There's only ONE Moses

Moses views the land from Mount Nebo.

One of the saddest pictures in the Torah is that of Moses coming to the border of Israel, at the edge of the wilderness, and then dying. Although he was specifically selected by God for the task of leading the people out of slavery in Egypt and into a land flowing with milk and honey, Moses was not allowed to complete his mission because of his sin. His forty year journey would end in the wilderness at Shittim, in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, just opposite Jericho.

In our parashah this week Adonai tells Moses to go up on a mountain and view the land. After he sees it, he would die. Before he ascends the mountain Moses is moved, once again, to intercede for the people. This time he prays that Adonai would not leave the people leaderless, or shepherd-less. Moses loved the flock in his care. Adonai then appoints Joshua, the son of Nun, as Moses' successor. It's not a surprise that Joshua replaced Moses; but, although he would now lead the people, Joshua's role would not be identical to Moses'.

The Torah tells us that Adonai only spoke with Moses face-to-face (Ex 33:11, Nu 12:6-8). Nobody else had this privilege. In fact, before the ordinances regarding the Kohen Gadol were in place, and possibly even afterward, Moses would enter into the Holy of Holies to speak with Adonai who would meet with him from above the mercy seat (Ex 25:22). Remember, only the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, could enter the Holy of Holies once a year on Yom Kippur, to atone for the sins of the nation. But Moses had special access to Adonai that nobody else did, not even his successor, Joshua. Regarding Joshua, the parashah says, "...he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD." (Nu 27:21) In other words, Joshua would hear from God through Eleazar, the High Priest. Joshua would be a mediator between the High Priest and the people. He would convey to the people the words from Adonai that were given through the High Priest. Although Joshua was called a prophet, he was not the Prophet (Du 18:15-18) that would come after Moses. While Joshua was a great leader, he was not equal to Moses. Joshua's main task was to see that the mission of Moses came to fruition. This is why he is exhorted to "be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded..." (Jos 1:6-9) Joshua did not add to the Torah, he followed it.

Last night as we read this passage as a family, my children already knew that Joshua was not like Moses. I was amazed at their understanding of this fact because this is not something that we've talked about before; not in our devotional time anyway. But they understood that only Moses spoke with Adonai face-to-face because only he had a special relationship with Him. Nobody had a relationship with Adonai like Moses did.

It is important to understand that Moses had a unique role in Israel's history. He was not given a specific title and/or responsibilities like Aaron, his brother the High Priest; nor was his job established as a perpetual postion. Aaron's job, on the other hand, was a position that was supposed to continue, from generation to generation, through his sons (Ex 40:12-15). Although Moses' role was not ongoing, his mission needed to be completed, hence the appointment of Joshua. Here's another important fact—since Moses and the High Priest were the only two men who could come into the presence of Almighty God in the Holy of Holies, both Moses and the position of the High Priest were types of the Messiah-to-come, Yeshua. Knowing this, it is safe for us to establish the following two points:

1. Moses, the prophet, is a type of the Prophet, Yeshua HaMashiach (Jn 6:14; Ac 3:22-23).
2. The role of the High Priest is a type of the High Priest, Yeshua HaMashiach (Heb 5:1-10).

Today, we do not have a leader like Moses and our High Priest is currently serving in the heavenly tabernacle (Heb 8:1-6). Nevertheless, it is the practice of some congregations to base their hierarchical structure of church government after the Levitical priesthood (Nu 18:1-7) or the shoftim, the judges of the cities in Israel (Du 16:18), with the Senior Pastor serving in the role of the High Priest or Moses. But remember, Moses and the High Priest were types of Yeshua, so equating the modern day position of the Senior Pastor with that of Moses and/or the High Priest would be a dangerous and potentially heretical and blasphemous stance. To equate the Senior Pastor to the shoftim is not as bad, it's just not accurate. The reason is that Torah is not the law of the land today, here in the US or in Israel; and Senior Pastor does not have the same authority in a persons life that a judge did in Biblical times. Be careful if they tell you that they do.

It has been my experience that churches that lean toward a Levitical priesthood or shoftim model of church government (also known as the Jethro model or Moses' ecclesiastical government) are authoritarian in nature and therefore, heavy-handed in their leadership style. This results in the abuse of authority over the laity, time and time again. This stance is not the position of Messianic scholars but rather the position of fringe Torah teachers.

The Biblical model for the government of Israel was for the nation in the land with a functioning Temple and priesthood. This model was never intended to be used in small church communities outside of Israel under foreign governments. Sure we may see some parallels between the Levitical priests and the church leadership and we may see some parallels between the common Israelite people and the church members; but these are only parallels; similarities. We may also find wisdom in Jethro's model of delegation for Moses because it makes sense; it's the inspired Word of God. But we need to remember, there's only one Moses and the Senior Pastor is not functioning in his role.

