The Bible’s mistake and The Great Divide

Last week, our new friend Chris taught the first half of this chapter, and today, I’m privileged to share some thoughts from the 2^nd half of John 10. I will update you a bit on the ministry of Jews for Jesus, with whom I’ve worked for 45 years, and encourage your participation and financial support. I will also mention Advent, Hanukkah and Christmas as well. Let’s get to it.

 

In last week’s episode, we saw a controversy in Jerusalem. Listen, I’m a Jew…for Jesus… I’m used to controversy. This one started with Jesus healing a blind man on the Sabbath back in John chapter 9. That’s not only a historical marker; it was a clever design by Messiah to cause a problem. Had Jesus healed the blind man on a Tuesday or a Thursday, it would have been great, to be sure, but it would have been acceptable to many. Both the when (his healing on Saturday) and how he healed caused an uproar. There are times when Jesus wanted to be a stirrer. But is that all he intended? And did he get what he intended?

You see, the blind man was unknown. We never learn his name. After he was healed, some of his neighbours wondered if that was the same fellow they used to notice but never noticed. He had been disregarded in his blind situation. The rabbis taught that blindness was a curse, and therefore, there was a reluctance to interact with him. (John 9:34) After he was healed, some religious leaders wanted him to testify about the person who healed him. The blind man didn’t know anything about him; all he knew was the result of the encounter. He could see.

The religious leaders subpoenaed his parents to testify. They were reluctant to testify about Jesus because of social pressure. All the while, Jesus was nearby, and his miracle was stirring the crowd. 

But remember, it wasn’t only the day of the week that was controversial. It was the mechanism of the healing. “He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.” So he went away and washed and came back seeing. (John 9.6-7)

Who else but a blind man would let someone stick mud in his face? 

But beyond that, think about what Jesus is saying of himself in that moment. With others, he forgave them to cause healing. With others he said, “Stretch out your hands” and they were healed. In this case, he spat, bent down, collected the mud and refashioned the eyes of the blind man. The last time someone took mud from the earth and fashioned a being, it was God in early Genesis. Jesus is saying of himself that he is God!

That’s a controversy that Jesus intended. No wonder the crowd split along party lines. In John 10, we read, “A division occurred again among the Jews because of his words. Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?” (10.19-21)

Yeshua, that’s his Hebrew name, would not have been a good politician. At times, he wanted controversy and division. Always with the purpose of helping people to see him, as the elevated Son of Man, and the Way, the Truth and the Life. The Great Divide would make this happen.

Note what happened in our portion of the Bible just after that healing and the teaching about his being the Good Shepherd. The narrative shows the setting. It’s winter. It’s Jerusalem again. December. In fact, it’s exactly this time of year nearly 2,000 years ago. The feast of Dedication is on. The Hebrew word for the feast is Hanukkah. And people are gathering in the Temple area. 

In verse 24, some leaders of the people asked a fairly straightforward question.

“How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

When I first read this passage in 1971, I was 19 years old. I was a hippie, and I was intrigued by the stories I was reading. I had never even heard any of these stories before. There was a division in my life between all the Orthodox Jewish training I had and the amazing life of Yeshua in this book in my lap. 

So when the Judeans asked Jesus to tell them plainly, I sat up. YES, I said, please tell them, and hey, tell us. I want to know the answer. Maybe you here in the congregation in person or online also want to know the answer to that. Is Jesus the Messiah?

The text says, “Jesus answered them, “I told you already, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one can snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (.25-30)

Flashback. This story is getting great. I’m reading it alone in my parents’ house in Kansas. It’s fascinating. And it’s reaching a boiling point. Yeshua seems to make his point clearly. 

Then I found a major mistake in the Bible. I wondered why no one had ever caught this before I caught it. Listen, verse 31 says, “The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” (10.31-32)

See the typo? As I read this in 1971, I’m thinking… I’m new at this whole thing, you see, and only 19, but I recognised that Jesus could not have stood in front of an angry mob, all with stones to stone him, and said, “For which of them are you stoning Me?” or put more simply, “If I’ve done anything wrong, go ahead and throw those rocks at me.” 

