Many churches in the Evangelical world spend a great deal of time condemning legalism: rigid adherence to Biblical laws and the man-made stringencies around them, observance by the letter and not by the Spirit, observance of Biblical laws to gain eternal life with God. But Yeshua’s words in the Gospels warn of a different issue: “Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. This Good News of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”Matthew 24:12-14, Tree of Life Version While legalism has been and continues to be a problem among believers, especially Messianic believers, its opposite — lawlessness — pulls God’s people away from living godly, upstanding lives. In this new podcast episode, Judah and John discuss forms of legalism and lawlessness we’ve encountered in our Messianic faith, and how believers can walk a better path that avoids both extremes.

In this new podcast, John and Judah tackle issues relevant to Messianic believers in the book of Romans. Specifically, * When Paul says, “A true Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart, in spirit and not in letter” (Rom 2), is he saying Gentiles are spiritual Jews? * Paul speak about the righteousness of “Gentiles who do by nature the things of the Torah” (Rom 2), is this the moral law, the full Mosaic law, or something else?* Paul tells the Romans, “We are released from the Torah” (Rom 7). Does this mean the Torah has no relevance the lives of Messianic believers?* Paul writes, “Let every person submit himself to the governing authorities” (Rom 13). In the coronavirus era, how should this play out? Governors are issuing mandates to wear masks, quarantine for indefinite periods of time, close churches and social gatherings. Should Messianic believers submit themselves to these authorities, or are these issues going beyond what Paul had in view?* Romans 13 speaks about not causing others to stumble over issues of food. Can this be applied to kosher standards today in the Messianic movement? Is it wise use of Romans 13 to discourage Messianic folks from taking a stand over kosher issues? Or can we cite Paul’s “the Kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking” and tell people that food ultimately doesn’t matter to God? Tune in to hear the discussion of these difficult matters of walking out the Bible in the modern Messianic movement.

John and Judah discuss the theological objections to Torah observance from a man who recently left the Hebrew Roots movement. Does Matthew 5 really say the Torah is still in effect? Has God changed, or have people changed? If people changed, does it means God's law applies differently? Is the Sabbath merely a cultural commandment, meant only for Bronze Age Israel? Did the Christian community at Rome really celebrate Passover? Tune in to find out.

In this first episode, J.K. McKee and Judah Gabriel Himango respond to a recent friend who left the Hebrew Roots movement. We address challenges facing Messianic believers today: the pitfalls of end-times sensationalism, conspiracy theories, low views of the New Testament, heresies about Yeshua's identity, contempt for the Church and Christianity, a lack of Gospel evangelism and outreach, and more. We discuss better paths forward for our movement, one centered around the weighty matters of the Torah and the salvation of Israel.