I hate to leave Israel during any of the major Feasts and am not wanting to be here for the first part of Sukkot. But Bedig Nassanian with Hope Geneva, our dear friend and husband to David Rudolph’s daughter Rebecca, was very convincing, so Ben and I came.
There are several things to note about this conference and celebration. First, Bedig has an amazing networking gift. That he can pull in leaders from the Swiss Reformed Church, the leader of the Evangelical Alliance, Pentecostals and restorationists is amazing. We have some who teach with depth on the Reformation, some that teach with passion about the power of God and evangelism and more. The emphasis was passing on the heritage, and they sought to have fathers and sons, both literally and spiritually share. It was wonderful to have a back to back session with my son Ben who did a wonderful job on the key seven points that he learned from my life and theology.
The Reformation was a great gain for the world. Though it was not perfect, the Word of God was spread like never before. Education was democratized so all could read the Word. The light of the Gospel and the Word gained at a great level.
Many of you know I was saved in a Reformed Church and was ordained in the Presbyterian Church. My history was before the Messianic Jewish movement. I learned a ton from this Reformed background and am forever thankful. So for me, a Messianic Jews, to speak about the gains that came from Calvin and Calvinism and then to share what was not yet attained was a great pleasure. One of those things was the discovery of the continued importance of the Jewish people in God’s plan, the still elect Jewish people. The Puritans just 50 years after Calvin would begin a great step forward in understanding.