I read a note from Rabbi Loren Jacobs this morning that I thought was worthy of posting here. I appreciate what Loren has to say. What to you think?

WHAT I BELIEVE AND WHAT I REJECT

PART 4

I am displeased by the attitude of those within the Messianic Jewish Movement who are overly critical of the Church. There are too many within the movement who seem to delight in fault-finding with the Church and Christianity at every opportunity. They rarely have a nice word to say about the great things that God has accomplished through the Church. Given the fact that most Messianic Jews have Gentile believers to thank for their own salvation experience, I consider such prideful and disdainful attitudes inexcusable. Despite its imperfections (as though we ourselves had none!), there is so much about the Church that is good, and for which we should be thankful. We need to love, support and identify with the Evangelical Church as much as we identify with the Jewish people.

I am increasingly upset by those who accuse the Church of being pagan. I don't for one moment believe that those who celebrate Christmas or Easter, or who make Sunday their day of assembly and worship, are guilty of engaging in paganism. Did you know that a book of the Bible is named after Ishtar, a goddess of sexuality? But now the name "Esther" is used by Jewish people and Christians with the highest regard. Did you know that one of the Jewish Biblical months is named Tammuz, after an ancient Babylonian god? Did you know that the name of another Jewish hero of the Faith, Mordecai, most likely comes from another pagan deity, Marduk? But Mordecai is now a name that is used by the Jewish people with the greatest respect. Do you really suppose that by using the names Esther, Mordecai and Tammuz, that the Jewish people are pagans? No? The Jewish people have taken pagan names, and over time removed the original pagan connotation. Should it bother us that a Christian holiday (Easter) is also called by this name? I don't think so.

I do not believe that a good evangelical Protestant church, worshiping on Sunday, and celebrating Christmas and Easter, is pagan. The early Christian leaders understood that they were not required to live like Jews. They understood the decision of the First Jerusalem Council, and that the demands placed on them were kept to a minimum. What they tried to do was to remove paganism from their culture by replacing false gods with the true God. They tried to bring Christ into their culture. Instead of Sunday being the day of the Sun, they made it a day for the Son of God, who is like the Sun of Righteousness. Instead of a holiday dedicated to Saturn near the winter solstice, they replaced Saturn with Messiah, the Light. Instead of a day devoted to Ishtar, they focused on the resurrection of Messiah. I don’t believe these early leaders sinned. I believe they did well! I believe that Christmas, Easter, and Sunday worship are legitimate traditions, and that people have a right to observe traditions that are meaningful to them, without being derided for it - as long as the traditions don’t contradict the Word of God. Messiah Yeshua Himself observed some extra-biblical Jewish traditions - like drinking more than one cup of wine at the Last Supper, which was a Passover Seder, and like His celebrating Chanukah (see John 10).

There are some pagan practices that do stand in contradiction to the Word of God and should not be used at all. For example, many pagans had shrines with idols in which they prayed to their gods, including a mother-goddess figure. Instead of giving up this idolatry, some nominal Christians simply renamed them Mary and the saints. Praying to fellow human beings who have died, or using statues and icons as part of worship, are practices that are incompatible with Biblical worship. I also find the "Sacrifice of the Mass" and the doctrine of Transubstantiation to be pagan if it is taught that the literal body and blood of the Messiah are being eaten and drunk, since the Torah forbids cannibalism and the consumption of blood.

I don’t believe that Messianic Synagogues are any purer or better than any good Evangelical Church. In fact, I would far prefer people attend a healthy Evangelical Church than an unhealthy Messianic Congregation. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit, making people holy and transforming them into the image of Messiah, that purifies. Messianic Judaism is not a superior type of Christianity. Through Messiah, everyone is made complete. Yes, there are some beautiful truths in the holidays and other aspects of Jewish culture, but there is also great wisdom in good Christian theological books and commentaries and in the Church. And of course, Yeshua Himself is our supreme source of wisdom. There is a depth of wisdom that is in Him that can satisfy any Christian or Messianic Jew.

