About the Fellowship

We are excited to announce the start up of a rather 'special' assembly in Milton Keynes. If you are interested in finding out how a deeper understanding of your Hebraic heritage deepens your Christian life and are in our area, why not fill out the brief contacts form now and we will contact you by e-mail!

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Background

Just what on earth is going on? It seems apparent that there is a strange stirring going on in the hearts and minds of many Christians around the world to seek out and to learn all about the Hebrew roots of the Christian faith! There seems to be such a stirring in the hearts and minds of so many believers around the world to seek out and to learn more about the roots of the early Christian faith!

Did you know that the word 'Israel' is mentioned in the scriptures 2301 times; the word 'Christian' is only mentioned twice. After 'God' and 'Lord', Israel is the most mentioned word in the bible!

Have you perhaps heard it said that there are no unfulfilled prophecies that would cause Jesus to tarry and not return to earth very soon? Well, although we do maintain that Jesus the Messiah will return soon we come from a different perspective. We see that there are some major prophecies that impact the time of His return that have not yet been fulfilled. These prophecies have to do with both the land and the people of Israel - what we have long understood as being 'the Church' never was a subject of prophecy.

Did you know that an Apostasy ( a falling away from the faith) as well as a final restoration in the end times was first prophesied by Moses? Its his prophesy that directly affects the land and people of Israel and is in the context of the return of Messiah, the Hope and Consolation of Israel. As prophesy, it's fulfillment precedes (without in any way detracting from) the Great Tribulation or as it is also known,anxiety and distress of the nations as was prophesied by Jesus, the Messiah which many believe is in turn preceeded by the rapture. Furthermore, these unfulfilled prophecies must be fulfilled in the lifetime of those who are in the final generation before Yeshua's return to earth, who uniquely have wittnessed Adonai's own sign of the fig tree i.e. the miraculous restoration of Israel that occured in 1948.

What we had not fully appreciated is that there are 2 sides to the vital subject of restoration:

- Israel's necessary and prior restoration as a State which came about in 1948 as the trigger for Israeli's returning from centuries of exile amoung the nations;
- In 1948 there came a simultaneous restoration of the Torah as indicated by the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. This has heralded a return of the true Gospel message which has also been in exile for 1,700 years after the detruction of the temple in 70 A.D. This modern return to the original Gospel mesage was prophesied by Moses in the Torah and has since 1969 seen the worldwide rise of Messianic Congregations. It has also impacted the Christian church who have slowly been becoming softened to Israel and has sparked this strange desire to discover more and more about the Hebrew Roots of the early Christian faith.

Here in Milton Keynes, we have come to believe that Adonai is doing a work of restoration of many things that have been lost to us Christians over the centuries of human traditions and the doctrines of men. We believe that there is now a restoration movement underway whereby believers are fulfilling Isaiah 51:1-15 and are looking back beyond the Protestant Reformation; back to and then beyond the Book of Acts - right back to to Abraham, the father of our Jeudo-Christian faith.

This profound interest in our Roots is both a continuation and a progresion of what the scriptures refer to as times of restoration - which we can trace back to the Reformation of 1517 when Protestant believers under Martin Luther finally said 'enough is enough' and broke away from the Papacy. However, Abraham, father of faith was the first man who ever broke away from the house and idolatory of his father in order to fully obey the Lord God. In doing so, he created a precedent which the sages of Israel would call a Midrash, whereby the events in the lives of the fathers will be seen to be repeated in the lives of all their decendants.

There has been an apostasy by what is called 'the Church' away from the Apostolic faith that was once delivered to the saints. It was predicted on many levels in Scripture and it has been happening even before the last Apostle died. 1 John 2:18 However, there is another principle that we find operating in scripture in that Restoration or reconstitution always comes before Judgement. In Luke 1:68-75 Yeshua's coming is announced and He brings true salvation but within 100 years the Temple is destroyed and the people are in exile because they refused Him. Acts 3:20-26 says that Yeshua is that Prophet like unto Moses and that every soul that will not hear and obey Him will be utterly destroyed from amoung the very people that He came to save , after the gracious time of restoration has expired.

Today we are seeing a certain disconnection between our faith and practices and those of Messianic believers of the Messianic (Apostolic) era. The realisation of the need to embrace what God is doing through Restoration and reconstitution rather than pushing for another another Luther style Reformation has been greatly enhanced by believers recognising the significance of the times in which we are now living. Scriptural prophesies are now being fulfilled in our own very own lifetime. Another reformation would not go far enough, there is to be a restoration as a return to what was lost, before Jesus the Messiah can come again. This is happening!

