From its foundation, MJMI’s express purpose has been to tell every Jewish person everywhere about the Messiah Yeshua. But sharing the Messiah with Jewish people means more than simply the salvation of individual Jewish souls, or even the restoration of an entire Jewish nation. Indeed, proclaiming Yeshua to the Jewish people is necessary for the salvation of the world!
A Nation Set Apart
Within the nation of Israel (Yis’rael), God established an order of separateness. This order establishes an increasing closeness and responsibility of service to God Himself.
First, the nation of Israel is, herself, a people set apart by God from among all the other nations.
Then, inside Israel, God set apart the tribe of Levi (Leviy), who would not receive a land inheritance along with the other tribes, but whose inheritance would be God Himself. The Levites (L’viyim) would be responsible for the maintenance of the tabernacle (HaMish’kan) and all the holy things related to God’s service.
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The Most Jewish Thing To Do
Messianic Jewish TheologyThe modern Messianic Jewish movement as we know it has existed for more than half a century. And in that time, while there has come to be a certain level of tolerance toward Messianic Jews within the larger Jewish community, most non-Messianic Jews are hardened in their hearts toward Yeshua. This is due in large part to the unfounded beliefs about the Messiah that have been perpetuated in Jewish circles, making it critically important that we know the source of this misinformation.
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Shavuot: Feast of the Harvest
Feasts & Appointed TimesJust two short months ago, we joyfully celebrated Passover (Leviticus 23:5), the annual commemoration of Israel’s freedom from slavery, during which we as disciples of Messiah also celebrate our own personal freedom from sin—through the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Yeshua. Then we began the week-long Feast of Matzah (“unleavened bread”; Leviticus 23:6-8), which memorializes how our ancestors left their oppressors in Egypt behind forever. It is also a period for practicing our own “unleavenedness,” and walking without sin—walking in the reality of who we are reborn to be in Messiah. After that, we began the seven-week journey of counting from the offering of the Omer (“sheaf”; Leviticus 23:9-15)—the time of year in Israel following the barley harvest, during which the wheat grows and matures to its fullness. It is during this season that we have the opportunity to observe our own growth and maturity—watching, waiting and working with God, as he moves us closer to becoming the true disciple He wants us to be.
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The Omer: The Whole Measure of Maturity
Feasts & Appointed TimesNow that we have celebrated Pesach (the Feast of Passover), we have entered a special season of counting, laid out for Israel in Leviticus 23:10-16. Just after the feast, the sons of Israel are commanded to bring an omer to the priests. This omer is simply a sheaf—a bundle of grain from the beginning of the first crop. The priest waves the omer before Adonai as a “wave-offering,” so that the omer—and the entire harvest as well—will be accepted. Then, beginning with the day of the wave-offering, Israel counts 49 days, and on the 50th day—the Feast of Shavuot—a new offering is made from the wheat harvest. We can therefore infer that during the time of counting, the wheat crops are continuing to grow and ripen, but will be ready for harvest when the counting is complete. So the counting is a feature of Israel’s calendar that instructs her regarding the correct time to harvest and make an offering from the mature wheat crops.
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Passover: So That You May Follow In His Steps
Feasts & Appointed TimesAs we enter into the Passover season, we celebrate not only Israel’s salvation from captivity and oppression in Egypt, but also the individual salvation that this event ultimately foreshadows. During this annual time of commemorating our freedom from sin, we have a unique opportunity to refocus and to remember what Yeshua selflessly did on our behalf, and the consummate purpose to which He has called us. Unfortunately, this high calling—which is clearly spelled out by the emissary, Keifa—is essentially foreign to today’s modern Body of Messiah.
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The Problem With Ecumenics, Pt. 2
JudaismIn my previous article I wrote to you about a new document prepared by the Catholic Church’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews. I noted that while there were some positive features of the document, it is in fact hopelessly schizophrenic on two incredibly vital topics: the authority of Scripture, and salvation. Not only did the Commission set up a dichotomy regarding salvation that does not exist in Scripture, but it also ignores Scripture’s clear teaching on the subject—with direct and dire ramifications for the Jewish people. Here is where we pick up the discussion.
