Category Archives: Kingdom of God

May 11, 2016 · 10:07 am

The Search for One New Man (Conclusion)

During the reign of King Jehoiakim, and over fifteen years before Nebuchadnezzar carried off most of Judah to Babylon, Jeremiah had prophesied that Judah would be held in captivity for seventy years.

All of the scribes and priests had access to the prophecies of Jeremiah, but the Bible only states that the old prophet, Daniel, understood it was time for the captivity of Judah to be finished in Babylon. So, Daniel humbled himself with fasting, supplications, and prayers, interceding for the Lord to act upon Jeremiah’s prophecy.

While Daniel was still speaking, praying, and confessing his sin and the sin of Israel, the angel Gabriel showed up and said:

“O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you… (Daniel 9:22-23)

In the above example, we read how the Holy Spirit enlightened Daniel to pray Jeremiah’s prophecy into being. Then, while Daniel is still praying, Gabriel arrives to give the old prophet even more understanding.

Okay, this is the exact same place I believe we stand right now with:

...that he might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace (Ephesians 2:15)

There is no use attempting to bring unity to the Body of Christ if the Jewish believers and the Gentile believers are not brought into the one new man relationship. We Gentiles need the Jewish believers and the Jewish believers need us.

Without the one new man coming into being, we will not attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the fullness of Christ. We instead will continue to be children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

If the Jews and Gentiles in the whole Body are not rightly joined and held together, each part will not work properly and the Body will not grow and be built up in love.

Eventually, the one new man has to arrive at this level of power, love, and revelation:

so that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 3:10)

Because I feel this is so important right now, I’m changing my Tuesday regimen of praying and fasting for the prisoners of Asia, which has been my practice for more than four years. But instead, I will be fasting and praying for the one new man to come forth in the Body of Christ.

Who knows? Maybe Gabriel will show up and give us understanding.

If you agree and feel the Holy Spirit is leading you to do so, join me on Tuesdays in fasting and praying for the one new man.

(Conclusion for now……if you’re interested, the full series to date can be seen here.)

1 Comment

Filed under America, Christianity, Church, Fasting, Gifts of the Spirit, Hebraic roots, Intercession, Kingdom of God, One new man, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

May 10, 2016 · 7:35 am

Tuesday’s Prayers for Prisoners (5/10/2016)

Qatar: 2.1 million people (87.4% Muslim and 6.3% Christian) Persecution Level: Severe

Qataris are the richest people in the world, thanks to oil and gas revenues. The Thani family has ruled for 150 years, and in 2013 the former emir transferred power to his son.

Life for Christians:
Though conversion from Islam is a capital offense, no one has been punished for apostasy. However, Christian converts and Christian migrant workers face constant pressure. The government allowed the construction of “Church City,” where thousands of foreign Christians worship. No Christian symbols are allowed in advertising or other areas visible to the public. (Voice of Martyrs)

90% of Qatar’s population of about two million is made up of migrant laborers. The Qataris (10%) enjoy the highest GDP per capita in the world. Expatriates and migrant workers are generally perceived and treated by Qataris as slaves. Forced labor and human trafficking are major problems. Working conditions for migrant workers can be inhumane and dangerous; they face underpayment, domestic violence, sexual abuse and lack proper living conditions. It is not uncommon for them to die at their work place. (Open Doors)

My prayer for today:

Lord, I pray that You open up the eyes of the Qatari people so that they realize how wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked they are without You. (Based on Revelation 3:17)

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for prisoners in Asia, according to Hebrews 13:3.

Why Asia?

1. 4.4 billion people live in Asia.

2.. 85.4% of world’s unevangelized people live in Asia. (Unevangelized means they may have heard the gospel but have no understanding on how to respond.)

3. The world’s three largest non-Christian religions – Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhists – are based in Asia.

4. Of the 37 countries of the world that are less than 10% Christian, 32 are in Asia. Of the 14 countries, that are less than 2% Christian, 12 are in Asia.

