Is the point of our faith our life lived on earth or our death and getting to heaven? We believe that Yeshua died, was resurrected and sits at the right hand of the Father. We believe that our faith is not about striving for the world to come but is much more focused on life and how we as G-d’s people are to live out our days. Each day we are faced with the choice of Deut. 30:15, 19 choosing life not death, choosing the blessing and not the curse.
Simply put – we are here to glorify G-d all the days of our life.
Other religions such as Islam focuses more on death. The Egyptians, for example, were obsessed by death. The most famous book to come down to us from their time is, “The Book of the Dead.” The pyramids were giant tombs or portals through which, the Egyptians believed, the soul of the dead Pharaoh could ascend to heaven and join the immortals. In this way it was thought they lived on.
Our walk is to be consumed with doing and living G-d’s will every day. We defeat death by living our life as part of the covenant we entered into when we turned to the L-rd. We defeat death by realizing we have become part of this covenant that has been handed down to us.
Moshe said in Deut. 29:13-14, “But I am not making this covenant and this oath only with you. Rather, I am making it both with him who is standing here with us today before Adonai our G-d and also with him who is not here with us today.” Notice the last words, “ with him who is not here with us today.”
Our goal each day should be to live in such a way that our faith is passed on to our children. We should also live our life in a way that acquaintances and friends would want to be a part of this covenant by seeing how we live our life in front of them.
2.In Deut. 31:10-13 G-d commanded Israel to gather all the people, men, women, children and strangers in the land together to hear the Torah read. There are several places in scripture where we read of actual covenant renewal events. See if you can find where these are listed and what was the purpose of these events?
What was the point of gathering the people together every seven years to read the Torah? What do we have in our walk of faith that is similar?
We have times in our lives that we need to stop and rededicate ourselves to the Father. Things happen. We are blown by passing winds, caught up in problems and we can drift. When that happens, we can grow spiritually weary. We forget who we are and what we are called to do.
We know we cannot stay young physically but we can stay young spiritually by continually renewing our minds.Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what G-d’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
We all need periodic renewal, reminding ourselves of where we came from, where we are going, and why. To what ideals are we committed? What journey are we called on to continue? Of what story are we a part? This is a perfect time, as we approach the holidays, to take the time to search our lives and recommit ourselves.
How beautiful, that at the very moment when the greatest of prophets faced his own mortality, that God should give him the secret of immortality. When we keep the terms of our covenant through Yeshua with the Father, we can make things new again in our lives. Our immortality will be in those whom we touch and those who come after us, whether through our children or those we have helped or influenced.
Moses died, but what he taught lives on.
Joshua 24 Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before G-d.
II Kings 23:1-3 “Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. He went up to the temple of the L-rd with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the L-rd. The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the L-rd—to follow the L-rd and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.”
Afterwards all the idols were removed.
II Chronicles 15:9-15 “Then he (Asa) assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them, for large numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the L-rd his G-d was with him.
They assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. At that time they sacrificed to the L-rd seven hundred head of cattle and seven thousand sheep and goats from the plunder they had brought back. They entered into a covenant to seek the L-rd, the G-d of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. All who would not seek the L-rd, the G-d of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. They took an oath to the L-rd with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns. All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought G-d eagerly, and he was found by them. So the L-rd gave them rest on every side.”
Nehemiah 8:1 “ all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the L-rd had commanded for Israel.”
These were historic moments when Israel consciously rededicated itself after a long period of religious relapse.
3.Rosh Hashanah, Yom Hatruah or the day of blowing, begins next Wednesday night, October 2, at sundown. Two readings for Rosh Hashanah are found in I Samuel 1:11 and Leviticus 23:24. In Leviticus we read the word “zakar” or remember the blasts. In I Samuel Hannah asked G-d to remember her childless state. I Samuel 1:19 says, “the L-rd remembered her.” We can find this phrase in several places in scripture. What does it mean when we see the words in scripture, “and G-d remembered.” Does G-d forget? What other places do we see in scripture that G-d remembered. What is He telling us?
Webster Dictionary defines “remember” as to “bring to mind or think of again,” or to “retain in the memory.” It doesn’t necessarily imply one has forgotten the thing one is mindful of, but rather that it is on one’s mind. So, for G-d to “remember” means for G-d to have it on His mind.
When the Bible says that G-d “remembered” something, it is not implying forgetfulness. G-d always remembers—it is part of His nature. The statement that “G-d remembered” places an emphasis on His faithfulness and everlasting care.
