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Called to Leadership |
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It is always a privilege to share the Great News of Messiah in Berlin, Germany. Recently, Vladimir Pickman the congregational leader of a Messianic congregation in Berlin invited us to come to teach a Leadership Seminar. Our relationship together goes back a number of years. |
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When Vladimir was a young believer in Kiev, Ukraine, I encouraged him in his ministry for Messiah and brought him to America for leadership training. Later, after his team was relocated to Berlin, I went over often to encourage ministry among the growing community of Russian Jews. By God’s grace, I provided teaching and training for their team. The work in Berlin grew and their congregation multiplied, consequently the leadership of this congregation invited me to train them in starting small group meetings, as well as leadership development and responsibilities, congregational prayer priorities, and leadership principles from Bible heroes. Messianic leaders from several cities throughout Germany came for five days of teaching and ministry. Additionally, the meetings were filled with hungry hearts wanting to understand the Word better. I began with a seminar on prayer, since prayer is the foundational ministry for the heart, the home, and the congregation. Whether for an individual, family or assembly, the victory of Lord is enjoyed by trusting only in Him. One man was struck by the fact that consistent personal prayer was needed for his own life before he attempted to be a prayer leader in the congregation. He later asked for our materials to help him grow in this vital ministry area. Our books translated into Russian were greatly appreciated. One Jewish man, a medical doctor from a nearby city, was excited to have the discipleship materials. He had just recently accepted the Lord and immediately began reading the books finding that the material answered some of the questions that he had regarding the Scripture and growing in his new faith.
An Open Forum During the first hour I shared my testimony and went over a few basic questions that Jewish people have regarding the faith. For the next two hours, I opened it up to questions from the audience. I found some of the questions quite intriguing. One gentleman asked how I felt about Martin Luther’s anti-Jewish writings at the end of his life. I responded, “I forgive him,” then went on to explain that even with heroes of the faith, we must never merely accept the teaching of any man even Martin Luther–as the basis for our faith and practice, but only the Word of God.
A Provocative Question Then I showed how John 8 needs to be understood in light of 1 John 3:10, “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.” I said to the crowd that it is not only Jewish people, but all who are in unbelief. Then I paused and exclaimed to the audience comprised of Jews and Gentiles, “We are all from the seed of Satan! But by faith in Messiah we have been ‘delivered from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of His beloved Son’” (Col. 1:13). The matter of the synagogue of Satan was clarified by comparing the text in Rev. 3:9, with Rev. 2:2. These were not Jews at all in Rev. 3:9, just as they were not apostles in Revelation 2:2.
An Accurate Translation Matters
As we prepared to leave we were encouraged not only by Vladimir’s
invitation to return but also for the possibility of having our Russian
books distributed throughout a number of congregations in Germany,
Europe and Russia. We look forward to returning and want to thank all of
you who pray for us and stand with us.
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MESSIANIC APOLOGETICS |
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