by Jane McKee

There is a movie quote that I am often reminded of in my life, “good things take time, but great things happen all at once.” The fact is, this tends to be true for me. I don’t live on mountain tops or valleys most days, even so, all things good tend to come bunched together, and the bad comes the same way. The point is: What do we do when the blessings come? What about the trials?

For the past few weeks, I have felt truly blessed in so many ways. My job is going extremely well. I feel as though I’ve truly found a home, where my giftings are appreciated as they are, and no one is trying to change me. In fact, they keep asking for more! My energy, random ideas, and strategic planning can exhaust most people, so the fact that this is the result of 7 months on the job, is quite phenomenal to me. It proves that I am situated perfectly for a future career, which is something few can say so soon out of school these days. Overall, I’m quite content with my current circumstances and have few causes for complaints.

While I can look at my life and know that I am extremely blessed, there is the inevitable “other shoe” that is poised to drop and remind me that life isn’t always fun to deal with. While I am not the type to let trials run me over, that doesn’t make them any easier. Right now, while my blessings mainly lie with my job, so do my trials. One in particular that is staring me in the face is a failure of one of my major projects. Note—I deal with people—not products or ideas, at work, so a failure affects more than just a few people. When I was hired, this project was handed to me already failing; I was told to do what I could to make it work, if it could work.

I have always been the type who believes that if I can’t do it, then no one can. As such, I rarely fail, but when I do, it tends to take on much larger proportions than others. I have such an experience currently staring me in the face, and while I know what it is that I am dealing with, it does not make the task any less daunting. Pride makes people say and do things that are meant for self-preservation. I cannot afford such idle comments, but have to take the brunt of others. My own dilemma is whether or not to call it out, or just do damage control?

I do not have the luxury in my position that others have to let my emotions affect my decisions. I deal with too much drama, too many other people, to give in to that style of thinking. As a result, when it is over, the emotions hit me much harder than if I had dealt with them during the time. It is in these moments that I rely on the Lord the most. He has always been my Rock and my support during times of trials, no more so then when others use me as their own support almost to my breaking point. This is the other shoe for me—when the worst is “over,” that is when the hard part of rebuilding begins.

The fact is, we all tend to be caught up in either one emotion or the other. When life is going poorly, that is all we see—not the mini blessings that God sends to light our way back. When things are fantastic, we ignore the promptings of the Spirit, fights with friends or loved ones that we “just don’t want to deal with yet,” and generally just try to make the high last longer. Not that I have a secret to success to offer in this struggle, but I have tried to note it in myself when it happens.

I endeavor to use the blessings in my life to give me perspective through trials and to use trials as a means to find a blessing in disguise. I call myself the “perpetual Pollyanna” (to those who are unfamiliar with the reference, she is a character in a turn-of-the-century novel, an orphan who is noted for always playing the “glad game”—finding something to be glad about no matter what). I think that you always have to look ahead to where things are going, not to just get frustrated with the here and now. Sure, we all have those days when we just can’t take it anymore. I am no stranger to that (just ask my mother). But again, it is our choices which distinguish how we make it past that particular obstacle or if we do at all.

My challenge is this: While none of us can figure out the Father’s plan before it occurs, we can endeavor to be more thankful for the blessings He has given us (both small and large), and to think on whatsoever is good, pure, and lovely (Philippians 4:8 ) during the trials. Don’t be afraid to face the things that are difficult—it is those times which are the making of us. And, waiting until later only makes it harder—not easier. Remember that most everyone can be happy with a little effort, but it is how resilient we are in times of crisis that show the true character that we should want others to emulate (or not). Be who you are called to be in the Messiah and face your own trials, potential failures, and the unknown with the faith that the Lord will see you through to the end—which is most often, yet another new beginning…

by J.K. McKee

Passover is one of the most important times of year for the Messianic community of faith. The season of Passover and Unleavened Bread is so affluent with themes of God’s salvation history it absolutely overwhelms the mind and inspires the soul. The Lord’s plagues upon Egypt, the death of the firstborn, the Passover lamb, the deliverance through the Red Sea, and the onset of the Ancient Israelites sojourn in the desert immediately stir the senses and motivate us to action. The final time before Yeshua’s crucifixion, His Last Supper, His prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane, His trial before the Jewish religious leaders, His encounter before Pilate and being beaten by the Romans, and finally His crucifixion and resurrection are also remembered by the faithful as we contemplate the sufferings of our Lord. What all these things mean, how they connect together, and the significant role they play in the Bible and for us today—are really beyond comprehension.

Why does it seem that today’s Messianic community in 2008 does not address these themes very well at this time of year?

About twelve years ago in 1996 when I first started celebrating Passover as a Messianic Believer, things seemed so much easier than they seem today. I was a part of a vibrant Messianic Jewish congregation. We had a traditional sedar in our home the first night of Passover. On the following night the congregation assembled at a hotel for a catered, sit down sedar presentation that was also traditional. If I can recall correctly, there were at least 400 people in attendance, things went very smoothly, and many Christian visitors were exposed to the Messianic movement and to the significance of the Passover meal for the first time, in a very orderly and professional manner. I still think back on this first sedar and consider it to be the ideal for every congregation and fellowship.

