The Man Who Gave Me His Synagogue: Leadership

Me & Paul Stein - Passover 2011 at Beit Messiah

The best people in life are those who not only say they believe in you but give you an opportunity to become what you are called to be and then support you with everything they have.  Truth be told there are not a lot of people in the world like that.  For me, other than my parents, that person is Paul Stein.  Paul has become a spiritual father for me.  He heard me speak in 2006 at Messiah Conference (International Conference of the MJAA) and came and spoke with me following my, first ever, adult class.  I had been in youth ministry for a few years and my dad gave me opportunities to preach but this was the first time I spoke with original material to a group of adults on a national level.

Following the class, Paul asked me if I would come to Seattle and speak to his congregation.  He offered to pay for the flight, hotel and food while I was in town and I felt like a big shot!  In 2007, I came to Seattle and spoke at Beit Messiah (now Restoration).  The Stein family wined and dined me and even took me to a Seattle Mariners game on Sunday.  It was a great trip.  I went home to New York and back to working with my parents.  By 2008, Laura and I knew that it was time to move on from working with my parents and begin to experiment and try some of my ideas for reaching my generation with the Gospel of Yeshua.

In 2009, we ended up in Maryland to lead a congregation.  It was quite a difficult year for me professionally.  I was a rookie rabbi with a new group of people in a new place.  We made some great friends in Maryland but it was also the most challenging experience in leading a congregation with such divergent views among the leadership, particularly in supporting a young new rabbi. There were so many things I could have done better there and decisions, in hindsight, I should not have made. As hard times often go though, it was great for our marriage because it forced us to lean more on each other and seek the Lord together.

At the end of ten months the congregation in Maryland did not want to move forward with me as their Rabbi and gave us three months severance.  I let a group of rabbi’s know that I was looking for another congregation and within twenty four hours I received a call from Paul Stein in Seattle. 

Paul didn't want to know much about what went wrong in Maryland and asked if we would fly to Seattle to candidate to lead Beit Messiah in Seattle.  I’m a New Yorker.  I was raised to never leave New York.  Some estimate there are still two million Jewish people in New York most of which need to hear the message of Yeshua. Maryland, between Baltimore and Washington D.C. is about three hundred thousand Jewish people.  Seattle has forty thousand.  My question for God was “why would you take me out of such large markets of need for the Gospel and send me to such a small market?”  God’s answer was something to the effect of “it’s none of your business!”

Looking back on these events now I am astonished that Paul trusted and supported me to lead a community he had been faithfully serving (and really kept together) for seven years. By April of 2010, (the exact end of my severance) Paul essentially gave me his congregation (He would say “The Lord’s congregation”).  He stepped down as leader and after six months he had the entire Board of Beit Messiah resign so that I could establish my own Board and move forward with a team that was my own.  Paul stayed on the Board of the congregation for two and a half years and was my biggest supporter and champion.  He relentlessly encouraged me and pushed me to be myself and try some of the things I had been dreaming of.  He not only gave me a salary but gave me his platform.  He leveraged his influence in our small congregation so that I could begin a process of becoming what God had called me to be.  He had no regard for his own reputation and totally trusted this then 31 year old to run with a vision and direction for our congregation in Seattle. I have come to love the city of Seattle with all my heart. I love living in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.  I have wanted to be  a Messianic rabbi my whole life and never would have imagined living in this part of the country.  But, almost four years into living here I could not imagine it any other way.  

Paul has been through some really crazy things in the last few years including loosing his sister, his mom, having a stroke and also welcoming his first grandchild into the world.  I pray for Paul, Miria, his kids and his family everyday. I don’t say that as a polite thing to say. I pray for Paul everyday and we get together for lunch as often as we can. For me Paul Stein will always be the guy who gave me a shot.  He has become a spiritual father for me because he went all in for me.  He put everything he had on the line for me.  He believed in me for what he believed God would use me to do not because I had a track record.  He is like Paul, writer of most of the New Testament, and I am Timothy who Paul called his “son in the faith.”

In 2012 and 2013, God has opened incredible doors and opportunities for me to MC and speak and MC at many important Messianic Jewish events.  I MC’d the Asheville Music Festival. I was a speaker and panelist at the last two MLR’s with Jewish Voice Ministries in Phoenix.  I spoke at Messiah 2013 on YMJA night. I MC’d a service at the national conference of the UMJC and was the keynote speaker at Jews For Jesus Ingathering East 2013.  Here’s the point.  I have a resume now and it will only continue to grow (God willing).  But, everything I have done so far and everything I will do comes from that crazy moment in 2006 when Paul Stein heard me speak and began praying, even then, that I would come to Seattle.  Everything that is happening for me professionally goes back to the moment when Paul Stein chose to believe in what he saw in me and then put everything he had on this young unproven leader.  

