Our pick of the week's news to inform your prayers.
Society & Politics
- HSBC offers 10 gender-neutral terms for customers: The bank’s move is drawing criticism, including from gay rights activist Peter Tatchell, for going too far and risking ‘confusion, misunderstanding, ridicule and backlash’. Read more here.
- UK journalists point to the Bible and our Judeo-Christian heritage: In The Telegraph this week, Tim Stanley criticised the West’s silence over Christian persecution as stemming from a lack of willingness to recognise its own biblical heritage (read more here and here), while Radio 4 presenter Roger Bolton has declared that the BBC is ‘dangerously out of touch’ with religious people. Meanwhile, Melanie Phillips argues that we must take our inspiration for Brexit from the first Passover - or ‘Jexit’.
- Words of Jesus to feature on London buses: Until 24 April the ‘Quote Jesus’ campaign will see the Lord Jesus’ words, including key Gospel quotes, emblazoned on 75 London buses. Read more here.
- What if Britain had been occupied by the Nazis? Well, part of it was: Following the cinematic release of Another Mother’s Son, the Times of Israel recalls how Jews were treated in the Channel Islands, the only British territory to be occupied by the Nazis during WWII. Read more here.
World Scene
- French evangelicals call for prayer cover ahead of national election: Ahead of the voting at the end of April/beginning of May, the European Evangelical Alliance has called for international prayer support for a country deeply divided, wracked by fear and suffering from secularist restrictions on religious freedom. Read more here.
Israel & Middle East
- Christianity on the rise in Yemen despite persecution: Open Doors reports that the Church in Yemen is growing and strengthening in the face of adversity. Read more here.
- Egyptian Coptic priest thanks and forgives ISIS bombers: Fr Boules George of St Mark’s Church, Cairo addressed the Islamist attackers with an inspiring message of Christian love and forgiveness. Read more here.
- Israel treats thousands of Arabs in hospital: Though little-reported in the Western press, Israeli hospitals routinely treat thousands of Arabs from all over the Middle East. Read more here and here.
- Israel shuts border crossing to Egypt: Following the Palm Sunday attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt, Israel shut the Taba Crossing until the end of Passover, citing the high likelihood of ISIS planning attacks on Israeli tourists. Read more here.
Upcoming Events
- Prom Praise at the Royal Albert Hall (22 April): International gathering of both classical musicians and worship leaders, with a Gospel message. Find out more and buy tickets here.
- ‘Watch and Pray’ Day of Prayer (24 April): 10:30am-3pm, World Prayer Centre, Birmingham. Click here to find out more.
- Unbelievable? The Conference (13 May): London. World-class Christian apologists and evangelists show how Jesus is “the answer to life, the universe and everything”. A Premier event. Find out more and book here.
Recommended Sources
At Prophecy Today UK we are aware that the world is moving very quickly and it is difficult to keep up with all the latest developments – especially when the material circulated by our mainstream media is increasingly far from reality and definitely not devoted to a biblical perspective!
Though we are not a news service, we want to help keep you informed by passing on updates and reports as we are led. This will be a selective, not an exhaustive, round-up, which we hope will be helpful for your prayers. Click here to browse our News archive.
We also recommend the following news services for regular updates from a Christian perspective:
- Christian Concern (UK)
- Christian Institute (UK)
- JNN News (Barry and Batya Segal, Israel)
- Family Watch International
- Barnabas Fund
- Kehila News (Israel)
How do we re-think 'church' in the light of our Hebraic roots?
Last week we considered how Christianity is a communal faith as well as an individual walk with God, and looked at how the Christian Church over the centuries has detached itself from Hebraic ideas of communal living.
This week, we offer some suggestions for re-discovering these ideas, all within a framework of respecting God’s design for local church authority.
Transforming from Within
A mistake made by many of us who are zealous to restore the Hebraic heritage of the Christian Church is to consider nothing of value in existing fellowships. Yet, many fellowships are strong in the Holy Spirit, strong in Bible study and prayer, build up the faith of individuals and families, practise baptism, centre on the Lord’s Supper and understand God’s purposes for Israel.
It takes a prophetic word to open people’s eyes of understanding to any (perhaps minor) changes that would strengthen links to the First Century Church – maybe linking with Messianic communities or allowing the Lord to prune away any dry traditions. It is up to the elders of these local church communities to begin to pray for change from within.
Respecting Authority in the Local Community
In his dealings with the religious leaders of his day, Yeshua taught that it is right to acknowledge authority given by God to teach and interpret Torah (Matt 23:3). In our day it is the same. Those of us who have insights into matters of restoration cannot impose our wills and over-ride the authority of local Christian communities.
We must also be careful about starting new ventures that draw believers away to new congregations, however well-meant our intentions. All must be of the Lord’s leading.
A mistake made by many of us who are zealous to restore the Church’s Hebraic heritage is to consider nothing of value in existing fellowships.
If the Lord himself chooses to take authority away from some Church leaders (Rom 11:21) he alone can do it. Thus any restoration of Hebraic foundations of the Church must be through existing authority structures. In considering this, the responsibility of Bible teachers must be considered seriously (James 3:1).