Since the late 1990s an incredible swell of non-Jewish Believers has entered in to the Messianic movement, and issues that were not issues in Messianic Judaism have arisen to the surface. A great number of debates ensue this time of year that can cause a great amount of division and in-fighting among Messianic congregations and assemblies. They all concern the season of Passover. In the past three to four years, in particular, I have encountered far too many people utter the line: “Everybody is wrong but me!” People that are believed to have differing opinions, are at worst chastised as not truly following the Bible, or at best somehow not having the right “revelation.” Where God’s love, reason, and a fair-minded examination of the issues are I honestly do not know.

We start with the Passover sedar itself: Are we to follow the traditional Jewish sedar with the four glasses of wine or not? Or do we follow our own haggadah? Do we have lamb following Sephardic Jewish custom, or chicken following Ashkenazic Jewish custom? Do we eat with our “loins girded” (Exodus 12:11), or in a relaxed posture (Mark 14:18; Luke 22:14)? Do we allow for an egg to be on our Passover plates? Moving forward, to what degree do we consider what is “kosher for Passover”? Is Orthodox Jewish halachah sufficient, do we follow the lead of the more Centrist branches of Judaism, or do we make up our own rulings? And what about the season of counting the omer to Shavuot? Do we follow the traditional, Pharisaic method of determining when to celebrate Shavuot, follow its competing Saddusaical method, or even follow the Essenic method as attested in the Dead Sea Scrolls?

I think it is safe to say that far too much attention has been given to some of the minutiae of this season than is appropriate—at the expense of some of the much larger issues.

With a large number of non-Jewish Believers entering into the Messianic movement, and with the rise of an independent Messianic congregational phenomenon, during this season we will witness a great number a-traditional ways to celebrate Passover. We will also witness a great number of congregational leaders asserting that their way of commemorating the Festival of Freedom is the only way, and some will even throw down the gauntlet and say that other ways are invalid and that others are not truly “keeping Torah” and thus commemorating Passover. When the Lord looks down on us from His throne in Heaven, what does He really think? Does He see men and women united around the two most important events in the entire Bible: the Exodus of Ancient Israel from Egyptian bondage and the final atonement offered for our sins? Better yet, what does the enemy think when he sees much of the Messianic movement this time of year? He is probably very pleased to see many people divided and harping on one another’s ills, and that the greatest spiritual move since the First Century is ineffective to make a difference.

Is it possible, that just for this year, we can focus on some of the bigger concerns of Passover?

What does the Exodus mean to you? What does it mean to sacrifice a blameless lamb? What does it mean to be delivered via the Red Sea and brought to God’s mountain? What does it mean for the King of Kings to be conducting an intimate meal with His chosen Twelve, as He prepares to be taken and executed on false charges the next day? What does it mean for the Savior of the world to be lifted up on a painful cross? What does it mean for Yeshua to be resurrected from the dead?

The book is far from closed on some of the debates that ensue this time of year. Only time, more research, a greater consideration for a broad array of hermeneutical factors, and reasonable people being problem solvers will adequately answer them. But this season is not about whether you have lamb or chicken at your sedar meal, or whether you are a designated Pharisee or Sadducee when it comes to counting the omer. This season is about our all-powerful and merciful God taking an interest in His creatures. It is about God directly intervening in the affairs of His people, delivering them into His salvation, and empowering them for new opportunities. How we learn to do this as the emerging Messianic movement remains a challenge, but not an impossible one if we are guided by His Spirit. But it will not be accomplished if we brazenly assert “Everybody is wrong but me!” during this special time of the year. Such a statement will only cause more problems, and is not solution oriented.

Oh, how I long for those simpler times of just twelve short years ago!

by Mark Huey

The other day after exchanging a series of e-mails, I spent about three hours on the phone with a brother from Germany who has had an extraordinary life serving our Risen Savior. Among many of the things we discussed, I was most struck by one written and verbalized statement that I believe launched him years ago into productive service for the Holy One of Israel. Rather than try to rephrase his words, the following is a quote from one of his e-mails that describes his transition from a translating teacher/missionary in Mongolia to a Messianic Believer:

About six or seven years ago, we as a family began to study the scriptures… A messianic Jewish brother from Vienna was instrumental in helping us to gain understanding in the related prophecies and scriptures in both, the NT and OT. The Ruach led us to…live according to scripture. So we started to celebrate Shabbat and the Biblical feasts. Having lived several years in Mongolia proper, we had no problem to completely cancel pork and the unclean seafood from our diet. In Mongolia there is hardly any pork as these species would freeze to death at winterly (sic) temps down to -40°, they traditionally eat mutton and beef and as no ocean is close, there is no seafood at all.

When we related our views to Christians here at that time, our support for the translation works and some of the acts of mercy (aid goods for the poorest in Mongolia) broke down and soon came to a halt. So we became humbled, went deeper into prayer and confession of our wrong ways before Abba and I asked [that] He [grant] me to do what He had in mind with me before creation – that I would be able to be refined to His will, not mine… Consequently, we went out of the church and engaged in a free evangelistic church nearby.

