“For I am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, …of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews”…(Roman 11:1, Phil. 3:5)
The Modern state of Israel was established in 1948 on Zionism and not on Rabbinical Judaism, there are however religious offices in the government. In the constitution of the new Jewish state there was a statement of freedom of religion. Muslims, Christians, Druze, and other small religious groups enjoy full freedom to exercise their faith.
In the beginning there were very few Jewish believers and few Messianic congregations. The phenomenon of Messianic Judaism was practically unknown in Israel. Since then, the body of Jewish believers continues to grow. New congregations and home groups are being established in the the land, and Messianic Jews are enjoying a great deal of freedom. There are acts of opposition and harassment from the Orthodox Rabbinic Jews here and there, but legally there is very little they can do against the Body. There were attempts to establish laws against Jewish believers but only two became government laws:
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It is illegal to proselytize young people under 18 without parental consent,
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It is illegal to give financial and material aid to Israelis and at the same time witness to them about Yeshua (Jesus) or the Christian/Messianic faith.
More Sabras (native born Israelis) are becoming followers of Yeshua and continue to live their lives as every other young Israeli, including Army service. While the sense of belonging and pride of being Jewish is a very important issue to believers, there is also an increasing danger. In an attempt to find our identity in a culture that denies we are Jewish, there is a tendency to emphasize our Jewishness and our deep commitment to our nation. Sadly, sometimes we are putting the emphasis in the wrong place. Our emphasis should be on Yeshua.
There is nothing wrong in being patriotic and loving our nation and the land. It’s important to do everything we can to help the poor, care for the elderly and Holocaust survivors and serve our country. But if we become too busy in doing these “good things” instead of focusing on our spiritual growth in Yeshua, then we have missed the mark.
As followers of Yeshua we are not like any other “stream” of Judaism; there must be a distinction in our life style and world view. This distinction should be noticeable and help our testimony and our witness to others. There needs be a boldness and daring to be different, even while being part of the Jewish people.
There is no guarantee that the religious freedom we now enjoy will last forever. Hard times of persecution can come at any time to Messianic Jews. Committed believers need to find their identity as followers of Yeshua first and Jews second. They are citizens of the Kingdom of God first and citizens of Israel second. Only with our priorities rooted and grounded in Yeshua will we be able to endure. Our devotion to Yeshua and putting God first in our lives and in our congregations will be the greatest witness to those around us of God’s presence in our midst, and that we walk in the love and the fear of the Lord.
When we become the light on a hill, reflecting His light, even at the risk of persecution and being rejected, we can be used by God to spread His message of love and peace.
While we should not strive to be accepted as another stream of Judaism, it is important to educated Israelis that Yeshua is the promised Messiah the Jews continue to long for, and the fulfillment of the Torah and the Prophets of the Old Testament.
Our people need to know that Yeshua did not come to start a new religion, neither did Paul teach against Biblical Judaism.
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Lets us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”‘ (Zechariah 8:23)
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