Welcome to Following Messiah, a Whole Bible Ministry!
In this article, I would like to lay out the basics of what it means to us to be a “Whole Bible Ministry.” As a ministry, the foundation of all that we do and teach is based on our belief that ALL of the Bible is for all people today, regardless of one’s race, nationality, sex, age, or background (see article: “What is ‘Whole Bible’?”)
ABOUT OUR MINISTRIES:
God has called us to engage in the following ministries and outreaches:
OUR BLOGS. Our primary way of getting information out to people is through our blog here at followingmessiah.org, and through my wife, Karen’s blog, Karen’s Shofar, located at Karensshofar.wordpress.com.
TEACHING MINISTRY. We are also interested in beginning a teaching ministry at conferences, meetings, churches or synagogues. God has told us that we are to share with others the things that He has told us and revealed to us in His word.
PUBLISHING MINISTRY. I am presently working on a book that the Lord wants me to write, and as soon as it is finished, I am hoping to have it available for people to buy and read.
WHAT DO WE TEACH?
THE MESSIAH YESHUA (JESUS). First, and foremost, we teach people about Yeshua (Jesus), that He is God’s Son, who came to teach us about God’s Kingdom, and to die on the cross to deal with the whole sin issue, caused by Adam and Chavah (“Eve”) in the Garden of Eden, to free us from the law of sin and death, to keep His “promise to the fathers,” and to lay the foundation for the redemption and restoration of Israel.
THE TORAH & THE REST OF THE TANAKH. We also teach the various aspects of the Tanakh (“Old Testament”), including the Torah (the first five books of the Bible). For example, we teach the observance of the weekly 7th day Sabbath, the biblical feasts, the dietary laws, etc., because they are all in the Bible, and God has personally told us that we are to teach them to all people, Jew and Gentile (non-Jew alike).
THE NEW COVENANT, INCL. THE BAPTISM OF THE SPIRIT, DIVINE HEALING & THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT. We also teach the New Covenant, including the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, divine healing, and the gifts of the Spirit, for the same reason that we teach the Torah: they are all in the Bible, and God has personally told us that we are to teach them to all people, Jew and Gentile (non-Jew) alike.
OUR UNIQUENESS WITHIN THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
Obviously, then, our ministry is unique among many groups, churches, and denominations. For example,
At one end of the spectrum, there are Pentecostal / Charismatic churches who believe in the New Covenant, particularly the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, healing, and the gifts of the Spirit, but they do not believe that God’s law (and some, the entire Tanakh / “Old Testament”) is for today.
At the other end of the spectrum, there are churches who believe in Jesus as their salvation, but they don’t believe in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, healing or the gifts, nor do they believe that God’s law is for today.
And most churches are somewhere within that spectrum. But it is our heart to do what God Himself has called us to do, which is to represent Him, His Kingdom, His Word, and to teach and do whatever He directs us to teach and to do.
WE TEACH AND PREACH ONE REVELATION – NOT TWO!
As a ministry, therefore, we teach and preach that God’s word is one continuous revelation which He has given to us to teach us about Him, what He is like and what He is not like, about His Kingdom, and His desires and design for us within His Kingdom. But with more and more Christians leaving the much of the Bible behind, we believe a WHOLE BIBLE MOVEMENT is more important than ever before.
As a ministry, we are saddened when we hear Christians say or teach that the Tanakh (aka, “Old Testament”) was given to the Jews and the New Covenant is for everyone, since the Bible itself refutes that claim, and we are also saddened by the beliefs of many that God has a divided people since this also violates the clear teaching of Scripture. In the book of Isaiah, God gives the following prohibition:
Neither let the son of the stranger (Gentile; non-Jew), that has joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD has utterly separated me from his people:…. (Isaiah 56:3).
God prohibits us as Gentile (non-Jewish) believers in Him from saying that He would ever separate us from His people Israel. And yet, isn’t this what many Christians teach – that God has two separate people: Israel and the Church? Why would God prohibit something, and then violate His own prohibition? But not only does God prohibit this, but He even offers a special blessing for Gentiles (non-Jews) who embrace His covenant:
Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants, every one that keeps the sabbath from polluting it, and takes hold of My covenant; even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer:
Their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon Mine altar; for Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. The LORD God which gathers the outcasts of Israel says, Yet will I gather OTHERS to him, beside those that are gathered unto him. (Isaiah 56:6-8)
One must wonder about the logic of offering us this special blessing, if we join ourselves to Him, serve Him, and love Him, and keep the Sabbath and “take hold of [His] covenant,” if He was planning to do away with the Sabbath and His covenant anyway? Instead, Scripture demonstrates that God did not do away with any part of His Word, but instead, Christians have traditionally misinterpreted Paul and his writings, because they have ignored his confession of faith and taken him out of his appropriate contexts.
“WE ARE IN THE TIMES OF THE RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS”
In his second sermon in the book of Acts, Peter tells us that Yeshua (Jesus) would remain in heaven “until the times of the restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21), and we believe, based on God’s Word and the revelations He has given to us that we are in this season before the Lord’s return. God is restoring to all people, the original truth and teachings of His Kingdom; to the Jewish people, He is returning to them the truth and faith to believe in Yeshua (Jesus), their Jewish Messiah; and to the Christians, He is returning their knowledge and practice of His Kingdom ways, the Torah. And God has called us to be a part of this restoration process.
We are excited about what the Lord is doing the future plans He has for us, and we ask for your prayers as we continue to seek Him and His will for our lives and this ministry.
If you have any questions or comments about us or our Whole Bible perspective, please feel free to comment or ask questions about any of our teachings.
followingmessiah.org 