001 MAKE ME A BLESSING By David Brickner, Executive Director When someone sneezes, are you inclined to say, God bless you!? Many of us are. But God s blessings are so much more than perfunctory phrases or social rituals! God is serious when it comes to blessing. The Hebrew root word for bless is barak, which means to bend the knee or to kneel. Such an act acknowledges a special relationship, ascribes honor. It is typically associated with power for success, prosperity, longevity. Many prayers from the Siddur, the Jewish prayer book, begin, Blessed art thou O Lord our God, King of the Universe. When we bless God, we acknowledge that He is the source of all blessing. Our focus is on the Lord, not on what we may receive from Him. When God blesses people, He makes some of His special resources available to those being blessed in order that they might use those resources to accomplish His will in the world. God s power to bless works contrary to the power of the curse which is so evidently upon creation. Owing to sin traced all the way back to Adam and Eve, sin that is still very much at work in the world, humanity has been under the curse, in all our works, in all our relationships. This curse has brought us death and despair, the destruction of relationships, marriages and 2001 Jews f r Jesus families, the defilement of sexuality, indeed the defilement of all human passions. But God has given us the power to bless as a counterpoint to the curse that sin unleashed. Blessing God and blessing others is a choice. Y shua (Jesus) taught us to bless even those who curse us. It is a command, a duty and a privilege. Many Christians earnestly seek blessing for themselves, yet the greatest good comes when we seek to bless others. Once, while I was handing out gospel tracts on the streets of Tel Aviv, an Israeli approached me. He told me I was leading Jewish people astray, and then he challenged me. He intended to pronounce a curse on me and he invited me to pray a curse on him. Then we would see whose prayer, whose curse, was stronger. This is not a situation they prepare you for in Bible College or Seminary! I found myself telling this man that he might wish to curse me, but that I would pray a blessing on him, that he would come to know the Messiah Jesus. That is the greatest blessing I know to offer others. So we stood there, and he began to pray a curse. I (after asking God s protection), prayed for God to bless this man by revealing Y shua to him. After a few minutes he left. The very next day a whole team of our Jews for Jesus drove to the beach to do evangelism. As we piled out of the GOD GAVE A PARTICULAR BLESSING TO BE RECITED BY THE PRIESTS, A BLESSING WHICH IS STILL RECITED IN SYNAGOGUES AND CHURCHES TO THIS DAY van in the parking lot, I realized we had pulled right next to the man who had tried to curse me. He saw that I was quite well and that he was now in the presence of a dozen or so Jews for Jesus. His eyes got as big as saucers and he literally ran away. I don t know if he s yet come to the Lord, but continued on page 2

2 continued from page 1 it seemed apparent that God was more likely to answer my prayer than his. We are to bless others, but it is also natural for us to desire blessing for ourselves. Remember Esau, when he realized that his brother Jacob had stolen his blessing? He cried out in desperation: Bless me, even me also, my father! (Genesis 27:43) That pitiable cry represents a painful reality for many today who long for the acceptance and love that blessing represents. When we seek blessing, we are seeking the answer to all our needs, hoping for all that has been brought into doubt through the curse. God alone has the power to bestow blessing, and He doesn t need to be cajoled into it. He blesses all who trust in Him. But His blessing may not be exactly what we expect. He gives His blessing in order to accomplish His divine purposes. And He invites us to participate in extending His blessing to others. That is what it means for us as believers to be a Kingdom of Priests. In Numbers 6, God gave a particular blessing to be recited by the Priests, a blessing which is still recited in synagogues and churches to this day: The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them. (Numbers 6:24-27) The ineffable name of God, YHVH, (indicated when LORD is in all capital letters) is mentioned three times, once in each stanza of this blessing. Each stanza expresses a different aspect of God s power to bless our lives. Some even suggest that this ancient blessing contains a veiled reference to the triune nature of God. In the first stanza, The LORD bless you and keep you, God s blessing is keeping us, that is, His watch-care over us. This is the work of God the JESUS IS THE ULTIMATE EXPRESSION OF GOD S DESIRE TO BLESS AND GIVE LIFE. Father whereby we experience His providence, the continuing action by which God preserves us and guides us to His intended purpose. The second stanza reminds us of the blessing that comes with salvation: The LORD make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. Remember how Queen Esther knew that if the king looked upon her with favor and extended his scepter of grace, all would be well? If he did not, she would die. That is the imagery of this second stanza of the Levitical prayer. If a king showed his face, he bestowed favor. If he hid his face, he showed disfavor. This stanza foreshadows the work of God s Son, through whom God has shown His face and extended grace. Jesus is the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person. (Hebrews 1:3) He