Transcript Messianic Judaism 101 Class 1

Temple Sheckles are available in the hallway.
(SLIDE)
Ask the money changer for more details.
(SLIDE)
Leavenworth
(House Of Our Father)
•
Our Father, we thank you for this new
fellowship that you’ve opened up for us
here in Leavenworth, we pray that you will
continue to bless this endeavor. Bring the
people here that you want to be here and
let us be a light to this area and help us to
spread your truth throughout this town. We
thank you for your Holy Spirit as you dwell
among us. We also ask you to open our
minds this evening to hear your words of
Torah. Amain
Who Are We?
“Torah Light Ministries”
What is a Messianic
Shalom….I’m Rabbi Stanley
Before we get started, I just want to
talk a little about who we are and a
little about what Messianic Judaism
is.
What is a Messianic
Beit Aveinu is a Messianic organization
that is under the spiritual umbrella of
another Messianic Organization called
“Torah Light Ministries”
We believe it’s important to have an
umbrella ministry in order to keep within
the boundaries of a Scriptural
framework. It’s healthy.
What is a Messianic
What does Torah Light mean? The
Torah is the first 5 books of the Bible
Gen. Ex Lev. Deut and numbers. It
was written by Moses. Torah Light is
a reference to sharing the light of the
Torah with others and teaching the
truth.
What is a Messianic
My dad is the founder and Director
of Torah Light Ministries, his name is
Dr. Stanley Chester Sr. He’s spoken at
various churches here in
Leavenworth. He is also a Messianic
Rabbi. Because we both have the
same name he goes by Rabbi Chester
and I go by Rabbi Stanley
What is a Messianic
So what is a Messianic? The short
answer is that a Messianic Jew is a
Jewish Believer in Jesus. We call Jesus
by his Jewish given name and that
name is Yeshua
What is a Messianic
If I was to say, Yeshua HaMashiach in
Hebrew, that means Jesus the
Messiah.
What is a Messianic
So one of the questions I’m often
asked is why do I call myself a Rabbi?
Didn’t Jesus, Yeshua say call no man
Rabbi?
What is a Messianic
Yes, He did say that. But we have to
look at the context of what he was
saying there in that passage.
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Matt 23 starting in verse 9…
8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is
your Master, even Christ; and all ye
are brethren.
What is a Messianic
Wow, it really sounds like Yeshua is
saying that we shouldn’t call each
other or ourselves Rabbi doesn’t it?
What is a Messianic
But if we look a little closer and we
read the context of that passage,
then we start to see a little more
about what it’s talking about. So let’s
read on…
What is a Messianic
(Slide) 9 And call no man your father upon
the earth: for one is your Father, which is
in heaven.
10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is
your Master, even Christ.
11 But he that is greatest among you shall be
your servant.
12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be
abased; and he that shall humble himself
shall be exalted.
What is a Messianic
Whenever you interpret Scripture, one
thing you want to always keep in mind is
that you want to remain consistent. If we’re
not consistent, anyone can interpret the
Bible any way they want to and make it
mean anything they want it to mean.
What is a Messianic
For example: There’s an organization called
“The Church of Jesus Christ Christian based
not far from here. They see themselves as a
Bible based group of Christians. They hold
church services every week and have a
Pastor and 90% of what they teach, you’d
probably agree with.
What is a Messianic
That 10% you probably wouldn’t agree with
because in that 10% they teach…
What is a Messianic
That all the Jews should be killed. This
church has a better known name and that
name is the Aryan Nations. Their actual
name is “The Church of Jesus Christ
Christian
What is a Messianic
So how do they see themselves as
Christians? Because they don’t interpret the
Scriptures with consistency. They take bits
and parts of the Bible out of context and
they make it say whatever they want it to
say.
What is a Messianic
And it’s pretty easy to do, obviously
because those knuckleheads can do it. The
KKK also considers themselves to be a Bible
based organization. They also take the Bible
out of context and they throw consistency
to the wind.
What is a Messianic
Consistency and context keep true
scholarship from vearing off into left field.
So back to our text. We see that it also says
to call no man Father.. So if we’re to
interpret where it says that no one can call
another person Rabbi, then we have to be
consistent and also say that no one can call
another person Father.
