From: 	 heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Sent: 	 Wednesday, November 19, 1997 11:23 PM
To: 	 Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup
Subject: Re: Guidance about Hebraic Roots 
From:          "Suzanne Lancaster" 
To:            <heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
Subject:       Re: Guidance about Hebraic Roots

Dear Gary and also Eddie,

I loved reading this posting, as I enjoy all of them -- but this one
especially speaks to my heart.  I feel that already wonderful gems of
wisdom from a lot of Eddie's Rooters have come forth for you, Gary.  And I
found myself wanting to add an idea or two myself, because of the wonders
I too have been learning about the Jewish people, and finding such a
bonding developing with a group of them in my community.  

As a non-Jewish believer, I had been carrying around a lot of baggage,
namely a lot of pre-conceived notions about Jewish people.  I had spent
the last 20 years trying to "knock off" all the gentilized preconceptions,
because to me, they were vestiges of anti-Semitism  The more obvious
preconceptions, of course, were "knocked off" first  "Jews are
Christ-killers" was the first, because I knew the lie of that even before
I started wanting to knock off the untruths that abounded even among
Christians who sympathized with Jewish people, and who, like my Daddy,
loved Israel.  My first vivid memory as a child was him picking up my
little Mama and whirling her around the room in sheer joy, deliriously
exclaiming, "Israel is a nation!  Israel is a nation!"  I didn't know it
then, but know now that happened in May of 1948, when Israel was born in a
day!

But we didn't know it was also a "Christian" misconception that Jews are
hard to reach for the Gospel, and that is "because they were a stubborn
lot"!!  Hardheaded...unreasoning...won't listen....  I didn't learn until
years later that the whole reason for that callous view of Jews was based
on the fact that we Christians had tried to reach them with a very
gentilized, blonde, blue-eyed, soft-handed man we lovingly called Jesus,
the "second Person of the Godhead", never once trying to understand their
hesitancy that was based, not on stubbornness, but on centuries of having
been FORCED to "convert" -- "convert or die", they were told.  GIVE UP
THEIR OWN GOD and accept OURS.  Odd, considering theirs too is the God of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whom we claimed as our own.

And "convert" is the thing that they have rightly seen as a death-knell. 
To accept our gentile-corrupted "three Gods" WAS to disavow their Echad,
their ONE True God, as in the Sh'ma, their "prime directive", "Sh'ma
Yisrael, Adonai Elohenu, Adonai Echad", "Hear, O Israel, the L-rd thy G-d,
the L-rd is ONE."  But even if a Jew converted with the RIGHT
understanding, not giving up his G-d but realizing that somehow he was
still worshipping Him even though he accepted Jesus as his Messiah.  He
still "converted", and became, in so doing, a traitor to his people,
kicked out of his synagogue, and having to go join a church in order to
serve his L-rd.  

And what did well-meaning Christians do to him there?  Told him that he
had to worship on Sundays now, and forget the Sabbath (or else he was told
that Sunday was the Sabbath).  Celebrate Christmas now, and Easter,
because THEY were the days Jesus was born and rose from the grave.  And
because he was "no longer under the law" he was pretty much disintegrated
from his own traditions, his own G-d given Festivals.  And how long, pray
tell, would it take to gentilize him to the point that he would give up
all his heritage, and raise his children as Christians now, and LOSE his
Jewish identity?  Try maybe one generation!  Ask my precious friend
Trevor, whose parents converted as young people in the camps during World
War II.  They took up Gentile names to get to come to this country, and
didn't even raise their children to know their traditions...after all,
they were "no longer under the law".  And they are precious, and they love
Jesus with all their hearts.  It was because Trevor, too, learned to love
Jesus, that he got curious because somehow he found out Jesus was Jewish,
and loving Him so, he wanted to find out what He did as a Jew in a Jewish
land... and he found out HE was Jewish too, and has now spent the last ten
years finding out his heritage.  What a joy he has, now, because that
heritage he has discovered, even among non-Messianic Jews, in an orthodox
synagogue he found, is FULL TO THE BRIM with Y'shua even though they would
go ballistic at being lumped in with a gentile church.  

