L' Shana Tovah! Happy New Year and New Life
We are about to enter the Hebrew year 5779. Coming up quickly is Yom Teruah [the day of blowing]. It is also called Rosh Hashanah [the head of the year] as it begins the new cycle of yearly Torah readings along with the Day of Atonement and Tabernacles.Closing out the year 5778, we can see that each year has a meaning and offers insight into our lives. 5778 was characterized by the number 8. The Hebrew letter Chet [pronounced kchet] is the 8th letter of the Hebrew Alef-Bet [alphabet] and speaks of new beginnings and open doors. The very letter is a picture of an open gate.
New Life
Katharine and I certainly experienced this, as God opened the way for us to partner with the house church leaders in China. We knit our hearts with the Back to Jerusalem movement under the leadership of Brother Yun. Our ministry time in Shanghai and the interior of China was amazing - full of divine appointments and mutual hope. It is very humbling to see the commitment of the Chinese believers, as they preach the Gospel and dispense high-tech Bibles through the Muslim world!
Last year at this time, Katharine had a word about a Boaz and Ruth season. She connected the number 8 of 5778 with the 8th book of the Christian Bible. The Hebrew scriptures contain the exact same books, only in a different order. At that time we spoke of a new awakening of the international Church to the Jewishness of Jesus.In May, our son Jonathan married Rebecca Lamb during Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, known in Greek as Pentecost. It is a harvest season festival and is the time we believe God married Israel in Sinai and gave us the Torah. In New Testament times it marks the outpouring of the Holy Spirit [Ruach Ha Kodesh] - the birth of the Church.What a blessing to witness a Gentile bride marry a Jewish bridegroom - a foreshadowing of the coming King!Watch for a replay of this on Daystar TV: Saturday, September 8th at 6 am and 6 pm CST or soon after online...
Looking Ahead
5779 promises greater opportunities for the Body of Messiah to share the Good News. The number 9 is associated with the gifts and the fruit of the Holy Spirit and with the birth of new life. Wars and rumors of wars will increase as well as personal challenges... we are well able, like Joshua and Caleb, to "take the land" of our inheritance.
- pray for an increase in character and supernatural wisdom
- pray for the ability to express God's authority in response to spiritual darkness
- pray for those who stand with Israel and God's word of restoration
Enjoy the sweet New Year and all the blessings of God.