Hello friends,
We’ve had several friends lately ask about our faith and we’re in the early stages of conversations with them. I remember when we first “discovered Torah” that it was like drinking water from a fire hydrant – it was overwhelming at times! I don’t want to overwhelm our friends. 
But I do want to try to ensure that our library contains materials that are helpful that I could loan to our friends. So I’m asking for your input.
What resources (Scripture references, books, teachings, etc) were most helpful to you when you first discovered that there is a Hebrew Root to the Christian faith? What was it that lead you to understand that this Hebrew Root is worth investigating? What resources did you find most helpful in instructing you regarding this?
The same questions for the Torah – what resources were most helpful as you evaluated the validity of the Torah? First of all, you had to learn what the Torah was – what was helpful with that?
Conversations we can have. But I want to be able to loan materials to people so they can evaluate Torah on their own. I’m not interested in telling someone that they have to conform to our standards or convictions, I want them to evaluate things on their own. I just want to provide them materials to read/listen to/watch that will provoke some thought and encourage them to dig and study more. The last thing I want is for them to say “Well, Wes and Lisa believe this and it sounds right so we’ll just follow them.” As if…
Thanks for any input.
Hello again.
“What resources (Scripture references, books, teachings, etc) were most helpful to you when you first discovered that there is a Hebrew Root to the Christian faith? …What resources were most helpful as you evaluated the validity of the Torah?”
You know, my eyes were first opened to everything through a study that our city had (all the evangelical churches were invited to this) called A Bird’s Eye View of the Bible, and it’s taken from Edith Schaeffer’s book, Christianity is Jewish. I was amazed by everything I heard in that study and since it was repeated again the following year I did it again and got even more from it. I also bought the book, which I read before the first study was even half-way through.
Since then, I have been searching everywhere online that I could, not having any other knowledge of other resources.
Oops. For the second question about the validity of the Torah, as I kept searching for information online and reading the Scriptures, I happened across blogs and other informational websites that helped me to better understand how most churches teach us to view scriptures through a lens and mentally have blocked out certain aspects of it. I don’t pretend to know everything about it because I’m still learning (so much!) but once you remove that lens, Scripture is more personal, more alive and you’re making yourself more available to the transformational power of the Holy Spirit. IMHO.
As far as resources, well I was able to take a lot of beginner steps into this spiritual journey through the Jews for Jesus website. After I had read through much of the material though, I was left with the thought: well that’s nice for Jews, but how does this apply to me? And when I asked I was told everything was optional for gentiles and I just couldn’t buy it. I couldn’t buy it because I felt too personal a connection with what I read and learned. They were saying it’s okay for Jews to practice their “culture” while being Christian, but my question was should I as a gentile be doing what is biblical but somehow only considered culture for Jews? Is it more than just optional? And so I searched the web for more info. I haven’t really read any other books about this topic aside from the ones I’ve bought from First Fruits of Zion. Most of my search has been internet-based.
Where would I be without Google?!
We were JUST discussing this yesterday. It came about because Gary’s niece is getting married next year in September, and her mother realized the date was Rosh Hashanah. She called to see if we would be coming since she ‘didn’t know how far we were taking this, or if we were becoming completely Jewish’. So, yeah, totally understand your frustration on that. We agreed that Messianic doesn’t quite fit, because there are some things within the fringes of that heading that we do not adhere to (the very first thing coming to my mind was that discussion last year that had me so upset, about whether Christians are really grafted in since they are not required to keep Torah while Jews are. We’re supposed to be one!). We also don’t fit under the heading of Baptist (and never did) because of the tendency toward man-made rules, just like Catholics (no alcohol, no music, rebaptism before becoming a member, etc.- things that are nowhere in scripture). We really didn’t know any ‘religious’ term that could identify us truly and honestly. I finally said the best term for us would be Bible Literalists. And that is what sets us apart- we take the Bible literally. Where it says forever, we believe it. Where it says covered, we believe it. Where it says Chosen People, we believe it.
The discovery was a very long process for me, beginning with a questioning in my own heart about is G-d the G-d who does not change, as He said, or does He change, since the whole Old Testament is supposedly obsolete? Those questions were mercifully met by things popping up along the way- Chosen People Ministries, Road to Jerusalem, and a wonderful lady who was a Believing Jew (I also thought up to that point that once you believed in Christ, the Jews no longer accepted you). I stumbled across a lot of great info because I was studying prophecy, and you cannot study prophecy without the Israelites popping up on a daily basis. So one book that I would recommend would be Epicenter by Joel Rosenberg. When you realize where the future is pointing, it cannot be true that the Church replaced the Jews, which leads to the study of church history and how we got it all wrong. That can be found at Restoration Ministries.
Some books that were great, even if I didn’t agree with them completely, were Betryaed by Stan Techlin and Messianic Judaism is not Christianity by the same author. He did help me by pointing out what I was struggling with- the man-made traditions in some Messianic congregations.
