A Christian Dialogue with a Messianic Jew

I recently had the opportunity to discuss Romans 11 on stage with Pastor David Daniels, Senior Pastor of Pantego Bible Church in Fort Worth, Texas.

David is blessed with a passion for G-D, the truth of His Word and His Covenant People.

Check out this clip (above) or watch the entire video, by clicking HERE. You can also download the CD Audio from the link on the right (entitled, "G-D's First Choice").

Calling on G-d

When I was a boy, I listened to short-wave radio, straining my ears to hear a word from far away places.

If I wanted to hear from some far away land (like England, Australia, Japan, South Africa, Germany or Russia), I had to find the right frequency and time to listen.

I recall getting up in the middle of the night, warming up the radio and watching the vacuum tubes glow. I remember putting on my headphones and waiting to hear the static fade in. I remember making all kinds of “antennas,” trying to improve the reception.

As I got older, I wanted to talk to far away places… So with the help of my Dad, I studied and earned a license to operate an amateur radio set (with really BIG vacuum tubes). My antennas got bigger in hopes of talking with someone far far away.

I tapped out “CQ CQ CQ” in Morse Code, asking “Is anybody there?” …calling for someone to answer from far far away.

I called. I listened.

Recently, I’ve been calling on G-D. I’ve been calling on Him to reveal His will and to show us His face. I’ve been crying out to Him to speak. Like my childhood experience, calling and listening, I am trying to rendezvous with HaShem at the appointed times and on “the right frequency.”

As it says in the Tanakh,

“ADONAI, in the morning you will hear my voice;
In the morning I lay my needs before you
And wait expectantly.” Tehillim (Psalms) 5:4(3)

I call on G-D, then wait with expectation for Him to answer.

I call. I listen.

Though I sometimes hear static (usually of my own making), I strain my ears to hear the voice of the L-RD.

What's causes my static?... Contemplating the future, without knowing “the Plan.”

When I was a Naval Officer, we were taught to be goal-driven… We “lived and died” by a “Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M).” I clearly remember one commanding officer preaching that “A failure to plan IS a plan to fail.”

It is true that wisdom and foresight must guide our decisions today.

Nevertheless, Yeshua tells us, “Don’t worry about tomorrow --- Tomorrow will worry about itself! Today has enough tsuris (trouble) already.” Matt 6:34

We need grace for Today! I am reminded of the passage in the Tanakh which says,

“But in my mind I keep returning to something,
Something that gives me hope ---
That the grace of ADONAI is not exhausted,
That his compassion has not ended.
On the contrary, they are new every morning!
‘ADONAI is all I have,’ I say;
Therefore I will put my hope in Him.” Eikhah (Lamentations) 3:21-24

His mercies, compassion and grace are new every morning! This morning, as I look at the early morning sunrise, I thank the G-D of my fathers for His covenant faithfulness, His mercy, His grace.

This is in keeping with the prayer Yeshua taught us to pray in Matt 6:11, “Give us the food we need Today.” Like the manna HaShem provided our fathers in the Wilderness; He gives us enough for each day.

In the same way, I believe G-D gives us enough grace for Today, and we are to trust Him to provide enough grace for tomorrow… Trusting Him to provide “fresh grace” served like a warm meal every morning, to sustain us through what lies before us Today.

If I want to please G-D, trying to solve my troubles in my own strength or skill is fruitless.

G-D expects us to call on Him, to wait on Him, to trust Him.

“He takes no delight in the strength of a horse,
No pleasure in a runner’s speed.
ADONAI takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who wait for His grace.” Tehillim (Psalms) 147:10-11

Call on G-D, then wait for His grace.

*All Scriptures taken from the Complete Jewish Bible by Dr. David Stern

A Land Flowing with Milk & Honey

I recently returned from Eretz Yisrael, the Land G-d promised to my fathers as our inheritance.