God promised to restore Israel, "as at the beginning." The apostle Kefa (Peter) announced that Yeshua would not return until the "restoration of all things spoken by the prophets since the world began", Acts 3:21. This makes everything in the ancient Scriptures concerning the restoration of Israel of contemporary importance, especially as we see it happening. The restoration of the people, the land, the language and the faith of Israel are all taking place as foretold in the prophets of Israel. Jewish people are converting to Messianic Judaism at the highest rate in over 19 years. Christian believers are rediscovering Yeshua and in doing so have began to rediscover the beauty of the Sabbath and the holy festivals, which the Scriptures declares will be observed by every nation in the Messianic Kingdom when Yeshua comes.

Again, many maintain that this current restoration was triggered by the amazing discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 at Qumran and simultaneously by Israel becoming a nation just a year later in 1948. The discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls includes 19 copies of the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah - who was the Prophet most quoted by Yeshua. The Dead Sea Scrolls enhance our knowledge of both Judaism and Christianity. They represent a non-rabbinic form of Judaism and provide a wealth of comparative material for New Testament scholars, including many important parallels to the Jesus movement. They show Christianity to be rooted in Judaism and have been called the evolutionary link between the two. [http://www.centuryone.com/25dssfacts.html]

When these events are considered together (i.e. the approval of the UN to form the Sate of Israel in 1947 and then the actual formation of the State of Israel a year later in 1948 + the simultaneous discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls) - this is to us a sign of a powerful restoration that has commenced in the last half century. This is a dual restoration - of the land to the people of YHWH and of the Torah to the people of YHWH which includes a return by Christians to the Hebrew roots of their faith.

Other seismic events that are transpiring on an almost daily basis, compel us to affirm that we are decidedly living in the end times. One of the most awesome and dreadful prophesies (as well as one of the most dramatic) may well start to be played out on the world stage as early as 2007. Recently, Eddie Chumney sent a newsgroup article indicating that from watching news events, 'it seems that the USA is politically planning to work to create a PLO state in 2007'.

The article link has been forwarded below, which specifies that the Bush Administration is indeed working to create a PLO state sometime in 2007. Eddie explains the significance of this prophetically: 'Dividing the land of Israel (Joel 3:2) with a PLO state on the mountains of Israel (West Bank) (Ezekiel 36:1-2) with East Jerusalem as its capital which is dividing the city of Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:2) which bring about the judgment of the nations. (Zechariah 14:3) This confirms that we are in the 'Day of the Lord' (Joel 1:15,2:1, Zechariah 14:1) wherein Babylon falls (Isaiah 13:6) as part of the judgment of the nations.'

Se this article on the website: http://www.forward.com/articles/state-department-weighs-plan-for-palestinian-state/

Our hearts are becoming aflame with the lost truth's of the Torah and with the deep longing for our Messiah Yeshua, the Hope and Consolation of Israel, to return!

We who have been Christians for many years are finding out that so much as been lost to us, so please do join us as we investigate the rich history and heritage that the Jewish people have had for so long and have been so faithful to maintain despite repeated attempts at their physical annihilation and assimilation.

Please feel free to explore our website as we seek to understand together with you, what it means to us today to be believers in Yeshua in a post temple era and to see how the Messianic faith richly relates to our everyday lives - without compromising a true and sincere saving faith in Jesus, the Christ (the Anointed One).

Another term that describes the growing trend of people to start studying the scriptures with seriousness of mind for themselves is being Berean. Acts 17:11 Albert Barnes's commentary on this 11th verse of Acts 17 is as follows: ''These were more noble - εὐγενεìστεροι eugenesteroi. This literally means more noble by birth; descended from more illustrious ancestors. But here the word is used to denote a quality of mind and heart. They were more generous, liberal, and noble in their feelings; more disposed to inquire candidly into the truth of the doctrines advanced by Paul and Silas. It is always proof of a noble, liberal, and ingenuous disposition to be willing to examine into the truth of any doctrine presented. The writer refers here particularly to the Jews''. It takes great honesty not to make the scriptures conform to our own convinient theologies.

I for one, have been finding that of the peopel that do search the scriptures many are only intending to confirm what they think they know or to disprove the things that are unfamiliar to them. They are ignoble in character in their handling of Holy Scripture for they try hard to to prove that the things of which we speak are NOT really so. This is not being noble minded as were the Jews of Thesselonia and there is no scriptural commendation for this unwise attitude of mind and hardness of heart!

Reader, you too, will need to be a little special and may need to become more noble minded than those around you. You also may be branded a heretic or a rebel - friends may say that you are 'strange' or even that you have been deceived. Know for certain that at the end of our days, we will all face God alone for there is really only One Mediator between God and man. Martin Luther paid a price for saying that too! To Yeshua will we professing believers render a full account of our stewardship. The Pastor or your denomination or your favourite author will not be able to represent or speak for you when you are required to formulate your own response on that day for the scripture says that ..I wish you to know that the head of every man is the Messiah, and the head of woman is the man, and the head of Messiah is Elohim. (1 Corinthians 11:3 The Scriptures '98+)

Reconciliation then Restoration

In Matthew 5:21-24 Yeshua has said to us that when we come to God in prayer or when we bring our offering to the altar and there remember that our brother has something against us, we should stop our religious activity and first be reconciled to our brother. Only then will our person as represented by our prayers and our giving - be acceptable before Father God. When will we see that the Jewish people who have faith in Yeshua the Messiah really are our brothers?