In my own life, a few years earlier, I had an experience in my synagogue. I remember when I was a young teenager at our Saturday morning services. This was in Autumn 1965. Men wore suits and ties to the synagogue in those days. Ladies wore dresses and hats. My mother had knit me a beautiful white V-neck sweater with blue and red cable stitching; it looked like a cricket jumper. I wore it proudly with my white shirt and necktie. After the rabbi finished his sermon, about 20 minutes before the services concluded, the rabbi called me up from my seat towards the bimah (the platform). He stood above me on the stage, and I was on the ground looking up. He cupped my face in his hand and said, “Nice sweater. Next week, dress properly-- in a suit.” He gave my chin a slight knock and turned to walk away. 

I’ll never forget that moment of shame and embarrassment. It was a horrible moment. I guess I was wrong in those days. I should not have worn such an informal garb. This is still seared in my memory banks.

Now imagine Jesus standing in front of an angry mob, with people holding stones to stone the sinful transgressor, and his saying to those folks, “If I’ve done anything wrong, go ahead and level me.” I would never do that. I know my sins. I’m ashamed of them. If I’ve done anything wrong? Ha!

So I found a typo in the Bible. “for which of my works.” It should say, “For which of my words, do you stone me?” Jesus was a poet or a prophet, a philosopher and a wordsmith. A Kahlil Gibran with a skullcap. I figured someone should have caught this error years ago, but they hadn’t. So I kept reading. 

In verse 33, we read, “The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”

Aha. This was not a typo after all. Jesus did say something that was so outlandish, so controversial, so amazing that it caused his naysayers to become rock throwers. He claimed to be Deity. Some of you have heard that objection from others. They say things like, “Jesus never claimed to be God.” But he did, again and again, and that on several other occasions. 

Remember? Jesus claimed to have God’s powers. He had the power to raise people from the dead, to judge the nations, and to answer prayers. He also claimed to be the way, the truth, and the life. He issued forgiveness, and they were upset at this role, which “Only God can” accomplish. He allowed others to worship him. (Matthew 28.9-10, Matthew 14.33, John 9.37-38). Before Abraham was, I am. (John 8.58). What did the people do when they heard Jesus say that? They picked up stones to stone him. Seems a regular response by those who don’t want to hear from him.

This idea of the deity of Jesus began to be clear to me that afternoon in Kansas, and over the last 50 years, like an old-time Polaroid camera, the image gets clearer the longer I read and listen to the words of Scripture. 

Back in our passage, Yeshua declared that the Scripture cannot be broken, that the Word of God is ever alive and trustworthy, and that his own actions, whether in healing the blind man, feeding 5,000, walking on water, raising people from the dead… whatever his works, they testify to the authenticity of God being in your midst.

He said, “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” (10.37-38)

Here’s my takeaway from today’s reading. Yeshua declared himself deity and some believed him. Some did not. And the Great Divide happened then, and the controversy continues to this day. Until he makes his enemies a footstool for his feet, Jesus will continue to be a controversial figure. Not only in the Bible, but in my life and in our lives, here on the North Shore and wherever we travel.

Look at the final verse in today’s reading. John says, “Many believed in him there.” (10.42)

 Santa Claus, on the other hand, is not controversial. He’s everyone’s favourite, bringing presents to the children who seek him. What could cause a division in a house there? No wonder the world has welcomed the jolly man-in-the-red-suit who sits in Westfield shopping centres and smiles and lies to children everywhere. Frankly, I prefer the honesty and controversy of the Messiah, the Son of God, Yeshua. The one we await at Advent. The one whose birth we note at Christmas. The one who ever lives to make intercession for us. That one. The real Saviour.

Perhaps we North Shore folks don’t experience the Great Divide very often. Most people are civil here. We softly mention controversial points of contention but don’t get into too many arguments. So when I encourage you to share this Good News message with your Jewish mates, colleagues, and even your in-laws, you may anticipate and withdraw from the probable differences. For you, controversy may be a bridge too far. 

However, a disciple is someone who wants three things. One, to be with his Master, secondly, he wants to be like his Master, and third, he wants to do what his Master does or did. I’m not saying you should seek controversy, but neither should you avoid it, if the issue is the person of Yeshua himself. 

