i was raised a baptist christian and 3 years ago i left and studied many different religions, including Islam, Judaism, Buddism, Wiccan, etc. i came back to Christ, but with so many questions that my head was spinning.
i consider myself a christian and all, but messianic judaism (Jews for Jesus) has held a great deal of apeal for me. i feel very drawn to it.
how does it compare to traditional american christianity?
do Messianics consider themselves "Christians" ? how do they view Gentile Believers?
sorry for all the questions, if you could please answer them it would help me alot.
thanks!
_Gina aka Neon
Jews for Jesus has held a great deal of apeal for me. i feel very drawn to it.
Hi Gina. My caution is that you consider
why you are drawn to Messianic Judaism and Jews for Jesus. If it is because you, as a Gentile, love Jesus and want to see that Jews are saved, then you are on the right track.
do Messianics consider themselves "Christians" ? how do they view Gentile Believers?
There is only one truth and that is that God loved the world and gave us His Son and that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.
This is what the true word of God must say. It is a teaching that is found throughout Scripture from the beginning to end... the end is the last person that says the same thing. The first and the last of all is Y'shua.
Everyone is supposed to be saying the same thing because there is only one truth. Where there is disagreement, there is error. Scripture challenges us to all be saying the same thing. It doesn't make a difference what the person is as long as that person confesses the truth. (The person cannot be a liar and cannot pactice sin.)
Many churches and congregations need help. That is where we come in, to help wherever we can. We cannot over do it but there is sometimes a lot we can do without too much effort.
Sometimes people don't want help. We need to find a place where we can be the most help.
In answer to your question, sometimes Gentile believers are somewhat misquided because of their church history. Sometimes messianic believers think they know better. Sometimes they do and sometimes, they may not be aware of what Gentile missionaries go through for the sake of the gospel. We all need to learn from each other.
I see Jewish believers and Gentile Christians like two candles that are two witnesses from two sides of the mountain of the Lord.
Both agree that Y'shua is the Lord!
Shalom!
Shalom!
"how does it compare to traditional american christianity?"
Depends, of course, both on the nature of the Christianity and the nature of the Messianic Judaism you are talking about. If you take a Messianic Judaism that considers Jewish practice obligatory for Jews, then it's going to be rather foreign to Gentile Christianity, and much more similar to a (probably conservative) Jewish synagogue. However, organizations such as this one (Jews for Jesus) generally do not consider Jewish practice obligatory (note that much of the membership is Gentile), and are merely using Jewish practice as an Evangelical tool. Because of this, the common accusation is quite potent, that is, Messianic Judaism is a form of disguised protestantism.
"do Messianics consider themselves "Christians" ? how do they view Gentile Believers?"
Most Messianic Jews would probably hesitate to call themselves Christians, but only because of the connotations of that word in our culture. The word "Christianity" has existed contra-Judaism for centuries, not in alliance with it. As for the second part of the question, I think you'll find that most Messianic Jews consider Christians as partners of salvation in Yeshua, but still outside of covenant Israel.
If you are not a Jew by anscestry, you are generally discouraged from becoming a Messianic Jew. Since the first covenant is generally by birth, with some interesting Biblical exceptions, there just isn't much sense in conversion.
Sincerely,
Joshua Blanchard
http://irrelevantblog.blogspot.com/
Now I myself am an "gentile" withing Messianic Judaism. No I really do not call myself a Christian. If I do I say that I am an unorthodox Christian. It largly depends upon what you mean when you say Christian. If you mean Christian as one that follows Jesus (Yeshua) as Messiah. Yes. If you mean a Christian that believes that the Torah has been obolished NO. As jdblanchard pointed out, there are many different orginizations within Messianic Judaism. Here is one difference among Messianics. Some uphold Two House teaching and some dont. that is an example. Some call themselves Christians. Some do everything to avoid being calling that. Me personally I perfer to be called a Netzarim, a follower of Messiah. I or just a Messianic. I am A T.O.B.Y = Torah Observent Believer in Yeshua.
John is very correct when he said you need to want to bring Jewish people to Christ and also love them the way Jesus would. When I became a Christian at 14 I felt drawn to God in a very special way. I have only found out within the past 4 years that I was one/sixteenth Jewish. Sometimes I think that is the reason I am so "enlightened" and happy to know Him. My friend Rachel is a quarter Jewish, a quarter Puerto Rican and half black. During church worship she runs up and down the aisles !
Hi Gina aka Neon
An aspect that really hasn't been address is that one may be facinated by the blending of the two (Judaism and Christianity) only because Jesus is Jewish! Because the message of Jesus is very fundamental and powerful, it is very tempting to worship in a style that he may had when he was preachig his message to the Jews. That is why I believe it is very natural for a Gentile to gravitate towards Messianic Judiasm. You may want to have a messianic Bat Mitzvah, so as to know more about the Hebrew vocalization of holy scripture someday in the future. Remember Jesus had his Bar Mitzvah too!
To understand what is different in messianic judaism, you may want to read a book called Messianic Judaism by Rabbi Carol Harris-Shapiro. I consider it a fair treatment of the subject from the strictly traditional Jewish perspective. J4J obviously have materials that may interest you as well.
Good luck with your spiritual journey!
thank you everyone for your answers!
i feel so in love with Jesus and i want to emulate Him and since He is Jewish and would have followed Jewish practices i cant help but feel attracted to all things Hebrew.
i also feel very strongly that the Law was given for our own good and that Jesus who said He did not come to abolish the Law would want me to follow it in the way His people did.
does that make sense?
Hi Gina,
I read: "i also feel very strongly that the Law was given for our own good and that Jesus who said He did not come to abolish the Law would want me to follow it in the way His people did.
does that make sense?"
I knew a disgruntled Catholic who converted to Judaism because of a Jewish man she had a crush on. She formally converted and I felt like feminism was turned on its head. As a 21st century Christian woman who has dated Jewish and non-Jewish men, I don't see any perks to "following in the way His people did." I enjoy being childless, being single and not submitting to men. I also enjoy eating cheese and meat in the same dish. ;-) And I would be lying if I said that the smell of crackling bacon didn't smell good on a Sunday morning.
I find that embracing the richness of the old Testament, respecting Jesus' jewish foundation, and harmonizing what we know about judaism and christianity is sufficient. God doesn't care about which labels we slap on ourselves down here (messianic jews, christians, etc.). Just follow His laws to the best of your ability, give Him the appreciation He deserves, and spread your peace and joy to others as a living example.
jaysen