IN TOUCH

Christian Friends of Israel UK

No

.18

21st Quarter 2015

Melissa Briggs writes our Hebrew Word study Ha-Kallah – The Bride. P.4

We introduce our conference speaker for 2015 - Dr R. Kendall Soulen. P.6-7

Interview with our area rep for Essex. Moira Dare-Edwards. P.10

“The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness

will rejoice and blossom...”Isaiah 35:1

2 // IN TOUCH

About Christian Friendsof Israel UK

CFI-UK seeks to bless Israel by means of practical and moral

support, and to serve the Church in teaching about God’s purposes for

Israel and the Hebraic rootsof our faith.

CFI also produces a monthly Prayer Letter and distributes a Middle

East Update and Haverim Hebraic teaching CDs/MP3s.

Please send for full details of projects in Israel and also of the

many teaching resources available.As an educational charity,

we carry a variety ofresources relevant to our

purpose. We do notnecessarily endorse every

view expressed by ourguest writers or authors

of these resources.

Published by:CFI Charitable Trust

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Email: info@cfi.org.ukWebsites: www.cfi.org.ukwww.keshercourse.org.uk

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Calafellvalo(c) Flores de Invierno. Almond Tree

Specific Fulfilment and the Restoration of Israel

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By Jacob Vince

A teaching found particularly amongst some sections of evangelicalism today, is the view that all the promises in the Bible are fulfilled by

Jesus. This is then taken to the exclusion of promises made to Israel and in essence becomes a variation of supersessionism, otherwise known as replacement theology. The argument goes like this. Jesus fulfils all the promises and prophecies, to include those related to Israel and in so doing, Jesus replaces Israel by becoming the new Israel which in turn makes the Church, as Jesus’ body on earth, the new Israel.

In refuting this argument, I have previously [In Touch 2nd Quarter, 2012] referred to the passages at the end of Luke’s gospel and at the start of his following record of the early Church, the Acts of the Apostles, where Jesus responds specifically to the disciples’ understanding concerning the restoration of the kingdom to Israel. ‘We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.’ (Luke 24:21) and, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’ (Acts 1:6).

In the first conversation, Jesus’ concern suggests that whilst the disciples believed some, they were, ‘slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!’ (Luke 24:25). In answering this way, Jesus does not dismiss their hope of him redeeming Israel, but rather widens their focus to his fulfilment of the suffering servant’s aspects of which the prophets had also spoken.

In the second conversation, the disciples ask a question about timing, ‘Are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’ (Acts 1:6), ‘when’ not ‘whether’. Jesus in response does not question the assumption as to whether the kingdom would be restored to Israel, but rather answers with regard to the matter of timing, by saying, ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority’ (Acts 1:7). Here too, the disciples’ focus was widened to their more immediate task of spreading the gospel far and wide.

The premise of the original questions of restoring the kingdom to Israel and its timing still remain, but for a later time. Further reinforcing this understanding, it appears that both the aspect of restoration and its timing are picked up again by the apostle Peter in his second sermon after the pouring out of God’s Spirit at Pentecost, two chapters on (Acts 3:1-26). Of which more to come later.

Before we get to this, it is first worth considering the day on which Peter’s second sermon after Pentecost is given. Peter, together with John, had earlier been observed by Luke, ‘going up to the temple at the time of prayer - at three in the afternoon’ (Acts 3:1). This was presumably in order to pray in the temple, and took place after the Holy Spirit’s outpouring at Pentecost and the establishment of the earliest practices of the Church (Acts 2:42) which in turn came after three thousand believers were baptised and added in one day to the Church - the result of the Holy Spirit’s working following Peter’s first recorded sermon.

The gathered crowd, for this second sermon, had formed as a result of the miraculous healing of the crippled man at the temple gate. This man had created quite a stir and subsequently an audience, as he went walking and jumping and praising God in the temple courts! Something that might perhaps create a somewhat different stir today!

