Building a Spirit-Empowered Hebraic Worldview: A New Class This Fall

Starting Monday, October 5th Tom will teach a class focused on setting the foundation for a Spirit-Empowered Hebraic Worldview by looking at covenantal continuity. It's an 8-week session held on Monday evenings, from 6:30-9pm at Crossroads Church in Overland Park. He will teach on a new topic each week and also facilitate classroom discussion. Unlike the classes he offered last year there is no video instruction -- this class is built upon his own study and research in the Covenants throughout the Word.

Here's a more detailed explanation of what you can look forward to in this new class:

8-Week Session: October 5th - November 23rd

Building a Spirit-Empowered Hebraic Worldview: Covenantal Continuity & Foundation

     6:30 - 9:00pm
 
This class will construct a Biblical worldview that emphasizes the holistic necessity of Holy Spirit empowerment along with the equally necessary Biblically Hebraic realities of the Kingdom of G-d. The emphasis will be on the cumulative progressive nature of the Biblical covenants and the continuity between them. We will explore the Spirit-Empowered Hebraic Worldview by looking at principles from the Biblical feast of Shavuot (Pentecost), including:

• Continuous Covenantal Thread: A look at the continuous and foundational thread of covenant throughout Scripture focusing on the New Covenant & the Davidic Covenant.
• People & Land: An Israel-Centric Perspective presented with a focus on the Jewish people, and the Land of Israel as understood through the Abrahamic Covenant, while also addressing the role of the Nations in relationship to Israel by looking at the Adamic and Noachic Covenants.
• G-d's Holy Law: A look at the Mosaic Covenant and its continued relevance for Jews & Gentiles.

We hope to see you there!
The cost of the class is $20.
Please register by contacting Tom Blake at
tom@remember-jerusalem.org  OR 913-645-8814

Classes are located at:
Crossroads Church RCA,
10551 Quivira Road, Lenexa, KS 66215

The Study of the Word as Worship

"Judaism considers the study of Torah as the most sublime kind of worship, a way of meeting God, of breaking through the barrier separating the Absolute from the contingent and relative. Human intellectual engagement in the exploration of God's word, thought and law is a great religious experience, an activity bordering on the miraculous, a paradoxical bridge spanning the chasm that separates the world of vanity and infinity. The preoccupation of the intellect with the Torah is a sort of identification with divine thought, the realization of man's longing for companionship with God."
Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik

The Great Day of Salvation

Today is Hoshana Rabbah, the Great Day of Salvation according to the Scriptures and the Jewish Calendar. Chag Sukkot Sameach, friends!

What a surprise!

Up Close at the Trial Location

John 18:28-29 says, "Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. Pilate then went out to them and said, 'What accusation do you bring against this Man?'"

Take a look at the actual location in this video with Tom:

In case you missed the first half of the teaching, here it is:

Archaeological evidence shows that we do know the most probable place where Yeshua was sentenced to death -- at a rarely visited area just outside the walls of the Old City.

On the Balance Between Relevance and Holiness

As one who used to highly encourage the importance of being relevant in order to reach people with the message of Jesus, over time I have walked away from that emphasis.  Why?  While on the surface it may seem to be a more useful on-ramp into the Kingdom to be relevant to the lost people of this world, this perspective too often lacks something desperately needed in our world:  more people of G-d living in holiness.  You might say, “Those ‘holiness people’ are not able to relate to the rest of the world and live in their own religious bubble.”  But is being “holy” the same as being religious? To be holy means to be “other than” or “set apart”.  So how are we to be in this world but not of this world?  How are we to be set apart without living in a “religious bubble”?  How can we know whether we are being holy or religious?

I want to suggest that the evidence for living a life of holiness is the demonstration of the power of G-d in your life.  Being religious does not necessarily lead to the manifest presence of G-d in our lives.  Walking in holiness leads to the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Think of that miraculous healing you experienced or witnessed.  Think of the time when that man of G-d spoke into your life as if he knew the deep things of your heart.  We have the opportunity to be used by G-d to be a vessel for the outpouring of His Spirit to others.  To bring more people into His Kingdom we need more people of G-d living “holiness” that is demonstrated through the power of the Holy Spirit.     

Where is the power of the Holy Spirit in your life?  Where is the power of the Holy Spirit in my life?  May we all be called to a higher standard of holiness so that our Father will deem us worthy to demonstrate through us His Kingdom on the earth as it is in Heaven.

The Trial of Yeshua

Archaeological evidence shows that we do know the most probable place where Yeshua was sentenced to death -- at a rarely visited area just outside the walls of the Old City.

