ABout Us
Our Vision, Values, Strategy & Beliefs
Celebrate Messiah NZ, in partnership with Chosen People Global Ministries (CPGM) exists to bring the message of Messiah to the original messengers and equip the Church to do likewise. CPGM was founded in Brooklyn, New York in 1894 by Rabbi Leopold Cohn, a Hungarian immigrant with a zeal to introduce the Messiah, Jesus, to his own Jewish people. Today, CPGM serves in at least seventeen countries worldwide. Celebrate Messiah NZ was founded in 2008, and our growing team is excited to be a part of bringing the message of Messiah, here in the ends of the earth!
Our Vision
Our vision is simple, focused, and biblical:
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Bringing the message of Messiah to the original messengers and equipping the Church to do likewise.
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The message, of course, is the Good News of salvation delivered to all the nations of the earth by grace, through faith in the Messiah, Jesus. The “original messengers?” – The Jewish people! The very ones through whom God brought us the Scriptures, the Saviour, and even Salvation (John 4:2).
OUR VALUES
1. PRIORITY OF sharing Messiah with the Jewish people
We are deeply committed to bringing the Gospel “to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16) in light of the fact that the Bible prioritises sharing Messiah with the Jewish people within the broader context of Jesus’ command to preach the Gospel to all peoples.
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2. MOTIVATED BY LOVE
The core motivation of sharing the Gospel with any people is the love of God demonstrated in the Person of Jesus the Messiah.
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3. EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
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We are committed to sharing the Gospel in a way that is culturally relevant and effective, without compromising the claims of Jesus.
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4. UNITY IN MESSIAH
We deeply value the unity of the whole body of Messiah and will seek to maintain fellowship with all people involved in the Church and associated para-church organisations. We believe in the equality of all believers in Messiah.
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5. MUTUAL ACCOUNTABILITY
We need to be accountable to each other, to associated ministries, and to the wider body of Messiah.
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6. INTENTIONAL DISCIPLESHIP
We believe that the fruit of evangelism must be preserved by intentional discipleship, and by incorporating new believers into local worshiping communities.
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7. SPIRITUAL INTEGRITY
The messenger must earnestly seek to live a life that is consistent with the Message.
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8. HUMAN DIGNITY
Since all human beings are made in the image of God, how we treat them is a reflection of our love and respect for Him. The worker is more important than the work.
OUR STRATEGY
Evangelism
In the earliest chapters of the Bible, God made an unusual promise to the son of an idol worshipper named Abram, saying, “In you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3) God repeated the promise to Abram’s son, Isaac, saying, “Through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” (Genesis 26:4) Finally, the promise was repeated one last time to Isaac’s son, Jacob, “In you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 28:14)
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God’s strategic mission on the earth is to deliver blessings to all nations through the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Jewish people. Israel exists as a dispensary of blessings to every family in every nation. It is no coincidence that the blessing of the Scriptures (Romans 3:2) the blessing of the Saviour (Romans 1:3) and even the blessing of Salvation (John 4:22) were delivered by God through the Jewish people. Likewise, it is no coincidence that future blessings are also linked to the nation Israel.
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Regardless of where and how we are serving the Lord Jesus, it makes sense to align our strategy with His. Jesus, the Saviour of the world and not merely the Saviour of Israel, launched His earthly ministry by focusing exclusively on Israel. (Matthew 15:24) The Apostle Paul declared unashamedly the power of the Gospel to save all who believe, highlighting God’s strategy to prioritize Jewish evangelism for the sake of all the nations. (Romans 1:16) Have you noticed that Paul, even though he was the Apostle to the Gentiles, typically went “to the Jew first” whenever entering a new city? (Acts 17:2) Paul well understood God’s strategy to prioritize Jewish evangelism, not because the Jewish people are inherently special, but because God intends to use them to deliver blessings to all the families of the earth.
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Since its inception in 2008, Celebrate Messiah has embraced this gospel strategy in a land where people from all around the world, including Israel, are flocking by the thousands: New Zealand! For the most part, these are sensitive, intelligent young adults who are looking for a life-changing adventure, and who are open to discussing life’s most important questions.
Our Outreach Centres, which are free for Israeli travellers, are our primary means for reaching Israelis in NZ. Imagine a facility staffed by Gentile believers and trained Hebrew-speaking Christian volunteers who are weaving the message of the gospel into the fabric of the daily routine, alert to gospel opportunities among guests. Our Outreach Centres have gained remarkable acclaim and popularity; most of our guests know about our lodges while they are still in Israel! As a result of God’s favour, we have the opportunity to share the love of Messiah with thousands of young Israelis who stay at our Outreach Centre accommodations.
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For many of our guests, this will be their first exposure to the Scriptures. One Brazilian backpacker clutched her new Bible to her chest, and with tears in her eyes said, “This is what I’ve been searching for. Thank you.”
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Equipping
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In Romans 11:13,14, Paul (the apostle to the Gentiles) has a divine epiphany concerning his fellow Jews: If God is using Gentile believers to provoke Jews to jealously desire and return to the God of Israel, why not enlarge his ministry to include these provocative Gentile believers? It’s a brilliant strategy, and it’s the very strategy we’re employing here in NZ, where hundreds of Christian households are networked to provide free or low-cost accommodation to Israeli travellers in their homes! Remember, these are the very people God is using to provoke my fellow Jews to jealousy! So by strengthening this movement, we (in the words of Paul) “enlarge our ministry” exponentially, reaching tens of thousands of Jewish lives through the hospitality of these Christian hosts. This is why we go throughout the country providing free training and free Hebrew Bibles and gospel literature to these provocative hosts.
