Today … I received an email from the Kabbalah Centre.  They are encouraging me to join them in a remembrance of Tish B’Av.  The event is in Jerusalem and I will be in England that week … so I will not be there.  By the way, if you want to know my true feelings about the Kabbalah “cult”, just check out the links that are available at www.mysterysolvedwithmessiahjesus.wordpress.com (here and here and here).

But, and regardless, of my theological convictions regarding the heresy of Kabbalah, I was still heartbroken to read their definition of Messiah …

The Messiah is not a person coming to save us. Rather, it is a global state of consciousness in which humanity is freed from all reactive forms of behavior.

If this does not give you another reason to live a Romans 1:16 life, I don’t know what will.  Shalom!

Jews for Judaism does a remarkable job of presenting the anti-missionary position to the Jewish people.  Jews for Judaism is creative and clever in their anti-missionary approach.  And even though Jews for Judaism believes it is taking whatever measure necessary to preserve a Jewish soul, this well-meaning but eternally wrong organization does not really understand the question they themselves are asking.

If one wants to understand this question at its core, I would suggest we examine the lives and testimony of two individuals — Paul and Jesus.  Paul began every missionary endeavor in the synagogues (examine the three Pauline journeys in the Book of Acts for verification).  He endured hardship and opposition at every moment because Jesus found him on the Damascus Road.  He also was willing to make the second most amazing sacrifice that humanity can ever imagine.  Paul was willing in Romans 9:1-5 to give up his own salvation if that would mean that the Jewish people could have the same encounter with Messiah Jesus that he had experienced (see chapter four of Paul’s Conundrum for a thorough exegetical examination of the passage).

I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from kwhom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

Paul’s view of the worth of the Jewish soul was that He was willing to experience the merciless torments of eternal damnation.  I have to state that Paul’s determination of worth was high indeed.

However, Paul’s offer of perdition was merely pocket change in comparison to Jesus’ love for and declaration of the value of a Jewish soul and the sacrifice He was willing to make in order for those souls to be found worthy before the throne of Heaven.  Jesus not only made the offer to be the Passover lamb and sacrifice but also He became the perfect substitionary atonement for the sins of the Jewish and all peoples of the world.  He understood the eternal worth of one Jewish soul and He died and rose again so that the Jewish souls then and now might have eternity with Him.  His heart broke, because His love for us is so unfathomable, so that Jews and Gentiles alike could be redeemed!

I chose the picture of the DNA strand at the beginning of this article to point out something significant.  We, regardless of race or ethnicity, have everything in common.  We all inherit our gender and physical/emotional traits from our parents.  We all come into this world cold and naked.  We all depart this world in the same manner.  The only thing that separates any of us from the person next door is the response we have made when presented with the reality of what Jesus considered the worth of our souls.

Today, 99% of God’s Chosen People, are headed for an eternity that Paul was willing to do anything to help them avoid and that Jesus sacrificed so that perdition did not need to be an option.  The value of the Jewish soul is great.  The only question is for us as believers and church members  to answer is … “Do we value the Jewish soul as much?

Jews for Judaism does a remarkable job of presenting the anti-missionary position to the Jewish people.  Jews for Judaism is creative and clever in their anti-missionary approach.  And even though Jews for Judaism believes it is taking whatever measure necessary to preserve a Jewish soul, this well-meaning but eternally wrong organization does not really understand the question they themselves are asking.

If one wants to understand this question at its core, I would suggest we examine the lives and testimony of two individuals — Paul and Jesus.  Paul began every missionary endeavor in the synagogues (examine the three Pauline journeys in the Book of Acts for verification).  He endured hardship and opposition at every moment because Jesus found him on the Damascus Road.  He also was willing to make the second most amazing sacrifice that humanity can ever imagine.  Paul was willing in Romans 9:1-5 to give up his own salvation if that would mean that the Jewish people could have the same encounter with Messiah Jesus that he had experienced (see chapter four of Paul’s Conundrum for a thorough exegetical examination of the passage).

I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from kwhom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

Paul’s view of the worth of the Jewish soul was that He was willing to experience the merciless torments of eternal damnation.  I have to state that Paul’s determination of worth was high indeed.

However, Paul’s offer of perdition was merely pocket change in comparison to Jesus’ love for and declaration of the value of a Jewish soul and the sacrifice He was willing to make in order for those souls to be found worthy before the throne of Heaven.  Jesus not only made the offer to be the Passover lamb and sacrifice but also He became the perfect substitionary atonement for the sins of the Jewish and all peoples of the world.  He understood the eternal worth of one Jewish soul and He died and rose again so that the Jewish souls then and now might have eternity with Him.  His heart broke, because His love for us is so unfathomable, so that Jews and Gentiles alike could be redeemed!

I chose the picture of the DNA strand at the beginning of this article to point out something significant.  We, regardless of race or ethnicity, have everything in common.  We all inherit our gender and physical/emotional traits from our parents.  We all come into this world cold and naked.  We all depart this world in the same manner.  The only thing that separates any of us from the person next door is the response we have made when presented with the reality of what Jesus considered the worth of our souls.