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First, significantly, Peter refers to his audience as, ‘Men of Israel’ (Acts 3:12). He then recalls Jesus’ death, resulting from the handing over and disowning by this audience. Peter then gives his own, apostolic, eye-witness testimony to Jesus’ resurrection, declaring that the power to heal the man before them, ‘is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him.’ (Acts 3:16)

Peter does not blame the audience for Jesus’ death or call them ‘Christ killers’, but rather, categorically states, ‘I know you acted in ignorance’ (Acts 3:17). Indeed he extends this further by saying, ‘as did your leaders’ (Acts 3:17). They all acted in ignorance. There are clearly echoes here of Jesus’ words, ‘Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.’

Peter continues, ‘But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ (or Messiah) would suffer.’ (Acts 3:18) Here is that word ‘fulfilled’ again. But it does not imply some kind of ‘universal’ fulfilment. Rather, it refers to ‘specific’ fulfilment concerning the suffering servant that was foretold by the prophets - in contrast to the audience’s expectation of the reigning king.

The action commended to the audience by Peter is that they repent of their previous ignorance so that ‘your sins may be wiped out,’ (Acts 3:19) but, more than that, ‘times of refreshing may come from the Lord.’ (Acts 3:19).

Now we come to the aspect of restoration and timing which parallels the last question the disciples had asked Jesus immediately before his ascension as referenced above, ‘Are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’ (Acts 1:6). It is at this point in

his second sermon that Peter makes the following statement to his audience, ‘He [that is Jesus] must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets (Acts 3:21) or as another translation puts it, ‘the restoration of all things.’ NKJV.

Note that word ‘all’ again, not just the ‘some’ of the specific promises that Jesus had already fulfilled concerning himself. Not only this, the term restoration means reinstating something, not a new development - which of course is referred to later by Peter toward the end of his life in his final letter, ‘a new heaven and a new earth’ (2 Peter 3:13).

Is it not possible that Peter is picking up on Jesus’ earlier answer to the disciples’ question about the timing of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel, ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set.’ (Acts 1:7)? I think so.

Taking everything into account and its sequential timing and context, in examining the argument of Jesus having fulfilled all the promises, it is clear that there remains some further restoration to take place, before Jesus’ return or second coming, which incidentally is a further specific and preeminent aspect of prophetic promise, concerning Jesus, that he has clearly also not yet fulfilled. But he will.

Jesus does and will fulfil the promises that are specific to him. God will also ensure that promises specific to other matters will also be fulfilled by those to whom they relate, which includes those made specifically to Israel. So, God is faithful to them all.

‘Friends for Generations’ is an initiative for CFI-UK supporters who:

• Desire to see Israel and the Jewish people restored to their rightful place.• Want to play their part in this generation, and in future generations.• Realise that this may take more than one generation to achieve.

If Christian Friends of Israel (UK) is to continue its work, both now and into the next generation, we need your help in two specific ways:

• Continue to pray regularly for the raising up of young adults with a passion like yours, to continue the work into the next generation and beyond.

• Consider making a bequest in your Will, to ensure the work of Christian Friends of Israel (UK) continues in this and the next generation.

“One generation will commend your works to another.” (Psalm 145:4)

Friends for Generations...

For more information please contact us for the ‘Friends for Generations’ leaflet or visit cfi.org.uk/generations

4 // IN TOUCH

MARRIAGE is not a human invention that can be re-designed and re-defined by society. Marriage is central to God’s master plan.

Redemption history has been building up to the marriage of Jesus (Yeshua) to those He has redeemed for Himself—the Bride of Messiah. He eagerly awaits the glorious arrival of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Earthly marriage points us to these heavenly truths. N ot surprisingly, God has a message for us in the Hebrew meaning of the word “Bride”.

“You complete me” is an affectionate phrase made famous in Hollywood on film and radio. It may sound like the cheesy text of a Valentine’s Day card, but would you be surprised to hear that it is a Biblical concept?

The Hebrew word for “Bride” is (kallah). It comes from a frequently used root meaning to “complete “ or to “perfect”.

