50 Days of Omer

At Restoration, we have made it a priority to seek God first in prayer. During this season of counting of the Omer, we have decided to do this collectively as a congregation in the days leading up to Shavuot. Together, we want to trust in His power to impact our lives, our congregation, our city, and our world. The counting begins at sundown on Saturday, March 31 and will end at sundown on Saturday, May 19. Follow along in the News section of the Restoration app or on the Happy Rabbi blog. There will be a new post at 8pm PST each night during the 50 days.

The last 10 days we will encourage a corporate time of fasting and prayer, which starts the evening of May 9 and ends the evening of May 19. The conclusion of this season of prayer will culminate in a congregational picnic on the 50th day, the day of Shavuot - Sunday, May 20 at noon.

Rabbi Matt Returns January 6th!

From Rabbi Matt: This sabbatical has been an amazing experience and I am so grateful for the opportunities these three months afforded me and my family. To spend five weeks in Jerusalem with my family was more than incredible. We were able to celebrate both Yom Kippur and Sukkot in Jerusalem and this was a dream come true for me. To take my children to the locations of some of our favorite Bible stories built family memories that we will talk about for the rest of our lives. So many friends in Israel asked “are you guys moving here?” Laura and I responded in unison “absolutely not!” We have have far to much to do in Seattle! I have read several books for the nourishment of my own soul as well the beginnings of writing a book on the Jewish context of Yeshua, Peter, Paul and the New Testament. Writing has been both difficult and fulfilling and will continue into 2018. I can’t thank my friend and partner in ministry, Aybars Uckun, for leading these three months and by all accounts he has done a fantastic job. Our whole leadership team and wonderful volunteers have done such a great job growing our community during my sabbatical. To say I am stoked to return would be too much of an understatement because I cannot wait to get back and lead our Synagogue into the next 7 years. I believe the best is yet to come for Restoration, the great city of Seattle and all that God is going to do through us in 2018. I can’t wait to preach my first sermon after 14 weeks on the first portion of Exodus. Invite some friends and join us on January 6th. Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, see you in January!

A Time of Rest & Renewal

A Time of Rest & Renewal

As our past seven years have played out together, I’ve learned of other pastor/shepherds who have hit crisis points in their lives and had to go into crisis mode to address it. While I am not at the point of burnout, I’ve been listening and wanting to learn, recognizing that I am, in no way, exempt from the possibilities that led to my colleagues’ situations.

I have been strongly encouraged by many leaders in my life to consider times and seasons of rest and renewed investment into self, and I want to let you know that I, with the blessing of the staff and board of our synagogue, have decided to take a sabbatical of fourteen weeks from September 23 to the end of December.

Our board has been planning and discussing this sabbatical for the last three years. We have been preparing and seeking God as to how it would work and what it would look like. 

I want to be among you as Rabbi for a long time. Seven years in, I want to at least double our time together. I love you and want to walk with you. The truth for any of us is the truth of my life: we belong to the Lord Yeshua, and we are called to obedience. With that in mind, my life is not my own, but I’ve told the Lord that I would love to stay on mission in his kingdom at Restoration for many more years to come. And we want those years to be healthy. So I take this sabbatical as a release to the Lord for more to come, believing that there is an expansion coming both personally and corporately. 

Here’s the truth: I have so loved walking among you for seven years that I want to do everything in my power to be ready for more.

It has been said, “A ministry sabbatical is a release from the routine of the call for the physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual well-being of the ministry leader.” And I am hoping for God to do more than I can imagine with this time.

It started with my family coming to lead Beit Messiah seven years ago and then our name change and  replanting of Restoration almost four years ago. I have come to love the city of Seattle and I love what God is doing in our congregation. I believe that in this past year our leadership has made some serious strides to prepare our synagogue for unprecedented growth. I am convinced that a time of rest, renewal of relationship with Yeshua, deepening of my roots, time with my family, and time to write will help prepare me for the next phase of ministry. 

What will I do in my time away?