5. 600 million people live in abject poverty in the slums of Asia.

6. 85-90% of unreached people live in Asia. (Unreached means that they have never heard the name of Jesus.) (Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation)

2 Comments

Filed under Asia, Christianity, Church, Fasting, Gifts of the Spirit, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

May 9, 2016 · 10:09 am

“My Church is a Bunch of Nice Losers” (Part 7)

Eight years ago, a blogger from a well-known ministry’s website read one of my articles on Larry Who and asked me to read an article about prophecy and prophets on their website and then write a comment. I felt honored and did so.

The article was well-written, but there was one sentence which I disagreed with —

“From this we can learn that a ‘go alone prophet’ is not good, nor biblical..”

I wrote, “A lot of this sounds good, but sadly some of it is not scriptural.”

Oh my Lord, you would have thought I had written a blasphemous comment. The blogger and ministry head commented back and forth with me for almost two weeks.

Later, the ministry head wrote:

I think there’s an important spiritual point you’re missing here in terms of what Andrew was trying to communicate. Perhaps you can step back and reflect on the principle? My point here is not that everything must comes of out the home base in a region, but that if God sends someone into a region where He already has His people laboring in right relationship with Him, then there is no reason for a “go alone prophet.” Otherwise, there is confusion, lack of mutual submission and accountability, among other things, and the Word is pretty clear about all this being important.

I answered by writing:

Let’s say there is a city named Christian City. In Christian City there are fifty churches and each is in right relationship with the Lord and with the other churches. There are numerous quality apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, elders, and deacons in Christian City.

Now, two thousand miles away, a prophet lives in a hut. He thinks the Lord has directed him to go and speak in Christian City. He jumps on a jet, flies to Christian City, takes a taxi to the city square of Christian City, pays the driver, walks to the middle of the city square and begins to prophesy to the people and the government of Christian City. All of this is done without talking to another Christian (except maybe to his wife).

Now, are you saying that God would not do this? That He no longer will send a Jonah-type prophet to a city to speak His words?

We eventually agreed to disagree on this issue.

Okay, I admit to being a stubborn believer, but I also believe that Scripture cannot be bent to justify our teachings, theologies, and beliefs. If Scripture does not agree in total with our thinking, we should not extrapolate from here and there throughout the Bible, trying to make our doctrines work.

And this is the main reason why the Church is a bunch of nice losers.

(Continued in Part 8……if you’re interested, the full series to date can be seen here.)

2 Comments

Filed under America, Christianity, Church, Fasting, Gifts of the Spirit, Kingdom of God, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

May 8, 2016 · 8:49 am

Inside Israel

The Shuk in Jerusalem

The Shuk in Jerusalem

Once again, it’s time to hear from our sister in Jerusalem about what she is witnessing there as a believer in Yeshua. Put your prayer shawls on and pray for Israel and Sister J. Now here she is —

Shalom again to Holocaust Memorial and Remembrance Day (Yom h’Shoar). Welcome, Lord of all comfort and Truth into this day.  Invade the hearts of those whose hearts have been so damaged by the unimaginable and yet still hope against hope that there is Truth, Hope and justice. May we who have seen The Face of Truth, Hope and Justice bring your Light into this darkening world.

Yes, it has been Yom h’shoar (Day of Holocaust literally but called the Remembrance day for the martyrs of the Holocaust, or just Holocaust Memorial day) once again, with its full shock of entry and time of deep reflection.

How does one begin to grieve or share the grief of 6,000,000,000…six million?

One at a time.

Our Knesset holds a ceremony: “Unto every person there is a name.” It goes like this: (a quote from the Jerusalem Post) —

“Social Equality Minister Gila Gamliel and her daughters lit a candle in her mother’s name, and in memory of her relatives killed in the Jado concentration camp in Libya, where 2,600 Jews were sent, 562 of whom died. Gamliel’s great-grandfather, Shia Bracha, was sent to the camp from Tripoli, and was killed while trying to escape, and her grandparents lost a daughter from malnutrition in Jado.