We find other words with this root (K-L-L) such as:

Newlyweds will say to one another “you are perfect

for me.” Likewise, the Lord’s kallah will be made ready for Him—truly perfected. You have probably heard the saying that “love is blind”, meaning that a person in love does not notice their beloved’s flaws. God’s love is a much improved version of “blind love”. Of course God’s holiness does not allow him to just ignore our sin. It is His finished work on the cross, followed by His victorious resurrection and ascension that paid the high price for our sin. Yeshua Himself perfected us so that we are eligible to be His bride. He has chosen and provided our wedding attire through His redemption:

“I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a kallah adorns herself with her jewels.” (Isaiah 61:10)

Therefore we can cease our striving and be in a place of abiding peacefully as we await the return of our Bridegroom. First we must enter into the betrothal by accepting the Lord’s proposal and his wedding gift. A wedding gift is a price traditionally paid by the bridegroom in ancient Jewish culture for his future bride. Messiah paid the price for us with His whole self on the Cross (1 Corinthians 6:20). Once betrothed we can use our actions to express our love to Him, but never can we earn His love.

How great is the love our Bridegroom has lavished upon us. His banner over us is love! Like the Lover in Song of Songs, Yeshua desires us to delight in Him, to seek after Him, and to respond to His invitation with our whole being. (Song of Songs 4:9-10) Marriage is meant to increase our understanding of the depth of God’s feelings for us and the relationship He desires.

“As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his kallah, so will your God rejoice over you.” (Isaiah 62:5)

The Messiah never cancelled his betrothal to Israel. (Romans 11:1, 11) He did, however, invite Gentiles to also be grafted into the Bride that He is preparing for Himself. The Bride is comprised of those in the Olive Tree of faith (Romans 11:17-27) - Jew and Gentile one in Messiah.

Another truth highlighted by the meaning of kallah is that male and female together express the completed image of God. (Genesis 1:27) Marriage is truly mysterious, but Scripture indicates that somehow the husband and his kallah together show the world a more complete picture of God’s character. (Ephesians 5:22-32)

God Himself says: “It is not good for the man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18)

A kallah added to a man brings a “completion”. Interestingly, even the secular world has adopted vocabulary that echoes this truth on some level by calling their partners “my other half”. (As an aside, it baffles me why somebody would hesitate to go ahead and marry the person they profess to be their completion or “other half”.)

Most Bible readers would be aware that Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem where each section begins with a letter from the Hebrew alphabet. Thankfully this is expressed in most English translations of the Tanakh. But what you probably missed if you are not reading the Scriptures in their original language is that, similarly, the “wife of valor” passage in Proverbs 31:10-31 is also an acrostic poem. An acrostic poem is a beautiful Hebrew way to portray the idea that “this is the complete guide to a matter”. Read Proverbs 31 with the thought in mind that it is the “A-Z (Aleph to Tav) Guide to being a Godly Bride.” Perhaps this is also a guide to what the Lord is looking for in His kallah?

What does it mean for the Messiah’s kallah to be complete? Does it mean He is waiting for more of us to accept His proposal and to be made ready? (Hebrews 11:39-40; 2 Peter 3:9)? Are you counted in?

Ha-Kallah – The BrideHEBREW WORD STUDY

Melissa Briggs (pictured as a kallah in 2009, wearing a dress borrowed from the Bride Salon at CFI Jerusalem), M.A. Jewish Civilization, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has been teaching Hebrew in the UK for over five years. Melissa and her husband Stephen Briggs serve with Hatikvah Films (www.hatikvahfilms.com / @HatikvahFilms) and live in Berkshire. They have been blessed with two children.

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Tell us a little about ZAKAZAKA is an Israeli h u m a n i t a r i a n rescue and recovery o r g a n i s a t i o n , with 1,650 highly-trained volunteers on call 24/7, 365 days a year. Our volunteers work with the emergency services providing first response, specialist search and rescue services and honouring the dead. We believe that man is created in the divine image. We offer assistance to all, regardless of religion, race or creed. Whenever there is an unnatural death, be it a traffic accident, terror attack or natural disaster, our volunteers in their signature yellow vests are there, combing the scene to gather remains and spilled blood.