Join Tom as he explains the archaeological proof in part 1.

Emmylou Achinoam

Our second daughter arrived Monday night at 9:05 after a smooth and quick delivery. The grace of G-d was very evident during the whole process -- the baby was never in distress, I was only in labor for three hours and she arrived into my arms healthy, pink and ready for love. We are so thankful for your prayers and care throughout this pregnancy and especially during the labor. Being part of a body so big and loving has made her arrival extremely exciting.

Throughout the last few months we talked through a handful of names we thought appropriate for our daughter. There was never a long list, which made it easy and difficult at the same time. At Yom Kippur we received a prophecy about our baby being a strong warrior and as I prayed about what this meant the L-rd gave me Revelation 9-12. Surely this child will proclaim a powerful message. There are few names for girls that carry the weight of "strong warrior" but when Tom turned to our list of names we gathered while pregnant with Cassidy he found Emmylou. At one point it was our #1 choice for Cassidy, but obviously we ended up not using it. 

Now we can see the leading of the L-rd: Emmylou means famous warrior.

Since I was not 100% in love with the name I asked the L-rd, repeatedly, if Emmylou was supposed to be her name. I heard YES every time. I began to bless her spirit by calling her Emmylou and I started to feel the importance of her name. Now that she is here she is definitely our Emmylou.

The middle name was also a process for us. We did not hesitate with giving her an "American" and somewhat old-timey name, fitting in with our other children, but felt it would be helpful for her to have a more Hebrew/Israeli middle name. Depending on where her Father leads her, she might end up back in Israel and if that is the case we want her to have a name she can use here that will fit more with the culture plus she was born in Jerusalem!

We had several options we considered: Tikvah (Hope), Simcha (Joy), Halleli (Praise). I kept coming back to something completely different -- Achinoam. I first heard this name at our Hebrew congregation and immediately filed it away for later use.

So what does it mean?!

My brother is a delight.

How do you say it?!

Ach- ee-no-ahm. If it's too much to gather phlegm for the Ach, it's ok to say it with a hard 'k' sound. The point is to connect with the eternal perspective that though her brothers are not here they are part of her life and part of her message. 

In the weeks leading up to her birth the L-rd spoke about her middle name. I like the previous names mentioned but none of them resounded in my heart as much as Achinoam (for obvious reasons, right?). Then about a week and a half ago, as I blessed her spirit out of Arthur Burk's book, Blessing Your Spirit With the Blessings of Your Father and the Names of G-d, I felt the stirrings of His timing and His will. The title of the blessing was "Used by G-d to Turn the Enemy's Plans Upside Down" and the scripture was Esther 9:20-22:

Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces 

of King Xerxes, near and far, to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days 

of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month 

when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. 

He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one 

another and gifts to the poor.

We just observed these events in Jerusalem on Sunday and Monday, the holiday called Purim, when young and old alike dress up in costumes, dance in the streets, feast like kings and give gifts of food to each other. It had not occurred to me that my due date was so close to Purim. The two seemed like such separate events. But in that moment of calling Emmylou's spirit to attention and blessing her to recognize that "the death of Jesus on the cross was not the end of something, but rather the beginning" I realized something. I asked Him about her middle name and He told me, no her name is not Hope or Joy or Esther. She is not your Hope, or your Joy. I AM. It is through her that I am giving you more hope and joy, but just like that blessing said, it is about Me. And in that moment I knew Achinoam, my brother is a delight, was the name. It connects her, and all of us, with the eternal perspective that we live this life for His glory, for His Kingdom, and whether we get to delight in our brothers now or when the King returns, it is all a delight because it's from Him.

And now that she is here, in our arms, we are delighting in His ways. Three and a half years after Zeke joined the Heavenly Army we now have another warrior for the Kingdom. And though Achinoam means a singular brother, it represents Zeke and Wyatt and every other loved one that has been called to prepare the way of the L-rd's return. 

Is Christmas Kosher?

The Reason for the Season

You have probably heard that Yeshua actually celebrated Hanukah and that it is even recorded in the Gospel of John 10:22-23: “Now it was the Festival of Dedication (Hanukah) in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Yeshua walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch.”

