Evangelizing evangelical-pentecostal-American-Messianic "Jew"

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graceandglory

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I’m looking for a great resource that can help me reach out to my best friend. Many of our evangelical friends from 20 years ago have already become Catholic. This friend is in a reconstruction type of Messianic Congregation. With all respect to our Jewish friends, my friend is not Jewish. As many of us evangelicals sought out the “first Church,” my friend’s husband became a “rabbi” to pastor a Messianic congregation that imploded as protestant sects usually do, and now they are church-less and not attending. I can only believe they will not be truly fulfilled outside of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Looking for resources or a way I can share my Catholic faith with them that they would be receptive to.
 
try the Association of Hebrew Catholics. There are also some good books out by Jewish Catholics like “Salvation is of the Jews” (name escapes me but I have heard him interviewed on the radio. google search Hebrew Catholics and that should bring them up. The founder converted to the Catholic faith from being an atheist. Good luck.
 
Thank you VERY kindly. 😃
I have read and own both of those books. The testimonies are specific to Hebrew Jews converting, but not to what I consider a reconstructionist type of protestant denomination that wants to think of themselves as the true church and closest to the first Christians of the New Testament.

Do you know how I could “plant a seed” into our conversations? I have never read any conversion stories for this type of Protestant. I’m just confused, and get sad especially at Christmas, when I see that they don’t celebrate Christmas as a Christian holy day, but only Chanukah. I just feel that they are really missing out.
 
I have met some of these people in South Florida, and consider them to be the worst sort of cult. They are some of the most self deluded I have ever met. Their imitation Jewish religious observances are not even remotely accurate to those of real Jews. What they cannot find they invent out of thin air.
If they could get away with it they probably would return to animal sacrifice, which ended after the Temple was destroyed, the Sanhedron dispersed, and the Jews taken into slavery by the Romans in 70 A.D.
These people are even more dispised than the Jews for Jesus people by religious Jews…or at least those I know.
 
I have never had a conversation about this sect, and your thoughts are very similar to my own. Sadly, they do seem to be deluded, as they make things up as they go along.
And they deride Catholicism as “man-made religion” and being a bad thing. :confused:

I truly care about these people. She is my best friend. They are like sheep without a Shepherd right now, as they do not have a church to attend anymore, since they left a leadership position in one of these ‘congregations.’

We used to worship together as evangelicals in the same evangelical church 25 years ago and have remained close ever since. My heart breaks for them.
 
graceandglory said:
Thank you VERY kindly. 😃
I have read and own both of those books. The testimonies are specific to Hebrew Jews converting, but not to what I consider a reconstructionist type of protestant denomination that wants to think of themselves as the true church and closest to the first Christians of the New Testament.

Do you know how I could “plant a seed” into our conversations? I have never read any conversion stories for this type of Protestant. I’m just confused, and get sad especially at Christmas, when I see that they don’t celebrate Christmas as a Christian holy day, but only Chanukah. I just feel that they are really missing out.
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Well, if they are thinking that the real roots of Christianity are Jewish and they are trying to get back to those roots, then even though the resources I mentioned are geared to Jews coming to the fullness of their faith, there might be some seeds to use there. I am wondering if the Association of Hebrew Catholics could help you more since they seem to be wayward gentiles trying to be Jewish.
 
robwar said:
Well, if they are thinking that the real roots of Christianity are Jewish and they are trying to get back to those roots, then even though the resources I mentioned are geared to Jews coming to the fullness of their faith, there might be some seeds to use there. I am wondering if the Association of Hebrew Catholics could help you more since they seem to be wayward gentiles trying to be Jewish.
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I’m going to write to them my question. I was thinking Rosalind Moss, and anyway, it’s because of these friends that I got these two books of conversion stories.
I’m surprised with all the books and Catholic resources of conversion stories and apologetics, I have yet to find even an apologetics article addressing these new Messianic “Jewish” Congregations.

Thank you so much for entering this dialogue with me.
 
graceandglory said:
I’m going to write to them my question. I was thinking Rosalind Moss, and anyway, it’s because of these friends that I got these two books of conversion stories.
I’m surprised with all the books and Catholic resources of conversion stories and apologetics, I have yet to find even an apologetics article addressing these new Messianic “Jewish” Congregations.

