Teachings
The following message are submitted by various
participants in the Ami Yisrael Ministry and Ami Yisrael Hebraic
Fellowship. These articles and messages represent the views of the author
and presenter and do not necessarily represent the view of any other
individual in the ministry or fellowship, including the founders and
leaders. We believe it is important for the people of God to open
to various views, but to prove all things, doing as the Bereans . . .
ESV Acts 17:11 Now
these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the
word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these
things were so.
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Click on Title of Message for a Brief Synopsis
Teachings of a General Nature
The New Moon and Israelite Unity
- Tim Kelley
The Hebraic / Messianic movement is dividing over many things, many
of which are not extremely relevant to the Hebraic walk. Yes
everyone wants to be scripturally correct in their walk - and that's
good! But some things just cannot be determined clearly from
the scriptures, and the timing of the New Moon is one of them.
Yes - there have been many papers and books written in an attempt to
explain this view or that, but it gets to be so difficult trying to
determine which is correct. God says that His ways are easy to
follow - we don't have to go to the heights of the heavens or the
depths of the oceans to figure them out. So why all the
confusion over the New Moon?
Yeshua to Jesus
- Tim Kelley
As we
grow in grace and knowledge of our Messiah we have
a zeal to place Him back into the Hebrew culture in which He did His
work. This is right and good, but sometimes our studies lead
us down a path to where we begin to condemn everything we learned in
the church. This is often the case, especially when
we learn that The Messiah's real name is Yeshua, not Jesus.
Were we lied to about the name of our Messiah? Did the Greek
"mis-translators" mix our Messiah's name with the name of the pagan
Greek god Zeus? This study will help us see the transition of
His name down through the languages . . .
Delivered at the Ami Yisrael Fellowship - March 12, 2011
Is Yeshua Devine?
- Tim Kelley
For many, the "litmus test" for whether a
teacher or ministry is worth listening to is what they believe about the nature
of God and The Messiah. I tend to avoid this discussion because it appears
that most people are satisfied with what they believe about this subject and are
only concerned that you believe what they believe. Therefore, discussion
of the topic, for the most part, only serves to separate people instead of
bringing them together. This is sad. In light of the fact that most
of us in the "Hebraic Movement" have come to see that the followers of
Yeshua apparently had no problem attending the synagogue with the non-believers
(and vice-versa) during the first and early second century CE, we, nearly 2000
years later . . .
Re-Judaizing Jesus - Elizebeth Wenger
Delivered at the Ami Yisrael
Fellowship - February 26, 2011
The Threshold Covenant - Rico Cortes
The Threshold Covenant is an ancient
ritual that reveals the Plan of Yah in our redemption. Covenants are
important and once we understand ancient covenants then we will
appreciate the work of Yeshua and our redemption. The passover is
about ancient rituals of the Covenant of the Door. This teaching
will help you understand why Yeshua said "I am the Door" and why we
need the Messiah to be part of the kingdom. Delivered at
an Ami Yisrael Fellowship Seminar - March 6, 2011
Is Yeshua YHVH? (A Hebraic Perspective)
- Eddie Chumney
This teaching will explain using the Bible with references to the Targums and Zohar the Shema
and the unity of the Godhead. We will also share terms and titles for the Messiah from
Genesis to Revelation to get a Biblical perspective of how does the Bible represent Yeshua
the Messiah of Israel.
Delivered at the Ami Yisrael
Fellowship - March 19, 2011
Let Us Go Up to Zion
- Eddie Chumney
This teaching explains how the declaration of the God of Israel to
take His people out of Egypt and come into the promised land
(Deuteronomy 6:22-23) is the foundation for understanding the entire
Bible including the new covenant, the preparation of the Bride, the
uniting of the twelve tribes of Israel and the Messianic Era.
Delivered at the Ami Yisrael Fellowship - March 19, 2011
Freedom vs. Bondage
- Tim Kelley
God intends for all men to be free. Ancient Israel was
established as a free nation - no king, no president, no prime
minister. But free societies typically gravitate toward
bondage, and such was the case with Israel - the asked for a king.
