To the Jews, To the Gentiles

Acts 22. Paul give a testimony to the authenticity of his Jewish upbringing and and walk and then tells about how Yeshua revealed himself to him, and how Yeshua tells him to "Hurry! Leave Jerusalem, for the people here won't believe you when you give them your testimony about me." then "Leave Jerusalem, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles." And then the crowd revolted and wanted him killed.. Imagine that, the Lord was right!

Paul tried, he went to the synagogues everywhere he went and tried to speak to them, he went as a Jew, living the Torah, to the Jews, and yet they didn't believe him. And yet the Gentiles who didn't previously know anything about the Lord received the message with gusto.

Had a conversation with a girlfriend today - I know this isn't scripture study, but I want to record it here. We were talking about Catholic and Protestants, and how if you're a Bible believing Christian, it's thanks to the Catholics who decided which writings were actually canonical, and which weren't, and so Protestants who say they are "Bible Believing" are so, thanks to the Catholic Church. I was saying I don't consider myself a Protestant. Her reply was, if I'm not part of the Catholic Church, then I must be protesting it, no matter what church I'm in. But I don't agree. Before there was a Catholic Church, there were Christians, both of Jewish and non Jewish origins. Peter may have been the Bishop of Rome - the beginning of the Catholic Church they say, but Peter was a Jew, Paul was a Jew, and they all had the Tanach as their foundation, even if the writings of the Brit Chadashah had not been formulated into one collection. Before there were Gentile believers, there were Jewish believers who were Torah keepers. Before there was a Catholic Church, there was the Acts Chapter 2 Church. I'm not protesting the Catholic Church, I'm just interested in what the Word says. Am I thankful that the men in the 3rd century put together the Cannon? Sure.. do I give them the glory? No, they were HaShem's vessels doing the work that He wanted them to do.. just as I'm thankful for Wycliffe, and all the others that have given me the opportunity to read the Bible in many different languages and versions to compare and really get into understanding it.

Here's something that came up on an e-loop today.
2 Ti.2:15 Study to show thyself approved onto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD of truth. KJV
Now, this old English makes it sound like we are to divide God's word into things that we deem as truth, and things that we can cast off as untruth. In today's world, there are denominations who want to cast off the Pentetuch, the Torah because it doesn't seem to fit with their idea of Christianity, so why have it.. 'it's neglegable now that Messiah died on the cross.' Gimme a break! If it's God's word, it's God's word! If God didn't want it in his Canon, he wouldn't have allowed the Catholic Church fathers to put it in there nearly 2000 years ago! If God knew the Jew's weren't going to receive the message, then why did he bother sending the message through the Jews, why not do away with them the same way he dealt with the rebellious people in Noah's day. He did, because there's a message in there, a teaching, and we shouldn't miss it.. it's got to do with the Olive tree and the branch that was cast off.

God had a purpose, and his purpose is to be fulfilled, it started with the Torah, God's word to reveal the Messiah, and then Yeshua even said. Matthew 5:13 "Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to fulfill them. I assure you, until heaven and earth disappear, even the smallest detail of God's law will remain until it's purpose is achieved. So, if you break the smallest commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God's laws and teaches them will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
But I warn you - unless you obey better that the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees do, you can't enter the Kingdom of Heaven at all."

Yeshua came because he gave the Torah, Yeshua came because He is the Torah. It hasn't been abolished, it is to be followed until heaven and earth disappear. I'm still living on earth, it's still here, so the law of Moses is to be obeyed to every jot and tittle, every word, every detail. Does this negate the Mercy of YHVH? Does it deny my salvation through the work of Yeshua on the cross? NO, not at all.

Peter and the leaders in Jerusalem sent Paul out to the mission field with a letter that said that the Gentile believers were to Acts 21:25 They should not eat food offered to idols, nor consumer blood, nor eat meat from strangled animals, and they should stay away from all sexual immorality" These are like the baby steps of obeying the Torah, the bare essentials. They aren't the details, but Peter wasn't refuting what Yeshua said about keeping every detail, he was getting the Gentiles started, just as we don't teach our children to ride motocross on their first day on a bike, we start them off on a tricycle, or a bike with training wheels...Peter was starting the Gentiles off with an introduction to the Torah.. Torah 101 if you will.