Praise Report

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Praise report 

Today as I arrived to work an hour ago, I saw a group of Orthodox ladies (students learning the Torah) standing at the entrance of the compound. I invited them in. They were so very reluctant to enter and were very nervous. After explaining that I was just as Jewish as they were and I kept Shabbat and prayed with Phylacteries they relaxed a little. I was able to share with them and one girl secretly whispered she would be back.

Yesterday, a lady came in, who was in charge of an Ulpan (a school that teaches new Jewish immigrants Hebrew). She came into the compound with a group. I was tired and felt like giving the group to another guide but something inside me said stick with this group. A certain woman kept smiling and responding throughout my message. Afterwards. she introduced herself and invited me to give my testimony to the students (New Jewish immigrants) at her school. She also wants to use me as a to guide new Jewish immigrants around the old city and to share with them the Christian faith. She is so open. Her Name is Ruth Noi. Please pray that this seed would not fall by the way side.

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Prayer for Elan

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Prayer for Elan

I don’t usually let my right hand know what my left hand is doing when it comes to giving. But so you can pray for this man, I will share his story with you.

We are experiencing very stormy weather in Jerusalem.  Floods, rain with strong winds.

On Friday, a religious man by the name of Elian approached me. We have witnessed to him for years and have built much trust with him.

Elan’s wife passed away with kidney failure and he is raising three young children on his own.  He works as a security officer on the light rail trams in Jerusalem. Because of an accident on the train he hasn’t able to work for 6 months. The welfare that he has been receiving because of his accident hasn’t been covering all his needs. His electricity was cut off last Friday, which meant he would have had the weekend with no electricity. I helped him with his power bill as recently our power was cut off because of an unpaid.

Pray for Elan that he will come to know his Messiah.

Elan hopes to be back at work soon and he is training to be a light rail train driver.

Elan has been locked out of his house with his four children because he was behind two months rent.

His four children are staying with school friends.

We managed to solve the problem (the landlord has let him off one month’s rent and the other half was raised (small donations from different places.)

Elan receives council house from the government on the 1st of March. The rent for the council house will be around $100 a month.

Remember Elan had a work accident. He is due to receive a low rent government house on the 1st of March.

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Culture of Blessings

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Friday’s blessings

On Fridays, a Jewish father blesses his sons and daughters

The western church has forgotten the power of blessing.

Today is Friday and the father on the eve of Shabbat before Kiddush gathers his sons and daughters around him and blesses them.

The father blesses his girls with “May G-d make you like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah,” the mothers of the Jewish nation;

The father blesses the boys with “May G-d make you like Ephraim and Manasseh. We are commanded to bless this way! Genesis 48:20 “In thee shall Israel bless, saying G-d make thee as Ephraim and Manasseh.

We bless the girls by saying “May G-d make you like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Lea” The question is why don’t we bless our sons by saying “ May G-d make you like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” who are the fathers of the Jewish nation? I will answer this question in a future recorded audio.

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Blessings in a Jewish community

Coming to faith in 1980, I immediately heard many sermons on the importance of the spoken word. However, I have never experienced practical blessing in the Christian Community as in a Jewish community.

On birthdays in a Jewish school, the classmates sit around the birthday boy (or girl) and one by one pronounce a blessing. This custom starts in Kindergarten and, of course, it is in our homes on a weekly basis at the beginning of every Shabbat.

By interpreting the dream of the cup bearer, Joseph was released from prison through his speaking by faith. Joseph’s speaking not only released him from prison, Joseph also obtained authority through the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams (41:25-44), and ultimately brought him to the throne to be ruler of the world.

We can also be released from our prison by speaking. Do not wait until you have the experience before you speak by faith. Andrew Murray once said that a good minister always speaks more than he has experienced.

Every year on the evening of Yom Kippur, we have another time of family blessings called “Kol Nidre.” More about this in another blog.

I would encourage you, not only to make proclamations in your personal prayer life, but bring the culture of blessing into your family and Christian community.

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Family coming to faith

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Family coming to faith

Vered, an Orthodox, single mom with two children, is in the process of coming to faith. She is very dependent on the Orthodox community to look after her. For her to become a part of the Messianic community, she will lose this support. We desperately need prayer, recourses and other assistance.

As you can imagine, Vered lives under the constant stress of providing for her children. Her ten year old daughter’s name is Adi, (ornament in Hebrew), and her son, Ephraim, is 8 years old. Ephraim has a brain disorder and wakes up several times every night. They live in a small, cramped apartment and are of need of much. Israel does not provide assistance to single mothers that US government programs do.