I don’t believe that every Christian would be better off joining a Messianic Congregation. It takes a unique (though by no means superior) calling to be part of a Messianic Synagogue. Messianic Synagogues exist primarily to strengthen Messianic Jews (as well as Gentile Christians who come to us with the right motives) and to be a witness to the Jewish community.

We are preparing to celebrate the conclusion of our BYG grand finale here in NYC. It has been an amazing month and I can't even begin to relate all the stories of changed lives and the little miracles we have witnessed in so many ways. As I was thinking on all of this I reflected on Jesus instructions to his disciples in Luke 10 when they had returned from their own 1st century BYG campaign. They too were excited about what had happened reporting to Jesus what they found most impressive about their missions trip:“even the demons submit to us in your name.” Man, this was pretty heady stuff. Powerful! But I do think it is fair to say that often the things that impress us are not quite as impressive to God. The Almighty sees things differently than we do. Jesus corrected the disciples misplaced enthusiasm, “Don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you. Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” He isn’t telling them that what they saw was an illusion. He wasn’t’ telling them that what happened was insignificant. He was telling them the best reason for why they should be rejoicing. Their joy should be in what God had done for them and not in what they had done for God. Their joy should be in where they were headed and not in where they had just been. Their joy was not in their authority over Satan but in the certainty of their salvation. When the object of your joy is in something that is over and finished then the duration of your joy will soon be over and finished as well. True joy is based on heavenly promises, not on earthly particulars. That should be our focus. May the Lord give us the grace and humility to rejoice in His salvation through Messiah.

Today I want you to see the interaction over one more story in the Jewish Press. Here is their editorial and here is my response. What is yours?
Jews For Jesus

By: Editorial Board
Wednesday, July 26, 2006

As has been widely reported, Jews for Jesus, a Christian missionary group, is once again out on the streets targeting Jews with the message that one can at the same time believe in Jesus and be Jewish. What is different in their new campaign is that the group has a grossly enhanced budget and a determination to make this year’s crusade the grand finale of its five-year global “Behold Your God” campaign.

According to the group’s executive director, instead of the usual core of 25 volunteers, more than 150 have arrived in New York and a sophisticated program of website offerings, concerts, films and public transportation advertising campaign has been mounted.

We recognize that mainstream evangelical Christian groups see the Jewish community as appropriate objects of evangelical importuning, but we are dismayed that the current onslaught has not drawn their criticism. After all, it is one thing to suggest that Jews are unfulfilled as a matter of Christian theology, but quite another to urge that Judaism itself is not inconsistent with belief in the signature element of Christianity.

We applaud the efforts of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York to galvanize efforts to confront this missionary onslaught. But we would also urge the mainstream evangelical Christian community to weigh in on a positive note. Evangelicals’ support for Israel is laudable, but their public disavowal of Jews for Jesus and similar deceptive missionary outreach programs would be a sign of good faith, particularly given the long and tragic history of conversionary efforts directed at the Jewish people.


Thank you for posting your message on the jewishpress.com. Your message was received and will be posted soon after a brief review by our editors.

Title: Misplaced emphasis
Message: The editorial calling for evangelical Christian censure of Jews for Jesus is misplaced and will never happen. There is a fundamental misunderstanding of the message of Jews for Jesus that leads to such a strange editorial from the Jewish Press. Those of us in Jews for Jesus have never claimed to represent Judaism. We are Christians by faith who are Jews by birth. We insist that being Jewish is not first and foremost practicing the religion of Judaism but a matter of birthright and heritage. We have a right to insist on our heritage as Jews even if we dissent from the Jewish religion as taught by the rabbi's. Please don't accuse us of insisting that Judaism teaches Jesus is o.k. Believe me, we know full well it does not.

