In Leviticus 23 God instructs Moses in the celebration of His Festivals or “appointed times.” The Apostle Paul suggested the importance of understanding and even experiencing the Jewish festivals in his letter to Timothy. He wrote, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3: 16-17) Paul is referring to the entirety of the Old Testament. It is very helpful and practical in understanding the role of the festivals in the lives of believers in Jesus the Messiah as they are a cyclical pattern for the plan of redemption from Genesis through Revelation. Every part of the Bible is useful to us in the process of growing to spiritual maturity. This would include the Jewish feast days and their application to Christians today.
The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) began at 6:00 pm on Friday, September 15, 2023, and ended at 6:00 pm Sunday, September 17. This feast on the Hebrew calendar is also known as the “Head of the Year,” the beginning of their Civil New Year. In Hebrew this season means “repentance” and also means “return.” The Gospel message was first delivered by the Jewish people in the early church at the beginning of the Church Age. This message has gone to the nations for nearly 2000 years and is now returning to its source, Israel and the Jewish people, whose return to their homeland signals the completion of the cycle culminating, in the spiritual resurrection of the nation. We are certainly witnessing the beginning of this fulfillment at the end of the age with both Jewish and Gentile believers multiplying and proclaiming faith in the true Messiah—Jesus Christ. We witnessed this happening near us in the revival of Auburn University on Tuesday night as 5000 students gathered for Unite Auburn with 200 baptisms in Auburn Lake!
The Feast of Trumpets initiates a ten-day repentance that climaxes with the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). This time is known as the Ten Days of Awe which is a season of seeking God in humility and self-examination and accountability to God and to others for our mistakes—our choices as we are given “free will.” As the shofar or trumpet is sounded on the Feast of Trumpets, we are reminded that we are free to choose lives of good over evil, right over wrong, and life over death. Some tend to view their shortcomings with a deterministic outlook, thinking, “This is who I am.” This perspective can be convenient because it absolves us of responsibility. The blasting of the trumpet seems to scream at us, “You are free! You are not bound by any predetermined fate!” Scripture reveals that the truth will set us free—the truth about God, the truth about our self and the truth about people and circumstances. That freedom comes with its share of responsibilities. Being free means shouldering the weight of responsibility, recognizing strongholds in our life and being willing to relinquish everything to the Lord and seeking His strength to overcome. This season is a time to strive to internalize the call of the shofar, “we are free!” Peter sounds the warning to the family of God in I Peter 4: 17: “For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?”
With this in mind, God brought me back to a book I studied over 20 years ago published by Restoration Ministries International which is a movement throughout the world to restore the foundational principles of the early church. The purpose of their ministries is found in Acts 3: 19-21: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins my be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that He may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as He promised long ago through His holy prophets.” I believe that God brought me back to these truths for this season as God seeks to bring repentance, restoration and refreshment to His people! Paul sounds the alarm to Christians in Ephesians 5: 14b-17: “Wake up, O sleeper! Rise from the dead, and Messiah will shine on you. So pay close attention to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise. Make the most of your time because the days are evil. For this reason do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”
Through His compassionate mercy, the Lord is restoring the Hebraic foundations of the early Church. Jesus Christ came in the fullness of time “to give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven.” (Luke 1: 77-78) Indeed now, in conjunction with the “tender mercy of our God” to the Jewish people, the Hebraic foundations are being restored to a Gentile Church around the world!
Let us look at the Hebraic priorities of the early Church. These priorities begin with Jesus as the center and flow out from there.
PRIORITY #1—Jesus and You. A biblically Hebraic understanding of our relationship with Jesus as a pilgrimage begins with the day we lovingly put our full trust and reliance in Him as Lord of our life. Unflagging trust in His Lordship and faith-filled obedience to His Word reveal His undeniable reality to us as His disciple. Only through an ongoing walk in the love of Jesus can we love others in the manner He has prescribed. PRIORITY #2—Your Home. The Christ whom we seek to penetrate all our relationships needs to be present first in our home. The essence of a Hebraic-Christian marriage of the early Church could be, “If you want to know the extent of my relationship with Jesus Christ, look for it in the love He has given me for my spouse.” Just as marital love is a commitment meant to deepen and grow throughout the marriage, so is union with the Holy Spirit meant to increasingly draw the believer (whether single or married) into deeper trust in God. The Jewish believers of the early Church recognized that their relationship with their Lord and the relationships in their homes were inseparably linked: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deut. 6: 5-7) Children are a heritage and reward from the Lord. Fathers are to “bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” (Eph. 6;4) the peace and harmony of the home, is an essential goal for each believer. A home should be a refuge and sanctuary for each family member. PRIORITY #3—Your Home Fellowship. God is reestablishing a key element of the early Church; the home fellowship as an extension of the home for spiritual growth and supportive relationships. The earliest believers met in homes with glad and sincere hearts to break bread and to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” (Hebrews 10: 24) the home fellowship relationship of the early Church is a seven-day-a-week commitment to one another—to support and uphold righteousness and develop increasingly supportive relationships that point each other toward greater dependency on God. This includes mentoring by elders and role modeling by those who have lived a life for Christ. Following the pattern, the Church is built on the individual, family, home fellowship, small groups and congregations throughout the community. Truly throughout the world the Lord is sending forth a Hebraic spirit to undo the Greek spirit that has held the Gentile Church captive for centuries. By the third century many anti-Semitic writings and practices had entered the Church with its philosophy and theoretical approach to life entered and subordinated a trusting and obedient relationship with the Lord of life. Paul warned the Church against this: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” (Col. 2:8) The Church of Jesus Christ was never meant to be divided by human commands, traditions, and knowledge. God’s restoration of His Church begins within each of us in His Body! May we hear the sound of the trumpet calling the Body of Christ to repentance and return to Him!