As you can read, my new friend and his family suffered from the “revelation” they received about the restoration of Israel and their decision to pursue a Messianic lifestyle. As his fruitful ministry in Mongolia began to change, his family turned to the Father with prayer and confession, imploring and petitioning the Creator to use him (and his family) for exactly what he and they had been created to do. When I read this and later heard it verbalized on the phone, I was overwhelmed by the profundity of such a simple prayer! The more I thought about this and shared it with others who confirmed the power of such a request, I was prompted to write to all that might read this posting a series of questions, comments, and suggestions for your consideration:

1. Do you believe in God?
2. Do you believe that God created you?
3. If so, then why don’t you ask God to do with and through you everything He has created you to do, be, and become?
4. That God is sovereign, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent is a given.
5. Therefore, all that has happened to you up to this point in time is by His design.
6. Let those experiences, tests, trials, and disappointments be assets rather than liabilities for your service unto Him.
7. Rest in Him, be patient, wait upon Him, and in His time perhaps you will not only know why, but for what purposes the Father has created you.
8. Finally, let Him do whatever He desires to do through you, as you yield to His will.

Until the restoration of all things! 

by Maggie McKee Huey

Well, what can I say for a day like today? Sixteen years ago on March 31, I was born into this world, not knowing what was lying ahead for my life and for the lives of those in my family. I was born at a time when what was the unexpected could happen, and it did. Some five months after one Earthly life began another one ended. You see, actually, my Father and I were born in the same month, March, the only ones in the family. I wasn’t able to spend a birthday with him, and he wasn’t able to last a year for mine.

I have no recollection of my father in my own memory. I have to live on memories of those in my family and what I have to look forward to when I see him again one day. Yet, when I look in the mirror, see my brother or sister, or realize what I have become, I see the legacy of Kim McKee. There are many people who have suffered the death of a parent, just as my siblings and I have, yet not remembering someone because you were too young—that is a different story entirely. Often others think that I am the “least affected” from my father’s death, when actually in some cases, I am the “most affected.” Even if you can’t remember someone, it does not mean that you did not know him. I know Kim McKee—I know my daddy. I always have.

Many times I have wondered why or how it could be different, but then I know it wasn’t meant to be that way. I thank the Lord every day for the life that I now live, despite the ebbs and flows. “Life does go on,” as my mother says, “never the same way, but it does go on.” Even though my daddy isn’t physically here, he is still present through those who loved him. A legacy can be carried through it all. I’m sure most of you have heard by now that about a year ago I had my own salvation experience. Now I can say that I truly carry the legacy of Yeshua, who has saved my life. In fact, now I know that when I do die, I’ll go home to be in the glory of God’s presence and have a reunion with my daddy.

The question now for us is: Do we honor and carry out the legacy of others, or more importantly, Yeshua’s own legacy? Through the example of those who have gone before us, we learn how we should live. I have learned a great deal by following the legacy of Yeshua, as well as other godly men and women who have gone before me. He is the living example of how we should live and conduct our lives. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:14). How can we find the gate, if we do not follow the path which is required? We can’t. We follow Yeshua’s legacy by Him living through us and by being born again.

As I wait that day to finally be in the presence of my Lord, I live today carrying on the legacy to which I have been called. In following in the steps of others, I create my own in which one day I hope others might be led. I even learn from the legacies of those who are still here. The Lord has blessed me so much to give me another father, not to take the place of my daddy, but to make his own place in my heart. Also, He has given me an amazing mother, who is someone that I couldn’t imagine life without, she has been my rock. John and Jane have been wonderful, and they have always been there for me. My whole family has kept me grounded, and even though my life hasn’t been “normal,” you could not ask for better people to go along the ride.

Today as I turn sixteen, I am reminded of how far I have come and everyone who has helped me along the way. The month of March always has mixed feelings for me. I love it, but then I want it to be over. Despite all of this, I know my daddy would be proud of me even though I am not perfect. My real “birthday” now isn’t today, it is actually April 22: the day I was reborn. That day has now given me the assurance that I’ll be with the Lord, and even my father again. I just have to carry on that legacy to which I have been called.

by Mark Huey

An important article entitled “10 Ideas That Are Changing The World” appeared in a recent issue of Time Magazine (18 March, 2008). As the article states,

More than money, more than politics, ideas are the secret power that this planet runs on. Here are a few you need to know about

• Common Wealth
• The End of Customer Service
• The Post-Movie-Star Era
• Reverse Radicalism
• Kitchen Chemistry
• Geoengineering
• Synthetic Authenticity
• The New Austerity
• Mandatory Health
• Re-Judaizing Jesus

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1720049_1720050_1721663,00.html

Of these ten ideas, the last one, which the article labels as “Re-Judaizing Jesus,” should be very intriguing to today’s Messianic community of faith. Allow me to reproduce the report on this phenomenon:

Recently a popular blogger — let’s call him Rabbi Ben — zinged the scholarship of a man we shall call Rabbi Rob. R. Ben claimed R. Rob did not “understand the difference between Judaism prior to the two Jewish wars in the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D. and later Mishnaic and Talmudic Judaism.” He helpfully provided a syllabus.

