UPDATE (March 26):
Yesterday,
Gov. Walz extended and strengthened the Minnesota "stay in place"
guidelines via executive order. This will last from Friday, March 27
through Friday, April 10. Therefore, the Issachar Community elders
encourage our members to worship at home this Sabbath (3/28) and next (4/4).
Our
service order is listed on this website if you so desire to use it.
Pastor Jay will email the Sabbath readings and announcements and will
post his message be Friday evening. You can find it at the top of the
list on our podcast teaching page.
The Tuesday Daniel class is also on hold until further notice.
If
you need assistance or help in any way, please contact our office
(651-247-5350 or issachar.office@gmail.com) and let us know.
Please come to this main page for future updates and announcements. Thanks!
____________________________________________________________
Passover Celebration Date Change
Due to the wise guidelines about people not gathering together so as to help slow the COVID-19 spread, Issachar Community has chosen to move our community Passover celebration to Thursday, May 7th, 6:30pm @ Knox International Center.
This is called Passover Sheni (shay-nee). There's a Torah precedent for this. In Numbers 9, the situation arose where a group of men were ritually unclean due to corpse contamination. In other words, they had touched a dead body and did not have the time to go through the cleansing process. They asked Moses, "Why should we be excluded from presenting the Lord’s offering at its appointed time with the other Israelites?" Moses went to the Lord and the Lord said,
"Tell the Israelites: When any one of you or your descendants is unclean because of a corpse or is on a distant journey, he may still observe the Passover to the Lord. 11 Such people are to observe it in the second month, on the fourteenth day at twilight. They are to eat the animal with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; 12 they may not leave any of it until morning or break any of its bones. They must observe the Passover according to all its statutes."
Therefore, if Passover has to be missed a second opportunity is given to celebrate it!
We're going to do that...unless restrictions continue. Then we will have to postpone until next year.
However, even if we can't celebrate it as a large community, remember this - Passover is a family-based celebration and we're already becoming more home-based right now. So celebrate away on the regular Passover with your family (sundown, Wednesday, April 8th). If you want to join our Introduction to Passover on May 7th, send the office an email with your name, contact info, and number of reservations ($18/adult, $10/children 12 and under). We will have our reservation person get in touch with you. Thanks!
This is called Passover Sheni (shay-nee). There's a Torah precedent for this. In Numbers 9, the situation arose where a group of men were ritually unclean due to corpse contamination. In other words, they had touched a dead body and did not have the time to go through the cleansing process. They asked Moses, "Why should we be excluded from presenting the Lord’s offering at its appointed time with the other Israelites?" Moses went to the Lord and the Lord said,
"Tell the Israelites: When any one of you or your descendants is unclean because of a corpse or is on a distant journey, he may still observe the Passover to the Lord. 11 Such people are to observe it in the second month, on the fourteenth day at twilight. They are to eat the animal with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; 12 they may not leave any of it until morning or break any of its bones. They must observe the Passover according to all its statutes."
Therefore, if Passover has to be missed a second opportunity is given to celebrate it!
We're going to do that...unless restrictions continue. Then we will have to postpone until next year.
However, even if we can't celebrate it as a large community, remember this - Passover is a family-based celebration and we're already becoming more home-based right now. So celebrate away on the regular Passover with your family (sundown, Wednesday, April 8th). If you want to join our Introduction to Passover on May 7th, send the office an email with your name, contact info, and number of reservations ($18/adult, $10/children 12 and under). We will have our reservation person get in touch with you. Thanks!
Service change for 3/21, 28 per pandemic guidelines.
Hey there Issachar Community members and attendees!
Per our President’s “15 Days to Slow the Spread” we are not holding
services at Knox International Center this Saturday (3/21) or next (3/28).
No, we are not closing – the Body of Christ never “closes.”
We are not canceling – the Body of Christ will never be “canceled” as
Satan found out.
We are shifting our worship location (each one in their own home), but
never our focus (the Lord God Almighty, the Name Above All Names)!
For good reason and reasonable measures, we encourage all IC
participants to follow the Administration’s pandemic guidelines. Though you may
be physically isolated for a time, we remain spiritually interconnected through
the Spirit as we have been since the day of our salvation.
If you want, follow the order of our service that I sent via email. Plug in worship music (Spotify, YouTube, your own) and readings or just spend
time with the Lord in worship and His Word. If you want a 1-page copy of the
service, please email issachar.office@gmail.com
and we’ll send it to you.
Pastor Jay’s message will be uploaded to http://issacharcommunity.podbean.com/
by Friday evening for Saturday morning.
Be wise, be well. If you have any needs, please contact the office!
Thanks.
Coronavirus guidelines for our congregation
Hey all,
Yeah, there’s fear out there. This now-recognized pandemic
is growing in the U.S. We should be concerned, but not afraid. We certainly
shouldn’t panic. God is our refuge and strength. Take a moment right now to
read, pray and take to heart Psalm 91:
The
Protection of the Most High
1 The
one who lives under the protection of the Most High
dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.
dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I
will say concerning the Lord, who
is my refuge and my fortress,
my God in whom I trust:
3 He himself will rescue you from the bird trap,
from the destructive plague.
