Blog — Weiss Ministries

“Don’t Get SideTracked”: A Reflection

July 18, 2016 By weiss ministries

As believers, we know that hate is not born because a white police officer kills a black youth (armed or not) or because a black sniper guns down innocent police officers in cold blood! As believers, we know that hatred comes from the “father of lies” who has come to steal, kill, and to destroy! The world may not know this, but WE do! The people of God do! So the enemy takes our boys and our police officers (sons, daughters, fathers, brothers) and uses these horrible acts to fuel the hatred that comes directly from him! He partitions us with “black lives matter” (yes, black lives matter, too) as if we did not know that all lives matter and that we cannot secretly agree with any evil, even if it is a passing phase of the heart! “God created them — male and female!” Everyone matters to Him!

People of God, don’t get sidetracked!

What would cause young military men who fought for this country to adopt a jihadist mentality and kill their own even with the reality that they, too, will die in the process! It’s evil! It’s satan! It’s the same spirit that fuels black-on-black crime! White on black crime! Black on white! And if we focus on the atrocities and not know the source of all this evil, division, and civil unrest, we have missed a window of opportunity to use the arsenal that God has given us to combat the enemy!

The ball is in our hands! The world will do what it does! But WE must do what WE have been called to do! We MUST pray all the more, love all the more, and NOT be swept up and away into the maelstrom of hatred that is being perpetrated on us today!

God always gives us an opportunity to LOVE. Let’s Find it! Let’s Walk in it! Let’s Do it!! LOVE!

#prayingForFamiliesOfVictims&Killers
#AllLivesMatter
#PrayingFortheBodyofMessiahToRiseUpInLove

#WatchingAsWellAsPraying

Filed Under: Inspirational Reflections Tagged With: hatred, New Orleans, Orlando, police officer, shootings

Let’s Count the Omer

May 17, 2016 By weiss ministries

In Leviticus 23, the Israelites were commanded to start counting up to 49 days after Passover; that would be seven weeks. This is called “Counting the Omer,” for they had to bring an omer (a small measurement) of barley to the Temple every day in faith of a greater harvest. The bringing of the barley was called “First Fruits.” (By the way, “First Fruits” was the day that Yeshua was resurrected!) As they counted the days, it would lead them to day fifty (50). Day 50 is called Pentecost in English, Shavuot in Hebrew.

Historically, three days prior to the 50th day, the Israelites arrived at Mt. Sinai after leaving Egypt. On the 50th day, Adonai gave them the Torah. By “counting the omer” yearly, they would always be reminded, not only that they were given the Torah, but also they would know the exact day on which He gave it.

Fast forward some 1500 years during Yeshua’s day–the people were still “counting the omer,” and they would have begun after Yeshua’s crucifixion. Luke 1:3 says, “After his suffering, he presented himself to them [His disciples] and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.”

During the 40 days of counting, Yeshua does the following:

He sleeps in the grave.
He rises from the grave.
He appears to Mary.
He walks with two disciples on the Road to Emmaus.
He appears to Peter and to His disciples.
He eats with Peter at the Sea of Galilee.
He gives His disciples the Great Commission.
He meets them on the Mount of Olives.
On day 40, He ascends into the heavens.

Let’s not forget what Luke said: He “gave many convincing proofs that he was alive,” which means He did so much more in those 40 days than I listed above.

But what about the 10 remaining days?

For the next ten days the disciples wait in Jerusalem as Yeshua tells them to. I believe they wait as they “count the omer.” As they are counting, the Holy Spirit is poured out upon them in the Upper Room, and they are filled with the Power and Presence of God on day 50! Pentecost! (Shavuot)!

As we “count the omer” this year, let us be reminded that God still desires to pour Himself out upon us — in us — as He did with His Torah and His Spirit! He still desires to bring forth a great harvest and to use us to reap it. This year, as we count, let us say . . . “More, Lord!!”

Filed Under: Inspirational Reflections Tagged With: omer, Pentecost, Shavuot

You Will Never Wash My Feet!

