Messianic Torah Portion Vayechi (and he lived)
This Torah portion wraps up the book of Genesis with the death of Israel/Jacob (the person) and the end of Joseph’s life. This Torah portion contains big clues that salvation has always been available to both those of the nation of Israel and those of the nations. Specifically, Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh were mixed race, with their mother being Potifera, the daughter of an Egyptian priest. Jacob was embalmed as a Pharaoh while buried in the promised land, which also gives a hint to the future and how we live in Babylon today, but will ultimately be joined to Messiah in the true Israel.
Our study was long and included much discussion. Please enjoy this discussion and feel free to join us each Shabbat!
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Mainstream Christianity First Century Christianity
Go to church on Sunday or Keep the Sabbath
Sunday, Christmas, Easter or The Holy Days of the Bible
Dead people are now spirits or Dead people are dead awaiting resurrection
Trinity is mandatory or Accepting Yeshua as the Messiah and Son of God is the key to life
Works optional/not required or Repentance and change mandatory
Goal of life is going to heaven or Being in a better resurrection/the kingdom of God/ the Olam Haba
Old Testament for reference onlyor The Old Testament was the only bible they had for decades
Christianity is a different/new religion pr Christianity is the continuation of the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

⁣Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
Romans 14:18-19 ESV

The one who is accepted by God isn't the one who serves himself, but who serves Christ and the body of Christ. Pursue peace with your fellow believers, not conflict. Build each other up; don't tear each other down.

From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com).

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⁣Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.
Romans 14:13-14 ESV

Errant translations of this passage have created a lot of confusion and bad doctrine. Paul was not saying that God's rules about what is clean and unclean had changed or didn't matter. He was talking about man-made rules for what is "common", not God's rules. Akathartos vs Koinos.

From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com).

This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal.

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⁣Jacob thought his son Joseph was dead and God's plan for his descendants in jeopardy. So when his other sons returned from Egypt and told him that Joseph was alive, it was almost like he was resurrected himself. Unfortunately, he also realized that God's promise to Abraham that his descendants would be slaves in a foreign land was about to come true.

Wild Branch Community is a home fellowship of Torah-observant believers in Texas between Houston and Austin. Find out more about us at https://WildBranchTX.org.

Messianic Torah Portion Vayigash (and he approached)
The Torah portion is about Joseph’s revealing of himself to his brothers and bringing Israel into Egypt. The parallels between these scriptures and the New Testament are plentiful. Our discussion covers the despair of Jacob and parallels this to the grief of Yeshua’s disciples and the despair of the world as it awaits Yeshua’s return. We also discuss the joy Jacob experiences when he learns Joseph is alive and compare this to the resurrection of the Messiah. The theme established that Joseph’s brothers meant it for evil when they sold him into slavery but God meant it for good compares remarkably with the resurrection of the Messiah and the sermon given by Peter in Acts 2. We also touched on topics of end times studies and how the concept of the Noahide laws are folly.
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WHAT WERE THE SCALES FALLING FROM SAUL’S EYES https://biblecourts.com/
A Video Playlist of Testimonials: https://youtube.com/playlist?l....ist=PLYcXN4at-gEP_ew
Before the assembly in antioch, all "Christians" were called Nazarenes and Jessaeans, according to the Roman Catholic Church. https://nazarenejudaism.com/?page_id=638 The Bible says Paul is the ringleader of the Nazarenes Acts 24:1-5. These Nazarenes and Jesseans obeyed the law of moses, kept the sabbath on the seventh day of the week, and read the tanach in hebrew. History shows this continued until the Roman Catholic Church made it illegal, and burned them at the stake. Both Protestants and Catholics murdered the first sects of Nazarenes and Jesseans, because they do not like torah observance or 7th day sabbath observance or the holy days, or circumcision... They tried to replace biblical and historical Nazarenes and Jesseans with Roman Catholicism and the Protestant reformation. Nazarenes and Jessaeans are still here today and we are a minority: https://old.bitchute.com/video/PAIae7A4jvyM/ Still persecuted by Catholics and Protestants. My Website is https://www.BibleCourts.com You can help me get back to jerusalem to be an example of true followers of yeshua hamashiach, by spreading our video, website, and sending us a donation https://www.paypal.me/JustUseLinux

Why I Am A Torah Observant Follower Of Yeshua Hamashiach https://youtu.be/P9wBRKbnuoI

Shalom, and blessings to you and your family!