We are not in Israel with a functioning Temple and Levitical priesthood. We are in the Diaspora, without a Temple and without a Levitical priesthood. So how should we govern our churches? In some of Paul's epistles we can find his God-inspired, Torah-based instructions on church government that he gave to the churches in the Diaspora. If you already have a knowledge of Torah, this would be a good place to start. For a clear explanation of how to run and establish a Messianic congregation, I recommend the TorahResource course "I Will Build My Ekklesia" – An Introduction to Ecclesiology. In this important teaching, Tim Hegg explains the necessity of a plurality of leaders (elders) which was the foundation of the governmental structure in the early church.

Related Articles:

Elders, be an Example to the Flock
Set Your Heart, June 9, 2011

Who owns your Church?
Set Your Heart, July 8, 2010

"I Will Build My Ekklesia" – An Introduction to Ecclesiology
By Tim Hegg, TorahResource.com

Bet Din
By Jacqueline Shields, The Jewish Virtual Library

Synagogues, Shuls and Temples
Judaism 101



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Richard Merrill Westfall Levi, 1956-2011

I received an email the week before last; someone had just lost a dear friend and they were hoping to honor him with a proper burial. He didn't have any money. He didn't have any immediate family. His extended family was probably not going to show up. All he had were his three cats - ‘King’ Kirk, Tasha, and Trina. He claimed to be a Messianic Jew, descending from the tribe of Levi; so, in keeping with his wishes, I was contacted in hopes that a Messianic Rabbi/Leader would assist in his celebration of life ceremony. How could I say no?

I had no idea who Richard Westfall was; I had never met him. In order to give him a proper eulogy, I invited his friends to come up and share their experiences and memories of Richard. As they spoke, I found out that he was quite an extraordinary person.

Richard was a Colorado native. He graduated from North High School in 1975. He attended and worked at the University of Colorado in Boulder in the Math, Chemistry and Physics departments. Although he went on to be a Nuclear Physicist, Richard never received a degree. He felt that the required Gen. Ed. courses that were necessary to secure a degree were a waste of his time. Richard had a brilliant mind; he was a genius with an IQ of 192. He was the recipient of three US Patents in the field of electrolytic crystal production for use in semiconductor device manufacture and other technologies. He presented many papers at various conferences and conventions in his field. He also co-authored various technical publications. Just prior to his death, his lastest projects were in the area of space mining and colonization.

Because of his superior mind, Richard had a hard time relating to people of average intellect. As a result, depression and loneliness took a toll on him. At low points, he often found solace in substance and alcohol abuse.

Richard left behind a wealth of ideas and concepts that may very well change the future of space exploration and nuclear power. He also left behind many fond memories with his friends and colleagues. As they came up and shared their stories about Richard, I looked around the room and saw the smiles on their faces and eyes beaming with joy as the remembered their dear friend. It truly was a celebration of his life. I was honored to participate.

Related Links:
Richard Westfall, Obituary
Richard Merrill Westfall Levi, Resume
Richard's Website



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The Grammar of Multigenerational Faith

Isaac (back row, far left) in his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class.

Grammar: the elementary principles of a science or art. 

Multigenerational Faith: faith that is bigger than isolated individualism because it's goal is to be passed on, not only horizontally to the nations, but also vertically to the coming generations.

I recently enrolled Isaac in a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academy that is right up the street from our house. The place is run by a couple of brothers who happen to be from a family of Sephardic Anusim.These two guys have a deep passion for this martial art; they live it and breathe it. One of the coaches has his son in the class with Isaac. As I expected, the coach's son knows a lot of the basic moves because he's been formally training for more than two years now.

Before he started the class, I had to explain to Isaac the difference between Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which is basically grappling on the ground, and Kickboxing, which is basically striking while standing. But after the first class I was concerned that he would not understand why he was doing certain 'ground exercises' and not kicking and punching toward a mirror. As an attempt to keep him from becoming discouraged, I rented the 1984 movie, The Karate Kid, hoping that he would see how Daniel-san learned to fight through the obscure exercises prescribed by Mr. Miyagi. He got it and now, he does the sometimes silly-looking exercises without questioning them.

At this point, Isaac is learning the 'elementary principles' of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In much the same way that he is learning the fundamentals of reading, writing and arithmetic Isaac is also learning the basics of this martial art. Sometimes he does not understand why he is learning certain exercises and positions; but once the coach explains it to him and once he uses them on his opponent, he gets it. He can then put the principle that he has just learned to use. It becomes a part of his thinking. I could not help but see some similarities between this class and our faith.

The sites, smells, and flavors of the Havdalah Ceremony
all help to engage the children and give them lasting memories.

Whether we have children or not, we are called to a Multigenerational Faith. Over and over in the Torah we find the phrase 'throughout your/their generations.' The implication of this phrase is that the Children of Israel were to teach and pass along the 'ways' of Adonai to the next generation who were to, likewise, pass it along to the generation after them. If we neglect to pass along our faith to the next generation, we have failed to accomplish this task given to us by Adonai. Being Torah observant is a way of life; it is a lifestyle and not a system of beliefs.