Are there similarities between Israel's plight and that of us here
in the United State? Are we headed toward bondage, and is
there anything we can do about it?
Determining the 430 years of Exodus
- James Cowan
The Genesis 15 indicates that Israel's bondage would last four
hundred years, but Exodus 12 says 430 years. Is there a
conflict there? If not, how can we clear this up. It's
not really that hard to figure out . . .
So You Want to Observe Passover Part 1
- Tim Kelley
As YHVH draws His people out of the "Church" and begins to work with
them, they begin to replace their former holidays (Christmas,
Easter, etc. with God's appointed times, such as the festivals of
Leviticus 23. Passover tends to be the most popular of these
festivals - probably because of its association with the crucifixion
of the Messiah. Though Passover is one of the festivals, it is
one with covenantal overtones that a believer should be aware of.
In order to maintain the sactity of the festival, God prescribes
certain requirements of those who partake of the very special
festival. You will want to investigate these requirements
before attending your Passover Sedar.
Delivered at the Ami
Yisrael Fellowship - April 2, 2011
The information in this article is more clearly understood if
the reader first avails himself of the information in all three of
the "Salvation Cycles" articles entitled "Covenants".
You will find them listed below.
So You Want to Observe Passover Part 2
- Tim Kelley
As YHVH draws His people out of the "Church" and begins to work with
them, they begin to replace their former holidays (Christmas,
Easter, etc. with God's appointed times, such as the festivals of
Leviticus 23. Passover tends to be the most popular of these
festivals - probably because of its association with the crucifixion
of the Messiah. Though Passover is one of the festivals, it is
one with covenantal overtones that a believer should be aware of.
In order to maintain the sactity of the festival, God prescribes
certain requirements of those who partake of the very special
festival. You will want to investigate these requirements
before attending your Passover Sedar.
Delivered at the
Ami Yisrael Fellowship - April 9, 2011
The information in this article is more clearly understood if
the reader first avails himself of the information in all three of
the "Salvation Cycles" articles entitled "Covenants".
You will find them listed below.
So You Want to Observe Passover Part
3
- Tim Kelley
There are a number of questions we all have when trying to
reconcile the New Testament account of Yeshua's last meal with
the timing of the Passover events as described in Exodus 12.
How could Yeshua eat the Passover and at the same time, be the
Passover? Why do we seem to have a conflict between the
synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and the book of John?
How can we prove the timing of these momentous events if the
Biblical accounts differ? This study provides a way that
we can understand all we need to know in order to have full
confidence and understanding of Yeshua's sacrifice.
Delivered at the Ami Yisrael Fellowship - April 16, 2011
Insights Into the Priestly Blessing - Tim Kelley
In the book of Numbers, YHVH instructs Aaron and his sons to
pronounce a specific blessing - His blessing - over the children
of Israel. This blessing is often repeated by Hebraic and
Messianic groups. What is the blessing about? Who is it
for? Should it be repeated today? This study offers
answers to some of those questions.
Delivered at the
Ami Yisrael Fellowship - April 30, 2011
Bringing Justice to the Land - Tim Kelley
When Moses gave his final instructions to Israel before they
entered the Promised Land, he instructed them to establish
judges. When you study the five books of Moses - the Torah
- you will see that much of God's instructions to Israel deal
with resolving problems between people. Though it would be
best if people worked their own problems out, there are times
when a case needs to be decided by judges. What are the
qualifications of a judge, and should God's people return to a
system of judges in order to bring peace to all?
Delivered at the
Ami Yisrael Fellowship - May 7, 2011
Who Are The FirstFruits? - Jim Cowan
The Bible provides the identity of those YHVH calls
"firstfruits". Who are they and what can be learned by
understanding the identity of and the concept of "First
Fruits"?
Delivered at the
Ami Yisrael Fellowship - May 21, 2011
Grace From a Hebraic Perspective - Pt. 1 - Tim Kelley
Most Christians define
Grace as "Undeserved
Pardon" or "Divine Influence on the Heart". Both of these
definitions are somewhat abstract, but the Hebrew language
defines Grace in a very
concrete way. Armed with a truly Biblical definition,
grace is more easily understood, and can be seen from a much
different perspective, especially in how YHVH deals with his
people in the first century. Delivered at the
Ami Yisrael Fellowship - June 4, 2011
Grace From a Hebraic Perspective - Pt. 2 - Tim Kelley
See Above Synopsis.
