Messiah Journal

In This Issue

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Director's Letter: Unless the LORD Builds the House!

I like to compare our work at First Fruits of Zion and Vine of David to that of carpenters building a home. After all, we are disciples of a carpenter. I keep the passage in mind that says "Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain" (Psalm 127:1). I truly believe the LORD is building this house, but the work still needs laborers.

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Paul and Idol Food

Many people feel that Paul had a nonchalant attitude toward idol food, but a close study of 1 Corinthians in context reveals just the opposite. In this extensive article by Toby Janicki and D. Thomas Lancaster, you will discover that Paul urged caution regarding food sacrificed to idols and things potentially contaminated by idolatry. He forbade his congregations from intentionally partaking in food sacrificed to idols, but he steered them away from the hyper-litigious suspicion (or superstition) that would completely ban them from eating any food purchased in the market or prepared in the homes of unbelievers.

The Blueprint of Redemption

In this article, part of a series focusing on Redemption in the Tanach, Aaron Eby uncovering patterns of exile and redemption in the Torah that teach us about the life and mission of Yeshua of Nazareth.

Postmissionary Messianic Judaism in Practice

Postmissionary Messianic Judaism recognizes the unity of the Jewish people in Israel and in the Diaspora and works toward strengthening and serving these communities. PMJ communities witness the reality of the risen Messiah Yeshua to the wider Jewish world, but we labor to live this witness out within the context of a humble and non-polemical approach toward other Jews.

The Jewish People are 'Us' — not 'Them"

Have we been taught to display love and concern for other Jews even when they are not fulfilling their religious commitments? Or do we regard such Jews as more "them" than "us," especially when they oppose our Yeshua faith? In this address delivered by Stuart Dauermann to the Jewish renewal organization Hashivenu at a Hashivenu forum in Israel, June 2008, he explores one of the core principles that would help "us" attain the goal of a "mature Messianic Judaism."

The Apostolic Constitutions: A Christian Sabbath Amidah

Early Christian documents help paint the big picture on early Christianity's Torah observance. The early Jewish believers and the new Gentile converts to Messiah were familiar with Jewish liturgy, as they continued to attend local synagogues. In this article Toby Janicki explores the Apostolic Constitutions in this regard.

Sheltered Lives

K.J. Krueger shares her experience while visiting a shelter set up in Israel for girls from Sudan, Eritria, and other African countries who came here as refugees.

Fall Reading

More book reviews: How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels, by N.T. Write, and James the Just Presents Applications of Torah: A Messianic Commentary by Dr. David Friedman with B. D. Friedman.

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