If some of us are called to start again and form new communities, we must be careful of our witness to others. How will we be perceived? Going overboard into Jewishness does not usually help, but we will surely be helpful to others if we are in good balance regarding Israel and seen as a caring community, building families and clearly fulfilling a biblical lifestyle.
We should also be discovering what it means to provoke Israel to jealousy, not anger (Rom 11:14, 18).
Lessons from the Synagogue?
The development of the Synagogue as a place of meeting in the local community is not prescribed biblically. It was in response to a need in local communities, especially after the loss of the Temple. There is a risk, therefore, of over-stating how far Christian communities should draw community models from the Synagogue.
Nevertheless, there may be lessons to learn especially since, through the Synagogue, Jewish communities have found collective strength.
Any restoration of Hebraic foundations of the Church must respect existing authority structures.
Synagogues perform several functions. They are a social centre as well as a worship centre. They illustrate the importance of the local community, especially in strengthening families. The Synagogue is a Beit Tefillah (House of Prayer). They also have an excellent educational model based on the Beit Midrash (House of Study), illustrating how study can be brought into the centre of the local Christian community.
Study is central to building up the local community based on the idea of searching the Scriptures and the Yeshiva, rather than the more academic approach of many Christian Bible schools.
Some Bible teachers might consider studying and teaching Hebrew, the foundational language of Scripture. Are we students of the entire Bible in balance? Do we know how to study the New Covenant in relationship with the Old Covenant, valuing all of biblical history and revelation fulfilled and properly interpreted through the sacrificial death of Yeshua HaMashiach?
The Feasts of the Lord
Christian communities adopted a form of the three main Feasts of the Lord (Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot became Easter, Pentecost and Harvest festivals) but dates changed and some syncretism to pagan and Roman traditions entered in, which is becoming more and more a concern as the years go by. These Feasts, and the Sabbath, are all to be focussed on Yeshua.
Nevertheless, Yeshua brought fulfilment, not replacement. Within the authority structure of local Churches, are we entering the season when Christian festivals should be re-aligned with their biblical roots? One word of warning: it is no use forcing the pace on this because this can result in no spiritual life, despite our best efforts. The principal of Romans 14:5 is paramount in all things – “everyone must be convinced in their own mind.”
Are we entering the season when Christian festivals should be re-aligned with their biblical roots?
Torah and Halakhah
We have considered these things in relation to a personal walk with God. When it comes to family and community there are some issues that must be decided for the group as a whole.
Decisions as to which day to meet for corporate worship, for example, require an authoritative decision for the entire community. How to balance personal freedom to walk with God with corporate structure is a matter for much sensitivity. Authority in the local community is a necessary thing, and centralised control from outside the local community should be treated with caution.
We have discussed the way Torah is a matter of the heart and we are not to bring ourselves into bondage to ritual or put ourselves under the yoke of the law (i.e. ritual halakhah) (Gal 2:4, 3:10-14). Nevertheless, we are wise to recognise the protection that laws founded on the Bible have brought, even to nations. Outside of faith in Yeshua and the life of the Spirit, we must be able to interpret the Bible into community and national life.
The Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) and the letter sent to the new congregations of the day can be a new starting point for us to re-consider how the worldwide community of faith was intended to spread and grow, and for finding the balance of halakhah and Torah for the New Covenant community.
It is no use forcing the pace on the communal rediscovery of our Hebraic roots, because this will not result in spiritual life, despite our best efforts.
Prayer for Israel
A key result of our return to a balanced Hebraic lifestyle is an understanding of God’s continuing covenant promises to Israel as a whole.
We must be careful to understand that our New Covenant relationship is with Messianic Jews who live by faith in Yeshua. But nevertheless, in balance, our prayers and concern are also to understand what God is still doing in Israel. This will also help us to understand the times in which we live as the entire world moves towards its prophetic conclusion.
Personal Testimony from Zimbabwe
The above may be a limited list of points for consideration in strengthening our communities for the times ahead. There is considerable room for taking counsel together over the coming days.
I would like to end with a word of testimony. Some years ago a group of us brought together a conference in Israel to look afresh at Acts 15. This had a limited success in raising key issues, though now I believe this discussion needs to take place more in local communities than I had previously thought, lest we create yet another central organisation.
Some months prior to the meeting in a Moshav on the outskirts of Jerusalem we held a preliminary consultation in Zimbabwe, drawing together representatives from a number of African countries.
At the end of the last day of this meeting we set ourselves the task, using a white-board, to draw up a list of relevant topics for consideration in our communities. The list went on - the details are not clear in my memory so much as what happened during this time of consultation.
A key result of our return to a balanced Hebraic lifestyle is an understanding of God’s continuing covenant promises to Israel as a whole.
It was perhaps simply the activity of beginning to consider the many issues together that pleased the Lord. Intercessory prayer had supported us throughout our meeting and perhaps this too pleased the Lord. Quite unexpectedly, as our long list was being compiled, the Holy Spirit chose to fill the room and bring a holy stillness. Some said they had never before experienced the presence of the Lord in that way through many years of ministry. We came out with no formula to pass on to others concerning how to restore the Hebraic foundations of our faith in local communities, but certainly we had the assurance that what we were doing was pleasing to the Lord.