Therefore, it is incumbent upon parents and Messianic communities to equip their children, the next generation, with the elementary principles of their faith. The next generation needs to be taught, from an early age, the ways of Adonai. It needs to be explained to them 'why we do what we do.' They need to be shown the traditions of the community and given the meaning of their significance. The children need to be included in Shabbat and Moed Services and shown that they are an important part of the life of the community. They need to understand that the teachings of the elders are for them too and not just for the adults.

Like the father that diligently teaches his son Jiu Jitsu, Torah observant fathers must diligently teach their children the Torah of Adonai and the halakah of their family and their community. Parents must teach and disciple their own children in the faith and minister to their young hearts at every opportunity. Messianic Congregations must welcome the young people into their community functions and allow them to learn and grow with the adults. Elders must champion the accomplishment of this task to pass along the Torah to the next generation.

For I have chosen him, 

so that he may command his children and his household after him 

to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice...

- Genesis 18:19 (NAS)

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Elders, be an Example to the Flock

Behold, how good and pleasant it is

when brothers dwell in unity!

Pslam 133:1, ESV

My blog entry last Wednesday has got me thinking about the disunity within the Greater Body of Messiah. Why is unity lacking within the Body? This problem goes back centuries, so I don't think it will be solved anytime soon; but we can at least try to address it.

R.C. Chapman, the pastor, teacher, and evangelist known as the Apostle of Love, said that "Humility is the secret of fellowship, and pride the secret of division." In other words, the proud do not have much fellowship because of their pride; while the humble do not experience much division because of their humility. It is said that "humility makes the avenue to glory." This phrase is a reference to the path of humility that Messiah took for our sake. He humbled Himself for us and in His humility, Yeshua demonstrated His love for us (Phil 2:6-8).

The ability to maintain unity within the Greater Body of Messiah is an indication that love abounds; love for our fellow brother. We must have love in our personal relationships if we are going to maintain unity. We must have love in our marriages if we desire to maintain unity in this special, holy relationship. We must have love within our families, between parents and children, in order to have unity within our homes. Paul tells us that we, the members of the Body, are to be "eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Eph 4:3) We must be eager to love our fellow brother in Messiah. So how can we achieve and maintain this unity within the Greater Body? I believe it needs to be taught and demonstrated by the leadership.

Teaching and demonstrating unity within the Greater Body of Messiah is the responsibility of the Elders in the Ekklesia, or the Local Body of Messiah (1 Peter 5:1-11).
Note: Because of the variations in titles used within the Messianic Community, I will simply say Elders when referring to the leaders of a Local Body and I will use the term Ekklesia to refer to a Local Body.

What is the Ekklesia?

The Ekklesia is the body of believers in Messiah Yeshua, Jewish and non-Jewish. In Biblical times each city had a local assembly of believers or an ekklesia also called a church (e.g., the churches in Ephesus, Galatia, Corinth, Colasse, etc...). Today in our modern society we have many, many churches or ekklesia in our cities comprised of many, many different Christian denominations. Most of these modern, local ekklesia do not associate with one another because of their differences in beliefs.

Who are the Elders?

The elders, like shepherds, protect their flock.

The Elders are the leaders and overseers of the local ekklesia sometimes called the under-shepherds (this is because Messiah Yeshua is the Chief Shepherd over the Greater Body of Messiah). Like a shepherd, the Elders guard, protect, care for, and feed their flock. Elders are men of integrity and spiritual maturity from within the local body. They are not imported or transplanted but homegrown. They are not given a test to take in order to qualify but rather their character makes it evident that they are worthy of this high calling. (For more on the qualifications of the Elders see 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.)

The Focus of the Elders

The elders are called to focus on their own flock.

The Elders are called to shepherd the flock that is among them (1 Peter 5:1-5). In other words, their responsibility is for the flock or the local church whom Adonai has put under their care. Like a good shepherd, an Elder will focus on the sheep in his flock, pushing them toward Adonai and helping them to develop their gifts (Eph 4:11-16). It is their responsibility to help the people in their local church develop faith in Hashem. To put it plainly, the focus of the Elders is inward, toward their own communities. They are called to be examples (1 Peter 5:3) to the local ekklesia and the ekklesia are called to emulate their own Elders (Hebrews 13:7).

When Elders lose their Focus

When elders lose their focus, their flock is not being cared for.

Believe it or not, like it or not, the flock is watching and emulating their shepherd. Really, they do. I once attended a gathering of men from a community where the Elder/Pastor told off-color jokes; he was also present at this meeting. At one point the jokes from these men got so bad and inappropriate, the Elder/Pastor had to put a stop to it. I attributed this incident to the fact that these men would see their Elder/Pastor behave in this manner so they felt comfortable behaving this way in front of him. They were emulating their shepherd, their elder.

One problem that I've seen today in the Greater Body of Messiah is that some Elders are losing their focus on their own communities. Rather than having an internal focus on the spiritual growth of their flock, they focus on matters outside of their own communities. This can happen with syndicated Shabbat Services and online teaching ministries, but this becomes most harmful when the focus of the Elders, and therefore the community, becomes the problems and shortcomings of other churches and denominations. It would be more understandable to have a parachurch ministry with this kind of mission but this is not the call of the Elder and/or the Church. When Elders belittle and berate the beliefs of other denominations they breed dissension within the Greater Body of Messiah. The members of communities like this will in turn belittle and berate the beliefs of their extended families, their friends, their coworkers and their neighbors. They bash the Christians in their life with the Torah and then tell them that the Torah is a blessing.

