Reminder and Invitation

Just a quick reminder that The Road to God Ministry website is no longer operating.  Everything that was on that site is now on here at this blog.

Shalom!

Steve

Survey From Chosen People Ministries Regarding Modern Jewish Belief

I found this survey with some Fascinating Results!

Shalom!

Just a few days ago, some amazing statistics were published regarding the significant changes in the lives of Jewish people in America.

This survey was conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project – and the results are stunning!

One of the most interesting points is that over 30% of the Jewish people surveyed affirmed that believing in Jesus is NOT incompatible with being Jewish!

As a Messianic Jew and leader of Chosen People Ministries, it is incredible to think that hundreds of thousands of Jewish people in the United States are now open to the concept that you can be Jewish and believe in Jesus. This is a dramatic change from the times when I first became a follower of Jesus in 1970.

Over the years, I and many others in our ministry have labored to challenge the long-held concept that Jewishness and belief in Jesus were incompatible – so I am greatly encouraged by these findings, and I believe that this is just one step closer for many Jewish people to explore and even accept the claims of Jesus as the Jewish Messiah.

Further, the survey indicated that 1.7 million Jewish people identify themselves as Christians. This is absolutely staggering to me! However, the number of these individuals who might be considered 'Christians by conviction' remains to be seen.

At the same time, I am concerned about other aspects of the survey results, because it revealed that many Jewish people are no longer interested in practicing the Jewish religion, or even in being Jewish.

Two-thirds of Jews do not belong to a synagogue, and one-fourth does not even believe in God!

This trend seems to be intensifying among members of the younger generation. According to the survey, 32% of those born after 1980 say they have no religion. Rather, their “Jewish identification” expresses itself culturally and politically – especially in support of Israel.

Clearly, these trends might indicate a greater openness among the Jewish people to consider belief in Jesus as the Messiah, yet as a Messianic Jew I also believe in the importance of sustaining the uniqueness of the Jewish people as described in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Though I am glad to see Jewish people coming to faith, I am also troubled to see that the Jewish community is fragmenting and becoming more secular.

According to the Bible, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob established the Jewish people as a nation to glorify Him and to serve His holy purposes (Genesis 12:1-3, Deuteronomy 7:7-8). Even the great Apostle Paul viewed himself as a both a Jewish person and a follower of Jesus the Messiah, and maintained that those Jews who believed in Jesus remained part of the Jewish community (Romans 11:1-5).

Leading by his example, I believe Paul encouraged Jewish followers of Jesus to be a visible and vocal part of the broader Jewish community. Further, the Bible does not distinguish between having a relationship with God and maintaining community loyalties as a Jew. In fact, the Bible views being a "good Jew" as one who has faith in God and desires to be obedient to His expectations outlined in the Scriptures – both the Old and New Testaments.

As Messianic Jews, we understand that Jesus is the Messiah and that the God of Israel wants us to follow the Messiah of Israel – as Jews! This will obviously be interpreted and expressed differently by Jewish believers. Some will express their love for God and His Messiah in more traditionally observant Jewish ways, and others in a manner that is more culturally and community oriented.

The survey also highlighted the large dichotomy between the more Orthodox Jews who are remaining loyal to the Jewish religion, and the younger generation that is beginning to search for answers outside of Orthodoxy. This is one more reason why the new Charles Feinberg Messianic Jewish Center in the heart of Orthodox Jewish Brooklyn is needed, as our outreach will appeal to both groups.

Furthermore, about 10% of the Jewish people in American – more than half a million – are Russian Jews. The largest concentration of Russian Jews, numbering over 300,000, happens to be within a few miles of our new Brooklyn Center.

In sum, the survey is indeed fascinating and will have a profound influence on the Jewish community in the days ahead. I will continue reflecting on its implications, especially the impact it will leave on the movement of Jewish people believing in Jesus. Perhaps the remnant Paul describes in Romans 11:5 is larger than we thought!

You can click here to read the full survey.

Quick Easter Prayer

As we approach the Feast of First Fruits (Easter) I really wanted to add a prayer.

Precious Lord, I thank you for enduring the pain of sacrifice you made for us 2,000 + years ago.  The exciting time of First Fruits is my chance to say thank you for your mighty deeds.  I love you Lord.

Lighten Up, It's Pesach

Ancient Pesach Seder

Hello everyone and shalom:

Tonight my family and I are going to a Pesach (Passover) Seder.  In itself that's no big thing, after all I am Jewish!  Biblically, my daughter is Jewish also, regardless of the Talmudic (oral traditions) and Rabbinical Judaism's definition of a Jew.  We have only one Holy Book my friends and that is the Bible, the Word of God.  The TANAKH (Old Testament) and Brit Chadashah (the New Covenant or Testament) is the one and only true Word of God .  If you would like me to prove ask me later.  But I digress...