March 13, 2016 By weiss ministries

Peter, like the other disciples, watched Yeshua as he intently rose from dinner. A towel lay near the door next to a basin and a picture. They had no idea what he was about to do. He picked up the towel and deftly wrapped it about his waist.

What was he to do? The disciples had no idea. They could not figure out what he was up to. Maybe what they had thought He was going to do was as quickly brushed from their minds as it was considered.

Then he did it.

He picked up the pitcher and the basin, and He walked over to Andrew. They all looked uneasy, but what could they do about God wanting to wash their feet.

Then he came to Nathaniel, who offered his feet as reluctantly and as uneasily as did Andrew. The cool water ran over his tired insteps and calloused feet and dripped between his toes. Nathaniel wished he had thought to do as much for Yeshua. After all, he was the one who had served all day – and now He was continuing to serve.

Every drop of water that was poured on Nathaniel’s feet was licked up by the soft towel that Yeshua had girded about his waist. Nathaniel chanced to look at the son of God washing his feet, but his glance met eyes filled with such pleasure.

On Yeshua went to every disciple, doing the same… until He came to Peter. Peter could not believe that those guys had allowed Yeshua to demean himself in that way; footwashing was reserved for the basest of Gentiles slaves. Yeshua was no slave; neither was he a Gentile.

They obviously did not know who He was, Peter thought. They obviously did not love him the way Peter did.

“No, Lord, you will not wash my feet,” Peter said.

Wow, Peter! Humans let God wash their feet and now a human was telling God what God could not do.

“You don’t know what I’m doing,” said Yeshua, “but you will know.” Wasn’t that enough reason to let him do it?

It wasn’t for Peter.

“You will never wash my feet.”

No wonder Yeshua saved Peter for last!

When we discredit what God has done for others, we say, like Peter, “You will never wash my feet.”

In our refusal to change, we say as Peter did: “You will never wash my feet.”

When we say God only moves in a certain way, we say to him: “You will never wash my feet.”

And the Lord says, “If I don’t wash your feet, fill in your name, you will never have a part of me. Let me do what I want to do in your life.

“Or should I save you for last?”

Filed Under: Inspirational Reflections

10 Men. 1 Woman.

January 26, 2016 By weiss ministries

Zechariah 8:23 says there is going to come a time when 10 men from the nations will grab the hem, the tzit tzit (the fringed tassels), of a Jew, and they will say, “We are going with you because God is with you.” If we are not at that place, we are quickly approaching it. The Church is coming back to its Jewish roots. Believers are longing to see life Biblically (Hebraically) and not from a Greek mindset as we have been doing since the days of Aristotle and the Age of Enlightenment. The nations are becoming a large part of Israel, the Bride of Messiah. The 10 men from the nations are awakening!

In rabbinic understanding, in order to start a synagogue or to pray effectively, there must be a minion which is made up of 10 men, usually. According to Zechariah, 10 men WILL embrace the Jewish roots of their faith and be the catalyst for the nations to come. Is one of those men — YOU?

But Mark 5 tells me of a woman. She wasn’t from the nations. She was very sick, had been that way for twelve years. She was not supposed to appear in public because not only did her perennial hemorrhaging make her unclean, but those who touched her would be unclean as well. But she was in a desperate situation, having spent all that she had and the doctors still left her in that same sickened state. She had nothing to lose. Rejection had been her life before, so to be rejected by appearing in public was nothing new. She had heard “No” a million times before. She had been told, “There is nothing I can do.” So she had nothing to lose. She pressed her way through a crowd to get to Yeshua.

I don’t know if she had ever heard the rabbis read the Scripture about “the sun of righteousness rising with healing in his wings” (his tzit tzit) (Malachi 4:2), but she was about to test its veracity. There was the Son of Righteousness, some had said. He was in front of her, encompassed by the crowd! And there were His wings (fringed tassels — tzit tzit) trailing him as he walked. There was no prophecy of her as it was of the 10 men.

This one woman reached out and grabbed his tzit tzit, and her whole world changed. The blood stopped. A miracle took place in her body, and the King of the world stopped to address her: “Woman, Your faith has made you whole!”