Today, 99% of God’s Chosen People, are headed for an eternity that Paul was willing to do anything to help them avoid and that Jesus sacrificed so that perdition did not need to be an option.  The value of the Jewish soul is great.  The only question is for us as believers and church members  to answer is … “Do we value the Jewish soul as much?

“[F]or my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed–cut off from Christ!–if that would save them.”

I personally, and Tzedakah Ministries as well, am overwhelmed by the reality of Paul’s pain when he wrote those words.  However, and after what I received in today’s mail, I can understand the pain Paul was feeling.  I am almost at the point of wanting to utter those words myself because I know I have the joy and protection of what Paul wrote only a few verses before in Romans 8:35-39.  For even though Paul knew that nothing could separate him or us from Jesus’ salvation, he was willing and I think he probably even prayed those words.

What great love Paul had for his Jewish family (personal and corporate)!  What great lengths Paul was willing to consider for his kinsmen!  What great love, Paul had for the lost, both Jew and Gentile!  My only question — when will the rest of American Christianity?

I also am different because I choose to live a Romans 1:16 life.  I choose to believe all facets of the verse that states several important life lessons:

1. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Messiah Jesus!  I am proud to call myself a believer in Jesus, a Christian, a follower of the Messiah.  I want everyone who knows me or meets me or calls me friend to know that my first and final allegiance is to the commands of Jesus the Messiah.
2. I am not ashamed because I know it is the power of God’s salvation to all who believe!  John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 all tell us that salvation is only possible through the death and resurrection of our Passover lamb, Jesus of Nazareth.  I am so glad that my salvation and eternity are not determined on my righteousness because Isaiah 64:6 (verse 5 in the Hebrew Bible) tells us that our best is nothing but disgusting rags before God.
3. AND I AM NOT ASHAMED THAT THE GOSPEL IS FOR TO THE JEW FIRST.  I am not Jewish but I am glad of this truth because it confirms that God does not forget His covenant promises to the Jewish people (found specifically in Genesis 12, 15, 17).  For if the Gospel was not for His Chosen Ones first, than we would have a capricious God and I am relieved that we do not.

Those are three reasons why I am proud to proclaim …

I Live a Romans 1:16 Life!

What about you?

I also am different because I choose to live a Romans 1:16 life.  I choose to believe all facets of the verse that states several important life lessons:

1. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Messiah Jesus!  I am proud to call myself a believer in Jesus, a Christian, a follower of the Messiah.  I want everyone who knows me or meets me or calls me friend to know that my first and final allegiance is to the commands of Jesus the Messiah.
2. I am not ashamed because I know it is the power of God’s salvation to all who believe!  John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 all tell us that salvation is only possible through the death and resurrection of our Passover lamb, Jesus of Nazareth.  I am so glad that my salvation and eternity are not determined on my righteousness because Isaiah 64:6 (verse 5 in the Hebrew Bible) tells us that our best is nothing but disgusting rags before God.
3. AND I AM NOT ASHAMED THAT THE GOSPEL IS FOR TO THE JEW FIRST.  I am not Jewish but I am glad of this truth because it confirms that God does not forget His covenant promises to the Jewish people (found specifically in Genesis 12, 15, 17).  For if the Gospel was not for His Chosen Ones first, than we would have a capricious God and I am relieved that we do not.

Those are three reasons why I am proud to proclaim …

I Live a Romans 1:16 Life!

What about you?

The article is fascinating, even if I struggled to see the proof of their argument in the painting, and the likelihood of it being true is quite possible for it is well-known that Michelangelo inserted subtle messages throughout the painting.  However, I do hope that Rabbi Blech is not waging his eternity on an artistic masterpiece and not the Word of God.

For you see, Blech argues that Michelangelo believed that the Jewish people did not need to believe in Jesus as Messiah in order to go to heaven and the proof of this belief is found in the brush strokes and painting oils of “The Last Judgment”.  In other words, Michelangelo was perhaps the original Dual Covenantalist!

However, and sadly, Michelangelo and Rabbi Blech are both wrong.  Jesus himself stated that there is no other way to God the Father except through Him (John 14:6).  Peter pronounced  before the Sanhedrin that there is no other way to heaven except through Messiah Jesus (Acts 4:12).

Instead, and categorically, we find in the Words of the greatest masterpiece of all eternity — the Word of God — the path towards heaven.  It is not wide or smooth.  It is narrow.  It is rocky.  It is difficult.  However, and due in absolutely no part to ourselves, the path has been created at the cross of Messiah Jesus and His resurrection from the dead.

Now, I know a lot of people who are reading this blog will agree with me completely.  I  might even receive a hearty Baptist “amen” from one or two of you.  However, I want to ask you a final question — “If we really believe that there is no other path towards heaven for the Jewish people except through Jesus the Messiah, why aren’t we doing something about it?”

Live a Romans 1:16 Life!

So … what is the lesson from all of this mishegoss?  Perhaps that we have at least one more day to live for Jesus.  We have at least one more day to worship God.  We have at least one more day to do something about Jewish evangelism and missions.  What will you do with this day?

