Messianic Jews: 'Brothers in Faith'

8/23/2015 STEVE STRANG   charisma magazine

The Beth Israel Jerusalem Center in Wayne, New Jersey, led by Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, is the largest Messianic Jewish congregation in America. (Facebook)

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Recently I had the privilege of visiting the largest Messianic congregation in America—Beth Israel Jerusalem Center led by Rabbi Jonathan Cahn in Wayne, New Jersey.  I thoroughly enjoyed the service and, as a Gentile, was completely with the music and the message. I enjoyed the Hebrew style melodies and some of the Hebrew blessings that were interspersed.  

Over the years it's been exciting to report the growth of the Messianic movement, which basically began only a few years before Charisma started in 1975. In fact, Charisma may have contributed to its growth because we've given it so much coverage.  

Only a few months after Charisma first published, I attended a service in Orlando led by an early Messianic named Manny Brotman. I was so moved by his message and what I learned about the Messianic movement that it resulted in a cover story for our seventh issue.

The headline read, "Is It Kosher To Believe In Jesus," and we featured Sandra Sheskin, a talented singer who was one of the first to popularize Messianic-Hebrew type of worship music.  Interestingly, she and Manny married a couple of years later.

We've run other stories, like "Believing in Messiah Yeshua" in the September-October 1976 issue, and "Have You Hugged a (Messianic) Jew Lately?" from the April 1997 issue.

Several times I have spoken to Messianic leaders who have expressed sincere appreciation for the coverage Charisma has given the movement. I was unaware that we were giving that much coverage. From our view, we were only covering what God was doing. I also had a heart for the Jewish people and for Israel, and the stories seemed to come naturally.

Over time I began to observe and to appreciate the hostility that the Messianics encounter—not only from the Jewish community but also from many Christians who believe in replacement theology. There are some that don't have theological reasons not to support the Messianic movement—they just are uncomfortable with it and tend to ignore it. This has been true of most Christian media. Our coverage is legitimate and its growth has, leaders have told me, contributed to its recognition in the mainstream and spirit-empowered community.  

Charisma has also been a strong supporter of Israel. In fact, the Israeli tourism office actually gave us an award in the late 1980s because, they said, we were the most pro-Israel Christian magazine in the country. Over the years, we have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for various causes both on our own as well as through Christians United For Israel.

I had a small part in helping to start CUFI in 2006, mainly by hosting a "Night to Honor Israel" in Orlando that prompted John Hagee to believe that these events could be held around the country. I also helped him organize the meeting in which Christians United For Israel was kicked off in San Antonio, Texas on February 6, 2006.  

At the first Christians United For Israel event, we made friends with the Jewish community in Central Florida—friendships that continue this day. One of the rabbis who was concerned that this was going to be a proselytizing event (it wasn't)—it was a sincere show of support by Gentile Christians for the Jewish people and the State of Israel—wanted me to exclude Messianics from participating).

I knew this was a touchy issue. I didn't want to offend my new rabbi friend nor did I want to be disloyal to my Messianic brothers. The rabbi wanted me to publicly distance myself from the Messianics. I told him I could not do that because I consider them "brothers in faith."

I remember that it shot through my mind to say brothers in Christ (which is how we refer to other believers), but the Holy Spirit must have given me the phrase "brothers in faith" because the rabbi seemed to accept that. In fact, he said to me "we consider them that too," and we never discussed it again.

I can only assume that the rabbi meant that he considered them former Jews who had become Christians. But, I believe that Messianic Judaism is actually the fulfillment of Judaism in that they accept Jesus as Messiah, and all the early church fathers were Messianic Jews. The Book of Acts said that they turned the world upside.

Charisma is proud of its association with the Messianics. We praise God for what we see happening both with the Gentile church understanding their Jewish roots and also thousands of Jews recognizing that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah.

Steve Strang is the founding editor and publisher of Charisma. Follow him on Twitteror Facebook stephenestrang.

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God Is Bringing Divine Reconnections Full Circle in This Hour

8/23/2015 JENNIFER LECLAIRE  charisma news

(Flickr )

Divine connections. We all want them. Many of us pray for them. We certainly hear a lot of prophecies about them. Hopefully, you've had a few along your narrow path.