Is that why they say ZAKA is always the first on the scene and the last to leave?In order to save lives, it is vital that we get to the scene as quickly as possible. With volunteers all around the country - many of them paramedics - we have a great advantage. We are just around the corner! We also have motorcycle units to cut through clogged city streets; we have jet-skis and boats to navigate incidents at sea, in rivers and lakes and we have ATVs and other specialist vehicles, as well as rappelling and canine teams, for search and recovery missions in difficult terrain. And our sacred work is painstakingly slow.

Does ZAKA operate in the UK? Around the world?The ZAKA International Rescue Unit, which has dozens of specially trained volunteers in units around the world, including the UK, North and South America, Asia and Europe literally goes to the ends of the earth to help Jew and non-Jew alike. From Mombasa to Mumbai, from Haiti to Japan, from the tsunami to plane

crashes, the ZAKA International Rescue Unit is there, assisting the local emergency forces and ensuring the dignity of the deceased. In 2005, the UN recognised ZAKA as an international humanitarian organisation, which allows us to offer emergency assistance even before the official delegation has left Israel, or the host country has formally asked for help.

Were ZAKA volunteers involved in the terror attacks in Paris?Sadly, this is how the public recognise the face of ZAKA. We were able to get permission from the Attorney General of France to enter the scene of the attack and collect the remains. So we immediately sent a team from Israel to work with the local ZAKA France volunteers. The Parisian volunteers of ZAKA , who we trained only a year ago, were very professional in their response, despite the pain that comes from personal acquaintance with the victims.

What was ZAKA’s role in last summer’s Gaza conflict?ZAKA is recognised by the Israeli Defense Ministry as an emergency aid organisation, an integral part of the home front command in times of emergency. From day one, we worked around the clock and around the country. Our volunteers would go from one rocket hit to the next, working under fire to save lives and, tragically, to honour the dead. Not all of our volunteers have protective gear, so they risked their lives to help others. We even used our ambulances and volunteers to collect and distribute care packages for soldiers on the front lines.

What is British Friends of ZAKA?We work to lighten the financial burden for the volunteer organisation in Israel, by raising money to buy much-needed equipment - without this financial support, the volunteers quite simply could not carry out their sacred work. To learn more about ZAKA and ways to help them out please visit our web site www.zaka.org.uk.

British Friends of ZAKA Director’s David Rose talks about the organisation’s work.

From Mombasa to Mumbai...We’re There

6 // IN TOUCH

INTRODUCING... DR. KENDALL SOULEN

CFI-UK is delighted to announce Dr. R. Kendall Soulen will be speaking at our annual conference later this year.

Professor Soulen is the author of ‘The God of Israel and Christian Theology’ (1996), an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and the Director of the Master of Theological Studies’ Program at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

He is a visiting fellow at St Andrews University (Scotland) and received both his BA and Ph.D from Yale University.

He lists noted Christian theologian of Jewish origins Hans Frei, and the Jewish orthodox theologian Michael Wyschogrod as ‘major influences’ on his work. He is also the editor of Wyschogrod’s ‘Abraham’s Promise: Judaism and Jewish Christian Relations.’ (2006)

Please see below for an extract from an interview Professor Soulen recently conducted with David Heim, published by christiancentury.org.

Over the past few decades, many theologians and church leaders in mainline Protestant churches have sought to overturn Christian supersessionism (ie believing that God’s covenant with the Jews has been superseded by the work of Christ, thereby rendering the faith of Jews either irrelevant or pernicious.) How do you judge the importance of that movement for Christian theology?