1. Pray for Israel … now more than ever. They need to know that American Christians are behind them and supporting them. They need to know that this time Christians will not abandon them in the face of another Holocaust. We did in 1938 and we cannot now.
2. Vote for elected officials who hold your same view of Israel. I must be careful to avoid any impression that I am endorsing one party or candidate or another because I would never take that approach. I would never endorse a man or woman for political office. I would just urge you to ask yourself … “Is this a person who I can trust to defend God’s Chosen People in the face of opposition and hostility?”
3. AND THIS IS MOST IMPORTANT … do not focus on the physical and political needs of Israel (i.e., all Jewish people) at the expense of their spiritual and eternal need to receive Jesus as Messiah. Too often, we as American evangelicals, support Israel the nation but forget about the Israel the people who need Jesus. It is a tough balance but something we must do. For while Genesis 12, 15, and 17 are true, so is Romans 1:16.
4. I agree with Gordon D. (who also posted a comment on Facebook) that churches and small group Bible studies and others could allow Tzedakah Ministries to come and share about how to do #1 and #3 above. Tzedakah Ministries does not require a fee but simply a willing heart for God’s Chosen Ones and a desire to be equipped to reach them with the Gospel of Jesus the Messiah.

Kristen and all the others with questions and prayers — I hope I have answered your question. Now … how can Tzedakah Ministries help?

The news today (May 19, 2011) is replete with stories involving President Obama’s recommendation that Israel retreat back to pre-1967 borders.  This “call” is based on two concepts — (1) creation of a Palestinian state and (2) to bring peace to the Middle East.  I have issues with concept #1 but the false hope of #2 is laughable and tragic and catastrophic!  Click here for a map which shows the naive fallacy of such a proposal. 

So, I decided to share with you the land boundaries of Israel … according to God!  By the way, I acknowledge that in today’s political climate for Israel to try to lay claim to all that God promised would mean World War III.  Click here for a fairly decent Land of Promies map based on Genesis 15 … except I personally believe that when God said the Euphrates … he wasn’t simply talking about the Northern boundary of the river.

So in looking at what has been promised to the Jewish people in Genesis 15, we must ask two questions – (1) has Israel ever been in complete control of all that has been promised to them?; and (2) when will Israel ever receive the full measure of God’s promise to them?

The answer to the first question is no. Joshua’ conquest of Canaan stopped before the complete conquest of the Promised Land. Beginning with Judges 1:27, we see the end of the conquest with the phrase “neither did,” in which the tribes of Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, Napthali, and Dan did not follow through on God’s command to take possession of the land promised to them. With this failure, the period of “the Judges” begins which is marked by a cyclical pattern of rebellion, oppression, pleading to God for forgiveness and restoration until finally the book ends with the phrase, “and everyone did what was right in their own eyes” (21:25).

The great kingdoms of David and Solomon did not take possession of all that was promised to them. David’s sin with Bathsheba and Solomon’s problems with women stopped the fulfillment of what had been promised by God.

But do not worry because the answer to the second question is “YES.” One day Israel will see the reality of all that has been promised to them. We don’t know when but we do know the how, what and most importantly the WHO. Revelation 19-22 foretells of a time when Jesus himself will sit on the throne of David (see also specific passages in Isaiah 60-66) and rule the nations for a 1,000 years (Zechariah 14) before the arrival of the New Jerusalem.

So the lesson we must learn is that while we must search for peaceful solutions to man’s problems and we must treat all peoples (Jews, Palestinians and Arabs) equitably and with dignity, we must acknowledge that the land is Israel’s and that one day Jesus himself will claim it for His own. It is not our place to try to do God’s job for him. It is our job to tell the world of Jesus and make ready for His arrival.

These thoughts have been quite appropriate because we just celebrated Israel’s Independence Day (the 5th of Iyar on the Jewish calendar). Sixty-three years ago (May 14, 1948 on the Julian calendar), the nation of Israel was reborn after being driven out of their homes in AD 70 by Titus. And while we must praise God for this miracle, we must always remember that true independence can only occur when a person’s heart is touched by Messiah Jesus. We must pray for this to happen every day of the year!

“In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” – Genesis 15:18-21

Last week (see part two) we looked at the physical boundaries of the Promised Land that God gave to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  We also acknowledged that in today’s political climate for Israel to try to lay claim to all that God promised would mean World War III.

So in looking at what has been promised to the Jewish people, one must two questions – (1) has Israel ever been in complete control of all that has been promised to them?; and (2) when will Israel ever receive the full measure of God’s promise to them?

The answer to the first question is no.  Joshua’ conquest of Canaan stopped before the complete conquest of the Promised Land.  Beginning with Judges 1:27, we see the end of the conquest with the phrase “neither did,” in which the tribes of Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, Napthali, and Dan did not follow through on God’s command to take possession of the land promised to them.  With this failure, the period of “the Judges” begins which is marked by a cyclical pattern of rebellion, oppression, pleading to God for forgiveness and restoration until finally the book ends with the phrase, “and everyone did what was right in their own eyes” (21:25).

The great kingdoms of David and Solomon did not take possession of all that was promised to them.  David’s sin with Bathsheba and Solomon’s problems with women stopped the fulfillment of what had been promised by God.

But do not worry because the answer to the second question is “YES.”  One day Israel will see the reality of all that has been promised to them.  We don’t know when but we do know the how, what and most importantly the WHO.  Revelation 19-22 foretells of a time when Jesus himself will sit on the throne of David (see also specific passages in Isaiah 60-66) and rule the nations for a 1,000 years before the arrival of the New Jerusalem.

