Need a Scapegoat? Want to get away?
By Alan ButterworthLife is challenging! Each of us faces so much that is not a part of “our” plans. It is so
tempting to seek a person or a thing to blame, or a means of escape, perhaps through an addiction. Do
you have a scapegoat that keeps you from learning what God wants you to learn?
For months, I have shared with Seth, a young Orthodox Jewish man. Seth always begins by
unleashing an attack like: “You are worse than Osama bin Laden, or Hitler. They merely seek to kill.
You want to destroy Jewish souls. A Jewish person who believes in Jesus loses their Jewish identity
and their salvation.” One day he said, “unless you repent, and stop talking to Jewish people about
Jesus, you will go to hell!”
Need I say this is often difficult? Twice, he told me he would never talk to me again. But we are still
talking! I am learning, and Seth is hearing the Gospel! Seth finally admitted “Jebus” (Homer Simpson’s name for Jesus) did exist. But immediately he said,
“His mother, Mary, was a prostitute!”
We have talked about three other things that trouble Seth. He
doesn’t respond, and changes the subject.
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Many Rabbinic sources agree (e.g. the Talmud,
Maimonides and Rashi) that while the Temple
existed, there was no atonement for sin
without the shedding of blood. The real
question is, “where is the authority for the
current Rabbinic position that repentance is all
that is necessary for atonement?” It isn’t in the
Bible.
Third, I asked Seth to examine the Biblical
prophecies about when Messiah would come.
Daniel 9 clearly explains that before the 2nd
temple is destroyed, Messiah will, “put an end to
sin, atone for wickedness [and]... bring in
everlasting righteousness.” In Haggai 2: 9, we
read: “‘The glory of this present house [the 2nd
Temple] will be greater than the glory of the
former house’, says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in
this place, I will grant peace.’” Seth? No
comment.
Praise God, 2,000 years ago, the Messiah came,
right on time! Seven centuries before, the Jewish
prophet Isaiah wrote in 53:5: “he was pierced for
our transgressions, he was crushed for our
iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace,
was on him, and by his wounds, we are healed.”
ShalomFrom Moscow!
By Alexey ShepelevIt’s good to return home finally; since February 27
till March 15 we’ve covered 4000 km (about 2500 miles). I
wish this
travel would be easy like in US but we meet with reality of
local travel, especially Russian trains. When I’ve started to
think about modern time traveling, I’ve started to think of
Apostolic time and all traveling discomfort looks so easy.
THE PASSPORT & THE DA VINCI CODE
By Steve CohenI believe that the book and movie The Da Vinci Code present a tremendous opportunity to engage others in
intentional conversations about Jesus.
Oh, I wish that they presented a picture of Jesus more consistent with historical and theological truth, rather like
The Passion of the Christ. But even if The Da Vinci Code itself doesn’t give people a true understanding of Jesus,
at least it gets them thinking. After being exposed to Dan Brown’s views, people are curious. We can freely ask
questions they might never have considered before, like:
What do you think of Jesus?
What was His mission really all about?
Are the New Testament Gospels reliable sources of information about Jesus?
Was Jesus divine?
Why does He matter so much, anyway?