My Beloved Prayer Partners,
I just returned home from a 7-week ministry trip in Romania and Chicago and am now preparing to leave for a 10-week ministry trip to Romania, Moldova and Israel.
My first trip began during the Resurrection Season where I had the privilege to preach in Chicago. Following my ministry there, I departed for our Romanian ministry and I was blessed to be able to be with our Messianic Congregation "Beit Hasdo" in Bucharest where we were united in celebrating The Feast of Passover.Many people came forward not only having numerous questions regarding the wonders and the Jewishness of the Scriptures, but also to accept Yeshua as their Lord and Savior. I had presented "The Messiah in the Passover" in a number of the Romanian churches there and this brought about changes in the lives of many Gentiles and also a number of Jewish people, too.Baruch Hashem – Praise the Lord! What a blessing to celebrate the Passover with our Messianic congregations there. We invited over 100 people, including Jewish people, to our five-hour long Feast and many of those Jewish people were quite intrigued to find out truths they had never heard until our special Passover Feast. At least four of the Jewish families that attended begged me to have the material in written form. Carefully and painstakingly, I re-wrote the message adding in even more of the Messianic Prophecies. Praise the Lord for that open door! Over the years, many have asked why do we celebrate the Passover? My answer is: You have to see and experience the Lord's Festival and you will eventually understand its significance in light of God's Scriptures and our Passover Lamb, Yeshua!
I will depart for our summer ministry trip to Eastern Europe and Israel. I will be gone for almost 10 weeks.As you keep me in your prayers, I especially ask that you would also keep my wife, Nora, in your prayers as she remains home by herself.Also, please pray that the Lord will increase His harvest everywhere I go. As you pray for us, please don't forget to pray for our missionaries in Romania– Liliana, Cornel Rusinac and his family, Michal, in Bucharest (she is by now a full doctor resident in their Neuro-Surgery department); and also for* Israel *and our workers there –in Beer-Sheba, and in Jerusalem and for my brother Emanuel and his family.
As I depart for our summer ministry, PLEASE do not forget that we cannot do the job without your prayers and surely without your monthly financial support.I am writing to you because I know the summer months are always very slow as far as financial support is concerned and we need them so desperately as we are in the midst of a battle.As it was last year, we are struggling this year, too.Please keep this ministry to the Jewish people, first, and equally to the Gentiles over your hearts and in your minds daily. We appreciate all of your efforts to keep us going in order to do the job HE has called us to do.
Every single time I write a letter of Pentecost, I am reminded that this is the Church's Birthday, Happy Birthday Church! Pentecost is your Birthday! You see, Pentecost is an old feast in the Bible. At Pentecost, we received the TORAH, so I can say the First Pentecost was the Birthday of the Jewish faith. First we received the Law of the Lord, but later we received the Spirit of the Law. I always love to stress that, because is very important to understand both Covenants and the way that they relate to one another. Knowing that, we may find new avenues to bring the Good News to Jewish people and Gentiles alike.
The Feast of the Harvest (Ex. 23:16), The Feast of the First Fruits (Deut. 16:10, 16) or the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) is the fourth Feast among the seven Feasts of the Lord in the Bible. The fact that the Celebration of the Giving of the Torah and the beginning of the Church started with this feast is not just another coincidence.Both the Law of God and the Law of Grace came from the same Tri-unitarian God, The Almighty One of Days, and The Lord of Israel.
Here are some tremendous comparisons between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.
The Old Covenant (Shavuot – The Feast of Weeks)
The 50th Day after Passover.
The writing of the Ten Commandments was done on two tables of stone.
It was written by God's finger.
3000 people killed because of their disobedience.
The Law unveils the sin of mankind, which automatically brings death.
The Letter of the Law of God.
The Glory of God shone on the face of Moses.
The people's faces had to be veiled, so they could not see God's Glory.
The Glory of the Law passed from their hearts because of their unbelief.
Given on Mount Sinai.
The feast of the Harvest.
The feast of the First Fruits.
The New Covenant (The Pentecost)
The 50th Day after the Passover's Lamb Sacrifice.
The writing of the Commandments of His Love is now on the hearts and minds of His People.
It was written by the Spirit of God.
3000 people repented and became alive.
The Grace of God through Yeshua's blood brings life from death, covering our sins.
The Spirit of the Law of God.
The Glory of God shown on the face of His Son, Yeshua – Jesus, our Messiah.
The people had unveiled faces so they can be changed into the Glory of His Image.
The Glory of God remains in the believer’s hearts and lives because of His Grace.
Took place on Mount Zion.
The harvest of souls blessed by His Spirit.
Church – You are the First Fruits of Redemption!
All my love, Theo Ben-Abraham Smilovici