Whats unique about the Seder tonight is that we are going to join a Messianic Jewish congregation.  In fact, it is my old congregation before leaving for a variety of issues, both personal and doctrinal.  I have history with this Messianic Jewish Congregation.  Yet, the Rabbi and I have said our peace and our apologies, more then that, we are at shalom.  So why is my family we going?  The answer is my daughter.  My immediate nuclear family is almost an orthodox-secular Jewish family, and though I mean no disrespect, they have a very limited understanding of modern or Biblical Jewish doctrines.  Furthermore, over the year, I attempted to have Pesach Seders at my Independent Baptist church, but after the first year, which was a great success, the church lost their interest and I let it go.  Today, I am unfortunately suffering gastroparesis and their is no way I have the strength to prepare a Seder at home.  Yet, as Deuteronomy 6 states:

4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 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. 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. 10 And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, 11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; 12 Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. 14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; 15 (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth. 16 Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.

Deut 6:4-16 (KJV)

One of the greatest mitvahs (commandments) we can follow as the Children of the Most High is to teach the next generations of youth the Truth of what our God did for us all; both during the Exodus and even more importantly what the True Pesach Lamb, Yeshua (Jesus) did by being sacrificed on a Cross.  The true purpose of Pesach Seders is to teach our children, plain and simple. Yet, 
I must admit that Matzoh Ball Soup is one of my favorites things to eat.

Thus going to the Seder tonight I will be able to pass on much of what I know to my daughter, a feat which has become more and more difficult as I deal with my digestive issues.  Regardless of doctrinal differences my daughter will be immersed in a Jewish rite as old as Moshe (Moses) himself.

I look forward to it.  Please pray for the rumbly-in-my-tummy. 

Thank you for the continued prayers!

Day After Update:  

The Seder was great!  My daughter keeps asking me if we can do this every year.  I love it!!!!  

Sitting next to me was a man named Mike.  Mike was a Muslim brought up in a religious Muslim family.  Yet, he is now Saved, washed in the Blood of the Lamb!  The only words that came to mind was, "HOW EXCITING!"  Perhaps he will consent to write up his testimony.  

The rest of the time I conversed with a nice United Methodist Pastor and a man named Chris.  I kept myself from mentioning anything that might be misconstrued.  I only gave Mike my information.  The purpose of going to the Seder was so my daughter can be immersed once more in her Jewish Christian culture, and it was a success.  My purpose was not to preach Olive Tree Theology or become a proselytizer.  By the way, whether or not he knows it Mike follows Olive Tree Theology.

My wife commented on the way home how my face lit up and how I was not ill during any of the debates.  She was very happy to see that.

The Rabbis and I had cordial greetings, it was good seeing him.  I was careful throughout the night to keep from discussing Olive Tree Theology.  I failed.

Oh, I did have to leave early late in the Seder, after all I still have that Rumbly-in-my-Tumbly going on.

S

Eternal Father, I thank you for the miracle you gave my family last night.  Thank you for that peace of mind that was granted when I spoke of your true Word.  Thank you for my daughter's wishes to be more Jewish.  I thank you for a wife that puts up with a fool like me.  I thank you for allowing me to serve You.  Adonai, I even thank you for the gastroparesis.  I don't enjoy it in any fashion, but I do have faith that something wonderful will come of it.  After all, for each and every terrible event in my life I can point to the good that You granted me.  I thank you for introducing me to Mike, it was exciting!  Most of all I thank you for the Blessed Assurance I have that regardless of what happens in my life, I WILL SEE YOU IN THE END!  

In the name of Yeshua haMashiach (Jesus the Christ).

Amen

Agree to Disagree

Anyone who has read one of my posts or pages should know how I feel about the modern doctrines within the modern Messianic Jewish movement.  The entire ideology of Olive Tree Theology speaks against the current Messianic worship system.  It is not just the Messianic movement that has me concerned, I also take issue to Roman Catholicism and their un-Biblical forms of worship.  I am an Arminian, so I am often at odds with Calvinist Christians like the Presbyterian church.

Let me state here that through I am disgusted with what I see as serious errors in today's Christian theology, I would never question the salvation of any Christian no matter what denomination they are.  It is the sin I hate, not the sinner.

Thus when it comes to differing doctrinal issues I really don't get that worried.  The perfect example of this is the varying views on Creation.  Some believe in a 6-day Creation, some adhere to Gap Theory Creation, where the world was created twice, once for the angels and once for humans.  Some aren't sure what they believe.  It is my feeling that this is not an issue where one's salvation is at stake.  Yes I am a Bible Literalist, so my views tend toward the 6-day Creation whereas my wife is a bit of a Gap Theorist.  My point is that it does not matter what you believe as long as you are SAVED by the blood of Yeshua ha Mashiach.

I will leave it at that.

