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Visiting Churches

Church #71: A Messianic Jewish Congregation

Before 52 Churches, we visited a Messianic Jewish congregation: Jews who believe in Jesus as their Jewish savior, mixing Hebrew tradition with Christian faith.

Recalling our time with this first Messianic Jewish congregation, I add another one to my list.

Consider these three discussion questions about Church 71.

1. Meeting Saturday evenings, the service at this first church involved time for worship and teaching. They concluded with a potluck, sharing food with a Jewish flair.

Besides a shared meal, how else can we foster spiritual community?

2. With some parts of the service in Hebrew, worshiping God in another tongue brought a freshness to me. Their unfamiliar traditions strangely energized me.

How can we keep our relationship with God fresh and invigorating?

3. Their worship space was in the basement of a Protestant church. This was ideal, since neither group used the facility at the same time.

In what creative ways can we find worship space for ourselves or provide it to others?

[Read about Church 71 or start at the beginning of our journey.]

Get your copy of More Than 52 Churches today, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Bible Insights

Are You a Member of the Body of Christ?

Discover What the Bible Says about Being a Member

The word member appears throughout the Bible showing up eighteen times in the Old Testament and nineteen times in the New.

A common convention in studying the Bible is to let earlier uses of a word inform our understanding of later occurrences.

Here is how the word member (usually it’s plural, as in members) is used in the Bible.

These occurrences—especially the initial ones—are in reference to being a member through birth, such as being borne into a family, clan, or nation (20 times).

In other instances it’s a choice to join a religious faction or political movement (9 times).

A Member of Jesus’s One Body

The final use is being a member of the body, such as the body, one body, or Christ’s body (eight times in seven passages).

Paul writes that in Jesus we are one body in Christ with the members belonging to each other (Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 6:15, and Colossians 3:15).

The final four occurrences all show up in the book of Ephesians, where Paul addresses this idea of being members of one body.

He says we’re fellow citizens with all God’s people and members of his household (Ephesians 2:19).

Through the good news of Jesus, both Gentiles and Jews are members of one body (Ephesians 3:6).

We are members of one body (Ephesians 4:25) and are all members of Jesus’s body (Ephesians 5:29-30).

These verses about being members of one body—Jesus’s body—all refer to the universal, global church.

Biblical Membership

How do we become members of the one body of Christ?

Just as people in the Bible were a member of a family, clan, or Jewish community (nation) through birth when they were born, we become members of Jesus’s family when we become born-again.

Our rebirth through Jesus automatically joins us as members of one body with him.

Though many churches carry the idea of membership, either directly or indirectly, the Bible doesn’t tell us to become a member of a local church or denomination.

Instead, we become a member of Jesus’s church as soon as we follow him.

Read more about this in Peter’s thought-provoking book, Jesus’s Broken Church, available in e-book, audiobook, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Categories
Christian Living

The Bible Isn’t a Christian Book

The Bible is a Book About Jews and Their Relationship to God

The Bible isn’t really a Christian book. It’s more so a Jewish book.

Without question the Old Testament of the Bible is Jewish. It’s about Jews, and it’s for Jews. It looks at their faith journey as a people, records their history, and provides the foundation for their beliefs.

However, the Old Testament also looks forward to a savior. That savior is Jesus.

Many people call his followers Christians. And many use the label Christianity to describe the faith practice that these believers developed.

The New Testament talks about Jesus and the movement his followers started, but it’s still more of a Jewish book then a Christian book. It’s about Jews, and it’s for Jews.

Fortunately for us non-Jews, it’s also for Gentiles. Except for Luke, all the writers of the New Testament are Jewish.

Remember, Jesus is Jewish. Let that sink in. The New Testament has a Jewish basis, even though it shows how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies to create something new.

A Christian Book Too

Yes, Christians—followers of Jesus—do revere the Bible, as we should. And for most of us that makes it a Christian book, the ultimate Christian book of all time.

However, we must not lose sight of the fact that, at its core, the Bible’s foundation is Jewish.

