"I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine."
(Song of Songs 6.3)
7 September 2000
Blessed be our Beloved, the Lord, who has graciously preserved our lives, blessed
us and brought us to this season of the year! Peace and joy rest upon
each of you, dear Haverim.
Blessed be the Lord
With the help of YHWH and the steadfast love of Yeshua, I am well
and encouraged in Him. Many have been the signs of His blessing and
the evidence of His hand upon this ministry in recent months. More doors are
opening than we have the wisdom or strength to walk through; so we must trust
Him to correct us when we misstep and to encourage and prosper us when
we walk in the paths that befit His name. Lead us, O Shepherd!
Thank you so much for your continuing faithfulness in prayer for me and your
steady support of this work. How well I know the many claims upon everyone's time
and financial resources in this hyper-stressed world. But your persistence in
prayer and faithful support keeps our work moving ahead and permits me to
devote full-time to studying and teaching God's word from a Hebraic foundation so
as to build up the House of God.
Many Haverim members have stood faithfully with this work for many years. How
greatly they encourage me. Last week, for example, we received a generous contribution
from a man who became one of our first Haverim members back in the 80's.
What a blessing it was to hear from him again, and to know that the Lord
continues to encourage and edify him through our teachings. Thank you, Abba!
(By the way, in a discussion the other day with James Whitman, it occurred to
me that many of you do not really know the history of the Center - how and
why it got started, its rapid growth and then sudden decline, our move from
Austin to Dayton, the times of testing and trusting of the Lord,
and how the ministry has evolved since its formal inception in 1984.
I forget that not everyone knows from whence we came, and how God brought
us to this present place. Is this a story that would interest you? If so,
let me know. I might make a "Conversation" tape and talk about it.)
Most ministries have a rapid and tremendous turnover of their large mailing lists.
Ours, by contrast, is a small but very loyal group of fellow talmidim (disciples),
and there is very keen sense of "family" among us. Everywhere I go, even
overseas, people come up to me and introduce themselves: "You don't know us,
but we feel like we know you very well... We receive your monthly tape..." What
a bond in the spirit I feel with them. I get so blessed when they speak of their great
appreciation for our work, and how the tapes have impacted their lives and
their faith. Barukh haShem Yeshua!
So thank you! ... for all you have meant to us and for the privilege of
being part of your lives in the Spirit. Only God knows how precious is
the bond in the Word that we share. May it continue and increase, to the
pursuit of His purposes and to the praise of His glory. Amen, amen.
Mission in Minneapolis
Our ministry in Minnesota two weeks ago was unique and edifying. At the
initiative of JoAnn Magnuson and the Bridges for Peace team, a series
of meetings was arranged in Minneapolis - a city in which we have ministered many
times since 1987 and our national "Foundations of Our Faith" conference there.
It was really good seeing longtime friends again, and making special new ones.
Two unusual meetings occurred there. The first was a public dialogue with
a talented young rabbi, Jonathan Ginsburg, at his Conservative synagogue, Temple
Aaron. Before a sizable audience of Jews and Christians, we spoke about similarities
and differences in Jewish and Christian spirituality.
Rabbi Ginsburg seemed stimulated by my comments and appreciative of my
insights into Jewish thought. He was very gracious throughout our meeting. We
first got to know one another over a light meal, during which we talked about
the Sabbath and its application for Christians.
In the public forum, Rabbi Ginsburg spoke for five minutes or so, and
then I responded, and then he responded to my response, etc. The exchanges were
fascinating and informative, and the interaction warm and respectful. The
whole affair seemed to many to be anointed of the Lord.
Without any covert agenda, I was able to speak freely and naturally about the
centrality of Messiah Jesus to our biblical worldview, at the same time noting
His Jewish mindset and debt to the Sages of Israel. The continuity between
Yeshua and the Rabbis is remarkable in many ways; and yet in other ways,
we must acknowledge pointed and important differences between them.