The Messianic Community has come out of the Christian Church to embrace the Hebraic Roots of their faith. Many new Messianics feel duped by the Christian Church and have feelings of resentment, this is understandable; but Christians are not our enemies. They are our brothers and sisters in Messiah and we should approach them with love and humility if we are going to reach them with the truth of the Torah. This love and humility must to be demonstrated by the Elders so the individuals within their respective communities can and will emulate them.

I'll end with a few quotes by R.C. Chapman:

"Humility is the secret of fellowship,
and pride the secret of division."

"Pride nourishes the remembrance of injuries;
humility forgets as well as forgives them."

"When mutual intercession takes the place of mutual accusation,
then will the differences and difficulties of brethren be overcome."

~

Learning About Love

I finished a book yesterday called Agape Leadership, Lessons in Spiritual Leadership From the Life of R.C. Chapman by Robert L. Peterson and Alexander Strauch. It's a challenging little book (80 pages) about love and humility, forgiveness and self-sacrifice. R.C. Chapman (1803-1902) was an elder at Ebenezer Chapel in Barnstaple, England who decided early on in his ministry that he was not going to only preach Christ, he was going to live Christ. His life is an example of how to live as a disciple of Jesus. I would recommend this book to any Church Leader who is eager to promote love within his community. I may even get a copy of this for every family at FRMC.

Download sample chapters of this book here: Agape Leadership


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Radio Shows...

When I’m not sitting behind my desk doing paperwork I am usually darting around town picking up supplies, making deliveries or running errands. This gives me some time in my little service van to listen to the radio. There’s only one Messianic radio show in the area that I know of but I usually cannot pick up the station very well. When I listen to the radio I try to fill my mind with ‘good’ stuff but sometimes I will wander onto the secular airwaves for news. Below are some of the radio shows that I usually listen to:

Glenn Beck

AM-630 KHOW

9:00 am - 12:00 pm

I first started listening to Glenn Beck when I was visiting my family in Texas a few years ago. I enjoy his take on politics and his sense of humor but when his sidekicks start making funny voices I usually turn it off.

Food For Your Soul

The teaching and preaching ministry
of Pastor Dr. Darrell Richard Ferguson

FM-94.7 KRKS

12:00 pm - 12:30 pm

I am currently taking a hermeneutics class taught by Dr. Darrell which has made me appreciate his teachings even more. No, he’s not Messianic but I appreciate his method of exegeting the Scriptures and how thorough he is in explaining the text.

Living God Ministries

Aaron Budjen's teachings on the Scriptures
from a historical and Judaic frame of reference.

AM-670 KLTT

5:30 pm - 6:00 pm

I stumbled upon this guy a year ago but couldn’t find him again. I came across him again earlier this year during Pesach. He’s not Messianic either, but he was studying to become a rabbi before he accepted Yeshua as Messiah. He’s got some interesting perspectives.

Total Axxess with Wally

FM-101.9 WAY-FM

6:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Margaret doesn’t like WAY-FM. She feels like they take too many liberties. I agree to an extent, but it is a Christian station and they are nothing like the secular rock stations. Besides, I think Wally is kinda funny.

There's other stuff that I listen to on the radio but these are the shows I will usually listen to when I'm driving by myself. When I'm with my family, they always outvote me and we listen KLOVE. Go figure.

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Appreciating the Foul Poles in my life

Foul Pole, a photo by Michael David Gonzales on Flickr.

I had coffee with a good friend of mine this morning and it really made my day and my week. I haven't met with him in a long time so it was good to catch up. When we first started Front Range, back in 2009, I would meet with Jarrod on a weekly basis for coffee and a bagel at Einstein's. How we met was a God directed appointment and we continued to meet because of a common interest. We were both in the process of planting a 'Family Integrated' church. Ours–Messianic, and theirs–Christian. He shared with me his wealth of knowledge about Biblical and historical family integration in the church and ancient Israel. He had recently graduated from Denver Seminary where he wrote his master's thesis on this topic. In addition to all the information he shared, Jarrod was also very encouraging which was what I really needed at the time. Starting a church is not easy and it can get intimidating and overwhelming at times; a lot of the time.

What I noticed about our meeting today was that Jarrod holds me accountable in my thoughts and actions. I don't think I've noticed this in the past like I did today. I don't remember asking him to hold me accountable, he just does it. Why? Well, this is what a godly friend is supposed to do. As believers, we should be challenging each other spiritually because Adonai is part of our friendship. Proverbs 27:17 says Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. This means that when we come together as friends and as we share our ideas and our thoughts, we should be encouraging and admonishing each other in the process. This back and forth challenging each other in areas of weakness, encouraging each other in new pursuits will continually push us toward Adonai and strengthen our relationship with each other.