It’s important because it’s about what we think redemption in Christ looks like. Does redemption mean that Christ gives us the favoured place at God’s table while kicking some other poor wretch out into the street? Or does Christ’s table have room for old-timers and newcomers alike? The truth is Christians have mostly operated out of the first picture in our relationship with Jews. That’s done damage to Jews, of course, but it has also distorted who we are as the church. Supersessionism is like a submerged resentment toward our nearest kin that infects all our social relationships. That’s why I think the work of overcoming supersessionism is so important. And by the way, it’s not only mainstream Protestants who have been doing it. It’s Catholics and Evangelicals, too.

Many Christians would say that confessing Christ as Lord is essential for salvation and for being at

Christ’s table, and therefore Jews are excluded from the table. How would you respond?

It’s an objection that needs to be taken seriously. Paul himself raises it in Romans 9-11, where he discusses his kinsfolk who have rejected the gospel. Paul concludes with a stern warning. The surprise is that the warning is not directed against Jews who reject the gospel, but against Gentiles who presume to act as Jesus’ bouncers. That’s a bad idea, Paul thinks, because everyone who is now an “insider” was once an “outsider” saved by the grace of God. And even those who are presently “outsiders” to the gospel remain the objects of God’s love, not because they deserve it, but because God’s covenant faithfulness is stronger and more encompassing than human sin. It’s a warning the church still needs to pay attention to.

How do you judge the success of the antisupersessionist effort?

Substantial but incomplete...Still, we have come a

Professor Soulen will be speaking at our conference in Eastbourne on 4-5th September 2015.

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long way. In 1938, Pope Pius XI commissioned an encyclical letter to condemn racism in the wake of Hitler’s rise to power. It was never promulgated because of Pius’s death, but the unpublished draft gives us an idea of what many Christians believed at the time. The section on anti-Semitism charged “the Jewish nation” with collective responsibility for Jesus’ death, declared that Jews were doomed “to perpetually wander over the face of the earth,” and advised the Church to be on guard against “the spiritual dangers to which contact with the Jews can expose souls.” Compare that to the prayer that Pope John Paul II left at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem in 2000. It read “God of our fathers, you chose Abraham and his descendants to bring your name to the nations. We are deeply saddened by the behavior of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer. And asking your forgiveness, we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the covenant.” That’s quite a difference.

Can you offer an example of a Christian reading of an Old Testament text that is supersessionist—and then give a nonsupersessionist reading?

Sure. In Jeremiah 31:31-34, the LORD promises to make a “new covenant” that “will not be like the covenant that I made” when he brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt. The Israelites broke the old covenant, but the LORD will write the “new covenant” on “the heart.” A supersessionist reading will interpret this as though it referred to two different peoples or communities. Jews are the people of the old covenant, Christians are the people of the new. A non-supersessionist reading will notice that the new covenant is between the same two parties as the old: the LORD and “the house of Israel.” The new covenant is the renewal and expansion of an old relationship, not a divorce and a remarriage. In the Letter to the Hebrews, the author says the new covenant is better than the old, which is passing away. But like Jeremiah, the author of Hebrews thinks of the new covenant as an expression of the LORD’s fidelity to an ancient relationship.

In a sense, the church was defined by the apostle Paul as that assembly where God has put Jews and gentiles together in Christ —without erasing their

distinctive identities. Paul assumed that Jewish Christians would retain their distinct identity as followers of the Torah commandments. What does it mean for the church that it exists today—and has for centuries— with a near total absence of Torah-observing Jews in its midst?

Well, Jesus was a Torah-observing Jew, and Christians believe that he still lives in our midst. Same goes for most of the apostles, and they belong to the great cloud of witnesses that accompanies the church on its pilgrimage through time. So in that sense the Christian community has always been and always will be a fellowship of gentiles and Torah observant Jews, whether it gathers on the Nebraska prairie or in Papua, New Guinea. You could say it is part of our ecclesiastical constitution. When the church lacks Torah-observant Jews besides Christ and the apostles, though, it becomes easier to forget this aspect of who we are. We think of ourselves as a homogenous community of Christians, a “third race” that goes beyond Israel and the nations and makes them obsolete. In reality, of course, the church remains gentile, but it falsely thinks of itself as generically human or generically Christian per se. And that can be a dangerous thing.