“Modern Israel owes part of its establishment to the heroes who underwent the hell of the Holocaust and rose from it to fight for Israel’s independence, thus ensuring the continuation of future generations in Israel,” Gamliel said. “The recognition in recent years of Holocaust survivors and victims of the Nazi regime in Arab countries is for me, as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor from Libya, is the closing of a circle and does justice to a large group in Israel that did not receive the recognition it deserves.”

Others who lit candles were Holocaust survivors Esther Meron, Avraham Ivanir, Fruma Galant, mother of Housing and Construction Minister Yoav Galant, and Svetlana Sorokin, mother of MK Ksenia Svetlova (Zionist Union), as well as Company for Location and Restitution of Holocaust Victims’ Assets Director-General Dr. Yisrael Peleg.

Next, MK Yaakov Margi (Shas) read from Psalms, Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yaakov Yosef said Kaddish and an IDF cantor chanted the El Maleh Rachamim prayer.

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein began the name-reading by reading the names of children who perished in the Sharogorod Ghetto in Transnistria, where his grandparents and mother survived the Holocaust.

President Reuven Rivlin read the names of soldiers killed in the War of Independence who were the last surviving members of their families, as well as the names of their relatives who were murdered by the Nazis. His wife, Nechama Rivlin, read names of relatives, and had to stop in the middle to compose herself, as she was crying.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kept his annual tradition of reading a poem his father-in-law, Shmuel Ben-Artzi, wrote in 1941 in Israel, when he lost touch with his family in Europe and did not know what happened to them. They all perished in the Holocaust.

Supreme Court President Miriam Naor said she and her cousins did research to find out names and details about relatives who were killed in the Holocaust…” AND SO ON IT GOES.

Poignant. Emotional. Indescribable. These are the words that come to me as I seek to describe the day that I have sought to describe for 21 years now.  At 10:00 am the eerie wail of the siren sounded throughout the country for two minutes while a nation stood silent and at attention, agreeing to share a mantle of grief far too heavy to be borne alone on the shoulders of tattooed old people.

For one day in the year they open the coffin of a closet where the dark memories lie hidden and share the unimaginable openly, in schools, on television and in ceremonies or homes, so that we can all carry it together with them.  We listen to their stories, sit and have tea with them, weep with them and hug them.  The stories are collected, written, and dramatized. “They must never forget!” they cry.  ‘The world must never never forget!’ they yell collectively, but their voices grow ever weaker.

It has been 70 years now since the Holocaust.  Many of them have lived this long because they have a burning passion to “Having survived −survive!” But they are dying because they are, after all, just flesh and blood.

A new and hopeful thing has cropped up.  It is called Zikeron b’salon or literally “Memory in the livingroom.”   I was listening to a report about it. They said that several years ago some young people were speaking of a need they had to find further expression concerning the Holocaust.  Children here learn about it in school from pre-school and the studies continue through the army and university.

During the last year in high school they participate in “The March of the Living” − a trip to Auschwitz death camp.  Suddenly they are post army and university and it all comes to an end.  A small group of young adults decided to meet in the livingroom, hear a testimony in person or on a tape, and to hold their own discussion and ceremony.  It caught on with young people all over the country and this year there were hundreds of such meetings.

Yes, it is taken personally.  Life from the dead…hope from ashes.

Last week one of our patients died.  Ada Steinberg was 96 and lived with a helper.  Originally from Russia, she had never married, made aliyah alone as a teenager, became a professor and had many friends, but she outlived them all. That was a chilling thought to me when she told me that her last friend died.  She was now all alone but she went on and became very close to her helper.

She died quietly in her sleep last week and I asked my boss who would sit shiva for her (mourn her in the Jewish tradition).  He stopped and said, “I don’t know.”

