Friday 10 October 2014

Romains 11:17-18 « Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them and participated in the richness of the olive root, do not boast over the branches.  But if you boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. »

Today, in Paris, we begin our annual conference, Restoring the Root. It is a time when the members of our church, along with many Christians from other churches come together to celebrate the great feast of Tabernacles.  Of the three principle feasts of scripture this is the only one that was not fulfilled in the first coming of Jesus.  The feast of Tabernacles (also tents; Sukkot, in Hebrew) commemorates the living in tents of the children of Israel
during their forty years in the desert.  It also speaks spiritually of those in Jesus who have become the living temple of God.  And beyond that, we believe it will ultimately be fulfilled in the second coming of Jesus.

And whereas Paul taught that the Church is the Israel of God (see Galatians 6:15,16) it is essential for Christians today to understand that God still has a plan for physical Israel and for all Jews dispersed across the planet.  Paul referred to the Jewish people in Romans chapter 11 verses 1 and 2 as God’s people.  And he states clearly that God has NOT rejected them.  Rather, God is working his plan of salvation to bring about a mighty awakening among the Jewish people (Rom 11:26).  Their eyes will be opened and they will see He who was crucified for their sin; the Redeemer of Israel (Isaiah 60:16); the first and the last (Isaiah 41:4 and Revelation 1:8); He who was dead and yet is alive (Revelation 1:18).

Those of us who are born-again have been adopted into the community of Israel (Ephesians 2:11-19) and are brought into the promises of Abraham by the spirit of adoption (Galatians 3:13-14).  So the Bible belongs to you.  All of the Bible!  And just as your Lord and Savior celebrated the feasts, as did all of the apostles and the believers of the first century (some churches continued to celebrate the feasts until the 7th century) God wants you to celebrate the feast as well.

It first begins by realizing that this feast belongs to you, even if you don’t know much about it.  And though the majority of Christians around the world celebrate Christmas (which is NOT in the Bible) and do not celebrate Tabernacles which IS in the Bible, we should overcome any fear and ignorance about it.

Those of us who are not Jewish do not wish to become Jewish or make anyone else Jewish.  However, we want to celebrate the feasts of God in a way that just might make the Jewish people jealous of our understanding of God and His Savior.

So join us today in praying specifically for the salvation of the Jewish people; pray for a mighty awakening in Israel among all of her inhabitants, Jewish and non-Jewish.  And then decide that you will study everything that the Bible teaches on the feast of Tabernacles and you will ask God to show you how you can honor the feast of the Lord, and the Lord of the feast.