“What faith??” I can hear her asking. “My desperation? All of my life’s experiences that brought me to this point? You saw faith, Healer. I saw my only hope! I saw that crawling on the ground to get to you was no worse than being ostracized from the hub of Jerusalem. So I did it!”

10 men will!

One woman did!

Is that woman — YOU!!!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: hem of his garment, tzit-tzit

“Leaving the City”: From Israel #6

November 8, 2015 By weiss ministries

(REMEMBERING MY TRIP TO ISRAEL OC. 26 – NOV. 7, 2014.)

We will be leaving “The City of the Great King” very soon. As it is with any place I visit, I always think about what I will leave behind because I ALWAYS take something away. I will carry with me so many memories, experiences, and revelations. I will leave the very center of the earth and go back to the West. I will leave the Place where Adonai has placed His Name! I am leaving the Place where Yeshua lived and died and was resurrected! And I will leave the place to which He says He is returning!

I have never yearned for Him so much as I did standing there on the Mt. Of Olives. Our group stood in line to enter a chapel that had been built on the very spot from where it is believed that Yeshua ascended. After our turn in line, our group entered the chapel walking on a paved stone floor, which yielded a squared opening of the original stone of the mountain. A powerful feeling of His Presence overwhelmed me when I walked in! We encircled the stone and we sang “Here I Am to Worship!” (see link: IMG_4953-2) The voices filled the space and resounded against the stone walls, wafted through the open windows, and headed heavenward! Unforgettable!

I knew at that moment, I really wanted Him to return! How appropriate a feeling when I was standing in that spot. The one He marked; the one He chose for His return. I joined with the spirit of the angels who had told Yeshua’s disciples that He would return. In tearful, passionate longing, I joined with the Spirit of God in proclaiming, “Come Yeshua! Even so, come Messiah Yeshua!” One day, the Bride will share the Spirit’s desire and proclaim with one intense longing: “EVEN SO, COME!”

It certainly was a place I did not want to leave.

But as I leave this amazing City, I leave my footprints (in so many places, but namely) in the city of Nazareth, on the shores of Galilee, upon the heights of Mt. Carmel, on the Temple Mount, and on The Mount of Olives.

Thank you, Abba, for the experience!

Filed Under: Inspirational Reflections Tagged With: Israel, Mt. of Olives, Temple Mount

…Of Schindler and Dog Biscuits

September 28, 2015 By weiss ministries

By Juanita Weiss
At the end of the movie Schindler’s List, we find Oskar Schindler weeping almost uncontrollably. The Allied Forces were invading Poland to liberate the Jews. Schindler had used his resources to save a small number of Jewish people from extermination in the death camps. At the end of the war, he was left with his costly jewelry, fine cars and clothes, and, no doubt, money in his pocket. He wept because he realized he could have saved so many more Jewish people with the resources he had. “What a waste,” he must have felt.

My 15-year old border collie Boomer is nearing the end of his life. He sleeps a lot and only rouses for a dog biscuit. So I dole them out one per day. Of course I want him to eat well, but I know I will be crestfallen if he passes away and I have a half full box of biscuits left. I don’t know of any dog who would enjoy them the way Boomer does.

Schindler and Boomer make me think of the day that Yeshua cracks the eastern sky. With all my resources — which at that time will mean nothing — will I say, “I could have fed a few more orphans or more of the poor. I could have aided in Bible translations, fed a few more missionaries, helped Haitian pastors to equip their churches better, funded water projects in Third World Countries, or supported more Messianic Jews in their desire to bring the reality of the Messiah to their lost Jewish brethren”?

What happens to our 401k’s and pensions and retirement plans? What about our bank accounts, our houses, fine cars and clothes? What about our jewelry and stocks and bonds?

We must plan as if tomorrow will come . . . and then live as if tomorrow will may never come! I can’t say I have mastered that, but Yeshua paints reality in this parable:

“The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

Schindler’s tears and Boomer’s dog biscuits remind me that I so want to hear “Well Done, good and faithful servant” at the end of my days. “You’ve been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over much.” The “much” will far exceed the resources I gave and the ones I kept!