So the lesson we must learn is that while we must search for peaceful solutions to man’s problems and we must treat all peoples (Jews, Palestinians and Arabs) equitably and with dignity, we must acknowledge that the land is Israel’s and that one day Jesus himself will claim it for His own.  It is not our place to try to do God’s job for him.  It is our job to tell the world of Jesus and make ready for His arrival.

These thoughts have been quite appropriate because soon we will celebrate Israel’s  Independence Day (the 5^th of Iyar on the Jewish calendar).  Sixty-three years ago (May 14, 1948 on the Julian calendar), the nation of Israel was reborn after being driven out of their homes in AD 70 by Titus.  And while we must praise God for this miracle, we must always remember that true independence can only occur when a person’s heart is touched by Messiah Jesus.  We must pray for this to happen every day of the year!

Therefore, and for those who know me well, Yom HaShoah is a difficult day, week, time for me.  I remember my friends who are gone such as “Jacob,” “Lira,” and “Wilhelm.”  I consider the waning years of such friends as “Joachim” and “Rachel.”  I reflect upon the faces of my students from Arlington Baptist College and I pray that they will continue to remember long after the world calls on us to forget.  However, and most of all, I ask myself what spiritual lessons can we learn from this horrible time.

And so this year, I took a few moments to watch the classic Spencer Tracy film — Judgment at Nuremberg.  I have seen this movie many times but it still has the power to move me.  However, this year I saw it again as if it was the first time.  I put myself into Judge Dan Haywood’s shoes as he walks through the city, meets the citizens, and presides at the trial.  The movie is the story of Judge Haywood trying to find an answer to the basic questions of life — Who?, What?, When?, Where?, Why?, and How?

Spencer Tracy concludes the trial of the Nazi judges by giving one of the most eloquent speeches in cinematic history as he considers the “value of a single human being” (see YouTube link below for most of the speech while paying close attention to the last minute).

Now, I want to ask you that same question but with a spiritual twist to it.  What is the value of a single human being?  What cost should we pay to see that every soul on this planet, and especially the Jewish souls for whom Jesus first came (Romans 1:16; Matthew 23), has the chance to know that Jesus is their Messiah?  What price should we pay to prevent an eternal Holocaust for which there will be no liberation if they are to die without Jesus (John 14:6; Acts 4:12)?

When you can answer these eternally spiritual questions, please let Tzedakah Ministries know what you will do about the spiritual value of a single human being?

**Names of the Survivors have been changed to protect their privacy.

“In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” – Genesis 15:18-21

The Abrahamic covenant has two characteristics – (1) first it was God initiated and (2) it was God enacted.

In a beautifully written, but ultimately flawed work, Thomas Cahill in The Gift of the Jews describes Abram as a seeking polytheist who was looking for the ultimate God.  While some might disagree with this view (including myself), we must remember that Abram lived in a polytheistic and sinful society.  And it was out of this sinful place that God called one man to be the father of God’s chosen people and ultimately many nations.

For it was God who did the calling.  Abram might have been a God-fearing man but it was God who did the choosing and God who did the leading.  The first part of the Abrahamic covenant described in Genesis 12 (see Whose Land Is It Anyway – Part One), illustrates perfectly that God was the pursuer and provider of the covenant.

This is reinforced in Genesis 15 when the covenant was sealed by the sacrifice of a heifer, a female goat, a ram, a turtledove and a pigeon.  Abraham slew the animals and prepared the sacrifice but you can notice that in verses 12-17 that it was God who did the work of “negotiating” and finalizing the deal.

God symbolically seen as a furnace and lamp passed between the divided the sacrifice and in verse 18 made a covenant with Abraham while Abraham was in a deep sleep (v. 12).  Abraham’s action in the covenant was in preparation.  God’s action in the covenant was everything else.  And any covenant initiated by God and made by God cannot be broken.

So what was promised to the children of Abraham (through Isaac and Jacob)?  Genesis 12 speaks a great nation that will be a blessing to other people.  Genesis 17 was the initiation of the covenant through circumcision and the changing of Abram’s name to Abraham.  Genesis 15 sets the boundaries for the territory from the river in Egypt to the Euphrates and the land belonging to (at the time it was promised) the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, etc.

This land mass extends, therefore, from the Nile River, located almost in the middle of Egypt to the Euphrates River in modern-day Iraq.  The tribes mentioned were located in Canaan with the Amorites extending north into what is the southern edge of modern-day Turkey.

So if today Israel attempted to acquire all the land that was promised to them in Scripture, it would include from Egypt to Iraq and from Turkey to Saudi Arabia with the countries of Lebanon, Syria and Jordan in between.  In other words, there would be war!

This blog post is not about making a political statement but about bringing to light what God has promised the Israeli people.  How God will bring this about is up to him and the timing will be determined by him.  But that is to be discussed in part three of “Whose Land Is It Anyway?”

Next Time  . . .  When will Israel receive all of the Promised Land that is promised to them?

Once again we are facing the latest rounds of discussion about how to bring peace in the Middle East.  Most of the talk revolves around that proposal that Israel will give up the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank.

