Sid: Well my guest is Jonathan Bernis; you’re familiar with him from “Jewish Voice With Jonathan Bernis.” Jonathan and I go back many many years. I’m reminded of a time that we had a meeting of leaders of Jewish believers in the Messiah. At this meeting Jonathan said “I feel like God is directing me to go to the former Soviet Union to evangelize.” And you laid out a little bit of a plan because you hadn’t done it; you didn’t know what to expect, and it was really shot down but I loved the idea. Jonathan and I went to the former Soviet Union several times and you… how did you even come up with the concept to go there and do a special event of Jewish music and dance for the Jewish Community? I know it came from God but how did it happen?
Jonathan: Sid, just reflecting back on the whole experience it was a process that began with a need that I identified which was the plight of Soviet Jews. Then the conviction in my heart the conviction that the Lord dropped in my heart that He wanted me to be involved in this somehow. Out of obedience and faith I went to Russia back in 1990 just out of… I walked in the light that I had and that many many Jewish people that were very open of the gospel which led to more trips back and forth. And then the Lord spoke to me very clearly on an airplane in 1992 and said “Go back to my people and proclaim the good news.” And I was reading Matthew 24:14 where Yeshua was saying that “Before end will come the gospel has to go to every ethnos.” In Greek the word ethnos which is translated nation is people group. And so understanding that the gospels to the Jew first I simply went back in faith and this plan unfolded. It’s all about faith Sid; I have to tell you the Bible’s so clear “Without faith it’s impossible to please God.” The fight of every believer is the fight of faith. And it really was the call of God and the response in faith that brought this all about.
Sid: Well, I want to take you back to the first night there were advertisements. I was with you, and there were some Messianic Jewish music groups. That first night we didn’t know what to expect; so we ran ads. And it’s never been done before it’s a foreign country you need translators. The auditorium was packed, and then when you gave the altar call explain that moment. Because I know what happened inside of me I was there, but you explain that moment of what happened inside of you.
Jonathan: Well, you’re right none of us knew what to expect; I had these dreams of these nightmares of an empty hall and this was a 4,000 seat hall. I have all my friends there including you and Joyce. And I’m thinking that this is going to be a disaster and I’m going to be embarrassed. The enemy will do that, but to our amazement the hall was packed we had to turn people away. And when the time came in the music for me to share I just went out with a microphone and with a spot light. And I told people how the Lord had changed my life. I shared some scriptures; very simple scriptures about the Messiah standing at the door of our heart and knocking and whosoever will call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved. And then I gave a simple invitation for people that wanted to respond to come forward. And Sid to my shock almost the whole auditorium got out of their chairs and came down the altars; just pouring down.
Sid: But I saw something even beyond that Jonathan in addition to what’s you’re saying. I saw Jewish people running to get saved; I’ve never seen that before in my life! (Laughing)
Jonathan: I haven’t either Sid and most of the people in that hall were Jewish; there were very few people that weren’t Jewish. And they did they came running down the aisle with their arms outstretched tears on their faces. And I did everything I could to fight back the tears. Because even now as I talk about it I’m just gripped by that picture, I’ve never seen anything like it before that. And of course the years that followed we saw football stadiums filled mostly with Jewish people open to the gospel and responding to the gospel. Sid we’re living in remarkable days.
Sid: But you know what I want I want to see because I believe the greatest miracles; the greatest evangelism the world has ever see is about ready to happen. So I want those that are listening to be mentored by what you did and I did it right along with you because we’ve been friends for all these years. What you did what word would you say are the major keys that allowed you to accomplish and be used by God like He used you?
