Tag Archives: Yeshua

Halakha הלכה / How To Walk

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And by this we will be sensible that we know him, if we keep his Commandments… He that says “I am in him” is bound to walk according to his halakha. My beloved, I write no new commandment to you, but the old Commandment which you had from the beginning; and the old Commandment is the Word which you have heard.

(1 John 2:3,6&7 AENT pg.652)

“Halakha” in Hebrew, הלכה means “the way of walking.”

Halakha (הלכה) comes from the verb “lelekhet” ללכת which means “to go, to walk; to go ahead; to leave, to pass, to disappear; to follow.”

In Biblical lifestyle, Halakha הלכה means to base one’s life upon the written Word of Elohim.

In Judaism, however, Halakha הלכה refers to following traditions of men. Those traditions are often based upon the Word, but quite often conflict with the Word as well. According to tradition, if the tradition conflicts somehow with the Word, the tradition trumps the Word. At least, that’s what the tradition says!

In the verse above, however, we are not taught to follow the traditions of men. When we read that “Yeshua is our Halakha” this means that He shows us the way we must walk, according to the way He walked.

This is what it means to be a disciple: To walk as He walked.

Yeshua walked according to the Word. He is the Word (John 1). The Word is the same Word from the beginning (Genesis: “In the Beginning”):

My beloved, I write no new commandment to you, but the old Commandment which you had from the beginning; and the old Commandment is the Word which you have heard. (1 John 2:7 AENT pg.652)

What then is the Way in which we should walk ללכת?

Yeshua is the Way.

Yeshua is the Walking.

Yeshua is הלכה.

Y’shua said to him, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except by me.” (John 14:6 AENT pg.280).

For those interested in a study Bible, we offer the Aramaic English New Testament (AENT) over at JTOD.org.

Aramaic English New Testament

Colossians 2:16

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I got a note today from a friend with whom I’ve been studying; the question is a good one, so I’m posting it here:
May I ask you about Colossians 2:16-20 please? Would this not have some major effect on the lifestyles and beliefs of many Messianic Believers or others who  follow the Law of The ‘Old Testament’? May I please have your ‘take’? THANK YOU!
Gladly!
First of all, let’s check Col. 1:24…
“And I rejoice in the sufferings which are for your sakes; and, in my flesh, I fill up the deficiency in the afflictions of the Mashiyach, in behalf of his body which is the assembly.”
(Col. 1:24 AENT)
Here we see that the Body of Mashiyach IS the assembly – which is the gathering of believers.  For more confirmation, see also Col. 1:17.
This helps with the context of 2:16-17 since BOTH chapters are, after all, part of the SAME letter, right?
Ok, we got it:  The Assembly is the Body of Mashiyach.
Also take note that in Col 1:21 “you (ex-pagans)…were alienated (not anymore!)… because of your evil deeds…”  (their evil works/deeds had alienated them from the Father)
(v. 22) “…to you now He has given peace…that he might establish you in his presence, Set Apart, without blemish and without offense.”
In other words, the ex-pagans of Colosse were alienated from Abba because of their evil works, but now they have received peace by His sacrifice, and Set them Apart, without any offense against Abba.
Now, why is there no offense?  Is it because they simply cannot possibly offend Abba any longer, no matter what they do, simply by virtue of his sacrifice?
Or, is there no offense because they have ceased from sinning?
Let’s pause that thought for now, and move into Colossians, Chapter 2 to get to the question at hand.
First, take note that the warning is against “doctrines of men according to the rudiments of the world (Col 2:8 AENT) and not to be “mislead… by the persuasiveness of words (v4).”  This context is firmly established in verse 20: “For if you are dead with the Mashiyach from the rudiments of the world, why are you judged as if you were living in the world?”
Take note that the phrase “rudiments of the world” is used in both verse 8 and verse 20.  They are bookends for the verses in question, numbered 16 and 17.  “Judge” also appears in verse 20, which is clearly saying “why do you let worldly people judge you if you are dead to the world thru Messiah?”
So when “judge” also appears in verse 16, as in “Let no one therefore judge you..,” the context indicates the real meaning: “Let no (pagan or worldly person) therefore judge you…” since “therefore” is a conjunction indicating the stream of thought which is being followed.
Let’s break it down into an outline:
(v4) Don’t be mislead by the persuasiveness of words
(v8) Beware of philosophy & vain deception, acc. to doctrines of men & rudiments of the world.
(v13) You WERE dead in your SINS, but you are resurrected with Him.
(v14) The handwriting of your debts & offenses has been killed
(v16) Therefore, let no (pagan, wordly person) judge you about YHWH’s distinctive feasts & diet
(v20) For how can you let the world judge you in these matters now that you’re dead to the world?
(v22) Again, as if it isn’t clear enough, we are talking here about commandments and doctrines of men:  Don’t let worldly people judge you according to their doctrines.
(v17) Only the congregation of believers can judge you about Godly things.
What, you didn’t see that in verse 17?  Now, that’s because there’s a big problem in Col 2:17.  Do you have a King James?  The kind where they italicize words which are not actually appearing in the Greek?  If you do, you will see that a very crucial tiny word “is” does not appear there.  If your Bible does not have the inserted words italicized, then check blueletterbible.com and you can see for yourself that the “is” is just NOT THERE.
So, simply remove the itty bitty “is,” and you get:
(16) “Let no (pagan) therefore judge you… (17) …BUT the Body of Mashiyach.”
or:
“Let no (pagan) therefore judge you… EXCEPT the Body of Mashiyach.”
Insert an “is” in there, however, and you wind up with a non-sequitur.  Apostle Paul does not use non-sequiturs.
So now let’s deal with the list of items in verse 16:  “…food and drink… the distinctions of festivals and new moons and Shabbats… (AENT).”
What exactly is this list?  Let me demonstrate by explaining, Scripturally, what this list is NOT.
The listing in verse 16 is NOT “philosophy and vain deception (v8),” it is NOT “doctrines of men and rudiments of the world (v8),” it is NOT “sins (v13-14)” which you are now DEAD to, and the list is NOT  “commandments of men (v22)” but part of the Commandments of YHWH.
Therefore, don’t let worldly people judge your observance of Heavenly activities, because the world will judge you according to their own doctrines and rudiments.
The only people who should be judging your Heavenly activities is the Body of Messiah.  Because these Heavenly activities are foreshadowings of Heaven;  thus they are Heavenly activities, not worldly activities.
In other words:
“Why for heaven’s sake would you let worldly people judge your righteous acts?”

