L
LionandLambMinistry
Guest
FAITH: IT'S JEWISH ROOTS
by The Lion and Lamb Ministry
WOW! Apparently the messages we have been doing on CERTAIN segments of christianity have ruffled quite a few feathers. We receive a great deal of questions and comments regarding the Jewish Roots of the Faith. CERTAIN segments of Christianity believe that the Christian Church not only replaced Israel in God's prophetic program, but they also believe that the early roots of Christianity were not Jewish as the Bible teaches. They believe that if Jews become believers, they are no longer Jews, but Christians (Modern Judaism believes the same, which we find very interesting!).
Acts 11:26 makes it clear that the early believers were "called Christians" at first by outsiders who lived in Antioch of Syria. In Acts 24:5, the Bible says that a "certain orator named Tertullus" began to accuse the Apostle Paul in front of the Roman ruler named Felix. It was Tertullus, supported by Ananias the High Priest and certain elders, who called Paul "a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes." The Hebrew word is "notzrim." It is not from the same root word as "Nazarite (like Samson)" or someone from the city of Nazareth. The origin of the word is no doubt the Hebrew word "netzer" which means "branch." Prophecies in Isaiah 11:1 and Jeremiah 23:5-6 and Zechariah 6:12-13 refer to the Messiah as "the Branch." Jews who became believers in Yeshua (Jesus), fully accepting Him as the promised Messiah of Israel, were known as "Netzerites" or believers in the Branch!
Believers in Yeshua did not call themselves "Christians" until the late 2nd century AD, long after the Bar Kochba revolt which the Emperor Hadrian suppressed and renamed the Land of Israel as "Palestinia". This was done to show his disgust for the Jews. He named the Land after the name of their ancient enemies - the Philistines. These "believers" were now quite different from the original group presented in the Book of Acts. With the Gentile domination of Christianity, and as a result of Hadrian's antics it soon became apparent that anyone who called himself a "Christian" would have to renounce all things Jewish.
The early Jewish believers, the "notzrim" or "netzerites" had many doctrinal agreements with the Pharisees. They still attended synagogue services on the Shabat (Sabbath Day - Saturday - as Yeshua did), they kept the "feasts" (Jewish celebrations of worship - Leviticus 23 - plus Hanakkah, Purim, etc.), they accepted the Torah and the writings of the Brit Hadasha (New Testament) as they became available. They were evangelistic toward both Jews and Gentiles and at a major church meeting (Acts 15) they fully recognized the Jewish Bible's predictions concerning the salvation of Gentiles. These early Jewish believers had full confidence that Yeshua was the Messiah, that He was the divine Son of God, eternal, and possessing all the attributes and abilities of God Himself.
The "church" (or Messianic congregations) is a word that translates the Greek word "ecclesia" meaning a "called-out" assembly. It is also the Greek word that translates the Hebrew word for the "congregation" of Israel. It began in Jerusalem, NOT Rome, and the first leader ("pastor") of the congregation was Ya'acov (James) NOT Peter. According to the writings of Flavius Josephus, Ya'acov was the brother of Yeshua and in 62 AD was arrested by the Chief Priest (a Sadducee) who ordered him to be thrown from the pinnacle of the Temple. That fall did not kill him so he was clubbed to death.
When the new Roman governor arrived in Jerusalem he was confronted with a great controversy concerning the death of Ya'acov, who was well respected by the Jews because he spent much time at the Temple in prayer. The people who protested his death to the Roman governor the most were the Pharisees. You see at that time in history there is no evidence that the Jews of that day were boycotting the Jewish believers in Yeshua. Ya'acov was replaced by a cousin of Yeshua Shimon ben Clopha, who was chosen by the elders of the Messianic congregation of Jerusalem. Ben Clopha served for almost 50 years. After his leadership, the congregation of "notzrim" or "netzerites" had 13 different leaders (all Jewish) until the Bar Kochba rebellion. Following that tragic event, history records Gentile leaders in the congregation at Jerusalem.
This is only a brief synopsis but hopefully it will be helpful to all who are concerned about the "roots of Christianity." The early leaders were Jewish and still found themselves accepted within the various sects of Judaism. They had a Jewish Bible, practiced Jewish festivals, attended services on the Shabat, and tried to be observant Jews to the laws and demands of the Torah. They also followed the precepts and teachings of the Brit Hadasha. They gave strong witness to the true identity of the Messiah, our Lord Yeshua, and had no doubts about His Divine attributes and His mission of redemption. They believed without question that His death was substitutionary for our sins, and that He arose from the dead in a physical body. His post-resurrection appearances WERE KNOWN to these early believers - many of whom had seen Him with their own eyes!
The Bible teaches in Ephesians that Gentiles who were once without hope and without God and strangers to the covenants of God can become "joint-heirs" and "partakers" of the inheritance God promised to the children of Abraham who put their faith in God's everlasting covenant and accept the finished work of redemption of Messiah Yeshua. Jews and Gentiles are now "one" in the body of Messiah! To God be all the glory!
Thank you for Reading...
Any questions or concerns feel free to contact us.
