And yet it's good to see that Yeshua loves us even though we are filthy and flawed. He is our righteousness, the merit that we could never earn by ourselves.
On Erev Yom Kippur, I was feeling low and my wife opened her Bible and it "just happened" to open to the Yom Kippur portion of Isaiah. She started reading it and I said "Hey, that's the portion for Yom Kippur!" For me it felt like G-d was saying, "I still love you."
But the real consolation didn't happen until last night during a Paul Wilbur concert. It was at Grove Ave Baptist Church (Richmond, VA). There were hundreds of Believers there in the sanctuary, singing Messianic praise to Yeshua. You could feel the presence of the Ruach and the ministering angels. *sigh*
Is there anything better than singing out Messianic praise to our beloved Messiah with other like-minded Believers?
And afterward my Jewish friend there introduced me to several Messianic non-Jewish leaders. One was an African-America man who runs a small congregation in Richmond. Another was a man who runs a congregation in Roanoke, Virginia (LINK). The latter informed me that there will be a conference in Richmond, VA later this year about how to start/plant Messianic congregations!
Truly our G-d is not a Bilateralist! He is raising up places all over where Jews and Gentiles can fellowship together! Praise His Name!
It's really astounding to see G-d working at Grove Ave Baptist, literally creating a Messianic congregation in the midst of it, and allowing events like the Paul Wilbur concert, where Christians can be exposed to the Judaic Truth of the Faith. I particularly loved it when Paul Wilbur took a moment to explain that the moedim aren't just for Jews but they are G-d's appointed times. I love the way he explained it.
Gotta run, time to eat...
It sounds like you had a good fast even if it wasn't easy.
ReplyDeleteI spent the week reading Kevin Geoffrey's Deny Yourself: The Atoning Work of Yom Kippur. A short read but a good job of explaining how we are to execute our fleshly desires the same way Messiah was violently executed.
"Is there anything better than singing out Messianic praise to our beloved Messiah with other like-minded Believers?"
Not much. It sounds like it was a wonderful time. Just a taste of what's to come when we're all united before the Throne.
Chag Sameach and may your sukkah be full of guests, friends and Ruach HaKodesh!
Ken