Righteous acts such as:
Food and drink (Leviticus 11, Genesis 9:4, John 6:53-54, 1 Cor 11:25-27)
Festivals (Lev 23, Deut. 16),
New Moons (Ps. 81:3. 1 Sam 20:5, 1 Kings 4:23, Isa 66:23)
Shabbats (Lev 23:39, Ex 16:23-29; 20:8-11; 31:14-16; 35:1-3, and Also Lev 23 & Deut 16).
So, coming back to Colossians 1:21-22:
“…you (ex-pagans)…were alienated… because of your evil deeds… to you now He has given peace…that he might establish you in his presence, Set Apart, without blemish and without offense.”   (Col 1:21-22 AENT)
After examining so much of the context and tone of this epistle, I believe we’d have to say that the pre-believing Colossians were (in the past) alienated because of their evil deeds, but now that Messiah has brought them into peace with YHWH, they will be established in His presence, and “Set Apart, without blemish and without offense” by the very virtue of the fact that they are no longer sinning, i.e. no longer involved in evil works.  Instead, now that the penalty for their lawbreaking has been paid, these ex-pagans are now walking in righteousness now that they have learned His ways.
See Colossians 1:9-10:
“Therefore we also, from the day we heard (of it), have not ceased to pray for you; and to ask that you may be filled with a knowledge of the will of Elohim in all wisdom and in all spiritual understanding; (10) That you may walk as is right and may please Elohim with all good works, and may yield fruits, and grow in the knowledge of Elohim.” (Colossians 1:9-10 AENT)
The knowledge of the will of Elohim is written in the Torah and the Prophets.
Walking rightly and pleasing Elohim with all good works is found through spiritual understanding of the Torah and the Prophets.
What have I just done?  Have I twisted the scripture?
No, I’ve untwisted it.  I’ve shown the true meaning which is in accordance with the structure and context of
the whole chapter, even the entire epistle.
Some folks really want Colossians 2:16-17 to be a warning against keeping the Torah.  But the only way to get such a warped interpretation would be to ignore the rest of the chapter, and the rest of the epistle.  Just pull those two verses fully out of context, add a word here, ignore words there, and you can have a dandy time bending it into your favorite pretzel.
Here’s the kicker:
Apostle Peter warned us against such perversions of Paul’s letters in 2 Peter 3:15-17.  He even explained that such twistings lead to the “error of the Torahless.”  And we have seen here that this wresting of Colossians 2:16-17 has done exactly that:  Lead people into the error of the Torahless.
Thanks for your questions.  If you have any more, just let me know, and I’ll give it my best.
And, if you feel it’s time to get a real study Bible that’s not influenced by the likes of Constantine, and you’re ready to check out the Aramaic English New Testament, I’d like to be the one to ship one out to you.
Here’s my link:

