Parasha Sukkot Chol Moed

From Rabbi Jack...

Luke {5:4} "When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down your nets for a catch. {5:5} Simon answered, "We have worked hard all night long, Rabbi, and have not caught a thing! But if You say so, I'll let down the nets. {5:6} They did this and took in so many fish that their nets began to tear."

Simon was a man whose life was the sea; now comes a carpenter and He is telling him how to fish! Yeshua was telling a fisherman with years of experience to do something which he knew, from experience, was hopeless and futile. What Yeshua was asking him to do was totally against all that he normally did. No wonder Simon's first reaction was to question what Yeshua was requesting of him.

This story about Simon is an example of how we can limit possibilities in our lives by limiting God. This is also an example of trust and faith taking over where logic and our earthly experience leave off; where we are pushed beyond the natural and into the spiritual.

What happens when we are confronted with a situation where we have nothing even remotely similar to compare it to? In this Scripture, Yeshua speaks to exactly that situation and the first reaction of the fishermen was hesitation. We are the same! When we feel the Holy Spirit's influence steering us toward uncharted territory in our spiritual lives it is common for us to hesitate. The disciples hesitated as they weighed what Yeshua was asking them to do against their past experience.

Has the Holy Spirit been nudging you to step out in faith into uncharted territory in your spiritual life? Are you going to hesitate and perhaps miss out on something big?

Hi Ellen here…

I want to send you all some encouragement.  Sometimes when we pray or even just sit and talk with the Lord, it may feel as though He does not hear, like He is taking care of someone else somewhere else.  But our God is omnipresent and can hear you in Kenya and me in Israel and everyone wherever they may be all at the same time. 

 

I remember, on one of our earlier trips to Kenya, we were leaving the airport in Nairobi and heading to where we would be staying.  I was not feeling well but did not tell anyone.  We were arriving from Toronto so it was a long trip and all I wanted was some Kefir.  Our host stopped at one of the supermarkets so we could pick up a few things.  In that same mall was a little fresh veggie market with items that were hard to find…they even had some Israeli products…anyway I started to talk to a young lady and found out she was teaching English there but was also from Toronto. Wow, not a coincidence but a God incident!  We then went into the supermarket dairy department and began searching for Kefir.  Kefir is a fermented milk that is a bit tart to the taste but so good for you and I knew that I would feel better if I had some.  Lo and behold the girl from Toronto came over and pointed out where the Kefir was; thank You Lord. Kefir is called Mala in Kenya and it is so good.  You see how the Holy Spirit lined everything up for us!  Our God is so faithful in all things…even in finding me fermented milk so I could feel better.

 

Just a note…pray with us concerning the planning of our next trip to Kenya, very soon!

Yours in Messiah Yeshua, "…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua." (Titus 2:13)

 

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Sermon "Tabernacles Brings Joy" 

Parasha Commentary

Sermon of the week "Lesson in humility"

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Parasha Ha'Azinu (Give Ear)

From Rabbi Jack...

After I became a Believer, the hardest lesson for me to learn was that I am not in control of my life, God is. And that is one of the lessons I'm still learning over and over! My life is not my own, and I am now a servant of the Lord Most High. God wants to be in the centre of my life and not on the fringes. Our Creator does not want to be an afterthought, He does not want to be a hobby or someone we dust off and contact each Shabbat and only on Shabbat, in fact, anything short of that is unacceptable to Him. Being the centre means He makes all decisions, and our lives function at His command. God is a loving, kind, merciful and gentle commander, but there is no mistaking it, He is in command. God is all powerful but He is also kind and gentle, however, niceness has nothing to do with power. God uses His authority nicely, but He has the power to do whatever it is He wants and He has the power to do it how and when He wants to.

Some may think there is fatalism in this kind of thinking, that we resign ourselves to receive whatever happens in life, a kind of, "I'm not in charge so why try" attitude, but that's wrong! Knowing that God is actively in control of everything that takes place in our lives is not fatalism; rather it is an active trust in a God that only wants the best for us. It is a trust that God has everything in control despite outside circumstances and appearances and of course despite the outcome. He loves us so much and proved it by incarnating and dying for us as Messiah Yeshua so we can trust, without a doubt, that He will do only what is right and best for us.