The sabbatical will begin with four weeks with my family in Jerusalem, which will include Yom Kippur and Sukkot. I am very excited for this opportunity for my family to celebrate the High Holy Days in Jerusalem, a commandment in the Torah, and help my family grow in our Jewish identity as followers of Yeshua. Following our time in Jerusalem we will spend two weeks in New York with my parents, which lets be honest is mostly for pizza and bagels.

The rest of the sabbatical will be in Seattle with one trip for Laura and I away from our children and a trip by myself to be with my best friend in Philly. We will not attend Restoration during this time but will participate in a variety of other congregations for our edification as a family. 

For the majority of the fourteen weeks, I will spend the mornings writing a book on the Jewish context of Peter and Paul in the book of Acts from the series I preached recently. I also have several books that I will be reading on rest, spiritual growth, and healthy leadership during the sabbatical. 

There are several leaders in my life that I will remain accountable to during my sabbatical and I hope to have made some serious progress in writing, hearing God’s voice, dreaming for the future, and listening to the Holy Spirit.

What will Restoration do in my time away?

I am excited for Aybars Uckun to lead our synagogue during this time. Aybars has proven to be a faithful follower of Yeshua, a devoted husband and father, a constant encourager, and an excellent preacher of the Word of God. This experience will be an incredible opportunity for Aybars to grow as a leader. Please trust him, love him, and help him serve the Lord to the best of his ability. The board of Restoration along with Aybars will not make any major decisions without me during this time as our budget, preaching, and ministry plans will be set for 2018 before I leave at the end September. 

Starting after the High Holy Days we will begin a year of following the Torah and Haftarah cycle. Aybars will preach three different series through the book of Genesis. When I return in January we will go through the book of Exodus and will continue through September of 2018 going through the Torah readings. If you are not familiar with the Torah cycle, you can look it up on the Restoration app by clicking on the “Torah Readings Tab.” We will also have paper copies of the yearly cycle available after the High Holy Days at the Connect table in the lobby.  

To help Aybars do more than just preach during these 14 weeks, we have invited four local pastors to speak, between series, into the life of our congregation. These four pastors - Chris Manginelli, Matt Elser, Brad Barshaw, and Mike Labrum - are trusted friends and excellent preachers, and they have agreed to speak into the life of Restoration in this season. 

We are better together!

Let me say again, I am not burnt out and I am not leaving Restoration. My desire and prayer to God is that I will be in Seattle, in ministry, for a very long time and this sabbatical is a preventative measure to keep me in ministry for many years to come.

I love you and I am grateful to God for calling me, like Abraham, to leave the land of my fathers (New York) and come to a place I know not (Seattle). It will be difficult to disconnect for these 14 weeks, but I am believing that God will renew me in a fresh way that can only come from disconnecting from the pressures of doing ministry, so that I can be ministered to.  

I invite you to pray for me, as I will continue to pray for you, during this sabbatical. Please be in prayer for Aybars and our board as they take on more ministry in my absence. Also, pray for our community that God will encourage us and renew us for the next season of what we hope will be a time of significant growth. Pray that we will see many people, Jew and Gentile, come to know Yeshua and learn what it means to become fully devoted followers of our Messiah.

As a side note, I am hopeful that the NBA and the Supersonics will return to Seattle soon after my sabbatical, and we can all join in prayer for that! Can I get an “Amen!” (don’t try to crush my dreams).

This I know for sure: the best is yet to come for our synagogue, and more than ever, we are better together! I love this family that God has given me and I can't thank you enough for your support in this time of rest, renewal, and writing. 

I preached a message called "Pause" on rest in which I read this statement you can listen here: http://subsplash.com/restoration/v/ecmhgsb

In Yeshua, 

Matt

Proverbs 9:10

Romans 11:36

Register for Celebrate Yeshua Northwest

Celebrate Yeshua Northwest (CYNW) is a free annual mini-conference of Restoration in Seattle, serving the Pacific Northwest. Our goal is to bring some of the best from the worldwide messianic movement to help Seattle celebrate Yeshua our Messiah as King, Lord, and Savior. The conference includes three messages with a focus on Romans 9, 10, and 11, and what God is doing among the Jewish people, the body of Messiah, and the messianic movement. Come and spend a couple days with us - click here to register!