45 years ago, my wife Patty and our firstborn, then a baby moved from Kansas to California to begin a journey with the missionary organization Jews for Jesus. Who knew it would take us around the country and then around the world to share the love of God in Jesus with Jewish people, and anyone else who is listening? I had no clue. We have lived in Sydney, in fact, here in this parish, for 26 years, and now are spending half the year here, and half in Nashville, where two of our children and five of our grandchildren live. 

No matter where we live, however, we bring the Gospel to folks and seek to make the name of Jesus the Great Name. When we do, it often brings a Great Divide, and that cost is… well, it’s worth paying.  Because people like Adi in Melbourne, like Michael in Yagoona or Gavin in Sydney’s east are alive and well, now professing the Great Name because you have prayed, because you have donated, you keep us out there, and available to them. 

I remember first meeting Gav about 15 years ago. His Christian wife dragged (I mean, encouraged) this South African Jewish man into our shop in Bondi and he was formal and aloof, but pleasant. Each time I tried to reach out to him in subsequent months and years, his response was the same. “It’s ok for my wife, but not for me” Then a year ago, his daughter came into our shop and when she signed up to hear more from us, I recognized the surname as being an unusually spelled name. I asked and she answered, “Yes, that’s my dad.” So I rang Gavin later that week and again, polite, but resistant. OK, fast forward to this August and I returned from our US stint. I made an appointment to meet with a Jewish enquirer in a café in Bondi. While waiting for that fellow, this couple approached me and she exclaimed, “Bob, I have some good news to share with you!” Immediately I recognized Gavin and his Asian wife and said, “Wait. Gavin, you tell me what happened, won’t you?” For the first time in his life, he shared that controversy sentence, “I became a believer in Jesus.” And it was only a couple of weeks earlier. 

We have continued to meet in person to study the Bible and to answer his myriads of questions. He’s growing into a disciple in good time. We have many such stories of real Jews finding the real Jesus and each story is miraculous. 

I tell you his story in particular because it’s so recent and because I believe you will pray for him and his family. Each Jewish person who says ‘YES’ to Yeshua experiences two things: 1) a personal encounter with the Living God and commensurate peace and joy as well as 2) controversy from their family and friends. 

I did. Michael in Yagoona did. Gavin is already feeling it. 

I believe that each of us here at LCM has and will continue to experience the cost of following Yeshua. Controversy happens. If you stand for the One about whom I’m speaking today, you will bring the Great Divide into some of your relationships. May we know the comfort of God’s peace when the world around us falls apart, and when others chide us for being “Holy Joe” or “Holy Josephine” Don’t avoid controversy; stand up for Messiah in this worrisome season when people don’t seem to know how to speak peaceably with one another. He will stand with us. He wants to make his name known among all peoples, amen?

For those who want to hear more from me and from Jews for Jesus, please use this QR code now on the screen to visit our website, to sign up there, to read my testimony there, and even to donate if you would like. You could also fill out the white card you received and turn that in to me at the resource table in the foyer near morning tea. 

To each of us here at LCM, may you know the joy of Jesus personally, and may we work together to be true disciples, who want to be with him, who want to be like him, and who want to do what he did. Amen? Shalom!

 

 

 

Light of the world... does it work in the Southern Hemisphere? Punching holes in the darkness

A sermon given in Sydney

Earlwood Indonesian Presbyterian Church

Introduction

Shalom Pastor Gunung and all here at Earlwood church. Salamat Pagi! I’m pleased to be joining you this morning as we fast approach the holiday of Christmas. There is so much festivity in the air, so many visits to the shops, to see Santa and listen to him lie to our children repeatedly. The shops are playing some of our favourite carols if you happen to like sleigh bells ringing, snowballs, Jack Frost nipping at your nose, and other winter wonderland music. Of course, this is Australia, and we don’t have winter here at this time of year. So, the bundle of information and songs to process are all related to something strange.