Fake Christianity lite since marcion, constantine, Augustine, and martain luther, https://odysee.com/@TheBabylon....Bee:7/introducing-ch

Heirs according to the promise.
Prelude – rebuilding the wall of separation. Attractive for both sides. One wants the commandments to be exclusive. The other wants nothing to do with the commandments. In effect, both sides want the law to be exclusive, I suppose. Out of pure practicality, this answer can’t be true. For people to accept anyone as Messiah, they must understand what a Messiah is. That is established solely though the Law and the Prophets. It’s not a concept for the nations. A Messiah is one who has been anointed by God for a mission. The Messiah, the Son of God, is the very image of God and our Mediator between us and God. It’s impossible for those who accept the Messiah to then not accept the law because there would be nothing to mediate. Let’s get into the details.
Ephesians 1: 3-7 Paul refers to “us”. He does not make a distinction. He includes himself in the adoption. This is strange as he was surely native born. Ephesus is where Paul started a riot preaching against idolatry so at a minimum it’s a mixed congregation of both native and grafted in.
The promise – Galatians 3: 26-29 Abraham was promised to be the father of countless people. This promise is fulfilled in this adoption. That through His seed, Yeshua, we have the opportunity to join the family of God. We do not replace that family, but we join in. We have the choice to accept adoption. The native born have the choice to also accept Yeshua.
The wall is broken down – Eph 2: 11-13 Commonwealth of Israel. You understand Paul is including gentile converts as Israel here. Not as a replacement for Israel, but a joining, a grafting in. Both groups into one. The gentiles who accept Yeshua as Messiah become part of Israel. Grafted in, not a replacement. Not a separate class of people, either. The goal here is unity.
Acts 15: 19-21. The gentiles are showing up at synagogue on Shabbat all over the world. They are accepting Yeshua as the Messiah and following the commandments. The question is whether conversion to Judaism is requires through circumcision prior to allowing them to commune and study. The answer is no. Many take this to mean that’s the end of the story, that these directives issued by the council of Jerusalem are the permanent ordinance and all people have to do to be consider Christians forever. That all who accepted Yeshua from the nations forever were to just stop right here and be done. Believe in the Messiah, learn, and basically continue to live as you did prior expect with these few requirements. This cannot be true because it would legalize sin for most of mankind. It would make the rest of the New Testament gibberish as there would be nothing for converts to learn or do. What would they be persevering in? If their behavior barely changed from prior, how would anybody even know they changed? It’s bizarre this concept keeps coming up on both sides. Mainstream Christians believe the law doesn’t apply to them and Jews concur. This is the divide between us and mainstream Christianity.
1 Cor 5: 4-8 become a new lump. Written to a gentile area in the Name of Yeshua. Assuming a mixed group of prior Jew and Gentile. And they are expected not only to know Torah but to be keeping ULB. Does this sound like this group stopped at the few things commanded in Acts 15? Of course not. Because Acts 15 is just a starting point. The believers were expected to keep attending Shabbat, hearing Moses, learning, and doing as they learned.
Rev 14:12 – the remnant are those who keep Torah and believe in Yeshua. You want to be the remnant.
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⁣One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
Romans 14:5-6 ESV

These verses don't mean that we can choose what day we observe as a Sabbath or no day at all. It's possible that Paul was talking about arguments over ambiguous aspects of the calendar, such as when exactly a day begins and ends. He could also have been talking about days on which one might encounter meat that had been sacrificed to idols offered for sale in the market. However, the most likely explanation is that he was talking about controversies over which days of the week should be set aside for fasting. There are no commanded weekly fast days, so this would be entirely a matter of personal opinion, not obedience to God.

If Paul wasn't saying that God's commandments concerning the weekly Sabbath no longer apply, then how can we know exactly which day is the seventh day of the week? It's been thousands of years since Creation! This video addresses that question too.

From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com).

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⁣As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
Romans 14:1 ESV

Are the "weak in faith" those people who believe trying to obey the Law or in keeping those commandments that are distinctively "Jewish"? Or are they people who are so afraid of breaking an actual commandment that they add all kinds of new rules just to be safe?

From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com).

This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal.

