\n
I was deeply saddened when I read the news that<\/span> <\/p>\n Hebrew Menorah installed in Stephen the Great park\u00a0from Chisinau on December 11 was knocked down by a group of Orthodox parishioners.<\/em><\/span> Nearly one hundred men, armed with the flags of the Republic of Moldova, crosses and slogans, protested in he center of the city\u00a0against the Hebrew symbol installed during Hanukkah celebration.<\/em><\/span> When anti-Jewish slogans were chanted, they pulled Menorah and instead planted a wooden cross.<\/em><\/span> Anatoly Cibric, the rector\u00a0of the\u00a0\u201dSaint Paraskevi\u201d Church, along with other protesters, overthrew it\u00a0 next to the pedestal of Stephen the Great.<\/em><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n This act has nothing Christian at the foundation and it deserves the condemnation of all Christians.<\/span> <\/p>\n Let\u2019s see what God teaches us, Christians, in the New Testament how to proceed with the Jews, meaning the people of Israel.<\/span> For this I will make reference to several passages\u00a0from the Epistle to Romans.<\/span> So, how does God expect Christians to act with Jews who continue in their religion and do\u00a0not want to believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Savior of the world?<\/span> <\/p>\n The Apostle Paul, who was also\u00a0a Jew, like the other Apostles through which\u00a0the Gospel came to us, when dealing with this topic, with pain in the\u00a0heart he wrote:<\/span> <\/p>\n Brethren, my heart\u2019s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>(Romans 10:1)(NASB)<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n It was also written in that news that:<\/span> <\/p>\n Hebrew Community in Moldova has 30,000 members now.<\/em><\/span> In 1900 they were more than 300 thousand. <\/em><\/span>But this minority, whose presence is attested here\u00a0since the time of the Roman Empire was decimated first by Czarist pogroms.<\/em><\/span> The first was that from Chisinau in 1903.<\/em><\/span> Holocaust and then Stalinist anti-Semitic actions almost led to the disappearance of the minority in Moldova.<\/em><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Evils\u00a0that hit our nation year after year are a consequence of the way\u00a0we acted\u00a0with the chosen people of God.<\/span> Here\u2019s what it was nice and necessary that we, all Christians would go out to that Menorah installed in the park and pray together for the salvation of the Jews and at the same time, to ask forgiveness for the transgressions we have committed as a nation against them.<\/span> <\/p>\n The Apostle Paul, being a Christian and one who has experienced much injustice and persecution from those of his nation,\u00a0that of Jews, after all these, he\u00a0insists on continuing to proclaim the Gospel and in the same chapter he says:<\/span> <\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n For I testify <\/strong>about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.\u00a0For not knowing about God\u2019s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.\u00a0For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.\u00a0(Romans 10:2-4)(NASB)<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n How nice it would have been if the\u00a0representatives of the \u201cHoly Mother Matrona\u201d organization and all other Christians of all denominations and religions registered in Moldova,\u00a0had joined their efforts to send a nice message of the Gospel to that community of 30,000 Jews from\u00a0Moldova.<\/span> <\/p>\n Richard Wurbrand, who\u00a0was also a Jew,\u00a0heard the Gospel from a Romanian shepherd in the mountains, he believed, was saved and then became a great saint of God and a blessing to the whole world, having endured much suffering, torture and persecution for the Gospel in the prison from\u00a0Romania for 14 years.<\/span> This is because the old shepherd knew\u00a0the Gospel and God\u2019s will and did not behave with\u00a0hatred and contempt against Jews.<\/span> <\/p>\n Also in the Epistle to the Romans, after describing the current state of Israel across the salvation, the Apostle Paul writes:<\/span> <\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,\u00a0if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them.\u00a0For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?\u00a0If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too.\u00a0But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree,\u00a0do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.\u00a0You will say then, \u201cBranches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.\u201d\u00a0Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear;\u00a0for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either.\u00a0Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God\u2019s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.\u00a0(Romans 11:13-22)(NASB)<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n It was also written in\u00a0that article\u00a0that the priest Anatoly Cibric of\u00a0the \u201cSaint Paraskevi\u201d Church\u00a0would have said:<\/span> <\/p>\n \u201cWe are in\u00a0an Orthodox country and Stephen the Great defended it from all sorts of Jews, but they came and put Menorah.