Would it be a good thing if there were more Jewish (Torah-observant) Christians? What would this mean for Jewish-Christian relations? Wouldn’t it make its relations more contentious in many ways?

Let me start with your last question: yes, it would be but would make things more contentious, at least in the short term. Traditionally, church and synagogue were like two glaciers that met in an Alpine meadow. Nothing could grow in between them, because they completely monopolized the real estate. Now, the two communities have receded somewhat, and all sorts of things are sprouting where before there was just ice. Some of those seedlings will disappear, some will adapt and thrive. I think messianic Judaism is one of those seedlings. As it flourishes (and I hope it will), it has the potential to strengthen and renew both church and synagogue.

If you would like to hear more from Dr Soulen, please visit www.cfi.org.uk/news.php?article=86 or contact us for a free DVD of another interview with R. Kendall Soulen.

8 // IN TOUCH

ALTHOUGH it is still winter in Israel, the hope and promise of Spring

are celebrated here in the Land in two ways concerning trees this February. Firstly, the almond trees begin to burst forth in a profusion of beautiful blossoms, sometimes even surrounded by sparkling snow. Secondly, a special tree planting time occurs on Tu b’Shevat, the 15th of Shevat (4th February this year), when the New Year for trees is celebrated.

In Jewish literature, an interesting connection is made between the 12 months of the year and the pattern of encampment and order of procession of the 12 tribes in the wilderness.

‘Based on the order of encampments, [Shevat] corresponds to the tribe of Asher.’1

Shevat is the 11th month of the Hebrew calendar and Asher was 11th in the tribal formation. What do we know about Jacob’s son Asher, who was born to Leah’s maid Zilpah? At his birth Leah declared, “Happy and prosperous (b’osher) am I! For the women will call me happy” (Gen. 30:13). Asher, thus, is related to happiness. Other connotations of osher are: to be straight, honest, to go forward, to prosper. Jacob’s deathbed blessing of Asher reads, “Asher’s food will be rich; he will provide delicacies

fit for a king.” (Genesis 49:20). This richness is attributed to the fact that his territory in the Land would be filled with an abundance of olive trees. The symbol on the standard of the tribe of Asher as they camped and traveled through the wilderness was a large, fruitful olive tree. When Moses later adds his blessing to the tribes, he says of Asher, “Let him bath his feet in oil” (Deuteronomy 33:24). The harvest of olive oil would flow like a spring. Despite the abundance and prosperity, we may consider that Asher remained down to earth and humble of character as the stone on the breastplate of the High Priest representing the tribe was the agate. Its colors of green, black and brown reflect the olive tree and it is but a common gemstone.

In the science of Astronomy (and not, please, connected with Astrology!) the constellation associated with Asher and the month of Shevat is Aquarius, known in English as the Water Bearer. The liquids of oil and water are not very similar. Water mixes easily with other liquids, whereas oil does not. Rather than mixing, oil floats to the top. How, then, can both these liquids be connected with Asher?

Regarding water, the prophet Isaiah proclaims: “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation (Yeshuah)” (Isaiah 12:3). Of the restoration of the land and the people of Israel, he prophesies: “The desert and the parched land will be glad; the

The Blessings of Trees and the Hebrew Month Shevat

Keren Pryor writes on the seasons and the Scriptures

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wilderness will rejoice and blossom...” (Isaiah 35:1-2) and, speaking of God’s great salvation, he says, “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; …for water will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert” (Isaiah 35:5,6).