is the ultimate expression of God s desire to bless and give life. The final stanza of this ancient blessing speaks of God s sustaining power, reflecting the work of the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit: The LORD lift up His countenance upon you and grant you His peace. The phrase, lift up His countenance is literally lifting the face, as in a smile, as opposed to dropping the face as in a frown. (Jeremiah 3:12) God s smile represents His favor in an ongoing relationship He has with us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit sustains us, renews us and warms us with the smile of God s love. He grants us God s peace that passes all understanding, that unmistakable calm in the midst of a raging sea. As our triune God desires to bless us, so we should extend His blessing to others. Like the priests of Levi, we have a special responsibility, not so much to seek our own blessing as to extend God s blessing to others. As we make His love known to others, the love of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we ourselves will experience the riches of His providence, His salvation and His sustaining power. Make me a blessing, make me a blessing, out of my life may Jesus shine. Make me a blessing, O Savior I pray. Make me a blessing to someone today. WE EXIST TO MAKE THE MESSIAHSHIP OF JESUS AN UNAVOIDABLE ISSUE TO OUR JEWISH PEOPLE WORLDWIDE. JEWS F R JESUS INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS: 60 HAIGHT STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA jfj@jewsforjesus.org; HOME PAGE: ALSO WORKING IN: AUSTRALIA, CANADA, FRANCE, GERMANY, ISRAEL, RUSSIA, SOUTH AFRICA,UKRAINE and THE UNITED KINGDOM; EDITOR: RUTH ROSEN; ART DIRECTION: PAIGE SAUNDERS; DESIGN & COVER ILLUSTRATION: DANIELA KOGER; VOLUME 10:5761, JUNE

3 THE BYG PIC BEHOLD YOUR GOD SAY TO THE CITIES OF ST. PETERSBURG AND MILWAUKEE, BEHOLD YOUR GOD! Did you see the prayer bookmark included with this month s newsletter? We re going to try this format to see if it works for you, our prayer partners. We hope these markers will keep you praying for each of our evangelistic campaigns in the years ahead. Since we can t fit much on a bookmark, we thought we d use the BYG Pic to tell you some of the history of our Behold Your God cities, as well as their present-day religious environments. This month we have a tale of two very different cities: St. Petersburg and Milwaukee. ST. PETERSBURG: Jews first settled in St. Petersburg during Russia s Industrial Revolution (late 1700s/early 1800s) as a stream of Jewish railway builders, financiers and contractors made it their headquarters. The Jews of St. Petersburg not only built up the industry, they also greatly contributed to the city s cultural life. Two Jewish brother/composers, Nicholas and Anton Rubinstein, founded Russia s first conservatories of music. They also organized the Russian Musical Society in St. Petersburg, now called the Imperial. Famous Jewish artist Mark Chagall studied in St. Petersburg, while other Jewish citizens like Gregori Verblovsky ( ) played an important role in the city s politics. Today, 100,000 Jewish people live in St. Petersburg. The majority of the population is secular. However, the Russian Union of Jewish Religious Communities seeks to convert Jews to their brand of Orthodoxy, and in certain locations, the Chabad (a very outspoken sect of the Orthodox community) is also active. More recently, Russia has seen Reform and Conservative Judaism make inroads. The main synagogue in the city is called the Jewish Community of St. Petersburg. There is also a thriving population of Jewish believers in Jesus in St. Petersburg. We are thankful that many of them are partnering with us for this month s outreach. Pray for these local believers, that God would bless them and keep them strong. June is the month of white nights in St. Petersburg. The night sky remains dimly aglow from the bending light of the sun even after it dips below the horizon. Pray that indeed this city will be kept aglow by the Son of God Jesus the Messiah, the Light of the World! St. Petersburg leader Leonid Kruter (left) and assistant leader Tolik Emma MILWAUKEE The first Jewish immigrants arrived in Milwaukee in German Jews developed highly successful mercantile establishments there and became the city s leading businessmen. Milwaukee s Jewish population also had a cultural impact. For example, Jacob and Emma Mahler organized the Milwaukee Musical Society in By the late 19th century, a 3 significant number of European Jews had made their way to this city. Today, 28,000 Jews still reside there, including 800 Jewish students who are enrolled at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Several wellknown Jewish people have called this city home, including Golda Meir, Harry Houdini and Tom Miller (creator of the beloved television show Happy Days ). The Jewish people of Milwaukee are mainly affiliated with the Reform (liberal) branch of Judaism (39 %), while the second largest group consider themselves secular (34%). The rest are Conservative (24%) and Orthodox (2.5%), with a handful (1.3%) affiliating with the Re-constructionists, the most liberal of all the branches. Pray that our presence in Milwaukee will make a difference to the Jewish community there, and that many will look to Jesus, the Messiah. Milwaukee leader Mark Landrum (left) and assistant leader Alan Bond P.S. This will be our first outreach in Milwaukee, but we have been to St. Petersburg before (see page 6) and are seeking God concerning establishing a regular work there.

