can anyone help me? other than g-d that is.

[NOTso angry-amy]

hi everyone, i am amy, and i am new here. i have been a believer since the spring of 1999. i came to christ through intervarsity christian fellowship at my university.

i told my parents about a year later that i believed in christ. i actually called them from urbana missions conference. i had a lot of support from the jews for jesus and apple of his eye missionaries.

since then i was active in my local church, and i have done 2 short term projects to the dominican republic. i feel strongly that the lord is calling me to missions.

but, the problem is that i have moved back to my parents home (since graduating from the university), and i dont have the same kind of support from my parents that i had from my friends. they are jewish and would prefer if i didnt believe.... but that is just not going to happen! anywho.... it feels like i dont have much accountability at home, and i have noticed myself doing the spiritual slip. what can i do?

[SonWorshipper]

Well a good start is hangin out with other believers, and this is a Messianic forum where there are some. Do you attend a church nearby? If you PM me with your hometown I can look and see if there isn't a Messianic Congregation nearby you can attend that may have cell groups which are a great support.

[SonWorshipper]

<----------------Sending some blessings your way ( check under your name) but most important, prayers for strength and decernment on listening to what the Lord is calling you to do.

Shalom!

[Pray4Isrel]

Shalom, Amy!
I am so encouraged by your testimony and I myself (as well as my husband) are called to do missions work. We go every year (at least we try to!)
I agree with sonworshipper that you need to find a group of fellow believers to be able to talk with and just hang out with. I'm sure it is very difficult. This is a great place to start!

Welcome!

[NOTso angry-amy]

thank you so much for your kind words.

pray- you say that you and your husband are called to missions? how does your family feel about that? mine (even though they dont understand fully) love the idea because eventhough i am doing it in the name of the y'shua, to them it is still a mitzvah..

[Blindfaith]

Welcome!!

I'm not a Messianic Jew, just a Christian, but wanted to help moderate this forum so I can learn. :)


Pray is an awesome lady, who will give you a lot of support in here.&nbsp; It sounds encouraging that your parents are at least supporting your need to go on missions, even if they call it by a different name.

I like son's suggestion.&nbsp; Why not do a search on the Net for a Messianic&nbsp;small group, or church in your area?&nbsp;

Keep us posted as to how you're doing, and you're always welcome to post your thoughts, feelings and concerns here.

~Peace in Christ&nbsp;

[NOTso angry-amy]

i ran some internet searches while i was at the university. i came up with one congregation that was about an hour and a half away. i also found a christian church which was pastored by a man who was first generation messianic jew.

i met up with this pastor through his daughter who was taking my develpoment of christianity class. she already knew everything that the professor emphasized, yet was called to take the class. she and i became fast friends. and by the end of the semester, we were both convinced that she was in the class to link me to the congregation.

it was a nice congregation, but behind closed doors i could tell that the pastor was jewish by birth. he was a really nice dude. when he was preaching, his theology seemed a bit off though. and he rubbed me the wrong way.

in new hampshire i am having difficulty finding anything. what i would really like to find is a congregation of messianic jews, or is not maybe a congregation that is very accepting of jews (messianic and not). this congregation would have to have a lot of younger people in it, and be missions oriented. maybe that is too much to ask for. i pray a lot about it, but havent found anything yet. please continue to pray.

[Pray4Isrel]

Originally posted by NOTso angry-amy
thank you so much for your kind words.

pray- you say that you and your husband are called to missions? how does your family feel about that? mine (even though they dont understand fully) love the idea because eventhough i am doing it in the name of the y'shua, to them it is still a mitzvah..

Shalom!

My husband and I do not have children so that makes it just a tad easier to go to a foreign country for an extensive period of time.&nbsp; My parents are both invoved in their own&nbsp;ministry themselves so they completely support us.&nbsp; As for his side, they are more skeptical but realize that we can't be stopped (unless by God of course)&nbsp;;)

As we do our missionary trips we have learned to only follow God's lead.&nbsp; If others are supportive or not, well, we just have to keep pressing on knowing that we are in this for Him and Him only.

When my husband was an inner-city&nbsp;youth pastor we learned quickly&nbsp;what it is like to follow God with very little support from others.&nbsp; I praise the Lord for no longer fearing the opinions of man!

[Pray4Isrel]

Originally posted by blindfaith
Welcome!!