Want to know more about our guest speakers and worship leaders?! Click Here

See Schedule for weekend 👇🏽

FRIDAY, AUGUST 25TH @ 6:30PM-8:30PM

Worship with Misha Goetz, blessings for Shabbat, and a message from Rabbi David Rosenberg. Doors will open at 6:00PM. 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 26TH @ 10:30AM-12:00PM

Shabbat Gathering featuring Jennifer Dillavou & the Restoration Band and Rabbi Matt Rosenberg. Doors open at 10AM.

6:00PM-8:00PM

Worship with Nate Benjamin, a message from Wayne Hilsden, and Havdalah. Doors will open at 5:30PM.

Setting Prisoners Free in Zimbabwe

Some of our Team

In Masvingo, Zimbabwe at a medical clinic with Jewish Voice Ministries International (JVMI) the extraordinary happened, again. This was my fourth medical clinic with JVMI, and honestly it moved slower at the start than the previous clinics I had been on. By Wednesday night I had resigned myself to not having a single amazing moment. For context, on my first trip sang the Aaronic Benediction over 700 Ethiopian pastors in the old African Union in Ethiopia and then again over 1500 people in the new African Union. Amazing. On my second trip, I preached the Gospel to an entire Beta-Israel village near Tach Gayint, Ethiopia and saw the whole village come to faith in Yeshua. What?! Ridiculous. On my third trip, this time to Zimbabwe, a young woman came with manifestations from a demon that would confuse her so much that she would go into a type of walking sleep and wake up lost; once, she woke up to find herself standing in a fire, her foot and leg burnt as a result. She came to the clinic clearly manifesting without control, and in the power of the name of Yeshua we were able to set her free. I had the chance to lead not only her, but her extended family to Yeshua, her father saying the words at the end, “We will follow the God that set her free from this demon.” I know, it sounds like a Bible story! Why does the Lord let me experience such amazing things? I am not sure, but I am grateful for the opportunities He gives me. 

Messianic Congregation in Masvingo, Zimbabwe 

On these trips, we open the clinic on Sunday afternoon (half day) and close them at noon on Friday (ends with a half day). Altogether the clinic is open 5 full days, so by the time we get to Wednesday night there is only a day-and-a-half left and we begin to finish the clinic. So, on my fourth trip, again in Zimbabwe, we came to Wednesday night. Based on history, I expect at least one major thing to happen. Don't get me wrong - I am not saying that this is the way it has to be, and I try to bring no expectation of what will happen on these trips. But at the same time, I live by the promise that God will do more than I can hope or imagine, and if you know me at all you know I can imagine pretty big.

On Thursday morning, I preached a sermon at the morning meeting for our international volunteers and local workers out of Exodus 14 and 15. The story follows the exodus of Israel from Egypt after 400 years of slavery and the parting of the Sea of Reeds where Israel walks through on dry land, and then the waters crash on the pursuing Egyptians and their chariots, drowning the enemies of Israel. The end of Exodus 14 reads, “So Adonai saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. When Israel saw the great work that Adonai did over the Egyptians, the people feared Adonai, and they believed in Adonai and in His servant Moses.” Then in Exodus 15 Moses sings a song to the Lord, 

I will sing to Adonai, for He is highly exalted!

The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea.

Adonai is my strength and song,

and He has become my salvation.

This is my God, and I will glorify Him,

my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.

Adonai is a warrior—Adonai is His Name!

Pharaoh’s chariots and his army

He has hurled into the sea,

and his chosen captains have sunk

into the Sea of Reeds. (Exodus 15:1-4)

The enemy said, “I will pursue,

I will overtake, I will divide the spoil.

My lust shall gorge on them!

I will draw my sword—my hand will destroy them.”

You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them.

They sank like lead in the mighty waters.

Who is like You, Adonai, among the gods?

