Y shua loves his bride by David Brickner, Executive Director

Transcription

1 Y shua loves his bride by David Brickner, Executive Director Every bride is beautiful expresses a sentiment I hope we all can affirm. Though some may have more natural beauty than others, there is something very special about a bride on her wedding day something that puts a smile on the faces of all who honor her and that newly-formed family she and her groom represent. And despite the fact that the institution of marriage is being called into question now more than ever, despite the fact that more than half of all marriages will end in divorce, more than half a million people will be getting married this June. That s more weddings than any other month of the year. I think it is a good time to remember that God looks forward to that day when His children are gathered to Him in glory, and that He speaks of it as a great wedding day. As believers we are a bride, ready to be joined with our groom, His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The celebration we will enjoy on that day is called the marriage supper of the Lamb. What a truly beautiful bride we will be when He presents us as a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but... holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:27). Yet in the meantime most of us have become quite adept at pointing out the spots, the wrinkles and the blemishes on this particular bridein-waiting. Have you noticed how easy it is to criticize the church these days? Cultural commentators are quick to identify evangelical Christians as hopelessly out of step with their stance on all the social and moral issues now under review and reconsideration. Public opinion polls show that a majority of Americans, especially younger Americans, are far, far from our convictions about right and wrong when it comes to social mores. That brings the church in for some harsh criticism from those who do not hold to a biblical worldview. Yet this is to be expected. Moishe Rosen used to say, You can t keep a sinner from sinning any more than you can keep a cow from mooing. (Of course, he recognized that all of us are sinners in need of salvation.) But moral reformation never precedes spiritual transformation. Why should we expect affirmation and encouragement from those who view the Bible as a book of fables, and biblical morality as hopelessly anachronistic? What is far more troubling to me is how often the church is lambasted by those who claim membership therein. I hear Christians playing a game of us and them that is divisive and frankly somewhat schizophrenic as the accusers are seemingly (continued on page 2) In this edition June 2013 David Brickner reflects on attitudes toward the church...1 Prayer prompters, cartoon and OnlineXtras...3 Jewish Core Values continued: Redeeming Captives...4 Fishing for men and women in New York City...6 Field report from Berlin...7 Bits from the Branches in Paris, Budapest and New York City...8

2 (continued from page 1) unaware that they are part of us. The bride can often be her own worst critic. Some complain about styles of worship, the lack of what they consider proper decorum, the dress is too casual, the music is too loud, the people are unloving, too judgmental, too accepting, etc., etc. The list goes on and on of reasons that followers of Jesus find to be critical of the church in general and often of their own local church in particular. But Y shua loves His bride and sees His bride as beautiful and so should we. He is not blind to our flaws or to the reasons for the criticism. He sees those flaws better than anyone because He died to save us from the very sin that makes us such easy targets for rampant criticism. So we need to be careful about harshly criticizing people Jesus loves and died to save. This is not to say that the church is above scrutiny and honest critique. Many today are understandably concerned and vocal about pastors who no longer preach the Word, or who are unwilling to mention sin and the need for repentance. The pressure to accommodate the shifting morality of our day has wreaked havoc on many, both in the pews and in the pulpit. We cannot ignore it when our churches begin to compromise on key issues and promulgate views that oppose clear teachings of the Bible. But we should critique, not with smugness or self-righteousness, but rather with tears and on our knees in prayer, beseeching God to grant His church repentance and revival. Otherwise we will see others sin looming so large that we will lose sight of our own. This past March, our Jews for Jesus missionaries spent several weeks ministering in over 1,000 churches, sharing the message of Christ in the Passover. We were welcomed with love. We met thousands of brothers and sisters who were genuinely interested in the work we do. Pastors went out of their way to affirm us and encourage their people to stand with us. We heard from scores of individuals who truly had a burden for their Jewish friends to come to Jesus and were eager to hear from us how they might be able to effectively share the good news with them. People opened their homes to us and fed us. They opened their checkbooks and gave generously to support our ongoing ministry. They asked questions with genuine interest and offered eager and heartfelt prayers to God on our behalf. I thank God for His bride the church. Without the church there would be no Jews for Jesus. The church is