Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Restoring The Early Church ~ Lesson 14

This was the lesson that really started turning on light bulbs for me. I realize that not everyone has had the same experiences and upbringing as myself, but from where I have come...this lesson struck a nerve. I came from a family who told me that black people had evolved from apes, white people were created by "god" and the biggest insult one could fling was to call someone a "Jew"... and all this came from folks who prayed the rosary.


It was the beginning of a serious work of repentance ~ repentance for sins I did not even commit myself, for the most part. (For more information on the topic of repentance for the sins of our ancestors, please study Demolishing Strongholds, as this concept is only covered briefly in this lesson.) I did a lot of homework to see if these things were truly so... because I had never heard of this information before. Never. I remember a brief mention of the Spanish Inquisition in public school (where I was a straight A student, and loved History no less), but I could not have told you that it had anything to do with Jews.


Not only do I now understand the plight of the Jews throughout history, I can see the progression of how exactly we lost our Hebraic grounding in the first place. It makes perfect sense now. It is an accurate picture of that analogy of a ship being a fraction of a degree off-course at the beginning of a voyage and end up way off course by the end... and nowhere near their intended destination. Replacement Theology was not an overnight development (except possibly in the mind of Satan)...it evolved over time through an unfortunate series of evil events which began by being a wee bit off course. Satan has played this game well, and has deceived many, many people.


THE LOSS OF OUR HEBRAIC ROOTS




The Hebraic-Christians/Judaism Divide

The Church Encounters A Curse — The Plight of the Jews

Israel: What Is God Doing? What Should It Mean To Me?


 


Here's the link for Lesson 14.


 


Here are extra references for some of the books or articles mentioned in this lesson, in case you desire to do some more homework:


Protocols of the Elders of Zion


Civilita Cattolica


Justin Martyr: Dialogue With Trypho, A Jew


John Chrysostom


Origen (see #5 and #8)


"Concerning Jews and Their Lies" by Martin Luther



I am eager to hear your response to this lesson. Especially your answers to the questions Mike and Sue ask at the end...


1) Is the information we've shared here new to you? Yes or No? How does it make you feel when you read about the historic persecution by Christians of the Jewish people?


2) Has you attitude toward the Jewish people changed after reading this lesson? Yes or No? If yes, describe the changes.


And their last sentence...


"Please consider your own responsibility to God and to the Jewish people and respond accordingly. "



And one more thing... please, especially if some of the things we have been discussing throughout this study are foreign or totally new to you, go back and re-read ~slowly ~ the beginning of this lesson: Introduction to Section 2 (pages 1-3). Contained therein are concepts that were not just "not what I was taught", but truly opposed to that which I had always been told in my Christian walk. But when I studied, and finally learned what it was to be a Berean ~ not just believing without a question, but digging ~ I was shocked... and grateful that the Holy Spirit had led me to study on my own. My life will never be the same, and blessed be the name of Yahweh for that!

9 comments:

  1. I haven't read lesson 14 yet, but from your introduction it sounds similar to some of what I learned reading "Christianity: New Religion or Sect of Biblical Judaism?"
    I think of all the biographies aimed at children about "heroes of the faith" like Martin Luther and just wonder , How? How can they just leave this stuff out and make our children think Mr. Luther was so wonderful?

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  2. Hmmm. What about the messianic leaders who call themselves Rabbi?
    In Matt. 23 Yahshua says, "But you, do not be called, 'Rabbi,' for One is your Teacher, the Messiah, and you are all brothers." (vs 8) Why do they do this?

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  3. I don't know... a lot of stuff is bugging me in a way that makes me question, and question, and question...

    The other (Father) thing has just been more personal...I have a cousin (younger by ten years) whom I am now expected to call "Father"... a Jesuit. It ain't happenin'.