Actually, neither man is a rabbi. (Sorry.) Ben Witherington is a Methodist New Testament scholar, and Rob Bell a rising Michigan megapastor. Yet each regards sources like the Mishnah and Rabbi Akiva as vital to understanding history’s best-known Jew: Jesus.

This is seismic. For centuries, the discipline of Christian “Hebraics” consisted primarily of Christians cherry-picking Jewish texts to support the traditionally assumed contradiction between the Jews — whose alleged dry legalism contributed to their fumbling their ancient tribal covenant with God — and Jesus, who personally embodied God’s new covenant of love. But today seminaries across the Christian spectrum teach, as Vanderbilt University New Testament scholar Amy-Jill Levine says, that “if you get the [Jewish] context wrong, you will certainly get Jesus wrong.”

The shift came in stages: first a brute acceptance that Jesus was born a Jew and did Jewish things; then admission that he and his interpreter Paul saw themselves as Jews even while founding what became another faith; and today, recognition of what the Rev. Bruce Chilton, author of Rabbi Jesus, calls Jesus’ passionate dedication “to Jewish ideas of his day” on everything from ritual purity to the ideal of the kingdom of God — ideas he rewove but did not abandon.

What does this mean, practically? At times the resulting adjustment seems simple. For example, Bell thinks he knows the mysterious words Jesus wrote in the dust while defending the adulteress (”He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone,” etc.). By Bell’s calculation, that showdown occurred at the same time as religious Jews’ yearly reading of the prophet Jeremiah’s warning that “those who turn from [God] will be written in the dust because they have forsaken [him].” Thus Jesus wrote the crowd’s names to warn that their lack of compassion alienated their (and his) God.

A trickier revision for readers involves Paul’s Letter to the Romans, forever a key Christian text on sin and Christ’s salvific grace. Yet this reading necessitates skipping over what seems like extraneous material in Chapters 9 through 11, which are about the Jews. Increasingly, says Jason Byassee, an editor at the Christian Century,, [sic] scholars now read Romans through those chapters, as a musing by a lifelong Jew on how God can fulfill his biblical covenant with Israel even if it does not accept His son. Byassee the theologian agrees. But as a Methodist pastor, he frets that Romans “is no longer really about Gentile Christians. How do you preach it?”

That’s not a frivolous query. Ideally, the reassessment should increase both Jewish-Christian amity and gospel clarity, things that won’t happen if regular Christians feel that in rediscovering Jesus the Jew, they have lost Christ. Yet Bell finds this particular genie so logically powerful that he has no wish to rebottle it. Once in, he says, “you’re in deep. You’re hooked. ‘Cause you can’t ever read it the same way again.”

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1720049_1720050_1721663,00.html

As you can read in this excerpt from Time Magazine, people are beginning en masse to recognize the Jewishness of Jesus. While ideas pertaining to the Jewishness of Yeshua, Paul, and the Apostolic Scriptures have been present in Christian scholasticism for the past fifty years—only now they are they significantly getting the publicity they deserve. Apparently, articles about Jesus and the Apostle Paul being First Century Jews are coming into so much prominence in other publications, that the editors of Time are including what they consider the “Re-Judaizing of Jesus” as one of the ten ideas that is going to change the world. These same editors astoundingly conclude that these ideas will have more power to change how the planet runs than money or politics.

For a Messianic Believer today, this represents a unique opportunity if this specific prognostication proves correct over time. Providentially, God has uniquely positioned people in the Messianic community to be able to speak knowledgeably, confidently, and most important Scripturally about what is transpiring in this particular spiritual realm.

From our perspective there is no doubt that the Spirit of God is and has been revealing the truths about the Hebraic and Jewish Roots of our faith with increasing measure over the last forty years. In the last ten years the intensity has exploded across many spectrums of not only the evangelical community, but has also reverberated back to the Jewish community—who for the most part are curiously scratching their collective heads. Jews in the Diaspora and Israelis in Israel are increasingly hearing bold statements from obvious Gentiles like: “I am returning Ephraim,” or “I am one of the Ten Lost Tribes,” or “I am Jewish due to some remote ancestor,” or “I am a follower of Torah like the mixed multitude leaving Egypt.”

These kinds of statements and sentiments (whether accurate or not) are generating considerable discussion not only among some Jewish people and their rabbis, but also among some Christian pastors and theologians. There is an opportunity for knowledgeable people assist among those who place their faith in the God of the Bible, helping them to and who understand that they are a part the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16) and have a much greater spiritual heritage than they properly understand. The Prophet Amos foresaw this time happening millennia ago:

“‘Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth; nevertheless, I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob,’ declares the LORD. ‘For behold, I am commanding, and I will shake the house of Israel among all nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, but not a kernel will fall to the ground. All the sinners of My people will die by the sword, those who say, “The calamity will not overtake or confront us.” In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, and wall up its breaches, I will also raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by My name,’ declares the LORD who does this. ‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘When the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; when the mountains will drip sweet wine and all the hills will be dissolved. Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, and they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; they will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, and make gardens and eat their fruit. I will also plant them on their land, and they will not again be rooted out from their land which I have given them,’ says the LORD your God” (Amos 9:8-15).

