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Growing Stronger in Columbus 05/07/2012
 Word of Messiah Ministries has a three-fold strategy for increasing congregational effectiveness. First, we help leaders prayerfully plan in planting congregations. Second, we help planted congregations get established. Finally, we help established congregations solve problems and grow in their effectiveness. A few weeks ago I was excited to serve at Beth Messiah Congregation in Columbus, Ohio by providing training and assistance to about thirty leaders. I was blessed to work alongside with the leader of Beth Messiah, Howard Silverman, whom I highly respect as a gracious and godly man. We partner together in our Jewish ministry through materials that WMM developed. For the past few years Howard has been using our Messianic Discipleship book for new believers as well as Messianic Foundations for deeper studies. As Howard and I planned for the leadership weekend, we decided that a good tool to supplement the training would be our most recent book: Establishing Healthy Messianic Congregations. Immediately upon landing in Columbus, I met with individual groups of leaders to better understand their greatest areas of need as we prayed and discussed the issues of the congregation. The next morning I spoke at the Shabbat service and that afternoon we began the Leadership Conference in earnest. We first looked at the biblical model of the ideal congregation that functions on three basic responsibilities and systems:
These are the three essential responsibilities and systems because they are the three works of Messiah for our redemption as he came to be our priest (Psalm 110:4), prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-19), and King (Isaiah 9:6-7). As His Body, we live out His redemptive work because “as He is, so are we in the world” (1 John 4:17). Then I taught how to evaluate the congregation in light of the ideal of these three responsibilities as we set some goals and objectives for growth. After two full days of training we rejoiced together as these leaders learned new ways to increase their outreach and discipleship. We are encouraged by Howard’s feedback: Dear Friends at Word of Messiah Ministries, I am writing today to tell you how much we appreciated having Sam Nadler with us for a leadership retreat this past weekend, April 28-29. Our Congregation is over 35 years old and has functioned quite well throughout the years. However, we have had some organizational challenges that needed to be addressed. In the two days that Sam was here, he was able to pinpoint our needs and address them in a way that both challenged and motivated our leadership. Sam helped us to develop some specific action points and a system of accountability so that can address our needs and strengthen our infrastructure which will in turn aid us in serving the Jewish community of Columbus Ohio. I am so grateful for Sam’s insight and teaching. I believe that we have turned a page in our congregational life. I look forward to a continued relationship with Sam and Word of Messiah Ministries. May God richly bless you in all of you endeavors. Sincerely in Messiah’s service, Howard Silverman Congregational Leader We are looking forward to work together again on the implementation of all plans and more training. In Flight Opportunity I always enjoy sharing the faith when I am traveling. I asked the man next to me if he was working or vacationing. Anders* replied that he was on his way to work, but when he saw my Bible, he asked, “Are you a man of the cloth or just frightened of flying?” I clarified, “I am Jewish and have come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah. And now I have a passion to tell others of God’s great love for everyone. Anders tentatively explained, “How interesting my father was a pastor in Holland during World War 2, and was arrested by the Nazis for preaching the Gospel.” I asked. “Are you following your father’s faith?” Anders replied, “No.” I don’t think I could ever be as faithful as my father if I was faced with such a difficulty.” I was amazed that despite his father’s steadfast faith that his son misunderstood the very nature of the Gospel message. “Anders,” I responded, “The Gospel tells us of what God has done for us—not what we’re required to do for Him; it is about God’s eternal faithfulness in Messiah. Our faith is in His faithfulness never in our own.” He looked surprised, as if this was shockingly new information for him and he was struggling to comprehend it fully. As we parted, he accepted my contact information, and we both look forward to discussing these matters of faith in the future. Add Comment His Rich Mercies in Richmond 01/27/2012