Please pray with us for Vered, who has started a very difficult, painful process. It will be very hard for her to leave family and everything she grew up with and believed was right, (Rabbinical Judaism). Dikla is working close with Vered and they have become good friends.

Israel
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The Oral Law and the Written Law

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The Oral Law and the Written Law

Judaism has what we call the “Written Law” [this is the 5 books of Moses which you are familiar with] and “The Oral Law.”

What is the Oral Law? Moses received from God much more than what he wrote down. The Oral Law is a commentary on the law and even more laws than what is written. These commentaries and laws were passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation.

Jesus refers to these laws that the Scribes and Pharisees believed where G-d inspired, as teachings and doctrines of man. Isaiah prophesied of the future corruption of Judaism and Yeshua quoted “Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men”. Isaiah 29:13

After the destruction of the second temple, these Oral Laws, passed from generation to generation, were put in writing, and is now known as the “Talmud.” There is a Jerusalem Talmud and a Babylonian Talmud.

moses-with-the-ten-commandments
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The Oral Law is an interpretation of the Written law (man’s interpretation). For example, the law tells us we can’t work or light a fire on the Shabbat. What do we consider work? Remember Jesus’ disciples were rubbing grain in the fields and that was considered work. Luke 6:1, Mark 2:23, Matthew 12:1.

Today on Fridays, the religious will cut toilet paper because they can’t rip it on Shabbats. They will open a can of Coke on Friday and save it for Saturday because they can’t open a tin on Saturday. They can’t turn on or off a light, pick up a pen to write, pick fruit from a tree or travel in a car. The food must be prepared and be on hot plates.

A head Rabbi’s sermon one Saturday was, “Is it a sin to pick your nose on the Shabbat?” The conclusion was yes, you might pull out a few hairs at the same time. And especially if you roll it in your fingers after it comes out of your nose! They honestly think that if they break the smallest of these rules they anger God.

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God’s calendar or man’s?

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God’s calendar or man’s?

God’s New Year; are we going to keep God’s calendar or man’s?

Exodus 12:2 ,”This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.” In this verse, God established the biblical New Year. Accordingly, the 1st of Av is the proper Jewish New Year. In 2013, it will be the13th of March and Passover will be on the 25th of March.

Before the Exodus, the New Year was around September. God changed the New Year to spring, and the Rabbis have changed it back to September.

According to the New Calendar God established in Exodus, Noah’s ark rested on the Earth the very day Yeshua rose from the dead.
Gen 8: 4 “Then the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month…” When God changed the Calendar in Exodus, the 7th month became the 1st month. Yeshua was crucified on the 14th day and rose on the 17th.

The Essene sect wrote the Dead Sea scrolls, and thus preserved for us the oldest written bible on earth. In Yeshua’s day, the Essene’s were against the corruption of the temple and kept a solar calendar. At the last supper, Jesus was keeping the Essene Calendar.

I believe G_d is about to reveal to his Body deep truths concerning the stars, signs and seasons. I believe there is also a connection with the 12 tribes, 12 stones, and the zodiac. Around Jesus’ time, the synagogue floors were covered with mosaics of the 12 tribes and the zodiac.

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The virgin birth of the Messiah

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The virgin birth of the Messiah

The virgin birth of the Messiah can be more profoundly grasped when we understand an important translation issue from the original Hebrew language of the Tenach, or Old Testament. Leviticus 17:11 is commonly translated, “the life of the flesh is in the blood”; but the Hebrew Bible actually says, “the soul of the flesh is in the blood”. The difference is important. The word often translated “life” in Hebrew (נפש) and Greek (psyche), is more accurately, “soul”, not “life”. This occurs in the Hebrew Old Testament 117 times, and an additional 4 times it is wrongly translated, “desire”.

Now consider the following verses:

“You are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” [1 Peter 1:9].

“Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.” [James 1:21] Simply stated, the purpose of our faith is that our souls be saved, because our souls are corrupted. Of course this has profoundly affected our bodies as well, which also need salvation.

 

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Now the Lord, Himself commanded us to take up our cross daily. But immediately after saying this, He added, “Whoever wants to save his soul (psyche) will lose it, and whoever loses his soul for my sake will find it.” [Mt. 16:25]. Yeshua clearly stated that in order for our soul to be saved we must lose it, and He indicated the method which He Himself pioneered; the cross needs to crucify it.

Back to our verse, “the soul of the flesh is in the blood”. It is medically proven that a baby’s blood is formed solely from the blood of the father even though the baby may have a different blood type. Have you ever wondered why YHVH visited the sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generation and not the mothers; or why all Biblical genealogies are reckoned through men and never women? Here is an amazing truth!