The dialogue with this bright Rabbi reminded me anew of the enjoyment
interacting with Jewish scholars can afford. It also humbled me to realize
the great responsibility we bear as ambassadors of the man, Jesus, to a people
who have seen only a caricatured and distorted image of Him for centuries,
conveyed by a church separated from its Jewish origins and alienated from
its Hebraic heritage. Someone told me after the meeting that I was only
the second person ever to speak the name "Jesus" from the pulpit of that
large synagogue. May our words there be a blessing to Rabbi Ginsburg and
his community of faith.
Sovereign Mixup?
On Sunday morning I was invited to address a Charismatic church that all
week had hosted a conference of ministers from many nations. It was really
an odd situation, since I had gone out of my way to avoid committing to
a Sunday morning service in Minneapolis. I knew I would be too tired
after the Thursday evening meeting at Temple Aaron, followed by the Friday
evening-Saturday-morning-afternoon-evening seminar for Bridges for
Peace. I hoped to rest before a commitment for Sunday evening.
So when an invitation was extended to JoAnn and me to visit the Sunday
morning service as guests, she declined on my behalf. But something was "lost" in
the translation of her comments to the director of the conference, because two
days later he left a message on her voice mail, thanking her for offering
me as their Sunday morning speaker! The scheduled minister had canceled
because of illness, and after prayer, the committee felt that I should
speak (even though almost none of them knew me).
Might we call this a "sovereign mix-up"? It soon became evident that the
hand of YHWH was at work here! The Lord gave me a clear word for the conferees,
and by all accounts it was the perfect capstone to a week of intense spiritual
instruction and interaction. "Your message was the final, missing piece
to the jigsaw puzzle under construction in the Spirit all week," said the leaders..
It was purely a "God-event." I was so tired, and was nearly without voice, but
the power and pleasure of the Lord came upon me and enabled me to give expression
to a side of our Father's love that they had not considered before. They
enthusiastically responded to the call for fervent discipleship to God's Son.
We gave complimentary tape sets to many of the guest ministers - messages that
will go forth unto the nations, including Sweden, Nigeria, South Africa,
France, Mexico and Korea. Barukh Yeshua, Goaleinu (our Redeemer),
Rabbeinu (our Teacher) v' Adoneinu (and our Lord)!
One other note: At the two day BFP seminar I spoke a challenging word about
some of the distortions emerging in the Jewish Roots Movement and how, with
greater theological sophistication and wisdom, we must rethink the
first five centuries of Church history. I addressed heresies that emerged
within the historic Church -- many of which are being recapitulated in
our ranks today -- and the Church fathers' attempts to clarify and
systematize the New Testament witness to the person and work of Jesus
the Messiah and His relationship to God.
We thought this would make a valuable new teaching series for you. So
we recorded the seminar on two tape machines, one I use all the time and one
by the Bridges staff. We discovered last week, however, that neither machine functioned
properly during the seminar. What are the odds of that happening?
I know that giving these messages was a spiritual struggle for me.
There seemed to be real resistance in the heavenlies to the information
getting out. Hopefully another opportunity to teach this material will arise
soon, even in greater depth and detail, so this corrective and challenging word
can go forth. Please pray toward that end.
Elul the "Beloved"
Friday, the 1st of September, corresponds this year to the 1st day of
Elul in the Hebrew calendar. This is a very special month in Jewish tradition,
signified even in the name, "Elul."
In Hebrew it is written [aleph, lamed, vav, lamed]. These exact Hebrew letters
begin four memorable words from the Song of Songs by Solomon (6.3):
(Ani l'dodi v'dodi li.) "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine."
Thus, "Elul" in Hebrew is read as an acronym for this famous expression of
the love of a woman for a man. In Jewish tradition it expresses Israel's
love for God; and in Christian interpretation, the Church's love for
Christ. How appropriate then that Elul is viewed as a month of spiritual
preparation for the New Year and High Holy Days. This awesome time reminds us
of God's holiness as a righteous Judge, and yet His love and forgiveness of
us as a beloved redeemer.