Be sure to check out our website at...
http://www.lionandlambministry.com/
by The Lion and Lamb Ministry
WOW! Apparently the messages we have been doing on CERTAIN segments of christianity have ruffled quite a few feathers. We receive a great deal of questions and comments regarding the Jewish Roots of the Faith. CERTAIN segments of Christianity believe that the Christian Church not only replaced Israel in God's prophetic program, but they also believe that the early roots of Christianity were not Jewish as the Bible teaches. They believe that if Jews become believers, they are no longer Jews, but Christians (Modern Judaism believes the same, which we find very interesting!).
Acts 11:26 makes it clear that the early believers were "called Christians" at first by outsiders who lived in Antioch of Syria. In Acts 24:5, the Bible says that a "certain orator named Tertullus" began to accuse the Apostle Paul in front of the Roman ruler named Felix. It was Tertullus, supported by Ananias the High Priest and certain elders, who called Paul "a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes." The Hebrew word is "notzrim." It is not from the same root word as "Nazarite (like Samson)" or someone from the city of Nazareth. The origin of the word is no doubt the Hebrew word "netzer" which means "branch." Prophecies in Isaiah 11:1 and Jeremiah 23:5-6 and Zechariah 6:12-13 refer to the Messiah as "the Branch." Jews who became believers in Yeshua (Jesus), fully accepting Him as the promised Messiah of Israel, were known as "Netzerites" or believers in the Branch!
Believers in Yeshua did not call themselves "Christians" until the late 2nd century AD, long after the Bar Kochba revolt which the Emperor Hadrian suppressed and renamed the Land of Israel as "Palestinia". This was done to show his disgust for the Jews. He named the Land after the name of their ancient enemies - the Philistines. These "believers" were now quite different from the original group presented in the Book of Acts. With the Gentile domination of Christianity, and as a result of Hadrian's antics it soon became apparent that anyone who called himself a "Christian" would have to renounce all things Jewish.
The early Jewish believers, the "notzrim" or "netzerites" had many doctrinal agreements with the Pharisees. They still attended synagogue services on the Shabat (Sabbath Day - Saturday - as Yeshua did), they kept the "feasts" (Jewish celebrations of worship - Leviticus 23 - plus Hanakkah, Purim, etc.), they accepted the Torah and the writings of the Brit Hadasha (New Testament) as they became available. They were evangelistic toward both Jews and Gentiles and at a major church meeting (Acts 15) they fully recognized the Jewish Bible's predictions concerning the salvation of Gentiles. These early Jewish believers had full confidence that Yeshua was the Messiah, that He was the divine Son of God, eternal, and possessing all the attributes and abilities of God Himself.
The "church" (or Messianic congregations) is a word that translates the Greek word "ecclesia" meaning a "called-out" assembly. It is also the Greek word that translates the Hebrew word for the "congregation" of Israel. It began in Jerusalem, NOT Rome, and the first leader ("pastor") of the congregation was Ya'acov (James) NOT Peter. According to the writings of Flavius Josephus, Ya'acov was the brother of Yeshua and in 62 AD was arrested by the Chief Priest (a Sadducee) who ordered him to be thrown from the pinnacle of the Temple. That fall did not kill him so he was clubbed to death.
When the new Roman governor arrived in Jerusalem he was confronted with a great controversy concerning the death of Ya'acov, who was well respected by the Jews because he spent much time at the Temple in prayer. The people who protested his death to the Roman governor the most were the Pharisees. You see at that time in history there is no evidence that the Jews of that day were boycotting the Jewish believers in Yeshua. Ya'acov was replaced by a cousin of Yeshua Shimon ben Clopha, who was chosen by the elders of the Messianic congregation of Jerusalem. Ben Clopha served for almost 50 years. After his leadership, the congregation of "notzrim" or "netzerites" had 13 different leaders (all Jewish) until the Bar Kochba rebellion. Following that tragic event, history records Gentile leaders in the congregation at Jerusalem.
This is only a brief synopsis but hopefully it will be helpful to all who are concerned about the "roots of Christianity." The early leaders were Jewish and still found themselves accepted within the various sects of Judaism. They had a Jewish Bible, practiced Jewish festivals, attended services on the Shabat, and tried to be observant Jews to the laws and demands of the Torah. They also followed the precepts and teachings of the Brit Hadasha. They gave strong witness to the true identity of the Messiah, our Lord Yeshua, and had no doubts about His Divine attributes and His mission of redemption. They believed without question that His death was substitutionary for our sins, and that He arose from the dead in a physical body. His post-resurrection appearances WERE KNOWN to these early believers - many of whom had seen Him with their own eyes!
The Bible teaches in Ephesians that Gentiles who were once without hope and without God and strangers to the covenants of God can become "joint-heirs" and "partakers" of the inheritance God promised to the children of Abraham who put their faith in God's everlasting covenant and accept the finished work of redemption of Messiah Yeshua. Jews and Gentiles are now "one" in the body of Messiah! To God be all the glory!
Thank you for Reading...
Any questions or concerns feel free to contact us.
Be sure to check out our website at...
http://www.lionandlambministry.com/