Delivered at the
Ami Yisrael Fellowship - June 11, 2011
Joy and History of the Dance - Angie Kelley
Dance was a part of the praise before YHVH since at least the
exodus from Egypt and continued down through the first century.
But what happened to the dance as part of the praise and worship
before the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? This teaching
is a brief history lesson showing how dance, the free
expression of worship before God, was systematically
controlled more and more by the clergy, thus creating an
un-natural divide within the congregation. The PDF copy is
the notes of the presentation.
Delivered at the
Ami Yisrael Fellowship - October 29, 2011. This message
was first delivered at the Season of Our Joy Sukkot Festival in
2011. The recording and Power Point presentation are from that
event.
What is the Church? - Tim Kelley
Did you know the word "church" cannot be derived from either the
Greek or Hebrew texts of the Bible? Where did the word
"church" come from. Is it Biblical? More
importantly, would there be a difference in our understanding of
scripture if, instead of using the word "church", the English
translators chose to use the word that is a correct translation
of the Greek text. I believe there would be. This
two-part teaching delves into the correct translation of the
word "ekklesia" and shows how our understanding of the Old
Testament would probably change with this understanding.
Delivered at the
Ami Yisrael Fellowship - November 12, 2011
Build My Church? - Tim Kelley
Was it Yeshua's role to
'build' a new religion called
Christianity or was it to restore what YHVH had begun in
Abraham? Over half the prophecies in the Bible pertain to
the restoration of Israel, yet Christian scholars and Bible
translators seem to have missed this very important point.
This study shows that Yeshua's teaching to His disciples at
Cesarea Philipi was that He would
re-build Yah's
assembly and that once rebuilt, they would never turn to idols
again.
Delivered at the
Ami Yisrael Fellowship - December 3, 2011
Torah Economics Part 1 - Tim Kelley
Israel's economic system was built on the principle that the
fewer laws and taxes you had the better off the nation was as a
whole. The economic model was agrarian with the idea that
YHVH was the landowner and the people were sharecroppers who
partnered with YHVH for the betterment of the entire nation.
Delivered at the
Ami Yisrael Fellowship - December 17, 2011
Torah Economics Part 2 - Tim Kelley
The majority of laws in the Torah that pertain to economic
issues show how YHVH expects the Israelites to deal witth the
poor. It is important to YHVH that the poor are able to
maintain their dignity, thus He provides various means by which
they can work and take care of their families. This study shows
how YHVH used Indentured Servatude and Loans as a way to provide
for the poor.
Delivered at the
Ami Yisrael Fellowship - January 7, 2012
Torah Economics Part 3 - Tim Kelley
The economic system YHVH intended for Torah required each person
to look out for the needs of the poor (
see previous articles
in this series), but what about the needs of the priests -
the ones who did the work of God? This study shows that
YHVH had made provisions for the service of the Tabernacle, but
when Israel sinned by building a Golden Calf, things changed -
the priesthood and the means of providing for the priests -
Tithing. Tithing became a part of Israel's culture because
of sin and was not what YHVH had inteneded.
Delivered at the
Ami Yisrael Fellowship - January 28, 2012
Loving Your Neighbor - Tim Kelley
What does it mean to
love your neighbor as yourself? In
a recent speech given by the President of the United State, he
used the words of Messiah Yeshua to support his case for social
reform. But did he take Yeshua's words out of context?
Did he even have the slightest idea what it actually means to
love your neighbor as yourself?
This study delves into the
Hebraic background of those words with the attemp to show
that loving your neighbor - at least from a Biblical point of
view - is different from what most people think. Delivered at the
Ami Yisrael Fellowship - February 10, 2012
Understanding Israel - Tim Kelley
Introduction - Solomon's Kingdom
As a Hebrew Roots fellowship, we often speak of the restoration of
the Kingdom of Israel, and so we should - it was the central theme
of the prophets of old as well as the focus of the disciples of
Yeshua. This series will discuss the history of Israel
including the prophecies of return. It will help correct many
misunderstandings concerning Israel, chief of which is the thought
that
all Israelites are Jews.