That wasn’t like my boss.  He knows ALL of these things!  “Was she in the shoah?” I asked him.  To my surprise, he didn’t know that either.  It took me quite awhile searching online to find anything about her but finally, on the Yad V’Shem website, (take a look) www.yadvashem.org/  among the recorded testimonies, I found hers.  It is in Hebrew and so it will take me awhile to listen, but I intend to.  She had a name.  She was brave.

I was raised with the Holocaust.  Today I found myself wondering how it had colored’ my world.  I guess I will never know really.  I was very small, perhaps two, when I first became aware of the Holocaust.  I had very thick curly dark hair and I was with my Mother.  It was summer.  I remember the dress that I was wearing.  A woman stopped to talk to my mother and she reached out and put her fingers in my hair and began running them through lovingly, but even then at that young age I knew something wasn’t right.  I remember her getting down on her knees and looking at me and saying over and over, “I had a little girl like you once, yes, I had a little girl just like you…”

My Mother sheltered me behind herself and I was holding on to her knees. But that was only my first encounter.  Holocaust survivors began pouring into our neighborhood in NY, USA and there was a scary feeling about them…something of death held on to them and it haunted me.  In our apartment there were books and photos of the newly liberated camps.  I would lay on the floor and look at the pictures and wonder.

My conclusion then was: “We must be such an awful people to be so deeply hated.”

HOW THANKFUL I AM THAT THE ONE WHO WAS DISPISED AND REJECTED PURSUED ME AND SAVED ME OUT OF THE HELL THAT I FOUND MYSELF TRAPPED IN!

So I stood outside of work at 10:00 a.m. this morning when the siren pierced the air and prayed for Kala Zeltzer, Yaakov and Ruth Lork and the other survivors that I know by name − for them to be comforted face to Face by The One Who is truly able to understand and bare even their grief and lead them safely home.

God bless you all.  Lovingly,

your sister J

2 Comments

Filed under Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

May 7, 2016 · 9:33 am

My Church is a Bunch of Nice Losers? (Part 6)

Let’s set the stage first:

In April, the North Carolina state legislators passed a wide-ranging bill which barred transgender people from using bathrooms and locker rooms that do not match the gender on their birth certificates. Almost immediately, Bruce Springsteen, Pepsi, Whole Foods, General Electric, IBM, Microsoft, Cisco, NFL, NBA, and so forth have boycotted or threatened to boycott North Carolina because of their legislative stand.

Then a week later, Target announced that transgender team members and guests may use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their transgender identities. The American Family Association (AFA) called for a boycott by Christians of Target Stores, which to date over 1,000,000 have signed the pledge to boycott Target.

Okay, what’s wrong with this picture?

Blow the trumpet in Zion,
Consecrate a fast,
Call a sacred assembly;

Gather the people,
Sanctify the congregation,
Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and nursing babes;
Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber,
And the bride from her dressing room.

Let the priests, who minister to the LORD,
Weep between the porch and the altar;
Let them say, “Spare Your people, O LORD,
And do not give Your heritage to reproach,
That the nations should rule over them.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’” (Joel 2:15-17)

Once again, the Church has listened to the trumpet of the flesh and used a world system weapon: boycotting. This is so dumb on our part! It reveals to the whole world what a bunch of nice losers we believers are; and of course, the unbelievers are asking, “Where is their God?”

Don’t Christian leaders who support the Target boycott have Bibles? Don’t they understand that boycotts are nothing but fleshly stands against spiritual foes? Or have these leaders decided it’s easier to go the way of the flesh rather than fasting, praying, and trusting God?

No doubt, most of us Christians, would rather sign our names to a boycott pledge and then drive to a different store, rather than shopping at Target. What does this act cost us? Nothing! Zero. Nada!

But then again, this is how the Church has fought abortion, gay agendas, secularism, and everything else Satan has thrown at America. It’s no wonder we lose!

