David Brickner is the Executive Director of Jews for Jesus. He is a fifth generation Jewish believer in Jesus. It was through the ministry of Jews for Jesus in the 1970s that David rededicated his life to the Lord while a music student at Boston University. His desire to tell others about Jesus became stronger, and he enrolled in Moody Bible Institute. On staff with Jews for Jesus since 1977, David has served as leader of our mobile evangelistic music and drama team, The Liberated Wailing Wall; Director of our Chicago and New York branches; and Minister-at-Large. In 1996, David took on his current position as Executive Director. He and his wife, Patti, have two children.

See the latest news on the Jews for Jesus site......http://realtime.jewsforjesus.org/48/

JEWS FOR JESUS

A Note From David Brickner : Timed to Undermine?

by David Brickner

March 16, 2007 

Jesus makes the front covers of TIME and Newsweek more often than any other person in history. Have you ever noticed how stories about Him usually pop up during the Advent and Lenten seasons? That is understandable since these are historical and spiritual landmarks for Christians. But rather than genuinely exploring the Christian faith or tying in with the celebration of the season, the news stories seem intended either to:

1. challenge the convictions of the faithful
2. distract seekers who might be interested in the scriptural accounts of these events or
3. provide something interesting and entertaining for those who are committed to disbelief.

In any case, it seems that these articles are timed to undermine.

I don't remember seeing many articles at Passover disputing the veracity of the Exodus account. I don't recall reading any stories during Ramadan questioning the behavior or historicity of the accounts of Mohammed. Of course I affirm the truth of the Old Testament and deny the truth of the Koran. But I find it interesting that Jesus seems to be singled out as being or doing other than what He claimed to be and do at the times of year that especially celebrate Him.

The latest media attack on His claim to be the Resurrection and the Life appeared Sunday, March 4, in the form of the recent Discovery Channel special, "The Lost Tomb of Jesus: Evidence That Could Change History." The show had great production values. The story unfolded with edgy suspense; the music was eerily dramatic. James Cameron (of the movie "Titanic" fame) has the skill of a world-class movie producer, while the star of the show, Simcha Jacobovici appeared credible as an "Orthodox" Israeli archeologist. They claimed to unveil the discovery of the literal tomb of Jesus Christ, his "wife" Mary Magdalene, and at least one offspring of the holy couple. The entire piece was actually an elaborate hoax, seemingly designed to secure television ratings, make money and undermine the Christian faith.

Let me summarize a few of the fallacies of the program:

1. The discovery of this tomb is not recent. It was unearthed nearly three decades ago in 1980. Experts who examined it at that time concluded there were no unusual findings. Noted archeologist Amos Kloner, who first examined the tomb, called the Discovery Channel program's claims "nonsense."
2. Jesus and Miriam were very common names (more than 100 tombs and ossuaries have been found inscribed with the name of Jesus) as were Matthew, Judah and Joseph, whose names were also included in the tomb. Concluding that the Jesus and Miriam buried in this tomb were Jesus Christ and His wife would be an incredible leap. It would be like finding a tomb with the names Abe and Mary, and announcing that this must be the real tomb of Abraham Lincoln.
3. The tomb was unearthed in the Jerusalem suburb of Talpiot. Jesus' family was from Nazareth, so it is far more likely that a family tomb would be found there. James, the half-brother of Jesus, was indeed the leader of the Jerusalem Church, but his name is not among those mentioned on the ossuaries. Why would he allow family members to be buried in Talpiot and not Jerusalem?
4. The supposed DNA evidence proves only that the Jesus and Mary buried in the tomb were not from the same bloodline and therefore may have been married. Mary might have been married to any of the other men buried in the tomb as well; but regardless of which if any of the people she was married to, there is no proof that the Jesus in the tomb was Jesus of Nazareth.
5. The Jewish leadership of Jesus' day had an urgent and unfulfilled need to discover the body of Jesus. The apostle's claims about His resurrection turned 1st Century Israel upside down, but all could have been put to rest if the leaders could have disproved their claims. With so much at stake it strains credulity to think that the family burial plot would remain such a well-kept secret until 1980.