I'm not a Messianic Jew, just a Christian, but wanted to help moderate this forum so I can learn. :)


Pray is an awesome lady, who will give you a lot of support in here.&nbsp; It sounds encouraging that your parents are at least supporting your need to go on missions, even if they call it by a different name.

I like son's suggestion.&nbsp; Why not do a search on the Net for a Messianic&nbsp;small group, or church in your area?&nbsp;

Keep us posted as to how you're doing, and you're always welcome to post your thoughts, feelings and concerns here.

~Peace in Christ&nbsp;

And you'll see in return, Amy, that BlindFaith is a sweetheart and one of the most encouraging people I've talked to on this MB!

:)

[Pray4Isrel]

Originally posted by NOTso angry-amy
i ran some internet searches while i was at the university. i came up with one congregation that was about an hour and a half away. i also found a christian church which was pastored by a man who was first generation messianic jew.

i met up with this pastor through his daughter who was taking my develpoment of christianity class. she already knew everything that the professor emphasized, yet was called to take the class. she and i became fast friends. and by the end of the semester, we were both convinced that she was in the class to link me to the congregation.

it was a nice congregation, but behind closed doors i could tell that the pastor was jewish by birth. he was a really nice dude. when he was preaching, his theology seemed a bit off though. and he rubbed me the wrong way.

in new hampshire i am having difficulty finding anything. what i would really like to find is a congregation of messianic jews, or is not maybe a congregation that is very accepting of jews (messianic and not). this congregation would have to have a lot of younger people in it, and be missions oriented. maybe that is too much to ask for. i pray a lot about it, but havent found anything yet. please continue to pray.

I wish you lived here!&nbsp; There are a few Messianic Congregations that are very missions-minded and have a lot of young members as well.

I know that God will definitely guide you to where you need to be to meet your needs.&nbsp;&nbsp;I will surely keep you in my prayers as the search can sometimes wear&nbsp;one out.&nbsp;

Have you tried looking into Messianic Ministries in your area?&nbsp; Maybe through the University?&nbsp;

[SonWorshipper]

Amy I sent you Congregation info for your area. My congregation was just recently visited by a couple that are elders in a Messianic congregation in Israel and also just last week by Marc Chopinsky, a very well known Messianic singer and song writer and now a worship leader in a Messianic congregation in Haifa.

I think mission work is one of the greatest things a person could ever do. I know that if the Lord has called you to do this and you wish to serve Him , nothing will stand in your way.

When you feel a spiritual drain by those around you, put on some Messianic worship music and shut the world out. Draw close to him and ask what you should do, ask for strength and he will give it to you. Be a light to your parents, just by your actions, and faith. Show them who you are in Yeshua, so they will want that too! :)

[NOTso angry-amy]

i got that message and i am replying to it here., because everyone i think needs to know that the lord is working in me at this very moment. i checked out the website or a messianic congregation in the area, and in fact they are only about 15 minutes from my home and 10 from work. i am going to call the pastor first thing in the morning.

i fell like this is the first real blessing that i have had in quite some time, and i am in tears just thinking about how someone that i dont even know cares about my spiritual welfare and is willing to take the time (no matter how small it is) to do something to facilitate my walk with g'd.

i will let you know how things go, jsut as soon as i get off the phone tomorro. thank you so much.

(ps. what are the ratings on the left of my screen and why are the numbers so high?)

[SonWorshipper]

:bow: Praise You Lord Yeshua! Thank You ! :clap:

[Blindfaith]

That's excellent!!&nbsp; Fantastic news.......

Son, thank you for loving our sister enough to help her ~ God bless your precious soul :)

Amy ~ please keep us updated as to how it goes with the pastor, deal?

[Pray4Isrel]

Praise the Lord!
How awesome is that!
Already, God is networking though a new group of friends on CF :)

[SonWorshipper]

Amy, what did you find out?

[NOTso angry-amy]

i emailed them, but the pastor never replied. i tried 3 times to call thursday, but it jsut rang and rang. then i tried friday, but i spent most of the day at the dentist (i thought i broke a tooth at work).... i only got to try twice (at 8 and at 3:30). again... no answer.

i was going to go check it out tomorro, but my mother doesnt want me to go because i havent even found out anything about them yet, and g'd forbid they are off in their teachings. she will have lost me to christianity once then to a cult. she wants me to talk to the pastor first, which is a sound idea i think.

so i am going to try emailing him again tomorro.

on another front, this guy that i am seeing has never really discussed religion or spirituality with me. yesterday we went to the bible bookstore because a friend wanted a journal that i could only get through a bible bookstore. he asked a lot of questions and asked me if he would teach him about jesus in exchange for my spanish lessons. this is important to me. he is from central america and from a catholic family.... but not christian, sitting on the fence, but not having enough information to take the plunge. but he was bombarding me with questions, and i am excited because i could help him on his journey.... which leads me back to what the lord has shown me to be my spiritual gifts. LONG STORY... i will leave it for some other day.

