Statement of Faith

First, a word about names: At Living Messiah, although not dogmatic about it, we use Yahuwah (YHWH) in place of "the LORD" and Yahushua in place of Jesus. These are the Hebrew pronunciations of the English names commonly used and they are found in the Hebrew texts.

We Believe . . . .

• We believethat the Bible, consisting exclusively of the 66 books (Hebrew: Tanach and Brit Chadasha, Genesis through Revelation), was written by men inspired by the Holy Spirit, was inerrant in the original manuscripts, was then and is today the authoritative Living Word of God, alone infallible in all matters of faith and doctrine; God's complete revelation to man.

  Isaiah 40:8; 55:11; I Peter 1:21, Matthew 5:17, 18, John 10:35; II Timothy 3:15-17, Psalm 119:89; Proverbs 30:5-6; Jude 3

• We believe that our God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and He is the Creator of all visible and invisible things and by His will everything stands and exists

  Exodus 3:6, Matthew 22:32, Genesis 1:1, Isaiah 44:24

• We believe that Yahushua is the promised Messiah of Israel and Savior of all mankind. As the Son of God, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born by the Virgin, was living a sinless life, died and came to life from death. He was given the full authority in Heaven and on Earth.
• We believe that through the work of His life and His blood we are redeemed and we have salvation. The meaning of name Yahushua is "Yahuwah Saves".

  I Timothy 3:16, Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7, Isaiah 53, Matthew 1:23, 26:63-64, John 1:29

• We believe that Salvation is a gift of Grace through faith in the sacrifice and blood of Yahushua, and everyone has right to receive Yahushua for their sins to be forgiven

  Leviticus 17:11, John 3:16-17, 17:3, Romans 3:9-10, 23-24, Ephesians 2:8, Hebrew 9:12,22

• We believe in the ministry of the Holy Spirit of God, whose work on earth is to convict the world of guilt in regard to sin, righteousness and judgment, to draw man to know God, bring him to repentance and to reveal the person and work of Yahushua. The Spirit of God regenerates the believer in Yahushua, applying to him the Messiah's atoning work; and, indwelling him at the moment of salvation, enables him to live a sanctified life. We affirm that the Holy Spirit dwells in the community of the saved, imparting His gifts and ministries for the edification of the believers and the glorification of God.

  Genesis 1:2; II Samuel 23:2, John 16:8-11; I John 2:20; John 14:26; I Corinthians 2:6-12, John 3:5-8; 6:63; Romans 8:11, Romans 8:1-4, Acts 2:38, 39; II Thessalonians 2:13; Ephesians 2:19-22, I Corinthians 11:4-11; Romans 12:11

• We believe in the resurrection from dead of everyone who ever lived on the Earth either for everlasting life with God, or for complete isolation from Him

  John 5:28-29, Daniel 12:2, Matthew 25:46

• We believe in water baptism in the Name of Yahushua and that it is a voluntary decision and promise to serve Him with all your good will all the days of your life

  Mark 16:16, Acts 2:37-38, 19:5, Romans 6:3-4

• We believe that all of us, Jews and non Jews, have access to God through Yahushua and are the Spiritual Body of Messiah

  Acts 2:17, Galatians 3:28, Ephesians 2:12-14, 3:6, John 14:6

• We believe in the authority of the Ten Commandments (Law) which was and is ground and condition of covenant relationship between God and His people, and that the teachings of Yahushua confirm God's Law (Torah) and opens up its deepness and meaning

  Jeremiah 31:31-34, II Corinthians 3:3-5, James 2:10-12, Romans 3:31, 7:12, 8:7-8, 13:8-10

• We celebrate Yahuwah's appointed festivals ---- which are the reminder and prototype of things already created in the Divine salvation plan ---- and that these festivals are going to be celebrated after second coming of Yahushua

  Leviticus 23:1, Colossians 2:16, I Corinthians 5:8, Zechariah 14:16-19

Vision Statement

When we started our congregation, we felt the need for a written document that captured our vision for Living Messiah Ministries. Our congregational leader, Mark Webb, developed the "Vision Statement" below to meet that need. Reading this short document will give you a good idea of how we see ourselves and what we hope to do as a congregation.

Our Vision:

To Gather the Living Tabernacle of Messiah to Worship

   The Living Tabernacle . . .