And the story is often told of the miracle of the oil burning for eight days during the festival. But why did they celebrate Hanukah for eight days? Almost everything in Jewish tradition has a meaning and the eight days is no exception. The Maccabees were zealous for the law (1 Macc. 2:26) (see a similar Jewish response in Acts 21:20) and were willing to give their very lives to uphold the ways of G-d. However, because of the war with Antiochus Epiphanes, the Jewish people were not able to properly celebrate the Biblical festivals. 2 Maccabees 10:1-8 describes the rededication of the Temple after the Maccabean victory:

Now Maccabeus and his followers, the Lord leading them on, recovered the temple and the city; they tore down the altars that had been built in the public square by the foreigners, and also destroyed the sacred precincts. They purified the sanctuary, and made another altar of sacrifice; then, striking fire out of flint, they offered sacrifices, after a lapse of two years, and they offered incense and lighted lamps and set out the bread of the Presence… It happened that on the same day on which the sanctuary had been profaned by the foreigners, the purification of the sanctuary took place, that is, on the twenty-fifth day of the same month, which was Chislev. They celebrated it for eight days with rejoicing, in the manner of the festival of booths [Sukkot], remembering how not long before, during the festival of booths [Sukkot], they had been wandering in the mountains and caves like wild animals.

Hanukah is a celebration of the rededication of the Temple and a commemoration of Sukkot!  Sukkot is supposed to be the most joyous Biblical festival (Deut. 16:14) but they were in the mountains and caves living like animals so they were not able to properly celebrate. Sukkot is also the prophetic observance of the coming marriage supper of the Lamb and the full manifestation of Yeshua’s Kingdom of Light on the earth.

Hanukkiot in our neighborhood

It is no surprise then that Hanukah is also known as the Festival of Lights because of its connection to Sukkot. During Sukkot they would put up four 55 cubit high (75-88ft tall) menorahs (m. Sukkah 5:1-4, b. Sukkah 52b) in the women’s court of the Temple complex. These menorahs would dramatically light up the entire area as a part of the celebration -- which would have been quite extraordinary since they didn't have electricity back then! It was in this context that Yeshua declared, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (Jn 8:12).

So lighting the menorah during Hanukah is a prophetic declaration of Yeshua as the Light of the world and that His Kingdom is coming to the earth.

The large hanukkiah located on the roundabout on our street

Chag Hanukah Sameach

Happy Hanukah  

Pillar of Cloud

(For more details about what's currently happening in the south please see our previous post).

Israel’s current operation against the Islamic terrorists in Gaza has been translated into English as “Operation Pillar of Defense.” This is a poetic translation which fails to convey the true meaning and purpose of Israel’s military operation.

The original Hebrew is עמוד ענן, “Amud Anan”, a phrase taken directly from the Torah.

When the children of Israel sojourned through the desert, a divine cloud, “a pillar of cloud” went before them in order to shield them from harm.

And the angel of G-d, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. —Exodus 14:19-20

Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (1040–1105 CE), a French rabbi who wrote commentaries on the Torah, the Prophets and the Talmud, explains:

They [the Egyptians] shot arrows and catapult stones at them, but the angel and cloud caught them.

Thus, the name of this operation is particularly appropriate as Israel defends itself from terrorist rockets and mortars — modern arrows and catapults.

Here is the prayer for the State of Israel that is appropriate at this time:

Our Father in Heaven, Rock and Redeemer of the people of Israel; Bless the State of Israel with the beginning of the blossoming of our redemption. Shield it with Your love; spread over it the shelter of Your peace. Guide its leaders and advisors with Your light and Your truth. Help them with Your good counsel. Strengthen the hands of those who defend our Holy Land. Deliver them; crown their efforts with triumph. Bless the land with peace, and its inhabitants with lasting joy. And let us say: Amen.

(adapted from an email from ulpanor.com)

Dissertation Update & an Encounter

I am currently researching Jesus’ words, “salvation comes from the Jews”, and how this phrase functions within the Gospel of John (4:22). Why is this important? G-d has clearly shown us the importance of Israel and that His heart for the nations is rooted in His love for the Jewish people. This particular verse (and many others) suggests a very important role for G-d’s chosen people. By presenting a scholarly argument for the continued importance of G-d’s covenantal people with regards to Jesus and salvation, much restitution can be made concerning the regrettable anti-Jewish viewpoints throughout Church history and Jewish-Christian relations in general. It will also help to further unify Jew and Gentile in the Body of Messiah.  

During the Nazi regime, this verse was a point of issue (John 4:22):

     1)      With a view to the ‘de-judaization’ of Christianity, attempts were made in Germany to scrap the verse altogether from school bibles.

     2)      In his 1936 edition of the Gospel of John, for example, ‘Landesbischof’ Weidemann of Bremen simply left the verse out.

