“One New Man” 10-6-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lord of all the earth, be Lord of all I am. ... “Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from nations of every language shall take hold of a Jew, grasping his garment and saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you’ ” (Zechariah 8:22-23). I love divine appointments. As left Lexington this morning for Chicago and on to Tallinn, Estonia for my ministry engagements there the next two weeks, I had no idea what a great blessing You had arranged for me. The businessman next to me was a Jew, who came to believe in Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah, in a little church in our city many years ago. He’s now in full time ministry, arranging financing to the poor and oppressed in the nations of the world, not just giving them fish, but teaching them how to fish, in their own small businesses—breaking the curse of poverty and finding the security and peace of Your provision as they grown in their sense of self-worth and dignity as children of God. As we shared one another’s stories, I discovered that he fought in Six Day War of 1967 and the liberation of Jerusalem. Then I learned that his father, now a ninety-nine year old citizen of Lexington, and his mother were Jewish survivors of the Nazi holocaust in Poland during World War II. His father also is now a completed Jew—one who has received Jesus as Messiah, fulfilling the Hebrew Scriptures. I was thrilled to hold his Hebrew Bible as he read from passages, declaring the promises of God and the fulfillment of prophecies declaring the coming of Christ, such as Isaiah 61 and Psalm 2. As my new friend and I went our ways, I sensed Your overwhelming favor and goodness to me to arrange this time of such encouragement and joy. Something stirred deeply in my spirit as my friend spoke the words, “I’ll be praying for you and your ministry, Tommy. God bless you.” I said, “Thank you for that blessing. I don’t take that lightly,” thinking of the time to come when people of all nations will eagerly look for a Jew who has come to know You, and take them by the sleeve to go up to Mount Zion to seek Your face and Your ways (Zechariah 8:23). “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths” (Isaiah 2:3; Micah 4:2). What an honor I had, as I said to him, just to sit next to him and talk of the glories and favor of God. And as I hurried on to my next flight, I thought of what a prophetic picture we were of Gentile and Jew united in Christ as “the one new man” (Ephesians 2:15, NKJV). Thank You, Lord, for letting me go up to the mountain of Your Presence and know the favor of Your grace upon my life through this divine appointment You arranged for me today. Now as best as I can and all by Your grace, let me live in Your ways and walk in Your paths. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays I have two ministry trips abroad by year's end (Estonia in October and Pakistan in December), where I'll be sharing my teaching and my heart for prayer and healing. If you'd like to join our intercessory prayer team, connected by email, please let me know. We have great anticipation for my time in Estonia. And since this will be my first ministry engagement sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and ministering the healing love of God in the Muslim nation of Pakistan, I'm sensing the need for an especially strong and committed covering of prayer: TommyHays@aol.com (Please copy Carol Arban arbansc@yahoo.com on your note, who will help coordinate updates while I'm away). I would be thrilled for you to order my new book for yourself or someone who may enjoy it with my perspective on healing and God's heart for restoration in the process of the journey, with mighty breakthroughs along the way: Free to Be Like Jesus -- Transforming Power of Healing & Deliverance: www.messiah-ministries.org or at www.amazon.com Proceeds go to support the vision and calling of the Lord through Messiah Ministries. Subscribe Free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502