It is surely time for Christians fellowships to take seriously the fact that this is the Lord’s time for restoration. Some may force the pace, and come out with something looking more traditionally Jewish than biblically Hebraic, but that should not stop us from seeking the Lord for ourselves on this matter. I think there will be quite a change in the next few years but nevertheless, this should happen in a gradual, prayerful, Spirit-guided way.
Next time: Guard against deception
A personal testimony. Chris Foster shares about how she met with God while celebrating Passover for the first time.
I had an amazing encounter with God recently, which I wanted to share!
I was in church one Sunday, listening to the sermon. The preacher said that in the Book of Leviticus there are a number of feasts listed, which Jesus celebrated, and that significant things about His life, death and resurrection occurred at those times (Lev 23).
She said, although those times are translated ‘Feasts’ or ‘Festivals’ in our Bibles, the Hebrew actually means ‘God’s appointed times’, and that God has ordained ‘appointed times’ throughout the year when he ESPECIALLY wants to meet with his people!
As the preacher was saying that, something stirred in my spirit - I wanted to explore this some more.
God’s Appointed Times
A few days later, I had a book put into my hand, The Messianic Church Arising: Restoring the Church to Our Covenant Roots! by Robert D Heidler.1 It’s a book about the biblical Feasts, written for modern-day charismatic Christians.
The book says this:
From my studies in seminary, I knew the Bible devoted a lot of space to a series of feasts, but I had never taken the time to study them. I had always assumed these feasts were just for the Old Testament era, and had no relevance for Christians today. For the first time in my life, I began to seriously study the feasts. I WAS AMAZED at what I found! As I began to study the feasts, I discovered that…they were not just holidays or Jewish rituals. God called them His “appointed times”. In a very real sense, these feasts are “appointments” with God: times set by God to meet with His people…
As I studied the feasts, I was surprised to find that these appointed times were not just for the Old Testament era! God’s Word repeatedly tells us that these appointed times are eternal, “for all generations”, and cannot be changed. (p100)
The Hebrew Feasts actually translate ‘God’s appointed times’ – times throughout the year when he ESPECIALLY wants to meet with his people!
Now some might say, ‘We have the Holy Spirit inside us, to be with us ALWAYS, so why would we need Appointed Times now?’ And I would say: yes, He is ALWAYS with us, whatever we’re going through. Psalm 23 tells us that even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, HE IS WITH US!
But I would put it like this – I have been married for almost 43 years, and my husband is around a lot of the time. But we also enjoy special times, when we escape the demands of life, dress up a bit and go out for a meal or something, and we sit and talk and talk – and that’s special! I thought, maybe these ‘appointed times’ are like that!
Getting Rid of Hidden Leaven
While musing over this, I suddenly realised that one of the appointed times, Passover, was just a couple of weeks away. I thought: I’m going to be aware of this date.
In Heidler’s book, it says that one can make preparations for Passover by cleaning your house and getting rid of any ‘leaven’ (symbolic of sin), showing that you want to get rid of sin in your life. Leaven is yeast, used in bread-making, but as I don’t make bread, I didn’t think there was any yeast in the house, except in the bread we were eating at that time!
However, I realised that yeast is a type of mould and, as I stood in our bathroom, I spotted some mould getting into corners of the room where there had been condensation, so I cleaned that out. Then it seemed right to start a thoroughly good spring-clean. As I was vacuuming under the bed, I realised that I was cleaning places that are hidden from view to most people, and that this was about saying to God “I want to get rid of any hidden sin in my life”.
Passover involves getting rid of all leaven (sin) – even that which is hidden.
Being Met by God
The book says that before Passover it’s also good to go round your house, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal anything ungodly and anything else which, though not overtly ungodly, may be a distraction to you in your worship of God. So I went round my house praying and asking Him to show me those things. There were a couple of things He pointed out to me, so I got rid of them. Finally, it was suggested that you go round each room in the house, and pray a blessing on each room, and on the things that happen there.
So as Passover approached, I started praying round the house, to pray a blessing on each room. As I did so, within a minute or two of starting praying, suddenly there was a sort of WHOOSH, and an overwhelming sense of the presence of God THERE and WITHIN ME, showing me what to pray, and getting me to pray about things in my life that I had NEVER thought to pray about before!
For the rest of that day and in the ensuing days, throughout the time of Passover, I felt an almost unprecedented sense of God’s presence and blessing upon my life! I had several big answers to prayer, and I felt God’s Strong Presence and anointing on me as I was able to minister to people I encountered. The things that I had never thought to pray about before – yes, they were answered in miraculous ways too!
Throughout the time of Passover, I felt an unprecedented sense of God’s presence and blessing upon my life.
Wow! It was special! And the good news is, these ‘appointed times’ occur at other times of the year too! I’m looking forward to remembering these times more regularly, waiting on God and letting my life be more enriched as I celebrate those times in the future with Him!
References
1 Click here to read our review.
Soon after Moses led the Children of Israel out of Egypt, God showed them that they were to be completely dependent on Him, even for their daily food. The account of is in Exodus 20.