The Jewish people who are getting ready this year to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel are already seeing the fruit of this prophecy to a certain extent, as they have flourished in the Promised Land. On another hand, those Messianics who are unable to yet participate in the greater physical promises as seen by Amos, are still able to see through the veil of the ancient texts to what is eventually going to happen in the Father’s perfect timing as His eschatological plan is realized (cf. Acts 15:15-18). Even though we cannot all live in the Land of Israel, we can still appropriate the best that the “land” of the Scriptures has to offer!

The fact that secularists like the editors of Time Magazine are recognizing aspects of what is happening today, via the “Re-Judaizing of Jesus,” is yet just one more confirmation that what is happening is more than an ephemeral wish by “holy rollers.” Instead, what we are beginning to witness is the restoration of God’s people and a fuller understanding of who our Messiah is. It might take some time, but progress is being made steadily. May all of us who call on the God of Israel, be we Jewish or non-Jewish, seek to be like King David whose tabernacle is being restored. Let us understand the blessings of being in the House of the Lord:

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war arise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident. One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD and to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock” (Psalm 27:1-5).

I pray that our Father would give each of you the patience and wisdom, so we can wait upon Him for His right timing as His restoration is accomplished. I pray that He would grant each of us wise understanding and sensitivity, to lovingly share what is right, pure, of good repute, and edifying when given the opportunity with others. My friends, whether we want to believe it or not, a change is coming on the horizon. We need to all ask the Lord how we can be part of His solution, encouraging greater spiritual growth and oneness among His children. For as David says, “how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1).

by Jane McKee

This is an unusual month for me, as it has been every year for the past 15 years. Most people have not had to deal with hardships at such a young age as I did when I was nine in 1992. And while I am reminded often of my father, never so strongly as on two specific days of the year: March 5 and September 1. This year, my Daddy would have been 57, yet he never made it past 41 years on this Earth. March itself marks the beginning of a cycle for my family, when we remember what occurred that Summer leading to his death. It only took 5 months, but they had a lasting impact on me and one which I can never forget.

There are times when I truly understand what it means to be haunted by the ghosts of one’s past. This “haunting” in not meant to be seen in a negative light, but is the best way that I can describe what it is to live with a past like mine. Contrary to popular belief, the death of someone you love is not something you can get over, the pain never ceases, but you learn to live with the absence in the understanding that it is a part of who you are. It is like a rite of passage for friends of mine to hear the story of my father’s death. They have to be ready to hear it and to receive it for the place it holds in my life and who it has made me become.

My father has been amongst those who have gone before us—now interceding in Heaven before the Lord. There are many days in which I know he is involved with things beyond my comprehension, and it is a great blessing to me. In those times, I am reminded that there is something greater that I am called to live for beyond the daily activities of my career or personal life. The fact is, at that moment when I was nine, I saw what few have been “blessed” to see—the death of a saint who I know now is in the presence of the Lord. I witnessed the reality of life and death and became an adult that day. I have never been the same.

If I could boil down my life to a few key moments, my father’s death would always be the first one, for from that experience, all the others stem outward like ripples in a pond. It was my search for knowledge of things beyond this world that caused me to pour over the Book of Revelation when I was 10 and 11. I began to write music, I began to sense and feel the Holy Spirit in and around me in a way that I had never experienced before, and I knew that I knew that God existed—and no one could ever tell me differently! I knew and I still know exactly where my Daddy is.

The unexpected but most important result of my father’s death is the fact that not one—but three new lives—have been birthed in each of his children in connection with that moment. The third and final, my younger sister Maggie, followed John and me a year ago in April. Each of us has a unique story to tell, but they are all brought back to that moment which changed our lives forever.

My story occurred during Passover of 1999. I had up until that time played the part of the “good” Messianic girl, who knew all the right things, but had never had the experience of dying to myself. I was still first and foremost in charge of my life—I didn’t rely on the Lord, I had forgotten how since I no longer walked in my childhood innocence. The event that caused me to fall on my face before the Father was actually the death of another man, Jerry Thomas, who worked with my stepfather, Mark Huey, at the time. Once again, I was reminded of the reality of life and death, yet this time, I was no longer walking in the certainty that I would see my own Daddy again.

After a day of being hounded by the Spirit, I fell on my face before the Lord and repented of who I had become. I who knew, who had seen, who was supposed to understand, yet who let her own pride stand in the way of everything else. It took 3-4 hours of me on my face crying out to the Father to come to the end of myself. And, as I’ve stated in a previous blog, my final act was to sing to the Lord from my soul in worship. Once again, I have never been the same since.

The fact is, while I have said that God has used my Daddy’s death to spur each of my siblings’ salvation experiences, they have all been unique to our circumstances and personalities. There has been but one commonality between them—our late father—and what his going before us has represented to our family. We have been given a new life, and I, for one, am quite grateful for the many adventures we have embarked on together. It has been a challenge, quite trying at times, but each experience I would not trade—even for a more “normal” childhood.

It is the hope for the future which has been the greatest gift I and my family have been given. It is the knowledge that there is light at the end of the darkness, and that when we “walk through the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4) we will be upheld by His right hand. I have seen it, have experienced it, and I believe it. I have the hope that the Lord will take care of me each day no matter what circumstances may occur. I have the knowledge in what He has done and will continue to do. It is the promise He has made and fulfills each day.