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⁣Then Reuben said to his father, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.”
Genesis 42:37 ESV

Reuben's actions and words in Genesis seem random and a bit crazy until you put them all together, and then they start to form a consistent pattern. Reuben was a firstborn son who saw himself being bypassed by his younger brothers. Most of his seemingly bizarre interactions with Jacob, Bilhah, Joseph, and Benjamin can be explained as a series of attempts to regain his position at the head of the family.

Wild Branch Community is a home fellowship of Torah-observant believers in Texas between Houston and Austin. Find out more about us at https://WildBranchTX.org.

The parallels between Joseph and Yeshua (Jesus) aren't just remarkable, they are prophetic and establish our understanding of the relationship between Yahweh and His Son.

⁣Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Romans 13:11-12 ESV

Paul often wrote as if he expected Yeshua to return at any moment. Was he making a false prediction in this passage? Or was he just longing for that day whether it comes tomorrow or in ten thousand years? What did he mean by salvation? What is the night and the day?

From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com).

This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal.

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⁣For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Romans 13:9 ESV

Was Paul saying that "Love your neighbor as yourself" sums up only the Ten Commandments and not all the rest of God's instructions? No! Because all of the rest of God's commandments are summed up in the Ten. To love your neighbor is to keep all of God's commandments, not just the Ten.

From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com).

This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal.

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⁣Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
Romans 12:19 ESV

"Vengeance is mine, says the Lord" does not mean we shouldn't pursue justice or restitution, but it does mean that we shouldn't be trying to get even, to make other people hurt just because they made us hurt. Our goal should always be to make the world a better place, not to make everyone equally miserable.

From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com).

This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal.

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⁣How can you bless someone who curses you? Is it just saying nice things about them? Or is it taking an active role in repairing the broken relationship?

From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com).

This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal.

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⁣Paul said we are to abhor what is evil and hold fast to what is good, but what is evil and what is good? The Bible is the only reliable source we have to identify these things. Whatever God says is evil, we should abhor. Whatever God says is good, we should hold fast to.

Food is nothing. Circumcision is nothing. Holy days are nothing. Obedience to God and relationship with him is everything, and so we abhor what he abhors and hold fast to what he holds fast.

From Jay Carper at Common Sense Bible Study (https://CommonSenseBibleStudy.com) and American Torah (https://www.AmericanTorah.com).

This content is free, but I accept contributions via Paypal at https://jaycarper.com/paypal.

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The Christian Truth of Hanukkah
This study shows how Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus the Christ, was referring to something that had already happened in Matthew 24 when He spoke of the Abomination of Desolation. In fact, His words about praying that their flight not be in winter or the Sabbath, that the would have to leave for the hills in haste, and women with children would have a difficult time were all a call-back to something that had already happened once. If you wish to understand what He was really telling them, we must study the Maccabees and the truth of Hanukkah, which contains much needed truth for Christians.

Messianic Torah Portion Vayeshev (and he lived) is about Joseph being sold into slavery by his own brothers. There are many parallels between Joseph and Yeshua, the Messiah, which we discuss in this study. The focus of our congregational discussion is on prophecy and its ultimate purpose, which is to further the kingdom of God.

⁣Division in the body of Messiah does not bring glory to God. Although such division is prophesied throughout Scripture in stories like that of Joseph and his brothers, it's a shameful thing. We need to submit to one another on matters of opinion on which the Bible is silent or ambiguous.

The story of Judah and Tamar is inserted in the middle of the story of Joseph so that we can see the contrast between the two men. There are numerous parallels between their stories. Here are just a few:

-Signs of authority: Joseph's robe and Judah's ring/staff/cord
-Identity via signs: Whose robe is this? and Whose ring/staff/cord is this?
-Relation to Father: Joseph is favored and Judah seeks favor
-Separated to foreigners: Joseph by force and Judah by choice
-Priest's daughter: Asenath the Egyptian and Tamar the Canaanite
-Tempted: Potiphar's wife and Tamar
-Twin swap: Ephraim/Manasseh and Perez/Zerah
-Loss of sons: By adoption and by death

Wild Branch Community in Brenham, Texas, also talked about the adoption of foreigners (such as Tamar, Rahab, you, and me) into Israel, the reasons for levirate marriage, and some of the cultural norms behind this controversial story.

Wild Branch Community is a home fellowship of Torah-observant believers in Texas between Houston and Austin. Find out more about us at https://WildBranchTX.org.