Thank you so much for entering this dialogue with me.
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It is her brother that runs Hebrew Catholics. He became Catholic before her and it was in the arguing back and forth between them that lead her into the Catholic church since she became a pretty committed evangelical Protestant Christian. She is busy starting a religious order but I would bet that her brother could help you. The Mass is the reinactment of the sedar. Maybe that sort of connection might help these types of people. Wouldn’t they want to go to the Church that reinacts the sedar (in the Mass) everyday?
 
robwar said:
The Mass is the reinactment of the sedar. Maybe that sort of connection might help these types of people. Wouldn’t they want to go to the Church that reinacts the sedar (in the Mass) everyday?
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YES! That is exactly what I was hoping for! I agree! I also liked what Scott Hahn wrote about the 4th Cup. star.ucl.ac.uk/~vgg/rc/aplgtc/hahn/m4/4cp.html

I have come across this webpage tonight, but will follow up with Mr. Moss. catholicsforisrael.com/en/articles/testimonies/44-a-prodigal-son-returns-home?start=10
 
This is not really my area of knowledge, however, I know that Rosalind Moss is always recommending the book, “Honey from the Rock”. I don’t believe that has been mentioned above, but it deals with this subject I believe. I have been planning on reading it, but I find mostly non denom Protestants and Secularists in my “evangelizing circles” and neither of those seem interested in the “Jewishness” or lack thereof in Catholicism so all my research and reading is geared in the directions of battling atheism and Sola Scriptura, and also tying Christ to the Catholic Church. I am very interested in the subject though, and this thread renews my interest in it.
 
For myself, when I examined the Messianic movement it boiled down to having to admit to myself that I was seeking emotional spiritual experiences that made me ‘‘feel good’’. Having to adopt all sorts of different cultural trappings just seemed a bit much in the end. I realized I was a spiritual tourist and it wasn’t my ‘thing’ so I kept looking.

I’ll pray for you. I wish I had better information to share with you. I do think that a whole lot of it lies in the hands of God and that He will draw them. So I will help you pray about this. God bless you.
 
Brant Pitre’s Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, also his website. He has another book available on pre-buy now about Jesus as the Jewish Bridegroom. His work may be influential for you.

I have a friend caught up in this right now. I think one of the biggest things to remember is a kind of spiritual pride goes hand-in-hand with this movement. These people tend to be very, very sure that they are right. Sadly, many end up not practicing any corporate faith because they refuse to submit to any pastoral authority, and eventually fall away.

Praying for your successful evangelization–great is the reward when one wins back a brother.

V
 
Tablefor9 said:
Brant Pitre’s Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, also his website. He has another book available on pre-buy now about Jesus as the Jewish Bridegroom. His work may be influential for you.

Tablefor9, thank you for sharing this resource.
I have a friend caught up in this right now. I think one of the biggest things to remember is a kind of spiritual pride goes hand-in-hand with this movement. These people tend to be very, very sure that they are right. Sadly, many end up not practicing any corporate faith because they refuse to submit to any pastoral authority, and eventually fall away.
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If you feel like now is the time, Pitre and Hahn are probably your guys. Pitre especially taps into all the similarities between Catholicism and Jewish temple worship (How Eucharisitc Adoration is tied to the Ancient Bread of Presence), he states that the Mass is closer to Jewish temple worship than anything.

This makes perfect sense, because Jesus did not come abolish the law, but to fulfill it.

I’m excited for you that you have friends willing to read and study things that don’t line up with their pre-approved theology. I have some family that I can’t ge to read anything that doesn’t come out of Springfield, Mo.

Praying for you,
V
 
Sorry for the late post on this thread:

Are these the people who approached me like a month ago and were saying something about a “Christian Passover?” :eek:
 
Richard_White said:
Sorry for the late post on this thread:

Are these the people who approached me like a month ago and were saying something about a “Christian Passover?” :eek:
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Most certainly. Only Catholics continue the Passover with every Mass. Daily, even. 😃

I just wish I could reach my BEST FRIEND.
 
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