The Jewish roots of Christianity

Home » Levitt Letter » Newsletters » April 2014 Personal Letter


Highlighting: OFF ON

Myles & Katharine Weiss

Dear Friend,

Shalom from America’s left coast, where Bible teachers like us are shining the light of Messiah. Katharine and I serve two Messianic congregations, both connected to local churches. Beth Shalom, the “House of Peace,” began in our home over 15 years ago. Today, approximately 100 of our Bible students gather for a monthly Shabbat celebration where we feast on food and the Scriptures and share testimonies containing beautiful expressions of Yeshua.

Our other group, Beit Abba, “The Father’s House,” is newer and is an outreach of a local congregation of over 5,000 with offshoots throughout the Bay Area. We meet two Fridays each month in a celebration with over 250 in attendance and a “Havurah” (fellowship/Bible study) that draws roughly 75. We include a formal Torah reading, and both gatherings are flavored with traditional ceremony such as candle lighting, reciting the Shema, prayers over cup and bread, and periodic children’s blessings and mourners’ prayers (kaddish). These traditional touches help Jewish visitors feel comfortable while they address the most vital issues:

Is Yeshua the Messiah?… and is He the Son of God? Can I believe in Him and remain a Jew?
What will happen to me if I join these believers in Yeshua? How will I address these issues with my family?

We use many Bible-teaching materials from Zola Levitt Ministries to equip our people to face the consternation of their friends and family. Many report getting caught up in the excitement of their discovery: “I am not alone! There is a worldwide movement of Jewish people becoming talmidim (students, disciples) of Jesus, and gentile Believers discovering the Hebraic basis for their life in Messiah!”

Our congregations have been very blessed by the pastors whose San Francisco Bay-area churches host our Jewish ministries. The New Life Christian Center in Novato and the Father’s House in Vacaville/Napa have been forerunners in understanding the Church’s obligation to live Genesis 12:1–3 (blessing the sons of Abraham). Not content to admire the “dead Jews” of Bible history, these leaders are posing these questions to their attendees:

  • What should the contemporary Church think of Jewish people in Israel and around the world?
  • How should we express the Gospel to the Jews—this tiny segment of humanity who gave us everything we love about spiritual life, but now seem to resist the love we have found in Messiah?
  • What will partnership with Messianic leaders produce, and how can we train our people to accept them?

These are righteous questions, and living them out has been a joyful adventure.

One of Zola’s legacies to this groundbreaking ministry is his confronting controversy head-on. ZLM is producing a set of television programs that will plant some very controversial “hot topics” before our viewers in the next few months. Katharine’s and my new teachings will challenge the status quo regarding ownership and control of the Temple Mount. After verifying the historical reality of King David, we will discuss what that implies for an undivided ownership of Jerusalem.

Katharine and I are putting the finishing touches on dynamic interviews with prophecy experts and others who seek to increase understanding of the End Times, especially the roles of America and Israel. This new TV series should spur beneficial debate and even some theological head-butting among our viewers. Your donations make these programs possible. I hope you will help us expand the reach of God’s message through Zola Levitt Presents.

We are ready.

Our good friend, Walid Shoebat, is a former PLO terrorist, now Zionist champion and author. He alerts us to the Muslim world’s machinations with the dormant West. On more than one occasion he has quipped, “Myles, the Jews will argue until they give you a headache. The Muslims will take your head off! That’s a big difference!”

I think of Walid’s observation whenever I am around those treasured men and women who have been delivered from the clutches of Islam. Once they turn to Yeshua, they are the most courageous soldiers of the Gospel. Muslim Background Believers (MBBs) are full of love and light, and no one can dissuade them from serving wherever the Lord Messiah Yeshua asks.

Our friend Khalida is an MBB. Born in Bethlehem, her painful history typifies what you might expect for a woman in a Middle Eastern Muslim culture. Caught in the Arab/Israeli conflict, she suffered hardships from both sides. Along the way, God saved her soul miraculously, although the effects of her early life continued to haunt her.

We met at the 2005 “One New Man” conference in the San Francisco Bay area. David and Karen Davis from Carmel Assembly in Israel shared the speaking and worship responsibilities with Walid. A local Arab pastor and I led the communion service, demonstrating together God’s answer to the Jewish/Arab conflict. Yeshua is Sar Shalom, the Prince of Peace.

Khalida’s story took a compassionate and personal turn at our conference. Upon hearing the restoration testimonies from Haifa on Mt. Carmel, she was “rocked,” as the kids say. David and Karen told tales of Muslim and Jewish drug addicts finding freedom in the Lord together. Orphans and refugees from Africa and Russia had found a loving home in the arms of Messiah and among His people. The stories touched us all. Khalida was swept up in the healing virtue of Yeshua. Her distrust and hatred of Jews was no match for the power of His love. Khalida was soaring in the heavenlies, alternately convicted, uplifted, and healed from all of her deeply held wounds, including rage against the Jews.

Since then, she has been on a journey of self-discovery and Yeshua-discovery. As part of Beth Shalom, she often brings a testimony of someone she has led to Yeshua. Khalida has been on Sid Roth’s It’s Supernatural! and Jonathan Bernis’s Jewish Voice TV programs.