(Continued in Part 7…if you’re interested, the full series to date can be seen here.)

8 Comments

Filed under America, Christianity, Church, Fasting, Gifts of the Spirit, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

May 6, 2016 · 10:55 am

The Search for One New Man (Part 5)

 

In Ephesians 2:19, Paul continues speaking to the Gentile believers:

 “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” 

The word fellow citizen means to be in union with or together with by resemblance, companionship, or association. When someone becomes a citizen of a nation, they are required to learn the laws, customs, history, and language of that nation. A person becoming a citizen must also pledge loyalty, faithfulness, and commitment to that nation.

We need to remember that it says in Romans 11:17, that the Gentiles were grafted in among the nation of Israel, and the Jewish people. When you graft something, you join or fasten it in such a way as to bring about a close union.

This is what Ruth did as she attached herself to Naomi, a type and shadow of the Gentile becoming a fellow citizen with Israel and the Jewish people. The Gentile believers (Christians) should be involved with the Jewish people, both Messianic and non-Messianic; thereby fulfilling scripture.

Unfortunately, this union that Paul spoke about never really developed into the one new man relationship. In Ephesians 2:20, Paul states that these Gentile believers are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus The Messiah being the chief cornerstone.

It is okay to apply this verse for today, that apostles and prophets are the backbone of the Church, but we also must remember that when Paul was writing, the apostles and prophets he was referring to were all Jewish.

The rich biblical inheritance that believers in Messiah have worldwide has been passed down to them by Jewish spiritual parents. In verse 21 it states:

in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

So, the question is – what does this one new man church look like? We have no blueprint, but we have the Holy Spirit, and he can help us to develop it. Since the joining of one new man consists of Jew and Gentile in Messiah, then we must not be afraid to incorporate both, and bring them together to complete the plan of God. Only when we accept this joining will we fulfill God’s purpose.

As Paul states in Eph.1:10:

“as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

(The above is an excerpt from Nikirk Ministries and the full article can be seen here.

 

(Continued in Part 5……if you’re interested, the full series to date can be seen here.)

4 Comments

Filed under Christians, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Hebraic roots, Kingdom of God, One new man, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

May 5, 2016 · 9:04 am

Thursday’s Prayers for America (5/5/2016)

Was God taken by surprise that hardhearted Thutmoses III was the Pharoah of Egypt when Moses led Israel out of that nation?

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him…But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you My power, so that My name may be proclaimed in all the earth. (Exodus 9:13, 16)

Was God taken by surprise when eight year old Josiah took the throne over Israel in 640 BC?

“Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and he shall sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who make offerings on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.” (1 Kings 13:2 — this prophecy was spoken 300 years earlier.)

Okay, then was God taken by surprise when Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton became –what looks like– their respective party’s nominees for President?

My prayer today:

Lord, I pray that Your redemptive purposes and divine plans are fulfilled by whomever becomes the next President of the United States.

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

2 Comments

Filed under America, Christianity, Fasting, Gifts of the Spirit, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

May 2, 2016 · 10:46 am

My Church is a Bunch of Nice Losers (Part 5)

Bob Jones told this story about himself:

In the late 1980s, the Lord told Jones that Jimmy Swaggart would have his sexual sin publicly revealed for all to see. Jones then told his friends and his church. When the news about Swaggart was finally released in the media, Jones and his friends rejoiced and acted with festive attitudes. “We got Swaggart,” they said to one another.

The Lord also spoke to Paul Cain about Jimmy Swaggart, but Cain told no one. When Cain heard the news on TV about Swaggart’s sin being exposed, he spent the day weeping before the Lord for Swaggart, his family, and the Body of Christ.

Jones later repented of his attitude and used it as an example of how “knowledge puffs us up, but love edifies all.”

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6)

The Greek word antitassō, which is translated into the English word resists in the above verse, is a military term and actually means to battle against. Thus, God battles against pride.