This series begins with a discussion of Solomon's Kingdom. The
kingdom that he inherited from his father David was a picture of the
end-time Kingdom of God. It is important for a student of the
New Testament to understand that the restoration of the Kingdom of
Israel was the focus of the disciples and the
mystery that
Paul and his fellow apostles focused on. To properly
understand Israel is the key to understanding the Mystery of the
Kingdom of God. Delivered at the Ami Yisrael Fellowship - June
25, 2011
Understanding Israel - the Tribes
Israel is a people with a very specific calling. When YHVH
entered into covenant with Abraham, it's as if He was taking
Abraham's children as His bride. Thus, to properly understand
Israel, one must first look at the seriousness of the marriage
covenant, for YHVH's commitment to Israel is as if she were married
to Him. This teaching discusses the history of Israel
and clears up one of the biggest misunderstandings of who are the 12
Tribes of Israel. Delivered at the Ami Yisrael Fellowship - July
9, 2011
Understanding Israel - Blessing and Curses
Though Israel inherited the unconditional covenant YHVH made with
Abraham, and passed on to Isaac and Jacob, when Israel was delivered
from Egypt and taken to Mount Sinai, they entered into a conditional
covenant with YHVH. According to their covenant, if Israel
lived up to the conditions of the covenant, they would receive
abundant blessings. On the other hand, if they did not, they
would be cursed, with the primary curse being that they would be
driven out of the land. This "curse of the law" did not cause
the covenant to cease, but in fact, ensured that YHVH was committed
to the covenant. This teaching begins to explain this
"mystery" - how YHVH is going to fulfill Israel's purpose
through a rebellious people. Delivered at the Ami Yisrael Fellowship - July
16, 2011
Understanding Israel - a United Kingdom
Never a homogeneous people, Israel was always divided on the line
between the sons of Joseph (and those who associated with them) and
the sons of Judah (and those who associated with them). King
David was the first to really unite these two kingdoms into one
kingdom, the Kingdom of Israel. This teaching shows how the
terms "House of Israel" and "House of Judah" are not the same.
It also discusses the Tabernacle of David, a symbol of the Dynasty
of King David. Delivered at the Ami Yisrael Fellowship - July
23, 2011
Understanding Israel - the Sieve Analogy
This teaching is a supplement to the above teaching. There are
questions about the sieve analogy - who stays in the sieve, who
falls out. This in-depth teaching goes to the Hebrew root
words in an attempt to clear up this question.
Understanding Israel - the Kingdom Divides
David was promised that he would never lack for one of his
descendants to reign over the combined kingdom of Israel as long as
his son's would walk in YHVH's ways as David had done.
Unfortunately, that was not the case and David's dynasty only lasted
till the death of King Solomon. Before Solomon died, YHVH
brought adversaries against Solomon, one of which was Jeroboam.
Why did Jeroboam rebel? What had Solomon done to provoke it?
And does Solomon's actions provide foresight into what is happening
today as YHVH is beginning to gather the tribes together once again? Delivered at the Ami Yisrael Fellowship
- August 6, 2011
Understanding Israel - the Prophecy of Hosea
After the Kingdom of Israel split into the Kingdom of Judah and the
Kingdom of Israel (sometimes known as Ephraim), both nations fell
deeply into idolatry. Whereas Judah had occasional periods of
repentance, it appears Ephraim never did. Shortly before
Ephraim's fall, YHVH sent Hosea to show what would soon happen to
the House of Israel. This prophecy, more than any other, helps
reveal the identity of the northern - "Lost Ten Tribes" - of Israel.
It also clearly shows that Ephraim and Judah are not the same
people, but will united again at the end of days. Delivered at the Ami Yisrael Fellowship
- August 13, 2011
Understanding Israel - Two Witnesses
God established a principle that it takes two witnesses to establish
a matter, whether it be a criminal case or a matter of scripture.