4 BY CARTER CORBREY I first saw the Big Mouth Billy Bass in the obscure novelty shop, I knew I had to have one. This talking/singing fish trophy would be perfect for our woodsy home. Only the $30 price prohibited Big Mouth from coming home with us that day. Nevertheless, months and millions of fish-alikes later, our Big Mouth Billy made his debut in our home, thanks to a $5 clearance sale. As I pondered my fish the other day, I began to think about the significance of fish as God s messengers in the Bible. And, whether we re fond of fish or not, they played a significant role in making important theological points. I ve tried to organize those points on the opposite page. But one point is difficult to contain in a chart. When Jesus first called Peter and Andrew, they were casting their nets in the water. Jesus invited them to stop everything to follow Him. Abandoning their occupation represented the disciples willingness to surrender all to serve Christ. Yet Jesus had given them good reason to leave it all behind. He expressed it in a way they could understand, telling them He would make them fishers of men. (Matthew 4:18-20) Many of the apostles were originally fishermen, and understood the intricacies of the profession. Some scholars believe that John sold fish to the high priest s household. This may be why he had easy access on the night of Jesus trials. When Jesus gave the disciples the greatest assignment of their lives, He clothed it in language and images they would understand and appreciate. They were to cease putting their efforts into gathering fish from the waters of the Sea of Galilee. The fish they were to seek would be the lost people of the world. First, these fish would be the lost sheep of the house of Israel. In John 21, we read how the resurrected Christ appeared to Peter and a few of the other disciples as they were fishing on the Sea of Galilee. Upon inquiring of them and learning of their unsuccessful fishing attempts, Jesus told them to cast their nets in a specific location. Their obedience netted an overwhelming catch and helped them recognize Jesus for who He was. The art of fishing still applies to us as Jesus followers today. Fish represent the lost. Fishing for people is more important than anything else we might do. My Big Mouth Billy Bass looks nice on the wall. It s great for entertaining visitors and guests. Beyond that, it is a useless piece of plastic and metal energized by batteries. On the other hand, all believers are fishermen, casting our nets into a vast world spinning in a sea of apparent rushing, suicidal insanity. Every fish we catch means a soul saved for eternity. Good fishing! Please see chart on opposite page for more of Carter Corbrey s insights on what the Bible says about fish. Little Sally s application of the Sunday school lesson I will make you fishers of men left something to be desired. 4

5 EATS WHAT? IT MEANS TO US IT RELATES TO OTHER PASSAGES Jonah 1:17 Fish eats Jonah No matter where you go, you can t run from God if He s called you to a task! God can and will create the means necessary to make His point. And God s desire for people to be saved is so strong that He will go to any lengths to get His message to them. If you feel that God is putting you in a Jonah situation, just remember that God can use you to bring salvation to others. Ultimately, He will raise you up from whatever trials you endure for His sake. In Matthew 12:38-40, Jesus referred to Jonah s entrapment in the belly of the great fish as a type of His own burial and resurrection, and a sign to the disbelieving religious leaders of the day. Jonah s ordeal in the fish s belly must have altered him considerably and given him amazing credibility. Those who heard the message were listening to a man who seemed to have come back from certain death. Even more dramatically, Jesus arose from the dead to offer salvation to those who would believe. Matthew 17:24-27 Fish eats a coin Jesus will use to pay the Temple tax The passage makes it clear that Jesus was exempt from paying the Temple tax since He was the Son of God. Yet for the sake of others, He did not insist upon His right. Not only is this a lesson in humility, as Jesus was willing to pay the tax, but it also shows that God can and will provide what we need to get along in the world. In some cases, it may be that God asks us to do something we are good at (Peter knew how to fish), but brings forth something extraordinary and obviously God-given from our efforts. Paul echoes Jesus attitude in 1 Corinthians 10:23: All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. The Bible teaches that it is important to avoid offending others unnecessarily. 5 Matthew 14:13-21 and Matthew 15:32-37 Multitudes eat bread and fish which Jesus miraculously provided from a small amount of each. Even after Jesus miraculously fed the crowd, the disciples were still clueless when He wanted to feed them the second time. They were right concerning their own inability to handle the situation, but they were wrong in failing to recognize that Jesus cared about the crowds and was able to provide for them. We need to be available as vessels whom God will use to feed His sheep, in terms of physical as well as spiritual hunger. In John 21:17, we see once again Jesus compassion for those who are hungry, and how He wants His followers to meet their needs: He said to him the third time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me? Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, Do you love Me? And he said to Him, Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You. Jesus said to him, Feed My sheep. Luke 24:36-43 The resurrected Jesus eats fish The disciples had many reasons to be fearful after Jesus death. He was their teacher and their master; what were they to do without Him? And what would happen to them as His followers? When He appeared to them, they were even more afraid as most of us would be if we saw someone we knew had died walking toward us. By eating the fish, Jesus showed that he was truly alive. That fish was proof of His resurrection. And while we don t understand exactly how resurrection works, we know that our resurrected bodies will not be altogether unfamiliar to us. Jesus demonstrated that with something as simple as eating fish. 1 Corinthians 15:52 promises that the same thing that happened to Jesus after three days in the grave will ultimately happen to us:... in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

6 campaign MORE ON ST. PETERSBURG 2000 PRAYER PROMPTERS Please pray for: God to use us to bless others and help them respond to His gracious offer of salvation our two-week training at the end of the month in preparation for our New York Campaign; Amer Olson and Nici Smith will lead the training for the first time; pray for them and for the new campaigners to learn and experience all they need so they can get ready for the month ahead our Milwaukee and St. Petersburg campaigns this month (see BYG Pic on p. 3 and also the prayer insert) God to show us exactly where to cast our nets as we are fishing on His behalf (p. 4) PHere are a couple of snippets from last year s campaign in St. Petersburg: From volunteer Sharifa Nasretdinova, The third time I bumped into Victoria, I said, Do you know what the odds are of us running into each other on three separate occasions, in three different places within three weeks in a city of five million! This is a miracle, she said, and this time I want to invite Jesus into my life. We prayed together, and she did just that. Emma Anatoly reported, I went to a sortie (tract-passing expedition) at the metro station Prospect Prosveschenia. There I gave a Jewish lady a tract with a testimony about Jesus. She responded by saying that she had been thinking about Jesus and wanted to please Him. I told her the good news and Tamara received it in her heart. She repeated a prayer of repentance with joy. Tamara is one of 84 Jews and Victoria is one of 207 Gentiles who responded in faith to the gospel proclaimed in St. Petersburg last summer. Pray for the spiritual safekeeping of these two and of others who will hear the gospel. salvation for May in Washington, D.C. as well as for 26 Jews and 29 Gentiles in Kharkov who gave their names and addresses to hear more about Jesus (p. 8) grace and strength for new Jewish believers Janet in London, Anna in Dnepropetrovsk, Alvin in Washington, D.C., Mark and Frances in New York (p.8) St. Petersburg 6

7 message A MESSAGE FROM MOISHE BY MOISHE ROSEN, FOUNDER Before there was a Jews for Jesus ministry I worked for another mission. One of my tasks was to arrange church meetings for that mission s speakers. Speaking to God s people is always best done through the church and in a church setting. We hoped that as people in the pews got to know us and our testimonies, they would be encouraged to witness to their Jewish friends. Of course, we also hoped that some of those people would want to support our mission and pray for us. So I phoned the pastor of a prominent Los Angeles church to see if I could arrange a meeting. He was well spoken and treated me with respect as he let me know that he could not have a mission to the Jews represented in his church. He said if I came to meet him in his office, he would gladly explain why. I availed myself of that opportunity, and the pastor graciously received me in his office. He made me feel quite comfortable. His secretary brought in tea and cookies. The conversation consisted of small talk and since I didn t press the matter, he introduced the subject: So you have come because you want to know why I feel that I can t have your mission to the Jews in my church? His explanation was brief. You see, I would prefer to believe that our loving God would never send a sincere follower of the Jewish religion to hell. We had a rather detailed discourse in which I quoted many scriptures without effect. I think that the exchange was disappointing to us both. I was almost a beginner and didn t answer as well as I wanted to. Now I am better prepared. Here is what I would tell that pastor today: I too would prefer to believe that no one but the most evil would go to hell. In fact, if I had my preference, hell would probably consist of a moderate singeing until the punishee would say, Alright, I am sorry I did it. I will be good. When we get right down to it, the thought of hell, taken seriously, is so terrifying that I would prefer not to believe in it at all. But the fact is that reality doesn t exist according to my preferences, understanding, or