Let us all commit ourselves to learning the lesson that we are not in control, putting Him in the center of our lives. We need to learn this today and learn it each day and every day of our lives. That way, we will be encouraged that no matter what state we are in we can be content, calm and confident knowing God is in command!!

Hi Ellen here…

I trust you all made it through Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur renewed and are continuing to anticipate our Lord's return. Remember no one knows the day or the hour but this is a comment for another time. What I want to share with you is something that came to my mind and heart prior to Yom Kippur. I honestly do not mind housework. In fact, I am so happy when I see clean floors and dusted furniture, by the way I have a great prescription for dusting…Israel is so dusty and it works! There is one item, however, that I do not do well and really do not enjoy, and that is ironing. But as this Feast Day was upon us, where we wear white, I had to iron Jack's shirts. As I waited for the iron to heat and poured water into it for steam, I asked the Lord to iron for me because of my dislike for the chore. As I waited, I believe the Holy Spirit spoke into my spirit that our Lord wants us to be wrinkle free because it hurts His heart to apply steam and hot irons to our wrinkles as well! No, I do not mean the wrinkle on our foreheads or around our mouths and do not get me started on the upper batwing arm condition but the wrinkles in our attitudes, the wrinkles in our responses to comments or angry words, the wrinkles in our unforgiving hearts and rebellious thoughts…I could go on! I am using this today to tell you that our God Most High is here for us in the small things and in the big things that put wrinkles into our spirits and He does not tire in ironing out our sin as long as we repent and cry ABBA, help. So, as we begin a new cycle, get ready to be steam ironed to perfection as we continue to look to the Lord for all things.

Yours in Messiah Yeshua, "…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua." (Titus 2:13).

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Parasha Commentary

Sermon of the week "Ten days of awe"

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Parasha Vayelech (He went)

From Rabbi Jack...

This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Shuva, in English it means the Shabbat of Repentance so I would like to share reasons we should repent.

Matthew {24:21} "for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall."

What Matthew wrote is an amazingly scary statement when we think of all the wars, holocausts, famines, diseases, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and volcanic eruptions that have occurred this past year. It is even more amazingly scary when we think of all the atrocities that have taken place all over this earth from the time of Adam and Eve until now. Think about it, because what Yeshua is saying here is, add all the horrors I have just mentioned together, and the sum of them will not compare to what the world is about to experience during the Great Tribulation.

The world is on the threshold of a terrible tribulation which will bring widespread violence. Magog, as prophesied, will attack Israel and they will bring 'many others' with them to invade God's Land; probably all the Arab nations that hate Israel but definitely Libya and Ethiopia, which are named by Ezekiel. Throughout the world the Great Tribulation will be a time of tremendous hatred in the hearts of men. In fact, the hatred will be so severe that a man will slit his own mother's throat without blinking an eye. Brother will stab brother in the back, without hesitation. Parents will turn against their children and children against their parents! Can you imagine the confusion, the chaos that will rule over the world at that time? We think we live in a violent society now, well it is nothing compared to the malicious slaughter which will take place during the Tribulation. Dead bodies will be lying in the streets with no one to bury them. Groaning and suffering will be everywhere, and the stench of death will reek in the air.

The bottom line; if you have not repented and are not saved (have not invited Messiah Yeshua into your life), you best repent and get saved now.

Let me tell you something about salvation and forgiveness of sins. It is so precious and valuable, that God refuses to allow you to buy it, earn it or work for it. But if you are willing to receive it as a free gift, God will give it to you!

Fear of the future is not a bad reason to want to get saved, but there are so many other positive benefits to salvation, that I have to confess from experience; even if there was no tribulation or no hell, I would still want to be saved!

Hi Ellen here…

Are you addicted to anything? I am and I am working it all out with my Heavenly Father. In fact, it is a gradual process with me but I am sure with others it may be instant! Did you know, that it does not have to be an addiction to drugs, sex or alcohol? There are so many other addictions that are sinful and need healing and deliverance from! I am not going to name mine as I would not ask you yours but Abba knows…He knows all and He knows the perfect timing in our lives for the deliverance, healing and redemption from these addictions…and yes evil desires. So, you do not look at pornography but food in your life rules you and not you ruling the food. Ok you do not wake up in the morning and have a whiskey but you cannot wait to go shopping for some new shoes to add to the 10's and 50's of those already in your closet. You do not even think about sex all day but you do need to manipulate the situations in your life that have not worked out the way you would like them to. And let us not talk about analyzing all the above!

