The LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself. (Deuteronomy 14:2, KJV)
It’s hard being a peculiar people. They say that birds of a feather flock together, but where do you find your flock when there are no other birds of your particular feather flocking together?
It’s a problem for a lot of us. Sometimes we feel as though we don’t fit into conventional churches because we object to supercessionist theology. It’s hard to listen to teachings about the cancellation of the Torah and the replacement of the Jewish people. But what are the options? Healthy Messianic congregations are scarce. So where do we find our people?
I want to create a spiritual home and a place to belong for all the round-peg-shaped disciples that would like to take a weekly break from being pounded into square theological holes. I want to create a safe environment for spiritual growth and kingdom-based teaching where you are accepted for who you are, where your curiosity is encouraged, and where the meaning of the Bible can be unlocked from a Messianic Jewish perspective. I’m not talking about starting a new denomination or leaving your congregation; I’m talking about Torah Club.
Starting in the fall of 2018, First Fruits of Zion will be changing things up. We are going to relaunch our popular Torah Club program as a weekly para-church (or para-synagogue) Bible study small group where disciples gather to learn and get their spiritual batteries recharged. It’s going to be a safe environment because the teachings are from our Torah Club materials, the group leaders will receive training from FFOZ, and our teachers will be involved, providing a weekly teaching.
In the past, we’ve spent most of our time focusing our efforts on the creation of resources, books, teachings, study tools, and publications. In the future, we hope to pour more effort into people, relationship-building, and discipleship. We want to start a grassroots movement of disciples—brothers and sisters in Yeshua—on a kingdom-mission to spread the knowledge of God. More than a classroom or Bible study, the new Torah Club will be a community of learning and a family of disciples. The Torah Club won’t replace your regular place of worship, but it will give you a safe place to develop authentic relationships with people who share your perspectives and are looking for ways to practically apply God’s Word to their lives.
To pull this off, we are going to need your help in two specific areas of financial need. First, we want to make the program affordable for everyone. We hope to offer membership in the Torah Club for less than fifty dollars a year— a price that is significantly below what it will initially cost us to produce. We are asking you to help us get this big idea off the ground and flying, providing the necessary sustenance to grow until eventually it can be self-sustaining. Second, we are going to have to create a whole new infrastructure within our ministry to manage groups, train group leaders, develop technology and systems, and implement the whole program. All that adds up to an expensive endeavor.
I’m appealing to you for help, asking you to remember to make a generous end-of-year contribution to FFOZ toward the development and implementation of the new Torah Club learning and fellowship groups.
- To learn more about the new Torah Club read “The New Face of Torah Club.“
- To learn more about my vision for raising up Torah Club leaders read “The Next Leader of FFOZ.”
Source: First Fruits of Zion