Later on the journey to the Promised Land, Moses explained why God made them dependent on Him for their daily bread:
So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live on bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. (Deut 8:3)
When Jesus was hungry and tempted by satan to use His power to turn stones to bread, He answered satan with this same Scripture (Matt 4:4), indicating that there was more to the provision of daily bread than to satisfy physical hunger.
Nevertheless, Jesus recognised that human beings need food to live and brought miraculous provision in time of need for thousands who were also avidly feeding on his teaching (Matt 14:13-21; 15:32-39).
Feeding on the Bread of Life
At another time Jesus brought all this teaching together as follows:
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven… (John 6:47-51)
The prayer that Jesus taught his disciples – the Lord’s Prayer - begins by recognising who God is in all holiness, and acknowledging His authority in all matters of Heaven and earth. We then come to what on the face of it seems to be asking Him for our daily food - a small thing for One so great! In its smallness it is still great, since One so great is willing to deal with such small details as our daily needs.
Yet, it is great for another reason. Like those who received manna in the wilderness, we know that through learning to trust God for our daily needs, we are learning to trust Him for all things, especially our eternal life.
Great provision indeed. Within the small is the great.
Learning to Trust
This is a timely challenge for us in a world that seeks its own security whilst not believing in the Creator of Heaven and earth for daily provision. More and more it is a world driven by economic considerations more than desire to trust God. Surely this is especially a priority for us all at this time of our exodus from Europe, our so-called ‘Brexit’.
Author: Dr Clifford Denton
We have abandoned our national plumb line.
Who used chemical weapons in Syria? Who was responsible for the latest atrocity that killed civilians and children? Who can we believe – Russia? Assad? Iran? Turkey? Where can we obtain independent and reliable news reports? These are just some of the questions that people throughout the Western world are asking.
The USA has answered decisively that Assad is to blame so they have destroyed (allegedly?) the airfield from which the attack was (allegedly?) launched.
The pictures we have seen on TV news reports and in our newspapers, show horrific scenes of children suffering breathing problems from chemical weapons and wounds from bombing, but will we ever know who was responsible for these atrocities? Will we ever know the truth?
No Yardstick for Truth
If we have to judge between ISIS and Assad as to who is telling the truth, we really do have a problem. They are both Muslims and the Islamic religion sanctions the telling of lies if doing so promotes their religion. This makes it extremely difficult in any social relationships in mixed communities. You can never be quite sure which standard of truth is being applied.
Of course, we know that truth has been under attack for centuries – evidenced by Pilate’s famous cynical question at the fake trial of Jesus, “what is truth?” But something extraordinary seems to be happening in our lifetime, and in our nation: it is the deliberate distortion of truth. We hear so many reports of ‘fake news’, or ‘alternative facts’ and it is increasingly difficult to separate out fact from fiction, especially amidst a bombardment of tweets, news flashes, adverts and coded messages.
Something extraordinary seems to be happening in our lifetime, and in our nation: the deliberate distortion of truth.
Communication of the truth becomes increasingly complex, even in ordinary everyday things of life. When we listen to news reports on the radio we can never be sure of the veracity of what is being reported. The basic problem is the lack of agreed standards of truth. Without a yardstick, we cannot measure anything. There was even a report last week saying that the marathon that has been run in different places has been inaccurately measured, thus calling into question the times achieved by different athletes.
Amos Faced the Same Battle
The Prophet Amos faced the same battle for truth in the nation of Israel. People were all making up their own standards and the teaching given by Moses was being ignored. Everyone did as they pleased. The poor came off worst. They were cheated in the market by merchants who used dishonest scales or who brushed a lot of chaff and dust into the bag when they were selling corn to the housewife (Amos 8:5-6).
If a poor housewife went to court trying to get justice against a rich merchant, it would be the rich man who won because the judge was corrupt and accepted a bribe before he gave his decision, so the poor were deprived of justice in the courts (Amos 5:12).
Amos was outraged by this and many other things he saw in the nation such as selling the poor into slavery, a father and a son abusing a girl and drunken behaviour (Amos 2:6-8). He took this to God in prayer and got some very straight answers about judgment coming upon the nation.
Checking the City Walls
Amos was not only a righteous man but he was also compassionate and he pleaded with God to have mercy on the people. He had several revelations of what God was going to do and each time he pleaded that this would not happen. Eventually God showed him a picture of a man standing by a wall with a plumb line in his hand and God asked him “What do you see Amos?” “A plumb line,” he replied. Then the Lord said “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer” (Amos 7:8).
Amos knew that there was no further point in arguing. He had seen the city engineer regularly checking the city walls with a plumb line. They were looking for the wall becoming out of line – out of exact perpendicular. In particular, the engineer had to look for bulges.
Our problem is our lack of agreed standards of truth. Without a yardstick, we cannot measure anything.
The city walls were built with an outer and an inner wall of stone with a gap between. The gap was usually filled with rubble which often also contained household rubbish. It was this rubbish that presented a danger because it could sometimes generate heat which could put pressure upon the outer and inner walls causing them to bulge. The bulge meant that the wall could crack and suddenly fall, leaving the city open to the invasion of enemies.