Aside from the impracticality of this latest peace effort, peace agreements will not solve the question of land ownership in the Middle East.  These problems have existed for our 4,000 years – since the time of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and since the time of Sarah, Hagar and Ishmael.

Bartering and bargaining of land plots will not solve the question as to who has right to the “piece of property” known as Israel.  Only the Prince of Peace (sar shalom) will bring peace to this troubled land.  And this true peace can only occur when Jesus as this prince of peace rules during the millennial reign.

But should we give up on searching for peace in Israel and the Middle East?  No, but we should recognize that it is only a pseudo peace and one that can never last.  The important question is what we as Christians and followers of Jesus should do to bring the reality of eternal peace to Sabras (native [Jewish] Israelis), the thousands of Russian Jewish immigrants arriving daily after years of oppression in the former Soviet Union, and, yes, the Palestinians who are without a land and without eternal hope.

As to the answer to the question – Whose Land Is It Anyway? – Scripture reveals the answer in Genesis 12, 15 and 17.  The land belongs to the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  But the interesting twist is how much land was given to the Jewish people….

Next Time … What is the territorial extent of the Promised Land?

I pray that when the middle matzah of the Matzah Tash is taken out, broken, and placed into the Afikommen Bag that one of His people will realize that this can be seen as symbolic of the death and burial of Messiah Jesus (Isaiah 53).  I pray that as they bring out the broken matzah (resurrection metaphor) and drink of the Cup of Redemption that they will think of Jesus’ final words on the cross — “It is Finished!” and realize that the long-held dreams of the Jewish people for a Messiah was fulfilled.

I am praying that tonight will be an eternally different night for the Jewish people.  I am praying that tonight will be the night that they see and receive Jesus as their Messiah.  I pray that you will pray those prayers as well.

He told me that he was a Christian man who had always held a special place in his heart for Israel and wanted to make a big difference in the lives of Jewish people.  By the way, this is always a good conversation starter — especially when your primary task for a ministry is fundraising!

But as you can probably guess, the rest of the conversation did not go as well.  For this kind man wanted to give the ministry $85,000 but he wanted to designate towards a task that the ministry was not yet engaged.  He wanted the money to be used to take Jewish people out of Russia and relocate them to Israel.  I explained that while Chosen People Ministries had missionaries both in Russia and Israel and that we attempted to meet as much as possible the physical needs of the people, we did not actually do the work of sending Russian Jewish people to Israel (i.e., help them to make aliyah).  I reinforced the truth that we focused on sharing with the Jewish people so that they could have a home in the New Jerusalem whether they lived in Siberia or Samaria.

Bottom line to this longer than expected story … he wanted his money to go to an organization that focused on relocation of the Jewish people to Israel (thinking that this would “speed up” the return of the Lord) and I had to give him the name and contact information for an organization that I have actually written about here on this blog!  I then had to make “the long walk” down the hall to tell the ministry’s president that I had turned away an $85,000 donation!  It was a long walk but thankfully the president agreed with my commitment to honesty and fidelity to true Jewish evangelism.

The $85,000 memory popped into my mind last week as I approached the end of a book that has spiritually and missionally touched me in ways I did not expect … especially after 12 years in mission work.  David Platt and his Radical:  Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream has become one of the most talked about books in recent memory.  And while I have not agreed 100% with his positions, I do have to say that regardless of my reaction to his words, he has caused me to pause and ponder.

As Platt puts the finishing words on his argument, he develops four very important arguments for Christians, churches, and giving to ministries that counts (p. 195-96):

1. Christians/churches need to focus their giving on organizations and ministries that are Gospel centered.
2. Giving should be targeted towards aspects of ministry that are church focused.
3. “Specific, tangible need(s)” is where the money should go.  In other words, don’t give to vague causes or one will only see vague results.
4. Offerings should be sent to those individuals and people who are trustworthy.

It has always been the daily prayer of Tzedakah Ministries (even before Platt wrote it down) that we will live up to these four principles.  I know of other ministries (including many others who are dedicated to the work of Jewish missions/evangelism) who share this burden as well.

Most of all, however, remember that the work of Jewish missions/evangelism truly and will always begin with you.  You don’t have to write a check to any mission organization to do missions.  You simply need to go outside and do something to share Jesus with the lost (including and especially the Jewish people) who are around you everyday.  That idea is the most RADICAL concept of all!

For you see, there are Jewish people in every corner of the world.  They are in New York City.  They are in Jerusalem.  They are in Mexico.  Mexico City has approximately 40,000 Jewish residents but very little outreach devoted to their salvation.  There is one church that has secured evangelistic tracts from Tzedakah Ministries (translated into Spanish) for an outreach.  There is a missionary with Chosen People Ministries in the city who is a dear man and an acquaintance of mine.  But very little time, effort or energy given to those who proclaim to believe in the Great Commission but do little to live out the truth/mandate of Romans 1:16!

My only question is why?

⁵who (are) the forefathers and from whom (is) Christ according to the flesh, who (is) over all God blessed for eternity, amen.

