One New Man Shabbat Service

One New Man Shabbat Service

By Lonnie Lane

While driving the distance to Brunswick, Georgia to attend the first One New Man meeting sponsored by Messianic Vision early in December, anticipating that Sid would be preaching, I began to pray for an anointing for him. But I found I had no anointing to pray for Sid’s anointing. Rather, I found myself praying, under the leading of the Holy Spirit, for each person there to yield to the Lord and to contribute their part. The word I got from the Lord was “synergy” which means a combined action which generally results in the sum being greater than that of the combined parts. In other words, 2+2=10, not 4. My expectation was that Sid would be preaching, so how would each person contribute their part?

When we arrived I found out why. Sid would not be preaching. As he later defined it, this would not be a “one man” meeting in which only one man did all or most of the talking but a One New Man meeting where whosoever would, could! The meeting would be turned over to the Holy Spirit for His leading, just like when the first believers met together, when all was fresh and new and entirely led by God, long before man usurped the headship of the Lord in His church.

The goal of this meeting was to let God be God and see what happened. Was it a risk? Sure, strange things could happen. Some might have worried that it could get out of control, or someone might try to take control. But Sid and his staff trusted God and obeyed His leading and so this meeting was the Lord’s to do with as He pleased.

As the meeting was held on Erev Shabbat, on Friday evening, we began the meeting by singing the Sh’ma together, the traditional candles were lit with the Sabbath blessing said over them, the b’rachote, the blessings were said over the bread and the wine, which are a type of what we call “communion” and then the table upon which these things were set was moved to the side of the room so that there was no “front of the room,” no area designated for leadership, only the circle of chairs, three rows deep for the 170-200 people in attendance.

Sid gave a brief introduction as to what we were doing, how we were allowing the Holy Spirit to lead the meeting, and then he sat down next to his wife Joyce in the circle of chairs along with all the rest of us.

It was quiet for several minutes as people adjusted to this and presumably listened for the Spirit’s leading. Then someone began to pray…another person prayed…one man shared of how the Lord had restored him to a sound mind and had even been giving him worship songs. He was asked if he would sing one and he was handed a guitar which someone had with them. By the second line it became evident there was an anointing on this song as he sang of “the ancient of days.”

Many people stood and we entered into worship with him. Other songs came forth one flowing to the next along with other testimonies in keeping with the spirit of the meeting. Several Scriptures were read at appropriate times. Someone read a rap poem that so reflected the glory of God that a spontaneous worship erupted before she got to the end of it, though we listened attentively to the rest when the crescendo of praise quieted. One woman and her husband told how she had broken her ankle several times and the doctors told her she’d never dance again, but she was healed as we worshipped and we rejoiced with her as she danced around the center of the circle.

More worship. It was a meeting that was altogether free in the Spirit yet orderly. It flowed from respect for the person speaking to a response to God for what they presented. It was, in a word, wonderful!!

As I turned my thoughts to the Lord to ask what He might say to me about what was going on, always wanting His opinion which usually brings me something I hadn’t even thought of, I had the sense that hanging over us was a giant balloon, with the weight of something like a balloon when it’s filled with water. You know how when you even slightly bounce a balloon in the air when it’s filled with water how it’s bottom-heavy with the weight of the water? This was heavy like that with a weight of God’s glory. Kavode or glory actually means weight. My sense was that within this balloon were all the blessings and power which God has wanted to release to the Body of Messiah for centuries but was waiting until we attain to the unity of the faith in Him.

My first expectation when I sensed the balloon was that we would be able to pierce it open with the sword of the Spirit that night, but then I realized this balloon wasn’t just over us but over the entire Body world-wide. What is required to wield The Sword in order to release what is really His presence upon us in full measure, is unity our united desire for the glory of God and for us to corporately be consumed with a holy jealousy for His honor.

Two examples come to mind: Abraham refusing to take the booty when he returned from war and met with Melchizedek lest anyone say that his wealth came from them rather than from God. Abraham desired that any glory in his life be rightly attributed to God and not to man, not even to himself. And secondly, when the armies of Israel were taunted and intimidated by Goliath, David’s words you can almost hear in his voice how incensed he is when you read them “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he would taunt the armies of God?.…The Lord will deliver you into my hands…that all the earth may know there is a God in Israel.”

Here’s a major reason why God calls David “a man after My own heart.” He was after God’s glory, that it be manifested to the entire world. It wasn’t so Israel’s glory was seen or even so her vindication was accomplished, but that God’s glory would be evident to “all the earth.”

This kind of selflessness and longing for God’s pre-eminence is something only God can accomplish in us as we yield to Him. This would mean abandoning every separation and division that is inherent in the Fall and all it represents. It would mean becoming citizens of the Kingdom of God in every aspect of life. It would mean becoming a Bride who has eyes for no thing or no one other than her Bridegroom whom she loves with “all” her heart. It would mean being those who “follow the Lamb wherever He goes” (Rev.14:4) and in whatever He’s doing. When we love Him this way, we will love one another as we love ourselves.

This One New Man meeting was a tiny but distinct move in the direction of that unity when we agreed to ask the Holy Spirit to lead us, yielding to Him so as to not usurp His Lordship with our plans, purposes or preferences, but follow His lead, to defer to Him and to each other. Kol ha kavode l’Elohim. To God be the glory.

Lonnie would enjoy hearing your response to this or her other articles. You may send them to info@sidroth.org and she will be glad to respond to you. Use this same address to contact Lonnie about speaking engagements. Please put “To Lonnie” in the subject line.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Lonnie Lane comes from a family of four generations of Jewish believers, being the first one saved in 1975. Lonnie has been in church leadership for many years, and has planted two “one new man” house fellowships one with her brother Michael Lane in the Philadelphia suburbs and the other in Jacksonville, Florida, where she now lives near 6 of her 8 grandchildren. Lonnie is the author of “Because They Never Asked.” She is the Producer of Messianic Vision’s radio and TV shows and the International Prayer Co-Coordinator for Messianic Vision’s intercessors.