May You be pleased, Abba, with my stewardship.

Filed Under: Inspirational Reflections Tagged With: dog biscuits, Schindler, stewardship, Yeshua

You Have An Open Invitation

August 27, 2015 By weiss ministries

What if God told you when He would meet with you? Would you go? Would you stop the world so that you could make this appointment? Would it take the utmost priority in your schedule? What if He told you the conditions under which to approach Him? Would you meet those conditions?

Adonai declared to the children of Israel that He would meet with them as a people during several times throughout the year. In Leviticus 23:1-2, “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.’” We believe that Adonai is speaking so vociferously in the underscored words. Adonai says these feasts are His. He has appointed moments in this space-time continuum when He will meet with His people. These times have been appointed. To us, that means we cannot change these times. They cannot be altered. They are set in stone. He has declared these times to be sacred, a time when the Divine meets the human and the human is allowed entrance into the presence of the Divine. Wow! Imagine—all of God’s people on those days assembling themselves to worship the Creator and to hear from Him! Imagine this—that one of the most assured ways of meeting with Yeshua is on the days He selected!

Maybe you never thought that Leviticus 23:1-2 was a clarion call to you! Maybe you thought you were not included in these appointed feasts of the Lord! Maybe you thought that these appointments were no longer in effect! Or just maybe you have always been curious about them but didn’t know how to go about securing more information!

Messianic Pastors David & Juanita Weiss and the Kingdom Life Messianic Congregation, a kehillat of Jewish & nonJewish believers in Messiah Yeshua, cordially invite you to share with us as we celebrate these appointed times with Yeshua as the center:

ROSH HASHANAH/YOM TERUAH (The Feast of Trumpets) Yom Yom Teruah *Monday, September 14, 10:30 A.M. *Saturday, September 19, 10:30 A.M., Concert with Messianic Worship Leader Jimmie Black from Beit B’resheet, St. Louis, MO

YOM KIPPUR (The Day of Atonement) *Erev Yom Kippur, Tueday, September 22, 7:00 – 9:00 P.M. *Yom Yom Kippur, Wednesday, September 23, 10:30 A.M.

SUKKOT (The Feast of Tabernacles) Sukkot (September 27 – October 5) *Erev Sukkot, Sunday, September 27, Bible Study in the Sukkah, Wednesday, September 30, Hoshana Rabbah (Great Hoshana), Sunday, October 4 (Morning Service at the Campground), *Shemini Atzeret, (8th Day Assembly) *Simchat Torah, (Joy of the Torah), Tuesday, October 6, 7:00 – 9:00

You have an open invitation to have several feasts with Adonai and to celebrate Yeshua HaMaschiach! Join us at any or all our celebrations!

He’s waiting for your RSVP.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Supreme Court Decision: A Reflection

July 2, 2015 By weiss ministries

God stood in front of Abraham. (Genesis 18)

“Can I do in Sodom what I am about to do and not tell Abraham?” He reasons.

The answer is a resounding “No!”

How do I know?

Because Abraham began to intercede for Sodom. Abraham connected with Adonai’s heart and began to intercede. “If I can find 50 righteous in the city, will you save Sodom?” Abraham asked God.

God agreed. After Abraham goes from 50, to 30, t0 20, down to 10, “the LORD went his way” (Gen. 18:33); and needless to say the cites of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because there were not even ten righteous people in them.

Well, He says today: “Can I do in America what I am about to do and not tell my Faithful?”
The answer is still a resounding “No!”

As He stands in our presence, can we connect with Adonai’s heart?

Do we believe God’s Word over the word of Supreme Court judges?
Do we get depressed over their ruling on gay marriage or do we allow the Holy Spirit to motivate us to advance the Kingdom?
Do we sit and watch the news & listen to all the talking heads or do we get in the Word of God and seek His truth!
Do we realize that Biblical truth has nothing to do with political correctness!? Political correctness does not abrogate God’s commands.
Do we realize that the Kingdom of this World is totally opposite from the Kingdom of Darkness?
Do we beseech the Lord for our nation the way Abraham invoked the Lord for Sodom?

What did Abraham do?

