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

_ On  December 4th through 7th, Messianic leaders from 14 congregations and fellowships around the country met to discuss and solve the problems of Messianic congregational planning. Organized by Natalia Fomin and emceed by Hope of Israel youth leader Gary Corrado (and Greg Leekley), and brought to fruition by a number of volunteers from Hope of Israel who tirelessly served, we received feedback that the conference was not only highly useful and understandable, but also quite challenging from the Scriptures, laying out a full vision for Messianic congregations.

The first day (beginning on Sunday evening) was a “boot camp” wherein Sam gave a course covering the gamut of responsibilities and systems of the congregation. The sessions delved into the contents of the book Establishing Healthy Messianic Congregations, addressing the responsibilities of prayer, the ministry of the Word, and overseer within a congregation, as well as the systems of contact-making (evangelism), disciple-making, member-making, and leader-making, which are essential for a congregation to grow and stay healthy. The morning worship and devotional times (given by Ron Bohning, Michael Herts, and Ben Alpert) were a real delight.

The second day began the main conference with a evening session on the overview and vision for Messianic congregations. We considered the “iceberg principle”: the real structure and relationships which make up the Messianic congregation are mostly below the surface, but we tend to focus on external issues which might distinguish one congregation’s service form another’s, for example.

The next morning, a CPA and expert on finances in ministry gave a practical session on how to handle finances in congregation planting, addressing the real need for responsibility and integrity before the community and  government. We also considered the function of administration ministry within a congregation, and during a session on Prayer and Worship there was an in-depth panel discussion led by Steve Weiler (of Shoresh David) on the various life-cycle ceremonies performed in a congregation, as well as a panel discussion on dance ministry in the congregation led by Debbie Bateman. In the afternoon there were sessions on discipleship, considering its values and materials in both the home and congregation, with panel discussions on ministry to women, men, youth, and a Children’s Ministry workshop led by Debbie Holford.

After dinner a conference session on evangelism and outreach co-led by Sam Nadler and Steve Weiler covered matters both visionary and practical, from the use of festivals and getting members trained to the role of the internet and considering the demographics of your community. Finally, on the last day a very spirited discussion took place where leaders wrestled with questions about the realities of congregational membership, and the conference closed with a session on leadership development. Please remember the leaders as we continue building together. 

_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!”

What is a Messianic congregation? Is it about a particular model of worship services? Or is it about meeting on Saturday instead of Sunday? One’s  preferred model, whether traditional or contemporary, is in fact a surface issue and will vary depending on the distinctives of the leader, the group, and the community.
Essentially, the effectiveness of the service has to do with systems that work properly. There are some things that need to be done in order to be the an effective testimony of a congregation. We are to be praying. We are to be ministering the Word. We are to be administering and overseeing. Those are the three elements that make up a Messianic congregation: Prayer, Ministry of the Word, and Overseer (management and administration).

The three aspects of the Body of Messiah are rooted in the person of Messiah Himself. The redemptive work of Messiah was three fold: Prophet, Priest and King. Messiah is our high priest according to the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4). He is the prophet like onto Moses—not only did He prophetically minister the Word, but He is the Living Word. Then, of course, he is the Ruler of rulers, the greater son of David. He oversees our activities in His leadership, reigning over our lives and hearts.

This three-fold ministry is what we are to live out in our leadership in our hearts, homes, and congregations. As it says in 1 John 4:17, “as He is, so are we in the world.” He is the head, and we are the body. The body lives out the values of the head. Therefore, the ministry of prayer reflects Him, who always lives to make intercession for us. In the ministry of the Word, we are actually testifying of Him the very truth. In the ministry of overseer, seeing that things are carried out decently and in order—this reflects King Messiah, who orders all things. The end result is to manifest Yeshua—that the life of Yeshua be made known. His values, His character, His name shall be honored and exalted.

 *Adapted from upcoming book on which the Planter’s Conference will be based, click here to learn more

What a blessing it was to have not just Sam, but also his charming and gifted wife, Miriam, fly cross-country to minister at Ben David Messianic Jewish Congregation in Orange, California over the weekend of September 16 -18, 2011. It began with a delightful Erev Shabbat dinner together in which Bonnie and I were able to bring them both up to speed on what’s going on at our congregation and where the challenges areas are that could use some help. The fact that the four of us all share not only a strong desire to see healthy Messianic congregations grow and flourish but also personal commitments to achieve that goal stimulated conversations which were both relevant and practical. Were it not for ministry commitments that began early the following morning, we could easily have talked all night.

On Shabbat morning, Sam presented a message to the congregation entitled “Identifying His House,” based on scripture from Isaiah 56. Sam explained that unless our homes are characterized by prayer and godliness, we will have nothing of lasting value to bring to our congregations and communities, an important lesson that we all needed to hear. Sam also emphasized the need to employ an outreach to all people but in a way that would make sense to the Jewish community, a balanced approach to which all Messianic congregations should strive.  After the Oneg that followed the service, Miriam taught a large group of women about “Personalizing the Prophetic Significance of the Jewish Wedding,” a presentation described as “entertaining, yet sobering,” and something which “was sufficient to challenge even the most seasoned believer to re-examine how they are preparing for our Bridegroom’s return.” Miriam ended her presentation by leading a few worship songs which were later described as sounding like “a chorus of angels in heaven.” The teaching so stimulated the women that they are now planning on continuing on in future meetings to listen via the web to the other messages that Miriam has already taught on this subject.

 While that was in progress, Sam met with the men to discuss issues that men deal with, and he brought a godly, no-nonsense, biblical approach to the questions and problems that were raised. I truly think that hearts were touched, and hopefully lives changed, in some pivotal areas for many of the men who were there.

