Messianic Movement thoughts...

In the past few years, a new sect has risen within the Christian faith. This would be the Messianic Movement, completed Jews, One New Man, etc.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-semetic, no way! I believe Christians should support the Israelites because God gave to us all, through them: the adoption, the Presence, the covenants, the Law, temple worship, the promises, the patriarchs and the Christ. See Romans 9:4-5.

However, God has no less love for the Ukainians, Sudanese, Chinese or any other people group as compared to the Israelites. In the Kingdom of God, no people group are more special than another.

I spent a couple of years attending a messianic fellowship. It was very interesting in that I felt I needed to be on my toes, judging every word, wary of coming under the law again. I believe this is a major danger of this movement, returning to a legalistic form of do's and don'ts. I did receive some great teaching about the Feasts and how they relate to Christ. Who, by the way, fullfilled the whole Law, including the feasts.

Oh, I no longer attend that fellowship, but's that another story.

Apostle Paul devotes his letter to the Galation church on this matter, leaving the grace of God for another gospel (not that there is any other gospel, but some are troubling and disturbing with a different kind of teaching, Galations 1:7 Amplified).

And some of these Messianic leaders are preaching another gospel. That Gentile believers must embrace or return to observing the feasts of Israel. That every believer should return to the land of Israel. Where is the New Testament church instructed to do these things? No where in my Bible.

There were just some things that I could not take as a believer in Christ. For instance, if there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, neither male nor female in Christ (Galations 3:28), why are the Messianics wanting the Gentile believers to take on Israelite religious customs? Such as keeping the feasts, wearing kippahs & tallits and blowing ram's horns. Observing the Jewish calander of days, months and years. It's like they are trying to make Jews out of all us Gentiles.

  "You observe days, months and times and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain." Galations 4:10-11.

I've also wondered about this. How do you know if you're of Jewish descent? Can a blood test reveal it? DNA test?

When Israelites become believers in Christ, they lose their Jewish identity, or at least it becomes secondary to their new identity in Christ. I'm an American, but it's secondary to my identity in Christ and my eternal citizenship in the Kingdom of God.

I'll continue this later.....

Religion Sucks, Relationship Rules

I hate religion. Unfortunately, a big part of Christiandom has become religious. Recent studies by Barna Research Group indicate that evangelical growth in America has been flat since 1995. Barna's research indicates the mainline denominations have had declining numbers for even longer.

What's wrong with our churches in America? The leadership seem to be clueless, they do not possess a Kingdom mentality. However, if you'll ask the increasing numbers of Christians who've filled the pews for years but have since left their churches, you'll find the answers.

Let me set the record straight. I haven't conducted any formal studies or polls. I just listen to long time Christians who've given up on the present day American church.

This is what I've been hearing, but not in any order of importance:

  -Tired of the heirarchy ruling without concern for the pew people
  -Pastor trying to control the sheep
  -Too much emphasis on giving money to the church
  -Leadership demanding allegience to their "vision"
  -Sex scandels involving leaders of the church
  -Financial scandels involving leaders of the church
  -Church is boring
  -Church is impersonal
  -Services are too predictable
  -No life in services, just form

Not a pretty picture for the American church. Now before any Pharisees start looking for rocks to throw, let me say there are churches that don't fit this picture...there must be, I'm sure. I just don't know of any and not within driving distance of any.

Back to religion sucking. Not long ago, I was reading the 4 Gospels, actually skimming them, looking for passages that were included in 2 or more of the 4. I realized something. Jesus had a pretty low opinion of the religious leaders of His day.

Here are a few of the comments Jesus Christ made to the religious leaders of His day:

You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? (Matthew 23:33)

You belong to your father, the devil...(John 8:44)

He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God. (John 8:47)

In some circles of the American church, the talk is of a coming revival. I think were past needing a revival. We need a reformation. Something along the order that Martin Luther started. The church of his day in Europe sucked also. Religion was ruling. But Luther's lightbulb went on (a revelation) that the just lived by faith, not works. Furthermore, he saw that church folk didn't need to "go through" an earthly priest to access God. They actually had direct access through Jesus Christ, the High Priest (Hebrews 7:22-25) to God, the Father.

The reformation we need would eradicate religious thinking from the American church. In it's place would be a relational mindset, especially among the leadership, who would take on a more servitude spirit rather than the present empirical spirit.

Paramount would be that every believer has a relationship with God on a personal level. No more looking down the nose from the pulpits of America that the one standing behind it knew God better than the rest.