When I returned from the Land, friends who have been to Israel said, “Welcome back!” They knew better than to welcome me “home.”

Being in the Land changed me forever.

Travelling with my Dad, we were the first in many generations to walk in the Land, and our being there awakened something in me that must have been resident in my Jewish DNA. Indeed, it was a two-way spiritual transaction, since the Land itself recognizes a son of Jacob.

Truly even the rocks and the dirt are Holy for the sake of HaShem. As it says in the Tanakh,

“But you, ADONAI, are enthroned forever;
Your renown will endure through all generations.
You will arise and take pity on Tziyon,
for the time has come to have mercy on her;
the time determined has come.
For your servants love her very stones;
they take pity even on her dust.” Psalms 102:13-15 (verses 12-14 in a Christian Bible).

In my own heart and flesh I have experienced this passion for the Land. I breathed easier there. I felt alive there. I have known the power of His Presence, but I have never known the power of His Presence in the Land and the City He calls His own.

As my El Al flight landed in the States, I cried. I was confronted with the realization that being in the Diaspora is completely unnatural.

The pull I feel is not only the powerful tug of ideals, emotion or conviction. This pull that draws me to the Land is like Gravity; no matter how I "feel about it," I can’t get away from it. It’s a “Law of Nature.”

Carrying my “gravity theme” to the next level, my rabbi and mentor (Marty Waldman) is quick to point out that if we “jump (to make aliyah,) we’ll get hurt." In other words, “don’t jump; take the steps.” We need to wait on the L-RD’s timing.

Aval ani tsarich savlenut! (But I need patience).

The Tanakh tells us, “Level the path for your feet; let all your ways be properly prepared…” (Proverbs 4:26)

And Proverbs 3:5-6 exhorts us to “Trust In ADONAI with all your heart; do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him; then He will level your paths.”

I will trust that the timing of the Sovereign King of the Universe is perfect.

It may well be G-D’s plan for us to remain here for a season, living as a witness people among the Goyim… Like Kalev ben Y’funeh and Yehoshua ben Nun (Caleb & Joshua), it is our responsibility to “give a good report” about the Land in contrast to the lies perpetuated by the media… Rather than fearing the Giants, we need to proclaim our trust in a Covenant-keeping G-D!

As the L-RD lives, we must throw ourselves into the struggle for Israel’s existence… to engage in the fight and not avoid it. We need to put our money where our mouth is.

I believe in the authority of Scripture. I believe that this Jewish family will one day (MUST one day) return to the Land of Promise to partake in the fulfillment of the G-D’s prophetic plan. In the mean time…

“For Tzion’s sake I will not be silent, for Yerushalyim’s sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out brightly and her salvation like a blazing torch.” Isaiah 62:1

*All Scriptures taken from the Complete Jewish Bible by Dr. David Stern

Prayers of the Patriarchs

I've heard a lot of people pray in a lot of different ways. There are many different styles of prayer, and some styles certainly do seem dynamic and dramatic.

One almost gets the sense that if your prayers don't sound bold enough and you don't use certain "catch phrases," your prayer won't be effective. After all, it is comforting to hear someone pray with passion.

Sometimes, folks use Scripture in their prayers (which I really like)... But occasionally, I'll hear Scripture used out of context in prayer; almost a "bending" of the Word to fit a prayer style.

So how can we know the most appropriate ways to pray? I'm concerned with being on safe ground when I pray; with addressing G-d in a way that will honor Him. I want to pray powerfully in a way that is effective.

Ya'akov (James) tells us the the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. So that's a good start... If I want to pray effectively, I must be righteous in G-d's sight. I am reminded that G-d's greatest concern is my right relationship with Him.

But beyond that, how do I navigate through the different prayer styles?

When people come to our Synagogue, especially Gentiles from the Church, they bring the cultural worship forms and prayer styles they've accumulated along the way. While they often don’t sound very “Jewish,” it is nevertheless comforting to hear someone pray with passion.

