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Frequently Asked
Questions
Q. How Can I book a Seminar
A. The following are the
three apologetics seminars that I give. They are dynamic, PowerPoint
presentations packed with faith-building information.
(If desired, a question and answer segment can be added to each session to
encourage audience participation.)
(1) God’s Sign to Mankind: The
Miraculous Preservation of the Jews (2000 B.C. to Present)
Part one
(40 minutes): Israel’s birth, life and seeming utter annihilation in the
destruction of the temple (A.D. 70) are documented in fascinating detail.
The lives of key Jewish leaders instrumental in the establishment and
survival of the Jewish people are examined, e.g., Abraham, Moses, David,
Daniel, Judas Macabbeus and Messiah Yeshua’s fulfillment of the writings
of the prophets.
Part Two
(40 minutes). After the destruction of Herod’s Temple (A.D. 70), Israel’s
enemies rejoiced that she had finally met her end. But they were ignorant
of the Scriptures that prophesied the perpetual existence of the Jewish
people and the demise of her enemies, e.g., the prophecy regarding the
destruction and desolation of Edom. We follow the path of Israel’s
numerous persecutions after A.D. 70 culminating in Hitler’s holocaust.
The subsequent miraculous rebirth of the nation of Israel (A.D. 1948) sets
the stage for the restoration of all things at Messiah’s return.
(2) A Comparative Study of
Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Christianity and the Objective
Proofs for Yeshua Being the Only Way to God.
Part
One (40 minutes): We discover the uniqueness of Christianity by comparing
how the major world religions answer these four fundamental questions: Who
is Jesus? Who is God? What is man’s nature and problem? Does man need
salvation from outside of himself?
Part two (40 minutes): We demonstrate how the distinctive scientific,
historical, and prophetic proofs of the Bible prove Jesus’ claim to be the
Messiah, the only path to God the Father.
(3) Creation versus Evolution (45
minutes): This humorous yet deadly serious presentation exposes the
sophisticated lie of evolution by refuting its foundational tenets with
simple illustrations and arguments.
I also give
a motivational speech entitled: How Could a Loving God Permit Suffering?
Answers and Help for the Hurting. In this talk, I share how the love of
God brought me and my children through severe tragedies e.g., losing their
mother, Paul getting brain cancer, etc. This is particularly meant to
encourage those going through similar trials by showing from Scripture the
path God wants them to view suffering. How to find practical hand-on-help
from others during trials are also shared.
The fee for the seminars or
motivational speech is free to those within a short driving distance.
Otherwise, we ask for a donation to cover our traveling expenses, etc. If
you are interested in hosting a seminar or talk, email me at
MessianicApologetics@Dejazzd.com.
Q. How can I work with your ministry?
A. I just recently started
the Messianic Apologetics ministry. There are presently no paid positions
available. That will change when (God willing) we grow into a large
non-profit ministry. For now, everything is strictly volunteer work. If
you think you can help with any of the following, please contact me.
Help with a
Bible correspondence course. I’ve seen first hand how successful these
courses can be. I briefly worked with one ministry devoted to online and
postal mail Bible correspondence courses. They lead to numerous
conversions and baptisms both here and abroad. This is another facet of
Messianic Apologetics that I plan on incorporating into the ministry.
Yeshua came
to “heal the broken hearted” bind up the wounds, etc. The heart of the
Messiah’s message is loving and helping others. Although correct doctrine
is vitally important in order to come to know and understand the Messiah,
it is how we help others in need that is given special recognition on the
great day of Messiah’s coming (Matt. 25:41-46). I want to incorporate a
ministry help line where we can talk to and council others in need.
Volunteers would take the calls and emails from hurting people and, after
direct encouragement and prayer, connect them with the appropriate person
or ministry. If you would like spearhead this operation, let us know. A
smaller volunteer position would be to become a lay volunteer who would be
willing to call a referral once a week to see how they are doing and pray
with them. You can’t imagine how important something as seemingly small as
this can mean to a hurting person. (It would be strictly men paired with
men and women with women.)
Q. Where can I find someone to
talk to about my problems?
A. Until we set up our own
Messianic help line, I just have to leave you with the following list of
organizations for you to pursue:
The following
organizations specialize in ministering to suffering people. They are
classified under scriptural headings and include the necessary contact
information if you are in need of help, are seeking help for someone else,
or just want to contribute to the needs of others.
Encouragement
“To establish you and encourage you
concerning your faith” (1 Thessalonians 3:2).
· Family Connection
3558 S. Jefferson Ave.
P.O. Box 19214
St. Louis, MO 63118
1-800-351-1001
A connection to someone who will
listen to your concerns and try to direct you to Christian resources—for
yourself, a family member, or a friend. A connection to someone who is
willing to pray with you for the emotional and spiritual well-being of
your family. Completely free, on call weekdays, morning to late evening,
and Saturday mornings.
