Messianic Faith - Not for Jews Only

Over my thirty-five years in the “restoration of Israel” movement, there have been many markers. I believe we are right on the edge of the last prophetic marker. I believe that we are so near to the Lord hearing the words that He said He must hear before He returns – the words from His Jewish people – “blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord”. (Ps. 118:26; Matt. 23:39; Mark 11:9; Luke 13:35; John 12:13)

I so praise the Lord for allowing me to be part of this exhilarating spiritual revival that sometimes just lumbers along, and at other times, moves with such power that my eyes are urgently searching the heavens for Yeshua to part the clouds and re-appear! (Isa. 48:5; I Thes. 4:16; I Cor. 15:52)

Today I read an article by a Messianic Jewish brother recounting his journey in this movement as a Jewish believer in Yeshua. I realized as I read it that for most of the past 35 years of my experience in this movement, my spiritual energy was focused on the “Jewish side” of the “one new man equation” – on understanding the challenges and the process of Jewish people who come to Messiah, understanding Messianic Judaism, Jewish identity, all of the things that go into a Jewish person finding their Messiah.

The whole phenomenon of seeing Jewish followers of Yeshua once again proclaiming the Kingdom from Zion is such a glorious sign of the soon-coming re-appearing of Yeshua. As this brother shared the often-recounted story of how the modern-day Messianic Jewish movement started – coming out of the hippie “Jesus Movement” circa 1967, the same year the City of Jerusalem returned to Jewish hands, my heart turned to today.

Today is the day that Gentile believers must embrace Messianic Faith. It is time for the same phenomenon that occurred when many Jewish people recognized their Messiah to also occur with Gentiles. It’s the day for Gentiles to recognize our Messiah and His plans for Israel, the nations and the restoration of all things to come upon us. “Christians” must understand that for the most part, traditional Christianity has missed the mark. The fullness of the Christian faith is simply not there even for many of those who truly love Yeshua. It’s because, for the most part, Christian faith is disconnected from foundations in God’s covenant with Israel. (Rom. 9:5; Eph. 2:19-21)

It’s now been over 50 years since that marker of the resurgence of many Jewish followers of Yeshua, but I believe the Gentiles who were and are part of the “restoration of Israel/restoration of Zion movement” need to embrace our own “Messianic Faith”. Messianic Faith is “not for Jews only”.

In fact, Messianic faith is for all of us who believe in Yeshua the Messiah. It is for all of us who follow the God of Israel, Elohim – Abba, Yeshua and the Ruach haKodesh. The life-changing adventure of coming to faith in Messiah that happened to our Jewish mishpocha (family) is for the Gentiles, too.

For Gentile believers in Yeshua, trapped in “church traditions” that rarely, if at all, acknowledge that Christianity would not exist without our Jewish Messiah and the foundations of our faith, there is a prophetic revelation that must be embraced in these last days. (Eph. 3:9-11)

Messianic faith is not necessarily about being part of “Messianic Judaism”, which is the expression that many born-again Jewish believers have chosen as their faith expression. Messianic Judaism oftentimes looks like Orthodox Judaism but includes worshiping Yeshua. It sometimes looks different from this but it usually contains Hebrew liturgical expressions and the heart of the concept is to be welcoming to Jewish people and to maintain Jewish identity, while worshiping Yeshua as Messiah.

There is much more that goes into Messianic Judaism, of course, but what I want to talk about is this – for all believers, both Jew and Gentile, who love Israel and long for the salvation of Israel, who understand that the restoration of Israel, the fullness of both Jew and Gentile is next on God’s timeline, you are also “Messianic”.

Being “Messianic” does not necessarily mean that you are positioned into one category – Messianic Judaism, Hebrew Roots, Christian Zionism, etc. But it could mean you express yourself in some of these ways.

What I’m trying to say is that “Messianic Faith” is our life. We are prophetic people, walking out the prophecies of these last days. I see that both Jewish and Gentile believers are beginning to understand that it will take both of us to be one new man. There is more to understand about this process than we have understood before. The fullness of both Jew and Gentile must happen.

This is more than just a movement for Jewish people to recognize their Messiah, not to dilute the message that the reconciliation of the whole world and life from the dead comes with the salvation of Israel, but to say that the prophetic timetable we are on is calling for a Messianic Faith to be expressed by the Gentiles, too. Even if we choose not to embrace this calling to Messianic Faith, every person on this planet will eventually walk in it because every knee will bow to Yeshua haMashiach. Let’s walk in it now. (Rom. 11:11-16; Php. 2:9-11; Isa. 45:23-24)

Messianic Faith is not for Jews only. For most of us Gentiles in the restoration of Israel movement, we have focused so much on what is happening to Jewish believers in Yeshua that we’ve not been aware of what must happen to Gentile believers in Yeshua before He comes. Gentiles, too, must come to fullness in Messiah.

We must understand our role in this prophetic day. Our eyes are also to be fixed on Zion. God is calling the people in the nations to stand with Israel and the Jewish people – to help the Jewish people return to their Land, to take our stand as the ones who follow Him. Our hearts are fixed on the salvation of Israel and on the Lord receiving what He deserves at the restoration of all things. It all culminates in Jerusalem. We will be one new man.

This Messianic Faith is not about joining a congregation that practices Messianic Judaism. It is not about following a Hebrew Roots teacher or becoming a political activist Christian Zionist. It transcends all of this – it is about following and worshiping and living your life as a sold-out follower of the one true God, aware of the prophecies being fulfilled in our day. Embracing this revelation is a life-transforming journey. It’s what we ask Him for – to direct our paths as we serve Him on planet earth. He is showing us what to proclaim and what to say about what matters to Him.

It is about coming out of the oppressive doctrines that have kept us bound up in church “traditions” that are clueless about the relevance of God’s plan for Israel and the nations, or worse, being taught that “Christianity” replaces the original covenant. We must proclaim the fact that the whole sky is beginning to lighten up….soon He will appear. We are called to take our places in this final release of His Glory back to planet earth. (Mal. 4:2; Isa. 60:1; II Pet. 1:19)

Recognize and marvel at what God is doing and walk in your prophetic destiny. Messianic faith is not for Jews only – Messianic faith is for people from all nations. Proclaim what God is doing. It will bring desire and hope and true worship of the one true God, the God of Israel to this planet. Remember that His Kingdom comes to earth, where both Israel and the nations, in the fullness of the hope of our Messianic Faith, will worship Him together for all eternity. (Matt. 25:31-34; Rev. 21:24-26; Rev. 22:16)

Cathy Hargett, Director

Highway to Zion Ministries, Inc.

www.highwaytozion.org