4 He will cover you with his feathers;
you will take refuge under his wings.
His faithfulness will be a protective shield.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
the arrow that flies by day,
6 the plague that stalks in darkness,
or the pestilence that ravages at noon.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side
and ten thousand at your right hand,
the pestilence will not reach you.
8 You will only see it with your eyes
and witness the punishment of the wicked.
my God in whom I trust:
3 He himself will rescue you from the bird trap,
from the destructive plague.
4 He will cover you with his feathers;
you will take refuge under his wings.
His faithfulness will be a protective shield.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
the arrow that flies by day,
6 the plague that stalks in darkness,
or the pestilence that ravages at noon.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side
and ten thousand at your right hand,
the pestilence will not reach you.
8 You will only see it with your eyes
and witness the punishment of the wicked.
9 Because
you have made the Lord—my refuge,
the Most High—your dwelling place,
10 no harm will come to you;
no plague will come near your tent.
11 For he will give his angels orders concerning you,
to protect you in all your ways.
12 They will support you with their hands
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the young lion and the serpent.
the Most High—your dwelling place,
10 no harm will come to you;
no plague will come near your tent.
11 For he will give his angels orders concerning you,
to protect you in all your ways.
12 They will support you with their hands
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the young lion and the serpent.
14 Because
he has his heart set on me,
I will deliver him;
I will protect him because he knows my name.
15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble.
I will rescue him and give him honor.
16 I will satisfy him with a long life
and show him my salvation.
I will deliver him;
I will protect him because he knows my name.
15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble.
I will rescue him and give him honor.
16 I will satisfy him with a long life
and show him my salvation.
So with the corona virus appearing in the Twin Cities metro
last week and measures being taken in cities that have more affected by it, the
elders and I have decided on the following:
1)
PLEASE
take proper care of yourself – good sleep, proper hygiene, some stored food and
water if prudent, meds filled and ready, cash on hand – you know, all the
things you’ve been hearing on the news.
2)
If
you are ill (bad cold, flu or otherwise) you have our blessing to miss the
service. We
want you to recuperate and mind the health of the rest of the congregation. We
post the messages asap after the service (usually the front end of the
following week.) As usual, if you have a need please let me or any of the
elders (Jay2, Dan) know (email, call, text) and we will do what we can to help.
3)
During
our services we will try to do the “social distancing” thing to a degree, i.e.
no touching, make sure you wash your hands upon arrival. If you cough or
sneeze, use the proper procedure. And if anyone “goofs up” don’t scold them. 😊
4)
If
the corona virus becomes widespread in the metro area, it may be prudent to
cancel services for a time.
If so, then feel free to use this as an opportunity to have a home church by
using our order of service attached to this email. It’s exactly what you go
through every Saturday morning. All you have to do is insert the worship music
of your choice (YouTube.com, Spotify, etc.), any reading from the Bible (Torah
cycle, IC reading schedule, Bridges For Peace’s IGNITE reading program - https://www.ignitethetruth.com). I will pre-record the
message from home and post it to our teachings site, http://issacharcommunity.podbean.com, by Friday evening for the
next day.
5)
If
more intense measures are required (quarantines), we will keep you in the loop
as to changes. Again, PLEASE keep the office informed (call, text, email) is
you have any need, especially if you are hospitalized.
Thanks!
Shalom,
Issachar Community's Book of Daniel class @ Redeeming Love Church, White Bear, MN
Issachar Community Book of Daniel class
led by Pastor Jay Christianson
Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30pm
Redeeming Love Church, Maplewood, MN
This remarkable book covers a panorama of God's mercy and grace across millennia!
This class will run a minimum of 12 weeks depending on discussion. It will excite you and likely challenge some "traditional" evangelical beliefs about the End Times chain of events and characters. You'll learn some Israel history of the 400 years before Yeshua and be stoked when you see how God protects his people and controls empires!
If you want to attend, please let the Issachar Community office know (issachar.office@gmail.com). If you want printed notes (cost) or pdf files (no cost), include that in your email.
Class requirements: Read through the Book of Daniel in advance. Bring your Bible. Bring materials to take notes. Bring an inquisitive mind. Bring questions. Leave egos at home. 😁
Not required but of great benefit and highly recommended - Joel Richardson's books Mideast Beast and The Islamic AntiChrist. You can find them on Amazon. Please begin reading them before class. They will be important from Daniel 7 onward through the class.
Schedule (watch this space for changes if needed for weather or personal schedules!)
3/17 - class (ch. 8)
3/24 - class (ch. 9)
3/31 - NO CLASS
4/7 - NO CLASS
4/14 - class (ch. 10)
4/21 - class (ch. 10)
4/28 - class (ch. 11)
5/5 - class (ch. 12)
5/12 - possible class to finish up.
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