my family, warts and all. I pray that God will help me to love His people as He would have me to, to pray for the church and be generous as possible in giving to the church in all its many efforts and outreaches. In doing so I will be the better for it, becoming more and more like the groom, my blessed Messiah Jesus. A few years ago my daughter was home from school due to having had her wisdom teeth pulled. She had laid down on the couch in front of the television to watch a reality show called Say Yes to the Dress. Wanting to spend some time with her, I decided to watch the show and engage with her about it. If you haven t heard of it before, the show takes place in several different bridal boutiques where future brides come with various friends and family members to select their gowns. Sometimes there is an entire entourage with aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers. As employees bring out one dress after another, the drama that ensues with surly brides-to-be, nit-picking mothers and mothers-in-law and other family members can make you wonder why anyone would want to marry into this particular family. Yet there comes a time in each episode when the bride-to-be walks out in the right dress to the oohs and aahs of all those who had only minutes ago been ready to tear each other s hair out. Then come the smiles and the joy, the hugs and the tears, as that wedding day suddenly becomes all the more real and the beauty of the bride all the more apparent. You might say that all of us who love the Lord need to stop bickering and say yes to the dress. We need to see the bride more clearly, as Y shua does, dressed in her glorious raiment. Then we can love the church as Christ does and look forward to that wonderful day when we all will be seated together at the marriage supper of the Lamb. If you liked this article, you might also like Seven Reasons Why I Love the Church by David Brickner, j4j.co/7reasons For a bonus article on distinguishing between what is judicious versus what is judgmental, see the onlinextras link on page 3. We exist to make the messiahship of Jesus an unavoidable issue to our Jewish people worldwide. Jews for Jesus international headquarters: 60 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA ; jfj@jewsforjesus.org; web: jewsforjesus.org; also working in: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United Kingdom; editor: Ruth Rosen; art direction: Paige Saunders; design and illustration: David Yapp; Volume 10:5773, June 2013; 2013

3 onlinextras The expanded edition of our newsletter at j4j.co/xtras613 will connect you with: a bonus follow-up article to David s lead ( Y shua Loves His Bride ) titled Judicious or Judgmental? by Ruth Rosen a bonus nugget about the Jewish ritual of pidyon ha ben to follow up on Rich s teaching on Pidyon Shvuyim hyperlinks to make it easier to jump to all the related (archived) articles and photos mentioned throughout this newsletter prayer prompters Please pray for: God s wisdom and grace throughout the church, that a discerning yet compassionate attitude will characterize the way we view one another and ourselves as His bride (pp. 1 2) Massah, our short-term mission adventure for young adults in Israel and India (June 1 August 14) Halutzim, short-term mission/fellowship/discipleship for high schoolers in New York City (July 14 27) our Camp Gilgal programs for children and youth (various dates in June, July and August for different ages and locations) God s blessing as we continue to invest in the next generation of Jews for Jesus through various means, including the three programs mentioned above continued growth for Ellen and other people whose lives were touched on last year s summer witnessing campaigns (p. 6) our upcoming witnessing campaigns in New York City (June 30 July 27), Berlin (July 25 August 10) and Budapest (August 15 31)* our follow-up and quarterly times of one-on-one ministry in Berlin (p. 7) God s blessing and discernment as we plan and recruit for the next Behold Your God Israel Campaign coming up later this year grace and strength for new Jewish believer Yves in France, salvation for Veronika and Gabi in Budapest, salvation for Suzy in Manhattan and the vet technician and his brother in Brooklyn (p. 8) This month s banner photo: Giselle Le'Aupepe, one of our New York missionaries, engaged in campus evangelism. *See highlights from last year s New York, Berlin and Budapest campaigns at: New York City: j4j.co/2012nyswc Berlin: j4j.co/2012berlin Budapest: j4j.co/2012budapest 3

4 Jewish Core Values, Jesus and You, Part Five by Rich Robinson Jewish Core Value: Redeeming Captives Pidyon Shvuyim (rhymes with mid-phone, blue team ): According to this core value, it is worth it to pay a ransom for the life of a hostage. Redemption is a common Old Testament theme. The Exodus from Egypt is portrayed as a redemption, and one of the most famous passages from the Exodus story is: Therefore say to the children of Israel: I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem (emphasis added) you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments (Exodus 6:6). God is referred to as Redeemer in many books of the Hebrew Scriptures, including Job, Psalms, Proverbs and Isaiah. Often the redemption is seen as a physical one, but Isaiah 44:22 and 59:20 connect God s redemption with forgiveness of sins, a theme the New Testament will expand on. So does Psalm 130:7 8, using the verb padah, related