 If I was into conspiracies, I might think someone was trying to stop me from speaking in Richmond, VA! Last year, the meeting was cancelled for a snow storm. This past summer there was a a hurricane, so they had me deliver the sermon over skype. This was sufficient for communicating the urgency of praying for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6), but there was still some unfinished business there. Often when I am to speak somewhere, people may take the opportunity to invite their yet unsaved Jewish friends and family to hear the Good News of Messiah from a Jewish man like me. Jake* is a Jewish man who had come to faith about a year ago. So when he heard I was scheduled to speak in Richmond last year, he immediately made plans for his family to attend– plans that had to be cancelled because of weather. This time I was scheduled to speak on the birth prophecy of Messiah (Isaiah 9:1-7). Sure enough, Jake arrived with his unsaved but interested sister, Shelley*, and his grandfather, Sol*. I shared that the portion helps us understand the connection of Hanukkah and Messiah’s birth, and demonstrates, as the New Covenant explains, how believers are “transferred from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col. 1:13). I went over the fact that the prophecy “unto us a son is given,” is fulfilled in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son.” I could see Shelley listening intently to every word, as if the truth of it was deeply penetrating her heart. At the end of the message, people were invited to respond to what the Scripture teaches by prayerfully trusting in Yeshua as the promised Messiah, Savior and Lord. Several people indicated they were doing just that –including Shelley! After the service, I encouraged Shelley to confess her faith by telling the pastor of the congregation and her brother, and she did with a big smile on her face. Jake cried for joy over his sister’s response to the Good News of Messiah. That afternoon, Jake, Shelley, Sol and I had lunch together. We talked about first steps in following Messiah and how they would maintain their Jewish identities as testimony to God’s faithfulness to our people (Romans 11:1-6). I gave them each Hanukkah gifts of my book, Messianic Discipleship. Sol and I spent several hours discussing faith together. Though Sol had become more religious later in life and started going to synagogue, he admitted he was more of an atheist. We went over a quite a bit of evidence to demonstrate the reasonableness of Messiah’s resurrection. He admitted that it was not a matter of reason for him, but that he was unwilling to move from his unbelief. While we ate, he was listening as I shared my testimony with Jake and Shelley. He smiled as he identified with my initial rejection of the Good News as being not for us Jews, and listened just as carefully about how the Lord broke through my adamant unbelief to bring me to Himself. In parting, Sol said he looked forward to meeting with me again. Please pray not only for these, but for the many others who are considering the Messiahship of Yeshua and His Good News. *Names are changed to protect the privacy of the individuals Messiah in the UK 11/28/2011
 Thank you for praying for our ministry trip to London as the Lord heard your prayers and blessed in incredible ways. Sam was invited by the British Messianic Jewish Alliance to speak at their conference which is held every two years and includes most of the Messianic congregations, fellowships and outreaches to the Jewish people throughout England. He centered his teaching on the subjects that he covers in Messianic Foundations. We heard from one of the leaders who reported on the conference: Sam’s sessions on Messianic Foundations were both inspiring and challenging. It is not surprising that by lunch time on Sunday there was not a copy of his book left. Many of us will be prayerfully reading it over the next few weeks as we seek to hear the Lord’s direction. He led us through the foundational truth of God’s love being personal, perpetual and powerful to a clear philosophy of the basis of Messianic Judaism. Sam’s humor helped us to respond to some demanding ideas. He showed us the Jewishness of the gospel as God’s act of Tikkun Olam or ‘repairing the world’. He also showed us how a Messianic Congregation is ‘the effective testimony’ of God and that through committed congregations ‘Am Israel Chai, b’shem Yeshua’ (the People of Israel live in the name of Yeshua). James Mendelsohn, President of the British Messianic Jewish Alliance, also commented: “Sam’s teaching was a real encouragement to the BMJA as a group and to me personally. It was so good to have clear, encouraging and theologically and exegetically thorough teaching about God’s purposes for Israel and for the nations. I particularly appreciated Sam’s emphasis on being “present-tense Jewish believers”, which is something I wish to explore further in next year’s BMJA regional conferences. Those who attended the leaders’ training day on the Monday also really valued Sam’s input. On a personal note, I was grateful for Sam’s wise counsel to me as a younger Jewish believer learning the ropes of Messianic leadership! Thank you so much to the board of Word of Messiah for freeing him up to come to us!” | WMMArticles and Ministry Reports ArchivesMay 2012 CategoriesAll |
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