A godly friend is like a foul pole at a baseball park. When a ball is hit over the centerfield fence it's obviously a homerun. But when the ball is hit over the fence straight up the foul line, depending on where you are standing, it is hard to determine if it is a good ball or a foul ball. The foul pole is there to make it clear, no matter where you are, if the ball went foul or not. Sometimes when we pass our ideas and thoughts by our friends, we may think they are homeruns; But after meeting and talking it over with them, we discover that our thoughts or past actions were actually foul balls.

Thank you, Adonai, for putting foul poles in my life; friends who push me back to You and Your Word.

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
Psalm 1:1

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Proverbs 13:20

~

Hermeneutics Class at Agape Bible Church

Class 4 of 10 with Dr. Darrell Ferguson of Agape Bible Church in Thornton.

Although my schedule this week is totally jam packed preparing for the upcoming MSI Classes, Shabbat Service, and the Passover Seder(s) and Service for next week; I still made time to take a class in Hermeneutics tonight. Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation, especially of the Scriptures. Bible Study classes charge me. Especially good ones; and Dr. Darrell's class is downright awesome!

I first heard Darrell Ferguson back around 2001/2002 on FM 94.7, KRKS. He had a show called Food For Your Soul and at the time, he led a church called Creekside in Louisville. The show went off the air for a while and I stumbled upon it again about a year ago on AM 560, KLZ. Evidently Darrell started another church about 3 years ago in his living room. When they outgrew the living room, they met in a high school gymnasium and then they moved to a small church building and now, they are in their own building on the corner of 84th and Huron in Thornton. The church is called Agape Bible Church. The radio show is still called Food For Your Soul but it is no longer on AM 560, KLZ but you can hear it weekdays on FM 94.7, KRKS at 5:30am and 12:00pm.

I like Darrell's teachings because he is so thorough in his studying. He told me he spends 35 hours in Bible study each week preparing for his Sunday sermon. That's a lot of time and I'm sure this is why his teachings are so awesome. He is also a proponent of Expository Bible teaching. If you are familiar with Expository Bible Study/Teaching, you know it takes time and effort.

The radio show rocks but the live class is better. I'm glad he has allowed me, an outsider, to join his class and learn from him. I greatly appreciate pastors and teachers who freely share their knowledge and experiences.

_

Lunch with Alex Strauch...

How often do you get to have lunch with a hero in the Faith?

I had lunch with Alexander Strauch today. He is a former Elder at Littleton Bible Chapel, where he still preaches once a month. He is also the author of Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership, one of the few books that thoroughly examines Bible-based Church Government.

When Thomas and Caroline Graumann came to visit our community a few weeks back, they heard that we were trying to establish elders. They asked me if I had heard of Alex Strauch and that I should meet him; so they hooked us up! I was encouraged and inspired with all that he had to share with me. I am so grateful that he took time out of his busy schedule to meet with me. I am overwhelmed by all the leaders in the local Body of Messiah (Christian and Messianic) who are willing to assit me and share their experiences, information, and advice as we try to establish this community. Baruch Hashem!

Here is a FREE abridged version of the book online:
Biblical Eldership: Restoring the Eldership to Its Rightful Place in the Church
You can find more books by Alexander Strauch here: Amazon.com

The "Matthew 18" Principle: A Quick Look

Probably the most cited passage in resolving disputes is Matthew 18:15-20. At a congregation that we attended in the past this passage was known simply as the Matthew 18 Principle. The principle went something like this:

If someone in your congregation sins against you:

1. Talk to him alone and explain to him how he has offended you.
2. If he listens to you and apologizes to you, then you've been reconciled.
3. However, if he does not admit his fault then bring a witness or two with you and confront him again.
4. If he still doesn't apologize in the presence of the witnesses, then go and tell the Church Leadership.
5. If he still doesn't admit his fault and apologize in the presence of the Church Leadership, excommunicate him.

I remember hearing exhortations from the 'pulpit' to apply the Matthew 18 Principle when trying to reconcile with another member of the congregation. However, I don't remember this principle being taught from the 'pulpit' by looking at the passage in context. This principle was not taught, really, but rather passed along from member to member.

So let's take a quick look at this passage in context in order to define the principle. First, a quick background: Chapter 18 begins a section in Matthew that is a collection of Yeshua's teachings. You can study the chapter as a whole or study the shorter passages that are stand alone teachings. We will only be looking at a portion of this chapter. If you have a Red Letter Bible, you will notice that the majority of this chapter is Red that's because Yeshua is doing most of the talking. Anyway...

Let's read our text:

Matthew 18:15-20 (NAS)
15 If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.
16 But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED.
17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
18 Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.
19 Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.
20 For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.

Right away we see in verse 15 an if / then scenario:

IF you know that a brother is in sin;
THEN go confront him in private.

Some translations say "If your brother sins against you" (ESV) specifically. However, I believe that this is talking about more than just a personal offense. That's why I used the NAS translation; but we'll address that later.