The Idols of Our Lives

I had to miss morning services at church today, I was simply too sick.  I find it a bit amazing how I manage to make it through without Yehsua (Jesus) day-to-day.  The truth is that pharmaceutical treatment have been the focus of my life since I was properly diagnosed in 2011.  Just so you know, I plan to go to church tonight, regardless of how I feel (unless I am actively vomiting).  I find it makes a huge difference in my wellbeing.

What I have just recently discovered within my self is that all of my various medications have become a spiritual idol.  Over the past year I have relied solely on my medications in hopes of finding relief from nausea.  Nausea relief had become the whole of my life.  For more days then I can remember I have LIVED in my recliner, rocking, reading and retching.

I know that there is nothing to be done about my prescription-usage.  I know I have five choices in front of me.  They are:  continue as I have been for the last 20 months; get a feeding tube inserted; find a gasteroenterologist who will implant the nuerotransmitter to make my stomach work correctly; switch to a all-liquid diet (my wife wants me to do this), always liquid, never to eat solid food; or, return to Adonai (the Lord) with my whole, body and soul.  My hope to both return to God, which I have already done.  My hope is also for the nuerotransmitter placed on the outside of the stomach. 

The truth is anytime we place anything earthly, including our own bodies, between ourselves and God we are placing an idol between us and the Holy Spirit.  The more we become entrapped by our own lives, the farther away will be God; at least it will feel like that.  Believe me, even as a active minister, I found my self moving farther and farther away from God.  The one activity that I had was my archery.  Shooting at my archery club, Royal Oak Archers, I have had the ability to lose my symptoms for a short-while while actively shooting.

My goal for 2013 is too not lose myself in my ailments.  My goal is to keep Yeshua always first in my life.  If these kind of issues have ever happened to you the please leave a comment and tell me about it.

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I am a Jew, part 2

Who am I?

I am a Jew.  I was born and raised Jewish, secular or non-practicing, but still Jewish.  I lived and grew up as a “good Jewish boy.”  Most of my friends and neighbors on the block were Jewish and my family lived in a community (Lathrup Village, Michigan) in which many other Jewish families lived.  My Bubbie (Yiddish for grandma) and aunts who had escaped the Holocaust in Poland and Russia at the beginnings of World War II spoke often in Yiddish.  I was taken out of Hebrew school early so I never had a Bar Mitzvah, but I would have had one otherwise.  I guess in retrospect that the only events in my life that were not Jewish were that some of the girls I had a romantic interest in my youth were non-Jewish, I ended up married to a Gentile, and that my wedding ceremony was secular, being performed by a Circuit Court Judge of Appeals.  Yet today, I feel more Jewish than ever before.   I feel and connect with other Jews around the world in a form of solidarity.  Though I have never been there, Israel is my homeland and I empathize with the plight of many of my brothers and sisters in the Holy Land.  Now after all of these statements about of me being Jewish, can there be any doubt of who and what I am?  To be honest, unless you know me, I would have a hard time believing it.  Yet there is one statement that may make you change your mind.  A statement that will make you forget everything I have previously said about myself.  Ready?  I believe in my body, mind, heart, and to the core of my soul that the man known as Yeshua Ben Yosef or Jesus son of Joseph was and is the Jewish Messiah.

So what does this mean?  Am I no longer Jewish and a full-fledged Christian?  Am I now a Gentile?  Am I part of some sort of hybrid between the two?  Am I part of some strange and twisted cult?  Or is what I follow and believe part of Scripture?  I guess the answer will really depend upon who is reading this.  If you are a Jew, and I am speaking of Rabbinical Jews, I am sure it means that I have converted to a new religion forsaking the old, becoming an apostate.  They may think I am a hypocrite, a fool, or even a traitor.  If you are a secular Jew and you don’t believe in the spiritual and religious side of Judaism then it may mean that I am attempting to make a happy medium between my wife’s religion and my own?  If you are a member of my family you might even consider this a form of betrayal against the memory of my elders.  Yet for me it changes nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  I am still Jewish.  The only thing that has changed is the definitions of what Jews and Christians were 2000 years ago and what they are today.