     3)       In 1938, after some initial resistance, the evangelical Landesbischof of Baden-Baden gave his approval to a similar emendation.

     4)       For pedagogical reasons, story number 12—Jesus and the Samaritan woman—of the Neudruck of the Biblische Geschichte which was intended for evangelical religious studies classes was henceforth to be printed without the ‘objectionable’ clause ‘Denn das Heil kommt von den Juden’ (salvation comes from the Jews).

     5)      In 1940, the Institute for the Exploration and Removal of the Jewish influence on the German Church published its ‘de-judaized version’ of the New Testament in which John 4:22b was contorted to read “the famous anti-Semitic slogan ‘The Jews are our misfortune.’”

Clearly this verse holds a lot of weight historically, and I haven’t even scratched the surface. 

Being aware of this historical "scholarship" directly relates to how we interact with the Jewish people in Israel. Today we went to a local coffee shop and talked with one of the baristas about who we are. When she found out that we weren't Jewish and that Tom is studying the Bible she said, "I know who you are." She went on to explain that she met some people in New Zealand who were not Jewish but who loved Jesus and loved the Jewish people. It was the first time we've had a non-Messianic Jew not be shocked that we, as Gentiles, love the Jewish people. But clearly this seed of truth was already planted within her.

The truth is most Jewish people see the followers of Jesus as enemies because of things done in the name of Christianity, such as the research Tom discovered about the Nazis changing scripture. With this awareness we chose our words carefully and come into situations with a spirit of unification instead of separation. When we as followers of Jesus interact with the Jewish people with a heart of love, appreciation, and understanding then they are more receptive to the message of Jesus as Messiah. 

On our way home Tom and I rejoiced that this girl had a positive view of Jesus' followers. The seeds are being planted in people all over the land, and every time we can share more light and water the truth of G-d's love for all of us then we are that much closer to his return!

Season of Redemption

Two years ago, five days before Wyatt rode off with Yeshua, Tom gave a phenomenal teaching on the importance of Shavuot for every follower of Yeshua. At the time we believed this was the L-rd releasing him to teach more, but then Wyatt left and we remained in a season of resting in the L-rd and trusting His timing.

The L-rd re-opened that door of teaching for Tom in the last 8 months, in a bigger way than we could have imagined. We don't have the original teaching he gave in May of 2010, but here is a brief version of the importance of Shavuot, in relation to this season of redemption. May it bless your spirit as we approach the day of Shavuot, beginning Saturday night.

The Name, Hashem

We included this video in our e-newsletter last month, but in case you don't get it, or didn't read it, here is a video about why we hyphenate the name of G-d. We've had good feedback on it and hope it sheds some light on the subject.

Menorahs in the Portion Terumah

Some thoughts on the menorah described in this week's portion, with Tom.

The Golden Menorah, created by the Temple Institute.
Visit www.templeinstitute.org for more information

Post-Supersessionist Interpretation

You may wonder what I am studying while I am in Israel at the University of the Holy Land. The area of study is called post-supersessionist interpretation. New Testament scholarship is revisiting its understanding of how the writers of the New Testament understood Jews and the Judaism of the 1^st century.  Since the early Church fathers, supersessionistic interpretation of the New Testament has been widely accepted and promoted within Church theology.

Layers of Biblical scholarship have been constructed around the premise that the authors of the New Testament viewed the Church as having replaced or superseded the Jewish people as the people of G-d.  Twentieth-century and post-holocaust scholars began to question these historical and theological assumptions. Major studies appeared in the last quarter of the century that challenged the traditional supersessionism of Church history.  The result: today we are seeing a new school of thought emerging within the field of New Testament studies, sometimes referred to as post-supersessionist interpretation.

Messianic Jewish post-supersessionist interpretation maintains that the New Testament writers affirmed (1) G-d’s covenant fidelity to the Jewish people, (2) that Jesus was Israel’s Messiah and participated in the unique identity of the G-d of Israel, (3) that the besorah (gospel) was for Jews and Gentiles, (4) that Jesus-believing Gentiles were full members of G-d’s people without becoming Jews, and (5) that Jesus-believing Jews should continue to live as Jews in keeping with Israel’s calling to be a distinct and enduring nation.

(http://mjstudies.squarespace.com/about-post-supersessionist/)

Research in this area is still fairly new but scholars are definitely looking into what it means to return the rightful identity to the Jewish people as the covenantal people of G-d. I look forward to sharing all I learn with you on this journey of study and exploration.