In a master stroke that only God could design, she and our first-born son, Jonathan, will be serving on a medical and missions tour in Ethiopia this spring. They are going to the Lemba tribes, the ancient Jewish people of Africa. So, a former Muslim and the son of a Jewish disciple touching the world together in the name of the Name above all names! Hallelujah! Truly, He is the God of the impossible. The things that are impossible with man are possible with God. (Mark 10:27)

Please pray for Khalida and us as we prepare a service/seminar to take to congregations: From Rage to Restoration—God’s triumphant wave during our era, as Yeshua’s sacrificial love trumps the hatred that mankind can stir up and promulgate. Katharine will teach on the role of the gentile Church, and Khalida will demonstrate the new way Muslims love when the Master touches them. I will bring the theological grounding and overview of His plan for the End Times. We believe that God will deliver people from anti-Semitism, anti-Arabism, and deep wounds in their lives. Please pray about these possibilities!

In God’s timing, this month Zola Levitt Presents airs the continuing history of Abraham: Father of Faith. Viewers will see:

The Covenant.
God makes a covenant with Abram. Myles interviews Itamar Marcus, whose Palestinian Media Watch translates and analyzes the message in Arab-language media and schoolbooks. His powerful team quietly and systematically provides this service for all who have ears to hear.

We take a break in Abraham’s story to run our annual Passover program:

Messiah in the Passover.
Myles and Katharine Weiss demonstrate and explain the origin and significance of Passover. Our Messiah can be seen through the very elements of this ancient ceremony, the crown jewel of the biblical feasts.

Then, back to the Abraham series with a program that clearly illustrates the origins of the Middle East’s troubles:


Scene from Abraham: Father of Faith
The Conflict.
Sarai and Hagar have a falling out, but God makes a provision for Hagar and the sons of Ishmael. This is a pivotal part of the story because it sets up our understanding of the relationship between the blessed son—Ishmael—and the covenant son still to come: Isaac.
The Promised Son.
Finally, after decades of delayed gratification, Abraham and Sarah receive the son of covenant, Isaac, whose name means laughter. Viewers will receive a deeper, richer understanding of the roots of planetary conflict when they are exposed to the story of Isaac and Ishmael. Conflict separates Abraham and Lot. Katharine interviews Rachel Lipkin, an Egyptian-born Jewish interpreter of Arabic-language media.

The best way to understand today’s news headlines is to view world events through the lens of Scripture. And that lens is clearest in the land of Israel. I encourage you to come with Zola Tours on the “journey of a lifetime.” As Zola said, “A trip to Israel is worth more than ten years of Sunday School.” Let us show you Israel! You’ll come away with a refreshed spirit, an enhanced Bible study, and an ability to discern current events from a “God’s-eye viewpoint.”

Start planning now for one of our Fall Tour options below. We’ve recently reduced our package prices to offer better values than ever.

Deluxe Tour (Israel only)Oct. 19–28 $3,988
Grand Petra (Israel/Petra)Oct. 19–31 $4,988
Grand Athens (Greece/Israel)Oct. 13–28 $6,488
Ultra Grand (Greece/Israel/Petra)Oct. 13–31 $7,488

Prices include excursions, taxes, fuel surcharges, & tips.

Sandra, our tour manager, can help you select a study tour to suit your preferences. Please visit levitt.com/tours, email , or call 214-696-9760.

Every time this ministry increases understanding between Jews and Arabs as we anticipate the Lord’s return, we touch the heart of God. Your participation with prayer and finances speeds us on this mission.

Our television relationships are improving as we pursue more Bible-friendly broadcasters. TLN (Total Living Network) and Zola Levitt Ministries have come to a godly arrangement for broadcasting our weekly Zola Levitt Presents. Jerry Rose, (r) the owner/manager of the national network, respects Ken Berg (top), our television producer, from when they worked together in the early days of Christian TV. My providential meeting with Jerry Rose last year, and his high regard for Ken, helped “seal the deal.”

Additionally, Daystar TV Network—another of our national broadcast partners—is doing a phenomenal work in Israel. I recounted an instance in Jerusalem in which ZLP and Daystar were lauded, and coverage of my report led to an unsolicited on-air promotion for our program. Our progress with TLN and Daystar comprises intangible advances that will produce tangible rewards.

That concept also touches our relationship with you. Every month, I hear from TV viewers and Levitt Letter readers that God is using this ministry to advance you in many ineffable, spiritual ways. Todah Rabah (thank you very much) for your encouraging reports.

Please join the many supporters who regularly send a nominal financial contribution. Taken together, those humble amounts add up tremendously and help to expand our work for the Lord. We are determined to see the sons of Ishmael and the sons of Isaac find peace together through the Son of God. He is the only answer!

Until I see you, please remember to Sha’alu shalom Yerushalayim—Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6)

Your brother and messenger, —Myles
Myles

P.S. If God can get Muslims and Jews to love each other, what can He do for you?

Zola Levitt Ministries is ECFA approved

Featured Products

Donation

Donation

“Here is my donation for April. Please use it for television programs and news magazines that explain the Temple Mount conflict.”

Journey of Restoration

“Journey of Restoration” video

A ten-part pilgrim’s perspective during a study tour in Israel. Join pilgrims touring Israel, pastored by Myles and Katharine Weiss.

Coming: The End!—Russia & Israel in Prophecy

“Coming: The End!—Russia & Israel in Prophecy” book

This study of one of the first upcoming End Times prophecies is vital reading for all who believe the Scriptures. There is even a chapter on “A Strategy for Unbelievers,” to tell those who do not believe how to cope with the Tribulation Period! Steadily updated, this basic book of prophecy analyzes the world situation in most enlightening and sometimes surprising terms.

The Second Coming

“The Second Coming” study booklet

Various theories of the Lord’s return and the Kingdom examined in detail. The return of the Lord and the establishment of His Kingdom on Earth. Exact scriptural information contrasting the Second Coming and the Rapture of the Church.

Share This Page