[SonWorshipper]

I am gald to hear about your friend, it seems the Lord is giving you work :) you must be asking Him to bless you by letting you serve Him , it is most wonderful when something happens like that and you see that He has not only heard you but found you worthy to share His word, whatever that is with another of His children! Oh Praise him!

Now as far as that congregation. If the Rabbi is anything like mine the delay may not be intentional. My Rabbi is also a professor at a University and is very busy with conferences too. Yesterday after the Havdalah service at his house he and his wife left to travel across the country to visit family. And before that after the service and Oneg, he held a membership class for over an hour. Most of the Messianic congregations don't have full time Rabbi's because it is still a releativly new movement and many of the congregations are relativly small ( ours started in the Rabbi's living room seven years ago, now we meet in the basement of a Christian church that has been a blessing to us letting us use their space on Saturdays.)

Please don't give up, it took me months after finding out about the one I attend to get up the nerve and go, but I thank the Lord for urging me and giving me that urging, now that I have gone there I will never go anywhere else!

Keep trying and please let us know any updates, I will continue to keep you in my prayers, I praise the Lord for letting me be able to help you in some small way! :)

[NOTso angry-amy]

still no news about finding a congregation. i drove out to that one that i was referred to, but it started snowing, and i had to turn around. and since then i have been getting snowed in every weekend. actually every day, but only the weekends count. i think they have a small group fellowship on wednesdays, so maybe tomorro.... and hopefully it wont start snowing again.

[NOTso angry-amy]

ok guys- i am about to leave to go to that messianic congregations near my house that sonworshipper sent me info about. if anyone is online tonite could you pray for that.

also my friend hit my next-door-neighbor's ****zu about an hour ago if you could pray for churro too.....

[SonWorshipper]

Amy did you get there? I am so looking forward to hearing? I have been praying for you and for you to find a congregation for fellowship and to uplift your spirit, also your parents, for their eyes to be open and their hearts to Yeshua!

Please let us know!

[NOTso angry-amy]

i got there all right. i am having mixed feelings though about it.....

i was sitting there and i just kept having this same negative thought popping into my head.

[SonWorshipper]

Can you tell us what happened? Or PM me if you'd rather.

[NOTso angry-amy]

it wasnt that anything in particular rubbed me the wrong way, but the pastor wore the tassles, the men wore yamulkes, and the women wore the tallet, and well, the women that i had talked to were not originally jewish. and i was taught growing up that you do not wear the tallet unless you were bar/bat mitzvahed.

they started with lighting the candles, following that with the challah and the wine. then there was worship (like any christian group would do). there was no other real service. then there was a bible study. and the interpretation seemed to be right on, but at the same time the pastor talked a bit about word origins and hebrew, but it was childs stuff. i went to hebrew school growing up for, i dont know, 9 years.... he was teaching basics. and the bible study that he did was also very basic.

when i was there i kept getting this feeling or this phrase that popped into my head that screamed "this is a cult!"

that is what happened. i met a nice girl, but that doesnt mean all that much in the grand scheme of things. plus there are only about 15-20 people that go there regularly. which is bad for me because only one person talked to me the whole time that i was there.

[SonWorshipper]

Amy, I hope you don't think I have forgotten about you. In fact On Shabbat I asked around at my congregation to the Rabbi and the elders to see if anyone was familiar with this congregation, unfortunately, no one was. I did speak to our Chazzan and he said there is another congregation that is near you. I will PM you the name and address.

Can you tell us a little of your Testimony? I don’t know much about intervarsity Christian fellowship , could you explain what that is?

[NOTso angry-amy]

intervarsity is an group of christian students who hang and bible study together. usually there is a praise and worship night once a week as a big group and small group bible study one other night a week. any walk of christianity is welcome, and it is uber laid back.

as for my testimony, i posted it somewhere for you all to read.