Paul Luckraft reviews resources from Maoz, a Messianic charity that supports Jewish and Arab believers in Israel.

Here are two very informative and worthwhile booklets, written by Ari and Shira Sorko-Ram, Messianic Jews who have been pioneers in Israel’s Messianic Jewish movement for over 40 years. Ari and Shira founded Maoz, a non-profit charitable organisation supporting both Jewish and Arab believers in Israel.

Please see the base of the article for full ordering details.

To the Jew First

To the Jew First is written by Ari and explains the principle found in Scripture that God has assigned a specific order to the way he works out his purposes. Without this God-designed order or prioritising, things often don’t line up or bear fruit. But following this divine ordering can produce much blessing.

Chapter two is particularly valuable as Ari uses the biblical calendar and harvest cycle to explain how each of us can increase our individual fruitfulness by observing the period between Passover and Pentecost, the time in the Jewish calendar known as ‘counting the omer’.

Even those familiar with the Feasts and how to observe them may have missed this important concept. At Passover we celebrate our liberation and consequent freedom; at Pentecost we want to dedicate ourselves afresh to God for a new infilling and greater service. But between these two events are 50 days in which we can identify any new seed God has planted in our lives, some new first-fruits to be offered back to him as the beginning of a new harvest and period of fruitfulness. As we count through these 50 days we are to take special care of these gifts - nurturing and watering them, and pulling out the weeds that might choke them. Due attention at this time can lead to a greater harvest later.

Following God’s divine ordering and priorities can produce much blessing.

But the main point of the booklet is that Israel has been chosen first in God’s plans and if we don’t recognise this then our ministry will not be as blessed as we would wish. Here is the bigger picture in which we all operate. Israel is God’s first-born and his first-fruits among the nations. What we do to these fruit-fruits affects our harvest. Whatever our particular calling and wherever God might want us to serve, we need to recognise this fact.

The author quotes the example of Reinhard Bonnke. He was called to Africa but told by the Lord to pray for Israel. This puzzled him until the Lord responded with “If you pray for Israel, I will give you Africa.” Serve elsewhere, but pray for Israel!

It is pleasing to note that the author provides a more accurate translation of Romans 1:16 using the Complete Jewish Bible, namely “…to the Jew especially, but equally to the Gentile.” It is easy to dismiss ‘to the Jew first’ as merely being a chronological fact when instead we should see God’s prioritising principle at work regarding the Gospel. Salvation came to the Jews for the sake of all nations, and salvation came to the nations to bring Israel back to her Messiah and bring God’s purposes to complete fulfilment. Blessings all round!

Israel’s Call

Israel’s Call is written by Shira and is subtitled ‘How you can help her fulfil it’. The intention is to create a better understanding between Jews and Christians and to break down the barriers of communication between them. In particular, the aim is to help Christians who love Israel to become more effective in sharing the Gospel with Jewish people. This is the special focus of the first section, entitled ‘A guide to sharing the good news with the Jewish people.’

There are many helpful comments and suggestions here, such as which words to avoid (e.g. convert, mission), as well as some crucial points to be aware of, for instance that Jew’s conception of a Christian is a person without God – that is, the true God of Israel. The author is quite clear that in evangelising Jewish people the key ideas of repentance and faith in Jesus cannot be avoided.

Shira intends to create a better understanding between Jews and Christians and break down barriers of communication between them.

The longer second section deals with questions that often arise in discussions with Jewish people. Such topics include the Trinity, the nature of atonement, why so-called Christians are often anti-Semitic, and the role of Paul as the ‘creator of Christianity.’

One interesting section considers Jewish expectation of their Messiah when he comes if he is not Yeshua. Without his prior sacrifice for sins, how will he deal with evil and set up the Kingdom of God?

There are also helpful sections on the Holocaust and how the Jewish people regard being the chosen people. Perhaps most surprising is the length of the section on kashrut (the dietary laws) but this becomes apparent when it is realised that many Jews believe Jesus and the New Testament cancelled these laws and taught (or at least encouraged) the eating of pork!
It should be noted that this booklet was formerly entitled ‘I became as a Jew’ just in case you already have it under that name. If you don’t have a copy, then here is a highly recommended resource for those engaged in these sorts of conversations with Jewish friends.

‘Israel’s Call’ and ‘To the Jew First’ are available from Maoz for £3 each, or £5 for both, including P&P.

Novels from Maoz

Also available from Maoz are two novels in a projected trilogy by Ron Cantor. The first, Identity Theft, sets the tone in which David, a young Jewish man seeking after truth, is granted supernatural experiences to show him how Christianity in general and Jesus in particular were separated early on from their Jewish roots. Hence the title – Jesus’ true identity was stolen from him as the Church developed along non-Hebraic lines.

The author’s approach is to have David flying off with an angel into a celestial classroom and be supernaturally transported to various ancient historical locations where he meets biblical characters who correct his mistaken views on Christianity gained through his Jewish, anti-Christian upbringing. David is eventually convinced that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah and it would seem that he is being prepared for a big evangelistic role among the Jewish people which will become the main theme of the third book.

Meanwhile, the second book, Jerusalem Secret, continues in much the same way. In one section David spends a lot of time with the Apostle Paul who explains and expounds his own letter to the Romans in order to correct the misunderstandings and errors frequently made by theologians and preachers! At points like this the book is more sermon than story. The novel is merely a vehicle to convey information. David is simply told things rather than led to discover them, which is a main weakness of both books.

However, he does have a family and the tensions he experiences when back on earth among them certainly adds to the narrative content, especially the times with his sceptical wife, the discussions with his rabbi, and his relationship with his father in the second book (which is likely to become important in the third).

Cantor’s two novels follow a young Jewish man seeking after truth.

Overall, it must be stressed that these are teaching novels and so perhaps it is not surprising that they are rather thin on plot and characterisation. However, the theology and historical facts are accurate and well-presented within the overall framework of the storyline, even if the style becomes rather tedious at times.

The books might work for those who need their eyes opening as to how the Church has become so detached from its Jewish roots but for those who already have a firm grasp of this and are looking to enjoy a good read in novel form then these books might prove disappointing.

‘Identity Theft’ and ‘Jerusalem Secret’ available from Maoz for £10 each (including P&P), or from Amazon.

Ordering Information

Order from Maoz UK by contacting the office: call 02037 405794, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or fill out the contact form on the Maoz website.