And yet, I have come to realize that these different styles of prayer I hear are cultural.

So in my search for Scripturally sound and powerfully effective prayer, I want to strip away the cultural verbiage that has been added (or "piled up on") the way the Patriarchs prayed. To do this, and to learn to pray like our fathers, I've determined to study the prayers of the Patriarchs, the Prophets, the Apostles.

I'm combing through the prayer passages in the Bible and searching for common threads.

I want to see how they addressed HaShem. I want to study their pattern of prayer.

After all, their prayers were heard by G-d and preserved by G-d as a template for us.

I want to pray like the Patriarchs.

Brent

*All Scriptures taken from the Complete Jewish Bible by Dr. David Stern

What I've Learned in Ministry...So Far

I believe that G-d has a call on our life. I don't really know where He is taking us long term, or what we'll be doing ten years from now. But we have to learn submission to His "Unknown Plan," and contentment where He has us Today.

Despite my natural impatience to be "a complete, fully equipped work," I have learned that we have to accept the status of being a "work in progress."

I used to look for some milestone that would help me to realize, "OK, NOW I'm in ministry," I hesitated to invest in anyone's life, to teach, exhort or encourage.

But I have come to realize that I need to “walk out” the call of G-d on my life. Today I feel the freedom to allow others to walk with me, and to learn from my mistakes and benefit from what the L-rd has taught me through my own walk and the mentoring of others.

I have had to learn to get my eyes off "the ministry" and onto Yeshua and what He desires for His people. I recognize that Yeshua is the one to be magnified, not me or my own concept of "His plan."

I have also learned that I cannot rely on others to fill me up; rather, my sense of spiritual fullness must come from the L-rd Himself through His Word and His Spirit. This has been a major leap for my personal growth, and a necessary one if I am to minister to others from the overflow of my own devotional life.

I have learned to rely on HaShem for my confidence, and seek His favor, rather than relying of the praise of men... The praise of men can feed a man's ego (a man is tested by the praise he receives), and it's too scarce to make a steady diet of anyway.

I must be willing to plod along faithfully, in the background, if necessary, seeking the favor of ADONAI alone. I have learned that G-d's greatest concern is my right relationship with Him.

I have learned that testing is acute at times even when we are walking in the center of G-d's will. This has been a crucial lesson, helping me to not doubt His call every other day.

I have observed in my mentors a persistent trust that is truly a manifestation of the Ruach HaKodesh in their lives, and I know that (like Avraham) it will be credited to their account as righteousness. Tsuris comes and tsuris goes; blessed be the Name of the L-rd.

I have learned the importance of emptying myself out, so that the Messiah can reign in my heart. My prayer is that the Light of Yeshua can outshine my own personality and hopefully grow greater and greater as I grow lesser and lesser.

My family has grown to a family of 8, and (for this season) we're in "the business world." I don't know if the L-rd will ever allow us to be in vocational ministry. But our passion is still for HaShem and His people, and our only security (financial and otherwise) is in Him. We seek the face of the L-rd for His will for our lives.

In the mean time, we seek His grace to be faithful in what He has already given us to do. Blessed be the Name of the L-RD.

A Heart toward our Children

Congregational life is important. Tensions in the Body of Messiah, lack of congregational unity, or the weariness that comes from overextending ourselves, can understandably tempt us to completely pull away from an organized congregation.

Yet, Rav Sha’ul (Rabbi Saul) wrote the Yehudim meshichim (messianic Jews) in Hebrews 10:24-25,
“And let us keep paying attention to one another, in order to spur each other on to love and good deeds, not neglecting our own congregational meetings, as some have made a practice of doing, but, rather, encouraging each other. And let us do this all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

The fact that he wrote this to messianic Jews (particularly, but to all believers generally), is worth noting… Our identity is reinforced by our traditions, our forms of worship, and by fellowshipping with like-minded believers. It is imperative that we stay plugged-in to the larger body of Messiah in order to encourage one another, and to build new relationships.