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The Problem With Ecumenics, Pt. 1
JudaismFor more than half a century, MJMI has been actively involved in the sharing of the Messiah Yeshua with Jewish people all over the world. This is and always has been MJMI’s primary mission. It is because of the very existence of MJMI and organizations like MJMI that so-called “Jewish evangelism” became a “problem” within Judaism, and therefore, problematic for those seeking ecumenical peace with non-Messianic Jews, especially the Catholic Church.
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Israel‘s Priestly Calling
Israel & the Jewish PeopleFrom its foundation, MJMI’s express purpose has been to tell every Jewish person everywhere about the Messiah Yeshua. But sharing the Messiah with Jewish people means more than simply the salvation of individual Jewish souls, or even the restoration of an entire Jewish nation. Indeed, proclaiming Yeshua to the Jewish people is necessary for the salvation of the world!
A Nation Set Apart
Within the nation of Israel (Yis’rael), God established an order of separateness. This order establishes an increasing closeness and responsibility of service to God Himself.
First, the nation of Israel is, herself, a people set apart by God from among all the other nations.
Then, inside Israel, God set apart the tribe of Levi (Leviy), who would not receive a land inheritance along with the other tribes, but whose inheritance would be God Himself. The Levites (L’viyim) would be responsible for the maintenance of the tabernacle (HaMish’kan) and all the holy things related to God’s service.
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The Ancient Hatred
AntisemitismAnti-Semitism is an ancient hatred of the Jewish people that can trace its roots back through Israel’s history, as recorded in the Scriptures. With alarming reports of anti-Semitism on the rise throughout the world, it is worthwhile to consider its origins, and how we can best overcome its effects.
A Hated Nation
In the beginning, Israel was welcomed into Egypt as a mere tribe of seventy souls (see Exodus 1:5), but within a generation, the people multiplied to such an extent that the king of Egypt grew concerned with their numbers and enslaved them. They were worked ruthlessly, their lives made bitter with hard labor, and their newborn sons decreed to be killed (see Exodus 1:13-16). In this, the Scriptures say that the Egyptians were “in dread” or “loathing” of the people of Israel (see Exodus 1:12).
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The Season In Between
Feasts & Appointed TimesThe period on Israel’s calendar following Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread—the time in which we presently find ourselves—speaks powerfully to our identity in Messiah. And yet, this time is often overlooked and underutilized.
A Season of Counting
In Deuteronomy 16:9-10, Moses says, “You shall count seven weeks for yourself; you shall begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. Then you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God….” According to Leviticus 23:10ff, a sheaf (Hebrew: omer) of grain (barley, actually) from the beginning of this harvest is to be waved before God as an offering shortly after Passover, thus marking the beginning of the counting period—the “counting from the Omer.” This forty-nine-day counting period leads directly into Israel’s summertime single-day feast—the Feast of Weeks (known in Hebrew as Shavuot)—which marks the beginning of the harvest for wheat.
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Worldwide Anti-Semitism on the Rise
AntisemitismPassover is the season in which Jewish people all over the world remember how God supernaturally and powerfully set our nation free. But now that this year’s joyful celebration has come and gone, I am feeling somewhat melancholy about it. With as much gratitude that Passover stirs in me for Adonai’s everlasting faithfulness and truth, I find my current emotional state considerably tempered by the sobering signs of the times.
Recently, a supporter of the ministry sent me a link to a five-and-a-half-minute video entitled “The Jewish Voices on Campus,” which depicts “a message of hate bred on the tongues of terrorists” that is “now poison[ing] our college campuses today.” As one Jewish student in the video puts it, “Being against Israel has become the ‘cool’ thing to do.” In other words, American college campuses are seeing a sharp and serious rise in anti-Semitic (Jew-hating) rhetoric and behavior, and it is being seen as normal and “cool.” The grossly negative world-sentiment concerning the modern State of Israel has infected the hearts and minds of teenagers—the future leaders and decision-makers of our nation.
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