How, you wonder, could a group that doesn't even recognize the name Jesus
find their HaMaschiach???  They are rigorously Torah-observant, that's
how!  And Y'SHUA IS THE L-RD OF THE TORAH!  They are looking with all
kinds of excitement for His FIRST appearance, and they believe it to be
very soon.  They are aware that (strange to them as it might seem) there
are TWO Messianic figures:  Meschiach Ben Joseph and Meschiach Ben David. 
They are now looking for Meschiach Ben David (Meschiach the King), and
aren't yet completely clear on who was Meschiach Ben Joseph (Meschiach the
Suffering Servant).  But as Trevor lives his joy-filled life as a believer
in Y'shua right there in their midst, it is but a tiny step for them to
realize that Y'shua is the Suffering Servant also, and Trevor has enough
sensitivity to them that he will NOT try to "convert" them, but rather
introduce Him to them right there in their synagogue -- in all His
Jewishness!

I am discovering the same thing right here where I live.  There is a
not-so-orthodox Jewish community, rather Reform, in fact, but actually
consisting of all three Jewish movements who worship together and stand
together and work together as Jews.  And among these folks I too have been
absolutely astonished to realize that every single one of them manifests
to some degree what I can only call a living out of lives that are FULL of
the very grace and love and wisdom that Y'shua Himself has.  I see Y'shua
in them!  Oh so much more than I see Him in MOST Christians!  

The reverence they so lovingly show to the presentation at every gathering
of their Torah -- while it is carried around, people touch it with their
prayer shawls' fringes and then touch the fringes to their lips in very
real devotion.  I can't help compare that with the way I myself am very
cavalier about my Bible.  Whereas I have laid it down, even on the floor
sometimes, THEY never do that to their Tenach.  They would NEVER even
allow something to be stacked on top of it, like papers or books, the way
I have done.  They would not even fold up a piece of paper and use it as a
bookmark WITHIN their scriptures!  When they pick it up and open it up,
they reverence it by every careful act:  They kiss its cover the same as
they do the beautiful scrolls that are lovingly carried around during
worship services.

This is just one tiny little thing, but it, along with all the other tiny
little things that are so obviously not mere forms and habitual rituals, I
can say that I wish we Christians had such a way of showing honor to God. 
But what do we do?  We enter into the church, and we talk, and we chew
gum, and we save seats, and we "praise and worship" all right but often
like we are spectators at a sports event.  We put our kids in children's
church so they won't be noisy while sitting with us.  The Jewish kids sit
respectfully still and in awe in their house of worship.  Children as
young as two!  And babies?  One peep and the mama tiptoes out with him,
not to spank him, but just to prevent his normal baby-sounds from
interrupting the service.  

Well, I didn't mean to rattle on so, but rather I wanted to try to
describe the thing that makes me twice as curious and desirous to learn my
Jewish heritage, maybe as Ruth did because she saw enough special in her
Jewish husband and mother-in-law that she preferred to go back to Naomi's
land with her, after they were widowed, and learn their ways by watching
what her mother-in-law did, and she learned well!  Well enough to become
worthy to become the wife of a righteous Jewish man, and be blessed enough
to be in the geneological line of the great King David, AND of David's
greater Son!

I have learned to love these people, seeing Y'shua in them in every way. 
I don't see them as having to "convert" at all.  That means forsaking
their G-d, their traditions, their rich heritage.  Rather, I am excited
about them having a light turn on as they realize their Meschiach has
already come as Meschiach Ben Joseph.  Their JEWISH Meschiach!  No need to
join a church somewhere because He will be recognized for who He is, THEIR
Meschiach!  

I've never seen an instant evangelist like a Jewish evangelist.  I truly
believe this is why we are supposed to GO TO THE JEW FIRST.  Our L-rd is
quite capable of bringing not only Jewish congregations to Himself, but
also plenty of non-Jewish people.  They are already here, in all the
world, where Y'shua told them to go.  He never wanted them to become like
the gentiles; He wanted US to learn to be like His people!  Not become
Jewish, but learn to love Him the way they do.  If we love Him, we will
learn to keep His commandments... the Torah!  