Who is like You,

glorious in holiness,

awesome in praises,

doing wonders? (Exodus 15:9-11)

People waiting for prayer

I shared these verses at our morning meeting to encourage everyone to finish well. I wanted them to know that though the people we were ministering to were facing despair and darkness, the God of Israel wanted them to experience hope and light. That we came not just to help them physically but to show them Yeshua, and much like Israel crossing the Sea of Reeds we had already seen God do amazing things and that we can believe that in our last day-and-a-half in Zimbabwe our God was willing to do more than we can hope or imagine. I preached hard. I preached well. I needed to hear it myself for what was about to happen that afternoon. 

On Wednesday evening we got a call that a local prison wanted to send some prisoners to receive care at the clinic. On Thursday afternoon, twenty three of them came in a giant military-style bus with no windows. Handcuffed to the guy next to them and surrounded by armed officers, we needed to make sure they didn't interact with the general population of our clinic. Our team did a great job of getting these guys around the clinic to receive care. We cleared out one of the tents so we could gather all of these guys together and share the Gospel with them. They all sat quietly waiting, still handcuffed to the guy next to them; and with a translator this is what I told them… 

“We are so glad that you are here and that we have had the opportunity to serve you guys. You need to know that Yeshua our Messiah was crucified with two criminals. One chose to mock Yeshua and the other asked to be remembered. I know you feel forgotten but you need to know that we have not forgotten you, and more importantly the God who formed you in your mother’s womb has not forgotten you either. Although you live in a cell, God wants to set your hearts and souls free, today. He can set you free if you ask Him to forgive you of your sins and accept Yeshua as God and Savior.”

Prisoners, officers, translators and prayer team

We offered them prayer, two by two, and the opportunity to accept Yeshua and to ask him to forgive them of their sins. All twenty three prisoners chose to believe in Yeshua. Several of them asked for a Bible and we told them we would send them and that the Bible is not just a book but, if they read it, the Holy Spirit would bring the words to life and set their hearts, minds, and souls free. Even the officers accepted prayer from us as a group, and asked that if we were sending the prisoners Bibles that we send them for the officers as well!

Prayer Team

More than I can hope or imagine?! You better believe it. I don't plan these amazing moments on these trips but my God does. He just asks that I show up and trust Him. It is not even just about the one big moment, it’s about the amazing doctors, dentists, nurses, international volunteers, and local workers that make it possible to help over 9,600 people, to pray for 2,399 people, to see 322 people come to know Yeshua, and to see at least 18 verifiable healings in the name of Yeshua. We saw with our own eyes the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear and in this case at least 23 prisoners set free! The one big moment is my God’s way of putting a giant dollop of whip cream on top of the sundae. 

Back in Seattle, I made a joke in a group of pastors that for some reason my ministry is more effective in Africa than in Seattle, and then I went into a few-day funk because, momentarily, I believed it. It took me several days to come around because I believed that lie. Ministry that I do is effective, not because of me, but because of the God I serve. Here is what I know for sure: my God does more than I can hope or imagine - in Africa, in Israel, in America, in Seattle, in my congregation, for my family, my marriage, my children, their school, our friends. My God wants to pull people out of darkness and despair and show them light and hope in the name of Yeshua. He wants to use me and YOU to do it. And if given the opportunity, He might just change your life, increase your faith, and allow you to do amazing things for His glory! Without doubt (okay, maybe enough doubt to give God room to do amazing things), I can say, “The best is yet to come.” For me, my family, Restoration, Seattle, Messianic Judaism, the larger body of Messiah (Church), and anyone from any nation, Jew or Gentile, who calls on the name of Yeshua! 

Want to know more about Jewish Voice Ministries and medical outreaches?! Head over to https://www.jewishvoice.org/go/medical-outreaches

Celebrate Yeshua Northwest 2017

Celebrate Yeshua Northwest is an annual mini-conference of Restoration in Seattle, August 25-26. Our goal is to bring some of the best from the worldwide messianic movement and larger Church to help Seattle celebrate Yeshua our Messiah as King, Lord and Savior. We are excited for our lineup this year and Celebrate Yeshua Northwest is a free mini-conference serving the Pacific Northwest. Come and spend a couple days with us!