Jonathan: Well, Sid I believe that everything that we do is lasting is done by faith. Again, we’re to fight the good fight of faith; “Without faith it’s impossible to please Him.” It’s all about walking in faith and when we walk in faith we’re able to hear the voice of God. And I believe the scripture teaches two ways that we can build up faith. We can walk in faith and actually grow in faith. The first one is praying in other tongues. I love in the Book of Jude where we have this warning against those that have been sensual which means to become sense controlled. Controlled by the senses; they have been overtaken by materialism; by the cares of this world; they’ve been deceived. Because the mind; the renewed Sid are against the things of God. And the exhortation in verse 17 “But you dear friends you don’t have to be this way; you can rise above the senses.” Verse 20 and 21 “You dear friends build yourself up in your most holy faith.” How? By praying in the Holy Spirit. And I believe that’s talking about other tongues. And one thing that we’ve done together over the years Sid is times of fasting and prayer where we spend hours praying in other languages and it builds up our faith; it releases things.
Sid: You know both of us as new believer’s in the Messiah we came in… there was the Charismatic Movement was going, the Full Gospel Business Men, churches would not say go to the back room and we’ll pray for you to be baptized in the Holy Spirit and speak in a supernatural language. It hadn’t been demoted to the backroom or out of the church. You and I would pray days in tongues and at that time I have to tell you Jonathan I knew that it was God and I knew that it was important but I didn’t know how important it was. Because when we pray in supernatural languages we are first of all faith; we’re prophesying our future, and we’re prophesying our future in perfect prayers with no unbelief and the devil can’t even understand what we’re saying. I am convinced that when you and I were praying in tongues all those years ago I was prophesying the ministry It’s Supernatural; you were prophesying the amazing things you’ve done over the years and we didn’t even have a clue. (Laughing)
Jonathan: Not only that Sid but through praying in other tongues and bypassing my mind and building my spirit. Which is how we hear the voice of God by the way not with our mind; I moved into new dimensions of intercession of travail, of supplication. I had these experiences Sid as you remember where I would be brought down to the ground in travail. I was giving birth to things that I didn’t even understand and I believe that was the preparation for the outpouring of the former Soviet Union that we both…
Sid: Others that we’re praying in tongues with us they would start travailing and it’s almost like a woman giving birth. That’s what we were both doing we were giving birth. But then the second key is meditating on God’s Word. And that’s why I’m so excited to be releasing your brand new book “Confessing the Hebrew Scriptures, The Lord is Peace.” And these are scriptures that you have personally selected on having peace. And as you explained in yesterday’s broadcast the word peace is Shalom but it means completeness in all the blessings, in all the favor; in all the promises of God. And you have it in Hebrew and you listen to a native born Israeli speak the promises in Hebrew. Then you have it transliterated so anyone can speak Hebrew. And they can speak it out in the promises in the original Hebrew. There’s something supernatural about the spoken word; I mean the whole earth was created with the words of the Living God. But it’s being spoken in Hebrew. It’s changing the chemistry of your body and then it’s in English and you have a CD so not only can they read it phonetically as this transliteration method that Jewish Community developed so that we could read Hebrew. But now instantly people can read it in Hebrew. And people are taking this book and this powerful CD; they’re going to sleep with it at night, they’re doing it during the day. They’re making it a wonderful gift. And the book is so beautiful it would make a beautiful book to just put on the coffee table… Jonathan tell me we did this once before on Hebrew Scriptures on healing. Tell me what feedback you got from the people that got a hold of this kit.
Jonathan: Sid do I have time to read a quick letter.
Sid: Go for it.
Jonathan: I got it – we had just released Adonai or Jehovah Shalom it’s brand new; but the healing one has been out for a couple of years on scriptures that confess or proclaim the Lord is Our Healer and Health. I got a beautiful letter from a Pastor that says “He had a woman in their congregation who was dying with leukemia. I ordered the set for her and the doctors gave her 10 to 12 days to live. I gave her the CD and asked her to listen to it continually with our prayers, our faith in the scriptures in Hebrew God healed her. The same doctors came in and told her that she does not have any leukemia cells at all. Plus her body is producing the blood again and she’s not dying but will live and declare the works of the Lord.”