to pidyon. The Old Testament concept of redemption applied not only to freeing people but also to freeing animals and property from captivity. The book of Ruth in particular shows us an example of Isaiah connects God's redemption with forgiveness of sins. OLD TESTAMENT BASIS redemption by a kinsman-redeemer (Hebrew: go el) who could buy back property on behalf of relatives or pay to have them released from slavery. While there is no Old Testament text specifically commanding Israel to redeem captives, the medieval philosopher Maimonides said that failing to do so violates verses such as these: Deuteronomy 15:7b 8:... you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs. Leviticus 19:16b, 18b:... nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor... you shall love your neighbor as yourself... Proverbs 24:11: Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. One might also say that since God s people are to behave, as much as possible, in keeping with God s character and His concerns, it is implicit that we care for the plight of captives. NEW TESTAMENT TEACHING JEWISH TRADITION AND CONTEMPORARY JEWISH CULTURE In connection with this core value, the traditional Jewish saying is often invoked: One who saves a single life is as if he saved an entire world (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5; Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 37a). The Talmud teaches, Death by the sword is worse than a normal death, since the body is disgraced. Death by starvation is even worse, since it is prolonged. Captivity is the worst of all, since it includes all of them (Baba Bathra 8b). Maimonides explained that Redeeming captives is even more important than feeding the poor. There is no greater mitzvah [commandment], since captives are hungry, thirsty, naked, and their lives are in danger (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Gifts to the Poor 8:10). Compassion for captives is thus ingrained from Jewish tradition into Jewish culture. Of course, when considering paying a ransom today, one does not want to encourage kidnapping. The principle of pidyon shvuyim has to be weighed against other principles. CONVERSATIONS WITH JEWISH FRIENDS Compassion for captives is... ingrained from Jewish tradition into Jewish culture. The most well-publicized example was the captivity of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was abducted by Hamas in 2006 and held for five years. He was released in October In this case the ransom paid was the controversial release of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in an exchange deal. This was the highest price Israel ever paid to release one soldier. There are other Israeli prisoners and there is a healthy debate in Israel over whether or not ransom should be paid to secure their release. For more about this, please see the links below: A Mitzvah Behind the Price of a Soldier s Freedom, New York Times, October 21, 2011, bitly.com/pidyon22. Free site registration may be required. Pidyon Shvuyim (The Redemption of Captives) and Gilad Shalit, Jewish Virtual Library, bitly.com/jvlpidyon. A good introduction to the ethical dilemmas involved. Redemption is a thread that runs throughout the New Testament: (see Luke 1:68, Romans 3:24, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 9:12 and Revelation 14:3, among other verses.) Whereas in the Hebrew Scriptures, some verses indicate that sin is bondage from which people require redemption, in the New Testament redemption is repeatedly tied to freedom from bondage to sin and its consequences (John 8:34; Acts 8:23; Romans 6:6, 16 20, 22, 7:14, 25). Jesus spoke of His own life as a ransom for sin; that is, He would pay the price to redeem us from sin s bondage (Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45). The New Testament points us toward a future redemption. Paul specifically relates the Christian experience to the Passover in 1 Corinthians 5:7, drawing a parallel between that historic redemption and redemption from slavery to sin. The New Testament also points us toward a future redemption. While it is true that Jesus freed us from bondage to sin, sin s consequences still affect all of creation, including our bodies. In some ways we are still captives of a fallen world, awaiting our final redemption: For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body (Romans 8:22 23). IDF bitly.com/gilad22 Gilad Shalit on the phone with his parents, after arriving in Israel. Many Jewish people keep up with news about Israel, so if the subject of Israel comes up, why not ask Jewish friends if they followed the Gilad Shalit story (but please read about it yourself first at bitly.com/pidyon22). From there you can ask what they think about the principle of pidyon shvuyim. Not all will be familiar with the Hebrew terms, so you can explain that it means redemption of captives (at a price) and that you understand it is an important value historically for Jewish people. Perhaps they will ask where you learned the Hebrew term. As appropriate, you can mention that the theme/value of redemption and a ransom price is an important part of your beliefs as a Christian. Explain that the death of Jesus is considered a ransom paid to release us from captivity to sin. That like God redeemed Israel at the Exodus, Jesus is called the Passover Lamb because He likewise paid a high price to redeem us from sin. Include Jews and Gentiles both as the us you are talking about. If your friend shows interest, you can point out that the Hebrew Scriptures also speak of redemption from sin. Just as a ransom has to be received, so we need to receive the ransom by faith in the Messiah, Jesus, Who is our Redeemer. 4 5