The engineer had to check for the bulges which indicated that there was corruption inside the wall. When Amos saw this, he got the message that God was communicating to him.
There would come a point when the corruption in the nation would become so strong that family life and harmonious community relationships would all be affected by the lies and injustice of corrupt officials and lawless individuals. If the nation went on ignoring the warning signs of corruption and the cracks in the justice system, in family life and in community relations – the outcome would be disastrous. It would happen without further warning, in an instant when nobody was expecting it.
Message to Britain
The Prophet Isaiah had a similar message:
Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly in an instant. It will break in pieces like pottery, shattered so mercilessly that among its pieces not a fragment will be found for taking coals from a hearth or scooping water out of the cistern. (Isa 30:12-14) [emphasis added]
This is a message to Britain today. There have been many warning signs over a number of years of corruption among officials in our nation - in the banking industry, among our politicians, in local government and business as well as in family life and community relationships. The savage beating of a young asylum seeker in Croydon has shocked the nation – that there can be such barbaric cruelty and violence among young people in Britain is horrifying.
If our nation goes on ignoring the warning signs of corruption – the outcome will be sudden and disastrous.
But this is simply evidence of corruption in the nation: the breakdown of family life and the abandonment of teaching truth in our schools. When we ceased to teach the Bible in state schools we abandoned the plumb line of truth. Now we are reaping the inevitable rewards of a lawless generation. But it’s no good blaming the young people – we are all to blame!
The only hope for the future is repentance and turning to the word of God for his truth to be enshrined at the heart of the nation. Jesus promised, “When he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). This should surely be the focal point of prayer among Christians for our leaders, both Church and State!
Welsh Christians honour blood of the martyrs.
A group of British Christians are planning to honour the memory of 1,200 believers who paid with their lives for refusing to stop celebrating the Passover.
A special Passover celebration will be held at Bangor-on-Dee in North Wales on Monday (10 April) as a memorial to all who have died in obedience to the Lord and as a sign that there are still those who refuse to bow the knee to any other god.
The event is being organised by the Father’s House congregation at Shotton, Deeside.
Ancient Communities of the Faithful
Like their Jewish forbears of the early Church, Christians in the British Isles continued to celebrate the biblical feasts until bishops from Rome – under orders from the emperors of the time – demanded they switch the Sabbath to Sunday and Passover to Easter, both in honour of pagan gods.
Christians under the influence of St Patrick and St Columba had long continued the tradition of marking the appointed Feasts as outlined in Leviticus 23, all of which point to Yeshua (Jesus, the Messiah), especially in the case of Passover which was clearly seen as fulfilled by the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, who plainly stated that he had not come to abolish the Law (Old Testament commands) but to fulfil it (Matt 5:17).
Christians under the influence of St Patrick and St Columba had long continued the tradition of marking the appointed Feasts outlined in Leviticus 23.
But from 644 AD onwards, after the Christian community established by St Columba on the Scottish island of Iona were duped into changing the days and names of the Feasts, a new era had begun apparently designed to distance Christianity from its Hebraic roots.
And in 722 Rome tried to enforce this new practice on believers in Wales, but were met with stiff resistance as the Welsh Christians refused to comply. This led to the slaughter of 1,200 believers in one day at the village of Bangor on the banks of the River Dee.
Restoring True Worship
Father’s House leader Mike Fryer said the enforced changes were “rooted in the anti-Judaism and anti-Semitism of the newly-appointed bishops of the Empire, put in place by the emperors themselves”.
It had started in 321 AD with Constantine ordering worship of the ‘Unconquerable Sun’ on Sunday and exchanging Passover for celebration of the fertility goddess Oestre.
But the unadulterated message of the Gospel survived this spiritual onslaught and spread to faithful believers elsewhere including the British Isles, where they discreetly continued to keep the Feasts for the next 500 years.
From 644 AD onwards, a new era began designed to distance Christianity from its Hebraic roots.
“Every credible historian and theologian accepts there was a strong anti-Semitic motive behind these mass murders and it is agreed that these motives were also the seeds of both the Inquisitions and the Holocaust,” said Mike.
“Indeed Christendom has been anti-Semitic throughout its history. I have been teaching this aspect of the history of the early church in the British Isles for 15 years and our congregation has been celebrating Shabbat, Passover and all the biblical feasts.”
He said he had been inspired by the example of King Hezekiah who, by restoring true worship and the keeping of Passover, brought great blessing on Israel.
If you wish to know more, or would like to attend the celebration, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
‘Mighty Men’ revival linked with support for Israel.
Although hundreds of thousands – perhaps millions – have been affected by it, few in the Northern Hemisphere seem to have heard of the South African revival.
I’m not referring to the 1860 awakening led by my ancestor (by adoption) Andrew Murray,1 but to a current movement that is drawing huge crowds – especially men – to Christ. And it is my belief that there is a distinct correlation between this move of the Spirit and a general understanding and support of Israel, to whom Christians are indelibly attached – if we cut ourselves off from our Judaic roots, the Church cannot truly exist (Rom 11:17f).