The foul sin of pride is the number one method Satan uses to derail us believers in spiritual battles. He knows that if he can get us to move from humility — a position of spiritual strength — into pride, God who honors His word will battle against us.

Sadly, we believers often resemble James and John after a village did not accept Jesus and His ministry. “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”

The two disciples had just returned from a ministry trip in which they had witnessed the power of God healing and delivering people. Now, puffed up by their ministry success, they wanted to use this same power to destroy the people who disagreed with them.

Jesus rebuked them and said:

“You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” (Luke 9:55-56)

(Continued in Part 6…if you’re interested, the full series to date can be seen here.)

2 Comments

Filed under America, Christianity, Church, Fasting, Gifts of the Spirit, Kingdom of God, Politics, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

May 1, 2016 · 6:18 am

Inside Israel

The Shuk in Jerusalem

The Shuk in Jerusalem

Once again, it’s time to hear from our sister in Jerusalem about what she is witnessing there as a believer in Yeshua. Put your prayer shawls on and pray for Israel and Sister J. Now here she is —

Pesach Sa’may’ack, or Joyous Passover, to each of you from Jerusalem. May His plans and purposes be fulfilled in our lives and the lives of our loved ones.  May He Alone be glorified as I share, and may you be edified.

My eyes are overflowing with things I have seen to share with you, and my heart is overflowing with His great goodness as my husband and I sat with my kehila last night, sharing in such a wonderful Passover Seder. The wonder of it all, the fulfillment of 2,000 years, perhaps 5,000 years of PROMISE. He has His body here again, planted, walking, believing, obeying.  I am more than a bit intoxicated by His great goodness as I try to write, so please have grace if I become too emotional.

It is difficult to be in love and NOT be emotional and He is surely One to love!

 

If you have ever lived in a big city, you would probably be pretty impressed to see how our city, Jerusalem, right now. It is literally scrubbed down from top to bottom just before Passover (Pesach). It is INDEED impressive.  I have described to you before how the insides of homes, stores and work places are scrubbed, but yesterday was “city scrubbing day” and it is a massive group effort.

I had been absorbed in my Bible reading this morning and had missed my normal Friday morning prayer meeting, but instead finding a heart pounding revelation in Exodus 36. More on that later.

As I went down for the early morning train at 6:15 I saw that the garbage trucks and sweepers were hard at work.  A tired looking elderly lady in a nightgown and slippers came out of her building hauling a large bag of garbage over to her dumpster. Suddenly she saw that the dumpster was already across the street being emptied.  She looked at her bag and back again at the dumpster.  Finally she decided to set it down in the empty dumpster site and shuffled back to her apartment.  The garbage man brought the dumpster back and seeing the new bag, with no sign of annoyance at all, ran it to the truck.  Even the garbage men and street sweepers seemed in a good mood.

I thanked them for their work and they smiled at me.  As the train wove it’s way to the shuk, I was impressed by the silence and the cleanness of the streets.  I saw truck drivers along the way with big buckets and brooms scrubbing down their trucks.  At the shuk, all of the bread and cake stores were closed and many other places had certain shelves sealed off already.  Even the shuk looked shiny.

The bus was soaking wet when I got on as it had already been hosed and scrubbed inside and out, making the seats a bit of a gamble to sit on.  It was a delight to weave our way through the clean and quiet streets, decked with flowers pressed into bloom by the blessing of alternating rain and sun over the past few weeks.

I’ve often described my 2 block walk from the bus to work to you because of the abundance of fruit trees lining this beautiful old and quiet neighborhood but I nearly burst into tears as I came to my favorite pomegranate tree which is loaded with fruit at the time of the fall “feast of tabernacles” or Sukkot. There, on the eve of Pesach, the first of the spring feasts, were the very first tiny fluorescent crown shaped buds of the rimmon (pomegranate).  What timing!  It seemed as if The Lord whispered to my heart: “It is ALL complete…the seeds of the end are in the beginning…the seeds of the fulfillment are in the promise…though it tarry, wait for it.” How beautiful!

