CHINESE LANGUAGE RESOURCE: Ariel MInistries Books

Since I cannot read Chinese, I cannot tell you a great deal about the Ariel Ministries resources in Chinese languages (not even sure if they are available in Mandarin or in Cantonese).  I do know that Dr. Fruchtenbaum's "Footsteps of the Messiah" is one of the titles available.  Since, if you are reading this, you probably read Chinese, I shall simply put the link below, and you can decide:

Resources in Chinese from Ariel Ministries

ARIEL INDIA NOW TO BE A FULL OFFICE:

For those of you who are not familiar with Ariel Ministries,  perhaps I should start by clarifying, using words from the Ariel Ministries website: Bible teaching from a Messianic Jewish perspective.  Some of the background to this ministry is quoted from their website, again, below:

Arnold Fruchtenbaum graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary in 1971 and received his Ph.D. from New York University in 1989. After graduating from Dallas, he moved to Israel with his wife, Mary Ann, and established a Bible institute, a school which became so effective in discipleship that after two years certain religious leaders forced Arnold and Mary Ann to return to the United States.

When they returned, they saw a most wonderful thing: The Holy Spirit was doing a tremendous work among Jewish young people, with an explosion of new believers rivaling that recorded in the Book of Acts. But along with the joy of seeing hundreds saved came the agony of watching new Jewish believers falter and ebb in their enthusiasm because of poor discipleship by their older brothers and sisters in the Lord.

The concept of a new and powerful ministry simmered within Arnold's heart during the following years, as he worked first with the American Board of Missions to the Jews (now Chosen People Ministries) and, then, The Christian Jew Foundation. Finally, he could resist the call no longer, and Ariel Ministries turned from a dream into reality.

Today, Ariel Ministries has plunged directly into the mainstream of Jewish missions by combining the two key areas of evangelism and discipleship, with a heavy emphasis on Bible theology and doctrine. We seek to develop a balanced program of reaching out to others, as we grow in maturity ourselves. And, today, there are thousands upon thousands of Jewish Christians eager to live well-balanced lives — sharing their faith, praying, diligently studying the Word and pursuing fellowship with other believers.

We praise God for other Jewish missions as we work together to pursue the common goal of reaching the lost sheep of the House of Israel. Our Lord will use all who are willing to listen and obey during these last days before Messiah Jesus returns: Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king, and they will come trembling to the Lord and His goodness in the last days (Hosea 3:5).

And, so, in these “last days,” the necessity and future for Jewish missions has never been greater. Yet we cannot accomplish this work ourselves. We need our brothers and sisters in the Lord — Jew and Gentile alike — to join with and uphold us in this endeavor. We pray that the Spirit of God will move you to unite with us in our vision.

Many of us are not Jewish -- so why would we post an Ariel notice on a general website?  Well, to get an in-depth insight into the world of the Bible, the Jewish perspective is really helpful in many ways.  The Old Testament, of course, was written in Hebrew, so there are linguistic insights that a Jewish perspective might offer.  The New Testament, though not originally written in Hebrew, mentions many events in the Gospels, and these events are not immediately understandable to the Gentile reader.  There are many allusions to Hebraic practices from the Old Testament in the epistles, as well, that become much more clear when viewed through the lens of a Hebraic scholar.   In addition to these reasons, having a good, sound teacher of the Bible is a major plus when studying Ariel materials:  Dr. Fruchtenbaum, along with his Jewish background, also has a BA in Hebrew and Greek, a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from New York State University.  Dr. Fruchtenbaum is able to show from history where some of the church schisms that have occurred throughout the centuries might have been avoided had there been a Jewish, as well as a Gentile perspective on the Bible.

NOW, BACK TO INDIA:  You will find a great deal of information about Ariel India at the following link:

ARIEL INDIA

If you wish immediate contact information for this ministry, it is given below:

Ariel Ministries India
Bakul N. Christian
D-20, Anand Colony,
Near Baroda Express Highway,
CTM Cross Road,
Ahmedabad - 380026
GUJARAT - INDIA

Email: bakulchristian@ariel.org
Landline: 0091-79-25853245
Cell phone: 0091-9978128038
Skype name: bakulkumar.christian

How Offering Different Worship Styles Contributes to Church Decline

I find the following article interesting, in that, while you may not agree with every item of its content, you may find perhaps TWO of its main ideas to be very important.  One is the proposal that the worship is not so much about us, but about the Lord Jesus Christ.  This notion goes against the grain of modern me-ism.
The other idea is that the centre of church worship is not the pulpit, but the Table -- that is, the Table of Remembrance: some would say of Communion, or of the Lord's Supper.

