The Real Story of Chanukah: A Messianic Jewish look at the Feast of Dedication that will change the way you look at life in Messiah! Check it out in the Perfect Word Resource Center (click the book image to go there).

When I was a boy, one of the only Jewish holidays my family celebrated was Chanukah (the other was Passover), but if you had told me that one day I would write an entire book about the Festival of Lights, I would have said you were a couple of candles short of a menorah! Now all these years later, I’m delighted about the newly released “Real Story of Chanukah,” because it truly puts the modern holiday in perspective by placing it against the backdrop of its factual history.

But what really excites me about the new book is that its message is so Messianic… not because it shows you Yeshua in the chanukiyyah, but because the real story of Chanukah is about being completely sold-out, zealous, crazy-on-fire—dedicated—to Adonai. I love this kind of message!

In The Real Story of Chanukah (which quotes at length from the apocryphal, yet historically reliable books of 1&2 Maccabees), we get to witness the struggles of a handful of average, everyday Jewish people during the intertestamental period. Against the overwhelming anti-Semitic and assimilating forces of their day, we see these valiant, devout few as they fight for the God and the Torah they love, in order to restore Israel to faithful fellowship with God. The story is just incredible—it’s vivid, moving, and, at times, almost beyond belief. And it’s within this context that I was able to unpack the Messianic message, illustrating how, according to the Scriptures, we too can and must be completely dedicated to the cause of Yeshua.

I believe that this is an important book, not just because it offers a unique perspective and insight regarding the holiday, but because the message of the story behind the holiday is an inspiring source of encouragement and exhortation… it’s Scripture put into action in peoples’ lives… it’s a commentary on the social issues of our day… it’s a warning for what we may be headed toward in the future.

If you already have a copy of the audio teaching upon which this book is based, I want to encourage you to pick up a copy of the book as well. The audio teaching covers the essential topics and story that is contained in the book, along with the emotion and dynamics that only come from a live presentation, but the book has considerably more material, and goes into detail that I wasn’t able to cover in the original teaching. In the book, I’m able to deal with other related topics that round out the entire discussion as it pertains to the issues raised by the holiday of Chanukah—and, believe me, there are quite a few.

I think my closing thoughts from The Real Story of Chanukah’s preface best sum up my reason for writing this book, and it reads as follows:

You may know next to nothing about the Feast of Dedication; you may love and cherish it as a meaningful time of year. My aim with this message is not to dash your view of Chanukah upon the rocks. Instead, my hope is that you will be stirred and inspired to abandon all that has doused your fire for God, and to be reignited with a burning passion for righteousness, holiness, and the zealous life for Adonai.

May the real story of Chanukah cause you to wholly commit yourself to God—to be restored to who He has made you to be—forsaking everything you hold dear, and even yourself… devoted and dedicated… to the death.

I think you’ll be challenged, exhorted, and inspired by The Real Story of Chanukah—the miraculous story you never knew…

The Passover experience facilitated by Behold the Lamb is an uncommon, untraditional departure from the usual Passover seder, set apart by its unique and unapologetic use of Scripture—approximately ninety percent of the Behold the Lamb Haggadah is nothing more than a compilation of relevant passages from the Word… and nothing tells a story better than Scripture!

In addition to the groundbreaking Haggadah, Behold the Lamb also includes a 20+ page supplementary section containing recipes for delicious homemade matzah, an introduction to our unconventional children’s crafts, and pages of brand new teaching material on Passover topics that we have never seen treated in any other publication, Messianic or otherwise.

Because Passover is such a pivotal and foundational appointed time for Israel, we have also produced a companion Preparation Guide for hosting and facilitating the fullest Behold the Lamb experience possible. In it, we have condensed years of our own family’s Passover experience into practical advice and suggestions, not just for the ‘avodah, but for the weeks leading up to Passover, and the days immediately following it. You have never had a Passover like the Behold the Lamb Passover memorial outlined for you in these materials!

All in all, Behold the Lamb, together with the Preparation Guide, is the most practical resource we have produced to date. We are especially pleased, because it allows us the opportunity to offer you an accurate and personal glimpse into one of the most treasured and intimate moments of our own family’s life.  Not that we think what goes on in our home is more special or exceptional than others; rather, we felt it was vital to capture and present this personal perspective, because the very purpose of the Passover itself is an uninterrupted self-transmission from one person, family, and generation to the next. The way the Geoffreys memorialize Passover is just one of many, many innovative ways to do it. We only wanted to communicate our rendition to you in the hopes that you will find it to be a faithful memorial of the Passover of Scripture—and that it will provoke you to find Scripture’s Passover to be the only one worth repeating… person to person, family to family, year after year, generation after generation.

Learn more about Behold the Lamb and our other Passover-related resources by going to http://PassoverResources.perfect-word.org/ Group discounts are available!

About the importance of discipleship, Kevin says, “Many of us really have no clue what discipleship is all about. We vaguely think it has something to do with evangelism, or perhaps taking a class on the foundations of the faith. But real discipleship—true discipleship—is what the Master exemplified for us. He called people to follow Him and be like Him. If we’re truly living for God—and even if we’re struggling with it, but faithfully trying—we have something to offer those who don’t yet know Him, and those who need to know Him more.  I love this book because it hits at core topics that every believer in Yeshua needs to have settled in their lives.  These topics are linch-pins in our walk with the Master, and we need to get these down—get these solid, deep within us—if we ever hope to be productive servants in God’s Reign.  I promise two things from this book: one, you will be lovingly, but firmly challenged; and two, you will be encouraged to be the complete, whole and effective disciple that you have already been remade to be!”

Click here to learn more about Being a Disciple of Messiah.

When asked why he wanted to write this brief work about Yom Kippur, Kevin responded, “‘Deny Yourself’ is not just about making meaningful, practical application for the holiest day of the year.  This is what the Master told us to do: deny ourselves.  In order to serve Yeshua, we have to stop existing–we need to supercede all our wants, desires and needs, and completely replace them with the Master’s instructions.  In 2009–and it’s been this way for a long, long time–the Body of Messiah is a cultured, civilized, domesticated religion.  It’s all about us and what we can get from God.  The message of ‘Deny Yourself’ is the message of Scripture: it’s not about us at all–it’s about emptying ourselves just like Yeshua did and unselfishly serving God and everyone else.”

To learn more about Deny Yourself, or to order your copy, please visit http://denyyourself.perfect-word.org/.

Watch the interview now!

In an emotional service on March 15, 2008, Kevin Geoffrey was ordained by Jonathan Bernis of Jewish Voice Ministries as a Messianic Jewish Teacher.  The ordination followed Kevin’s 2006 licensing, which began the process of discipleship and confirming of God’s calling and ordination upon him as an Equipper of God’s people.  The uniqueness of this ordination was due to the fact that Kevin and Jonathan share a close, long-term friendship outside the world of ministry, such that Jonathan’s judging of Kevin’s character and calling was sufficiently thorough.

The ordination ceremony was witnessed by Congregation Baruch HaShem, which is led by Kevin’s close friend and partner in ministry, Tim Hyslip.  Among those participating in the laying on of hands were other Phoenix leaders in Jewish ministry who imparted prophetic words of encouragement and faith.  It was an especially moving experience that Kevin was humbled and grateful to share with the family and friends he loves, admires and cherishes.

Pictured above, Jonathan Bernis lays hands on Kevin.  At Kevin’s side is his soulmate and partner in life, his wife, Esther.