As if that wasn’t enough ministry, Sam and Miriam then went out to dinner with a group of the Ben David leadership team where we got a chance to hear back from them, and discuss, their observations on critical issues within our congregation. The following morning, we were joined for breakfast by another one of our elders who then had a chance to dialogue on additional ministry ideas; as a direct result of that conversation, we are now praying about starting a leadership discipleship program specifically aimed at raising up and training willing, mature, committed believers for future leadership roles in the congregation.
 In summary, it was a great weekend packed with ministry discussions and suggestions for which we are very grateful. Thank you, Sam and Miriam!

“Hi Sam, I received your name from a mutual acquaintance, and I wanted to talk with you. I’m Jewish and my wife is a now a believer in Jesus. And I have some questions.”
“Let’s get together and talk, David*.”

A week later we were together in my office. “How can I help you, David?”
“Sam, my wife and others would want me to consider Jesus. But as a Jew – and I want to stay a Jew – I don’t think I can. I know you are Jewish, but how can I believe in Jesus as a Jew? Admittedly, since Bar Mitzvah, I haven’t been very religious, but I still don’t want to give up being a Jew.”
“And you shouldn’t, David.” I shared with David some of my story, and how the Lord got my attention forty years ago. “David, there were Scriptures that really made me curious. One is Isaiah 53.” I opened my Bible and we went over Isaiah 53. I noted those verses that spoke about Messiah’s death, and resurrection. “When believers first showed me this I thought they were trying to trick me since it seemed far too clear. I figured they must have taken part of their Bible and stuck it in mine!”
“But the more I looked into –even to disprove it –the more convinced I became.” I explained to David that as I was becoming convinced, I prayed asking God to provide a more convenient Messiah!
David laughed, “I know the feeling.”
After coming to faith, I thought I was the only real Jew who had ever done such a thing, but of course there are many.”
“What did you do then, Sam?”
“I started reading the Bible. I was surprised that the New Covenant (New Testament) was prophesied in the Hebrew Scriptures.” We read Jeremiah 31:31-34 together to see how the forgiveness of sins and personal relationship found in the Good News was prophesied to Israel.
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, . . . this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. . . . For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
“David,” I said, “Messiah gives us new life.”
“Yes, I see now what my wife has been trying to explain to me. I realize I don’t have this new life!”
I shared with David more of my initial struggles as a Jew, and I decided I’d take a step of faith myself. “David, can you think of one good reason not to place your faith in Yeshua as your Messiah?” David looked me right in the eye and said, “I’d very much like to do that.”
I led David in a simple prayer of trusting in Messiah Yeshua as His Lord and Savior. I then asked him to pray silently, admitting to God whatever he could remember which is wrong in God’s sight. I reminded him of the cleansing in Messiah’s atonement, explaining God’s assurance that those matters and much more have been forgiven.
Afterwards, I prayed for David, for his assurance and growth. I gave him The Messianic Answer Book and Messianic Discipleship, encouraging him that we would be studying them together.
I looked at the calendar and said “today is your spiritual birthday, David. You can tell people that today you became a child of God. And, David it would be good to share your faith with others.” As I walked him out we passed Miriam’s office. “Miriam, this is David. David, tell Miriam what just happened.” He said, “I trusted in Messiah today,” followed by rejoicing and hugs. We passed Matt’s office and then Natalia’s, and each time we did the same thing. I wanted to get David used to sharing his faith.
We have talked and met since, working through the book Messianic Discipleship. Thankfully, David is growing as a healthy new believer in Yeshua. Pray for him as he grows in his faith.

**name changed for privacy

One Friday a few weeks ago, I was on my way to stay with my brother in Los Angeles and to teach at a Messianic congregation. At first the plane ride was appearing to be uneventful so I picked up the only book I had which was Messianic Foundations (a good read!).

Eventually my restlessness took over and I started to look around, noticing various people on the plane. A man behind me was reading a novel with the word “Salvation” in the title. The couple beside me, a young couple from Boston, were absorbed in their plans for the weekend. A man directly in front of me would walk up several rows occasionally to talk to what appeared to be his kids. A few minutes later the kids started making their way back down the aisle to talk to their father seated a row ahead of me. I couldn’t believe my ears when they started speaking to their father in Hebrew. I couldn’t make out everything except that they something about going to the sherutim (“bathroom”).

I prayed that I would have a good opportunity to talk to him, though he was a row up. After about a minute, I just decided to go for it in Hebrew. “Sleicha, atah midaber ivrit?” (Excuse me - you speak Hebrew?). He nodded and we proceeded to talk. Udi and his family were Ethiopian Jews from the Hertziliya area, and they were on a tiul (trip) going all over the United States, from New York to Florida to California.

He asked if I also lived in Israel and what I was up to in Los Angeles, I explained that it was my faith in Yeshua that was bringing me to LA just as being Jewish led me to live in Israel for a year. He stood up and turned around to face me. He was naturally surprised to hear that I was a believer in Yeshua. I asked him about his beliefs and struggled to understand as he rapidly talked in Hebrew about his ideas. As if on cue, a girl seated across the aisle turned to “shush” us, interrupting our chat. She was trying to watch Kung Fu Panda on her I-pad.

At that point I remembered that the Messianic service where I would be speaking would include a Hebrew prayer service and a complete reading of the Hebrew portions from the Scriptures. So I asked if he had plans for the coming Shabbat. At his openness I invited him to services, writing down all of my information as well as the websites for Word of Messiah and the congregation. He said he wanted to keep in touch and would see about visiting at the services. Just when you think a plane ride is going to be uninteresting…