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Before we begin understand one thing. When a definite article is used such as "the" it means unique, special, only one of a kind When a definite article is used such as "a" it means one of several. Notice now that when Paul says:
Ephesians 4:13 "Till we all come in the unity of the faith" he was referring to only ONE faith...and that the faith that existed at that time.
Answer for yourself: What should this mean to you?
You must decide when reading the materials from Bet Emet Ministries if you are in "the" faith that Paul was referring to at that time. Either your faith is grounded in the faith of the first century church, Biblical Judaism or, if you rather...Messianic Judaism....OR if your faith lies outside the faith of Yeshua.....seen today as Gentile Christianity which is a replacement religion and opposes much of what "the" faith once given to the saints possessed. Now, on with the article.
Slowly over the years of my Pastorate in Dallas, Texas I have witnessed a slow awakening, and I stress "slow" awakening of the Gentile Christian Church to the Jewish roots of their faith. This is encouraging, especially in light of the great need for such a "restoration" once you come to the knowledge of the truth concerning how Gentile Christianity has strayed from the ideals and Apostolic Religious Doctrines that James and the Jerusalem Church desired for her. I have witnessed over the years a new emphasis within the Church on the singing of the Psalms in their worship, the use of banners at various occasions in the tradition of the Tribes of Israel, the celebration of the Biblical feast days (Passover, Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Rosh Ha Shannah, Yom Kippur, Tabernacles, etc.). This is wonderful and necessary for our repentance if we ever wish to return to the faith of Yeshua which is Biblical Judaism and not Christianity by the way. Not only that but sacred dancing, especially in Charismatic churches, is prominent. With the deplorable condition of our public school system home schooling has become a viable alternative. Sabbath celebrations in homes of traditional Sunday Christians are very encouraging. Some have even gone so far at to teach the correct doctrine regarding the Biblical Tithe. Many are beginning to use the Hebrew name of God (Yahweh) where this was unheard of only a few years ago. Some are displaying Jewish symbolism (Menorah, Star of David, Shofar, etc.) in their congregations. These are but a few of the elements drawn from our Judaic heritage that are now becoming common place in the worship, practice and teachings of many Christian congregations today who are studying their Jewish roots of their faith. Literally prophecy is being fulfilled in our midst and many fail to realize it.
But not all are open to such attempts at recovering the truth and rich heritage of their faith. Although many of these activities are not yet the accepted norm in all Christian circles, it is only the beginning of a rapidly developing trend which can hardly be ignored. But in spite of the many who have failed to "discern the times" those who have are contributing to a Judeo-Christian restoration that was prophesied in the Jewish Scriptures.
However, some in Christian leadership are expressing apprehension in returning to "the faith once given to the saints. I can remember speaking about this great need with my previous senior Pastor and he could only say we are not living in the first century any longer. True, but what escaped him is that the Commandments of God are eternal; wether it be the first century or the twentieth century. His fears were born out of a fear of legalism which is propagated by an incorrect emphasis on the Pauline writings.
May God hasten the day when something is judged, not by whether it is Jewish or Christian, but by whether or not it is Biblical centered
JUDEO-CHRISTIANITY....WHAT THE CHURCH NEEDS TO MODEL
I find that most people are familiar with the term "Judeo-Christianity". The term can be found to be used frequently by scholars, Bible students and commentators who write on the early church. Simply said, it means "having roots in both Judaism and Christianity". Judaism and Christianity were publicly coined words. The word "Christian" was first used in A.D. 42 in the city of Antioch as seen in Acts 11:26. Eventually it was adopted for the purpose of differentiating between believing Jews who had faith in Yeshua as the Messiah and Jews who did not accept Yeshua as their Messiah. Ultimately it became an identity for the entire Gentile Church. The irony of the whole thing is that the vast majority of those who call themselves followers of the "Christ" and identify with the term "Christian" have little in common with the religious belief system of Yeshua or first century Biblical Judaism. This is an undeniable fact to those who study the Jewish Yeshua of the first century and then compare what Yeshua believed vs. what they have been taught by their Gentile Churches. The term "Judaism" was born of similar circumstances and was, no doubt, coined for the purpose of implying a "divorcement" from Christianity and their errant beliefs which often contradicted Moses, the Writings, and the Prophets.
the proper system of worship and practice for the
people of God is not "Christian" in a religious sense, but "Jewish"
simply because "Jewish worship" patterns for us best the Divine
example in a Biblical sense and therefore remains eternal and universal
for all nations
Nevertheless, these are acceptable terms when understood in a complimentary fashion and we will use them for identification and orientation. But the phrase Judeo-Christianity is perhaps most ideal in that it expresses and maintains the inherent bond between that religious faith which Yahweh authored at Sinai.