Training
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Celebrate Messiah is committed to serving Christians who are eager to explore our faith through the lens of the Jewish authors who penned the Bible. We teach on a broad range of topics including Bible prophecy, Israel and the Church, the Gospel in the OT, disciple-making and more. By providing this unique training we’re able to build bridges between two worlds that, sadly, are historically conflicted: The world of Jews and the world of Gentile Christians.
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We are not here to replace the local church, but to assist other ministers, lay-workers, and agencies in New Zealand and worldwide who share our vision and are dedicated to the cause of sharing the gospel with the Jewish people. It’s an honour to be a resource to those who wish to better understand the cultural and historical context of the Scriptures. We are humbled and excited by the many opportunities God is giving us to teach in churches, church camps, conferences, Bible schools and para-church agencies.
OUR BELIEFS
IN ESSENTIALS, UNITY
IN NON-ESSENTIALS, LIBERTY
IN ALL THINGS, CHARITY
I
We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Bible, which is therefore inerrant and infallible in the original autographs. We affirm the 66 books of the Bible (Old and New Covenants), are the standard of all truth, the final authority for doctrine and practice. Rabbinic Jewish literature is of human origin, and we recognise its value only where it is supported by or conformable to the Word of God. We do not consider it binding upon issues of faith or life. (2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Peter 1:21)
II
We believe that there is one God. He is infinite and perfect, eternally existing in three distinct and equal persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – each possessing the nature and perfection of deity, as well as the characteristics of personality. (Deut. 6:4; Acts 17:24; Psalm 90:2; Matt 28:19 – 20)
III
We believe that the first man, Adam, was created in the image of God. Adam sinned and, though the image of God has not been lost, as a consequence all people are now born guilty before God and with a nature that inherently rebels against Him. Genesis (1:26 – 27, 2:7; Psalm 51:5; Ephesians 2:1 – 3; Romans 5:12)
IV
We believe that God made an everlasting and irrevocable covenant with Abraham. It includes the unconditional election of Israel as God’s chosen people, the promise of the Messiah through whom all the world will be blessed, and the gift of the land of Israel to the Jewish people. (Genesis 12:1 – 3, 15:9 – 17, 17: 1 – 5; 2 Samuel 7: 12 – 16; Romans 9 – 11)
V
We believe that God the Son, the eternal Word, came to Earth in human form and was known as Jesus, or Yeshua, the Messiah. We believe in His full deity; His virgin conception by the work of the Holy Spirit; His full humanity and His sinless life. Isaiah 7:14, 9:6; John 1:1 – 3, 14, 20:28; Colossians 2:9; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22; Hebrews 4:15, 7:26. We believe Yeshua, the Messiah is the promised Prophet, Priest and King. As the Prophet, He revealed the mind of God in His teaching. As the great High Priest, He offered Himself once and for all as the only effective sacrifice for the sins of men, dying as atonement, which is both penal and substitutionary. He continues His priestly ministry as He intercedes for His people. As the King, He began His reign when He ascended into heaven after His death and bodily resurrection. He will return physically and visibly to reign on earth. (Romans 6:9 – 10; Revelation 20:1; Deuteronomy 18:15; Acts 3:22 – 24; Matthew 13:57; Hebrews 1 – 2; Leviticus 21; Hebrews 5 – 17, 7: 1 – 3; 2 Samuel 7:12 – 16; Isaiah 9:7; Luke 1:32 – 33; Matthew 2:1 – 11)
VI
We believe in the full deity and the personality of the Holy Spirit. We believe that He bears witness to Messiah Yeshua through the Word of God; that He convicts people of sin; that He regenerates individuals, baptizing them into the body of Messiah; that He indwells, seals, fills, helps, and produces in believers the fruit of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 6: 11; Romans 8:15; 1 Corinthians 2:10 – 11; Ephesians 4:30; John 16:8; Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5: 22 – 23; John 16:8 – 11; Titus 3:5; 1 Corinthians 6:19, 12:13) We believe that the Holy Spirit sovereignly gives spiritual gifts to believers. (I Corinthians 12:1 – 11, 28 – 30; Romans 12:6 – 8; Ephesians 4: 11)
VII
We believe in justification by grace alone through faith alone. Faith in Messiah Yeshua is the only way of salvation, for both Jew and Gentile. True believers in Messiah Yeshua cannot lose their salvation. (Ephesians 2: 8 – 9; Acts 4:12; Romans 8:27 – 30; John 10:28 – 30)
VIII
We believe that the church is comprised of both Jews and Gentiles who have surrendered their lives to Yeshua as Saviour and Lord. Gentiles who have come to faith in Messiah Yeshua are fellow heirs with Jewish believers of the promises of God. Ephesians 2:15 We believe in the establishment of the local assembly of believers where both Jews and Gentiles are encouraged to live together in unity while freely expressing their respective cultural distinctives. (Hebrews 10:24 – 25; Acts 14:23; 1 Timothy 3: Titus 1:5 – 9)
IX
We believe that the final state of those who have trusted in Messiah Yeshua will be eternal life in the presence of God. The state of those who have not trusted in the Messiah will be one of eternal judgment. (Matthew 25:46; 2 Thessalonians 1:8 – 9)