• A Guarded Body of Believers, in the Holy Spirit, Yahushua the Messiah, יְהוָה the Creator and Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Eternal One of Israel.
• A Covenant Assembly, a called out people, built on love, displaying the character and fruit of the Spirit of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.
• A House of Hospitality, Charity, Praise and Prayer, filled with hearts of Thanksgiving.
• United in Purpose.
• Bondservants of יְהוָה, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness of those who love Him and keep His commands.

   The Living Tabernacle will . . .

• Branch and Grow by utilizing the gifts each believer has been given.
• Proclaim the Message of Salvation to the nations.
• Disciple those who seek Truth, The Living Word of יְהוָה, and Messiah Yahushua.
• Make a Joyful Noise as families worship together in song and dance.
• Establish the Essence of the Kingdom of יְהוָה, LOVE.

Mark Webb,
    Congregational Leader
    May 27, 2012

Weekly Torah Study

It is known that people learn more effectively when they are actively engaged in discussion rather than passively listening to a speaker. With this in mind, our weekly Torah study emphasizes interactive discussion. Each week, a different member of the leadership team conducts the Torah study for that week. The goal is not merely to present ideas that the leader may have but to also stimulate discussion so that other members of the congregation might share insights that the Father has given them.

We are currently studying the Torah on a three year cycle (triennial parasha) which allows us more time to delve deeper into His Word.  Current Torah Study...

Davidic Dance

Consider joining us during praise and worship as we worship from our hearts using our hands and feet. You need not know the steps just move in the same direction and you will catch on in no time. If you are interested in practicing some of the dance steps we use, inquire about our dance workshops.

Breaking Bread Together (Oneg)

Join us each Shabbat after services from 5:00 - 6:30 for an evening meal we share together. Either bring a picnic dinner for yourself or bring a dish for our buffet table to be shared with others. We look forward to this time of fellowship around the dinner table as we close the Shabbat together.

Personal Resolution

Each member of this congregation's leadership has made a personal vow before God concerning his life and conduct. This written vow, known as the "I Resolve" document, can be viewed  here .

Frequently Asked Questions

Here is a listing of some of the more common questions that we are asked along with our responses. This is a "work in progress" and changes as we receive different questions. Please feel free to ask us a question and if it is of common interest to others, we'll post both the question and our response in this column. You may submit your questions via email to info@livingmessiah.com

•   Why are you celebrating the Holy Days one month later than on the regular Jewish calendar?
  
  •   We believe that the Jewish calendar is in error, at least this year. For 2013, they declared Nissan 1 to be on March 12. We believe that the new year cannot start until the old one is over, that is, until Winter has past and Spring begun. This happens on the Spring Equinox, when the length of the day equals the length of the night. This occurs around March 21 of each year. So we began counting the days of this year on the first new moon after the Spring Equinox which places the Holy Days later than the regular Jewish calendar. Learn More...
•   Why do you pronounce Yeshua’s Name as Yahushua, and Yahveh’s Name as Yahuwah?
  •   We use Yahushua because He comes in His Father’s name, so part of the Father’s name must be in His Name (John 5:43.) So the Yahu is in Yahushua and Yahuwah. Furthermore, Yahushua is the name of Joshua who was a type of Messiah who brought the Israelites into the promise land. We know that “Jesus” in Greek is Iesus and when you look at Joshua's name in the Septuagint it is the same name, Iesus.
    
    Also the prophets came in Yahuwah’s name: Isaiah (Yeshayahu) or Jeramiah (Yirmeyahu) bear His name. The angel told Mary to name the child Yahushua because "He will save His people" (emphasis on He). So when you look at Yahushua it means “Yah will save”, whereas Yeshua only means “salvation”. So the question is “who is saving”, since Mary was told the name means "He will save."
    
    We realize that not everyone may be "on the same page" with this line of reasoning, and we are not dogmatic about it. As long as you have a personal relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through the atoning work of the Messiah, that's the critical thing. We want to do all things in the spirit of Love.

•   Do you believe that the Bible is God's word to his people and is without error?
  •   We believe that the Bible is definitely God's word to his people and that it was written by men under the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit (the Ruach HaKodesh in Hebrew). Because much of it was written more than 2500 years ago, long before the English language was created, there may be some translational errors. However, a close study of the Bible will reveal that it is amazingly consistent and relevant given its age and history. The very fact that the Bible even exists today is nothing short of miraculous. There is no other book like it on earth.

•   Do you believe that Jesus was born on Christmas?
  •   We believe it's very unlikely that Jesus was born on Christmas. Furthermore, it's even more unlikely that he ever heard the name Jesus. He was most likely known by his Hebrew name, Yahushua.