Applying the Messianic Letters

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Applying the Messianic Letters

03-27-2010 | Randall Smith

(Designed for Messianic groups) Of all the materials of the Christian Scriptures (New Testament), there are two books that are specifically designed to deal with the issues of Jewish Messianic believers, that of Hebrews and James. This seminar focuses on the issues of the first century church, the Jerusalem Council, and application of the content of the two letters by Jewish people who believe in Jesus today. The challenges are remarkably the same as now. This seminar was originally designed in Jerusalem, and used to help the small groups of believers that have been formed in Israel. It is being offered for the first time in North America!

The 10 Main Messianic Questions Addressed: The Letter to the Hebrews (1.5 hours)

The letter to the Hebrews is unique, because we are not sure of the author, and in fact, we only know that the recipients are Jews, and are probably living in Italy at the time they received the letter. To understand the letter to the Hebrews, you must read the letter from start to end with an early Jewish believer in mind. With careful observation, you can pick out the underlying problems in the community that gave the writer a cause to write this letter:

1. It appears to be written to a group that began with great enthusiasm, but was now experiencing a “falling away” from the faith in Messiah.
2. The followers of Jesus appear to feel pressure as outcasts among their countrymen, and they faced mounting pressure to reconsider the claims of Messianism and return to the fold of non-Messianic Jews.
3. A number of them began to feel the record concerning Jesus did not stand up to the questions posed by learned rabbis.
4. Some of the respected leaders were wavering or perhaps defecting from the group.
5. The demoralized group was lacking direction and needed correction, instruction and gentle rebuke.
The content of the letter appears to address ten specific questions that Messianic Jews were asking in the first century. You will be amazed at how little these questions have changed over the centuries.

The Messianic Lifestyle Addressed: The Epistle of James (1.5 hours)

James, the half brother of Jesus, addressed the early congregations of Messianic followers with 13 strikingly practical lifestyle applications. Each application was put in the form of a test that a believer needed to face in order to claim to be a part of the body of Messiah. The issues included – “Facing the test” of:

1. Enduring Faith (1:1-12)
2. The Straying Mind (1:13-18)
3. True Hearing (1:19-27)
4. Prejudice (2:1-13)
5. Indifference (2:14-26)
6. Tongue Control (3:1-12)
7. Living Truth (3:13-18)
8. Personal Conflicts (4:1-6)
9. Submission (4:7-17)
10. Success (5:1-6)
11. Waiting (5:7-12)
12. Distance from God (5:13-18)
13. Straying Believers (5:19-20)

The Issue of the Torah Lifestyle: Should I Keep the Law? (1.5 hours)

One of the issues that keep pulling at the Messianic community is that of the Torah observance. What does God intend for a Jewish believer today? Should I forsake Sabbath? What about the “for all your generations” passages of the Torah? Can I marry a non-Jew? Am I any different than a Gentile in today’s economy? These issues will be explored particularly from the Book of Acts and the Epistles of Paul.

Toward a Theology of Messianism: Romans 9-11 (1.5 hours)

Understanding the Corporate Salvation of the Gospel: The Gospel that Gentile believers present in many churches is incomplete. It speaks of individual eternal salvation, but misses the point of the New Covenant, to fulfill God’s original promise to the children of Israel. The “blood covenant” of Abraham will be examined, as well as the “New Covenant” (another blood covenant). Replacement theologians will find this session very hard to swallow, but the promise of God to Abraham has yet to be fulfilled. God is busy doing that right now!

Categories: US Seminars