Blessings,

Teddy

Y’shua’s Blood Offered in the Heavenly Sanctuary

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Today, I am going to give answer to a ‘Jews for Judaism’ statement which misreads the context of Leviticus 17:11:
“Clearly, not any spilled blood is accepted by the Torah as a sacrifice.  Jesus’ crucifixion may qualify as an atonement according to the Greek Testament, but since his blood was not offered on the altar, it is not in line with what the Torah mandates.” -Jews for Judaism, “Another Look at Leviticus 17:11”
If something seems “off” in the statement above, you are correct; there are several things wrong with that paragraph.  First,  the phrase “not any spilled blood is accepted…” means that obviously, pig’s blood for example is not acceptable– and, in the writers’ opinion, neither is Jesus/Y’shua’s, ostensibly because his blood was not offered in the earthly Temple.

However, the writer(s) missed an important fact:  The blood of Yeshua was offered in Heaven, the True Sanctuary which trumps the earthly sanctuary.   The earthly Temple was a mere representation; a picture of the Heavenly Sanctuary.

This is the reason why Yeshua’s blood did not need to be offered in the earthly temple made with hands.  As Paul explained to the Hebrew disciples of Y’shua haMashiach:

“Because everything, according to Torah, is purified with blood: and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.  For it was necessary that these, the representations of heavenly things, should be purified with those things [shedding of blood]; but the heavenly things themselves, with a sacrifice [which is Y’shua] superior to them [that is, superior to the earthly representations of the heavenly things.  In other words, Y’shua the Messiah is superior to the Temple].

(v.24) “For the Mashiyach entered not into the sanctuary made with hands which is the emblem of the true (sanctuary): but he entered into heaven itself to appear in the presence of Elohim for us.”  – Hebrews 9:22-24 (AENT p.414 [my emphasis added])

That is the answer sought by any Hebrew person who is familiar with the Temple: Y’shua haMashiach, as sacrifice, is superior to the earthly temple.  His blood offered in the heavenly sanctuary trumps whatever blood might be offered in the earthly.

Now, without faith, no one can accept the book of Hebrews.  Without faith, no one can accept the Mashiyach even if He has been sent by YHWH.  In fact, without faith, how can one accept even the Biblical account of the Passover?   However, WITH and THRU FAITH, it is clear that anyone, Jew or Gentile, can accept  the pure and spotless sacrifice of Y’shua’s blood.  It has been offered in the Sanctuary in Heaven, and His blood does in fact qualify as the perfect atonement for sin, once and for all.

As regarding Leviticus 17:11, the J4J writer(s) neglected the context.  Clearly, Leviticus 17:10-16 is about the eating of blood; and that it is forbidden not only for tribes of Israel, but also for “sojourners” (Strong’s 01616 גר ger) that is, those from any nations who live with Israel.  In other words, since blood is for sacrifice, therefore eating blood is forbidden.  Arguably according to Ephesians 2 and Romans 2, this  applies to any who have been grafted in to Israel (Romans 11) through the blood of Y’shua the Messiah.

