EALOUS Z THE MESSIANIC JEWISH BIBLE INSTITUTE
SPR I NG 2016
ETHIOPIA:
ANCIENT LAND, T I M EL E S S FA IT H 04 | The Joy of Sabbath 09 | In His Steps: 2015 Israel Tour Report 10 | The Stunning Global Impact of SMT
For Zion’s Sake Dr. Wayne Wilks Jr.
Purim gives us an opportunity to remember how God uses even the smallest person to change eternity!
ZEALOUS
O
ne of my favorite aspects about the MJBI’s ZEALOUS magazine’s format is the opportunity it affords to highlight events through field photos as well as text. Pictures do bring people and situations to life. That is why I am so happy about this issue! Last spring, we were honored to have Casey Cook, a videographer and photographer from Gateway Church, travel with us along with Pastor Jon Dunn from Gateway Global Ministries. Casey’s pictures depict some of the scenes we experienced during these significant graduation ceremonies in Ethiopia. Pastor Dunn has written an overview about the experience that serves as our feature article this issue. Nic Lesmeister has an interesting update on the MJBI’s online education opportunity, the School of Messianic Theology (SMT). You will be stirred about how God is using the program globally, and you may want to sign up for a class or two yourself ! My wife, Bonnie, will offer up some photos and an update of our recent and wonderful “In His Steps” tour to Israel that MJBI co-hosted together with Pastor
02 | SPRING 2016
Olen and Syble Gateway Church.
Griffing
from
Magazine
Dr. Wayne Wilks Jr. Editor-in-Chief
Along with you, I always greatly anticipate and learn from Dr. Ray Gannon’s academic articles. This issue’s offering featuring the history and purpose of Shabbat sounds compelling. I know you will be inspired.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT Tara Kieschnick Managing Editor
EDITORIAL Bonnie Saul Wilks Senior Editor
Our 2015 RESOLUTE banquet was an evening to remember, and we are eagerly planning for our next event that will celebrate MJBI’s 20th anniversary. More details are coming!
Carol Adams
Lastly, the Jewish festival Purim is around the corner and gives us all opportunity to remember how God sometimes uses the smallest, most insignificant person to change the course of eternity! Queen Esther’s story of deliverance never grows old as we cry out for the same kind of saving power in modern times for God’s ancient people.
COVER
For Zion’s sake,
Editor
ART & DESIGN Jacob Wallace Creative Director
“ETHIOPIA” Designed by:
Jacob Wallace SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook.com/MJBI. USA Twitter.com/MJBI YouTube.com/ MJBIUSA
Wayne Wilks Jr., Ph.D.
ZealousMag.org
Contents
CONTACT INFORMATION P.O. Box 610105 Dallas, TX 75261 817.864.9300 USAOffice@MJBI.org • www.MJBI.org
ONLINE SCHOOLS SCHOOL OF MESSIANIC THEOLOGY SMT@MJBI.org • www.SMTEnglish.org
2
For Zion’s Sake
4
The Joy of Sabbath
6
Ethiopia: Ancient Land, Timeless Faith
8
MJBI in Ethiopia
9
In His Steps: 2015 Israel Tour Report
THE KING’S UNIVERSITY ACCREDITED MESSIANIC JEWISH STUDIES PROGRAM
University@MJBI.org • www.TKU.edu
SPRING 2016
10
Wayne Wilks
Raymond L. Gannon
Jon Dunn
MJBI Staff
Bonnie Saul Wilks
SMT: A Stunning Global Impact Nic Lesmeister
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS ARGENTINA Argentina@MJBI.org www.MinisterioBetEl.org ETHIOPIA Ethiopia@MJBI.org
MEXICO Mexico@MJBI.org
> DAT ES T O REM E M B E R
RUSSIA Russia@MJBI.org
HUNGARY Hungary@MJBI.org
UKRAINE Ukraine@MJBI.org www.OrhaMashiah.org
ISRAEL Israel@MJBI.org
ZIMBABWE Zimbabwe@MJBI.org
KOREA Korea@MJBI.org
March 24 • Purim March 27 • Easter Sunday April 24-30 • Passover May 4 • Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) May 5 • U.S. National Day of Prayer
ECFA ACCREDITATION You have invested wisely during your lifetime. Now let these investments make a lasting difference in people’s lives with a gift to the Messianic Jewish Foundation. Your gift will go directly to sharing the Good News with Jewish people and helping strengthen Messianic Jewish congregations and ministry around the world for years to come. Please contact us at 817-864-9300 or Foundation@MJBI.org for more information.
