What Defines Us

 It was for this reason I asked my father to do a teaching on our identity. I felt like the major Messianic organizations like the MJAA and the UMJC had black listed us (which they had). The mainstream Christians thought we were nuts at best, and heretics at worst. And plenty of people who came into our congregation left us and the Torah to live a “normal” Christian life in the Church down the road. My dad listened to my request and produced two teachings on identity. One called Identity and One Law, the other titled Knowing Our Identity in Messiah. Despite these wonderful teachings, I have had my own identity crisis in life. The Holy One has brought me to a very solid understanding of who I am in Him. 

 Some are still not sure about their identity. I know what it's like to wonder exactly who we are and what exactly the Lord is doing with us. Some may believe I am talking about specific instances that have taken place in the last few months, but the truth is, I am faced with a wide range of identity issues on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. This is not all bad. Last week I was blessed to get a call from a man in my area who had come to Torah through watching The Chosen. He told me he realized Yeshua was Jewish and wanted to know more about it. As he studied the Bible, he came to the understanding that the Torah was how Yeshua lived, and thus, we as covenant members should as well. He was looking for someone in the area who believed the same. We met for coffee and it was a blessing to see how this wonderful believer loved God and just wanted to do what the Lord wants. 

 But there is another side to this as well. I know several teachers and leaders that are burnt out. They are not sure how to navigate the fluctuation of community, or how to view the wider Torah movement. This exact question was brought up last week in my 1 Corinthians Bible study. Paul talks a great deal about how the ekklesia should be united, how we are one body, and how we should all agree. How in the world should we bring Paul’s charge into our modern time with thousands of Christian denominations? How should we view Paul’s charge within the Torah movement itself? The common joke is, two people, three opinions, four synagogues. What would Paul say?!? 

 I don’t think I am an authority on this matter. I know the wider Messianic movement has labeled myself and my family “Hebrew Roots” and the Hebrew Rooters see us as highly critical rabbinic followers. But I want to give my conclusion after being in the Torah movement for 39 years. 

 If we allow a movement to define us, we will never find what we are searching for. The reason I follow Yeshua is because I have met my Savior and I have given my life to Him. I don’t follow Torah because a movement requires it of me, or because I have a good amount of friends who observe. Many people understand the Torah movement can be a very lonely path. My family has been without a Torah observant community for over three years, and we still don’t know where the Lord is leading us. Community is extremely important, but sometimes the Lord has us in a holding pattern for one reason or another. Over the past 3 years my family has been regular attendees of two Christian Churches and visited more than 20 others. We have attempted to start a Torah observant community and have looked for others who are Torah observant, but the Lord has not given us what we are looking for… yet. 

 The point here is we do not keep Torah because of our congregation. We do not keep Torah because of our friends. Even if I am the only person left on earth, I will follow what the Holy One has said to do because I am defined by Him. My identity is found in Yeshua. I keep a kosher diet because the Bible says to. I celebrate the biblical festivals because the Bible tells me to and because they are a constant reminder of what the Lord has done for me. It does not matter if the Torah movement dies tomorrow, or if I am the only Torah observant person I can find. I don’t follow Torah for the people around me. I follow Torah because I believe Yeshua wants me to and that is the ONLY thing that matters. 

 But wait, there’s more. The Torah is not something I have to do. The Torah is a blessing and the mark that God loves me. It is my inheritance as a covenant member. It is my birthright as a descendant of Abraham (that is the case if you are Jewish by blood or not). The Torah is a gift from the Almighty to me. I am honored, blessed, and humbled the Lord would love me enough to give me the gift of His Torah. It is for this reason my family has had such a difficult time feeling at home within a mainstream Christian Church.Those who come to Torah and decide to go back to the mainstream Church have every right to do so. People can tell me all they want the Torah doesn’t need to be followed, but I am a covenant member through my Lord Yeshua; I will act accordingly.