Taking the illustration of seed and soil: which one determines the nature and form of the plant? Of course it’s the seed. No matter what the quality of the soil is, planting a carrot seed will always produce a carrot, and nothing else. Well, the same is true of a women’s womb. The womb, just like the soil, can only provide the environment and sustenance for the seed to grow to maturity. But it is the seed of the man (going all the way back to the first man, Adam) which determines the quality of the “plant”, in this case, a human being. The father’s seed carries the sin to his son or daughter, through the blood from his seed. “The sins of the fathers….”

So sin is proliferated from generation to generation in a very literal and biological manner; passed from the blood of the father, and particularly, the sin-filled soul which is in that blood, down to the children, from generation to generation. The man’s sperm is the seed, the woman’s womb, the soil. Seed and sperm are the same words in Hebrew. In the same way, every bread which is baked has a bit of the old leaven in it from the last batch. So every baby has the leaven (blood) of the father.

We have, in the feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread the perfect example of how the cycle of sin was terminated by the Messiah. Passover puts an end to sin through His perfect sacrifice, (and its cleansing blood), and Unleavened Bread terminates the cycle of leaven from bread to bread and typifies the breaking of the chain of sin passing from blood to blood, soul to soul.

This is why Yeshua (Jesus) is the promised seed of Woman and why the Virgin Birth was necessary. Women do not have sperm. And the Lord had no earthly father, and therefore, carried none of the blood of fallen man in his veins, since sin is transferred through fathers, in the blood which carries the soul.

Now, here is our real hope. A grain of wheat that dies and is buried in the soil, then sprouts and bears a hundredfold, yields wheat grains which have the same DNA as the grain of wheat that died. We have borne the DNA of our first father Adam. But through our faith in Yeshua, the Second “Adam”, our Adamic nature is crucified with Messiah, and we have inherited the DNA of Him that died, was resurrected, and became the first born of many brothers. We can now keep the feast of Unleavened Bread, since Yeshua cancelled the DNA of a thousand generations all the way back to Adam. And it was His birth through a virgin which qualified Him perfectly for this sanctifying work.

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Christmas

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Christmas and the Virgin Birth

Happy Christmas! The outreach went so well. I will have photos ready soon. Last night I spoke to Joseph, a recent Orthodox convert who is desperate for accommodation. We need 7,000 Shekels a month for a 4 roomed flat. So far we have givers who altogether are ready to give us 3,000 shekels. My heart breaks for these guys. Joseph is the Orthodox who came to faith as a young boy. His parents found out and they sent him overseas to Vienna.

This evening we give the gospel to hundreds of Israelis. Last year, they were very touched.

Find out what touches the heart of a Jew concerning the virgin birth. Listen to the audio.

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Understanding Orthodox Jews’ way of thinking

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Understanding Orthodox’s way of Thinking

Here is an excerpt from an article of one of Israelis leading Newspapers. In order to pray for the Orthodox, you need to understand their way of thinking. We see a lot of articles in the Hebrew newspapers similar to the one I pasted below, but very rarely in the English newspapers.

The neighbourhood of Meah Sharim has become a lawless no-man’s-land. It’s part of the ultra-Orthodox community’s process of radicalization. But there’s no reason for radicalization to lead to unrestrained violence. These are not isolated excesses – large crowds take part in the incidents. Mea She’arim is ruled by the rabbinical court of the Eda Haredit, the extreme ultra-Orthodox group that could stop the riotous behaviour if it wanted to. But it doesn’t want to.

The violence is encouraged by the police’s kid-glove policy and fear of a full-scale confrontation with the ultra-Orthodox. Quite often, instead of facing off with the rioters, the police simply close off the neighbourhood. There are daily attacks on soldiers, police, technicians and bus passengers without a clear response. The locals realize that Israeli law does not apply to them. They are immune to punishment.

What are the strongholds Ultra Orthodox trust in?

Here it is one:

Orthodox believe Rabbinical authority is superior and infallible concerning interpretation of the bible. Rabbinical authority is expressed in the Oral law. In order to show them prophecies fulfilled in Yeshua in the Old testament we need to prove that the written word of the old testament has more authority than Rabbinic Oral law (Talmud, Mishna etc).

“A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof”. Proverbs 21:22

NIV “One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty, and pull down the stronghold in which they trust”.

Judaism’s Strongholds
Judaism has strongholds which are in their minds and thoughts barriers that block revelation of the truth. The greatest stronghold is that ‘The Rabbis’ interpretation of the Torah is infallible. When proving to an Orthodox that Yeshua is our beloved Messiah in scripture they always answer, “How can you be right and all our wise famous Rabbis be wrong?” Here is one example I use to bring down this stronghold in their minds.