You bet I'm excited that your heart is to love your Jewish heritage!  If
you can't learn as much as you want to in a gentile-slanted Church, just
keep on soaking up what Eddie writes, learn the real Jewish way Y'shua did
things, find a synagogue somewhere to go increase your knowledge and
wisdom -- they will be very, very welcoming of you if you just let 'em
know you aren't out to make Baptists or Methodists or whatever out of
them, you just want to get acquainted with them.  And when you do, your
love for them will absolutely begin to flow toward them, you won't be able
to help it.  They've gotten precious little of that from church folks over
the centuries.  And by your just showing love for them, HaShem will begin
to make them jealous...and in the midst of all that, you'll learn so much
about Hebraic Heritage you'll REALLY get an idea, for the first time to
this depth, I'm convinced, of what HaShem said to Abraham:  "Those who
bless you, I will bless."  Blessings have overwhelmed us far beyond my
ability to describe, though all of what I've tried to describe to you in
this letter has been Blessing as we have NEVER before known!

I hope this wasn't too long.  Words are such tiny containers sometimes,
like a thimble one dips water out of the ocean with.  At best, a bucket! 
But how long would it take to lower the water level of the Atlantic Ocean
even with a bucket?  

Eddie, this is me trying to convey a tiny bit of what you have been
teaching as it reaches into us two Rooters' lives here in the Panhandle of
Texas.  It's not really adequate, I know, because what you teach gets my
fingerprints on it, but hopefully it does describe something that is true
to Kenneth and me without being distorted from what you teach.  Obviously
what you send forth has blessed and taught and reached Gary Martin and a
whole lot of others, to G-d's glory and may He be praised and thanked!

HaShem's blessings on all you do, and your treasures are blessing folks 
worldwide now.

Shalom in Him, Suzanne (Shoshannah)

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From:          Ken Jeffries 
To:            heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject:       Praise Report from Brazil -Reply

Father

We thank You for people like Pastor Nayra, we ask You to bless her
ministry and the people of Brazil, I ask You L-ord to also bless every
nation on this earth that You alone created to make them understand
that their true roots are based in Your Jewish people and not some
religious concoction of ideas and notions.

L-ord continue to anoint us with Your love, let Rauch HaKodesh guide
us, let us continue on this link that we have L-ord to pass on Your
word that You give to groups or individuals.

Father, bless Eddie give him strength, courage and most of all L-rd
wisdom. he is, through Your works L-ord an inspiration to us all.

I pray Father that this work grows from strength to strength not
through our works L-ord but Yours.   We on this Hebraic Roots praise
and worship You, we offer up ourselves as living sacrifices on Your
alter.  You L-rd are the Rock that will not roll, You are the
stability in our lives.

We ask you O L-ord to bring our relatives gentile and Jew into your
Kingdom. draw them L-ord as a magnet draws metal, pull them in L-rd
like a net, let them know Your fragrance, a fragrance that cannot be
matched by any other.  L-rd, You are the Living Water from the well
that will never, never run dry, let those that are thirsty come and
drink from that well.

L-ord I thank You that You are our Salvation, our Y'shua, our Rock,
our Shield, our Everlasting Song.  L-ord I weep for those people who
are lost and do not know You, Father let us be instruments for You,
let us not be empty vessels L-ord but filled with Your Oil of Love,  I
do believe L-ord that this will be the Year Of Your Salvation for many
lost and confused people.  

Instead L-rd of the lost searching for answers in mythology, tarot
cards, and other such rubbish may they find answers from You in us. 
L-ord we praise you, we worship you, use us for Your works.  L-ord you
are so wondeful, who can compare to You, You are the widest, the
deepest, the longest, the brightest light ever, we know that  there is
none like You.  We may somtimes forget You in the hustle and bustle of
our daily lives but You never, never lose sight of us.  Father draw us
as well as the lost closer to Your bosom.  L-rd I love you for Your
kindness and Your love for me, I know that You are working beneath the
surface in my life to bring my wife, and family into Your Kingdom.

Thank You Father, thank You.

I love You

Your servant and instrument.

Ken

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