5 No, this is not an essay about how I spent my summer vacation! I m talking about the Scriptural metaphor fishers of men (and women!). I remember our founder Moishe Rosen saying that if we communicate the message of Jesus loudly and clearly enough for Jewish people to hear it, everyone else gets to hear it, too! This accounts for a fact that surprises many Jews for Jesus supporters: as you read through our reports and statistics from campaigns around the world, you will see the numbers of non-jews who profess Christ regularly surpass the number of Jewish people who make decisions to follow Jesus. (There are exceptions to this rule, for example, in Israel.) Moishe referred to this phenomenon as Paul s mission strategy. When Paul brought the gospel to the Jew first, it naturally followed that the Good News was spread throughout the nations. When we re fishing for men, we never want to toss any fish back in the water! Last July, I was again privileged to participate in our New York City annual summer witnessing campaign. This was a big fishing trip for me and for more than a dozen others who dedicated their days to reaching out to locals and tourists alike in Manhattan. I had many conversations with Jewish people about Jesus and several gave me their contact information for follow-up. But what stands out in my mind more than most encounters is my meeting with a woman from a nominal Catholic background named Ellen.* I was in a park on a lunch hour contact sortie where our main goal is to engage people in conversation. Unlike rush-hour sorties, we pass out dozens of tracts rather than hundreds. Most people were not hurrying by, but relaxing on their mid-day break. I saw a well-dressed, middle-aged woman sitting on a bench with her smartphone. I stopped and asked her who she thought Jesus was and that led us into an in-depth spiritual conversation. After several minutes, she confessed that she knew a lot about Jesus but she didn t really know Jesus. When I invited her to pray with me right then to ask Jesus into her life, she didn t hesitate. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she repented of her sins and asked God to help her follow Him. After we prayed, she showed me what she had texted one of her co-workers just seconds before I sat down. Her text read, I really need a friend right now. Ellen looked at me and said, That was a fast answer! I left her with the Gospel of John and an invitation to one of our lectures at the Manhattan office. Most of all, I left her with assurance of God s love and a newfound faith that would give her a forever friend in Jesus. When one of our New York missionaries called Ellen the next week to invite her to a church in her neighborhood, Ellen couldn t wait to Laura on 2012 campaign tell her about the peace she had been feeling since she prayed. She was sleeping soundly for the first time in months and she wanted to bring her daughter along with her to church! I feel profoundly grateful that as we reach out in our mission, God brings those He is calling to Himself in our path. I am thankful for friends like you who support our work and make fishing expeditions like these possible. Please pray for Ellen to grow strong in her faith and closer to Jesus every day... and pray for her family to know Him, too. Laura Barron serves part-time with our Toronto branch, as she edits, works on special projects and events, and speaks on behalf of the organization. Laura is married to Andrew, who leads our Canadian work. Currently, she spends most of her time with her three children: Rafi, Ketzia and Simona. Find out more about Laura at j4j.co/laurab Karen Myers 6

6 In 2011, during the Women s World Cup games, we conducted a threeweek evangelistic campaign in Berlin. Our team encountered many Jewish people from Berlin as well as Jewish tourists from other countries, including Israel. We received 126 Jewish contacts. After the campaign, we began the hard work of follow-up. We started by phoning through our contacts in Berlin, and we conducted a series of visits. Though we do not have a branch in Berlin, this was not our first outreach there. Many Jewish people in Berlin want to hear about Jesus and receive our ministry so we have continued to minister to our contacts there every three months. The last time Igor Shelest and I came to Berlin to make a series of visits, it was a special time when God s glory was revealed and we felt boundless joy. We conducted ten visits with unsaved Jewish people who wanted to know more about their Messiah. Among them were people whom we d already visited as well as some who opened their doors to us for the first time. I talked to people, listened to them, answered their questions, looked into their eyes and kept on rejoicing in the light I saw there. It was the light of the Living God, the light that is kindled through hearing the Word of God. And we were privileged to bring that Word that sparked His light in their eyes. It made me think of Jesus words: And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward (Matthew 10:42). As Jesus disciples we were offering refreshing water to those who are spiritually thirsty. What a blessing to give people their first cup of the