What is a Messianic
So if we’re not supposed to use
the word Father then common
sense would tell us that the Bible
shouldn’t use that word either in
describing dads
What is a Messianic
(Slide) But guess what, the Bible does
that a lot…
Genesis 2:24
Therefore shall a man leave his father
and his mother, and shall cleave unto
his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Genesis 4:20
And Adah bare Jabal: he was
the father of such as dwell in
tents, and of such as have
cattle.
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Genesis 4:21
And his brother's name was Jubal:
he was the father of all such as
handle the harp and organ.
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Genesis 9:18
And the sons of Noah, that went forth
of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and
Japheth: and Ham is the father of
Canaan.
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Genesis 9:22
And Ham, the father of
Canaan, saw the nakedness of
his father, and told his two
brethren without.
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Genesis 9:23
And Shem and Japheth took a
garment, and laid it upon both their
shoulders, and went backward, and
covered the nakedness of their father;
and their faces were backward, and
they saw not their father's nakedness.
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Genesis 10:21
Unto Shem also, the father of
all the children of Eber, the
brother of Japheth the elder,
even to him were children
born.
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Genesis 11:28
And Haran died before his
father Terah in the land of
his nativity, in Ur of the
Chaldees.
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Genesis 11:29
And Abram and Nahor took them
wives: the name of Abram's wife was
Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife,
Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the
father of Milcah, and the father of
Iscah.
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Genesis 12:1
Now the LORD had said unto
Abram, Get thee out of thy
country, and from thy kindred,
and from thy father's house, unto
a land that I will shew thee:
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Genesis 15:15
And thou shalt go to thy fathers in
peace; thou shalt be buried in a
good old age.
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Genesis 17:4
As for me, behold, my covenant is with
thee, and thou shalt be a father of many
nations. Genesis 12:1
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get
thee out of thy country, and from thy
kindred, and from thy father's house, unto
a land that I will shew thee:
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Genesis 17:5
Neither shall thy name any more
be called Abram, but thy name
shall be Abraham; for a father of
many nations have I made thee.
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Genesis 19:31
And the firstborn said unto the
younger, Our father is old, and there is
not a man in the earth to come in
unto us after the manner of all the
earth:
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Genesis 19:32
Come, let us make our father drink
wine, and we will lie with him, that we
may preserve seed of our father.
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Genesis 19:33
And they made their father drink wine
that night: and the firstborn went in,
and lay with her father; and he
perceived not when she lay down, nor
when she arose.
What is a Messianic
And this is just in one book of the Bible...
And none of these are being used to talk
about G-d as our Father! “Well that’s Old
Testament!” Ok….
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Matthew 2:22
But when he heard that Archelaus did
reign in Judaea in the room of his
father Herod, he was afraid to go
thither: notwithstanding, being
warned of God in a dream, he turned
aside into the parts of Galilee:
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Matthew 3:9
And think not to say within
yourselves, We have Abraham to our
father: for I say unto you, that God is
able of these stones to raise up
children unto Abraham.
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Matthew 4:21
And going on from thence, he saw
other two brethren, James the son of
Zebedee, and John his brother, in a
ship with Zebedee their father,
mending their nets; and he called
them.
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Matthew 4:22
And they immediately left the
ship and their father, and
followed him.
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Matthew 8:21
And another of his disciples
said unto him, Lord, suffer
me first to go and bury my
father.
What is a Messianic
(Slide) Matthew 10:21
And the brother shall deliver up
the brother to death, and the
father the child: and the children
shall rise up against their parents,
and cause them to be put to
death
What is a Messianic
And that’s just one book in the New
Testament. So obviously it’s not saying
we shouldn’t call our father’s father
and so it’s not saying we shouldn’t call
anyone “Rabbi” either.
What is a Messianic
So what is it talking about there in
Matthew? It’s saying we need to
understand who THE Rabbi is and who
THE Master is and who THE Teacher is.
What is a Messianic
It’s not saying you can’t call a Rabbi by
his title. If that were true then you
couldn’t call a Pastor “Pastor” either
or a Deacon “Deacon” or your grade
school teacher “Teacher”.
If we use a little common sense and
keep Scripture in context, it all
becomes clear.
What is a Messianic
And this is why I love messianic
Judaism so much… it has answers. Not
like the answers were always
promised by other movements but
real answers. Answers that can be
backed up with Scripture and simple
reasoning.
What is a Messianic
Another question I’m often asked is
that since we believe in keeping G-d’s
Laws doesn’t that mean we are
legalists. Well, let’s look at the
definition of legalist and find out.