<\/em><\/span> It is a sacrilege, an indulgence of the state power of today, which allowed such a thing in an Orthodox country.<\/em><\/span> I call you, if you are Orthodox, get up and say your word\u201d<\/em><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n If God says in His word that Jews are the \u201croot\u201d and Christians \u2013 \u201cbranches\u201d, how could\u00a0the organizer of that\u00a0anti-Semitic act say such words?<\/span> <\/p>\n If we are Orthodox, or true worshipers of\u00a0God, let\u00a0us\u00a0keep\u00a0His Word and not be arrogant, for if God did not spare the natural branches, namely the Jews, He\u00a0will neither spare\u00a0us if we behave with arrogance.<\/span> <\/p>\n Translated by Felicia Rotaru<\/em><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I was deeply saddened when I read the news that Hebrew Menorah installed in Stephen the Great park\u00a0from Chisinau on December 11 was knocked down by a group of Orthodox parishioners. Nearly one hundred men, armed with the flags of the Republic of Moldova, crosses and slogans, protested in he center of the city\u00a0against the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[126],"tags":[7795,8482,9547,10056,10394,11652,15704,19712,20224,329,7796,8497,9576,10083,10408,11990,16200,19713,20249,622,7797,8604,9632,10088,10427,12190,16435,19715,20364,942,7798,8639,9648,10129,10518,12212,16907,19720,20502,1101,7859,8686,9654,10161,10619,12418,18058,19724,23051,1643,7884,8799,9668,10165,10723,12438,18347,19789,23453,2224,7903,8824,9683,10248,10746,13154,18950,19792,24235,2329,7934,8834,9726,10322,10757,13557,19251,19793,24248,2330,7961,8845,9748,10326,10787,13802,19252,19866,24400,2524,7969,8864,9789,10327,10844,13840,19272,19880,24482,2911,7977,9005,9847,10336,10958,14119,19273,19885,25076,3107,8050,9027,9848,10345,11280,14439,19314,19889,4151,8237,9182,9857,10349,11282,14649,19439,19979,4176,8238,9243,9862,10372,11379,14723,19549,20056,4842,8239,9268,9922,10383,11497,14824,19596,20057,6420,8347,9504,9961,10385,11618,15503,19709,20205],"class_list":{"0":"post-57624","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-answer-from-the-bible","7":"tag-gospel","8":"tag-om","9":"tag-organ","10":"tag-sc","11":"tag-priest","12":"tag-justice","13":"tag-la","14":"tag-lie","15":"tag-fear","16":"tag-da","17":"tag-man","18":"tag-orthodox","19":"tag-proteste","20":"tag-ca","21":"tag-condemn","22":"tag-saved","23":"tag-denomination","24":"tag-persecution","25":"tag-jealousy","26":"tag-oi","27":"tag-men","28":"tag-eli","29":"tag-pro","30":"tag-expect","31":"tag-l","32":"tag-sion","33":"tag-romans","34":"tag-suffering","35":"tag-gentiles","36":"tag-ore","37":"tag-people","38":"tag-sin","39":"tag-ion","40":"tag-veri","41":"tag-apostles","42":"tag-ura","43":"tag-ine","44":"tag-blessing","45":"tag-will","46":"tag-co","47":"tag-god","48":"tag-sac","49":"tag-prot","50":"tag-apostle-paul","51":"tag-le","52":"tag-rom","53":"tag-heart","54":"tag-usa","55":"tag-ring","56":"tag-arme","57":"tag-israel","58":"tag-vin","59":"tag-ta","60":"tag-forgiveness","61":"tag-b","62":"tag-but","63":"tag-felicia-rotaru","64":"tag-worship","65":"tag-name","66":"tag-word","67":"tag-protest","68":"tag-plan","69":"tag-do","70":"tag-po","71":"tag-nom","72":"tag-natura","73":"tag-i","74":"tag-mother","75":"tag-arrogance","76":"tag-denominations","77":"tag-moldova","78":"tag-te","79":"tag-j","80":"tag-christian","81":"tag-un","82":"tag-like","83":"tag-knowledge","84":"tag-son","85":"tag-arrogant","86":"tag-faith","87":"tag-believe","88":"tag-p","89":"tag-feri","90":"tag-new-testament","91":"tag-forgive","92":"tag-promis","93":"tag-wise","94":"tag-state","95":"tag-nice","96":"tag-mo","97":"tag-church","98":"tag-fa","99":"tag-christians","100":"tag-nations","101":"tag-the","102":"tag-minori","103":"tag-sort","104":"tag-cross","105":"tag-pries","106":"tag-wor","107":"tag-world","108":"tag-christ","109":"tag-r","110":"tag-apostle","111":"tag-romania","112":"tag-holocaust","113":"tag-eve","114":"tag-kindness","115":"tag-subject","116":"tag-3107","117":"tag-post","118":"tag-stat","119":"tag-prayer","120":"tag-salvation","121":"tag-the-law","122":"tag-accordance","123":"tag-torture","124":"tag-jews","125":"tag-st","126":"tag-lege","127":"tag-t","128":"tag-pray","129":"tag-today","130":"tag-the-romans","131":"tag-ou","132":"tag-who","133":"tag-savior","134":"tag-law","135":"tag-har","136":"tag-religion","137":"tag-rich","138":"tag-pr","139":"tag-romani","140":"tag-ue","141":"tag-amo","142":"tag-be-conceited","143":"tag-ins","144":"tag-ministry","145":"tag-pl","146":"tag-o","147":"tag-power","148":"tag-cor","149":"tag-ong","150":"tag-si","151":"tag-conceit","152":"tag-ani","153":"tag-testament","154":"tag-mol","155":"tag-tea","156":"tag-evil","157":"tag-teste","158":"tag-roma","159":"tag-war","160":"tag-unbelief","161":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
\n1.<\/span> <\/span>To wish and pray for the salvation of the Jews<\/span> <\/h4>\n
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\n2.<\/span> To p<\/span>roclaim the Gospel to the Jews<\/span> <\/h4>\n
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\n3.<\/span> <\/span>Let us not behave with arrogance to the Jews\u00a0<\/span> <\/h4>\n
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