Yes, when we became Born Again and embraced our Lord and Savior Yeshua, we were set free but now we need to walk in freedom, His freedom not ours. Let us pray; "…Heavenly Abba, I now lay all that needs to be fixed in me to you! I release the strongholds in my life and await your perfect peace in my life. I pray and believe for all things in Your name Yeshua! Amen…"

Yours in Messiah Yeshua, "…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua." (Titus 2:13)

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Parasha commentary

Sermon of the week "God waits patiently"

Yom Teruah Day 1 Teaching

Yom Teruah Day 2 Teaching

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Parasha Nitzavim (Standing)

From Rabbi Jack...

When God made Solomon king over His people Israel, Solomon asked the Lord:
1 Kings {3:9} "So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil."

We pray that this would be our prayer as well, that we will truly desire a heart of wisdom so that we will have the discernment needed to live in the world but yet not be part of the world. The Devil wants us to fail in our walk with God and he will do everything he can to make us fail. So we must keep praying like King Solomon to be assured that God will answer us the same way He answered King Solomon:

1 Kings {3:12} "Behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, …"

Our success and happiness in life all depend on the choices we make. Our walk with God and the path we choose for our lives now will affect who we will become in the future.

Genesis {12:1} "The LORD had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you." Genesis {12:4} "So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran." Genesis {12:5} He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there."

When Abraham and Sarah set out toward the unknown, they were willing to learn and grow along the way. They had the confidence that there was a divine purpose and a plan leading them. King Solomon, Abraham and Sarah are role models for us today. When we are faced with challenges that compel us to change, what we face in life is meant to force us to grow for our benefit and for God's glory.

Hi Ellen here…

I am so excited for you! You have received Yeshua into your heart and are born-again, hallelujah! Now what? Well, I have some additional good news for you. The Word of God is not complex but our interpretations and analytical minds are. So put away your ideas and let us look at three easy ways to walk like Yeshua. Ephesians 5.1-2 says: "Walk in love…Therefore be imitators of God as dear children and walk in love, as Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." Ephesians 5.8-10 says this: "…Walk in Light, for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." Ephesians 5.15-17 says: "…Walk in Wisdom, see that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

Wow, pretty basic Scriptures, right? If you have read some of my other brief dissertations, they usually carry a rebuke and challenge to do good rather than evil. Today I would just like to bless you with this good news. If you so desire to read on in these addresses in Ephesians you can do so at your leisure…but be warned!

Yours in Messiah Yeshua: "…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua." (Titus 2:13)

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Parasha commentary

Sermon of the week "Satanic spiritual deception"

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Parasha Shoftim (Judges)

Habakkuk {3:17} "Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, {though} the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls, {3:18} Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation."

From Rabbi Jack...

Habakkuk lived during turbulent and uncertain times in Judah; times of spiritual bankruptcy, injustice, oppression, violence, and wickedness. They were times of political instability and of national crisis and the war machine of Babylon was grounding nation after nation into the dust all around Israel. Sounds a lot like the world we are living in now. It was because of all this that Habakkuk is thrown into doubts, confusion, and even into lodging accusations against God. He was caught-up in frustration caught up and felt that God did not care about what was going on. However, notice that Habakkuk does not say in our verse; "THEN" will I rejoice in God; he says; "YET, I will rejoice in God." Despite what was going on in his life or in Judah, Habakkuk could still rejoice in the Lord! Maybe all your friends have rejected you, maybe you lost your job or have no job, maybe you are sick or your health is failing, maybe everything is going wrong in your life; can you still say, like Habakkuk said; "Yet, I will rejoice in God".