Messianic Judaism needs more Paul Steins -- more old guys that believe in more young guys. Proven leaders who choose to believe that God has good plans for young leaders.  and then…giving them opportunity and support to become what they are called to be.  Anything that I ever do, all opportunities that God gives me from this point on, will be because Paul gave me his congregation, passed the baton, and continues to encourage me…his last email to me this week said, “You are doing a great job. Continue on the path that God has placed before you.  You are strong in the Lord and He will continue to bless the work of your hands.”

Thank you, Paul.  Thank you for believing in me and taking a chance on me.  Thank you for seeing me for what I can be and giving me so many opportunities to succeed.  I thank God everyday for you and pray that so many of my friends will find their own Pauls.  I want my whole life to be about making Yeshua famous among my people, Israel, and every nation under heaven. I thank God for putting you in my life to encourage me and push me to be everything God wants me to be!  

Our relationship is the definition of what our people call L’dor v’dor (from Generation to Generation). Paul, I owe you another lunch this month. I love you man!

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The Happy Rabbi

Here is proof that I am happy all the time.  My daughter, Emma (7), wrote about me in her homework for this week.  "My Dad is happy all the time" and it is usually true except for the times it is not.  I am a big believer in the idea that meanings of name matter.  It comes from the traditions of the Bible in which children were named based on what happened during pregnancy, birth, or a prophecy concerning their future decisions and life.  

When my mom was pregnant with me, a woman in the church (before Messianic Judaism) they were attending came up to her, put her hands on my mom's belly, and said "This will be a happy child."  So my parents named me Matthew Asher.  Matthew means "God's gift" and Asher means "Happy".  So, together, my name means God's gift of happiness.  My normal disposition is happy.

I have many years of pictures with the same happy face and I am teaching the next generation the ways of the happy face.  I love being happy.  I have found that in the many circumstances of life there are all kinds of attempts to steal my happiness and joy.  There are critics that don't like what I do, how I dress, my love for comic books, my love for movies, my love for God, etc.  There is a whole spiritual realm that are the enemies of God that would love to see me depressed, sad, complaining and frustrated. There are some that say I shouldn't be so transparent and live my life so publicly. There are a variety opinions of how I should live my life.

So, here it is: I am happy! I can't help but be happy because of the grace and mercy of God on my life. I can't help but be happy because I have a beautiful wife, Laura, and God has given us three awesome kids.  I can't help but be happy because I don't deserve anything that I have in life; yet, God saw fit to give all of it to me. I can't help but be happy because I serve an amazing congregation, Beit Messiah, in a super awesome city, Seattle. I follow Yeshua (Jesus) and I am happy because He gave His life for me so that I could follow Him with all of my heart, soul and strength...and He deserves all credit, glory, and honor for anything good that I am or do!

Here is the new theme verse for my life:

1 Timothy 1:15-16

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Messiah Yeshua came into the world to save sinners –of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Messiah Yeshua might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life.”

I admit my goal is to not be like anyone who has come before me.  I admit that I like to break "rules" for what a rabbi is supposed to look and act like. I am quite comfortable and confident in my own skin. I like myself. I like the way God made me. I recognize that without Yeshua I would still be stuck in, and defined by, my sin. I am happy because Yeshua has set me free from the expectations of the world around me and wants me to live according to His expectations for me, which is to be awesome and bring Him glory.

Word to the wise: don't try to steal my happiness. It won't work. I'm the Happy Rabbi.

Are you happy? Are there people trying to steal your happiness? What do you do about it?

Great Messianic Preachers

Lots of people ask me "What Messinaic Preachers should I listen too?!"  Here is a list to get started.  They are all my friends and some are relatives but they are all great preachers!

Rabbi Cosmo Panzetta

Rabbi Tim Hyslip

Dr Jacob Rosenberg

Rabbi Jason Sobel

Rabbi David Rosenberg 

Sha'arei Shalom, Cary, NC

Aytz Chayim, Boca Raton, FL

Enjoy!

Of course don't forget to listen to my sermons!