For more info and lineup of speakers and worship leaders check out our website: http://shalomseattle.com/celebrate-yeshua

Dont miss it!

Last Chance for Passover Tickets

The last chance to buy tickets for our passover seder is Wednesday, April 5th. That means if you are hoping to buy them in person this Saturday (Not an April fools joke) is your last chance!

You can get your tickets online anytime until end of day on Wednesday, April 5th here: 

https://www.eventbrite.com/o/restoration-a-messianic-synagogue-3492160195

Or, you can call the office today (Thursday) or next week (Monday-Wednesday) and Emily Kennedy can help you purchase tickets over the phone. 

Don’t miss out and take this last opportunity to donate a ticket for someone who cannot afford to come. 

This will be the 3rd best seder of all time because the best is yet to come!

Passover Celebration (Two Nights)!

This year we are having two seders. The first is Monday, April 10 at 6:30pm. The second is Tuesday, April 11 at 6:30pm. They are the same event so choose which one you would like to attend and register! Please make sure you are on the night that you would like to register for.

Tickets are available through Eventbrite with the link at the bottom of this event post. Tickets will also be on sale at our Shabbat gatherings every Saturday until tickets are sold out.

Every year we celebrate Passover together with a full sit-down meal. We go through the order of service (Seder) and celebrate all that God has done for His people, Israel, and for everyone from every nation that calls on the name of Yeshua (Jesus).

Passover is the celebration of God freeing our people Israel from slavery in Egypt. As a Messianic Synagogue, we also celebrate the death and resurrection of Yeshua our Messiah (both events took place during Passover). There is so much to celebrate because the God of Israel is not only awesome but He is also the Only God!

So, join us this year. If you are able to buy a donation ticket for someone who cannot afford one, that would be wonderful! We do our best to keep the price low for the event so an offering box will be at the check-in table if you are able to help us meet our cost to put on these events.

This is going to be the best Passover ever! Don’t miss out on one of the best events of the year. This is a +1 event, so buy a friend a ticket and invite them to join us!

Buy tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/restoration-a-messianic-synagogue-3492160195

Winter Connect Groups

Winter Connect Groups begin next week and I want to encourage you to jump in and join a group. It is only an 8-week commitment and it will add real community to your life and encourage you more than you can imagine. 

As in past semesters, some of our groups will work off of Saturday sermons. When we write sermons we spend somewhere between 10-20 hours on them, and the life cycle of our congregation functions through our sermon series. It is a great way to connect with people in our community and on a deeper level with God. These are also great groups to invite friends to who don't yet know Yeshua!

3 sermon community Connect Groups:

Mill Creek: Led by Laurie Bachand @ Rick & Cindy Gile’s home - Monday nights @ 6:30pm (begins Jan. 16th)

Edmonds: Led by Chris Hamilton @ Tom & Gisela Fogle's home - Monday nights @ 6:30pm (begins Jan. 16th)

Northgate: Led by Aybars Uckun @ Aybars & Kelly Uckun's home - Tuesday nights @ 6:30pm (begins Jan. 17th)

We have a specialty Connect Group that studies the traditional Jewish readings from the Torah for each Saturday. It is a great opportunity for study and connecting with like-minded people at Restoration. It is very convenient as this group meets on Saturdays in our building following our Shabbat Gathering.

Torah Connect Group: Led by Janet Cothrell after Shabbat Gathering (begins Jan. 21st)

This winter semester we are adding Connect Groups specifically designed for men and women. These groups will use a video-based Bible study and will be totally different in context than the other groups. So if you are able, you can participate in a few different groups in one week!

Women’s Connect Group: Led by Piper Ditzler - Wednesday nights @ 7:00pm in the Restoration Office (begins Jan. 18th)

Men's Connect Group: Led by Matt Rosenberg - Tuesday nights @ 6:30pm in the Restoration Office (begins Jan. 17th)

You can get specific information about each group at our Shabbat Gathering every Saturday, or contact Emily Kennedy in the office at 206.232.0490 or info@shalomseattle.com.