Definitions
(Slide) Legalist…. One who believes
you can be Saved by works.
Are we legalists? No, we believe we
are Saved by grace and grace alone!
One could never be saved by works.
Not even in the Old testament.
Definitions
(Slide) Gal. 3:6 is clear… Consider
Abraham: "He believed God, and it
was credited to him as
righteousness.“
It doesn’t say one word about works
there does it? Salvation is by grace.
Definitions
The Bible teaches we are saved by
grace but after we are saved we are
to then keep G-d’s Laws, in other
words we have to do works. James
said in
Definitions
(Slide) James 2:14… 14 What does it
profit, my brethren, if someone says
he has faith but does not have
works? Can faith save him? 15 If a
brother or sister is naked and
destitute of daily food, 16 and one of
you says to them,
Definitions
(Slide)“Depart in peace, be warmed
and filled,” but you do not give them
the things which are needed for the
body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also
faith by itself, if it does not have
works, is dead.
Definitions
If anyone tells you that you don’t
need works, they’re obviously
teaching you something against
Scripture. Grace doesn’t cancel out
works it goes hand in hand with
works. Keeping G-d’s Holy Laws are
part of works.
Definitions
(Slide) Paul himself kept every part of
the law and didn’t offend it in any
way…Acts 25 says… 8 While he
answered for himself, “Neither
against the law of the Jews, neither
against the temple, nor yet against
Caesar, have I offended any thing at
all.”
Definitions
(Slide) We’re not supposed to offend
the Law just as Paul said. Yeah but
that’s Paul, we don’t have to follow
him”
1 Cor 4:16 says… 16 Wherefore I
beseech you, be ye followers of me.
Definitions
(Slide) So, yes we do have to be like
him, just like he was like Yeshua. And
that’s the biggest difference between
us many other Churches, we believe
that G-d’s Law is holy just and good
just like it says in Romans
7:12…Wherefore the law is holy, and
the commandment holy, and just,
and good.
Definitions
G-d doesn’t give his children things
that are incomplete or not good for
us. Anything He gives us is perfect.
That’s a Biblical principle. He gives us
perfect things because he is a perfect
G-d.
Definitions
But isn’t the Law a burden? No, it’s
not, it’s the exact opposite, it’s a joy!
We’re often taught that there’s too
many Laws to possibly keep. We hear
about the 613 laws of the Jews.
There are 613 laws but the vast
majority of those laws have to do
with the Temple.
Definitions
We don’t have a Temple anymore so
we can’t keep those Laws. Many
more of those 613 have to do with
the Nazererite vow, the vow samson
took. Unless you become a nazerite,
you don’t have to keep those laws
either.
Definitions
When it boils down to it, if you’re a
good Christian there’s probably only
about 6 laws that you aren’t already
keeping. One of those laws concerns
the Mezuzah. What’s a mezuzah?
Definitions
(Slide) You may have seen these on
the doors of a Jewish person’s
home…
Definitions
(Slide) Well, what’s that for? Deut 6:7
says… 6 And these words, which I
command thee this day, shall be in
thine heart:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently
unto thy children, and shalt talk of
them when thou sittest in thine
house, and when thou walkest by the
way, and when thou liest down, and
when thou risest up.
Definitions
(Slide) 8 And thou shalt bind them for
a sign upon thine hand, and they
shall be as frontlets between thine
eyes.
9 And thou shalt write them upon
the posts of thy house, and on thy
gates.
Definitions
So we do that, we post them on the
doorposts of our houses, it takes
about 5 minutes and we don’t have
to do anything with them again
unless we move to another house.
You do that and you’ve kept a
commandment of G-d. It’s that
simple.
Definitions
Then you’re down to 5 more
commandments. But when you
become a Messianic, you usually take
these commandments slowly. After
you’re comfortable with one
commandment then you take on
another one. If you do them all too
quickly it can become to much for
some
Definitions
Even growing up as a Messianic, my
dad gave me the commandments
slowly one by one. We’re not meant
to do them all at once And that’s
exactly what Acts 15 is talking about
when it says…
Definitions
(Slide) Acts 15 10 Now therefore why
tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the
neck of the disciples, which neither
our fathers nor we were able to
bear?
