We live in a day of restoration whereby “God is restoring all that he spoke by the mouth of his prophets from of old” (Acts 3:21). Not only are we seeing the restoration of Israel – Israel’s return to the Land; we are witnessing Israel’s return to the Lord as thousands of Jewish people have returned to the Messiah of Israel. As a result, we are seeing the birth/rebirth of hundreds of messianic Jewish congregations both in Israel and abroad.
Equally exciting and prophetic is the restoration of One New Man congregations (Ep.2:15). After long centuries of Christian anti-Semitism and Church supersessionism, Christians are returning to their Jewish roots to “share the richness of the olive tree” (Rm.11:17) – affirming our Jewish heritage and celebrating our Hebraic roots.
As New Heritage Community, we seek to express our cultural diversity while maintaining our common identity, celebrating our “new heritage” as one new man in Messiah Yeshua. We do this by joining together, Jew & Gentile, for the salvation of Israel & the nations - inviting others who share this vision to join with us!
I look forward to hearing from everyone!
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't done it yet, you may want to develop a vision statementr and a mission statement. They will help you stay on track.
ReplyDeleteGood idea.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to what God wants to show us. Thanks Fred.
ReplyDeleteThe two scriptures I think I was lead to were Eph 2:14 and then to Mathew 27:51.
ReplyDeleteEph 2:14 "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us."
When was the middle wall broken down?
This lead to Mathew 27: 50 -54 where the text describes the events upon Jesus' death and resurrection. v51a "And behold the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to the bottom..."
So, from these verses the "temple" is a possible theme. Follow me here: The veil that was torn divided the holy place from the holy of holies,into which only the High Priest might enter on the Day of Atonement. Jesus, because of his death and resurrection, has made it possible by faith in him for ALL to enter directly into the presence of the Most High God (Eph 2:6,18).
So, back to the temple as a theme for 1NUMAN.
The temple is the physical building for the Jew to meet God. For follower's of Jesus, we are the "temple of God" (1Cor. 6:19).
Therefore, one of the stumbling blocks that may need to be removed is "what is the temple of God"
comments welcome,
jim ott
Two Hebrew words may be helpful here: ruach and shekinah which refer to the Spirit of God and the manifest presence of God. It was the hope of the prophets of Israel, that in the days of Messiah, the Spirit of God would dwell in man and the presence of God would no longer be confined to the Temple. As believers in Messiah, we know that Day has come. Our challenge is to manifest that reality in our lives by the way we live - that we are now the Temple of God.
ReplyDeleteFollowing this string, it might prove helpful to also point out that the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. To the best of my knowledge, God has never given instructions to either Jews or Gentile believers to rebuild the temple. As we walk in the light that God has given us, our temples shine all over the world!
ReplyDeleteShall we try to get this going again?
ReplyDeleteGive unto the Lord, all ye mighty, give unto the Lord, glory and strength, give unto the Lord the glory due His name and worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Psalm 29:1-2
ReplyDeletealso Jeremiah 9:23-24
Isaiah 41:14-16
ReplyDeleteComplete Jewish Bible (CJB)
14 Have no fear, Ya‘akov, you worm,
you men of Isra’el!’
I will help you,” says Adonai;
“Your redeemer is the Holy One of Isra’el.
15 “I will make you into a threshing-sledge,
new, with sharp, pointed teeth,
to thresh the mountains and crush them to dust,
to reduce the hills to chaff.
16 As you fan them, the wind will carry them off,
and the whirlwind will scatter them.
Then you will rejoice in Adonai,
you will glory in the Holy One of Isra’el.
Isaiah 30
ReplyDeleteComplete Jewish Bible (CJB)
27 Here comes the name of Adonai from afar,
his anger burning, in thick rising smoke.
His lips are full to the brim with fury,
his tongue a consuming fire.
28 His breath is like a racing torrent
that rises up to the neck,
to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction,
and put a bridle in the peoples’ mouths to lead them astray.
29 Your song will be like one that is sung
on a night when a holy feast is kept,
and your hearts will be happy,
as if walking to the sound of the flute,
to the mountain of Adonai,
to the Rock of Isra’el.
30 Adonai will make his glorious voice heard,
and he will reveal his arm descending
with furious anger in a flaming firestorm,
with cloudbursts, tempests and hailstones.
31 For Adonai’s voice will terrify Ashur,
as with his scepter he strikes them down.
32 Every sweep of the punishing rod
that Adonai imposes on him
will be to tambourines and lyres,
as he brandishes his arm against them in battle.
33 For the Tofet fire pit has long been ready,
prepared for the king, made large and deep,
with plenty of wood and blazing with fire;
like a stream of sulfur, Adonai’s breath sets it aflame.
May the glory of Adonai fill the earth!
ReplyDeleteEph.2
ReplyDelete6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Eph.3
8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.