And Beit Messiah has it's own app for smart phones and tablets!!

Click here to download the app for iPhone, iPad and Android.

Click here to download the app for Windows Mobile.

Rabbi Matt Rosenberg Approved

My Behind Before Me!

It's funny to see where you were born. Two weeks ago I did just that.  I went to the place of my birth for the first time since just about when I was born.  Ashland is a funky little town in southern Oregon surrounded by mountains and inhabited by hippies.  Yes, still.   It is a town known for Shakespeare but in my family it is known as Beth El.  Beth El is the place where our forefathers go, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  It is the place where Jacob commits his life to the Lord and God becomes Jacob's God and not just "The God of his fathers".

Thirty something years ago my parents were hippies.  They left New Jersey together and drove across the county in a nasty little van that they lived in until they could scrounge up enough to live in an apartment. They had my brother Jake in a hospital. But three years later (1979) they did it the "natural" way and decided to do a home birth.  Two weeks ago with my parents on the phone I walked up to the apartment where I was born and I knocked on the door. A skinny dude with a winter hat and a big beard came to the door.  I told him I was born in his apartment and he said in true Oregon hippie fashion, "Come on in man!" His wife came out of the kitchen with super long dreads and the apartment smelled like incense (maybe?!).  I felt like I was meeting my parents from thirty two years ago! It was surreal.  I went upstairs and looked at the little room where I came into existence and thought "man, this is crazy!"

I'm a New Yorker. Right now I am a New Yorker who lives in Seattle.  I love Seattle.  It's a funky, cool city and, yes, also still full of hippies.  Almost two years ago I was flying out to Seattle to find an apartment for my family.  I stopped in San Diego to attend a Bar Mitzvah and then San Francisco.  Flying from San Francisco to Seattle took me right over Crater Lake.  As I flew over I sensed the Lord saying to me "Welcome home, Matt." I tried to convince God that I am a New Yorker, which He knows, but I understood that for this time in my life I belong in the Northwest.  God has great things that He wants to do in me and through me here!

Back to Beth El (Ashland).  I have heard all of my life about Crater Lake, Lithia Park, the mountains, the Ashland Foursquare Church and Johnny Otto.  While in Maryland John and I had talked on the phone many times but I had never met him, as an adult.  I was excited to meet him and see all that I had heard about!

John is an awesome guy. He is 83 and has been serving the Lord for a long time. It's a funny thing to meet someone and hear yourself and your dad in his voice.  John is my Dad's spiritual father. If my dad is Timothy (from the Bible), John is Paul.  He taught my dad about the Lord; prayed with him in Lithia Park and encouraged him to follow the Lord with his whole life.  In those days neither of them had much money. My parents were in HUD housing and on food stamps.  They could hardly afford to have coffee together.  But they did. Met early. Prayed. Talked and trusted the Lord together.

I needed to see John and his wonderful wife, Becky.  I needed to see Ashland.  I needed to go backwards to understand my right now.  I needed to see, hear and touch where I started so I could better understand where I'm going.  As John, Becky and I walked in Lithia Park, John wanted me to see the places where he and my dad spent time praying.  One of the paths was grown over and we had to climb some rocks. John no longer walks very well but he was determined to get to the spot.  We got there and prayed and I had an opportunity to bless the man who taught my dad who taught me.  I am who I am because Johnny Otto took my dad under his wing and imparted everything he knew about the faithfulness of God to him.

Sometimes I find myself discouraged.  Sometimes ministry totally stresses me out. Sometimes I stress myself out.  Now, I think of my Beth El (Ashland) and am faced with the reality of the faithfulness of God.  In my family I am only a second generation follower of Yeshua.  If my children choose to walk with Yeshua, they will be third generation.  On my wife's side, her family has been walking with Yeshua for around 400 years.  Talk about God's faithfulness in bringing Laura and me together.  Of course as a Jew, my ancestors have walking with God for 5000 years.  There has been a lot of walking and I am grateful to God for both sides of my children's heritage.

So here in 2011, I discovered something I will take with me for the rest of my life.  The God of my fathers is awesome!  My journey has been awesome!  I love where I come from, where I am and where I am going.  I love that my passport says, "Ashland, OR." I love that the Lord has called this New Yorker to Seattle and I love that He is doing awesome things in me and through me.

Where has your journey taken you? 