The final verse in this passage appears on the surface to a straightforward declaration of Jesus’ humanity and his physical lineage/connection to the Jewish people.  However, and as will be discussed in the following section, the verse also contains a potential Pauline declaration that Jesus is not only the Messiah but also that He is God.

The first matter of this verse for discussion is perhaps the least complicated – Jesus was born as a Jewish man[1] and ministered to the Jewish people.[2] The argument for this fact is based on the words of Paul himself, “who are the forefathers” referring to the Patriarchs[3] and “according to the flesh” which refers to physical hereditary of Jesus (see Matthew 1).[4]

The second issue in this verse is far more complicated and depends primarily upon whether a translator places a comma or inserts a period after “according to the flesh.”  This punctuation choice will determine whether one believes that Paul is making a statement regarding the Trinity, or has simply stopped his declaration of love for the Jewish people and their legacy as Israelites to begin a short praise (doxology) to God.  The argument cannot be solved by going to the original manuscripts because for the most part they were “destitute of any sort of punctuation.”[5] To determine what the historical perspective on the issue has to say, one would have to go to the early Church Fathers.  William Sanday lists Tertullian, Cyprian, Athanasius, Gregory of Nyssa, John Chrysostom, and Origen as advocates regarding a proclamation of Jesus’ deity; however, Cyril of Alexandria and Diodorus believed it was a doxology of praise to God.[6]

Since the historical and translation evidence does not provide a clear cut answer to the issue of whether Paul was making a statement concerning the deity of Christ in verse five,[7] one is required to examine two points that Paul is trying to make in the passage as a whole.  The first point is just who is Christ and the second is why would a relationship with Jesus as Messiah cause Paul to be willing to sacrifice all for those, the Jewish people, who did not believe in Jesus.  To answer both questions takes one sentence – Jesus is both the Messiah and God himself who came to take away the sins of the world and Paul’s recognition of this act of love was so profound as to transform his life forever, even to the point of self-sacrifice.

⁴who are Israelites, to whom (belongs) the adoption and the glory and the covenants and the law and the worship and the promises, ⁵who (are) the forefathers and from whom (is) Christ according to the flesh, who (is) over all God blessed for eternity, amen.

The fourth privilege of being an Israelite is “the law.” The history of the law and the Jewish people is well-established from the time of Mount Sinai, beginning in Exodus 19, and therefore should be considered an obvious privilege of the Jewish people.  Israel was able to have God be their personal “instructor”[1] and even though the Jewish people at the time of Paul had placed the law above the prophecies of the Messiah found within the law,[2] this giving of the law was a blessing bestowed that was unparalleled in nature.[3]

The fifth privilege of the Jewish people is the ability to “worship” of God.  Many Biblical versions have translated the word as “temple service” or “service;”[4] however, this paper prefers the connotation engendered by the idea of worship.[5] Richard Bell and William Sanday maintain the concept of “service” and specifically that “service” related to the sacrificial system of the Old Testament.[6] However, this translation creates a fundamentally flawed scenario for how could all the other privileges have both a past and forward perspective (i.e., the permanence of being adopted by God, the glory of the Lord shall return, the covenant is eternal, and the eternality of the purpose of the law) while the sacrificial system was foundationally in the past and fulfilled with the coming of Messiah Jesus?  C. E. B. Cranfield, while acknowledging the importance of the sacrificial system in Jewish history, suggests the concept of “worship” should also be considered to include the concepts of prayer, Bible reading, and other personal, intimate aspects of worship.[7]

The sixth privilege enumerated by Paul as it relates to ethnic Israel is “the promises.”  Paul does not specify the type or extent of “the promises” but there are two primary views to this issue.  Many believe that “the promises” mentioned in Rom. 9:4 is primarily, even strictly, Messianic in nature.[8] Other commentators prefer to view the promises as primarily dealing with the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob)[9] but with the intimation of the promises fulfilled in Jesus.[10] The latter view is probably the more correct interpretation of “the promises,” specifically in the sense of the plural usage form of the word.  John Piper, therefore, probably expressed the all-encompassing sense of the fulfillment of the promises of God when he wrote, “So we can see that for Paul the promises of God flow together into a summation of all the good that God can possibly offer his people.”[11]

The Privileges Which Belong to the Jewish People (Part One) – 9:4-5

⁴who are Israelites, to whom (belongs) the adoption and the glory and the covenants and the law and the worship and the promises, ⁵who (are) the forefathers and from whom (is) Christ according to the flesh, who (is) over all God blessed for eternity, amen.

Therefore, the gifts enumerated in verse four are for the nation of Israel and that nation alone.  The privileges consequently follow a specific pattern of six blessings, divided into two columns, with the first, second, fourth and fifth privileges in the singular form while the third and sixth blessings are plural.[1] John Piper believes that Paul chose this pattern for a specific purpose and that it was one that was known and perhaps “traditional” in form and structure.[2]

The first privilege of being an “Israelite” is the idea of “adoption.”  An adoption that is built on the premise of “grace” and not on worthiness or strength.[3] For Israel has never been the largest, grandest or strongest nation in the world; however, God in his panoramic view of history saw “something” which made them worthy of not only for being the Chosen People of God but also the forerunners and descendants of Messiah Jesus (see v. 5).

