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Our Story…

For those of you who logged on to cchowe.com…don’t worry, you’re at the right place! We’ve simply changed our name and thus our website. For more information about our name change and other changes here at Messiah Fellowship, keep reading. Pastor Ron wrote the article below to inform visitors and our community about the changes that have taken place here at the church.

God is slowly changing us and making us into His image…and for that we are grateful! With the changes here at Messiah Fellowship comes a brand new website with so many features…well, you’ll just have to browse around and take them all in! We’re excited about these new features and pray that this site challenges you in your walk with Jesus. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Pastor Ron…
In a few short days (as I write this it is Jan 8, 2008) we (as a fellowship) will no longer have any evidence of once being a part of Calvary Chapel. Our new name is “MESSIAH FELLOWSHIP.” Short and sweet, we decided on this name because it describes who we are and who we will have fellowship with. Since Christendom and Judaism seems to represent a polarization, we find ourselves someplace in the middle between the two. Thus, this name seemed the most appropriate in describing who we are. Simply put, we are a group of believers in JESUS / YESHUA, the True MESSIAH. So, it stands to reason that we will have fellowship with those who are in fellowship with HIM, believing Gentile and believing Jew!

Who we are Not!
Though it’s been stated (mostly by those who do not know us), but also by those who think that they know us, that we “have become Jewish” or “Messianic” or “legalistic” etc… the truth is we have not become any of those things!

Have we become Jewish?
Now, it IS true that we have changed! But for folks (mostly professing believers!) to call us names that are inaccurate, when they don’t even know us, is not only a sign of the times and the growing attitude of lawlessness within professing Christendom, but it is downright unkind!

The facts are that JESUS / YESHUA (HIS Hebrew Name) was /is a JEW! HE came to fulfill JEWISH prophecy written over 4000 years by JEWISH authors, concerning HIS Life, HIS Ministry and HIS commitment to the JEWISH people! HE walked in PERFECT harmony to The Law given by YHWH (GOD ALMIGHTY) to those who HE establishes HIS Covenant with! So, even though we do not believe that we have been grafted into ISRAEL (thus becoming Jewish). However, we do believe that we have been grafted into “the Vine”, MESSIAH, by faith in HIM and what HE did and is doing in/through HIS People (all who place their trust in HIS Atoning work on the cross). So really, as we experience being “in HIM”, it stands to reason that we will take on HIS characteristics, virtues and values more and more as we “walk just as HE walked.” (1 John 2:6)

Have we become Messianic?
Some have also mistakenly labeled us “Messianic.” This must be because we have distanced ourselves from the unbiblical practices of Sunday worship and the traditional holidays of “traditional Christianity” and have begun to observe the biblical Sabbath and the biblical Feasts of YHWH. Many also mistake HIS Feasts as being “for the Jewish people” because that is what has been taught for almost 1700 years and of course “all of those people couldn’t be wrong!?” Or could they? Speaking absolutely biblically, for 1700 years MANY were wrong! But not all! Nowhere in the Scriptures do we see a mandate from GOD, HIS SON nor the HOLY SPIRIT to change HIS Sabbath or HIS Feast Days, or to relegate them to ONLY be observed by Jewish people! (See Leviticus 23 / Isaiah 56 / Mat 5:17) So, because we began to take HIS Word literally and to observe HIS Feast Days (including the 7^th Day Sabbath), many folks have come to the conclusion about us that “if they haven’t become Jewish, then surely they must be Messianic!” We chuckle about this, but seriously we are no more interested in the extra and/or unbiblical, traditional practices of Messianic Judaism anymore than we are interested in the extra and/or unbiblical, man-made traditions of professing Christendom! This error seems to come from a general misunderstanding of biblical obedience altogether, which leads us to discuss a third accusation; that we “have become Legalistic.”