As Believers, we have to look around us and find a reason to rejoice and as Believers that should be easy. If nothing else, we can just think back to the goodness of Yeshua and all that He has done for us. Sometimes we just need to stop and count our blessings and realize that there are so many people who do not know Yeshua as their Lord and Savior, who are in much worse situations than us with no hope, no Yeshua in their lives. We have to look beyond our temporary setbacks and see the permanent fellowship we have with our almighty God. It is easy to see the evidence of our faith as a Believer when everything is going our way, when positive things are happening to us. However, "talking faith" and "having faith" are two different things. Talking faith is when things do not go our way, and instead of rejoicing we have a pity party. Having faith is when things are not going our way and we can still rejoice in the Lord.

 

Hi Ellen here…

In 1970 a film came out that everyone, I mean everyone, went to see.  Maybe some of you remember it and maybe some will Google it after reading this.  It was called "Love Story".  A married couple so desperately in love, it was palatable.  The saying in this movie which made it so memorable was…love means never having to say you're sorry.  This saying is so contrary to us as Believers in Messiah Yeshua.  A great part of our walk with God is saying sorry and meaning it.  We are to forgive and forget!  Did you know that when we are angry at someone it does not affect them but totally stresses us out! Anger and unforgiveness cause all sorts of negative effects in our lives!  First of all, it causes stress.  Stress causes disease which leads to a total lack of peace.  Unforgiveness is also a cause of sin and it is a sin all in itself.  I am not saying forgiveness is easy but I am saying it is a requirement within our walk with God.  Unforgiveness can be a barrier for the Holy Spirit to work in us; unforgiveness can invite demonic activity in our lives; unforgiveness can even kill us!  So now it is up to us…forgive and forget today.  God has forgiven you and thrown your sins into the deepest part of the sea never to be fished for again by Him. So, stop peeking into that little box you have hidden from others, that is full of your unforgiveness and forgive yourself and those who have hurt you and start anew!

Yours in Messiah Yeshua; our Lord, our God, our soon coming King.

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Parasha commentary

Sermon of the week "

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Parasha Ki Tavo (When you are come)

From Rabbi Jack...

There are too many Messianic teachers out there today who are drawing Believers back to Judaism, quoting Jewish writings and the Jewish sages; the very people who rejected Yeshua and persecuted Messianic Believers. Scripture says:

1 John 2:23 Everyone who denies the Son is also without the Father, but the person who acknowledges the Son has the Father as well.

It is clear! If the Jewish writers and sages, denied the Son, they denied the Father. So, who were these men worshiping and why therefore, should we now listen to what they had to say? Yet the unsuspecting eat it up because it sounds intelligent and feeds their enamor for Judaism and their hunger for knowledge, for knowledge's sake. I know that if Believers continue to listen to these teachings, it will ultimately lead them to denying Yeshua as God because behind the words of these false teachers is an anti-Christ spirit.

Thank God for the Messianic teachers who are truly following Yeshua. They have a truth message to share with people who really desire to learn, grow and be transformed into the image of Messiah Yeshua. When the truth is taught and God's message is given, expect the going to get tough in our lives because we will find ourselves face to face with the reality that we are not where we ought to be in our walk with God. The truth convicts, the truth transforms, the truth draws us closer to God; lies tickle ears, knowledge puffs up! Anything that is going to draw us closer to where God wants us to be must cause us to change and become more Messiah-like. Be forewarned, as soon as what we are listening to draws us closer to religious practices and traditions of men, we are heading in a direction that is leading us further from God, not closer to Him. We need then to stop listening to those who are teaching an anti-Christ religion and start listening to those who are teaching a Messiah relationship.

Hi Ellen here...
Although you will receive this on Thursday, the 19th day of Elul, I decided to write this short note to "us" all on Wednesday, the 18th of Elul. Now I don't want to come across religious but the number 18 in Hebrew represents CHAI! Chai means life and for this Shabbat I pray that you all have LIFE more abundantly! Here are a few suggestions for LIFE! Stop cleaning the outside of your life and start cleaning your heart and thoughts; Start putting God first and your spouse and children second; Turn off the electronics in your life and start reading Scripture every day; Stop looking for man's approval and seek the Lord; Stop leaning on your own understanding and start depending on the Holy Spirit…There are countless more suggestions for all of us so let us start today and not delay!

Yours in Messiah Yeshua; our Lord, our God, our soon coming King.

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Parasha commentary (coming soon)

Sermon of the week "What can we expect"

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Parasha Re'eh (See)

From Rabbi Jack...