living water, when we acquaint them with the gospel and do it in the name of our Messiah Jesus. It s so wonderful to be the first to touch someone with the gospel not necessarily the best, but the first to bring the gospel to someone, to explain it, to tell the person about God s love and to try to show His love to people. We can do so little for our Lord, but He does so much for us. Every time the Lord reveals His Word, I feel joy, and I rejoice in the fact that He is my Father. He sustains me, He admonishes me in His Word, reveals it to me, and gives me a wonderful opportunity to be the first to share the gospel with many of my people. Leonid on 2010 campaign Dear friends, I hope you pray for our ongoing work in Berlin, and that you will particularly pray for our 2013 Berlin witnessing campaign! The dates are July 24 through August 11. Leonid Dolganovsky leads our branch in Essen, Germany. Read more about them here: j4j.co/essenbranch Postscript: Our first Berlin campaign was in In three-and-a-half weeks, the team handed out over 300,000 broadsides and gathered the names and addresses of 115 Jewish people and 370 non-jews who wanted to know more about the Lord. For the first time in recent history, a significant number of Jews and Germans stood side by side, proclaiming the Good News together. What a testimony to the love of God and to the reconciling power of Messiah s cross! You can read about that first Berlin campaign online at: j4j.co/1stberlin And you can read about our most recent Berlin campaign (summer of 2012) here: j4j.co/201208berlin 7

7 Bits from the Paris Joshua Turnil reports, I was between visits with Jewish people when I received a call from a pastor who wanted some advice. A woman from his church had brought a Jewish colleague to worship so the pastor was asking about how to witness to Jewish people. After a while, I came to know and speak with Yves (the Jewish visitor) on the phone. He was born in France, but when he was 13, moved to Israel. He now lives back in France and was attracted to the living faith of this small, rural church. What joy it was for me when Yves decided to accept Y shua and be baptized. The pastor called me again to speak about the baptism. We talked a little and prayed together, rejoicing in how God used the partnership between our mission and a local church to help this Jewish man come to Messiah. Budapest Kata Tar reports, I was helping an elderly lady as she made her way down the high steps of a trolley with heavy bags. She, in turn, started a friendly conversation. We were startled to discover that we live on the same block and are both Jewish. She mentioned that there is another of us [Jewish woman] on the block. After we said goodbye, I realized that she told me her name Veronika but no more details. I sent up a quick prayer to God to help me find her again. Then one Saturday somebody knocked on my door. A petite lady asked politely if I could read and evaluate the CVs of the candidates for an upcoming election. I invited her in and started reading. Meanwhile she was looking around. You have a nice lamp, she commented, indicating my menorah. Soon she was telling me about her life in the Jewish orphanage after she lost her parents in the Shoah [Nazi Holocaust]. So I asked, Do you happen to know another one of us in the block, called Veronika? Of course, she is my friend. Gabi gave me both her and Veronika s number and invited me over for further conversation. Please pray for my witness to these women in my neighborhood. New York City Shoshannah Weinisch reports from Manhattan, Suzy is Jewish and is in her 70s. We met her during our 2012 summer witnessing campaign. She was not what I d call open to the gospel. I kept in touch with Suzy and recently we met for coffee. She was pretty direct in stating she had no interest in spiritual matters, but I was praying for an open door. Finally, I said, Life is difficult, isn t it? No, Suzy replied, life isn t. But when I mentioned some hardships she had told me about, Suzy admitted that life had been difficult for her. Do you know why life is difficult? I asked. No, said Suzy, do you? Yes, I replied. Here was my open door. If you read the first three chapters of your Hebrew Bible, you will know too! Really? said Suzy, I will read it. And then we can talk about it, I added. We agreed. It can be discouraging when people don t seem willing to receive our ministry. But if we hang in there, we may find a window of opportunity. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Galatians 6:9). Melissa Moskowitz reports from Brooklyn, My dog walker left town rather suddenly. For me, walking a 77- pound golden retriever is not a joy. Coincidentally or not I was at the vet for my dog Strider s exam when the technician who hoisted him up on the table turned and said, You know, I also walk dogs. He came to walk Strider the next day. It was Friday, so I invited him for Shabbat. He said, I m Jewish, but not very religious. I said, I m a Jew who Strider the wonder dog Photo by Rachel Friedlander believes in Jesus. That night he came with his brother. They had dinner, heard the Bible teaching and chatted with several of the other young men. God gave me the help I needed while providing these guys an opportunity to learn about Him! Editor: We love our dogs and we love opportunities to share the gospel... and we especially love it when our dogs open up opportunities to share the gospel! Check out j4j.co/thinkknow