We are called to always be ready to give an account of the hope that is within us (1 Peter 3:15). Here is mine, but this is more than hope, it is an assurance—that I will see my Daddy again one day when it is my turn to be promoted to Heaven. But in the meantime, it is also my hope that I live up to the example he set in my daily life, that I would lead a life in ministry to others, and that I would never cease to expound upon the miracles I have seen as a result of my walk with the Father. For “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). As we understand that Scripture to be the best explanation of what faith is, I believe the knowledge of this lies in the hope in which we live and profess to others. For without this, we cease to be the light that the world so desperately needs to see through us!

by J.K. McKee

About two-and-a-half years ago (22 November, 2005) I wrote a short editorial, entitled “What Are We Really Doing?” Looking back on some of the challenges that the Messianic community faced in 2005, I asked the honest question of why so many of us have been convicted to live a Torah obedient lifestyle and actually be “Messianic.” I asked if we were all truly endeavoring to make a difference in the lives of others, or if we were just here to do other things. Did we truly understand that when James says, “one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does” (1:25), he is speaking of the moral demands of the Torah that are to help others in the community through acts of kindness and goodness?

The issues that I mentioned in that previous editorial have not changed much since it was released. People still face the issue of not really knowing why they are Messianic. We still are bombarded as a movement with teachings that do not help people grow spiritually, and empower them to be effective witnesses for Yeshua in the world. We are still struggling with what it means to live principled, Messianic lives, where people can ask of us how they can have the same satisfaction out of life that we (are supposed to) have. And, we are still struggling with what it means to love others and see value in every human person, created in the image of God and loved by their Heavenly Father.

It has just come to my attention that much of what we face could perhaps be best summarized by another question: “Do we really know what we are doing?”

Do we understand the full implications of Exodus 19:5-6?

“‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”

Or what it means to live out Deuteronomy 4:5-6?

“See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it. So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’”

Or Solomon’s words seen in 2 Chronicles 6:32-33?

“Also concerning the foreigner who is not from Your people Israel, when he comes from a far country for Your great name’s sake and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm, when they come and pray toward this house, then hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, and fear You as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your name.”

I could list many more Tanach Scriptures to make my point, but the implication is pretty clear: God’s people are to be a missional community that makes a difference in their world. As a nation of priests, they are to be intermediaries who serve between the Lord of Creation and Planet Earth at large. As those who follow His commandments, outsiders are to see the wisdom His people possess and be attracted to Him. The greatness of God’s Temple was to be the awe of the world, so that others may be drawn to Him. These are all concepts that are extremely important for us to understand, as we should desire to be effective for Him today.

Our mission as the people of God is easily embodied in the picture of the Exodus. The Lord miraculously intervenes for the sake of those in bondage to slavery, and then delivers them through the Red Sea (picturing salvation from sin). But His salvation does not stop there, as God took the Ancient Israelites to His mountain to enter into covenant relationship with them, and gave them His Instruction to train them to fulfill His mission (picturing sanctification). Being redeemed and then being instructed and empowered for the Lord’s service are all a part of the salvation experience.

Yet as simple as this may sound, actually implementing this in the lives of people is quite difficult! Discipleship and serving God in the world are life long processes. They do not come about overnight, and they do take effort. You cannot just flip a switch and understand what spiritual discernment is, or understand how to interact with critics of the Bible. It takes time and energy and study. You have to put a great deal in to get something out. It is insufficient for anyone to just have a Strong’s Concordance and then think they are Hebrew or Greek “scholars.” And, it is not enough to just read the Scriptures and think one can understand the full context of the message without knowing about the history of the times or the circumstances to which the Biblical authors focus their messages. Furthermore, one must consider the opinions of others who have specialized in various areas of Biblical scholarship for their entire lives.

Today’s Messianic community, however, does have some issues with its Biblical scholarship. Too many of our teachers and leaders teach a “Strong’s Concordance” theology with a “Cliff Notes” level of exegesis. Too many take the easy path and cut corners, hastily drawing conclusions, rather than taking the time and energy to seriously think through the implications of what they are “researching.” Too many who endorse a message of restoration for all Israel (i.e., Judah and Ephraim) or believe that the Torah is to be followed by all of God’s people or that today’s Christian Church is in error—cannot be trusted in terms of the skills they possess, or do not possess.

Recently, Daniel C. Juster, a leader in Messianic Judaism and one whose works I have benefited from greatly, wrote about this in his article “Who Can We Trust to Teach Us?” He summarizes the dilemma quite well, by stating:

“In today’s world, the ability to refute error requires the skill-set for critical study and evaluation. Many errors occur when teachers do not take into account the whole teaching of the Scripture. False doctrine is usually built on a selective reading of the Bible. Texts that do not easily fit in are ignored. Those who teach the divine right of opulent living ignore the texts that teach modesty and the danger of riches. Those who teach a poverty mentality avoid the texts that teach prosperity. The totality of the texts in context gives us the right view point.