The second privilege of being a Chosen People is the reality of “glory.”  “Glory” would be a problem if one viewed this word from a human understanding; however, it is not a problem when one realizes that the focus of glory should not be the recipient but upon the giver of it.[4] This is given credence by the Hebrew (Old Testament) concept of glory which indicates the heaviness of the Lord.[5] Dunn and Piper agree with the Old Testament analysis of God’s glory but also remind the reader that “glory” for Israel is still to come because of the eschatological promises of God manifested to the nations “through Israel.”[6] Piper explains the eschatological hope by reminding the reader that glory “look[s] to the future with roots in the past.”[7]

The third privilege of being a member of the Hebrew nation is “covenants.”  A covenant(s) according to Calvin “is that which is expressed in distinct and accustomed words, and contains a mutual stipulation, as that which was made with Abraham.”[8] He (Calvin) also makes a clear distinction between the covenants mentioned and the promises indicated in verse four.[9] This is opposed to Thomas Schreiner who tries to incorporate the two words.[10] One would agree with Calvin as opposed to Schreiner in this scenario, because while they might connected in the nominative feminine plural sense, they are disconnected because one is talking about commitment and the other (promises) is speaking of “what we meet with everywhere in Scripture.”[11]

For the Jewish people, Kehillah is a word that has given substance and perseverance to the Jewish people throughout the 2,000 year history of the Diaspora from the Promised Land.  For no other people group that was cast out of their land, except for the Jewish people, have been able to persist in existence.  We hear nothing of the modern-day Moabites or Ammonites but there are Jewish Community Centers in towns and cities with large and small Jewish populations.  (Click here for a written example of Kehillah)

Kehillah is also a strong bond against today’s efforts to share the Gospel of Messiah Jesus with the Jewish people.  For the Jewish community of today is often bond together to dissuade one of their own from receiving Jesus as Messiah.

I have seen this position from many perspectives.  I have seen the shock waves that go through a crowd when it is whispered that “So and So” is now a believer in Jesus.  I have seen the fear in the eyes of a new believer as he/she must have that fateful talk with their family.  I have seen those who know the truth of Jesus but are afraid of the cost involved, their position in the Kehillah, if they make that eternal decision.

So what is the answer?  Can churches and Christians use the concept of Kehillah in a new plan for Jewish evangelism?  The answer is not only YES but also we must do it NOW! And here are some random ideas on how to get it done …

• It was mentioned in the December 2010 newsletter, Tzedakah Times, about the idea of using a dessert reception as an avenue to bring out the Gospel message.  A Kehillah Desert Reception could ideally be in someone’s home and would revolve around food (which everyone loves!) and community.  This is not a foreign concept to the Christian faith as the first believers (Jewish folks by the way!) after the Day of Pentecost met daily together and soon were sharing and living as a Kehillah even within the confines of the Temple (Acts 2 and so on).  One important aspect of this Kehillah Plan for Jewish Evangelism is that the host family must always be honest and upfront about the intention of the event.  For while you don’t have to always have a Gospel presentation and opportunity for response, and you might not want to the first time out, the family must be intentionally transparent about their Christian faith and about their desire for their Jewish friends and family to have the same relationship with Jesus.  Anything else is hypocritical and a lie!
• Churches can host Kehillah Nights at their churches in which topics such as Anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, the Middle East could be discussed with all members of the community.  What about a debate between a prepared pastor or invited speaker and a rabbi from the town that is willing to engage in a discussion.  For a church to do such event(s) would illustrate to the Jewish community that Christians not only understand Kehillah but live it out for the world to see.
• It is not only churches that could have Kehillah Nights.  Christian communities on college campuses would be an ideal place for such an evangelistic concept to be launched!  Pizza and discussion are a draw for any college student … why not include Jewish college students in the mix?
• Organizations such as Bible Study Fellowships, thanks to the efforts of A. Wetherell Johnson and others, have sprung up across the country in an effort to equip Christian women to be versed and rehearsed in the Scripture.  What about a similar outreach that would be attractive to Jewish women?  Tzedakah Ministries has been asked to help equip a group of women in the Dallas/Fort Worth area on how to reach Jewish people with the Gospel.  I pray and hope that after the initial lessons are taught that these women will take the message of Messiah Jesus out to the Jewish women in their sphere of contact and begin Kehillah Groups of their own!

We live in a very isolated world.  The ability for people to hide behind computer screens and cell phones makes it possible for people to never venture out of their comfort zone.  I have come to realize that Christians and churches are often the worst offenders of this isolationist mentality.  Nothing could be farther than what Jesus intended as He discipled a small group of 12 who became 120 in the Upper Room and then turned the world upside down for the Gospel (Acts 4:12).  And this was all accomplished using … KEHILLAH! So why don’t we try it today?

Tzedakah Ministries and the Romans 1:16 Response Team Vision wants to equip you in this Kehillah vision.  Please contact us at info@tzedakahministries.org as we are looking for Berean Learners, Elijah’s Witnesses, and Romans 1:16 Churches.  The Jewish Kehillah needs to hear about Messiah Jesus and they need to hear about him today.  Open up your heart and your Kehillah to make it possible!