Definitions
One may ask, isn’t telling Gentiles
they should keep Old Testament Laws
Judaizing? Well, let’s look at the
definition of Judaizing
Definitions
(Slide) Judahizer…. One who teaches
that you must be Jewish in order to
be Saved.
Are we Judahizers? No! We believe
anyone can be Saved but after
Salvation we keep G-d’s Laws.
But aren’t the Laws bad? No.
How do we understand G-d’s Laws?
We see G-d’s Laws as something good. G-d
gave us these Laws to help us, not to bind
us. G-d doesn’t give His people bad things.
He doesn’t give us things that are
impossible to do either. His Laws (Torah in
Hebrew which means Instructions) help us
in our daily lives. Who doesn’t need a little
G-dly “Instruction” from time to time?
How do we understand G-d’s Laws?
But aren’t we free from the Law?
Are we “free” from the Law?
(Slide) 1 Cor. 9:21 To those who do not have
the law, I became like a man who does not
have the law in order to win those who do not
have the law. However, I am not free from
God's law, but I'm subject to the Messiah's
law.
Now some will point out here that it says, he’s
subject to the Messiah’s Laws.
Are we “free” from the Law?
The Messiah is G-d! Jesus’ Laws are G-d’s Laws
and G-d’s Laws are the Messiah’s Laws. We’re
not free from G-d’s Laws and don’t wish to be
free from them, they’re good for us. They’re
G-d’s instructions!
Leavenworth
So that’s a little about Beit Aveinu and
Messianic Judaism. What is it that we plan to
do here in Leavenworth?
Well, first, we plan on being here for a very
long time. We’ll be meeting the first Thursday
of every month to start and then as we get
more members we’ll be doing it every week.
Leavenworth
We’re not going anywhere, we have a
Messianic Synagogue in Wenatchee that
we’ve been running for almost 2 years now.
Are we “free” from the Law?
It’s growing and doing very well for a new
Congregation so we feel we’re ready to
branch out to a few other places. I’ve been
pioneering messianic Synagogues for about 20
years.
Are we “free” from the Law?
We have Synagogues and Messianic Bible
Schools all over the world. We have 2
Messianic Synagogues in Italy as well as a
base there. We use the base for our
missionaries who come and go to Israel. We
also have a Congregation in Sri Lanka
Are we “free” from the Law?
As well as 2 Messianic Congregations in India
and another Bible school there. We also have
congregations here in the US. There are two in
Oregon and another one in Oroville, not far
from here and 2 more in Canada. These
Congregations vary in size from 20 people to
200 people.
Are we “free” from the Law?
I’ll share some more with you about
Messianic Judaism, even though it is the
oldest movement in the faith of Yeshua, the
Disciples were all Jewish Believers
Are we “free” from the Law?
So even though it is the oldest movement in
our faith, it is also one of the newer
movements. The modern Messianic
movement started about 45 years ago.
Are we “free” from the Law?
It was started by a group of men who began
to see that there were some things missing in
our standard approach to Scripture and they
noticed that it was important to start looking
at the Jewish culture in order to understand
the Bible in a fuller way.
Are we “free” from the Law?
They discovered it was imperative that we
don’t separate the Scriptures from their
Hebraic context and by not separating it,
some very interesting things began to be
understood.
Are we “free” from the Law?
I remember growing up in Church my folks
were missionaries to Israel and we used to
come back here to the US and itinerate all
over the US in various denominations and
even though now it’s common knowledge,
back then, not everyone knew that Jesus was
a Jew when he was here on earth.
Are we “free” from the Law?
Now, yes, everybody knows. With the
various movies and the internet but
45 years ago, if you asked many
people what Jesus was, many of
them would say, he was a Christian.
Well, there were no Christians yet, he
was a Jew.
Are we “free” from the Law?
So what the Messianic movement
has done has asked the next
question. If he was a Jew what does
that entail? By asking that simple
question a whole new field of study
opened up. We started asking about
what language did he speak as a Jew
Are we “free” from the Law?
Then we started asking what kind of
food he ate as a Jew, well maybe I
was the only one who asked that
question, I love food. And as we
asked these questions some very
interesting information began to
emerge.
Are we “free” from the Law?
Like Hebraic idioms. There are some Hebrew
idioms in the Bible that can’t be understood
unless one knows Hebrew. For example… The
evil eye.
Are we “free” from the Law?
(Slide) We read in Matthew 6:23
But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body
shall be full of darkness. If therefore the
light that is in thee be darkness, how great
is that darkness!
