Churchgoers Redefine Worship with Faith in Action

cyberlizard »

Tue Oct 13, 2009 1:39 am Agree: 2   Disagree: 1

the problem with the 'do not forsake to meet together' mentality is the context of the verse. It's nothing to do with getting together on a sunday morning, only continuing to meet for the high holy days of judaism even after being kicked out of the synagogue/temple system.

IMHO, church is people, we are not bricks!

Ecumenical Christians Look Forward to Shared Easter Dates

cyberlizard »

Tue Jun 02, 2009 1:04 pm Agree: 2   Disagree: 3

i think i will stick to celebrating pentecost on the same days the jews do... no need to avoid calendar confusion that way...

the biblical feast days have set times, hence them being appointed times... We know when passover falls, on the 14th of the month, hence we know when unleavened bread and pentecost is... church history sucks.

i say get back to scripture as our God...

Anti-Semitism Group Presses WEA to Withdraw Call for Jewish Evangelism

cyberlizard »

Fri Sep 12, 2008 1:36 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

as a christian, i believe christianity is incomplete (at this time), all the way until the age to come it will remain incomplete...

roll on Romans 11.

Evangelical Scholars Issue Statement on Jewish Evangelism

cyberlizard »

Sun Aug 31, 2008 4:09 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

it is great the gospel is going out to the jewish people, but I for one a not a fan of the Torah is done away with mentality (and neither are orthodox Jews). It is time to interpret Jesus once again as a Jewish rabbi, and Paul as a Torah observant believer. When we can do that (which may require re-visiting so ingrained doctrines of the last 500 years) maybe then we'll get somewhere.


Steve

faith without works is dead. Welcome to the royal Torah!

Non-Believers Take On Challenge in 'Make Me a Christian'

cyberlizard »

Tue Aug 05, 2008 5:48 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

not sure about the first recipes, but so long as they can make quiche fit for a wedding banquet I am sure they will be accepted.

really though, it will be interesting getting them to acknowledge they are sinners in need of saving....

Theology Professor Leaving Traditionalist Seminary Over Bible Claims

cyberlizard »

Fri Aug 01, 2008 1:22 am Agree: 9   Disagree: 3

good of him to stick to his guns.... if we do not acknowledge the human elements of the scriptures we may as well just deify the texts and have done with it!

if we really believed the bible to be the word of God (and i mean REALLY), the face of christianity would be hugely different!

Pro-Israel Sentiments Help Jews Dispel Stereotypes Among Latino Pentecostals

cyberlizard »

Fri Aug 01, 2008 1:19 am Agree: 3   Disagree: 0

what a re-assuring post - shame we do not see more like this one.

Israel's Messianic Jews Draw Ire of Orthodox Jews

cyberlizard »

Wed Jun 11, 2008 4:14 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 1

there are a couple of things that bother me... firstly is the frum's assertion that they (the messianics) have come to lead them away from Torah. This may be true of some, but mostly it is the halakhah of the orthodox most have problems with.

Secondly, for far too long, people have read jesus as being the one who overthrew Torah and yet nothing could be further from the truth.

The ultimate irony is that after the recent history of the jewish people, they should be grateful for any friends they have (messianic or otherwise). Maybe the frum should be working harder to bring messianics into line with orthodox halakhah rather than demanding they give up their faith (the best of both worlds).

Israeli Orthodox Jewish Center Begins Dialogue with Christians

cyberlizard »

Thu May 29, 2008 6:05 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

what be absolutely super was that if the kind of christians who were to visit and debate were well versed in the siddurim, mishnah, talmud, etc and could readily explain how things like the aramaic targums have a direct bearing on a christian understanding of how God could manifest himself in a human body.

Regardless though, I am looking forward to the deay when Isra'el permits non-jewish christian believers to take up permanent residency in jerusalem.

So... may Hashem bless the Nation of Isra'el, and may they find their feet and return to the True Torah without the trappings.
Magnified and set apart be His Gret Name in the world which He created according to His will. May He establish His kingdom in their lives, during their days and during the days of the whole house of Israel. Let His name be blessed forever and to all eternity.....May He who makes peace in the high places make peace upon us and all of Israel.... and we say Amein

Jewish Deputy Mayor Apologizes for New Testament Burning

cyberlizard »

Fri May 23, 2008 11:17 am Agree: 4   Disagree: 0

However, the Or Yehuda deputy mayor also declared that Israel cannot allow messianic Jews to “come into our homes and incite against our religion, and turn our children away from Judaism. That is against the law.” (from the above)

i find it quite difficult. I am a gentile, i believe jesus is the Messiah, i observe Torah as far as my gentile status allows. Tonight my family will observe shabbat, and in a few weeks Shavuot. We do not eat treif foods. In some respects we observe Torah better than some who would call themselves Jews.