On the other hand, it is possible to get involved in congregational activities every night of the week, and four or five times each weekend. Having grown up as the son of a pastor, I am very familiar with having to live up to the expectations of others; the notion that we must be at the synagogue (or the church) every time the doors are open.

Is this really what ADONAI expects of us? Are we to be so concerned with meeting the expectations of others that we overextend our families to the point where our family unit loses cohesion? I have learned over the years that being a “people pleaser,” no matter how righteous it may look, is ultimately a trap.

G-D is not impressed with our busy schedules, our “visibility” at the congregation, or our “faithfulness” to the numerous programs offered in our local body. On the contrary, becoming so “faithful” can actually be our attempt to achieve works-righteousness… And imposing that expectation upon others is to impose the “L” word, legalism.

Avraham was not considered righteous because of his “busyness.” The Tenakh says (in Genesis 15:6) that Avraham’s trust was credited to him as righteousness. We must learn from Avraham Avinu (our Father Abraham) that G-D’s greatest concern is our right-relationship with him.

Some of us have been called to ministry. Yeshua commanded all of us to make talmidim (disciples). Yet discipling our own children is our primary responsibility. IF WE FAIL AT THAT, we are Scripturally disqualified from “ministry.”

Eli the cohen (priest) was a man of G-d. Yet Sh’mu’el Alef (1 Samuel) 2:12 says that “Eli’s sons were scoundrels who had no regard for ADONAI.” How could this have happened? Could Eli have been so busy with the “work of the L-RD” that he lost the hearts of his sons, Hofni and Pinchas? Hofni and Pinchas became wicked.

In a bat kol (voice from Heaven), ADONAI told Sh’mu’el (Samuel) in chapter 3:14, “Therefore I have sworn to the family of Eli that the wickedness of Eli’s family will never be atoned for by any sacrifice or offering.” G-D held Eli personally accountable for the wickedness of his children! THERE WAS NO ATONEMENT AVAILABLE TO ELI, the G-Dly cohen!

In the end, not only did HaShem take their lives, but he struck Eli’s heart with grief also… In fact, Eli’s heart was so broken, over Israel’s loss of the Ark, loss of life and the loss of his own sons, he fell backward off his seat, broke his neck and died.

Ironically, Shmu’el (Samuel) ha Nevi (the Prophet), who ministered to ADONAI under the direction of Eli the cohen, also lost the hearts of his own sons even though the L-RD used him mightily!

His sons, Yo’el and Aviyah, “did not follow his way of life; they turned off it to pursue riches…” (1 Samuel 8:3). As a result, the leaders of Israel approached Sh’mu’el in Ramah and said to him, “Look, you have grown old, and your sons are not following your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” (1 Samuel 8:5). So ultimately, Sh’mu’el’s failure to raise sons after G-D’s own heart caused the people of Israel to desire a monarchy, instead of a theocracy.

Shmu’el, who heard a bat kol (voice from Heaven) as a small boy, calling him to minister to the L-RD, nevertheless lost balance between his family responsibilities and his responsibilities to ministry.

ADONAI spoke through Mal’akhi ha Navi (Malachi the Prophet) in Malachi 3:24 (4:6 in the Christian Bible), “He (Eliyahu ha Navi) will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of children to their fathers; otherwise, I will come and strike the land with complete destruction.”

My Brothers, as the cohenim (priests) of our households, we must maintain a healthy family life, passing down a heritage of G-Dliness to our children and our children’s children.

Our family life must be fortified by our balanced congregational life. However, let us not mistake our busyness, over-commitment or “visibility” at the synagogue (or church) for righteousness, lest we, like Eli, face severe judgment from ADONAI that pieces our own hearts with grief.

*All scriptures taken from The Complete Jewish Bible

A Legacy of Trust

Even as believers in the messiah Yeshua, we have adversity.