In this fast paced, fun loving age we now find ourselves living in, we are often caught off guard when the worst comes; when despair, dismay, and discouragement hit our lives; when calamity comes our way. We are shocked because we never believed stuff like that would happen to us. But the worst does come and in life, things do not always go according to plan, not our plan anyway. Catastrophic circumstances, tumultuous times, and perilous predicaments, strike us and affect our lives, whether they be personal, national or international calamities, events or problems.

Not every day will be wonderful for us. So, we need a "Hard Times" faith in God to see us through the unexpected sorrows, sicknesses and tragedies which happen in life. "Hard Times" faith caused Daniel to pray three times a day during the Babylonian captivity. It caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to believe that God would deliver them out of the "fiery furnace."

Therefore, despite the unanticipated events of life we need to rejoice in our salvation and we need to keep on rejoicing in our salvation believing that God is in control. "Hard Times" faith believes that God is going to work things out in our home, at our job, in our community, in our nation, in the world and in every possible situation we may have to face.

Matthew {28:20}: "….and be sure of this-- that I am with you always, even to the end of the world."

Hi Ellen here…

I'm going to divulge some personal information to reach my point. When Jack and I were courting, the lease on my apartment was almost over. Jack owned a home but being born again believers I could not move in with him, even if I stayed in another part of the house. As blessings would have it Jack's parents did not live far away, we were all in pretty much the same neighborhood, so he moved back in with his parents and I moved into his house! Here's a man set in his ways, a bachelor for quite some time, not only once again coming under the roof but also the authority of his parents at the age of 45! His dad was very clear about Jack living there and coming under the guidelines set by him. In other words, at that age Jack had to be obedient to his parent's house rules.

So here it is…if you have children living under your roof there are ways to express your witness of the living God, the Messiah Yeshua to those under YOUR roof! Mishpocha/family, if you are born again then that is who you have to be for your children, whether 5 years of age or 45 years…they may not agree with your values but living under YOUR roof they must come under your authority.

Shabbat should be a blessing and not a burden to any in your household as it is to you. Setting times or curfews should be at your discretion also knowing who their friends are…Listen to me, this is not being strict…this is being born again!!! If you are allowing or even encouraging any of your children to do other activities on Shabbat, shame on you. Do you know that the most hateful thing you can do to a family member or anyone for that matter is not share Messiah's truth with them.

We have shared with our families; some listen and some do not but we leave it to the Lord. However, if they are living under our roof, they sit with us at the Shabbat dinner table and spend Shabbat afternoon as we do. Jack and I want to populate heaven and plunder hell! So, if you are being nice and allowing your children, no matter what age, to do whatever they want when they are under your roof, especially on this one super blessed day of Shabbat…well you may be facilitating them going to hell.

Blessings, we love you and one day we want to see all of you in heaven with Yeshua!

Yours in Messiah Yeshua; our Lord, our God, our soon coming King.

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Parasha Commentary (coming soon)

Sermon of the week "Discipleship"

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Parasha Ekev (Because)

From Rabbi Jack...

Galatians {6:7} "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."

I have shared this Scripture passage many times in my messages and teachings. Anyone who has ever planted a seed knows that if you plant cucumber seeds in your garden you are not going to reap pumpkins at harvest time. This principle of sowing and reaping has its roots in Torah.

Deuteronomy {7:9} "Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments."

Simply said; if we sow obedience and righteousness, we will reap blessings. Equally if we sow rebellion and stubbornness, we will reap curses. Every idle thought we think, every negative word we speak, whether against others or against ourselves will affect our tomorrows. Curses and blessings are in the power of our thoughts and our tongues. We do not need people to bless us or curse us because we can do both to ourselves by the seeds we sow. Every thought, word and deed sown today either negative or positive will bear its corresponding fruit tomorrow. Sow seeds of obedience and righteousness because it is not so much that others bless or curse us, we bless and curse ourselves.