“Rabbi Akiva in 132 ad proclaimed that Bar Kochba was Israel’s Messiah, do you think he was right?” They always answer rather sheepishly, “He was wrong” Then I make this statement, “Rabbi Akiva more than any other man that ever lived was responsible for the Talmud and the interpretation of scripture which you study and believe today. Is it possible that he made other mistakes?”

How Ultra Orthodox prepare for the Messiah

They believe that by learning the mystery of Kabbalah are preparing their hearts for the coming of the Messiah. A young Orthodox we know was so frightened that the Messiah would come and he wasn’t prepared. Many Orthodox have the same fear.

We prepare with love and good works; their preparation is intellectual and mystical.

Why doesn’t the Jewish Orthodox movement recognize the state of Israel?

Why doesn’t the Jewish Orthodox movement recognize the state of Israel? Why is the State of Israel diametrically opposed to the Torah?

Orthodox Jews do not recognize the state of Israel! They view it as Zionism against Judaism. The Orthodox are against the Zionistic movement and the “State of Israel” because they claim it to be diametrically opposed and completely contradictory to YHWH’s revealed word in the Torah.  Here is a quote of the Rabbis:

“Because of all of this and other reasons, the Torah forbids us to end the exile and establish a state and army until the Holy One, blessed be He, in His Glory and Essence will redeem us.”

I can completely understand their reasoning. The Law (Torah) clearly states that if we break YHWH’s law we will be scattered amongst the nations and the only way back to the land and blessings is national repentance.

“But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors, their unfaithfulness and their hostility toward me… Then I will remember the covenant, I will remember the land.” Leviticus 26:40, 42

The Zionist movement, which brought the Jews back to the land of Israel (immigration or Aliyah) from 1882 until now, has not at all been based on repentance and turning back to God. Here are a few quotes from Newspaper articles and the links to the full articles:

“Although there are those who refuse to accept the teachings of our Rabbis, and will continue to support the Zionist state, there are also many who are totally unaware of the history of Zionism and its contradiction to the beliefs of Torah-True Jews.”

http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com

Let it be known that:

“The State of “Israel” does not represent the voice of Judaism and/or the Jewish people. The Torah clearly forbids the formation of a State, for the Jewish people, in their time of exile.”

http://rense.com/general51/agz.htm

This is an interesting YouTube video: Thousands of Orthodox Jews protest Netanyahu and the State of Israel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBOv3jLirxA

“The rabbinical authorities had led the Jewish communities of the world for nearly 2,000 years. The rise of Zionism was a distinct threat to their authority and their teachings.”

http://www.zionism-israel.com/his/orthodox_judaism_history.htm

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Rabbis and Marriage

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Rabbis and Marriage

A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD, even to the tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the Lord Deuteronomy 23:2

The religious control marriages in Israel and the rules are very strict. Young Israelis under certain circumstances are forced to go overseas to get married.

The Rabbis won’t marry a person born out of wedlock until the tenth generation. The Rabbis won’t marry them. They can’t always check 10 generations but they do check as much as they can. 

Orthodox and Sex

(Please note these are not my views)

This subject is a little sensitive but we feel it is important for you to know.

Orthodox believe that sex is just for making babies. Once the baby is conceived they must not enjoy sex. The pharmacies in Mea Sharim sell often illegal drugs to suppress the sexual desire. They believe that sex defiles and hinders them from experiencing God and being Holy.

While statistics show the large number of Christian men are caught up in pornography, Orthodox men do everything to suppress their sexual desire. They have a special diet and pills if needed. Women have to shave their hair and wear a wig, as natural hair they consider attractive and awakens the sexual desire.

Let’s look at their scriptural basis for their beliefs on sex.

Exodus 19:15 and be ready on the third day: come not at your wifes (abstain from sexual relations NIV)

The Ultra Orthodox claim that sexual relationships disqualify us from being able to come into the presence of God. The people had to consecrate themselves to be able to stand in God’s presence by doing two things, washing their clothes and abstaining from sex.

Leviticus 16:15 When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean till evening.

When a man is unclean, he can’t approach God. In this verse having sex and emitting sperm defiles a man for a whole day.

marriage ceremony - two lover's hands just after marriage ceremony

Genesis 38:9

“But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother.”

From this verse, Rabbinical Judaism teaches that sex is just for producing offspring, and intercouse where the seed is wasted is sinful. However a man is allowed relations in order to release pressure. Even so, he isn’t permitted to enjoy. An Ultra Orthodox man must never see his wife’s body or hair. This is accomplished by using a sheet with a hole in it.

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