For more information on MJBI visit MJBI.org
May 11 • Yom HaZikaron (Israel Remembrance Day) May 12 • Yom HaAztma’ut (Israel Independence Day) May 30 • U.S. Memorial Day
> VIEW T H IS ISSU E ON LIN E Go t o w w w.Ze a l o usMa g .o r g
by Dr. Raymond L. Gannon
The Joy of Sabbath T
he Shabbat has undoubtedly come down the corridors of history to be the most important Jewish institution, even exceeding the significance of the synagogue. The Shabbat is the “Bride” or “Queen” of Judaism. Around the Shabbat is the religion of Moses, David, Isaiah, Nehemiah and Yeshua based. Everything in Judaism and certainly the entire Bible orbits the Shabbat.
A Biblical Principle in Jewish Life
Shah-BAHT (Hebrew), SHA-bas (Yiddish), or Sabbath (English) means “to cease working, to rest” or “to keep a Shabbat.” The Shabbat is found as early as the Genesis creation account where God Himself is seen as resting and finding refreshment. We secondly find Sabbath-keeping among the socially mandated Ten Commandments given at Sinai.
stands ready to redeem the peoples of the earth (Deut 5:14-15). The neglect of honoring Shabbat greatly offended God who calls for the death penalty for violators. It seems Israel’s disregard for the Shabbat is viewed as contempt for the covenant-making God of Israel (Ex 31:14-15; Num 15:32-36).
The first occasion would suggest a pattern for all the created order to follow, e.g., taking a day for spiritual refreshing after six days of labor. The second cause for Shabbat (Ex 20:8-11) was uniquely the heritage of the Chosen People. Those whose ancestry had been liberated by God from Egyptian slavery were privileged to forever commemorate that liberation from unrelenting bondage by honoring the rest day of freed men. This is one reason we find the Passover Exodus experience and the keeping of Shabbat so intertwined both in Scripture and Jewish liturgy. The Shabbat as issued by God and honored by Israel was a sign of the perpetual Covenant relationship between God and His liberated Chosen People (Ex 31:12-17). By mandating Shabbat observance, God was sending a dual message: (1) He was concerned about every member of society, and (2) All Israel and all mankind should recall that God frees the slaves and 04 | SPRING 2016
The Hebrew prophets rehearsed the same twin themes for Shabbathonoring: (1) God rested on Shabbat; (2) the importance to recall God’s liberation of Israel from slavery. But casualness toward Shabbat observance caused Ezekiel (22:8, 15-16) to cry out in holy protest, “You have…profaned My Sabbaths.” Jeremiah (17:2125) likewise encourages Judah to counteract their forefathers who “did ZealousMag.org
not listen or incline their ears.” A God-honoring Jewish nation should rather “keep the Sabbath day holy.” Rabbinic customs associated with the Shabbat developed in ancient Israel, during the intertestamental period, in Yeshua’s own time and in the early centuries of Rabbinic Judaism alongside its chief competitor, Jewish-influenced Christianity. Yeshua took issue with rabbinic notions that actually violated the plain teaching of Torah. But Yeshua Himself honored the Shabbat and fully embraced its significance within faithful Jewish life experience and freely administered both instruction and healing within the Sabbath context. The early Messianic Jews and Christians long honored Yom Shabbat without qualm or dispute until the subsequent Christian philosophical resolve to first separate from and then divorce Israel. The rabbis seized upon the few examples of Torah work prohibitions for Shabbat such as the gathering of manna (Ex 16:22-26), collecting sticks (Num 15:32-36), and lighting of fires (Ex 35:3). The rabbis carefully extended the field of restrictions to larger spheres. In time any thinking that could lead to work was improper as was the wearing of work clothes on Shabbat which suggested work. Shabbat became regarded as the only uncoupled day of the week and therefore eligible to be the Bride of Judaism. With such emphases upon stripping even provocative thoughts of work from Shabbat, and the positive call for pure joys on Shabbat including conjugal practices, Yom Shabbat became the exalted day of every week—the day the balance of the week’s activities worked toward. Total refreshing in honor of God’s Covenant and gracious deeds became the mainstay of traditional Jewish life.
“The early Messianic Jews and Christians long honored Yom Shabbat without qualm or dispute until the subsequent Christian philosophical resolve to first separate from and then divorce Israel.”
“…Yeshua Himself honored the Shabbat and fully embraced its significance within faithful Jewish life experience and freely administered both instruction and healing within the Sabbath context.”