For instance, God called heaven and earth to testify for or against
Israel. But God also called Israel to be a witness whether
YHVH is indeed God. "But that's only one witness", you might
say. True, if it were not for the fact that God split the
Kingdom of Israel into two kingdoms. Now they are both
witnesses, and God says that their witness to the fact that He is
God is dependant of whether He is able to re-unite them at the end
of this age. Delivered at the Ami Yisrael Fellowship
- August 27, 2011
Understanding Israel - the Mystery of the Gospel
It is a popular belief in Messianic circles that all Israelites are
Jews. Unfortunately neither historical or Biblical records
support this belief. This study provides overwhelming evidence
that the first century Jewish people clearly understood the
existence of the Northern Tribes as a separate people from the
Jewish people. It also explains the
Mystery of the Gospel,
how YHVH will use these distinct groups of people to save
all Israel and ultimately all mankind. Delivered at the Ami Yisrael Fellowship
- September 3, 2011
Salvation Cycles Series - Tim Kelley
Introduction - Bondage and Sin
Many of the Biblical Heroes had times in their lives where they
failed to live up the standards YHVH set up in the scriptures.
David, for instance, succumbed to lust, committed murder, and
numbered Israel - all direct violations of Torah. Yet David
was called "a man after God's own heart"! How is it that these
men were able to pull themselves back out of the pit and becomes
examples that we should follow today. This series explores the
Exodus story from Egypt through entry into the Promised Land and
highlights the steps YHVH has defined for us as we journey from
slavery to freedom.
Redemption
The concept of redemption is quite prevalent throughout the
scriptures. The terms “redeem” and “redeemed”
are used nearly 130 times in the Bible, and in most cases indicate a
state of being released or loosed from some
type of bondage, be it bondage from slavery in Egypt to the
(supposed) bondage to the (Old Testament) law.
In fact, my Bible Works dictionary, in giving the definition of one
of the Greek words for “redeemed”, states that
metaphorically, to be redeemed is “Christ freeing the elect from the
dominion of the Mosaic Law at the price of
his vicarious death”4. It would seem, then, that God “redeemed”
Israel from the bondage of slavery in Egypt,
took them to Mount Sinai, where He gave them the Law, then 1500
years later sent Jesus to die an excruciating
death in order to redeem them from that same law! Humh. . .
Covenants - Part 1
The concept of being under covenant is somewhat misunderstood today,
especially in the churches. Most Christians consider
themselves to be "New Covenant" Christians and completely disregard
the covenants that came before! In this three-part teaching,
we will explore the Hebraic concept of
covenant and
discover our part - and our role - in the covenants of God.
Part 1 discusses the Biblical basis of covenant and presents a
historical perspective of the covenants God made with mankind,
Abraham, and Ancient Israel.
Covenants - Part 2
Part 2 of this teaching investigates three of the major covenants
God made with mankind, the covenants with Noah, Abraham, and Israel
at Mount Sinai. All three covenants follow a pattern that
helps to show a believer's attachment to all three.
Covenants - Part 3
Part 3 poses the question - "Is the New Covenant Really New?"
It's quite common in Hebraic circles to consider the Jeremiah 31
covenant as simply a renewal of the previous Siniatic covenant, but
is that really the case? Are there aspects of the "New
Covenant" that distinguish it from the previous covenant at Sinai?
Salvation
Most Christians believe they are "saved". Sometime in their
life, they accepted Jesus as their Savior, got baptized . . . and
that sealed the deal - they're saved! On the other hand, there
are Christians who believe a person is not saved till their "change"
comes and they are forever with Jesus. But what does the Bible
teach? We investigate the Hebraic background of salvation to
see what the New Testament writers would have been thinking when
they used the words
save and
salvation.
