Pastor John
What do the Jewish Passover and Jesus’ Last Supper have in common?Stephen Katz, speaking on behalf of Jews for Jesus, will answer that question on Sunday, March 29 at the 11:00 am worship service “Christ in the Passover.”
Using a visual display of traditional accouterments, “Christ in the Passover” will enhance your understanding and appreciation of the Jewish background of the Christian Communion. Ancient and modern Jewish customs are discussed and described with an emphasis on the aspect of redemption which Christ accomplished at Calvary.
A table is set with the traditional Jewish Passover items, including representative foods which are explained, but not eaten as new insights to the Christological significance are provided.
Jews for Jesus has presented this demonstration in over five thousand churches during worship. Some of the most important ekements of Christian doctrine, such as the Trinity, the principle of substitutionary atonement and salvation through a personal relationship with the Messiah, are implied in the Seder (Passover Feast) as observed by Orthodox Jews even today.
Stephen Katz oversees the Jews for Jesus ministry in Israel and also directs the branch in Washington, D.C. Stephen was raised in a traditional Jewish home in the Chicago, Ill. area. After his bar mitzvah and confirmation in a conservative synagogue, he began to wonder about life’s meaning. In college, he wrote a research paper for a Jewish professor on the topic, “Why the Jews at the time of Jesus didn’t think he was the Messiah.” Through his research – which included interviews with two rabbis and two pastors – Katz began to lean in the direction that Jesus might be the Jewish Messiah. Having been raised with a cultural bias against Jesus, he tried to ignore his findings and put the subject behind him. In May of 1975 he felt he had his answer and put his trust in Jesus Christ as the Messiah and his personal Savior.
Stephen Katz ha a master’s degree in social work, and an additional master’s degree in missiology, with a concentration in Jewish studies. He speaks and reads Hebrew.
As we prepare our hearts for Holy Week and Easter, I invite you to this rare opportunity to hear the objective evidence of the Hebrew Bible (what we call the Old Testament) and the New Testament, the evidence of historic Jewish observations as well as personal testimony of one who was transformed by Jesus, that he was who he claimed to be – the Jewish Messiah.
See you at “the Sunday morning place to be”…where Christ is in the Passover!
Pastor John
General
Azalea Baptist Church has now concluded its portion of the N.E.S.T. (Norfolk Emergency Shelter Team) program. Nightly for one week our church has fed (supper and breakfast), sheltered and issued some clothing to between 50-54 homeless persons.
Most of these unfortunate persons have totally lost everything they may once have owned, their home, their loved ones and their jobs. Some fortunate few still have a job which provides them some money but not sufficient to fully make ends meet. Some of the homeless are sick and have no family to provide them even the simplest things of life.
It did my heart glad to see a young lady playing the card game “Crazy Eights” with one or more of our guests (and winning most of the time). For hours I observed two young men playing chess on a board provided them. One young man was teaching another the game. Other members of our church sat down and talked with and listened to those less fortunate than themselves.
I can not name all the persons participating during our church’s N.E.S.T. week but there were many. It made me proud to see our young people helping to cook, serve the food and clean up the kitchen. Many adults that were scheduled for certain hours came in early. Some came and stayed to help out were never scheduled but saw a need and responded positively.
Many members of our church came and gave of their time and of themselves to help those person and to fulfill the commandment of our Lord, “…to love one another as I have loved you.”
Deacons Beacon
DEACON BEACON
FEBRUARY 2009
Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston, Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself: ‘You’d better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.’ Then he thought, ‘Oh, forget it, it’s only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a ‘gift from God’ and keep quiet.’
When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, ‘Here, you gave me too much change’. The driver, with a smile, replied, ‘Aren’t you the new preacher in town?’ ‘Yes’ he replied. ‘Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I’ll see you at church on Sunday.’
When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, ‘Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter.’
Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. This is a really scary example of how much people watch us as Christians, and will put us to the test! Always be on guard — and remember – You carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself ‘Christian.’
• Watch your thoughts; they become words.
• Watch your words; they become actions.
• Watch your actions; they become habits.
• Watch your habits; they become character.
• Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not PROTECT you…
Stay FAITHFUL and Be GRATEFUL!
Dana Stewart