Have we become legalistic?
Well, first off let’s discuss the word “legalistic or legalism.” The word is NOT in the Holy Scriptures, but is a contemporary term thrown around to umbrella a number of perspectives today! It seems that anytime a serious believer in MESSIAH is challenged by HIS WORD to be more obedient, more disciplined, today’s vernacular (instead of calling it “discipleship”), refers to this person as becoming “legalistic”, thus associating biblical obedience with bondage of some kind! Actually, according to the Wikipedia; “Legalism, in Christian theology, is a pejorative term referring to an improper fixation on law or codes of conduct, or legal ideas, usually implying an allegation of misguided rigor, pride, superficiality, the neglect of mercy, and ignorance of the grace of God or emphasizing the letter of law over the spirit. Legalism is alleged against any view that law, not faith in God’s grace, is the pre-eminent principle of redemption. Its opposite error is antinomianism, which is alleged against a view that moral laws are not binding.” At this point we must define “grace” according to the bible (since it IS used in the Scriptures). According to the Strong’s Concordance of Hebrew and Greek, the word “grace” is defined in Hebrew as “favor, kindness to”. In the Greek it is defined as “especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life…”along with favor and kindness. So from the meanings of these two words; “legalism & grace” we can see that those who accuse us of being legalistic are actually saying that we now place MORE emphasis on our observance of GOD’S Word (HIS Law), than we do on HIS grace (HIS divine influence upon our hearts, producing HIS reflection in our lives). NOTHING could be further from the truth! In fact, we see HIS work of grace IN our lives producing HIS desires in us to DO HIS Word! HIS Word says “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” in Philippians 2:13, this only confirms the fact that HIS SPIRIT is confirming in us that we ARE recipients of HIS NEW COVENANT, as spoken through the prophet Jeremiah in chapter 31:33, knowing that it is THE work of Grace producing that reflection in us to be obedient to HIS Law, HIS Word, instead of man’s!

It is also worth mentioning here that the above definition for legalism referred to those who are guilty of it as having “an improper fixation” on law. To that I might ask, by whose standards? If the improper application of the above definition is suggesting that one can have an improper fixation on GOD’S Law by simply obeying HIM, then that application is very dangerous according to Revelation 22:12-15! However, also according to the definition, folks who have an improper fixation on HIS Law by NOT wanting anything to do with it/HIM are in every bit as much danger! We agree that one cannot be saved by simply doing the Law! However, we also are saying that one who is truly born again, being a recipient of the New Covenant, and the Spirit of GOD, will have a desire to please GOD and walk just as JESUS walked, being empowered and led by the Spirit, according to Jeremiah 31:33 and Ezekiel 36:27! James 2:20 says “Faith (in MESSIAH, the LIVING WORD of GOD), without works (according to the work of divine grace in the heart, producing the reflection of that work), is dead!” Actually, what James is referring to is what JESUS, Paul and JOHN also referred to, calling it “Lawlessness!” What we (at MESSIAH Fellowship) have come out of is a lawless belief system, made up by man; that exhibits a form of godliness, but denies the power of true, biblical godliness!

What is lawlessness?
“Lawlessness” by the biblical definition is derived from the Greek word “anomia” meaning “illegality, violation of law.” Did you get that? It is in reference to being in OPPOSITION to law!!! “What law?” You might ask. To which I reply, “The only one that existed (as written by YHWH) at the time!

So, instead of the blessings of biblical obedience, what we see in the references to “lawlessness” is CONDEMNATION!

In Matthew 7:23 those who “practice lawlessness” are told to depart from HIM!

In Matthew 13:41, those who “practice lawlessness” are cast into the fire!

In Matthew 23:28, (to those who had “added to / taken away from HIS Law, which by the way epitomizes true legalism!), HE calls them hypocrites and lawless!

In Matthew 24:12, HE says that because of “lawlessness” in the last days, love…will grow cold!

Paul uses the term 3 times in his epistles;

In Romans 6:19, he exhorts the Roman believers in MESSIAH to yield themselves to righteousness NOW just as they once yielded themselves to “lawlessness” prior to their conversion.

In 2 Corinthians 6:14, he reminds them that “righteousness” (biblical obedience) cannot have fellowship with “lawlessness.” (biblical disobedience)

In 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12, he confirms that the “lawless one” will deceive the “lawless”, (those in opposition to the Law of YHWH), and will lead them to destruction!!!

And the apostle John says in 1 John 3:4 “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.”

So you see, it appears that because we choose to take the Scriptures literally, and commit to obeying HIS WORD in demonstration of our love for HIM, the ONE who first loved us, and demonstrated HIS love for us, we are considered by some as “odd, Jewish, Messianic, legalistic, etc…” So be it…

Remember, in the end, it really only matters what HE says of us…and of you…

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