Divine connections—those God-breathed relationships that seemingly come out of nowhere and have the potential to radically impact your life—are vital to fulfilling Father's call on your life. To be sure, these relationships can be absolutely life changing, even if they are only seasonal in intensity.

Divine connections are Scriptural and necessary. Moses and Joshua had a divine connection. Samuel and David had a divine connection. Elijah and Elisha had a divine connection. Paul and Timothy had a divine connection. In each case, we see destiny arising from those relationships. Joshua took the Promised Land baton from Moses. Samuel anointed David as king. Elisha grabbed Elijah's mantle. And Timothy carried on Paul's gospel mission.

Sudden Divine Reconnections

I'm grateful for the many divine connections God has brought into my life. I've been blessed with many godly relationships that have strengthened me, opened doors for me and imparted wisdom that would have otherwise taken me decades to glean. Over the last year, though, God has put an emphasis on divine reconnections in my life that have been as powerful as any divine connection I've ever experienced.

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Indeed, I've seen three especially significant divine reconnections that have brought spiritual increase into my life I wasn't expecting and could never have walked into on my own two feet. One of them was with Ryan LeStrange, with whom I co-founded awakeningtv.com and my now fellow New Breed Revival Network leader. After a decade, we reconnected about a year ago and it's been explosive.

Another divine reconnection was with Rich and Dottie Kane of the Healing Rooms Ministries of South Florida. They have stood with me, walked by me and helped me launch Awakening Healing Rooms at the Awakening House of Prayer in Hollywood, Florida. During the training session, a woman came in with terminal cancer seeking prayer. We prayed for her, the power of God overtook her, and the doctors could not explain how her cancer markers dropped from 16 to 1.5. It was God—and through a divine reconnection.

Divine reconnections are what I call a "full circle experience." Dutch Sheets has a strong message on this topic of coming full circle. In this revelation, he explains when you come full circle in God you come up to a higher level. I'm not doing the teaching justice in this small snippet, so I encourage you to click the link and listen to the entire word. My point is that divine reconnections are relationships that come full circle—at a higher level.

Reconciling Divine Relationships

For all the divine connections I see in the Bible, I also see powerful divine reconnections or full circle relationships in Scripture that reveal God's redemptive, reconciliatory power.

One of the most powerful divine reconnections is Paul's relationship with John Mark. When Saul and Barnabas set out to the mission field they took young John Mark with them (see Acts 12:12). For whatever reason (likely connected to the spiritual warfare that raged against Paul's ministry) John Mark abandoned the mission (see Acts 13:13-14).

Later, Saul and Barnabas split because Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them but Paul thought it was better not to take him since he bailed the first time around. But God brought the relationship full circle. In one of Paul's last letters from prison he mentioned John Mark, telling his spiritual son Timothy to "get Mark, and bring him with you, for he is profitable to me for the ministry (2 Tim. 4:11).

Lot also experienced a divine reconnection with Abraham that may have saved his life. Lot and his family were taken captive by five kings (see Gen. 14:8-12). When Abraham heard it, he gathered 318 men from his household and set out to rescue Lot—and succeeded. Although they did not continue walking together as they had before Lot chose to dwell in Sodom, it was a powerful, divine reconnection.

Just like divine connections, you can't make divine reconnections happen. That's part of the reason they are called divine. It is God's doing in His way and with His timing. When they do come, full circle relationships manifest in His season and for His reason. I believe in this season God is bringing forth many divine reconnections and also breathing new life into established relationships so we can run swiftly into His purposes and redeem the time because the days are evil.

Jennifer LeClaire is senior editor of Charisma. She is also director of Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, co-founder of AwakeningTV.com, on the leadership team of the New Breed Revival Network and author of several books, including The Next Great Move of God: An Appeal to Heaven for Spiritual Awakening; Mornings With the Holy Spirit, Listening Daily to the Still, Small Voice of God; The Making of a Prophet and Satan's Deadly Trio: Defeating the Deceptions of Jezebel, Religion and Witchcraft. You can visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter. Jennifer's Periscope handle is @propheticbooks.

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COMMENTARY: Are We Witnessing the Conclusion to Story of the Prodigal Son?