Perhaps the Discovery Channel hoped to capitalize on the intense interest the general public showed in the bizarre theories associated with the "DaVinci Code" book and movie. Perhaps money is a driving force behind the sensationalism and seemingly endless slanted critical journalistic attacks on the claims of Christ, but I suspect a darker and more spiritual motive. Many skeptics seem desperate to disprove the Resurrection. Clearly they don't want to deal personally with the implications if it's true. And there seems to be a delight in considering anything that might seem to show the Resurrection to be false, no matter how bizarre or unfounded.

Read articles on these headlines: 

Postcards from Israel Current Articles by David Brickner

JEWISH FACTS OF LIFE.  Jews for Jesus is not the only group that finds the High Holidays a good time to reach out to seekers. Many other Jewish groups, some traditional and some very non-traditional, are inviting seekers… [ Full Article ]

JEWS, CHRISTIANS AND THE STUMBLING BLOCK by J. Lee Grady. Although we are certainly called to love and protect Israel, we cannot back away from sharing...[Full Article]  Reprinted with permission from Charisma Online

To get the full publication click on this link: http://www.jewsforjesus.org/publications/realtime/39

LIVE FROM NEW YORK... IT'S BYG!

I am writing to you from New York, where our missionaries from around the world have gathered for our final Behold Your God (BYG) campaign--actually nine simultaneous evangelistic campaigns--throughout the greater New York metropolitan area.

The campaign began with a bang as the New York Times approached us at the outset for a story. They published their article on July 4. I think it was the fairest secular news story about Jews for Jesus in our 33-year history--and from the New York Times! If you go online (link below) you can see the article AND a four-minute video that the New York Times produced from footage of our missionaries on the street.

That story set off a reaction of media . . . [Full Article]

ALARMIST BELLS IN ISRAEL

It is the nature of the media to zero in on drama -- so it is no surprise that reports on the Middle East always emphasize whatever is most volatile in this troubled region. It is difficult, even for Christians, to avoid being caught up in the hyperbole and overheated rhetoric. Some people are just expressing their heartfelt fears, but then again there are those who seek to exploit the powerful emotion of fear to gain support for their cause. In the heat of the moment it is incumbent upon caring and thoughtful Christians to allow cooler heads to prevail. When it comes to matters in Israel, or anywhere for that matter, only God knows the end from the beginning. The rest of us need to exercise humility when it comes to pronouncements and predictions.

Still, alarmists continue to ring their bells loudly and raise fears.  And while I would not minimize the serious nature of matters in the Middle East, I hope you will consider the following as a balance to some of what you might be hearing.

The Settlements - Many dire warnings have been uttered over efforts to unilaterally withdraw from the Gaza, dismantling Jewish settlements in the process.  Rev. Pat Robertson even attributed the Prime Minister's recent stroke to God's judgment for this. Under pressure, Rev. Robertson apologized for his remarks -- but they are typical of an attitude that is prevalent among some Christians.

Of course, many are far more sensitive in expressing their feelings. Several Christians have approached me with tears of concern over the dismantling of these settlements. When I tell them that the majority of Israelis are in favor of this, they seem shocked. "But what about God's promise of the Land being given to Israel?" they ask. I point out that yes, God did make promises concerning Israel and He will keep every one of them . . . but the promise of Land is conditional upon Israel's obedience. Since Israel is now in disobedience, we cannot assert that divine right without reservations. Further, I don't know anyone who is ready to argue for Israel to try to take today all the land that God promised to Abraham: ". . . to your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates" (Genesis 15:18). Those borders would cede to Israel much of the territory of Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Iraq. I personally believe God will fulfill His promise concerning this territory during the earthly reign of Christ. Until then, Israel is trying to negotiate what she feels is in her best interests in the purpose of peace with her neighbors.

