Matt and I met and married in a very charismatic evangelical non-denom church. Coming to faith in Messiah as an adult, my faith grew very quickly, I was 100% committed to knowing and following my Saviour. When we moved to Colorado we attended a church in Boulder pastored by a completed Jew, Gene Binder. Here we learned and grew. Matt and I both were heading up ministry and very involved members. Here with Gene we learned about Passover and learned many Hebraic flavored songs. We also got very involved in the small group/house church movement. Pastor Gene was very big on teaching the Acts2 model of Christian community and fellowship. This spoke to us very strongly. If we were to be followers of Messiah we should live and serve as His first followers did. We were apart of home fellowships and small groups within our church. We saw that this was where real community was born and nurtured. When we left Pastor Gene and the church in Boulder it was not because we had any major theological rift or doctrinal concern. It was because the church was getting too big and the leadership of the church saw that Gene was unwilling to divide responsibility and thus many ministries suffered. We were gone for over a month and no one noticed. We went back for a special event one Sunday and one person asked if we had been on vacation. Even Gene did not have the time or interest to find out why we left.
We continued searching Scripture to understand how we should live and worship. We studied Church history. How did the organic church/Acts2 fellowships become over the centuries to be what it is today? We learned about all the changes the Catholic Church made and how the Reformation stopped short on too many issues. We continued to search for a church home and a pastor that could guide us on our search for how to live in Messiah. We knew how great a gift was our salvation. We are called to follow Messiah. We are called to follow His steps and learn His ways. We searched for a place where we could truly love and serve one another as Messiah commanded us. We looked for small groups and house fellowships within the churches we attended. It was in this setting that we could really love and serve. You have to know someone to love them and have a positive impact in their lives in a meaningful way. We were not getting to now anyone on Sunday at church. It was during the bible studies and home groups that real intimacy was encouraged.
As we continued to search for a more authentic expression of our faith in Messiah we continued to meet folks who worshiped and lived out their faith in a little bit different way. They had been where we were,looking for that Acts2 fellowship. They had gone even farther in their examination. Not just that the first followers met intimately in homes and had genuine relationships with each other, but how did they live beyond Sunday? How did they conduct business, how did they express their personal relationship with YHVH. It was here that we realized that these followers of Messiah were Jewish, They retained their Jewishness, they never became Sunday keeping, pork eating Christians. Jesus/Yeshua was/is the Jewish Messiah. He was form the tribe of Judah, house of David. It was not any mistake or chance that Messiah was Jewish. He could not have been a Moslem or a Hindu or a Celtic pagan. He had to be Jewish, tribe of Judah. YHVH chose the Children of Jacob/Israel to be His special people, His treasure in all the Earth. No one else!!
When the Children of Israel were redeemed/saved from their slavery to Pharaoh there were a great number of other slaves who left with them. They saw the power of the Hebrew God and how He had humbled the Egyptian gods. They left with the Hebrews because they believed and had faith in the God of the Hebrews. These folks were not Israelite, they were Gentile. They were redeemed right along with the Hebrews. “Whoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be saved”. They became a part of Israel thru faith and obedience to the Hebrew God. At the Red sea crossing the people went into the water slaves and came out free men. This was their baptism, their mikvah. Then a few days later as they camped at Mt. Sinai, did YHVH give them His instruction on how to be free men and women, children of YHVH. It was here that YHVH said I will be your Elohim and you will be my people. They responded ” All YHVH says we will do”
Another way to look at it was that YHVH was courting the Israelites during the plagues. He was showing His power and His sincerity to her, Israel. She was in a bad place and He came to rescue her and make her His own, His Bride. He led her away and washed her and betrothed her at the foot of the mountain. He said I will love and protect you. She responded with I will do all that you wish of me. ( obviously my paraphrase) Then He gave her His marriage instructions. If you are to be my Bride you must behave as a free and holy people not as slaves. His covenant with us is our marriage contract. We are the lesser partners, He has the greater responsibility and brings more to us than we to Him.
Remember….with either way you look at this we/the Hebrews were “saved” then “baptized” then they were given/obeyed YHVH’s instruction on how to live, how to be His peculiar people. Never has anyone been able to earn his salvation. It was not why the Hebrews followed YHVH commands, it is not why we do either.
2Co 9:15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!gif
We are the lesser partners in this covenant. All we are asked to do is receive His blessing of salvation thru Messiah Yeshua and live how He has instructed us. It is within these instructions that we learn “how” to love one another and “how” to love YHVH. YHVH has given us instructions on how to be holy and live in a way that is pleasing to Him. I am not sure why so many Christians are so strongly opposed to living their lives according to YHVH’s will. Many are already doing most of what is instructed. He has told us how to approach Him, of He is a Holy God. He has not changed only our attitude toward Him. He is Abba/Father, yes. He is also the All Consuming Fire, The Creator of the Universe, I AM. He is the King of Heaven and Earth and there are protocols of behavior when in the presence of the King.
I live how I live because He is who He is and what He has done for me.
In Messiah,
Teresa/Navah