 

Hi Ellen here…

We continue to pray and seek out a place for Etz Chaim Kenya, Nairobi, so we can gather together as a family on Shabbat…it has been very difficult finding a place because Jack and I are here and not there and most have become comfortable watching services on Zoom!  We know God's timing is perfect so we wait on Him for instruction.  Please pray for us as frustration sets in at times and as we know that can open the door for the evil one to attack!  I believe God desires His children to worship together in spirit and truth, together.  Looking at Zoom on Shabbat has sometimes been discouraging because sitting in our living room's is very conducive to falling asleep, surfing on our phones or anything we might be doing at home; but do not forget we all can see each other!  So, we have been praying as of late the following… "Lord we want to see what you see.  Lord, we want to hear what you hear.  Lord, we do not want to do anything by our own power. Lord, Help!!!"

 

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Parasha Commentary

Sermon of the week "Joy never changes"

Parasha Va'etchanan (And I Pleaded)

From Rabbi Jack...

Luke {5:1} "One day, as Yeshua was standing on the shore of Lake Kinneret, with the people pressing in around him in order to hear the word of God, {5:2} he noticed two boats pulled up on the beach, left there by the fishermen, who were cleaning their nets. {5:3} He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat."

There are times when we sense that Yeshua is telling us to do something. We can feel it in our spirit but we have some unwillingness to do it. We ask: "Why do I have to do this; why do I have to give this up; why can I not do it my way and why can I not do it in my own time." These are very common struggles that most Believers have, common complaints that have been around since man was created. Let us face it, many times our free will gets the best of us. It is the things that we hold dearest, like our personal time, that usually come into conflict with our relationship with God. Sometimes it is our ego that drives a wedge between us and the Lord. We also take offence when the Holy Spirit convicts us that making money should not be our driving force in life; we are put-off when we are made to feel guilty about things we say or do and we get offended when someone confronts us with the reality of who we really are. But these things have to happen because they are a natural part of drawing us closer to the Lord. Without these experiences we cannot be molded into Yeshua's image. Just as an X-ray probes deep into our bodies, exposing the defects and disease, the Holy Spirit probes deep into our being exposing everything that we are either intentionally or unintentionally concealing. Without the diagnostics there can be no progression to treatment or cure.

So how should we react when we feel the influence of our Lord's will telling us to do something we do not feel like doing? There's only one word that should describe the way we need to react to Yeshua's will for our lives when it is revealed to us through His Word or by the Holy Spirit, and that is "immediate." Once we know the will of God there is no time to waste, only action to take. There is no time for discussion, disagreement or compromise; there needs to be quick, total, immediate and complete surrender to His will.

Hi Ellen here…

A friend sent me an image some time ago that I liked very much. I liked it so much that I posted it on my WhatsApp status more than once. It says…"Joseph waited 15 years; Abraham waited 25 years; Moses waited 40 years; Yeshua waited 30 years. If God is making you wait, you are in very good company." Just typing it makes me smile! If you truly believe that God has promised you something, may it be ministry, traveling, a spouse, a child or a divine and miraculous opportunity then wait patiently. If it is of God, He will bring it to pass. We all need to know that His timing is not like ours…the world offers us instantaneous gratification in so many areas. These areas are most probably not from God so wait patiently. Isaiah 62.6-7 urges the people of God to pray fervently, not to allow God to rest, but to awaken Him with relentless cries so that He should keep His promises to the end, (paraphrased). Waiting patiently does not mean sitting back or second-guessing God or making things happen by your own power! Waiting patiently on God means praying, listening, reading and at times sitting quietly at His feet and asking Him to speak to you. So today I would like to leave you with this, God wants us to press into His presence and wait patiently before His Holy Throne of Grace. Blessings, we love you!

Yours in Messiah Yeshua; our Lord, our God, our soon coming King.

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Parasha Commentary

Sermon of the week "Mistaken Priorities"

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Parashot Devarim (Words)

From Rabbi Jack...

Matthew {6:25,34} "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing. {6:34} Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Due to the external influences the world's secular humanism exerts on people, Believers lose touch with the inward leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit. God does not tell us in advance what tomorrow will bring, He leads us day by day working in our lives and directing our path as the Holy Spirit sees fit. If we are in touch with the Holy Spirit within us and have released our lives to Him, we do not have to plan tomorrow but can trust that God has our tomorrows in hand and under control. More lives have been derailed because Believers left the leading of the Holy Spirit and ventured into planning and directing their own lives.

