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Shalom In Messiah Jesus:
Candidly speaking, your unworldly
editor has not even once viewed any of the reality television shows. It is much more consequential to live and work with
Russian Jewish immigrants in Brooklyn, sharing the Good News of Jesus the Messiah with brilliant, highly-educated descendents
of Abraham who survived under atheistic communism in the former Soviet Union.
The following clips represent actual
classroom conversations in our own Russian Community Life Center during the month of May. What would you have said? Please
pray for the doors of our center to remain wide open, for many more immigrants to enter and be saved, and for God’s wisdom
for His servants.
TEACHER: What have you found in the beginning of Genesis that interests you?
ALEX (A JEWISH
FORMER LAWYER): I tried to read the Torah before, but it was difficult for me to understand. Here I see how God created
everything by speaking. My question is, why did He do it?
TEACHER: That’s a good question. Of course, I don’t know
all of His reasons, but I do know that He wants to reveal more of Himself through what He creates. He exactly created this
planet so we could live here, along with all of the plants and animals of various kinds. Even more amazing, He created this
as a place where He would live with us and have a relationship with us. In general, when you think of why God does things,
think of how He loves us and wants to be close to us.
ALEX: We could spend all of our time in class just learning
the Bible.
TEACHER: Right, we could spend our whole lives just learning the Bible. But I know you also came to our
class for some English, so here’s a famous American discussion. Which came first – the chicken or the egg?
ALEX:
The egg. No, the chicken. If it’s true, what we read in the Bible, then God made chickens, like He made seed-bearing plants.
It’s logical. I have another question. Why did God make it possible for people to sin?
TEACHER: Ah, yes. Remember
that He made man in His image? It’s not that we physically look like Him, but we have some of His personality and character,
including the ability to choose. He made us to have a real relationship with Him. You can program a computer, but you can’t
have a real two-way love relationship with it. You can force your children, but isn’t it much better when they choose to
love and obey you from their hearts? So God made us able to choose, even if we choose to sin, because of the much greater
value of our freely loving Him.
LINA (A JEWISH FORMER DOCTOR): I have read some of the Bible, and I really like Ecclesiastes
and David with Goliath. You think it’s important to know about God the Father, Son, Holy Spirit...
TEACHER: Yes,
as we study the book of Hebrews now, we’ll see how God reveals Himself and how Jesus is so much better than anyone or anything
the Jewish people have ever had. And we’ll see how Jesus provided purification for our sins.
LINA: In my work, I
try to listen to people so I can really help them. I met some Buddhists once, who said that fear, anger and ignorance cause
disease.
TEACHER: Let’s read what King Solomon, who wrote Ecclesiastes, also wrote in Proverbs 3:9-10: “Do not be
wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.”
LINA:
You seem to know the Bible by heart. Why is it so valuable to you?
TEACHER: The Bible is God’s Own words to us,
with principles and promises that He actually causes to happen in our own lives and situations. He works not just naturally
but supernaturally as we trust Him.
LINA: I saw one client two weeks ago. She recently had cancer surgery, and her
husband was so worried that he died. Then her son died, too. I didn’t know how to help, except to say that she was left
here for some unfinished work. Then I asked my friend, who contacts dead people, to try to contact this lady’s husband and
son...
TEACHER: My, what a sad situation. Well, the Bible says we shouldn’t try to talk to dead people. But you’re
right, God does have a plan for each person. In the name of Jesus, I can talk to God right now for you and your client. May
I pray now? [Prayer to Father for healing, comfort, protection, wisdom and really knowing Him, in Jesus’ name.] I’ll keep
praying for you both. Yes, God really hears.
For His Kingdom,
Leslie McMillan
Executive Director
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