Are we “free” from the Law?
I’ve heard lots of various teachings on this
topic. Some have said that the Evil eye is
talking about hatred. If you’re hateful then
it penetrates into the rest of your soul and
you become evil. Hatred does penatrate
into the soul and causes some people to
become evil, but that’s not what this verse
is talking about. It has nothing to do with
hatred.
Are we “free” from the Law?
The evil eye is a well known idiom among
Hebrew speakers. It was used in Biblical
times to denote someone who was greedy.
We even see this in the Old Testament…
Are we “free” from the Law?
(Slide) Deuteronomy 15:9
Beware that there be not a thought in thy
wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the
year of release, is at hand; and thine eye
be evil against thy poor brother, and thou
givest him nought; and he cry unto the
LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee.
Are we “free” from the Law?
You can see there quite easily that it’s
talking about greed and there are litterally
dozens and dozens of these hebrew idioms
throughout the New testament. We also
started to look at New testament studies
by matching it up to archeology.
Are we “free” from the Law?
Archeology never disproves G-d’s Word
but it’s a whole lot of fun watching it prove
it every time. Through archeology in Israel
we’ve learned volumes of information
concerning how things were done in First
Century Israel.
Are we “free” from the Law?
I lived in Israel for 19 years and I was on
various digs over there including on Mt.
Zion and it was an amazing time in my life
as I watched the New testament come
alive as I dug in the dirt. Eventually I’ll be
doing a series here at Beit Aveinu
Leavenworth on Biblical archeology and I’ll
even bring some of my finds.
Are we “free” from the Law?
Another thing that Messianics began to do
was to take a look at what Christian
scholors call extra biblical works. How
many of you have heard of Josephus?
Josephus was a Pharisee who lived at the
Time of Yeshua, Jesus and he wrote many
books on the history of Israel and things
that were happening in the second temple
period.
Are we “free” from the Law?
So as we incorporate all this material
we’ve discovered over the last 40 years we
have found that it helps us to know more
about Jesus and isn’t that what it’s all
about.
Are we “free” from the Law?
Learning more about Jesus?
Well, we’re going to learn more about
Jesus tonight. Before we get started on
tonight's teaching we’re going to blow the
ram’s horn. We call it a shofar in Hebrew.
That’s how we start off all our services and
I’ll do that for you now.
(Slide)
(Slide)“On the morning of the third
day there was thunder and lightning, with a
thick cloud over the mountain, and there was
the sounding of a very loud SHOFAR blast.
Everyone in the camp trembled.”
Now. We’re going to do something called
the Shma. This is a short song we sing which
is a quote from the old Testament and it’s
then quoted again in the New testament…
It says in
(Slide) Mark 12:28-29
28
And one of the scribes came, and
having heard them reasoning together, and
perceiving that He had answered them well,
asked Him, “Which is the greatest
commandment of all?”
29 And Yeshua answered him, “The first
of all the commandments is, Hear, O
Israel; The Lord our God is
One Lord:”
So I’m going to help you with the Hebrew
words and you still may not get it the first
time, but that’s ok, take your time and
we’ll be doing this every time we have
service and you’ll pick it up in no time.
(Slide) Please stand for the Shema
and face east towards Jerusalem.
(Slide) Shema Israel
Adoni Elohaynu Adoni
Echad.
Barukh shem k'vod
malkhuto l'olam va'ed.
(Remain standing for
Hatikva)
(Slide) Hear oh Israel the
L-rd our G-d is one L-rd.
Blessed be the Name of
His glorious kingdom for
ever and ever.
(Slide) We’ll now sing HaTikva
(The Hope)
(Slide) Kol ‘od balleivav penimah
Nefesh yehudi homiyah
Ul(e)fa’atei mizrach kadimah,
‘Ayin letziyon tzofiyah;
‘Od lo avdah tikvateinu,
Hatikvah bat shnot alpayim,
Lihyot‘am chofshi be’artzeinu,
Eretz-tziyon (v)'Y(e)rushalayim.
(Slide) Meet new people! Let them see that
Messianics truly understand community
and brotherly/sisterly love. Say hello to
old friends… show that you care!
(Slide) This is our opportunity to render unto
G-d that which is G-d’s.
•(Slide) The Youth & Children are
dismissed
• unmute mic for video!