The author suggests, further, that a strong liturgy, rather than an entertaining program is important to our thinking in worship -- since I do not come from a church group that utilizes liturgy, I tried to make an authentic translation to my situation.  Liturgy, in many church groups, is usually prayers or sayings rooted in the biblical truth that are not Bible quotations, per se, but literary compositions of Christians of the past.  People repeat these during a communion service. 

Many Christian groups, including the one where I fellowship, do not do utilize a liturgy.  However,  the practice of singing certain very solidly grounded, rather traditional hymns specifically chosen for their theological meaning, especially that which is about the suffering, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, would be the nearest correspondence in our experience, to liturgy, since written words of believers of the past are utilized, although, in the case of the non-liturgical Christian groups, they are sung, rather than recited.  If I apply the author's comments about liturgy to this practice of singing very theologically-correct hymns of the past at the Remembrance (Communion), then I get what he means, pretty much.

I will go on no longer, since you might wish to read his article, which I think is a good one, even though he appears to be quite irritated, at times, breaking into the use of an expletive at one point.  I do think that his main points do resonate, though, so I thought I should include the article here:

How Offering Different Worship Styles Contributes to Church Decline

French Language Messianic Book about Prophecy (Fruchtenbaum): Sur Les Traces du Messie

Are you looking for a book on prophecy in the French language?  Sur Les Traces du Messie, pictured on the left may be that book.  Available from Ariel Ministries in both the United States and Canada, and possibly elsewhere, and, of course, on Amazon, in hard cover book format, or in PDF, it is a rather encyclopedic work taking the literal/historical perspective, and is authored by Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, well-known as one exceedingly acquainted with its theme.

If you are interested in this book, it is possible that you would like to read its description in the French language, below, where the quote is taken from the Ariel USA site (www.ariel.org):

En utilisant le Livre de l'Apocalypse comme une feuille de route de la fin des temps, le Dr Fruchtenbaum tisse les écrits prophétiques des Écritures hébraïques et les enseignements du Messie pour révéler le plan de Dieu pour l'avenir d'Israël et du monde. Dr Fruchtenbaum rassemble les nombreuses pièces du puzzle prophétique et les place dans l'ordre séquentiel avec le résultat résumé par le Dr Charles Ryrie dans son avant-propos: «Ceux qui lisent ce livre ne peut s'empêcher d'être instruit et stimulé par son travail.

Pas à pas est détaillé, approfondie et savante, mais écrit dans un style que le lecteur moyen peut facilement comprendre. Avec une richesse de sagesse tirée de son passé juif et de la recherche approfondie, l'auteur aborde même les «passages de problème» pour fournir un aperçu complet de la gamme entière de vérité prophétique. »Dans une présentation complètement biblique, équilibrée et claire, Arnold Fruchtenbaum Expose clairement le plan de Dieu pour l'avenir tout en évitant les erreurs sensationnelles des autres écrivains prophétiques. Je me suis appuyé sur ce livre comme une ressource depuis des années. »- Michael Rydelnik, professeur de programme d'études juives, Moody Bible Institute

Vingt ans d'enseignement de l'Eschatologie depuis l'écriture originale de ce livre a donné au Dr Fruchtenbaum des réflexions supplémentaires sur certains passages. Cette édition mise à jour comprend cinq nouvelles annexes au livre.>

Care Givers and Orphans: Audio Dramatizations to Help!

Trans World Radio Logo (above)

All of us are, undoubtedly, aware that one of the mandates of the Bible is the care of orphans and of widows.  James describes it as an evidence of "pure religion and undefiled."  That is pretty strong language.

Trans World Radio (TWR), among many other activities, is ministering to caregivers and orphans with these two audio dramatizations, in English, in an African situation (AIDS epidemic decimated homes). 

The caregiver one is called "Holding Esther" and info can be found at Holding Esther

The second is called "Jabota Bridge" and can be found at Jabota Bridge

Although there will be an African situation, specifically, it could be that the scripts may at some point be available.  Maybe you have some local thespians who could produce, adapt and so on.  I think the second, Jabota Bridge, will not be aired until 2019.

However, these are very listenable, as is, and may be downloaded.