Blessing Israel

Just pondering a bit today as I think about why our churches sometimes seem to be spiritually "stuck" or "stagnant" places which have a very hard time growing. As our pastor so wonderfully taught on this morning, we desperately need to get back to being the true "Acts 2" church. We need to raise up mothers and fathers in the faith who are faithful and steadfast to disciple and lead others. And we need, in fact, we must have the Holy Spirit's power.

As I thought more about this, another facet came to my mind that I truly believe is foundational to our regaining the power of God and to truly walking in the Spirit and the favor of the Lord. I have come to believe strongly that we are to bless Israel and the Jewish people as part of our mandate as Gentile believers in Christ. I believe this is a key of revelation that is starting to be opened up to our churches that has been lost over the many centuries in which the "church" has actually been a persecutor of God's chosen people instead of a light to them.

Now, I know the middle wall of separation has come down in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2) and we are now "one new man" in Him, all who are believing Jews and Gentiles. But, God has a mandate for us as Gentile, grafted-in believers, now to show forth mercy, material blessings and the Gospel unto the unbelieving Jews, just as we (Gentiles) have been shown mercy by their turning away. We are also to support the Jewish believers in Messiah as well, in their efforts to reach the world for the Lord and to share the good news.

Look at Romans 11:30-32. Remember, Paul is talking to the Romans, ie the Gentiles;

For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy, they also may obtain mercy.
For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

Now, think about what Paul is saying here, meditate upon it. Also, let's look at another incredible verse, 11:25

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.

Paul is revealing a great mystery to us here. The Lord doesn't want us to be "ignorant" to this mystery, as so many of us have been in our walk with Christ. Do we understand the magnitude of what Paul is telling us here? The Lord has allowed His people's eyes to be blinded partly for our sake, so we could come into His family, into His salvation! How can we boast and say that we are the "New" Israel? How can we say that we have "replaced" them? It's just not true! It is a lie. Because of God's mercy toward us; we who were once far-off, strangers and aliens, have now been brought near by the blood of our Jewish Messiah, Jesus. Our Father allowed many of His own covenant people to be turned away, to be blinded so the plan of salvation could be carried forth by God's own Son!

I am writing all of this to say a few simple things. I believe a key to our churches coming truly alive as the first-century church is by first having a heart for the the irrevocable covenant family of God, the "root" into which we have been grafted. I believe we are called by the Lord to bless Israel, as the word of God says when speaking to the Jews, "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you." It has not changed! This is a promise of God! And praise Him that we have been grafted into this blessing as well, we have been adopted into God's covenant people, the "household of God."

That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:12-13)

(2:19) Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.

I copied this last paragraph from the Hebrew Christian Fellowship website in Dresher, PA. I will end with it, and I pray that this gives us all something to ponder today! I will try and talk more specifically about ways in which we can bless the Jews in another post, but most importantly, be led by the Spirit in this, and He will show you.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

Acts 11:19 states that the early church went everywhere preaching the gospel exclusively to the Jews. Today a reversal is virtually taking place. The church is going everywhere preaching the gospel, almost to the exclusion of the Jewish people in spite of the priority of Romans 1:16: "...to the Jew first, and also to the Greek [i.e., Gentile]." Our function is to do all we can to remedy this neglect by confronting Israel with the validity of Jesus being the Jewish Messiah as described by the prophets of Israel.