(Slide) Messianic
Judaism 101
By Rabbi Stanley
Class #1
Purpose
• What I hope to do in
this series (Messianic
Judaism 101) is lay out
an historical and
Biblical basis
(foundation) for
restoring Messianic
Judaism as the
original faith in
Yeshua, the Son of
God.
Purpose
• By the end of this
series we will know
the beginnings of
the First Church,
and where the
Messianic
Movement is
headed.
Purpose
• In this class we’ll be
able to look at and
understand some
critical terminology
and what different
names were used
for the First Century
Believer in Yeshua.
Purpose
• But before we can
know anything else,
we have to know
some history. We
have to know the
roots of the First
Church.
Roots
• There is a lot of
talk out there
these days about
getting back to
our roots or
getting back to
the New
Testament
Church.
Roots
• One thing many fail
to realize is that the
original New
Testament Church
didn’t have a New
Testament or a
Church.
Roots
• What they did
have was the
Tanach (Old
Testament in
Hebrew) and the
Synagogue.
Roots
• At the time of the
original group of
Believers in Yeshua
the word
“Christian” hadn’t
even been coined
yet and neither had
the word “Church”.
Roots
• This helps us
understand that
Yeshua didn’t come
to start a new
religion called
“Christianity”, He
came to be the
Messiah of Israel.
Who’s who?
• Now the first
thing we want to
look at is who’s
who in the first
Messianic
movement also
known as the
First Church
Who’s who?
• We can’t know anything
till we know who is who
so we have to
understand what they
(Believers) were called.
• Terminology is
important.
Who’s who?
• The first group of people
who followed Yeshua
were called the people of
“The Way”. Not
“Christians”!
• They were a mix of
Pharisees, Sadducees and
other sects
• We see the first time The
Way is used in Acts…
Who’s who?
• (Slide) Acts 24:14
• 14 "But this I do admit to you: I worship the God of
our fathers in accordance with The Way (which they
call a sect). I continue to believe everything that
accords with the Torah and everything written in the
Prophets.
Who’s who?
• Another thing we
need to notice here is
that it is called a
“sect” (section, part of
a whole)
• A sect of what?
• A sect of Judaism!
• How is the word sect
used in the New
Testament?
Who’s who?
• (Slide) Acts 5:17
Then the high priest rose up, and all they that
were with him, (which is the sect of the
Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation.
• Acts 15:5
But there rose up certain of the sect of the
Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was
needful to circumcise them, and to command
them to keep the law of Moses.
Who’s who?
• There were many sects of
Judaism. There were the
Essenes, The Dead Sea
Sect, The Herodian Sect,
The Daggermen (Sicarii)
etc. Many different sects
and one of them was the
sect of the
Notzreem/Netzareem
(Nazerenes)
Who’s who?
• (Slide) The word Christian first appears in Acts
• Acts 11:26
And when he had found him, he brought him unto
Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they
assembled themselves with the church, and taught
much people. And the students (disciples) were called
Christians first in Antioch.
Who’s who?
• Dr. David Stern points
out correctly that the
term “Christian” was
used to denote Gentile
believers in Yeshua, not
Jewish believers in
Yeshua.
Who’s who?
(Slide)
• Where is Antioch?
Who’s who?
• Who was in Antioch?
• Paul and Barnabas!
• Their students, in
Antioch were called
“Christians”.
Who’s who?
• It’s not saying that THE
Disciples were first
called Christians in
Antioch… it’s saying that
the disciples of Paul and
Barnabas were first
called Christians there.
• Paul and Barnabas
weren’t even part of the
12 Disciples. They were
apostles!
Who’s who?
• The people of Antioch
were Gentiles, NOT
Jews.
• The Jews who believed
in Yeshua were the
Jewish sect of the
Nazarenes!
• They called themselves
“Jews”.
Who’s who?
• (Slide) Acts 21:39
• But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a
city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech
thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.
• More specifically in his particular case he called
himself a Pharisee in Acts 23:6 …
Who’s who?
• (Slide) Acts 23:6
• Then Paul, knowing that some of them were
Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the
Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a
Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the
resurrection of the dead."
The Law?
• I’m gonna stray just a
little here, but it ties
back shortly…
• These first Believers in
Yeshua kept the Laws
of the Old Testament
(Tanach).
• The famous Church
Father, St. Jerome
(350 AD), who was a
Christian says this of
the original Church…
The Law?
