Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
Being a follower of Yeshua requires communicating our personal version of the message of salvation. In addition, our calling, both personally and collectively, is also to be a moral compass to society, by voicing our values, standards, and understanding of “right and wrong.”
Isaiah chapter 40 speaks of a need to prepare the way of the Lord, of changing the terrain to allow for his coming. The passage is quoted in Mark chapter 1 – as John the Baptist’s call for a moral revolution becomes the precursor to the appearance of Yeshua.
Yeshua himself was a man calling for a moral revolution. He often criticized the legalistic discussion of ritual commandments, yet emphasized the values and morals behind the words of the Torah. An example of this is found in Mark 10 where Yeshua sets a higher standard of morality as it relates to the covenant of marriage.
As an Israeli Messianic Jew, I ask: who’s deciding on our society’s morality and ethics? Is it us, the followers of Yeshua, or others? If we look at some of the most important questions to our society – godliness, financial integrity, ownership of the land, marital standards – it’s clear that we are not those setting the tone on these topics.
We are required to tell people what we believe, when an issue involving moral values comes across our path. This does not always require sharing the gospel, although it might in certain cases. It means that we clearly state that we believe that something is wrong, or right. It is as simple, and hard, as that.
The people of Israel are hungry for moral content, for a clear image and vision of the goals we need to aspire to as a society. We have that content, through the Bible, Yeshua, and the Holy Spirit, and I believe it’s time we penetrate society with our message.
We never heard of Lydia Mamreoff von Finkelstein Mountford (1855-1917) until we came across several clippings in a New Zealand archives from the 1880s.
She was born in Jerusalem to a Russian family, apparently Jewish, according to historian Ron Bartur. She spoke Russian, Arabic, Hebrew, German, and French. The family converted to Christianity and it appears she later became a Mormon.
She was a popular actress, missionary, and news correspondent. She traveled to the United States, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand presenting Bible-based plays. She filed news reports on the German Emperor's visit to Jerusalem in 1898, and probably appears in the bottom left of this picture with a reporter's pad in hand.
One of her most interesting articles appeared in the Aroha News (New Zealand), October 24, 1888, entitled "PALESTINE FIFTY YEARS AGO AND PALESTINE TODAY."Her observations about life in the Holy Land for Christians and Jews are fascinating, and we present excerpts below in blue:
Inside theJaffa Gatein Jerusalem's Old City as it appeared in Lydia
von Finkelstein's days, circa 1870. (New York Public Library)
About fifty years ago, with the exception of some Polish Jewish families, and a few Latin monks, there were no European residents in Jerusalem. At that period the Jews did not contribute either to the civilisation of the inhabitants or the improvement of the city, but adapted themselves to the manners of the people and the exigencies of the place.
The monks confined themselves to their daily avocations in the convents, and to the entertainment of wealthy pilgrims and travellers, whose visits, like those of angels, were few and far between.
Receiving theGerman Emperorin 1898. Von Finkelstein, the reporter,
is presumably at the bottom left. (Library of Congress)
The Jews, as well as the native Christians, throughout Syria and Palestine, were daily and hourly subjected to oppression, extortions, exaction, robbery and insults from their Moslem neighbours. It was no unusual occurrence for the Moslem to enter their houses, ransack closets and boxes, and appropriate any article of wearing apparel, furniture, or food that took the marauder's fancy.
The local Government authorities would occasionally, when in need of funds, levy blackmail to the amount of hundreds of pounds on the Jews and native Christians, threatening them with massacre and plunder in default of payment. Consequently, Jews and native Christians dared to make any display of wealth only at the risk of losing life or property, and often both....
... With the advent of the American and English missionaries came the dawn of a brighter day tor the Holy City, and indeed for the whole country. On account of Moslem fanaticism and prejudice, these messengers of the Gospel, and consequently pioneers of civilisation, were obliged for a certain period of time to adopt the Oriental dress for safety. The Oriental furniture, utensils, and cuisine, though in
Hezekiah's Pool in Jerusalem's Old City. All those windows and not
a pane of glass, 1865 (New York Public Library)
many respects better adapted to the climate and surroundings, were so entirely different to those of Europe and America, that those early settlers, wealthy or otherwise, may truly be said to have endured hardships and privations great and innumerable.
Occidental furniture, utensils, crockery or glass, were not to be had for love or money; and only those fortunate families or individuals possessed them who had had sufficient foresight to bring such articles from their homes in Europe. Further, there was not a window in any house in Jerusalem that had a pane of glass in it; wooden lattices, shutters, and iron bars being the order of the day.