Now add to that strangeness the stories about a jolly man-in-a-red-suit who gives gifts to children he doesn’t know and travels the world in a supercharged sleigh to supply those in one night. Oh, don’t forget the rushing to the shops by parents and people attending the annual Christmas parties with crackers and fruitcakes and lying about enjoying being with them repeatedly.

Then move the tale to a Bible story that someone feels obliged to share with us, or the Channel 9 Carols in the Domain or Carols in the Carpark or wherever it is from which they broadcast. They tell of something about shepherds in Israel and a star that leads some foreign dignitaries to travel from Mesopotamia through Iran and Iraq and find themselves in ancient Judea, now Israel, looking for a baby. In a farm stall. Amidst farm animals. 

Could anything be more remote? Could anything be stranger?

Today we read the Gospel assigned to me by your pastor from the song of Miriam, the prayer nicknamed “The Magnificat” from Luke chapter 1, verses 46-55. Miriam is the Hebrew name of Mary, the mother of our Saviour Yeshua. She is singing a prayer to God and if you know much about prayers in the Bible, you would say that this prayer/song sounds familiar. A couple of those lines are direct quotes from the Older Testament, and the rest sounds consistent with so many prayers by others.

But maybe this idea sounds strange to you. Christmas is about Jesus and some say that’s a New Testament idea, and now I’m mentioning Old Testament Bible quotations, and you might be thinking—wait a minute, what does Jesus have to do with the Old Testament? That’s about Jewish people, right?

For many people in Sydney, and probably in Indonesia, the ideas of Jesus and being Jewish are far apart. But for Miriam and her betrothed fiancé, Joseph, Bethlehem and Judea, and the anticipation of awaiting the Messiah of Israel—all that is very Jewish and very consistent with who they were as Jews. 

Back in Bible days with the centre of the action in Israel, with the central players in the Bible being Jewish, whether Abraham or King David, Moses or Isaiah, and the millions of Jewish people who left Egypt or who were exiled to Babylon or Assyria… the Bible is a very Jewish book. 

The Magnificat

Back to the song of Miriam. I really like this prayer. It sounds similar to the one Hannah sang when she praised and exalted the Lord (1 Samuel 2.1-10) after the birth of her special son, Samuel. She had been unable to have children and God heard her prayer for a son. He answered her and she followed with her own song of praise. A Magnificat. That is, a proclamation of the Magnificence of God. That word may seem strange to you, not only because it’s not a usual Indonesian word, but it’s also not an ordinary English word. 

The word comes from the Greek word ‘maga’ meaning ‘great.’ To magnify the Lord means to make him great. Like using a magnifying glass to read small print in a book or newspaper. Wait a minute, you might think. How can I make God great, or even greater? Isn’t he already the Great One? Yes, I say, but often in our lives, we sin, and the #1 sin in our lives is taking the place of God, becoming #1 in a situation, imagining ourselves to be primary, the #1, the most important. 

So when Mary magnifies the Lord, like Hannah before her, or the Psalmist King David (Psalm 34.4), we proclaim him as king and sovereign, as #1 again. That helps me see what Christmas is all about.

Summer vs Winter Season

We live here in Australia, and many of you are from Indonesia. Both countries are South of the Equator. So when we have this time of the year, it’s always summer. Up north, however, in England or the US, it’s winter, and at the end of this week, we will observe the winter solstice. It’s very cold and dark, and you will have seen those movies and read those books about Christmas in winter, and that may help you make sense of this. In this season up north, the sun sets about 4:30 pm, so after work and after school, much family time is at home and in the dark. 

The Jewish people have a festival that will begin next week, the Feast of Dedication (John 10.22) which translates to Hanukkah. It’s also nicknamed the Festival of Lights. There will be a large menorah (candelabrum) in Martin Place and in Bondi which is lit nightly for many days. And most Jewish people like those menorahs in our homes surrounded by family and lots of great food. 

You will know that Christmas also features food, and especially lots of lights. In some Christian churches, the leadup to the holiday is called Advent, and there are candles and calendars to assist in the celebrations. They put up a Christmas tree that has its light, and many folks in town decorate their houses or units with strings of ornaments and electric lights. Listen, lights make sense in the darkness of the wintry north, but they seem strange to us here in the warm, summery South.

