SHEMA!
Nisan/Iyar 5768 May 2008
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MA CHADASH? WHAT’S NEW?
Congregation Sar Shalom
Shema
is pleased to announce the formation of a new
satellite congregation. Congregation Sar Shalom
is meant to be an urban congregation with the
goals of reaching out to the Jewish people with
the Good News about the Messiah; reaching out
to everyone else with this life-saving message;
teaching the Church about the Jewish roots of
Christianity. If you or someone you know might
be interested in this kind of community, call
248-312-8277 for more information.
Shema's Passover Hagada
A
downloadable and printable version of Shema's
Passover Hagada is available at www.shema.com/prayers_synagogue.php
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THE IMPORTANCE OF JEWISH EVANGELISM
Letters To The Editor Of
The Messianic Times
Last
year I wrote a letter to the Messianic Times
criticizing serious errors in a paper that was
presented to a meeting of Messianic Jewish leaders.
Several leaders in our movement responded by writing
letters to the editor that were critical of me.
Here is my latest letter to the editor written
in response to them:
Dear
Editor,
I
appreciate the graciousness of the Messianic
Times in providing a venue for various perspectives
in our movement to be expressed. I don’t know
of many forums apart from MT where disagreements
can be aired. I’m grateful that you exist so that
our movement can challenge itself and be strengthened
and grow. Thank you.
I
am disheartened however to see the kind of personal
criticism that came as a result of my letter to
the editor. I did make strong statements about
what I see as false teaching on the Gospel and
salvation by a messianic leader in a paper he
wrote for a major conference of messianic leaders.
I called for strong yet appropriate action to
be taken. However, I wrote what I did out of concern
for the well-being of the Messianic Movement of
which I am a part.
Even
if everything that was alleged about me - and
even more - is true (which it's not), that does
not change the reality that we have a serious
problem in the Messianic Community with false
teaching and bad doctrine. Rather than answering
my critics in this letter, I recommend that people
go to my website (www.shema.com) and read for
themselves the background information having to
do with what those who criticize me are saying
(see the article: Very Serious Problems with the
Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations). Let
the readers decide for themselves. This issue
is not about me - it's about false doctrine being
taught and tolerated. I stand by what I wrote.
I hope that there will be others who speak up.
Support The Messianic Times
The
Messianic Times newspaper is under new
management and is doing a great job! Consider
keeping informed about the Messianic Movement
and also helping the paper by getting a subscription.
We encourage you to call 866-612-7770 or email
office@messianictimes.com.
The Statement On Jewish Evangelism By The World Evangelical
Alliance
The
need to bring the message of salvation through
Messiah Yeshua to the Jewish people is under attack,
not only from within our movement, but also from
without. The World Evangelical Alliance has sponsored
a statement, affirming the need to preach the
Good News to the Jewish people. It is titled "The
Gospel and the Jewish People - An Evangelical
Statement”. It was signed by a number of prominent
Evangelical Christian leaders. I praise the
God of salvation for this well-written, truthful
and much needed statement!
The Gospel And The Jewish People - An Evangelical Statement
March 28, 2008
As
evangelical Christians, we want to express our
genuine friendship and love for the Jewish people.
We sadly acknowledge that church history has been
marred with anti-Semitic words and deeds; and
that at times when the Jewish people were in great
peril, the church did far less than it should
have.
We
pledge our commitment to be loving friends and
to stand against such injustice in our generation.
At the same time, we want to be transparent in
affirming that we believe the most loving and
Scriptural expression of our friendship toward
Jewish people, and to anyone we call friend, is
to forthrightly share the love of God in the person
of Jesus Christ.
We
believe that it is only through Jesus that all
people can receive eternal life. If Jesus is not
the Messiah of the Jewish people, He cannot be
the Savior of the World (Acts 4:12).
We
recognize that it is good and right for those
with specialized knowledge, history and skills
to use these gifts to introduce individuals to
the Messiah, and that includes those ministries
specifically directed to the Jewish people (1
Corinthians 9:20-22).
We
deplore the use of deception or coercion in evangelism;
however, we reject the notion that it is deceptive
for followers of Jesus Christ who were born Jewish
to continue to identify as Jews (Romans 11:1).
We
want to make it clear that, as evangelical Christians,
we do not wish to offend our Jewish friends by
the above statements; but we are compelled by
our faith and commitment to the Scriptures to
stand by these principles. It is out of our profound
respect for Jewish people that we seek to share
the good news of Jesus Christ with them, and encourage
others to do the same, for we believe that salvation
is only found in Jesus, the Messiah of Israel
and Savior of the World.
