Tuesday, 26 February 2019

Obedience to the Vision from Heaven

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This topic is as crucial today as it was forty years ago!

I believe that in the early 1970s God revealed an apostolic vision from heaven. I was not the first to receive this vision, but I was one of the early leaders in the contemporary Messianic Jewish movement. Let us call those leaders who received this vision and had leadership in the Messianic Jewish movement from 1970-1975 the fathers of our movement. What was the vision of the fathers? It was to be instruments to plant congregations that would be effective in bringing Jewish people to the Messiah and that would disciple these Jewish believers to remain part of their people. A congregational people movement for Yeshua was to grow up within the Jewish community. I spoke in those years concerning the importance of discipling Jewish believers in their covenant responsibilities since the Bible says that the gifts and call of God (to Israel) is irrevocable (Romans 11:29). Again and again Paul makes it clear that Israel still counts and that Jewish believers are both part of the larger Body of Believers and part of the destiny and purpose of the nation of Israel. This teaching became foundational in the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations and continues to be foundational to this day. It was also foundational to the formation of Tikkun International.

We began the race running well. However, it was harder to win Jewish people than some thought. When the Church in the area is not in revival, it is harder. It requires much prayer, time building relationship in the Jewish community and supernatural power. It is easier to see Gentiles engage in Jewish practice than to see Jews embrace Yeshua. There are, after all, so many more Gentiles and so many more Christians. So, when there is failure in winning the Jewish people, some have comforted themselves with the "success" of having won Gentiles to live a Jewish life. We now have movements that are primarily geared to this. Indeed, some of these movements even say that the true Christians are really the lost tribes of Israel. These groups have conferences, publications and more. They call what they are doing Messianic Judaism. What has happened?

There is an apostolic vision from heaven called Messianic Judaism. It was delivered by the fathers of this movement and all are called to be faithful to it. Anything less is not really successful by the standard of the original goal. In addition, any other vision is not Messianic Judaism. May we all face our responsibility to embrace our true purpose, a purpose that is the passion of Tikkun International in every place where we minister. That vision is to bring Jewish people to the knowledge of Yeshua and disciple them while maintaining genuine corporate Jewish identity. The acid test of the success of our movement is to bring Jewish people to Yeshua.

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