• He said, “They are
those who accept
Messiah in such a
way that they do not
cease to observe the
old Law”
• St Epiphanius
(310 AD), another
Christian and Church
Father goes into a
little more detail…
The Law?
•
(Slide)“These sectarians didn’t call themselves Christians but Nazarenes,
however they are simply complete Jews. They use not only the New
Testament but the Old Testament as well. They have no different ideas but
profess everything exactly as the Law proclaims it in the Jewish fashion.
Except for their belief in Messiah if you please! For they acknowledge the
resurrection of the dead and the divine creation of all things and declare that
God is one and that his son, Yeshua is the Messiah. They are trained to a
nicety in Hebrew for among them the entire Law, the prophets and the entire
Writings are read in Hebrew as they surely are by the Jews. They disagree
with Jews because they have come to faith in Messiah but since they are still
fettered in the Law, circumcision, the Sabbath and the rest they are not in
accord with Christians, they are nothing but Jews. They have the good news
in Mathew in it’s entirety in Hebrew. For it is clear that they still preserve this
in the Hebrew alphabet as it was originally written.”
The Law?
• Belief in the Messiah,
belief in the
resurection of the
dead and the deity of
Christ. Those are all
good things.
• It also says the first
church kept the
Sabbath, we call it
Shabbat in hebrew
The Law?
• So here we see the
First Church keeping
the Shabbat and
circumcision and the
rest of the Law.
• They were quite
different then the
Christian Church as
early as 310 AD!
The Law?
• So you can see why I
call myself a Jew.
That’s what Paul called
himself.
The Law?
• So we know that the
original Jewish Believers
were called Jews. More
specifically… a Person of
The Way.
• (Later on they were
called
Notzreem/Nazarenes.)
The Law?
• More specifically they
could be a Pharisaic
Notzreem or an Essenic
Notzreem or Herodian
Notzreem etc.
• But never were Jews
from the first century
called “Christians”.
• Furthermore, a “Christian
Jew” is really a
contradiction of terms.
Is Christian A Four Letter Word?
• Gentile Believers in
Yeshua were called
Christians and it
was actually a
derogatory label
placed on them
• It was not a word
they gave
themselves.
Is Christian A Four Letter Word?
• “Well isn't Paul
called a Christian by
King Agrippa in Acts
17???”
• Let’s look at it…
Is Christian A Four Letter Word?
• (Slide) Acts 17:28
• Then Agrippa said to Paul, 'Do you think
that in such a short time you can persuade
me to be a Christian?'" (NIV)
Is Christian A Four Letter Word?
• Herod Agrippa was the
grandson of Herod the
Great.
• Neither of them were
Jews
Is Christian A Four Letter Word?
• Herod the great was
the son of an Idumean
and a Nabatean
princess. Not a drop of
Jewish blood in him.
Is Christian A Four Letter Word?
• The word "Christian"
appears only three
times in the New
Testament.
• The New Testament's
use of this term
indicates that it was a
term of derision, a term
placed upon Gentile
followers of Yeshua, by
their critics.
• Let’s look at this…
Is Christian A Four Letter Word?
• (Slide) Peter said in 1 Peter 4:16: "However, if you
suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but
praise God that you bear that name"
Is Christian A Four Letter Word?
• Peter was talking to
Believers here!
• But, “Christian”
obviously was a
name that Believers
didn’t like.
Is Christian A Four Letter Word?
• But Peter says if they
call you this name,
praise G-d for it.
• And Peter is correct
here.
• Even though I’m a Jew,
if I’m called a Christian
by a persecutor, I’ll
bear it gladly.
Then What In The World Am I?
• That doesn’t mean I’d
call myself that.
• How do we know that
Gentile Believers in
Jesus didn’t call
themselves
“Christian”?
• Let’s look at the Bible
in Acts 11:26 again
Then What In The World Am I?
• (Slide) Acts 11:26
And when he had found him, he brought him unto
Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they
assembled themselves with the church, and taught
much people. And the students (disciples) were called
Christians first in Antioch.
Then What In The World Am I?
• In Greek if you place a
name on yourself you’d
say “you call yourself” or
“they called themselves”.
• If someone else is calling
you something, you’d say
they were called…
• This was a name forced
on them.
Then What In The World Am I?
• So then what should a
Gentile Believer call
themselves? Who are
they?
Then What In The World Am I?