The J4J quote reference to the “Greek  testament”  intends to point out how far the faith in Yeshua is from the Hebrew faith.  (Too bad he doesn’t yet know about the Aramaic NT!)  In truth, the Renewed Covenant (Brit Chadasha aka NT) affirms an extraordinary amount of connection between the Tanakh (aka OT) and the Brit Chadasha:  The blood sacrifice of Y’shua haMashiach ABSOLUTELY satisfies EVERY requirement for Temple sacrifice and thus provides Atonement, for Hebrews as well as those joined to Israel through faith.

Teddy Chadwick, Yerubilee
“Messianic Roots Reggae from Jerusalem”

Yerubilee: Israel’s groundbreaking Messianic praise & worship reggae group

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Yerubilee: Israel’s groundbreaking Messianic praise & worship reggae group

Sunday 16th January 2011

Cross Rhythms‘ Tony Cummings reports on the innovative worship music of Israel’s YERUBILEE


Yerubilee

The cross-fertilisation of different musical forms has long been part of the contemporary scene. But even the most adventurous musical experimentalists will have raised an eyebrow over the emergence of Yerubilee from Israel whose music has been described by one floundering critic as “Messianic Christian praise and worship reggae” and are led by a virtuoso on a 10 string harp – an instrument that echoes back to the days of King David.  Yerubilee recently released their second CD ‘Arise And Shine’ and with powerful originals from the band’s leader Teddy Chadwick like “Do you See That Cloud”, “Haria FaRiha” and “Ram v’Nisa haMashiach” interspersed with one or two covers (one wonders what Martin Smith makes of a Messianic reggae rendition of “I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever”), the effect is truly exhilarating.

Recently Paul Calvert met up with Teddy Chadwick and began his interview by asking him about Teddy’s Davidic harp. “The design comes from an ancient coin found in Jerusalem which dates back to about 120AD. It’s a 10 string harp, just like Psalm 92, ‘Sing unto the Lord with an instrument with 10 strings.’ In Hebrew it is an kinnor, a 10 string Biblical instrument. I’ve modified it to improve the tuning and I can plug it into electric sound systems. I found it was limiting and I couldn’t play in too many keys. So I have made it a bit more complicated, I’ve developed a new crossbar on the top which makes it a bit more difficult to play because you have to think a bit more to get the correct key and for it to sound good. Basically 10 strings is an octave plus two.”

So how did an American-born musician end up playing Messianic reggae in Israel? Teddy’s journey was a long and fascinating one. “My father was a preacher; he’s been involved in ministry for my whole life. So I was raised in the faith and gave my heart to the Lord when I was seven years old, baptised in water at the age of 11. They wanted to wait a bit longer, so I knew what the faith was about. I had an understanding at the age of seven and it was a real experience and life change. I was filled with the Holy Ghost when I was 13, and later in my teens, my heart began to fall away. I was being pulled into different interests and I didn’t see how God could be involved in that. I didn’t realise that he was happy to be involved in everything in our lives and that he’s trustworthy. I fell away and was living in Los Angeles playing in a speed metal band called Sidecar 2000. I was doing a bit of speed metal, punk and disco. It was fun, but there was something unfulfilling about that. What was missing was the relationship with the Father, but I didn’t realise that until some circumstances changed in my life. When I finally reached that point of understanding, after a horrendous break up with a girl and I was depressed a lot, having suicidal thoughts. I was lying on the floor of my house and I cried out ‘God if you are still there and you still care then in the name of Jesus take this depression away, I can’t live like this.’ It was as if he was sitting on the edge of his seat waiting for me to ask. I prayed with power, the power of Jesus’ name and the minute I asked he yanked that depression right out of me, and it felt like this evil presence was leaving out the top of my head. I couldn’t help but believe it, he was still there and he has the power to take care of me. Nobody can deny that, because I felt lighter in my body and everything became brighter.”

After working with mentally handicapped adults it became clear to Teddy that he should relocate from USA to Israel. “After my depression, God began to speak clearly to me about Israel, telling me he has a place for me here, and he has kept me here. He has been faithful to his word and I am honoured to be here and serve him day by day. I still travel a lot but I am based here. It’s such a joy, amazing to live in Jerusalem, it’s a cross between the first and the third world. It’s just an amazing world, you have buildings where everything is round and then you have skyscrapers and areas that are full of sand. The Bible says God will make the dessert bloom, and the dessert is blooming today in Israel. The Galilee region is the most beautiful part of the Middle East. In the springtime flowers are growing all over the hills and you can see the mountains leading to the Sea of Galilee. We are praying for water still, because we need more water to flow into the Sea of Galilee and the River Jordan. But the Father is providing for Israel and there are more than seven million people living here, and there is room for a lot more.”