Want more? listen to my sermon about this trip: Being RIGHTeous

Living on Purpose

Last Shabbat I introduced the new purpose statement and strategy for our Synagogue:

Our Purpose is...
to walk in the likeness of Messiah Yeshua (Messianic Halacha) and partner with Adonai in the healing of the world (Tikkun Olam).

Our Strategy is...
to WORSHIP the God of Israel, LOVE people, BUILD community and SHARE the message of Yeshua with our Jewish people and the nations.

I began a three part preaching series on this new purpose. The first message was on the first part of this purpose, "to walk in the likeness of Messiah Yeshua" or what we call "Messianic Halacha". (listen to podcast here)

It is hard to live without purpose. The question "why am I here?" has the ability to be encouraging or depressing depending on where your answers come from. For the life of our Synagogue it is important to determine "why are we here?". This new purpose is an attempt to answer that question.

What does it mean to walk in the likeness of Messiah?  What is "Messianic Halacha"?  Halacha means "to walk" and Messianic means "follower of Messiah".  I realize that orthodox Judaism has the market cornered on Halacha.  There are rulings and traditions that go back thousands of years.  I am not negating that entirely.  But, for our Synagogue, our goal is to "walk in the likeness of Messiah Yeshua."  In order to follow a "Messianic Halacha" all Halacha, in fact all we do in life, must be re-examined and re-thought through in light of the Messiah and what He would do.

You may remember a few years ago lots of people were wearing WWJD? (what would Jesus do?) bracelets.  My dad would always answer, "He would go to Synagogue!"  The focus of the WWJD? movement seemed to be on spiritual principals.  How would Jesus love in this situation?  But there is a practical side to the question as well.  What would Yeshua do on Shabbat?  What holidays would Yeshua celebrate?  There are things that He did in his life that we strive to do in our Synagogue.  With the same reasoning that Yeshua used; that it is commanded in Torah.

Whenever we get into this discussion it is important to point out that this is not for everyone.  None of the commandments have to do with salvation.  Not doing specific commandments does not make you lower in God's eyes.  Keeping specific commandments does not make you higher in God's eyes.  For our Synagogue, we want to be a community striving to be like Yeshua in specific ways.  We are made up of Jewish people and Gentile people who are striving together to be like Him!

This will blow your mind: We (humans) were made in God's image (Genesis 1:26).  Then Yeshua came into the world in our image (Philippians 2:7; Romans 8:3).  Then we are told to be conformed to His image (Romans 8:28-29; 1 Corinthians 15:45-49). Why? Because we were made in Adam's image and walk in sin like Adam and Yeshua came as the second Adam so we could be like Him!! (Romans 5:15; 1 Corinthians 15:22).  WOW!  That will make you dizzy.  I'm dizzy.

So, we are made in God's image and we marred the image by falling into sin.  God came in our image so that we could be transformed into His image again!  If we want to be like Yeshua we walk in love, patience, kindness and all that good stuff. but it also means we don't take any junk from people who are looking to trip us up for believing what we believe!

When I was 14 my dad led a Tuesday night Bible study.  A Jewish man who did not believe in Yeshua came up to my dad looking to trip him up.  The man asked, "My grandfather was an observant orthodox Jew who kept Torah to the best of his ability.  He never heard the Gospel of Yeshua in his life.  Is he in heaven or hell?"  My dad answered, "God did not make me judge of where people go.  But, I can tell you where you are going because you have heard of Yeshua and what he did for you!"  BAM!  As a 14 year old I thought to myself this is what it must have been like when Yeshua flipped the tables and spoke with such authority that people froze in their tracks.  Even then, at 14, God began a work in me to strive to be like Yeshua.  Why?  because He is God and He came in my image so that I could be transformed into more of His likeness everyday.

I mess up.  I don't always represent Him well.  I say the wrong thing often.  I hurt people.  but, I know that God is doing a work in me to be more like Him.  I will not give up.  I will not turn back.  I want to be more like Him in every part of my life.

how about you?

To me, that is what it means to "walk in the likeness of Messiah Yeshua"!  Stay tuned for the next part of The Purpose of Beit Messiah: "the healing of the world".  Or come and hear it this Shabbat (Directions To Beit Messiah).  Peace and Love!

Rabbi's Conference

yes! Rabbi's have a conference!  I am getting ready to go down to Orlando for the IAMCS (International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues) on January 1st.  We meet for three days and have sessions on leadership, preaching, teaching, and congregational finances.  We also take a lot of time for prayer (which is a good idea when a bunch of Rabbi's get together :).

