As I sit here during my quiet time with Abba this morning, a certain topic keeps circling in my head that truly grieves my heart. As these last days begin to wind down, more and more people are grasping for truth, some sort of peace and stability in KNOWING they are going to be ok. Conferences, sermons, bible studies, “self-help” books are focusing on end times, the last days, the book of Revelation.

However, people are still wanting more and are beginning to dig into the Hebrew Scriptures….longing to know WHO their Messiah is, how He walked, and what He EXPECTS of His children. So, as with before, we are seeing more and more teachings, books, studies, sermons on Hebrew Scriptures, Torah, Feasts, etc.

And that is AWESOME!

I am so ecstatic about the hunger, the desire, the focus that is beginning to rise in my fellow brothers and sisters in Yeshua, wanting to know MORE of our Messiah.

However, here is where my heart begins to grieve….

The danger is that we have pastors, teachers, leaders “teaching” about Torah, the Feasts, the Sabbath, yet they are not LIVING what they are teaching.

I hear people say, we are doing a series on Torah…or we are having a special sermon or mini conference on the Feasts…and my heart begins to cry. For you see…Torah is not “a series” that you can sum up in a month or two. Torah is a life style, it is complete instructions on how we are to LIVE in His Kingdom. It is the very fingerprint of our Messiah on our hearts.

The Feasts are not some “show stopping topic” for one to use in a sermon to gain excitement and interest. They are not this “new thing” for us to use as way to increase our congregation and pocket books. The Feasts are holy, they are rich, they are prophetic. They deserve respect and deep study to TRULY understand the fullness of these “appointed times”.  This is not a “fad or hot topic” you can’t throw a lesson together about it or “wing it”….you can not TRULY teach what you yourself are not walking. By doing that, you are not only cheating the ones you are teaching, but you yourself are missing out on the most amazing, intimate, deep, enriching, and peaceful relationship/walk with Yeshua that you could ever imagine.

So my first question is to teachers, bible study leaders, preachers, etc. who have begun teaching Torah, Feasts, Hebrew Scripture….are you LIVING what you are teaching?  Are you walking as He walked, celebrating HOW and WHEN he celebrated, teaching as He taught, and being a TRUE and WHOLE living witness of His Word? Is your heart beating in unison with our Messiah?

My second question is to those seeking Truth. Those who the Father is beginning to disturb your Shalom (peace), opening your eyes, and putting a hunger inside of you to know Him in a more deeper and intimate way. Are the teachers you are listening to, are the leaders you are following, is the congregation you are a part of….are they LIVING what they are teaching? Does their lives mirror what they say they believe and what they proclaim to be Scriptural Truth? Is the community that you are surrounding yourself with (though at different speeds) all headed the same direction and striving for the same goal?

For you see…Torah is not education…it is transformation. If you “say” you are studying Torah, yet your lifestyle, your beliefs, your thought process is not transforming  and growing you into alignment WITH His instructions….then you are NOT studying Torah.

So my challenge and encouragement…LIVE what you are teaching, MAKE your lives align with your words, SEEK OUT communities that are working as echad (as one) toward the same goal, the same mark….Torah. Because you see this is not some “fad” that will ebb and flow, making way for the next “big thing”. Torah is His instructions, His Tabnith (blueprint) for living in His Kingdom….and He takes that VERY seriously.

Shalom