Let's clarify a couple of things:

• "your brother" - this is a reference to a fellow believer, someone who is part of the Ekklesia, the remnant of Israel who believe that Yeshua is Messiah. It's not talking about a sibling although a sibling could be a believer. You get the idea.
• What is sin? - "Whoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." - 1 John 3:4 (AKJV) Law = Torah. Torah means instructions or teachings. These 'instructions' are for the Children of God and can be found in the first five books of the Bible.

Okay, the first thing we have learned about this passage is: if a fellow member of the Ekklesia is transgressing the Torah and you know about it, it is your duty to talk to him in private and show him his fault. This isn't a choice, it is actually a command. Turning a blind eye to a fellow believer's sin is not LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF, it is not being YOUR BROTHERS KEEPER. Let's continue...

Another clarification:

• "listen" - this is the Greek word pronounced akouo (ak-oo'-o); if Yeshua was speaking Hebrew, the word used would have been sh'ma. This word sh'ma means listen but it implies action. So a more accurate definition for sh'ma is 'listen in order to do.'

If your brother 'listens to you', it doesn't mean that he just heard you out and continued sinning. No. It means he was moved to repentance. He heard your words, saw his error, and changed his ways. You've won him over, you've helped him make t'shuvah; a return to the Torah and Adonai.

Now, if he did not listen to you (v 16) and continued sinning, this is a problem. He is a member of the Ekklesia. He knows Hashem. He knows Torah. He knows Yeshuah. He knows what sin is. He is backslidden and is now in a bad place. He is unrepentant. At this point you take two or three witnesses with you to see his sinfulness. Witnesses witness, they report what they have seen. When the witnesses see the sinful actions of this brother, they too will call him to repentance. Maybe he didn't understand your plea. Maybe he thought he was right and you were wrong. Now with more believers present to dialogue with, hopefully he will see his fault and change his ways.

But if he still does not repent (v 17) then you, along with the witnesses, are to tell the 'church' or Ekklesia. But what does this look like? Do you run into congregation on Shabbat, grab the mic from the cantor, and start giving the report? Probably not. At this point in the Book of Matthew, Yeshua was in the process of building His Ekklesia. His ministry was still active. There were no believing communities in the diaspora or in Jerusalem for that matter. So how do we know how to handle this and what it means to 'tell it to the Ekklesia'? I have a suggestion: we can look in the Book of Acts and see, as an example, how disputes were handled in the early Ekklesia of Yeshua. For instance, in Acts 15 when the men came down from Judea and began teaching circumcision (conversion) to the Gentiles, what did Paul and Barnabas do? They went to the leaders, the Elders, of the Ekklesia in Judea, in Jerusalem, and let the them handle it. Consider your community today. Wouldn't you bring a matter like this to the Elders of your community and allow them to communicate it to the local body? Isn't that their job? Yes! It is the Elders, the appointed leaders, who can make a judgement to excommunicate someone from the Ekklesia. When someone is excommunicated from the Ekklesia they are then treated like a non-believer because the Ekklesia is a place for believers only. Also, when Elders come together in order to make a judgement (v 18) they bind and loose, they forbid or permit. In other words, they make the hard, governmental decisions here on the earth in their communities. They seek the Wisdom of Adonai in prayer and apply their understanding of the Torah to form their decisions. They do this as a group in order to hold each other accountable and compliment each other. Whatever their decision is, Adonai is in agreement with them (v19). Not only is He in agreement; He is also there with them (v 20) in their meeting!

Now, notice that all of these actions are one way - from you to your sinful brother. It doesn't say anything about the brother apologizing; although an apology is implied when talking about repentance. However, the point is this, the goal is to win the brother and ultimately protect the community. He's got three chances to change his ways or he's out. If one person can't help him then three or four might be able to. If these three or four can't help him then they bring in the big guns, the Elders. If the Elders can't help him, then he is out of the community. Again, the Ekklesia is a place for believers only; a little leaven will leaven the whole dough. We must purge the sin from our midst in order to protect the community, the Ekklesia of Messiah Yeshua.

So, are the steps of the Matthew 18 Principle given for personal offenses? Since the goal is to win a brother from sin, I do not think that this passage is addressing 'personal offenses'. Keep in mind that a personal offense can come about because of someone's sinful behavior so then, what are we to do about personal offenses? If we continue reading in Chapter 18 we find out...

Matthew 18:21-22 (NAS)
21 Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"
22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."

In the verses following this passage Yeshua tells a parable about a servant who was in debt to his master. The master extended mercy to the servant but the servant did not extend the same mercy to a person who was indebted to him. If you are harboring an offense, if someone has 'done you wrong', and you want justice; I encourage you to read this parable: Matthew 18:21-35. This parable helps us understand what we are expected to do when we have a personal offense, when someone has sinned against us.

Okay, so let's redefine the Matthew 18 Principle based on what we found:

1. If you find a believing brother in sin, address him alone in order to win him from that sin.
2. If he will not listen to you, bring two or three more brothers to witness the sin and then address the sinful brother. Hopefully they can win him.
3. If he will not listen to you and the witnesses, take the matter to the community leadership, the Elders, and allow them to address the wayward brother. Hopefully they can win him.
4. If he will not listen to the Elders, as a group they are to decide a judgement for the sinning believer, even excommunication.
5. The goal is to win the brother from the sin and ultimately to protect the community.