Baptism
Israel was "saved" when YHVH destroyed their enemy and they accepted
Him, and His representative - Moses. They entered the Red Sea
on the Egyptian side as slaves, but emerged on the other side as
free men and women. During their time below the great
expanses of water on each side, and possibly covered in deep fog,
they had time to reflect on the changes that had happened, and were
about to happen in their lives. These former Egyptian slaves
were about to become new men, in essence -
born again.
the Way
After going thru the sea, Israel was
born again, they
became a
new creation and thus had to be brought up
as a babe and taught the things of God. God could have sent
Israel directly to the promised land, but by doing so, they would
have been destined to return to Egypt, so God took them on a
journey, led them down the way in order to teach them about Him.
By the time they reached Mount Sinai, they had learned more about
how to act and behave as free people. It was not until then
that they were able to receive His law.
Repentance
The history of the children of Israel can be summarized as a pattern
of cycles, they forget YHVH’s commandments, YHVH brings trials on
them which cause them to cry out to Him, and YHWH sends a
savior who returns them to YHVH. This happened over and over.
Although Israel did cry out to God, did they ever change their heart
toward God and what He wanted to give them, or did they
continue to long to return to Egypt. In this final installment
in the
Salvation Cycles series we investigate whether
Israel ever learned to repent and turn wholly to God.
Fall Festival Series
Teshuva
John the Baptist told the throngs of Jewish people who came to his
baptism to "repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand". Weeks
later, Yeshua repeated this statement to those who came to hear His
preaching. As we know, the fall festival season pictures the
re-establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. The first
century Jewish people saw a connection between the fall festivals
and repentance, especially the days leading up to Yom Kippur.
Based on the story of Moses and his repentance on behalf of the
Israelite people for the sin of the golden calf, they established a
traditional period of repentance known as Teshuva. This
teaching discusses this very important tradition. Delivered at
the Ami Yisrael Fellowship - September 10, 2011
the Marriage of The Lamb
God chose the institution of marriage to describe His relationship
with His people. But the Hebrew marriage tradition is much
different from that of the modern western nations. To properly
understand the festivals of YHVH, you must first understand the
Hebrew wedding tradition because the festivals are all attached to
different aspects of the Hebrew wedding. Delivered at the Ami
Yisrael Fellowship - September 17, 2011 but re-recorded due to a
faulty recording (I forgot to push the record button).
Rivers of Living Water
Can the heathen be saved? What happens to those who die
without having a relationship with God and His Son? This is a
question that has perplexed theologians for 2000 years. But the
answers are there - in your Bible. The festivals given to
Israel in Leviticus 23 are in many ways, and outline of God's plan
of Salvation for all mankind. God desires that all men will be
saved. But if they're already dead? One key to
understanding God's salvation plan can be found in the Jewish
tradition called "Hoshanna Rabbah", the seventh and Last Great Day
of the Feast of Tabernacles. Delivered at
the Ami Yisrael Fellowship - September 24, 2011. This
same message was delivered at the Season of Our Joy Sukkot Festival
in 2011. The recording and Power Point presentation are from
that event.
Yom Teruah and the Restoration of All Things
God is not into Change, that is, unless a person is going to change
his life for the better. God is really into Restoration. The
fall festivals picture a time of restoration. God is beginning
to restore a number of Bible basics back to His people. Armed
with these understanding, a person is able to get a greater grasp of
what YHVH is doing at this end time. Delivered at
the First Assembly of YahVah in Emory,Texas - September 29, 2011
the Day After Time
What happens when it's all over? Is the 1000 year Messianic Kingdom
the end of things. What happens after the 1000 years.
Because Hebrew thought is cyclical, it would stand to reason that
things don't end, but they continue on and on. But what will
we be doing? If the end of 7000 years is the end of a cycle,
then it must be the beginning of another; and if there is "no new
thing under the sun", then the beginning of the cycle must be
something we've seen before. Delivered at
the Ami Yisrael Fellowship - October 1, 2011
Solar Calendar Proves Biblical Sabbaths - Don Roth
In the spring of 2011, Don Roth, from Juneau, Wisconsin, presented a
six hour presentation featuring the results of his three-years of study
and calculations pertaining to the similarities between the solar and
Hebrew (Hillel) calendar. In this study, he shows that the Hebrew
calendar follows a clear pattern that can be established mathematically.
This study features a number of charts that are referenced within the
main article. These charts are listed below the main article.