David Altman
represented the messianic/two-house organization Alliance of Redeemed Israel at
the ephraimite congress at the Eshel HaShomron Hotel last year. He writes a report of events of his travels
to Israel. Every person that a xian
meets is an opportunity for missionizing.
They wouldn't call this missionizing but "planting a seed"
which will at some point "bear fruit" that will be
"harvested". He gives three
scenarios, and in each one he acts and speaks in a different way, specifically
catered to what will work best with each individual. At the end he gives his card for follow
up. It is interesting to me that the
only one he actually mentions yeshu to, is the religious Jew. Altman has a jewish father and a xian
mother. This is just one of thousands,
if not more, "ephraimites" that want to be accepted as brothers into
the hearts of Jews and the land of Israel.
Of course the xian makes sure to 1. Tell the Jew I don’t want to convert
you (that way he will keep listening) and 2. Pour on the love.
Here is just the part about the religious
Jew;
( 3 )
An international airport in New York is a large
place. Having a three hour layover, I had time to get from point A to B. But
following my natural proclivities, I hurried to wait. Straight to the passport
processing at EL AL I went. Focused on getting a new boarding pass, I hardy
noticed the time alone. Being my first time out of the country, I was expecting
questions over my passport, but I was surprised at the detail in which the
processors delved. I produced a letter from the hotel where I was going to be
staying and explained that it was a pro-Israel conference. Unbeknownst to me,
one of my fellow passengers overheard me from the row beside me. He was
intrigued and, after he was let through, he waited for me in order to inquire
about this pro-Israel conference. He was clearly orthodox but modern. A young
man with a clean-cut red goatee and plain business-like attire. Upon asking
what type of pro-Israel conference, I informed him that it was a bit unique. It
was a conference about mutual respect and brotherly unity. This confused him
and my vague statements only seemed to make him more interested. I informed him
of my lineage (having a Jewish father and a Southern Baptist mother). I clearly
stated that I believed in Yeshua and that I believed that the last tribes in
the nations were finding their identity and this convention was an effort to
unify the Ephraim subset in support for our older brother. This piqued his
confusion. He seemed a little shocked that I was Christian and asked a few
pointed questions that were a bit defensive and seemingly resentful, even
though I doubt it was intended. I quickly rerouted the conversation when it got
to the point of "Why does Jesus have to die for my sins?" I responded
with a statement that was not aimed at answering that very important question
but rather clarifying my motivation and position. I told him that I don't want
to espouse my position or covert him. I believe that Yeshua is my Savior and
that the Torah are God's commands. I also believe that Judah has been faithfully
and diligently following Torah for over 3 thousand years. I love Judah and have
no interest in changing Judah. I respect Judah and hope that Judah will in kind
respect me, Ephraim, with the same respect that does not demand change. I then
stated that if he wanted to know about my belief because he was interested, I
would be happy to share. Just as I hoped that he would faithfully share with me
his belief if I was interested. I told him that mutual respect was imperative
and did he want to know the answers to his questions because he was interested
or because he felt he had to defend his faith. He didn't answer. He rerouted to
a more personal topic and asked about me. It seemed he had become interested in
the man in front of him and I answered the questions openly. I did the same in
kind and it was clear that he was a good and thoughtful man. It appeared that
he thought the same of me. The next two to two and a half hours passed like a
jackrabbit and we found that we had a tremendous amount in common, including
our devotion to God. Our particular beliefs did not interfere with each other
and considering that he believed in the coming Messiah as much as I did. We
didn't clash once in our understanding of Torah or the appropriate way in which
to serve Yahweh through implementation of Torah. We parted a bit hastily and a
few details spilled that he probably avoided at the beginning but was happy to
share now. He said he was in the IDF for 2 years. I stopped his sentence and
thanked him for his service. He was a bit taken aback and I am still unclear as
to why. He asked why I thanked him. I told him that Israel needs to be
protected and I am proud and thankful of anyone that does. He stood silent for
a moment. We were in the tunnel at this point and he dropped a surprise as he
put his hand on his shoulder as he accompanied me down the ramp. He told me he
was going to marry an Israeli girl on Thursday and that was the reason why he
was coming. He stopped short of the door to the plane and asked me if I would
come to his wedding in Jerusalem. I was surprised to say the least. The
openness and hospitality was just one of the many things I admire about Judah.
In front of me stood a shining example of why I am right to love my brother. I
told him how appreciative I was to be invited and that if I was able, I would
love to attend. At this point we were holding up traffic and we assured one
another we would try to find one another when we got off the plane. We were
quite distant with regard to our seats and because of time I failed to give him
my card. He went to the Israeli section and I to the foreign section and he
must have picked up his bags before I was able to get to baggage claim. I never
got to exchange information and I will regret that until the day I am blessed
to meet my new found brother again. I prayed that he have a joyful wedding and
that he finds fulfillment in his new and promising
marriage. I hope to see him again.