How can we inoculate ourselves against doubt?

At our most discouraging moments, how can we pull ourselves “out of the ditch?”

How can we teach our children to trust in the G-D of our fathers, and persevere through trouble?

We must daily lift our eyes, and gaze at Him who has saved our people, and offers redemption through the shed blood of His son, Yeshua haMeshiach (the Messiah).

We must sanctify HaShem (the Name) of the L-RD, declaring His sovereignty in our lives, and we MUST declare and proclaim to the next generation His faithfulness.

“Proclaim with me the greatness of ADONAI;
Let us exalt his name together.
I sought ADONAI, and He answered me;
He rescued me from everything I feared.”
Psalm 34:4-5 (3-4)

“Blessed be ADONAI,
For He heard my voice as I prayed for mercy.
ADONAI is my strength and shield;
In Him my heart trusted, and I have been helped.
Therefore my heart is filled with joy,
And I will sing praises to him.”
Psalm 28:6-7

Daily I must recount and celebrate His mercy and His faithfulness throughout my own life, remembering how often He has provided and protected.

It is our responsibility to pass on to our children (and our children’s children) a legacy of trust.

In this season, as we prepare for Pesach (Passover), we are reminded that,

“Some day your child will ask you, ‘What is the meaning of the instructions, laws and rulings which ADONAI our G-D has laid down for you?’ Then you will tell your child, ‘We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and ADONAI brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand. ADONAI worked great and terrible signs and wonders against Egypt, Pharaoh and all his household, before our very eyes. He brought us out from there in order to bring us to the land he had sworn to our ancestors that He would give us. ADONAI ordered us to observe all these laws, to fear ADONAI our G-D, always for our own good, so that He might keep us alive, as we are today. It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to obey all these mitzvot before ADONAI our G-D, just as He ordered us to do.’”
D’varim (Deuteronomy) 5:20-25

When we keep feasts and fasts commanded by Moshe (Moses), we commemorate G-D’s persistent love, His faithful provision, His protection and His deliverance.

Through Moshe, G-D commanded these times of remembrance for our own good because He knows how we are made, and how easily we forget. The Tenakh itself testifies to the short memory of our fathers, and we are no different.

Let us keep a corporate memory of G-D’s intervention in our lives and His amazing grace. May we pass on to our children a Legacy of Trust, a heritage of belief in Elohei Avraham, Yitzchak, veh Ya’akov (the G-D of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob).

ADONAI brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand. It will be righteousness for us to remember and declare that the L-RD is our shield and our defender.

*All scriptures taken from The Complete Jewish Bible

Humility Before the L-RD

ADONAI relates intimately with those who fear Him, with those who are called by His covenants.

Do you want to relate intimately with the L-RD? Then you must learn to fear Him. And the fear of the L-RD is born out of a humble heart.

“ADONAI is good, and he is fair; that is why he teaches sinners the way to live, leads the humble to do what is right and teaches the humble to live his way. ALL ADONAI’S PATHS are grace and truth to those who keep his covenant and instructions.” Psalms 25:8-10

So how can we humble ourselves?

Confess your sins to G-D and do t’shuvah (repent); completely change your direction so you do not continue in sin.

Make “wrong things right.” Confess your sins against your brother. Go to him and humble yourself before him.

Submit your finances to the L-RD, recognizing that all you are and all you have are HIS.
Submit your plans to the L-RD.

Humble yourself with prayer and fasting.

Fasting? Yes…. Prayer & Fasting. Recently, a brother and I have been fasting and seeking the L-RD on several issues. I can honestly say that the experience has been very very humbling (especially for a guy who really likes food)!

But Avinu (our Father), who sees what is done in secret, is pleased NOT because of our sacrifice, but because of our earnest desire to seek His face and our passion to hear from G-D “no matter what it takes.”