Teddy Chadwick

After his relocation Teddy worked with other believers in Jesus Christ the Messiah in setting up 24:7 Prayer House Ministries which are involved in prayer and worship ministries, 24 hours a day, all year round. Teddy spoke about the movement. “There are more than 500 houses of worship worldwide which are 24/7 or at least have a vision for it. It is not organised centrally by any human, it is just Yahweh pouring out his Spirit and people respond to it. When you think about it, if Jesus is coming back soon, doesn’t he deserve to come back to a planet which is worshipping him? There are now four houses of worship here in Jerusalem and some of them have already maintained a 24 hour schedule. Sometimes there are two or three people in the room; sometimes I am on my own. At popular times there could be 30 or 40 people in the room. It depends on people’s schedules and some shifts are more popular than others. The important thing is that he is still worthy and we are still lifting him up.

“I first got involved with Filipino believers in the USA. We would gather together 12-15 congregations and do one night straight through 24 hours. Congregations would bring their choir, their pastor, lots of flags and instruments. We would usually start on a Friday evening and going straight through to Saturday evening. The funny thing was that not many people realised that was the same timing as the Biblical Shabbat, because in Genesis it is written that the evening and the morning was the first day… Jews have always understood the day to begin and end at sundown; it was a Roman invention to put it at midnight. So what better thing to do on the day of rest than to praise the Lord? It is exciting to be part of his Kingdom and to connect with people on different aspects of where they are in the Kingdom. Wherever I find them, as I travel extensively, I want to bring people closer to the Father and music opens up doors, teaching and speaking do’s, I distribute Bibles and harps to encourage people to become worshippers and develop a heart of worship. I want to tell people that they are going to have a lot of fun doing it.”

In 2006 Teddy formed Yerubilee. He explained, “The name is a combination of Jerusalem, which in Hebrew is Yerushalayim, and the English word jubilee. When you put them together you get Jubilee in Jerusalem or Yerubilee. We proclaim the name of the Yesuah. We proclaim the Gospel. We are a Hebrew band who proclaim in Gospel-reggae, we sing in Hebrew, English and some other languages.”

Yerubilee‘s current line up is Teddy Chadwick (Davidic harp, keyboards), Jamie and Jonathan Hilsden (guitars), Avi Perrodin (bass), Joel Hilsden (drums) and Rachel Scholtz (violin). So how did the unlikely musical element of reggae get introduced into Messianic music? “I’ve slowly become more and more a fan of Bob Marley over the years. I believe that he had a calling as a worship leader. He became a believer again, just before he died. Many of his fans won’t admit that, but I think I have some pretty good sources on that. A friend of a friend was involved in the end of his life and was able to confirm that. He was raised a believer by his grandmother and then got into Rastafarianism. I don’t mean any offence to any believers of any religion, but from my part, there is only one true way, despite there being good parts to every religion. The Son of Yahweh is the only way; he said I am the Way, the Truth and Life. So Jesus is the way to the Father and the Bible says everything was made by and through God. So I am happy to find that Bob Marley came back into the faith before he died. If he was sincere in that, then we will see him in Heaven.”

Teddy feels that Messianic worship music needs to move beyond its current forms dominated by its Hebraic folk music influence. Commented Teddy, “I want to see it get more and more bold. The culture is changing here in Israel and there have been some amazing news reports on secular TV. They are now reporting in a favourable light. They never used to pronounce the name of Yeshua on the air, now they pronounce his name as they are talking about us. I think that the music scene is going to grow, but it is just a part of the believer’s community in Israel, less than one per cent of the population. We need to see the Kingdom of Heaven expand in Israel and in all the nations of the world. Music is only a small part of that.”

