In Order to Learn Torah - One Must Have Peace
There is a phobia in the Christian community over observing Torah. The mere mention that one feels led to obey any one of the Lord’s commands recorded in the Torah has caused Christians to say, "Be careful, you are placing yourself under Law!" They are quick to speak the classic untrue Christian cliché, "We are saved by grace; they (Jews) are saved by obeying the Law." Jesus said in John 8:41, "I do not accept praise from men." Further, He said in John 8:29, "The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him." Jesus, the Lion of Judah, never pleased man. He only and always pleased His Heavenly Father. The Apostle Paul captured our Lord’s desire to please God and not man. He says in II Corinthians 5:9, "So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are home in the body or away from it." Jesus, the sinless Messiah, pleased only His Heavenly Father. We, like Paul, must make that our goal. All believers must be liberated into pleasing only their Heavenly Father. Those to whom the Lord is speaking about being "observant" should no longer feel they must do so secretly. God is speaking to Believers throughout the earth today about becoming observant. What He requires should be what they desire. To deal more honestly with what God requires, I now ask both Jews and Christians two questions. Firstly, to a Jew I ask, "Are you Jewish?" Then secondly I ask, "Are you observant?" I now ask Christians, "Are you a Christian?" and "Are you observant?" Asking only the first question of both allows them to hide a non-observant life-style. The second penetrates to the heart of their faith and love of God.
Pleasing God - To become observant, one must throw off the shackles of "men-pleasing" and worrying about being "put under the Law." Rabbi Yaakov Culi 1689-1732) wrote in The Torah Anthology, Book Seven, "In order to learn the Torah, one must have peace. If people discuss the Torah, it must be to attain truth, not win arguments or display one’s knowledge." God is speaking to Christians worldwide about observing Torah. They confess they put off becoming observant because they would be labeled and cast away by fellow believers. Yet, their hearts long after pleasing the Lord. It is time for the releasing of men to simply please the King of kings. To please God without becoming a legalist or a crusader to impose the "Law" upon others is a matter requiring great understanding. God was in Christ reconciling Jew and Christian (Gentile believer) into one new man. Man should not alter God’s plan. Care must be given to becoming a "Believer" in God’s Messiah. Without this faith one cannot be saved. However, after salvation, becoming observant to what He places on the heart should not require a change from being a Christian to becoming a Jew. Observing what the Lord places upon the heart should only change one’s life-style from pleasing man to pleasing God.
Becoming a Haredi - What is a haredi (ydir,h;)? A Haredi is a person who trembles at the Word of God. As one rabbi, head of a small yeshiva in Jerusalem, put it, "A haredi doesn’t originate anything." Peter had this verse in mind when he wrote, "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. God wants both: keep His commandments and walk in His ways. According to Hosea 6:6, God desires "mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." God also reveals this lack of being observant to His ways in Isaiah 30:9-11. He said, "These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction. They say to the seers, ‘See no more visions!’ and to the prophets, ‘Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!’ " I had an elder of a church I pastored stop a woman from dancing during our praise and worship. I spoke with him and asked why he objected. He "didn’t want any of that stuff in his church" was his reply. I responded with, "The Bible not only allows dancing unto the Lord, it actually commands it!" His response to me was, "I don’t care what the Bible says!" Such is the common plight of God’s Word within today’s Church. People simply do not care what it says. Well, I care what the Word of God says! Further, I care how God wants me to walk in His ways. I am haredi! I tremble at God’s Word. I believe if obeyed, God’s Word guarantees blessings, and, if disobeyed has consequences. If God is speaking to you about being observant to Torah, do so within the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever you do, do it as unto the Lord. It is kind of nice knowing you get to observe a Shabbat! Do not worry about being labeled "Jewish." You became Jewish the day Jesus moved into your heart.