“Obedience is better than sacrifice.” 1 Sh’mu’el (Samuel) 15:22 …And for us to walk in obedience to the L-RD, we must submit our appetites, our lives and our plans to His.

What G-D most greatly desires of us is to seek His face with a humble heart.

SEEK HIS FACE.

The Character and Nature of G-D

So what is G-D like? Is our Father in Heaven cruel and indifferent to our tsuris (our troubles)? Is he an impatient father with a short temper?

On the contrary, “ADONAI is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and great in grace. ADONAI is good to all; his compassion rests on all his creatures.” Psalms 145:8-9*

…All his creatures? Yeshua said, “not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. As for you, every hair on your head has been counted. So do not be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows.” Mathew 10:30-31*

How can it be, that the G-D of the universe cares for us personally? Because He IS Avinu Shebashamayim (our Father in Heaven).

“Just as a father has compassion on his children, ADONAI has compassion on those who fear Him. For He understands how we are made, He remembers that we are dust.” Psalm 103:13-14*.

If we desire to imitate G-D, as His dearly loved children, we need to imitate His character. We need to pray, “L-RD, please make me merciful and compassionate. Help me to be slow to anger and great in grace!”

These character traits are not natural; they are super-natural.

When you observe this G-dly resemblance in someone, you are seeing with your own eyes and discerning in your own spirit the supernatural manifestation of the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit) at work in the life of a person who is naturally un-holy.

One day, a Torah-teacher approached Yeshua, and asked him this she’elah (question): “Which is the most important mitzvah (commandment) of them all?”

Yeshua answered, “The most important is ‘Hear, Oh Israel, the L-RD our G-D, the L-RD is one, and you are to love ADONAI your G-D with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your understanding and with all your strength.’

The second is this: ‘You are to love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other mitzvah greater than these.” Mark 12:28-31*

The G-D of our Fathers, our Maker, and King of the Universe simply asks us to care for each other in the pattern He himself sets for us. May we all do so, and may we dwell in the light of His face.

*All scriptures taken from The Complete Jewish Bible

Do you want to be a talmid (a disciple) of Yeshua the Messiah?

Perhaps you have recognized that Yeshua ben Elohim (Jesus the son of G-D) is truly the Mashiach (the Messiah), and now you are asking, “What does G-D desire of me?”
G-D’s greatest desire is our right relationship with him.

“ADONAI relates intimately with those who fear him; He makes them know His Covenant.” Psalms 25:8

How do I develop that relationship? Like any relationship, our intimacy with the L-RD is built by spending time together with Him. We need to spend time in His Word, and in prayer.

Psalms 5:4(3) says, “ADONAI, in the morning you will hear my voice; in the morning I lay my needs before you and wait expectantly.”

Clearly, we are to speak with Him even as our feet hit the floor. From our first waking moment, we need to declare our trust in the G-D of our Fathers. This was intent of the traditional “Morning Shema.”*

Have you been told that the Bible a book for scholars?… that only “the rabbis” can interpret Scripture?

Yeshua prayed, “I thank you, Father, L-RD of heaven and earth, that you concealed these things from the sophisticated and educated and revealed them to ordinary folks.” Mathew 11:25
Our Father in Heaven fully intended for His Word to be understood by the am ha’aretz (the common people).

Yeshua promised that “the Counselor, the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit), whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything; that is, he will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26

As we dive into His Word every morning, we should pray, “Open my eyes, so that I will see wonders from your Torah.” Psalms 119:18 If we do, the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit) will be faithful to do so.

Remember, our G-D desires an intimate relationship with us. As we walk with Him, he will transform us into Messiah’s likeness, and we will be counted righteous.

Speaking of the tzaddikim (the righteous), Psalms 1:2 tells us that “Their delight is in ADONAI’s Torah; on his Torah they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams — they bear their fruit in season, their leaves never wither, everything they do succeeds.”

