"You can't just BE a jew!"

[Kutsuke]

Is the person who said this telling the truth? I want to be a messianic jew because it is heavy on my heart that this is the correct path of belief. Do I have to have some special to join this religion? Something more than the desire to be a good child of G-d?  

[famusamu]

To be a Messianic Jew, you must either 1 be born Jewish and accept Y'shua as your LORD and Savior, or 2 be a Gentile who converted to Judaism then accepted Y'shua. But there is no need to become a Jew to accept Y'shua ha Mashiach.

"For you are all sons of Elohim through belief in Messiah Y'shua. For as many of you as were immersed into Messiah have put on Messiah. There is not Yehudite (Jew) nor Goyum (gentile), there is not slave nor free, there is not male and female, for you are all one in Messiah Y'shua." -Galatians 3:26-29, Brit Chadasha (New Covenant)

So that's why Faith is the key! G-d's promise is given to us as a free gift. And we are certain to receive it, whether or not we follow Jewish customs, if we have Faith like Abraham's. For Abraham is the Father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when G-d told him, "I have made you the Father of many nations." This happened because Abraham believed in the G-d Who brings the Dead back to Life and Who brings into existence what didn't exist before. Romans 4:16-17,


So any believer in Y'shua who is born Gentile is a Spiritual Jew, kutsuke. Romans chapter 11 says you have been Grafted into the Vine. Y'shua is the True Vine: I am the Vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. John 15:5 Brit Chadasha (New Covenant)


kutsuke you can be a Messianic Gentile and learn how Messianics worship. I'd be happy to take you to my Messianic Synagogue on some Shabbat...email me. For anyone else in the NW Ohio area you can check out the website for the Messianic Jewish Synagogue I attend: Adat Adonai "The Congregation of the Lord"  

[awrootbeer24]

I wonder if I should be a Messianic Jew...I was brought up as a Jew, and as a Christian, and it is hard to find a happy medium. It is impossible to be both.  

[famusamu]

awrootbeer24

I wonder if I should be a Messianic Jew...I was brought up as a Jew, and as a Christian, and it is hard to find a happy medium. It is impossible to be both.

If you believe in Christ then you ARE a Messianic Jew!  

[murder13dolls]

awrootbeer24

I wonder if I should be a Messianic Jew...I was brought up as a Jew, and as a Christian, and it is hard to find a happy medium. It is impossible to be both.

i totally see where u are coming from! i am the same way. i in a way i am messianic. but i dunno... i guess because i lived with two different beliefs in the household. i mean sometimes i think he HAD to be the messiah, but sometimes, i jsut don't know. i think he was, but he isn't the only. i dunno lol but i'm young so i have time to find myself

>frances  

[jewangel]

awrootbeer24

I wonder if I should be a Messianic Jew...I was brought up as a Jew, and as a Christian, and it is hard to find a happy medium. It is impossible to be both.

its not impossible to be both but if ur not sure listen to ur heart and ne'shamaor u can talk to a leader in ur community  

[Link_of_Hylia]

I've been in a christian family but my dad was jewish (he was converted)
Should I have a Bar Mitsvah?  

[famusamu]

Link_of_Hylia

I've been in a christian family but my dad was jewish (he was converted)
Should I have a Bar Mitsvah?

Well it depends on which type of Bar Mitsvah you mean. Are you Messianic? Do you believe in Y'shua??? There are Messianic Bar Mitsvah's and there are Bar Mitsvah's fo the many other 'denominations' of Jews. If you consider yourself a Christian yet still desire a Bar Mitsvah, here is a beautiful Messianic one I stumbled across: Christian bar mitzvah  

[famusamu]

The Messianic Bar Mitzvah  

[yourjewishcousin]

I am just a Jew and I try to be a good child of HaShem. I guess as long as you have a genuine desire to serve HaShem there's no real need for anything else.  

[yourjewishcousin]

I thought Messianic Jews didn't do bar mitzvah's or keep Kosher or keep any of the mitzvot other than maybe the kippah. Call me ignorant and feel free to correct me. I'm just trying to learn.  