Sunday, August 23, 2015 |  Brian Hennessy  ISRAEL TODAY

If you recall, when Yeshua (Jesus) ended his famous parable (Luke 15), the older brother was still having a hissy-fit. And the father, who had organized a wonderful homecoming celebration for his younger brother “who was lost and has been found,” was desperately trying to talk him into joining the party. But the older boy was having none of it. He couldn’t understand how his father could have a party for that worthless, no-good brother of his when he had served so faithfully and nobody had ever thrown him a party.

And that’s where Yeshua left us. Wondering if the older son would ever understand and receive his father’s unconditional love. Or if the two brothers would ever reconcile.

Well, after 2000 years, we may be watching the conclusion to this parable unfold before our eyes. And it seems headed for a happy ending. Of course, what happened to the angry older brother in the interim, sad to say, was pretty devastating. In fact, he ended up in the same pitiful homeless situation his younger brother had experienced. I know that because the parable was clearly a prophecy about to be fulfilled. And hindsight tells the tale.

The older brother surely represents the Jews. And Yeshua was revealing how his own brethren would react when Father God began to bring Gentiles (the Prodigal) into the house. They’d go ballistic. Why? Because the Jews, who had been dutifully following God’s commandments, believed righteousness was the reward for their diligence. Seeing un-kosher Gentiles, who didn’t know Moses from Adam, claiming they’d been forgiven and declared righteous through faith in Yeshua pushed them right over the edge.

History records how the older brother’s hardened heart soon drove him from the Father’s estate. And how the brothers’ relationship went from bad to worse. In fact, there was a complete role reversal. The Prodigal (now called “Christian”) began to consider himself the favorite son and persecuted his older brother, driving him further away from knowing his Father’s love.

Centuries passed. Then two miracles occurred.

First, the older brother was allowed to return home from his bitter exile. Secondly, the younger brother came to his senses again and remembered the unconditional love and mercy he had been shown. Yes, suddenly, we saw how poorly we’d been treating our older brother. And we wept bitter tears. And began to love again.

So here we are today. Two brothers, separated for centuries by jealousy and persecution, trying to trust one another again. Still not on the same page, but letting the mutual worship of our Father in Heaven and desire to see Israel restored heal our self-inflicted wounds. The story is almost complete.

In Yeshua’s parable, we know the father wanted to celebrate with both sons. But only the forgiven son had reason to rejoice. That tells me this unconditional love we have been given for our embattled brother is a preparation for him to enter God’s “covenant of peace.”

Which means Abba is about to throw a huge party – this time for the two of us!

“How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity” (Ps. 133:1).


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Obama Trying to Shame Israel?

Sunday, August 23, 2015 |  Israel Today Staff

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While it flew somewhat under the radar of the mainstream news cycle, the Obama Administration last week apparently tried to shame Israel into supporting its dangerous Iran nuclear deal by declassifying historic documents regarding the Jewish state’s own nuclear program.

Many saw it as no accident that the Nixon-era State Department documents were made public just as Israel is leading the charge to have Obama’s Iran nuclear agreement defeated in Congress.

The release of the 1,100-page official report, which covers meetings from 1969–1976, would seem to be an effort to draw moral equivalency between Israel and Iran, and between America’s approach to both nations’ respective nuclear programs.

Most notably, a July 19, 1969 memorandum from then-national security adviser Henry Kissinger to President Richard Nixon outlined the proposed approach to Israel, and highlighted disagreement between the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense, and State Department on what demands to present the Jewish state.

All involved agreed that Israel must be made to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

“Everyone agreed that, as a minimum, we want Israel to sign the NPT. This is not because signing will make any difference in Israel’s actual nuclear program because Israel could produce warheads clandestinely,” the memo said. “Israel’s signature would, however, give us a publicly feasible issue to raise with the Israeli government — a way of opening the discussion. It would also publicly commit Israel not to acquire nuclear weapons.”

The Joint Chiefs of Staff “felt that if Israel’s program becomes known, we should be in a position to say we did everything in our power to prevent Israel from going nuclear,” while the Department of Defense felt that “we could live with the existence of Israeli nuclear weapons provided they were not deployed.”