It is amazing how we define words.  What was once the common definition for a word can easily change over time.  Now, I hardly claim knowledge in regards to this field of study.  To be honest, I am not even sure what the subject is called (possibly linguistics), and I can only guess as to how it may work; yet I know that time changes language.  It was this scenario that occurred with Jews and Gentiles of the past two millennial   David Chernoff, one of my favorite Messianic Jewish authors, wrote of this subject in his book Yeshua the Messiah by saying, “What began historically and biblical as a Jewish faith has been transformed in the years after His life into what is perceived today as a “non-Jewish” faith, with Yeshua Himself being perceived as being “non-Jewish.” (Chernoff 14)  Note Chernoff’s use of the word perceived, for this is the exact point I am attempting to make, for perception is the key of defining who we are and the way people see us.  The same theorem also applies to the terms Christian and Jew.  In the years after Jesus’ death nobody questioned that the believers of Him were Jewish.  After all, the early church was a Jewish church, that is historical fact. Actually, according to the Apostle Paul’s letters to the Romans and Galatians, many followers of Yeshua felt that you actually had to convert to Judaism to become a true believer.  Yet today the opposite is true.  To believe in Jesus today is defined as non-Jewish and that is what Christianity has come to be known as, the Gentile (non-Jewish) faith in Jesus.  Today, Replacement Theories are abounding in the Gentile Christian world.  This false theory states that the Jews had their chance at the Messiah and they blew it, therefore Yeshua is no longer the Jews Messiah, but the Gentiles who are the new Israel.  Sounds pretty spoiled doesn’t it?  It sometimes gets even worse when many Gentile scholars continue to change many historical facts including those of an ancient Jewish sects like the Essene’s who created the Dead Sea Scrolls.  This religious group is now being portrayed as budding Christians instead of Ultra-Orthodox Jews who isolated themselves from other Jews.  The Essene’s sole purpose of their xenophobic behavior was to protect themselves from Israel’s emerging Hellenistic lifestyles as well as protecting their own purity which they felt would be damaged by the receiving of any self gratification or pleasure which they deemed as sinful. 

Partly due to these false theories, being a Jewish believer has become an enigma to both Rabbinical Jews and Gentile Christians.  For some reason it is wrong to be a Jewish Christian today.  Chernoff says it perfectly when he states, “This is particularly ironic in the light of the fact that Yeshua was Jewish, as were His disciples, all the writers of the New Covenant (Testament), the apostles and all of Yeshua’s initial followers!!!” (Chernoff 5)  Karen Armstrong, the highly acclaimed theologian and author of the book, A History of God: The 4000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, also spoke of this evolving aspect of the Christian religion when she wrote,

His [Yeshua] disciples believed that he would return to inaugurate the Messianic kingdom of God, and, since there was nothing heretical about such a belief, their sect was accepted as authentically Jewish by no less than Rabbi Gamaliel, the grandson of Hillel and one of the greatest of the tannamin [Rabbi creators of the Mishnah].  His followers worshiped in the Temple every day as fully observant Jews.  Ultimately, however, the New Israel, inspired by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, would become a Gentile faith, which would evolve its own distinctive conception of God (p. 79-80). 

It is also important to note that the term “Christian” was originally used to describe a certain sect of Jewish followers of Yeshua, not Gentile.  It was only after the Temple destruction in 70 A.D., and the Jewish revolt in Israel 125 A.D., which began the Diaspora (Dispersion, Exile), that the definition of the word changed.  In that time period the term would have fit quite easily into a list of sects at that time: Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, Christians, Hasidim, etc.

I find it extremely ironic that when many people think of Yeshua today, they picture Him as a young Caucasian tanned and clean, with His brown hair and beard kept nice and neat.  Yeshua is often depicted wearing long and elegant looking white or scarlet robes and wearing an outer garment of the same color.  Does anybody truly think that this is what the historical Yeshua would have appeared like?  By all accounts Yeshua and all of His 12 disciples were fanatical Orthodox Jews.  Being Orthodox Jews and by the fact that Yeshua followed Torah or the Law to the letter, it is logical that they would have all been attired as Orthodox Jews.  They each would have worn tallits (prayer shawls) and the other accouterments worn by the Orthodox (i.e. phylacteries).  As they were travelers of long distances they would have most often been dust covered with their legs and feet covered in grime and muck.  Being born in Israel, Yeshua would not have been a Caucasian at all, but would have had the features and coloring of most individuals in that region.  His Semite coloring would have included dark hair, most likely black or very dark brown.  His skin would have been naturally dark instead of a tanned white.  As I said in part one of this blog that people see what they want to see, not necessarily by what is true, even if the evidence proves it.  The evidence for Yeshua’s appearance has existed for hundreds of years, yet people still wish to see him resemble themselves as close as possible.  A great example of this is some of the depiction’s I have seen of Yeshua as an African-American or even as a Latino.  Let us set the matter straight, Yeshua was a born and bred Israeli and He would have appeared so.  

So now that we have an understanding of who Yeshua was and they way the term Christian was meant to be defined we need to know how I define myself.  I am and like to be known as a Jewish Christian or a Hebrew Christian.  I consider the term Christian to have three meanings.  The first connotation is the technical sense of the word; to be a Christian means to be a follower of Christ.  In that aspect of the word that is exactly what I am.  In the second definition, to be a Christian means to be a Gentile believer in Christ.  In the third meaning it is defined as a non-Jew.  So which holds true for me?  Definitely definition one, but never two or three! 