It really is a great few days and is always a refreshing time for me both personally and professionally.  My parents both attend as do many friends that are also in Messianic leadership.  If you think of it, pray for this conference.  As we approach 2011 there will be many new things happening at Beit Messiah (www.beitmessiah.com) and I am hopeful that this conference will be refreshing, enlightening, and encouraging.  A preparation of sorts.  getting ready and recharged for all the new things that we will do this year.  I am excited to go and also excited to get back.

I am extremely thankful for our amazing community in Seattle that is MORE than encouraging as we continue to settle in to our new city and congregation.  Laura and I are living in an extremely blessed time of our lives!

ready...set...go!

Why do I need a blog?  why jump in the game now?  These are some questions that come to my mind as I begin this new endeavor of writing and keeping a blog.  First, I have always loved to write but have also feared that my writing would be subject to criticism (gulp).  Second, I am terrible with grammar and for fear of looking dumb I have kept myself from writing (and I PROMISE my grammar will never be good).  Third, are my thoughts worth it?  At 31 years old I have decided they are!

So, what is the point? Meshugas is Yiddish for "craziness; foolishness, nonsense."  It also starts with an "M" and sounds great with my name...So, take it or leave it but here we go...

I plan to use this blog as a place for me to be me.  I hope to be honest and open and give people (who are interested) a better picture of who I am.  I often get comments like, "I have never met a Rabbi like you!" or "Your a Rabbi?!"  The truth is I am a Messianic Rabbi but I don't believe that means I cannot be a human being.  I have feelings, thoughts, pains, hopes and lots of joy!  and I intend to share all of that.

Before I was a Rabbi I was a son.  I love my parents (Rabbi David and Helene Rosenberg).  They are amazing people of deep passion and faith that drives them to love God and people better.  I am thankful for everything that they have invested in me and the love they poured out on me.  When teachers said, "he can't focus" or "he is a trouble maker" my parents worked hard to make sure I understood that my energy was an awesome gift that would enable me to do awesome things.  Speaking of being a trouble maker...my teachers were right...I still am!  I like to believe that my "trouble making" will lead to good things and I know that is from my parents who are both "trouble makers" in their own right!

when I became a son I also became a little brother.  I more than look up to my brother Jake.  He is one of the most talented artists and deepest thinkers I know.  I value his opinions because I know he wants the best for me and pushes me to be better.  We have come a long way from the days when he use to pin me to the ground and hold my mouth open and try to spit in my mouth.  I am proud of my brother, his wife heather and my niece Rachel and all that they are accomplishing as a family.

a few years later I became an older brother.  Avi is awesome!  He is deep and extremely gifted in so many ways.  One word that defines my little brother (who bigger, stronger and more fit than I) is determination.  When he wants to do something it will happen.  If he dreams he strives to accomplish his dreams with tenacity.  I am proud of my little brother and know that anything he puts his hands to will turn out to be something beautiful.

One of the greatest goals of my short life was finding my wife!  Laura is so much more than the woman I imagined.  Her gifts and talents do far more than balance mine.  She is exceptionally creative, extremely hopeful and more beautiful every day that we grow older together.  She is the funniest person in the world and nobody makes me laugh and smile more than my wife.  and man is she sexy!  I mean really sexy!  The title I value most is "Laura's husband".

After I become a husband I became a father.  Emma, Siri, and Ty bring me endless joy and more laughter than I ever thought there would be.  They are each so different and it amazes me everyday that the combination of Laura and I have produced such ridiculously cute, hysterical, energy filled, awesome kids (maybe i'm not that surprised).

I was born in Ashland, Oregon.  Spent some of my childhood in Philadelphia, California, New Jersey and most of my childhood in New York.  I value my Jewish identity (and I don't care who thinks I am a Jew or not), and I value my faith in Yeshua my Messiah who is the visible image of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  I am a Messianic Rabbi of a fantastic Synagogue (www.beitmessiah.com) on Mercer Island and I am so happy to be enjoying the beauty of the amazing northwest and our new city, Seattle!

So, thats me (so far)!  I know there is going to be so much more and for better or worse this blog will be my "meshugas".  I hope it will be also be funny and enjoyable.  There will be theology from time to time.  and it will always have some relationship to my relationship with the One who created me.

follow, if you would like.  As I attempt to follow my Messiah Yeshua with all of my heart, soul and strength!