About the year 1845, a European merchant first imported —at great inconvenience, risk, and cost, having to travel to Beirout and Alexandria to make the purchase—Occidental furniture, crockery, and windowglass. There were no facilities for travel, and no steamers touched at the port of Jaffa.
Once, and later twice a year, the Jewish, Latin, and other communities sent messengers to Beirout from Jerusalem, a journey of about 150 miles overland, to fetch the mails and other matter that might have been brought by the steamers from Alexandria and Constantinople, which at stated periods touched for a few hours at Beirout. About the year 1845 steamers began to stop occasionally at the port of Jaffa...
In the year 1866 a large American colony came out, and settled in Jaffa. It was called the American Adams colony. The colonists held their estate under great disadvantages. Mr Adams, either through design or in ignorance of the laws, possessed no title deeds; neither were the colonists, who purchased lots, provided with the necessary documents — all holding the property under bills of sale and pm-chase, whose legality and validity could have been questioned at any moment. Consequently interested parties took advantage of their position, and the best and the largest portion of the land they had paid for was lost, and all the trees out of a fruit plantation cut down, rooted up, and carried away...
Von Finkelstein's performance- not in Jerusalem - but at a replica of Jerusalem at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair (from Set in Stone, Fixed in Glass) For more on "Jerusalem" at the 1904 World's Fairclick here. Note the
Over thirty-three years ago, my paternal grandfather passed away. We called him Paw Paw and my dad loved him very much.
Paw Paw loved to listen to his "45" of Tennessee Ernie Ford on his console record player and walked through the house singing at the top of his lungs. He had a lava lamp on top of the TV and an old fashioned cuckoo clock on the wall. Even with thick coke-bottle glasses he still had to use a magnifying glass to read his Bible, which he did the first thing every morning and the last thing every night. He loved Jesus with all of his heart. In church he would "amen" after almost every sentence.
Paw Paw died suddenly from a massive heart attack while at work. He was 80 years old. I remember my dad hugging me and saying, "I hope I can make it without him. I talked to him so often. I already miss him ..."
My grandmother, Dad's mom, was 10 years younger than my grandfather and we called her Gran Gran. They got married when she was 16 and were married for 54 years. Gran Gran was so special. She was a hairdresser (we called them "beauticians" back then), and always smelled like the solution she used when she gave permanents. Every night she would rub lotion on her hands, and it was a treat for each grandchild to sit next to her and let her rub the extra (by design I think) on our hands. We argued to see who would sit next to her at church, because she always held the hand of the child sitting next to her.
One time, when I was very young, I got in trouble while my family was visiting her home. I ran into the kitchen where she was cooking, and hid behind her skirt. She turned and looked at my dad and said firmly, "Ramon Eldon, you are not going to spank this boy in my house!" Right then I thought that it might be a very good thing if we moved in with her permanently.
Although he traveled all over the world, Dad never missed a day calling her, and when she died at 96 my dad was holding her soft sweet hand. For many weeks after she went to heaven, Dad caught himself picking up the phone to call her. He loved her deeply.
May of 2010, shortly before Father's Day, Dad stepped onto the shores of heaven. Many sermons have been preached, and many songs sung about a saint who has gone home wanting to see Jesus first. You know, I believe our Savior is so gracious that He looked at my dad and said, "Go hug your mom and dad. Visit with them. Catch up. You and I have eternity together." And Dad would do just that. He would hug the two people he had loved more than words could say.
While he was here I talked to him every day. In the last four years of his life he spent many days sitting on his recliner praying for me. Every time I talked to him he finished our conversation by saying, "I love you Leonard ... with all of my heart!"
Someone said that my dad lost his battle with cancer, but Dad lost no battle. My dad loved Jesus deeply. Fervently. Passionately.
Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 15:54 that "when this mortal is clothed with immortality ... death has been swallowed up in victory" (HCSB, emphasis added).Jesus said in John 11:25-26 that He is the resurrection and the life. If we believe in Him we will never die. Today, Dad would declare that, "to be alive was Christ ... but to die is so much better."
A man who is one of my dearest friends and mentors has expressed often that we should give honor to whom honor is due. So, please understand when I would say, "Dad, this devotion was written to honor you. Well done, brave Warrior. You finished strong. You were my best friend. I miss you more than words could express. You finished well. I love you ... with all of my heart!"
