I'm going to go to bed early tonight because I have to wake up at 2 AM and catch a flight to Germany. I'll land in Germany around 9:30 AM Berlin time. I have a full schedule over the next few days where I am preaching seven different times including two two-hour seminars. I'm not saying this to impress you. Truth be told, it was supposed to be two different teachers, but one had to cancel. I am excited because the conference which lasts from Thursday to Saturday is for 150 pastors, elders, and future leaders. They want me to share on… well, let me share the words of my host Hartwig:
“We want you to teach about biblical leadership, the heart of a leader (servant instead of boss), what we can learn from the recent scandals and about spiritual formation for leaders. And please don‘t forget to address the false teaching: ‘Don‘t touch the anointed one of God!’”
That last teaching he mentions seeks to silence people from ever confronting a leader in sin. Just like a few weeks ago, a well-known supposed “prophet” said, “Jesus won’t ever let you get away with anything.” That sounds good, right? But his point was we don't ever need to correct leaders in sin because that's Jesus's job. That's not what the Bible says. Read 1 Corinthians 5 to see how Paul expected the church to deal with those in sexual sin. And he refers to himself as possibly being disqualified if he cannot control his lusts (1 Cor 9:27). And when we deal with sin correctly, it is redemptive for the leader in sin. It's the most compassionate thing we can do for the leader—that is, to hold them accountable. That is good for him, his family, and certainly the victim.
In fact, the verse that they use, “touch, not my anointed ones…” comes from Psalm 105:15. It has nothing to do with leaders in sin. If you look at the verses just before it, he is rebuking the kings of the nations, telling them not to touch any of the Jewish people. The “anointed ones,” refer to the members of the nation of Israel. It does not refer to pastors or New Testament leaders. The reason we have drawn that conclusion is because David uses it when he says he will not lift his hand against Saul. David did not want to become king, as had been prophesied, by killing Saul. Even though he knew he was called to be king, he would not lift his finger to make it happen, and he would do everything in his power to continue to honor our Saul.
But Saul was a king, and New Testament elders are submitted to each other and ultimately to the church. There is no teaching within the New Testament that would cause us to believe that a pastor or an elder is to be treated like a king of Israel. In fact, Jesus's style of leadership was lowly. He washed the feet of his disciples.
Why Am I Writing this Email?
But I digress… the reason I told you about waking up in the middle of the night and going to Berlin is because during that time something very powerful will be happening.
Every second of every day, Shelanu TV is playing. As the president, it doesn't matter if I am sleeping, eating, on a plane or in a hotel in a foreign city… the gospel is going forth in Hebrew. And guess what? At the end of next month, we will mark our five-year anniversary! That's right, Shelanu TV has been broadcasting the good news in Hebrew using content from different ministries all over the land of Israel for five years.
During these five years, we have definitely seen fruit. Every month we send out a couple dozen New Testament in Hebrew in my book identity theft, translated to Hebrew. We've ministered to rabbis and homosexuals, to atheists, and those who are religious. We've heard dozens of testimony and even reenacted the stories of many who have come to faith.
GOD TV has been the primary supporter to Shelanu, but Messiah’s Mandate has also donated hundreds of thousands of dollars. And we plan to continue. Evan Santoro, our general manager and our team in Tel Aviv continue to crank out powerful Hebrew-language content. And there are other believers all over the country who are creating high-quality anointed media, and we air it free of charge.
Your gifts and partnership are getting the good news of Yeshua, the Messiah in Hebrew into the homes of Israelis every day and every night, and sometimes in the middle of the night when someone can’t sleep… they stumble under one of our videos on Facebook or Instagram. thank you!