In the Book of Malachi God, through the prophet said: For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. (KJV)
Answer for yourself: Do you really believe the above Scripture? Do you really? If you really believe that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, then I challenge you to be brutally honest with yourself in answering the following questions:
Answer for yourself: Why then is there such a startling difference between Christianity and Judaism on so many religious doctrines and beliefs?
Answer for yourself: How can two religions, Judaism and Christianity, that came from the same God who is One and a complete unity have so many conflicting doctrines like those on atonement, salvation, Christology, Messiah, days of worship, etc.?
Answer for yourself: Did Yeshua start an entirely new religion in spite of the fact that he is recorded saying in Matt. 5:17: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. (KJV)
Answer for yourself: Is Yeshua responsible for all of the differing doctrines and practices that bear the name of Christianity today as found in over 2000 different Christian denominations in the world today?
Answer for yourself: Is there a difference between the "Christ of Faith" and the "Christ of History" and if so do you know what it is?
Answer for yourself: Who is the "real Yeshua" as distinguished from the various thousands of different denominations and non-denominations that exist today who claim to follow Yeshua but have so many conflicting doctrines?
Answer for yourself: Could it be that the Jews, who follow the same religion that Yeshua did, be right and those who follow the New Testament and its doctrines which can be shown to "opposed to Judaism" when compared to the unforged Hebrew Scriptures, be wrong? Of course this question predisposes that the reader is aware of the adulterated and forgery and purposeful mistranslation and misquotation that is abundant in our Christian Old and New Testaments.
These are reasonable questions that deserve
sensible, factual answers.
HAVE WE
COMPLETELY MISSED THE MARK IN THE GENTILE CHURCH?
Answer
for yourself: One may question: "What
difference does it make as to how I worship God so long as I have accepted
Christ as my personal savior?"
Perhaps you need to sit down and contemplate on the above thought. Because the statement is true. Ministries like Bet Emet are called to share such insights with a Gentile Church which has departed from "the faith once given to the saints". (Jude 1:3). Much of what the Gentile Church teaches the non-Jewish believer today are unfortunately "falsehoods" which are recorded in the New Testament by the anti-Semitic writers of the New Testament. I know you have been taught that the New Testament was written by the Apostles, but other than a few writings by Paul (7), the vast majority of this literature defies identification as to authorship. One thing is certain, however; scholarship today can prove that most of these writings were drafted by non-Jews with strong anti-Semitic leanings. Thus we have a document that is full of Replacement Religion and religious dogmas and doctrines and which conflicts with the Bible Yeshua used, the Hebrew Scriptures written by "holy men of old". That means those who follow the teachings in the New Testament without comparing with the writings of Moses and the Prophets taken ONLY from the Hebrew Bible and Hebrew Scriptures of Judaism cannot be assured they are being obedient to the God they say they love. One's love for God must motivate us to be "sure" we are right in what we believe and how we respond. That means you will have to study hard and often be exposed to materials which will challenge you to your very core. But love for God demands we pay whatever price to ensure we are not opposing Him and disobeying Him out of misdirected zeal.
The precaution given to ancient Israel is a valid one for the Church today. God pleaded with them on several occasions not to worship Him through learning the ways of the heathens. In this day of restoration and renewal of the Church, there is a turning away from many of the man-conceived concepts of worship which have been handed down to us by the historic church fathers with a return to Biblical patterns, even if they do appear Jewish in nature.
Dear child of God...if you have not already you soon will see that "Jewish" means "Biblical"
Pontius Pilate asked a significant question of public concern, both for our day and his, when he inquired of Yeshua, "What is truth"? (John 18.38). The greatest of men still struggle to find the answer to this all-consuming question as they seek to please the living God. We at Bet Emet Ministries are dedicated to finding the truth in order to assure that we are worshipping the Father in Spirit and Truth. Our dedicated study for the past fifteen years has shown us that much of what we were taught by Christianity was anything but truth and surely not given by the Spirit. Repentance was the order of the day and remains such today.
Failure of multitudes of believers to fully answer this profound question for themselves has left the Gentile Church in a quicksand of conflicting doctrines and practices. I know many of you who read this article might say that Yeshua said, "I am the Truth"; but sadly this question can not be answered satisfactorily with such a simplified answer. Nearly everyone at some time has found himself a victim of these conflicts only to ponder the same question: "What is truth"? Perhaps one of the greatest mistakes to be made in our pursuit of divine truth has been the failure to acknowledge the source of truth...the Jewish people who were entrusted with Divine revelation for the whole of mankind.