Think with me about darkness. And we often use the expression, “doom and gloom.” Darkness is used in the Bible as a symbol of many things and into each of those darknesses, I believe God wants to shine his light. Light and dark do not co-exist. Light dominates dark and chases it away. (John 1.5)

In Miriam’s Magnificat, she describes the power of God to chase away the proud, the arrogant, the foreign rulers, and the rich and powerful. Light will always triumph over darkness, and let me give you three more darknesses about which I’m thinking today.

The Darkness of Ignorance

The first problem of darkness I want to address is ignorance. I shake my head at people who refuse to learn. It’s not that someone doesn’t know information. It’s that they don’t want to learn another way of thinking. Sometimes, we watch the news or our social media feed and stand amazed at the level of wilful ignorance. You see it in political contests and you see it in sports and sadly, also in religion. The answer to this is not only education. It’s not only information. It’s the willingness to learn. 

Yeshua, some call him Jesus, said, “You search the Scriptures, thinking that in them you find eternal life, but they speak of me.” (John 5.39) We Jewish people are especially academic and prefer scholarship to physical activity. Generally speaking, we win scientific awards at a higher rate than our limited population should. We are only 15 million people worldwide, which is not even one-tenth of one per cent of the world’s population. Even so, we have garnered 22% of the Nobel Prizes across all scientific categories. 

But can we get along with each other? Can we use our smarts to assist others? We know so much and know so little.  Proverbs chapter one says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (1.7)

Even Yeshua taught “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.” (Luke 11.52)

Into the darkness of ignorance comes the Light of the Knowledge of the Lord. When? When we give our lives over to the Lord of life.  Paul wrote saying, “God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (2 Cor. 4.6)

The Darkness of Sin

I’m a preacher and you probably have expected me to link darkness with sin. I will not disappoint you! Sin is so abundant today, so much the norm, that we have likely grown accustomed to it. To label sin as ‘darkness’ is harsh, according to some. However, the human desire to hide from view is a response to sin and shame and is not a natural state. In the Bible, the first indication to God that something had gone wrong was the human desire to hide in Genesis 3. Adam and Eve broke with God, listened to the serpent in the Garden of Eden, and ended up being removed and living outside the Garden. Their activity is labelled as ‘sin’ and may be defined as rationalised self-will. All the while, God is rich in mercy and longs to be in a good relationship with his people, but refusing him and living in opposition to his plan is what we are calling ‘sin.’

We read in 2 Peter, “God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment.” (2 Peter 2.4) Angels were placed in darkness not only as a result of their sin but also as a symbol of it. 

The darkness of sin shuts us off from the righteousness and holiness of God. You notice that most people want to isolate in sin; you don’t ring your Christian brother and invite them to go get drunk with you. We choose to sin alone. We like John declared of my people, “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.” (John 3.19)

But here’s the good news. The darkness of sin can be overcome. Paul wanted the believers to learn that God wanted to ^“open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’” (Acts 26.18)

Yeshua is that Light that erases our sins and gives us THE answer which is Forgiveness. Hallelujah!

The Darkness of Despair

Literal darkness can be bad for us. If we spend too much time out of daylight, we lose track of time, we are more likely to feel depressed and we are more prone to lose touch with reality. Scientific research shows that prolonged exposure to darkness can quickly disrupt our internal rhythms, our sense of self and our relationship with the world around us. We are creatures of the day, and though we need darkness to sleep, we need light to live. Not all darkness is physical. Most of us can access as much daylight as we need – but what if we are stuck in emotional, psychological or spiritual darkness? The effects are much the same – we lose track, we lose heart, and we lose hope.

We often use the phrase, “He’s in a dark place.” Often December is filled with its own sadnesses.  Here’s a photo by Kat Love on Unsplash. 

