Frequently Asked – And Not So Frequently Asked – Questions
Where are you located? I’d like to meet for fellowship.
Actually, we are not a church or a fellowship. We seek to join people together in committing to restore the Bride of Messiah and to restore holiness. It is a purpose which knows no borders or region. In this we can work together no matter where we are and will keep in contact with you and put you in contact with other members.
God willing, if enough people are inspired work for restoration in one area, we desire to establish self-sustaining communities with their own land, property and businesses. These communities could be anywhere.
If you would like to meet for fellowship though, we’d love to have you. For the time being we are in the Philadelphia area but may have to move. Feel free to contact us if you’d like to meet personally. kodeshkallah@yahoo.com
Are you one of those crazy Messianics?
This is kind of a necessary question. There are a lot of dodgy Messianic and Hebrew doctrines going around. In fact, I am used to being asked a few Jewish-related questions when I first meet another believer.
So just to let you know, I respect the core doctrines of the faith, and renounce the oddball views and heresies that float through the movement. I do not believe that I or anyone else is under the Covenant of Moses, or that Gentiles are the lost ten tribes, or that Gentiles must all keep ritual Torah, or that my Jewish kin can all be saved under the Mosaic Covenant, nor do I have anything to do with Kabballah or the Sacred Name movement.
I keep Jewish days and traditions as best I can since I am Jewish and it is our calling. Those traditions are also full of spiritual meaning, can uplift the Savior and are a blessing to us. I believe Jews ought to live a uniquely Jewish life, though it is not a true mandate.
Do you want to cloister yourself away from the world?
Sadly, many people assume the moment you start speaking about a community, that you mean to separate yourself off from the world. It appears to be a knee-jerk reaction. You don’t have to say anything of the sort, and people will assume that’s what you mean anyway.
I do not promote nor have I ever promoted separating from the greater community so as to have minimal or no connection to it. In fact, there have been a variety of religious communities throughout the centuries, including monastics, which both sought to live in their own community and ALSO had regular interaction with the greater community. I believe in being a part of the great community, especially through evangelism and service of all kinds.
In fact I see forming a community, as well as potentially forming our own institutions, as a MUCH more outgoing practice than the alternative. This is firstly because living with a commitment to holiness would provide a better witness to who Mashiach is and what we become in Him. It is also more outgoing because it would encourage Christians to follow their faith and conscience in their jobs. This is something typically impossible in the secular world, where Christians regularly promote moral evil and live in near complete silence regarding their faith.
To give you a stark example, please tell me which one is more outgoing:
A Christian who works in a secular school and teaches children that evil is good and that godless naturalism is true and never shares the truths of the faith with them, OR a Christian who invites children of poor families into their community, to be homeschooled by our wives in Bible-based Christian education and also to see a good witness of a holy Christian home and community?
Which one is truly more of an outward witness?
By the way, I do not see that forming a community is any more in danger of “cloistering” than owning a home is, In fact countless Christians who own a home practically cloister themselves off from others. This is a tragedy. Our faith is by nature outgoing.
Are you ecumenical?
This word can be used to describe both good and bad things. Exactly how people of varying beliefs about Yeshua or from different religions interact is a very complex one. Let me say this to capture a few key points:
- While I would certainly show friendship and kindness to neighbors who did not know Yeshua, I would naturally share the Gospel with them because without Yeshua they are lost.
- I would enjoy the chance to have Buddhists, Hindus or Humanists as coworkers. Often, I like their company. I would also take that opportunity to tell them about our Maker, our fallen situation before Him and our need to believe on His Son.
- I would not aim to share charity work or other ministries with those who are outside of the pale of central biblical beliefs, except in needed logistics behind the scenes. A part of charity work and similar projects is sharing the Gospel and revealing Yeshua. It is not merely helping people physically. There may be times in life where various partnerships are truly necessary, but I would never aim for that. Believers have done great aid work for years without ever linking up with Hindus, Muslims or others to accomplish it.
- I believe in partial fellowship with other believers who have serious differences with us. For example, in the pro-life movement, I have no problem praying with Catholics, so long as it’s understood that I do not pray to human beings in heaven. When I have Charismatic friends over, I ask them to pray in actual languages, and not in any other way.
- We should show kindness and help to our neighbor, no matter what religion they belong to. Our first responsibility in aid, however, is within our own community. We should be able to take care of ourselves.
Why are you so mean and unloving?