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  4. This lesson was meaningful to me because of the specific history it gives. As our family has pulled out of "normal" christendom we have been met with resistance and disdain from family and friends who profess to love and follow Jesus. How could we be so arrogant as to believe that what we now believed was right and hundreds of years of church history was wrong?? It wasn't and isn't arrogance. Our hearts were truly broken over the lies that *we* had been living and perpetuating. Father had given us the broad brush strokes before and this lesson filled in many of the details for us. Though the information is heart wrenching, I am so glad to have it and hope to share it at His prompting.

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  5. Kelli, I found the transition to discovering my beloved church was like the "emperor's new clothes" to be truly heartbreaking. I am still saddened by it today. I pray Yahweh will wash us all in grace, courage and faith even as He reveals deeper truths to us.

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  6. Yes, washed in His grace! We stand amazed at how much we *didn't * know, and how much we took for granted because our pastor said this or that. And we think, with a sigh of anticipation and trepidation, how much more we yet don't know. So we do our best to keep our eyes on Yeshua, and our hearts yielded to Him. Grace and courage and faith - yes, yes, yes!

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  7. Sometimes I have a holy fear of realizing how close we were to never knowing some of these things... and am ever so grateful to YHWH for revealing them to us.

    When I get that realization about how much we still don't know (which usually comes right after we *just* learned something huge) and I am freshly aware of it... I really just weep over His mercy and patience to lead us so gently.

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  8. With all due respect, as a Christian, we hope to above all else listen to what our Lord has instructed us to do, to be, until he comes in glory, right? His word is not alcarte. It is what it is entirely. Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying "This is my body, which will be given for you; DO THIS in memory of me." Luke 22:19 That is what the Catholic church teaches, It is what is celebrated every Sunday at mass. This is central to all that we believe and hold sacred, The real presence of our Lord in the Eucharist...The bread that has been consecrated has become the bread of life ...the new covenant. Our holy father (in Rome) is not to say he takes the place of our Father who is in heaven, he is his representative who continues to celebrate the consecration of the bread of life and leads his fold as the succesor of Peter. It is Apostolic. My question is how do you think that we are to be in one accord when there are so many fractions of the church that seem to have dismissed such a command? To be one in Christ ,there is a need for all to come to the banquet the Lord himself has provided. The rosary is a prayerful devotion to ask for our Blessed Mother to pray for us sinners now and at the hour of death. I think for myself as a sinner, I could use the Queen of heaven praying for me...We are family...a large family. Peace of Christ to you and your beautiful family!

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  9. Okay, I like the article. I think the assembly of Messiah has lost its sure foundation, Torah. Haven't finished reading Lesson 14 but I have been a lot of research in this area, years now. Rose's reply though is what I want to comment on.
    The Lord's supper that every Catholic/Protestant participates in every Sunday or whenever they break their bread is not what scripture is talking about here.
    Specifically, Messiah was having Passover, the start of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In the Passover feast you have four cups and four pieces of bread. Messiah said do this in remembrance of me. So he said do Passover in remembrance of me instead of the children of Israel leaving Egypt. If you have lost the Hebrew foundations, Torah, then you have lost the meaning of all the Messianic writings. That includes the definition of sin.
    Answering your question is simple. Catholicism is fractioned. It is just not talked about.
    Since I have repented of Catholicism myself and have joined (cleaved to) Yahweh to serve him, I feel compeled as a stranger to do as Isaiah 56.6-7 says. I love his name. I want to be his servant. I guard his Sabbath and not profane it. (Sun set on Friday to sun set on Saturday is the historical Sabbath, not Sunday.) I hold fast to his renewed covenant. (New Testament or New Covenant are inaccurate translation foisted upon scripture. Remember, he writes Torah on our hearts in the renew covenant - Jer 31.33)
    Look past the Pope and all their traditions of men, get back to scripture and find the heart of Torah, the way, the truth, the light and the life, Yahushua Messiah. (I don't prefer Yeshua because it is closely related to an acronym in Hebrew, yimach shemo vezichro (Ye.sh.u), which means, "May his name and memory be blotted out.")
    Blessed be the name of Messiah Yahushua. Peace be to all through him.

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