Dear Mishpacha (family),
I want to start this newsletter with some praise reports. Having our Guest Hanoch Young with us was such an inspiration and a blessing. He was able to stay at my house for a week and we had a good time. His knowledge of current events in Israel helps us to understand what is truly going on and he has been going up on the Temple Mount at least once a week while living in Israel. These are exciting times and it’s good to be alive. I am excited to announce that the Membership Class was a great success. We have 11 new members at Beit Tehila. Another praise report is George and Mary’s wedding ceremony that took place on August 17th. The bride and groom were beautiful along with the chuppah. As I was performing the ceremony I really got chocked up when I saw Mary, the bride. She really prepared for this wedding with everything she had; as the bride we need to have the same urgency and a lot more passion for Yeshua as we prepare for Him. I know George also put a lot of effort preparing himself and preparing for the wedding.
One of the ways that Beit Tehila is preparing is by celebrating the season of Teshuvah; beginning August 24th eve (Elul 1) and ends on October 2nd (Tishrei 10). “Teshuvah” literally means to return and is the word used to describe the concept of repentance. There are prophecies in the bible about a people in the last days that would return back to God (Deuteronomy 30:1-3, 8; Isaiah 44:22, 51:11, 63:17; Hosea 1:11, 3:5, 6:1-3, 14:7, 9; Jeremiah 33:7; Malachi 3:18). The season of Teshuvah is also about repentance. Repentance means more than just turning from one’s sins; it is a return to God and to the right path. The season of Teshuvah is a time for each man to annually examine his own life. At the same time that we start the season of Teshuvah we will also be doing a 21 day Daniel Fast for the people of Israel and the holy city of Jerusalem (Daniel 10:2-3).
In the month of September we will be celebrating the beginning of the fall feasts with the Feast of Trumpets on Tishrei 1/September 22nd eve. The Feast of Trumpets is also called “Rosh Hashanah” and it’s a New Year (5786) in the civil calendar for the Jews. Just think that the Lord is going to be blowing the trumpet over us on the Feast of Trumpets. The days between the Feast of Trumpets and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) are called the ten days of awe. During this time, we traditionally do Mikvahs for two days for ceremonial cleansing (Hebrews 10:22). I will be sharing about Mikvah’s in the near future so we can all share in this awesome opportunity.
All of these things that we are doing is all about our Heavenly Father restoring His kingdom. He is restoring His people Israel and His word. We can also see that He is restoring the nation of Israel and defeating their enemies that are all around. One of the most important thing that Beit Tehila needs to have is influence. I felt led to mail out the Teshuvah spiritual journals to some local pastor friends of mine and just wait for some sort of response. The Father just today put one of my pastor friends on my heart and when I asked him if he could swing by because I had something for him, he came by in just ten minutes. We talked and prayed and he left with eight Teshuvah journals. You can’t make this stuff up.
Please don’t forget that the season of Teshuvah is also about making intercession for others. I am believing for salvation, healing and deliverance for Brandon and the surrounding areas. Let’s be a light and push out the darkness so the captives can be free. As a reminder, this year is all about divine appointments and friendships. Strengthen the friendships that you have and go on to make some new friends. I’m doing it and its refreshing along with really encouraging me. Many blessings to all of you that share the vision of Beit Tehila.
~Shalom, Pastor Nick