He drew near to God. (Genesis 18:23) Draw near, beloved!
He persistently and steadily interceded. (Genesis 18:24-31) Pray without ceasing, saints.
In fearful deference to the Almighty, he asked God to spare Sodom. (Genesis 18:30) Ask, favored ones.

Will we dare to let our lights shine brighter in a perverse world?

Will we apprehend God the way Abraham did: knowing that God will indeed destroy a city because of the wicked … BUT he will save a nation because of the righteous!

And when “He goes on His way” we will know that we have done as his love has mandated.

Filed Under: Inspirational Reflections Tagged With: Abraham, America, Biblical truth, supreme court

TRUE VS. TRUTH

June 17, 2015 By weiss ministries

In Numbers 14, Moses sends the spies out to scout the Land of Canaan — all 12 of them. They scout the land for 40 days. Ten of them bring back a negative report. What they report is TRUE, which is the reality they discern with their senses. BUT it is not TRUTH. Yeshua called Himself the Way the TRUTH and the life! Anything that is not seen through His filter, though it may be TRUE, it is NOT TRUTH!!

It was TRUE that there were giants in the land . . . but that was not TRUTH!
It was TRUE that there were walled cities . . . but that was not TRUTH!
It was TRUE that these giants were powerful . . . but that was not the TRUTH!
Their untruthful statements stir the people to unrest.

Caleb, one of the spies, along with Yehoshua, brought the good report
They tried to get the people to listen to TRUTH, not what is TRUE
TRUTH —

“Adonai said we can take it so let’s go do it; He said it is ours;
“He has given it to us; so let’s possess it!”

They didn’t want to hear TRUTH!
They were too busy focusing on the walled cities, the giants, and they were so busy seeing themselves through the eyes of the enemies, what was true, indeed!!! But it was not TRUTH!

All night long they complained against TRUTH (Have you ever done it?)
All night long they murmured (Have you ever been there?)

“We should have died in Egypt
Or at least in the desert
Now we’ll die here
Our wives & children will be taken as plunder
Why not go back to Egypt”

Moses and Aaron fall to their faces in repentance.

YEHOSHUA the son of Nun tears his clothing and intercedes:
HE is the PRODDER, prodding his people to trust God. He says,

“This land is very good!
If the Lord is pleased with us,
He will lead us into the land!
Don’t rebel!
Don’t be afraid!
We will swallow them up!
Their protection is gone;
The Lord is with us!”

It is TRUTH that he speaks to them in the face of what’s TRUE.
Then they tried to stone TRUTH !
Then God Himself, the voice of TRUTH speaks, but His TRUTH is not in their favor!

PRAYER: Father, we battle all day with TRUTH and what is TRUE! We have many times chosen what’s TRUE! Forgive us! Forgive us for complaining against TRUTH and even trying to silence it! Yeshua, you ARE TRUTH! Help us to see ourselves and this world from the TRUTH of your eyes. Amen!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Caleb, true, truth, Yehoshua

Celebration of Pentecost

May 12, 2015 By weiss ministries

SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2015 — 5:00 P.M.
Kingdom Life Messianic Congregation
1280 Bells Mill Road, Chesapeake 23322

Kingdom Life Messianic Congregation invites you to share in our Celebration of Pentecost (“Shavuot” in the Hebrew). As we count the Days of the Omer, the time when Yeshua revealed Himself to His disciples after His resurrection, we anticipate, as the disciples did, the sending of the “Promise” on the 50th day!

We will be celebrating Shavuot with a Cantata entitled “Welcome, Spirit of God!” It is a worshipful mixture of song, dance, readings & dramatic monologues in celebration of Ruach HaKodesh (The Holy Spirit) who was given to the disciples in the upper room. On that very same day, 3000 years before, G-d gave His people the Torah on Mt. Sinai. How exciting!

We invite you to come and celebrate with us this Holy Feast Day that God Himself ordained and consecrated . . . so that WE could MEET with HIM!

How could you pass up such an invitation???

Filed Under: Inspirational Reflections Tagged With: Holy Spirit, Pentecost, Ruach, Shavuot