I do not believe I am mean and unloving. I do rebuke the Kahol (Church) for much of its bold, shameless disobedience. I call evil deeds evil, and evil teachings evil. If I did not love I would not take the time to do that. I would instead sit back, avoid risks and watch the utter corruption of the Kahol saying nothing. It is love which motivates me to take action. Moreover, the idea that strong rebuke is not loving would be refuted by more than a mere one or two examples from scripture. Yeshua, Sha’ul and Kefa (Peter) spoke out strongly against evil and heresy. So did the prophets of Tanach (Old Testament). Were they being unloving too?
I might add it has been truly crippling to the Kahol that it cannot hold standards, practice discipline or care a whit about good doctrine. This inability to be strong (what you call “unloving” here) has left the Bride of Messiah in a corrupt and unrecognizable state. We do not need to hear sweet words all the time. There are times we need rebuke. We do not need liberality all the time. We also need discipline, and to shoot for the mark. The desire for a constant stream of niceness has been a deadly cancer on us.
If you are sincerely upset about hearing a strong rebuke, please write me. But more than that, take those same critical energies, and use them to better your own walk in Messiah. Take that same desire for change, and bring it to your congregation, use it to better the walk in Yeshua and restore good doctrine and discipline. Because if you’re upset by hearing a few harsh words about backsliders, you should be exponentially more upset by the destruction of the Church by false teachers and disobedience. It should light a fire beneath you. You should be stirred by the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Ghost).
What do you believe?
You can see our group’s beliefs as well as my own broader beliefs at our Faith Statement. It includes the basic tenets necessary to join us formally, as well as a broader and more detailed view of my faith.
Why do you hate women?
To say that women ought to be in their rightful place according to God is not a form of hatred. It is a form of love. I promote the teachings the Word of God gives us regarding men and women. This naturally includes the submissive attitude that women are to have as well as their submissive position in the home and congregation. None of that is my opinion. It is the Word of God. Moreover, it is a great blessing to both men and women, since God’s way for us is beautiful and blessed. Women are not the same as men. They have their own role.
Are you a legalist?
The common use of this word today is an attack against people who believe we ought to actually try and live as the Word of God instructs. Of course we should, and it gets tiresome hearing people claim that God Almighty is a legalist. One can look at the words of Yeshua, Sha’ul (Paul), the apostles and the prophets and deem all of them legalistic by the modern standard. I believe we should try and live as the Lord teaches us, which means shooting for the mark.
There are other uses for the word “legalist” however, which I will answer. Some use it to describe the belief that one must keep a certain prescribed regimen of behavior to be saved. I do not believe this. However, I must add, if a believer is living shamelessly in sin, he should not presume that he is saved to begin with. He is showing the fruit of damnation.
Some would also use the word to describe the practice of calling what are obviously traditions of men the Word of God. While I believe it is important to have good traditions, and some rightfully come from men, they do not amount to the Word of God.
Are you a cult leader?
Like the term legalist, the term cult in contemporary times is just a ministry insult to deride people you don’t like. Moreover, since in recent times the same word has been used to describe manipulative, immoral, murderous psychopaths, I find it’s better not to call someone a cult unless you really mean it. I do not even call the Jehovah’s Witnesses a cult, although they are outside of the faith.
What I intend to do is join people together in making commitments to reform and holiness, and do it in an organized way. That’s what I say on my main page and I really can’t be more descriptive than that. Moreover, even for those who do not wish to work with me, I hope to inspire them and inform them in seeking change on their own.
We need to change the way we are living, and lead holy lives.
I notice you encourage people to live to high standards of holiness. Do you believe in “complete sanctification” (that the believer can become truly sinless in this life)?
No.
What is all this stuff about? I’m not even a Christian?
This stuff is my own attempt to inspire repentance among those who are disciples of Yeshua (Jesus). As you might know, even if you are not a believer, many Christians do not try to lead life according to their faith. Even if they do try, it is often in absence of certain principles they find unpopular or too hard. If you recognize that people ought to do what they sincerely believe is right, then certainly Christians ought to live according to their faith. It’s that simple. They are not.
However, it is not my intention to give teaching about salvation in Jesus on this forum. I do have a handful of links like that, and I do give one of my own Gospel presentations as part of a larger one in my video Only a Monster, but the primary purpose of this website is holiness and reform in the Church.
If you would like to hear about who Jesus is and why we need Him to deliver us from sin and death, provide us a new heart, and bring eternal life, please check out this, this and this.
You can also see an Orthodox presentation right here. I do not agree entirely with it because it leaves out the working of justice, but it beautifully captures the transformation of man from darkness to light, death to life.