 

At 9:12am (yes…to the minute) the country was to be purged of leaven.  Smells of small fires were pungent in the morning air as the last of the leavened food was burned.   At work (having already seen the first emergency off in an ambulance and dealt with some 5 other walk ins, we searched the office cupboards for anything not marked kosher for Pesach and brought it out to the dumpsters for the cities final pick up of the day.  A big discussion ensued between my boss (semi-religious Ashkenazi – of eastern European origin) and the other secretary (religious Sephardic – of far eastern, Arab country origin) about whether it was kosher for Pesach to NOW eat a kosher for Pesach cookie or if you had to wait until after the Seder.

The traditions differ dramatically. Ashkenazim follow more closely the traditions of the sages while Sephardim seem to follow more closely the scriptures, or so it seems to me.  It is a mixture so please never take me as the authority. Anyway, it was fun to listen.

 

Coming home from work to prepare my part of the Seder meal, I joined the crowds stepping aside so as not to be washed away with the street washer. The washing and scrubbing machines were being driven up and down the sidewalks making us look like ping pong balls, dodging it’s spray and brushes.  How shiny everything is now. Windows polished, flowers and plants being sold at every intersection and along the way.  Why, it even SMELLS clean and fresh.

“Chag Sa’may’ack” the greeting rang out over and over again between strangers. I smiled at many as I wished them “chag sa’may’ack” and prayed that THIS year many would find The Lamb whose Blood saves us truly from the death angel.  I love to listen as older people sit and share stories about the way Pesach USED to be in Jerusalem − “before, when people were exceedingly poor and far more generous with one another.” 

 

By the time I got home from work, the streets were all but silent as families were inside their homes, scurrying to bathe and set tables and put on their specially set-aside clothes.

How quiet…how clean…most of the work was done and now was the time of the heart.

The Passover story, in reality, is written from Genesis through Revelation and is the thread of blood (yes both mortal and Eternal) that ties the books together.  After more than 41 years of reading through the Word, it has never been clearer to me.

How pure and perfect is the creation, which reflects The Creator. Then there was sin. The tree that just looked good to the eyes so why not eat it? God wouldn’t see anyway and He couldn’t have been THAT serious, right?

And so, an animal was killed, it’s blood spilled so that our Loving tender God could provide clothing to cover the nakedness of the two suddenly made naked by sin.  And then there came Cain and Abel, and we learn that the blood speaks from the ground. “Your brother’s blood cries out to Me.”

Blood and more blood. Sin and more sin. And sin always requiring the most precious to restore us to Him Who IS Most Precious. Such a great and high price paid − sin is INDEED painful, and costly.

 

So God found “a man” and “a family” and “a tribe of tribes” with which to establish a covenant, sealed with blood.  And when Abraham was tested, the one with whom the covenant was to be signed, GOD HIMSELF provided the lamb.   And more than 400 years later through His intricate all-seeing plan, the first Passover entered. God called for each family to take a perfect Lamb, keep him and examine him for 3 days and then to sacrifice him at sundown, dipping the hyssop into a basin filled with blood and placing that blood of that pure lamb over the lintel of the door to speak, “THIS IS MY BLOOD BOUGHT INHERITANCE.  THE DEATH ANGEL MAY NOT ENTER HERE!”

The key is always the same: His Provision and our obedience.

The death of all of the firstborn in Egypt and the judgment of the Egyptian gods resulted in the continued unfolding of God’s plan of redemption for the entire world. It is still through The Blood of The Lamb, the shedding of innocent Blood for the forgiveness of sin. A blackness that we don’t understand until we stand in His Light.