Churches in all parts of South Africa – incorporating black and white as well as English and Afrikaans-speaking – are bursting with new life as they prove a counter-cultural provocation to secularists, humanists and others (who are trying it on there too) and especially to a Government rife with corruption and virulently opposed to Israel, even to the extent of virtually cutting off diplomatic ties with the Jewish state. This is in spite of the fact that it was Jews who led the resistance to apartheid in the days of the old whites-only Parliament.
Angus Buchan and Shalom
One man perhaps stands out among the many leaders of this movement for the influence he has had – and that is Angus Buchan, a humble farmer who doubled as an evangelist soon after a dramatic encounter with Christ in 1979.
His campaigns reaped rewards, but then God called him to focus his attention on men – and he has been faithful to this task ever since, drawing both young and old men to weekend camps initially held at Shalom, his KwaZulu-Natal farm, for seven consecutive years.
I believe there is a distinct correlation between the present move of the Spirit in South Africa and a general support of Israel.
It began with just family and a few friends but, six years later, was accommodating a staggering 400,000 men who had gathered from all corners of the land to hear the uncompromising word of God challenging them to take responsibility as heads of their families by serving Christ with all their hearts.
The magnificent Drakensberg mountains, not far from the farm where an Israeli family heard how Jesus is the fulfilment of Yom Kippur.The so-called Mighty Men Conferences have since spread elsewhere, including the UK, as faith in God has swept across the countryside like a prairie fire. Friends of mine from the Karoo area of the Cape, who in the early days travelled 500 miles to join the camps in far-off KwaZulu-Natal, are now involved in helping to host events in their own farming district.
Default Position: Love for Israel
Angus has proved a huge inspiration as he urges men to run their homes, love their wives and discipline their children in the fear of God, leading to inevitable clashes with political correctness. But as the corridors of political power darken, the light of Christ shines brighter.
Author of the best-selling Faith Like Potatoes which has been made into a powerful movie, Angus has also led meetings in Israel, where Pentecostal-type manifestations such as a mighty, rushing wind (see Acts 2:2) have been evident.
Moreover, the default position of many of South Africa’s churches today is an understanding of God’s everlasting love for Israel and of the church’s enormous debt to them – for the Bible, for their Saviour and much more. This is certainly reflected in the publishing realm, led by Joy magazine (also published in Afrikaans as Juig), the biggest circulation Christian periodical outside the United States. The same can be said for the popular South African news portal, Gateway News.
The default position of many of South Africa’s churches today is an understanding of God’s everlasting love for Israel and of the church’s enormous debt to them.
A recent event involving CMJ (the Church’s Ministry among Jewish people), for whom I volunteer, bore this out in no uncertain terms. One of our workers travelled a thousand miles from Cape Town to KwaZulu-Natal to speak at a Christian gathering about the significance of Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement – and how Jesus is the fulfilment of this Jewish holiday, their holiest day of the year.
A statue of Andrew Murray, a much-revered figure in South African history.About 70 people turned up to hear her at a farm in the shadow of the Drakensberg mountains, where I grew up. It so happened that a secular Israeli family touring South Africa rang to inquire about overnight guest accommodation. The owners, Hendrik and Ina Goosen, warned them that a Christian meeting would be taking place. But they said they didn’t mind, and the family – mum, dad and three children – turned up for the entire talk which was followed by refreshments. They were overwhelmed by the experience, and by the love people had for Israel.
Wonderful Spiritual Legacy
I have re-visited my home country a number of times in recent years to see family and friends, and I became aware that it was no longer divided along apartheid lines, but between those who live in fear – the secularists who erect huge steel barriers to protect their property from burglars – and those who live by faith and in freedom, who love their neighbours and believe in the country’s future under God.
South Africa has a wonderful spiritual legacy. I have already mentioned the legendary devotional writer and revivalist Rev. Andrew Murray who, after learning Dutch in Holland, came out from Scotland to pastor Afrikaners who had fled the British-ruled Cape in search of more favourable pastures. The country was also greatly influenced by the Pentecostal pioneers of the early 20th Century – particularly John G Lake and David du Plessis – and it was around this time that the young Nelson Mandela was strongly influenced by Methodist missionaries, who also paid for his education.
My thesis of the link between Holy Spirit revival and love for the Jews is backed up by another famous Scot, Robert Murray McCheyne, along with his fellow countryman Andrew Bonar, who together encouraged the evangelisation of the Jews back in the 1830s. Both led missions to Palestine (as it was then known) and Jewish communities in Europe. And when revival broke out in his local parish of Kilsyth, McCheyne took this as a sign of God’s promise to Abraham and his heirs that “I will bless those who bless you” (Gen 12:3). God’s favour was on them because they honoured the Jews, the apple of God’s eye.2
South Africa is no longer divided along apartheid lines, but between those who live in fear and those who live by faith and in freedom.
On the other side of the same coin is the horrendous legacy of the so-called Berlin Declaration of 1909, in which 56 evangelical leaders concluded that the Pentecostal outpourings at Azusa Street in Los Angeles in 1906 and in Sunderland, England, in 1907, were of the devil. Werner Oder, a UK-based pastor and son of a Nazi, believes this amounted to blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and sowed the seeds of the Holocaust.3
It is interesting that, despite early success in Europe, the Pentecostal movement made comparatively little impact on this part of the world whereas it has been a very different story in Asia, Africa and South America.