It would be great if those who call themselves messianic jews, observed Torah with such vigour that even the frum felt ashamed when standing next to them.

Truthfully though, it is difficult to get past what is meant by 'turning children against judaism'. I would hope messianics would be a light to the nations. But I suspect what they mean by judaism is the rabbinic rulings of who a jew is rather than simply what Tanakh says. I would also hope that the their defintion of 'the law' is Torah, rather than the endless interpretations of mishnah and gemara.

What passes for judaism today is mostly the writing of the second moses (ramban(). I suspect if the first Moses were to arrive back on earth today, he would not recognise the religion his faith gave birth too.

May G-d bless the remnant and their Messiah. Baruch ha'ba b'shem HaShem.

Orthodox Jewish Youths Burn New Testaments in Israel

cyberlizard »

Wed May 21, 2008 1:41 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

what's more, I do not expect a Jew to convert to a different faith, I expect them to live by faith, call on the L-rd in repentance and come to understand that their Messiah has been once and will return a second time.

truth is though, they appear to place more faith in the second Moses (ramban) than in the first, and his writings seem more important than Tanakh.

Orthodox Jewish Youths Burn New Testaments in Israel

cyberlizard »

Wed May 21, 2008 1:38 am Agree: 1   Disagree: 10

burning the new testament is OK - after all, the early church got by for years without one.

Everything we need is actually in the Tanakh. When we as 'christians' can quote so well from the first 2/3s of our bible it will not make that big a difference. (please i am not saying the last 1/3 is unimportant, it is just that we use it to support our position).

May G-d bless the youth of Israel, may he keep them, lift up His countenance on them, and give them a sadly needed Shalom.

'Lost' Christians Greatest Crisis in American Church, says Author

cyberlizard »

Sat May 10, 2008 1:03 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 3

i think one of the major difficulties arises due to the church focusing on salvation as a means to an end... i.e. we get saved so we can go to heaven.

it would be better if the church preached the parable of the builder more often, asking those who wish to adopt a life of discipleship to weigh up the cost beforehand. After all, the message of jesus was repentance and discipleship. somewhere it became get saved and go to heaven, which has little really to do with the new testament gospel of the good news.

When the church begins to address the fact that people have to live everday, and the gospel is for today not just the afterlife, things will turn around.

Rob Bell's church sort of begins to graps this thorn, by discussing everyday issues such as sex in its regular meetings. Sex is a major part of human experience, but because christianity is so obsessed with the hereafter rather than holiness (in its proper sense) in this life, the issues which really affect people are brushed under the carpet, in favour of 'worshipping god'. When the church recognises the fact that life is not meant to be broken down into secular and religious boxes things might begin to change.

Steve

faith is a lifestyle of actions, not a state of being. I do not have faith, I exercise it. mental assent does not cut it. Live the Life

Evangelical Leaders: Jews Need Jesus Christ

cyberlizard »

Tue Apr 01, 2008 3:08 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 3

why would jews want to become 'christians'?

Torah teaches, if a prophet/miracle worker does not tell people to keep the commands then they are false, sent by G-d to test them.

Nowadays, the evangelical church teaches the eternally given weekly sabbath has stopped, it (mostly Paul) appears to teach that circumcision is no longer required, jesus is generally interpretated to be saying that Jews can eat Pork (or other unclean animals), and worst of all, it is expected that Jews ditch their festivals for idolatrous pagan ones like Christmas and Easter.

If Christians insist on teaching things contrary to Torah, the it is no wonder so few Jews accept Jesus as Messiah - the church has shot itself in the foot, and is so devoid of her Hebrew roots that she thinks that she is the root and not Israel.

It is faith that saves.... faith that God can deliver and raise from the dead... the message jesus taught was repent, somewhere it became 'invite jesus into your heart.

I say it is time to get back to the message Jesus taught..... repent! Do teshuvah!!! Immerse yourselves and be clean.

Tutu Slams Sexuality 'Obsessed' Church

cyberlizard »

Sun Nov 18, 2007 11:24 am Agree: 2   Disagree: 1

it is nice to know that there exists within the establishment of the church of england an intelligent voice that focuses on the needs of people, and a desire to please God.

We should remember well that with God, when it comes to passing judgement, God will not discriminate between the reeeaaaalllly bad sins, and the 'little' sins. God rules with justice, and to Him, sin is sin. It is black and white.

For those who berate his comments, consider this - ever deliberately sinned in any way shape or form.... according to the old testament, atonement only covered unintentional sins. In the new testament, Hebrews says if you keep on sinning no sacrifice remains, just the cold dark reality of judgement.

Now homosexuality may not be appropriate for church leaders (and i do not think it is), but the church is not just there to decry sinful lives, it is also there to be a light to the nations.

So let your light shine!