When people come to the truth of keeping the commandments and following Yeshua—and learn that Christianity and Judaism were one community for about 300 years before Rome forced them apart—two common reactions appear: locking down on one Bible translation and a few resources, and deep distrust of authority after years of being misled by Sunday ministers. In this raw discussion from First Century Christianity at the Word and Away, we push back against both tendencies. Scholars have caught up over the past 30 years; solid history, archaeology, and textual work is now available in books and on YouTube. We share the bibliography and sources behind the teaching (Dead Sea Scrolls, Megiddo, and other digs), explain why a top-down “just trust the minister” model doesn’t fit, and encourage everyone to examine the evidence for themselves. Not polished—just decades of experience and primary sources. May Yahweh bless you and keep you in the name of His Son Yeshua.
Missouri Amendment 3 on the November 3, 2026 ballot will legalize abortion throughout the term of a pregnancy for the health and life of the mother and will legalize abortion until 12 weeks in the cases of rape or incest. It will also prohibit gender transitioning for minors. Text of the bill is available here https://www.sos.mo.gov/petitions/2026BallotMeasures
Hi, this is Chris with FirstCenturyChristianity.net! This week our assembly is studying the Torah portion Noach (Genesis 6:9–11:32), and Ben Shapiro happens to have brought up the Noahide laws too.
In this video, I explain why the Noahide laws have nothing to do with Noah. They grew out of principles the Jewish people saw people following, and over hundreds of years those principles became a doctrine. That process started in the first century and was finalized in the 12th century by Rambam (Maimonides), who taught that Gentiles who keep these laws have a share in the Olam Haba (the World to Come). I also talk about Ramban (Nachmanides), another rabbi of that era who disagreed with Rambam about how the laws apply and whether they lead to the Olam Haba.
Here’s the bottom line: If you follow God’s commandments and believe Yeshua is the Messiah, you’ll naturally live by these principles. That’s not because they’re “Noahide laws.” It’s because they’re part of God’s law. Keeping them apart from Yeshua does nothing for your salvation. Salvation comes only through Yeshua the Messiah: accepting Him as Messiah, repenting of your sins, being baptized and keeping the commandments.
📖 Study the Torah portion this week and come ready to join the discussion! 🌐
I’m not just a guy making videos on the internet. First Century Christianity is a real congregation in North Kansas City, Missouri. People donate to us to support the ministry and to help people in our community and in our circle who have needs.
So this is an awkward post to write. But I feel I have to write it.
Two people, the same trap
In the past year, we’ve seen this happen twice, to two people who don’t even know each other. Both fell for internet scams until they had nothing left.
They gave money to help a child who has supposedly been sick every day for two years in Africa, or to someone who is mysteriously in Iowa one day and Florida the next. They kept giving after they lost their homes and needed help themselves.
This means we have to use tough love. If you keep helping someone in that situation, every dollar of food, clothing or shelter you give them frees up money that goes to the scammer. When I’ve talked with both of these people about it, they got very angry and defensive. That tells me this is probably happening in a lot of places.
Scammers who sound like believers
There’s a second kind of scam I see all the time. People pretending to be believers like us send emails from overseas. One claimed to be from the “Sabbath Sentinel Church of God in India.”
They use words they’ve picked up from people in our walk:
The Sabbath Sentinel, a free interdenominational magazine for Sabbath-keepers
The Church of God, what many of us used to be called in the Seventh Day Churches of God
Yahweh, Yeshua and the calendar
They even ask for money to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, right when your own assembly is getting ready for it.
It’s very convincing, and you want it to be true. You want this person to be a pastor in another country keeping the Feast. But the timing is too convenient to be a coincidence.
“That doesn’t mean you can’t give personally”
When one man emailed asking for money overseas, I explained that our charity is set up in the United States and can only help people here. I’d actually prefer to keep it even closer to home, for people we can know and see in person. That’s how we make sure we’re really helping and that things are moving in the right direction.
His reply was, “Well, that doesn’t mean you can’t give personally.”
Then I knew I’d made the right decision. He didn’t respect how our church is organized or our country’s rules. He was just looking for another way into my wallet.
How to break free
If you or someone you love has been caught in one of these scams, the only way back is to:
Admit you’ve been scammed.
Cut all ties. Get a new phone number and new internet accounts, and leave whatever social media the scammers used to find you.
Promise yourself you won’t do it again.
Start rebuilding your life.
Here’s something hard to hear: if someone keeps taking your money while you’re homeless, they don’t care about you. Anyone with a roof over their head and food on the table who takes money from a homeless person will have to answer for it when the Messiah returns, on the judgment day at the end of the thousand years.
Give wisely
Please don’t give money to people you don’t actually know and aren’t physically helping.
If you want to help people in need, give to a charity that checks who it’s helping. When you donate to First Century Christianity, we do that checking, and your money will not go to scammers, either directly or indirectly.