These groups are going to be awesome. You are designed for community and we are better together. Join a Connect Group this winter semester!

Texas, Ambitions and God's Will

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Joseph, one of Jacob’s twelve sons, in Genesis. God gave Joseph some dreams and those dreams included all eleven brothers and his parents bowing down to him. With great confidence, anticipation, and with great immaturity, Joseph told his father and brothers all about the dreams. Like Joseph, I probably told too many people all about my dreams and ambitions from an early age.

Joseph's Dream by Martha Stern

At the same time, I was getting kicked out of conferences, camps, doing a lot of detention in school and my dad was getting a lot of phone calls which started with, “Hello, Rabbi Rosenberg, you need to come and pick up your son, Matthew.” Never malicious, always loving God— but ever stumbling over myself and my hyperactive body which moved faster than my brain could warn me of the consequences of my actions. I have always felt that God has called me to speak into the lives of thousands of people and for the first time in my life God is actually making it happen.

Ethiopia w/JVMI

In 2014 I went to Ethiopia with a group of eight young leaders, Jewish Voice Ministries International and Rabbi Jonathan Bernis. It was a forever life-changing experience. While in Ethiopia I had dinner with Pastor Wayne Wilkes. Wayne is probably one of the most encouraging people in the world, and at the time of our dinner in Ethiopia, he was not a pastor. He was just a guy who has been around the block a few times who wanted to encourage a young preacher. As a result of our meeting in Ethiopia, Wayne, who has since become the Pastor of Jewish Ministry at Gateway Church in Dallas, Texas, asked me to speak at Gateway’s Messianic service about Hanukkah.

The service happens once a month and the two previous speakers were Dr. Michael Brown and Rabbi Jonathan Bernis. My thought progression was, “What?! Ok, Lord. Whoa, that’s crazy! That’s heavy company. Crazy! Ok, let’s do this! Whoa! Crazy!”

The Messianic service at Gateway brought over a thousand people and I spoke about Hanukkah and how God wants to use us to Light Up The Darkness (watch the message here, December 2014).

Preaching At Gateway Church

After meeting and talking with many people after the service, I went back into the green room to get my things. I stood there by myself and said to the Lord, “That was awesome, thank you for this opportunity.” The Lord said back to me, very clearly, “You did good, son!”

Selfie During My Message at Gateway

For maybe the first time in my life, I did not question whether it was Lord. I didn't have the internal struggle over whether I was just trying to make myself feel better about myself or if the Lord really spoke to me. I heard Him. He was proud me. And that is the real reason I do what I do: For Yeshua. For His kingdom. To help people who are far from God come closer to Him.

Look, I’m a Rabbi. I’ve been preaching, teaching and encouraging people for the last ten years (and more before it was my job). Sometimes in the midst of all that we are doing for God, we forget why we do it. What an awesome reminder I received from the Lord that day in Texas at Gateway Church.

I want to make Him famous. I get mixed up sometimes with dreams of my own fame, with the greatness of my own name. But, I am reminded that all I have is from the Lord. His desire is for me to use everything He has given me to make Him famous. Among my Jewish people. Among the nations. Everywhere. Everyone.

In all the things that I am seeing God do with me, the moment I heard God’s say, “You did good, son!” was worth everything to me. I am in awe of all God has done in 2014. In my family, my marriage, my children, at Restoration (my synagogue) and all that He is doing.
I want to stay in awe of God. It seems to me that is the only place worth staying. I
have nothing without Him. To know that God is proud of me is worth more to me than likes on Facebook and Instagram. It’s worth more that the opinions of my colleagues, contemporaries, family, friends and congregation. In all honesty, its hard to believe
that and most of the time the opinions of other people are what I am striving for. I want everyone to be proud of me and think highly of me. But I want what God thinks of me to be the most important to me.

So, I’m asking God to make His approval enough. I don’t ever want to get wrapped up in positive or negative opinions of me. I want to be wrapped up in what God thinks of me. God approves of me. Not because of what I do, but because of who I am in Him and His son, Yeshua.

