CJF Ministries

05/29/2026

05/29/2026

When Paul says believers are "more than conquerors," he is writing from a list that includes tribulation, persecution, famine, and danger. The conquering happens in the middle of all of it, through the love of the One who cannot be separated from His people.

The word Paul uses in Greek is ὑπερνικῶμεν (hypernikomen), combining hyper, beyond, with nike, victory. It means something closer to overwhelming conquerors, victory beyond measure.

Does this mean none of these troubles will ever happen to us, or that we can eliminate them in this life? No. Paul himself experienced most of what he listed. However we conquer in the sense that none of these things can overcome what God's love has gained for us. Through Yeshua, the believer's place in God's family and share in His glory is already secured.

05/28/2026

The Samaritans occupied the region formerly belonging to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, with Samaria as their capital. When Assyria carried the ten northern tribes into captivity, the king resettled the land with people from Cutha, Hamath, and other foreign territories. These newcomers intermarried with the Israelites who remained, and the religion that emerged was a mixture of Judaism and idolatry.

The tension between Jews and Samaritans ran deep and had several layers to it. When the Jews returned from Babylon and began rebuilding the temple, the Samaritans actively worked to stop them. They then built their own temple on Mount Gerizim, appointing their own high priest and establishing a rival system of worship. Samaria also became a refuge for Jewish criminals and those excommunicated from the community, which only deepened the animosity. On top of all this, the Samaritans accepted only the five books of Moses and rejected the prophets entirely.

By the time of the New Testament the divide was so sharp that Jews considered Samaritans among the worst of people and refused any contact with them. Which makes what Yeshua did all the more striking. He passed through Samaria deliberately, spoke openly with a Samaritan woman at a well, and preached the Gospel there.

05/27/2026

Hebrew is read from right to left. For most Western readers, opening a Hebrew book feels backwards. The cover is on the wrong side and everything runs the opposite direction. The point is not that Hebrew is strange, just that the reader's frame of reference changes what feels natural.

Many believers approach the Bible the same way. They start with the New Testament and read those ideas back into the Old Testament, which flips the order God actually revealed it in.

A missionary named Trevor McIlwain discovered this firsthand. He went to the Philippines to teach the Gospel of John, and his listeners couldn't follow it. They had no frame of reference for the Old Testament allusions woven through every chapter. He had to go back to Genesis and work forward.

There is an illustration that compares the Bible to a wedding cake. Each layer holds up the one above it. Genesis lays the foundation. The prophets raise expectation. God promises David that his throne will be established forever. Then Yeshua appears as the fulfillment of everything God had been unfolding from the beginning.

(From Messianic Perspectives Jan-Feb 2015)

05/26/2026

While there are mysteries in the Bible that are not revealed, there are others that are revealed in Scripture. Pastor Runge explains these mysteries: (1) Israel, (2) the Purpose of the Church, (3) Our Hope, (4) the Conclusion of the Church Age, (5) the Rapture, (6) the Wrath of God, (7) Iniquity, and (8) the Day of the Lord.

Tune to our new podcast&radio series: https://bsk4.short.gy/mysteries2026

And on the radio stations: https://www.cjfm.org/stations/

To support this ministry financially, visit: donate.cjfm.org

05/26/2026

Eric Chabot heads up one of our campus outreaches at Ohio State University. OSU has the largest population of Jewish students and faculty in the country. He and is team are also active at the nearby Columbus State University. Here's a video update Eric has provided for us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld-mIGvRYgI
I think you will find the video both encouraging and informative.

In this video, I provide an update of the work God has allowed us to participate in at The Ohio State University and Columbus State Community College.

05/25/2026

This Memorial Day, we pause to honor all of the American soldiers who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

05/22/2026

The Greek word “Pentecost” simply means “fiftieth,” referring to the fifty days counted from Passover. In Acts 2, Jewish people from many nations had gathered in Jerusalem for this biblical feast when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples.

At Sinai during Shavuot, God gave His Law to Israel. In Acts 2 during Shavuot, God wrote His truth on hearts through the Spirit, just as the prophets had promised in Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36. The giving of the Spirit did not replace Israel or cancel God’s promises. Instead, it showed the fulfillment of what God had spoken long before.

Just as Shavuot celebrated the firstfruits of the harvest, Acts 2 became a kind of firstfruits moment for the spread of the gospel. Thousands believed that day, and the message of Messiah began going out to the nations from Jerusalem.

05/21/2026

The name "Shavuot" simply means "weeks" in Hebrew, a reference to the seven weeks counted from Passover before the feast arrives. Today many Jewish communities mark it by staying up through the night to study Scripture, filling homes and synagogues with greenery, and reading the book of Ruth. Ruth fits the occasion well. Her story unfolds during harvest season, and she herself came to belong to Israel through faith in Israel's God.

At its core, Shavuot is about gratitude and covenant. The firstfruits offering was brought to God before the rest of the harvest came in. It was an acknowledgment that the land, the rain, the crop were not theirs to begin with. The feast was meant to keep Israel from placing their trust in the harvest rather than in the One who gave it.

05/20/2026

Tomorrow at sunset, Shavuot begins. It's one of the three biblical pilgrimage feasts the Torah commands, called the Feast of Weeks in Exodus 34:22 because it falls seven weeks after Passover. For ancient Israel, it marked the wheat harvest. Farmers would make the journey to Jerusalem with baskets of the season's first produce, a tangible act of gratitude brought before the Lord.

Jewish tradition also connects Shavuot with the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. Around fifty days after the Exodus from Egypt, Israel stood before the mountain and entered into covenant with God. What began with physical deliverance at Passover continued with spiritual instruction at Sinai. God redeemed His people so they would belong to Him and walk in His ways.