GOOD READING--YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS!
Did you know that Christianity is Jewish? Like most Western followers of Yeshua haMashiach (Jesus the Messiah), I began my spiritual walk with the Lord completely unaware of this truth, and consequently missed out on the full richness and meaning of my faith.
I am an avid reader, and great fan of good books, as I find that many homeschooled children are. Often, my most favorite reading material are missionary stories or studies on Biblical topics. There is nothing more pleasing and edifying on a winter’s night than a good book that is easy to understand, well-written, is an interesting subject and has a good ending.
Growing up as a Born-again Believer, I have had a constant desire to rediscover and put into practice the Hebrew roots and Biblical traditions of my faith. About eight years ago, my family and I began a journey that would take us from mainstream Christianity into Messianic Judaism. My parents, having begun their religious lives under the auspices of Catholicism, forsook it, became born-again, and have since attended every conceivable major Church denomination on the planet only to become disillusioned that the Churches are not teaching the entire gospel, much less the whole truth about Christianity.
That was when we discovered Messianic Judaism. My family and I read a book called Too Long in the Sun, a very scholarly study of the pagan origins of Christian traditions and holidays. This was a strong eye-opener for us, and we knew that once we discovered the truth about the unholy practices and origins centered in Western Christianity, we were accountable for using our knowledge to inform others of these offensive practices.
We had always been somewhat conservative in our approach to living out our faith. The women of our house wear long dresses, and modesty is extremely important to us. These rules and disciplines would help us be more accepting of other Instructions we would soon discover in our search. We already had a heart to obey. We were missing the complete truth of the Word.
We began to see that Jesus Christ never purposed for Christianity to be a religion. He did not come to start a Church. He never asked, “Do you have Me in your heart?” He never disobeyed God’s existing Law, and never taught contrary to it. This last point is Christianity’s stumbling block. The Law of God states that any prophet or person who came to Israel teaching against the Torah (Law of Moses), enticing them to forsake it, should be stoned to death and not believed, even if he performed miracles (Deut. 13:1-18). Therefore, if our Messiah came to do away with the Law, His claims to Messiahship certainly would have demanded no consideration for validity. And, there is also the Biblical law that God is not like a human, and therefore is not subject to change? (Malachi 3:6) If Yeshua/Jesus, the Creator, were to do away with the Law of Moses (the Commandments), He would be “changing His mind.” Why would He wish to disregard the perfect Law He Himself instituted for all nations?
Another thing we
learned is that the Torah (the first five books of the Bible, containing the
Law) is for all nations, not just Israel.
When Israel came out of Egypt during the Exodus, a "mixed
multitude"
went with them, including Egyptians and other ethnic groups.
The Torah itself states that there is only one law for the native
Israelite and that same law applies to those who join Israel by faith B
faith in their God, faith in their Messiah Yeshua/Jesus.
The Gospel goes to the Jew first, then to the Gentile. What is the
message of the Gospel? “Repent,
for the
As our family studied together, it became more and more exciting to discover the true message that Yeshua gave to His disciples. Indeed, our Messiah is Jewish. His teachings are strictly of a Hebraic nature and are so beautifully graced with countless Hebraic idioms and meanings that Gentiles unfamiliar with the language of old and first century Judaism will take out of context many of the New Testament’s teachings.
Some of my
particularly favorite books to review during the chilly winter months are
authored by Daniel Lancaster of the First Fruits of Zion ministry (ffoz.org).
They are well-written, and provide clear definitions of the Torah,
Messianic Judaism, Yeshua/Jesus’ difficult teachings, the Hebrew mindset and
flavor of the Gospels, and how it all applies to a Believer’s walk.
The first book is called Restoration, which should be read before the sequel, King
of the Jews.
Of the many dozens of books I have ingested, I have never come across two that were more powerful in leading me back to my Hebrew roots. I have come to learn that we will not be blessed until we obey His Word, and it is a true delight, in the words of King David, to do so. I have also learned that when Yeshua met the two disciples on the road to Emmaus after the Resurrection, and He expounded on the Scriptures to teach about the Messiah, He used the only Scriptures that were available at that time--the Old Testament! Also, Paul and the Apostles never had any idea of their letters to the congregations becoming canonical Scripture. They commended the Bereans in the book of Acts for searching the Scriptures daily to see if Yeshua’s claim to Messiahship as presented by His disciples was true. They, too, studied the only available proof-texts, the Tanakh (Old Testament)!
Looking back over
my time in the Church and comparing it with being Messianic now, I see that I
have more understanding, more passion, more zeal, and more faith, than ever
before. To follow the Master is a
life of discipline and dedication. It
requires love, and love is commitment. He said,
“If you love me, keep my commandments.”
The King Himself who laid down the Laws or Instructions for mankind did
not violate His own standards, though being the Law-giver He was above them.
Should we do any less?
Ashley M. Palladino
2008
www.kitchen2.com