The Palestinians - The Bible says to ". . . love your neighbor as yourself. . ." (Leviticus 19:18), and Israel's most important neighbors are the Palestinians. Of course, that doesn't mean that Israel should give in to terrorists. Some Christians believe that since Hamas won the election, all Palestinians must be in favor of suicide bombings. But that's not true. The Palestinian vote for Hamas was not a vote for terrorism. It was a vote against corruption, and Hamas stood head and shoulders above Yasser Arafat's Fatah party in terms of delivering social services to the Palestinian people.

Only time will tell if Hamas will be able to transform itself into a legitimate government. The odds appear to be against it, but it is not impossible. Certainly Menachem Begin, before he became Israel's Prime Minister, was once a member of Irgun, which many would say was a terrorist organization. The responsibilities that come with governing may be the best possible deterrent to terrorism among Hama loyalists. In the meantime, we must remember that Jesus died for Arabs as well as Jews and He loves them all equally. God promised blessing for the descendants of Ishmael as well as for the descendants of Isaac (Genesis 17:19-20). We should not have an either/or mentality when it comes to caring for Israelis and Palestinians, but rather count on God to fulfill His promises to both.

The Believers - The Bible admonishes, ". . . Let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Galatians 6:10). Concern for our brothers and sisters in the Land of Israel should be a priority, whether they are Israelis or Palestinians. In a recent interview in "Christianity Today," Justus Reid Weiner, scholar-in-residence at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, said, "The P.A. (Palestinian Authority) would like to continue to put forward the image that they are protecting Palestinian Christians. But . . . Christians have left in unprecedented numbers . . . The Christian leaders are intimidated." While things are not nearly as bad for Jewish believers in Jesus, there are problems. We described in a previous "RealTime" the persecution of believers in the city of Arad. http://www.jewsforjesus.org/publications/realtime/27/persecuted Well, things haven't gotten a whole lot better since then. But there is a huge difference to keep in mind here.

When Palestinian Christians are persecuted, the Palestinian government is often complicit in that persecution. But when Jewish believers in Jesus are persecuted, it usually comes from among religious or Orthodox groups and not the government per se. Israel is a democratic country that upholds freedom of religion. Yet a recent letter sent to Christians around the world from the "Messianic Action Committee" implied that legislation may soon be passed that would "criminalize the proclamation of our faith in Jesus." This appears to be a case of some believers "crying wolf." There is no such legislation before the Knesset at this time and most likely a victory for the Kadima party recently formed by Ariel Sharon would give less, not more, power to the religious groups that oppose Christians.  Nevertheless, we should be concerned for the well-being of all believers in the land.

What to do? - The Bible admonishes us to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem. . ." (Psalm 122:6). We should pray for peace between the believers in the land who often find occasion to quarrel with one another. We should also pray for the Prince of Peace to rule and reign in the hearts of unbelievers, both Jews and Palestinians.

Yes, Christians should be concerned about events in the Middle East today. Yet our concerns should not be directed toward the sensational like "ashes of the red heifer" and end times prophecy. Even the current political climate and peace process does not serve well as the focal point of our concern. The only hope for peace is found in the One who was born in the Middle East long ago. Jesus the Messiah is bringing peace to the hearts of Palestinians and Israelis that follow Him. When Arabs and Jews can say to one another, "I love you in Jesus' name," the world will see the reconciling power of the gospel. That is our hope. Let's be careful not to pay too much attention to those alarmists ringing bells of fear. Instead, let's stand with those who ring the gospel bell of peace through Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

BEHOLD YOUR GOD

Please remember to pray for our campaigns going on right NOW in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The leaders, Stan Meyer and Greg Savitt, seem to be in high spirits. The team is looking forward to handing out tracts at the Coconut Grove Art Festival this Saturday-Monday. 750,000 people are expected to attend the festival.  Please pray for divine appointments!