The State Department, meanwhile, believed “we should try to keep Israel from going any further with its nuclear weapons program — it may be so close to completion that Israel would be willing — and make a record for ourselves of having tried.”

The Obama White House claimed the release of the documents was routine declassification that just happened to coincide with debate over the Iran deal.

But many say it is even more cause for concern that the Obama Administration and the West intend to do very little to actually stop Iran from attaining nuclear weapons.

The content of the documents would suggest that, just as it did with Israel, when Iran goes nuclear the White House will simply throw up its hands and say, “We tried.”

Except, Iran isn’t Israel, and trying to subtly draw moral equivalence between the two again demonstrates for many the moral bankruptcy of America’s policies.

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Rally To The Cause - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Rally To The Cause

- Now Think On This

by Steve Martin

"At whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us." Nehemiah 4:20 NASU

Do you know what will wake up a sleeping child of God? When an enemy’s attack comes your way, and the Holy Spirit within lifts up your courage to fight the battle at hand.

While the going is seemingly good, we tend to glide along and relax in our approach to life. We do the daily routines and put aside a battle mentality as the horizon appears the same as the day before.

But such as it is when a bear cub is threatened by an intruder, the mother rises up in offensive mode and declares war on the opposition, in protection and attack mode.

The Body of Christ is being awakened in our time. The trumpet is sounding, and those called to fight will rally to the God of the nations, having been prepared for the hour we are about to experience. Our God will lead the charge, declaring war on the evil that has sought the throne since the creation of time, to displace the Rightful King.

That time of sitting back and singing “que sera sera” (“whatever will be will be”) is over. We have been called to rise up and do battle on behalf of our families, our nation, Israel and believers in the world. We must take up our weapons of war and fight.

The Lord has set watchmen on the wall. They have been calling out that the time has come to run to the front and take our righteous position. The enemy will not just lie down and let us walk over him, and so we must raise our banner and engage in the confrontation. Each one of us must unite with the one to our left and the one to our right, in battle array.

We must fight for the unborn. We must wage war against the spiritual forces aligned against Israel. We must speak out in support of the sanctity of marriage. We are called to contend for the faith, even as Jude writes, “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” Jude 3 ESV

If ever there was a time to pray, now is the time. If ever there was a time to intercede on behalf of the weak, certainly now is the time. Now is the time to awaken from our slumber and do the works that we have been created to do, to deliver those needing rescue, guidance and the bedrock faith in the Lord Jesus.

Troubled times call for an increased commitment to the eternal standards written in His Word. We are not to let the unrighteous continue to take ground in our nations. Now is the time to proclaim His freedom.

Today, we are being called upon to fight the good fight like never before, and see the salvation of our Lord. Pray like you have never prayed before, while standing strong in your faith. Be not weak hearted. We have been called to war.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People. Inc.

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.

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Now Think On This #176 “Rally To The Cause” by Steve Martin 

Date: In the year of our Lord 2015 (08.23.15) Sunday at 9:00 am in Charlotte, NC

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This

Are Your Spiritual Eyes Open?

      (Bald eagle in Kitchikan, Alaska - photo by Steve Martin)

Are your spiritual eyes open, to see what the Lord sees?

"For thus has the Lord said to me: "Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he sees." 
Isaiah 21:6 NKJV

I'm Getting Souls - Bill Yount

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I'm Getting Souls Posted: 21 Aug 2015    In a vision a young man saw the Lord pick up the earth and He began to shake it up and down in His hands. The young man asked the Lord, "What are you doing?" The Lord said, "I'm getting souls! I'm getting souls!" I sense such a great shaking coming that it will fill most churches. People will line up outside waiting to get in. This shaking alone will cause multitudes of children and grandchildren, who have been prayed for many years, to run like prodigals to Jesus. This shaking alone will do it. It will be the answer to many prayers for lost loved ones and a great harvest to take place in the earth. As the shaking increases, remember what God is doing: "I'm getting souls!" Bill Yount http://www.billyount.com

Can You Hear The Prophets?

Published on Aug 20, 2015

Can You Hear The Prophets? Prophetic events are lining up and the prophets are calling for the United States to repent because judgment is coming.