Passages in which G-d “remembers” are always followed by proofs that G-d never forgets. In each passage that says, “G-d remembered,” we see that the phrase is followed by some sort of action or work on behalf of G-d’s people
Genesis 8:1 G-d remembered Noah
Exodus 2;24 G-d remembered the Israelite slaves in Egypt
Psalms 98:3 G-d remembered his love and faithfulness for Israel
Acts 10:31 G-d remembered Cornelius
Revelation 16:19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. G-d remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath.
4.Most people who believe in the Messiah Yeshua today call themselves Christians. Do a little research of the Messianic Scripture and see what the disciples of Yeshua called themselves. Did they identify as Christians? Bring a list of verses you find for our study on Shabbat.
(Most but not all of this is taken from the book, The Separation of Church and Faith, Copernicus and the Jews, by Daniel Gruber)
Everyone knows what Christians are, right? Not really. It depends upon whom you ask. There are Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Evangelicals, etc. If you ask a Jew or a Muslim you will get another definition of who is a Christian.
In the whole Messianic Scripture, there is not one Apostle or a cousin of an Apostle who said, I am a Christian! This was not something which the disciples called themselves, nor something which G-d called them but rather a term which Gentile unbelievers used to designate the disciples. It is theologically understood to indicate a new people of G-d, replacing the Jews, or replacing the “old Israel.”
Three times the word Christian appears in most translations of the Messianic scripture.
In Acts 11:26, in Antioch of Syria, the pagans called the Disciples of Yeshua Christians. “and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.”
Acts 26:28 Paul did not call himself or anyone else by that name . Agrippa did.
I Peter 4:16 The followers of Yeshua were being made to suffer under a particular name. They were put to death under this name This was not a name they called themselves but rather a name under which they were forced to suffer.
In the Messianic Scripture, followers of Yeshua were referred to by various names and descriptions. Here are some of the key terms and their references:
1. Disciples (the most popular name, appears almost 300 times in the Messianic scriptures.) – The earliest term used to describe followers of Yeshua.
Matthew 28:19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 6:1, “In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews[a] among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
2. Believers – Used to refer to those who have faith in the Messiah.
Acts 5:14, Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the L-rd and were added to their number.
3. Saints – This term emphasizes the holiness and sanctification of the followers.
Romans 1:7, “to all in Rome who are loved by G-d and called to be his holy people:
Grace and peace to you from G-d our Father and from the L-rd Yeshua Hamashiach.”
Ephesians 1:1, “Paul, an apostle (emissary) of Yeshua Hamashiach by the will of G-d,
To G-d’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in the Anointed One.”
Philippians 1:1. “Paul and Timothy, servants of the Anointed One, Yeshua
To all G-d’s holy people in the Anointed One, Yeshua at Philippi, together with the spiritual overseers and ministers.”
4. Brothers/Brethren – Followers of Yeshua saw themselves as part of a family of faith.
Acts 9:30, “When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.”
1 Corinthians 15:6, “After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.”
Hebrews 2:11 “Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.”
5. Followers of “The Way” is A term used to describe the early Jewish movement of the disciples of Yeshua as the way to live pleasing to G-d.
Acts 9:2, “and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.”
Acts 19:9, “But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.”
Acts 24:14, “However, I admit that I worship the G-d of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets,”
6. Servants (or Slaves) of Yeshua – This term emphasizes the submission to the will of Yeshua.
Romans 1:1, “Paul, a servant of Yeshua, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of G-d”
2 Peter 1:1 “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Yeshua, to those who through the righteousness of our G-d and Savior Yeshua have received a faith as precious as ours:”
7. Children of G-d – Followers of Yeshua were also identified as being adopted into G-d’s family.
John 1:12, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of G-d”
Romans 8:16, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are G-d’s children.”
1 John 3:1. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of G-d! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”
These names reflect various aspects of the identity, purpose, and community relationship of believers with Yeshua and each other. We cannot control what others call us, but the word Christian communicates an indistinct faith system and an indistinct behavioral system. It communicates a system that is often anti-Jewish and almost always centered outside of G-d’s relationship with Israel. It communicates a large historical package that is rather unpleasant.
The Scriptures do not give any particular name for the followers of Messiah. His followers cannot be identified by a particular name; they can be identified by a particular way of living. It is more important that you be attached to Messiah Himself. And in that, it is important that you be attached to the Jewish people.