We must now first make right with those who were in the faith before us and those without whom we would have no salvation and without whom there would be no Christianity - our brothers, the Jews. We have a debt to repay. Through anti-Semitism we have been angry at them without a cause for killing Jesus - yet it was God's masterplan all the time. Logically we should now hate God too? Yeshua, when He comes, will judge the nations of the earth by one primary principle - how they treated His brethren - Israel. If they were friends to Israel they will be deemed to be sheep nations and rewarded; if they are hostile they are deemed to be goat nations and eternally punished. Is'nt it time that you made right with your brothers and gladdended the heart of your father? Time is running out.

Restoration

A thorough study of the book of Acts clearly shows that until Acts 10, with the conversion of the Gentile Cornelius, the original congregation of Yeshua (Jesus) was composed of ethnically Jewish disciples who worshipped the Elohim (God) of Israel in a fully Hebraic context. After Acts 10, the early congregations were composed of Jewish and non-Jewish disciples who worshipped the Elohim of Israel in a fully Hebraic context. Furthermore, the book of Acts confirms that the early believers in Messiah throughout the world remained closely associated with the synagogue and worshipped as a sect within Judaism.

They understood that there was just one Law (Torah) for Israel and for everyone else who joined themselves to Israel. (Also see Leviticus 24:22; Ezekiel 44:9) It was only after the Council of Nicea on a.d. 325 headed by Constantine that the idea was popularised whereby the Jewish believers were officially rejected as being despicable creatures not fit to live beause 'they' had cruicified their Messiah. This kind of religious bigotry makes no sense because it was ADONAI HIMSELF that delivered His son to death. Just like Abraham had led his son to Mt. Moriah to be a sacrifice and who carried the wood on his back so too did Adonai lead His Son to Golgotha on the same Mt. Moriah over 1,000 years later and Who further carried His own wood (cross) on His back so as to become a sacrifice. This time there was no angel speaking from heaven to stop the proceedings but He could have summoned a legion of angels to save Himself at any time, which He did not do because He was a 100% willing sacrifice. Further, if He had saved Himself from death He could never save you or me. 

And so it was that anti-semitism became rooted first in the Catholic Church and then depite all the positive changes brought on by the Reformation in the 1600's the Christian Church for the most part has ramained faithful to its anti-Semetic legacy for well over 1,800 years. Most Christians today are either hostile to Israel or simply quite indifferent beause they have bought into Replacement Theology. Indifference (what we have not done for Israel and the Jewish people) is just as much a sin!

All Christian Churches almost without exception either believe that God has written off Israel for rejecting Messiah or that He will deal with them Himself after the Church Dispensation has ended (very tidy and convinient.) Its strange to me that whenever new Christians (or migrant ones) join a Church they may well ask about the 'Statement of Faith' to assure themselves that the ministry is not a cult in denying basic Christian beliefs like the Virgin birth, the sinless nature of Jesus or His bodily resurrection but yet the most dangerous belief in mainstream Churches (who are not a cult by traditional theological standards) is replacement theology. Yet no one ever asks about the Pastor's stand on this issue even though it is a matter of life and death that we get our position regarding to Israel straighted out. To be arrogant against the natural brances that were cut off through unbelief is to be cut off yourself. (Romans 9-11)

Our Values

- We will be sensitive to the fact that many people coming into contact with the Hebrew roots movement for the first time will have a sense of intrepidation around such generally misunderstood matters such as the 'Jewish' Shabbat, the 'Jewish' Feasts and Torah study in general but we will always strive to maintain a central focus on Jesus (Yeshua). In the scriptures Adonai REPEATEDLY says that its MY Sabbaths...MY Feasts...MY Covenent and ...My Land. The Jewish people were to be custodians only.

Yeshua said that the Torah itself testifies of Him John 5:39 and separately that without Torah it is impossible for men to come to repentance. Luke 16:24-31. Worshiping of God on the Sabbath day will continue throughout the Millenium reign and will be observed by all nations. Isaiah 66:23-24 along with the annual feasts of the Lord.

- Our focus will include restoring the home as the centre of spiritual life and therefore we also plan to meet in homes around Milton Keynes for special occasions and feasts. 

- We at all times maintain that anti-Semitism, Replacement Theology and all forms of Judo-phobia is in every way inconsistent with the faith as handed down to us by the Apostles!

- We have determined to obey the scriptural mandate to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem" which includes her spiritual renewal as well as physical safety.

We would point out that Scripture states that when Messiah Yeshua returns He will return to Jerusalem (not New York or London or Mecca) to fulfil His promise to complete her entire restoration and make her the praise of all the earth. (Zephania 3:16-20; Ezekiel 37:15-28)