 

But many will say, “It’s holiday time. Let’s celebrate the end of year with parties and be ready to welcome a new year.” I get that. But as I said, up north, sunset is at 4:30 pm. And most of the evening is dark. All the bright lights of glitter and Santa and icicles, Advent wreathes, and Christmas displays cannot make up for the loss so many feel in this season. For many this is not the “most wonderful time of the year” and highlights their loneliness. For others, the end comes with a less-than-golden handshake from a boss who tells you that you are no longer needed at your job. Emptiness and darkness; they ride together. No wonder the suicide rate in Australia, and certainly here in NSW climbs most years in the month of December. We should be filled with Christmas hope, but it’s not so. We are in the darkness of despair. (https://www.aihw.gov.au/suicide-self-harm-monitoring/data/suspected-deaths-by-suicide/data-from-suicide-registers)

Look, when I was a kid, we did plenty of wrong things. I was a hippie in the US in the late 1960s, and we did wrong so that we could make the world a better place. At least, our own world could be better. In contrast, kids today often do the same wrong things, but not with the hope of bettering the world; it is often because there is no hope of improvement. 

Into that darkness of despair comes hope. Honest hope. In Luke chapter 2, we meet an old Jewish man named Simeon. He was at the Temple when Miriam and Joseph brought Yeshua in for dedication. Simeon took the baby in his arms and said his famous Nunc Dimitis, “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, according to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel. (Luke 2.29-32)

Hope is light. The word used to describe Simeon by Luke is here in verse 25. “this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” The word ‘consolation’ is the word in Greek “paraklesis” which can mean comforter and carries the meaning of a person who brings hope, like a defense attorney, that is, one called to help in a law court. In the Jewish tradition the word was transcribed with Hebrew letters and used for angels, prophets, and the just as advocates before God's court. 

Simeon had hope, and though he was old, God promised him that he would be alive when the Hope of Israel was to show up in the Temple there in Jerusalem. 

Conclusion

I guess if we had to choose, most of us would side with the Hope Team. We want to enjoy these summer days and the part of our life that is meaningful and relevant. We want to live in hope of the Glory of God. If you have time, perform a word study on those two topics in the Bible, and you will be amazed at what God is trying to tell us. (1 Peter 1.21, Titus 2.13, Col. 1.27, Eph. 1.12, .18, Rom. 5.2) 

Friends, in this season of light triumphing over darkness, we have a job to do. You might know the author Robert Louis Stevenson.  Stevenson, author of Treasure Island and other classics, grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland in the 19th century. At the end of each day, as darkness spread over the city, Robert would watch with fascination as the lamplighters came down the street, lighting the gas street lamps. 

One evening, seeing their son with his face pressed against the window, Robert’s parents asked him what he was looking at. Robert replied excitedly, “Look at that man! He’s punching holes in the darkness!”

That is our job together as disciples of Jesus. In the darkness of despair, sin, or ignorance, we are charged to punch holes and bring light to those people. One person at a time. One lamp on one street at a time. You will be thinking of Indonesians to whom you want to bring the Light of the Glory of Jesus. Also be thinking today of some Jewish people whom you know from television or from the news, or maybe whom you know personally. I have given my life the last 45 years in working with Jews for Jesus to bring the Gospel to Jewish people, first in the US, and the last 26 years here in Australia and Asia. Thanks be to God who gives us all opportunities to punch holes in the darkness of those near us, at this season of Light, and throughout our days. 

I invite you to join us as we Jews for Jesus carry the message of the Saviour to Israelis, to Russian Jews, and everywhere from Sydney to Subiaco, from Melbourne to Manly, in 2024 and beyond. The more you give, the more we are able to send Bibles, to travel to meet with individual Jewish people in their homes and offices, to make Jesus known. I have this electronic Square so you can tap a donation to the organization or to buy resources off my table up the back, including my own testimony, how God opened my Orthodox Jewish eyes to my Messiah Jesus back in 1971. 

You can use this QR code on the screen just now to sign onto our website and hear more from us, or use the white card/slip we handed you on arrival to church this morning. 

Amazingly, this QR code will sign you up and automatically code you as being here at the Earlwood Church on this date. Thanks for doing that and agreeing to learn what God is doing among the Jewish people in New York, in Sydney, in Israel and around the globe. Thanks for that. 

Pastor Gunung, thanks so much for this invitation to join you today and for your care for our Jewish people today and down the road. Shalom and Merry Christmas.