I appreciate that Jesus warned of deception in the last days, but I feel that sometimes we are in danger of straining at a gnat but swallowing a camel on this point. My favourite author/preacher RT Kendall, writing of how Israel as a whole failed to recognise their Messiah when he came, says: “We are all so sure that we would recognize the authentic when it arrives. You could not have told a Sadducee or a Pharisee that the Messiah would come to Israel without them knowing and acknowledging him. But he came and they rejected him.”4
Requirements for Revival
Some years ago I received a dramatic vision of revival in Doncaster, my home town, during a celebration service involving a number of churches, and immediately shared it with those present. It was of a beautiful new square complete with fountains, trees and smart buildings, and I told them that, although I believed God was saying this would indeed become a material reality in the town, it was also a picture of revival to come.
Two weeks later the local paper published an artist’s impression precisely reflecting that vision – and this lovely square, complete with 16 fountains, now adorns the Waterdale area of the town centre and is flanked by the new municipal offices and a modern theatre called Cast, where the town’s pastors recently met for the first time for mutual encouragement. A similar feature, also with fountains, has now been announced for the area adjacent to Doncaster’s railway station.
I keep telling friends and pastors here that, if they wish to see this vision (of revival) fulfilled, they must start blessing Israel – by praying for them, helping their poor, defending them from unwarranted attack and anti-Semitism and, most of all, by reaching out to them with the very Gospel which has so blessed us (Rom 1:16, 10:14).
If we want to see revival, we must start blessing Israel.
In South Africa, meanwhile, up to a million people are expected to descend on the central city of Bloemfontein (which, incidentally, translates ‘flower fountain’) in a fortnight’s time (22 April) to pray for their nation, following a call from the man they have all come to know as Oom (Uncle) Angus!
Don’t forget that Jesus is returning – not to London, New York, Paris or Cape Town, but to Jerusalem, as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5)!
If you really love Jesus, you will love the Jews!
Notes
1 My orphaned great-grandfather, also Charles, was brought up in the Murray parsonage in Graaff-Reinet, 500 miles from Cape Town. Our family is forever indebted to Rev Andrew Murray Snr and his wife Maria, who had 16 children of their own!
2 Peace in Jerusalem by Charles Gardner (olivepresspublisher.com), p164.
3 Ibid, p162-3.
4 Why Jesus Died (Monarch Books), p40.
How has the separation of the Church from its Jewish roots affected our faith communities?
In this series we have focussed purposely on personal relationship with God, from which we now move carefully towards the role of community. It is all too easy to place community as a priority over personal relationship with God. This is the way many church fellowships have consolidated, where the weekly Sunday service forms a large percentage of what Christian life is considered to be. It is all too easy to adopt this same mindset and consider that the restoration of our Hebraic heritage must primarily influence the Sunday (or Saturday) service.
This may be the reason why some groups have sought to copy the synagogue, sort of acting out a Gentile version of Jewishness. Personally, I have been surprised and sometimes shocked at what I have seen in some congregations, emphasising Jewish symbolism and clothing – the externalisation of traditional symbols rather than the internalisation of spiritual truth.
More than that, there have been those who have converted to Judaism, which usually requires a verbal rejection that Yeshua (Jesus) is Messiah. I am not against the use of some symbolism from Jewish tradition, of course and, in balance, there is much good in valuing these traditions and building bridges, but not as an end in itself.
Community of Faith
Nevertheless, God is building a community of faith rather than a group of individual believers. A key issue in the restoration of the Hebraic character of community is recognition that the Olive Tree of Romans 11 is a picture of one community of Jews and Gentiles living by faith that Yeshua is Messiah, saved through his shed blood on the Cross.
The Olive Tree of Romans 11 is a picture of one community of Jews and Gentiles living by faith that Yeshua is Messiah.
This re-connection with Messianic Jews re-defines the Christian Church as it was intended to be from the time of the first Apostles of Yeshua. Note, however, that it is faith in Yeshua the Messiah that is our shared heritage, not traditional Judaism which denies Yeshua as Messiah despite our common route to Father Abraham.
The Emergence of the Covenant Community
The writer to the Hebrews made it clear that meeting together is something that believers must strive to do (Heb 10:25). We all, as individuals, look back to “our father Abraham” for the model of individual faith and a personal walk with God, but we are not intended to live this out just as individuals.
Human history can be divided into four recognisable stages in the formation of God’s intended covenant community. First, there was Abraham and his family.
Secondly, Abraham’s physical descendants identified as a nation, learning to walk together with God as they journeyed from Egypt to the Promised Land. Israel was shown Torah in an explicitly communal way, because they now formed an interactive community. As well as the laws that were given to govern all aspects of community life and daily interaction, the Sabbath and Feasts were introduced to draw the community - individually, in families and as a nation - into fellowship with God.
This period of Israel’s history must be studied to find the foundations from which Christianity has since emerged. There is also much value in studying the Jewish community up to the present day (with the cautions I have indicated in earlier articles).
