Preventing the Failure of the Messianic Jewish Movement: It’s Not the Gentiles’ Fault
Although this doesn’t win me any friends, and although it gets me discounted as a sourpuss and a cynic, I am one of those people who believes that the Messianic Jewish Movement is, for the most part, failing. This doesn’t mean everyone is failing, that every congregation is failing, that failure is all we find everywhere, but in general, the Messianic Jewish Movement is failing.
Now one of the best ways to avoid failure, or at least to avoid knowing that you are failing is to simply avoid naming what you are up to, what goal it is to which you will hold yourself accountable, or better yet, to which God holds you accountable. As long as you can avoid being explicit about the goal, you cannot fail.
Another way to avoid judging the Movement to be a failure is to have such a bundle of diverse purposes represented under the Big Tent that lots of people are succeeding on their own terms and you really cannot judge the movement a failure because there is no overriding criteron by which that failure might be measured.
But I think the rewards of avoiding failure in this manner are outweighed by the dire consequences of failing to accomplish what God expects of us.
And that is the crux of the matter.
It is clear to me, that within the boundaries I set in my first paragraph, the Messianic Jewish movement is getting better and better at failing to accomplish God’s will for this movement. And I will defend my premise in a series of postings to follow this one.
But as a preamble to it all, let me say this: It’s not the Gentiles’ fault. Yes our movement is now predominantly Gentile, but the fault for the movement's generalized failure is not theirs. You who are Gentiles out there are simply seeking what you want from the movement, seeking to have your needs met as you understand them, and seeking to serve God as you see fit. Who can fault you for that? The failure of the movement is not, at bottom, your fault.
The fault lies elsewhere.
And if you want to know what I think on the matter, follow my postings for the next week or so. I will state and defend my position succinctly in a series of post on a daily basis.
But prior to that, please add your comments to this post by answering ONE question in ONE sentence:
Answer this question in one sentence:
“For what unique purpose did God raise up the Messianic Jewish Movement?”
Answer that question in ONE sentence. Criticisms of other positions, negative diatribes and soap-box preaching of any kind will be removed. Simply answer that one question in one sentence.
Of course, imbedded in that question is an assumption I am making: that God raised up the Messianic Jewish Movement for a purpose, and that it is not simply the product of social/political/philosophical trends. Please accept my premise for the purpose of this series: that God raised up this movement for a purpose, and that [another premise] we should apply ourselves to achieving that purpose.
And tune in tomorrow for the next installment in this important series.
The purpose of the Messianic Jewish Movement is to provide a safe haven for Jewish believers in Messiah to grow in their faith yet shield them from falling prey to the anti-torah propensities found in the gentile church.
God raised up the Messianic Jewish movement to further his twin desires for Jewish people to be faithful to the covenants that He made with the patriarchs and to have faith in Yeshua as Mashiach.
The restoration of Israel's mandate.
The purpose of MJ as I see it is to restore the Jewishness of Messiah and the gospel to a world that's lost that context.
Gd raised up the Messianic Movement to simultaneously challenge the larger body of Messiah (the Church) regarding the Jewishness of Jesus (and all that that entails) and to create a Jewish space in which to allow the remnant Jews, considered so in both an ethnic and a halachic sense, who follow Yeshua as the Messiah of Israel to walk out their faith in the obedience to the Torah (and all that that entails).
The purpose of the Messianic Jewish Movement is to be a light to the nations and to introduce Jewish people to their Messiah.
Tough assignment! MJ has been raised up as a testimony and restoration of the Jewish ecclesia in Christ, to the intention of Hashem for Israel (the Land, the people and the *whole* Torah) to be a blessing to the nations *as Israel.*
the Purpose of the Messianic Jewish Movement is to make Jews and Gentiles One , Echad, in Messiah Yeshua
The purpose of the Messianic Jewish Movement was to remind the Church that God's promises preceeded the inclusion of the Gentiles. To a large degree, I don't think the Messianic Jewish Movement has failed; but rather has fulfilled it's purpose. Jewish believers such as myself and my young adult son, live out our Messianic lifestyle within the Church; something we could not have done 30 years ago. We get to invite Gentile believers to share in that, from within, rather than from without. Thus, the Messianic Jewish Movement has succeeded.
The unique purpose of the MJM is to make known HaShem's holiness before Bnei Israel, within a recognized Jewish framework while remaining true to Yeshua's teachings.
I say the purpose of the Messianic movement should be to bring more Jewish people into relationship with their Messiah!
God raised up the messianic movement to repair the breach between Christians and Jews; between the Covenant people and God; and to call for the return of the Messiah of Israel; in short, to lead the way to redemption.
I totally agree with slade Henson's 6/29/14 answer
About ten years ago, I heard one person state it this way:
To be a Jewish place for Jewish people for Yeshua.
I might modify it slightly:
To provide a living Jewish context for the presence of Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah, within and among our Jewish people.
The Messianic movement is purposed to maintain authentic Jewish Identity (Abrahamic Lineage and Covenantal fidelity) and faith in Yeshua as the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world.
I believe that a purpose for this movement is to be an example and bridge to the jewish community AND to help in bringing restoration to the schisim between church and synagogue via restoring the jewish second temple understanding of all scripture.
To form believers who are Messiah-centered, living an authentic life in Yeshua, and to share that with the rest of the Jewish community.
MJ exists as a renewal movement within greater Judaism.
I see the Messianic Movement as God's plan coming full circle -- Chiasmus!
As I remember the messianic movement was a result of many jewish people coming to know the Lord in the seventies. Our purpose was to be a testimony in a Jewish community, our purpose was as a witness to encourage other Jewish believers in the faith and to encourage each other to share our faith with Jews and gentiles alike. In the seventies we had no problem with Identity because most of us were brought up in a Jewish community and had been observant Jews
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The purpose of the Messianic Jewish Movement is to walk out our priesthood in Malki-tzedek while teaching the Torah and it's lifestyle, to those that are called to follow the G-d of Israel, from a community perspective, while praising G-d in all we do.
God has raised up the Messianic movement in order to prepare the world for the coming of the Messiah Y'shua and manifestation of his Kingdom on earth