Other groups in Kansas City do this well too. The Northland Assistance Center works out of the same building we rent. They check every case and help people with everything from housing to jobs so they can stand on their own again.
We need your help
I’m sorry this is an awkward subject, and I expect someone will be upset with me for writing it. But people need to know.
If you’ve helped someone recover from a scam like this, please reach out to me. What our congregation has tried so far hasn’t worked. The people we’re trying to help are still caught up in it, even after we’ve talked with them.
May Yahweh bless you and keep you in the name of His Son, Yeshua.
What do the biblical holy days of Leviticus 23 mean for followers of Yeshua today? In this in-depth sermon, Chris presents an overview of the Sabbath, Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Shavuot/Pentecost, the Day of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, Sukkot, and the Eighth Day.
The message explores how these appointed times relate to the life, sacrifice, resurrection, and return of Yeshua; how they reveal the biblical plan of salvation; and how believers can begin observing them in everyday life. It also discusses the biblical calendar, holy convocations, first-century Christian practice, prophecy, repentance, resurrection, the millennial reign, and the world to come.
Please share your questions or comments below. Shalom and be blessed.
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Christianity gave up one of its core beliefs to adopt the lie in the garden. No, going to heaven is not your goal. After listening to this message about the Day of Trumpets and it’s part in the plan of salvation, go read your bibles.
Christians are not Gentiles Who Are We? Adopted, Grafted In, and Called to Walk in Yahweh’s Ways
In this teaching, we examine who we are in relation to Yahweh and His Son, Yeshua. Are believers who keep Shabbat, observe the holy days, and follow the Torah simply “Gentiles,” or have we been adopted into the family of God and grafted into something that already existed?
This message walks through Acts 15, Second Temple Judaism, the early believers in Yeshua, the role of synagogue worship, and the biblical identity of those who have come out of error and into obedience. We discuss adoption, grafting in, responsibility, the Sabbath, the holy days, Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur, the return of Messiah, and why faithfulness means walking in Yahweh’s house rules with joy.
If you are seeking a deeper understanding of Torah-observant faith in Yeshua, first-century Christianity, Messianic identity, and what it means to be part of the family of God, this teaching is for you.
There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and mankind: Messiah Yeshua. This message is a bold call to return to the plain testimony of Scripture and to understand why Yeshua’s role as Mediator, High Priest, ransom, and intercessor cannot be replaced, ignored, or redefined by man-made systems.
From Moses standing between Israel and Yahweh, to the Day of Atonement, to the heavenly High Priesthood of Messiah, Scripture reveals a pattern: mankind cannot stand before the Almighty without mediation. Yeshua did not simply die and disappear from the story. He lives, He intercedes, and He remains the appointed mediator for those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the faith of Yeshua.
In this sermon, we examine Ephesians, 1 Timothy, Exodus, Leviticus, Hebrews, and Revelation to see the unified witness of Scripture: the Father is God, Yeshua is His Son, and the Messiah stands as our perfect and permanent High Priest. Do not surrender the mediator. Do not trade the faith once delivered for confusion. Return to Yahweh. Follow Yeshua. Endure as the saints.
If this message challenged you, share it with someone who needs to understand the role of Yeshua as mediator. Subscribe for more Sabbath teachings rooted in the commandments of God and the faith of Yeshua.
Keywords
Yeshua, Yahweh, mediator, one God one mediator, High Priest, Messiah Yeshua, Torah observant, Sabbath teaching, Book of Life, commandments of God, faith in Yeshua, Hebrews 9, 1 Timothy 2, Exodus 20, Exodus 32, Leviticus 16, Day of Atonement, biblical truth, called out of Babylon, Torah and Messiah, saints, intercession, Lamb of God, Revelation 20, Messianic teaching, Hebrew roots sermon
A Scripture-centered teaching on Yeshua as the Messiah and Son of God, examining Acts 2, the Trinity, the Nicene Creed, Nicaea, and the first-century gospel proclaimed by the apostles.
What did the apostles actually preach about Yeshua, Yahweh, and the gospel?
In this teaching, we return to the first-century witness of Scripture—especially Acts 2—to examine the identity of Yeshua as the Messiah, the Son of the living God. We also look at the later historical development of the Trinity, the Nicene Creed, and the difference between apostolic faith and fourth-century doctrine.
Rather than beginning with later creeds or councils, this message asks a simple question: what did Peter and the apostles make central when they proclaimed the gospel?
My heartfelt review of Paula Fredriksen’s scholarship on the first 500 years of Christianity, highlighting her ability to make complex ancient history, theology, politics, and doctrine understandable for everyday readers. The review recommends her work as an essential resource for anyone interested in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the formation of Christianity, the early church fathers, and how many beliefs we have circulating today really came to be.
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