So where does this lead us?  To the term so many Jewish believers love, being a Completed Jew.  After all, we feel that we are the completion of centuries of messianic prophecy.  We feel we are the “Remnant of the Children of Israel” spoken by Paul in Romans 11:1-5.  We are those have remained faithful to the Lord.  We live in the Time of the Gentiles, the Temple no longer stands, the temple grounds are trampled upon everyday by our enemies, and we have become Isaiah and Ezekiel’s get and the prophets’ fulfillment of their predicted future events.  Now, as previously mentioned; perception is the key to defining the term.  Therefore, I perceive myself to be a Hebrew or a Completed Jew, while other may simply see me as just a Jew, others may consider me a false Jew.  Yet notice, I am still a Jew. 

So can the issue of my Jewishness be disputed any further?  Of course, there are always varying opinions, yet ask yourself a set of questions.  Where the Jewish followers of the false- messiah Bar-Kochba (son of a star), false Messiah who led the revolt that resulted the destruction of Jerusalem in 125 A.D., he has never been considered being non-Jewish, even by other Jews who acknowledged him as a false Messiah.   How about those Babylonian Jews who believed the Persian king, Cyrus, to be the Messiah?  Where the Jews who broke off and formed the sect known as the Essene’s, who created the Dead Sea Scrolls ever considered non-Jews?  If they were not, then neither should we believers of Messiah Jesus.  After all some Jews are Zionists while others are not.  Some Jews are Humanistic and do not even believe in the Messiah as an individual, only as a concept and a philosophical argument, yet they are still Jewish.  If they are, then so are we.  So add a new term to the list: Jew, Orthodox Jew, Chasidic Jew, Conservative Jew, Reform Jew, Humanistic Jew, Messianic Jew, Hebrew Jew, etc.

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I Am a Jew, part 1

I Am a Jew, part 1

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.

Isaiah 10:20-22 (KJV)

YUYUY

I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,  Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

Romans 11:1-5 (KJV)

UYUYU

Defining the Term Jewish:

How do you define someone as Jewish?  What parameters does one have to fulfill to be an authentic Jew?  Is a person who is descended from Abraham truly Jewish?  Does someone who has his or her lineage from one of the 12 Tribes of Israel Jewish?  Maybe it is only somebody who keeps, kashrut or kosher?  Is a Jew only someone who lives by the orthodox oral traditions of Mishnah, Midrash and Talmud?  Perhaps a Jew can only be someone who fanatically studies Torah?  Is a person Jewish if they do not believe in Rabbinical Judaism?  Or is someone only Jewish if they live in Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel?  Maybe a Jew is someone who refuses to accept Yeshua as Messiah or Mohammed as a prophet?   

Well… Do you have an answer?  Allow me to make the question a little more difficult… 

If an acknowledged Jew (Rabbinical approved) decided to follow the practices and meditations of Buddha or Tao, would they still be Jewish?  How about if they believe in ghosts and spirits?  What are the criteria to distinguish who is and who is not Jewish?  Can you tell me?  It is not so easy an answer, is it? 

The fact is that there are so many possible ways to say that someone is a Jew or is Jewish.  Yet, always one statement must stand true:  JEWISH DOES NOT EQUATE TO JUDAISM (Orthodox, Chasidic, Humanistic, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionists, etc.).  Just as an Irishman could never stop being what his lineage is so to a Jewish person cannot be “de-Jew’d.” 

Part of the problem is that so many throughout the world define Jewish or Jew in a variety of ways.  Think about it, to be Jewish can be defined as: a bloodline or lineage, a nationality, a culture, a tradition, obviously a religion, and it can also mean to be a non-Christian or a non-Muslim.  So before we go any further I think it essential that we define what is a Jew.

Unfortunately, many Jews and Gentiles today believe the following is an applicable definition for Jewish and Judaism,

Judaism may be defined as the religious expression of the Jewish people based upon the Torah (Pentateuch) believed given them by God and on the teachings of this Torah elaborated by trained sages (the Talmud) for the sake of sanctifying human behavior and guiding nearness to God” (Fishbane, 18). 

Personally, I feel that definition is much too narrow, not to mention incorrect.  Why should the defining aspect of Judaism be based upon the Talmud, which are the admitted oral interpretations of ancient rabbi’s and not divine scripture?  It has been fully documented in several sources that the Talmud and its forerunner, the Mishnah, were both heavily influenced by Zoroastrianism during the Babylonian exile.  It was this predominance; along with both Persian and Hellenistic influences that helped to change the way Judaism was to be interpreted by the trained sages who created the first books of the Talmud.   Therefore, instead of keeping Judaism a religion based upon the Torah we now had a new movement, based on oral Torah interpretations, instructing Jews on how they should live their daily lives.  It was this exact form of legalism that Yeshua was denouncing in his sermons.  Yeshua stated time and again that legalism is not what God wants; he wants faith and love in Him, not rituals and liturgy. 