[Labiy]

Totally awesome!!  

[famusamu]

yourjewishcousin

I thought Messianic Jews didn't do bar mitzvah's or keep Kosher or keep any of the mitzvot other than maybe the kippah. Call me ignorant and feel free to correct me. I'm just trying to learn.

No you're not ignorant, remember the only stupid question is the one never asked biggrin MJ's do have bar mitzvahs, they mikvah, keep Kosher and the High Holidays biggrin  

[yourjewishcousin]

That's interesting. Do they still keep the 613 commandments, do a Torah procession, and celebrate Simchas? What about Bris?  

[famusamu]

yourjewishcousin

That's interesting. Do they still keep the 613 commandments, do a Torah procession, and celebrate Simchas? What about Bris?

As Jews, we are required to keep the 613 Mitzvot, but the Book of Acts in chapters 15 and 21 do not require that Gentiles yoke themselves under the Law as we have.

There was a debate in the Book of Acts as to IF Goyum....Gentile believers in Y'shua should become Jewish in addition to believing Messiah had come. In this debate Yakkov (James) stood up and said what things that those Goyum who believe in Y'shua should do since they are NOT under the Law or called to be Jews:

"Therefore my judgment is that we don't trouble those from among the Goyim (Gentiles) who turn to G-d, but that we write to them that they abstain from the pollution of idols, from sexual immorality, from what is strangled, and from blood." Acts 15:19-20 Hebrew Names Version

Many Jewish believers in Y'shua at the time of Sha'ul (Paul) thought that He had abandoned the Law of Moishe and was preaching what Yakkov had said to BOTH Jews and Gentiles. But that is NOT what Sha'ul meant!!! It was meant for Gentiles. Sha'ul took a Jewish vow in Acts 21 to show he was still a Jew keeping G-d's Commandments and then Yakkov repeats to the people what he said in Acts 15.


Yes many MJ synagogues, including mine, have a Torah Procession.

As for Simchas, we always have celebrations. wink But if you are refering to a Simcha is another way of saying “Gentile conversion to Judaism”, We Messianics believe that all Messianics, whether from Jewish heritage or not, are unified as One new creation of G-d through our faith in Messiah Y'shua.
There are actually valid points for having an MJ Simcha:
These are some valid reasons for having a Messianic Jewish Simcha:

1.) Unification of a mixed marriage. A married couple might find it to be a unifying help for both of them to be considered Jewish.

2.) Unassimilated Jewish ministry. A non-Jewish person called for ministry to the Jews may want to make sure that their work does not think to remove Jews from their Jewishness.

3.) Ambiguous Jewish heritage. A person may have strong indications that they have Jewish heritage, but no "proof", so the Simcha serves as a point of assertion and commitment to their Jewish heritage.

4.) Other motivations. There may be other valid reasons that yet need to be tested.

Yet, there are great difficulties with a Messianic Jewish Simcha that must be considered:

First, a Messianic Jewish Simcha is likely to be confused among the unlearned with conversion to Messiah Yeshua, which is a spiritual conversion from sin, from darkness to light in Him.

Second, those Messianic non-Jews who do not want to have Simcha may feel second-class. Their position as equals in the promises may seem to be watered down. They may experience increased alienation unless their Messianic group is capable at explaining the situation properly. (I propose an adult non-Jewish confirmation as “a grafted in member of the Olive Tree of Israel” for them.)

Third, some will say that Messianic Jewish Simcha is a form of Judaising, in that becoming “officially” a Jew may seem to some as the proscribed or preferred path. (Actually, biblical Judaising was a doctrine of a very small Jewish sect who thought that being circumcised would make one exempt from being accountable for sin.)

Fourth, presently no other branch of Judaism will accept a Messianic Jewish conversion. Aliyah is presently not available to Messianic Jews. (Of course, Messianic Judaism does not recognize being Jewish or Jewish conversion as sufficient for salvation either, touche’.)


As for a bris.. I had my son Joshua brised by a Christian (Gentile) Doctor and a Messianic Rabbi, it was a beautiful ceremony!