We can see the effects of physical water in redeeming the dry land, but the water of revelation that brings sight to spiritually blind eyes and deaf ears is the water of the Word of God. The prophet Amos foretells of a famine in the earth that will not be for bread, nor “…a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord” (Amos 8:11). Here we find the link between water and oil. The symbol of the Torah, the Living Water of the Word of God, in the Holy Place of the Temple is the golden Menorah. The vital fuel that provides its light is pure olive oil. The Word of God and the illumination of the Spirit of God; Life and Light; water and oil – both are needed for the fullness of understanding and abundant joy (osher) to be found in His Presence. This creates a beautiful picture of the delight of echad, the unity and oneness of God. Yeshua, who came from the Father as the Word made flesh, said: “If anyone is thirsty come to me and drink the water of life.” Together with the Spirit of Holiness, the soothing, light-bearing oil, we find wisdom, anointing, and knowledge of the Father, in whose Presence is “fullness of joy”- osher!

We read of a special woman of the tribe of Asher in Luke’s wonderful account of the revelation by the Spirit of God to Simeon, in the court of the Temple, of the Messianic identity of the baby Yeshua:

“There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:36-38).

The Hebrew name of the constellation Aquarius is Dli, which means ‘bucket.’ The purpose of a dli is to draw water from a well and to make it available for use. Here we see that Anna did indeed draw

the ‘water’ of life from the ‘well of salvation’ and she was quick to pour it out, joyfully, to quench the thirst of others.

It also is of interest to note that the day Moses began his last famous discourse to the Israelites, just five weeks before his death, was the first day of Shevat (Deut. 1:3,5). This underscored the fact

that he, “the most humble of men,” saw himself as a mere vessel – a bucket – in the hands of the Lord.

His purpose was solely to draw from the Source and to pour out the water of God’s Word to His people.

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9: 8)

(c) Jay Myers. m.jay@yetsirah.com

1Zvi Ryzman, The Wisdom of the Hebrew Months, Mesorah Publications Ltd., NY, 2009; 87

“The Word of God and the illumination of the Spirit of God...both are needed for the fullness of

understanding and abundant joy.”

10 // IN TOUCH

CFI-UK’s Sam Hailes interviews our Representative for Essex, Moira Dare-Edwards

How long have you been an Area Rep?

I’ve been a Rep officially about 10 years but I was doing some of those things before I knew about Reps. It was Roy Thurley [CFI Director 2001-07] who said why didn’t I make it official? It’s just something the Lord put on my heart, after I lost my husband, in response to a prayer about what God wanted me to do because I retired from teaching and I was pretty exhausted after all the years of his illness. It’s quite dangerous if you say, ‘OK God, what shall I do?’ He put this on my heart and it’s something I could have never dreamt up myself. It’s been a very steep learning curve but it was God who led me into this.

What does being an Area Rep look like for you?

Before I became an official Rep I started putting on meetings. I’ve put on meetings with guest speakers like Chuck Cohen, David Dolan and Jonathan Miles. I try to rally the troops to go to meetings in London or demonstrations and to support our local Jewish friends in Chelmsford and Southend. I also carry a pretty big bookstall so I will occasionally take my bookstall to someone putting on a meeting. I’ve supported other people who have done Kesher. One of the main things I do is organise Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) Meetings. This will be our 12th. It started quite quietly and it’s evolved and grown. We try to involve our local Jewish friends and host Holocaust survivors. The Holocaust survivors are very much on my heart. I do a lot of emailing, important things which come across my path. I have to laugh that I do a lot of stuff on the internet because I’m not a technical person!

What are the highlights of your role?

I love doing HMD and meeting Holocaust Survivors. I find it very humbling to talk to them and hear their stories. When I consider what concerns and worries me in my personal life and I look at what they’ve been through, it makes you think. I like organising. I am a perfectionist so it takes a lot of organising but that’s what I love. The wonderful thing is God uses the gifts we’ve got. I wouldn’t call myself a natural

speaker so I’m happy to organise those who have other gifts to come and edify everyone else. I like meeting new people and I would have never had the opportunity to go to the Christian Leadership Seminar at Yad Vashem had I not been a Rep. I know for a lot of people who aren’t Christians, they probably couldn’t think of anything worse. But for me it was such a privilege to sit under people who had that knowledge.

What would you say to someone considering being an Area Rep?