I believe the same theory holds true in regards to many Jewish traditions including Secularism.  Being a secular Jew often holds the greatest danger of misinterpreting the truths of Jewish traditions. I always joke and say that as a kid my family would hold a Pesach (Passover) seder by throwing on a VHS of “The Ten Commandments” with Charlton Heston as Moses.  Whatever Jewish denomination we may refer to the simple truth is that these traditions have in many ways become more important then all other aspects of the religion.  This means that as observant Jews we must perform traditional acts of faith in certain specific ways because that is what has been passed down from father to son to grandson to great-grandson to great great grandson.  The purpose behind performing these traditions is many times not even for the purpose of reaching towards God’s nearness, but instead to keep Judaism as a cohesive religion and to keep the newest generations from assimilating into other religions and cultures.   For example, where in the Torah or the Talmud does it state that Jewish men must wear a yarmulke (skullcap)?  The answer is nowhere; yet can you find a Rabbinical Jewish service without a man wearing one?  Of course not, and that is because the tradition of men wearing the yarmulke have superseded the laws we were originally given by Moses.  Now please keep in mind that by stating this I am not denouncing any Jewish tradition; I am only stating my belief that the traditions of Judaism has become the focal point of the religion.  I always sat hate the sin and love the sinner.

So what is my opinion on who is Jewish?  I believe a Jew to be someone who is a descendant of one of the 12 Tribes of Israel and who lives by edicts of Biblical Judaism.  You do not have to follow the Talmud’s legalistic laws or every Jewish tradition to be Jewish; rather you must follow the Torah exclusively.  For example, as stated earlier, I am against wearing a yarmulke during prayer or services, for nowhere in the Tanakh, or even in the Talmud does it say to do so.  On the other hand, I am for wearing the tallit (prayer shawl) during prayer and religious services.  Yet, keep in mind that when I say that Jews must follow the Torah, I do not mean that they must follow the Law to the letter.  Instead, I believe that to be a Jew you must live with the Torah in your heart, with the Shema always in the forefront your mind, Hear O’ Israel, the Lord is God, the Lord is One.  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.  That ladies and gentlemen, is my definition of a Jew.  It does not matter what else they do, think, or believe, they are Jewish and nobody can take that away from them; not a country, not a family, and most definitely not any member of another system of belief.

Ends Part 1

Back to Adonai (the Lord)

I have a new outlook on life.  Just recently I have been feeling a strong connection continuing to grow to Adonai (the Lord).  It has been a long time since I felt this way and I must say I am enjoying it immensely.  Physically, I remain a mess, a disaster really, but Yeshua (Jesus) is holding my head for me as I continue to live day-in and day-out.   I don't have to hold to the feeling that I am all alone with my medical condition, for I know Mashiach (Messiah, Christ) is present even at the worst of my ailment.  I know he will never give me more then I can handle.  I trust in Him.

That's all, I just wanted to comment on how good it feels to be present with Adonai.

Holy Father.  I thank you for staying with me and leading me out of the pit I live in day to day.  May I be like Jeremiah whereas I may emerge from a pit to speak the Word of God to all the people I may meet.  Lord, I pray that I am never ashamed to speak Your truths through the Bible.  I pray that I may become a vessel for the Holy Spirit.  I pray in the name of our Risen Lord and King Yeshua ha Mashiach.

The Messed Up Holiday Known as Valentine's Day

Happy Valentines Day everyone...yeah, right?!? (heavy sarcasm here)  Now please do not mistake me as anti-romance, I love wooing and being wooed.  I will must admit that I refuse, simply refuse to do anything on the Fall marketing holiday known as Sweetest Day.  On Valentines Day, it is something different, something worth noticing.  First, long before I even read the New Covenant, Valentines Day was the wedding anniversary of my Bubbie and Zaddie (Yiddish for grandma and grandpa).  When I was young and in elementary school Valentines Day was a day when all the students had a brown lunch bag with everybody's name on the outside.  The entire class would then dispense one generic card to each lunch bag.  Silly I know, but it defiantly beat being picked last in gym!

As for my daughter-Valentine, we went for the fifth year to the local Daddy-Daughter Dance.  SF will always be my Valentine.  I always cry, actually we both cried as we danced to "Butterfly Kisses .  I know, aaahhhhhhhhh.  For my beautiful wife I assembled an assortment of cool things, and of course chocolate; if she doesn't eat I will!

Even though we are passing gifts this year, we are not a couple that usually does this, exchanging gifts.  For me Valentines Day is an extremely "messed up with the facts" day.  Today is one of those failed experiments created when the early Church merged a pagan holiday to a Christian theme.  Read this blog by the NPR for a great short history of Valentines Day.  Dark Origins of Valentines Day.  You see?

Still, if we recognize today, then we must go to 1 Corinthians for a true look at love & charity.  Never forget that charity is love.