The writer to the Hebrews made it clear that meeting together is something that believers must strive to do.
The third stage of the emergence of the covenant community has been since the time of Yeshua. Yeshua took the “curse of Torah” (Gal 3:13) – the punishment for sin – from those who believe in him so that we could all, both Jew and Gentile, submit to the leading of God through his Holy Spirit to have Torah written on our hearts (Jer 31:33; Rom 8).
We were intended to learn together how to be a worldwide community of faith with the new authority to interpret Torah given to Bible teachers, pastors and elders in local communities throughout the world.
The fourth stage will be the Millennial community following Yeshua’s return. We must wait patiently for this and wonder at just how it will all come together.
Separation from the Roots of the Faith
Satan threw a spanner into the works when he persuaded Christian leaders, from approximately the third century on, that God had finished with the Jews. The result was cultivation of alternative Christian traditions, including modifications of the Sabbath and the Feasts (see for example Tishrei Journal Archive Number 17: From Sabbath to Sunday, Passover to Easter and Dedication to Christmas (Some Historical Background)).
A multitude of Church characteristics and traditions have emerged among the various denominations since the days when leaders of the Church in the Gentile world separated from their historic connection to Israel. Anti-Semitism was a terrible consequence that led to a mistaken pride that the Church had replaced Israel.
In so doing many denominations emerged, some trying to replace the religious order of ancient Israel with their own definition of the priesthood and the Feasts. Eloquent liturgies have emerged, but often robbing church members of their personal walk with God.
Satan threw a spanner into the works when he persuaded Christian leaders that God had finished with the Jews.
Some branches of the Christian Church nevertheless retained much of the true heritage passed on, including baptism and regular remembrance of the Lord through the bread and wine of communion. The Lord has blessed his Church over these years despite much that needs restoration and re-thinking.
Greco-Roman Influence
When the Christian Church distanced itself from the Jews, Greco-Roman influence crept in to fill the vacuum. It is instructive to consider the diocese, for instance, which is Roman in origin and inclines towards a centralised system of administration with local representation. Some hierarchical structures of Anglo-Catholic church leadership, including the priesthood, owe much to Greco-Roman traditions of clergy and laity and centralised control.
Also, the idea of a Greek Theatre has imposed itself more than we realise on a large number of congregational meetings (see, for example, Tishrei Journal Archive Number 42, From the Theatre to the Home). This is a major area for consideration to understand the consequences of the Christian Church departing from its original roots.
Time to Restore the Roots
Now is the time to gradually put things right. We cannot over-ride the authority given by God to local communities of Christians, so at best we can suggest taking counsel together. Since this is the prophetic moment for Christians to re-discover their ancient inheritance and re-root more firmly into the flow of covenant history, neglect of this could lead to greater deviation, even succumbing to deception, in the coming days.
This is the prophetic moment for Christians to re-discover their ancient inheritance and re-root more firmly into the flow of covenant history.
There is already a flood of strange spiritual experience here and there in the Christian Church that seems to come more from New Age spirituality than from the Holy Spirit. Something will always come in to fill a vacuum. It is noticeable how many Christians are thirsting for change, recognising the dryness of much traditional Church experience.
Next week this series will continue by offering some suggestions as to the beginning of an agenda – ideas for how to move forward in collectively re-discovering our Hebraic roots.
Next time: Re-thinking Community
Paul Luckraft reviews ‘The Appointed Times: Jesus in the Feasts of Israel’ (DVD, 2013, Day of Discovery).
There are many books available to help us understand the importance of the Feasts of Israel not only to Jews but also to Christians seeking to incorporate these ‘Appointed Times’ into their walk of faith. But here is a DVD that will act as an excellent introduction to anyone wondering if this is really something they want to investigate further.
It is also a very useful resource for home study groups and will provide openings for further discussion and teaching.
Four Main Sections
The DVD is divided into four sections, each of 25 minutes. Part 1 is an overview entitled Rest, Remembrance and Renewal, and the following three parts cover Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles in turn.
What makes the DVD very watchable is that we are taken to the Holy Land itself and watch three presenters (Michael Rydelnik, Avner Boskey, Michael Brown) in conversation with each other, sharing what they know and understand both from the Scriptures and their own experiences.
The visual production is of a high quality in all the various settings and locations, and the interaction between the three presenters maintains our interest, even though we know it is largely staged for our benefit!
A highly recommended resource that can be used over and over again.
Prophetic Significance
The value of the teaching in the DVD has many aspects. Not only does it investigate the importance of the Spring and Fall Feasts to Israel and describe the historical, agricultural and sacrificial aspects of these holy days, it also reveals their prophetic significance.
Most importantly, we see how these Appointed Times reveal Jesus as Messiah and the focal point of God’s redemptive plan, and learn how they are fulfilled in Jesus’ death and resurrection. In addition, we are shown how the Fall Feasts point to the promise of his return.
A highly recommended resource that can be used over and over again.
The Appointed Times (100 minutes) is available from Discovery House for £9.50 + P&P, where you can also watch a trailer. The DVD includes closed captioning for the hearing impaired.