FFOZ Blogs : On the Front Lines

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On the Front Lines

By Boaz Michael | Comments (0) | Posted on November 21, 2005

We are well into the Hebrew year of 5766 by now and close to the turn of the new Gregorian year 2006. Looking back at this last year, I spent an unprecedented amount of time on the road, seeing the Torah movement firsthand, spending hours in conversations with community leaders and Torah-practicing believers around the country. It was very encouraging to see how families and communities are blossoming. The Messiah's name is being lifted up, and the Torah is being lived out. But based on my experiences on the road, all of the people I've met, the conversations I've had and all of the letters we've received at FFOZ, it seems that three major obstacles lie in the path ahead. As I look at the coming year, I see three new challenges rising up to impede the progress of our families and communities.

Several prominent Hebrew Roots teachers have begun to question the inerrancy of the Apostolic Scriptures. One teacher claims the Greek manuscripts are corrupt and unreliable. Another teacher publicly declared an entire book of the Bible to be errant. At FFOZ, we will stand fast against this assault against God's Word. You can look to us to defend the inerrancy of the Bible.
Torah-keeping believers are increasingly influenced by anti-traditionalists who completely reject all of the ancient traditions of Judaism and customary expressions of Torah handed on to us from previous generations and practiced by Yeshua and His early followers. At FFOZ, we will continue to promote careful, respectful consideration of traditional Torah expression, and warn our readers against falling into a new anti-Semitism, which is only thinly disguised as anti-Judaism.
On the other extreme, a large segment of the Messianic movement has introduced a ritual conversion to Judaism which includes mandatory circumcision. From their perspective, unless a Gentile has undergone this conversion, he or she should not be practicing Torah, keeping the Sabbath or participating in a Messianic congregation. This is the very issue Paul rallied against in his epistles. At FFOZ, we will continue to carry Paul's fight for full Gentile inclusion in the commonwealth of Israel through faith in Messiah alone.

For years we have tried to avoid getting involved in the theological skirmishes within the Hebrew Roots movement. It would be too easy to get pulled in all sorts of directions, to be so busy reacting against errant teachings that we never have time to teach the weighty matters. Lately, however, the issues seem to be more and more serious. We won't be silent. Our goal is to address these areas as graciously and humbly as possible, using the written Word of God as the benchmark from which we bring correction.

If these issues arise in your communities, check the facts, research the Scriptures, and seek out the other side of the story. Be slow and cautious to accept new teachings that would have you alter the traditional calendar; tear out books from your Bible; or change your ethnicity. Be prepared to be steadfast and vigilant. Don't let strange teachings that contradict His Apostles or diminish His ancient people creep into your communities. And don't be discouraged when they do. Keep focused on the weightier matters of Torah (Matt 23:23)—caring for the poor, the hungry, the needy and the disenfranchised. Keep your eyes fixed on Messiah, and together, we will meet the challenges ahead.

About the Author: Boaz Michael is the president and founder of First Fruits of Zion.

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