“Some degree of scholarship is helpful because scholarship familiarizes us with cultural context and provides a more accurate understanding of the biblical text. While many teachers claim to know some Hebrew and Greek, many of these same teachers make serious mistakes when they seek to work in the original languages. It takes years to do this well, but there are language tools that can be used with much less training. When I believe that the Holy Spirit has revealed a more accurate meaning of a text (and I do deeply believe in depending on the Spirit for understanding), I then check to see if the new insight is supported by good Bible scholars. The fact that that [sic.] the most significant aberrations from the Messianic Jewish movement have no significant scholarly support is extremely important. I do not know of one peer reviewed scholar who teaches that the New Covenant intends that Gentiles in general are called to keep the whole Torah. I do not know of any such scholars that believe the Bible teaches that true Christians are Ephraim (the Lost Tribes). On the other hand, there is great scholarly support for a basic Messianic Jewish understanding of the Bible.”

http://www.tikkunministries.org/newsletters/dj-mar08.asp

Juster has made some valid points in the above remarks. One should not just make claims about the Hebrew or Greek Scriptures without having a working basic knowledge of both languages and their grammar, and regularly employing some scholastic tools that are available on the market (i.e., HALOT and BDAG). One should consult technical commentaries to get a feel for the cultural and/or historical setting of a passage or Biblical book, and consider opinions for how far one should be allowed to go in suggesting new and possibly unique interpretations. And, the Holy Spirit should obviously be empowering one’s heart and mind as this is accomplished, guiding the teacher along the way.

What Juster has failed to mention is the fact that while he may possess the bulk of these skills himself—the bulk of teachers in Messianic Judaism itself do not. While the more independent branch of the Messianic community may be accredited with promoting various unsubstantiated, urban legends about the Scriptures—many of those urban legends originated in Messianic Judaism and still continue to flourish in Messianic Judaism! Furthermore, twenty years ago there was still a great deal of hostility in the greater Christian world toward Messianic Judaism, and still is present in some sectors of it.

The beliefs that the Torah is for all and that the prophecies of Israel’s restoration involve more than just the Jewish people, will indeed have to be worked through and require refinement. No major scholar today in Christendom is going to advocate much of what is seen in today’s Messianic community, whether an independent Messianic movement or even Messianic Judaism. That does not mean we throw out their scholarship; on the contrary, we must engage with it to demonstrate what we believe to be the ideological and theological soundness of our own. But, like all reforming movements we are in a beginning season where we are just outnumbered. We have much work that lies ahead of us.

Consider what a man like John Calvin must have faced in the Sixteenth Century. Originally from France, Calvin trained to be both a priest and an attorney, although he practiced neither professionally. Having joined the then-Protestant movement, he had to leave for Switzerland for fear of his life. He saw a great number of antics as promoted by the Radical Reformers, some of whom thought that they could march on Rome and actually depose the pope with military force! Whether you agree with his doctrines or not, Calvin remained steadfast and produced a systematic theology and commentaries that continue to be used to this day. And the Radical Reformers—they died off into obscurity.

I think you will all agree with me that we do not need to see the Messianic movement die off into obscurity. Yet, we have got people today who are just like the Radical Reformers. They cut corners with their theology, they do not possess (or even want) the skills of a capable exegete, and they actually want to go and march into the Land of Israel dictating to their Jewish brethren why they “know better” about the Torah! When one goes to an online bookseller like Amazon.com and peruses the “Messianic” publications available, one will see the standard Messianic Jewish fare, but those books are now being outnumbered by a great deal of traif, to use the good Yiddish word—“unkosher and completely unfit for human consumption.” Much of that traif promotes some form of the Two-House teaching and the view that the Torah is for all, but does not necessarily encourage being transformed by God’s love and effective servants for the gospel.

We need to obviously do better, because only a people that are empowered with the right skills and the right tools can be those who fulfill God’s mission. Remember that it did take forty years for the Ancient Israelites to be trained by the Lord in the wilderness. I do not want to subject our Father to a date calendar, but if the symbolism remains true, there will be a (long) time of training and nurturing by Him before we can be released to go and fulfill His tasks. That will be the time when today’s emerging Messianic movement will no longer be just a “movement”—it will be a force to be reckoned with in the Earth!

To get to that point will not be easy at all, as there will be much opposition, externally and internally. But what keeps me going every day is the hope that we can be something more than we are, and we can actually know what we are doing! What we will see in the future will be better than what we see right now.

Join with us today if you desire to see a Messianic community that can actually become God’s missional community, engaged not only with contemporary theological conversation—but empowered to make a difference. TNN Press offers some of the most well-researched and theologically stable Messianic materials on the market, and now we have to see that our publications are professionally printed so that outsiders can really see that we are a movement that knows what we are doing. Please give generously to the TNN Press Book Fund, not so we can sell more books, but so the Messianic community can grow properly and survive into the future!

If we can get our materials into the hands of more people, then perhaps people like Juster will be aware that balanced Messianic ministries like ours do exist and are encouraging people properly. But as of today, neither Juster nor other Messianic Jewish leaders are really aware of Outreach Israel Ministries or TNN Online. If they were aware of our approach to the issues, would they possibly moderate their rhetoric? Would the people they influence be forced to see another point of view regarding the restoration of Israel and Torah obedience?