Yerubilee‘s first album ‘Yerubilee: The Green CD’ was released in 2008 and, like the new album, is a mix of Chadwick originals and covers. “The reason for doing other people’s songs is I want to make it easier for people to enter into worship and take their attention away from me and my band onto God. Using familiar songs helps people, as they already know the words. We did a song called ‘We Want To See Jesus Lifted High’, a popular worship song (written by Britain’s Doug Horley). We got permission from the publisher to sing ‘We Want to See Yeshuah Lifted High’. I sang that in Berlin a while ago and the place erupted and the Spirit fell down. It was amazing to see. As well as covers ‘The Green CD’ had songs I’d written; there is one based on Isaiah 53 called ‘By Your Wounds’. It’s based on the prophetic passage in Isaiah 53 that talks about the Messiah. They have pretty much left that out of the Jewish Liturgy because it points to the Yeshuah so strongly, but it is still in the Bible so I can’t ignore it. It says that he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities and by his wounds we are healed. I decided to take that Scripture and turn it round to say Father in the name of Yeshuah, by your wounds I am healed. I have seen healing by encouraging people to sing it.”

Yerubilee‘s ‘Arise And Shine’ album begins with the Chadwick composition “Do You See That Cloud”. Said Teddy, “It talks about a cloud the size of a man’s hand coming out of the sea. It is a small cloud, but it will turn into a storm. That’s revival, which we have tasted in the last few decades. The ’70s was the last great revival, there has been some renewal since then, but we haven’t really seen what’s coming. But there is going to be a thunderstorm, a worldwide growth of the Kingdom where the Kingdom of Heaven will advance, it will be amazing. It’s a prophetic song about that.”

For the future, there may well be new styles and influences introduced into Yerubilee‘s already highly eclectic style. “At the moment we are moving in reggae, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we moved into salsa or some other Arabic rhythms and styles, maybe some Ethiopian to incorporate some African sounds at some stage. I’m wide open, and we serve the Creator of the Universe who is the most creative personality and we follow Him, so why shouldn’t we as believers be the most creative human beings on earth? Why not, let’s raise our sights and get into something new.” CR

About Tony Cummings
Tony Cummings is the music editor for Cross Rhythms website and attends Grace Church in Stoke-on-Trent.

Yerubilee

“Messianic Roots Reggae

from Jerusalem”

http://www.Yerubilee.com

Revelation 21

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Rev 21: 3 (AENT)
And I heard a great voice from heaven, which said: “Behold, the tabernacle of Elohim is with men; and he dwells with them: they will be his people; and Elohim will be with them, an Elohim to them.  4.  And every tear will be wiped from their eyes; and there will no more be death, nor mourning, nor wailing; nor will pain be any more; because the former things are passed away.”  5.  And He who sat on the throne, said: “Behold, I make all things new.”  And he said: “Write; ‘because these are the faithful and true Words of Elohim.'”

Revelation 21:3-5 (Aramaic English New Testament)

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Yerubilee
“Messianic Roots Reggae
from Jerusalem”

Aramaic Scriptures Proving Yeshua’s Divinity

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Phil 2:11 (AENT) and that every tongue should confess that Y’shua the Mashiyach is YHWH, to the glory of Elohim his Father.

1 Cor 12:3b (AENT) “…neither can a man say that Y’shua is master YHWH, except by the Ruach haKodesh.”

Luke 2:11 (AENT) For today is born to you in the city of Dawid the Savior who is Master YHWH, the Mashiyach.

All verses from the (AENT)
Aramaic English New Testament

Messianic Believers Worshiping Yeshua in Israel

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A very interesting secular news story on Channel 2 news in Israel on the growing Messianic Jewish movement sweeping across Israel. This is a fulfilment of bible prophecy. The news report was on February 23, 2007.

1 Corinthians 4:11 (AENT)

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Up until this hour, we hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no permanent home.

1 Cor. 4:11 (AENT)
Aramaic English New Testament

Yeshua Removes Virus From Baby

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This week in our home group in Rosh haAyin, one of the women shared about how she and Teddy had prayed for her infant daughter’s healing a few days ago, and that out prayer was very strong (“chazak” in Hebrew). We agreed in prayer that the virus had no right being in the baby’s body, and that the sickness must leave in Yeshua’s name.

The very next day the diarrhea had completely stopped! It had been so bad, it threatened her fluid levels.

Glory to Yeshua!!

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