• “A Believer” is an ok
name. But “A
Believer in what?”
would be a good
question.
• “A Messianic
Believer” is a good
name. That denotes
that it’s about the
Meshiach.
Then What In The World Am I?
• If you’re keeping
God’s Laws then
you can call
yourself a
Messianic Jew even
if you don’t have
any Jewish blood.
• How can I say that?
Then What In The World Am I?
• Because if you’re keeping the
covenantal Laws, you ARE a
Jew!!! Just like Paul
• If you’re a Gentile believer
but do not keep the
covenantal laws then you’re
not a Jew
Then What In The World Am I?
• If you don’t keep G-d’s
Laws then you’re not a
Jew. If you keep all of G-d’s
Laws, then you’re Jewish.
That’s what a Jew is.
Then What In The World Am I?
• If you’re keeping Sabbath, if
you’re a male and
circumcised, you wear the
tzit tzits, you keep Biblically
Kosher, you’re doing your
best to keep all the other
laws as you learn about
them… welcome to the
family.
Then What Should I Be?
• So why in the world
would you want to be
a Jew? What
advantage is there?
• I have one answer to
that…
Then What Should I Be?
• (Slide) MUCH IN EVERY WAY!
• Romans 3:1
• 1What advantage then hath the Jew? or what
profit is there of circumcision?
• 2Much in every way. chiefly, because that unto
them were committed the oracles of God.
• We’re often taught that there’s no advantage to
being Jewish, but that’s not what the Bible says is
it?
Then What Should I Be?
• But I thought the Bible says there’s no Jew or
Gentile in Christ Jesus. That’s true. That passage
is talking about Salvation. There is no Jew or
Gentile in Christ Jesus when it comes to our
Salvation, we’re all the same Jew or Greek bond
or free male or female just as it says. But after
Salvation have you noticed there’s still males and
females? There’s some differences isn’t there?
It’s each individual’s choice. It’s all about choice,
We all choose how close we want to be to G-d.
Then What Should I Be?
• If you’re a Christian no
problem. You’re still
our brother or sister
in Yeshua and we
welcome you.
• Christians have
promises given by G-d
and so do Jews
Messianic Judaism?
• So what the Messianic
movement is trying to do
now is get back to the
way it was during
Yeshua’s time.
• We feel we’ve been going
away from the Jewish
roots of the faith and
now we want to restore
what’s been lost.
Messianic Judaism?
• That doesn’t mean we
have to go back to
wearing robes, but it
does mean that we have
to keep His Laws and
Commandments in order
to be a part of the
Covenant.
Messianic Judaism?
• We encourage
Gentiles to keep
covenant for a variety
of reasons.
• For one… it is a
healthier lifestyle.
• For two… there are
advantages “in every
way”
Messianic Judaism?
• This is NOT Judaizing!
• Judaizing is saying you
can’t be SAVED unless
you’re a Jew
Messianic Judaism?
• If you’re a Gentile
who is Born Again,
you are just as Saved
as I am
• But After Salvation
there are differences.
• This really isn’t that
different then how
your Church sees it…
Messianic Judaism?
• In a Church, if I sacrifice a
lot for G-d (ie. fasting)
will a Pastor tell me that
that causes me to grow
closer to G-d?
• Yes, he will say that.
• If I sacrifice my very life,
he’d say I have treasures
in heaven through
eternity as a martyr.
Messianic Judaism?
• I’m saying if you
become a Messianic
Jew, you will grow
closer to G-d.
• It’s really not that
different in that
regard.
• And it’s easy to start
doing
Messianic Judaism?
• For women, it’s really
quite easy being a Jew
• If you’re a man and not
yet circumcised… not so
easy.
• But it’s all worth it.
Messianic Judaism?
• I truly believe that if
you become a
Messianic Jew, G-d will
open up the Scriptures
to you because it
becomes your
inheritance.
Messianic Judaism?
• The Oracles of G-d are
a great advantage!
• 2Much in every way.
chiefly, because that
unto them were
committed the oracles
of God. That doesn’t
mean we were just
given some scrolls, but
that we were given an
understanding of those
scrolls.
Messianic Judaism?
• That’s all I have for you tonight, this may have
brought up many other questions you may
have. Feel free to talk with me afterwards and
if not, I hope to see you all next week and we’ll
learn more about the Hebrew roots of the
New testament. Thanks for coming and
shalom.