Every time I speak at Calvary Baptist Church on 57th Street there are people from Jews for Judaism or the JCRC picketting my presence. Yesterday I was to speak there once again and frankly I am just slightly disappointed that there were no picketters this time. They always add such excitement to the day. The church people at Calvary are usually amused, excited or confused by their appearance. Some years they have served the picketters lemonade. Some of the braver members of the congregation have tried their witnessing skills out on these guys. So I think there was some eagerness to see if they would show up and some disappointment that none did. In fact, the associate pastor teased me that I must be falling down on the job. :)
But as I think about it, the no show from Jews for Judaism and the JCRC at Calvary Baptist this year has been par for the course throughout our entire campaign. There had been a lot of hype leading up to the start of our campaign about what an amazing show of unity there would be from the Jewish community in withstanding us. Jews for Judaism promised to send counter-missionaries as did the JCRC with their newly named SDPC, spiritual deception prevention committee. No one came to Calvary yesterday and the sightings of these anti-missionary folks have been rare to non-existent. A few years ago we used to have a guy named David, a volunteer from the JCRC who faithfully countered our efforts. He would show up in some of the likely places and stand behind our people. He was fairly harmless. Marcia Eisenberg even came out for a few times in years past. She is a ganse macher attorney with the JCRC now so perhaps she is getting too big (or too old) to come out onto the streets. Either way we haven't seen anything of the supposed opposition materialize. Haven't seen the supposed 60 newspaper ads, "say yes to Judaism." Big fizzle from JCRC and Jews for Judaism. It isn't that I am so disappointed. Usually the opposition has helped us to raise awareness of our efforts but we haven't even needed that this year. Now in our 4th week we have had newspaper and television coverage every week. It is hard to believe that our campaign is worthy of a 4 week news cycle in the press, but we have a very good pr agent, Y'shua HaMashiach. It's kind of funny because we have actually been asked who is handling our media for us since we seem to be getting such saturation. We can't claim credit for it unless like Hebrew National, the press answer to a higher authority. I am thankful that we do and I give Him all the praise. What is more important is that we have had the kind of one to one encounters with Jewish people that we could have only prayed for and dreamed of. 2088 Jewish seekers giving us their info and asking for literature and further contact, 426 people praying to receive the Lord, fully half of whom are Jewish. Now that is worth getting excited about!

God answers prayer. Westchester/Bronx was the only one of nine campaigns where we hadn't yet seen Jewish people becoming followers of Jesus. We challenged the team to pray. Susan Perlman gave them a devotional and encouraged the campaigners to believe God for this. Same day 2 Jewish people prayed with campaigners there to receive Jesus. All that and the chocolate man was arrested too. What is that you ask? A man who poured chocolate syrup all over 2 of the campaigners in the Bronx was arrested by the police after our folks gave them the mans liscence plate. Chocolate man may have some time to think about why he was so angry. Last night Heather came running into the back room. She had just prayed with a Jewish woman to receive the Lord. This woman had ordered the Jesus for Jews book and read it from cover to cover. She is coming to meet with Heather tonight. Yesterday Melissa was in Cedarhurst/5 towns and got hassled by anti-missionaries. It resulted in the newspaper for 5 towns writing an article. Opposition is an opportunity to amplify the message. God answers prayer.

Today I spent the day in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. I walked all over asking Hassid's what they thought about Moshiach. One guy, a Lubavitcher told me he was sure Menachem Schneerson was NOT the Messiah. On this we agree I told him. What about you he asked? I am a Jew who believes Y'shua ha Notzri is the Moshiach. Oooooooh. One of those, he said. Yep. Look, you have your opinion. I have mine. Lets leave it at that. Away he went. Most were afraid to speak openly to me about their thoughts and feelings. They were afraid to be seen talking to me. What is apparent to me is that most of these Hassidim are very isolated and afraid to do something or consider ideas that would get them in trouble with their community. They don't consider anything unless their rabbi is ok with it. These people have an image in the world of being very pious. At least that is what most Gentiles think and many Messianic Jews too. It isn't an accurate portrait. They are men and women wearing costumes but caught up in a cult of mind control and behavior control. Brethren, my hearts desire and prayer to God for them is that they might be saved.....