If you have a heart and God is leading you in that direction then go for it. God will use the gifts that individuals have and lead them into the direction he has for them. Of course there are guidelines but to a certain extent the role is what you make of it. I don’t have to do a lot of the things I do. They’re things that have come along and I’ve developed them.

It sounds like the role keeps you busy!

I’m retired and sometimes I think I’ve never been so busy in all my life - and teaching was a very busy job! But I’m not a person who can be retired and just potter in the garden. I like to get my teeth into something. But just because I give 80% of my life to it, doesn’t mean everyone else has to. It is a complete joy to do it. It’s something that is worthwhile doing, it really is. I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing.

AREA REP SPOTLIGHT

‘God uses the gifts we’ve got’

If you’re interested in becoming an Area Rep please email david@cfi.org.uk

facebook.com/cfiuk twitter.com/cfi_uk

Resources

Life From The Dead - John D. Garr

B467 // 368 pages // Paperback // £13.50 (plus UK p&p)

www.cfi.org.uk/shop

Life from the Dead is an in-depth study of the incredible endurance of the Jewish people in history despite ongoing systematic and

unrelenting efforts to effect their genocide. The survival of the Jewish people is not, however, merely a testimony to their resiliency or ingenuity. It is a testimony to the utter faithfulness of their God to maintain the integrity of the covenant he made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Your faith in God will be enriched as you read these dramatic subjects: Daily Prayer, As Good as Dead, Can These Bones Live?, The God-Wrestler, From the Pit to the Palace, A Resurrected Nation, By My Spirit, Says the Lord. Life from the Dead will build your faith in the power of the living God to triumph over death and bring abundant life to all those who put their faith in him.

New DVD Sets from Desi Maxwell

PART 1 D129 // 250 minutes // 5 DVDs // £26.50 (incl UK p&p)PART 2 D130 // 250 minutes // 5 DVDs // £26.50 (incl UK p&p)

In this two part series, Desi Maxwell sets Paul

in his Hebraic context as a 1st Century Pharisee with a pastoral heart wrestling with huge issues.

PART 1 D127 // 300 minutes // 6 DVDs // £31.50 (incl UK p&p)

PART 2D128 // 300 minutes // 6 DVDs // £31.50 (incl UK p&p)

Desi explores Isaiah’s historical context

discovering timeless truths contained in this ancient text. “No words have ever gone further in offering comfort when the sick world cries.”

D126 // 250 minutes // 5 DVDs // £26.50 (incl UK p&p)

These DVDs seek to deepen our

understanding of and acquaintance with the work of the Holy Spirit. To do so, Desi begins in Genesis rather than Acts, surveying the whole of Scripture, meeting the Holy Spirit at every stage of God’s great unfolding plan.

D125 // 150 minutes // 3 DVDs // £16.50 (incl UK p&p)

Desi teaches on the theme of ‘Waiting’

throughout the Bible, offering reflections that encourage us to persevere through long periods of trial and difficulty. Ideal for personal reflections, pastoral care, counselling and Bible studies.

Please visit www.xplorations.org for more resources from Desi Maxwell.

This Word of the Lord is to be the theme of the CFI-UK 2015 Strategic Prayer Conference. “‘Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have dealt with you for My Name’s Sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel,” says the Lord God.’” (Ezekiel 20:44)

We are living through turbulent times with rising anti-Semitism in Europe and our own country. Christians in very many countries are being violently persecuted, and many parts of the Church in the UK are turning away from the Lord. If there was ever a time to pray and draw closer to the Lord, it is now!

Please do join us at this Strategic Prayer Conference, that we may encourage each other as we ask the Lord to reveal His purposes for each one of us. We will ask Him to help us to understand what He wants us to do; how He wants us to pray, asking Him to make all of us wise about spiritual things; and asking that the way we live will always please the Lord and honour Him...for His Name’s Sake.

For full details visit our website.

For full details visit www.cfi.org.uk/resources/CFI_2015_Tour_Web.pdf

CFI-UK Trust Chairman, David Greer, writes... “FOR MY NAME’S SAKE”