And guess what? If you turn your heart towards Yeshua, He approves of you, too!

I am confident that 2015 is going to be the best year ever! For me, my family, Restoration in Seattle, Messianic Judaism, and the greater body of Messiah. God is willing and able to do more than anything we can hope for and imagine. It doesn't mean 2015 will be without pain, hurt, and obstacles. But, it does mean that through whatever we go through God will never leave us or forsake us. He wants to walk with us through everything this new year brings.

At Restoration we opened 2015 with a preaching series through Pastor Steven Furtick’s book, Crash The Chatterbox. This series is the perfect way to start the year because it will help us hear God’s voice clearly and focus on the individual and corporate assignments that He has called our community to. We have been encouraging Restoration to buy the book for deeper reflection. (listen to the series here).

Even though we are all going through different things or have different dreams and goals, God has a hope for you and wants to make your dreams come true in 2015. Everything you have been through, all of the good and the bad, play a part in who are and who are becoming. Our mission at Restoration is “to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Yeshua.” We never really arrive, we are constantly becoming more fully devoted to Yeshua. As our devotion increases, we see God reorganize our dreams and ambitions to fit His dreams and ambitions for us.

Neverland - Andy Mineo

Rapper Andy Mineo has a song called Rewind. It is currently one of the theme songs of my life. It goes like this:

People think we’re different

We’re all the same

I got a little drama in my life, you got a little drama in yours What you do with it, it’s your choice

Cause I’m looking at my past through the rear view mirror

Thanking God I made it through

I am in awe of all that God is doing in me and I know that He wants to do the same for you! He wants to make your dreams come true. This is your time. You can make God famous and have the best year of your life. You can hear God’s voice clearly and move forward in all that God has called you to do with your life.

Just pray this simple prayer: “God I want to make you famous. I want my life to be about you and not about me. I want you to use me however you see fit to bring you glory in 2015!”

He won’t ignore you. He will answer. I know because He keeps answering me. 

Light Up The Darkness

On this first night of Hanukkah I wanted to share with you the message that I gave at Gateway Church in Dallas at their Messianic service earlier this month. It was such an honor and joy to be apart of their service.  I spoke about Hanukkah and how we can “Light Up The Darkness.” It’s a perfect message for us tonight (Dec. 16th) and for the week of Hanukkah. Don’t be afraid of the Darkness. Light Up the Darkness!

Click here for the link to my message at Gateway Church and Happy Hanukkah!

The Meaning, Mission & Values of Restoration: A Messianic Synagogue in Seattle

At Restoration, a Messianic Synagogue in Seattle, we want to do our part so that God may show Himself to all people. Paul, writer of most of the New Testament, who was a trained Rabbi and devout Jew, wrote in his letter to the Romans, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Romans 1:16).

The simple explanation of the Gospel is that God sent His son, Yeshua, to offer Himself as a sacrifice that would pay the penalty for humanity’s sins. Yeshua, after being put to death, rose from the dead three days later, and defeated death as a punishment for sin. If one believes in Yeshua, they can find the forgiveness of their sins and the ability to live with God forever after they die. God’s desire is for every human being on planet earth to understand this message.  

Our synagogue’s mission is to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Yeshua.

Yeshua is not just a good teacher, Rabbi or Jew who said wise things. He is the “visible image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) and we want to follow Him and the things He has asked us to do. The word “become” is very important because it speaks to the never-ending process of developing into better followers of Yeshua, along with learning and understanding the things of God. The name of our synagogue, Restoration, speaks to the idea that God is always, consistently, calling people to return to their Creator and find restoration in all that God has made them to be, both Jews and Gentiles.  This is reflected in a three-step process that we want to lead everyone through: Worship. Connect. Serve. 

Worship 

We believe that God is One and yet three-in-one: Father God, Yeshua the Son, and the Holy Spirit— and He alone is worthy of all adoration, veneration and honor. You were made to worship the One True God. Worship is recognizing who God is and who you are in Him. Worship is the first step in becoming a disciple of Yeshua. We worship Him together on Shabbat, during the holidays and in every event. 