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Christian Leaders: 'War Room' Could Change a Nation (with trailer link)

Christian Leaders: 'War Room' Could Change a Nation

8/21/2015 PAUL STRAND/CBN  charisma news

'War Room' has the potential to change the nation. (Facebook/War Room)

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War Room comes to theaters Aug. 28 and Christian leaders who received a recent sneak peek at Atlanta's Convergence Conference are singing its praises.

They're saying this cinematic tale of one woman teaching another to go to war spiritually in her prayer closet could be nation-changing.
 
"If you're really going to fight and be engaged in these last days battles for the Lord, we're going to have to do it in our prayer closets first," Kay Horner, Awakening America Alliance executive director, told CBN News.

"War Room is something that helps us realize that unless we engage in prayer in our personal lives and become an example in our families, to our children, that we're really just playing around and kind of like shadow-boxing," she added.

One thing the movie highlights is why the word "war" is right in the middle of the term "prayer warrior."

"I'm really happy to see a movie—a Christian movie—that talks about the most pivotal topic for a Christian: spiritual warfare," Atlanta's Carli Eli said. "The enemy is out  there to steal, kill and destroy. And to see these characters really take that ownership with the presence of the Lord and take back their homes, their families, their marriages, their communities—it was just fantastic."

Eli said War Room's main message to her was, "We do have the power and the authority in the name of Jesus...that we should not walk in fear, that we should walk with the power of God to destroy all principalities and powers of darkness, and just walk in that victory that God has laid out for our lives."

"It's probably the most significant word from God to the Body of Christ that I've heard in the last 20 years," David Franklin, Georgia coordinator for the National Day of Prayer team, said of the film.

Franklin believes it will teach everyday believers, "I can do this. I can grab a hold of God Himself.'"

"And just by getting into the Word is the way to do that," Theresa Cantrell, Georgia Capitol coordinator for the Awakening America Alliance, said.

Cantrell had special praise for the movie's heroine basing her prayers on Bible passages.

"The way she had the Scriptures and she actually prayed the words of God, that Word came alive. It's the Living Word," she said.

Franklin pointed to research showing 58 to 60 percent of Christians feel stuck in their relationship with Christ.

"Number one way to get somebody unstuck? It's praying over an open Bible 15 minutes a day," he said. "Praying over an open Bible, those people's joy goes up, service goes up, and abundant life, giving, everything radically changes."

"Go on your knees, get on your face, pray the Scripture, pray the truth, and you'll see transformation," Bryan Davidson of Cumming, Georgia, said after seeing War Room.

Davidson talked about how a group of female prayer warriors changed his life.

"I'm saved because my mom and her prayer ladies, they prayed for me," he said. "It caused me to get real uncomfortable and it led me to Jesus."

Pastor Corey Lee of Atlanta's Convergence Church said War Room will provide a valuable education for many believers.

"We want to pray, but a lot of us don't know how to pray," Lee pointed out. "I think this is an historic movie that's going to shape the way the Body of Christ functions in America."

Genendal Fratantuono came out of the sneak preview emotionally touched.

"Look at my face: at the tears, my makeup all messed up," she said. "This is going to motivate people to pray and to trust God to give answers to the cries of their hearts. So it's wonderful."

War Room, like the Bible itself frowns, on lukewarm Christianity. Cantrell tied that into how she believes God is looking at America today.

"He doesn't want the half-hearted seeker," she said. "He wants someone who's desperate for Him and I think that's why here in America He's let us get a little bit desperate. He's let us see a degree of brokenness we've never seen before so that we would know we can't fix this ourselves."

That's one of the reasons Davidson said of the film, "It just gives us exactly what we need for the times that we're in right now. It's perfect."

Franklin, Cantrell, and Horner are all part of a national team organizing prayer gatherings this Sept. 11 called Cry Out America.

They believe it's no coincidence "War Room" is coming out just before those prayer gatherings.

"With War Room being released on August 28, we're hoping it's just going to be a real mobilization force to get people out at noon at their county courthouses on 9/11 to cry out to God for a Christ Awakening in America," Horner said.

"What God wants for a family, for a person, for a nation, has to become what we want," Cantrell added.

War Room - watch trailer: Movie

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