Remember that a great number of people are exposed to Messianic beliefs through the Internet and through online book sellers. Many inquisitive Christians are unwilling to buy Messianic materials directly from a ministry, but are willing to buy “anonymously” via a website like Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. We need to get our materials into the hands of those people, versus the traif that too many presently see and which keeps them away. We need to expand the ability for people to see a Messianic perspective that the spiritually hungry and thirsty have been earnestly praying for, but thus far have been largely unable to find. People need the materials that can edify them in both spirit and mind, instructing them how to live as a holy people that can be used by the Lord.

by Mark Huey 

The other day I was bombarded by one of the many e-mail postings that keep me informed on various subjects of interest. In this particular message, its author noted that according to NASA scientists who calculate future solar and lunar eclipses, there will be a total of four total lunar eclipses between the years 2014 and 2015 (at Passover and Sukkot both years). These determinable astronomical occurrences result occasionally in what could be referred to as a “blood red” moon, because of the refraction of light through Earth’s atmosphere landing on the full moon. Interestingly, this past February 20 when another predictable lunar eclipse took place, I was intrigued to read a number of articles about how Christopher Columbus actually used his knowledge of astronomy to literally scare natives in Jamaica to feed his forlorn crew in 1504. See the following link for details:

http://www.space.com/spacewatch/080208-ns-lunar-eclipse-columbus.html

Now barely a fortnight from this recent lunar occurrence, we find people already attempting to speculate about what is going to happen in the next seven or so years with regard to Israel, Palestine, and the peace process—despite a caveat that dispels this notion. Note the following excerpt (from an e-mail source that likes to hype its readers), and remember how words communicate certain things, even if we take them off the proverbial table:

Could there be a peace deal in Israel this year? If, so 2008 to 2015 would be seven years. We certainly aren’t setting dates, but the heavenly phenomena are exciting to say the least.

Personally, I find this fascinating because back in 1996-1997, I was witness to three “blood red moons” that occurred on Passover 1996, Sukkot 1996, and Purim 1997. Coincidentally, from approximately September 1996 to March 1997, many of us were also marveling over the nightly visible witness of the Hale-Bopp Comet, as it set in the western skies a few hours after dusk. As a result of these notable astronomical events and my search for understanding about what the Holy One of Israel was perhaps communicating to His people scattered around the globe, I eventually wrote an article and produced an audio message entitled “The Punishment is Over.” From my limited perspective, as the Holy Spirit had led our family into a Messianic lifestyle in the previous year, we were searching for answers. These “signs” were, in many regards, instrumental in confirming for me that our pursuit of the Lord was on track.

Now from the vantage point of nearly twelve years of intensely following events in Israel vis-à-vis Palestine and the peace process, and the wisdom accumulated with twelve more years of pursuing God from a Messianic point of view—I have a different attitude about “blood red moons” and just what they mean or do not mean when it comes to what the Father is doing with His Creation and with Israel. Perhaps my thoughts are influenced by the understanding that the Columbus story was certainly known in 1996, but back then, the proliferation of access to information was not nearly what it is today. Or perhaps it is the attainment of wisdom and experience that has balanced my understanding of celestial events. Whatever it is, I hope that I am approaching these phenomena with an appropriate balance.

How will the world handle these “signs,” if they even are signs? Perhaps we need to step back and consider some of the Apostle Paul’s words to the Corinthians:

“For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Messiah crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Messiah the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Messiah Yeshua, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD” (1 Corinthians 1:21-31).

If you read and meditate upon this passage of Scripture, perhaps you will discover that for the Apostle Paul, despite sign noting or wisdom seeking, what was most important to him was preaching about the crucified Messiah and the redemption that He provides. Far more is to be attained by declaring the gospel to whomever will listen, than all of the speculation about signs, including lunar events, peace processes, or for that matter, searching for wisdom from whatever “sources” you deem appropriate.

Ultimately, for every Believer it is of paramount importance to let our lives literally “preach the gospel and if necessary use words” to all that we come into contact with, be it our family, friends, neighbors, fellow workers, or even the acquaintances that cross our paths. Perhaps we should each be thankful that we are not wise according to the flesh, or mighty, or noble, but rather simply “fools for the Messiah” chosen by His grace that we might boast in Him and in Him alone!

When you are overwhelmed by information overload and have to consider much of the new knowledge that comes into your mind via the various media outlets or the Internet, pause and ask the Holy Spirit to sort through what is being presented to you. Ask for wisdom so that fear does not arrest you—as it did the Jamaican natives who were awestruck by a lunar eclipse—even though if they had thought about it, they had probably witnessed many such moons in the years and decades before without God being angered by their actions.

As the saying goes, “ignorance is bliss,” but fear plays upon lack of knowledge. However, as God’s chosen people, we have more than human wisdom to call upon. Whether the punishment of the Northern Kingdom of Israel is over, as I speculated years ago, is mere speculation. Preaching the good news of the Messiah’s work at Golgotha (Calvary) and His defeat over evil trumps all! May we all be called to make these declarations so that in the end, we may all boast in the Lord and the work that He has accomplished for us.