May we each rejoice in ADONAI, His Word, and our relationship with Him.

*The Shema: “Shema Yisrael! ADONAI Eloheinu, ADONAI echad! Baruch Shem k’vod malchuto, l’olam va’ed!” (Hear oh Israel! The L-RD is our G-D, the L-RD is ONE! Blessed is His Name, Whose glorious kingdom is forever).

Who is Brent Brooks?

I was born to loving Jewish parents who believed that Yeshua ("Jesus") was the Jewish messiah. Although Jewish by birth, my father was ordained as a Presbyterian pastor, and subsequently taught at two seminaries. As an assimilated Jew, I grew up in a very traditional Church environment.

I accepted Yeshua as messiah at a very early age and I was reared to love the Word of G-D. Every morning of my life, I remember seeing my Dad up early, earnestly seeking intimacy with his Heavenly Father through His Scriptures and through prayer. His devotional life left a pattern for me to follow, and to subsequently pass on to my own six children.

My hunger for the L-RD and His Word was genuine. But my understanding was encumbered by my Christian doctrine, which required elaborate & creative theologies to explain away why “the Scripture really doesn’t mean what is appears to say,” regarding the validity of the covenants today, keeping of the Shabbat, G-D’s ultimate purpose for the nation of Israel, and the supernatural grafting of the grafted Gentile Church into the natural Jewish olive tree.

Although we were taught that we were “no longer under ‘the Law,’” I was very discouraged by the legalism I felt subject to in the Church. How hypocritical, I thought, that Christians who vehemently argue that they are not bound by Torah, nevertheless superimpose their man-made, extra-biblical rules on others.

Worse yet, my high school years found me self-righteously imposing these values on others. I eventually realized that I was perpetuating the very legalism I hated. As I recognized my own hypocrisy, I grew disillusioned.

In response to this legalism, and the humbling realization of my own hypocrisy, I rebelled. I went away to college, and dove into several years of hard drinking, hard (and loose) living, fighting, and was so offended by “religion” that I ran the other way every time I saw somebody in “ministry.”

But G-D, in His grace, never let go of me, and as I looked myself in the mirror one morning, I knew that if I didn’t return to Him, that my very lifestyle would cut my life short.

Nevertheless, I still resented “religion,” and much of “Christianity” seemed irrelevant to the G-D of my fathers and the Jewish Messiah that I knew.

Although Jewish by birth, I struggled with my Jewish identity for years until G-D spoke to me in a supernatural encounter exhorting me to stand up, take hold of my heritage, and walk in my Jewish identity.

I read in the Tanakh (the "Old Testament") that ADONAI chooses our heritage for us, and I recognized that G-d's greatest annointing is stored up for those who walk in accordance with the identity that HE gave them.

Due to my lack of "Jewish upbringing," I resisted the call to my People. So for three days and nights, like my ancestor Ya’akov, I wrestled with G-D.

Finally, I stopped resisting the call of G-D to reclaim my heritage, and I joined a Messianic Congregation, where, I eventually had my Bar Mitzvah. I was so thankful that the same door that was open to me age 13 was still open to me at the age of 40. Living as a Jew, I took a Hebrew name (Y’hoshua) and reclaimed my paternal family name (Glick).

After years of living a faith stripped of its Jewishness, the Scriptures came alive to me. It was like going from reading black letters on a white page, to understanding G-D's Word in vibrant color, three dimensions, adding senses of smell and taste. To my utter amazement, the Scriptures in their proper cultural context, make a lot of sense.

In the fullness of G-D’s time, He is regathering the Remnant of His People. As I have been regathered to the G-D of my fathers and taken hold of the Jewish identity that is my birthright, I have experienced deeper intimacy with the (still-Jewish) Messiah.

In Isaiah 58:14, G-D tells us that if we delight in ADONAI, “I will make you ride on the heights of the land, and feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Ya’akov, for the mouth of ADONAI has spoken.”