 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.  Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.   Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

1 Cor 13:1-10 (KJV)

Who Am I?

Eliyahu (Elijah)

At times I wonder if I am a denominationaly-insane Christian.  In July of 1968, when I was a newborn Jew, a Jew with all the proper "Jewish credentials", no one ever denied my Jewishness   A little known fact is that I truly considered going to a yeshiva (Reform Jewish seminary) in Cincinnati, Ohio until my senior year in high school.  That is where I first read the Brit Chadashah (New Covenant), and that is where my 20 years of religious study began.  

After I publicly declared my faith in Yeshua ha Mashiach (Jesus the Christ), I became an intense Messianic Jew (denomination).  There I was a Jewish believer in Yeshua and I was in a congregation that had other Jewish believers and I was overjoyed.  Even though my new wife refused to attend worship services due to the lack of her understanding of Hebrew in the worship liturgy I continued to attend the congregation each shabbat.  I became friends with the Messianic Rabbi and I was even granted a special ministerial post to reach the addicted.  It was during this time that I began preaching.  But as I continued to study and read Scripture I found what I think of as (I hate to say this word) hypocrisy in the movement.  

MJAA Worship

Each Sabbath the congregation would gather and go through a "Rabbinical Jewish-like" liturgy.  High Holiday worship services praised often and lovingly of Yeshua, but I always believed that the liturgy was "off" in some manner Biblicaly.   You see, like many present day Jewish Christians I do not adhere to any of the many volumes of the Jewish Midrash, Mishnah or Talmud.  These works, all of them, are not the Word of God; rather they are simply the interpretations of Torah written down by the Rabbis.  The Oral Traditions as these works are called where first created during the Babylonian Exile in 586 BCE.  It was a manner to hold together the Jewish nation when they were in Exile.  It was the only way they could think of as they had no way to sacrifice to the Father.  These works of the ancient Rabbi's should be prized; culturally and historically.  Thus came about my first issue with the the entire worship service.  If we, as Jewish Christians, disbelieve in the Oral Traditions then why are they such a huge part of Messianic worship today?  The answer will often be that they still practice Rabbinical rites and customs in the hope that they will remain Jewish to those non-believing Jews.  To show the non-believing Jewish community that they can accept Messiah Yeshua and remain Jewish.  That is hypocrisy.

The second odd practice was with the Messianic Jewish movement as a whole.  Though it is contrary to everything within Scripture the Messianic Jewish denominations of today worships in divisions with their Gentile counterparts.  It has been inferred that there needs to be a division between believing Jews and Gentiles.  The rationale says that as Jews we should have our own Messianic Synagogue and the Gentiles may have whatever denominational church they so wish.  I am a firm believer in Olive Tree Theology, the belief that Jews and Gentiles can and should be worshiping together without fear of assimilation or cultural assassination.   I declare openly that I became a far better Jew after coming to Yeshua.  In fact, I am the most Jewish member of my immediate family.

After I decided to leave the Messianic Congregation, I worshiped at an United Methodist and a Pentecostal church.  Neither church felt right, so we (now as a family) began to tour church's in our area.  Long story shortened we ended up in Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) church.  My wife and I love it spiritually, but the true gift was that this church was eager to learn the Jewish roots of Christianity.  The pastor and I became good friends.  I know that there are some church members who thinks I am a IFB and that I am just hanging on to my Jewishness and that I am at risk of becoming a Judaizer.  This line of thinking has never bothered me.

That leads up to when I got sick.  Keep in mind that I have always been a bit sickly.  But it was 19 months ago the the gastroparesis started, that's when my life changed, vomiting two or three time a day does that to a person.  It has only been over the past week that I have begun to feel spiritually healed.  Physically I am a mess.  The issue here is that during these past 19 months I have turned off everything in my life.  Except for archery shoot here and there, there was nothing to aid my health, but I will continue.  La Chaim! (to Life!)

Now this absence for 19 months have left a noticeable change in my family.  It centers around a question of identity.  What is my family?  Are we a Messianic Jewish family?  No way ho-zay!  I believe my wife considers herself an IFB, same with my daughter.  But I am not sure what I am.  I know that I am part Jewish, part IFB.  So what could I call myself but a Jewish Christian.  I also like Hebrew Christian.  But make no mistake, of all the Gentile and Jewish churches available my belief structure is definitely IFB.  Call me an IFB-Jew. lol

Victory is Mine!

Today was a momentous day for me!  I made it to Sunday worship at church!  I know that doesn't sound too exciting.  Anyone, and I do mean anyone who suffers from gastroparesis (GP) will often believe that leaving the house is quite "dangerous", as we GPers will often randomly vomit.  This factor has been the central reason I have been absent from church.  Still, it was great to be there!  Victory!!

