Newsletter                                                                December 2023

Dear Fellow Believers,

    Throughout history, a lot of the Jewish people have been stiff-necked and rebellious towards God, but he will never forsake them. They were chosen to bring forth the Messiah into the world. The only nation that God was personally involved in establishing, was Israel. She was brought forth in one day. “Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once?” Isaiah 66:8.

                Seasonal thoughts by a Jewish Evangelist

    I am so thankful to Jesus, for his obedience to God the father. He was asked to leave glory and dwell with man on earth for thirty-three and a half years. He knows about being lonely. He suffered ridicule, mocking, pain, persecution, and death, like no other person has ever. He did it so that we could be saved from our sins. His birth was the start of His mission: which was to give up his life. (John 3:16)

    Many believers get caught up in the month Christ was born. Some say it was in the spring, not in the winter. They say it was too cold for the shepherds to be out attending the flock. To me, it doesn’t matter the time or season of His birth. The only thing that matters is that he was born. Whenever Jesus was born, there is no record in the Word that he celebrated his birth. But John 10:22 says he celebrated the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) which was in winter.

    Hanukkah (also spelled Chanukah) is also known as the Festival of Lights. It is an eight-day Jewish holiday beginning on the twenty fifth day of the month of Kislev, which may fall anytime from late November to late December. It celebrates the re-kindling of the Temple menorah, at the time of the Maccabee rebellion.

    There were two miracle Hanukkahs. The first happened around 165 B.C. Antiochus desecrated the temple by foolishly sacrificing a pig on the altar to a Greek god called Zeus. He put out the lights on the lamp stand, which was always to be lit. The temple never had been in total darkness, and it looked hopeless. We who are born again were like the temple before Jesus found us: without hope, and in darkness, then and for eternity. If Antiochus’ armies were not defeated, there would be no Jews. He would have killed them all, which meant that there would be no Hanukkah, no Jesus, and no Christmas.

    For three years, the Maccabee family fought guerilla warfare against the much larger armies from Greece and Syria. The name Maccabee means “The Almighty Hammer of God”. That is exactly what God did: he hammered the Greek and Syrian armies. When Judah Maccabee went into the temple, he found it in a wreck. He did find enough oil for one day and put it into the lampstand to bring forth light. The oil could only be made by the priest, and they had to follow a certain process which took eight days. God performed a miracle by keeping the temple lit for eight days, restoring the light in the temple, as it had always been. The number eight means new beginnings, and that also happens to a person who comes to faith in Christ, a restoration takes place.

    The second Hanukkah miracle was the birth of Christ. Mary conceived her son, by the Holy Spirit, and brought forth the Savior of the world. Although Mary knew her son’s name before his birth, (revealed by an angel) he was not called Jesus, until his eighth day on the earth when he was circumcised. This was the sign of the covenant with God. That covenant also brought forth new beginnings. Jesus came to his own, and they received him not. He also came to introduce the Holy Spirit to bring freedom, and God’s grace to all nations. Nobody was more radical than Jesus, as He came against the religious establishment.

    Jesus also represents light. “He spoke to them again saying: I am the light of the world. He who follows me, shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” John 8:12. We end each year by celebrating two miracle light-filled holidays (Christmas and Hanukkah), which bring for new beginnings. God has great things in store for those who are true believers. May our faith be built up, to believe that the same God, who performed these miracles, will also work them in our lives. May this New Year be a year of jubilee, freedom, and joy in the Holy Spirit, like never before. May your spirit be so filled with God, that what looks bleak and hopeless, God will turn it around. May it not be for a day, a week, or a month, but for the whole year of new beginnings!

    We are in many locations NY, CT, and Northern NJ. Every day our program is aired somewhere. You can watch our shows on YouTube.com/newhopeinthelord. You will be blessed and encouraged. Your financial support is needed.

    Besides our TV shows, we are spreading the gospel on radio, and ministering in different churches. We also help people in need. Join in the harvest by sending your tax-deductible contribution to The Master’s Hand Christian Fellowship or give directly through https://paypal.me/Cohen727 or through Zelle at rev.joseph@aol.com.

Serving Our King Together,        Please keep us in your prayers

Rev. Joseph and Eric Ross    Happpy Hannukah and Merry Christmas