THE SOURCE OF BASIC TRUTH FOR ALL THE WORLD...INCLUDING THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH CAME FROM GOD THROUGH THE JEWISH PEOPLE AND THEIR TEACHINGS. MANY TEACHINGS IN CHRISTIANITY THAT DOES ORIGINATE WITH THE JEWISH PEOPLE CAN BE SHOWN TO BE NOT SOUND DOCTRINALLY AND WILL INVARIABLY BE FLAWED IN ITS CONCLUSIONS AND APPLICATIONS...NO MATTER HOW NOBLE IT MIGHT SOUND..
Because of the anti-Semitism of the early Gentile leaders of the Church, we have the gradual drift of the Christian Church from its Hebraic and Jewish Roots that has robbed the believers of their rightful heritage, the power that goes with the Word of God when obeyed, and has rendered the Christian Church a very divided people (over 2,000 different denominations containing multitudes of conflicting doctrines. We are without an excuse when we look to that "one faith" and "one Lord" and "one Baptism" when we ponder the myriads of conflicting doctrines and practices within the corporate body of Christ. Somebody got off tract and it was not the Jew who yet today follow the faith and religion of Sinai. Can you guess who erred?
Answer for yourself: Where is the "faith once given to the saints"? (Jude 1:3).
Any time Judaism is mentioned along with the Law you can hear sincere Christians respond: "I am not under the Law". Such responses come from a fear of legalism and a return to bondage. But such statements are based upon an inadequate knowledge and understanding of Judaism in the first place. Although that is often the reaction of some when one does something that appears to be Jewish in nature we must remember that Yeshua said, "Think not (although some still do) that I am come to destroy the law...". Contrary to what you might think or have been told Yeshua was not advocating a legalistic system for achieving righteousness, nor was he attempting to terminate the Law, which is the guideline or pattern for moral discipline, praise and worship. Biblical Judaism was simply God's chosen system of praise, worship and service.
Yeshua did not come to start a new religion for the world, let along his church which he was to build. Yeshua came to reform Biblical Judaism (Sinai faith) which was intended by both him and his Father to be the faith taken to the Gentiles in the Great Commission because within it we find the Covenant of Noah and the Laws of Noah for the Gentile world as their covenant with God.
Clearly "Christ is the end [the Greek word for "end" in this verse is actually the word "goal"] of the law for righteousness" (Romans 10:4). Christ-likeness is the goal and when we examine the life of "the Christ" among us then we see that he adhered to Judaism and taught repentance toward the Laws and Commandments of God which frame one's Covenant with God.
For example, Yeshua never terminated the Passover celebration. He never intended that we replace the Passover and substitute Easter observance [a pagan festival and rite] for the Passover which was given and commanded by God for both Jews and Gentiles alike. Sadly for most of us, although most of us are unaware, our churches, some on a weekly basis, substitute "crackers" and "grape juice" as a pseudo-Communion for the Passover which was to be celebrated only ONCE A YEAR. When this principle of reform is understood and the "fear factor" is eliminated, the Church is going to see an accelerated restoration of Judeo-Christianity. Charges of legalism and of being Judaizers in the historic context will diminish. Taking the former as an wide example for all the Festival day, we as Christians have failed to heed Yeshua's warning to worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth for our worship is flawed and unacceptable to our Father for the most part if we follow the traditional pattern of most churches where paganism is mixed with Biblical Judaism. The sad fact is that most of the church is unlearned and uninformed about such things because their focus has been limited to redemption only to the exclusion of other important doctrines in the Bible such as worship and teaching.
Having understood the above warning from
Yeshua in John 4, the return to Judeo-Christianity through intense study
and repentance, thus leading to a return to a more Biblical pattern of
worship of the Father cannot be construed as legalism or a return to
religious bondage. Those who say different are simply wrong and have
failed to grasp the real message of the Scriptures.
"An over-Hellenized over-Latinized Christianity needs a re-Judaizing process to bring it back to its founding Jewish roots and RENEW it more in keeping with its own inherent ideals." (Edward Flannery- Catholic scholar)
Discerning Christian scholars are beginning to recognize the record of the Holy Scriptures and the truth of history. In a very real sense Gentile Christians have been discriminated against by their own leadership. They have been denied their right of equal access to the Judaic heritage guaranteed them by the New Testament. Presbyterian scholar Harry E. Gaylord described it accordingly, "The Christians, as they were eventually called, did not have a uniform approach to Jewish law, but they were not trying to break away from Judaism. They were a group within Judaism trying to make their views normative. First generation Christianity was a part of Biblical Judaism, but the next generation would depart from it."