The Passover Seder was given so that we would REMEMBER and NEVER FORGET.  May our hearts always remember The Blood sacrifice and flee daily to that fountain that we are not hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

 

So today our country rests.  It is also Shabat. The Sabbath rest is deep and the city is oh so quiet and peaceful.  Here we sit literally surrounded on all sides by mountains of enemies determined to destroy us and a world fixed on dismantling us. We and our leaders sit around the ancient Seder tables recounting HIS triumph in obedience to His command. We sit in the peace of a clean and quiet day.

Our ancestors prepared the meal in homes shuttered and covered with blood, passing through the Red (Reed) Sea, led and shielded by a pillar of fire and a cloud. WHAT A GREAT AND MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE!

 

At sundown tonight the time of rejoicing begins. It is a weeklong, matzo eating holiday; a week filled with lots of day trips and hikes, sightseeing, museums, playgrounds, special doings, the priestly blessing given at the western wall with most of the country on vacation. (No, not me. People still get sick and come to the Doctor.) People take the time to examine the country that they love, which is a gift from God Himself.

I have no doubt that this will all pale in the wonder that we will have when we see Him Face to face.

May He be revealed to His own as Joseph was revealed to his brothers…perhaps today.

Lovingly,

your sister J

2 Comments

Filed under Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Israel, Jerusalem, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

April 27, 2016 · 9:44 am

“My Church is a Bunch of Nice Losers” (Part 4)

It was a Wednesday night, which meant the Iowa State campus bars were busy. I parked on a side street near the largest beer joint, repositioned my cap with its JESUS lettering on the front, picked up my Bible, and headed for the place.

I walked inside and over to the bar on the side wall. The bartender wiped the counter in front of me. “What would you like, sir?” he asked.

“A Pepsi,” I replied.

He laughed. “Tell you what I’m going to do, this one’s on the house. You just might add some excitement to our crowd tonight,” he said, pouring ice and Pepsi into a tall glass.

I thanked him, turned around, and walked over to the largest table I could find. I sat down and began reading my Bible, even though loud music blasted through an overhead stereo system.

A few minutes, a frat guy and his date stopped by my table. “What are you doing?” he asked, sipping his beer.

I looked up and smiled. “I’m holding a Bible study,” I said.

“You can’t hold a Bible study in a bar!”

“Yes, I can. This is the perfect place.”

“You should really hold your study in a church or maybe in your home.”

“That’s where I used to hold Bible studies, but you and your friends didn’t show up there. So, I’ve decided to come where you are – to the bars.”

“You’re a nut!”

“Yes, I’m a nut for Jesus.”

He and his girl friend shook their heads and walked away.

But it wasn’t long before six or seven students sat at my table and a bunch of kids stood around us. All fired questions at me, about my beliefs, about Bible concerns, and so forth. One girl summed up what everyone felt: “Jesus would never walk into a campus bar. He wouldn’t do that!”

“Well, He came here tonight,” I said, “because He lives in me. And you know what? Jesus absolutely loves you because He went to the cross with you on His mind.”

What did I accomplish at that campus bar?

I really have no clue, but I felt the Lord wanted me to go there. So I just obeyed Him.

Now, to be honest, as I walked from my truck to the front door of the bar, my brain screamed: “You’re crazy to do this. God would never want you to do this. Why the bouncer will pick you up by your neck and through you out into the street. Jesus’ name will be muddied by your actions.”

After I opened the bar’s door and stepped inside, my brain shut up and His grace fell upon me. I felt bold as the Lion of Judah.

This was the night I learned that the Lord’s grace, boldness, and anointing awaited us in the action, not outside on the street, looking in.

Jesus said, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel,” and on that particular autumn night in 1993, the walls encircling my world fell down.

(Continued in Part 5…if you’re interested, the full series to date can be seen here.)

5 Comments

Filed under America, Christianity, Church, Gifts of the Spirit, Kingdom of God, Prayer, Prophecy, spiritual warfare

Tagged as , , , , , , ,