design. Nor will my preferences save anyone from a Christless eternity. Only faith in Jesus can do that. I want to be used of God to lead others to that faith. While I do not like the idea of hell, punishment, and the destiny of those who prefer to not accept Christ, I recognize one crucial thing. I am not in charge of reality. God is! When it comes to preferences, it is important for us to know which choices are ours to make and which are not. True beliefs are not based on what we prefer, but on what is real. True hope is found in receiving what God promised to those who respond in faith. False hopes are born when we follow preferences that diverge TRUE BELIEFS ARE NOT BASED ON WHAT WE PREFER, BUT ON WHAT IS REAL. from what God says. We can choose to believe His Word, or we can choose to believe what is most comfortable and comforting. But we cannot choose the consequences of our beliefs or unbelief. Furthermore, I can t possibly think of any kind of reality that would find a mere mortal like myself to be more merciful than an all-caring, allloving God. God s sorrow over our sin is perfect. I don t understand how His love and mercy are balanced with His righteousness and justice. But in knowing God, I trust Him. God is kind and not cruel. In His infinite wisdom, He does balance all. 7

8 From London, office worker (and former Liberated-Wailing-Waller) Paula Cummings reports, I presented Christ in the Passover at a small church in South London. Midservice, a woman entered with three children. She seemed to be listening very intently. By the end of the presentation she was crying. The service concluded and the pastor was talking to her. Then he came to tell me, You might like to talk to this lady; she has just asked Jesus into her heart and she is Jewish. It turned out that Janet came from an Orthodox background. A group of Christian friends had taken her to church a few years ago, but she had lost touch with them. Recently however, her son had been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome and Janet began praying to Jesus but had no idea why! Then she was walking past this church on Saturday night, heard music and singing and went in to investigate. The people, not knowing she was Jewish, invited her to come to the following day s service to hear their guest speaker. Janet came and could not believe her eyes. She said, I have been celebrating Passover all my life and had no idea that Jesus, the one I have been praying to, had anything to do with it... it all makes sense! Praise God for churches large and small, where He brings people together at just the right time. Mikhail Vayshengoltz reports good news from Kharkov concerning a fruitful five-day outreach in March. Seven people handed out 51,000 gospel tracts and spoke to 26 Jews and 29 Gentiles who gave their names and addresses to hear more about Jesus. Please pray for the follow up. From Dnepropetrovsk, Sergei Koulakov reports, On my first visit with a Jewish woman named Anna, I discovered that she had already heard about Jesus and had visited an evangelistic church several times. But when I asked, Have you repented of your sins and received Jesus into your heart?, she said she had not. As we talked, Anna said she realized that she was a sinner and she wanted to receive God s gift of salvation which she did! From Washington D.C., Nici Smith reports, I have been visiting with May, the grandmother of a missionary friend from another ministry. May is 96 years old! When I asked what she needed prayer for, she said, For the turmoil inside me. I need peace. I told her that she needs to make peace with God and receive His forgiveness for her sins. She was still adamant about not believing in Jesus, so I suggested that she pray, acknowledging her need for God to show her how to find peace. She began to repeat a prayer after me and before long she burst into her own prayer. Seconds later while still praying she fell asleep peacefully. Please pray that she would soon find true lasting peace through Y shua! Also from D.C., David Rothstein reports, Two people I ve been meeting with have become spiritually open as a result of close brushes with death. Alvin has prayed to receive Jesus, but needs prayer to be cleansed of certain New Agey notions. Tom seems open to the gospel and I hope he will soon come to faith. From New York, missionary Mitch Forman reports, Ross is a Jewish believer friend of mine who works with a man named Mark. Mark has a reputation as a rather intimidating person, in contrast to Ross, who is very gentle. Ross was actually a tough guy from the Bronx, but his faith has made him a calm and caring person. When Mark told Ross that he envied the peace that he had, Ross suggested that Mark call me. We have had two visits. The first time, Mark stood outside the office for a while, hesitating to come in. Yet when he did, he was very open to hear the gospel. By the end of the visit, he prayed to God to open his heart. The next time we met, he asked Jesus to take away his sins and give him a new life. Also from New York, trainee Amy Etinger reports, I set out to do my usual weekly evangelistic phone calling. But this night was different from all other nights. The first person I contacted, a Jewish woman named Frances, gave her life to Jesus!