Elul is a time for spiritual introspection, devotion and repentance -- a time of
reckoning with one's soul and turning one's heart back toward the
Beloved. It is spiritual preparation for the Ten Days of Awe and Yom
Kippur, when repentance is uppermost in our minds. Repentance may be born
of fear - of trembling before the Almighty, Awesome God, into Whose
hands we all shall be bound over for judgment one day. Or it may be
born of love for God. In our desire to please the Lover of our souls, and
in response to His abounding love toward us, we eagerly turn our hearts back
toward Him and correct the course and conduct of our lives to glorify
Him. Our prayer becomes: "Yitgadal v'yit-kadash shmei rabbah!" - "Magnified
and sanctified be His great name!" Amen!
Haggai and Elul
A powerful call for the repentance of God's people came to the prophet
Haggai on the 1st day of Elul in the year 520 B.C. "In the second year of
Darius the king, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD
came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel ..."
(Haggai 1.1)
Please read this compelling prophetic exhortation through Haggai (whose name is
derived from Chag - "Festival"). His is the shortest Old Testament book except for
Obadiah, but it is potent and stirs my heart deeply. It is a timely word for
a church that has grown lax and lethargic in its commission to construct
a habitation in this world suitable for the indwelling of the King of Glory.
The consequences of ignoring God's priorities, warns the prophet, are
futility and famine (1.6, 11).
But the blessings of repentance and resolve to do His bidding and building are
peace and prosperity (2.7-9, 19).
When our purposes are aligned with His priorities we are strengthened and
empowered by the Spirit (2.4-5).
"Consider your ways!" (1.7)
declares the Lord of Hosts. What a timely word for this season of Elul, as we prepare
to hear the sound of the shofar heralding another New Year.
Last Call for Sukkot!
Momentum is accelerating for our grand celebration of the Feast of
Tabernacles. October 13th-14th will be memorable days indeed, as hundreds will come
up to the House of Adonai to lift high His name and celebrate His goodness.
The September issue of a local monthly Christian newspaper, with over 600,000
circulation, features a Page 1 story titled, "Celebrate The Feast" - an article by
me on the significance of the Festival of Sukkot and our forthcoming celebration
of it. A large color photo of costume clad dancers and a banner from our last
conference is displayed.
Because the evening sessions are open to the public this year, we expect to reach
the Dayton community as never before. We also just learned that the blocs of
rooms we reserved at two motels are completely booked with registrants already!
(Arrangements are being made with other motels in the area.) It is an indication of
the excitement and anticipation that is building. In some extraordinary way, the
call of the Spirit is going forth and the sound of the shofar is being heard far
and wide. Yes, let all Haverim come and see the salvation of our God -
Yeshuat Elohienu!
"Live" from Auckland! - Part 2
Once again we take you into my "live!" seminar delivered at Greenlane
Christian Centre in Auckland, New Zealand. In this second of three messages, we
explore the subject of how the "Radical Church of Jesus and the Apostles"
understood itself in view of the bigger picture of God's purposes for His people.
To really comprehend the high calling of the New Testament church as the Body
of Christ one must go back and first see "The Church in the Wilderness."
God's purposes never change; they only become more and more expansive. Getting
a vision of this casts our Christian experience in a whole new light. As
the Body of Christ we are to be the people of God's presence in
His creation, empowered by His spirit to serve Him faithfully, overflowing with
praises for His goodness, grace and greatness!
Haverim School of Discipleship
Several Haverim members have inquired about registering for the next HSD
in Dayton. This annual 5-day intensive school at a retreat center will
be March 27-31. It is open to Haverim only.
Enrollment will be limited to 30 people. Haverim schools are far more than
five-day lecture series. It's heart-to-heart and head-to-head learning in a
community setting, centered on the Word and empowered by the Spirit. It's
one of the most blessed things I do. Reserve your place now! Complete the
enclosed pre-brochure flyer for "earlybirds"!
"Shalom from Italy"
This lovely letter of testimony arrived two days ago by e-mail from Italy. The
kindness of our God never ceases to amaze me. That He uses our feeble efforts to
bless and encourage His saints around the world is an awesome thought.
Subj: Shalom from Italy
Dear Brother Dwight,
Pace a te nel nome di Ges
