Messages

Yahweh has a plan of perfecting the universe. We’re a part of that plan but we need to remember to live in our own time. This video is an excerpt of the longer message given on March 9, 2024 which is located here https://firstcenturychristianity.net/putting-in-the-work/

The Law and the New Testament

The New Testament depends on the Law. We need it for our identity and, in addition to the Messiah, for our salvation. The video above and its companion pdf below show in absolute terms that the Torah is a requirement for salvation when Yeshua, aka Jesus, returns.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ (Mat 7:21-23)

These verses show that there will be Christians, believers in Yeshua, who will be rejected when He returns for lawlessness. This lawlessness is exactly what it sounds like: The rejection of the Torah. This verse should put terror in all who have been taught that the Law was ended at the cross. That’s clearly not true. Those who teach this will be the ones rejected. This will be an absolute shock as they think He is coming back to receive them, but their rejection of the Torah makes them actual enemies.

Paul and Stephen

The accusation that the first century Christians taught against Moses starts very early in the faith. Stephen was accused of this in Acts 6. In Acts 7, he gives a speech that proves he did not reject the Torah or his heritage at all. It ends with him convicting the council of breaking Torah and they murder him, breaking it again.

Paul was also accused of breaking Torah. Not only does he refute this in word, but he did it in deed. In Acts 24, Paul tells that he brought the alms from the congregations to the temple. He had been purified and was following Torah by bringing the offerings into the storehouse. Paul makes it clear in his testimony that he believed all of the Torah and the prophets, thus rebuking the lawless claim.

The New Testament depends on the Law. We would not understand the Messiah at all without the Torah and the prophets. The apostles continue in Torah their whole lives. And those who claim to be Christians at the return of Yeshua who don’t follow the Law will be in for a horrible surprise.

Explaining the Spring Holy Days

When we put the traditional observances of Christianity to the test, well, they often fail. The Bible doesn’t support any observance remotely similar to Easter. The apostles never gathered on a Sunday in honor of the resurrection, they never had anything to do with eggs or bunnies, and none of them at pork at any point in their lives. The reality is that Jesus, aka Yeshua, commanded a specific observance on a specific annual date to be added to the Holy Days the disciples were already observing.

The Night He was Betrayed

On the night He was betrayed, He washed the feet of the disciples, and shared bread and wine. He said the bread and wine were symbolic of His body and blood. After washing the feet of the disciples, he said that they (we) should do to each other as He had done for them. And He specifically said to have that bread and wine in remembrance of Him.

These commandments are added to the Spring Holy Days the apostles already kept. The Passover, which can refer to the entire week-long observance, continued to be kept by the disciples once they became Apostles. Paul was taught to keep the Night He was Betrayed directly from the resurrected Messiah. He then commanded the congregations he either started or visited do as was done on the night Yeshua was betrayed. This included observing not just that night, but also the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread. The message above in video, and below in print, is titled Explaining the Spring Holy Days. With comments from our congregation, I explain when to observe each day of this week-long celebration. I explain what to do as well, and support it all with easy to follow scripture. It would be best to watch the video, but the notes are there for easy searching.