Because of this I have a great affinity for devout Jews. In the spiritual sense, their history is my history. And their hope is my hope. It’s only that I see my hope manifested in the reality of Jesus.

I love the Bible for it is the foundation of my faith. I love the people in the Bible—who are mostly Jewish—for they are the predecessors of my spiritual practices.

The Bible is my faith foundation, even though it’s essentially a Jewish book.

Read and study the Bible for what it is, not for what you want it to be.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

Categories
Christian Living

Accidental or Intentional Christianity?

A guy who ponders deep theological thoughts recently shared two concepts with me: intentional Protestantism and accidental Protestantism.

Both relate to the Reformation of the Christian church, some five hundred years ago. What about accidental Christianity or intentional Christianity?

Back then, a group of people saw problems in the church and broke from it, forming something new; they became Protestant by intention.

The other group desired to foment change from within the church, but when that didn’t happen, they became Protestant by accident. (Later the Catholic Church did indeed make most of these needed changes, but it took a few more years.)

What if there was no intentional effort to break away? What if the other group had been successful at reforming the church from within? Then, today Christianity would look much different and we would be more unified, just as Jesus wanted.

Now, take this concept back two thousand years. For a time, the early followers of Jesus existed within the Jewish church of the day.

They were emerging as a sect of Judaism, potentially a third element, along with the Pharisees and Sadducees (two groups who didn’t agree on much but found a way to mostly coexist anyway).

Some of Jesus’ first followers wanted to remain within the Jewish culture but became accidental Christians, while others were intentional Christians.

What if Christianity didn’t form that way? What if Jesus’ followers found a way to coexist within Judaism? The thought intrigues me. I already feel an affinity for our Jewish forebears, and this would connect us even more.

We all do serve the same God, so would it really matter? Of course, this is all hypothetical, but I think God would be okay with it.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

Categories
Christian Living

Adopting a Jewish Affinity

I was recently on LinkedIn and a familiar name from long ago popped up as someone I might know. At least it was a most familiar name, for in this instance my friend’s name was preceded with the word Rabbi. I was intrigued.

I knew him through work and hadn’t seen him in twenty years. I also knew him to be Jewish, but perceived him to a marginal one, perhaps even irreverently so.

Could it be the same person? I was becoming excited. Given my recollection from two decades past, the profile picture looked right. And his work history confirmed it was the same person.

But now he is a Rabbi! I scanned his summary, noting that he is self-described as “a wandering Jew.”

I can so appreciate that, wandering, searching, on a journey—a godly journey. I felt a real connection with him, an affinity, a faith affinity.

We do worship and serve the same God, albeit from a different perspective, approach, and outlook. And we are both on a faith journey.

For a long time, I’ve felt a deep faith affinity towards the Jewish people—and have wondered why God placed such a connection in my heart.

Then I suddenly realized why. I read and study about Jews every day in my Bible. Most all those who I connect within the Bible are Jews. So, it should be no surprise I feel a deep connection with those who diligently follow in their footsteps.

I have a deep affinity with Jews because they are the main characters in the book I love and read the most.

Read more in How Big is Your Tent? A Call for Christian Unity, Tolerance, and Love and discover what the Bible says about following Jesus. Available in e-book and paperback.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Categories
Bible Insights

Jesus was Jewish

That statement catches many Christians (that is, followers of Jesus) off guard. It is easy to label Jesus, since he is the impetus for Christianity, as a Christian, even though his time spent on earth was as a Jew.

Indeed, he was born a Jew, into a Jewish culture, and had a clear Jewish lineage.  He was raised and educated in Jewish beliefs and traditions.

His ministry was primarily to Jewish people (though he certainly ministered to non-Jews and made it clear that his message was for all people, his focus was the Jews). Plus, most of his disciples were Jews, as presumably were most of his followers.

In fact, initially Christianity was viewed as a sect of Judaism.

Yes, Jesus was Jewish.

As such, there is much that his followers owe to and can learn from Jewish traditions and beliefs. This is one important reason to study the Old Testament and to embrace our common ground with our Jewish bothers and sisters.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Acts 26-28 and today’s post is on Acts 28:22.]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.