Christianity Today
Christianity
Today
recently published an article on the need for
Jewish evangelism. It is called “Why Evangelize
the Jews?” by Stan Guthrie. We believe many would
benefit from reading it. It can be found at www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/march/31.76.html
Peggy And Rabbi J:
A Great Example Of A Gentile Who Knows How To Make
Jewish People Jealous And Bring Us The Good News
Peggy
writes: On
Purim and Good Friday I had the experience of
being used by the Holy Spirit to minister to a
rabbi! Rabbi J was 22 years old and living in
Hungary at the time of the Holocaust. He had brought
hamentashen (special cookies for Purim) into the
place in West Bloomfield where my friend Tina
and I were visiting. As I started engaging in
conversation with him and telling him I was a
Gentile who also celebrates Purim, he asked me
to sit down to talk. He knows so much of the Torah
but is so lost. Thanks to Rabbi Loren and many
others, I felt the Lord had equipped me for this
encounter. My friend Tina told me that she had
heard the Christian owner of this business witnessing
to Rabbi J! And one of the store’s employees told
Tina that the owner had given Rabbi J some of
the literature I had given him earlier. Well,
it became apparent that he had read the materials
from Shema. When the rabbi asked what congregation
I attended, he knew, just by the name, who we
are. Even though he started bristling a little,
he still wanted to talk more! I felt such a depth
of empathy for him that I cried and mourned while
I prayed for him for a long time afterwards. He
emphasizes the Torah and the Talmud but not the
prophets. He asked me where my Messiah is mentioned
in Moses' teachings. The Holy Spirit reminded
me about Rabbi Glenn showing one of my Jewish
friends about the Seed of the Woman from Genesis.
Rabbi J doesn’t get it yet, but he is pondering.
He also struggles because he does not want to
worship pagan gods and his understanding is that
God is echad - one, and the one God can’t be
Three Persons. I asked the rabbi if Elohim (God)
was singular or plural. He said it could be both!
As Rabbi J continued to challenge me with questions
(and I tried to answer them with other questions
to find out why he was asking) a young African-American
lady, who was evidently sitting next to me for
awhile, spoke up and helped! God brought her to
help witness! Rabbi J sees the love of the believers
that own and run that business and keeps coming
back! Please pray for Rabbi J. He is getting up
in the years and might not have much longer to
come to salvation.
Rabbi
Loren’s comment: Great job Peggy! May the Lord
raise up tens of millions of wonderful Gentile
Christians like you who will make Romans 1:16
and 11:11 a powerful and omnipresent reality in
the Church!
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WHY SUPPORT A GOOD MESSIANIC SYNAGOGUE?
•
There
is a biblically-based priority to Jewish evangelism.
Paul, the great Apostle to the Gentiles, declared
to the Christians in the heart of the Roman Empire:
I am not ashamed of the Good News, for it is the
power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,
to the Jew first (Romans 1:16). Messiah Yeshua
commanded His disciples to go to all the world
with the Good News about Him, starting with Jerusalem
and Judea (Acts 1:8).
•
Israel
is still precious to God, and what He loves, we
should love. Rabbi Paul and Messiah Yeshua reflected
the heart of God by willingly offering their lives
up for the sake of Israel (Romans 9:2-4, 10:1,
and Matthew 23:37).
•
Gentile
Christians have a special calling to provoke Israel
to spiritual jealousy. Salvation has come to the
Gentiles to make Israel jealous (Romans 11:11).
Those Christians who obey this command will fulfill
this part of their calling.
•
Gentile Christians owe a debt to the Jewish
people. Through Israel the promises and covenants
were given. Through the Jewish people came the
Holy Scriptures, which gives us the knowledge
of God and salvation. Through the sons of Israel
came the Messiah, who has opened up access to
God for all. It was through Jewish apostles that
the Good News first went to the nations (Romans
9:4-5, Romans 15:27). This debt can best be repaid
by helping Jewish people find salvation.
•
It is in the best interest of the Gentiles
to bring the Jewish people the Good News (Romans
11:12-15). If Israel's failure to recognize the
Messiah brought untold spiritual riches for the
Gentiles, and if Israel's rejection of Messiah
brought about the reconciliation of the world,
how much more will our acceptance of the Messiah
bring!
•
The God of Israel promises blessings to those
who share the Good News with the Jewish people.
Those who bless the Jewish people will be blessed,
and those who curse Israel will be cursed (Genesis
12:1-3). Bringing the Good News is the best blessing
you can give us! It is the prayer of the Psalmist
that prosperity will come to those who seek the
well-being of Jerusalem (Psalm 122).
Shalom!
Rabbi Loren
SHEMA!
(Hear!)
is the newsletter of
Congregation Shema Yisrael
P.O. Box 804 Southfield MI 48037
Phone: 248-593-5150
Email: Shema777@aol.com
Website: www.shema.com
Services: Saturday 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday 7:00 p.m.
at the facilities of Bloomfield Hills Baptist
Church
3600 Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Hills
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