Answer for yourself: Since the inherent Jewishness of the gospel of Yeshua is so clear in the first century, the obvious question is, "What brought the massive divorcement of Christianity from Biblical Judaism?"
For the answer one need only trace the course of history. After the death of the apostle Paul and the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, subsequent generations, which included more and more Gentiles, made every effort to remove all traces of Jewishness from the gospel of Yeshua. As the Church became increasingly Hellenized (Greek) and Latinized (Roman), many of the concepts of polytheism (other gods) began to appear, gain prominence and become entrenched in the Church. Not only that but the Gentile Church began to collect the writings of the earliest believers in Yeshua and corrupt them through numerous alterations whereby purposeful misquotations and mistranslations of the Prophets were used to create new ideas that were foreign to the original writers. Many Jewish texts were taken out of context on purpose and edited in the Gentile Church's canon of Scripture called the New Testament. Misquotations, mistranslations, and misapplications of the "inspired Old Testament", the Bible Yeshua used, became replete within the pages of the Bible you carry today. And you are not aware most likely because you have, since you are a New Testament Christian instead of an Old Testament Christian, never verified for yourself if what you are reading in your Christian Old and New Testament is a faithful representation of what the Prophets and Moses wrote. You have taken for granted that the New Testament is correct, for after all, it has a black binder which says "Holy Bible" on it. You accepted such a document without question...or should I say "by faith". You have been deceived and not know it...that is up to now. The Church remains a victim of many of these elements today because few study such things...and if you do you are "suspect" by your Pastor. Today's Christian has been brainwashed to prefer "preaching" instead of "study". Yet when I try to find "preaching" as gift to the church I only find the "teacher" instead. Sadly the Christian Church today needs to pray that God send them courageous teachers for only when the teacher does his job is the congregation equipped to be the real proclaimers or "preachers". We have it just backwards today. In spite of such deception restoration and doctrinal renewal for the Church is on God's agenda (Deut. 32:2). Many are beginning study for themselves and come to the point in their lives where they are beginning to "... .ask for the old paths, where is the good way..." (Jer.6: 16). They will be the prophetic ones who "....shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in" (Isaiah 58:12). Bet Emet Ministries is one of many who have felt the call to return to the old paths which is the good way, and in doing so, build the waste places destroyed by Gentile Christian anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism. In our pursuit to return to the "faith once given to the saints" we may not have Gentile Christianity's support, but rest confidently in the fact that we are raising up David's tabernacle in fulfillment of Scripture by helping to restore the paths and foundations for many who seek the truth about the God of the Bible. Shalom.
The present renewal of the Church in Spirit is going to result in a renewal and restoration of Biblical truth in the area of worship and practice.
Answer for yourself: What is the end purpose of and need for this Judeo-Christian restoration?
Quite simply said Paul said it best in the book of Ephesians. Notice this was written to the non-Jew and not the Jew. This is of utmost importance and remains so for the Gentile Christian today.
Eph 2:11-12 11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Messiah, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: (KJV)
After reading the above verse you can more easily understand why "salvation is of the Jews" and not the Church. The non-Jew has nothing apart from Israel and the Revelation of God given to them by the Jews. Only when the non-Jewish believer come to the startling understanding that much of his religious belief system is based upon a corrupted, adulterated, an flawed document, his Christian Bible, will he be able to fully understand why the Jews, who do not accept the New Testament, are the ONLY bearers of true salvation in the world today. Only after verifying through diligent personal study for yourself what I said is the truth will you then be able to "fulfill" the following passage, not only in your life, but before the God you love.
Eph 4:13 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Messiah: (KJV)
The trip for the contemporary Christian believer to acquire such knowledge is long and hard. Many, many tears will flow as he is confronted with the startling facts and realization that he has believed "the lie" which we were warned about to avoid. Anger for being victim to such deception is unavoidable. Only by the grace of God will compassion come to cleans such anger whereby you can experience the compassion of God for your fellow believers who are still trapped in such lies and false religion. May God speed your hunger for truth and your discipline to acquire it. You are a valuable piece of God's puzzle, for without you "unity of the faith once given to the saints will impossible". Shalom. Craig Lyons M.Div.