With the communal sounding (often the blast of the shofar), labor and commerce ended, housewives lit the Sabbath candles, and soon a luscious and peaceful meal, replete with blessings over the bread (challah) and wine, was served. During and after the meal happy Shabbat songs were interspersed with prayers and Psalms. Reading Scripture, singing Psalms, and communal prayers in the synagogue were carried home for family Shabbat celebration on Erev Shabbat (Friday evening) and then after each of the worship services on Saturday. All combined to foster a climate of restfulness to be enjoyed through sundown on Saturday. In Israel today, the Shabbat is honored like a national holiday in spite of the lack of religious commitment of the majority of Israelis. Most will play, hike, go to the beach, or just lounge while the religious neighborhoods are more greatly impacted by the presence of the Bride of Judaism. Of course, apart from the Jewish religious neighborhoods, most American Jews and other internationals feel little constraint on Shabbat from engaging in all their weekly activities. With all that, most Christians would do well to refuse to simply live like the pagans within our respective societies and rather make the deliberate effort to keep a refreshing day every week set aside for spiritual pursuits. Although only All Israel is expected to gratefully express their covenant faith in God and their gratitude for His mercies every Yom Shabbat, it is equally good for all of us to remember that even the Creator found refreshing on the seventh day.
ZEALOUS MAGAZINE | 05
ETHIOPIA:
ANC IE N T L AND, TI MEL ESS FA I T H BY PASTOR JON DUNN
I
had the privilege of attending special graduation ceremonies last spring in Ethiopia along with Dr. Wayne Wilks, Jr., MJBI President, and Casey Cook, videographer from Gateway Church. From Addis Ababa, the ancient city-state capital, we prepared for 3 wonderful MJBI graduation celebrations in the schools and villages of Gondar, Hosanna, and Woliso.
to grass huts. The national language, Amharic, is a Semitic language with Hebrew root words. There is also a Jewish community in Ethiopia who have kept Jewish traditions for centuries, and others who have embraced the Orthodox Church and mixed traditions.
The MJBI Ethiopia is led by Derese Yohannes, who serves from the national office in Addis. Leaders are equipped that will establish Messianic Jewish congregations and ministries in the Ethiopian communities of the Beta Abraham, Beta Israel, and the Gafat Jewish communities. Along with equipping Messianic Jewish leaders, Derese serves as an emissary to encourage the Church in Ethiopia in its responsibility to take the Good News to the Jew first according to Romans 1:16.
One of those Jewish communities is in the city of Gondar which previously served as the capital of the Ethiopian Empire. The city holds the remains of several royal castles, for which Gondar has been called the “Camelot of Africa.” Here in this historic northern city, we celebrated the graduation of 84 students that successfully completed the MJBI course of study for Talmid Alef (beginning student). Since few from this community have had the opportunity for higher education, this ceremony was an important event and was well attended by family, friends, and local church pastors and leaders.
There is a strong Hebraic influence within Ethiopian culture dating back to Solomon’s time. From primitive villages to cities, it is not uncommon to find Stars of David engraved on buildings like Orthodox churches or attached
From Gondar, we made our way south to Hosanna—a city in southern Ethiopia that serves as a center for Protestant Christianity and provincial administration of Kambata. Here among the Gafat Jewish Community, 200
06 | SPRING 2016
See Page 5 for a detailed look at MJBI schools in Ethiopia!
THESE GRADUATES ANTICIPATE A HOPEFUL FUTURE AS THEY EMBRACE THEIR CALLING TO SHARE MESSIAH.
and experienced the blessing of moving forward in the purposes of God together. All over Ethiopia a sense of increase and expectancy is coming to life as Messianic Jews and the body of Messiah are coming together in unity.
students also completed the Talmid Alef courses and were honored and celebrated, led by their local school leaders. As in Gondar, the graduation was well attended and the graduates joyfully received diplomas, recognition, and honor for completing the 2-year-course of study.
Currently discussions are in process that are moving toward the Messianic Jewish congregations and communities being given official recognition as a part of the larger Evangelical Community of Churches within Ethiopia. These graduates anticipate a hopeful future as they embrace their calling to share Messiah. Their faces are radiant with a supernatural Light from above as they move forward to “freely give as they have received.”
Next we traveled to Woliso, a town in central Ethiopia, which also functions as an administrative center for its region. In addition to the second largest flower-farm in Ethiopia, Woliso is also home to a significant hydro-electric power plant as well as the Multipurpose Community Telecentre and a 150 bed hospital. Here 99 graduates received diplomas. Following each graduation ceremony celebration, halls were rented and meals shared as students, family members, and friends celebrated with exuberant joy Top Left: MJBI graduates in Woliso, Ethiopia; Top Right: Ethiopia is the 5th largest flower exporter in the world; Bottom Left: MJBI Ethiopia director Derese Yohannes; Bottom Right: MJBI graduates in Hosanna, Ethiopia
Pastor Jon is currently serving on the Global Ministries’ staff at Gateway Church. He is married to Laurinda who serves as a Ministry Coordinator in Parenting Life. They recently celebrated 35 years of marriage and have 5 children. During his leisure time, Jon enjoys training for marathons and triathlons.