This Father's Day, treasure the time you have with your earthly father. Embrace the wonderful memories and discard any negative ones and the emotions attached to them. Let the God of all comfort remind you of His great love and if your father is now in His presence, know that you will be reunited and spend eternity enjoying both.
Prayer Power for the Week of 6/9/2014
As we approach Father's Day this week, take time to thank God that He is eternally our Heavenly Father and will never leave or forsake us. Thank Him that He's promised to be a father to the fatherless, and the One who takes us in even if our natural fathers and mothers forsake us. Pray for those who have lost their dads through death, divorce or abandonment, and take time to honor yours if he is still available, and his memory, if he's not. Pray for our military and their families, especially those dads currently away from home. Continue to pray that believers would work and pray together for revival in our nation and the expanding of God's kingdom. Remember Israel and pray that our leaders would have wisdom in dealing with the issues affecting the nation and the world. Psalm 27:10; Psalm 68:5; Heb 13:5b; John 11:25
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Much attention has been given in the church, as well as in the media, to the "blood moon" that occurred during the recent Passover/Easter season. (Brian Lauer/Flickr/Creative Commons)
Much attention has been given in the church, as well as in the media, to the "blood moon" that occurred during the recent Passover/Easter season.
This blood moon, along with the three other lunar eclipses scheduled to occur during Jewish feasts in 2014-2015, has fueled conversation about whether we are entering into a new season of the end times, as referenced in the book of Joel: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (2:31-32).
I won't try to speculate about dates and times of the Lord's return; however, I will say that I agree with many other voices that these blood moons should serve as a signpost for the body of Christ to awaken and understand the season into which we are entering.
As the Bible tells us in Genesis 1:14-15, the sun, moon and stars are not merely to give light to the earth or to mark days and years. They are also to serve as "signs and seasons." If God wants to speak to His people and give warning to the earth about a changing spiritual season, signs in the heavens are one of the means He has designated to do so.
So, just what is the season we have entered? What kinds of days are ahead of us? The passage in Joel quoted above suggests that the blood moon is a sign pointing to the great and awesome day of the Lord. There are countless scriptures we can look to for learning about the day of the Lord, but I will summarize with this statement: the coming of the day of the Lord means that time is short. The Lord is coming soon. Whether it is in five, 15, or 50 years, the Lord is coming soon.
A Dual Season
For those separated from Christ, or living a life of lukewarm or compromised Christianity, the blood moons bring a season of warning. Their message is one of urgency, to prepare and to turn your heart to the Lord while there is time.
For those who are in Christ, His coming is glorious news. Our salvation is drawing near and the great harvest of souls prophesied in scripture is coming. The message of the blood moons is to prepare for harvest, and to beckon all men to call upon the name of the Lord.
Yes, this is a dual season—of warning and of harvest. Of soberness and of celebration. Of preparation and of action.
A Season of Warning
Throughout the nine-day period this last April that included Palm Sunday, Passover, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Holy Spirit was speaking to me about the season ahead.
The message I heard was out of Jeremiah 12:5: "If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?"
The question I heard the Holy Spirit asking was, "If the church can't keep up with the footmen, how will they keep up with the horsemen? If you can't walk in victory in a land of peace and safety, what will you do when the shaking really begins?"
For days, this phrase was burning in my spirit: The horsemen are coming, the horsemen are coming, the horsemen are coming.
How do horsemen differ from footmen? They're faster. The coming of the horsemen speaks to an acceleration. The signs that we see around us— blood moons, weather phenomena, wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes that shake the earth so violently it is literally moved on its axis—these all are part of the same process. Things are accelerating.
Just as labor pangs increase and accelerate as a woman approaches her time to give birth, so are the pains and groaning of the earth accelerating as the time of the Lord's return approaches. And what is the earth groaning for?
The revealing of the sons of God.
A Season of Harvest
Both the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul quoted the passage in Joel chapter 2 that speaks of the blood moon and the coming day of the Lord. In Acts 2, the Apostle Peter quoted from Joel 2:32, ending with these words, "And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." The Apostle Paul referenced this same portion of scripture in the famous "Romans road" salvation scriptures.
Romans 10:9-10,13 says this: "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation...for 'Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.' " So we see that Joel chapter 2 points not only to a season of warning, but also to a season of harvest. The blood moon points to a day of salvation!
Hebrews 11 tells us that it was by divine warning that Noah built an ark. In dark days and in a time of judgment, Noah's ark became an instrument of salvation. This is the calling of the Church. In a season of divine warning, we are to prepare an ark—an ark of redemption and an ark of His presence. An ark that will be an instrument of salvation in a time of judgment!