Connect

Everyone belongs in the family of God. Part of belonging is connecting to community. We believe you can’t do life alone and that you need community around you during the week to thrive. 

Serve

Serving in the congregation and using our gifts and talents is important for every follower of Yeshua.  One way we demonstrate God’s love is through volunteering in our synagogue and in our community. 

This three-part process is just that, a process. As we gain more understanding, we then lead others through the same process. We are always learning more about what it means to worship God, connect with others, and serve our community.

Every congregation has values that make them distinct. Restoration is not in competition with other Messianic synagogues or Bible-believing churches in Seattle. We are on the same team with any congregation that is leading people to Yeshua and believes that He is the way, the truth and the life, and that no one can get to God expect through Him.  We have six core values and they are what we care about most at Restoration. 

We Reflect the Jewishness of Yeshua

We choose, to reflect the Jewishness of our Messiah, Yeshua. We are unapologetically a synagogue and unapologetically worship in a Jewish context. As a synagogue we worship on Shabbat, meet for Biblical Festivals, keep varying degrees of Kosher, and sing in Hebrew and English. Some wear kippot and Talliot.  We do not believe that we are right about everything and that everyone else is wrong, or that others are in sin for not being more like us. We partner with other Messianic synagogues and churches that share a love for Yeshua and people finding Yeshua.

Everyone Belongs in the Family of God

Really, everyone. Jew and Gentile, male and female. Everyone. The family of God is big and God put us in our physical families so that we can find His family. All of us belong to the same family and worship God together. At Restoration, Jews are Jews and Gentiles are Gentiles. There is no need for Jews to become Gentiles or Gentiles to become Jews. Every person, with their family background and history, is called to be a representative of their people in the Family of God. God wants people from every nation, every tribe, every language and we mean to reflect that in our synagogue.

Every Setback is a Chance to Comeback

We are all sinners and all fall short of the glory of God. That is the power to the story of Yeshua. His love is not measured by your goodness. Every time we sin, every time we fall short, every time we have a setback, is an opportunity for us to return to God. This is reflected in the Biblical idea of Return. God is always calling people to return to Him, Our Creator. We run, we turn away, we fall into sin and things that are opposed to God, but in His grace and mercy He says, “Comeback, return to me!” (Hosea 14:1, Joel 2:13, Zechariah 1:3). 

We Are Irrationally Generous with Our Resources

We realize that, for many, giving seems irrational. God has given us so many resources, including money, gifts, talents, and time. We believe it all belongs to God and that He wants us to be irrationally generous with those resources. For us, we give of our money because God gave it all to us and it really all belongs to Him. 

We believe everyone should tithe to the community that they belong to. Tithe literally means “a tenth” and above our tithe is called offerings. In the Scriptures, the definition of offering is what you give after you tithe. You cannot give an offering unless you already tithe. 

Restoration currently gives 11% out to non-profits in Seattle and Israel, and we plan to increase our giving. Because we want as many people as possible to hear the message of Yeshua in its Jewish context, we give it away! Our sermons will always be free. Our Restoration App for smartphones and tablets (iOS, Android, Windows, Kindle Fire) will always be free. 

We Demonstrate God’s Love Through Service

God’s love for us is demonstrated in the giving of His son’s life for ours. As an expression of God’s love we want to serve our synagogue community, Seattle (our city), America (our county), Israel (Homeland of the Jewish people), and the world. We give of our time and talents to our synagogue because we believe together we can change the world.

You Can’t Do Life Alone

Actually, you can do life alone, but it is not a part of our original design. We were made for community. Contrary to the typical American dream, our lives are not just about us. Our lives were designed by God to be shared with others. We choose to live in community with others. We choose to not do life alone. We choose to let others into our journeys, into our hurt, and into the joys of life. We choose to share this messy life with others. And we believe that God wants to speak into our lives through community. 

Want to know more, visit us at ShalomSeattle.com!