ZEALOUS MAGAZINE | 07
MJBI in Ethiopia
Gondar Isaiah 11 says, “In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to bring back the remnant of his people--those who remain in Assyria and northern Egypt; in southern Egypt, Ethiopia, and Elam; in Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastlands.�
Ambo
Addis Ababa Woliso Badewacho
Starting with only one Ethiopian school in 2009, MJBI has now established seven more that stretch north to south across the country. There is a great regathering of the outcast Jewish people of Ethiopia. MJBI is in the middle of this miracle because of your partnership with us!
Kondalla
Hosanna
Visit www. MJBI. o rg for more a more de taile d look at what M J B I is doin g i n E thiopia and around the world!
I n H i s S t e p s : 2 0 1 5 I s r a e l To u r by BONNIE SAUL WILKS
F
rom the beautiful shores of the Sea of Galilee, to the synagogue ruins of Capernaum, to the Dead Sea, Mt. Zion, Gethsemane, Calvary, the Upper Room, or the Garden Tomb, it would be a hard task to pick a favorite place in the Holy Land. The “In His Steps� tour last November led by Dr. Wayne and Bonnie Wilks and Pastor Olen and Syble Griffing quickly became a lifechanging experience for the 43 pilgrims who journeyed together as one sweet community through the ancient and modern land. The Bible sprang to living color with each site we visited. One moment I will never forget was the baptism at the very spot where Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River. It barely rains in Israel, maybe 2 inches a year. But it poured rain during the baptisms and afterword a glorious rainbow appeared. It was a blessing sent from heaven.
MJBI.org
ZEALOUS MAGAZINE | 09
SMT A STUNNING
GLOBAL I M PA C T BY NIC LE SME IST E R
O
nline education has become a staple in the modern world. Whether you are looking for an associate’s, bachelor’s, or even a graduate degree, you can complete almost any of these online today. But beyond that, the Internet is swimming with videos, podcasts, blogs, and resources that many access on a daily basis to enhance our education on numerous subjects. When it comes to Messianic Jewish education, there are few resources more robust and thorough than MJBI’s School of Messianic Theology (SMT). Officially launched in 2011, SMT has been an incredible tool in the Lord’s hand. Today, 20 professional courses are offered online to anyone in the world through SMTEnglish.org. You can even watch and take these courses on your smart phone in the bush of Zimbabwe! With plans for 28 additional courses in the future, the SMT will eventually be the most complete online library of Messianic Jewish education available in the world. But that is not the most exciting part! The MJBI has been diligently working in Ethiopia, Ukraine, and Hungary over the past year to translate many SMT courses into the
native languages of these countries. In the past, teachers would have flown in from the West, spending up to two weeks teaching these courses in our international schools – a very costly and time-consuming process. In Ethiopia alone, the translated SMT courses have propelled MJBI to scale our growth to 7 schools and 450 students! Moreover, the students are absorbing the information even more deeply now that it is in their native tongue. And in Ukraine, 20 SMT courses have been translated into Russian. A dedicated Russian website is now available to our students in Russia, Ukraine, and even Israel. It is truly amazing to see how the Lord has exploded the reach of the MJBI through the SMT in the four short years of its existence. MJBI is training leaders all around the world because of this powerful educational tool. Finally, if you’re like me, you will enjoy seeing the compelling impact of these SMT statistics:
Visit SMTEnglish.org to begin an online course today! 10 | SPRING 2016
527
S t ud e n t s i n d ivi dua l ly e nrol l e d onl i ne i n SM T
450
S t ud e n t s i n 7 l o c at i ons i n M JB I Et hi op i a school s
203
S t ud e n t s i n 10 l o cat i ons i n M JB I Z i mbabwe school s
37
Dist i nc t c o u n t r i es f ro m whe re onl i ne SM T st ude nt s a re e nrolled
20
C o ur s e s t r ansl a t e d i nt o Russi an
15
D i f fere n t profe ssor s a nd l e ct ure r s
4
T r ansl a t e d l a nguage s
M
iraculous! The impact MJBI is seeing through the SMT is immense! Your generous support has made it possible. Please continue to partner with us as the SMT advances around the world!
MESSIANIC JEWISH BIBLE INSTITUTE
NON-PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID ARLINGTON, TX PERMIT #255
P.O. Box 610105 Dallas, Texas 75261
JEWELRY
These hand-crafted pieces serve as a reminder of MJBI’s global impact, as well as the importance of standing RESOLUTE in support of Israel—and of our faith and freedoms—during this prophetically significant time!
Place an order today! www.CovenantDesigns.net