In dark days, it is the children of light who will point many to Christ. As the sons of God are revealed, the earth's salvation is near (Romans 8:19-22). Our assignment in this season is simple: to warn and to gather souls. Just as animals were gathered and brought into the ark, so the Spirit of God is gathering souls to be brought into an ark of refuge.
Lift Jesus Higher, Lift Jesus Higher!
As the horsemen approach and the storm clouds gather, our message should be this: "Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved!" God has given us the privilege of drawing others to Him. As we lift Jesus higher, proclaiming His name, He will draw all men to Himself. The great harvest of souls is coming!
Second Corinthians 5:18-19 tells us we are ministers of reconciliation. So we must remember in the season of divine warning that our calling is not to bring judgment and condemnation, but to prepare an ark that will save from that judgment and condemnation. It's easy to call out warnings about all the evil we see around us. But it's a lot more work to be an ark builder. Might I be so bold to say, if you are not actively preparing for a harvest of salvation, then maybe the warning is for you!
Remember His Covenant, Examine Your Heart
As I write this, it is now the Feast of Pentecost, also known as Shavuot, or the Festival of Weeks. This feast, along with Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (recently passed in April) and the Feast of Tabernacles which occurs in the September/October time frame, are times of remembrance and examination for the people of Israel. They are a time to remember God's covenant and His faithfulness, and to examine where the people stand in relation to God, both as individuals and as a nation.
God has been faithful to us. He is committed to us. His promises are yes and amen in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). As we remember this—as we remember His faithfulness, His covenant and His promises—let us examine our hearts. Are we faithful to Him? Are we committed to Him? Do we honor Him with our lips, while our hearts are far from Him (Isaiah 29:13)? Let us humble ourselves before Him in this season of warning. Let our hearts be quick to heed His call. Let our lives be first to reap a harvest of righteousness.
It is only when our lives are in alignment with Him that we can be positioned as those who will herald His coming. It is only when the warning is no longer for our own hearts that we can be those who effectively labor in the fields of harvest. So, in this dual season of warning and harvest, may we be single-minded in our focus, our purpose and our covenant with Him.
Doug Stringer is an internationally known conference speaker, the founder of Somebody Cares and Turning Point Ministries International, and the author of several books, including Somebody Cares: A Guide to Living Out Your Faith.
Darren Wilson's new documentary Holy Ghost, the successor to his first trilogy. (Wanderlust Productions)
Darren Wilson has unveiled the first trailer for his newest documentary Holy Ghost, a direct followup to the acclaimed trilogy of Finger of God, Furious Love and Father of Lights.
Whatever you believe about the Holy Spirit, you're more than likely to feel a little uncomfortable, as Wilson's films are noted for pushing viewers out of the theological box.
What will set the film apart for Wilson's prior successes? Watch and decide for yourself. (Warning: this video might give even the most strident cessationist some goosebumps.)
The Israeli government has reportedly set aside NIS 100 million (~$29 million) to encourage local farmers to honor the biblical command to let their fields lie fallow for one year every seven years.
Exodus 23:10–11 reads:
You may plant your land for six years and gather its crops. But during the seventh year, you must leave it alone and withdraw from it. The needy among you will then be able to eat just as you do, and whatever is left over can be eaten by wild animals. This also applies to your vineyard and your olive grove.
The commandment is repeated in the Book of Leviticus just prior to the Children of Israel entering the Promised Land.
The next sabbatical year (known in Hebrew as shmita) will begin on Rosh Hashanah in late September. While farmers in modern Israel have rarely, if ever, honored the commandment due to the loss of income they would incur, the government and religious authorities are hoping to influence a change of heart.
The new shmita budget will go to the Religious Affairs Ministry, which will use a portion for promotional materials and educational assistance for farmers wishing to honor the commandment.
Another small portion of the budget will be used for the special ceremony that is to mark the end of the shmita:
At the end of each seven years, at a fixed time on the festival of Sukkoth, after the year of release, when all Israel comes to present themselves before God your Lord, in the place that He will choose, you must read this Torah before all Israel, so that they will be able to hear it. (Deuteronomy 31:10)
That ceremony will take place at the Western Wall in Jerusalem during the Sukkot holiday in 2015.
The bulk of the money will be used to support farmers who are unable to suffer the loss of income, but who nevertheless choose to keep the shmita.
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