שלום חברים
Shalom Dear Friends,
Merry Messiahmas and Happy New Year!
As we come to the end of 2013, all of us at HaDavar Messianic Ministries want to wish all our HaDavarniks a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. We can look forward to a happy new year in spite of the hullabaloo about global warming, Islamic terrorism, the federal deficit, etc, because JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON! He is in charge of it all and is working it all out to His glory. We might even be raptured in 2014. Now that would make for a happy new year! Come, Lord Jesus!
During this time of year our thoughts naturally turn to the Christmas story and the miraculous “virgin birth” of our Savior. However, if we look closely at the account we need to ask ourselves, “Was Yeshua’s birth all that miraculous?” To be sure, miracles did accompany His birth. They began before He was born with the angelic announcement to Zacharias (Lk. 1:5-20), his muteness (Lk.1:21-23), and the pregnancy of his aged and barren wife, Elizabeth (Lk. 1:24-25). They continued with the angelic announcement to Mary (Lk. 1:26-33), her conception of Yeshua in a state of virginity (Lk. 1:34-38), the filling of Elizabeth with the Holy Spirit when Mary drew near (Lk. 1:39-45), and the healing of Zacharias so that he could utter his prophecy (Lk. 1:57-80). When Yeshua was born, the miracles multiplied with the appearance of the Shekinah Glory (Lk. 2:8-9), and the angelic announcement to the shepherds (Lk. 2:10-14). Shortly after His birth, Simeon was allowed to recognize Him in the Temple (Lk. 2:25-28), and was empowered by the Spirit of God to prophecy (Lk. 2:29-35). Next, the godly Anna was allowed to recognize Him and proclaim His arrival (Lk. 2:36-38). Even long after His birth, miracles occurred: the Shekinah Glory guiding the wisemen to His home two years later (Matt. 2:1‑12), the angelic warning to flee the wrath of Herod (Matt. 2:13-15), and the angelic instruction to return to the land of Israel (Matt. 2:19-20).
To be sure, miracles surrounded His birth before and after it happened, but was His birth miraculous? After all, we commonly call it the “virgin birth.” Actually, no, His birth was not miraculous. There is nothing in the accounts that indicate that His birth itself was out of the ordinary. Yeshua came into this world in exactly the same way you and I did, with all the struggle and pain and effort that accompanies a normal human birth.
The term “virgin birth” is actually a misnomer. To be more accurate, we should say He was “born of a virgin.” This is because the outstanding miracle of them all was the virgin conception—the conception of Yeshua in the womb of Mary while she was in a state of virginity. No human father contributed to the conception of Yeshua. This is an event absolutely unique to the human race. No human being before or since has ever been conceived when their mother was in a state of virginity. A human father is always involved, bar none, one hundred percent of the time. Except here.
That is the main point of the Christmas story as found in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew is unequivocally stating that the Father of Yeshua was God Himself. The true miracle is the virgin conception proclaiming that Yeshua was fully God, and the normal birth proclaims that He was fully man. Hallelujah!
Please accept our wishes to all of you for a great holiday season as we celebrate the singular event in human history—the coming of the God/man born of a virgin! Merry Christmas!!
This-N-That
Here is a little bit of this-n-that from HaDavar as we round out 2013.
Foreign Language Project
Our foreign language translation project has reached a major milestone. We have completed 100% of our original goal for the Modern Israeli Hebrew pages. However, we would like to add our lengthy testimony section, “Jewish Believers–Their Stories,” to the Hebrew pages. This will be a large and extensive undertaking, but we have the services of a very competent and efficient Jewish Christian translator, living in Jerusalem, at our disposal. The only concern is the expense.
We are thrilled that the Lord has enabled us to expand our Internet outreach into three major languages spoken by the worldwide Jewish community: Hebrew, German and Russian. You can join our team and help HaDavar’s outreach by sponsoring a page or two of translation at $18.00 per page. Please pray for the funds to come in to enable us to fully translate our Internet site into Modern Israeli Hebrew and, following that, into Spanish.
End of the Year 2013 Donations Reminder
END OF THE YEAR GIVING: Just a reminder that tax-deductible, end-of-year gifts must be postmarked no later than December 31, 2013.
YouTube Statistics
We continue to be amazed at the steady growth of our YouTube classes. As of the beginning of December, YouTube reported that the HaDavar classes have experienced 12,971 views and we now have 103 subscribers. Why not join the crowd? Become a YouTube subscriber and student, taking our classes at your convenience. Study hard . . . Keep growing! Please be praying for our distance learning resources. Please ask God to direct the students who will benefit from our classes to our YouTube channel.
2014 Classes
As 2014 rapidly approaches, let me update everybody regarding the classes that will be in session in January:
- Bob will start his next major class on January 7, 2014, The First Regathering: Zionism and the Modern State of Israel. This class will focus on the history of Israel, past and present.
- Jeremy Livermore will be back with us to present another aspect of apologetics, Worldview and Philosophical Apologetics, on January 16, 2014. Remember, the word “apologetics” does not mean we are apologizing for the Bible. It means we are presenting a defense of the Bible. Join the class and sharpen your skills in that area!
- Pastor Dennis Sherman will begin a new study, Doctrine of the Holy Spirit, on January 22, 2014, looking at the work of the third person of the Trinity, from creation to the work of Jesus Christ to His dwelling in our hearts today.
Thanks for being part of our ministry team,
Bob