Sunday, 21 December 2008
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What are you?
I'm a Hebrew.
People try to tell me "You're just a Gentile and you ALWAYS will be!" And it's true that I wasn't physically born from an Israeli/Jewish mother or father. I think I have some Jewish ancestry but it's way back, 10 generations so a little hard to prove and even if I could what would that benefit me anyway? I don't get offended if you call me a Gentile, but I don't see myself like that any more.The first person mentioned in the Bible as a Hebrew is Abraham.
"One who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew" (Genesis 14:13).
So why is this significant enough for me to consider myself Hebrew?
Because I crossed over from death to life through the covenant mediated in Yeshua's atoning sacrifice.
(do not confuse this with calling myself Jewish or Israeli)
Like my father Abraham did. I was grafted in by Messiah Yeshua, that's what the change is in me.Galations 3:29
29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.
I belong to Messiah, so I am Abraham's descendant. Are you?
If our spiritual ancestor Abraham is a Hebrew then so are we.
Remember:
Galations 3:26-29
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.***It's important to not take this verse out of context, I've noticed that people really like to get a tad carried away with "neither Jew nor Greek", but something we have to realize is that there still are physical Jews and Greeks, slaves and free, men and women. So obviously this verse is stating that our physical make up and circumstances don't equate to our spiritual significance. I'm not less significant because I'm not a Jew. I'm not less significant because I am a woman. I'm also not more significant because I'm a free person. We brothers and sisters in Messiah are equal spiritually, there's only one who stands out above the rest and that's Messiah.***
I know some of you may have heard/read that "Old Testament" feasts are not for you if you aren't a Jew. But that is not scriptural. That's right I said that isn't scriptural, let's look at what God's word says:Numbers 15Law of the Sojourner
14 ‘If an alien (foreigner) sojourns with you, or one who may be among you throughout your generations, and he wishes to make an offering by fire, as a soothing aroma to the LORD, just as you do so he shall do. 15 ‘As for the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the alien who sojourns with you, a perpetual statute throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the alien be before the LORD. 16 ‘There is to be one law and one ordinance for you and for the alien who sojourns with you.’
This is what God intended all along but man is always messing things up. But we can clearly see in scripture that we aren't supposed to be separated spiritually from other believers. We are one in Messiah. God's word is good for all of us believers from beginning to end.This is why I identify with the country of Israel and the Biblical feasts in the Torah. It's the reason I enjoy the special days of Hanukkah and Purim too.
It's not because of the blood that courses through my veins, but by the atonement blood of the Messiah that has brought me into a covenant with God.
I've crossed over, have you?
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Comments (5)
I believe that Judaism became Christianity by the fulfillment of Christ. I don't see why people practice holidays from a religion they don't believe. I know that Judaim and Christianity do have connections and believe in the same monotheistic God. (I'm not trying to be mean, honestly!) I just have never understood people who tried to practice both.
@NightCometh - Not to be rude but I guess you wouldn't understand Paul and the disciples then either because they didn't worship or celebrate exactly like most modern Christians. For one, I don't practice Judaism. I go by the Bible, not the Rabbis that came after Messiah. Like wise I don't go by the Catholic churches ideas of what I should or shouldn't be celebrating.
@FairyBunnyPrincess - I wouldn't understand Paul and the disciples because I live in the year 2008 and worship at a "modern church"? How does that compute? I really didn't mean to get in a fight here.
@NightCometh - It's not a fight.
I'm just saying that Paul and the disciples still went to the temple, they still had Passover and they still observed the Sabbath and this was all after Messiah had returned to the right hand of God.
Acts 18:18
18 Paul, having
remained many days longer, took leave of the brethren and put out to
sea for Syria, and with him were Priscilla and Aquila. In Cenchrea he
had his hair cut, for he was keeping a vow.
This is the Nazirite vow from the Old Testament.
and this next one is talking about Paul going to the Temple to purify himself and paying for others under a vow as well. Not only that but it cleary states that he was "keeping the law".
Acts 21:20
began20 And when they heard it they
to be done?glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many
thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they
are all zealous for the Law;
21 and they have
been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among
the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their
children nor to walk according to the customs.
22 “What, then, is
They will certainly hear that you have come.
23 “Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow;
24 take them and
purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they
may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the
things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also
walk orderly, keeping the Law.
25 “But concerning
the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, having decided that they
should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from
what is strangled and from fornication.”
26 Then Paul took
the men, and the next day, purifying himself along with them, went into
the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification,
until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.
They didn't say "Screw all this Old Testament stuff, let's do it our own way!" They still did stuff God's way. The feasts aren't "Jewish" or out of Judaism. They are from God's word. Yes, there are man made traditions and man made traditions aren't always bad but they aren't always good either. I go for God's traditions though and I pick out which of man's traditions that honor God's ways instead of their own. In the passage above the Apostles also didn't tell the Gentiles not to keep the law either, those things that they are telling them to abstain from are from the Law, it's the bare minimuim for them being able to fellowship and worship together and God's law clearly allows for Gentiles to follow God's customs (see the highlighted verses in the post above).
The difference for me is that I try not to pick and choose what I follow from God. I do however carefully pick and choose which man made traditions I follow.
Check out some of my posts below they talk about how Yeshua celebrated Hanukkah in the New Testament. Most Believers (including myself in the past) have neglected to see it because another not so well name for Hanukkah is The Feast of Dedication. Hanukkah means "dedication".
Please don't mistake me for saying that you HAVE to keep all of the law (you can't anyway) and I'm not trying to say that you HAVE to do Hanukkah.
Our salvation comes from the grace of God alone through the blood of Messiah. I participate in His ways because I love him and I want to learn and understand His ways more.
All thanks, praise, glory and honor unto the Lamb, Y'shua haMashiach, Who transferred me from the domain of darkness to His Abba's Kingdom of light. Who brought me, a perverse wicked idolatrous heathen destined for the lake of fire when I was to be ressurected and judged, near to the covenants of Elohim by His shed blood. By the Lamb I am a spiritual descendant of Avraham. Like Ruth I have joined unto His people to live for and die with His people Israel. For Israel's God is my God and Israel's people are my people too. Y'shua nor Abba HaShem Elohim did not intend for the foreigner who sojourns among His covenant body of called out sons of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya'akov to supercede or replace the sons and daughters of Ya'akov's twelve. No not at all! HaShem is the life source to the root of His cultivated olive tree. Branches from wild olive trees are being grafted in among the natural branches. Natural branches that have been cut off can be grafted back into its native tree. We are truly "echad", one in unity, in Mashiach. There is but one Torah for the native born and the stranger ( "ger" in Numbers 15:14-15 or "nekar" in Isaiah 56:6-7 are Hebrew words used in the Scriptures ).
"Also the foreigners who join themselves to the
LORD, To minister to Him, and to love the name of the LORD, To be His
servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath And holds fast
My covenant;even those I will bring to My holy mountain And
make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their
sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; for My house will be called
a house of prayer for all the peoples." Isaiah 56:6-7
May I see all my Hebrew "homies" out there in the Resurrection of the Dead. Prepare for the battles to come and stay on in the ones you are engaged in right now. Live blameless and if you slip remember the kapparah/propitiation on the altar as it is written by Yochanan the Beloved Talmid of Mashiach Y'shua in his first "igrit"/letter chapter one verse nine and ten.
Shalom