1. Temple Sheckles are available in the hallway. Ask the money changer for more details. (SLIDE)

2. (House Of Our Father) Leavenworth (SLIDE)

3. 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

4. “Torah Light Ministries” Who Are We?

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. If I was to say, Yeshua HaMashiach in Hebrew, that means Jesus the Messiah. What is a Messianic

11. 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

12. 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

13. (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

14. 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

15. 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

16. (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

17. 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

18. 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

19. That 10% you probably wouldn’t agree with because in that 10% they teach… What is a Messianic

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. (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

26. (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

27. (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

28. (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

29. (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

30. (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

31. (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

32. (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

33. (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

34. (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

35. (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

36. (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

37. (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

38. (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

39. (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

40. (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

41. 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

42. (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

43. (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

44. (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

45. (Slide) Matthew 4:22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. What is a Messianic

46. (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

47. (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

48. 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

49. 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

50. 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

51. 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

52. 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. What is a Messianic

53. (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

54. (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

55. 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

56. (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

57. (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

58. 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

59. (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

60. (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

61. (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

62. 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

63. 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

64. 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

65. 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

66. (Slide) You may have seen these on the doors of a Jewish person’s home… Definitions

67. (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

68. (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

69. 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

70. 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

71. 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

72. (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

73. One may ask, isn’t telling Gentiles they should keep Old Testament Laws Judaizing? Well, let’s look at the definition of Judaizing Definitions

74. (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. Definitions

75. 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?

76. But aren’t we free from the Law? How do we understand G-d’s Laws?

77. (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?

78. 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! Are we “free” from the Law?

79. 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

80. We’re not going anywhere, we have a Messianic Synagogue in Wenatchee that we’ve been running for almost 2 years now. Leavenworth

81. 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?

82. 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?

83. 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?

84. 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?

85. 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?

86. 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?

87. 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?

88. 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?

89. 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?

90. 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?

91. 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?

92. 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?

93. (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?

94. 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?

95. 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?

96. (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?

97. 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?

98. 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?

99. 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?

100. 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?

101. 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?

102. 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. Are we “free” from the Law?

104. (Slide)

105. “On the morning of the third (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.”

106. 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…

107. It says in Mark 12:28-29 (Slide) Mark 12:28-29 28And 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 ?” 29And Yeshua answered him, “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is One Lord:”

108. 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.

109. (Slide) Please stand for the Shema and face east towards Jerusalem.

110. Shema Israel Adoni Elohaynu Adoni Echad. (Slide) Shema Israel Adoni Elohaynu Adoni Echad. Barukh shem k'vod malkhuto l'olam va'ed. (Remain standing for Hatikva)

111. 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) 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.

112. (Slide) We’ll now sing HaTikva (The Hope)

113. (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.

114. (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!

116. (Slide) This is our opportunity to render unto G-d that which is G-d’s.

117. (Slide) The Youth & Children are dismissed unmute mic for video!

118. (Slide) Messianic Judaism 101 By Rabbi Stanley Class #1

119. 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.

120. Purpose By the end of this series we will know the beginnings of the First Church, and where the Messianic Movement is headed.

121. 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.

122. Purpose But before we can know anything else, we have to know some history. We have to know the roots of the First Church.

123. 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.

124. Roots One thing many fail to realize is that the original New Testament Church didn’t have a New Testament or a Church.

125. Roots What they did have was the Tanach (Old Testament in Hebrew) and the Synagogue.

126. 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”.

127. 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.

128. 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

129. 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.

130. 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…

131. 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.

132. 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?

133. 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.

134. 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)

135. 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.

136. 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.

137. Who’s who? Where is Antioch? (Slide)

138. Who’s who? Who was in Antioch? Paul and Barnabas! Their students, in Antioch were called “Christians”.

139. 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!

140. 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”.

141. 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 …

142. 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."

143. 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…

144. 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…

145. 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.”

146. 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

147. 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!

148. The Law? So you can see why I call myself a Jew. That’s what Paul called himself.

149. 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.)

150. 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.

151. 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.

152. Is Christian A Four Letter Word? “Well isn't Paul called a Christian by King Agrippa in Acts 17???” Let’s look at it…

153. 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)

154. Is Christian A Four Letter Word? Herod Agrippa was the grandson of Herod the Great. Neither of them were Jews

155. 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.

156. 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…

157. 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"

158. Is Christian A Four Letter Word? Peter was talking to Believers here! But, “ Christian ” obviously was a name that Believers didn ’ t like.

159. 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.

160. 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

161. 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.

162. 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.

163. Then What In The World Am I? So then what should a Gentile Believer call themselves? Who are they?

164. 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.

165. 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?

166. 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

167. 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.

168. 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.

169. 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…

170. Then What Should I Be? (Slide) MUCH IN EVERY WAY! Romans 3:1 1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? 2 Much 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?

171. 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.

172. 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

173. 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.

174. 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.

175. 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”

176. Messianic Judaism? This is NOT Judaizing! Judaizing is saying you can’t be SAVED unless you’re a Jew

177. 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…

178. 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.

179. 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

180. 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.

181. 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.

182. Messianic Judaism? The Oracles of G-d are a great advantage! 2 Much 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.

183. 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.