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IN DEFENSE OF THE REFINER'S FIRE
About a year ago, I discovered a new website, The Refiner's Fire, ran by a precious woman that I have come to know as Rabbi Shali. My immediate response was being thrilled to see that here was a Jewish lady, doing her very best to win others to the Christ.
I am a Pentecostal pastor of a small church, Trinity Assembly Church, in Bessemer City, North Carolina. Certainly, there are areas where Rabbi Shali and I disagree. But we have a common foundation, the Christ, the Messiah. She loves the Lord with all her heart and since coming to Christ several years ago, has done all she can to lead others to Him. Rabbi Shali is leading others to Christ that I and others could never reach.
As anyone knows who is doing His business, there is opposition to the work done. In Shali's case, some of that opposition has been nothing but base, demonic and bitter. She has been accused of taking positions that in no way reflect what she believes and teaches. Her calling as an ordained Rabbi has been mocked. She has been called a stupid, silly woman. She has even been accused of being demon possessed. Here I would remind the reader that the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12:3, "No one can say that Jesus Christ is Lord except by the Holy Spirit." Anyone who is acquainted with Shali knows that Christ is the Lord of her life. Some have brought up her past before she came to Christ; a past that is buried in Him.
Rabbi Shali has been such a blessing, not only to me but to my church as well. She has shone a divine light upon me through her getting me acquainted with the Torah Observances which she strongly believes in. She has been accused of saying that Christians who are not Torah Observant are not saved. This is false. Her position is that those who are Torah Observant will have a better appreciation of who they are in Christ, and more, who Jesus really is.
When I first became acquainted with Shali I knew nearly zero about these observances but I have learned so much from her. As a matter of fact, my church plans to celebrate Passover and some of the other Torah Observances in the future. When I told them about Torah, they were very excited about it and ready to plunge in and experience the grace and goodness of God in a way that was totally different than anything they had known.
Shali has taken a strong stand against abortion, homosexuality and other sins that are being accepted in many churches today. When someone comes to Christ through her website - and many have - she is thrilled beyond words. There are those who want to convert people to their doctrine and beliefs. Shali is interested in bringing the lost to Christ.
Rabbi Shali, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the work you are doing and to also thank your husband, Bill. Both of you are precious to me and have been a blessing to me. Keep up the good work. I truly believe the time we have left to labor in His fields is fast coming to an end. ALWAYS BE THE WOMAN GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO BE AND YOU WILL FULFILL HIS PURPOSE FOR YOU IN YOUR LIFE!
"To thine own self be true,
And it must follow as the night and day,
Thou cannot then be false to any man."
In Christ,
Pastor Leroy Easler
Trinity Assembly Church
Bessemer City, NC
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