⁴who are Israelites, to whom (belongs) the adoption and the glory and the covenants and the law and the worship and the promises, ⁵who (are) the forefathers and from whom (is) Christ according to the flesh, who (is) over all God blessed for eternity, amen.

The first three verses of this passage describe the pain of Paul’s heart and to the extent he is willing to go for the salvation of the Jewish people.  Verse four details both who are the Jewish people and the blessings that have been accounted to them by God as His Chosen People.  The fifth verse concludes the passage by reminding the readers of just why the relationship of Jesus to the Jewish people is so important and finally what is the relationship of Christ to God.

Paul’s Statement Regarding the Inalienable Rights of the Israelites

The issue of whether the “who are Israelites” in this passage are the ethnic people group known as Jews or “the church” who has replaced the Jewish people as God’s Chosen People[1] has been discussed previously in this series.  However, this is the section in which the answer must be formalized because this is the verse in which the rights and obligations are listed for the “Israelites.”[2] Calvin emphasized the importance of developing a fully formed answer to this question because of the emphasis Paul used in designating them as Israelites.[3] Therefore, this is not a time for trying to find an explanation in which both the nation of Israel and Christians could find a place in this verse[4] and so this section will categorically define and explain why verses four and five should be seen as referring to the ethnic nation of Israel.

J. C. Beker concurs with Calvin, at least in one area, on the idea that Paul is purposely clarifying and defining to whom he is referring.  Beker notes that Paul returns to the ancient term for the nation of Israel,[5] “a sacred term denoting the chosen community of God.”[6] Andrew Das furthers this thought by pointing out that it would be contradictory for Paul to lament the separated condition from God of Israel, if this Israel were the church or perhaps a subgroup of the nation of Israel.  Das believes that a reader must look at the entire nation of ethnic Israel to understand to whom Paul is referring to Romans 9:1-5, esp. 4-5.[7]

One of the aspects I enjoyed from this session was the idea of seeing our places of prayer — congregation, home, wherever — as sacred.  Understanding that those places we use as times and places of prayer should be set aside and not utilized for the trivial things of life.  I liked that concept of seeing a “prayer spot” as sacred, as holy, as devoted to God.

I also took away from the prayer teaching session three thoughts that I want to share with you.

1. The rabbi teaching the session took this idea from Rav Soloveitchik (1903-1993) and his work Worship of the Heart — “The basic function of prayer is not its practical consequences but the metaphysical formation of a fellowship consisting of God and man.”
2. He also noted Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki’s (aka Rashi) position (pardons for being unable to find the exact quotation) that idolatry is when one turns to a god who cannot answer your prayers.
3. Finally, the rabbi taught that prayer outlines to use two primary attributes of God which are also reflected in two names — Elohim and Yahweh**.  Elohim illustrates the God of Judgment (Midas Hadin). Yahweh illustrates illustrates the God of Mercy (Midas Horachamim.  And while, the rabbi did not use this illustration in his session, I reflected back on David’s relationship with God and how these words illustrate the rabbi’s point.  When he was in a close relationship with the Lord, he used the word Yahweh in his song/prayer of Psalm 23.  After his sin with Bathsheba and the death of his child, David in Psalm 51 used the word Elohim.

All good points that the rabbi made.  Lots of insight into the importance of prayer … BUT the rabbi overlooked one crucial and imperative point.

A woman in the audience asked the rabbi about what prayers should be prayed to God … personal and from the heart or the prescribed, standard prayers in the Siddur.  The rabbi told her that the standardized prayers of the Siddur book were the ones that should be prayed because rabbis over the centuries had prepared them so as to avoid any accidental misuse of God’s name.

What a shame for the woman and this rabbi!  They will perhaps never know the joy of just breaking one’s heart before God.  They will never know the peace that comes from having real conversations with God.  They will never know the release that one can have when they share their real emotions (even anger) with God because He can take it and He wants to hear it.

However, the greatest tragedy of all is that perhaps the woman and the rabbi will never know the eternal happiness that comes when one utters a simple and personal prayer from the heart that usually begins with these words, “Oh, Jesus, please save me!”

Therefore, we as believers in Jesus must share the importance of prayer with our Jewish friends and family.  We must live out the joy of prayer that is not based on prescribed Rabbinic patterns that oftentimes become just mere words to recite via rote.  Prayer is our connection, our conversation, our spiritual touching of God’s hands and heart.  I think that C. S. Lewis stated it best when he wrote …

“I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time- waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God- it changes me.”

³For I could wish myself to be accursed from Christ for my brothers my kin according to (the) flesh,

The separation “from Christ” Paul was willing to subject himself to was for none other than “my brothers my kin.”  The reality that this was referring to the Jewish people and not the replacement theology concept of “the church” has been acknowledged since the time of the Patristic Fathers.  Origen in his Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans wrote, “Why be surprised if, when Christ became a curse for his servants, one of his servants should become a curse for his brethren?”[1] Surprising words, when one considers that Origen was not known for his great compassion towards the Jewish people.

The reality of to whom Paul was stating his willingness for being accursed was emphasized by not only the statement of “my brothers” or “my kin” but also the apparent duplication of “according to the flesh.”  Paul used this duplication perhaps to remove all doubt as to whom he was referring because as a believer in Christ, he was a part of the family of God as well.[2]