After reviewing this passage more closely it is my understanding that Yeshua taught this principle for cases in which the sin is obviously punishable by excommunication. Of course this principle can be used in addressing lighter sins; but more importantly, it shows us how to deal with the unrepentant brother and it reassures the Elders that He will be present in their Beit Din (House of Judgement).

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Who owns your Church?

For the past couple of weeks I have been listening to the teachings of various pastors (Messianic and Christian) over the Internet. Since I am currently a bi-vocational pastor I have to be creative with my time. Listening to mp3’s while I work is one way for me to get some Word in my day. Some of the teachings encourage me and some challenge me. Some I agree with and some I do not.

Last week I began listening to a series of teachings on Shared Congregational Leadership. This course is being taught in order to give an overview of the model of leadership in this particular community. The goal is to identify men that have the desire and fit the requirements to be leaders in this community. While listening to the second class in this series, the instructor made a very troubling comment. Most of the time when I hear aspects of teachings that I do not agree with, I let them roll off because they are usually common areas of disagreement. But this one comment in particular, really grieved my heart.

The teacher began to discuss the role and responsibilities of the elders and their relationship with the flock or the community. The teacher explained the importance of the elders relationship with Adonai. Before they can effectively lead and protect the flock, they must have a good relationship with Him. I agree with this statement. If the leaders of the community are not walking above reproach, they will not be able to function properly in their role and the community will suffer.

Then the discussion moved to the sheep, the members of the community. The comment was made that the sheep did not belong to the congregational leader but to Adonai. I agree with this statement too. I have not met a congregational leader that would disagree about the sheep, the flock, the Church (Ekklesia), belonging to Yeshua (Matt 16:18-19). We are the Body of Messiah.

Then the troubling comment was made. The teacher made an abrupt change of direction in the discussion. A distinction was made between the flock and the church, between the people and the corporation. One was said to belong to Adonai and other did not. Here is the comment:

Someone asked me, “You think that this Church is yours?”

And I answered him, “Yes, it is mine. It is not the sheep’s, it is mine. My wife and I worked hard for this church with our own blood, sweat and tears for many, many, many years. We assumed all risks and liabilities and we went without wages off and on for many years. Yes, this Church is ours and not the sheep’s.”

He was upset about my answer. But what he didn’t understand was this; the sheep belong to God but the corporation does not. Jesus’ name is not on it. Do you think the State is going to come after JESUS if something happens to THIS corporation? NO, they will come after ME! My name is on the corporation! I assume the responsibilities! I will go to jail, I will get fined, or whatever!

So of course the sheep belong to God. They are His, we are just under-shepherds; but if you create a club, called a 501(c)(3), and you have a board and you have officers; that [organization] that helps facilitate fellowship is a different matter.

The sheep belong to God, they are His. We are responsible to minister to them [and there are] a lot of different ways to do that, [and there are] a lot of different models for eldership.

I had to listen to this part of the recording over and over again because I thought that I had misheard what was being said. But no, I heard correctly. Then I thought that maybe the instructor was using a play-on-words or a metaphor in order to emphasis his point. No, this was not the case either. The teacher made it perfectly clear that the sheep, the community, did not own the corporation but he and his wife did. Nobody in the community could make the same claim. It was their hard work and their sacrifices that established this church; therefore, it belonged to them.

He did, however, make it clear that the sheep do belong to Adonai; but he also made it clear that the corporation does not, it belongs to him and his wife. It was this brazen statement that jarred me. Just because a church receives authorization through government organizations to operate as a non-profit does not mean that Adonai did not establish it. If Adonai can raise up nations, He can also raise up churches. He is the Sovereign Ruler of the universe. The teacher also stated the obvious: Yeshua's name was not on the 501(c)(3) documents but his name was. I'm sure this was a sarcastic statement designed to get a laugh from the class; but in reality, as believers in Messiah, our name on a document should reflect the name of Yeshua. We are His representatives in the world but not of the world. His statements made it obvious that this teacher has a great fear of the government and highly regards their approval as a non-profit organization. (side note: Why would someone be afraid of the State coming after them if they are not doing anything wrong?) After listening carefully several times to what was being taught, I considered the idea of private ownership of a church.

If a person owns a business, they usually run their own business. Likewise, if someone believes that they own a church, they will run the church as their own. In a business model it is highly unlikely that the business owner would give equal ownership and authority to their employees. Likewise, if someone owns and operates a church the leadership structures that they put in place will not jeopardize their ownership and authority; not to mention their income. This is especially true if this person, or couple, truly believes that it was their own hard work and sacrifice that built their church. They will do whatever they can to safeguard what they worked hard for; they will make certain that they will not lose their investment. This is what I hear communicated by this teacher in his comments.

