A Prayer to Our Father is the exciting journey of faith of a Jewish Bible scholar and an African American pastor who join forces to uncover the truth about the most beloved prayer in the Christian world. Their gripping adventure begins in the ancient city of Jerusalem and takes them to the very spot in Galilee where Jesus taught the multitudes to pray. Along the way they discover a Hebrew version of the Lord’s Prayer, preserved in secret by Jewish rabbis for over a thousand years. The richness of meaning that the Hebrew unlocks reveals a powerful message of spiritual growth for Jew and Christian alike. Join them on this provocative exploration of the Hebrew origins of the Lord’s Prayer!
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Hey Don,
I think the biggest problem with most people understanding is a matter of definition -
For example, the common thought is that the word “Gentile” is synonamous to “heathen”. As used by Jews (those who’w physical and religious geneology is is from the tribe of Judah) Gentile is any one who is not one of them – and is pretty much the same thing as being Godless and unclean. This is a result of rabbinical Judaism that mainly relies on the opinion and traditions of men rather than Scripture and supporting historical documents. However, a better definition according to the Hebrew language is “nations”; i.e. those who are dispersed in the nations.
What we have to realize is that God or Yahweh never made a covenant with Christians, Gentiles, Baptists, Sinners or other people groups. Yahshua said in Matthew 5 and 15 – “I did not come to save but the lost sheep of Israel” (my abbreviated quote). So, if no covenants were made with anyone but Israel, what is the effect of salvation through his blood besides a fire insurance policy as taught nearly all Christian circles?
The effect is that we the people who have been dispersed into the nations whether by a blood line we don’t know about or as a grafted in “gentile” are being regathered through the blood of the Messiah into A nation. We are only a part. Redeemed Judah or redeemed Jews are part of Israel as one of the tribes just as redeemed Ephraim is. I am not Yahweh, nor do I have his mind but I neither believe in a special covenant outside of the covenants made with Israel, nor do I believe we replace Judah and or Israel. We are all one and the same in the blood – not “spiritual” Israel, but the physical manifestation of a people coming into covenant with our Creator.
Another definition: Judaizers – not all who follow the will of God as expressed in HIS everlasting commandments are JUDAIZERs. Only those who insist on following the laws of the Pharisees are holding things over people’s heads that were not intended to be. These are the “extra” laws that were not given to Moses that became a heavy burden on the people and Yahshua came to clarify and take away. How can being an obedient child ever be thought to be a burden or a ridiculous law for an old covenant.
If Yah is the same yesterday, today and forever and if Yahshua is the living and written word of Yahweh, then He never changes.
My personal belief is that most Christians actually have physical Israelite blood and that is the reason we were drawn to Salvation in the first place. In a sense it’s irrelevant. We are becoming a nation. We are becoming a people. We are laying the foundation for a Kingdom that will be called Israel, whose King is Yahshua who will rule by the laws of the Torah.
The key for any of us is not to get so tied to our beliefs and doctrines that we forget to love each other and honor defencible (sp)biblical differences.
Guess that’s way more than enough for now. dw
You are spot on Brother, good to see some one giving a biblical perspective.
If you are in Yahshua, then you are Abrahams seed, and the promises are then yours.( Gal. 3:29) That means that you become a son in Israel (Rom. 9:1-6) We do not have gentile christians in the Israel of YHWH, but all who accept Yahshua and His lifestite (the Torah) become Israel, just look at Caleb.
Shalom
Boaz
Hi Don thanks for listening. We are trying to be exclusive of the gentiles. Our goal is the same as Saul, we want all nations grafted in through Y’shua and receive the Ruach Hakodesh as the in the days of Acts 2. Then the blood genealogy and your DNA has change you are in line to go through the same gate as Y’shua (Jesus Christ).
What you say on the radio show rings true with me… things I have wondered since being saved in the 80′s.
Only when you say how exciting it is to find “my (your) Hebrew roots” it sounds like “Return of the Judaisers.” For clarity of your message you might rather say how exiciting it is to discover “the Hebrew roots of remant Isreal and the grafted church.”
I have no known Isrealite genealogy rather legendarily to Woden. (Nephilim?) But spiritually I am an Adopted Isrealite by the blood of Christ. I know you bend over backwards to emphasize this but your closing remarks sound like personal Isrealite blood genealogy is what you are about, exclusive of the gentiles, and you undo your message.