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| OUR BEGINNING |
THE HOLOCAUST Sixty-five years ago, in 1944, the Southern Hebrew Mission was begun for the purpose of taking the good news of Yeshua (the Jewish way to say Jesus) to Jewish people worldwide. Jews were experiencing and recovering from Hitler’s reign of terror and the murder of more than six million Jews, one-third of the total Jewish population of the world. The Southern Hebrew Mission began as a ministry to befriend Jewish people and continues today under a new strategic name, Messianic Ministry to Israel so as to promote its purpose of proclaiming salvation in Yeshua the Messiah of Israel to the Jew first, and also to the Gentiles according to Romans 1:16. Additionally, Messianic Ministry to Israel is committed to teaching the Word of God that believers might be enlightened, encouraged, and equipped in the Holy Scriptures. |
| OUR PURPOSE |
The purpose of Messianic Ministry to Israel is twofold. First, MMI exists to take the gospel of Yeshua (the Jewish way to say Jesus) to the Jews. Paul states that salvation has come to the Gentiles to provoke the unbelieving Jew to jealousy (Romans 11:11). By embracing the Jewish people the “people of the book” with the Book, we incite the unbelieving Jew to faith in their messiah. This is messianic ministry. The seeds we sow today will come to fruition today and tomorrow, and also even during the dreadful “Great Tribulation or “Jacob’s Trouble” to come upon Israel and the earth (Matthew 24:15-27). The purpose of Messianic Ministry to Israel is also to inform believers in Yeshua of His burden for Israel and the world, and to equip the Christian community to be a more effective witness. Nehemiah discovered the burden of the sovereign God and returned to the Holy City to rebuild the gates and the walls so as to prepare for His coming. This present generation has both a great responsibility and a great opportunity to reach Jewish people with the good news.
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OUR FINANCIAL POLICY Messianic Ministry to Israel is an independent faith mission, and we depend upon God’s people to participate with us in the gospel (Philippians 1:3-5, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you…in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now”). We believe that supporting Jewish missions is logical (1Corinthians 9:3-15, ”Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Who tends a flock and does not use the milk?”), and scriptural (Philippians 4:10, “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity”). We do not wish to coerce, but rather to offer all an opportunity to be involved with us in Jewish ministry.
| OUR PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY |
Messianic Ministry to Israel is a “local church” oriented mission. The local church has a need to relate to Jewish people so as to be able to increase their effectiveness in witnessing to the Jews. Through effective evangelism Jewish believers make great contributors to the local church. Indigenous congregations may also be established. The local church also has a need of studying the scriptures with a Jewish perspective. With our representatives trained in Jewish and Modern Israel studies, MMI can offer special presentations, seminars, demonstrations, drama, messages, music, and lectures of the significant contributions that Israel has made to our world. MMI publishes a quarterly periodical, The Star of Hope, and a monthly newsletter, Crumbs from the Jewish Table, to keep our supporters informed of our work, the Jewish community, and Israel.
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OUR THEOLOGICAL PERSUASIONS
| | SCRIPTURE – The scriptures, both Old and New Testaments are the divine revelation of God to man, inspired, inerrant, infallible, authoritative, and trustworthy. TRIUNE GOD – There is one (echad) God, eternal and sovereign, the divine nature being undivided and indivisible, yet with three distinct persons who are co-eternal and co-equal. The unity of God allows for the existence of personal distinctions in the divine nature. YESHUA HAMASHIACH/JESUS CHRIST – Jesus Christ/Yeshua Ha Mashiach is the eternal God, active in creation, appearing in the Tenach (OT), conceived by the Holy spirit, virgin born of Mary, resurrected from death by His Father, the only mediator between God and man, and the Judge of all the earth. SALVATION – Salvation rest upon man’s faith in Messiah’s life, death, burial, and resurrection. CHURCH – The congregation of the Lord, the body of Messiah, is a living organism consisting of regenerate and redeemed believers who have been baptized by Yeshua with the Holy Spirit, into one body, from Pentecost until the Rapture. This body is not Jew nor Gentile, nor male, female, white, black, brown, yellow, nor red, but a new man. ESCHATOLOGY – MMI embraces the biblical truth of a pre-tribulation ‘snatching’ or ‘rapture’ of the saints. The return of Yeshua the Messiah for His bride, His body, is imminent. The ‘rapture’ will precede the period scripture calls “Jacob’s Trouble” or “the Great Tribulation.” MMI is also pre-millennial. The seventieth week of Daniel follows the Rapture of the church. The Second Coming of Yeshua follows the Great Tribulation. Messiah Yeshua will then reign in Jerusalem on the Davidic throne for one thousand literal years, followed by the Judgments. ISRAELOLOGY – Israel is a nation consisting of the descendants of Jacob (Isaac and Abraham) called first, Hebrews, then Israelites, and finally Jews. The church has not replaced Israel, the Church is not a new Israel, and Gentile believers are not Jews. Israel and the Church are distinct. God has not cast off physical Israel, but there will be a resurrection of the ‘dry bones’ to the exact land of the patriarchs. |
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