Proverbs {29:18} "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he."

This Scripture is perhaps one of the most misinterpreted and abused passages in the Bible. From it, people think they need a vision for their lives. Pastors and Messianic Rabbis think they need a vision for their congregation's direction, business people think they need a vision for where their companies will be in the next years, and so on. However, the word for vision used in the Hebrew is, "hazon" which properly translated into English means divine communication. I think the New Living Translation grasped how the scripture is to be understood.

Proverbs 29:18 "When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful."

So, what is the conclusion of this matter?

Matthew {6: 34} "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Hi Ellen here…

Everyone Ok out there in the cyber world? I was thinking today that Zoom is a great vehicle to hide in. We have many people logging on Shabbat to our services but many "squares "are black with just a name or number. There are some who do show themselves and that's great! I think of those we cannot see a lot. Are you not dressed for Shabbat? Is there not enough power or internet in your homes? Are you cooking? Are you painting the hallway? Maybe you don't know how to turn on the video? Are you even there? There are many reasons or should I say excuses for not joining the visual virtual cyber family on the Zoom screen but guess what? We may not see you but God sees everything.

In the Bible we know that Adam and Eve tried to hide from God, we also know how that turned out. We know that Jonah tried to hide from God and yes, we also know how that turned out as well. Are you busy? Are you feeling shameful or unrepentant? Come out, come out wherever you are…so we may have a more intimate time of fellowship with you and you with us. You can hide from us but remember you cannot hide from God (Psalm 139) …Looking forward to seeing you on Shabbat.

Yours in Messiah Yeshua; our Lord, our God, our soon coming King.

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Parasha Commentary

Sermon of the week "Perfect love drives out fear"

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Parashot Matot-Masei (Tribes - Journeys)

From Rabbi Jack...

Matthew {5:37} "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one."

Basically, what Yeshua is saying here is; Keep It Simple. Why did He say this? Because He was speaking to a group of hypocritical religious leaders. However, we too have a tendency to be hypocritical, so Yeshua is also instructing us to keep it simple by letting our 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and our 'No' mean 'No'. In other words, we are not to exaggerate and we are not to lie because anything beyond being truthful, Yeshua says, comes from the devil.

John {8:44} "You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."

So, when we lie, we are speaking the Satan's language and becoming like him.

Do you remember when we were kids and we wanted to be sure someone was telling us the truth? We would ask them, "Do you swear to God?" or we would ask them say "Honest to God." Of course, they would say it and would still be lying.

We do the same thing as adults. We say, "As God is my witness" or "honest to God" yet we may still be lying or exaggerating. In court we are asked to place our hand on the Bible and swear that we will "Tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." But the reality is, taking that kind of oath will not make a dishonest person any more likely to tell the truth, and the lack of an oath on the Bible will not make an honest person any less likely to tell a lie.

This passage of Scripture as given to us by Yeshua is not an injunction against taking an oath in court. Rather it is a commandment to keep our lives free from elaborate oaths and schemes to assure others that we are indeed telling the truth. Yeshua is telling us to live simple, speak simply and to tell the simple truth. If we are people who have an honest character then we will not need to swear or promise to make others believe us, our character will be our oath and it will speak for itself.

Hi Ellen here...

It's a tough world out there and sometimes it is easier to be tough than to be Messiah like! As believers in Yeshua, we are to be like Him. God wants to give us the power to talk like him, live like Him and think like Him but we have to be willing to allow Him to do so. God would like His Word to come out of our mouths into a sin sickened world and our responses to it be His and not ours…mmm, sounds like self-control. This is one fruit that I deal with every day. Please pray for me in this area. We should strive to love everyone as God loves us! This world desperately needs healing and we can be a doctor of sorts. When we respond to a family member in anger; because remember not all our family members may be saved, we radiate the world and not the Messiah. When our children or spouse looks at us do they see wickedness, rage, even hatred or do they see love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, patience and yes self-control? Let's feast together on good fruit and throw out the rotten fruit today!

Yours in Messiah Yeshua; our Lord, our God, our soon coming King.

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Parasha Commentary

Sermon of the week "Precious in His sight"

Mini teaching "Nothing but the Blood"

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To Donate click this link: ttps://paypal.me/kenyamission

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