I must admit that there where other reasons I was not attending church.  One reason is the aforementioned random puking.  Another reason was due to a "barrier" or "wall" that I placed between the Holy Spirit and myself   I have known all along that this rift between God and I was of my own making.  I always knew it was not Adonai's fault for my condition, the fault arises through sin.  "It rains on the rich as well as the poor."  My only excuse is that I have been a washed in a sea of digestive illness for over 18 months.  What I label as my daily stomach flu.  All I could think about is the next five minutes, just get through the next five.  Yet, through my GP symptoms I have learned a huge lesson on humility and the destruction of pride.  Believe me, you can be in no humbler of a state when your sleeping on the bathroom floor at four o' clock in the morning.  Victory!

Finally, I was also absent from the church because of certain individuals I was having trouble with (not the pastor).  One of the good things about my condition (which are hard to find) was the lesson that feelings, factual or imaginary, are meaningless in our love, fear and worship of the Lord.  We cannot allow ourselves to become in fear of anyone at any church.  So I stopped it.  Victory!

With that in mind please note that I take it as a special event when I can get out the house.  Thus making it to church today was so uplifting for me.  Make no mistake, I did run to the bathroom to vomit once.  But regardless, I WAS THERE! 

I want to especially thank KM for her help with the Ministry's blog.  Your kindness really did help in breaking down that barrier between the Spirit and I.  Thank you for bringing back Victory to the Ministry.

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A Braveheart Morning

As I sit here, having another "green" morning (my self-wit for nausea) I have found myself watching the movie "Braveheart" with Mel Gibson.  Now I am not particularly fond of Mel Gibson as I know him to be anti-Semitic.  OK let's not bandy words here, I seriously dislike him.  His one redeeming feature, his one act of repentance was the movie Mel created called "Passion of the Christ."  But I digress...

Something came to mind as I was sitting and watching this movie.  The first is that we as human beings often seem to remember the good times just as we often unconsciously forget the rough times in our lives.  Of course we can remember the big life events, whether they be positive or negative.  It is the small, the day-to-day negative events that we forget.  It's human nature to do this, after all we are all sinners (see Romans 3:10-11). I have come to the realization that every time we forget the bad and only recollect the good then we are in truth stepping away the "perfect" life that Mashiach (Messiah) lived.  Are we not to be Christ-like in all that we do?

Now I know that some naysayers would argue that I am being to "Steve", to philosophical about this subject.  Let me defend myself by stating that I do not refer to lost battles or even the loss of a loved one.  I am not referring to those poor soldiers who come home with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  This need to remember the bad times must include those little things in our lives.  For example, this movie I keep referring to, "Braveheart", I am not thinking of the main movie characters and their loss.  Rather, I cannot help thinking about those family members who have lost their loved ones.  How will they survive without their husbands and sons?  How will they go on?  

It's the bad times that makes the good times so special.

For example, this weekend I am taking my daughter to a Daddy-Daughter Dance, our fifth year.  For me it is the past 19 months of digestive-illness that will make this weekend so wonderful.  And I cannot even dance!

Precious Father, I know I have been absent over the past year and a half, dwelling in my infirmities.  Yet I KNOW that you have been with me.  I know that you will never give me more then I can bare.  Adonai, I pray that I can keep my family's faith pure and true.  Lord, I pray that you be with the following: Cliff, Tom, Dana, KM & CM and their families.  Father, I pray you be with my nephew and niece Jeremy and Ann as they continue to serve in the military in both the United Sates and in Afghanistan.  Please be with my family, with all of my loved ones.  I pray you touch the hearts of all my Lost family members.  Open their hearts to the truth of Mashiach.  This I pray in the name of our Risen King Yeshua ha Mashiach.  Amen.

Ministry New Update

As anyone who is a fan of the Ministry currently knows, there is no longer a The Road to God Ministry (TRTGM) website.  The Ministry is going through many changes in the days and weeks ahead.  You may come across the words "Site Under Construction" so I pray that you do not become discouraged with the Ministry as a whole.  I have two advisers on aiding the reconstruction of the Ministry blog, one a young wife/mother/and all-around blog guru.  Thank you in advance KM.

  

I also need to mention some friends at First General Baptist Church as they travel to the Dominican Republic.  May they be safe and may the Harvest be overwhelming.  Here is a link to the Inside the Box Fair Ministry web page.  

God Bless you all!

Ahmadinjad Finally Receives an Insult From Other Muslims

For sometime now I have wondered why we seldom see any Islamic protest over Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinjad.  After all he is not the most popular guy in the Western world culture.  He takes the vital resources that is sent as aid to Iran and keeps it for himself.  I have always believed that the man was filled with the spirit of the anti-Christ (I am not saying Ahmadinjad is the anti-Christ, only that he often acts in that evil manner.  So when I read the following article I will admit that I was well pleased.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Has Shoes Thrown at Him