Scripturally, it was like I had been reading a bible missing pages all my life. Some that smacked me right in the face (and I did not know how to answer with my flawed replacement theology) were:
Acts 18:18, Acts 21-17-26 (specifically 24), Romans 11, Matthew 5:17-20, and Romans 2:13
I was then blessed to find some really great blogs of women who were travelling that road ahead of me, and I not only got great links from them, but also great personal experiences. My most helpful blog links would be
Following the Ancient Paths
Seeking the Old Paths
Sojourner in a Strange Land
Dawn Escapes
Anna Matrix
Lastly, I find that asking people if they have ever read through the whole Bible is a great tool to understanding where they are coming from. If they have and they are wrestling with where that line is that separates being lawless from having faith in the law to save you, it goes in an entirely different direction than if someone has never read the Bible and they are just arguing based on what they have been told. It does irk me a little when people who have NEVER read through the Bible criticize anything biblical- HOW DO THEY KNOW WHAT THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT?
I got so much out of the teachings at eliyah.com. He doesn’t seem to have the chip on his shoulders that some of the hebrew roots people do.
There is a book called Christianity, New Religion or Sect of Biblical Judaism by Robert and Remy Koch that helped me understand many things. I think it is currently out of print, but if you could find a copy for your library, you might find it a valuable addition.
A lot of people really like Brad Scott. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read by him. Good, clear writing style.
Blessings to you, Lisa, and may Yahweh multiply your every effort in helping people understand the Scriptures.
Beth
Dwight Pryor…especially “Behold the Man” series. “Restoration” by D.T. Lancaster is a great place to start concerning Torah validity. Also, I’m not sure how this will help for this particular situation, but the initial provocation that led me to the understanding I have today concerning these things was actually recognizing what it means that God’s word is inspired. We can draw connections from prophetic and historical stories such as the sacrifice of Isaac, but being shown how deep the inspiration actually goes blew my mind. Perhaps this could be something to consider while chatting sometime.
Shalom in Messiah.
This does not answer your question, but I would like to add that I have not found (thus far
any reference in the “New” testatment that does not have some direct correlative scripture or related foundational principle from the “Old.” I know it doesn’t work in the world of law, but the word “confirms itself,” if you know what I mean. So , I like that bit about “have you read the Bible?”
I have a pretty neat book, “Messianic Insights into the Hebrew Alphabet,” by Grant Luton. It basically shows, with many Jewish references, how the Hebrew Alphabet reveals the Gospel and Plan of Salvation. I love it because it speaks to my love of learning and belief that everything has a purpose. Plus I love Hebrew. I have given it to one person before, but got no feedback.
Whatever you give or suggest, remind your readers of the issue of the heart. It seems that is what He came for; let NEVER FORGET!
I would agree with a couple of previous commentors.
“Christianity, New Religion or Sect of Biblical Judaism” by Robert and Remy Koch is a wonderful book, easily understood, much like “Our Father Abraham” by Marvin Wilson, but easier to understand.
“Restoration” by D.T. Lancaster is the book that really helped my husband to understand things Hebraically.
Brad Scott’s section on Greek vs. Hebrew mindset is good.
We always have to remember that this is a Spirit led issue and not something that we can convince people of.
I forgot, Rick Spurlock at http://www.bereansonline.com is tremendously helpful.
First, let me thank you for sharing your journey so freely with others! YHWH has had me on this journey for about a year and I have learned so much as I visit your blog often.
The book that the Spirit used to open my eyes is:
A Complete Guide to Celebrating Our Messiah in the Festivals
It was sent to me to review for my newsletter, and as I turned the pages it seemed like the scales fell off my eyes.
I keep saying I’m going to blog about our journey, but have yet to do so.
There have been so many changes in my world view in the past year. What an adjustment my dh and teen boys have had! We are all learning together and taking things step-by-step. Not long after I “discovered” the Hebrew roots of my faith and Torah, YHWH led me to wear a headcovering. My husband was in total agreement. When he explained things to the boys, my oldest said, “Great, now she’s not Jewish, she’s Amish too!”
Their only exposure to women wearing headcoverings was when we traveled to exhibit and speak at homeschool conventions and they chatted with the folks from Rod and Staff publishers. We all had a good laugh at that one!
We are celebrating the Feasts this year and got the Sukkah up this afternoon. What a blessing!
I think it is great that you want to have some resources on hand to loan to others. I have to constantly remind myself that the Spirit will have to lead each person, as He so gently has led me. But, when others are curious, I too want to have an answer and perhaps a book or two that Abba might use to draw them closer to Himself.
Thank you everyone for sharing your stories and your favorite resources. I hope that this will not only prove helpful to me but to all who stumble upon this entry.
Blessings to each of you ~
Lisa
At the beginning of our journey we were given two little booklets written by Zola Levitt called “The seven feasts of Israel” and “The Passover”. Although we don’t agree with all of what he says, it really opened our eyes and gave us a hunger to learn more about the Hebrew roots of Christianity. Another great resource to question the way we think is “Assumptions that Affect our Lives” by Christian Overman.