In the Torah Resource article A Community or a Congregation? For What are We Striving?, author Tim Hegg explains the difference between the modern church ‘congregational’ model and the more biblically patterned Torah ‘community’ model:

At the risk of being overly simplistic, I would say that a "congregation" is essentially the product of our Western, Greek worldview, while a "community" is based in an Eastern, Hebraic worldview. For the "congregation," truth is what we know (cognitive); for a "community," truth is what we demonstrate by our lives (relational). For a "congregation," the core values (truth) are summed up in a doctrinal statement; for a "community," the core values (truth) are seen in the life of the community.

Based on this definition one can conclude that running a church according to the Torah is relational and running a church according to the 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Bylaws is cognitive. Running a community according to the Torah includes the people by getting them involved because they are co-owners. Running a congregation according to the Bylaws, like a business, does not allow co-ownership nor does it require involvement of the people.

Tim Hegg makes another important point in the Torah Resource Yeshiva Course, I Will Build My Ekklesia, An Introduction to Ecclesiology. This time he is speaking about the differences in the leadership structures of the 'congregation' and the 'community' models:

"Leadership in a Torah Community must be in plurality. It will not work any other way; not for a 'community'. It will for a 'congregation'; a single man can build his own kingdom if he is an executive type, but he will not build a community that has generational longevity and THAT is what we must be doing."

In a 'community' the ownership and authority are shared. In a 'congregation' the ownership and authority are under the control of one person, the senior pastor.

I find it interesting that someone teaching a class on shared leadership would emphasize the fact that they, him and his wife, are the ones who worked hard for and made personal sacrifices to build the church that they are leading. After making these comments, I find it hard to believe that they would allow anyone else to step in and become equal partners with equal authority. If they are careful in making it crystal clear who established this church, I doubt they will share the ownership of it. In the end, they will not install a true plurality of equal leaders to run the church; but instead, Bylaws in order to run their church like a business with the pastor/CEO at the helm. It sounds to me that the teacher of this online course, the owner of this church, is building his own kingdom. Unfortunately no matter how good his intentions are, like Tim Hegg said, this church will not have longevity. Once the pastor is gone, so is his vision and the driving force behind his organization.

Since this is only the second class in this series, one cannot help but wonder how this important detail regarding the ownership of this church will steer the remainder of the lessons and more importantly how it will affect their method and structure of church leadership. I am curious to listen to more of their teachings but at the same time, I do not want to waste my time if more of this is to be expected. The most frightening thing about this whole ordeal was that nobody in the class challenged the teacher on his comments. Either these future church leaders did not understand what was being taught or they were in agreement with it or it went over their heads. I hope for the latter.

So, who owns the Church, what is the Church, and who runs the Church? Here is a quick overview of how I see it:

1) Messiah owns the church. He paid for it with His blood (Acts 20:28).

2) We cannot separate the people from the church because the people ARE the church; they are the bride of Messiah (I Cor. 6:11, I Cor. 6:20, Eph.5:26-27, I Pet. 1:18-19).

3) The people through the designated elders (as they follow the Torah while being led by the Ruach) run the church (Acts 14:23, 1 Tim 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-9). Paul instructed Titus to establish elders, not 501(c)(3) corporations, in every city. A non-profit corporation is only the means for us, here in our modern society, to establish and run a church as a tax-exempt entity. 501(c)(3) status should not be our focus or our goal nor should we lord our Bylaws over the church body. Our approval comes from Hashem and from Him alone and not through our non-profit status. In my opinion, this 501(c)(3) non-profit stuff is nothing more than a distraction. Who cares about being tax-exempt anyway? Even our accountant who has worked with churches for many years does not see a benefit in the 501(c)(3) status and actually advises against it.

I pray that we never get to the point where we are claiming ownership of and taking credit for establishing The Front Range Messianic Community. We see the hand of Adonai in every aspect of our fledgling community. Are we working hard for this community? Yes. Are we making sacrifices for this community? Yes. But the work and the sacrifices are all for His glory not ours. We have done nothing for this community apart from Him. This community is His work with our hands.

I cannot help but remember in the Torah when the children of those who died in the wilderness were about to enter the land. Adonai warned them not to forget who was about to make them prosper. It would not be the work of their own hands that would bring them wealth. Their wealth and provision would come from Hashem, the very One who freed them from of the bondage of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. (Deut 8:11-20)

As we prosper,
May we remember Hashem, the one who provides for our needs.
May we remain His humble servants.
May He keep us from the snare of pride.

 - mdg

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

- Proverbs 16:18

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Definitions:
Ekklesia (pronounced ek-klay-see'-ah) is The Greek word used in the Bible for church, which actually means “assembly” or literally “called out ones.” It is made up of the two Greek words, EK—“out of,” and KALEO—“shall be called.”

Referenced Material:
A Community or a Congregation? For What are We Striving?,
Tim Hegg (Torah Resource, 2007)

I Will Build My Ekklesia: An Introduction to Ecclesiology,
Tim Hegg (Torah Resource, 2009)

Related Links:
Elders or Board of Directors?
Whose Church Is It Anyway? 
Whose Church Is It, Anyway? (PDF, 127 KB)
Who Owns A Church?
Who Owns the Church?
Who owns your congregation?

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