1-888-NEED-HIM
24-hour Christian service (Part of a major evangelical campaign)
Financial Problems
"For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
· Crown Financial Ministries
P.O. Box
100
Gainesville, GA 30503-0100
1-800-722-1976
www.Crown.org
“Equipping
people worldwide to learn, apply, and teach God’s financial principles so
they may know Christ more intimately, be free to serve Him, and help fund
the Great Commission….If you want someone to help you with an in-depth
evaluation of your whole financial situation—income, spending, debt,
saving, giving, and so on, you can meet in person with a Money Map Coach
in your area. Crown's trained Volunteer Money Map Coaches work with
married couples and individuals, helping them develop a personal budget,
apply Biblical principles of stewardship, build a plan to get out of debt,
and achieve spiritual and financial freedom. There is no fee for this
service.”
Miscellaneous Ministries
“And those who are mistreated as
though you yourselves were suffering.” (Hebrews 13:3 New International
Version).
· New Life Ministries
P.O. Box
1018
Laguna Beach, CA 92652
1-800-NEW-LIFE
www.newlife.com
“We treat relational and
marriage difficulty, depression, eating disorders, addictions, anxiety and
sexual problems, and more. Are you hurting? Do you need help and don't
know where to turn? Based in Plano, Texas, New Life's Call Center is a
24/7/365 operation currently teamed by twenty-two full-time and part-time
Ministry Representatives."
One of the organizations New
Life ministries recommend for people with sexual addictions is Sexaholics
Anonymous and their twelve-step program. “It's free. All it costs is your
time—maybe an hour and a half a week. In that group you choose a
sponsor—someone with long-term sobriety who you can call to get help,
advice and support anytime 24 hours a day. The only requirement for
membership is a desire to stop lusting and become sexually sober.”
· Sexaholics Anonymous
International Central Office
P.O. Box
3565
Brentwood, TN 37024
E-mail:
saico@sa.org
Phone: 1-615-370-6062
Toll-free: 1-866-424-8777
Fax: 1-615-370-0882
· The National Suicide
Hotline (Sponsored by the American Association of Suicidology)
1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)
Q. Do you believe that one must
keep the law of Moses to faithful to God?
A. Space will not permit a full discussion of this very divisive
issue within the Messianic community. However, I will give a clear but
brief answer to the question raised by the Christian Pharisees in Acts
15:5: “…the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, ‘It is necessary to
circumcise [Gentile Christians], and to command them to keep the law of
Moses.’” No, I do not believe it is necessary for Gentiles to be
circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses. And its very obvious
from the Apostles answer to these mistaken Christians that they did not
require the Gentiles to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses (Acts 15:
5-31, cf. Gal. 5:2-3). This is a stark break from the Old Covenant where
Gentiles who converted to Judaism were required to be circumcised and obey
the law of Moses before they could partake of the Passover. But on the
other hand, it is just as obvious from the Apostles Acts 15 ruling, and
their Acts 21:18-26 application of the same, that the Jews were still
allowed to follow their biblical traditions handed down to them by Moses
if done with the right perspective. It was an apostate Christianity in the
2nd and 3rd centuries that went to the other extreme in disregarding the
Jerusalem council ruling. They forbad Jews who converted to Christianity
from keeping the law of Moses even if done with the right perspective (1
Cor. 9:20-21). The truth is usually found between two extremes.
Q. Are you a Messianic Jew and part of “Messianic
Judaism”?
A. I am both Jewish and
Messianic, i.e., a Jew who believes in the coming of the Messiah.
Therefore, by definition, I am a Messianic Jew. I gladly work with many in
the “Messianic Judaism” community, striving towards the same goal of
sharing salvation with our lost Jewish brethren. But some congregations
within “Messianic Judaism” promote outright heresies e.g., teaching that
one must keep the law of Moses to be saved, etc. This segment of
“Messianic Judaism” seems far more concerned with following the Talmudic
rules and decisions of Rabbinic Judaism---which Yeshua Himself
categorically condemned as man-made traditions (Matthew 15:9)---then they
are with keeping the New Covenant commands of Yeshua. If Judaism is
defined as “the true religion within the Jewish community,” then as a
“Christian”---an appellation, by the way, adopted freely by the first
Jewish believers (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16)---then I am necessarily
a part of “Messianic Judaism.” Rabbinic Judaism, of course, takes issue
with the premise that the Messianic congregation (church) prophesied by
Jews, i.e., Moses and the Prophets, and founded by Jews, i.e., Peter and
the Apostles, constitutes the only true Jewish religion today. They
believe Christianity is a false religion and as such could not be
authentic Judaism. |
