I got an email today from Marc. I think you should read it and, if you can offer some useful advice, answer him on this blog. Here’ what he had to say:
“From the first few pages I read of your introductory “30 Days” series, I knew I had come upon something significant. I am so grateful for your teaching, Skip, and your passionate dedication to God’s Word, its accurate translation and understanding. Your writings have rocked my world.
My predicament, however, is what to do with all this. I now find myself a Hebraic-minded stranger in Christian world. I suppose my plight is not unfamiliar among the community. Now that my wife is onboard, after nearly 3 years of my own study, we’re trying to decide on the direction we go spiritually. We have 2 young children, 11 & 9 – how do we raise them to know God, know Yeshua, love them and Their Word? My 11 year old daughter says, “I don’t want to become Jewish!” LOL, neither do we. Some of our best friends are Jewish, I grew up with many Jewish friends, and its shocking how absent God is in their lives.
You said it recently, Skip. If I shared almost any of the insight and understanding I now have of God’s Word, the importance of Torah, the true teachings of Yeshua and Sh’aul, they’d think me a heretic! They think Fee & Stuart is getting deep – they have no idea… And God bless them, these are people who love Him and are striving to live rightly and obey Him in their lives. But we can’t in good conscience continue to be a part of “that.”
We’ve even gone as far as looking into some of the Messianic Jewish Congregations in the area – there are a few. But I don’t know if I want to wear a kippah and a prayer shawl (not sure the name). That direction doesn’t really look right either, but I’m not sure.
So the dilemma is where to go with all that we now know. Do others have this same struggle? I suppose we are fortunate that there is at least a small core of like-minded believers in Greater Phoenix, mainly because of Roderick. Unfortunately, they’re on the other side of town from us, and most of them are still going to large local Christian churches. Do they feel similarly conflicted?
Our concern is both for ourselves and our children. We all need to be plugged into a community. For now, we’re attending a local Christian church that both we and our kids really like, but I know the teaching is off. Do we go the Messianic route? It is an option”
Marc
NOTE: Marc lives in the Phoenix area, but his dilemma is common. Now you, all over the world, have a chance to help him and his family find the new way.
Thanks
Skip
Marc,
I have one more thing to add that has kept us on track and out of unnecessary controversy for 20 years. Get a copy of the annual Torah reading schedule. There is a tri-annual schedule that takes you much slower and allows time for more in depth study but you need the 30,000 mile high fly over for now to have your outline/overview first to see how it all fits together.
And in fact I recommend as did Rhonda, to just read it with your wife daily over and over without even any in depth study as well as reading it according to the schedule on Shabbat with the kids.
Reading the Torah several times will give you the discernment to know which traditions and teachings are scriptural and edifying and which are going to distract you. Teaching yourself and your family Torah will seem daunting enough for now. That’s why I said in my original post that you are in a season of personal responsibility. You are responsible to feed yourself the truth so that you will be found blameless in what you teach your family. It’s homeschool time!
Sorting through all of the teachings that are out there is a monumental task. You don’t need to trade Church heresy for Messiantic or Jewish heresy.
Also try to learn a little Hebrew. I’ve been trying for 20 years and still know very little but the little I know has helped me think more like a Hebrew when I approach scripture.
My favorite materials of all time are Hebrew word pictures by Frank Seekings. You don’t need to know one stitch of Hewbrew to get the pictures and they will captivate you with the language and keep you encouraged to pursue more.
There are several other folks out there teaching Paleo (ancient) Hebrew word pictures and I applaud them all. But Frank did his research 30 years ago and decided to interpret his pictures from the Hebrew culture only. Everyone else interprets their pictures from the other cultural understandings as well as the Hebrew such as Egyptian etc…… So you will find that their interpretation of the meaning of the letters and words are much broader and more complex than Franks simpler interpretation. You can find his materials at http://livingwordpictures.com/ They are also enormously kid friendly. Passing this on to the next generation is the goal. They will have to carry it forward should our Yeshua tarry.
And last but definitely not least REMEMBER why you are doing this. Passing this on to the next generation is the goal. They will have to carry it forward should our Yeshua tarry.
YHVH has called you. The appropriate response is “Speak YHVH for your servant is listening.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKPUi0BlTYs
Shabbat Shalom
Sorry for the redundancy and typos
Oh my gosh! I just realized that Frank Seekins lives in the Phoenix area!!!!!!
Blessings Marc, This is Michael, We began our exit from the church about 1999 with what I call divine discontentment. We didn’t know what was wrong but we knew something was amiss. This was very different for us because we had dedicated most of our married lives to some kind of a christian ministry.
In 2009 my wife began to hear questions from the Father. “Why do you believe what you believe?” She also heard directives like “Study My feasts” and “Find family”. I have learned to trust her ability to hear so we pitched in together and began to search. What we discovered was so profound we could not ignore it.
Our first act of repentance was to throw out all of our christmas decorations (no small amount).
Soon thereafter we were led to leave the large custom home, which we designed and built with our own hands. We literally walked away. In our attempt to “come out of Babylon”, we felt it was important to get out of the city.
I do not intend to imply that this is a formula for anyone else, only that this was our course of actions.
We are still learning and unlearning. If you don’t want anyone to think you are a heretic, you will loose a great many opportunities to share the truth.
Where do we go? Learn everything you can. Teach your kids everyday. Obey to the best of your ability.
Never allow money or peer pressure to sway you away from obedience to Torah. Expect to return to the promised land very soon. Take as many with you as you can.
Here is a link to a great single source explanation to the question “who is Israel”.
http://119ministries.com/the-lost-sheep?vi=249580
Shalom,
Michael
I haven’t read the other responses so I don’t know if anyone has posted this or not. My husband and I have gone through the exact same experience. Where do you go from now? The answer is simple. Nowhere. Yah is leading into the wilderness for a reason. He wants to teach you to stop leaning upon the arm of flesh (the doctrines and traditions of men) and to start trusting solely in Him (obedience to His Torah) and that takes time. So just stay where you are until Yehovah leads you to where HE wants you to go and you will NEVER be led astray.
Marc,
The beauty of Adonai’s Torah (instruction) is that so much of it is simply stated and without a lot of specific “how to’s”. It’s kind of like the old Nike theme “Just Do It”. You don’t have to be Jewish, although many Jewish traditions are very beautiful and enlightening. A congregation that requires you to wear a kippah or tallit (prayer shawl) is doing damage to the Torah. However, if you study the origins of those traditions and decide to follow them because of what you understand them to mean, that’s great! But you don’t have to. Your children don’t have to be “jewish”. We don’t do what is right in our own eyes, but we obey with the knowledge and insight Adonai gives each one of us, and we are not to judge how others observe the Torah and neither are they to judge us on how we observe it. It really can’t be said any better than this:
Deu 29:29 “The secret matters belong to יהוה our Elohim, but what is revealed belongs to us and to our children forever, to do all the Words of this Torah.
Marc and family, this is one of the most exciting things that could ever happen to you!! I trust you are feeling it through the messages here. I cannot speak for anyone else, but I must say, I have been so encouraged by all these responses.
May YHWH shine His Face on each one (and the others who have not responded). His is the breath, the current that flows with life, constantly moving us to still water. Only those who, trusting completely in Him through His Spirit, and wade out in the deeper water can flow with it. Praises unto our great King and shalom to all in the river of life!